Good Morning All,
I have found a few good articles for you today. :) The theme seems to be rescues. A 9 year old paperboy was credited with saving a handicapped woman who was trapped in her home, in the first article. In the second, a concerned neighbor saved an 11 year old from a Pitbull attack. In the third, a 14 year old saves his siblings from a house fire.
Aside of that, there are articles about peace, saving frogs, sending your name to the moon, and more. I hope you enjoy today's articles. I will see you tomorrow!
Today's Top 5:
1. Paperboy Saves Woman Trapped in Home (KJCT8 News)
2. Computer Class Helps Connect Seniors and Teens in Woodinville (Seattle Times)
3. Saving Frogs Before it's too Late! (Physorg.com)
4. Neighbour Saves Surrey (Canada) Boy from Pit Bull Attack (CTV Canada)
5. Ibuprofen Linked to Reduced Risk of Alzheimers Disease (Science Daily)
Honorable Mentions:
1. 14-year-old Saves Siblings From Monday House Fire (The Daily Times--Delmarva Media)
2. Breastfeeding Associated with Increased Intelligence, Study Suggests (Science Daily)
3. Illinois Governor to Unveil $150 Million Anti-violence Plan Today (Chicago Sun Times)
4. Tanzania: Scribes Meet for Global Peace Talks (All Africa)
5. Send Your Name To The Moon With New Lunar Mission (Moon Daily)
Unpublishable:
Brazil Seeing Sweet Profit From Sugar Cane-Based Ethanol
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/050608dnbusethanol.39bab41.html
This article, published by the Dallas Morning News, is about 20,000 acres of sugar cane in Brazil being dedicated to a renewable source of energy: Ethanol. The forcast is that the sugar cane acres will produce enough ethanol to offset 65,000 barrels of oil per day. Please visit the link above to read the full article.
Today's Top 5:
1. Paperboy Saves Woman Trapped in Home
http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=8272463
Posted: May 6, 2008 02:48 AM
Updated: May 6, 2008 02:58 AM
(ABC) - Nine-year-old paperboy Ethan Hall was out on his regular route when a pack of piled-up letters on a woman's front porch caught his eye.
"I noticed that her mail's there. And she's handicapped, so she can't come out of the house," said Sycamore, Ill., resident.
Ethan suspected something was wrong and told his mother, who then called police. The boy's instincts were correct. Three days earlier, the resident of the house had fallen and broken her hip, and she lay stuck and helpless on the floor.
"Other than some clues on the outside of the building, there's nothing that would tell you that somebody was in trouble," said Sycamore police Officer Mike.
Because of Ethan's keen eye and quick thinking, police found the woman and got her life-saving help.
"They said that if I hadn't found her, or did anything, in a few more hours she would be dead," Ethan said.
Now the woman is recovering and Ethan has vowed to mow her lawn and collect her mail while she heals. Both the woman and her family are grateful to the elementary school student.
"He's a hero," said Bob Carlson, the injured woman's nephew.
And Ethan too feels the joy of helping out a neighbor. "It's like you're a parent or a big superhero. It feels just like that," he said.
Ethan's mother is proud too. "For him to just think that way, it makes me very proud," Michelle Hall said.
2. Computer Class Helps Connect Seniors and Teens in Woodinville
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2004394547_computerlab6e.html
By Celeste Flint
JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES
For some seniors, computer classes mean learning how to get e-mail and access photos of grandchildren. But for Annie V. Babcock, it's a chance to share her family history.
Babcock, 81, traveled 24,000 miles and spent three years researching her book about growing up in Princeville, N.C., the first town chartered by freed slaves, she said.
She doesn't know how to search the Internet, so she's taking the Teens Teaching Seniors computers class at the Woodinville Senior Center.
Last week Stephanie Bateman, a 16-year-old from Woodinville High School, showed Babcock how to find a Web site on the South and showed her how to navigate it using a mouse and a scroll bar.
It's the first class offered in the center's new computer lab, which opened April 22. The lab is a part of the senior center's $180,000 renovation at the Carol Edwards Center.
The eight flat-screen monitors are connected to top-of-the-line PCs that run Microsoft's Vista.
Student Joan Molloy, 69, said she likes how the new lab has desks big enough to spread out her notes. Before it opened, the class met in the teen center, which was cramped and had only four computers.
The nearest public computer lab is at Kirkland's Kingsgate Library, about three miles away, with other computers available at the Woodinville Library, several miles east of downtown. So the new lab makes computers more accessible to Woodinville residents, said Guy Evans, who oversees the class.
During the day, the lab is used by the senior center, but after 5 p.m. the space is used by the Parks and Recreation Department for recreation classes. An open computer lab for all residents is available from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The open-lab nights are a test to see how well the new lab is received, said Cole Caplan, recreation coordinator at the Carol Edwards Center.
The students who teach the senior class were recruited by Richard Knowlton, a business and computer teacher at Woodinville High School. He said the students' reasons for volunteering vary.
Woodinville sophomore Brendan Peters said he's volunteering for community-service hours required for his class.
"The reason I do it is because I like old people," Bateman said. "They have stories."
The best part of the program is the dialogue students have with the seniors, Knowlton said.
Bateman showed Babcock a link on the screen to information about Booker T. Washington, a freed slave known for his advocacy work. Bateman said she was learning about him in a high-school class. Babcock responded with information she'd found about the rules for marriage of black slaves.
"I think it gives us elderly people a chance to learn a new skill," Babcock said. "We can associate with the young people in a different kind of way."
3. Saving Frogs Before it's too Late!
http://www.physorg.com/news129276155.html
Published: 50 minutes ago, 07:02 EST, May 06, 2008
With nearly one-third of amphibian species threatened with extinction worldwide, fueled in part by the widespread emergence of the deadly chytrid fungus, effective conservation efforts could not be more urgent. In a new article in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Franco Andreone and his colleagues argue that one of the best places to focus these efforts is Madagascar, a global hotspot of amphibian diversity that shows no signs of amphibian declines—or traces of the chytrid fungus.
Protecting this amphibian treasure trove before it’s too late, the authors argue, makes Madagascar a top priority for amphibian conservation efforts. “In Madagascar,” the authors argue, “amphibian conservation efforts have the possibility of being pro-active, rather than reactive, or simply post-mortem.”
Madagascar harbors “one of the richest groups of amphibian fauna in the world,” write the authors, but this megadiversity faces significant threats. Ninety percent of the island’s original vegetation has been destroyed by human activity. Amazingly, despite the ongoing habitat destruction, no Malagasy amphibian species have been reported as extinct, though a quarter of the 220 species evaluated by the World Conservation Union are listed as threatened.
The conspicuous absence of the devastating chytrid fungus only serves to underscore the precariousness of the situation. Intensive conservation efforts here, the authors argue, could “avert an otherwise predictable catastrophic loss of biodiversity.”
Pro-active conservation programs in Madagascar are especially timely in light of the government’s stated commitment to protect its biodiversity. This political interest, sparked by a 2003 presidential announcement to triple the size of Madagascar’s network of protected areas, gave rise to multiple processes for developing conservation strategies, including the Madagascar Action Plan. All these efforts suggest very favorable conditions for protecting what the authors call “astonishing morphological and ecological diversity” in a country where intact amphibian diversity may still benefit from intensive pro-active conservation measures.
Ironically, Andreone and his colleagues argue, Madagascar’s pre-decline status could actually hinder timely conservation action. The authors urge the international conservation community to recognize the unique opportunity Madagascar presents for conserving global amphibian diversity by making the necessary investments to implement conservation initiatives. No one knows if or when the chytrid fungus may turn up on the island. The authors advocate “urgency rather than complacency” to preserve this sanctuary while we still can.
Citation: Andreone F, Carpenter AI, Cox N, du Preez L, Freeman K, et al. (2008) The challenge of conserving amphibian megadiversity in Madagascar. PLoS Biol 6(5):
4. Neighbour Saves Surrey (Canada) Boy from Pit Bull Attack
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080505/BC_pitbull_attack_080505/20080506?hub=Canada&s_name=
Updated Tue. May. 6 2008 12:04 AM ET
An 11-year-old Surrey, B.C., boy can thank a quick-thinking neighbour for saving him from the jaws of a pit bull on Sunday.
Surrey, RCMP say the boy was attacked while he was playing in the grounds of the Cedar Hills Elementary school at around 4.30 p.m.
But after hearing a series of screams, a neighbour saw what was happening, grabbed a baseball bat and ran to the scene. By wielding his bat, he was able to stop the attack, and corner the dog until police arrived.
Police say the boy suffered a series of puncture wounds to his legs, arms and head, and was taken to a local hospital.
The dog has also been turned over to the B.C. Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
5. Ibuprofen Linked to Reduced Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162913.htm
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) — Long-term use of ibuprofen and other drugs commonly used for aches and pains was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have shown conflicting results, but this is the longest study of its kind.
For the study, researchers identified 49,349 US veterans age 55 and older who developed Alzheimer's disease and 196,850 veterans without dementia. The study examined over five years of data and looked at the use of several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The veterans received medical care and prescriptions through the VA Health Care system.
The study found people who specifically used ibuprofen for more than five years were more than 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Results also showed that the longer ibuprofen was used, the lower the risk for dementia. In addition, people who used certain types of NSAIDs for more than five years were 25 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than non-users.
While other NSAIDs such as indomethacin may also have been associated with lower risks, others such as celecoxib did not show any impact on dementia risk. "These results suggest that the effect may be due to specific NSAIDs rather than all NSAIDs as a class," said study author Steven Vlad, MD, with Boston University School of Medicine.
"Some of these medications taken long term decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but it's very dependent on the exact drugs used. It doesn't appear that all NSAIDs decrease the risk at the same rate," said Vlad. "One reason ibuprofen may have come out so far ahead is that it is by far the most commonly used."
Observational studies such as this one must be interpreted with the understanding that they do not prove that an NSAID has a therapeutic effect. The study is subject to what is called "indication bias." That means that it might not be the NSAID use that drove the lower risk of dementia, but rather something about the people who chose to use the NSAIDs that was responsible. These findings should not be taken to mean that NSAIDs should be administered to prevent dementia.
The most common side effects of NSAIDs are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, constipation and headache.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Adapted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology.
Honorable Mentions:
1. 14-year-old Saves Siblings From Monday House Fire
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080505/NEWS01/80505031
By Carol Vaughn • Staff writer • May 5, 2008
Onley, Virginia — The heroic actions of a 14-year-old boy likely saved the lives of his mother and five siblings during a devastating house fire Monday here.
The early morning blaze happened on his mother and stepfather’s 10th anniversary.
Cody Halliday, a Nandua High School freshman, awoke to the smell of smoke shortly after 6 a.m.
“I came downstairs and saw the fire,” he recalled just three hours later, standing in the yard next to the still-smoking ruins of the Maryland Avenue home where the family had lived for nine years.
Smoke detectors in the house apparently did not function, his grandfather said.
Cody’s quick thinking likely saved his family.
He shouted to his mother, Rhonda Montgomery, then grabbed his two youngest siblings — Logan, 1, and Baylee, 5 months — and ran out of the burning house.
“He’s a hero,” said his grandmother, Nancy Justis of Locustville.
“It’s a terrible thing to get a call saying there’s smoke down the street,” she added, saying her daughter, Rhonda’s sister, who lives on nearby Coastal Boulevard, telephoned her around 6:30 with the news.
Three sisters — Lauren Halliday, 17, Haley Montgomery, 10, and Madison Montgomery, 7, were asleep in a third-floor bedroom when the fire broke out, but along with the rest of the family they escaped without injury.
The family’s 13-year-old cat Laddie also survived the blaze, but a pet guinea pig and lizard were missing Monday morning.
Jason Montgomery left for work around 6 a.m. and saw no signs of a fire, Justis said.
When they heard the shouts, the girls at first thought they were being called downstairs to get presents in celebration of their parents’ anniversary — it is a tradition in their family that everyone gets gifts on that special day.
But they quickly realized there was a fire and ran out of the house and barefooted.
By 9 a.m. the local Food Lion store had donated the family plastic shoes along with diapers and formula for the babies, as firefighters were still visible inside the charred house. One firefighter carried an armful of stuffed animals to a nearby car, while others were able to retrieve items including keys and pocketbooks, Justis said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but family members speculated that a pellet stove could have sparked the blaze.
Units from Onley, Onancock, Tasley and Parksley responded to the blaze and Virginia State Police Senior Special aAgent Robert W. Wessells also was on the scene investigating the blaze.
2. Breastfeeding Associated with Increased Intelligence, Study Suggests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162902.htm
ScienceDaily
May 6, 2008
The largest randomized study of breastfeeding ever conducted reports that breastfeeding raises children's IQs and improves their academic performance, a McGill researcher and his team have found.
In a new article, Dr. Michael Kramer reports the results from following the same group of 14,000 children for 6.5 years.
"Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter," said Kramer, a Professor of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology & Biostatistics in the McGill University Faculty of Medicine and lead investigator in the study.
Kramer and his colleagues evaluated the children in 31 Belarusian hospitals and clinics. Half the mothers were exposed to an intervention that encouraged prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. The remaining half continued their usual maternity hospital and outpatient pediatric care and follow-up. This allowed the researchers to measure the effect of breastfeeding on the children's cognitive development without the results being biased by differences in factors such as the mother's intelligence or her way of interacting with her baby.
The children's cognitive ability was assessed by IQ tests administered by the children's pediatricians and by their teachers' ratings of their academic performance in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects. Both sets of measures were significantly higher in the group randomized to the breastfeeding promotion intervention.
"Although breastfeeding initiation rates have increased substantially during the last 30 years, much less progress has been achieved in increasing the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding," the authors conclude.
"The effect of breastfeeding on brain development and intelligence has long been a popular and hotly debated topic," says Dr. Kramer. "While most studies have been based on association, however, we can now make a causal inference between breastfeeding and intelligence -- because of the randomized design of our study."
Journal reference: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[5]:578-584
Adapted from materials provided by McGill University.
3. Illinois Governor to Unveil $150 Million Anti-violence Plan Today
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/933524,CST-NWS-killing06.article
May 6, 2008
BY DAVE MCKINNEY Sun-Times
Springfield Bureau Chief
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Blagojevich is proposing a $150 million anti-violence initiative that would provide new state dollars for more teen jobs, after-school programs and community grants in high-crime areas.
The initiative, dubbed Community Investment Works, represents the governor's first tangible response to the wave of shootings in the city that have left 24 Chicago Public School students murdered this school year.
Highlights of governor's proposal
* $30 million for a summer jobs program for 15- through 22-year-olds
* $20 million for after-school programs and other non-school events like evening basketball, arts programs and vocational training
* $50 million for community grants to acquire or restore vacant buildings and land in high-crime areas
* $40 million in grants to establish a loan program for job-producing small businesses or community organizations
* $10 million for grants to police to purchase equipment
"We have to take action now," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said. "That's why the governor has reached out to organizations in the communities that have been impacted the most to find out how the state can help give young people hope and an opportunity to grow up in a safe community."
The plan, which the governor plans to unveil today, would allot $30 million to a youth jobs program for 20,000 young adults and $20 million for programming when school isn't in session.
Another $100 million targeting high-crime and economically distressed areas would be split between grants for community-based organizations to acquire vacant buildings or lots, seed money for a job-producing businesses and community groups and grants to police departments for equipment purchases.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina's Church and an anti-violence advocate briefed on the plan, said the most important components deal with teen jobs and after-school programming.
"The opportunity for jobs and the opportunity for programs and activities for young people could make a major impact on the violence," Pfleger said.
Article shortened. To view the rest of the article, please visit the link above.
4. Tanzania: Scribes Meet for Global Peace Talks
The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805060602.html
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Vicent Mnyanyika
Journalists from 64 countries in the world are meeting in Bali, Indonesia to discuss the role of the media in promoting global peace and security. Tanzania will be represented by Tamwa executive officer Ananilea Nkya at the five-day meeting that starts today.
She joins 129 other journalists from 63 countries for the third Global Inter-Media Dialogue (GIMD) meeting. The initiative, which is being funded by the Norwegian and Indonesian governments, started in 2006 with the aim of facilitating media freedom in discussing global issues.
In a statement released by Tamwa yesterday, Ms Ananilea said the focus of the Bali meeting will be on media ethics, especially as they relate to managing conflicts in different societies. She said the GIMD initiative places a lot of importance on the role journalists play in promoting peace and security in the world.
5. Send Your Name To The Moon With New Lunar Mission
http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Send_Your_Name_To_The_Moon_With_New_Lunar_Mission_999.html
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) May 04, 2008
NASA invites people of all ages to join the lunar exploration journey with an opportunity to send their names to the moon aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft. The Send Your Name to the Moon Web site enables everyone to participate in the lunar adventure and place their names in orbit around the moon for years to come.
Participants can submit their information the website, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The database will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.
"Everyone who sends their name to the moon, like I'm doing, becomes part of the next wave of lunar explorers," said Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The LRO mission is the first step in NASA's plans to return humans to the moon by 2020, and your name can reach there first. How cool is that?"
The orbiter, comprised of six instruments and one technology demonstration, will provide the most comprehensive data set ever returned from the moon. The mission will focus on the selection of safe landing sites and identification of lunar resources. It also will study how the lunar radiation environment could affect humans.
LRO will also create a comprehensive atlas of the moon's features and resources that will be needed as NASA designs and builds a planned lunar outpost. The mission will support future human exploration while providing a foundation for upcoming science missions. LRO is scheduled for launch in late 2008.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is being built at Goddard. The mission also will be managed at the center for NASA's Explorations Systems Mission Directorate in Washington.
Send Your Name to the Moon is a collaborative effort among NASA, the Planetary Society in Pasadena, Calif., and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.
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