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A British lobbying group has criticized a fire department for spending six hours on the rescue of a pet duck trapped in a pond's overflow pipe. Chris and Karen Hutchens said a five-man team of Gloucestershire firefighters arrived at their Chalford Hill, England, home just before 9:30 a.m. and dug a trench to free their duck, Brownie, from the pipe, The Sun reported Monday. "It was such a relief when a fire engine turned up and they started digging the hole. The pipe was about 4 feet underground but they kept going, they were wonderful and really went beyond the...

WASHINGTON – A trio of senators with differing political views is working behind-the-scenes to rescue troubled climate legislation. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., together with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Wednesday they would work in conjunction with the White House to patch together a bill that could pass the U.S. Senate. The three senators met individually with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Carol Browner, the president's assistant for energy and climate change. "Our effort is to try to reach out to broaden the base of support ... ," Kerry said at an...

Liberals + technology + going outdoors + entitlement mentality = taxpayer burden

A dog rescued by a retired police officer attacked him Sunday — inflicting hideous wounds on his face. "The doctors and nurses have never seen anything like this," said John Wess, a friend of the victim. Jim Stewart, 53, of Woodbury, reportedly suffered a severed ear and had the skin torn away from most of his face in the attack. He was listed Thursday evening in good condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. "He has not seen himself in a mirror, and we are pretty worried about that," said Wess, a retired St. Paul police officer and longtime friend....

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somali pirates holding two Britons captive aboard a yacht off the coast of the Horn of Africa nation warned Britain not to try to rescue the couple. The pirates seized the vessel on Friday morning hundreds of miles out to sea near the Seychelles archipelago. They have taken it to the Somali coast with a view to demanding a ransom for their captives. "If warships surround us, we shall point our guns at the British tourists. They are old and we will take care of them -- that is if we are not attacked," said a pirate...

FRESNO, Calif. — Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon - just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty."

Tired from a hike? Rescuers fear Yuppie 911 Hikers are increasingly relying on personal locator beacons, just in case Ted S. Warren / AP updated 2:00 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2009 FRESNO, Calif. - Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon — just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the...

MELBOURNE schoolboy Aaron Dryden has been revealed as the shy hero who pulled a tiny baby from under a train at Ashburton station. Aaron, 18, told Woman's Day how he crawled under the train after six-month-old Saurish Verma's pram toppled from the platform. He leapt on to the tracks without a thought for his own safety and ran to where the train had ground to a halt. Followed by Saurish's terrified mother Shweta, and fearing the worst, he crawled 5m under the train to find the battered pram. "When we got to him, the pram was lying on its side...

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon - just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty......"

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon -- just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst ''tasted salty.'' If they had not been toting the device that works like Onstar...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A year ago, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were in the home stretch of a pulsating White House race, belting out speeches to pumped up crowds and days away from crushing Republican John McCain. The Democratic duo, now president and vice president, are back on the stump again, but the euphoric crowds have thinned and the electrifying crusade for change seems somewhat sullied by the inevitable compromises of governing. Taking time out from multiple crises, Obama has reeled off a string of appearances, polishing his own political skills in some of the few races scheduled a year...

Refinancing lifeline fails to reach most 'underwater' homeowners Federal plan misses about 97 percent of eligible borrowers By Renae Merle Saturday, October 24, 2009 A seven-month-old government program to help homeowners with little or no equity refinance their mortgages has so far reached fewer than 3 percent of those targeted, with many struggling borrowers deciding that the benefits of a new loan aren't worth the closing costs. This lackluster performance reflects the difficulty of helping the growing segment of "underwater" homeowners -- those who owe more than their home is worth. The program is a key component of the Obama...

Congratulatory messages poured into the White House this morning from global heads-of-state celebrating President Barack Obama’s dramatic rescue of a 6-year-old Colorado boy, whose apparent flight in an experimental balloon yesterday captivated viewers around the world. While the White House declined to comment on how the president could have flown to Colorado, retrieved the boy from the balloon, and returned him safely to the attic of his family home, press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama was “surprised and deeply humbled” by the international attention. He said the president views this latest round of global tribute as “a call to...

Eleven rescued German shepherd puppies and their mother, found without food or water, are getting foster care from a San Diego County couple, and the pups' exploits have been an international Webcam hit. Following a call from a concerned resident, Riverside County authorities found the mother, Juno, and puppies locked in a backyard in Perris five weeks ago, the day after the puppies were born. The local couple, volunteers with Southern California German Shepherd Rescue, offered to take care of the animals until the puppies are old enough to be adopted. The mother was sick and malnourished, said Barbara Cavanaugh...

Some good samaritans are being credited with helping to save a woman and her two teenage daughters Saturday after their car plunged into Sheepshead Bay. It happened around 7 p.m. as witnesses say the woman was trying to maneuver into a parking spot along Emmons Avenue. The car instead careened over the sidewalk, through a railing and dove into Sheepshead Bay. "One gentleman jumped in. Another gentleman jumped on the roof of the car. They helped the people out and dragged them up to the dock," said one witness. No one was seriously hurt, but the three people in the...

No one writes about them. Their deeds go unsung. Which is why, for this gripping series, two writers decided to track down the awe-inspiring stories of the Army medics who have saved countless lives in recent British wars.They are a special breed of soldier - the medics who go selflessly into the heart of battle and risk their own lives to save others.Here, in the first part of a gripping series, we reveal the astonishingly heroic actions of two such medics and the men they fought to save, despite a horrifying lack of equipment and communication, in the scorching heat...

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl has been hailed a hero after she dragged her two-year-old brother from a burning car in an outback town. ..... The officers said the boy's sister had noticed the flames and quickly dragged him from the vehicle. Acting Senior Sergeant Jody Nobbs said the young boy had a "lucky escape". ..... Sgt Nobbs said the incident highlighted the need for children to be supervised at all times.

RAMADI, Iraq, Oct. 6, 2009 – Iraqi forces disrupted a kidnapping organization and saved a young kidnapping victim in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi forces in Anbar province arrested several kidnappers, which led to the Sept. 25 rescue of a 10-year-old Iraqi boy. The boy had been kidnapped Sept. 15, officials said. The team referred to one of the kidnappers as “The Ghost,” because he constantly moved from one location to another, said Iraqi army Col. Saad Muhammed Hamoud, Anbar special weapons and tactics team commander. “Because he kept moving, we came up with a new plan...

A major relief operation has begun in the Samoan islands, which were hit by a tsunami that killed at least 119 people and wiped out villages and resorts. Rescue officials said planes carrying medics, food, water and other supplies were heading to the stricken Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa. They said tens of thousands of people need help in villages swamped by waves triggered by a huge earthquake. The United Nations said it was sending an emergency team to Samoa. According to the latest reports, at least 83 people were killed in Samoa, more than 30 in American...

A mother who rescued her three sons from their blazing home died as she desperately tried to save her daughter who was trapped in the fire. Michelle Thomas, 39, was killed with her little girl, Courtenay, four, when flames ripped through their semi-detached home. Her three sons, Jason, 14, Aidan, 12, and Jordan, nine, were yesterday in hospital suffering from burns, where one child was said to be in a serious condition. Rescuers said the devoted mother saved the boys, and then battled her way back into the inferno to reach Courtenay who was seen banging on an upstairs window...

WEST COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Workers with Pets, Inc. in West Columbia got quite a surprise Thursday when they arrived at work to find four cat carriers with 17 cats stuffed inside. There simply is no room at the inn, so to speak. The no-kill shelter has more mouths than it can feed right now. Pets, Inc. needs to immediately find homes for the cats that are healthy. Workers at Pets, Inc. are looking to prosecute the person who left the cats. That person could be charged for each individual cat. If you're interested in one of the cats or...

Former IDF commandos secretly entered a Palestinian Authority village on Monday and rescued an American woman and her 2 1/2-year-old son from her Muslim husband, who had beaten and and held her captive for three years. The woman and child flew to the United States Wednesday night and are en route to her family’s home in Ohio. The Arab met the woman during a visit to the United States and enticed her to return with him to Israel and to the house where he lives with his first wife and several childre.

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish military police said Thursday that they had stormed an Istanbul villa to rescue nine women held captive after being tricked into believing they were reality show contestants. The women were rescued on Monday in the villa in Riva, a summer resort on the outskirts of Istanbul, a spokesman said. The women were made to believe they were being filmed for a Big Brother-type television show. Instead, their naked images were sold on the Internet, the reports said. The women had responded to an ad searching for contestants for a reality show that would be aired on...

KABUL — British commandos freed a New York Times reporter early Wednesday from Taliban captives who kidnapped him over the weekend in northern Afghanistan, but one of the commandos and a Times' translator were killed in the rescue, officials said. Reporter Stephen Farrell was taken hostage along with his translator in the northern province of Kunduz on Saturday. German commanders had ordered U.S. jets to drop bombs on two hijacked fuel tankers, causing a number of civilian casualties, and reporters traveled to the area to cover the story Two military officials told The Associated Press that one British commando died...

NATO troops released a kidnapped New York Times reporter in Northern Afghanistan in a raid before dawn on Wednesday, after he had been held for four days, an Afghan district chief said. Reporter Stephen Farrell, who is British, was abducted on Saturday along with his Afghan interpreter while attempting to visit the scene of a NATO air strike.

MINNEAPOLIS - Just before the start of class Tuesday morning, a man abducted his ex-girlfriend as she was dropped off outside Patrick Henry High School in north Minneapolis "She got a ride to school and when she got out of her car, her old boyfriend pulled up, grabbed her, pulled her into his car and took off," Minneapolis police Sgt. Jesse Garcia said. Police said the ex-boyfriend drove south for several miles before the girl got out of the car while they were stuck in traffic on Cedar Lake Parkway, near France Ave. That's when a group of Good Samaritans...

A person who was found on fire at a gas station in San Francisco's Sunset District at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday has died, a San Francisco Police Department sergeant said. A gas station attendant on 19th Avenue near Taraval Street waived down a police officer, Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said. The officer, who was returning to his station nearby, had already seen that someone was on fire at the gas station. The officer and the attendant attempted to put out the fire, she said. Firefighters with the San Francisco Fire Department responded and put it out. An arson inspector and the...

An heroic army medic treated seven injured comrades after a Taliban attack in Afghanistan despite being wounded with shrapnel herself, it emerged today. Lance Corporal Sally Clarke, of 2 Rifles, ignored the searing pain caused by the shards embedded in her shoulder and back and set about treating the rest of her patrol. The worst hit was Corporal Paul Mather who incredibly managed to radio instructions for jets circling above to open fire on Taliban insurgents despite bleeding heavily from wounds the size of his fist. Corporal Mather, 28, and Lance Corporal Clarke, 22, from Cheltenham, were on patrol south...

3 killed, 880 people rescued from Philippine ferry By JIM GOMEZ (AP) – 59 minutes ago MANILA, Philippines — At least three people drowned and more than 800 terrified passengers, many roused from their sleep, were rescued early Sunday from a ferry that listed and then sank in the southern Philippines, officials said. More than 80 people were missing. Coast guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said 880 of 964 passengers and crewmen on board the Superferry 9 were transferred to two nearby commercial ships and a navy gunboat hours after the ferry began to list off Zamboanga del Norte province...

Here is video of a man who was lost a sea for more than a week sharing his story with CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. (Watch Video)

S.I. baseball-bat wielding neighbor rescues girl from abductor in woods A baseball bat-wielding Staten Island homeowner was hailed as a hero after he chased away a man who dragged a 15-year-old girl into the woods, police and witnesses said. Patrick Klatt, 51, was inside his Great Kills home Thursday night when he heard the young girl's screams from a wooded area across the street. "He kept telling her to be quiet," Klatt said about the sicko. "[But] she yelled just loud enough for me to hear." Klatt grabbed a baseball bat and ran out his door. As he crossed the...

I know this has been posted before, but we have had so much bad news lately, dealing with corrupt politicians and criminals it's good to hear there are real heroes out there. This is officer Ally Jacobs, the woman who saved 3 young girls from further torture. Let's find out where she works and bombard their switchboard with thanks.

LONDON (AFP) – China?s state sovereign wealth fund has bailed out the heavily indebted majority owner of London's Canary Wharf, according to the real estate development's owner. The Financial Times reported that the move by China Investment Corporation (CIC) was its first big investment in Britain. The owners of Canary Wharf, Songbird Estates, said in a statement that CIC would form a consortium with Qatar Holding, the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, and a number of existing investors, to provide more than 800 million pounds in new equity. The money is needed to pay 880 million pounds that Songbird owes to...

Here is a video report on a Rhode Island 17 year-old who was rescued from an 6-8 foot hole he dug on the beach that filled with sand and collapsed in on him, burying him. The boys father was able to get his mouth and nose clear of sand so he could breathe, but rescuers took two and a half hours to free him from the sand. He was airlifted to a hospital "conscious and alert." . . . . (Watch Video)

Here is raw video (above) of one person swept into the Atlantic off the coast of Maine at Acadia National Park being saved after a "rogue wave" fueled by Hurricane Bill pulled spectators into the Ocean. Below is a video report . . . . . (Watch Videos)

Here is video of a Long Beach, California firefighter rescuing a window washer who was dangling by a rope near the top of a 14-story building. The window washer's scaffolding appears to have broken free leaving the man hanging by the ropes or cords he was tied off from. The job that firefighters, police, and other resuce workers do is truly amazing! . . . . . (Watch Video)

Here is video of a California man rescuing a three-year-old girl by pulling her from a burning vehicle after it overturned and caught fire on a California freeway. The man said: "I think most people would have done it if they were in my position." (Watch Video)

Calif. man pulls girl from burning SUV on freeway The Associated Press Jul. 23, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- The California Highway Patrol is calling a Southern California man a hero for rescuing a 3-year-old girl from a burning vehicle on a Los Angeles-area freeway. John McDonald of West Covina was driving on Interstate 10 in El Monte Wednesday when he saw an overturned sports utility vehicle engulfed in flames. Video footage shows him running to help as three people who escaped the burning SUV ran away. The CHP says the driver of the SUV shouted that her granddaughter was still...

A group of people including two off-duty firefighters and an off-duty police lieutenant rescued a woman and her two children from a burning SUV that crashed on Milwaukee's south side Sunday afternoon. Most of the rescue was filmed by a bystander. The video shows the 1992 Chevrolet Blazer on its left side near S. 22nd Place and W. Layton Ave., its back half engulfed in flames and black smoke. Two men eventually use metal pipes to break through the windshield, freeing the woman, who is a 32-year-old Tennessee resident, and her 2-year-old daughter.

Here is dramatic video from Milwaukee showing two off-duty firefighter brothers leading the way in rescuing a family from their overturned and burning SUV. A mother and one child were first pulled from the burning vehicle, but a four year old was still inside and eventually pulled out alive by the firefighters. The four-year-old was badly burned, and is listed in critical condition this morning. The video captures the whole scence and is dramatic as well as graphic. An interview with the two firefighter brothers is on the video after the footage of the rescue. Both firefighters had their hands...

CONCORD, N.H. —  A Massachusetts teenager who spent three nights alone on Mount Washington in April after he sprained an ankle and veered off marked trails has been fined more than $25,000 for the cost of his rescue.Scott Mason had been praised for utilizing his Eagle Scout skills — sleeping in the crevice of a boulder and jump-starting fires with hand sanitzer gel. But authorities say he wasn't prepared for the conditions he encountered and shouldn't have set out on such an ambitious hike."Yes, he'd been out there in July when you could step across the brooks. And people have been...

NASA's next generation of spacecraft will have the safest-ever astronaut escape system, a modern-day version of the reliable Apollo system. Like Apollo, the Orion launch abort system will swiftly propel the crew capsule away from the nose of the Ares I rocket and out of harm's way in case of an emergency on the launch pad or during ascent to orbit. Also -- as was the practice at times during development of key Apollo elements -- while NASA engineers are working on the Orion launch abort system, another NASA team is investigating an alternate launch abort concept. The alternate system,...

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak prepares the rescue of a French kayaker from the Bering Sea Saturday July 4, 2009. The crew hoisted Jean Gabriel Shelala, 28, from his kayak 40 miles north of St. Lawrence Island at about 4:15 p.m. The 28-year-old is attempting to circumnavigate the world using a specially designed kayak. He departed from Emmonak on June 27. Chelala is reportedly in good condition, but asked for the assistance Saturday. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard - Brian Myers)

She was plucked to safety by the crew on a building site nearby after they spotted the plight of her and her husband. The workers used a crane to lower colleague Jason Oglesbee down to lift the woman free of the water and away to safety. While they were able to rescue the woman, her husband drowned after the boat overturned on the Des Moines River, Iowa. Joe Lowe, one of the construction workers, said: "I saw the boat drift down, and he started it up and he hit the bridge base. "Then he tried to wrap it up with...

Maitland 12-year-old Austin Grady jammed his foot beneath a boulder while sliding down a mountain stream and couldn't pull free. His father plunged into the river and planted himself beside the boy. For 30 minutes, Michael Grady kept his son alive, holding the child's head above the rushing white water. Volunteer firefighters pulled the boy to safety. They could not save the father. In saving his son, Grady had gotten his own foot trapped in the rocks. Exhausted from the rescue — fighting water that was pummeling him and suffering from hypothermia — he died in the stream. Grady, 52,...

SAN'A, Yemen — A passenger jet from Yemen with 153 people on board crashed in the Indian Ocean early Tuesday as it tried to land during heavy wind on the island nation of Comoros, a Yemeni aviation official said. A Comoros police official said one toddler has been rescued alive from the sea. Bodies were spotted floating in the ocean and the police official said three had been recovered so far

6/25/2009 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- Members of the 505th Command and Control Wing may not be known for conducting search and rescue missions, but when a litter of kittens was trapped in a wall June 22 here, wing members knew just what to do. Bruce Chappell heard a cat early June 22 as he sat at his desk in Building 90005, but he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. "My first thought was it was a cell phone ringer or screen saver," Mr. Chappell said. "Then I asked others and they heard it, too." Believing the...

James Symington is about to find out whether you can clone heroism. The retired Canadian police officer – who took part in the rescue operation after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City – is scheduled to take possession Wednesday of five puppies cloned using DNA from his beloved late German shepherd Trakr, the rescue dog credited with finding the last survivor in the smoking rubble of Ground Zero. Symington, who won the opportunity to have Trakr cloned in an essay contest last year, first met his new pups in an emotional encounter on June 14. "They're...

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2009 – U.S. and Afghan forces detained four suspected insurgents and rescued a kidnapping victim in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported. The suspects were detained today in Khost province. U.S. and Afghan troops were targeting a man they believed was connected to the Haqqani terrorist network. The joint force detained him, along with the others, without confrontation. An assault rifle and belts and vests of ammunition were confiscated, officials said. In Helmand province’s Washer district June 10, coalition forces found a man tied and gagged inside a truck as they were establishing security for a...

Three more bodies have been recovered from the ocean near where an Air France jet disappeared and is believed to have crashed, the Brazilian military said Sunday. The news brings the total number of bodies recovered so far to five. According to Navy Capt. Giucemar Tabosa Cardoso, search crews can see more bodies from the air and are moving ships into position to remove them from the water. Authorities have been searching for wreckage and survivors of Air France Flight 447 for one week, since the jet went missing late in the evening on May 31. It was en route...