JUNE 2007
Builder hopes hillside pirate ship inspires kids to read
June 26 - AZ - It sounds like something out of the "Twilight Zone" _ A pirate ship built into the side of a hill.

Parents Charged With Abuse After Pirate Ride
June 26 - ORLANDO, FL - Two Orange County parents face child abuse charges after they allegedly left their toddler outside in the sun, as they took a ride on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" at Walt Disney World.

The real pirates of the Caribbean
June 22 - I don't know about you, but I came away from seeing "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" feeling that Disney and director Gore Verbinski had squandered an opportunity.

Arrg! Real-Life Pirate Adventure Delays Volvo Treasure Retrieval
June 22 - In a twist worthy of any great pirate story, Volvo Car Corporation today upped anchor -- at least temporarily -- on the last crucial leg of its global online treasure hunt: the retrieval of a prize treasure chest filled with $50,000 in gold and a key to a new Volvo from the sea floor. The retrieval of the chest will hang in the balance until controversy dies down over

The Pirate Next Door
June 20 - It started on a whim: A pirate's plank, just a nifty addition to Rich Firato's revamped backyard. A few toy ships, bobbing above thrashing, foot-long koi. Then a mast. A skull. A prickly, taxidermied pufferfish.

Student restores rare Jolly Roger pirate flag to former glory
June 20 - UK - A rare 18th century pirate flag has been restored to its former glory. The crudely-stitched Jolly Roger was captured in battle on the Barbary Coast of North Africa in 1780 by Lieutenant Richard Curry, a naval captain who later became an Admiral.

Hello, sailor!
June 20 - The Pirates of the Caribbean films, the third of which has just been released, have revived the age-old interest in all things piratical. But the average Victorian schoolboy would probably have choked on his porridge if heŐd known the real nature of the men whose adventures he so avidly devoured.

Pirates Steals the Box Office in China
June 20 - Opening-week sales in China of the Hollywood blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" have surpassed those of "Spiderman 3" - despite some filmgoers saying censors' cuts of Chow Yun-Fat's role made "Pirates" difficult to follow - state media reported Wednesday. Censors cut scenes of Chow as a bald, scarred pirate, saying the images insulted China's people, Xinhua News Agency said.

Pirate of the cul-de-sac
June 19 - It was mid afternoon in a Cary subdivision and a small blonde pirate was practicing her sword moves in the middle of the street. A passing dog walker in shorts and an athletic top glanced sideways at the pirate, who smiled and said ŇhiÓ without lowering her cutlass.

Pirate of the Calapooya
June 18 - OR - Aargh! If only Dayton BennettŐs grandpappy, Allen Sooter, could dig a bay, so his grandson might float his boat upon where his head now lay. After all, this 2-1/2-year-oldŐs landlubber ways are over, now that he sleeps in a pirate boat-bed in his Rhododendron home near Mount Hood.

Pirate enthusiasts gather to pillage, perform at festival
June 17 - Based on the entertainment value of snarling among the largest gathering of peg-legs, parrots and eye-patches in Vallejo, it's safe to say the first annual Northern California Pirate Festival along the Waterfront was rated "Arrrr."

A treasure chest of pirate lore for young readers
June 17 - There are dozens of pirate books, but here are a few favorites: "Pie Rats Ahoy!" by Richard Scarry. Uncle Willy is besieged by plundering rats who devour his pie. After being tossed overboard, he crafts a sneaky plan to take back his ship. Preschoolers to kindergartners. "Tough Boris," by Mem Fox, illustrated by Kathryn Brown. A grizzled old pirate grieves when his parrot dies. Ages 4 to 8.

Stolen Pirate
June 15 - NY - A mate is missing his lass after someone stole a pirate statue from an auto dealership in Montour Falls. The female pirate statue is missing from Finger Lakes Auto Sales.

Giant Garden Pirate Ship
June 13 - If youŐve got a spare Ł30,000 lying around why not invest in a super summer garden toy? This amazing toy is a definite investment but would be so worth it as youŐd get so many years enjoyment out of it. This is your childŐs chance to become Captain Cook, or indeed Captain Jack Sparrow as they sail the high seas in search for their gold! The ship comes with upper and lower decks (wow), anti-slip decking, fore and aft cabins with windows and cannons. There is also a solid brass bell, personalised brass plaque, Jolly Roger and ships wheel.

A Dumbfounded Depp
June 13 - YOU TUBE - You've got to be pretty quirky and odd to puzzle eccentric star Johnny Depp. Well, when some children decked out in pirate costumes started a musical mishmash of a performance for the star on a Japanese TV show, they accomplished just that. "It's one of the most beautiful, poetic, strange and haunting things I've ever seen in my life," says Depp after they finished (about a minute into the video). "You should come to Hollywood."

Scuffle on pirate cruise
June 12 - CAYMEN ISLANDS - Though the days of pirates in the Caribbean are long over it appears some bygone traditions of that era die hard in Grand Cayman. On Friday night, a fight broke out on board the Jolly Roger pirate cruise, causing a man to be taken below until his subsequent arrest by Royal Cayman Islands Police.

Pirates on Salt River
June 12 - So mateys, you think you're pirate material? Well, join the party. Salt River Tubing and Recreation in Mesa is hosting a pirate-themed picnic event on the water this Father's Day weekend, but instead of the Black Pearl, your mode of transportation is a black tube.

All aboard for Liverpool's marime heritage weekend
June 12 - LIVERPOOL, U.K. - The star attraction will be one of the world's biggest Tall Ships - the Dar Mlozdiezy from Poland. This magnificent vessel will be open to explore along with a host of other stunning Tall Ships. And if the kids are fans of Pirates of the Caribbean, this event will keep them entertained all weekend. There's the chance to meet the infamous Captain Rollick & Bilge and jump aboard the Tall Ships with our crew of motley pirates. The best dressed pirate will win a Nintendo Wii and a Pirates of the Caribbean game*, all visitors arriving in pirate costume will receive a special free gift.

Vacation like a pirate
June 10 - Both the second and this summer's third installment in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series were filmed in the Bahamas. And to coincide with the release of this year's film, the Hilton and Sheraton hotels in the Bahamas are each featuring a pirate-themed package.

Pirates are hot again, and so are books exploring their lore
June 10 - Anybody with any sense of what's hip knows that Sept. 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, www.talklikeapirate.com. Likewise, it's for certain that millions of Johnny Depp fans are in a frenzy since the nationwide opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Hey, pirate fashion ahoy
June 9 - INDIA - Recall the look of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean (POC) trilogy , a role played by actor Johnny Depp? Well, the dude is now a fashion icon! A lot of thought went into the wardrobe of Depp's character. Right from the bandana, beaded dreadlocks, leather jacket, to the old piece of lace around Sparrow's wrist - pirate fashion is indeed kickass.

Pirates of the prom
June 9 - MILFORD, CT - Louise Hebert knows how to talk like a pirate. "I've been practicing my pirate language," said the co-owner of Hebert Jewelers. "Arghhh! How's that?" As if that's not enough, a skull-and-crossbones flag flies over her store along with 30 other downtown establishments getting ready for the 2nd annual "Captain Kidd's Treasure Hunt."

"Pirate" Sailing Ship Docks in Rainier
June 8 - CLATSKANIE, OR - Sharing, pirate lore and knowledge was the crew of the Lady Washington, one of two sailing ships that docked in Rainier, May 29-31, for public and school tours. A reproduction of the first ship to visit North AmericaŐs West Coast in 1778, the Lady Washington was used in the film, Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl. The Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain, which also docked in Rainier, are sailed by professional and volunteer crews, under the auspices of the Grays Harbor Seaport Historical Authority of Washington.

Pirates of the prom
June 7 - UPPER DARBY, PA - A pirate ship called the Jolly Royal sat atop the roof of the Upper Darby gym as buccaneers in full regalia yelled greetings from above to the arriving seniors at this year's After Prom party.

Join the fun, swashbucklers
June 7 - Pirates will invade John's Pass this weekend during John Levique Pirate Days, a celebration of sailing the high seas, swaggering, swordplay and swilling grog.

John Mueller: Avast! Let's do a little Pirates 101
June 6 - I thought it was all a little too silly, and I figured people were being misled about the true nature of a bona fide pirate.

'The Pirate' Queen' closes June 17 after an 85-performance run
June 6 - AP - "The Pirate Queen," shipwrecked by blistering reviews and sinking box-office receipts, will close June 17 after a disappointing Broadway run.

Kids' party scuppered as council ban fun flag
June 6 - AN ANGRY dad told council chiefs to walk the plank yesterday after they banned him from flying the Jolly Roger at his son's pirate party.

Parroting pirates: Fueled by Johnny Depp's hit films, Jolly Roger is all the rage
June 5 - Ric Lopez sees himself as something of a modern-day pirate. After all, said the Harley-Davidson mechanic, bikers and pirates have a lot in common. "They are both nomadic, misunderstood people," said the Orem man. And besides that, "I've got the long hair. I wear jewelry. I love rum." With a weathered tricorne on his head, beaded locks, kohl-smudged eyes and a wide leather sash draped across a billowing white shirt, he certainly looked the part as he rode in on a friend's custom pirate-themed Harley at the recent local premiere of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Did Pirates Really Say "Arrrr"?
June 5 - Johnny Depp took home the best performance award at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards, for his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. (The third installment of the series topped the weekend box-office tallies again this past weekend, pulling in $43.2 million.) Depp's character famously speaks in a dissolute London mumble inspired by Keith Richards. But virtually all his crewmen hew to the classic movie-pirate patois, full of growled consonants and shiver-me-timbers slang. Wait, did pirates really say "arrrrr"?

Blackbeard's skull? See for yourself at Marblehead pirate show
June 4 - MARBLEHEAD, MA - During the early 1700s, the pirate Blackbeard, armed to the teeth with pistols, daggers and swords, attacked merchant vessels all up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Enraged Colonial authorities would have given anything to have his head. Now, the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society has his head. Or at least they might. And anybody who visits their new exhibit "Pirates and Privateers in Marblehead" (which includes documents, paintings and artifacts) can have a look at what is said to be Blackbeard's skull, displayed in a Plexiglas case.

Buccaneers haul booty to local store
June 4 - Ahoy, mateys: Pirates aren't just plundering moviegoers and DVD shoppers these days Ń they're prowling the coves of the Bay in person, too. A local buccaneer and his family crew even provide for "all your pirate needs" at a specialty shop on Fremont Boulevard called SeaWolf Trading Co.

Weather washes out pirate fest
June 4 - Sunday was indeed a washout as remnants of Tropical Depression Barry made their way through Hampton Roads bringing steady rain and light wind throughout the day. Several events, including the Blackbeard Festival, were canceled.

PirateŐs tale: Wreck may end hunt
June 3 - Blackbeard didnŐt leave any fingerprints. No DNA. No signed confession. Just a shipwreck. And a mystery.

Pirate pejorative Is it good to be swarthy?
June 3 - Shiver me timbers! Are those Caribbean pirates, after three bold raids on our time and money, now making off with the standard meaning of swarthy?

These father-son Seafair Pirates not so scary
June 3 - Life hasn't always been upbeat for 11-year-old Gloria Strauss of Federal Way, who has battled neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, for four years. Then, last spring, the Seafair Pirates swashbuckled their way into her life. And they haven't left.

A pirate's life for you? You wouldn't want it
June 2 - With the release of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," we are treated to yet another chapter of Hollywood-style piracy. Escaping into the drama, the swashbuckling, the romance (and the hotness of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley), we can easily forget the reality of pirates: These scurvy dogs are murderers, kidnappers and thieves. Perhaps now is the best time to a look at real-life piracy.

High-seas hijinks rule Strawberry Fest: John 'Ol' Chumbucket' Baur, the 'Talk Like A Pirate Day' guy, is grand marshal
June 2 - Participants at the Strawberry Festival Grand Parade agreed: Pirates are bad, marauding, backstabbing thieves and make terrible role models. But itŐs still really, really fun to dress like them.

Pirates go pop: Bad boys of the sea suddenly gain family appeal
June 1 - A wise music historian once said that he knew punk rock was officially dead once Alvin and the Chipmunks released the absurdly nonsubversive "Chipmunk Punk" album in 1980.

'Pirate' Nighy acts up a storm
June 1 - To play Davy Jones, the heartless captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman who appears in the second and third films of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, Bill Nighy did not have to spend hours in the makeup trailer, attaching waving tentacles to his face or claws to his hands or even donning sea-life encrusted duds.

'Arrrrgh' you ready?
June 1 - If there was ever a good time to be a pirate, it has to be now. Johnny Depp and the wildly popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise have made the legendary world of buccaneers Hollywood chic. Yet unlike the real swashbucklers of yesteryear, nobody who raises the black flag today needs to worry about losing his head. That's why thousands of would-be pirates will gather this weekend on the old Hampton waterfront, where Blackbeard's severed head once sat atop a bloody pike. Transformed by a living history encampment as well as three tall ships, the make-believe Pirate Cove created for the Blackbeard Pirate Festival in Hampton offers almost as much adventure as the real thing.

 

 

 

 

 

MAY 2007
APRIL 2007
MARCH 2007