Chinese Artist 🎨Does Something Incredible With Paper

A Chinese Artist🎨

Has Done Something Incredible

With Paper

The line of pure white busts sitting amongst the dust in Li Hongbo's Beijing studio could be found in any art classroom around the world.

That is until the 38-year-old Chinese artist places his hands on one, lifts gently, and what had seemed like solid plaster transforms into a live, amorphous mass.

A roman soldier stretches like elastic, a pretty English maid suddenly rises like a terrible phantasm. They are neither plaster nor clay, but concertinas of thousands of fine pieces of paper."At the beginning, I discovered the flexible nature of paper through Chinese paper toys and paper lanterns. Later, I used this to make a gun. A gun is solid, used for killing, but I turned it into a tool for play or for decoration. In this way, it lost both the form of a gun, and the culture inherent to a gun. It became a game," he said.

FLEXIBLE  PAPER  SCULPTURES

To make his sculptures Li uses a stencil to paste glue in narrow strips across large pieces of paper that he then sticks together to form blocks of 500.

He stacks the blocks to the desired height -- an average bust is over ten blocks or 5,000 sheets of paper high -- then cuts, chisels and sands the large block just as if it were a piece of soft stone. Born into a simple farming family, Li said he has always loved paper, first invented in ancient China. He has spent six years producing a collection of books recording more than 1,000 years of Buddhist art on paper.

Art
to Another Level

-

In his recent works, Li has consciously produced only perfect replicas of classical busts and shapes he used to sketch at university. The denatured human forms may make some people squirm, but Li says he uses the archetypal figures to make audiences concentrate on the material, not to shock.

"'Strange' and 'unsettling' are just adjectives used by some individuals. In fact, people have a fixed understanding of what a human is, and think that a human cannot be physically manipulated, so when you transform a person, people will reconsider the nature of objects and the motivation behind the creation. This is what I care about," he said. His exhibition 'Tools of Study' at the Klein Sun gallery in New York has earned him plenty of attention across the Pacific since it opened on January 9th.

Chinese Paper Sculptures 
Stretch Imaginations
in New York

Gallery assistants pull the twenty pieces around on their plinths for visitors, but not being allowed to touch pieces themselves leaves some feeling unfulfilled.

"You know, when you can open it, there's movement, there's mobility, it becomes a dynamic thing versus a very static thing. You know, but it's like, of course, as an observer, it's like, I can only enjoy that momentum or that movement of the object if someone opens it for me. It's so funny, because it's like, enticing. You kind of want to play with it but you can't," said one visitor, Lydia Chrisman, on Tuesday (January 21).

Li is aware of this irony, and at a show in Sydney provided small models for the audience to play with. But it could be for the best. Though he refused to disclose prices, growing demand for his works means the cost of a real one would probably stretch your wallet.

The Making
of Paper Art

by

Li Hongbo

Li Hongbo is a widely-acclaimed artist who plays with the appearances and connotations paper. Many viewers who came across his works are intrigued by the amazing flexbility, resilience and strength of the paper material, and startled by the artist's craftsmanship. In this video, Li Hongbo shows us how he did it. Step by step, he guides us in a magical journey in the making of paper art.

*

To learn more about the artist and his works, please visit: http://www.schoeniartgallery.com/arti...

This video is brought to you by Schoeni Art Gallery. Like us on Facebook for latest updates on our exhibition openings, workshops and other programmes:

-  https://www.facebook.com/schoeniartga...

*

 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yycrty8oOPA

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_1nD2rSWc

-
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2GYslCAkSo

*

Foods You Should Never Buy Again

27 Foods

You Should Never Buy Again

*

Cross these items off your grocery store list—whether they're rip-offs, fakes, drastically unhealthy, or just plan gross, here are the foods to keep out of your shopping cart.

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

A few shavings of nice cheese on top of pasta or vegetables can take a simple dish from good to great—but you don't have to fork out $22 a pound for the famous stuff. Instead, look for varieties like Pecorino Romano and SarVecchio, which offer the same flavor at half the price.

Smoked and Cured Meats

From fancy charcuterie to “dime a dog” night, pass on cured meats in any form—they’ve been linked to cancer, disease, high blood pressure, and migraines. Plus they’re packed with artery-clogging grease: regulations allow up to 50% (by weight) of fresh pork sausage to be fat.

“Blueberry” items

Ahh, blueberries...now in everything from your breakfast cereal to muffins, granola bars, and sauces—or are they? Turns out that most of the blueberry-flavored items on grocery store shelves don't feature a single actually berry, just artificial blueberry flavor. Buy your own berries and add them to plain cereal for a real health boost.

Multi-grain bread

This is junk food masquerading in a healthy disguise. Check the ingredient list to make sure whole wheat is the first, and main, ingredient—otherwise, you’re just getting a few grains mixed into regular white bread. Better yet, forgo the bread and enjoy straight-up barley, brown rice, quinoa, or steel-cut oats.

Reduced fat peanut butter

When companies take out the fat, they have to add something back in to make the food taste delicious. In this case, it’s lots of extra sugar—and who wants that? Instead, spread regular peanut butter on your sandwich for more of the good fats and protein without fake sweetness.

Bottled tea

Brew your iced tea at home and you'll save both big bucks and your waistline—bottled teas can have more grams of sugar than a soda or slice of pie. 

Tomato-based pasta sauces

A jar of spaghetti sauce typically runs $2 to $6. The equivalent amount of canned tomatoes is often under $1. Our suggestion: Make your own sauces from canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes — particularly in the summer, when they are plentiful, tasty, and cheap. The easiest method is to put crushed tomatoes (canned or fresh) into a skillet, stir in some wine or wine vinegar, a little sugar, your favorite herbs, and whatever chopped vegetables you like in your sauce — peppers, onions, mushrooms, even carrots — and let simmer for an hour. Adjust the flavorings and serve. Even easier: Coat fresh tomatoes and the top of a cooking sheet with olive oil and roast the tomatoes for 20 to 30 minutes at 425˚F before making your stovetop sauce.

Swordfish

Large bottom-feeder fish such as tuna, shark, king mackerel, tilefish, and especially swordfish are high in mercury. Choose smaller fish, like flounder, catfish, sardines, and salmon instead.

Energy drinks

Stick to a cup of coffee for your afternoon boost. Seemingly harmless caffeinated beverages are often sugar bombs—and the FDA has received numerous reports linking brands like 5 Hour Energy and Monster Energy to heart attacks, convulsion, and even death.

Gluten-free baked goods

If you aren't diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, keep in mind that gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean healthy—and gluten-free baked goods like bread, cookies, and crackers often are packed with more refined flours, artificial ingredients, and sugar than traditional baked goods. Plus, they can cost up to twice as much as you'd normally spend. 

Flavored non-dairy milks

Vanilla-eggnog-caramel soy milk doesn't win you any points in the health department—and it definitely won't help your grocery receipt bottom line. If you prefer non-dairy milks for personal dietary reasons, buy unsweetened versions. And if you're just trying to eat healthfully, skim milk should be just fine.

Foods made of WOOD

Take a look at the ingredient list for your high-fiber cereal or snack bar, and you'll probably see an ingredient called "cellulose." Turns out that cellulose is a code word for "wood pulp." Food manufacturers use it to extend their products and add fiber, so it looks like you’re getting more food. But really you’re just left with a mouthful of wood shavings.

White rice

Skip the refined grains and go for whole: a 17% higher risk of diabetes is associated with eating five or more servings of white rice per week, compared to eating white rice less than once a month.

'Gourmet' frozen vegetables

Sure, you can buy an 8-ounce packet of peas in an herbed butter sauce, but why do so when you can make your own? Just cook the peas, add a pat of butter and sprinkle on some herbs that you already have on hand. The same thing goes for carrots with dill sauce and other gourmet veggies.

Microwave sandwiches

When you buy a pre-made sandwich, you're really just paying for its elaborate packaging — plus a whole lot of salt, fat, and unnecessary additives. For the average cost of one of these babies ($2.50 to $3.00 per sandwich), you could make a bigger, better, and more nutritious version yourself.

Premium frozen fruit bars

At nearly $2 per bar, frozen 'all fruit' or 'fruit and juice' bars may not be rich in calories, but they are certainly rich in price. Make your own at home — and get the flavors you want. To make four pops, just throw 2 cups cut-up fruit, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice into a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. You might wish to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water so the final mix is a thick slush. Pour into 4-ounce pop molds or paper cups, insert sticks, and freeze until solid.

Boxed rice 'entree' or side-dish mixes

These consist basically of rice, salt, and spices — yet they're priced way beyond the ingredients sold individually. Yes, there are a few flavorings included, but they're probably ones you have in your pantry already. Buy a bag of rice, measure out what you need, add your own herbs and other seasonings, and cook the rice according to package directions.

Energy or protein bars

These calorie-laden bars are usually stacked at the checkout counter because they depend on impulse buyers who grab them, thinking they are more wholesome than a candy bar. Unfortunately, they can have very high fat and sugar contents and are often as caloric as a regular candy bar. They're also two to three times more expensive than a candy bar. If you need a boost, a vitamin-rich piece of fruit, a yogurt, or a small handful of nuts is more satiating and less expensive.

Spice mixes

Spice mixes like grill seasoning and rib rubs might seem like a good buy because they contain a lot of spices that you would have to buy individually. Check the label first: We predict the first ingredient you will see on the package is salt, followed by the vague 'herbs and spices.' Look in your own pantry, and you'll probably be surprised to discover just how many herbs you already have on hand, and you can improvise as much as you want. 

Powdered iced tea mixes or prepared flavored iced tea

Powdered and gourmet iced teas are really a rip-off! It's much cheaper to make your own iced tea from actual (inexpensive) tea bags and keep a jug in the fridge. Plus, many mixes and preparations are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other sugars, along with artificial flavors. To make 32 ounces of iced tea, it usually takes 8 bags of black tea or 10 bags of herbal, green, or white tea. If you like your tea sweet but want to keep calories down, skip the sugar and add fruit juice instead.

Bottled water

Bottled water is a bad investment for so many reasons. It's expensive compared to what's coming out of the tap, its cost to the environment is high (it takes a lot of fossil fuel to produce and ship all those bottles), and it's not even better for your health than the stuff running down your drain.

Even taking into account the cost of filters, water from home is still much cheaper than bottled water, which can run up to $1 to $3 a pop.

If you have well water and it really does not taste good (even with help from a filter), or if you have a baby at home who is bottle-fed and needs to drink safe water, buy jugs of distilled or 'nursery' water at big discount stores. They usually cost between 79 cents and 99 cents for 1 gallon (as opposed to $1.50 for 8 ounces of 'designer' water). And you can reuse the jugs to store homemade iced tea, flavored waters, or, when their tops are cut off, all sorts of household odds and ends.

Salad kits

Washed and bagged greens can be a time-saver, but they can cost three times as much as buying the same amount of a head of lettuce. Even more expensive are 'salad kits,' where you get some greens, a small bag of dressing, and a small bag of croutons. Skip these altogether. Make your own croutons by toasting cut-up stale bread you would otherwise toss, and try mixing your own salad dressing.

Individual servings of anything

The recent trend to package small quantities into 100-calorie snack packs is a way for food-makers to get more money from unsuspecting consumers. The price 'per unit' cost of these items is significantly more than if you had just bought one big box of cheese crackers or bag of chips. This is exactly what you should do. Buy the big box and then parcel out single servings and store them in small, reusable storage bags.

Trail mix

We checked unit prices of those small bags of trail mix hanging in the candy aisle not that long ago and were shocked to find that they cost about $10 a pound! Make your own for much, much less with a 1-pound can of dry roasted peanuts, 1 cup of raisins, and a handful of almonds, dried fruit, and candy coated chocolate. The best part about making your own? You only include the things you like. Keep the mixture in a plastic or glass container with a tight lid for up to 3 weeks.

'Snack' or 'lunch' packs

These 'all-inclusive' food trays might seem reasonably priced (from $2.50 to $4.00), but you're actually paying for the highly designed label, wrapper, and specially molded tray. They only contain a few crackers and small pieces of cheese and lunchmeat. The actual edible ingredients are worth just pennies and are filled with salt.

Gourmet ice cream

It's painful to watch someone actually pay $6 for a gallon of designer brand ice cream. Don't bother. There's usually at least one brand or other on sale, and you can easily dress up store brands with your own additives like chunky bits of chocolate or crushed cookie. If you do like the premium brands, wait for that 3-week sales cycle to kick in and stock up when your favorite flavor is discounted.

Pre-formed meat patties

Frozen burgers, beef or otherwise, are more expensive than buying the ground meat in bulk and making patties yourself. We timed it — it takes less than 10 seconds to form a flat circle and throw it on the grill. Also, there's some evidence that pre-formed meat patties might contain more e. coli than regular ground meat. In fact, most of the recent beef recalls have involved pre-made frozen beef patties.

*

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/15-foods-you-should-never-buy-again/?v=print

*

-

Nude Dancers - Different Side of Human Body (NSFW)

Photos of Nude Dancers
Show A Very Different Side
Of The Human Body

(NSFW)
Poussières d’étoiles

Posted: 02/20/2014

There is no denying the natural beauty of a dancer's body.

Like finely tuned mechanisms programmed to seamlessly bend, twist and twirl, the contortionists' bodies taken on positions that may not be innately appealing. Neatly stacked flaps of skin overlap, toes curl as the muscles of a leg bulge and limbs protrude forward in ways we didn't think possible, yet these feats of flexibility amount to something inexplicably gorgeous.

Need proof? Take then, for example, Ludovic Florent's series "Poussières d’étoiles" (Stardust). In it, the French photographer captures the fluid movements of nude dancers, their bodies partially covered by clouds of dust that both obscure and accentuate the curves and lines of their muscles. The images provide a very different perspective of the human body, emphasizing the dynamic potential of bare forms.

"Every carnal envelope hides a soul that is both sensitive and flamboyant," Florent writes on his website. "I try to capture [that] in each of my photographs."

Scroll through a preview of Florent's series here and let us know your thoughts on the works in the comments.

Poussières d’étoiles

by Ludovic Florent

http://www.ignant.de/2014/02/11/poussieres-detoiles-by-ludovic-florent/

h/t Ignant

Tips on How to Write "Good" 😊 😀 😃

Me write more gooder know !!

...I meen now.

- A joke in relation to rule #2: A Harvard freshman from Arkansas asks the haughty senior. "Pardon me sir but where's the library at?" to which the snobby senior answers with "Harvard men DO NOT end their sentences with prepositions!" to wit the Freshman replies "Oh OK, wheres the library at - ASSHOLE." here endeth the lesson...

 

- Great lessons. When I would say, "Where's it at?" My grandfather would always respond with,"Between the A & the T on preposition street."

- When Winston Churchill addressed prepositions, he said: "From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put"...

-Seven made me crack my ribs laughing.

COMMENTS  BELOW

*

To aide you're writing, always use the correct homonym when their is more then won word that sounds the same. Its always important and effects the outcome to

-You should never, never, never, never use the same word repeated over and over and over and over again.

-Don't talk down to your audience, it might confuse them.

-Stay on point. Avoid rambling and going on and on and on about things that are off topic; otherwise readers may become uninterested and begin to wander off mentally and not pay attention to what they are reading making it very easy to become distracted by music from Pandora or their XM radio or even worse they might start to watch TV or Youtube while trying to read and when they are done they won't remember what they've just read and instead of reading it again they'll probably just get on Facebook and starting posting things of their own.
So stay on point.

-At all cost avoid the improper use of the word "literally". Otherwise the reader may literally kill themselves by excessively rolling their eyes.

-I told you a million times...stop exaggerating!

The adjective/adverb is the enemy of the noun/verb. That is literally true.

- And avoid typos (see 6)

- And don't start sentences with the word and. 

- And... Stop clouding the issue with facts!

Alliteration al·lit·er·a·tion [uh-lit-uh-rey-shuhn] - noun: 

the commencement of two or more words of a word group with the same letter, as in apt alliteration's artful aid.
=repetition of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words

Paradox is a statement pointing out the truth yet contradicts itself

Another word (to avoid)

for  VERY  is  f***ing!

 

The contents of this post are an alphabetical arrangement of two lists that have been circulating among writers and editors for many years. In case you have missed out all this time, I’m sharing here the wit and wisdom of the late New York Times language maven William Safire and advertising executive and copywriter Frank LaPosta Visco.

by Mark Nichol

A writer must not shift your point of view.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
Always be sure to finish what
Avoid alliteration. Always.
Avoid archaeic spellings.
Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Be more or less specific.
Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
Contractions aren’t necessary.
 

Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively.
Don’t indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.
Don’t never use no double negatives.
Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!!!!!!
Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
Don’t use commas, that, are not, necessary.
Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.

Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Eschew obfuscation.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

Foreign words and phrases are not a propos.
 

Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
 

If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice.
No sentence fragments.
One should never generalize.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
 

Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas.
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.
Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
Poofread carefully to see if you any words out.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Profanity sucks.
Subject and verb always has to agree.
 

Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
The adverb always follows the verb.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Understatement is always best.
Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispeling and to catch typograhpical errers.
 

Who needs rhetorical questions?
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

Oh, and let me add one tip: If your article consists of a list and the title refers to the number of items in the list, count the number of items in the list carefully.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-tips-on-how-to-write-good/

*

http://www.pinterest.com/memrise/english/

Also see Umberto Eco's

Rules for Writing (Well)

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/u/umberto_eco.html

The difference between

They're and Their is There.