August 28, 2017
Reporter helps rescue man caught in Harvey flooding, while live on air
The saying “not all superheroes wear capes” feels trite at the best of times. But in this case, it’s rather appropriate.
A local TV reporter covering the flooding in Houston, Texas (as a result of Hurricane Harvey) came to the aid of a truck driver who was stranded in 10 feet of water.
Reporter Brandi Smith and camera operator Mario Sandoval of KHOU 11 — a CBS-affiliated television station — were literally keeping the station’s coverage going as their studios had been evacuated earlier.
As the @KHOU studios are evacuated, reporter @BrandiKHOU and her photog, on the side of a road, providing 100% of the station’s coverage.
— Janet Shamlian (@JanetShamlian) August 27, 2017
Smith was on air when she spotted a truck surrounded by water. The driver, whose name was reported as Robert, was stranded inside as water seeped into his vehicle.
What happened next was human survival mode in action, live on TV:
Incredible, watch as @BrandiKHOU flags down a rescue boat on-air, saving this truck driver’s life https://t.co/EVvNbdt13k pic.twitter.com/3mYi9McniB
— Hayley Jones (@meetmissjoness) August 27, 2017
Smith noticed a rescue team driving by, flagged them down and brought them to the stranded driver, all the while reporting on events as they transpired. At one point she stopped to clean the lens of her photographer’s camera.
As the rescue team took their boat towards the trapped driver and hauled him to safety, Smith became emotional.
“Incredible kudos to these two sheriff’s deputies who are risking their lives in this deep water. I’m sure he’s very wet, very cold, very frightened.” she said.
“I finally feel like I can breathe,” she continued.
He’s out! Our signal died, but @HCSOTexas crews got to that semi driver to safety. Full video here: https://t.co/uacB9hk9sU #KHOU11
— Brandi Smith (@BrandiKHOU) August 27, 2017
“I just thank God that you guys were right here to get me and put me back on land safely,” Robert said in a short interview, minutes after the rescue.
The interview ended with Smith embracing the man. “This is going to sound weird but can I hug you? I so glad you’re ok,” she said.
@BrandiKHOU & I are fine i don’t even know how long we were live I used a 96min card + half of my 2nd card. #Harvey #Team #khou11 pic.twitter.com/nnrDSXwS8M
— Mario Sandoval (@KHOU_MSandoval) August 27, 2017
So there you have it. Proof that not all heroes wear capes, they also wear rain jackets and carry cameras and microphones.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/08/28/reporter-houston-flooding-harvey/
September 27, 2017
Women will soon be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia
by MeDaryl • Cars • Tags: culture, discrimination, newsy
On June 24, 2018, women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive.
The announcement came via state TV in Saudi Arabia, but was also announced in Washington, D.C., according to The New York Times. That, as the Times suggested, perhaps shows just how much the monarchy wants the rest of the world to know they’re making a change.
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Saudi women who have sat behind the wheel in protest in recent years steadily brought global attention to the issue. In 2011, Manal al-Sharif uploaded to YouTube a video of herself driving in Saudi Arabia, talking about the ridiculous and dangerous situations a woman may encounter because she’s not able to drive.
Tweeting on Tuesday, she sounded elated.
Her protest and other such campaigns may in part be why the nation’s government felt the need to publicize their change of heart at home and abroad.
Though women will soon be allowed to get driver’s licenses, it’s still not clear whether they will need a male relative’s permission to do so.
If they will, such a thing would be in line with what’s known in Saudi Arabia as “guardianship” laws by which men legally control many aspects of their female relatives’ lives, such as whether they are allowed to work or leave the country.
Despite her joyous tweets, al-Sharif seemed adamant that the guardianship laws should be the next to fall.
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Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/09/26/saudi-arabia-lifts-ban-on-women-driving/