Bouncing baby falls 20ft out of second-floor window... and survives without a scratch

A mother today told how her baby 'bounced' to safety after plunging 20ft from a window.
Dawn Longhurst, 22, feared the worst when 20-month-old Callum fell from their second floor home - but landed unscathed on a patch of grass in Brighton, East Sussex.
The baby boy was rushed to hospital and kept in overnight for CT scans and X rays, but doctors at the Royal Sussex County Hospital could find nothing wrong with him.
Experts said Callum dodged injury because his supple bones effectively bounced on impact.
Dawn said Callum had been playing with his toys in their lounge when he fell out of the window while she was fetching her mobile from the kitchen on Thursday afternoon last week.
She said: 'We were in the sitting room and Callum was playing on the floor with his toys.
'I went into the kitchen to get my phone and when I came back in he was gone.
'I was only out of the room for a couple of seconds but that was enough time for him to disappear.
'He often hides from me so I checked behind the sofa but then my instincts told me to look out of the window.'
In the seconds that she was out of the room, Callum had climbed onto a coffee table and then onto a sofa before falling from the open window.
Dawn said today: 'I could see him outside. My heart was in my mouth.
'I rushed down to him and picked him up and brought him back upstairs.
'He was crying and screaming but the doctors later told me this was a good sign.
'I tried to comfort him but he was so upset and was holding his arm and his leg.
'The doctors were great. They told me the reason he wasn't injured was because he is so young and has supple bones so he effectively bounced.
'It's a miracle'Read

Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models

CUPERTINO, California—June 22, 2009—Apple® today announced that it has sold over one million iPhone™ 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight™ Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299.** And iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model—a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.

*MMS messaging is available only on iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS; fees may apply. MMS may not be available in all areas. MMS support from AT&T will be available in late summer.
**Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year AT&T rate plan, sold separately. -->
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone

Rs. 70,000 for curing fever!

Tense: A file picture of a parent and child awaiting a dengue report at a hospital.

Bangalore: Can you imagine that a fever and runny nose as well as the common seasonal infections can make you poorer by several thousand rupees?

The parents of Anusha, a nine-year-old, have spent nearly Rs. 70,000 in the last one month on getting her treated for fever and vomiting. Anusha’s problems began with high fever and nausea. A nursing home in Basaveshwarnagar here pronounced that she had viral gastritis. When her condition did not improve, her parents took her to a corporate hospital, where the initial diagnosis was Hepatitis ‘A’, which then became “throat and urinary tract infection” and finally dengue. “Apart from the fact that we had to spend nearly Rs. 70,000, we also had a harrowing experience because of the tension. My wife gets worried even if my daughter sneezes now,” Anusha’s father A.B. Satish said.

Similarly, Nazarulla, a resident of Sultanpalya, had to spend Rs. 6,000 to get treated for fever and related infections at a small nursing home in his area, something he could barely afford. His friend told this correspondent that the nursing home charged him Rs. 1,500 as “professional tax”. The same corporate hospital told another patient that he was suffering from a urinary infection and billed him Rs. 27,000 for a series of tests. The poor man did not get better and eventually went to his native place, Kerala. His doctor there told him it was only a case of simple food poisoning.

These are just a few examples of people paying through their nose to have common ailments treated. With the present weather in Tech City being conducive for viruses and allergens to thrive, hundreds of people are reporting fever, cold and upper respiratory tract infections. Most of them are being diagnosed by hospitals with chikungunya and dengue.

With the virus culture and serological tests being too time-consuming (culture takes a month and serological tests take nearly three weeks), doctors are diagnosing patients clinically and treating them symptomatically. “Probably that is why the treatment gets prolonged and the result is exorbitant costs,” said a disgusted Mr. Satish.

Doctors, on their part, justify treatment based on clinical judgment. “We start symptomatic treatment immediately because the results usually arrive only after the symptoms subside. We have been seeing at least 50 to 60 cases a day with complaints of high fever, sore throat, body ache and vomiting,” H. Paramesh, paediatric pulmonologist at Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital told The Hindu on Saturday.

Head of Neonatology in Manipal Hospital N. Karthik Nagesh, who has seen at least 12 confirmed dengue cases in the last one month, said: “Though most of the cases show symptoms of dengue and chikungunya, there are some strains of virus that we have not been able to identify. We get the culture and serology tests done only if it is inevitable. But we have no fatalities so far,” Dr. Nagesh said.

Just a dream written down

A friend i knew Wrote this couple of years back, he lives in a completely new world now, This Posting is for him and his memories :)

February 10

just a dream wrriten down

I saw her for the first time
Like a dove left alone
But her smile was cutest of all,
Her face sparkled brighter than diamond
Her beauty marked an angel in her glory
And I knew she was mine
We walked and talked,
Holding hand like birds in the flight
She told she knew only Chinese n a bit of English
And it wasn’t a problem to me
n' in the end she looked into my eyes
Deep in and with a shyly smile n' voice
She told "I think I love u”
That was all I wanted hear from her
I then saw her no more
I woke up; I knew it was a dream
but I have never seen an angel as such
n' I know its just a dream
Will it come into reality????/

/me signin out with confusion

Original Publish: 10th Feb 2006 (Writer : Max)
Content Not Edited

Published date
	just a dream wrriten down		February 10 8:09 PM

Park and hide

A £50,000 Thunderbirds-style pop-up garage has become the latest home-improvement craze.

The garage uses a hydraulic platform which can be hidden under a water feature, flowerbed or patch of gravel – or even a second car.

The futuristic parking option has drawn comparisons to the Thunderbirds aircraft hangar deep beneath Tracy Island.

The pop-up Cardok garage uses a silent hydraulic platform which can be hidden under a water feature, gravel, or even a second car.

Whenever the International Rescue team of puppets needed to set off on a mission the ground opened up.

The modern Cardok lifts out of the ground at the touch of an electronic key fob.

The manufacturer has seen enquiries for its park-and-hide soar ‘astronomically’ - sales have doubled since it was first promoted at last July's Hampton Court Palace flower show.

Eight underground garages have already been built, four are in production and more than 10 are on order, with interest highest in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Ealing, Dulwich and Highbury.

The waiting list is already four months long and experts predict demand will continue to grow as families choose to improve their home rather than try to sell in a weak property market.

Cardok managing director Alastair Soper said: ‘It's 100 per cent secure, far more so than a garage or driveway, and the vehicle's completely protected from the elements.

‘It goes down well with insurance companies. One man with a Bentley had been charged an annual premium of more than £5,000 when he parked his car in a well to-do street but that fell to £1,500 when he installed the Cardok.

‘In London a lot of people who have garages want to use them as extra rooms because of the value that adds to the house. Installing a Cardok allows them to use their space most efficiently.’

Local councils are waving through planning applications because the Cardok construction allows far more rainwater to drain away into the soil than traditional paved drives.

Experts have said that the floods which brought areas of London to a standstill in the summer of 2007 were partly caused by a lack of soil to absorb the rain.
Nearly two-thirds of the capital's gardens are already at least partly paved over, amounting to an area equal in size to 22 Hyde Parks and this hugely increases the load on London's creaky drainage infrastructure.

Mr Soper said: ‘We install a gutter around the perimeter of the hidden platform and container at the bottom of the Cardok to collect rainwater running off a wet car when it's parked.

‘That can be directed to water the garden and filter through the soil, rather than running off onto the pavement and putting pressure on council drains. Planning officers are very keen on that.’

The lift, which takes 10 weeks to construct and about three days to install, operates silently.

Councils have given permission for them to be built in conservation areas, including the one around Ealing cricket ground, and the grounds of Grade II listed buildings.

A Cardok ‘mono’ lift with a flowerbed or water feature on top costs £42,000 plus VAT - plus the installation charge which varies according to ground conditions.

A lift robust enough for another car to be parked on top and lifted up costs £48,000 plus VAT and installation.

Lights in the sky: Builder on rooftop snaps four 'UFOs' flying over London

It's a scenic shot that appears to be out of this world.

Taken on a mobile phone early one morning it captures the London landscape as well as four curious lights hovering over the Houses of Parliament. Could they be UFOs?

The image, taken on a mobile phone, shows four curious lights in the top right corner. Could they be UFOs?

Derek Burden was working on the 16th floor of a building in Covent Garden in the capital's West End when he took the picture at 8.30am.

It was only when he looked at the image later with his girlfriend that he noticed the eerie shapes in the cloudy sky.

Commuting aliens? Outer space visitors heading up West? Or the reflection in the window of office lights behind Mr Burden?

The truth is out there....

Thief used Google Earth to pinpoint historic buildings before stripping them of lead in £100,000 raids

A thief used Google Earth to zoom in on historic buildings before stripping £100,000 of valuable lead from their roofs.

Tom Berge utilised the popular internet tool, which shows aerial photographs of towns across the world, to pinpoint museums, churches and schools across south London with lead roof tiles by their darker colour.

The 27-year-old, from Sutton, south London, escaped jail despite admitting using his computer to carry out more than 30 separate offences.

After identifying a potential target the builder would scale its roof, take the valuable roof materials and abseil down the side of the building, before selling the lead to scrap metal dealers

Among the buildings he stole from in a six-month spree were Honeywood Museum in Carshalton, Sutton High School for Girls and Croydon Parish Church.

Detective Sergeant Chris Grant, who led the investigation, said 'He was a prolific offender up until the time he was arrested.

'Since then our crime figures for theft of lead have reduced significantly.'

A friend of Berge, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday: 'He sat at home at scoured south London for targets with just a few clicks of the mouse.'

Secret weapon: The thief used internet satellite map Google Earth to identify a potential target before scaling its roof and stealing valuable roof materials

'He homed in on all sorts of buildings - many of them listed. It was genius - he could tell the lead roofs apart on Google Earth as they were slightly darker than normal. '

Berge was sentenced an eight-month suspended jail term, given 100 hours of community service and put on curfew.

Google Earth is a virtual computer-generated globe launched in 2005. It provides 3-D views of the planet and allows you to zoom in on towns at street level.

Minister beaten after clashing with Muslims on his TV show

A Christian minister who has had heated arguments with Muslims on his TV Gospel show has been brutally attacked by three men who ripped off his cross and warned: ‘If you go back to the studio, we’ll break your legs.’

The Reverend Noble Samuel was driving to the studio when a car pulled over in front of him. A man got out and came over to ask him directions in Urdu.

Mr Samuel, based at Heston United Reformed Church, West London, said: ‘He put his hand into my window, which was half open, and grabbed my hair and opened the door.

He started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel.

Then he grabbed my cross and pulled it off and it fell on the floor. He was swearing. The other two men came from the car and took my laptop and Bible.’

The Metropolitan Police are treating it as a ‘faith hate’ assault and are hunting three Asian men.

In spite of the attack, Mr Samuel went ahead with his hour-long live Asian Gospel Show on the Venus satellite channel from studios in Wembley, North London. During the show the Muslim station owner Tahir Ali came on air to condemn the attack.

Pakistan-born Mr Samuel, 48, who was educated by Christian missionaries and moved to Britain 15 years ago, said that over the past few weeks he has received phone-in calls from people identifying themselves as Muslims who challenged his views.

‘They were having an argument with me,’ he said. ‘They were very aggressive in saying they did not agree with me. I said those are your views and these are my views.’

He said that he, his wife Louisa, 48, and his son Naveed, 19, now fear for their safety, and police have given them panic alarms. ‘I am frightened and depressed,’ he said. ‘My show is not confrontational.’

Google Earth Now 'Live From Mars'

Google Earth announced a big update today of its Mars features, including a chance to see a continuous stream of new, high resolution satellite imagery just hours after NASA receives them. Called "Live from Mars," this section features imagery from NASA's THEMIS camera on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, and the HiRISE Camera from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. You can become one of the very first people to lay eyes on images taken just days or even hours ago. You can also see live satellite orbital tracks, or check out where these cameras plan to image next. But wait! There's more! Users can also travel back in time to see the Red Planet through the eyes of the pioneers of Mars science in the 'Historical Maps' layer by exploring antique maps by astronomers Giovanni Schiaparelli, Percival Lowell, and others. But also, if you don't know exactly where to start with your Mars exploration, there are guided tours of Mars narrated by Ira Flatow of Public Radio's Science Friday and Bill Nye the Science Guy, allowing you to enjoy the PB&J (passion, beauty and joy) of the Red Planet through their eyes.


So how do you enjoy these new features? Open Google Earth, and after selecting 'Mars' from the toolbar in Google Earth, users fly to a 3D view of the Red Planet, complete with informational layers, imagery, and terrain. The tools for navigation and exploration on Mars are identical to those on Earth - zoom in and out, change the camera view, or spin the entire planet with a click of the mouse.
Just as in the original version of Mars in Google Earth, users can read geo-located articles from Hartmann's "A Traveler's Guide to Mars" about the solar system's largest canyon, Valles Marineris, its tallest volcano, Olympus Mons, the infamous 'Face on Mars', and many other famous Martian locations. Users can also follow the paths of Mars rovers and view hi-resolution panoramic photos of the Mars surface.

Google's Communication and Public Affairs officer Aaron Stein noted the "Live From Mars" imagery is the most current available from the THEMIS camera. " Our live imagery is the most current available imagery from THEMIS," he said. "It's not unusual for NASA to save up and download one or two days of images at a time, so downloads do not always occur within hours of image acquisition. Despite this, Live from Mars is orders of magnitude more "live" than the typical NASA public data release process, which for Mars imagery typically takes many months."

Enjoy — It's fun, it's free, and a great way to lose yourself for a few hours!

Google to Sell Ads Targeted to Web Users' Interest

You may want to give some thought to the web sites you visit as Google has a plan to sell ads that are targeted to web users' habits.

The ad-targeting scheme is controversial and some of Google's competitors are already offering it; however, has the company has decided to take the step.

In January, Google sites had just a 1.1% share of the U.S. display ad market in January.

Google is taking a different approach from the competition and will let users view and change what interest-based categories they are assigned to online.

Privacy advocates applauded this decision as they are concerned, companies targeting ads, collect too much data about users.

The new ad program is called "interest based" advertising and will start on a a test basis across Google's network of partner websites and on its video-sharing site YouTube

The program is based on data Google collects about what Web sites users visit; however, the data won't be drawn from users' search queries, but from files known as cookies that Google installs on the Web browsers of users who visit pages where it places ads.

This system is able to track users who visit hundreds of thousands of sites displaying Google advertising. , Google, by following users through these sites, is able to display advertising that is relevant to each individual user.

Google said in a statement: “If you love to travel and frequently visit travel-related websites, you’re more likely to see interest-based ads about vacations and travel deals as you surf the web.”

“If you visit a website that sells pet supplies, you might see an ad from that particular pet supply website the next time you browse other sites showing interest-based ads from Google.”