Free Republic

Prehistoric 'shoes' better than modern hiking boots Prehistoric 'shoes' made out of bearskin and hay are better for mountain walks than modern hiking boots, claims an expert. Shoe specialist Petr Hlavacek has been studying the shoes found on the feet of a prehistoric iceman whose mummified body was found in an Alpine glacier in 1991. Mr Hlavacek, who reconstructed a pair of the shoes, said they kept the foot at an optimal temperature, allowed sweat to evaporate and dried quickly if they got wet. The footwear engineer's version went on display this week at the Leather Museum in Offenbach. Christian...

Motorised boots to go into production in Russia Walking boots fitted with tiny combustion engines are set for production in Russia. Inventor Viktor Gordejev, from Ufa in the Ural Mountains, says the boots cut the energy of walking by about 70%. As soon as the wearer steps forward with one foot, the engines propel the other one forward. Mr Gordejev says inspiration came 30 years ago when he was serving in the Soviet army. He explained: "I always wished my boots had engines as we had to walk miles every day. That's how I came up with the idea." The...

LONDON - British troops training for possible war in Iraq have been forced to wear sneakers because the military is short of boots, a lawmaker said Thursday. Opposition Conservative Party legislator James Gray said soldiers had told him of the problem when he visited a regiment recently. "They said to me, 'This is ridiculous. Why can't we get proper boots?'" he said. "They said it was all right if you're a size 1 or a size 12, but if you are 8, 9 or 10, as most people are, then there is a real problem." "It is simply extraordinary," he...

<p>President Bush received several pairs of cowboy boots and other Western gear during his first year in office, courtesy of foreign officials who clearly took into account the president's taste for things Texan.</p> <p>There's a pair of black ostrich-skin boots that President Vicente Fox kicked in, so to speak, when Bush visited Mexico in February 2001. And a fancier pair Fox offered a month later, made of navy blue ostrich skin and stitched with Bush's initials, U.S. and Mexican flags and the year "2001."</p>

WASHINGTON -- ABC's decision to cut an angry anti-terrorism song from its July 4 television special has prompted a smelly protest from Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, an avid country music fan. The Democratic senator announced Wednesday that he would mail a pair of his own boots to ABC News anchor Peter Jennings in retaliation for the network's decision to remove country artist Toby Keith's song from the concert. "This is a disgrace and the rankest kind of hypocrisy from these so-called advocates of free speech," Miller said in a floor speech. The network deemed the song, entitled "Courtesy of the...

TRIDENT MILITARYEast European Collectibles and Military Surplus, Camouflage, Uniforms, Badges, Medals, Boots, Helmets, Patches, and Much More!East German, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, South African, Hungary, and More! TRIDENT 228 S Broadway Scottdale, Pa 15683Tel: 1-724-887-0286 Fax: 1-724-887-3345trident@cvzoom.net TRIDENT CONNECTIONS HAS BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE MINDED GIRLS AND WOMEN Over 20,000 Beautiful Girls and Women from Russia, Ukraine and the World want a loving and caring man!!! ASAP!!! TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL MILITARY AND POLICE SUPPLYLarge volume international military orders Website for camouflage, uniforms, field  gear, etc. Everything you need. Adoption Services Trident Movie and Film Services World Camouflage Russian Camouflage and assault vests Soviet...