Miracle Baby: Two Week Old Syrian Child Rescued from a Collapsed Building

They are called the White Helmets and they help – it is really as simple as that. Regardless of religion, regardless of politics, when bombs hit, the White Helmets, aka the Syrian Civil Defence rushes in to offer any assistance they can.

In the video above you can watch Khaled Farah, a particularly brave young man, help in the rescue of a two week old baby trapped beneath a building which had collapsed after a barrel bomb attack.  As much as the survival of the baby was a miracle, it was an astonishing feat by the under-resourced rescuers that the continuation of life became a possibility.

However, Farah and his colleagues are in desperate need of equipment in a country where public services have fallen apart.  Donor governments have millions in existing funds and some of it is not being spent.  It seems that the right projects have not been found!  If any group needs assistance right now with protective gear, medical bags and digging tools, it is the White Helmets of Syria.

You can help out without spending a penny of your own money. The Syria Campaign has launched a petition.  Its aim is to get the attention of donor governments, to show them that the White Helmets need our help here and now.  Please follow this link to sign the petition and support the White Helmets of Syria (there is also an opportunity to learn more on the site if you would like).  It took me less than a minute to do it - but I think it might be the best spent minute of my day.

Lightsaber Over London

Image Credit Flickr User Eddie Lawrence

The lightsaber, perhaps the most efficient weapon ever created for the Jedi Order. This fine example shows in detail the fine craftsmanship that goes in to the peacekeeping saber. Or does it? In fact, this is London’s BT Tower which yesterday fired a high-powered Jedi lightsaber into the night sky. Let’s just hope that the Death Star didn’t pick it up on its radar system!

Image Credit Flickr User Eddie Lawrance

Image Credit Flickr User Eddie Lawrance

Designed to mimic the energy sword used to lethal effect by young Jedi Luke Sywalker, this extravaganza marked the launch of the release of all six Star Wars movies on Blu Ray for the first time. Sixty 4,500W lights were used to produce the laser beam effect, each more than a meter in height. The effect was, well, out of this world.

Image Credit Flickr User Eddie Lawrance

Image Credit Flickr User VerONIK@

As a footnote, we should mention that Lucasfilm didn’t actually get here first. In its first incarnation as the Post Office Tower, this much loved London edifice was used as the home of WOTAN a super intelligent computer featured in the 1966 Doctor Who story The War Machines (left).

It has also been featured in V for Vendetta, The Day of the Triffids, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets among many, many others.

It has never, though, to our knowledge, been made in to a lightsaber before!