Monday, June 9, 2014

Milk Dresses

email from JKS Weerasekera

Incredible pictures show calendar girls wearing dresses made of MILK

  • Amazing shots simply layered individual pictures
     
  • Work of Polish born, London based photographer Jaroslav Wieczorkiewiz
  • Each image requires around 200 frames
     
  • Model is covered in pints of milk, captured in fast exposure shots
  • 1950's inspired photo set is set to become a calender
     
By Katy Winter
PUBLISHED: 16:40 GMT, 18 October 2013 | UPDATED: 20:44 GMT, 18 October 2013

  •  
Milky Pin-Ups is a photo series of old-fashioned, 50s-style glamour girls - dressed entirely in dairy produce.
 
The incredible fluid shots are the work of photographer Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz, who specialises in working with liquid.
 
Unbelievably they are not created using any tricks or computer imagery - each girl is actually covered in pints and pints of milk to create the shots.
 
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
Dream Girl: Milk pin ups, created by Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz, in which dairy produce is used to create the 'dresses'
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
The photos are based on the pin ups popular in the 1950's and have a fun flirty feel to them
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
Each picture is the result of numerous different shots layered together
We work with specific light and pretty normal cameras, Jaroslav explains, there is no magic behind it.
The rather messy shoots see a model, clad only in bikini bottoms, having a jug of milk poured over parts of her body by an assistant as Jaroslav captures the movement of the liquid using fast exposure.
Each photograph takes about 200 frames and the milk is poured onto different areas of the models body for each one, captured mid-flow by the camera.
 
These individual shots are then amalgamated using Photoshop into a single image, creating the illusion that the girl is wearing a single milk dress.
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
The individual frames are simply layered - but not altered or 'filled in' in any way
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
Jaroslav who also works with other liquids, says there is no magic behind the pictures, just hard work
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
With each picture requiring around 200 frames, we can only imagine the amount of mess left after a shoot
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net
The series of photographs is soon to become a calendar
The individual frames are simply layered in Photoshop and not altered or filled in in any way.
 
Its tiring work but worth it, I want to stay true to the process, Jaroslav tells Mail Online.
 
Originally from Poland, Jaroslav is now based in London and has founded the AurumLight Studio, which specialises in conceptual photography, limited calendars and advertising.
 
His use of unusual effects in his photography has seen him begin to tour the world offering seminars on the techniques he uses to achieve his amazing photographs.

The beauty of Bonsai.

email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

22 Beautiful Bonsai Trees that Redefine the Name

The bonsai tree is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation (for the viewer) and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity (for the grower). But as much as I'm sure you've heard about this practice, most of us are only aware of a few limited types of bonsai tree, when in fact, there are hundreds of different types.
These 22 beautiful bonsai trees are a great example of the variety of this beautiful art form.
40 year old Coast Redwood 
bonsai trees

A 30 year old Azalea 
bonsai trees
 
A bonsai is created beginning with a specimen of source material. This may be a cutting, seedling, or small tree of a species suitable for bonsai development. Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species.
Over 40 year old Chinese Banyan 
bonsai trees

A 30 year old Hibiscus 
bonsai trees

 
A tpe of bonsai designed to mimic a forest. 
bonsai trees
The source specimen is shaped to be relatively small and to meet the aesthetic standards of bonsai. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final size it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. 
Another dazzlling Azalea 
bonsai trees

A lilac that has both  looks and a lovely scent
bonsai   trees

 
Cascade style of bonsai 
bonsai trees

Root over rock style 
bonsai trees

A Japanese Maple that is about 100 years old (across seasons) 
bonsai trees

bonsai trees

60 year old Crabapple Tree 
bonsai trees

bonsai trees
 
The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing generally refers to research, discovery, or creation of plant cultivars that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-size trees. 
25 year old Cherry Tree 
bonsai trees

Trident maple with exposed roots 
bonsai trees

 
Over 50 year old Atlas Cedar 
bonsai trees

 
Cherry Blossom in full bloom 
bonsai trees

A Bald Cypress 
bonsai trees
Small trees grown in containers, like bonsai, require specialized care. Unlike houseplants and other subjects of container gardening, tree species in the wild, in general, grow roots up to several meters long and root structures encompassing several thousand liters of soil. In contrast, a typical bonsai container is under 25 centimeters in its largest dimension and 2 to 10 liters in volume.  
 
Wisteria bonsais 
bonsai trees

bonsai trees

 
One of the oldest bonsai trees in history, this is a Japanese White Pine,and its conjectured that its birthday was in 1625, almost 400 years ago.  
bonsai trees

Branch and leaf (or needle) growth in trees is also of a larger scale in nature. Wild trees typically grow 5 meters or taller when mature, whereas the largest bonsai rarely exceed 1 meter and most specimens are significantly smaller. These size differences affect maturation, transpiration, nutrition, pest resistance, and many other aspects of tree biology. Maintaining the long-term health of a tree in a container requires some specialized care techniques.
 
Adenium  
bonsai trees

 
Bonsai during winter 
bonsai trees

 
Bonsai during fall 
bonsai trees

 
One more Azalea - Probably my favorite.
bonsai trees



















Sunday, June 8, 2014

Doctors and terminal illness.

Most doctors who were terminally ill would AVOID aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy - despite recommending it to their patients

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found most doctors would opt for a 'do not resuscitate' approach to their own care.

Full Story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2643751/Most-doctors-terminally-ill-AVOID-aggressive-treatments-chemotherapy-despite-recommending-patients.html

Auto Anna Durai - An Extraordinary Philanthropist Auto Driver!!!!

email from Dawood
 
Heard a Radio program tonight on SBS Tamil, where this 'Auto Anna Durai' was interviewed.
 
That radio program prompted me to search for the name on Google and found this article which is being copied below.
It is a wonder how this simple Auto Driver can afford to do all these extraordinary Charitable activities! 
Pon
 

 
CHENNAI 
August 7, 2013 


All in an auto
Anusha Parthasarathy 
3
·   


The Hindu: I want to open an old-age home where the elderly don’t feel they are a burden.
·  Where they can be taught simple skills using which they can earn a little money and spend it
·  the way they want to. Photo: M. Vedhan
·   
·   
·  The Hindu:     Annadurai.
·  Photo: M. Vedhan

Why is share-auto driver Annadurai being talked about by people in over 35 countries? His vehicle offers passengers a range of free services, discovers Anusha Parthasarathy
Annadurai spent the early hours of Friendship Day (August 4) answering hundreds of calls that kept his phone ringing incessantly. People from 35 (or more, he says) countries were trying to get in touch with him, to appreciate him and hear his story all over again. 
A share-auto driver on the Thiruvanmiyur-Sholinganallur route,
 Annadurai’s auto is loaded with goodies — free WiFi, mobile charging point, 35 magazines, 10 newspapers, TV and a Samsung Galaxy tablet to access Internet (in case you don’t have a smartphone). When his story went viral on Facebook last weekend (posted by a group called Photos That Shook The World), with nearly 10,000 shares and 20,000 likes, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. 
“I was up all night answering those calls,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief. “When I was on one call, another would keep popping up. I’ve got over 2,000 calls so far. It was overwhelming that so many people took time and spent whatever it cost just to call and appreciate me. I know only Tamil and I couldn’t even understand most of them! Dubai, Korea, Pakistan, the list just kept growing.”
 
How did he talk to them then? A typical conversation would go like this. “They would call and ask, ‘Annadurai? Auto driver?’ I would say ‘yes’ and they would tell me that I’m doing a good job. Even if I didn’t exactly know what they were saying, I could understand what they were implying. I would say, ‘Thank you, sir. Sometime, you come to Chennai. You call and I will meet you.’ Whoever called on Sunday wished me a happy friendship day before they hung up.”
 

What sets him apart?
 
It isn’t just Annadurai's auto that sets him apart but what he symbolises through the services he offers. A native of Peravurani (Thanjavur District), Annadurai, now 29, came to Chennai when he was four years old and grew up with two brothers and a sister. He now lives in Injambakkam and has been a share-auto driver for four years. Two years ago, he had an idea. “I don’t know why I started adding things to my auto. I just thought I must do something for my customers and stocked around 20 newspapers. But, it wasn’t enough,” he smiles. Now, of course, it has grown to include other things. “After I installed WiFi a year back, I bought a tablet for Rs.7,000 but felt my customers deserved better (they were mostly from the IT sector). So I saved up for a couple of months and bought a more expensive one,” he adds, nonchalantly.
 
Annadurai’s list of services seems to be never ending. He provides free service to teachers and nurses who work in hospitals that treat those with HIV. And on eight days of the year (such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day) he offers free or discounted services to some customers. He sponsors a child’s education and has inspired three of his customers to do so too. “I do this because I need job satisfaction. Money may come and go, but the feeling you get when your customers choose to travel only in your auto is unmatched,” Annadurai says, “I think teachers do the most honourable service in the world and for them, auto rides will always be for free. They make leaders and thinkers and must be recognised for their work.”
 

Contest for customers
 
There is also a customer relationship contest in which one has to answer five questions. A lucky winner could win Rs.1,000. Similarly, a token is given to every customer who boards Annadurai’s auto. If the customer collects 20 tokens, he gets Rs.250, 30 tokens would get him Rs.500 and so on. “I wondered if my customers would participate in a quiz that I set and was surprised to get 80 entries in the first month. I’ve been holding these contests for over a year now.”
 
This auto driver, fondly called ‘Auto anna’ by his customers, hopes to sponsor 10 children next year and eventually plans to open an old-age home. “I’ve already begun planning how to go about it. I want to provide a place where the elderly don’t feel they are a burden. Where they can be taught simple skills using which they can earn a little money and spend it the way they want to,” he says.
 
But how does he manage to do all this? “It is tough, yes. I do have my problems but doing this makes me happy. I’m positive and I know I will be able to achieve my goals.”
 

Annadurai offers discounts on
 
Mother’s Day – Free rides for mothers with their children
 
Women’s Day – Free rides for women over the age of 50
 
Children’s Day – Free rides for school students
 
Father’s Day – Free for men over the age of 45
 
Abdul Kalam’s birthday – Rides at 50 per cent off for all customers
 
Independence Day – Free rides for anyone born before 1947
 
Annadurai’s birthday – 50 per cent off on rides for all customers
 
Valentine’s Day – Free rides for couples (Because I’m a bachelor too, smirks Annadurai).
 
All customers will also get a chocolate on all these days
 

A Human Kaleidoscope !

email from Edwin Kirubs
 
This is a fantastic clip and you wonder about the coordination of so many artists in producing it
  
​Click on the link below to view the 'human kaleidoscope'.​
 
 
 

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Sleep's memory role discovered.



The mechanism by which a good night's sleep improves learning and memory has been discovered by scientists.
The team in China and the US used advanced microscopy to witness new connections between brain cells - synapses - forming during sleep.
Their study, published in the journal Science, showed even intense training could not make up for lost sleep.
Experts said it was an elegant and significant study, which uncovered the mechanisms of memory.
It is well known that sleep plays an important role in memory and learning. But what actually happens inside the brain has been a source of considerable debate.
Researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School trained mice in a new skill - walking on top of a rotating rod.
They then looked inside the living brain with a microscope to see what happened when the animals were either sleeping or sleep deprived.
Their study showed that sleeping mice formed significantly more new connections between neurons - they were learning more.
And by disrupting specific phases of sleep, the research group showed deep or slow-wave sleep was necessary for memory formation.
During this stage, the brain was "replaying" the activity from earlier in the day.
Prof Wen-Biao Gan, from New York University, told the BBC: "Finding out sleep promotes new connections between neurons is new, nobody knew this before.
"We thought sleep helped, but it could have been other causes, and we show it really helps to make connections and that in sleep the brain is not quiet, it is replaying what happened during the day and it seems quite important for making the connections."

And by disrupting specific phases of sleep, the research group showed deep or slow-wave sleep was necessary for memory formation.
During this stage, the brain was "replaying" the activity from earlier in the day.
Prof Wen-Biao Gan, from New York University, told the BBC: "Finding out sleep promotes new connections between neurons is new, nobody knew this before.
"We thought sleep helped, but it could have been other causes, and we show it really helps to make connections and that in sleep the brain is not quiet, it is replaying what happened during the day and it seems quite important for making the connections."





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