Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Top 10 Expensive Nude

No.10 - Nu assis sur un divan (la belle Romaine)

Amedeo Modigliani

Worth: $16.77 million

Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian artist of Jewish origin. He lived the archetypal life of a struggling artist -- narcotics, alcohol, poverty, and early death. In his 35-year life span, he did manage to produce some extremely desirable art work, including this piece. Created in 1919, this painting features a woman wearing the early 20th century equivalent of a thong. His style is considered by some to be fairly unique and difficult to categorize, although there are suggestions of influences by Toulouse-Lautrec and Cezanne. This piece went to auction in 1999 -- which is when its enormous worth was crystalized.


No.9 - Les Femmes d’Alger (J)

Pablo Picasso

Worth: $18.6 million

Picasso lays claim to the next spot on our list with this extremely well known work. Interestingly, Picasso actually produced multiple versions of this concept, of which version “J” holds the record for being one of the most expensive, having sold for almost $19 million in 2005. It contains many of the characteristics of work by Picasso, with its strong cubist influences and its dysmorphic qualities. This work was crafted in 1955, and was inspired by the 1855 work by Eugene Delacroix Women of Algiers in their Apartment.


No.8 - Eve, grand modele-version sans rocher

Auguste Rodin

Worth: $18.97 million

In a break from the paintings we have seen so far, this is a statue by one of the most famous sculptors of all time, Auguste Rodin. Despite being regarded as the father of modern sculpture, Rodin was criticized by his peers for much of his work. Eve was his first attempt at a life-size model of the female form, and was intended as a partner piece to his sculpture Adam, although it was never completed. Specifically, one of his pupils fell in love with the model and married her. Despite this unfortunate episode, it has not stopped the sculpture being worth a staggering $19 million.


No.7 - Naked Portrait with Reflection

Lucien Freud

Worth: $23.5 million

The first entry on the list by a contemporary artist, Naked Portrait with Reflection was created in 1980, as an oil on canvas, and classified as a realist revival piece. The "reflection" in the title refers to the pair of man’s legs behind the sofa, believed to be those of the artist himself. Commentators have remarked that the decision to use the word naked, rather than nude, is a reflection of the vulnerability of the subject, who is baring all to the artist. There is a slight discomfort for the viewer of the image, as though we are intruding upon a scene.


No.6 - Nu au Collier

Pablo Picasso

Worth: $24 million

This masterpiece remained behind closed doors for 60 years, before it went to auction in 2002. The fact that it had been lost to the public for so long may has helped to contribute to its enormous price tag, but yet again, it demonstrates the incredible desirability that Picasso’s works possess. It was completed in the 1930s at the height of his relationship with his mistress Marie-Therese Walters, in a chateau he had bought for them to retreat to. The idea behind this piece was to exaggerate the subject’s feminine curves, to produce an image of fertility, and to encapsulate his love and desire for her.


No.5 - Nu Couche de Dos

Amedeo Modigliani

Worth: $26.9 million

The sale of this painting, for the enormous sum of $27 million, set a new record for a work by Modigliani. Similar to our entry at No. 10, it is immediately recognizable as a Modigliani. At the auction it self, and in subsequent commentary, people appeared mystified as to how this painting sold for as much as it did (it was estimated to sell for between $20 million to $25 million). It is an excellent example of Modigliani’s work, but still not the most expensive nude artwork ever sold.


No.4 - Les Femmes d’Alger (O)

Pablo Picasso

Worth: $32 million

Yet another Picasso to appear on our list and a sister version to one of our earlier entries, sersion “O” of the Les Femmes d’Alger is the most valuable of the series, and it is generally believed that the further down the alphabet he went, the better the painting became. With a few differences to its older, less polished sibling, this version was sold in 1997, and surpassed expectations set by its reserve price. The combined value of all Picasso art exceeds $2 billion -- it is small wonder that the works dominate this list.


No.3 - Benefits Supervisor Sleeping

Lucien Freud

Worth: $33.6 million

Painted in 1995 by Lucien Freud, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping is regarded by some art critics as the very best of his work from the 1990s. It is a very simple image of a woman reclining on a sofa, and is perhaps more interesting because she does not conform to modern standards of beauty. This work briefly held the position of most valuable artwork by a living artist. As his earlier entry on our list demonstrates, Freud is increasingly regarded as one of the most influential and important artists of this era.


No.2 - Study of Nude with Figure in a Mirror

Francis Bacon

Worth: $39.7 million

After his death in 1992, this painting was sold for a mere $1 million. In the intervening years, however, the value of contemporary art pieces skyrocketed, making Francis Bacon one of the most sought-after artists in the world, making his work among the most valuable. This grotesque image of a woman reclining on a sofa, with one of Bacon’s “spectator” figures looking on, is one of few paintings on our list which actually failed to live up to expectations (despite reaching such a high price, it still fell several million short of estimates).

No.1 - Nude in a Black Armchair

Pablo Picasso

Worth: $45.1 million

Perhaps, given what we have seen so far on this list, it was inevitable that the top spot would be claimed by yet another painting by Pablo Picasso. The incredible demand for his work has ensured that he repeatedly breaks auction records for his pieces -- with his Nude in a Black Armchair, he continued that trend. Created in 1932, it is a colorful piece filled with voluptuous curves and a plant which represents fertility. Another example of the work he did while with his mistress, it has maintained its position as the most valuable nude in the world since 1999.

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Top 10 World Most Famous Photos Ever

01. Afghan Girl [1984]

And of course the afghan girl, picture shot by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Sharbat Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry, rarely given the opportunity to photograph Afghan women, seized the opportunity and captured her image. She was approximately 12 years old at the time. She made it on the cover of National Geographic next year, and her identity was discovered in 1992.
Photographer: Steve McCurry

2. Omayra Sánchez [1985]

Omayra Sánchez was one of the 25,000 victims of the Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) volcano which erupted on November 14, 1985. The 13-year old had been trapped in water and concrete for 3 days. The picture was taken shortly before she died and it caused controversy due to the photographer’s work and the Colombian government’s inaction in the midst of the tragedy, when it was published worldwide after the young girl’s death.
Photographer: Frank Fournier

03. Portrait of Winston Churchill [1941]

This photograph was taken by Yousuf Karsh, a Canadian photographer, when Winston Churchill came to Ottawa. The portrait of Churchill brought Karsh international fame. It is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. It also appeared on the cover of Life magazine.
Photograph from: Yousuf Karsh

04. The plight of Kosovo refugees [1999]

The photo is part of The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning entry (2000) showing how a Kosovar refugee Agim Shala, 2, is passed through a barbed wire fence into the hands of grandparents at a camp run by United Arab Emirates in Kukes, Albania. The members of the Shala family were reunited here after fleeing the conflict in Kosovo.
Photographer: Carol Guzy

05. Stricken child crawling towards a food camp [1994]

The photo is the “Pulitzer Prize” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan Famine.
The picture depicts stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.

The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat him. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who
Left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.

Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.
Photographer: Kevin Carter

06. Segregated Water Fountains [1950]

Picture of segregated water fountains in North Carolina taken by Elliott Erwitt
Photographer: Elliott Erwitt, Magnum Photos

07. Burning Monk - The Self-Immolation [1963]

June 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk from Vietnam, burned himself to death at a busy intersection in downtown Saigon to bring attention to the repressive policies of the Catholic Diem regime that controlled the South Vietnamese government at the time. Buddhist monks asked the regime to lift its ban on flying the traditional Buddhist flag, to grant Buddhism the same rights as Catholicism, to stop detaining Buddhists and to give Buddhist monks and nuns the right to practice and spread their religion.

While burning Thich Quang Duc never moved a muscle.
Photographer: Malcolm Browne

08. Bliss [~2000]

Bliss is the name of a photograph of a landscape in Napa County, California, east of Sonoma Valley. It contains rolling green hills and a blue sky with stratocumulus and cirrus clouds. The image is used as the default computer wallpaper for the “Luna” theme in Windows XP.

The photograph was taken by the professional photographer Charles O’Rear, a resident of St. Helena in Napa County, for digital-design company HighTurn. O’Rear has also taken photographs of Napa Valley for the May 1979 National Geographic Magazine article Napa, Valley of the Vine.

O’Rear’s photograph inspired Windows XP’s US$ 200 million advertising campaign Yes you can.
Photographer: Charles O’Rear

09. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire [1911]

Picture of bodies at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Company rules were to keep doors closed to the factory so workers (mostly immigrant women) couldn’t leave or steal. When a fire ignited, disaster struck. 146 people died that day.
Photographer: International Ladies Garmet workers Union

Finally, a question for you……… ….. Who is this famous guy?

READ MORE - Top 10 World Most Famous Photos Ever

Nice and noticeable Japanese nipples

Considering that it’s now winter in Tokyo and so not exactly warm, one could be forgiven for thinking that nipple enhancers are be a bit unnecessary — if indeed they are warranted whatever the weather.


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Shit Box.........!!!!!!!! The Unique Box




Shit Box, The unique box forYou :D

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Top 10 Unique & Coolest Computer Mice

1. Road Mice, in the Shape of Your Favorite Car
Attention car lovers, now you can “cruise” the web in style with officially licensed replica of your favorite car with the Road Wireless Mice ($44.95). These Road Mice have 800 dpi resolution for enhanced accuracy and precision, functioning headlights (with on/off switch to save battery life), and even individual VIN serial numbers so you can get personalized registration and title, just like a real car.

2. Sexy Body Mouse
How could work with a computer ever be a sensual experience? Well, with the Pat-Says-Now Body Optical Mouse ($29.90) you’ll be touching and moving around a voluptuous body dressed in fancy lingerie… the whole day.

3. World of Warcraft Mouse
What’s a World of Warcraft session without a dedicated WOC mouse? That was gaming peripheral makers SteelSeries’ sentiments when they created the SteelSeries World of Warcraft Mouse ($99.99) for its 11 million devoted users. It would take three hands with all digits intact to match the number of buttons on SteelSeries’ new World of Warcraft MMO mouse. That’s right - 15 programmable buttons grace the rodent’s funky cyborgish exterior, and each one of them was designed in conjunction with Blizzard specifically with WoW addicts in mind. The new mouse level’s up its macros skillset by affording macros up to 160 characters long, with over 130 predefined commands for drag-and-drop macro creation in place. But you might find yourself spending the majority of your time grinding away at the light scheme. And get this: the world’s first WoW mouse boasts no less than 16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels. Not bad!

4. Germ-Free Mouse
The IOGear’s Germ Free Wireless Laser Mouse ($11.99) is coated with a Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) and Silver (Ag) nano-particle compound, which uses two mechanisms to deactivate enzymes and proteins to prevent a wide spectrum of bacteria, virus, fungi, and algae from surviving on the surface of the mouse. It has been tested and proven effective against the settlement of harmful microbes on the insulated surface, an excellent tool for medical offices, libraries, schools and public computers in general.

5. Washable Mouse
If the Germ-free mouse doesn’t make you feel clean enough, try the Belkin Washable Mouse ($17.69). With a water-resistant design, the washable mouse can endure spills and you can hand-wash it right under a running faucet. Dirt, food, liquids, germs, bacteria–all wash right off with some soap and water.

6. Wearable Fingertip Mouse
Meet the Ring-Style Fingertip Mouse ($10.50). This Japanese finger-mouse straps onto your index finger and uses an optical sensor to track your pointing — a thumb-wheel acts as a clicker as well. The mouse is super-compact and intended for use in cramped circumstances — you can even use your thigh as a mousing surface, who cool is that?

7. Keypad Mouse
Meet the Adesso AKP-170 Keypad Mouse ($19.99). The 19 Key USB Numeric Keypad and Optical Mouse offers desktop and notebook users an instant benefit of a full-sized, external numeric keypad in a compact form. It functions as a numeric keypad and as an optical mouse it features a wide flip top transparent cover for the keypad and additional scroll wheel for easy web navigation. It is innovative and portable, definitely designed for mobile professionals.

8. Heart Mouse
Feel the love with every click of the Pat-Says-Now Red Heart Computer Mouse ($45.99). It may not be a heart shaped diamond, but for a computer geek it’s almost equivalent to one.

9. Hamburger Mouse
This is one burger at the deskop that won’t drop any crumbs into your keyboard - the Hamburger Mouse ($19.95). Its deliciously ergonomic design has a guarantee of approximately three million clicks, probably one million more than you’ll ever need in your lifetime, unless you’re a sucker for point-and-click RPGs such as old school Diablo.

9. Bamboo Mouse
Get environmentally-friendly with the 3BTN Bamboo Eco-Friendly Mouse ($16.73). Elegant for the executive, practical for everyone. For right or left hand use, with optical sensing technology, PC and Mac compatible.

(http://anie-jokes.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-coolest-computer-mice.html)
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15 of the World’s Most Massive Beasts

In an earlier post, “15 of the World’s Most Adorable Miniature Animals”, we took a look at some extremely diminutive creatures. Now we’re going to go the opposite direction and showcase 15 of the world’s largest organisms, and one honorable mention. These animals aren’t the type to run and hide when a human being comes along, in fact most of them are absolutely too dangerous to approach at all in the wild, but regardless of their size and strength, they have the unique ability to inspire awe.

King of the Castle

montage1

(images via whale info, scholastic, daily mail, ocregister)

Not only is the Blue whale the planet’s largest single living animal, it is the largest animal believed to ever have existed on earth. From nose to the tip of the tail, its length spans over 100 feet, dwarfing every and any other animal it could ever encounter. Weighing in at up to 190 tons, this oceanic beast is simply massive. They are severely endangered due to any number of causes, though chiefly whaling, and can be found roaming nearly every oceanic area the world over.

Gentle Giants

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(images via trek nature, galenfrysinger, wikimedia)

While normally a docile creature, the African Bush Elephant is actually as deadly as it is huge. At up to nearly 20,000 lbs it is the largest and most massive creature living on land, and once fully grown, has no naturalpredators. When provoked, there is nearly no stopping them, but being hunted by humans has landed these giants in a precarious position population-wise.

The Blubber Comes in Handy

montage35

(images via greg lasley, oostwestthijsbest)

Elephant Seals live in one of the absolute coldest regions in the world, swimming in icy water and laying on thick glacial ice all day long. They are massive, with bulls weighing up to 6,000 lbs. They routinely provide entertainment to human onlookers by their constant fighting, as the males are extremely dominant and combative.

They Don’t Look Much Like Horses…

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(images via birdsasart, daily mail, al blog)

But they’re named after them. Hippopotamuses look like gigantic pigs that swim, but their name is greek for “river horse” and they’re actually more related to whales like the porpoise. They are considered one of the most dangerous animals alive due to their extreme territorial defensiveness, mixed with raw power and sheer weight. If a hippo charges, not much can stop it.

They Don’t Live with Penguins.

montage5

(images via bear club, very very fun, firstpeople, wild life archives)

Polar bears do, however, live in an extreme climate, and are the world’s largest species of bear. They can weigh up to 1,500 lbs and usually spend their days swimming in water below freezing temperature, hunting. They’re in danger of extinction now due to a mixture of hunting and climate changes, which are depleting the glacial ice these animals need to survive.

Every Child Knows them, Nobody Wants to Pet them.

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(images via ozhosting, ratemyscreensaver, who zoo, biscottis and kangaroos)

Well, someone may want to pet the White Rhinoceros, but nobody would recommend it. Weighing up to nearly 8,000 lbs, the rhino is a huge, thick-skinned animal with very few natural predators. The Salt-Water Crocodile on the other hand, is not the kind of beast anybody looks at and thinks is cute. At up to 3,000 lbs and 20 feet long, it seems more akin to dinosaurs than anything living today.

In the Great White Hollywood Shadow

montage7

(images via luxury property, science blogs, currion, bbc)

Movies like Jaws have brought the wrong animal to the forefront of our imaginations. The 40 foot long, 15 ton Whale Shark easily dwarfs the Great White, though it doesn’t have any teeth. Manta Rays have been found with wing-spans of 25 feet and weights of 5,000 lbs, and recently the Giant Squid was knocked off its throne by the Colossal Squid, measuring in at 46 feet.

Ligers are real, and they’re Huge.

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(images via rifftrax, guardian, monga bay travel)

While not common knowledge, the “Liger” is not a mythical creature. It’s simply the product of a male lion and a female tiger, and it can weigh 700 lbs at a 10 foot length. The Wild Boar varies in size and weight but Russian variants of the species have been recorded at over 600 lbs. The fabled Anaconda is also real enough, with reports of snakes prowling jungle rivers at lengths of 60 feet.

No List is Complete Without Them

montage9

(images via jacks thought rack, exceptional trees)

While not an animal by any means, the General Sherman tree (above, left) is a beast of a tree; it stands 275 feet high, and it’s estimated to be at least 2,700 years old. Lastly, though largely overlooked and not very glamorous, the Pando colony of Quaking Aspen trees in Utah is actually one single organism, connected by one root system, with each trunk actually being a stem. Pando covers 107 acres of land and weighs an estimated 6,615 tons; it is believed to be over 80,000 years old. An honorable mention needs to be made in this category for the African Baobab tree. The largest and oldest specimen is dated at 6,000 years old, and has a 150 foot circumference.

READ MORE - 15 of the World’s Most Massive Beasts

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