Non-Stop! EARTHQUAKE Swarm- SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS 5.8- after weeks 8.0, 7s, 6s, 5s Quakes. 3-11-13
SUBSCRIBE FOR PREDICTIONS THAT MAY AFFECT YOU - - Mar. 11, 2013. Apocalyptic EARTHQUAKES SWARM rocks SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS non-stop at the same spot for wee...
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Residents, some carrying British flags, parade during a rally in support of United Kingdom control over the islands in Port Stanley, Falkland or Malvinas Islands Sunday, March 10, 2013. The local Falkland Islands Government has mobilized a major effort to get registered voters to answer a yes-or-no to the referendum; "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?", scheduled for March 10-11, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Byrne)
STANLEY, Falkland Islands An overwhelming 99.8 percent of Falkland Islands voters have backed keeping their government just the way it is: a British Overseas Territory.
Of the 1,517 valid votes cast, only 3 islanders voted "no" to the question: "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?" One vote was somehow lost, officials said Monday.
The referendum was aimed at showing the world that the residents' self-determination must be considered in any discussion about the future of the remote South Atlantic islands that are claimed by both Britain and Argentina.
Elections officials reported a 92 percent turnout among the approximately 1,650 Falkland Islands voters eligible to cast ballots in the referendum. International election observer Juan Henao said the process was completely normal.
The islands' 2,563 residents did all they could ahead of the vote to show their sympathies, waving Union Jack flags and dressing up in red-white-and-blue.
"The referendum will show the world how we feel, that we are British and that we wish to remain British. We don't want to have nothing to do with Argentina, at all," islander Barry Nielson said as he voted.
The ballot didn't consider any alternatives, such as full independence or some sort of political relationship with Argentina. The Falkland Islands Government had said that if a majority said "no," they could explore alternatives in a second vote later.
The government barred from voting any visiting contractors or personnel from the sizeable British military deployment, as well as anyone who had not resided in the islands for the last 12 months, thus excluding several people with islander status who have chosen to live in Argentina.
Argentines consider the "Islas Malvinas" to be part of their national territory, taken from them by the British more than 180 years ago. One group at the iconic obelisk in Buenos Aires said Monday that it had gathered 100,000 signatures supporting Argentina's claim to the territory and the resource-rich seas that surrounds the archipelago.
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By Shadia Nasralla and Maria Golovnina
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron warned Argentina on Tuesday that Britain would always be ready to defend citizens in the remote Falkland Islands after they voted almost unanimously in a referendum to remain British.
Argentina, 300 miles (500 km) to the west of the Falklands, has claimed the South Atlantic archipelago for almost 200 years and in 1982 invaded the islands only to be repelled in a 74-day war with Britain.
British nationals first settled in the Falklands in the 19th century and three decades after the war for ownership of the islands, many still feel strongly about their fate.
"The Falkland Islands may be thousands of miles away but they are British through and through, and that is how they want to stay, and people should know we will always be there to defend them," Cameron said in televised remarks.
"They want to remain British and that view should be respected by everybody, including by Argentina."
In a referendum on Sunday and Monday designed to send a defiant message to Argentina, all but three of those who cast their ballots on the islands voted to remain a British Overseas Territory.
In their ancestral homeland 8,000 miles (12,900 km) away, British television channels ran continuous live coverage from the chilly, windswept and sparsely populated islands over the weekend, and Britons praised the islanders for voting "yes."
"It's a British colony. The settlers out there are all British," Tony Gill, 74, a former military pilot, said in the town of Chelmsford in eastern England.
"They've made the island what it is and now the Argentineans want to take it away from them," added Gill as he headed to a meeting with other veterans, including some of those who fought in the 1982 war.
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Britain pledges to defend distant cousins on Falkland Islands
By ELIZABETH BEHRMAN | Tribune staff Published: March 13, 2013 Updated: March 13, 2013 - 6:00 AM
To Mark Newkirk, the Davis Islands business district is a land of untapped opportunity.
The two-block stretch of Davis Boulevard is home to restaurants, a gift shop, a pet boutique, a dry cleaner, a cigar shop and other businesses.
"There's so much that the island has to offer," said Newkirk, owner of Fountain Square restaurant -- a little something for everyone, even.
There is just one problem: "People have no idea," he said.
There are at least 100 shops and offices on Davis Islands, although neither the Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce nor the city of Tampa knows exactly how many.
The business district's restaurants are popular lunch spots for professionals from downtown and Tampa General Hospital, which is at the north end of the community. According to recent census data, Davis Islands is home to about 5,000 residents.
But people who don't live on the islands don't realize all the opportunities the islands provide, Newkirk said. With more marketing and networking, business owners could grow the district into a popular family destination, he said.
For some business owners, the district lacks variety.
Business is good for Liz Wessel, owner of Serendipity Accents and Gifts, which has been on Davis Islands for 20 years. But most of her customers live on the islands, and her shop is one of the only retailers in the neighborhood.
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Business owners believe Davis Islands could be a destination
REUTERS/Ezequiel Pontoriero/DyN
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner greets Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio at the Basilica of Lujan, December 22, 2008.
Today signals the first day of Pope Francis reign as the new leader of the Catholic Church, and already the pontiff is faced with a challenge.As Argentines and Catholics across the globe celebrate the election of the first ever Latin American pope, comments made by the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio regarding the Falkland Islands dispute have emerged.
Last April, at a memorial mass in Buenos Aires marking the 30thanniversary of the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict, Cardinal Bergoglio told his followers that they had come together to pray for those who have fallen, the sons of our homeland who went out to defend their mother country, to reclaim what is theirs of the homeland, that which was usurped from them. He also spoke of the many young Argentines who never returned from the war, while others came back but were never able to forget, writesAciPrensa.Whether or not they fought in the battleground, these young people were scared for life, the Cardinal said. Three years earlier, Cardinal Bergoglio told families of Argentine soldiers killed in the conflict to go and kiss this land which is ours, and seem to us far away, notes theIndependent.
(MORE:Pope of the Americas)
His words echo those of Cristina Fernndez Kirchner, President of Argentina, who in January sent an open letter to the British Prime Minister David Cameron calling on him to honor a United Nations resolution that dates back to 1960 and end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, writes theGuardian.She wrote in the letter that the Malvinas (as the islands are known in Argentina) are 8,600 miles away from London and claimed that the Royal Navy had expelled Argentines living on the islands and replaced them with British settlers, a move that, she says, was a blatant exercise in nineteenth-century colonialism.
Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands have expressed surprise at the election of Pope Francis. Monsignor Michael McPartland from St. Marys Catholic Church in Stanley admitted this morning that he had never actually heard of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio until his election as pope was announced on Wednesday, writes theIndependent.I have to say I know nothing of him I had never heard of him until 24 hours ago. But he is going to create some very interesting reactions, said MonsignorMcPartland.
(PHOTOS:The Rise of Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio)
Senior figures from the Falklands have said the pope is welcome to visit the islands so that he can understand the views of its inhabitants. Dick Sawle, an elected legislator from the islands, told theIndependent,In the political sense, the new pope is wrong in what he said. I would hope that as leader of the Catholic Church he would recognize that Christ died so that all men could be equal and accept our rights as individuals here in the Falklands Islands.
On Sunday, an overwhelming 99.8 percent of Falkland Islands inhabitants voted in favor of remaining an overseas U.K. territory. Just 3 islanders voted no to the following question: Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?
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Argentina: Referendum on Malvinas Islands #39; sovereignty illegal
Argentina has responded to UK #39;s self-determination pledge that has prompted the coalition government of British Prime Minister David Cameron to reject negoti...
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Argentina: Referendum on Malvinas Islands' sovereignty illegal - Video
The Falkland Islands
Falkland Islanders are preparing to vote in a referendum on the archipelago #39;s political status. The issue has long been a point of contention, as Buenos Aire...
By: AFP
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What #39;s the Deal with Obama and the Falkland Islands?
The Falkland Islanders will hold a referendum in March 2013 to decide if they wish to maintain their allegiance to the UK. The Obama Administration has refus...
By: HeritageFoundation
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What's the Deal with Obama and the Falkland Islands? - Video
10 March 2013 Last updated at 06:05 ET
Residents of the Falkland Islands are preparing to vote in a referendum on 10 and 11 March to decide whether to remain an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
The move has been condemned by Argentina which claims sovereignty over the islands.
BBC News has spoken to Falkland Islanders to see how they think the referendum will pan out and what impact it might have on UK-Argentine and UK-Falkland ties.
I'm a sixth or seventh-generation Falkland Islander; I've lived here all my life.
My father is a Falkland Islander and my mother moved here just before the war broke out, when my father served in the resistance.
The referendum is vital - it will show Argentina and the world that the islanders can chose their own future and political status.
Argentina tries to garner support around the world for its claim to the islands but the referendum will make their argument difficult to back.
There is a misconception in Britain resulting from the latest census which said that the majority of residents identify themselves as Falkland Islanders.
But for us it's like people in Wales and Scotland identifying themselves primarily as Welsh and Scottish, then British second.
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Bill Poole stands in the Falklands capital of Stanley beside posters calling for a "yes" vote to remain British in a referendum Sunday and Monday. Great Britain has held the islands since 1833. (Tony Chatter, AFP/Getty Images)
LONDONOn Sunday and Monday, the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands, a wind-swept, sparsely populated archipelago that was a final way station for early 20th-century explorers like Ernest Shackleton en route to the icy wastes of Antarctica, will go to the polls in a referendum on the islands' future.
A total of 1,672 eligible voters vastly outnumbered by the islands' estimated population of 1 million penguins and 700,000 sheep will be asked to answer yes or no to a straightforward proposition:
"Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?"
The alternative would be to begin a transition to Argentine control, perhaps by a period of shared sovereignty, as Argentina has suggested. The vote comes three decades after Argentina tried to settle the issue by force, invading the islands and losing a 10-week war with Britain that cost the lives of 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as three civilians on the islands.
For those inclined to a wager, the referendum is a lead-pipe cinch. The majority of the islands' residents are British citizens, and local pundits expect the vote for retaining the status quo will run a few points short, if that, of 100 percent.
About the only uncertainty is whether the fog that sweeps over the Falklands will ground the aircraft that carry the ballots from eight separate islands to Stanley, the capital.
The benchmark is a 2002 referendum in Gibraltar, another British dependency, where the vote for retaining the British link or accepting a new status tying the isthmus on which Gibraltar stands to Spain was 98.5percent. That, too, was not much of a cliffhanger because many of those eligible to vote were of British descent.
For Argentina and Britain, the 1982 conflict was a shock enough to lead, in time, to the collapse of the Argentine military junta that mounted the invasion, and to propel Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in deep political trouble at home when the war gave her an opportunity to play the "Iron Lady," to a second election victory in 1983.
The hope, sustained for years after the war, was that both countries would put the bitterness behind them and build a relationship on interests like trade that pragmatists on both sides saw as more important than the Falklands.
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Falkland Islands to choose in referendum: Britain or Argentina?
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- People living in the Falkland Islands are voting in a referendum on their political status on Sunday and Monday at a time of heightened tensions between Argentina and Britain over their sovereignty.
The two countries went to war over the territory, known to the Argentinians as Las Malvinas, in 1982 after the then-military government in Argentina landed troops on the islands.
According to the Falklands legislative assembly, the vote is intended to affirm islanders' desire to remain a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom and to reject claims of ownership by Argentina.
The question put to voters is: "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?"
The two-day referendum is supported by the British government.
But the Argentinian Embassy in London said in a statement Friday that the referendum had no legitimacy, characterizing it as "a further attempt by the British to manipulate the question of the Malvinas Islands."
Because the area around the Falklands is the subject of a sovereignty dispute, it argues, "the United Kingdom has no right to alter the legal status of these territories, not even under the guise of a hypothetical 'referendum.' "
Argentina's president condemns 'colonial rule'
In January, Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner wrote an open letter, published in the UK press, in which she called on Britain to hand back the islands and accused it of blatant colonialism.
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The search for heaven on earth is a quest that many travellers undertake.
Until a few weeks ago, however, I didn't realize it was as simple as booking a flight to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.
While on a catamaran tour of the lagoon at Aitutaki (the second most visited island in the Cooks), we stopped at a tiny sandbar, which many locals call Heaven.
Gentle ripples of water from the turquoise lagoon lapped at the shore. Powder-soft white sand sparkled under the sun. There seemed no doubt about it - this was definitely one place where Mother Nature got it right.
The sense of solitude and serenity here seemed almost mystical; our catamaran captain had taken the boat to a nearby island called One Foot, leaving us alone on the sandbar in the middle of the lagoon.
If heaven were a place on Earth, this could well be it.
It was so peaceful and perfect that I wished everyone could experience a moment like this, here on Heaven - not all at the same time, of course. The sandbar is less than a hectare in size.
I don't know when we would have felt ready to leave this sandy slice of bliss, but it was hunger that eventually drove us toward One Foot. We simply waded 200 or so metres through waist-deep warm water to reach the uninhabited island, where the boat's crew had a barbecue lunch waiting.
Over the years, the remote One Foot Island has become known for being home to one of the world's smallest post offices. When a captain lands on the island, he will open the post office "hut" to sell postcards to his passengers and give them a unique stamp on their passports.
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Noobcraft: Islands of Junara 2.0 | Episode 2
Noobcraft takes you to the Islands of Junara! Throughout this map you will see funny moments, falling out of the world and loosing everything, exploring the map, fights against Mobs and much more. Oh... and the pointless button! Don #39;t forget to subscribe: http://www.youtube.com Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com Previous videos: Noobcraft Survival Episode 1: youtu.be Noobcraft Survival Episode 2: youtu.be Wackadooooooooo #39;s Channel: http://www.youtube.com CaptainScrubbie #39;s Channel: http://www.youtube.com "Song: Technoreabit - Complex Mind Technoreabit #39;s channel: http://www.youtube.com "Song: Synx - Epicstep Synx #39;s channel: http://www.youtube.com
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Swimming with Sea Turtles, Galapagos Islands, Feb. 2013
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Swimming with Sea Turtles, Galapagos Islands, Feb. 2013 - Video
Laguna, Little Cayman | Cayman Islands real estate
http://www.facebook.com http://www.sothebysrealty.com Laguna, Little Cayman | Cayman Islands real estate | Caribbean As the twin-prop plane flies over the brilliant turquoise sea and onto the landing strip of the tiny airport of Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, you will realize you have arrived at one of the Caribbean #39;s most unspoiled and pristine destinations. Introducing Laguna, one of Little Cayman #39;s finest homes where time has no meaning and each day is filled with pure pleasure and relaxation. Little Cayman, the smallest of the three Cayman Islands and located just South of Miami, continues to be one of the least developed, safest, and easily accessible tropical islands in the western hemisphere. This unique island of incredible beauty and untouched surroundings provides serenity and extraordinary living. A magical paradise and unhurried pace where you know every one of your neighbors as there are less than 150 residents. The lure of the island, besides its seclusion, includes renowned near-vertical wall dives at Bloody Bay Wall and world famous bone fishing in the flats off Little Cayman. Local Caymanians and folklore suggests that pirate treasure may still be buried in the dense interior but there is treasure enough in what is now the largest bird sanctuary in the Caribbean where you may catch a glimpse of the Red Footed Booby or the magnificent frigates. By extension, Laguna successfully combines luxury living in a relaxed and casual manner that is perfect for an intimate evening ...
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BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Voters in the remote British-ruled Falkland Islands hold a referendum on their future on Sunday that seeks to challenge Argentina's increasingly vocal sovereignty claim.
Thirty-one years since Britain and Argentina went to war over the windswept archipelago in the South Atlantic, tensions between London and Buenos Aires are running high. That has unsettled some of the roughly 2,500 islanders and strengthened patriotic feeling.
Just 1,649 Falklands-born and long-term residents are registered to vote in the two-day referendum starting on Sunday in which they will be asked whether they want to remain a British overseas territory.
A near-unanimous "yes" vote is likely, prompting Argentina to dismiss the referendum as a publicity stunt. British bookmaker Ladbrokes described the result as "the biggest certainty in political betting history" and said no one had placed a bet on a "no" vote.
But high turnout is expected as islanders embrace the ballot as an opportunity to make their voices heard.
"People feel strongly about this. It's our chance to make a unified stand on something that affects us deeply," said Kerri Jamieson, a Falklands-born small business owner who has been selling commemorative referendum T-shirts.
So far she has sold about 50 T-shirts bearing the logo "Our Islands, Our Decision," and the orders keep coming in.
Jamieson lives in a remote West Falkland settlement, where a mobile voting station will be flown in to allow the handful of residents to cast their ballots.
In the quiet island capital of Stanley, where most islanders live, the post office has produced a line of official stamps to mark the occasion.
"For the Argentines, it's just an academic exercise, but for us, it affects us enormously," Jamieson said.
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Falkland Islands defy Argentine sovereignty push with referendum
The mystery of how the Falkland Islands wolf became the only land-based mammal on an isolated island was first brought up by British explorers in 1690. Scientist Charles Darwin then made the species conundrum prominent after his interaction with the tame wolves during his voyage on the HMS Beagle in 1834.
Three hundred and twenty years later, researchers at the University of Adelaide have finally solved the mystery. The scientists, who are part of the University's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD), used tiny pieces of tissue from a skull that Darwin himself collected. They compared that with DNA that was found in a specimen that was being stored in the attic of the Otago Museum in New Zealand.
"The Eureka moment was finding evidence of submarine terraces off the coast of Argentina. They recorded the dramatically lowered sea levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (around 25-18,000 years ago)," said study leader Professor Alan Cooper in a statement. "At that time, there was a shallow and narrow (around 20km) strait between the islands and the mainland, allowing the Falkland Islands wolf to cross when the sea was frozen over, probably while pursuing marine prey like seals or penguins. Other small mammals like rats weren't able to cross the ice."
The previous hypothesis was that the closest relative to the Falklands Islands wolf was the maned wolf from South America, and that the island species made its way over in an unknown fashion, possibly a now removed land bridge.
This time around, researchers matched the DNA to an extinct species, Dusicyon avus, who lived in neighboring Argentina and Chile. The scientists proved that they were the closest relative to the island wolf.
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Falkland Islands wolf: Scientists solve 320-year-old mystery
The pirates of the Caribbean knew where to hang out in the countless islands and cays that dot these tropical waters between the Bahamas and the northern coast of South America.
And so do today's cruise lines, with itineraries to allow landlubbers to discover some of the cutest little coves, the best beaches and prettiest ports this alluring, warm body of water has to offer.
No treasure of the swashbuckling buccaneers of yore can compare with the richness of the West Indies and its value to the cruise-line industry.
I chose a 14-day cruise with Holland America (HAL) out of Tampa because it offered the most ports of call with the fewest full days at sea.
The itinerary took us from Tampa to HAL's privately leased isle of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, and then to San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), Antigua, St. Lucia, Curaao, Aruba, the Cayman Islands and back to Tampa.
It would cost you and arm and a leg, like it did some of the pirates, to visit all these archipelagos on your own, but cruising gives you an overall taste of what the following islands and ports of call have to offer so you can come back on your own and stay longer in your favourite tropical hideaway.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
This crescent-shaped island is our captain's favourite place to visit, and I can see why. As our tenders ferrying passengers came closer to shore, the water changed colour from a steely dark blue to turquoise. And the cream-coloured beach extended along the shore as far as the eye could see.
Named after British explorer Henry Hudson's ship, Half Moon, the cay has no permanent residents, but locals from the other Bahamian islands come on shore to assist in catering to the tourists.
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New Zealand Employers Commends Solomon Islands Seasonal Workers
Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon Clay Forau was pleased to hear positive feed backs and comments from various Employers in New Zealand on the work output and performances of Solomon Islands nationals employed under the Recognized Seasonal Employers Scheme.
I am pleased as well as the Government to hear that our workers are doing well in New Zealand, says Minister Forau. Our workers are settling in well and are adjusting to the New Zealand culture and environment.
On Monday, the Hon Minister and his delegation were in Nelson on New Zealands South Island, where they met with two of the employers and both have commended highly Solomon Islands seasonal workers.
This is positive news for the country and our seasonal workers and those intending to be recruited under the Recognized Seasonal Employers Scheme (RSE) in New Zealand in the future, must maintain that professionalism and dedication in their work in New Zealand, added Minister Forau. They must continue to perform to the best of their ability and to the expectation of their employers, stated Minister Forau.
The success of our participation in the RSE in New Zealand depends entirely on the trust, good behavior, professionalism and dedication by our citizens working under the scheme in New Zealand, added Minister Forau.
On Tuesday morning in Wellington, Hon Minister Forau, also paid a courtesy call on the New Zealand Minister for Immigration, Hon Michael Woodhouse and the Deputy Chief Executive, Immigration Group, Mr Nigel Bickie, both of whom have also spoke highly of Solomon Islands seasonal workers and their overall contribution to the RSE for both New Zealand and Solomon Islands.
The Hon Minister and delegation are currently in Napier where they will meet more Solomon Islands Seasonal Workers and their Employers.
The Hon Ministers delegation includes officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade as well as Labor and Immigration Divisions.
ENDS
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Published: March. 6, 2013 at 12:42 AM
VATHY, Greece, March 6 (UPI) -- The emir of Qatar, one of the world's richest men, has taken title to six uninhabited Greek islands after a year and a half of paperwork.
Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani paid $11 million for the islands in the Echinades chain, The Guardian reported. They are politically part of Ithaca, the island in the Ionian Sea that was home to the Homeric hero Odysseus.
The sheik plans to create vacation retreats for his family, which includes three wives and 24 children. Ioannis Kassianos, who became mayor of Ithaca three years ago after a career as an economics professor in the United States, said the sheik plans to buy the entire Echinades chain of 20 islands, all of them uninhabited. Dennis Grivas, owner of the smaller five islands, negotiated a price last week.
"The islands have been in my family for over 150 years but we are not rich enough to be able to keep such valuable properties any longer," Grivas said. "We are very, very happy to see them go. They have been on the market for nearly 40 years."
Kassianos said the sale involved 18 months of red tape.
"Greece is that kind of place," he said. "Even when you buy an island, even if you are the emir of Qatar, it takes a year and a half for all the paperwork to go through."
Kassianos said the sheik now has to find a workaround for a Greek law limiting the size of private homes.
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