Girl Could Die If She Brushes Her Hair

A TEENAGE girl has been warned brushing her hair could kill her.

Brave Megan Stewart is also at risk if she wears polyester clothing and can't touch balloons at parties as static electricity could cause her brain to shut down.

The 13-year-old suffers from an extremely rare condition called hair brushing syndrome.

And her mum Sharon said: "When we comb her hair, we have to lay her down and cover her head with water to stop any static building up.

"She can't rub balloons on her head at parties and she can't wear any shiny clothing."

The condition came to light in 2008 as Megan got ready for her first day in primary six.

Sharon, 41, said: "I was brushing her hair in the living room when she flopped over and her lips turned blue.

"I thought she was having a fit, which she'd never had before, so we called the paramedics. It was really scary."

Doctors at Glasgow's Yorkhill hospital for sick kids, where Megan had spent the first year and a half of her life, told her parents they had only ever heard of one other case of the bizarre syndrome.

Little is known about the condition, but it's thought it may be a result of birth complications.

Sharon, of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia three months before she was due to give birth.

It meant there was a problem with the placenta, leaving her with dangerously high blood pressure, and she had to have an emergency caesarian.

She said: "I was absolutely terrified. I was put on a lot of drugs and can't remember anything. Apparently, I nearly died."

Both mum and daughter survived but Megan weighed just 2lb 5oz when she was born and could fit in the palm of a dad Ian's hand.

Ian, 41, said: "She was so, so tiny. When I got home from the hospital I got a phone call saying I needed to go straight back."

It became clear Megan also had a hole in her diaphragm into which her stomach fell through, leaving space for only one lung to grow.

She was transferred to Yorkhill for surgery. She spent a year-and-a-half there and was left with a string of health problems.

She has asthma and a condition called dorsal stream dysfunction, which means she can't see fast moving objects such as a kicked football.

But despite her health problems, and the fact she may need another operation in the future, she is a happy schoolgirl at Uddingston Grammar School, Lanarkshire and is living life to the full.

She is even planning a charity fundraiser for Yorkhill on October 8.

Sharon added: "She's a very happy and lively young girl. When she was in hospital, there were so many children dying and very ill, so we are just glad she is healthy and able to live her life.

"She really did defy all odds. She's a little miracle."

GP Dr Craig Lennox said: "This is a very rare condition I have never come across.

"But I have heard of reflex anoxic seizures, where kids can faint, or even have symptoms like epilepsy, which is triggered by pain or fear or even loud noises.

"It is plausible that static electricity could be another form of trigger."

Google+ Added 16 New Games to beat Facebook

Google+ has added its first 16 games. The good news for developers is that Google is only taking a 5 percent commission, compared to Facebook's 30 percent. Not to be outdone, however, Facebook is adding numerous new game features.

Google+ has begun a rollout of a new Games tab that will include access to 16 different games, including "Angry Birds," and "Bejeweled Blitz" – from 10 app developers. Fifteen of these games were made in Flash while one was made in HTML 5.

One of the developers on board is Funzio. Company COO Anil Dharni discussed the process of adapting for Google+. It took the company about a month to bring its popular game "Crime City" to the new platform. They chose to go with Flash instead of HTML 5 because "HTML5 is too slow for games at the moment."

With an estimated 25 million users, Google+ is a nice outlet for game developers. However, that still leaves Google's social network at just 3 percent the size of Facebook.

The big incentive being pitched is that Google is taking only a 5 percent cut of in-game transactions, compared to the 30 percent taken by Facebook. Google is quick to clarify, however, that this is a promotional rate and the company has yet to decide what the final commission will be.

Google's structure for games is designed to be non-intrusive; stories that originate from games aren't visible in the main stream, but those interested can navigate to the Games tab and check out what their friends have been up to. The Games tab started rolling out to users on August 11 and will be available to all users in the coming days.

Facebook Steps Up Their Games

Facebook must have seen the potential threat of Google+ coming; in the last few days, Facebook has made some significant changes to application UI features and in-app functionality. This includes a new canvas that will notify users when they have invites or other notifications coming from a game. The new canvas also gives app developers a lot more real estate.

More importantly, however, Facebook is adding some social features that may restore some virality that app developers had access to in the previous versions of the news stream. App developers will now be able to add "achievements," competitive scoring systems, and other person-to-person sharing features.

Hackers will Destroy Facebook on 5th Nov 2011

Citing privacy concern and security violation of user information, hacker group 'Anonymous' has vowed to kill the social networking site.

'Anonymous' has set November 5th, 2011 as the date to destroy Facebook, which in Britain is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day, a commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot in which Fawkes placed explosives in the House of Lords in 1605.

Below is the video released by 'Anonymous' explaining why it wants to take down Facebook.



The speaker in the video, invites people to join the cause and kill Facebook for the sake of protecting their own privacy.

"If you are a willing hacktivist or a guy who just wants to protect the freedom of information then join the cause and kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy," the speaker added.

Mentioning privacy concerns and Facebook's ability to store and sell personal information about its users, the group said, "Everything you do on Facebook stays on Facebook regardless of your 'privacy' settings, and deleting your account is impossible."

The video claims the social networking site has violated the principles of online privacy and declared Facebook as the resident sinner in the eye of the AntiSec movement.

"Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from around the world," 'Anonymous' said.

Why 'Anonymous' matters

'Anonymous' has claimed responsibility for every notable hacking attack this year, including the hacking into 70 law enforcement websites and took down the Syrian Ministry of Defense website.

Yahoo Following Google

Yahoo is now following google.com

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Apple has more cash than US government today - IANS

New York, July 29 (IANS) As of today, Apple boss Steve Jobs is richer than Uncle Sam.

While the world's most powerful government has just $73.76 billion in its reserves, the world's top technology company has a neat cash pile of $75.87 billion Thursday.

The US Treasury Department Thursday warned that it has now only this much operating budget as Republicans and Democrats fight over raising the nation's debt ceiling. With only that much reserve at its disposal, the Obama White House has warned the Republicans that the US government won't be able to meet its obligations as of Aug 2.

Facing a government default, Obama can definitely turn to Steve Jobs to give him a very brief breathing space.

The failure by the Republicans and Democrats to come to a compromise to raise the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by Aug 2 could lead to a hike in interest rates. The already battered dollar may also plunge further.

With its market capitalisation of $363.25 billion, Apple is the second largest company on the planet after American oil giant Exxon Mobil. The Cupertino-based Apple started rising suddenly in 2007 when it entered the smart phone market with the launch of its first version of the iPhone.

Within three years, Apple went on to overhaul BlackBerry company Research In Motion (RIM) which invented the smart phone and dominated the market.

But its fortunes skyrocketed last year with the launch of the iPad tablet which has sold in millions. In fact, the iPhone and the iPad have made Apple the czar of mobile computing technology as rivals play up catch-up.

The stock of the company, which doesn't pay dividends, has now touched $400.

After Apple, another non-financial company sitting on a huge cash reserve is Microsoft whose own pile is about $40 billion.

Spice Up Your Bedroom

Is your intimate life getting tedious and stagnant? Is everything looking so predictable that it's taking out all the fun and excitement from your love life? If so, then it's high time you pay immediate attention to it as the after effects can be quite tumultuous and can even rock your marriage. So, try to bring back action into your life by spicing things up in the bedroom. We have some simple and easy tips just for you:

• Get rid of all the unnecessary stuff in your bedroom. It should not look boring. Do not keep TV, computer or any exercise equipment in your bedroom. These will destroy all the good feng shui energy in your bedroom.
• Your bed deserves more attention as it is the focal point of your bedroom. Make sure that it is large, comfy and clean. Cover your bed with satin sheets and on top of it spread rose petals. Use a dark solid comforter. Keep soft and bright red pillows and cushions on the bed to bring about a feeling of coziness and warmth.
• Enliven your intimate experience by setting a sensual mood. It will do wonders to both you and your partner. Play some soft and romantic music at the background. Make use of beautiful aromatic candles. Keep the light of your bedroom dim; do not make it completely dark.
• Choose a colour and theme for your bedroom wisely. Red is always a winner if you really intend to zest things up. It depicts passion and desire. If painting the walls red looks odd to you, then you can use red bulbs for your lampshades to give a rosy touch to your room. Use light pale colors for the walls.
• While choosing the images for your bedroom, be very careful as images carry powerful feng shui energy. Do not use sad and lonely images in your bedroom. Get some bold or sensuous paintings which would set up the mood.
• Open your bedroom's window often or use a good quality air-purifier to keep the air fresh and full of oxygen. If the air you breathe in is stale and full of pollutants, you cannot have good feng shui in your bedroom.
• Until and unless your bedroom is large and has lots of space, do not place plants in the bedroom. They are not good feng shui elements.

Just follow these simple tips and you will be on cloud number 9 as these will bring you and your partner closer together!