Self-taught photographer Alex Timmermans has been practicing photography his entire life. Over the course of his career, tons of digital equipment has become readily available. However, the artist finds that he prefers working in traditional photographic techniques—particularly the wet collodion process. Through this approach to photography, Timmermans produces portraits and fine art photographs filled with strange and surreal elements that suggest a variety of interesting narratives.
The Dutch photographer enjoys the very traditional and purposeful approach to photography. It can take a full hour to produce a single composition and there are many uncontrollable elements, including slight differences in chemicals or changing weather, that can result in unexpected surprises. "Seeing a picture changing in the fixer bath—from a negative to a positive—is a magic spectacle which makes it worthwhile to spend so much time and energy on it," explains Timmermans.
Moscow, Russia – “Exhumation of the body of Hambo Lama Itigelov took place September 10th, 2002 on the territory of cemetery near the city of Ulan Ude (Russian Federation). He died and was buried in 1927 and the exhumation was performed in presence of relatives, officials, and specialists.”
This was the information that appeared in Russian mass media regarding Buryat Lama who was exhumed from the grave in the beginning of the 21 st century. The grave contained a wooden box and there was a sitting Buddhist lama in ‘lotus’ pose. His body was preserved as if it was mummified, however it was not. Soft muscles and skin, folding joints. The body was covered with silk clothes and fabric.
Hambo Lama Itigelov is a real person quite well known in Russian history. He studied in Anninsky Datsan (Buddhist university in Buryatia, nowadays there are ruins only) and obtained degrees in medicine and philosophy (on the nature of emptiness), he created an encyclopedia of pharmacology.
In 1911 Itigelov became a Hambo Lama (the head of Buddhist church in Russia). During the period from 1913 till 1917 he participated in social actions of the Tsar, being invited to 300-year anniversary of Romanov’s house, opened the first Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg, and Nikolai II gave him St. Stanislav award on 19 th of March, 1917.
During the First World War Itigelov created and inspired the organization called “Buryat brothers”. He was helping the army with money, meals, clothes, medicaments, he also built a set of hospitals with lama doctors helping wounded soldiers. For that he got St. Anna award and others.
In 1926 Itigelov advised the Buddhist monks to leave Russia, since ‘the red teaching was coming’ (Itigelov himself never left Russia). In 1927, being 75, he told lamas to begin meditation, since he said he was preparing to die. Lamas did not want to perform this meditation because Itigelov was still alive. Thus, Itigelov began to meditate by himself, lamas joined him and soon he died.
Ititgelov left a testament where he asked to bury him as he was, sitting in lotus pose in the cedar box on traditional cemetery. It was done. There was also a statement, where he asked other monks to exhume him after several years. (This is the exciting point – this means he knew that his body would be preserved). This was done in 1955 and in 1973 by Buddhist monks but they were scared to tell everybody about this, since communist regime did not leave any space for religion in society. Only in 2002 the body was finally exhumed and transferred to Ivolginsky Datsan (a residence of today’s Hambo Lama) where it was closely examined by monks and, which is now more important, by scientists and pathologists. The official statement was issued about the body – very well preserved, without any signs of decay, whole muscles and inner tissue, soft joints and skin. The interesting thing is that the body was never embalmed or mummified.
Two years passed. Itigelov’s body is now kept open air, in contact with other people, without any temperature or humidity regimes. How Itigelov keeps this condition, nobody knows.
This is the ONLY KNOWN AND CONFIRMED CASE OF IMPERISHABLE BODY throughout the whole world. Embalming and mummifying is well known among different nations and peoples – Chili (Chinchora), Egypt mummies, Christian Saints, communist leaders and others. Some bodies were found in permafrost, however when they contacted with oxygen atmosphere they perished within several hours.
However, there are descriptions of such things in Buddhist texts, but there are no confirmed examples. Well, now there is.
For two years after the exhumation of Itigilov’s body it does not perish nor decay, no fungus, no negative things happen to it. Itigelov said before he died that he left a message to all peoples on Earth. This message contains no words. Now it is our turn to understand it.
Some of us are embarrassed by our dark armpits and avoid wearing sleeveless clothes or bathing suits. Darkening skin patches under your arms happens in both men and women, however it’s more common in women with darker skin. Many have tried various “dark armpits treatments” such as creams and gels, but haven’t seen the changes they’ve expected. Dark armpits are caused by hyperpigmentation in the underarm area and many times is caused by changes in hormonal levels and specially during pregnancy. Here is a list of things you should not be doing then a list of some remedies to help you get rid of them:
TOP CAUSES OF DARK ARMPITS:
1. Shaving – Stop using razors to shave your underarms as when you do it cuts the hair just below the surface of the skin which looks like stubble. Hair removal creams do the same which makes the underarms look darker. Try waxing as it removes the hair from the root itself. For waxing you can try BODY SUGARING, which is an ancient hair removal technique that works very good.
2. Too much deodorant – Some theories suggest that strong deodorants make your armpits look darker. Use natural methods to deodorize yourself.
3. Skin friction – Clothes that are tight and harsh on your skin may also cause darkening of your underarms.
4. Dead cells – One cause of dark armpits can be dead cells. Exfoliate gently or scrub with lactic acid to avoid them.
5. Bacteria – As many as 18 different types of bacteria live on different parts of our skin. The most common bacterium that lives in armpits is called Corynebacterium minutissimum. When we sweat, the underarm environment changes and becomes more friendly for the growth of bacteria, which may eventually cause the bad smell and darkening of this area. To avoid this, you should shower more often.
Natural ways to get rid of dark armpits:
1. Coconut Oil Coconut oil contains vitamin E which plays an important role in lightening dark underarms. Apply some coconut oil to your armpits before bathing and massage for 10-15 minutes, then wash off with mild soap and lukewarm water. Follow the process daily and you will gain fair underarms over time. Additionally coconut oil works as a natural deodorant.
2. Lemon Juice Rubbing your underarms with lemon juice is one of the most effective ways to lighten your underarms as lemon has natural bleaching properties. Apply some before your bathing then wash it off. Apply moisturizer to soften your skin and don’t use deodorant for a few days.
3. Baking Soda To treat dark underarms you can make a paste by using baking soda, add some water so that it becomes a paste and scrub your underarms with it. This will remove the dead cells responsible for dark underarms and open your pores. In an emergency you can wash your underarms with water and apply baking powder to reduce the dark appearance. Try this on regular basis and feel the difference.
4. Papaya Papayas contain enzymes that are great at cleaning skin. You can apply some shredded papaya to your underarms and let it dry, then wash off with water. Use papaya that is not too ripe.
5. Potato Potatoes also have bleaching properties and can be used to lighten dark armpits. Slice a potato and rub your underarms with them. Alternatively you can rub potato juice on your underarms and leave it for 15 minutes to dry, then wash off and you will see results in just a few days.
6. Gram flour and Yogurt You can mix gram flour, lemon juice, yogurt, and a pinch of turmeric powder to make a paste. Yogurt has properties that can help lighten your skin and is great for your face too!. Apply the paste to your underarms and leave for 20 minutes and wash with lukewarm water. Follow the process at least 3 times a week for best results.
7. Saffron This dark armpits treatment sounds a bit expensive, but saffron works well to lighten the underarms. Mix a pinch or two of saffron in milk or cream and apply the mixture to your underarms before going to sleep at night. Leave it overnight then wash off the next morning. This will lighten your armpits and kill harmful bacteria that cause bad odor.
Want to watch a non-fiction film about photography? Here’s a list of documentaries (and some other stuff) concerning photography that I’ve collected over the years.
Rejoice, happy-go-lucky and environmentally conscious Coca-Cola lovers. Thanks to this new "2nd Lives" kit from the brand, you can now transform your Coke into something even more delightful. Is that just an empty soda bottle? Nope, it's a squirt gun. Useless piece of trash? Nope, it's a pencil sharpener, or the perfect rattle for your baby. Make your children happy. Give them Coca-Cola, and toys made from Coca-Cola. And if you have two empty Coke bottles, you can even make a dumbbell to burn off some of the calories you gained by guzzling both.
Created with the help of Ogilvy & Mather China, the campaign features a line of 16 innovative caps that can be screwed on to bottles when they're empty, transforming them into useful objects like water guns, whistles, paint brushes, bubble makers and pencil sharpeners. It's all part of a clever effort to encourage consumers in Vietnam to recycle, and a rare success at the sort of alchemy that seeks to reincarnate garbage as advertising (even if such attempts are a cornerstone of the marketing industry). Coke will give away 40,000 of these modified caps, which come in 16 different varieties, to start.
It's not clear if the add-ons themselves are made from recycled material. Even if they are, producing more plastic parts might not be the best way to reduce plastic waste.
But that's beside the point. While the caps might not quite hit the sharing chord as clearly as the it-takes-two-to-open bottles, they're a smart bit of advertising. "What if empty Coke bottles were never thrown away?" the campaign asks. Clearly, it would mean people everywhere could finally live in a utopia where everything was made of Coke products.
Kendall Jenner is having the best year ever. From her New York Fashion Week catwalk debut to her Vogue shoot and new book release (with sister Kylie Jenner), the 18-year-old is constantly making headlines. And she just nabbed another big magazine spread. Jenner poses sans top (and sans nearly everything else) in the new issue of Interview.
“To be honest, this is exactly what I wanted to be,” the 18-year-old star, who covers her chest and dons a sleek cat eye in the provocative new shoot, says of her modeling career. “I was always looking up to supermodels. They were, like, my superheroes.”
Jenner explains that her determination and work ethic stem from the constant support of her parents, Bruce and Kris Jenner.
“My dad is my everything. He always had the craziest speeches for Kylie and me growing up, good words to live by,” she shared, adding, “My parents brought up Kylie and me to be workaholics. That’s something I really appreciate.”
The newbie model also reveals that she picked up some serious high jump skills from her Olympian dad. “I don’t really remember, but my friend just showed me this video of when I was on the track team. I got the school record for high jump. My dad was so proud of me.” (With her lean legs and athletic body type, we’d totally peg Jenner as a track star.)
It took over four years for photographer Jimmy Nelson to document 29 cultures and tribes at risk of disappearing from their remote corners of the world. He set out to “celebrate the beauty of these cultures and their traditional ways of life” and beautifully captured his subjects.
Just how good are plastic surgeons in South Korea?
Well for starters, South Korean media outlets Onboa and Munhwa have reported that many people now need plastic surgery certificates to prove they actually are who they say they are.
The practice has been growing in popularity for a few years now, but a recent boom in plastic surgery tourism from nearby countries like China and Japan means many of these foreigners now need hard proof of their surgeries to get past customs in their homeland.
One of the most common procedures is blepharoplasty, which gives the eye a more rounded, western look, and it’s made it making it harder for authorities to identify people based on their pre-op photos on their passports and other forms of ID.
With such unbelievable transformations, it’s hard to blame them.
Though people are more discrete about sharing their plastic surgery in America, it’s a totally normal topic of discussion in South Korea, not unlike you’d converse about someone’s outfit or hairstyle.
South Korea boasts the highest rates of plastic surgery of any country in the world, so it’s a much less taboo trend.
A recent survey found that one in five women between the ages of 19 and 49 there undergo some sort of cosmetic surgery, though it is growing increasingly common among men too.
Sadly, it looks like what’s driving this trend is East Asia’s pop culture, which tends to idolize western looks and music in particular.
But that’s no excuse. When you need a certificate to prove who you are, maybe it’s time to consider pumping the brakes on the plastic surgery.
While South Koreans may need to take a good hard look at the mirror when it comes to it’s growing obsession with plastic surgery, there are places where it can do some good beyond the superficial. Operation Smile is an international children’s medical charity that help’s provide safe surgical care for cleft palate treatment, helping heal children’s smiles forever.
