Free Republic

Chirac walks out of speech in English By David Rennie and Toby Helm in Brussels (Filed: 24/03/2006) President Jacques Chirac of France stormed out of a European Union summit last night after a French employers' leader said that English was "the language of European business". Jacques Chirac: Intensely nationalistic mood The walk-out, seen by Tony Blair, prompted a sheepish exit by the French foreign, finance and Europe ministers and threatened to derail the summit before it had begun. The meeting had been called to try to fight a wave of "economic nationalism" sweeping the Continent, as France, Spain and other...

Week of Dec. 3, 2005 Vol. 168, No. 23 , p. 362 A Skunk Walks into a Bar . . .Fighting beer's fouler flavors Aimee Cunningham Beer brewing is among the tastiest of chemical experiments. Problem is, the reactions that begin with the first manipulations of the barley grain don't stop once the beer is in the bottle. The dynamic molecular world in all stored brews continues to alter flavors, sometimes overshadowing the tastes that a beer drinker loves with other flavors so offensive that they're likened to skunk spray and cardboard. From the moment that brewing begins until the...

A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago. Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy. They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had...

Candidate's Stage Fright Ends Debate Parra: 'I Just Can't Do This' October 22, 2004 FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- A northeastern Indiana congressional candidate said she abruptly ended a debate because she got stage fright. Democrat Maria Parra walked off a television stage Thursday, ending what would have been her only debate with incumbent Republican Mark Souder in the 3rd District congressional race. "I'm not used to being in front of the camera. ... I couldn't get my words out. I was just overwhelmed," she said after the aborted debate, which was being filmed at WPTA and would have been aired...

Elderly people who take regular walks are less likely to suffer dementia than those who take little exercise, a pair of studies said on Tuesday. Keeping active has already been proven to lessen the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Now moderate daily exercise such as long strolls has been found to keep elderly minds healthier, said the authors of studies published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "We now have evidence that regular walking is also associated with benefits that are related to cognitive function later in life," said Robert Abbott, a...

Scans uncover secrets of the womb Baby 'walking' in the womb A new type of ultrasound scan has produced the vivid pictures of a 12 week-old foetus "walking" in the womb. The new images also show foetuses apparently yawning and rubbing its eyes. The scans, pioneered by Professor Stuart Campbell at London's Create Health Clinic, are much more detailed than conventional ultrasound. Professor Campbell has previously released images of unborn babies appearing to smile. He has compiled a book of the images called Watch Me Grow. Conventional ultrasound, usually offered to mothers at 12 and 20 weeks, produces 2D images...

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A woman apparently upset over money problems walked into a lake with her daughter and son in tow, drowning herself and the 4-year-old girl, police said Monday. Kenetta Lockhart, 32, of Akron, drove her Jeep up to the Summit Lake on Sunday, parked it and either walked off a boat dock or ramp with her daughter and 8-year-old son, police said. The boy was able to swim to shore. "Preliminary information indicates that she might have been despondent over some personal and financial problems," said Akron Police Capt. Daniel Zampelli. The boy was listed in fair...