Rafts built from scrap that can cross the Atlantic

April 4, 2004 10:12 AM

The Floating Neutrinos have managed to cross the Atlantic in a raft made from recycled materials recovered from dumpsters and docks in New York city. Their next project is an Orphanage Raft, "for street orphans from third world countries such as Brazil, African countries, and India. The children will be those who are living in and surviving on the streets, with literally no one looking out for them or taking responsibility for them. We will get to know them and their situation thoroughly before they ever come to the raft. We are not looking to pick up runaways or anyone who has responsible adults in their picture...Once onboard, if they choose to stay, they will be given a floating, travelling home, and an education."
posted by john (11 comments total)

Someone's been watching too much Waterworld.
posted by precocious at 10:30 AM on April 4, 2004

this makes them sound kinda cultish...is this for real? And why no updates after 2001? And are they qualified to take care of kids? (who will be literally "adrift" from all support systems they've had, whether official or unofficial)
posted by amberglow at 10:32 AM on April 4, 2004

Wasn't there something like this in Snow Crash?
posted by jonmc at 10:39 AM on April 4, 2004

And in China Mieville's Scar, too. Wacky.
posted by bcwinters at 10:50 AM on April 4, 2004

Thats pretty amazing , crossing the north atlantic is not easy.
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:01 AM on April 4, 2004

What a great idea! A floating sweat shop! Set sail for international waters and put those lazy orphans to work.
posted by fatbobsmith at 11:34 AM on April 4, 2004

Any relation to jazz band the Flying Neutrinos?
No, I guess not.
posted by milovoo at 11:39 AM on April 4, 2004

Oops, duh.

In the early 1980's Poppa Neutrino (aka David Pearlman), who was fighting for his life against an unknown illness, his wife Betsy Terrell (aka Capt. Betsy), and an extended family group which included 5 children, formed a family band and called themselves the Flying Neutrinos, first travelling throughout Mexico (they sounded pretty awful, but the Mexicans, God bless them, kept them in beans and tortillas), and later returning to their roots in New Orleans. Studying with street musicians in the birthplace of jazz, they eventually became good enough to earn a decent living, especially the two oldest kids, Ingrid Lucia and Todd, who took over the Flying Neutrinos band in 1994 and went on to highly successful careers as recording and performing artists.

they ARE related - weird.
posted by milovoo at 11:41 AM on April 4, 2004

I guess it's kind of hard to update your website when you're creating a secret underwater empire.
posted by angry modem at 2:54 PM on April 4, 2004

Wasn't there something like this in Snow Crash? - jonmc

Dude...that was *so* my first thought. Now, I must go work on my namshub...
posted by dejah420 at 10:02 PM on April 4, 2004

Damn hippies. Stay outa my pier!
posted by zpousman at 5:19 AM on April 5, 2004