Free Republic

Climbers have expressed fury at plans to install ladders on the summit of K2, the second highest mountain in the world which takes the lives of one in four climbers. Mountaineers fear the peak is set to become a tourist destination if steps are installed making the dangerous peak too commercialised. Imagine Nepal, a trekking and expedition agency, said that they want to return to the mountain next year with ladders, drills and bolts after being forced to abandon their ascent last week amid dangerous conditions.

October 20, 2003 Live TV Pitfall Rerun on WebBy LISA NAPOLI n live television, things inevitably go wrong. And in the Internet age, TV missteps can take on lives of their own - as with the "QVC Ladder Fall" video clip that has been making the rounds. On the QVC home-shopping channel, the ladder fall clip seen around the world. In the clip, from a QVC home shopping channel telecast, a caller from California identified only as Renee had just begun extolling the virtues of QVC Item 17183, the Telesteps 12.5 foot aluminum telescoping ladder, when the incident occurred."Everybody wants...

U.S. agency showcases alert system for inattentive drivers. MCLEAN, Va., June 25 — Federal highway officials think they’ve found a way to prevent thousands of traffic accidents every year: "smart intersections" that warn drivers when they’re about to run a red light or smash into a stopped truck. Government drivers demonstrated Tuesday just what the intersection of the future will be able to do. A car speeds toward an intersection, about to collide with a van. Sensors spot the car as it approaches the red light and emit a signal to the car, which triggers a high-pitched beep and a...