Free Republic

Tiny self-propelled robo-fish can swim around, latch on to free-floating microplastics and fix itself if it gets damaged Scientists have designed a tiny robot-fish that is programmed to remove microplastics from seas and oceans by swimming around and adsorbing them on its soft, flexible, self-healing body. Microplastics are the billions of tiny plastic particles which fragment from the bigger plastic things used every day such as water bottles, car tyres and synthetic T-shirts. They are one of the 21st century’s biggest environmental problems because once they are dispersed into the environment through the breakdown of larger plastics they are very...

Get ready to root for the New England Patriots. Seriously. In a remarkable story reported by the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton, the Patriots’ team plane—emblazoned with the team logo, Lombardi trophies and a gargantuan “6X” to commemorate the team’s Super Bowl wins—became the focus of a humanitarian effort that brought more than a million masks into the United States for the fight against COVID-19.

Spain, Turkey and The Netherlands are returning defective Chinese coronavirus supplies. Defective medical supplies could put lives at risk. Then why is the world still buying from China?

Up to 80 percent of the 150,000 portable, quick coronavirus test kits China delivered to the Czech Republic earlier this month were faulty

Microbiology experts in Spain have said that rapid coronavirus tests that the country bought from China are not consistently detecting positive cases. Studies on the tests done in Spain found that they had only 30% sensitivity, meaning they correctly identify people with the virus only 30% of the time, sources told the Spanish newspaper El País. The studies prompted the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology to formally recommend not using these tests, El País reported. Health workers are now meant to use other tests that take longer to give a result. Fernando Simón, the director of Spain's...

DALLAS — Next weekend, when you see the red, white and blue proudly displayed for Independence Day, take a closer look. President Eisenhower set the standard for all American flags 51 years ago. The order requires 13 stripes and 50 stars on a field of blue. Tim Childress had to double-check when he unfurled Old Glory — he got more than he wanted. Large or small, the American Flag is supposed to be flown with pride, a symbol of our nation. The seven red stripes represent hardiness and valor; six white stripes stand for for purity and innocence. There's a...

A warning to any Freepers who may have had rubber valve stems installed in their tires between August 2006 and May 2008 at Sears or elsewhere. They are potentially some of the 6 million that were sold in the U.S. by Dill Air Control products and others. They may crack and fail allowing slow leaks and a crash hazard. This happened to me on April 11.

I suspect that China might be stealing our confidential data that is stored (or backed up) on external USB hard disks, such as those 1 TB commodities sold as Costco for $100. Early this year, I bought two 1 TB external USB drives to backup my computer. These drives cost a little over $100 with a five-year warranty. I figured, for redundancy, I’d copy my main C-drive data files to both drives, just in case one dies. Sure enough, six months later, I get the Windows XP error message “USB Device Not Recognized: one of the USB devices attached to...

NCPA: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Not Worth Cost and Trouble Report Says Government Should Not Force CFLs on Consumers DALLAS (Dec. 10, 2008) - Although touted by many as the smart energy choice, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are not suitable for many common uses and should not be required by the government, according to a new report by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). The Environmental Protection Agency states that CFLs will reduce energy use and will last longer than standard bulbs. However, NCPA Senior Fellow and report co-author Sterling Burnett argues: "For many uses, compact fluorescent bulbs...

AP story via Fox News. Link only Link

Boy Scouts badge voluntarily recalled for lead Up to 1.6 million affected; plastic totem badges usually given to Cub Scouts The Associated Press Updated: 4:45 p.m. PT Oct 4, 2007 DALLAS - The Boy Scouts of America said Thursday that a painted, plastic badge commonly worn by some of its youngest scouts is being voluntary recalled after a test revealed high levels of lead in the paint. As many as 1.6 million of the badges, which are made in China, may be affected by the recall. "We're doing everything we can," Boy Scouts spokesman Gregg Shields said. The plastic totem...

Test-drive a Nissan, win a lead-laced mug Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:24PM EDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Chinese merchandise took a fresh knock Friday when car maker Nissan said it was recalling tens of thousands of mugs it gave away in Japan because the paint contains excessive lead. It said it took the action after a hapless car-shopper fell ill after drinking from one of the mugs and complained. Nissan Motor said the cups, which it was giving to anyone who test-drove one of its cars in Japan during a sales initiative that started on August 16, had a lead content...

Chinese recalls unnerve shoppers News of tainted food and other products makes consumers wary By ELLEN GABLER egabler@journalsentinel.com Buying products from China makes Andrew Pace nervous. Pesticides are sprayed on the containers that carry his company's building materials into the country. But he doesn't know what kind of pesticides, and he doesn't know how toxic they are. His customers are nervous too. When buying the popular bamboo floors that Waukesha-based Safe Building Solutions sells, customers recently have asked to talk with the farmers in China who grow and harvest the bamboo - to make sure it is truly safe and...

WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the retail giant that grew up in the rural South, is moving to attract gay shoppers as it expands its presence in urban centers. By entering into a partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce this week, the company "is making a very sincere effort to reach out to people who are a significant part of our customer base," Wal-Mart spokesman Bob McAdam said Wednesday. "I am proud of that effort," he said. But Wal-Mart did not issue a news release about the alliance, leaving the chamber to announce it. And as...

An aircraft carrier for China? By David Lague International Herald Tribune MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2006 BEIJING As China builds a military to match its growing economic power, its neighbors and potential rivals including the United States have puzzled over a key question: When will the Chinese Navy launch an aircraft carrier?