Fake Bathroom Mirror With Twins

In this comedy clip posted on Youtube, two identical twins synchronise their movements between 2 specially rigged bathroom sets divided by a fake mirror. It is surprising how easily the people were fooled by this, as shown by the hidden camera.

Wonderful Monkey Portraits by Jill Greenberg

Mala Centerfold by Jill Greenberg (c)
[From zoozoom]

There is a wonderful collection of monkey portraits by Jill Greenberg (Wikipedia) on her official website (http://www.manipulator.com/). Look under PORTFOLIO - MONKEYS & APES. Jill Greenberg has an established reputation as a celebrity photographer, and has also come in for some criticism as a result of her 2006 series of toddler photographs called "End Times". There are many other fantastic photos on her official website. Well worth a visit.

Other portfolio galleries include:
Underwater - Jumping - Covers - Advertising One - Entertainment - Portraiture One - Shiny Pics - Straight Portraiture - Location Portraiture - Conceptual - "Ursine" - "End Times" - Music - "Performance" - Children - Fashion - Dogs - Advertising Two - Animals - Covers Cancelled - Outdoor - CEOs, Founders And Directors

How To Sell - An Iconic Product in an Iconic Setting, with Iconic Celebrities Singing an Iconic Song

The recipe for selling:
Iconic Product - PEPSI
Iconic Setting - Colosseum (Rome)
Iconic Song - We Will Rock You
Iconic Celebrities - Britney Spears, Beyonce, Pink, Enrique Iglesias

Natalie Okri 10 Year Old "Diva In Waiting" Sings Alicia Keys "No One" on Britain's Got Talent 2009

Natalie Okri Sings Alicia Keys "No One"
[Britain's Got Talent 2009]
Click on picture or link to see Youtube Video

Natalie Okri is an adorable 10 year old South East London girl and "Diva In Waiting". She sang beautifully the Alicia Keys song "No One" on Britain's Got Talent 2009 tonight (May 16th 2009).
Piers Morgan's comment - "You are a very very little girl with a very very big voice."
Simon Cowell's comment - "I think you are totally and utterly adorable."

Well done Natalie!

Greg Pritchard Countertenor Sings Nessum Dorma On Britain's Got Talent 2009

Greg Pritchard Countertenor Sings Nessum Dorma
Britain's Got Talent 2009 [Youtube link]

Welsh waiter, Greg Pritchard, sings Nessun Dorma on Britain's Got Talent May 9th, 2009. Simon Cowell describes his performance as "it shouldn't of happened" and "it's like a dog meowing", ie something that you shouldn't expect to hear. The performance was well received by the audience and judges. Nessun Dorma was sung by Paul Potts, the 2007 winner of Britain's Got Talent

Chanel The World's Oldest Dog

Chanel The World's Oldest Dog

Chanel the world's oldest dog (nearly 21 years old) has a calculated human age of around 120 years. The dark googles are for a purpose, because Chanel has troublesome cataracts. When Chanel began to have problems with her hips, her owner started giving her a glucosamine doggy treat every day and this has been very helpful.

Robin Williams Frog Translator By Royal Appointment

Robin Williams Frog Translator by Royal Appointment:

Robin Williams the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award winning actor and comedian, now has another plaudit, that of "Frog Translator". In the recent online video campaign orchestrated by HRH Prince Charles (Prince Of Wales) Robin Williams describes himself as:

"Robin, comedian, cyclist, frog translator"

The "Save the Rainforest Campaign" video is shown below.



Robin Williams Frog Translator By Royal Appointment:

World Tropical Rainforest Map - The Precious Resource We Must Protect

Rainforests are forests which are characterized by high rainfall. There are 2 types of rainforests - Tropical rainforests and Temperate rainforests. The monsoon trough plays a major role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests. Tropical rainforests are also known as the "jewels of the Earth". The largest number of natural remedies come from tropical rainforests making them also the most well stocked pharmacy in the world. We must do all we can protect this very precious resource which is rapidly declining.

Green Frog & Prince Charles - Save the Rainforest Campaign

Green Frog & Prince Charles' Rainforest Video

The Prince of Wales has released his first YouTube video and amazingly he plays second fiddle to a frog. The video has been produced to increase the awareness of the terrible plight of the world's rainforests.

Starring in the video are:

• Green frog
  
• Kermit the frog
  
• Prince Charles
  
• Prince Harry
  
• Prince William
  
• Dalai Lama
  
• Daniel Craig
  
• Harrison Ford
  
• Joss Stone
  
• Pele
  
• Robin Williams
  

The frog was created by Framestore, the company who created the bear Iorek Byrnison in 'The Golden Compass'.

You can demonstrate your support for the world's rainforests by signing up to the website www.rainforestSOS.org.

Bob Dylan No. 1 in U.K. Album Chart with "Together Through Life"

“Together Through Life” (Sony/Columbia)

Bob Dylan returns to No. 1 in the U.K. album chart with “Together Through Life”, 39 years after his last top-selling album “New Morning” (1972). "Together Through Life" is Bob Dylan's 33rd studio album and 7th British No. 1.

“Together Through Life” (Sony/Columbia) Facts:

• Project started as a single ballad written for French director Olivier Dahan - for movie, 'My Own Love Song'.
• Dylan added another 9 songs to make an album.
• Cowritten with Robert Hunter (former Grateful Dead lyricist)
• David Hidalgo on accordion (of Los Lobos)
• Mike Campbell on guitar (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

Marilyn French Author Of 'The Women's Room' Dies Age 79 (R.I.P.)

The Women's Room

Marilyn French, the writer and feminist has died aged 79 years of heart failure. Her best-selling 1977 novel, The Women's Room, made her a feminist icon in the women's movement, with the novel achieving sales of around 20 million. French initially studied at Hofstra University, before subsequently earning a Ph.D at Harvard University in 1972. In later years she returned to teach at Hofstra University. The pop group ABBA mention Marilyn in their 1982 song, The Day Before You Came - "I must have read a while, the latest one by Marilyn French or something in that style".

Marilyn French is particularly remembered for the following quote which came from the character Val in The Women's Room:

"All men are rapists, and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes."

Publications by Marilyn French include:

• The Book as World: James Joyce's Ulysses (1976)
• The Women's Room (1977)
• The Bleeding Heart (1980)
• Shakespeare's Division of Experience (1981)
• Beyond Power: On Women, Men, and Morals (1985)
• Her Mother's Daughter (1987)
• The War Against Women (1992)
• Our Father (1993)
• My Summer with George (1996)
• A Season in Hell: A Memoir (1998)
• Introduction: Almost Touching the Skies (2000)
• Women's History of the World (2000)
• From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in Three Volumes (2002)
• The Love Children (2005)
• In the Name of Friendship (2006)
• Further novel to be published this fall (2009)
  

Marilyn French (1929-2009) R.I.P.

The Friendship of Janine Khalil & Sue Son - The Dark Side of Reality TV and Newspaper Publishing

Janine Khalil & Sue Son [click image for video]

The recent Britain's Got Talent screening showed the story of friends Janine Khalil (pianist) and Sue Son (violinist) auditioning their group Addicted for the program. The video above shows this performance and the unravelling of a friendship.

Simon Cowell says to the two young ladies after the shortened performance "I don't see where you are going to go with this". I suspect he was most likely thinking - I don't know where I am going to go with this group, but hey that cute Korean girl could be the next Vanessa Mae.


Vanessa Mae Publicity Shot:

The subsequent reporting in the newspapers has been unpleasant, but their job is making money not healing friendships. We don't know the full nature of the girls' friendship and professional collaboration, and it is unlikely that we ever will. Sue Son probably will have success as a new version of Vanessa Mae, and I will be pleased for her if she does. I also wish Janine Khalil gains due professional recognition and commercial success for her undoubted talent.

Unfortunately some bloggers have no understanding of the ways of news reporting and media manipulation and so have been unnecessarily harsh in their comments. When this is pointed out they use their own form of moderator censorship - shame on you Cosmetic Candy.

Related Posts:
Sue Son - Amazing Performance of Vanessa Mae's Storm by Vivaldi on Britain's Got Talent 2009

Sue Son - Amazing Performance of Vanessa Mae's Storm by Vivaldi on Britain's Got Talent 2009

Sue Son Playing Electric Violin On Britain's Got Talent (2009)
Vanessa Mae's Storm [Vivaldi]
[Click on Image to see to youtube performance]

Sue Son performing Vanessa Mae's Storm by Vivaldi on Britain's Got Talent 2009.

Sue Son is a 23 year old student who initially auditioned with her friend Janine Khalil as the group Addicted. Unfortunately the duo were not felt to be good enough to go through to the next round, but the judges asked that Sue Son have a second audition as a solo violinist. Sue Son gave a very good rendition of Storm [Vivaldi] which was well received by the judges and audience.

Related Posts:
Esotericoclast - The Friendship of Janine Khalil & Sue Son - The Dark Side of Reality TV and Newspaper Publishing

Highest Paid CEOs For 2008 From S&P 500

The following is a list of the 10 highest-paid CEOs for 2008 (Standard & Poor's 500 companies). Yes there are bankers in the list. The total pay figures are rounded and are based upon:

• Bonuses
• Perks
• Preferential interest rates on pay set aside for later
• Salary
• Value (estimates) of stock options & stock awards

The list:

• 1. Aubrey McClendon, Chesapeake Energy Corp., $112.5 million
• 2. Sanjay Jha, Motorola Inc., $104.4 million
• 3. Robert Iger, Walt Disney Co., $51.1 million
• 4. Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., $42.9 million
• 5. Kenneth Chenault, American Express Co., $42.9 million
• 6. Vikram Pandit, Citigroup Inc., $38.2 million
• 7. Steven Farris, Apache Corp., $37.2 million
• 8. Louis Camilleri, Philip Morris International Inc., $36.9 million
• 9. Kevin Johnson, Juniper Networks Inc., $36.1 million
• 10. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., $35.7 million

Prince The Musician Had Epilepsy As A Child

The musician Prince, now aged 50 years, recently made a rare public appearance on “The Tavis Smiley Show”, a PBS Talkshow. Prince claimed he suffered from childhood epilepsy and tells how his mother once told him that he once approached her to say he would no longer be sick because an angel had told him so. The youtube video below is from the PBS Talkshow appearance.

Portmanteau Words & Googlemark

A portmanteau word - in the general sense means the blend of 2 or more words. The word 'portmanteau' is itself a 'portmanteau word' as it is derived from the French compound "porte-manteau" consisting of porter (to hang) and manteau (coat) - giving coat hanger.

Examples include:

• Blaxploitation - Black & Exploitation
• Blog - Web & Log
• Gerrymander - Elbridge Gerry & Salamander
• Smog - Smoke & Fog
• Spork - Spoon & Fork.
• Wikipedia - Wiki & Encyclopedia

Googlemark is a site where you can register the first use of a word or phrase in a web page title. New portmanteau words are particularly likely to secure a Googlemark registration.

Number Blindness Clock

Number Blindness Clock: [via link]

Continuing with the number blindness (dyscalculia) theme. Here is a clock that does not have numbers but does require an intact visuospatial ability.

Googlemark - number blindness clock

Animal Speedometer Beats Dyscalculia or Number Blindness

As Fast As I Can [by Thomas De Santis]

An excellent and practical idea by Thomas De Santis. The condition known as dyscalculia (number blindness) is more common than dyslexia (word blindness). Recent research suggests that between 3 and 6 per cent of children suffer from dyscalculia, compared to between 2.5 and 4.3 per cent of children who suffer from dyslexia. The main location in the brain accounting for mathematical ability seems to be the right parietal lobe. Studies using electromagnetic pulses show that temporary stunning of the right parietal lobe significantly impairs mathematical abilities in people who are normally good at maths.

Selected Sources:
'Number blindness' more common than dyslexia (The Independent)
'Number blindness' brain area found (Metro Newspaper)

Animal Speedometer Beats Dyscalculia or Number Blindness

Hollie Steel Wows The Judges & Audience On Britain's Got Talent 2009

Britain's Got Talent has another star after tonight's ITV1 program showed 10 year old Hollie Steel perform I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. Hollie has shown she is talented both as a singer and ballet dancer.

Susan Boyle Gets The South Park Treatment

The mega-youtube star from Britain's Got Talent (2009), Susan Boyle, has now notched up another milestone, a parody mention on South Park.



In the scene above Ike, Kyle's little brother, blames Susan Boyle for making him want to run away - because he's so sick of hearing about her. Ike leaves a letter to his parents which reads:

"Dear mommy and daddy - I am running away."

"Everyone at school is a f****** idiot and if one more person talks to me about that Susan Boyle performance of Les Miserables I was going to puke my b**** out through my mouth."

It's Been A Good Week For The Apprentice 2008 Winner Lee McQueen

Lee McQueen:

It's been a good week for Lee McQueen, winner of BBC's The Apprentice 2008, as he clinches his first deal, a five-year contract with BP for Alan Sugar's company Amscreen. Lee has been working for Amscreen, an out-of-home digital-signage division of Amshold, since winning The Apprentice last year. A good running time in the London Marathon tomorrow will top the week off for Lee.

The Independent Newspaper article - My Week: Lee McQueen - is here.

Polar Bear View Of Global Warming

Global Warming II by Dennis Bromage
[Photo Link]

The impact of global warming is perhaps most noticeable at the poles. One casualty will be the polar bears.

Learning to Fly (Pink Floyd) - Timelapse Photography by Tom @ Timescapes

Timescapes Learning To Fly [Vimeo Link]

Very cool timelapse photography to the track 'Learning To Fly' by Pink Floyd. For the astronomy buffs, Venus and Mercury can be spotted moving around the Sun, and there are also views of Andromeda (@ 00:11, 01:19 & 03:06) and Orion (beginning @ 1:23).

Emo Monkey - Julia Malanjina

Amazing poster of an emo monkey, with eye shadow, facial piercings - created by Julia Malanjina.

Bling DJ Gorilla - Julia Malanjina

Amazing poster of a bling DJ gorilla, sporting gold chains, headphones, braids, baseball cap - created by Julia Malanjina.

Nazi Skinhead Baboon - Julia Malanjina

Amazing poster of a nazi skinhead baboon, sporting skinhead, swastica and braces - created by Julia Malanjina.

Rasta Orangutan - Julia Malanjina

Amazing poster of a rasta orangutan, sporting dreadlocks, rasta hat and smoking a splif - created by Julia Malanjina.

Urban Youth Chimpanzee - Julia Malanjina

Amazing poster of an urban chimpanzee, with a Planet Of The Apes (1968) feel, created by Julia Malanjina.

The Earth At Night

Earth At Night
[Click On Image For Large Version]

This image was Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) August 22nd, 2004. It shows what the earth looks like at night. The image is actually a composite of 100s of pictures made by the orbiting DMSP satellites (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program). Particularly interesting is the difference in night lighting between South Korea and North Korea - see also picture below. The single bright dot in North Korea is Pyong-Yang.


Korean Peninsula Night Lights (2003):
[from www.globalsecurity.org]

Hollie Steel, 10 Years Old, To Challenge Susan Boyle's Lead In Britain’s Got Talent

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent (2009)

A 10 year old girl, Hollie Steel, is set to challenge Susan Boyle's lead in Britain's Got Talent 2009. Hollie will appear on ITV1's program on Saturday night (25th April 2009) according to a Times Online article ... here.


The Sun Article
Good golly Miss Hollie

Hollie performs I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady, according to a Mirror newspaper article ... here.

Youtube copies of Susan Boyle singing on Britain's Got Talent are available:
here - here - here - here - etc

Update - Hollie Steel Performing on Britain's Got Talent:

Hedgehogs - Pale & Albino

Albino Hedgehog
[Daily Mail, article here, from Bank Mill Nurseries]


Pale Hedgehog:
[Photo www.mikedaisey.com]

Note the albino hedgehog has pink eyes (true albino) whilst the pale hedgehog has brown eyes (non albino).

Andrew Johnston - Britain's Got Talent 2008

The bullied choir boy from Scotland, Andrew Johnston, singing Pie Jesu on Britain's Got Talent 2008.

South Park 'Cripple Fight' - Homage To 'They Live' Fight Scene

Following on from the previous posting about the film They Live (1988) . The They Live fight scene was accurately reproduced in South Park episode 67 (2001) - "Cripple Fight."

The fight scene from They Live is shown in this youtube video with the soundtrack of the fight between Timmy and Jimmy from 'Cripple Fight'.



This youtube video (below) has an audio discussion by Trey and Matt where they give a mini commentary on the South Park 'Cripple Fight' episode.



The South Park 'Cripple Fight' cartoon scene is available on youtube here (embedding has been disabled by request).

The Film They Live (1988) - A Cult Classic

The film 'They Live' (1988) was directed by John Carpenter. The plot for the movie is based on the short story "Eight O’Clock in the Morning", by Ray Nelson, published in 1963. The film tapped into the fears of the 1980s regarding consumerism and economic decline. The portrayal of subliminal media advertising by a monied elite (the alien ruling class), and it's use to control human behaviour, is particularly powerful. The film is a cult classic and well worth viewing.

Below is the full film in 9 parts, shown on youtube.


They Live (Part 1/9)


They Live (Part 2/9)


They Live (Part 3/9)


They Live (Part 4/9)


They Live (Part 5/9)


They Live (Part 6/9)


They Live (Part 7/9)


They Live (Part 8/9)


They Live (Part 9/9)

Esotericoclast Blog

Esoteric information from around the world - posted a piece at a time.