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A web-like substance was seen falling from the skies across the Central Coast Wednesday morning. The sticky and fluffy substance has been seen falling in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. It is reminiscent of spider silk, but that has not been confirmed to be the source. Wednesday's winds were coming from the east across the mountains. So far, the substance was reported in Hollister, Santa Cruz, Salinas and Monterey. If you have seen the substance falling, you can send photos and videos to KSBW by uploading them here: ksbw.com/upload.

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — After months of frustration, a mother of a soldier in Iraq has found someone to ship about 80,000 cans of Silly String to the troops, who use the foamy substance to detect trip wires on bombs. "I am so happy right now, I am shaking. I just think it's awesome that it's finally going," said the woman, Marcelle Shriver, as boxes were loaded into a truck Monday afternoon. The thousands of cans of Silly String are boxed and addressed to individual servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq. But since the string comes in an aerosol can, it...

80,000 cans of Silly String, and no way to get them to Iraq By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Writer (Published: August 24, 2007) DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - Marcelle Shriver has about 80,000 cans of Silly String and all she needs is a way to get them to Iraq. For almost a year, the New Jersey woman has been collecting Silly String to send to troops, who use it to detect trip wires connected to bombs. She's already shipped about 40,000 cans to Iraq through the military but is struggling to find someone to send another shipment. "They're sending these...

WASHINGTON — U.S. soldiers have been using plastic goo, donated by private citizens, to help defeat improvised explosive devices in Iraq. Officials said U.S. combat troops have begun carrying cans of "Silly String" and similar products in counter-insurgency operations in Sunni areas of Iraq. The troops have been spraying suspected homes to detect trip wires around bombs. "If it falls to the ground, no trip wires," a military official said. "If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible." So far, the U.S. Army has not funded the procurement of Silly...

January 15, 2007 The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is relatively new to the theatre of war as a mainstream weapon. It was first used en masse by Belarusian guerillas against German supply trains during World War II. Since then, explosive devices have been used to great effect in a number of asymmetrical conflicts. The IED has achieved main weapon status in the current Iraq War, and as usual, some ingenious improvisations have evolved to overcome them. As ludicrous as it may for a soldier in body armour to be carrying a weapon such as the one pictured, that’s just what...

No Joke: NJ Mom Collects 'Silly String' for Iraq Troops by KYW's David Madden A Camden County, NJ woman is working on a plan to send cans of the children's aerosol toy "Silly String" to troops in Iraq. Stress relief? Hardly. Marcelle Shriver’s son has been in Iraq for a month now. She says Army and Marine units spray the string through the doorways of buildings before entering them -- to make sure there are no bombs inside: "If the string falls to the ground, there are no trip wires. If the string hangs in mid-air, then they can see...