Spiderman Strikes Twice In One Day!

The New York Times building in downtown Manhattan had a very busy Thursday. It was the venue of not one but two 'Spidermen', both climbing to the top of the 52-storey building with just their bare hands!

It began early in the day with Alain Robert a.k.a. Spiderman, showing up unannounced, as is his usual style. Using the ladder-like lattice work on the building facade, he quickly scaled up with just chalk for his sweaty hands. Once at the top, he unfurled a banner which revealed his cause - "Global Warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.' While the people of Manhattan were in awe and cheering him on, the law officers were not very amused and arrested him as soon as he reached the top.

After the morning excitement, everybody returned to work. However, it was not over. At 6 pm just as New Yorkers were getting ready to go home, thirty-two-year-old Renaldo Clarke from Brooklyn, New York showed up at the same building and started climbing it just like Alain had done earlier - with his bare hands!

While Alain is a professional who is known for his climbs, Renaldo has only done it twice before. People inside the offices of the building say that he looked tired at times and that they were afraid he would stumble and fall. However, Renaldo prevailed and met the same fate as Alain, i.e. he too was whisked away by some furious policemen. Renaldo's cause - 'To bring awareness to the dangers of Malaria'.

As for the folks at the New York Times building, they have had enough excitement for now. Officers put barricades around the building right after the police arrested Renaldo. We somehow get the feeling that they don't really need to worry about that anymore - Alain, Renaldo and other Spiderman wannabe's have other buildings to conquer.

So remember, the next time you are walking near a tall building be sure to glance up - for Spiderman or a copycat may be in your neighborhood!

Sources: New York Times, Reuters