Toothpick Artist Takes Nine Months to Create Jaw-Dropping Replica of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia
It has taken nine months and more than 35,000 toothpicks – but Stan Munro has once again proved he is a real stickler for detail with the unveiling of his latest masterpiece. The model-making maestro has recreated Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia out of nothing but tiny pieces of wood and PVA glue. Continue reading »
The Dog Creative Stylist of the Year Competition
“To say they are colorful characters would be an understatement. From Winnie the Pooh-dle to a pink My Little Pony with false eyelashes, these painted pooches highlight the art of the dog groomer. All were entrants in the British Dog Creative Stylist Of The Year competition held at Swanley in Kent and organized by dog salon owner Louisa Tandy. Poodles or poodle crosses are the breed most commonly used because of their good nature and easily sculptured coats. The colors come from washable vegetable dyes sprayed onto the coat, using stencils to achieve the patterns… Louisa insists that it’s strictly regulated to ensure no animal is harmed as it undergoes a transformation into a barking Bertie Bassett or even a dogosaurus dinosaur. ‘The dogs are thrilled with the attention they get,’ says Louisa, ‘and they love strutting their stuff.”
A poodle clippered and dyed to look like My Little Pony is pictured at a creative dog grooming event in Swanley, Kent. The Dog Creative Stylist of the Year competition showcases the creative skills of Britain’s top pooch groomers. The range of colours are produced by safe, washable vegetable dyes. (Steve Collins / Barcroft Media) Continue reading »
The World’s Most Expensive Model Car
The world’s most expensive model car is expected to be auctioned for £3million in December, which is nearly 12 times the price of a real Lamborghini Aventador. German model maker Robert Wilhelm Gülpen took 500 hours to create the 1:8 scale model. Nearly £1.8 million worth of precious stones and metals have gone into this piece of auto-art. Mr Gülpen says: “Essentially the model is made out of solid gold and platinum. The body of the prototype additionally features genuine carbon fiber, as used in Formula 1 cars; gold and platinum rims and to add that extra wow factor diamonds in the seats, steering wheel and headlights.” If a potential buyer doesn’t feel like waiting until Christmas, they can buy the model car now by shelling out an extra million pounds. They can go to Robert directly to secure the model car for themselves before it goes to auction for a fixed price of £4,144,646. They have the option to personalise the model car. (RGE Robert Gülpen Engineering/Rex Features)
Photo of the Day: A Punk Rock Goat
Alas, this is not a punk rock goat. The goat has been tagged for identification purposes at a livestock market in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Oct. 17. (Muhammed Muheisen / AP)
Animals On Bikes
Photographer Peter Rae travelled from Molong to Dubbo, in western New South Wales, Australia, photographing the roadside sculptures along the way. (Peter Rae / The Sydney Morning Herald) Continue reading »
The Mafia’s New York: Hideouts, Hangouts and Rubouts
Home of Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, 265 E. 10th St., between First Avenue and Avenue A
“The East Village was the who’s who of the mob scene from the 1930s to the ’90s,” says Ferrara. “Everyone thinks it was Mulberry Street, but really, it was Prince Street and the East Village.” Luciano, originally known as “Sal from 14th Street,” immigrated from Sicily when he was 10 years old and lived in this East Village walk-up. He grew up to be the first official boss of the Genovese family, and was instrumental in creating the Five Families “commission” that divided up NYC territories. His childhood home still stands, and the ground level storefront is the Middle Eastern eatery Moustache Pitza. (NYP) Continue reading »
Making a Zombie: A Step-by-Step Guide from the “Walking Dead” Makeup Team
1. The “Walking Dead” makeup team fits actor Kevin Galbraith with a bald cap and accentuate his high cheekbones to make them look sunken. Continue reading »
Supermodel Cindy Crawford Celebrates Omega’s New Gum Boutique Launch
For the opening of the new-look boutique at Gum by Omega, supermodel Cindy Crawford joined as the guest of honor. Continue reading »
Evolution of The Planet of the Apes
The latest version of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t depart from the franchise’s apocalyptic outlook, but it does make the earlier efforts look technically dated.
Planet of the Apes (1968). The original Planet of the Apes film, starring Charlton Heston as the time-displaced astronaut Taylor, was an immediate box office and critical hit when it was released in February 1968. Based on the French novel, La planete des singes, by Pierre Boulle (who also wrote Bridge over the River Kwai) it tells the story of group of astronauts who crash land on what they think is an alien planet, only to discover it’s a post apocalyptic Earth ruled by apes. The script, originally penned by science fiction legend Rod Serling, underwent many rewrites. Continue reading »
Packing for Holidays
So you’re planning a dream holiday. Why not do it in style?
Oroton Hunter wetpack, $195
Emporio Armani cashmere scarf, $390
Lenox radio, $129, Brooksfi eld
Continue reading »
French Photograher Captured Stunning Pictures Of Post-Soviet Holiday Camp In Artek, Crimea
Claudine Doury is a French photographer living in Paris.
She chose two main themes for her reports: exploring the changes in Eastern Europe, as well as the metamorphosis of juvenile period of life. In Paris in 2004, the book called: Artek, un été en Crimée (Artek, a summer in Crimea, Ukraine) of Claudine was published.
1. Svetlana, 1994.
The pictures were taken from 1994 until 2003. There are no boring staged or formal photos. All images of Claudine show the true story about the Artek life of children in there. Some people found the photos absolutely delightful, others subjected them to devastating criticism saying they are being inappropriate. Continue reading »
Lake Erie Algae Bloom Regarded as Worst in Decades
A massive algae bloom on the waters of Lake Erie in the U.S. is believed to pose a significant threat to aquatic life forms in the lake. The algae, which is toxic, is sucking the oxygen out of the water. According to reports, this is the worst bloom since the early 1960s. Scientists have also revealed that the bloom is caused, primarily, by the phosphorous from agricultural waste that is washed into rivers.
According to NASA Earth Observatory, such blooms were common in the lake’s shallow western basin in the 1950s and 60s. Phosphorus from farms, sewage, and industry fertilized the waters so that huge algae blooms developed year after year.
However, the condition improved in the 1970s when regulations were imposed on agricultural and sewage treatment procedures to limit the amount of phosphorus released. However, this year, a giant bloom has spread across the western basin once again. The particular reasons for the bloom are complex but may be related to a rainy spring and invasive mussels. Continue reading »
Port Adelaide Celebrates with Glow Show
Images are projected onto heritage buildings in the ‘old town’ of Port Adelaide as part of The Port Festival, a biennial event showcasing art and culture from around South Australia, October 9, 2011. (Helen Vercoe / ABC)
Architect Daniel Libeskind’s Steel Wedge Bursts Through the Redesigned Museum in Dresden
A metal wedge designed by U.S. architect Daniel Libeskind protrudes from the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, Germany, Oct. 13. After seven years of renovations according to his plans, the new exhibition with 10,500 exhibits from 700 years of military history opens tomorrow, Oct. 14. (Matthias Hiekel / EPA) Continue reading »
Southern California Enjoys Unseasonably Warm Temperatures
Two paddle boarders walk their bikes at Venice Beach, California on October 13 as a mini-heat wave hit southern California. Temperatures soared 20 degrees Fahrenheit over normal highs reaching into the nineties and hundreds in the region tying record temperatures. (Mike Nelson / EPA) Continue reading »
World’s Largest Balloon Sculpture Created by a Single Artist
Adam Lee, balloon twisting artist, stands beneath his giant balloon sculpture hanging in the Great Wolf Lodge Lobby in Grand Mound, Wash. On Oct. 13. Lee broke the Guinness World Record for “Largest Balloon Sculpture” with nearly 3,000 balloons measuring 45 feet 2 inches wide by 22 feet 2 inches long. (Otto Greule Jr. / AP) Continue reading »
Alien Hunter: World’s Biggest Telescope will be Built in Chile
The European Extremely Large Telescope, also known as the alien hunter, will be the world’s largest optical telescope. Its mirror alone will be 137 feet wide, half the size of a regular football field.
The whole structure will weigh 2,800 tonnes, making it the heaviest of all telescopes as well. It will gather 13 times more light than existing earthbound telescopes and can even provide images 16 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope’s. European astronomers took years to decide on the final design of the alien hunter telescope.
“At the end of the three-year final design study, we will know exactly how everything is going to be built, including a detailed costing,” said Catherine Cesarsky, the European Southern Observatory’s director general. “We then hope to start construction and have it ready by 2017, when we can install instruments and use it.”
The E-ELT will find its home in Chile, where Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno signed an accord with the European Southern Observatory. The Chilean government will donate 189 acres of land around the Cerro Armazones mountain. And in return, they will have 10 percent of the observing time on the huge telescope.
Construction will begin in early 2012 and the target year for operation is in 2018. The revolutionary telescope is designed to see the deepest parts of the universe and provide clear images of planets, stars and other galaxies.
This architectural concept drawing of ESO’s planned European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) shows the world’s largest planned optical telescope gazing heavenwards. Slated to begin operations early in the next decade, the E-ELT will tackle the biggest scientific challenges of our time. (IBITImes/Swinburne Astronomy Production) Continue reading »
Paradise for the Chickens: Heritage Hen Farms in Boynton Beach
If only you knew just how hard Svetlana and Marty Simon — and their few hundred chickens — worked for each egg they harvest, you’d never look at breakfast the same way.
The Boynton Beach farmers are up at 4 a.m. to feed the animals at their Heritage Hen Farms, change their water, chase the goats to the pasture, clean out the coops, collect eggs, find rogue egg layers, scrub the duck tubs, check the bees, check the fences. Then they go to their day jobs, only to return later for more farm work.
“To produce nutritious food like this takes so much labor,” Svetlana says.
Yes, but it’s paradise for the chickens. The Heritage hens (and geese and ducks and guinea hens and one lone turkey named Thomas) live a truly free-range lifestyle. (Photos by Libby Volgyes)
A sign welcomes visitors to the coop, where families can see firsthand where the eggs come from. Continue reading »
Demi Moore Returns for Ann Taylor 2011 Holiday Campaign
Despite the recent Ashton-Sara Leal controvery and regular tabloid reports about their marriage failure, Hollywood star Demi Moore has decided to distract herself and return as the face of the 2011 Ann Taylor Holiday campaign. Continue reading »
Solar-powered Catamaran Makes a Stop in Singapore
The MS Turanor PlanetSolar yacht arrives in Singapore for a stop on its global tour on October 12. PlanetSolar is the largest solar powered boat in the world and hopes to be the first to circumnavigate the world’s oceans in a 22,000 mile two-year odyssey. (Stephen Morrison / EPA) Continue reading »
Superhero Arrested in Seattle for Assault Investigation
This Feb. 18, 2011 file photo shows Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones during a patrol of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Seattle’s superhero, who has gained fans and a bit of fame as he works the streets of Seattle, was arrested and booked into King County Jail early Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 for investigation of assault after an early morning incident involving pepper spray. His spokesperson says he was breaking up a fight and they have video of the incident. Police say he came up behind a group of people leaving a bar and sprayed them with pepper spray. (Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com via AP)
Photo of the Day: Survive
A dog stands on a car inundeated with floodwaters in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, 80 kms north of Bangkok, on October 12, 2011. At least 269 people have died in more than two months of floods that have damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions of people, according to the government. (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)
Deers in Richmond Park, London
A fallow deer buck watches from the cover of a bracken thicket after sunrise during the autumn rut at Richmond Park on October 10, 2011 in London, England. Autumn sees the start of the ‘Rutting’ season where the stags and bucks bellow in an attempt to attract female does and hinds. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Continue reading »
Photo of the Day: Finger-licking Trouble
Customers lined up at ‘Obama Fried Chicken,’ opened by university students, in Beijing Sunday. The owners changed the name to ‘UFO’ amid trademark-infringement accusations from KFC, but kept the likeness of President Barack Obama in suspenders, which resembles KFC’s Colonel Sanders. (ChinaFotoPress/Zuma Press)
