Free Republic

For the third time this month, the U.S. Navy has come to the rescue of distressed Iranian fishermen -- at the same time Iran has threatened to disrupt a key oil route off its coast. Guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey rendered aid to the crew of a sinking Iranian fishing dhow in the central Arabian Sea, according to a Navy press release. A helicopter from the Maritime Strike Squadron 71 spotted the fishing boat Wednesday morning reportedly with one person on board. "Our first priority was to make sure that all of the crew (of the fishing vessel) was safe," Lt....

Crammed into tiny cages, unable to stand and deprived of food and water, these dogs endured terrible suffering on a truck bound for a chain of restaurants. The harrowing pictures show the cruel conditions in which 1,500 of the animals were found when the truck was stopped at a toll gate by highway police and animal rescue volunteers in Chongqing, south-west China. ... The animals were moved to a nearby farm by volunteers from the Chongqing Animal Protection Association who gave them food, water and emergency treatment. ...

t was every man – and crew member – for himself. Survivors from the Costa Concordia spoke angrily yesterday of the nightmare evacuation from the stricken ship as women and children were left behind. In the terrifying moments after the giant vessel began to list, fights even broke out to get into the lifeboats. Men refused to prioritise women, expectant mothers and children as they pushed themselves forward to escape. Crew ignored their passengers – leaving ‘chefs and waiters’ to help out.

SARASOTA, Fla. (CBS TAMPA) – A man fishing from his kayak a half-mile from Point of Rocks off Sarasota was shocked when a dog that was involved in a deadly DUI crash swam up to his boat terrified. Once pulled to safety, Barney shrunk into a corner of the small craft, shaking and traumatized over the event. He sustained minor injuries, including one to his paw and several cuts. The man brought Barney to a local vet, who used a tracking chip implanted in him to discover his owner was Donna L. Chen, who was struck by a Nissan Altima...

It may sound barking mad but hardened criminals are discovering what softies they are by caring for pooches 24 hours a day. Forget the usual prison image of chain gangs and razor wire, tough U.S. jailbirds are each being handed a helpless pup to care for in their cells night and day. In two years, 468 rescue dogs have been placed with families after being trained by inmates in the Missouri Department of Corrections' 'Puppies for Parole' programme. They teach the dogs, which come from local animal shelters, how to behave and prepare them for adoption - helping their own...

You know the “reasonable, common sense” crowd’s litany, the one about guns only being good for one thing? Namely, killing, death and wanton destruction? Yeah, well, next time one of them throws that one at you at a cocktail party, here’s a handy comeback example to keep in your quiver. If Chris Willden hadn’t had his gun on his hip yesterday, there would probably be two or three dead kids in Logan, Utah… Roger Anderson was headed for a day of skiing with three kiddies in tow. But he lost control of his car on a slippery, narrow bridge and...

People often criticize the media for what they perceive to be an obsession with bad news; That sort of “if it bleeds it leads” credo that keeps many viewers away from their 6′oclock’s because “it’s just going to make me angry.” We’ve all heard it. So here’s a piece of good and uplifting news for you: This past Saturday while we were all getting fabulous for our New Years Eve shenanigans, former police officer Chris Willden came upon an accident along the U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon, Utah where a Honda Accord had slid off the road and plummeted into...

As many as 10 heroic people jumped into an icy Utah river to help save three trapped children after a car plunged down a 10-foot embankment and flipped over. The rescuers helped turn the Honda Accord upright in the Logan River, and one man shot out the car’s window with a handgun and cut a seat belt to help free the children after Saturday afternoon accident, patrol Lt. Steve Winward said. The driver, Roger Andersen, 46, of Logan, lost control as he tried to brake while heading northbound on U.S. 89 during slick conditions. His 9-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son...

Violet, the red-tailed hawk whose intimate family life in a nest overlooking Washington Square Park was chronicled on a live-streaming webcam, delighting more than a million viewers with the sacred spectacle of nature, died on Thursday. She was believed to be about 5 years old. A metal wildlife band that had been placed on her leg in 2006 and was wedged awkwardly on her shin appeared to exacerbate the situation. Wildlife experts and veterinarians were summoned by the university and the state to determine if it was possible to lure her away from the nest and treat her leg, but...

In a reversal of fortunes, a once-unwanted cat has come to the rescue of an animal shelter in need of a new home. However, this orange-and-white tabby named Daniel is no typical cat. He has a near-record 26 toes, a phenomenon that is helping the Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center in Wisconsin raise money to relocate to a new building. ... 'I've always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and this is definitely the case,' said Amy Rowell, owner of Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center in Greendale. She found Daniel in October at animal control when she went...

RESCUE It happened in an instant. I dropped my canoe paddle in the lake and as it started to float away, I instinctively reached over the side of the canoe to grab it. Bad move. In the blink of an eye I was dumped into the middle of Nuttings Lake in December with no life jacket. As I struggled to right my canoe and retrieve fishing rods and tackle boxes, the numbing cold water brought me to a stark reality. The clock was ticking. I had little time. I had to make decisions fast. My first thought was to un-swamp...

A grieving family fulfilled their soldier son's final wish of rescuing the dog he befriended in Afghanistan just months before he was killed. The parents of paratrooper Conrad Lewis wept with joy as they greeted their son's best friend Peg who bounded up to them after completing six months in quarantine. Before his death Conrad adopted the dog and nicknamed her Peg - short for Pegasus - in honour of the Para's winged horse emblem. ... He fed the dog his rations and she never left his side, even accompanying him during fierce fire fights against Taliban insurgents. Conrad wanted...

RESCUERS spent 12 hours trying to save a “pregnant cat” from a clothes recycling bin – only to discover it was a squeaky toy. The alarm was raised on Monday evening when a woman heard a miaow sound coming from the recycling bins in Moelfre, Anglesey. With a heavily pregnant cat Puss-Puss missing in the village people raced down to the clothes bin to free the animal which continued to miaow. But the locks had been tampered with and they were unable to free the “cat” despite trying until 11pm at night with a grinder and calling in the fire...

Hero is no ordinary New Hampshire dog. Hers is a tale that began in war-torn Samarra, Iraq, in early 2007. Justin Rollins, of 82nd Airborne Division, had found the tiny puppy, one of a litter of eight, living underneath an abandoned portable toilet near his base. Smiling and enjoying the company of the young litter, he and his team-mates took some photos to send home. Just hours later, Justin was killed by an IED. The happy pictures he had taken and emailed home that night were the last contact he'd have with his girlfriend and family - but the start...

A young girl’s tears of joy were captured on camera by her parents as they surprised her with the family’s pet dog she thought she’d never see again. Alyssa Smith’s parents, from Hampshire, paid £1,300 to be reunited with their dog Holly, who they had to leave behind when they moved back to the UK from Dubai. Darren Smith and his family adopted former street dog Holly two years ago while living in the United Arab Emirates. ... Two months after relocating to Hampshire, Mr Smith, who thought Holly had been re-homed with another family, saw their dog on a...

ECRI Recession Watch: Decline In Growth Index Continues To Moderate By Doug Short November 18, 2011 The Weekly Leading Index (WLI) growth indicator of the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) posted -7.9 in its latest reading, data through November 11. The latest public data point is less negative than last week's -8.5 and continues the trend off its interim low of -10.1 on October 14. Last week I posted the November 7th CNBC interview with Lakshman Achuthan, the Co-founder of ECRI. I'm again including video because ECRI continues to feature it on their website here, which I see as evidence...

They bonded in the heat of battle in war-torn Afghanistan. And these heart-warming pictures show how the stray dogs who helped soldiers through their toughest times are being thanked - with a new loving home. US soldiers regularly make best friends with loyal Afghan dogs, who are invaluable companions on the front line and provide relief after days of brave and exhausting fire fights. And now these lucky pets have been reunited with the servicemen who befriended them with while on duty. ... British charity Nowzad Dogs, which was started by former British Royal Marine Pen Farthing, who served in...

When they met on a Caribbean beach it was love at first sight - and when the holiday was over, nothing was going to keep them apart. And finally Weber the black Labrador cross has been reunited with her loving new owners, 4,000 miles from his old home. Paul Booth, 43, and wife Lorraine, 36, rescued the dog after spotting her wandering across a beach in Antigua as it hunted for scraps. They decided to adopt the malnourished animal and give her a permanent home back in Britain. ... Now after paying £2,000 and waiting for vet checks to be...

ASTORIA, Ore. -- A Coast Guardsman was being honored as a hero Monday for his efforts in saving a woman from drowning in the Columbia River in September. Petty Officer 2nd Class Leon Doniphan, a cook aboard Cutter Alert in Astoria, had just finished his shift on Sept. 10 and was heading on to the pier when he noticed some commotion on the river's edge. It turned out, a young girl about 11- or 12-years-old, who had been swimming around the pilings under the dock, got caught in the river's current. Moments later, it was apparent she was about to...

A frightened black Labrador puppy was dramatically rescued from the top of a double-decker freight train car by four firefighters, who then delivered her to a new, loving home. No one knows how the puppy, who appears to be about three months old, ended up on top of the Norfolk Southern train that left Pennsylvania, and had already gone through Virginia and North Carolina on its way to Atlanta. ... Rowland's team of firefighters was called on Sunday evening after Tina Parker of nearby Pickens spotted the pup while she and her family were stopped at a red light and...