Rescue

Asthma sufferers have long relied on inhalers for relief from wheezing or coughing attacks. But as of Dec. 31, Primatene Mist -- the only available over-the-counter asthma inhaler -- was taken off shelves because of its adverse effect on the environment. Other inhalers are available, but these require a doctor's prescription. Some people with asthma aren't happy about the change, but lung doctors and asthma specialists agree that Primatene Mist wasn't the best option for patients anyway.

SACRAMENTO - Efforts to ease California's foreclosure woes, among the worst in the nation, are running into roadblocks at the state Capitol. A rare legislative conference committee called to rescue a pair of stalled foreclosure-prevention bills is bogged down in marathon sessions. Meanwhile, Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing to use some of California's share of the $25-billion national mortgage settlement to plug holes in the state's budget, dismaying housing activists. Since the start of the real estate bust, foreclosures have been a persistent drag on the state's homeowners and economy.

Chile freed the last of 33 miners from imprisonment nearly half a mile underground late Wednesday, the miracle of a second chance at life made real by the methodical shuttle of a battered red, white and blue rescue capsule willed on by a joyful nation and global audience of hundreds of millions. When 54-year-old foreman Luis Urzua emerged at 9:55 p.m. from the 28-inch-diameter hole that curved deep into the San Jose mine, it had been 69 days since the miners were trapped, 52 days since they were able to declare to the world that they were still alive ?

EUROPE Presentation Susan Hickman, Distant Lands' rail agent, will help you plan your itinerary, from purchasing a ticket and boarding your train to exiting at your destination. When, where : 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Workshop Rock-climbing instructors will teach assisted-rescue skills no climber should be without. When, where: 6 p.m. Tuesday at the REI store in Manhattan Beach, 1800 Rosecrans Ave., Suite E. Admission, info: $60; (310)

Regarding the Aug. 20 story, "Biggest S&L Rescue Yet to Merge 8 Texas Thrifts, Could Cost $5.5 Billion": How amazing! The Federal Home Loan Bank Board is going to rescue eight Texas thrifts to be named Sunbelt Savings FSB (which has inadequate funds) with a $2.5-billion note and a promise to guarantee profits by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. (which has inadequate funds), ultimately for a direct infusion of U.S. Treasury funds (which will be paid from inadequate funds and the horrendous national debt)

The last of the writers-strike MIAs have returned. After more than a year, the boys are back at FX's "Rescue Me -- perhaps you've noticed them tromping around a Lilliputian New York in the ads for the new "Larger Than Life Season" -- and the vacation seems to have lightened their spirits considerably.

Ten years after two jets crashed into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks, scientists are still learning about the long-term health effects of the disaster.  Now researchers led by a team from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City have reported anew that physical and mental illnesses were very common across a large group of 9/11 emergency responders - and remained persistent for 10% to 30% of them a full nine years...

For once, it was good news that came out from the depths of a Chinese coal mine as 115 workers were rescued Monday after eight days and eight nights trapped underground in Shanxi province. The extraordinary rescue turned into a round-the-clock reality show with state-run CCTV broadcasting live footage of the rescue workers carrying out the miners to a cheering audience. Crews were still hoping Monday night to bring out 38 more. Although the miners had their faces wrapped with towels to protect their eyes after so many days in darkness, their elation was evident.

President Obama said this morning that U.S. special operations forces had rescued an American woman held hostage for three months in Somalia. Jessica Buchanan was rescued Tuesday and is on her way home, Obama said in a statement issued early this morning. News of the rescue began to spread shortly after Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night. As the president arrived in the House chamber, cameras captured him saying to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, "Good job tonight.

I just wanted to congratulate CBS for its terrific series "Rescue 911." Not only is it extremely informative and educational, but it is thrilling to watch, some factors I hope won't lead to its cancellation. Annette Mason, Inglewood

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Memorial Day - Memorial Day has become an opportunity for criminals to target veterans as well as active duty military and their families, the Better Business Bureau said in a recent bulletin. Older veterans are often targeted by scammers this time of year, the BBB said. "The unique lifestyle of our service members makes them prime targets for scammers," noted Brenda Linnington, director of the BBB's military division.  "It's imperative that we educate our service members and ensure that the support we give to them equals the effort they make every day on behalf of us. " Some scams target service personnel and their families directly, while others go after people attempting to contribute to military charities.

In 1944, as head of the Office of Strategic Services in Bari, Italy, George Vujnovich guided a team of agents who worked with Yugoslav guerrilla leader Draza Mihailovich to airlift more than 500 airmen from a makeshift runway carved on a mountaintop in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. The World War II air rescue mission, "Operation Halyard," was relatively obscure until the 2007 release of "The Forgotten 500," a book by Gregory Freeman. "We didn't lose a single man. It's an interesting history.

In Washington, another scandal has broken over excessive spending during a business conference. But travel experts predict the effect this time around will be limited. Four years ago, it was insurance giant American International Group Inc.that was slammed for holding a lavish executive retreat at a Dana Point resort after taking billions of dollars in government bailout money. In the face of harsh criticism of excessive spending amid a recession, corporations dramatically cut back on business travel, dealing a blow to hotels and airlines across the country.

Emergency medical helicopters are certainly dramatic (especially on TV shows like “ER” and “Grey's Anatomy”), but are they really so much better than ambulances that they're worth the extra cost? A new study says the answer is yes. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine culled data from the National Trauma Data Bank on 61,909 patients who were transported to a hospital via helicopter between 2007 and 2009 and compared them with 161,566 patients who were taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

SAN FRANCISCO — The winds gusted above 25 knots and the swells topped 12 feet. In short, sailors participating in this year's race around the craggy Farallon Islands, 27 miles west of the Golden Gate, faced typically grueling conditions. Then something went terribly wrong. A rogue wave pummeled the 38-foot Low Speed Chase as it rounded the islands Saturday, knocking five crew members overboard. As the captain sought to rescue them from the 50-degree water, the boat capsized and was hurled onto the rocks.

Some people underestimate Alan Mulally when they first meet him. Ford Motor Co.'s 66-year-old chief executive, who grew up in Kansas and once aspired to be an astronaut, looks and sometimes acts like an overgrown Boy Scout. He laces his speech with words such as "neat," "cool" and "absolutely. " But the farm-boy exterior conceals one of business' toughest, most ruthless managers. When a desperate Bill Ford recruited Mulally from Boeing in 2006, Ford was heading for a $12.7-billion loss and on the verge of losing its No. 2 sales spot in the U.S. to Toyota because of poor management and an uninspiring vehicle lineup.

Re "Firefighters Rescue Dog From Well," Feb. 18: The L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control does its job quietly and efficiently, perhaps a little too much so for those who read about the rescue of a dog trapped in a well in Malibu. While our department certainly appreciates the support and sophisticated equipment that other agencies occasionally provide us to perform difficult or daring rescues, in the end it comes down to animal control officers like Tim March, who descended a fire ladder to rescue a large Newfoundland dog trapped at the bottom of a well--a crucial detail not reported in The Times' story.

Re "Obama hails Senate stimulus deal," Feb. 8 This is the season for fast-water rescues in storm channels -- which in some ways resemble the current economic rescue effort. Too many senators delaying the rescue by arguing about exactly how much rope is needed and insisting that they supply not an inch more. They may have enough faith in their ideology to make that decision, but the people depending on them for rescue might see it differently. There may be economic penalties for overestimating how much rope is needed, but the price for underestimation is far, far worse.

"Lockout" is about a troubled prison in space, starring Guy Pearce as an ex-secret agent all muscled up and throwing as many one-liners as punches. The mission is improbable, the film's logic loosey-goosey, and there are many explosive shortcuts - as in, if it doesn't make sense, just blow it up big time and maybe the audience won't notice. Ah, but they will. The film is based on an idea from espionage/action specialist Luc Besson, whose interest in the genre seems to know no bounds - writing, directing, producing, sometimes merely thinking.

With a trio of sharp, literate films that mapped the emotional landscape of the young, American and upscale, Whit Stillman emerged from the '90s independent film scene as one of the decade's most distinct voices. His 1990 debut, "Metropolitan," earned him an Oscar nomination for screenwriting, and his follow-up examinations of the lives of the "urban haute bourgeoisie," as the characters of his movies were dubbed, "Barcelona" and "The Last Days of Disco," only cemented Stillman's reputation.