La Plata, Argentina
Argentinian farmer Fabio Anze awoke to a huge surprise Thursday morning: a baby girl nestled among his dog China's litter. The baby, who was abandoned by her 14 year-old mother, was just hours old when she was found and rushed to the Melchor Romero hospital. Despite having spent the cold winder night outdoors, she was in good condition thanks to the snuggling warmth provided by Anze's dogs. It is unknown whether the baby's mother left her in the dog pen, or if perhaps China discovered the infant in the woods and carried her home to her own puppies. Regardless, she accepted the new addition into her own brood with exceptionally good nature.
To read more, visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080822/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_argentina_dog
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
From Cold to Closed: Card Decks Allow Inmates to Help Solve Crimes
A group sits together in a tight circle playing a round of gin rummy. One player, examining his hand, notices that one of the face cards looks familiar. And in this deck, they're all face cards. A little girl's picture on the three of diamonds triggers a memory. The card player dials a number and provides a bit of information: a name, a place, a date. Suddenly a kidnapping case left unsolved for years is brought out of the filing cabinets and a family gets the answer they've been searching for for so long. Another crime case goes from cold to closed.
Such is the motivation behind a new program in New York and Florida's county jails which provide inmates with decks of cards featuring information on a murder, a missing person or another unsolved crime. Since inmates, many of whom have spent a good deal of time on the area streets, know information law enforcement agents don't, they can provide helpful new insights. The cards have a hotline listed where anyone with information can call and leave anonymous tips.
The New York program was started by Doug and Mary Lyall, whose daughter Suzanne went missing 10 years ago after getting off her bus at the State University of New York-Albany. Doug and Mary were inspired by a similar program in Florida, where state prisons and county jails are on their third edition of the decks, which have lead to eight arrests and one conviction.
Cindy Bloch, case manager at New York's Criminal Justice Services, was pleased with the results, and optimistic about the future: "Prior to the playing card program being implemented, we had virtually no calls coming from correctional facilities," she said. "We now have 40 or 50 calls per month coming in."
Doug and Mary used funds donated to their foundation, the Center for Hope, to send 7,200 decks of cards to New York's local jails.
"It just started to snowball, and we got momentum, and it took a lot of hard work, lot of phone calls, lot of foot work, but it's been worth it so far because we got it off the ground," Doug recalled.
Even inmates think the cards are a good idea. Patrick Devival, a prisoner in the Rensselaer County Jail, commented that he thinks the program is a very good idea, and he and many his fellow inmates are glad for the chance to try and do some good "even though we're on this side of the fence".
Such is the motivation behind a new program in New York and Florida's county jails which provide inmates with decks of cards featuring information on a murder, a missing person or another unsolved crime. Since inmates, many of whom have spent a good deal of time on the area streets, know information law enforcement agents don't, they can provide helpful new insights. The cards have a hotline listed where anyone with information can call and leave anonymous tips.
The New York program was started by Doug and Mary Lyall, whose daughter Suzanne went missing 10 years ago after getting off her bus at the State University of New York-Albany. Doug and Mary were inspired by a similar program in Florida, where state prisons and county jails are on their third edition of the decks, which have lead to eight arrests and one conviction.
Cindy Bloch, case manager at New York's Criminal Justice Services, was pleased with the results, and optimistic about the future: "Prior to the playing card program being implemented, we had virtually no calls coming from correctional facilities," she said. "We now have 40 or 50 calls per month coming in."
Doug and Mary used funds donated to their foundation, the Center for Hope, to send 7,200 decks of cards to New York's local jails.
"It just started to snowball, and we got momentum, and it took a lot of hard work, lot of phone calls, lot of foot work, but it's been worth it so far because we got it off the ground," Doug recalled.
Even inmates think the cards are a good idea. Patrick Devival, a prisoner in the Rensselaer County Jail, commented that he thinks the program is a very good idea, and he and many his fellow inmates are glad for the chance to try and do some good "even though we're on this side of the fence".
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
On-the-Job Fatalities at a Historic Low in 2007
Washington DC, USA
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced some good news today: On-the-job fatalities dropped 6% in 2007 from 2006, achieving the lowest rate the bureau has seen since it began collecting data in 1992. The current rate is 3.7 fatal injuries out of every 100,000 workers. Says Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, "This is continued evidence that the initiatives and programs to protect workers' safety and health, designed by and implemented in this administration, are indeed working."
To read more, visit http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2008-08-20-worker-deaths_N.htm
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced some good news today: On-the-job fatalities dropped 6% in 2007 from 2006, achieving the lowest rate the bureau has seen since it began collecting data in 1992. The current rate is 3.7 fatal injuries out of every 100,000 workers. Says Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, "This is continued evidence that the initiatives and programs to protect workers' safety and health, designed by and implemented in this administration, are indeed working."
To read more, visit http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2008-08-20-worker-deaths_N.htm
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wisconsin Man Rescued After Treading Water for 12 Hours
Green Bay, WI, USA
Despite being an experienced sailor, 56 year-old James Nelson was caught in a nightmarish situation on Sunday when he was knocked from his 23-foot sailboat into Michigan's Green Bay. A sudden rush of wind knocked the vessel's boom into Nelson's head, sending him flying into the water without his life jacket, which he had laid in the seat next to him. The same wind blew his boat hopelessly out of reach as Nelson drifted far out into the Bay. That night, his wife reported him missing at about the same time the coast guard found his boat, adrift with its motor still running.
For 12 hours, Nelson had been swimming, treading water, and resting frequently in a dead man's float, hoping and praying for rescue. In an interview with Fox, Nelson said that he tried to focus on his family and how he wanted to get home. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard sent seven boats and two helicopters to join a group of recreational boaters in the search for the missing man. At around 3:00 in the morning, one of the helicopters' crew finally spotted Nelson, who was so exhausted that a diver had to be sent to help him hold on as he was lifted out of the water. "When we heard a survivor was spotted in the water, you'd have thought we won the Super Bowl from the cheers," said Chief Mike Weisenbaugh, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Green Bay.
James Nelson was treated for dehydration at St. Vincent's Hospital, before finally getting home safely.
To read more, visit http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gvu8VYab2kZ8YljiHJcMo8BAX0DwD92LCL9G2
Despite being an experienced sailor, 56 year-old James Nelson was caught in a nightmarish situation on Sunday when he was knocked from his 23-foot sailboat into Michigan's Green Bay. A sudden rush of wind knocked the vessel's boom into Nelson's head, sending him flying into the water without his life jacket, which he had laid in the seat next to him. The same wind blew his boat hopelessly out of reach as Nelson drifted far out into the Bay. That night, his wife reported him missing at about the same time the coast guard found his boat, adrift with its motor still running.
For 12 hours, Nelson had been swimming, treading water, and resting frequently in a dead man's float, hoping and praying for rescue. In an interview with Fox, Nelson said that he tried to focus on his family and how he wanted to get home. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard sent seven boats and two helicopters to join a group of recreational boaters in the search for the missing man. At around 3:00 in the morning, one of the helicopters' crew finally spotted Nelson, who was so exhausted that a diver had to be sent to help him hold on as he was lifted out of the water. "When we heard a survivor was spotted in the water, you'd have thought we won the Super Bowl from the cheers," said Chief Mike Weisenbaugh, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Green Bay.
James Nelson was treated for dehydration at St. Vincent's Hospital, before finally getting home safely.
To read more, visit http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gvu8VYab2kZ8YljiHJcMo8BAX0DwD92LCL9G2
Fay Fades From Florida, Leaves Little Damage, No Casualties
Florida, USA
Florida residents were all breathing a sigh of relief yesterday, when Tropical Storm Fay proved wet and windy, but far less severe than hurricanes of the past. In fact, Fay's milder gusts never even allowed her to achieve official hurricane status, and her tropical storm title was stripped as she continued up the continent.
Police, government, and state agencies had braced for the storm's arrival by imposing a curfew, closing schools, evacuating at-risk residents, and urging businesses to take the proper precautions to safeguard local buildings against damage. Those businesses that braced for the storm, took the opportunity to puff their chests and shake their fists at storms of the past, with plywood window covers painted with taunts such as "Pop Off Charley" and "Oh Wilma!" Other than minor debris and street flooding, however, there were neither casualties nor damages.
Even in Cuba and the Caribbean, where Fay's path had not yet been slowed by the US landmass, there was good news. A bus toppled by the storm where 30 passengers lives were unknown was met by U.N. peacekeepers who confirmed that 41 passengers had made it out safely.
As the 10.8 million people who fell within Fay's path waved her goodbye, life is back to normal. Evacuation orders have been lifted to the north of Tampa Bay, and state and government offices are scheduled to re-open. As Sally Bishop, Pinellas County emergency management director, put it on this August morning, "I think we're going to all enjoy a nice summer day."
Florida residents were all breathing a sigh of relief yesterday, when Tropical Storm Fay proved wet and windy, but far less severe than hurricanes of the past. In fact, Fay's milder gusts never even allowed her to achieve official hurricane status, and her tropical storm title was stripped as she continued up the continent.
Police, government, and state agencies had braced for the storm's arrival by imposing a curfew, closing schools, evacuating at-risk residents, and urging businesses to take the proper precautions to safeguard local buildings against damage. Those businesses that braced for the storm, took the opportunity to puff their chests and shake their fists at storms of the past, with plywood window covers painted with taunts such as "Pop Off Charley" and "Oh Wilma!" Other than minor debris and street flooding, however, there were neither casualties nor damages.
Even in Cuba and the Caribbean, where Fay's path had not yet been slowed by the US landmass, there was good news. A bus toppled by the storm where 30 passengers lives were unknown was met by U.N. peacekeepers who confirmed that 41 passengers had made it out safely.
As the 10.8 million people who fell within Fay's path waved her goodbye, life is back to normal. Evacuation orders have been lifted to the north of Tampa Bay, and state and government offices are scheduled to re-open. As Sally Bishop, Pinellas County emergency management director, put it on this August morning, "I think we're going to all enjoy a nice summer day."
Monday, August 18, 2008
Rodeo Fall Survivor Called "Walking Miracle"
Farmington, NM, USA
20 year-old Blake Arp wasn't too concerned when he regained consciousness on the ground on July 26th, after being thrown off a bull in the National High School Finals Rodeo. The cowboy has built his life around the rodeo, and even plans to attend Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas on a full rodeo scholarship. He's spent enough time in rodeos to know that sometimes, you get thrown. His biggest concern as he came to was over the state of his hat.
But Arp's C1 vertebra, known as the "atlast," had been fractured. If the C1 sounds familiar, you could be remembering actor Christopher Reeves, who broke his in 1995. But while Reeves was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his live, Blake Arp is making a recovery his doctors call miraculous.
As Arp lay on the ground after his fall, he realized that while he could move his legs, he wasn't able to get up. He was transported to the San Juan Regional Medical Center, where his doctors held few hopes for his recovery. According to Arp, “They didn’t know I could walk for a long time. One day, they started to move me from my bed and I saw that they were having trouble and I said ‘I can get up and lay down on the bed.’” He continues, “When I got up and stood up they were like, ‘You can’t walk yet.’ They thought it was a miracle that I was standing up walking.”
Apparently, they thought it was a miracle that he had even survived. Immediately following Blake's accident, “The doctor came in and told me that it was a miracle that I could even breathe,” Arp said. “They said that if I had moved my neck side to side when I was on the ground that it would have cut off my air supply and killed me.”
Instead, Blake will spend the next few months in the euphemistically named “halo” which keeps his head from moving side-to-side, and after that, a neck brace. His full recovering will take about a year. And then, he plans to get right back into the rodeo ring. “Being out a year is worth a lifetime,” Arp said. “I’d rather sacrifice one year than my whole rodeo career.” His scholarship at Clarendon will be waiting for him, when he's ready.
To read more, visit http://www.cedartownstd.com/pages/full_story?article--A-walking-miracle-Arp-recovering-from-rodeo-injury%20=&page_label=home_top_stories_latest&id=182725--A-walking-miracle-Arp-recovering-from-rodeo-injury&widget=push&instance=home_latest_1st_left&open=&
20 year-old Blake Arp wasn't too concerned when he regained consciousness on the ground on July 26th, after being thrown off a bull in the National High School Finals Rodeo. The cowboy has built his life around the rodeo, and even plans to attend Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas on a full rodeo scholarship. He's spent enough time in rodeos to know that sometimes, you get thrown. His biggest concern as he came to was over the state of his hat.
But Arp's C1 vertebra, known as the "atlast," had been fractured. If the C1 sounds familiar, you could be remembering actor Christopher Reeves, who broke his in 1995. But while Reeves was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his live, Blake Arp is making a recovery his doctors call miraculous.
As Arp lay on the ground after his fall, he realized that while he could move his legs, he wasn't able to get up. He was transported to the San Juan Regional Medical Center, where his doctors held few hopes for his recovery. According to Arp, “They didn’t know I could walk for a long time. One day, they started to move me from my bed and I saw that they were having trouble and I said ‘I can get up and lay down on the bed.’” He continues, “When I got up and stood up they were like, ‘You can’t walk yet.’ They thought it was a miracle that I was standing up walking.”
Apparently, they thought it was a miracle that he had even survived. Immediately following Blake's accident, “The doctor came in and told me that it was a miracle that I could even breathe,” Arp said. “They said that if I had moved my neck side to side when I was on the ground that it would have cut off my air supply and killed me.”
Instead, Blake will spend the next few months in the euphemistically named “halo” which keeps his head from moving side-to-side, and after that, a neck brace. His full recovering will take about a year. And then, he plans to get right back into the rodeo ring. “Being out a year is worth a lifetime,” Arp said. “I’d rather sacrifice one year than my whole rodeo career.” His scholarship at Clarendon will be waiting for him, when he's ready.
To read more, visit http://www.cedartownstd.com/pages/full_story?article--A-walking-miracle-Arp-recovering-from-rodeo-injury%20=&page_label=home_top_stories_latest&id=182725--A-walking-miracle-Arp-recovering-from-rodeo-injury&widget=push&instance=home_latest_1st_left&open=&
Mom Holds Premie Conjoined Twins for First Time
Arizona, USA
For Arizona mom Ashley Frank, today was a very special day. This morning marked the first time 20 year-old Ashley was able to hold her newborn babies in her arms-- 4 long days after their birthday. The infants were born conjoined (which occurs about once in every 100,000 births) at just 32 weeks and four days, two months less than a full term pregnancy. Although they had been in good health until recently, the last ultrasound revealed that Ashley had lost almost all her amniotic fluids and was suffering from an enlarged bladder. Doctors decided that the twins-- who were old enough to survive outside the womb-- would be safest if an emergency C-section were performed. Happily, the twins and their mom pulled through the surgery just fine and are doing wonderfully under the care of doctors at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The newborns share only a liver-- making the possibility of separation far easier once they are a little older and stronger. For now, Ashley, proud papa Johnny, as well as new big sisters Manuela and Adianna, are just happy to be together.
For the original link: http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=16997
and an interview with the glowing new mother: http://www.wptz.com/video/17221510/index.html
For Arizona mom Ashley Frank, today was a very special day. This morning marked the first time 20 year-old Ashley was able to hold her newborn babies in her arms-- 4 long days after their birthday. The infants were born conjoined (which occurs about once in every 100,000 births) at just 32 weeks and four days, two months less than a full term pregnancy. Although they had been in good health until recently, the last ultrasound revealed that Ashley had lost almost all her amniotic fluids and was suffering from an enlarged bladder. Doctors decided that the twins-- who were old enough to survive outside the womb-- would be safest if an emergency C-section were performed. Happily, the twins and their mom pulled through the surgery just fine and are doing wonderfully under the care of doctors at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The newborns share only a liver-- making the possibility of separation far easier once they are a little older and stronger. For now, Ashley, proud papa Johnny, as well as new big sisters Manuela and Adianna, are just happy to be together.
For the original link: http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=16997
and an interview with the glowing new mother: http://www.wptz.com/video/17221510/index.html
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