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Archive for February, 2010

Dog Survives 40 Days Stranded In Mountains

Feb 28

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SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, Calif.

KPIX-TV

A very strong-willed dog has returned to its owner after surviving 40 days in the freezing wilderness of the Santa Cruz Mountains, CBS station KPIX-TV reports.

Buck, a black lab, got lost near his home Jan. 6. Owner Terina Held thought he got swept up in a swollen river during a rain storm. Flyers went up and calls were made to shelters, but Held gave up after five weeks of searching.

“We figured he was probably dead or what not. Or someone fell in love with him and (they) weren’t going to give him back,” Held recalled.
kdka.com

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UK Labrador Fetches Medal For Bomb-Sniffing

Feb 26

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A perky British Labrador whose bomb-sniffing exploits helped save lives in Afghanistan was decorated for canine courage in a ceremony at London’s Imperial War Museum Wednesday.

Eight-year-old Treo joins a menagerie of heroic animals honored over the years with a special award known as the Dickin medal, including 32 pigeons, three horses and a cat.

Sgt. Dave Heyhoe, the black Lab’s handler, said he was “very proud indeed,” adding the award was not just for him and his dog but “for every dog and handler that’s working out in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
npr.org

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Ostrich babies

Feb 25

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Girl who saved mom among 47 given bravery awards

Feb 24

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Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean gave 47 people bravery decorations Thursday, including an Ontario girl who pulled her mother from a frozen lake and three Regina men who pulled a woman from a burning car seconds before it exploded.

The decorations recognize selfless acts that saved lives and sometimes cost rescuers their own. One U.S. Coast Guard officer received the Star of Courage, while 46 others were given the prestigious Medal of Bravery.

While some of the awards were given posthumously, recipients in attendance at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa included soldiers, police officers, volunteer firefighters, electricians, elevator repairmen and even children.
cbc.ca

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Family dog keeps missing 3-year-old safe

Feb 22

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Naps Clear the Mind, Help You Learn

Feb 21

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You might not need to feel so guilty about taking a mid-day snooze. A new study suggests that napping for an hour or so can refresh your brain, boosting your ability to learn.

On the other hand, the more hours we spend awake, the more sluggish our minds become, according to the findings.

“Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap,” said study author Matthew Walker, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
livescience.com

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Meditation May Boost Mood and Mental Toughness

Feb 20

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By Stephanie Pappas

Meditation exercises could boost mental toughness in soldiers readying for war, keeping them from becoming overly emotional, according to new research.

The study found that mindfulness training, which teaches people how to stay alert and in the moment without becoming emotional (giving them a kind of “mental armor”), improved the moods of U.S. Marines preparing for deployment to Iraq. Practicing mindfulness also improved a type of memory that enables people to complete complex mental tasks.

The key is practicing these mindfulness exercises daily, just as you would any other exercise, according to study co-author and University of Pennsylvania cognitive neuroscientist Amishi Jha said in a statement.
livescience.com

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Optimists ‘are less likely to get heart disease’

Feb 20

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By Jenny Hope

Being happy and naturally optimistic cuts the risk of developing heart problems, say researchers.

They found that those who are enthusiastic, contented and believe the glass is half full rather than half empty have a better chance of keeping their heart healthy.

It is the first study to find such a strong link between positive emotions and a lower risk of heart disease.

Findings published in the European Heart Journal reveal the potentially damaging effects of pessimistic thoughts and long-term negativity.
dailymail.co.uk

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Census finds 5,000 marine species

Feb 19

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By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News, San Diego

A preview of the Census of Marine Life has revealed that the project has discovered over 5,000 new species.

These include bizarre and colourful creatures, as well as many organisms that produce therapeutic chemicals.

A panel of scientists presented these early insights at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in San Diego.

The final report from the decade-long census will be released in October 2010.

The project has involved more than 2,000 scientists from 80 countries, and the researchers involved believe the census will lay the scientific foundations for marine policies to protect vulnerable habitats.
bbc.co.uk

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Worldwide growth in wind power

Feb 18

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The Global Wind Energy Council, a trade group, estimates that wind power capacity grew by 31 percent worldwide in 2009, with 37.5 additional gigawatts installed.

The Global Wind Energy Council, a trade association based in Brussels, estimates that wind power capacity grew by 31 percent worldwide in 2009, with 37.5 additional gigawatts installed, bringing global wind power capacity to 157.9 gigawatts.

China accounted for a third of the new capacity, and the Chinese market experienced more than 100 percent growth.

According to the trade group, more than 500,000 people are now employed by the wind power industry around the world, and the market for wind turbine installations last year was worth about $63 billion. The primary markets today are in Asia, Europe and North America.

”The continued rapid growth of wind power despite the financial crisis and economic downturn is testament to the inherent attractiveness of the technology, which is clean, reliable and quick to install,” Steve Sawyer, the secretary general of the council, said in a statement issued late last week. ”Wind power has become the power technology of choice a growing number of countries around the world.”
wbcsd.org

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