A real hero

[The Annoyed Man]

This has nothing to do with guns, 2A, self-defense or anything.  But, the actions of this woman deserve a moment of recognition.  "No greater love has man than he give his life for a brother."

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/04/11/crosswalk.ART_ART_04-11-08_A1_UE9T8QI.html?sid=101

The courage to put yourself between a dump truck and a child is beyond measure.

[LadySmith]

Chris, do you mind if I add another hero to your thread?

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8914326?source=most_viewed

Marine saves 8-year-old girl from bottom of Brentwood swimming pool
Eric Kurhi
Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 04/13/2008 07:13:47 PM PDT


BRENTWOOD - A Marine Corps sergeant from Brentwood prevented a tragedy today, when he pulled an 8-year-old girl from the bottom of an apartment complex swimming pool.
Miguel Hinojosa is being heralded by police and fire officials for his quick actions, which they say saved the child's life.
Around 2 p.m., dispatchers received a call that a nonbreathing girl had been pulled from the bottom of a pool at an apartment complex at 2400 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood.
East Contra Costa County fire Battalion Chief Jeff Burris said the pool was crowded, and that he believes the girl's parents were present.
"It only takes a second," Burris said. "I have a 9-year-old, and you can turn around for a second and they'll disappear."
Brentwood police said the near-drowning appears to be accidental, and they are not conducting an investigation.
Hinojosa, who was also at the pool on a hot, 90-degree day, pulled the girl out and immediately began CPR.
"This is a classic story of the right person being somewhere at the right time," said Burris.
Hinojosa could not be reached for comment today, but Burris said his department is going to recommend the Marine receive an official accolade for his actions.
Burris said that when paramedics arrived, Hinojosa had been performing CPR for "at least two or three minutes," and that the girl was already breathing on her own. Responding units from both East County fire and Contra Costa fire departments then took over.
"There's no question, he absolutely saved her life," Burris said.
The girl, whose name was not released today, was taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital in Oakland, where her condition is not known.
"It's just a fantastic rescue by a fine young Marine," Burris said.

[wmenorr67]

Here is another.

Teen saves child from dog attack

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080413_1_A15_hThey28441

The 5-year-old apparently scaled a 6-foot fence and entered a yard containing pit bulls.

A Tulsa teen saved a child who was being attacked by a pair of pit bulls Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Cody Phillips, 17, was cleaning the garage when he heard his mother scream, "They're attacking him."

"Him" was a 5-year-old boy who had wandered into a neighbor's yard.

Phillips, a Union High School student, rushed to the child's aid, scaring the dogs away.

"He's a hero," said Sgt. Jeff Davis.

Tulsa police responded to a dog-bite call in the 3700 block of 142nd East Ave. at 4 p.m., Davis said.

The boy, whose identity wasn't released, sustained multiple bites on his head and legs, officers said.

He was taken to a nearby hospital in good condition, Davis said.

Apparently, the boy, who lives two homes from Phillips, climbed over a 6-foot fence and into an adjacent yard where the two dogs were, police said.

Officers shot and killed one of the dogs, Davis said.

The other was taken to Tulsa Animal Shelter where quarantine tests for rabies will be conducted, he said.

If the tests are positive, the boy will have to undergo a series of rabies shots, Davis said.

Phillips and his mother, Shannon Ash, were cleaning the garage when Ash heard the boy screaming from next door.

Phillips rushed from the garage and jumped over his neighbor's fence to help the boy, Ash said.

"Blood was all over his head and legs," Phillips said.

"I was running so fast that I spooked the dogs and they ran in an opposite direction," he said.

"If it wasn't for Phillips, the child would have sustained more injuries," Davis said.

Davis said the dogs' owners are out of town and won't immediately be issued any citations.

However, authorities said the owners could potentially be cited if animal control officers discover that the dogs have a history of being vicious.

The owners could also be cited if no one was taking care of the dogs while they were away, Davis said.

[Mabs2]

Why doesn't this stuff make front page news?  I NEVER hear about this kind of stuff unless I dig for it.

How I loathe the media.

[Werewolf]

The courage to put yourself between a dump truck and a child is beyond measure.

That lady is no less a hero than a soldier who leaps on a grenade and gives his life for his fellows.  It's good to know that there are still people like her in America.

[Scout26]

Cody Phillips, 17, was cleaning the garage

This guy's a hero just for cleaning the garage. 

Why doesn't this stuff make front page news?  I NEVER hear about this kind of stuff unless I dig for it.

How I loathe the media.

Same reason why all the news from Iraq is either "WE"RE LOSING, PULL OUT NOW !!!!" or *crickets*.

[Mabs2]

I guess that was a rhetorical question... I KNOW why (bad news sells better), I just don't know why people are like that.  (Well, I guess I do...to make more money.)

[LadySmith]

One to debunk the "no good deed goes unpunished" theory...

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080415/D90231RO0.html

Sheriff Covers Medic's $60 Towing Bill

Apr 15, 12:34 AM (ET)
JACKSON, Mich. (AP) - A Navy medic is being reimbursed for a $60 towing bill he received while he was helping perform CPR on a heart attack victim.
Jackson County Undersheriff Tom Finco said the department was paying back Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Tim Moore as "a goodwill gesture"
"(Moore) said it wasn't necessary, he understood, but we sent him a check anyway," Finco said.
Moore, 24, who had just returned from Iraq, was driving on Interstate 94 on April 2 when he saw an ambulance parked on the side. He pulled over and comforted a woman whose fiance had suffered a heart attack inside the ambulance.
When the rescuers learned of Moore's medical training, they asked if he would help administer CPR. He left his truck on the exit ramp and got in. The man died at Foote Hospital in Jackson.
In the meantime, Moore's truck - parked partly over the white line marking the side of the road - was deemed a travel hazard and towed.
Moore, now stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said people have been sending checks to his parents after word spread about the towing bill, but he plans to donate that money to veterans' charities.

[Perd Hapley]

My wife used Heimlich on one of her kids today, at her pre-school.  He was choking on a cookie.  That makes the second time she has done that.  The first time, no one even said thank you, but everyone was very appreciative this time. 

Gonna go buy her some flowers before she gets home.   

[Ezekiel]

Here is another.

Teen saves child from dog attack

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080413_1_A15_hThey28441

Yes, the teen saved a child.  Kudos.

But the child's parents are the losers, here, not the dog owner.  The five-year-old scaled a SIX FOOT fence in order to CAUSE the danger.

If a canine is harmed here or the owners fined, or in any way demonized, it's a farce.

At least the yard monster is okay.  If two big dogs wanted him dead, he'd be dead.

[LadySmith]

Kudos to Mrs. Fistful for doing the right thing whether it's appreciated or not.

[Perd Hapley]

Yeah, Man!  She liked the flowers.  But then I kept insisting that she carry the flowers around the house, last night.  And then I kept bringing them to her, at odd times.  I am a big stinker.  She is an even bigger hero for liking me. 

[Hawkmoon]

Why doesn't this stuff make front page news?  I NEVER hear about this kind of stuff unless I dig for it.

How I loathe the media.

About 20 years ago, some local media outlet started up a "Good News Times" publication. It was a weekly tabloid-size newspaper intended to compete with the regional, liberal weekly tabloid -- the typical one with all the personal ads for gay matches, the weekly coumn by the "nationally renowned" sexologist, etc. This new alternate paper was going to skip all the bad news that was splashed all over the daily papers and the telly, and just print good news -- like the above stories of heroic action by ordinary, everyday people.

It folded within three months.

I had a friend (now passed away) who was a newspaper editor and journalism professor. We discussed this. He said it's an unfortunate fact that "body count sells newspapers." Good news does not sell newspapers.

[Wynterbourne]

Good news does not sell newspapers.

Yup. It's kind of sad that as a society we take more delight in the sensational, the negative, the shows of pain and degredation, than we do about the more positive aspects of life. I don't mean to say that it's not important that we remain aware of the negative things going on in our world. But sometimes our emphasis on the darker side of life just bugs the everloving daylights out of me.

[Azrael256]

But the child's parents are the losers, here, not the dog owner.

  Eh?  Somebody explain to me exactly how this juvenile deliquent being attacked by a pair of dogs in a yard in which he was trespassing, and at least one of the dogs being killed makes the kid's parents the losers.

The fellow who rescued him from his own stupidity deserves a commendation.  The kid's parents deserve a citation.  The kid got more than he deserved.  This time.

[LadySmith]

Mail carrier saves baby falling from window
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 6:02 PM CDT
By Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A postal worker is credited with saving a 1-year-old girl's life by catching her after she fell out of a second-story window in Albany.

Lisa Harrell was delivering mail to a home late Monday morning when she noticed a baby in a window above the front door. Harrell says the next thing she knew, the baby had fallen into her arms.

When the baby's mother realized what happened, she ran outside and grabbed the girl from Harrell. The woman thanked Harrell and then ran down the street to her mother's house.

Paramedics checked the baby at the scene but found no injuries.

No charges are being filed against the mother, who says she had placed her daughter on a bed that was up against the window. The mother says her back was turned when her daughter crawled out the open window.

[Firethorn]

Eh?  Somebody explain to me exactly how this juvenile deliquent being attacked by a pair of dogs in a yard in which he was trespassing, and at least one of the dogs being killed makes the kid's parents the losers.

I think that he meant 'losers' as in 'the ones responsible for this mess'.  As you agree when you mention giving the parents a citation.

[Ezekiel]

But the child's parents are the losers, here, not the dog owner.

  Eh?  Somebody explain to me exactly how this juvenile deliquent being attacked by a pair of dogs in a yard in which he was trespassing, and at least one of the dogs being killed makes the kid's parents the losers.

The fellow who rescued him from his own stupidity deserves a commendation.  The kid's parents deserve a citation.  The kid got more than he deserved.  This time.

Eh?  Somebody explain to me exactly how this juvenile deliquent being attacked by a pair of dogs in a yard in which he was trespassing, and at least one of the dogs being killed makes the kid's parents the losers.

I think that he meant 'losers' as in 'the ones responsible for this mess'.  As you agree when you mention giving the parents a citation.

Precisely.

The 5-year-old was being five.  The dog, in his own yard, was being a dog.  The teenager is a hero.  The 5-year-old's parents are losers.

[LadySmith]

Legally Blind Man Defends His Home

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080424/ap_on_fe_st/odd_blind_defense

INDIANAPOLIS - A legally blind man beat up an intruder and held him at knifepoint until police arrived at the man's eastside home, authorities said. Allan Kieta, 49, told police he was at home Monday morning when his small dog began barking and he encountered the man.
"I opened the door and just ran into him. I had him pinned in the laundry room and just kept pummeling," said Kieta, a former wrestler in high school.
He said he grabbed the intruder by the belt and dragged him into the kitchen, where he put a knife at the man's throat and tried to dial 911.
"Being visually impaired, I couldn't get the buttons because I was using my left hand," he said. "It took me about 20 tries."
Police arrived within minutes and arrested Alvaro Castro, 25, on an initial charge of residential entry, Sgt. Matthew Mount said.
Lt. Jeff Duhamell was impressed with Kieta's feat.
"Its pretty remarkable for anyone thats blind to be able to defend themselves, let alone make an apprehension," Duhamell said. "To be able to grab this guy and hold him down until police got there is pretty remarkable."
Castro, who was initially taken to the Wishard Memorial Hospital detention facility, denied trying to burglarize the home and said he was a former boyfriend of Kieta's daughter and was trying to visit her, said Mount.
Kieta said Castro told him he was looking for his cat.
"I go, 'Your cat? You're in my house!'" Kieta recalled.
Castro was transferred to the Marion County Jail on Monday night.
Kieta said he suffered swollen hands and a sore back, but no serious injuries.
"When my wife was cleaning the blood off, she said, 'I think it's all his,'" Kieta said.

[LadySmith]

A Hero in China: A guy takes it upon himself to save suicidal people on Nanjing Bridge.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080425/wl_csm/osamaritan

Chinese good Samaritan saves lives on Nanjing Bridge
By Ching-Ching NiFri Apr 25, 4:00 AM ET
The woman was still wearing her kitchen apron when Chen Si spotted her on the Nanjing Bridge.
By the time Mr. Chen raced across four lanes of traffic, the woman had already started climbing the narrow railing separating her from the surging waters below.
"After I yanked her back, all she did was cry," said Chen, who is all too familiar with such scenes: The burly man has spent practically every weekend of the last four years patrolling this stretch of roadway above the mighty Yangtze River, looking for signs of human despair.
Chen is a self-appointed lifeguard on the so-called Chinese bridge of death. His record so far, he says: 144 lives saved.
Not bad for a one-man crusade.
Here in this ancient capital, everyone knows the Nanjing Bridge. Since it opened nearly 40 years ago as a symbol of Chinese Communist might, an estimated 1,000 people have killed themselves by leaping from the span.
"I look for people filled with a sense of gloom and doom," Chen said as he scanned the blur of cars and trucks humming over the bridge, squinting through his binoculars for people apparently preparing to commit suicide.
Not all his efforts have been welcomed, at least initially.
"I told him to go away, it's none of your business," said Shi Xiqing, recalling the day Chen saved his life. Mr. Shi, who collects recyclables for a living, was deep in debt. "I couldn't handle it anymore," said Shi, now a close friend of his savior. "I went to the bridge because it's convenient  a few seconds, it'll all be over."
Most people Chen helps don't want to stay in touch. But Shi was different. He liked how Chen would never say no to handing over yet another small loan to tide him over. Chen never tired of telling him that everything was going to be OK.
"This bridge needs people like him," Shi said. "Without him, I would not be here today."

[grislyatoms]

No charges are being filed against the mother, who says she had placed her daughter on a bed that was up against the window. The mother says her back was turned when her daughter crawled out the open window.

duh?