New Canada immigration program: Which professions are most in demand

On May 4th, 2013 the Federal Skilled Worker Program will be re-opened for applications. This programme has been closed for application for a year, and some occupation caps are known to be filled within days, due to the popularity of the programme.

In April, important announcements are expected to be made. These announcements include the cap on the number of applications to be accepted this year, a list of priority occupations, and information on designated educational assessment organizations, revealed the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

The priority occupations list determines whether there is demand for a profession in Canada. The FSWP only accepts applications for the professions on the occupation list. The cap on each occupation indicates how many applications will be accepted.

On the CIC website, some clues are given as to which professions might be on the occupation list in 2013. “No details on how the list will compare to previous years have yet to be released. However, an analysis of Canada’s labour market can provide some clues as to the workers the country needs most. At present, skilled labour shortages are particularly steep in the fields of healthcare and natural resources management,” it says.

In the article ‘Where the jobs are’ in Canada the CIC refers to a report recently published by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). This report points out 25 professions that are most in need of qualified employees. According to the CIC these professions can be summarized as falling “in the fields of healthcare, mining, and manufacturing or business services.”

“The new occupation list is the most critical aspect of every application case,” says Jalil Parker, Manager of Vision Consultancy Services, an immigration consultant  “If your profession is not on the list, you will not be able to apply.”

The requirements to be eligible for the programme have been adjusted over the past year, and are currently known to be the following:

- Have at least 1 year of full-time paid work experience in the last 10 years;

- Demonstrate at least adequate-intermediate language proficiency in English or French;

- Obtain at least 67 points on the reworked point grid, which is based on factors such as language proficiency, age, work experience, education, adaptability; and

- Have foreign credentials assessed, authenticated, and given an equivalent value in Canada.

On the CIC website, Attorney David Cohen is quoted as saying: “Applicants are now in a position where they must balance the risk of preparing an application for naught with the reward of submitting before caps close.

“Caps are likely to be tight, and excitement for the program has been building over the last year, so interest is high. Individuals who feel they have skills that are valued in Canada may wish to get a head start on their applications today.”

Although most documentation can be prepared in anticipation of your profession being on the list, the assessment of foreign credentials requires another list: that of the designated educational assessment organisations.

As part of recent changes to the FSWP, the Canadian government has made it mandatory applicants have their education abroad assessed against Canadian education standards by designated organisations.

The list of accredited organisations is one of the announcements expected to be made in April, and should therefore not be missed. Most universities are expected to be on the designated educational assessment organisations list.

Most Probables Skilled worker Requred for 2013 in Canada

Public discussion has been growing over a report recently published by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). The report indicates a growing divide between the number of high-vacancy job fields in Canada and the skills of the Canadian workforce. To combat labour shortages, Canadian employers and government officials are increasingly looking beyond their own borders to find the employees they need. In addition, the government is taking ambitious efforts to secure skilled foreign workers, on temporary or permanent bases, to close employment gaps across the country.

In its report, CIBC targeted 25 professions that are most in need of qualified employees. They are as follows:

§  Managers in Engineering, Architecture, Science and Info Systems

§  Managers in Health, Education, Social and Community Services

§  Managers in Construction and Transportation

§  Auditors, Accountants and Investment Professionals

§  Human Resources and Business Service Professionals

§  Professional Occupations in Natural and Applied Science

§  Physical Science Professionals

§  Life Science Professionals

§  Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers

§  Other Engineers

§  Professional Occupations in Health

§  Physicians, Dentists and Veterinarians

§  Optometrists, Chiropractors and Other Health Diagnosing and Treating Professionals

§  Pharmacists, Dietitians and Nutritionists

§  Therapy and Assessment Professionals

§  Nurse Supervisors and Registered Nurses

§  Technical and Related Occupations in Health

§  Medical Technologists and Technicians (Except Dental Health)

§  Technical Occupations in Dental Health Care

§  Other Technical Occupations in Health Care (Except Dental)

§  Psychologists, Social Workers, Counsellors, Clergy and Probation Officers

§  Supervisors, Mining, Oil and Gas

§  Underground Miners, Oil and Gas Drillers and Related Workers

§  Supervisors in Manufacturing

§  Supervisors, Processing Occupations

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Finding Earth-like planet 'a near certainty,' claims scientist

If you have wondered whether there is another planet similar to Earth out there in space, the answer is absolutely yes.According to Sara Seager, a professor of physics and planetary science at MIT, there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy and upward of 100 billion galaxies in our universe. 

“So the existence of a planet similar to Earth somewhere, is, in my mind a certainty,” she told CNN Light Years.

“Less certain is if such a planet is near enough to us that we can find and identify it sometime in the future,” she said. 

Earth seen from Space

When as how soon can we find another Earth, she said it depends on how we identify Earth. 

If we want a true Earth twin, that is a planet with a thin nitrogen atmosphere, a planet with oceans and continents and orbiting a sun-like star, it will be well over a decade before we have the sophisticated space telescope tools to find and identify one, she said.

“Our best bet is to expand our definition of Earth to big Earth's orbiting small stars. We can use the future James Webb Space Telescope to search for signs (of) habitability and signs of life in the planet atmosphere.

“If we would be satisfied to just find an Earth-size or Earth-mass planet, that has already been done.

“But I caution that Venus and Earth appear the same size and mass, yet Venus is inhospitable to life due to a massive greenhouse atmosphere that creates surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead, while Earth has a surface oasis in comparison,” she added.

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An Asteroid may hit earth is 2068 A.D. Claimed NASA

The 325-metre asteroid99942 Apophis, that will safely fly by the Earth in 2029 and 2036,may strike the planet in 2068, says an article published on the NASA website.
The chances of it striking Earth are slim, however, with impact odds being about 2.3 in a million. The asteroid has been the focus of considerable attention after it was discovered in December 2004 to have a significant probability of Earth impact in April 2029.

While the 2029 potential impact was ruled out through the measurement of archival telescope images, the possibility of a potential impact in the years after 2029 continues to prove difficult to rule out. Based on optical and radar position measurements made in 2004-2012, the asteroid will pass the Earth in 2029 at an altitude of 31900, give or take 750 km.The altitude is close enough for the Earth's gravity to deflect
Such impact trajectories require Apophis to pass the Earth at a precise altitude, known as a keyhole, in 2029 en route to a subsequent impact.

"The new report, which does not make use of the 2013 radar measurements, identifies over a dozen keyholes that fall within the range of possible 2029 encounter distances," said the article prepared by a group of scientists led by Davide Farnocchia.

The uncertainty in predicting the asteroid's position in 2029 is completely dominated by the so-called Yarkovsky effect, a subtle non-gravitational perturbation due to thermal re-radiation of solar energy absorbed by the asteroid.

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'Ring of fire' eclipse visible in US this Sunday!! Don't forget to have Life time Experience!!

On Sunday, millions of people around the world will be watching to an amazing sight: an annular solar eclipse in which the moon will cover as much as 94 percent of the sun, leaving a glowing ring of fire. In the US, the eclipse will begin around 5:30 pm PDT and last around two hours. The greatest coverage will be at around 6:30 pm PDT. The last such eclipse to be seen in the UStook place in 1994, and the next will be in 2023 so you can say it a Life Time Experience.

Because some of the sun is always exposed during the eclipse, the amount of daylight falls dramatically - but looking at the ground beneath leafy trees will reveal crescent-shaped sunbeams and rings of light.

Ring of Fire seen due toTotal Solar Eclipse

The 'path of annularity' where the ring of fire can be seen is only about 200 miles wide, covers a swathe of the southern US - southwest Oregon, Northern California, central Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. The effect should last for around four and a half minutes.

Outside this band, other areas will see a partial eclipse.

"The ring of sunlight during annularity is blindingly bright," cautions NASA's leading eclipse expert Fred Espenak of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

"Even though most of the sun's disk will be covered, you still need to use a solar filter or some type of projection technique. A #14 welder's glass is a good choice. There are also many commercially-available solar filters."

#14 Welder's Glass Best for viewing Solar Eclipse

If you buy one, you'll get another chance to use it two weeks later when Venus makes a transit of the sun. Anyway If you are in Souther US don’t forget to watch the worth Sight of the Solar Eclipse.

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New Case of flesh-eating bacteria occurred in USA

After a case where student of psychology at the University of West Georgia was found infected by  the flesh eating bacteria known as Aeromonas hydrophila, A new case was seen in the USA and this time its New Mother.

   Lana Kuykendall is a paramedic, so when a rapidly spreading red and black bruise appeared on the back of her leg after giving birth to twins, she knew something was wrong.

She and husband, Darren, raced to the hospital and within 90 minutes, the new mother was having surgery for necrotizing fasciitis, a rare but potentially deadly infection also called the flesh-eating bacteria.

“She’s still critical,” Darren Kuykendall told GreenvilleOnline.com. “It’s been a nightmare.”

After a normal pregnancy, the Piedmont couple welcomed their twins, Abigail and Ian, on May 7 at an Atlanta hospital, he said. Except for Lana needing blood, the delivery went normally and the babies were fine, he said.

  Lana Kuykendall with Her Husband

But he said by the next day Lana, who had begun having leg cramps the night before, was weak. She couldn’t stand or walk. When tests revealed nothing wrong, they returned home Thursday.

By Friday morning, however, Lana, 36, discovered the strange lesion on the back of her left leg.

“That scared her. She thought it was a blood clot. So we rushed immediately to Greenville Memorial Hospital,” Darren Kuykendall said.

“And the longer she sat there, the bigger that spot got. It was initially the size of a 3-by-5 index card. But it got bigger and bigger. It moved a quarter of an inch in half an hour. Then the high-risk OB physician had a suspicion of what it was.”

Limbs Infeccted after Flesh eating bacteria attack it

Necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial infection that often occurs in an arm or leg after a minor trauma or surgery, according to the National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation. Group A Strep is most often responsible in minor traumas, the group reports.

People have developed the condition through a host of experiences, including a C-section or natural childbirth, abdominal surgery or a scratch, a broken leg or a cut, according to the group.

A recent highly publicized case involves Aimee Copeland, a 24-year-old Georgia graduate student who got the infection after suffering a cut in a zip line accident, according to The Associated Press. Doctors had to amputate her left leg and may still have to remove her fingers, her father said.

The disease occurs when bacteria enter the body and emit toxins that destroy the soft tissue, which becomes infected and must be removed, according to the NF foundation. Along with surgery, treatment includes antibiotics and other medications.

If it spreads, it can cause systemic shock and death within days.

In Lana Kuykendall’s first surgery, doctors removed the dead skin and tissue, her husband said. A little more tissue was removed during a second and third surgery, but no more infected tissue was found in the last operation Monday, he said.

Group A strep caused the infection, which also spread to her blood, and she is being treated with antibiotics, he said. She was still on a ventilator in the intensive care unit on Tuesday and sedated.

Kuykendall, 42, has no idea how the infection occurred.

“They are saying things are leaning her way. Her vitals are good and her lab results are looking good,” he said. “But this could go either way at any given time.”

Married for four years, the couple met at the scene of an accident — he’s a firefighter and she’s a paramedic with Greenville Hospital System. The twins are healthy and being cared for by family and friends, he said.

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College Girl Battles With Flesh Eating Bacteria!!!

A student of psychology at the University of West Georgia met with an accident when homemade zip line snapped and led her left calf open. Aimee Copeland, 24, received 22 stitches, but weeks after it was found that she has contracted the flesh eating bacteria known as Aeromonas hydrophila.

Aimee Copeland

She has lost her left leg and a part of abdomen and it is suspected that she will lose her hand fingers as well. Aimee's Father Andy Copeland said that Aimee is having remarkable recovery and instead of looking at the dark side of the story, they have been focusing on the brighter side.

Andy further affirmed that it feels great when they get to listen from doctors that Aimee is recovering well. Even doctors are shocked to see the determination of Aimee and they have affirmed that this determination is helping her to recover so well.

Aeromonas hydrophila  Image Taken from Electron Microscope

Dr. Buddy Creech, who is an Assistant Professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, said that the bacterium starts destroying the tissues that surround as it looks for nutrition. Destroying process leads to inflammation and swelling and once it comes, then it gets very difficult to control the infection.

"When it gets into those deeper tissues, it has a remarkable ability to destroy the tissues that surround it in sort of this hunt for nutrition", said Creech.

Affect seen After Bacteria slowly eat Muscles Tissue

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Facebook raises IPO price range to USD 34 to USD 38 per share

Social networking giant Facebook has raised the price range for its Initial Public Offering to 34-38 dollars per share, according to a report. The firm had earlier set the price range at 28 to 35 dollars a share.
The Wall Street Journal quoted a source familiar with the matter, as saying that the spike in price was due to overwhelming demand by investors on the road show.

Facebook Logo

 According to the source, the California-based firm's initial price range put Facebook's valuation at 77 billion to 96 billion dollars, but that rises to 93 billion to 104 billion dollars under the new price range.
 Facebook will pick a final price within the new range and file its final IPO documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday evening, before its first day of trading Friday. 

 

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Titanic II to be built and start its service in 2016!!

Have you heard about the terrible accident that occurs 100 years ago when luxurious ship of that time Titanic hit the iceberg and lots of VIPs lost their lives? The second edition of the ship will be recreated. According to news, An Australian mining magnate today unveiled plans to build Titanic II, which may make its maiden voyage from England to New York in 2016; a century after the luxury ship sank on its first trans-Atlantic voyage.

Clive Palmer 

Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer said that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the replica of Titanic, heralded as the world's largest, most luxurious and safest ocean liner before it set sail in April 1912.

"It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems," he told the media.

More than 1,500 people died when the Titanic hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912.

New design of Titanic

Palmer said the new ship was a tribute to those workers who built the original luxury liner.

"These people produced work that is still marvelled at more than 100 years later and we want that spirit to go on for another 100 years. It is going to be designed so it won't sink. It will be designed as a modern ship with all the technology to ensure that doesn't happen," Palmer added.

Old Titanic

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Doctors remove four extra limbs from baby who was born with

A baby boy born with six legs has had a successful operation to remove his four extra limbs, doctors said today.

The youngster from Karachi in Pakistanwas believed to have had a parasitic twin, which had not developed properly in the womb, resulting in the extra legs.

A team of five doctors had fought to save the boy's life at the National Institute of Child Health in Karachi.

Baby Boy after Surgery

The head of the NICH, Jamal Raza, said the abnormal birth was the result of a genetic disease which would affect only one in a million or more babies.

'It was strange that apparently an abnormal baby with six legs was as normal as other children,' he said.

Before surgeons could operate they said they had to work out which of the limbs belonged to the boy and which to his twin.

Baby Before surgery 

Doctors examined MRI, blood tests and CT scan reports before deciding to perform the surgery. The operation lasted eight-hours and was performed in stages.

The baby had been in an intensive care unit ward since he was born last week to the wife of an X-ray technician.

Imran Shaikh, the baby's father who lives in Sukkur, said he was grateful his son was treated.

'We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government and doctors for helping us successful operating my baby,' he said.

Shaikh and his wife live in Sukkur, around 280 miles north of where his son is being cared for. His wife is reported to be recovering well from the birth and in a good state of health. 

His wife - who is also his cousin - has been unable to travel because she had a caesarean section delivery.

He said they were planning on naming their son Umar Farooq.

The Sindh provincial health department said they were examining if he needed any further treatment to live a normal life.

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Robotic prostitutes will change the sex industry

Two Kiwi researchers have envisioned what the sex industry would be like in the year 2050, when the prostitutes would be replaced by robots. Ian Yeoman and Michelle Mars of the Victoria ManagementSchool in Wellington, New Zealandbelieve that this science-fiction-style vision could become reality within 40 years. 

They focussed on Amsterdam’s Red Light District and envisaged how the most popular brothel in the city will work.They call this imaginary brothel the Yub-Yum, and describe it as ‘modern and gleaming with about 100 scantily clad blondes and brunettes parading around in exotic G-strings and lingerie’, the Daily Mail reported.

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Hen in Sri Lanka gives birth to chick without egg

The Mystery now has been solved as hens come before egg. A hen in Sri Lanka gave birth to a chick without an egg, veterinary officials said. Instead of being laid by the hen and incubated in the nest, the egg was incubated inside the hen for 21 days and then the chick hatched inside the mother. The chick is normally formed and healthy, veterinarians say, although the mother hen died. The government veterinary officer in the area, P.R. Yapa, said he had never seen anything like it before, the BBC reported.

An examination of the hen's carcass showed the fertilized egg had developed within the hen's reproductive system but stayed inside the hen's body until it hatched, Yapa said.

The examination showed the hen died of internal wounds.

The story has made headlines in Sri Lanka, the BBC said, with one Sri Lankan newspaper carrying the headline: "The chicken came first; not the egg."

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Top universities to offer free online courses

Are you interested to get degrees from top universities of United Dates but can’t afford? If that’s the problem now your worries have been addressed. Web-based courses from Princeton, Stanford, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvaniaare now available for free from start-up Coursera.

The company's also signed up Stanford - where it was founded - and the Universityof California at Berkeley.

It's raised $16 million in venture capital funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA) for the venture.

"Higher education is ripe for innovation: it is too expensive and limited to a few," says KPCB partner and new Coursera board member John Doerr.

"Coursera is unique in partnering with the best universities to offer free, global access to the world's best teachers and courses. The potential is profound opportunities for personal - and economic - growth and development."

Stanford University

Founded by Stanford Computer Science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, Coursera has already clocked jup more than a million enrolments.

"We see a future where world-renowned universities serve millions instead of thousands, allowing many more people to live their dreams," says Koller.

Unlike MIT, which recently announced it was to offer free electronics courses,  Coursera will do a lot more than simply post lectures online. There'll be a personalized 'trajectory' for each student, quizzes, discussions and auto-graded exercises.

"Students learn best not by passively watching video, but by thinking, practicing and doing," says Ng. "Our education technology is developed around these concepts, and helps busy students quickly master material."

Coursera says it plans to launch another 30 courses over the next six months; there's more information here.

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Doctors battle to save baby born with SIX legs

Pakistani doctors are battling the odds to save a newborn baby born with a rare genetic condition that has left him with six legs. 

The one-week-old boy is believed to be one of parasitic twins. 

His conjoined twin was born prematurely and incompletely developed, which resulted in the second child having the extra legs, said Jamal Raza, director of the National Institute of Child Health in Karachi, to News.com.

Doctors at the institute are fighting to save the newborn, who remains in an intensive care unit ward. 

Baby born with six legs 

Raza added that they were planning to operate on the boy and were considering asking for help from foreign experts with more experience in the rare disease, believed to afflict just one in one million babies. 

He tried to clarify that the baby did not have six legs – he had two legs and the other four belonged to the other twin.

'Operating on such a baby is not an easy task as proper assessments need to be done first,' he said. 'We need to figure out whether the baby has his twin’s limbs or his own. We also need to consider how much the internal organs have developed as the latter could complicate matters and decrease the baby’s chances of surviving.'

Baby boy born with six legs to be names Umar Farooq

Speaking to the news site, the baby's father, Imran Shaikh, made a plea for help from the government and charities.

‘I can’t afford to visit Karachi and get treatment for my baby,’ said the X-ray technician, who earns the equivalent of $66-a-month. ‘I appeal to philanthropists and the government to come forward for the treatment.’

Shaikh and his wife of four years live in Sukkur, around 280 miles north of where his son is being cared for. His wife is reported to be recovering well from the birth and in a good state of health. 

His wife - who is also his cousin - has been unable to travel because she had a caesarean section delivery.

He said they were planning on naming their son Umar Farooq.

Muhammad Qaisar, a doctor at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, told allvoices.com he was certain the boy could be successfully operated on. ‘It is perhaps [the] first child in the history of Pakistan having six legs,’ he said.

‘The case will also be a test for doctors and we hope for the better,” he said.

Since Shaikh made his public plea for help, the Sindh Governor has come forward and directed officials concerned to make sure the child receives all the medical care he needs, Pakistani-based The Nation reported. 

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The incredible first pictures inside the £15-million superyacht(Adastra superyacht ) that can be controlled by an iPad

The Adastra superyacht is a floating pleasure palace that would fit as comfortably in outer space as it would on the open sea.

And as these amazing new pictures show, SuperYatch is equipped to entertain a billionaire with even the highest of standards.

She is the the new pet of Hong Kong-based shipping magnate Anto Marden, whose uses for her may include - among other things - gliding between the two tropical islands he already owns off the coast of Indonesia.

Main deck Area

Designed by Sussex-based yacht designer John Shuttleworth, the Adastra is so high-tech, it can even be controlled remotely at the touch of an iPad... as long as you don't get any further away than 50 metres. The yacht's high-concept, space-age look is no gimmick. The shape has been specially developed to cut through waves as it glides across the high seas.

 Adastra was built in Zhuhai, China for a couple based in Hong Kong, at the cost of a cool $15 million

Described as ‘one of the world's most amazing super yachts’, Adastra, unveiled yesterday in China, took five years to build, is 42.5 metres long, 16 metres wide and weighs 52 tons.

Her enormous petrol tank coupled with her dynamic sailing efficiency allows the Adastra to travel up to 4,000 miles without refuelling - the same distance from London to New York.

‘It takes the power trimaran concept further than has ever been attempted before,’ Mr Shuttleworth told Boat International. 

Master Bedroom

‘The challenge of turning this concept into a viable luxury yacht has taken us to further research and to develop new thinking on stability and comfort at sea for this type of craft.’

It is the result of five years of planning and construction, and rivals anything owned by yacht-lover Roman Abramovich.

The hull of the Adastra is built from glass and Kevlar and can house nine guests and six crewmen. The deck saloon has a panoramic view while the open cockpit has sofas on both sides. The open deck running aft also has a door that hinges out to create a bathing platform.

Boat International magazine said Adastra 'could spell the future for efficient long range cruising'. 

Bathroom

The yacht has an integrated ship monitoring system.

Adastra is powered by one Caterpillar C18 engine of 1150hp at 2300 rpm and has 2 Yanmar 110hp @ 3200 rpm outrigger engines.

Adastra's 16-metre beam features a saloon area on the main deck with a lounge area, dining table, and navigation station.

The deck at the rear of the yacht has a sofa and bar area to port and a dining area to starboard.

The main helm station, which has seating for two, is positioned in a raised pilot house situated between the rear deck and the saloon area and forms part of the cross beam structure. 

The Adastra is the latest in a long line of super yachts that compete to be the most high tech.

Last year Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich bought a £300 million superyacht with two swimming pools, two helipads, a gym, hair salon, dancefloor and submarine.

Kitchen

Eclipse has plenty of room to entertain friends, with 15 double bedroom cabins all equipped with their own luxury bathrooms and 6ft wide television screens. Parties on the 533ft yacht are guaranteed to stay private, as it’s fitted with an ‘anti-paparazzi shield’ that fires a laser beam of light at cameras to ruin photographs.

The 20,000 sq ft interior also houses a sauna, steam bath and whirlpool to help guests wind down.

It was commissioned by a billionaire businessman who already owns two islands off Indonesia

Designers with Yatch

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Four-year-old 'genius' Heidi Hankins accepted into Mensa with an IQ almost as high as physicist Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstien

By the age of two, she could count to 40, draw pictures of people, recite poems and read books meant for seven-year-olds.

Within a year, she was adding and subtracting.

Now she is four, Heidi Hankins has an IQ of 159 – only one point below Albert Einstein’s – and has become one of the youngest members of Mensa.

She took an IQ test after nursery staff struggled to find tasks to stretch her.

And her parents Matthew, 47, a University of Southampton lecturer, and Sophy, 43, an artist, are hoping their daughter can skip a school year when she starts in September.

She took an IQ test after nursery staff struggled to find tasks to stretch her.

And her parents Matthew, 47, a University of Southampton lecturer, and Sophy, 43, an artist, are hoping their daughter can skip a school year when she starts in September.

Heidi sat a Wechsler IQ test, which uses puzzles to measure a child’s intellectual potential.

Dr Hankins said: ‘We always thought Heidi was bright because she was reading early. I was curious about her IQ and the results were off the scale.

Heidi Hankins

‘I got her the complete set of the Oxford Reading Tree books when she was two and she read through the whole set of 30 in about an hour. It’s what you would expect a seven-year-old to do. She was making noises and trying to talk literally since she was born and by age one her vocabulary was quite good. She was using full sentences almost as soon as she started to speak.’

Dr Hankins said Heidi was drawing princesses and animals aged 14 months – an age when most children can only mark the page.

And at 18 months the family found her using the computer to teach herself to read.

Heidi is a head taller than her classmates, and at 3ft 10in is closer to an average six year old. The Hankins, from Winchester, Hampshire, also have a nine-year-old son, Isaac, who is a chorister at Winchester Cathedral.

Dr Hankins said: ‘Heidi has really flourished quicker than other children – academically, artistically and physically.

‘We don’t push Heidi at all. She has taken up everything herself and teaches herself.

‘She is not precocious, she is just a little girl who likes her Barbies and Lego but then you will find her sitting down and reading a book.’

The average adult IQ score is 100 while a ‘gifted’ score is 130. John Stevenage, chief executive of British Mensa, said: ‘Heidi’s parents correctly identified that she shows great potential.'

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