The composite Miss Universe

Composite_miss_world

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/10/the-composite-miss-universe.html#more
 
Admit it. You've wasted an afternoon or two on HotOrNot.com, doling out nines to anyone who flashes a little skin and twos to people with glasses.

To determine what really counts on the website, Pierre Tourigny made composite images of 15 women grouped by rating. Each image melds the faces of about 30 women into one.

The thinner and more symmetric faces turned out be "hotter" - hardly a surprise.

Dozens of other studies have confirmed that both men and women prefer mates with symmetric faces, perhaps because they are an indicator of development genes with few harmful mutations.

The low-rated composite faces tended to be fatter and, to my eyes, less symmetric. But overall, Tourigny notes that the composite faces proved hotter than the sum of their parts - probably because the morphing process smoothed out zits, scars and other blemishes.

He did the same for women in four age groups - all over 18, thankfully - as well as for Miss Universe contestants.

Think you and your mates are better than the sum of your faces? Make your own facial composite here.

Ewen Callaway, online reporter

Free Printable 2009 Desk Calendar

Free Printable 2009 Desk Calendar:

The calendar pages will fit into any cd jewel case (just flip it inside out to make a stand)

http://vintageglamblog.com/2008/10/17/freebie-fridays-free-printable-2009-desk-calendar/
 

The free monograms offer has officially ended, but not to worry! I made this freebie for you to keep track of your plans and bring some color to your office desk. The calendar pages will fit into any cd jewel case (just flip it inside out to make a stand). Just print, cut on the guidelines et voila! You can also use decorative paper (wrapping paper, scrapbooking paper…anything you like) to mat the pages and pin them on a board.

Download free printable 2009 desk calendar.

http://www.vintageglamblog.com/Images/Templates/Calendar%202009.zip

Enjoy your weekend!

http://www.vintageglamblog.com/Images/Templates/Calendar%202009.zip

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Ethan Bortnick on Jay Leno Video

(download)

http://www.ethanbortnick.com/ 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98482724

Ethan Bortnick: Accomplished Pianist At 7

Listen Now

Ethan Bortnick

Pianist Ethan Bortnick, 7, composes pieces about animals and wants to be a zoo keeper.

Ethan Bortnick & Beyonce

Piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick with pop star Beyonce.

On Our Soapbox Blog

Weekend Edition Saturday, December 20, 2008 - Pianist, composer and world-class entertainer Ethan Bortnick has appeared on Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, and Martha Stewart. He's shared a stage with Beyonce, Josh Groban, Santana, Natalie Cole, Nelly Furtado, Wyclef Jean, Smokey Robinson, Gloria Gaynor, Patti LaBelle, and The Pointer Sisters. He can play more than 200 songs from memory, has composed more than 30 pieces of music that are being published, and has raised record amounts for children's charities.

His accomplishments are comparable to those of well-known established musicians and entertainers, and he's only 7 years old.

When he was 3, Ethan asked his parents for piano lessons. "They're like, 'You know what, I don't think you can have piano lessons, because you're still in diapers.' So I listened to every note of Mozart's 'Alla Turca,' and I started playing, and they're like, 'Wait, the audio's not on, so who is it? Oh man.' They thought it was a ghost or something playing." When they found out who was really playing, Ethan was allowed to take piano lessons.

At 7, Ethan has already started writing his own pieces. One song he wrote, "Arctic Jazz," is about, "a manatee who went all the way from Florida to Antarctica to play a jazz party."

Despite his early accomplishments, Ethan doesn't plan on being a professional pianist as an adult. "I'm going to be a zookeeper," he says. "I love animals. That's why I write every song about animals."