Free Republic

  Gecko lizards inspire 'Spiderman gloves' By Roger Highfield, Science Editor  Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 23/01/2008       Prototype "Spiderman gloves" that will enable window cleaners to scale walls, robots to scurry across ceilings and rock climbers to hang about could be ready within three years.There has been popular interest in how to mimic his extraordinary wall climbing ability since 1962, when the web-slinging hero with superhuman strength was born in the pages of Marvel Comics.   'Spiderman gloves' could be ready within three years Shy, nerdy Peter Parker managed the feat after being bitten by a radioactive spider on...

(Sprague-WTNH) _ The bitter cold weather we're expecting tonight will give some students in Sprague an extended weekend, and students in Bridgeport and Ridgefield an extra hour to get ready for school. School officials in Sprague have canceled class on Friday. There's only one school in this district. It's the Sayles School at 25 Scotland Road in Baltic, a pre-K through 8th grade school. According to the Sprague superintendent's office, school was canceled because of the cold wind chill, and officials don't want children standing at the bus stop to be exposed to frost bite. St. Joseph's school in Baltic...

My Wailing Wall My "wailing wall" isn't located in Jerusalem, it's alot closer to home. My "wailing wall" is the display of work gloves at the local hardware store. I started wailing there after vainly searching all the many pairs of gloves, of the type I needed, for any that were made in America. I find myself drawn to that place now, if not in body (which happens often) then in mind. The store employees frequently offer to assist me, but they can't provide what I'm really seeking. Or rather, how can they help me when I don't know what...

<p>The early stages of a political campaign are like those of a war, with probes and assaults that "soften up" the enemy in advance of deadlier strikes to come. So it is with the fight for the U.S. Senate between incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Bill Jones.</p>

Gloves off as Bush comes out fighting By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 24/02/2004) President George W Bush effectively launched his campaign for re-election last night, saying that voters faced a stark choice between an America "that leads the world with strength and confidence" or one that is "uncertain in the face of danger". After a month of falling ratings and heated Democratic attacks, Mr Bush abandoned his recent claims that he was too busy being president to get involved in electoral politics and launched a vigorous counter-attack, portraying the Democrats as weak in fighting terrorism and hell-bent on raising...

U.S. boxers get clobbered by British team http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/content_objectid=13599874_method=full_siteid=50061_headline=-US-mauled-by-English-lions-name_page.html ^ Disgraceful...first the U.S. gets eliminated from baseball in the 2004 Olympics and now recently got outright humiliated by our British friends in amateur boxing. Looks like we didn't send our best amateurs to England (just 1 champion) and I wonder if we did in the baseball event. I know it provides experience, but it seems we often send weak representatives to international meets (particularly boxing)and then our athletes (and national pride) get embarassed. This needs to be balanced out. Here is the report from the Liverpool press: US mauled by English...

Ouch...first the U.S. gets eliminated from baseball in the 2004 Olympics and now we are getting embarrassed at amateur boxing. Looks like we didn't send our best amateurs to England (just 1 champion) and I wonder if we did in the baseball event. We got clobbered in the ring for our efforts. Got to do better. Here is the report from the Liverpool press: US mauled by English lions Nov 7 2003 By David Randles Ringside at Everton Park Sports Centre For so long now the Americans have been seen as a superpower in virtually every premise of life, with...

PARIS (AP) -- After two weeks of widespread protests against upstart far-right presidential contender Jean-Marie Le Pen, French voters cast ballots in a runoff election Sunday that appeared almost certain to hand conservative president Jacques Chirac a new five-year term. In the long lines that formed at several polling stations in Paris, many voters said they were eager to keep Le Pen -- who stunned the nation by qualifying for the runoff with nearly 17 percent of the vote in the firs round two weeks ago -- out of power. ``It's clear that Le Pen must not win,'' said Christophe...