How Not To Fly (about)

Spinning Gold From Goats / Canadian Biotech Says It's Found A Way To Mass-Produce Spider Silk

On farms in the Montreal suburbs and in Upstate New York, researchers are breeding hundreds of goats genetically engineered to produce milk rich with spider-silk proteins that can be spun into fiber....

Forged over 400 million years of evolution, spider silk is considered the Holy Grail of performance fibers. Three times as strong as Kevlar -- a petroleum-based material used to make bullet-proof vests -- spider silk is one of the strongest materials on earth that can be woven into a fiber. Researchers estimate the strongest spider silk can withstand up to 600,000 pounds per square inch.

'Long, Hard Struggle' For Green Beret

[Scotland] The first woman to win a prized Royal Marines' green beret says she was "absolutely awestruck" when she realised she had achieved her ambition.... On Wednesday, Capt Tattersall completed a 30-mile [march] over Dartmoor in less than eight hours, carrying a 35lb pack and an SA80 rifle. But, having failed the assault course, she had to watch as 47 male colleagues received their green berets at the finishing line. To win the coveted green beret she had to return to two assault courses and complete them back-to-back within 12.5 minutes.

'X-Rated' Ad Target Apparent Winner

[Prestonsburg, KY] According to partial, unofficial returns, Connie Hancock, 33, turned back a controversial challenge by Prestonsburg real estate appraiser Glenn David May II... to win the Democratic primary....

Dale Emmons, Hancock's political consultant, last night credited his client's victory, in part, to voter backlash against a "repulsive" ad aired by May during the final days of the campaign. The ad, which Emmons called a fabrication, did not mention adultery. But it showed a sitting woman removing clothing as a man moved toward her. "It shows just how little she values her reputation and wedding vows," said the ad...

'Ponytail Thief' Pleads Guilty Of Stealing Hair

A Springfield, Ill., man pleaded guilty Thursday of stealing ponytails intended for the "Locks of Love" program. The ponytails he stole will now be among about 210 to be sent to Florida for use in the program.... Police recovered 92 ponytails when they searched Hanks' apartment in Springfield. They said they believed he might have a hair fetish.

Ten Commandments Plaque Cover Stolen

The tamper-resistant covering on the Ten Commandments plaque at the Chester County Courthouse proved vulnerable to vandals and was stolen last night, according to courthouse officials. Chester County Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh said the theft occurred about 8:30 p.m. and was captured on a surveillance video camera at the courthouse. Welsh said the camera had been repositioned to spotlight the covering after it was installed....

Federal judge Stewart Dalzell ordered the plaque shrouded after ruling that it represented government endorsement of religion.

NYC Mafia Families Hold Recruitment Drive

Deaths, defections and interference from the law have taken their toll on New York's mafia in recent years, forcing the families to take a drastic new step -- and launch a recruitment drive.

Hayward's Own 'Survivor' / She Wins $1 Million From CBS-TV Show

Braving accusations of back-stabbing and deceit, the God-fearing Vecepia "Vee" Towery, 36, of Hayward [CA] was crowned the latest "sole Survivor" on Sunday night... "It is the bomb," she shouted. "To see God's work at hand and to know it was all Him."

Parents Say Kid's Thong Is Just Plain Wrong

Calling it the "modern-day version of Underoos," a national clothing company is selling thong underwear in children's sizes -- with the words "eye candy" and "wink wink" printed on the front. Abercrombie & Fitch, the same retailer that enraged parents last year with a summer catalog of teenage-looking models groping each other and in the nude, now offers several varieties of thongs at its Abercrombie stores, the division of the company for children 7 to 14 years old.

"It's cute and fun and sweet," said Hampton Carney... "It's not appropriate for a 7-year-old, but it is appropriate for a 10-year-old..."

Houston County Man Runs His Mini-Bus On Vegetable Oil

[Warner Robbins, GA] When Tom Nevers needs fuel for his converted 1992 diesel school bus, he's not looking for the nearest gas station. Instead, he heads for the nearest deep fryer.... The U.S. Department of Energy has studied the fuel and its cousin, a blend of vegetable oil and other chemicals dubbed biodiesel. The government says the blended version can be used in many diesel engines built since 1994 with little or no modification.

Dionne Warwick Arrested In Miami On Marijuana Charge

Singer Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport after baggage screeners said they found 11 suspected marijuana cigarettes inside her lipstick container.... Warwick, a cousin to Whitney Houston, became famous in the 1960s for such songs as "Walk on By" and "I Say A Little Prayer." More recently she has been a spokeswoman for the "Psychic Friends Network."

Russia And US Agree Arms Cuts

The two leaders hope to cut the number of nuclear warheads on each side from their current levels of between 6,000 and 7,000 to between 1,700 and 2,200 over the next 10 years. "This treaty will liquidate the legacy of the Cold War," said Mr Bush.

Elderly New Face Of HIV-AIDS

"Women after menopause are not going to use condoms because they're not afraid of getting pregnant anymore. Viagra is spreading like chewing gum. Usually, medical providers don't even ask about their sexual life," said Monica Dea, a coordinator with the Center for AIDS Prevention and Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. "These people are continually getting infected."

Girl Born In Car Going To Hospital In Barberton [OH]

Mike Scheck said he and his wife, Eve Scheck, were less than five minutes into a 20-minute drive from their Tallmadge home to Barberton City Hospital when the baby started to come out. "We pulled off to the side of the road and the baby was completely out..."

Georgia Kids Dance Away Race Taboos

[Taylor County, GA] A last bastion of segregation between blacks and whites in the South of the United States has fallen. More than 40 years after the beginning of the civil rights movement, the Taylor County High School in the state of Georgia has held its first mixed-race prom, the annual school dance.

Man And Wife Hog-Tie Domestic Violence Suspect Until Troopers Arrive

[Anchorage, AL] State troopers were called at 5:23 a.m. to the residence of Delbert and Jacqueline Simineo on Edgerton Parks Road. When trooper Eric Spitzer arrived, he found Binkley, 22, in a pool of blood in the foyer. Several of his teeth were broken, and his hands and feet were tied.... "Nathan Binkley admitted to forcibly entering the Simineo residence to stop his wife from calling the police," according to an affidavit signed by Spitzer. "He said that he did not do anything wrong."

Rugby Player Bites Opponent's Testicles

[Melbourne, Australia] Former Sydney Swans Australian Rules player Peter Filandia was suspended for 10 matches after pleading guilty to biting an opponent's testicles during a game last week.... St Kilda AFL player Chad Davis, playing for Springvale, suffered a perforated scrotum and lost a small amount of blood, a club doctor told the VFL tribunal in Melbourne. He also needed a tetanus injection.

Vice Principal Suspended In Thong Flap

[San Diego] Parents and students have said Rita Wilson, a Rancho Bernardo High School assistant principal, ordered girls to lift their skirts in view of others attending Friday's costume-party dance at the school. She apparently was making sure they weren't wearing thong underwear, although the undergarments aren't banned under the school's dress code....

Some have said that at last year's "MORP" dance -- "prom" spelled backwards -- one girl took off her underwear on the dance floor and exposed herself.

Study: Depressed Women Live Longer

[Raleigh, NC] Mildly depressed older women tend to live longer than those who are not depressed at all, a surprising new study suggests.

Teacher Robbed His Own Bank, Cops Say

[Mount Laurel, NJ] Jumpp, 51, who teaches history at Audenried High School in south Philadelphia, robbed the Farmers & Mechanics Bank branch in Mount Laurel on April 21, wielding a handgun wrapped in plastic or paper, according to the FBI.