World first 'moving building' set for Dubai.

Italian architect Dr. David Fisher announced on Tuesday the launch of a revolutionary skyscraper in Dubai dubbed as the "world's first building in motion," an 80-story tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape.

The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile cement core, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the Persian Gulf and the Dubai's futuristic skyline.

At a news conference in New York, Rotating Tower Dubai Development Ltd headed by the Dynamic Group, revealed the design and floor plans of the rotating building.

The one planned for Dubai will rise 1,380 feet into the air. Sales of individual apartments will begin in September, with asking prices of around $3,000 per square foot. The smallest, at 1,330 square feet, would cost about $4 million and the largest, a 12,900-square-foot villa, $38.7 million.

Fisher also said a second Dynamic Tower planned for Moscow is now in the advanced design phase, with preassembling of the units to start soon and completion scheduled for 2010. The Moscow tower, which will have 70 floors and be 1,310 feet tall, will be located in the Moscow City area, the new prestigious part of the Russian capital.

"Our intention is to build the third rotating skyscraper in New York," Dr. Fisher said. "Additional Dynamic Towers will be built around the world, following an expression of interest from developers, governments, and public officials to construct a Dynamic Tower in Canada, Germany, Italy, Korea and Switzerland."

So all this begs the question: Is it real or science fiction?

A few penthouse villas would spin on command using a voice-activated computer. The motion of the rest of the building would be choreographed in patterns that could be altered over time.

Fisher declared that his tower will revolutionize the way skyscrapers are made -- a claim that might strike some as excessively bold.

Fisher acknowledges that he is not well known, has never built a skyscraper before and hasn't practiced architecture regularly in decades. But he insisted his lack of experience wouldn't stop him from completing the project, which has attracted top design talent, including Leslie E. Robertson, the structural engineer for the World Trade Center and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

"I did not design skyscrapers, but I feel ready to do so," Fisher said.

Twisting floors are just one of several futuristic features in the building; the first of several Fisher hopes to build with a similar design.

Giant wind turbines installed between every floor, he said, will generate enough electricity to power the entire building, and lifts will allow penthouse residents to park their cars right in their apartments.

The Moscow version of the tower would also have a retractable helicopter pad. Both structures, at over 1,300 feet, would be taller than the Empire State Building.

Even the method of construction would be unorthodox.

Fisher said each floor will be prefabricated in an Italian factory, and then shipped to the site to be attached to the core. Assembling a building in this fashion, he said, will require only 80 technicians and take only 20 months, saving tens of millions of dollars, for a total cost of $700 million to build.

On its face, the project seems to pose a number of complicated engineering puzzles.

How would the plumbing hookups work in an apartment that is constantly moving? Fisher said the pipes will connect to the core via attachments similar to the ones used by military aircraft for in-flight refueling.

Wouldn't people get dizzy? No, says Fisher. The rotations will be slow enough that no one will notice.

With so many moving parts, wouldn't the building be a maintenance nightmare? Fisher said the building's modular construction will allow easy access to parts that need to be replaced.

Robertson, who attended Tuesday's news conference, said that the skyscraper might be unusual, but is "absolutely" buildable.

"You can build anything," he said, smiling.

Fisher declined to say exactly where in Dubai the tower will be built or when site work might begin. He insisted, however, that factory production is set to start within weeks and that the tower, which will contain office space, a luxury hotel and apartments, will be complete by 2010


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Financier gives half A billion to charity!

A reclusive hedge fund manager has given almost half a billion pounds to a charity run by his wife, in the largest single philanthropic gesture ever made by a Briton.

Chris Hohn, who lives in north London, donated £466m to the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the charitable arm of the London-based hedge fund TCI, which he founded.

Hohn, who has been dubbed the "ruthless philanthropist", is believed to be the sixth highest-earning hedge fund manager in the world. His fund has built a reputation for aggressive shareholder activism, and is worth more than £5bn. When he set up TCI in 2003, Hohn pledged to donate a percentage of its earnings to its charitable side, which is managed by his wife, Jamie Cooper-Hohn.

The foundation has given money to the Clinton foundation for the treatment of HIV and Aids, to a scheme to help orphans in Malawi and to emergency aid projects in Darfur. Cooper-Hohn has said she runs the charity using the business model of her husband's fund. She once said: "I was very eager that if we did this we would do it very much in the way Chris invests, making long-term, well-researched investments, bringing business rigour and a private-sector approach into development."

The Hohns are believed to have given almost £800m in only four years, making them Britain's most generous philanthropists. Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish billionaire, reportedly promised to give £1bn to charity, spread over his lifetime.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Cooper-Hohn said: "One of the things that attracted Chris and I was the shared sense of something that is larger than ourselves and the thrill that we can have a positive impact."

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'Cat with no face' becomes a blogging success

A cat who became disfigured after losing her face in a road accident is working to help humans come to terms with their own disabilities.

Chase, who is now three, was left without a nose, eyelids and skin on her cheeks after being hit by a car as a kitten.

Plastic surgeons were unable to rebuild her features and were pessimistic about finding her new owner, until one of the vet technicians who had helped treat her offered to take her home.

Chase, who requires daily drops to keep her eyes moist, now works at a “therapy cat” touring schools and hospitals, helping boost the confidence of people with disfigurements.

She has also become something of an internet celebrity, thanks to a blog set up by her owner Melissa Smith.

The site, written from Chase’s perspective, features daily updates on her adventures, health and charity work, as well as dozens of photos.

Despite her appearance and disabilities – she also had a leg amputated after the accident – she is pictured playing with other cats and dogs and fooling around with her owner.

“I'm a happy kitty and hope to help other humans (especially those disfigured) thru my work as a therapy cat feel just as great about themselves and realize that not everyone looks perfect and that is OK,” Chase writes on her blog.

She also makes light of her appearance, writing that her chief talent is that she has “never lost a staring contest”.

Reassuring readers about her condition, she writes: “I have great vision and love to catch flies and crickets.

“My face looks pink but it is just tissue and the fur will never grow back. I am not in any pain!”

The blog has already attracted more than 10,000 visitors and hundreds of well-wishing comments from cat lovers.

Chase was saved by the Chevy Chase Animal Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky, and now works with the Paws for Friendship charity.

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Read Chase's blog!

Accident-free town!

f you find yourself crossing the road in the German town of Bohmte, look both ways – and then perhaps check again.

It has scrapped all its traffic lights and road signs in a radical experiment designed to make the streets safer. Yesterday, the local council said the scheme was a complete success.

In the four weeks since the signs were ripped up, there has not been a single accident.

Officials wanted to test the theory that the 13,000 drivers who use the town every day would take extra care and show each other greater consideration if they were not told what to do.

They secured a £1.8million grant from the European Union to set up the scheme in the town near Hanover.

Four weeks ago, Bohmte banned traffic lights and warning signs, including those instructing drivers to give way or stop.

Only two rules remain – drivers cannot go above 30 mph, the German speed limit for city driving, and everyone has to yield to the right, regardless of whether it is a car, a bike or a mother with a pushchair.

Officials revealed there have been no shunts, bumps or pedestrian injuries in the month since the scheme started.

Previously, there was at least one serious crash every week and scores of lesser 'fender-benders'.

The scheme, based on the idea of 'shared space' from Dutch traffic expert Hans Monderman, will now continue indefinitely. The mayor, Klaus Goedejohann, said: 'Politeness pays – we have proved that.'

Peter Hilbricht, a police officer in charge of traffic planning, added that the main intersection generated about 50 accidents a year before the changes.

'The number plummeted,' he said. 'It has been a sea-change in German attitudes as much as anything else.'

The EU has subsidised similar programmes in seven cities across Europe. Exhibition Road in London has been due to become a 'shared space' for the last three years.

However, funding is an issue and the scheme is not expected to start until next year. One unexpected bonus of the trial in Bohmte is that the town is saving £5,000 a month replacing and repairing signs damaged through normal wear and tear or by vandals.

The puppy with wheels for front legs.

This tiny puppy may have been born without front legs but there's no way that is holding her back.

Hope, the appropriately named two-legged Maltese puppy gets around by using a specially-designed device which features wheels from a model aeroplane.

The energetic pup uses her hind legs to boost her body forward onto her chest and operate the wheeled prosthetic limbs.

The beloved pooch was born with only two legs and has small wriggling nubs where her front legs should be.

At first Hope moved around by hopping but experts said her her natural mode of moving eventually would damage her bones and spine.

The wheeled device was created by orthotist David Turnbill free of charge with makeshift shoulder joints connected to model airplane wheels.

Each of the device's 'arms' can move up or down independently of the other, allowing Hope to pivot and turn.

The spring-loaded prosthetic arms hook to a custom-fitted chest plate to allow Hope to lay down or sit up without removing the prosthetic.

The wheels she uses as front legs took some getting used to and at first the tiny lap dog would tip over to one side.

However practice made perfect and now the persistent puppy has mastered the art of wheeling herself around, there is no stopping her.

In fact she can bound across a room at a surprisingly break-neck pace.

'She gets around fine,' said the puppy's rehabilitation specialist Cassy Englert.

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The girl of three saved by the power of her twin sister's love

Doctors treating three-year-old Lily Slater for a cancerous brain tumour knew there was one prescription above all that would help her pull through.

A generous dose of her twin sister Willow.

At the experts' suggestion, Willow spent every available moment at Lily's side, bringing in picnics and sleeping next to her on a camp bed.

This turned an ordeal into an adventure for Lily, and her cancer is now in remission.

'Willow was the best medicine that Lily could ever have asked for,' said their mother Shirley Lydon, 38.

'She has gained such strength and support from Willow being with her all the time.'

Miss Lydon, from Boldon Colliery, near Sunderland, became worried about Lily when she started being sick in the mornings and began to lose her balance.

At South Tyneside General Hospital she had an MRI scan which revealed a tumour at the base of her brain. Doctors said they would operate to discover if it was cancerous.

'We just couldn't believe it, said Miss Lydon, whose partner Glyn Slater, 31, works at a car factory. Lily was only three years old and the thought of losing her was just terrible.

'We had to sign a consent form for the operation, which warned that she may be left with brain damage. But we didn't have any choice – the tumour had to be removed.'

Lily underwent an eight-hour oper-ation the following day to remove the two-inch tumour, and then doctors broke the devastating news that it was cancerous.

Miss Lydon said: 'It was terrible to think that Lily had cancer. But the doctors were optimistic that they had managed to remove all the tumour.

'Lily had to start chemotherapy and radiotherapy straight away, to mop up any remaining cancer cells.

'But when the couple told the doctors that Lily had a twin sister, they changed her treatment plan – to include sisterly support.

'They told us to bring her in to the hospital to be with Lily all the time, as they told us that it was the best sister medicine that she could ask for,' added Miss Lydon.

'Lily and Willow are so close – before Lily's brain tumour they had only spent one night apart from each other.

'Lily had been so upset when she went in to hospital. When she was on her own she was very scared and couldn't stop crying. But as soon as Willow arrived, that all changed. She was back to her bubbly happy self. It was amazing to see.'

After chemotherapy caused Lily's hair to fall out in clumps, Willow provided the answer.

'She said that she wanted new hair like Lily, and that made Lily enthusiastic too about losing her hair. I cut both the girls hair into a short style, and they loved it.

'Lily went into hospital once a week for her chemotherapy, and Willow would take picnics in to eat with her, and she would stay the night with Lily on a camp bed in her room.

'Lily was so excited that Willow was in the same room as her – she thought it was like a sleepover party.'

The family were helped by the Rainbow Trust children's charity, which provides support for families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

For more information visit www.rainbowtrust.org.uk

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