A BURGLAR broke into a house in Queenstown, New Zealand, twice in a day - the second time to return his loot and leave a heartfelt letter of apology

The intruder smashed a window to get into Graeme and Shirley Glass' house and took a laptop computer, camera and wallet containing a credit card, the Otago Daily Times reported today.
He came back later to return them as well as a basketball and two pairs of gloves he bought with the card and write a note in Glass's diary apologising for "violating the safety and security of your home".

"I have never written truer words when I say that I wish that I had never done this to you and your family," he wrote.

"From the bottom of my heart I am sorry."
The burglar promised to leave some cash in the Glass's mailbox to pay for the broken window "when I have enough money".
Police have a description of the offender from the shops where he used the credit card, forging Glass's signature.

Indian Guinness Records

NEW DELHI - How do you stand out in a land with a billion people?Radhakant Bajpai did it by growing his ear hair more than five inches long.
Vadivelu Karunakaren did it by skipping 10 miles in 58 minutes.
Arvind Morarbhai Pandya did it by running 940 miles backward in 26 days and seven hours.

India is a land obsessed with superlatives, especially the kind that get you into the Guinness World Records book. Here, a Guinness record is the stuff of national headlines.

"Orissa man claims a record for cracking open 72 coconuts by elbow!" the Hindustan Times, a leading newspaper, trumpeted last month. "Uttar Pradesh boy can write on mustard seeds!" said a headline in July. The paper has run over 50 stories this year about bids for Guinness records, and it is by no means ahead of its competition.And this just in from the Times of India, another highly respected daily: "Man looks to set world record pulling vehicles with mustache."Why the fascination? India, after all, is awash in genuine superlatives — world's largest democracy, world's largest youth population.

Why bother with fastest to drink a bottle of ketchup?Guinness Rishi — yes, his name is Guinness; more on that later — submitted the ketchup record after downing a bottle in 39 seconds. The Guinness company has yet to accept his bid.Rishi said he breaks records — his business card lists 19 feats — to distinguish himself in one of the world's biggest crowds."People consider me an extraordinary person, not an ordinary person," he said.India, holding 219 Guinness World Records, is only 10th on the list. The U.S. has the most, followed by Britain, Australia and Germany. But for sheer obsessive enthusiasm, and ingenuity in dreaming up new superlatives, India seems unbeatable.The explanations are various.In the new India, more people than ever are earning prestigious degrees and staggering salaries.

But for millions who don't have access to such routes for success, aiming for world records, no matter how ridiculous, provides a much-needed outlet in a society as rigid and hierarchical as India's, say Rishi and other world-beaters.After all, India's widespread poverty and its caste system, though not the all-determining forces they once were, still make social boundaries hard to crack. Harder, perhaps, than breaking a world record."Persons who have no money wish to do something in their lives, so the poor people try to break records by their strength or their will," said Rishi, a 66-year-old partner in an auto parts factory.His crowded bookshelves are filled exclusively with record books from years past. He also hires himself out as a consultant to would-be record breakers.No one captures Guinness mania better. Rishi changed his first name from Har Parkash to Guinness after earning a record for being part of a team that kept a motor scooter in motion for 1,001 hours. He says he's broken more than a dozen records, but the Guinness company has not yet accepted any others.

To claim the record for oldest adoptee, he adopted his 61-year-old brother-in-law. (He's going to beat that one again now that he's "working with a 90-year-old.") He built the world's tallest sugar cube tower at 64 inches.Rishi is so passionate about Guinness that he wrote in his will — the longest will in the world, of course — that he wants his record books used as the kindling at his cremation. (His wife, Bimla, claims to have the record for shortest will in the world: "All to son.")Rishi says his two sons have successful careers abroad, and they don't think much of the Guinness obsession. But their accomplishments make Rishi more determined to prove that he counts, too."My children feel that they are more important in the field of business and moneymaking so I have to show the family and the community that I am a professional person," he said.Some see broader explanations for India's peculiar relationship with Guinness.Santosh Desai, a columnist with the Times of India, another newspaper that covers Guinness bids like political campaigns, says it's an example of India's hunger for Western approval, a defining trait in a country racing to achieve superpower status."We are desperate to be acknowledged by the world as being worthy," Desai said. "We hunt for any signs that the external world recognizes us, and then we celebrate them."Even if it's, well, Bajpai's world-beating ear hair.The Indian Express, a well-respected newspaper, called Bajpai "a proud man who has brought hairy recognition ... not only to his locality and city but to the whole nation."But this theory — that it's all about self-esteem _doesn't explain why neighboring Pakistan doesn't share India's Guinness passion. The two were one country during British colonial times, and have a lot in common, culturally, ethnically and linguistically.In their zeal for posterity, some in India have taken the Guinness obsession to dangerous extremes.In June, a doctor couple in southern India boasted that their 15-year-old son had tried to become the world's youngest surgeon by delivering a baby by Caesarean section — a procedure they proudly filmed.All three are now awaiting trial on charges of endangering human life.Last year, a 4-year-old boy attempted to run 43 miles to earn a spot in a local record book. Doctors stopped the child after 40 miles and found him to be undernourished and anemic.His coach has been arrested and charged with torturing the child.Amarilis Espinoza, a Guinness World Records spokeswoman, said the company doesn't accept entries that encourage dangerous behavior.

People across the world inquire about feats Guinness does not condone, but India's can-do attitude makes it stand out, she said. Rather than just ask about unsafe records, in India "they just go ahead and do it," she said.For world-beaters who fail to reach the peaks of Guinness, there is the local Limca Record Book, published by Coca-Cola, a junior-varsity league for India's unlikely feats. ("Fastest Solving of Rubik's Cube Blindfolded.")Another rung down is the Web site 4to40.com where people pay $50 to have their record posted. ("37 Men on a Bike.")Rishi is considering publishing his own book of records, one that will be more inclusive than the Guinness book.But some in India say that as living standards soar, Guinness mania will peter out."What has replaced it are more legitimate and more conventional areas of competing," said Desai. "I think India will outgrow its desire to grow its nails faster than the rest of the world."

Miracle man Walks Again

He survived against all the odds; now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again.
When his body was cut in two by a lorry in 1995, it was little short of a medical miracle that he lived. Peng Shulin, wearing new trainers, works on learning to walk againtook a team of more than 20 doctors to save his life.Skin was grafted from his head to seal his torso – but the legless Mr Peng was left only 78cm (2ft 6in) tall.Bedridden for years, doctors in China had little hope that he would ever be able to live anything like a normal life agan.

The bionic legs mimic the way Peng's limbs would have workedBut recently, he began exercising his arms, building up the strength to carry out everyday chores such as washing his face and brushing his teeth.Doctors at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre in Beijing found out about Mr Peng's plight late last year and devised a plan to get him up walking again. They came up with an ingenious way to allow him to walk on his own, creating a sophisticated egg cup-like casing to hold his body with two bionic legs attached to it.He has been taking his first steps around the centre with the aid of his specially adapted legs and a resized walking frame.Mr Peng, who has to learn how to walk again, is said to be delighted with the device.

50 Unbelievable Moments

Original Link: http://www.slideshare.net/Peety/50-unbelievable-moments/

Amazing Facts About Your Body

50,000 of the cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells, all while you have been reading this sentence!

In one hour, your heart works hard enough to produce the equivalent energy to raise almost 1 ton of weight 1 yard off the ground.

Scientists have counted over 500 different liver functions.

In 1 square inch of skin there lies 4 yards of nerve fibers, 1300 nerve cells, 100 sweat glands, 3 million cells, and 3 yards of blood vessels.

The structural plan of a whale's, a dog's, a bird's and a man's 'arm' are exactly the same.

The world`s first test-tube twins were born in June 1981.

There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being.

In a year, a person`s heart beats 40,000,000 times.

Most people blink about 25 times a minute.

Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels.

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.

You use an average of 43 muscles for a frown.

You use an average of 17 muscles for a smile.

Every two thousand frowns creates one wrinkle.

The average human blinks his eyes 6,205,000 times each year.

The average human produces a quart of saliva a day or 10,000 gallons in a lifetime.

Every person has a unique tongue print.

The average human's heart will beat 3000 million times in their lifetime.

The average human will pump 48 million gallons of blood in their lifetime.

You burn 26 calories in a one minute kiss.

The average human body contains enough: Sulphur to kill all fleas on an average dog, Carbon to make 900 pencils, Potassium to fire a toy cannon, Fat to make 7 bars of soap, Phosphorus to make 2,200 match heads, and enough Water to fill a ten gallon tank

Among the first known "dentists" of the world were the Etruscans. In 700 BC they carved false teeth from the teeth of various mammals and produced partial bridgework good enough to eat with.

Ophthalmic surgery was one of the most advanced areas of medicine in the ancient world. Detailed descriptions of delicate cataract surgery with sophisticated needle syringes is contained in the medical writings of Celsus (A.D. 14-37)

A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.

If you were freeze-dried, 10% of your body weight would be from the microorganisms on your body.

Your ears and nose continue to grow throughout your entire life.

When you eat meat and drink milk in the same meal, your body does not absorb any of the milk's calcium. It is best to have 2 hours between the milk and meat intake.

The tooth is the only part of the human body that can't repair itself.

Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.

One human brain generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all of the world’s telephones put together.

Land of Midnight sun - Norway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Midnight sun in Lappland, Finland.

The Arctic Cathedral with surroundings in Tromsø illuminated by the midnight sun.

Midnight Sun Norkapp, Norway

The midnight sun is a phenomenon occurring in latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the Arctic circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the further poleward one goes.Since there are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, the countries and territories whose population experiences it are limited to the ones crossed by the Arctic Circle, i.e. Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and extremities of Iceland. A quarter of Finland's territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and at the country's northernmost point the sun does not set for 73 days during summer. In Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, there is no sunset from approximately April 19th to August 23rd.

The extreme sites are the poles where the sun can be continuously visible for a half year.The opposite phenomenon, polar night, occurs in winter when the sun stays below the horizon throughout the day.Since the Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic by approximately 23 degrees 27 minutes, the sun does not set at high latitudes in (local) summer. The duration of the midnight sun increases from one day during the summer solstice at the polar circle to approximately six months at the poles. At extreme latitudes, it is usually referred to as polar day. The length of the time when the sun is above the horizon varies from 20 hours at the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle to 186 days at the poles.At the poles themselves, the sun only rises once and sets once, each year.

During the six months when the sun is above the horizon at the poles, the sun spends the days constantly moving around the horizon, reaching its highest circuit of the sky at the summer solstice.Due to refraction, the midnight sun may be experienced at latitudes slightly below the polar circle, though not exceeding one degree (depending on local conditions). For example, it is possible to experience the midnight sun in Iceland, even though most of it (Grímsey being a notable exception) is slightly south of the Arctic Circle. Even the northern extremities of the British Isles (and those places on similar latitudes) experience a permanent "dusk" or glare in the northern skies at these times.

Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.
The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.
Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.
The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.
"I want to know what happened. I went to deliver my baby and I came out like this," Mejia said.
Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee. Now she can not care for or hold her baby.
"Yeah, I want to pick him up. He wants me to pick him up. I can't. I want to, but I can't," she said. "Woke up from surgery and I had no arms and no legs. No one told me anything. My arms and legs were just gone."
Her 7-year-old son, Jorge, asks his mother over and over what happened to her. Neither she nor her husband has the answer.
"I love her, so I'll always stick with her and take it a day at a time myself," said her husband, Tim Edwards.
The couple wants to know how she caught streptococcus, during labor or after. She doesn't know. She knows she didn't leave the hospital the same.
"And why, I want to know why this happened," she said.
Her attorney, Judy Hyman wrote ORHS a letter saying, according to the Florida statute, "The Patients Right To Know About Adverse Medical Incidents Act," the hospital must give her the records.
"When the statute is named 'Patients Right To Know,' I don't know how it could be clearer," Hyman said.
The hospital's lawyers wrote back, "Ms. Mejia's request may require legal resolution." In other words, according to their interpretation of the law, Mejia has to sue them to get information about herself.

That's the sticking point, the interpretation of the Patients Right To Know act, a constitutional amendment Florida voters passed a little more than a year ago.
Mejia's other attorney, E. Clay Parker, said the hospital is not following the law
"We were forced to file this and ask a judge to interpret the constitutional amendment and do right," Parker said.
Mejia hopes the right thing is done. She said not knowing exactly why it happened is unbearable. She only hopes she'll be able to soon answer her little boy's question, 'What happened?'
"He told me everyday, 'What happened,' and I don't have any answers for that," she said.
ORMC said Mejia is requesting information on if there were other patients or someone on her floor with the streptococcus. They said, if they release that to her, that would be a violation of other patients' rights.

Growing India

The economy of India is the third largest in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). When measured in USD exchange-rate terms, it is the twelfth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $1.0 trillion (2007). India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.4% for the fiscal year 2006–2007. However, India's huge population results in a per capita income of $4,031 at PPP and $885 at nominal (2007 estimate). The World Bank classifies India as a low-income economy.

India's economy is diverse and encompasses agriculture, handicrafts, textile, manufacturing, and a multitude of services. Although two-thirds of the Indian workforce still earn their livelihood directly or indirectly through agriculture, services are a growing sector and are playing an increasingly important role of India's economy. The advent of the digital age, and the large number of young and educated populace fluent in English, is gradually transforming India as an important 'back office' destination for global companies for the outsourcing of their customer services and technical support. India is a major exporter of highly-skilled workers in software and financial services, and software engineering. Other sectors like manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nanotechnology, telecommunication, shipbuilding, aviation and tourism are showing strong potentials with higher growth rates.

India followed a socialist-inspired approach for most of its independent history, with strict government control over private sector participation, foreign trade, and foreign direct investment. However, since the early 1990s, India has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms by reducing government controls on foreign trade and investment. The privatisation of publicly owned industries and the opening up of certain sectors to private and foreign interests has proceeded slowly amid political debate.
India faces a burgeoning population and the challenge of reducing economic and social inequality. Poverty remains a serious problem, although it has declined significantly since independence, mainly due to the green revolution and economic reforms.

Pathirana smashes 277 in Twenty20 onslaught

Cricinfo staff

September 5, 2007

Dhanuka Pathirana: 29 sixes and 18 fours in his onslaught © CricinfoSri Lankan first-class player Dhanuka Pathirana scored a remarkable 277 off 72 balls in a Twenty20 match in Lancashire's Saddleworth League to steer his Austerlands side to 366 for 2 and an easy win over Droylsden. Pathirana smashed 29 sixes and 18 fours in his onslaught.
"Everything seemed to hit the middle," Pathirana, who had to borrow a bat as he had left his at home, said. "I was seeing it like a football. It was like a dream ... I think I did some serious damage to some of the vehicles in the car park."
"It was unbelievable," Austerlands' Andy Young told the Manchester Evening News. "Dhanuka normally bats at No. 3 but we needed to up our run rate to reach the semi-finals, so we asked him to open and said to him: 'Just go for it'. And he certainly did.
"It was scary to watch and it wasn't on one of the smaller grounds in our league. He is one of those guys who we always knew was capable of a massive innings, but this was incredible."

© Cricinfo

Ronaldinho Skills

Federer the Best

Schumi Last Race

Sachin Best Moments

Orkut's Worst Time

The Mumbai police claim they have zeroed in on the mastermind of the kidnapping of teenager Adnan Patrawala, who was found murdered in his car on Monday.
Police sources have told NDTV that Sujit Nair, one of the accused sent to police custody till August 28, was the mastermind.
Nair was allegedly planning to escape to Dubai but was arrested along with two others on Monday.
Sixteen-year-old Adnan was kidnapped on Saturday night and later killed. His killers allegedly met him through the social networking site Orkut.
According to the police, Adnan's killers gave him an alcoholic drink laced with sleeping pills before strangling him.
He was allegedly killed by three men he met on the social networking site Orkut. Two of the accused have been sent to police custody till August 28 while one has been sent to a juvenile home.
NDTV Correspondent
Thursday, August 23, 2007 (Mumbai)
The Mumbai police have arrested a fourth man in connection with the kidnap and murder of 16- year-old Adnan Patrawala.
Twenty-four-year-old Rajeev Himmatbhai Dhariya, an embroidery designer, is believed to have strangled Adnan.
According to the police, money was the sole motive behind Adnan's kidnapping.
Based on current investigations the Orkut link has been ruled out. Mumbai police investigators are now certain that Adnan met his alleged killers off line at a gaming centre in Malad, which he used to frequent.
The police have also ruled out as a suspect- the mysterious Angel, who Adnan was in regular touch with on Orkut.
Angel's identity is being kept a secret but the police have said Angel may be called upon as a witness.
Search for the absconder
As investigations into the case continue, the police have found out that there were five people involved in the plot. On the day he was kidnapped, four people were in the car with Adnan.
All four have been arrested, while one last person is still absconding. Search teams have been sent outside Mumbai to trace the missing accused.
''Investigations are still on. We have an idea of who they are but if we say anything they will be alerted,'' said VK Chaubey, DCP Zone 9.
Based on interrogations with the accused, the police have more details of what the killers did with Adnan's body.
His body was stripped after he was strangled and thrown into the marshes. It was covered with bushes so he wouldn't be found for a long time. They were hoping that without his clothes he would not be identified.
The families of the accused meanwhile continue to deny their involvement.
But what is crucial now for the police is the evidence they gather to back these charges.

How Bad a Social Networking Site Could Become??

URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/40709/.html

Schumi Wallpapers

Michael Schumi

German ace Michael Schumacher is widely recognised as being the world's best ever racing driver. In 1995 Michael became the (at that time) youngest double Formula 1 World Champion (1994 and 1995 seasons) ever. He is also the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 World Champion. This phenomenal record speaks for itself. In 2003 he beat Juan Manuel Fangio's five championships from the 1950s, by taking his sixth! He has now retired from F1, at the end of the 2006 season.


The 2004 championship was secured by Michael before its conclusion, making it title number 7. He did it by finishing 2nd at Spa in Belgium, in Ferrari's 700th race, to accumulate enough points to seal the deal.
Michael also holds the F1 records for: most career wins (91), most wins in a season, most career pole positions, most points during a season (148 in 2004), most consecutive world championships (5), most consecutive race wins (2004), most pdium gfinsihes (154), most laps leading, most fastest laps (76), plus several others!


Michael is the highest paid racing driver in the world and second highest earning sportsman in the world, earning a reputed $80 million US in 2004 ($40m of which was his salary from Ferrari). His younger brother Ralf became the third highest paid driver in Formula 1 in 1999, when his pay after the 2000 season was raised to $15.5 million US.



Biography:

Name: Michael Schumacher

Nickname: Schumi or Schuey

Date of Birth: 3rd January 1969

Nationality: German

Place of Birth: Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany

Height: 1.74mWeight: 68kg

Residency: Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland

Status: Married to Corinna Betsch since Tuesday 1st August 1995

Children: Gina-Maria, daughter (DOB 19/01/97) and son Mick (DOB 22/03/99).

Family: Rolf, Father, Elizabeth, Mother and Ralf, Brother (DOB 30/6/75).

His Hobbies...Soccer, tennis, swimming, skiing.

His Manager...Michael's manager since 1989 has been Willi Weber. Schumacher was to receive a free drive in his WTS team for three years, Weber in return receives 20% of all income Michael earns from motor races. The initial agreement was to last 10 years, however it was later extended for a further several years.

His Helmet...Michael explains how his helmet's paint scheme came about:"From the area of the visor you see the traditional German black-red-gold. I chose the colours years ago with a friend of mine and I changed it only slightly, mostly to include sponsor decals. The blue circle with the white stars on the top was his idea. After joining Ferrari I added the prancing horse on the back. "

Since the European GP in 2000, Michael has raced with a modified helmet design. The blue circle on the top in now painted light red. The white Marlboro stripe around the top is also now red. The change was made to prevent confusion between himself and Barrichello, whose design was confusingly similar.
Michael SchumacherF1 Driver
Photo courtesy of Passing Shots


Michael in the Ferrari F399Michael's old helmet design can be seen quite clearly here. The section obscured is simply the lower portion, which was just a white stripe.

F1 Teams Driven for:

Jordan
1991 Andrea de Cesaris
1991-1995

Benetton
1991 Nelson Piquet
1992 Martin Brundle
1993 Riccardo Patrese
1994 Jos Verstappen/JJ Lehto/ Jonny Herbert
1995 Jonny Herbert

Ferrari
1996-1999 Eddie Irvine
2000- Rubens Barrichello
2006- Felipe Massa

Schuey entered only one race for Jordan - his F1 debut at Spa Francorchamps in 1991. He qualified 7th but in the race the clutch burnt out and he didn't make it off the grid. He stood in for Bertrand Gachot, who had been jailed in London just before the GP for an assault with CS gas on a taxi driver!
Michael is Ferrari's most successful driver ever, ahead of Niki Lauda.
Learn more about Michael! The following great biographies provide more information than we ever could on mSchumacher.com!

This biography is the second from Christopher Hilton on Michael. The first was printed in July 2000, but this second one has been written after he won several more championships!
The author has penned the biographies of numerous other top drivers. Highly recommended reading.

The latest official Schumacher book!
Published in December 2003, Michael's superb autobiography is a 192 page in-depth insight into the great man. There is far more information than it is possible to offer here. We learn about his past, the secrets of his success, his family, his view of other drivers and the state of F1, his opinions on controversial races and drivers, and we are given an insider's view of Ferrari.
Fantastic new photographs from renowned European photographer, Michel Comte, give us new insight into the man and his life. For the first time the private man who gives nothing away and the driver who takes no hostages relaxes and opens up. It provides us with insight and information which only he himself could. The book offers a true insight into Michael's personality and is highly recommended. For more info or to buy the book from amazon.com click to the right.