Act of Courage Saves Florida Woman's Life

Chris Mosely is being called a hero for saving a woman's life after she jumped off a bridge in Florida. Onlookers say the woman lay her cell phone down on the side of the road and jumped into the water below the Joe McCorquodale bridge on Highway 43. She fell at least 97 feet before hitting the water. Chris Mosely saw the woman fall and was able to follow a trail below the bridge and jumped in the water to save the woman. When asked what inspired his act of bravery, he responded that he was just doing what he "thought was right thing to do."

"You know I didn't think about it. Nothing like that every crossed my mind I just knew that I was at the time was the only one there she was going to get saved and it was going to be up to me," The woman is currently recovering in the hospital but suffered no critical injuries. We obviously all hope that she will also receive the emotional and mental health services to continue her recovery in all aspects.


http://www.wkrg.com/local/article/bridge_rescue_man_saves_womans_life/19614/

California Menus to Show Nutrition Information

LOS ANGELES, USA

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Tuesday requiring chain restaurants to put calorie counts on their menus and indoor menu boards, making California the first state to enact such a law in the battle against America's expanding waistline. All restaurants must comply by 2011, and starting in July, restaurants and drive-throughs will have to offer menus that with the nutrition facts for each item.

Schwarzenegger said the legislation was part of the state's push to set a national model for nutrition policy and to fight obesity, which costs the state $28.6 billion in health-care costs, lost productivity and workers' compensation. New York, Seattle and San Francisco have already approved similar legislation and Chicago, Washington and Philadelphia have proposals on the table.

Knowedge!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002620.html

Dog Owner Opens Can of Whupass on Shark

Dogs may be mans' best friend, but 53 year-old Greg LeNoir has proven that a man can be a dog's best friend, too. A carpenter from Florida, Mr. LeNoir may not have had an especially loyal relationship with his dog Jake. At least, not until Friday evening. That's when man and dog went for a swim together off New Smyrna Beach, and became easy pray for a hungry shark. LeNoir barely registered the open-mouthed predator before it snatched Jake, pulling the 28 pound pooch under the surface. After a crazed moment of screaming, LeNoir dove after the shark, furious fists a-flying! ''I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram,'' LeNoir, told the Miami Herald. "I hit the back of the shark's neck. It was like hitting concrete.'' No doubt stunned by the assault, the shark released Jake, who quickly swam to safety. Amazingly, neither he nor Greg LeNoir were seriously injured during the ordeal.

Read more at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/707023.html

19 Hostages Rescued in Desert by Multinational Troop Effort

CAIRO, Egypt

A group of 19 tourists' safari in the remote Sahara region of Africa took a turn for the horrifyingly cinematic last week, when they were abducted by armed kidnappers and driven off into the barren wilderness. Egyptian and Sudanese troops rescued the European tour group early Monday morning, and the tourists and their Egyptian guides returned safely to Cairo.

The operation, apparently backed by European special forces, ends a 10-day hostage situation that took the 11 Europeans and their eight guides across a barren stretch of the Sahara Desert. They were seized by gunmen on the 19th while on a desert safari in remote southwestern Egypt. It was unclear where their abductors were taking them, or where they would end up... Sudan, followed by Libya? Chad?

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini suggested Italian and German special forces were involved. He was beaming as he explained that Sudan and Egypt carried out "a highly professional operation" with the "intervention of Italian intelligence and experts from the special forces" from Germany and Italy.

The official said the tourists, who include two Italians in their 70s, were "feeble" but in good condition. Most importantly, MENA reported that none of the captives was hurt in the rescue. Amazing!

The freed captives, who included five Germans, five Italians, a Romanian and eight Egyptian guides and drivers, were brought by a military plane to Cairo on Monday, greeted at the airport by officials who extended their welcome with bouquets of fresh flowers. They were then taken to a military hospital for checkups.

"Our compatriots and the other hostages in Egypt have been freed," Frattini said. "It is the result of international cooperation for which we have to be really grateful to the authorities of other countries that have been working with us."

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,429475,00.html

Scientists Coax Adult Cells Back to Embryonic State

Harvard University, USA

Stem cell research has been one of the most promising areas of medical advancement in our generation. Political controversy, however, has strangled funds for research projects, while moral controversy keeps the public decidedly undecided about the potentially life-saving knowledge we stand to gain. The question we are faced with, time and again, is "Is it ever acceptable to use embryonic stem cells for medical research?" Starting now, the answer may not matter.

A team of scientists at Harvard University has developed a method by which adult stem cells can be regressed back to their original embryonic state. With the controversy of harvesting true embryonic cells behind them, scientists may be able to learn by leaps and bounds in the next few years.

"We have removed a major roadblock for translating this into a clinical setting," said Konrad Hochedlinger, a Harvard University stem cell researcher whose research was published online today by the journal Science. "I think it's an important advance."

To read more, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092502099.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Ping Pong Ball Saves 2 Year-Old's Life

Sydney. Australia

An Australian surgeon took a daring step in a liver transplant recently; He implanted a ping pong ball in the patient! What sounds like a medical mishap was, instead, an innovative measure taken to save a life. 2 year-old Mackenzie was on the operating table to receive a portion of an adult liver in place of her own. With donors rare, in Australia, surgeon Albert Shun had no back-up options when the transplant organ proved troublesome. The liver's size and shape caused it to rest on Mackenzie's blood vessels, creating potentially fatal pressure. In an almost MacGyver-like fashion, Shun placed a $2 ping pong ball inside hie patient to prevent the liver from obstructing her blood flow. "There shouldn't be any complications." Says Shun. "We are in a unique situation in Australia because we have a low donor rate so we have to be adaptable." While the unorthodox technique came as a shock to Mackenzie's parents, who found out about it after the surgery, they insist are happy to see their daughter alive and well. "She is so normal now," says mother Letice Darswell, "she is a happy kid."

To read more, visit http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24393387-5006009,00.html

Google Phone Unveiled At Last

For years, we've been hearing rumors that Google is developing a phone to rival the BlackBerry and the iPhone - music to the ears of anyone who loves Googe or is anti-Mac. Finally, T-Mobile and Google have teamed up to release the G1, a brand new uber-phone unlike anything we've ever seen. Boasting Google's Android operating system, an iPhone-like touch screen, and an expandable keyboard, the G1 combines many features that have consumers excited to try this latest addition to the technology wave. The G1 will become commercially available on October 22, at a cost of about 180$ with a 2-year contract. I know I'm tempted!

Learn more at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94953519&ft=1&f=1001