tagged w/ Art_and_Style_Featured
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Iraq's U.S.-led invaders inflicted serious damage on Babylon, driving heavy machinery over sacred paths, bulldozing hilltops and digging trenches through one of the world's greatest archaeological sites, said experts for UNESCO.
"The use of Babylon as a military base was a grave encroachment on this internationally known archaeological site," said a report which the U.N. cultural agency presented Thursday in Paris.
UNESCO officials stressed that the damage didn't begin with the U.S. military's arrival nor fully end after it left. Archaeologists took away some of Babylon's finest treasures in the 19th century, Saddam Hussein embellished the site with his own structures, and looters returned when the Americans handed the site back to the Iraqis 21 months after the March 2003 invasion.
Now Babylon is the object of a turf war between newly empowered Iraqi officials. At the national level, Iraq's state antiquities office, focused on conservation, is up against officials of the province surrounding Babylon who want to attract tourists. They have already provoked concern by leveling a section of the site to create a picnic area.
UNESCO aims to make the 4,000-year-old city fit for the coveted title of World Heritage site, and will work to enforce international conventions on the protection of historic sites "so that what happened to Babylon can't ever happen again," said Francoise Riviere, the agency's undersecretary general for culture.
Archaeologist John Curtis of the British Museum, who inspected the site just after it was returned to Iraqi control, said it was too soon to assess the cost of restoring and fully protecting the site.
Several initiatives to save Babylon have been announced in recent years, but have made little headway. Now, with the decline of violence in Iraq, hopes are pinned on a two-year, $700,000 project financed by the U.S. State Department to develop a program aimed at balancing tourism and archaeology at Babylon.Iraq's U.S.-led invaders inflicted serious damage on Babylon, driving heavy... more
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As a girl with... assets, summer can be really, really, really frustrating. I don't want to be covered in sweat because I'm overheating, but I also don't want to be wearing tubes and tanks to the point that my girls are falling out. Plus, I'm not terribly comfortable being "ogled"... So here's a list of some styles that will be sure to keep you cool while still flattering and *ahem* covering the goods. ;)As a girl with... assets, summer can be really, really, really frustrating. I... more
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Just in case an actual towel was, you know, too difficult for you. The video is hysterical!
So, does anyone else think this will this take off like the snuggie?Just in case an actual towel was, you know, too difficult for you. The video is... more
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These great geek illustrations were done by artist Tom Whalen, who goes by strongstuff over at deviantart. He has taken classic movies and characters and adapted them into this modern vintage style, which combines vintage poster elements with modern techniques.
Believe it or not the several pictures below are only a few of what this guy has to offer! I really enjoy Whalen’s style, it’s everything we love with a touch of classic greatness. The guy is obviously loves all things geek. Make sure to check out the rest of his stuff at deviantart! Hope you enjoy the the geek art!
-- !!These great geek illustrations were done by artist Tom Whalen, who goes by strongstuff... more
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MOST readers of fashion magazines are aware that all photographs, at least to some degree, lie.
More often than not, images have been altered — historically with painstaking tricks of lighting and exposure and, more recently, with retouching software that can make celebrities and models look thinner, taller, unblemished, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth. Seemingly perfect. Advances in digital photography have made it so easy to manipulate photographs that cover models often resemble weirdly synthesized creatures or, as the photographer Peter Lindbergh described them this week, “objects from Mars.”MOST readers of fashion magazines are aware that all photographs, at least to some... more
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meli8
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2 years ago
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Science is in the close collaboration with our every day life now. Constant researches give us information about the things we use or do every day without knowing if it’s good for us or vise versa. Recently, there was a study concerning Flip-Flops. In fact it’s very interesting and timely, as far as it’s summer outside.Science is in the close collaboration with our every day life now. Constant researches... more
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espl4
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2 years ago
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All women want to look good but some don’t know how to achieve that. To prove I’m telling the truth, just look at lots of women walking along the streets of your city.
Many of them wear tasteless, almost the same style clothes. I am sure the color diversity and mismatch of styles can make designers feel depressed.All women want to look good but some don’t know how to achieve that. To prove... more
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espl4
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2 years ago
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Let's face it, everyone's not an artist. Some people are just meant to draw stick figures, and that's perfectly alright. However, a new device aims to help those with two left (or right) hands and make even the least artistically inclined a master of portraits, Trendhunter reports.
The Self-Portrait Machine, which was designed by Jen Hui Liao, takes your picture and then guides your hand across paper until you're staring at a 'self-drawn' portrait (that sound you hear is Titian rolling over in his grave, by the way). Here's how it works: after posing for a photo, you strap the machine's arm to your wrist. Then, it controls and guides your hand while reproducing your likeness--all you have to do is hold on tight to that pen.Let's face it, everyone's not an artist. Some people are just meant to draw... more
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Oito
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2 years ago
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Every fashionita is awaiting the debut of the movie "Coco Before Chanel". The film hits theaters July 31st, director Anne Fontaine tells us the story of who Coco was, and how she came to start Chanel. Have a look at the trailer, and start the count down NOW!Every fashionita is awaiting the debut of the movie "Coco Before Chanel".... more
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Pigeons, it seems, can discriminate between art techniques and can even judge their quality.
According to scientists, given the incentive of food, racing pigeons can be trained to study the colour, pattern and texture of paintings and evaluate them like an art critic.
Their experiment was divided into two halves: the first saw four pigeons placed in a chamber with a computer monitor displaying watercolour and pastel paintings by schoolchildren.
The paintings were divided into 'good' and 'bad' categories by 11 adults, including an art teacher, depending on whether the images were clear and precise.
The pigeons were shown some of the paintings from each category and rewarded with food when they pecked at the good pictures, but not the bad ones.
They were then presented with a mixture of new and old paintings from both categories and the researchers noted the birds consistently pecked at the 'good' paintings more often.
However, when they were presented with monochrome paintings, they were no longer able to distinguish between the paintings, indicating that they use colour to discriminate.
The second experiment looked at eight new pigeons, which were trained to recognise the paintings' texture - four were trained to peck at watercolours and four at pastels.
As before, when shown a mixture of new and old paintings, pigeons used both colour and shape cues to discriminate between textures accurately.Pigeons, it seems, can discriminate between art techniques and can even judge their... more
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This crazy dress won 1,000 dollars and a place in Ripley's Believe it or Not. Made by an origami-making woman in Honolulu, Hawaii. She went for a "Gone with the Wind" look, and succeeded, especially with the hat.This crazy dress won 1,000 dollars and a place in Ripley's Believe it or Not.... more
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Emma Hack is a woman of many amazing talents, a combination sculptor, photographer, painter and illustrator who has combined her skills to create a stunning series of photographs featuring the beauty, fragility and adaptability of the female form.Emma Hack is a woman of many amazing talents, a combination sculptor, photographer,... more
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Summer means sandals, and this summer there are lots of cute Gladiator sandals around. But are these sandals really a good idea? The Demoiselles weigh in.Summer means sandals, and this summer there are lots of cute Gladiator sandals around.... more
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Check out this foxy little number with a load of zips which makes it totally customizable..Check out this foxy little number with a load of zips which makes it totally... more
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thepsm
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2 years ago
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A photo gallery of an amazing artist who creates art through the use the pigments created when fireworks explode.A photo gallery of an amazing artist who creates art through the use the pigments... more
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This stunning castle was created by Japanese art student Wataru Itou. It took four years of dedication to bring to fruition. It is complete with electric lights and a working train. The exhibit is called “A Castle On The Ocean” and is on display in Tokyo.This stunning castle was created by Japanese art student Wataru Itou. It took four... more
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"Marvel just "outed" Shatterstar -- who I know nothing about other than he's a mutant with swords and a glowy eye -- and Rictor -- who I've never even heard of. They're gay now. I have no problem with this, but I can't help but notice the difference in-between Marvel's characters with alternative lifestyles and their Distinguished Competition's. I mean, Shatterstar and Rictor aren't exactly high-profile superheroes; meanwhile, a lesbian is starring in DC's most venerable comic, Detective Comics, as Batwoman, Plus, The Question is a lesbian now, too, right? Seems like DC is a tad more progressive in that respect.
Yes, I know Marvel also has gay characters in Runaways and Young Avengers (young people are more susceptible to catching "teh gay") and Northstar, but none of those are top-tier characters either, and I also think he's dead. I'm just saying DC seems to be allowing homosexual characters a higher profile. Although all of DC's gay characters seems to be hot lesbians. Maybe everyone's terrible and I shouldn't have brought it up."
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That's from Topless Robot, and it brings up a couple of good points- how come the gay characters are always second tier? Why do they start with hot lesbians? (I remember the first hot lesbian I knew in comics was Gen13's Rainmaker!) Will we see more homosexuals in pop culture emerge, and will they take them out of the comics and start putting them in movies too? What about transsexuals, will they be represented as well? What do you think?"Marvel just "outed" Shatterstar -- who I know nothing about other than... more
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French artist Chloe Ruchon showed her Barbiefoot piece at the DMY Berlin Design Festival. The whole idea of the piece is to combine the worlds of masculinity and femininity by using the idea of a man's game combined with a woman's physique.French artist Chloe Ruchon showed her Barbiefoot piece at the DMY Berlin Design... more
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Julia Strecher was 9 years old when she had her second heart transplant. Her body had rejected the first heart she received with particular vehemence: She went into cardiac arrest six times in two hours. As doctors struggled to revive her, she recalls, she could hear them debating whether to give up.
“I was trapped in my body,” says Ms. Strecher, now 18. “I was trying to tell people I was alive and not to pull the plug.” A few months after she went home with her second new heart, she began having nightmares in which she watched herself suffering cardiac arrest.
But then, she began writing down her thoughts about being helpless. Eventually she turned the details into poems and stories. “It was extremely emotionally healing and freeing,” she said. “It helped me relieve a lot of stress and provided a distraction from pain and depression.” The nightmares went away.
Ms. Strecher’s case seems a striking illustration of the healing potential of creative expression. But is it science? Can the power of the arts to soothe, transform and inspire be enlisted to treat—and perhaps even prevent—heart disease?
These are the questions driving a fledgling organization called the Foundation for Art & Healing. With the help of an eclectic group of researchers, artists and health-care providers, the Brookline, Mass., foundation is mapping out a research agenda intended to determine whether artistic expression could be a valid clinical intervention—along with exercise, healthy diets and medicines—for reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.
More @ LinkJulia Strecher was 9 years old when she had her second heart transplant. Her body had... more
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