Research & Rescue

Bore hole for Chilean miners

Have you wondered how the trapped Chilean miners are managing to survive down there? With the help of a 3" bore hole. Everything they need has to be able to pass through that hole. How's that for an engineering project?

via flowingdata.com

Stupid people with gadgets are still stupid

It would be really great to have cell service, etc. out here in the mountains for safety's sake but only if people use it for good. Seriously, intrepid outdoorsmen - pack your sunscreen, take your water/camera/sunglasses, but for God's sakes, remember your common sense...

The national parks’ history is full of examples of misguided visitors feeding bears, putting children on buffalos for photos and dipping into geysers despite signs warning of scalding temperatures.

But today, as an ever more wired and interconnected public visits the parks in rising numbers — July was a record month for visitors at Yellowstone — rangers say that technology often figures into such mishaps.

People with cellphones call rangers from mountaintops to request refreshments or a guide; in Jackson Hole, Wyo., one lost hiker even asked for hot chocolate.

A French teenager was injured after plunging 75 feet this month from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon when he backed up while taking pictures. And last fall, a group of hikers in the canyon called in rescue helicopters three times by pressing the emergency button on their satellite location device. When rangers arrived the second time, the hikers explained that their water supply “tasted salty.”

Read the entire article at www.nytimes.com

Super Sexy Abdominal Thrusts

I'm probably really going to skew my hit rate by posting it but it's too good to pass up. Thanks to Decisions for Heroes - developers of a fine rescue team software package - for sharing!

Monsoon Awareness

Last night in Rancho Viejo, Eldorado, Lamy, and Galisteo, we were treated to one the most spectacular lightning shows we'd seen in a long time (if you know of some great pictures from last night, please post links in the comments of this post). As we were driving, I was suggesting that it was a bit early for monsoons and that I remembered them being closer to July. Apparently, though, we're pretty much right on target and this is Monsoon Awareness Week in New Mexico. Check out the info page at the National Weather Service:

New Mexico is affected by the North American Monsoon System (NAMS) every summer, and the “Monsoon Season” is designated as the period lasting from June 15th through September 30th. With the onset of the Monsoon, New Mexico is typically impacted by a variety of weather hazards that can often put the population at risk for serious injury or death. Thunderstorm frequency increases during this period, while exceptionally hot days are common as well.

via www.srh.noaa.gov

Trevor Project to provide suicide prevention training in Santa Fe

The Trevor Project, a crisis group for teens, will be in Santa Fe on May 16th to provide a 2-day training in suicide prevention. Much more detail is available in the Santa Fe Reporter, but here's your "mark the calendar" info:

On the 17th “Life Guard” (guarding people lives) training for youth that focuses on anti-bullying, oppression issues and suicide prevention

May 17th 4:00pm-8:00pm

Warehouse 21

Community Panel

May 17th 7:00-8:00 pm

Warehouse 21

Training for Providers

May 18th 8:30 am-1:00 pm

Santa Fe Lodge

Santa Fe crises response lines

(505) 820-6333

1-888-920-6333

The Trevor Project

866-4-U-TREVOR

http://thetrevorproject.org

via www.sfreeper.com

Twitter to the rescue!

Who says Twitter is useless? What a load of...

Twitter User Brings Toilet Paper To Desperate Japanese Man - Toilet paper tweet - Gizmodo

What to do for your pets in case of disaster

If a flood or fire were to strike, would you be ready to properly take care of your pets? May 8th is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, so here are some resources to help you assess your readiness:

The ASPCA lists 5 steps to preparing for your pet's safety:

• Get a Rescue Alert Sticker
• Arrange a Safe Haven
• Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits
• Choose “Designated Caregivers”
• Evacuation Preparation

FEMA also has a separate Pets page on its ready.gov site, where you can download a Pets Preparedness Kit; a Pet Owner's brochure; and view a preparedness video.

Our favorite online veterinary site, Drs. Foster & Smith, has a wealth of information for pet safety and preparedness, for dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, and more. The advantage here is that if there's something you think you might need, you can usually find it here - and Cygnus and Chaco asked us to remind you to pick up a few toys while you're at it.

Other [pet-specific] resources available include:

• American Veterinary Medicine Assn.
• American Red Cross
• NOAA Hurricane Preparedness Page
• PetSitters.org Emergency Planning Guide for Pet Owners
• and, if you happen to be concerned about the coming rapture, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA

Mother bear rescues cub

Sometimes you don't need a rescue team if you have the know-how to do it yourself:

Apologies to readers - I had to remove the embedded video because I couldn't stop it from playing as soon as the page opened. :-( You can watch it at the UK Telegraph here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/7691259/Mother-bear-rescues-cub-stuck-in-tree.html

Pet hair use in oil spills cleanup

You and your feline can help with the BP oil spill cleanup! Or you and your canine. Or you and your hairdresser. Wow, even you and your llama can help!

In case you weren't aware, hair of many varieties can be used to create mats and also to make floating hair sausages to [hopefully] prevent the spill from reaching shore. The organization in the first video is called Matter of Trust and their site with details on how you can help is called ExcessAccess (they also match donors with other excess material needs) but you will have to register to get the information on exactly how to donate your goods. There is also an e-How page on this that gives a brief explanation.

So, watch the videos below, shed your excess and get donating! It takes a lot of hair to accomplish this, so consider contacting your hair salon or barber and convince them to participate!

..and wondering how this oil slick cleanup actually works? CNN also has a nice video to explain that, as well:

Entertainers rally to help flooded Nashville

Nashville native and resident Ke$ha has announced a flood benefit concert taking pace June 16 at Nashville's Limelight. Tickets, which range from $30 to $100 for those who want to meet the chart-topper in person, go on sale on May 6 at http://bit.ly/Kesha4Nashville. All profits will be used to help the families and animals affected by the flood.

Read the whole thing at www.variety.com

According to the same piece snipped above, the annual Grammy Block Party will also be raising funds for flood relief. The details weren't in the article but you can find them here.