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Kelly Bradley

Family dog saves dying baby

A shelter dog saved a 9-week-old baby who stopped breathing

A Connecticut family is very grateful for their dog, Duke, after what happened on Sunday night. According to Jenna Brousseau, Duke jumped up on her bed Sunday night and woke her and her husband with its shaking. This behavior was out of the ordinary for the mixed-breed dog that the couple had adopted six years ago.

Following the dog’s strange behavior, they acknowledged that something was wrong and went to check on their 9-week-old daughter, Harper. The parents came to find that their child was not breathing and Brousseau’s husband called 911 immediately. Fortunately, paramedics were able to revive the child, and she’s in good health.

Had it not been for the family’s shelter dog, Duke, they may never have gotten to their daughter in time. Brousseau said, “He’s the perfect dog. He was meant to be ours, and meant to be hers. I tell him all the time, ‘You were born in mommy’s heart,’ just because he was so meant to be ours. He’s heaven. He’s a good boy.”

The Brousseau’s share this story in hopes of inspiring others to adopt dogs in need like they did. The family has nothing but praise for their dog.

Hillary Clinton takes responsibility for Libya attack

Hillary Clinton takes blame for the attack in Benghazi, Libya

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is taking the blame for the handling of last month’s attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. According to CNN, Clinton said, “I take responsibility. I’m in charge of the State Department’s 60,000-plus people all over the world (at) 275 posts.”

Heavily-armed militants stormed the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11 and fired on a nearby annex housing security personnel. The attack left four Americans dead as well as the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.

President Barack Obama has been under fire for his handling of the situation in the Middle East. Mitt Romney has accused the administration of giving a muddled response betraying a failed Middle East policy. However, during last week’s debate, Vice President Joe Biden claimed that “We weren’t told” about requests for extra security at the consulate.

With only weeks before the presidential election, Clinton’s move will be seen as an attempt to take the heat off of President Barack Obama. According to Clinton, “The decisions about security are made by security professionals, but we’re going to review everything to be sure we’re doing what needs to be done in an increasingly risky environment.” She also backed up Biden’s claims saying, “The president and vice president wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals.”

However, congressional hearings revealed that the State Department was aware of these requests for increased security in Benghazi, but rejected them. Spokesmen for both the State Department and the White House attempted to make it clear that when Biden said “we” he was referring to the White House—a place where such requests would not go.

Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte said in a statement released Monday “If the president was truly not aware of this rising threat level in Benghazi, then we have lost confidence in his national security team, whose responsibility it is to keep the president informed. But if the president was aware of these earlier attacks in Benghazi prior to the events of September 11, 2012, then he bears full responsibility for any security failures that occurred.”

Paramedic punished for a good deed

A paramedic is being punished for giving a blanket to an elderly fire survivor

A Detroit paramedic is under fire for giving a blanket to a man that was cold. Yes, you read that right. About two weeks ago, a house caught fire, and the elderly man who lived there was brought outside wearing nothing but his underwear. Naturally, Jeff Gaglio provided him with a blanket. It wasn’t until Tuesday that he was informed his actions were putting him in some hot water.

Chief of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Jerald James, is responsible for Gaglio’s punishment—whatever that might be. James stated “We can’t have an employee who feels that they have a right to give away state property without getting prior approval.” However, it was later revealed that the department didn’t even pay for the loaned blanket. It had been donated.

When Gaglio was able to comment on the situation he said, “I’m being punished for giving a man a blanket. Something that would seem like a common everyday courtesy. Something that any man or woman would do in the city of Detroit.”

Apparently the city’s EMS is dealing with problems regarding its lack of cash. They have been understaffed and even using out-of-date ambulances.  According to the Detroit News, they bring in $8 million less than its operating budget because of the number of uninsured Detroit residents who are unable to pay for their services.

There has not yet been a punishment laid out for Gaglio. However, whatever it is will certainly be scrutinized.

Bobbi Kristina Brown engaged to her adopted brother?

Rumors are flying that Bobbi Kristina Brown is engaged to Nick Gordon

According to Lifetime’s forthcoming reality series, The Houstons: On our Own, Bobbi Kristina announces to her family members that she is engaged to Nick Gordon. Nick Gordon was informally adopted by Whitney Houston when he was 12 years old. However, a rep for the 19-year-old is now saying that the unofficial siblings aren’t engaged. They added, “You have to watch the show!”

Bobbi Kristina has not yet commented on the engagement rumors. However, she recently attended We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston at the Nokia Theatre in L.A. on October 11 with Gordon. On her engagement finger sat a large diamond ring. With that being said, the status of the pair’s current relationship is somewhat unclear.

Bobby Kristina’s aunt, Pat Houston, spoke on their relationship calling it a “very, very strong friendship.” Gordon was raised like brother to Bobbi Kristina and apparently the two were always close. However, according to a source, their relationship “has evolved a lot.”

Upon hearing the news of the alleged engagement, she called the incident “unacceptable.” Her uncle, Gary Houston, also spoke out saying “No one knew that from a godson, you were going to turn into a boyfriend, no one knew that.”

Michael Vick confirms he is a dog owner yet again

Michael Vick wants to show people that he’s not a monster

Michael Vick, who served 18 months in federal prison on dog fighting charges, now owns a dog yet again which he confirmed Thursday. Vick is using this dog to show people that he is capable of “breaking the cycle.” Vick said “To that end, I will continue to honor my commitment to animal welfare and be an instrument of positive change.”

Of course many are firing at Vick for his decision to own a dog. Vick prepared a statement saying, “I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family’s decision to care for a pet. As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God’s creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family.”

Michael Vick has since worked to improve his reputation in the animal community. Since his release from prison, he has collaborated with The Humane Society to speak out against animal cruelty. He also has made appearances at schools and spoken to students about the dangers of getting involved in dog fighting.

However, many still strongly believe that Vick has no business owning another dog no matter how involved in animal rights he may be. He was banned from owning a dog until completing his probation period. Of course when rumors spread that the Eagle’s quarterback had shown interest in buying one, it sparked an uproar. Animal rights activists were rightly enraged at decision.

After a loss on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vick was asked if he owned a dog. Vick replied, “No comment…it’s not a story.”

Smush Parker calls Kobe Bryant a ‘diva’ and a ‘terrible teammate’

Smush Parker fires back at Kobe Bryant’s criticism

In an interview this week, Lakers star Kobe Bryant called former teammate Smush Parker “the worst” and said “He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.” Kobe even refused to let Parker talk to him about football because he didn’t have enough “accolades under his belt.” He even went as far to say that Parker cost him the 2006 MVP because he had no talent. Why so salty Kobe?

Smush Parker had enough of the criticism. Parker fired back at Kobe in an interview with Hard 2 Guard Radio and gave the impression that Kobe was a diva and a bad teammate. Parker also spoke out about Kobe’s team skills saying, “What I don’t like about him is the man that he is. His personality. How he treats people. I don’t like that side of Kobe Bryant. Basketball is a team sport. It is team-oriented. It is not an individual sport. It’s not like tennis or golf, it is a team sport.”

He went on to say “On road trips, he traveled with his security guards. Those were the guys he talked to. On the team plane, he sat in the back of the plane by himself.” Kobe Bryant also allegedly sat at his own table once when the team went out for a big dinner. In 2007, Parker even stopped passing the ball to Bryant because their relationship got so out of hand. Parker spoke about the issue saying, “The reason I wasn’t a Laker after my second year is because I didn’t bow down to [Kobe]. I didn’t kiss his a–.  I wasn’t kissing his feet. Quite frankly, towards the end of the second season, I stopped passing him the ball. I stopped giving him the ball. I started looking him off.”

I don’t think these two will be meeting up for drinks anytime soon.
 

Body found ‘not intact’ in Jessica Ridgeway search

An unidentified body was found during the search for Jessica Ridgeway

An unidentified body was found a few miles away from where 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway disappeared. Officials were unable to identify the body because it is “not intact” according to police. Due to the condition of the body, identification is delayed. Westminster Police Department spokesman Trevor Materasso said, “This is extending the length of time it’s taking for investigators to positively identify who that body is.”

This unidentified body was found in Arvada, CO, seven miles from where Ridgeway disappeared last week and close to where her backpack was discovered. Ridgeway’s family has been contacted and the information is being released publicly.

The parents of Jessica Ridgeway have been eliminated as suspects in the case. On Wednesday, Materasso said “At this point in the investigation, after thoroughly looking at the parents, we’re confident that they’re not involved in the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway. The focus shifts to an unknown suspect, as we think that she was abducted.”

The fifth-grader failed to show up to meet her friends for the walk to her elementary school Friday morning. This was a routine walk she made everyday. The school then called to report her absent. However, Sarah Ridgeway missed the call claiming she was asleep after working overnight. Eight hours later, she contacted police.

Police haven’t officially tied the crime scene in Arvada to Jessica Ridgeway’s disappearance. According to Materasso, authorities expect to have a news conference on Friday to release more information.

Mom glues her child's hands to a wall

A Dallas woman admitted to gluing her daughter’s hands to a wall

Mother of five, Elizabeth Escalona, 23, pleaded guilty in July to felony injury to a child and is now facing a sentence between probation and life in prison. Prosecutors are seeking out a 45-year prison sentence. According to police, the young mother attacked her daughter, Jocelyn Cedillo, in September of 2011 because she lost her temper about potty training problems. Escalona beat her child before using Super Glue to stick her hands to the apartment wall.

Jocelyn suffered injuries which included bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises, bite marks and was even in a coma for a couple of days. As for her hands, some skin had been torn off.

The woman admitted to beating her daughter and gluing her hands to a wall saying that her daughter “didn’t deserve that.” She also doesn’t recall why she did it. Escalona has pleaded for leniency, saying she is no longer the “monster” who committed the crime. She went on to say, “I will never forgive myself for what I did to my own daughter.”

Escalona, a former gang member, has a history of violence. There are recordings in which she threatened to kill her mother as a teenager. She also started smoking marijuana at age 11.

Escalona’s sister, Margaret Escalona, spoke on the issue saying, “I wanted an explanation. I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to beat my sister up.” Both Escalona’s sister and mother believe that what Elizabeth needs is more help, not prison.

Counselor Melanie Davis testisfed Wednesday that she believes Elizabeth Escalona loves her five children. Davis has been counseling Escalona since June, nine months after her arrest.

What happens when a mom goes on strike?

Mother of three, Jessica Stilwell, went on strike after her kids failed to do their chores

Although they may not have a salary or vacation time off, being a mom is still a full-time job. And make no mistake, they have the ability to go on strike. This is what mother of three, Jessica Stilwell, decided to do in order to prove a point to her children about cleaning up after themselves.

When Stilwell’s children, twins, age 10, and her oldest, age 12 were consistently expecting their mother to pick up after them, Stilwell decided she had enough. When her husband, Dylan, was out of town, she sat down around 11 p.m. to find yet another mess created by none other than her children. It was at this point that Stilwell decided to go on strike. Unfortunately for her kids, they were not informed of this.

Jessica Stilwell took to her Facebook page saying, “This working mom has officially gone on strike within the home! Nothing said, no warning…updates to follow.” Soon, dishes began piling up and dirty clothes remained dirty. The mother updated her blog called Crazy Working Mom about the status of the house. She wrote, “The milk, cereal and ice cream are now in a solid state. I don’t know a lot about chemistry, but I’m assuming this is not a good thing.”

It took a full three days for the kids to realize their house was in shambles. Stilwell’s 10-year-old daughter began sobbing as she asked her mom to help her clean the house. By day six, the strike was over. The children soon discovered that all of the messes around the house were not created by their parents.

Needless to say the children learned a valuable lesson about keeping the house tidy and not expecting their mother to act as the maid. However, the mother of three also learned a lesson for herself in the process. On her blog, she stated “I admit there were times I was on auto-pilot and had to un-do my cleaning and put back their mess. This was a lesson for me!! I had NO idea how much I did for them without even realizing it.”

This mother soon received an apology, which consisted of her children cleaning while she relaxed. I’m sure I speak for all of the moms out there when I say well done Jessica Stilwell, well done.

Parents sue over sons' Harvard rejection

Angry parents sue after their sons were rejected from Harvard

Parents Gerald and Lily Chow were not too happy when they discovered their sons had not been admitted into Harvard. Instead of merely accepting this, they decided to take matters into their own hands by suing the man who promised to get the boys into the Ivy League school.

According to the Chows, they allegedly paid the guy nearly $2 million in order to help their sons get into Harvard. This college admissions consultant, Mark Zimny, explained that he had the right contacts in order to get the boys accepted. However, his resources fell through.

The Chows also discovered that Zimney had been overcharging them for their sons’ activities. In an effort to ensure their chilrden’s acceptance into the school, the Chows began wiring the U.S.-based admissions consultant around $8,000 per month for both boys. It was promised that Zimney would funnel these donations to elite colleges. Needless to say, the Chows want their money back. They’re charging the consultant with fraud and breach of contract.

The Boston Globe states, “Most colleges don’t think too highly of so-called admission consultants.” Harvard spokesperson Jeff Neal explained by saying, “In most cases, the employment of such an individual during the application process isn’t necessary. While it is certainly possible that in individual cases an admissions consultant can be helpful to an applicant, we have encountered no evidence to indicate that is the case generally.”

Mark Zimney is a former Harvard professor who ran the education consultancy group IvyAdmit Consulting LLC.