Amazingly Creative Plasticine Models

Plasticine is a type of modeling clay. It is used in the creation of clay animation to make characters. It is made out of calcium salts, aliphatic acids, an petroleum jelly. The consistency is a putty substance.

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Colonel Gaddifi has been captured - in Plasticine - by Leicester-born sculptor Karen Caldicott, who now lives in New York. Her Gaddifi bust cheekily features cuts and bruises - perhaps a glimpse at the Libyan leader's imminent future. Karen has also made eight inch-high sculptures of Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Hillary Clinton...

...and Apple boss Steve Jobs. Karen explains: "This Plasticine is the kind that is used in stop-motion/Claymation animation. The fact that it never really hardens makes it the perfect material to continually make adjustments, which art directors often ask me to do."

"Mostly these are commissions from magazines and newspapers. If I decide to make a head otherwise it's because I can really have fun with a certain subject, she says". Pictured: her sculpture of Michael Jackson

As well as sculpting well-known faces, Karen accepts commissions with prices starting at $1000. She displays her works in galleries and also has plans to animate her heads for a short film. Pictured: Mick Jagger

"I do not have a favourite sculpture as I become very fond of them all," she says. "I'm surrounded by them at home, they keep me company."

She first sketches her subject before painstakingly building up the shoulders and head by adding small bits of Plasticine. Once she is happy with the features the bust is then painted in acrylic.

Various Plasticine sculptures

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Hillary Clinton - with torn jacket

Angela Merkel

Benazir Bhutto

Aretha Franklin

Samuel L Jackson

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Jim Jarmusch

Useful Steps To Improve Your Memory

Everyone can take steps to improve their memory, and with time and practice most people can gain the ability to memorize seemingly impossible amounts of information. Whether you want to win the World Memory Championships, ace your history test, or simply remember where you put your keys, this article can get you started. Scientists believe that exercising your brain can create a 'cognitive reserve' that will help you stay sharp as you age.

1. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve your memory. Commit yourself to the task and bask in your achievements it's hard to keep motivated if you beat yourself down every time you make a little bit of progress.

2. Keep your brain active. The brain is not a muscle, but regularly "exercising" the brain actually does keep it growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By developing new mental skills especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument and challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning.

3. Exercise daily. Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve your memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental "pictures."

4. Reduce stress. Chronic stress, although it does not physically damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult. Even temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus on concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe chronic stress.

5. Eat well and eat right. There are a lot of herbal supplements on the market that claim to improve memory, but none have yet been shown to be effective in clinical tests (although small studies have shown some promising results for ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine). A healthy diet, however, contributes to a healthy brain, and foods containing antioxidants, broccoli, blueberries, spinach, and berries, for example and Omega-3 fatty acids appear to promote healthy brain functioning. Feed your brain with such supplements as Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6. Grazing, eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals, also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by limiting dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect the brain.

6. Take better pictures. Often we forget things not because our memory is bad, but rather because our observational skills need work. One common situation where this occurs (and which almost everyone can relate to) is meeting new people. Often we don't really learn people's names at first because we aren't really concentrating on remembering them. You'll find that if you make a conscious effort to remember such things, you'll do much better. One way to train yourself to be more observant is to look at an unfamiliar photograph for a few seconds and then turn the photograph over and describe or write down as many details as you can about the photograph. Try closing your eyes and picturing the photo in your mind. Use a new photograph each time you try this exercise, and with regular practice you will find you're able to remember more details with even shorter glimpses of the photos.

Things You Must Know About Your Body Temperature

Body temperature is an important indicator of our health. What is normal body temperature? What part of the body gives the most accurate readings? Find out the answers to these and other questions regarding body temperature.
1.Your body is great thermoregulator
Our body has an amazing ability to keep its temperature within safe range to keep you healthy, no matter what conditions you are exposed to outside the body. When you feel hot, you start sweating, which cools you body down. When you feel cold, you start shivering, which is involuntary muscle contractions that generate heat. Goosebumps that appear on skin when you are feeling cold are actually tiny muscles that raise body hairs, which increase their thickness.
2. Normal body temperature
It is commonly accepted that normal human body temperature is 98.6 degrees F or 37 degrees C. However, there is also a number of variations to normal body temperature that depend on many factors, such as the time of the day, outside temperature, age of the person and others. Temperature may vary by 1 degrees F (0.6 degrees C), from 97 degrees F (36.1 degrees C) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C), which is considered within normal range.
3. The body temperature varies throughout the day
Body temperature undergoes minor changes throughout the day. It is the lowest in the morning, between 4 and 6 a.m. and highest in the evening, around 6 to 8 p.m. Temperature also changes during sleep. Usually it starts to drop when we fall asleep, ensuring sound sleep and needed rest.
4. Rectal temperature - most accurate
Body temperature is measured with the help of different types of thermometers in various parts of the body. Temperature taken in your mouth may be influenced by many factors and is usually lower, while rectal and ear measurements are slightly higher than oral temperature readings. Temperature taken in your armpit may me the least accurate since it may not directly indicate core temperature. The most accurate way to measure body temperature is to take temperature rectally.
5. Fever is good for you
Many of us are scared of fever and try to reduce fever with medications. However, fever is not an illness, but the body's defense mechanism that fights infections and is basically harmless. Fever slows the growth of pathogenic bacteria and activates white blood cells to fight infection. Fever may range between 100 degrees to 104 degrees F and higher (37.8 degrees - 40 degrees C), but not all of them need to be treated with medications. The general rule of thumb is that fever medicines are necessary when it causes you or your child discomfort or there are other dangerous signs such as trouble breathing or pain.

Woman With Worlds Longest Fingernails

Woman with World’s Longest Fingernails: See How She Texts with 20-Foot Nails
With fingernails nearly 20 feet long, Chris "The Dutchess" Walton set the record for the world's longest nails, which took 18 years to grow. That must be one expensive manicure.
The 45-year-old singer from Las Vegas known as "The Dutchess" is now part of the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records for her fingernails that measure 10 feet 2 inches on her left hand and 9 feet 7 inches on her right."It's kind of like a body part that I was born with, now I don't know what I would do without them," Chris "The Dutchess" Walton said while being photographed in front of the New York Public Library on Wednesday.While she admits she doesn't know what she would do without them, we wonder what she does WITH them.

According to "The Dutchess,she can do almost anything with her 20-feet long nails including drive a car, shop and household chores. Well, anything but reach into her pockets.
"The hardest thing for me to do is dig in my pockets," she told the Huffington Post. "Everything else I can do myself -- driving, shopping, cleaning the house ... although when I vacuum, the cord gets tangled in my fingers."One other activity she does not engage in is swimming, but not because of her nails.;I don't swim, but it's not the nails that stop me swimming. It's a hair thin she said.
"The Dutchess" demonstrated how she texts with such long fingernails, using her knuckles instead, while promoting the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records with her glittery nails and flamboyant ensemble.She consciously thinks about her nails, which she has been growing for over 18 years, including when dressing herself, altering her clothing to fit her sharp lifestyle.

"I align my wardrobe to myself...If I like a jacket, I'll take the seam out of the arm and replace it with a zipper so I can get my nails in the sleeve," she said.
The mother of five and grandmother of three did not intentionally grow her nails over the past two decades for sport, but rather on accident.
"I never set out to make it into Guinness. It just happened," she told the Huffington Post. "One day I stopped cutting my nails. I liked the way they looked. And they just kept growing."
"The Dutchess" said she does not have a special diet to grow her nails and does not take vitamins or supplements to promote nail growth, but rather eats a lot of candy.
She does, however, care for her appendage-like fingernails, giving herself a manicure once a month. When asked how many bottles of nail polish she uses per manicure, she told the Huffington Post, "it depends on the brand, and how it goes on."Chris "The Dutchess" Walton, a real life Edward Scissorhands, also said she does not plan on clipping her nails any time soon.
"I'm pretty sure one day I will cut them, but I can't see it in my head because I'm so used to having them," she said. "It's like a leg, I wouldn't just chop it off so it's gonna take some thinking.

Windows 1.0 to 8

1985  Windows 1.0


The First Version of Microsoft Windows, Windows 1.0, with simple applications and the concept of multitasking on PC
1987  Windows 2.0

The Second Version of Windows, Windows 2.0 with some fixes and the Control Panel.
1988  Windows 2.1

The Second Version of Windows with some additions, and some fixes, Windows 2.1, the Paint software is seen in this one!
1990  Windows 3.0


The Third Version of Windows, Windows 3.0, featuring the File Manager and Program Manager, replacing the old MS DOS based File and Program Managers.
1992  Windows 3.1

The later released upgraded version of Windows 3.0, which had support for 32-bit Disk Access, Personalization options and had the Minesweeper game for the first time.
1995  Windows 95

Windows 95, the changed look, the new interface and the beginning of the form of Windows which we see now. Enhanced Graphics and better Communication Programs.
1998  Windows 98

Windows 98, one of the most successful versions of Windows till now, this version of Windows can still be seen in some PCs even today. With Extended Softwares, better Performance, this Version was the first milestone in the path of the development of Windows.
2000  Windows ME


Windows ME or Windows Millenium Edition, though not a very popular version of Windows, but still it had some better tools and performance than the previous ones in some cases.
2001  Windows XP

Windows XP, the Daddy of all versions of Windows, the most popular version of windows even today. Windows XP is still used today because of its unmatched performance, tools and interface. This has been the best version of Windows till the arrival of Windows 7.
2006  Windows Vista

Windows Vista, though it didn’t go so well in the public, but still its a good version of Windows specially for the interface the Windows Aero™ Effect, making the Window Transparency work like magic.
2009  Windows 7

Windows 7, the best version of Windows till date. With the new and advanced features such as the Superbar, this version of Windows created another milestone for Microsoft after Windows 98 and Windows XP. Windows 7 features an unbeatable user interface, and powerful tools that makes it the best among the rest.
2012  Windows 8

Windows 8, to be released in the late 2012. The interface of Windows 8 as seen at the D9 Conference. A better version of Windows as proposed by Microsoft, with the changed User Interface.

Try These Belly Exercises