Babies Swimming Underwater (14 photos)

This is a set of pictures from London Baby Swim, a school where they teach babies as young as 6 six weeks old to swim and to develop their motor skills. Of course, the parents take part in this process :)

As you can see, babies are natural swimmers and can be underwater without a problem. The thing is that “Up until the age of around nine months babies have a miraculous gag reflex which blocks off their windpipes as soon as they are underwater, allowing them to instinctively hold their breath,” explains Phil Shaw, the founder of London Baby Swim.
So, the sooner you put your baby into the water to learn it to swim the better.

How To Check for Phone Taps?

To check for phone taps, observe keenly for phone tap symptoms such as low voice, abnormal rings and disturbing hisses. Although difficult, you have some respite in following a few steps:

Carefully Inspect Every Inch of Phone Wire in your Home: Look for phone tap equipment on the phone line like coil taps or induction coils.

Open up the "restricted" Side of the Box and check in there: Receiver, underside of the box is the places where tapping instruments are placed for their insusceptibility. It might spring a surprise or two.

Some of the more advanced Taps can be very small and easily fit inside a phone so that detection is all the more difficult. You have to have a surgeon’s eye to detect them. Alternately, you can use a watchmaker’s glass, too.

Are My Telephone Lines Being Unofficially Tapped?

Check for phone taps, you could be possibly a victim of an unofficial covert surveillance. With modern devices and digital exchanges, a cell phone tap is not unusual these days. However, a phone tap detector lags behind the ever updating phone tap equipment, unfortunately making detection of phone taps inconclusive.

Further what you can make out from these devices is drop in the communication quality due to diversion of signals due to drop in voltage, sounds of phone being lifted or being disconnected and the like:

• Direct Line Taps: Direct line taps require physical connection to the lines near the phone. Now some phone tap symptoms show up in the form of line disturbances and weakening of signal strength due to direct division between the tap and the phone. The other method is to place an induction coil behind or inside the receiver. Induction coil taps are classified under direct taps and these do not share voltage unlike physically intercepted line taps. Induction taps get exposed when they run out of battery.

• Radio Taps: While you check for phone taps, you can accidentally discover a radio tap fitted onto your phone. These bugs are not generally used by the states. They can be fitted on the phone or on the line outside the home. They operate within the 30-300GHz range and get energized by the line being tapped. A good make has a capability of transmitting up to 10 KMs but ordinarily, they work within 1-3 KMs only. The below ordinary radio tap gets exposed due to abnormal sounding disturbances they cause.

• Recording the Conversation: US Federal Laws and many state laws don’t prohibit telephone conversation recording as illegal. Many parties record their conversation for training their staff or proving what has been said by the other party. Where prohibited, like in California, all parties must consent to recording the conversation. Devices used are ‘coil taps’ and ‘in-line-tap with a recording output’. Of late, recordings are done by computers connected to telephones.

Some Devices used to Detect Phone Tap

Most manufacturers claim listening and recording clarity to their tapping devices. But the truth is subjective. A transmitter which can be concealed within the phone socket can’t be detected, including the operation. It has FM modulated circuit with a frequency of 433 MHz. No antenna, no battery required and is priced $350. It can transmit up to a distance of 1500 ft. Model: OR-COM 150.

Another wiretapping device fits into wall socket and connects by clips. Use an FM radio to listen to conversation. Manufacturer claims ‘no distance limit’ and sells for $1,580. Model: AU 488 Tele-Bug. Used for any surveillance including cell phone tap.

Finding whether your phone is tapped is not hard if check for phone taps at least occasionally.

Latest Nursing Gadgets for Breastfeeding Moms?

Take a look at some of the latest nursing gadgets for breastfeeding mothers. Now that breastfeeding is becoming more and more common for moms both at home and at work, these gadgets can help a mother nurse and pump her way to a well-fed baby.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer
Perhaps the most practical of the latest nursing gadgets out there are the ones that help new (sleep-deprived) parents keep track of their baby's schedule. When you're running on four hours of broken sleep, especially after an exhausting labor, it can be easy to forget just how long it's been since your baby's last feeding or which side you nursed on. When your baby is crying, how should you know whether it's time for another feeding? The creators of Itzbeen thought the same thing, which is why they invented a Baby Care Timer. This digital gadget keeps track of not just how long it's been since your baby's last feeding, but also which side the feeding was on, when you last changed your baby's diaper, when your baby last napped, and when you last gave your baby medicine (if applicable). No more crunching numbers with your exhausted baby brain, right?
At about $21.45 on Amazon, you may want to think about using a notebook and a pen instead.

Nurse-N-Glow Pillow
Exhausted new mothers often prefer to nurse in bed, and the Nurse-N-Glow pillow by Bela Baby allows them to do that more conveniently than ever before. This pillow gives off a soft, LED glow so that the mother can see what she is doing in the middle of the night, and it also claims to support the baby's spinal alignment during nighttime nursing sessions. It also provides a barrier between the baby and anyone else in the bed, promoting safer co-sleeping.

Pumping Bra
For breastfeeding mothers who are on the go, pumping may seem to take ages. Wouldn't it be nice to have your hands free during pumping sessions in order to type on the computer or text on your phone? Enter the Hands Free Breast Pump Bustier from Simple Wishes, a bra specially designed to hold your breast pump flanges in place while your hands are busy elsewhere. One of the latest nursing gadgets and one that can make a nursing mother's life so much easier! The price is only about $28 on Amazon.com, and two wide-ranging sizes are available.

The Breastfeeding Doll
Children seem to imitate everything you do. Does your older child watch you breastfeed and wish she could do the same? If so, consider a present like the Bebe Gloton Breastfeeding Doll, made by Berjuan. This Spanish company has produced a doll who "nurses" when her mouth is placed on a special vest. The baby also cries when it "wants" to be fed. This doll is a unique way to promote breastfeeding and to help your child become comfortable with the breastfeeding process.

Exercise Your Brain To Increase Brain Power

We all know that exercise is good for the body. But recent studies have found that mental exercise improves memory, concentration, and abstract reasoning among people. And great memory can help you succeed in school, in your job, and in life. It can help you learn faster, and fast learners are always in demand.

Your brain is the command center for your entire body. It tells every cell in your body what is should be doing. But with the increase in age, your brain starts to wear out leading to forgetfulness and reduced reactions. But just like you would keep your body in shape with the help of exercise, you could ward off the dulling of mental abilities and strengthen connections with the help of mental exercise.

Memory, like muscular strength, is a use it or lose it proposition. The more you work out your brain, the better you'll be able to process and remember information. No matter your age, it's neither too early nor too late to begin a brain fitness regimen that regularly exercises your brain. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Solve puzzles: Buy yourself a book of word puzzles or solve puzzles online. Sudoko and crosswords in your local paper are a good place to start. Solving puzzles makes a great exercise for your brain. Trivia games can boost memory; jigsaw puzzles can help visual and spatial skills. These games will enhance memory, attention, concentration, and more.

2. Learn a new language: Learning a new language requires that you analyze new words and sounds, which not only improves auditory and processing skills, but also memory. You can buy some foreign language CDs or videos to get started.

3. Juggle: Juggling can help boost your reaction times, hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity.

4. Read a lot: Reading is a great stimulus for your brain. Read often a lot of different types of books like newspaper, magazines, novels, articles, ebooks etc and dedicate specific time to it.

5. Relate: Relate information to what you already know. Connect new data to information you already remember. For eg: 2 people living in the same area, or phone numbers and birthdates etc.

6. Break habits: Neural pathways in the brain work much like a road. The more it is used, the easier it becomes. When habits are formed, the pathways in the brain are very well traveled and it doesn't take much effort to do the activity which results in lethargy. So break habits regularly. Do a routine activity in an unexpected way. For example: brush, eat and drink with your opposite hand. Using your non-dominant hand strengthens the pathways and connections in the opposite side of your brain.

7. Brainstorm: If properly carried out, brainstorming can help you not only come up with sacks full of new ideas; it can help you exercise your mind as well.

8. Socialize: Stimulating conversations and discussions with new people can be a great exercise to get a good memory exercise. A Swedish study found that having a strong social support network lowered the risk of developing dementia by as much as 60 percent.

9. Test your memory: Recall a list of grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind. Remembering large quantity of information and recalling it regularly keeps the mind active.

10. Get physical exercise: Physical activity is just as important to the brain as it is the muscles. Exercise increases the blood and oxygen flow to the brain, so the brain becomes young and active enough. According to a research done by Australian scientists, an extra 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day could significantly improve mental functioning in people over 50.

11. Engage your senses: Because your senses play a major role in helping your brain interpret your surroundings and store vivid memories, it's a good idea to indulge in sensual experiences. Try activities that involve as many of your senses as possible, such as gardening, driving etc.

So, these simple exercises may make you a little bit more intelligent and will certainly have good effects on your brain. If you want to better your brain's performance, you have to stimulate your whole brain. And it's never too late to start.

American golf sensation Natalie Gulbis- 6 Images

Professional golfer Natalie Gulbis born on January 7, 1983 in Sacramento, California. Her birth name is Natalie Anne Gulbis.

Natalie Gulbis played in her first LPGA event as an amateur at the age of 14 and turned professional at age 18 after playing for one season on the women’s golf team at the University of Arizona.

She is the stepsister of young American golf sensation Mason Monsevais, who is recognized for single-handedly defeating golf ace Tiger Woods in an exhibition golf match.

Cosmetic Dentistry – What Procedures Does It Include?

Cosmetic dentistry calls upon art as well as science to optimize the appearance and good health of teeth.

A number of different procedures relating to dental aesthetics as well as health are covered by the generalized term cosmetic dentistry:

• Contouring or Reshaping: For those that have crooked teeth, or teeth that overlap, damaged teeth (cracked or chipped teeth), or for those that are plain bucktoothed, cosmetic dentistry has many solutions, some of which may be completed in a single procedure and some, which may possibly obviate the need for painful and unappealing braces. Not only the shape and length, but also the positioning and arrangement of the teeth can be artfully altered for better appearance and more effective dental health and chewing.

• Whitening: If there is one thing that promotes a dazzling smile and gives the impression of radiant good health, it would be shiny white teeth and to this end, there is a lot that cosmetic dentistry can offer. Smoking or endless cups of coffee tend to stain and darken teeth; it could be that one’s teeth have yellowed over the years; for whatever reason, there are several cosmetic dental procedures such as bleaching of teeth that offer teeth whitening.

• Bonding: In certain cosmetic dentistry procedures, enamel like, composite material is used on the surface of the tooth to improve the appearance of the teeth by sculpting into the given shape and then polishing the surface. Sometimes enamel is removed from the surface of the tooth to improve the aesthetic appeal of the teeth.

• Dental Bridges: Missing teeth could mean several problems, chewing and biting is sometimes a problem, even speech can be affected by missing teeth, gum disease could also result and sometimes it may just been issues of confidence and self esteem that are caused by missing teeth. As against dentures or partial dentures, dental bridges are fixed to the teeth on one or both sides of the missing tooth or teeth. Dental bridges do require a lot of oral hygiene but may last up to 10 years.

• Teeth Veneers: Sometimes bleaching processes do not work or for other reasons the appearance of the teeth is marred to the extent that a dental veneer is required which procedure is facilitated by cosmetic dentistry. Gap toothed people of those with discolored teeth can have the benefit of dental veneers which is a sort of custom made laminate that is applied to the teeth.

• Gum lift: Receded gums are not only unsightly; they are highly detrimental to oral health. Rising and sculpting the gum line is another procedure available under cosmetic dentistry. This improves the appearance and symmetry of the teeth.

No longer does one have to make do with the traditional gold tooth, cosmetic dentistry is now advanced enough that porcelain and similar materials offer a natural appearance to cosmetic dental work.

Hello Kitty House in Shanghai- 6 Images

Check out this lovely Hello Kitty House (Villa) in Shanghai. Designed in – what else but pink, this cute looking mansion has Hello Kitty themed interiors and a charming exterior. The famous kitty bow in pink and white is spread all across the walls, the clock, the furniture and (even) the bed etc....