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Leonardo Da Vinci's wacky piano is heard for the first time, after 500 years

Leonardo Da Vinci's wacky piano is heard for the first time, after 500 years
Take a bow: The viola organista's strings are played in the same way as a cello. Photo: Tomasz Wiech/AFP A bizarre instrument combining a piano and cello has finally been played to an audience more than 500 years after it was dreamt up Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci, the Italian Renaissance genius who painted the Mona Lisa, invented the ‘‘viola organista’’ - which looks like a baby grand piano – but never built it, experts say. The viola organista has now come to life, thanks to a Polish concert pianist with a flair for instrument-making and the patience and passion to interpret da Vinci’s plans. Full of steel strings and spinning wheels, Slawomir Zubrzycki’s creation is a musical and mechanical work of art. Advertisement ‘‘This instrument has the characteristics of three we know: the harpsichord, the organ and the viola da gamba,’’ Zubrzycki said as he debuted the instrument at the Academy of Music in the southern Polish city of Krakow. The flat bed of its interior is lined with golden spruce.

Mark Henson’s Visionary Art Mark Henson I’ve always had the perception that visionary art is synonymous to psychedelic art, well, after seeing the stimulating paintings of Mark Henson, my perception has not only changed, but has been rewired. Mark Henson, a California-based artist, relies on his personal vision rather than inspiration from other contemporary artists to create compelling images (satires) revolving around the political, social and cultural situation facing our society. He tells a story through his art, that shows a state of emotion or consciousness. He also expresses his sense of eroticism in a more spiritual and divine manner – he shows the merging of souls as the manifestation of the cosmic design inherent in all living things. Each piece is like a narrating a story, displaying a state of emotion or consciousness. We had the chance to interview Mark and talk more about his journey as an artist, encountering ancient wisdom of India, and his path of self-realization - I first came to India in 1978.

Even The Daily Show Was Shocked by This Racist GOP Leader's Responses You already have to do that in NC. It's already the law that you have to show ID when you vote in a new district or vote for the first time. But the rules for proving who you are used to be much more fair and egalitarian. This law changes the type of identification they'll accept. No more student IDs or other forms of free ID that most people have. If you don't have a state-issues driver's license, a passport, or a military ID, the poll workers or any citizen just standing there can turn you away, even if you have other proof of identity. Because 1. Also, take this example from Pennsylvania in 2012: The razor-thin majority Republican legislature pass a voter ID law that created a group of hundreds of thousands of eligible voters without the necessary ID. Forget the cost (i.e., the poll tax) (which is unconstitutional, BTW). And yet, when this fact was brought up in a pre-election lawsuit, the state's lawyer tried to say it was not relevant. No-Fee ID Card Program

The Egg Author's Note: The Egg is also available in the following languages: The Egg By: Andy Weir You were on your way home when you died. It was a car accident. And that’s when you met me. “What… what happened?” “You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. “There was a… a truck and it was skidding…” “Yup,” I said. “I… I died?” “Yup. You looked around. “More or less,” I said. “Are you god?” “Yup,” I replied. “My kids… my wife,” you said. “What about them?” “Will they be all right?” “That’s what I like to see,” I said. You looked at me with fascination. “Don’t worry,” I said. “Oh,” you said. “Neither,” I said. “Ah,” you said. “All religions are right in their own way,” I said. You followed along as we strode through the void. “Nowhere in particular,” I said. “So what’s the point, then?” “Not so!” I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. “Oh lots. “Wait, what?” “Sure. “Just me?

A 4-Year-Old Girl Asked A Lesbian If She's A Boy. She Responded The Awesomest Way Possible. Ash Beckham: I'm going to talk to you tonight about coming out of the closet. And not in the traditional sense, not just the gay closet. I think we all have closets. Your closet maybe telling someone you love her for the first time or telling someone that you're pregnant or telling someone that you have cancer or any of the other hard conversations that we have throughout our lives. All a closet is, is a hard conversation. And although our topics may vary tremendously, the experience of being in and coming out of the closet is universal. So within a matter of weeks, it happens again, "Are you a boy or are you a girl?" It was the easiest hard conversation that I have ever had. At some point in our lives, we all live in closets and they make us feel safe, or at least safer than what lies on the other side of that door. So why is coming out of any closet, why is having that conversation, why is it so hard? And I had a choice in that moment, as all grenade throwers do. Thank you Boulder.

I Never Thought I'd Want To High-Five A Teacher For Yelling At A Student, But I Was Wrong I know this is on the long-ish side, but I promise that there's a really valuable message here that makes it worth watching all the way through. Jane Elliot is a teacher and diversity trainer who developed the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise to teach students what it feels like to be a person of color. This video begins pretty abruptly, where one of the students who's been singled out based on eye color is extremely frustrated. At 2:46, Elliot explains why she keeps going even after she's made the point. At 3:35, she delivers an important message. Many years ago, I could have been the girl who walked out, not understanding how this feels to the people it affects. A partial transcript from a very powerful portion of the video, beginning at 3:19: Elliot: “No. Student: “I’m sorry there’s racism in this country..." Elliot: “Bullshit! Student: “I will not apologize because it’s not a matter of race always...” Elliot: “Out.”

Photographer Puts Two Strangers Together For Intimate Photographs, And The Results Are Surprising Dealing with turbulence while flying is always nerve-wracking, so getting struck by three bolts of lightning simultaneously must be unbearable. That’s exactly what happened to a Boeing 737 flying from Amsterdam to Birmingham, all caught on video. The passengers heard a “massive bang,” according to DailyMail, but the plane proceeded to land without any issues. […] Actavis, perhaps the most popular and recognizable brand of lean (promethazine and codeine cough syrup) is stopping production. They cited media attention and glamorization of the unlawful, dangerous uses of the drug, which of course, they never intended people to do. They also didn’t profit off it too much, or at least won’t anymore. Canada’s Paul Servat spent nine months eagerly preparing to become the father of five babies. We’ve post a couple of videos in the past few weeks featuring dogs being mesmerized by magic.

Some Racist Bullies Picked A Fight With An 11-Year-Old Kid And Lost In Glorious Patriotic Splendor So this amazing kid, Sebastien De La Cruz, a mariachi singer from the last season of "America's Got Talent," was asked at the last moment to sing the national anthem in the town he was born and raised in, San Antonio, Texas, USA, for the NBA Finals. He wore his mariachi outfit, which led to every xenophobic and ignorant person on Twitter saying some truly insipid, vile, racist things. Fortunately for us, he handles such things with typical can-do American spirit. It only takes him 22 seconds to slap the ignorance right off their faces, in the classiest way possible (see the last video at the bottom). First came the truly stunning rendition of the national anthem that he busted out. Next came the special people with the blinding ignorance and xenophobia, courtesy of the Public Shaming Tumblr. No, it's ironic how truly American this kid really is. It's totally up to you, but I'd love it if you shared this if you think we need to elevate the immigration debate in this country.

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