A cat was rescued from a six-story concrete pillar below the East Freeway in Houston when a local resident spotted the feline after hearing its frantic cries last week.
Crews Rescue Cat From Top of 6-Story Freeway Pillar
As Electric Cars Gain Currency, Oregon Charges Ahead
Last November, Oregon became the first state to develop standards for a statewide infrastructure of electric-car plug-in stations in terms of performance, safety, and voltage. The stations should be ready for purchase by interested parties, such as cities and private companies, by the end of 2009. Nissan, in turn, announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show that Oregon would be the site for the carmaker’s early introduction of its highway-ready electric cars around the same time. (Read more in Christian Science Monitor)
From Minnesota to Texas, Wind Power Sweeps New Jobs Into Old-tech Towns
Hundreds of workers lost their jobs after the printing press factory closed in Cedar Rapids in 2001. The hulking empty shell sat idle on the outskirts of the city for four years.
But that was before wind power blew into town, bringing thousands of clean-tech manufacturing jobs to Iowa and the Midwest. (Read more in the Christian Science Monitor)
Toddler Survived 18 Minutes Under Water
If a little girl falls into a freezing swimming pool and was deprived of oxygen for 18 minutes – three times longer than the brain can normally survive, doctors don’t hold much hope for her.
Brain scans showed little activity. “Doctor said to me, basically they’ve not seen a child been in the water this long and pull through,” recalls her father, Junior.
But some young children, particularly babies, have a special reflex that they had when they were in utero called the diving reflex, which essentially slows the body’s metabolism down to almost nothing. That is what saved three-year-old Oluchi Nwaubani. (Read more at CBS, or watch the video below)
Evolution Celebration Among Clergy Says Dichotomy Between Faith and Science is False
A growing number of churches view Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday this week and the 150th anniversary of his seminal work The Origin of Species as something to celebrate. More than 900 congregations in the U.S. and elsewhere are signed up for Evolution Weekend 2009, held on this day as an annual event, which began with a letter-writing campaign in 2004. (Read full story in Dallas Baptist Standard)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Adds 5,000 Hybrids to its Green Car Fleet
Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced last week they will add nearly 5,000 gas/electric hybrid vehicles to its nationwide rental fleet and designate 80 “hybrid rental branches” – locations with a high concentration of hybrid vehicles available – in 24 major markets across the country including 10 of the nation’s busiest airports. (Envoronmental News Network)
What is a Hero?
In the media, words like “miracle” and “hero” can lose their impact. But, as Steve Hartman reports, true heroes do exist. This CBS video may take a moment to load.
Ice Shanties Become Art (Video)
Instead of sportsmen huddled inside these Minnesota ice shanties waiting for the fish to bite, participants in the Art Shanty Project make artistic statements with their shacks. The AP’s Jeff Baenen found everything from a dance shack to a confessional shanty.
(Video may take a moment to load)
Colorado School District Does Away With Grade Levels
To overcome low test scores and a high dropout rate, an entire school district is implementing radical reforms. For starters, when the elementary and middle-school students come back next fall, there won’t be any grade levels – or traditional grades, for that matter.
The 10,000-student district in metropolitan Denver is modeling its new “standards-based” program, where the students help plan the lessons, on an effort in Alaska that was able, in five years, to turn around the lowest performing schools in that state. (Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor)
74-Year-Old Doctor Volunteers for War Zone (Video)
– a retired lieutenant colonel – re-enlists to go to Afghanistan and provide medical aid to military members and civilians. He said it is was his last chance to serve his country and do something adventerous. He works out 4-5 times each week and easily passed his physical exam.
At Wal-Mart, a Health-Care Turnaround
Once vilified for its stingy health benefits, the world’s largest company has become an unlikely innovator in the effort to provide affordable care without bankrupting employers, their workers or taxpayers in the process. They still have a way to go, but significant progress has been made. (Read the full article at Washington Post)
Retail Sales Unexpectedly Rebound in January
A glimmer of hope for a recession-hit economy: U.S. retail sales jumped 1 percent in January, reversing a six-month decline and defying economists’ expectations by posting the biggest increase in 14 months.
Analyst Andy Wolf, with BB&T Capitol Markets said on CNBC, “We’ve seen stabilization here. It’s not getting any worse. It is a significant thing to say.” (Read details from AP via MSNBC)
Send a Live Singing Telegram For Valentine’s Day for $5
A company based in Boston and Bangalore offers a cool way of sending a Valentine or Birthday wish to someone special in the United States. Send live singing telegrams from India to any mobile phone or land line for only $5.
TajTunes.com features an original lineup of songs written by Boston songwriters. The songs are quirky, fun, and out of the ordinary and the sender receives a digital recording of the song, including the recipient’s reaction, after the call is made.
Monsanto Dumps Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone
After 5 years of declining sales and several legal setbacks, Monsanto has finally decided to dump recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), thanks to pressure from consumers, major retailers, dairies, and cafes, from Kroger to Starbucks, who demanded milk from cows that were rBGH-free.
Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the European Union have banned rbGH because of its impacts on human and animal health. In the U.S., “No artificial growth hormones used” is now commonly displayed on store shelves from Florida to California.
Injection of this hormone forces cows to boost milk production by about 10%, while increasing the incidences of mastitis, lameness, and reproductive complications. (Read more at OrganicConsumers.org)
(Thanks to Nic B. for the heads-up!)
Teen Tries to Steal Purse From 72 Year-old Ex-Sprinter
A teenage thief picked on the wrong victim when she tried to run off with a bag belonging to senior Jean Hirst – a former championship sprinter.
“Suddenly I felt 18 again. The adrenaline just kicked in and I seemed to turn back the years…. She probably thought I was an easy target but she shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover. The look on her face was one of sheer amazement and she just threw my bag aside.” (Read more w/ photo at the UK Telegraph)
Nearly Half Million U.S. Kids Get Free Dental Care on Single Day
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – and dentists from across the country took part in a one day program to make sure underprivileged kids have healthy smiles.
The Give Kids a Smile program, now in its seventh year reaches kids ages 3-12 nationwide from New Jersey to New Mexico to Alaska. Overall more than 12,000 dentists and 30,000 volunteers joined the effort this year to treat almost a half million children.
Yoga with Beluga Whales at Georgia Aquarium (Video)
The goal of yoga is to achieve inner peace and one yoga class is lifted to higher levels because beluga whales preside over the group as a backdrop.
(Read the CNN report here)
350 European Cities Sign Climate Change Agreement
Mayors from more than 350 cities across Europe signed an EU climate change agreement Tuesday pledging to cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20 percent by 2020. (Read the AP Story at SJ Mercury News)
U.S. Auto Sales ‘Encouraging’
U.S. auto industry sales have been running about the same in February as January, but signs of recent stability in retail sales have continued and remain encouraging, a Ford Motor Co executive said on Wednesday. (Read more at Reuters)
Generosity Shines Through Australian Fires
In Australia, amidst a tale of such overwhelming loss, a result of the worst wildfires ever, the basic goodness of the human spirit shines through.
A Shepparton man, Peter Black, heard about a family that lost everything and said he was overcome with emotion. Such was the impact that yesterday he drove his six-month-old Dodge Caravan to their town, to give it away.
“It just brought tears to my eyes, it’s devastating to hear people lost their lives. I just wanted to do something,” he told ABC.net.au