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Helicopter carrying 18 crashes off Scotland

A Super Puma helicopter, similar to the one in this file photo, went down about 120 miles east of Aberdeen.
A Super Puma helicopter went down with 18 people on board in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland Wednesday, a Royal Air Force officer told CNN.

The helicopter ditched about 120 miles east of Aberdeen while approaching an offshore platform, said Barry Neilson, commander of the RAF’s aeronautical rescue coordination center at RAF Kinloss. The RAF was providing helicopter assistance to the Aberdeen Coast Guard. James Lyon, assistant controller at the RAF Kinloss center, said: “We have been picking up beacons from their lifejackets… Two aircraft are on the scene.” He would not say how many signals the rescue team was tracking, but said they would not expect to pick up all of the beacons. He did not know if the pilot transmitted a mayday before the aircraft ditched. “We believe it was quite close to the platform it was supposed to be landing on,” he added. The area is home to a number of offshore oil rigs. Lyon said he did not know which one the helicopter was heading to or where it was coming from. One RAF helicopter and one civilian helicopter were already on the scene, Neilson said, with two more civilian helicopters en route. Another RAF helicopter was providing support, he said, and surface vessels were also involved in the operation. The RAF received its first report of the crash at 6:43 p.m. (1:43 p.m. Eastern time). Lyon said the Super Puma is regularly used to transport people to and from oil platforms in the North Sea and as far as he was aware it has a good safety record. Weather at the crash site is relatively good, though slight fog is hampering visibility, he said.

Court: Chinese at Guantanamo can’t be freed in U.S.

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that 17 Uighur detainees cannot be released in the United States.
A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that 17 native Chinese Muslims in military custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, cannot be released into the United States.

The three-judge panel concluded by a 2-1 vote there is no legal or constitutional authority for the detainees to be immediately freed, even though they are unlawfully detained and no country is willing to accept them. The 17 men are Uighurs, an ethnic group from western China. They are accused of receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan. Some of the detainees have been cleared for release since 2003, but the United States will not send them back to their homeland because of concern they would be tortured by Chinese authorities. The Chinese government has said no returned Uighurs would be tortured. “We do not know whether all petitioners or any of them would qualify for entry or admission [to the United States] under immigration laws,” wrote Judge Raymond Randolph. “We do know there is insufficient evidence to classify them as enemy combatants — enemies, that is, of the United States. But that hardly qualifies petitioners [the Uighurs] for admission. Nor does their detention at Guantanamo for many years entitle them to enter the United States.”

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U.S. District Judge Richard Urbina in October ordered the Uighurs released inside the United States since they are no longer considered “enemy combatants.” He said further imprisonment “crossed the constitutional threshold into infinitum.” The Bush administration appealed, seeking a quick hearing to block any release, at least temporarily. Lawyers for the detainees now have the option of appealing directly to the Supreme Court, but the justices might not take up the matter for months. President Obama’s plans to close the Guantanamo military detention facility complicate matters further. “The government has represented that it is continuing diplomatic attempts to find an appropriate country willing to admit petitioners, and we have no reason to doubt it is doing so,” Randolph noted in the ruling. “Nor do we have the power to require anything more.” Dissenting Judge Judith Rogers agreed with the majority that it would be premature to release the detainees into the United States before their immigration status is resolved. But, she said, were it later determined their detention was illegal, the courts “would have the power to order them conditionally released into the country.” She expressed concern the men have been behind bars for years, and said their detention “appears indefinite.” About 250 detainees, many of them suspected terrorists, remain in the camp. Approximately two-thirds have appealed their continued detention and have complained the government is unfairly keeping them from finding out whether any evidence exists that could clear them of wrongdoing. Many fear arrest, physical abuse or persecution if they are sent to their homelands, according the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the Uighurs in court. It said the men pose no terror threat and could be released into the United States and stay with a local Muslim community until their cases were resolved. Among the lead Uighur plaintiffs is Hazaifa Parhat, accused of attending a terror training camp in Afghanistan at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He denies the charge. Urbina and Judge Richard Leon, who are handling appeals from Guantanamo detainees, have grown frustrated in recent months with the continued detention of some of the men. Leon ordered the release last week of five Algerians accused of being enemy combatants, and urged the government not to appeal. Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday he will travel to the Guantanamo detention center next week as a “first step” in a process to determine what to do with detainees held there. Holder told reporters after a speech on civil rights that he will make the trip to Cuba on Monday with the Justice Department’s point man on counterterrorism, Matt Olsen. Spokesman Dean Boyd termed the trip “the beginning of a review process.” Holder told reporters review of the Guantanamo detainees’ individual cases has begun and officials are “making progress,” but he declined to be more specific.

Republicans, analysts question Obama’s foreclosure plan

President Obama's $75 billion home foreclosure plan would benefit 9 million borrowers.
Even before President Obama unveiled his home foreclosure plan Wednesday afternoon, some Republicans and political commentators questioned how exactly it would work to stave off a crisis plaguing the country.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, along with Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent a letter Wednesday to the president “seeking clarification on six important questions about [Obama’s] broad housing proposal,” according to a press release from Cantor’s office. Obama unveiled his $75 billion multipronged plan in Phoenix, Arizona, that seeks to help up to 9 million borrowers suffering from falling home prices and unaffordable monthly payments. The long-awaited foreclosure fix marks a sharp departure from the Bush administration, which relied mainly on having servicers voluntarily modify troubled mortgages. In the Phoenix area, median home prices have fallen 35 percent in the past year. Obama, according to the proposed plan, will make it easier for homeowners to afford their monthly payments either by refinancing the mortgages or having their loans modified. The president is vastly broadening the scope of the government rescue by focusing on homeowners who are still current in their payments but at risk of default. Read more on his plan But there could be fierce resistance among Republicans and some conservative Democrats on Capitol Hill. Already, top Republicans want several questions answered, an early sign that Obama may once again face stiff opposition to the plan when it comes before Congress. Last week, not one House Republican voted for his economic stimulus package, and only three GOP senators voted for the bill.

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The questions found in the letter from Cantor and Boehner to Obama include: • What will your plan do for the over 90 percent of homeowners who are playing and paying by the rules • Does your plan compensate banks for bad mortgages they should have never made in the first place • Will individuals who misrepresented their income or assets on their original mortgage application be eligible to get the taxpayer funded assistance under your plan • Will you require mortgage servicers to verify income and other eligibility standards before modifying mortgages Watch more on the home foreclosure crisis » • What will you do to prevent the same mortgages that receive assistance and are modified from going into default three, six or eight months later • How do you intend to move forward in the drafting of the legislation and who will author it CNN political analyst David Gergen said some aspects of the proposed bill are not going to sit well with conservatives. “If the administration does move forward with forcing lenders to renegotiate mortgages downward, there are going to be a lot of conservatives who are going … to say that [this] ‘cram-down’ is a terrible idea,” he said. ” What it means is, there will be risk premiums put on future sales of houses, because lenders will say, ‘I have got to get a risk premium, in case the government does this to me again.'” Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said Obama’s plan “simply shifts the debt to taxpayers.” “How will borrowing more money to pay for bad loans solve the problem,” Flake said in a press release Wednesday. “President Obama’s talk of individual responsibility seems to be at odds with the details of the plan.” Gergen also questioned the fairness of giving help to some mortgage holders that have been delinquent compared to those who are paying on time. “What do you do about the couple that has been paying their mortgage … and next door there’s another couple that’s been delinquent, that’s been out spending money, going to Las Vegas, having a lot of fun time,” Gergen said. “Is it fair to the first couple when the second couple gets bailed out” David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller, echoed Gergen’s thoughts. “Well, we clearly have to do something on housing,” Walker said. “I mean, we need to do something to try to be able to help those that are deserving help, but not to reward bad behavior. We have to end the spiraling down of prices.”

Obama’s response to critics: The plan will not support irresponsible homeowners. “It will not rescue the unscrupulous or irresponsible by throwing good taxpayer money after bad loans. It will not help speculators who took risky bets on a rising market and bought homes not to live in but to sell,” Obama said Wednesday. “It will not reward folks who bought homes they knew from the beginning they would never be able to afford.”

American car owners want automakers held accountable

Tracy Dupire of Worthington, Indiana, loves to drive her 2002 Ford Mustang convertible with the top down when the weather is nice. She’s always had an American car and hopes she always will.

“It’s hard to rationalize sending all of our money overseas. You have to buy American products and back American workers,” says Dupire. The question of value in American-based auto-manufacturers is coming to a head as President Obama advocates for a bailout of two of the Big Three auto manufacturers and asks the companies to present a plan for progress. General Motors and Chrysler requested a combined $21.6 billion Tuesday on top of existing federal loans due to worsening demand for cars and trucks. Ford said it has enough money for the time being to make due without the bailout. Dupire wants to see the American-based auto manufacturers supported with conditions and close supervision. “I think they should be held accountable for every dime we give them. I don’t think we should give our money away without getting something back from it. It’s not enough to say, ‘Oh we’re going to fix it.’ We need to have a plan.” iReport.com: See her convertible with the top down Auto manufacturers waited too long to make changes and are paying the price for imprudent extravagance, Dupire says. “It’s just a slap in the face to America. I have to get by on a budget, why shouldn’t they have to”

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But Dupire says American car makers still produce a good product. As long as owners attend to their scheduled maintenance, they’re going to have a good car that lasts, she says. Watch an iReporter describe the family Ford tradition » Kelly R. Verhelst of Oostburg, Wisconsin, says her family always buys American cars and she feels doing so helps her country. “I don’t always agree with the big labor unions and management styles but there is just something about American pride. Our country has been bombarded with foreign-made products from clothing to electronics.” Daniel Luke Diaz of Diamond Bar, California, has only bought American cars his entire life — he even drove a Hummer during his time in the military. He says, for the most part, American cars provide good value. He also says he feels a responsibility to buy American. By buying foreign cars, “You might as well be laying off the American autoworkers yourself and handing their paychecks to those foreign automakers personally,” says Diaz. The American auto industry can be turned around if top executives renew their focus on quality construction and better materials, says Diaz. “I believe Americans want cars to be as durable as they were 20 years ago. No cutting corners.” He says foreign automakers have used a “quantity-over-quality strategy” that flooded markets and made the cars seem more reliable. Marketing is a huge part of the solution for turning around the auto companies, he says. “American consumers simply want to know the American cars on the road will last, will have a long-term warranty, and that parts will be readily available and labeled ‘Made in the USA.’ ” Dan Gray of Belle Mead, New Jersey, an MPGomatic.com car reviewer, posted a video on iReport.com describing his own impressions of American cars. He says many perform as well as any imports and there are several models he highly recommends. iReport.com: Find out what cars Gray recommends “We need to keep our factories going and our people employed. Give the American car companies a shot.” But Nicholas Coday of Eugene, Oregon, says he finds cars from the so-called Big Three to be inferior to imports. He views the bailout plans as a “necessary evil” since the auto industry is so large and employs so many people. “I think the autoworkers are being hurt in the end as they are given a false sense of security by the bailout and the [auto workers] union. It does not matter how much money we pump into the company if consumers cannot afford their vehicles or would rather buy vehicles from their competitors.” Coday says the Ford and Chevy models he has owned developed serious mechanical problems, while the Hondas he later bought had only minor “cosmetic” issues. iReport.com: What would make Coday change his mind He singled out Ford as the only company of the Big Three he feels “has a clue” and coincidentally isn’t asking for the bailout money. “They have realized that not everyone wants an SUV or a truck and they cannot afford the cost of a Mustang, so they have rolled out affordable models such as the Focus and Fusion, which I have seen good reviews on.” Another “unsatisfied” American car owner is Concordia University student Suraj Suba of Montreal, Quebec. He likes his Chrysler Intrepid but says styling and fuel efficiency could be better. “The way I see it, they [should] have a lot of power. You [should] feel like you’re driving a manly car when you’re driving an American car. It doesn’t feel flimsy, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to break.”

He views Ford’s own strides in these areas as reasons why the company hasn’t yet asked for federal money. “The whole American-made, Ford-tough. … That’s what’s lacking at GM and Chrysler. It doesn’t have that pride.”

Eating Your Veggies: Not As Good For You?

Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition: What Is the Evidence?
By Donald R. Davis
Journal of HortScience; February 2009, 5 pp.

The Gist:

If the economy isn’t grim enough for you, just check out the February issue of the Journal of HortScience, which contains a report on the sorry state of American fruits and veggies. Apparently produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents’ days, it also contains fewer nutrients — at least according to Donald R. Davis, a former research associate with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Davis claims the average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago. Read about Americans’ Incredible, Edible Front Lawns.

Highlight Reel:

1. On the Difficulty of Comparing “Then” and “Now:” Davis is quick to note that historical data can sometimes be misleading, if not altogether inaccurate. Take early measurements of iron in foods: because scientists failed to sufficiently remove clinging soil, iron levels appeared unusually high in certain vegetables like spinach, . Then again, good historical data provides the only real-world evidence of changes in foods over time, and such data does exist — one farm in Hertfordshire, England, for example, has archived its wheat samples since 1843.

2. On the So-Called “Dilution Effect:” Today’s vegetables might be larger, but if you think that means they contain more nutrients, you’d be wrong. Davis writes that jumbo-sized produce contains more “dry matter” than anything else, which dilutes mineral concentrations. In other words, when it comes to growing food, less is more. Scientific papers have cited one of the first reports of this effect, a 1981 study by W.M. Jarrell and R.B. Beverly in Advances in Agronomy, more than 180 times since its publication, “suggesting that the effect is widely regarded as common knowledge.”

Less studied, though, is the “genetic dillution effect,” in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein, amino acids, and as many as six minerals in one study of commercial broccoli grown in 1996 and ’97 in South Carolina. Because nearly 90% of dry matter is carbohydrates, “when breeders select for high yield, they are, in effect, selecting mostly for high carbohydrate with no assurance that dozens of other nutrients and thousands of phytochemicals will all increase in proportion to yield.”

2. On the “Industrialization” of Agriculture: Thanks to the growing rise of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are being harvested faster than ever before. But quick and early harvests mean the produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil, and minerals like potassium often interfere with a plant’s ability to take up nutrients. Monoculture farming practices — another hallmark of the Big Ag industry — have also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops.

The Lowdown:

If you’re still not buying the whole “organic-is-better” argument, this study might convince you otherwise. As Davis points out, more than three billion people around the world suffer from malnourishment and yet, ironically, efforts to increase food production have actually produced food that is less nourishing. Fruits seem to be less affected by genetic and environmental dilution, but one can’t help but wonder how nutritionally bankrupt veggies can be avoided. Supplementing them is problematic, too: don’t look to vitamin pills, as recent research indicates that those aren’t very helpful either.

The Verdict: Skim

Click Here to Access The TIME Archives — 1978: “The New American Farmer: Get Big or Get Out”

Venus Williams: The winning shot

Venus Williams steps off the tennis court and into the pool in a series of photos to be featured in Italian Marie Claire.
Venus Williams is most often seen wiping perspiration from her brow as she thunders around the court contesting championship tennis matches.

These photos show the world number six in a more reflective mood, posing for a 16-page fashion spread in the Italian edition of Marie Claire. They were taken in Miami, Florida in December last year by her friend and photographer Koto Bolofo. “I love working with Koto,” Venus told CNN in an interview for “Revealed.” “I think he’s my biggest fan and he believes in me, I’m not sure why, but he does so I’ve got to accept that,” she laughed. They planned to shoot 20 outfits in one day, a hectic schedule that included one photo that had been two years in the making. See video of the photo shoot » “I’ve got it pictured in my mind that she’s going to be playing tennis underwater,” Bolofo told CNN. When the sun finally emerged from behind a cloud, Bolofo ordered Venus into her bathers. “I’m excited it’s my first underwater tennis venture, so I feel a little nervous, but I think I’ll come through,” Venus said.

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“I want her smiling and making it look as if it’s natural and it’s not an effort,” Bolofo explained. “It’s going to be whimsical and fun. That’s the fun part of the shoot.” Fashion is an important part of Venus Williams’ life. She has her own clothing company, EleVen, which produces tennis outfits and casual clothing. She sketches ideas, but says she’s not the chief designer, by any stretch. “There are other people designing stuff. I couldn’t do it on my own,” she said, adding, “I don’t do technical drawing, I hated it in school. I refuse to do this on the computer. I’d rather just do it by hand.” Venus’ status in the ranks of the world’s top tennis players gives her a unique position to be able to market her products and she often wears them on court. Then there’s her interior design company; Venus launched V Starr Interiors while still in her early twenties. Despite her public business interests, Venus told CNN she’s not interested in seizing the spotlight for any reason other than as one of the world’s best tennis players. “Fame has never been important to me. My goals have always been to excel in tennis, and to win championships. Fame has never been my focus and I don’t really try to grow it at all,” she said. Venus’ relaxed attitude has earned her respect beyond the world of tennis. Hip hop star Wyclef Jean released a song in her honor last year called “I’m Ready.” Listen to the song » “[It’s like] when a painter is inspired,” Jean told CNN. “When I’m inspired by an individual I just write a song about them … I said her name is Venus, ruler of the universe.” Venus was thrilled. “I’ve got it on my computer, all the different instrumentals, the different versions, the different cuts. I love it,” she told CNN. Venus Williams is back on court this week at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. Naturally, she’s hoping to win after a disappointing early exit from the Australian Open in January. While tennis remains her prime obsession, Venus told CNN it’s not the most important thing in her life. “I would say definitely the most important thing in my life is growing spiritually. And doing what God requires of me — that’s always a learning experience day in and day out,” she said.

Watch Venus Williams on Revealed this week at the times below: ALL TIMES GMT Wednesday, February 18: 0930, 1830 Saturday, February 21: 0830, 1900 Sunday, February 22: 0530, 1830 Monday, February 23: 0400

Journalist killed in Taliban region

Mosa Khankhel was reporting for GEO TV when he was killed.
Attackers in a Taliban-controlled area of Pakistan shot and tried to behead a Pakistani journalist on Wednesday, according to his employer GEO TV.

The slain correspondent, Mosa Khankhel, had been covering the recent peace deal between the Pakistani government and Taliban militants in Swat Valley when he was killed, GEO TV managing director Azhar Abbas said. “He is the first martyr of this peace deal,” Abbas said, adding that he believes it is unlikely the deal will end the campaign of violence that has centered in Swat. Khankhel was traveling in a caravan with Sufi Mohammed, who was leading the peace deal negotiations for the Taliban, when he went missing, Abbas said. His body was found about an hour later. He had been shot three times and his killers had attempted to cut off his head. Abbas called on Pakistan’s government to fully investigate the killing of Khankhel, who was the network’s correspondent based in North West Frontier Province as part of GEO TV’s Peshawar bureau. His death comes a day after Pakistan’s government recognized the Taliban’s interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, in the entire Malakand Division, which includes Swat and its surrounding district. The agreement marked a major concession by Pakistan in its attempt to hold off Taliban militants who have terrorized the region with beheadings, kidnappings, death threats, and the destruction of girls’ schools. The regional government in the Swat valley struck the deal to allow sharia law, in return the Taliban agreed to a 10-day cease fire. The Taliban control of Swat — which is about 100 miles northwest of Islamabad — is the deepest advance by militants into Pakistan’s settled areas, which are located outside its federally administered tribal region along the border with Afghanistan.

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The peace deal is the latest attempt by Pakistan’s civilian government — which took power last year — to achieve peace through diplomacy in areas where Taliban and al Qaeda leaders are believed to have free rein. But analysts as well as critics within the establishment have warned that Pakistan’s previous dealings with the Taliban have only given the fundamentalist Islamic militia time to regroup and gain more ground. Khadim Hussain, a professor Bahria University in Islamabad who studies Pakistani politics, said the government has set the stage for two contradictory, parallel states in North West Frontier Province. “If you leave them like that and you give … a semblance of peace in a particular area, what does that mean” Hussain said. “It means you’re capitulating. It means you’re surrendering the state to them. It means your submitting the state authority to them because they are running a parallel state.” He said the government’s decision amounts to a marriage of convenience made under duress. Swat has been overrun by forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah’s banned hardline Islamic group, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) which has allied itself with Taliban fighters. TNSM was once led by Sufi Mohammed, Fazlullah’s father-in-law, who is leading the latest negotiations. Sufi Mohammed was released from jail last year by Pakistani authorities after he agreed to cooperate with the government. He was jailed in 2002 after recruiting thousands of fighters to battle U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Fazlullah took over TNSM during Sufi Mohammed’s jail stint and vowed to continue his fight to impose fundamentalist Islamic law in the region. Last May, Pakistan’s government announced it reached a peace deal with militants in Swat Valley. In the months that have followed, the Taliban have seized control of the region and carried out a violent campaign against government officials, including local politicians. The head of the secular Awami National Party — which represents the region — was forced to flee to Islamabad amid death threats from the Taliban. Pakistan is under enormous pressure to control the militants within its borders, blamed for launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting militants. The United States — using unmanned drones — has carried out several airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected militant targets, including one on Monday that killed at least 15 people, Pakistani sources said. Such airstrikes, which sometimes result in civilian casualties, have aggravated tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s military operation in the region is unpopular among Pakistanis, but efforts to deal diplomatically with militants have not worked in the past. Pakistan’s previous leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, reached a cease-fire deal with militants in South Waziristan in 2006 which was widely blamed for giving al Qaeda and Taliban a stronger foothold in the region.

The Rise Of The $5 Phone

Something like a billion handsets are sold worldwide every year. That is good news for the large phone companies with big cellular businesses. Wireless handsets, calling plans, and data charges have built new revenue for them at a remarkable pace.

But now the sales at telecom firms are hitting two walls.

The first is that cellular handset sales are slowing in developed nations. In the U.S., by some estimates, there are more handsets than people. The same problem has hit carriers in Japan and the E.U.

The other issue is that because the growth in cellular has been so successful, people are cutting off their landline service. Revenue from that business has been supporting phone companies since the days of Alexander Graham Bell.

As landline sales have dropped, telephone companies have lost some of their most profitable business. Most landline infrastructure was installed years, and in some cases decades, ago. That means that the cost of delivering landline service is inexpensive.

With cellular growth slowing and landline business shrinking Verizon has come up with a novel idea — $5 a month landline service. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Verizon believes the plan could help slow the rate of landline customers cutting the cord, so to speak. The company lost 3.7 million access lines, or 9.3% of its base, in 2008.” The phone will take incoming calls and limited calls out. People will have to pay for additional telephoning at a modest price. Of course, smart people may use their cell to call out and take calls on their landline.

If the Verizon plan works, most of the phone companies in countries including the U.S., much of Europe, and Japan will probably follow with their own super-cheap plans. None of them can afford to lose wired home phones at the rate they are today. The $5 phone may not be as profitable as old landline products, but it is better than nothing.

— Douglas A. McIntyre

See pictures of the iPhone hitting stores..
For constant business updates, go to 24/7wallst.com.

Skydiving family ranges in age from 18 to 94

Trevor Muir (left), 23; Darcy Shepard, 18; Harriett Shepard, 94; and Dave Shepard, 74, are ready to jump.
Does jumping out of a plane show love? For one family in Florida it does.

Last Saturday, four generations of Darcy Shepard’s family went skydiving for her 18th birthday. The oldest jumper was Shepard’s 94-year-old great-grandmother, Harriett Shepard. Skydiving is becoming a Shepard family rite of passage. Two previous members of the family had jumped before — including family matriarch Harriett. Harriett Shepard jumped three years ago, at age 91, because she wanted to know what it felt like. She is an inspiration to her great-granddaughter. “If she can do it at 91, then I could, too,” Darcy says, explaining that she wasn’t allowed to jump three years ago because she hadn’t reached age 18. As Darcy planned the adventure, her brother, cousins, father and grandfather decided to join her in skydiving. At first, the family invited 94-year-old Harriett to watch everyone skydive in central Florida. But Harriett, known to the family as “Honeynun,” didn’t want to watch. She wanted to jump. Watch Harriett and kin soar across the sky » Adventure isn’t new to this bunch. In the past the family has gone scuba diving and hang gliding together. Jumping out of the plane were Harriett; Darcy; Harriett’s 74-year-old son Dave; Dave’s 45-year-old son Dallas, who is Darcy’s dad; two cousins; a girlfriend; and a future father-in-law. As she suited up, Harriett said she found it “exciting to be doing this with the family.” The eight uncertified skydivers were trained and paired with tandem instructors at Florida Skydiving Center at the Lake Wales Airport. The center required Harriett to be cleared by a doctor prior to jumping. Florida Skydiving says Harriett Shepard is the oldest person to jump at the center. As jump time nears, Harriett is fearless. “I’m never scared up there,” she says. “My husband and I had a plane. I’m never afraid.” See photos of the family’s skydiving day » Great-grandson Trevor Muir, another of the jumpers, says he has water-skied, jumped on a trampoline and climbed giant tree forts with his great-grandmother. “So what’s skydiving Just another notch in the pole,” says the 23-year-old Trevor. “We’ve done a lot of crazy things.” The plane, a DeHavilland Twin Otter, takes the group to an altitude of 14,000 feet. The rear door opens. Pilot Eric Weaver announces over the radio: “Attention any traffic in the Lake Wales area. There will be skydiving over the Lake Wales Airport.” First to jump is 94-year-old Harriett, with her instructor David “Pip” Perry. The skydivers free-fall at speeds between 120 and 150 mph before deploying their parachute. “Honeynun” slowly floats to the ground, wearing her cozy buckle-up sandals that she feels are more comfortable than closed-toe shoes. After landing, Harriett — who has battled skin cancer — is more fearful of the sun than jumping from the plane. One skydiver after the other lands safely to fanfare from anxious family members on the ground. Eighteen-year-old Darcy is greeted with a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” There are lots of high-fives, family photos and exclamations of “awesome.” Darcy hugs her great-grandmom: “Yay, Honeynun.” Darcy’s father, Dallas Shepard, deems it “an incredible jump that was a lot of fun.” Dallas says that skydiving with his grandmother was “kind of neat, just being able to do it with her — but she is living life, and that’s the best part.” His father, Dave Shepard, calls it an experience he will remember for a long time. “It was something special, where we had four generations.” Harriett Shepard confesses that her late husband would not be happy. “He would have never let me do this,” she says. “He took care of me — that’s why I’m this old.”

Yet Harriett, who has lived a long and full life as an author, photographer and architect, is concerned about the publicity. “She’s worried,” Dave Shepard says of his mom, “that the only thing people will remember her for is jumping out of an airplane.”

Cruise ship grounded off Antarctica coast

The Ocean Nova, seen on a previous voyage, has a total of 106 people on board.
The owners of a cruise ship that ran aground in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica, are hoping high tide will dislodge the ship Wednesday, a company statement said.

Connecticut-based Quark Expeditions said the M/V Ocean Nova became stranded Tuesday in the bay not far from an Argentine research base. Marguerite Bay is about 900 miles south of the tip of South America. The ship is carrying 65 passengers and 41 crew members, Quark Expeditions said. All those aboard the vessel “remain safe and calm,” the company statement said. The ship’s captain is awaiting high tide to make another attempt to move the vessel. “The midnight operation will occur in daylight, as the ship is below the Antarctic Circle, where the sun never sets during February. We anticipate a positive outcome,” Quark Expeditions president Patrick Shaw said. The captain is also waiting for divers from the Spanish naval ship the Hespérides to inspect the hull of the Nova to make sure it’s not damaged, the statement said.