Day: April 8, 2014

And then you realize this isn’t a parrot

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What a beautiful parrot, no? Look at all those colors, those beautiful feathers, that elegant tail (bear with me, I am no a parrot aficionado, I am just trying to get you into the mood. Here have some birdseed). And then, after you have admired it, look closer, closer (not that close!—Aladdin joke!), stare at the picture until you realize that this isn’t a parrot at all: it’s a woman meticulously made up to look like a bird.

The above photo is the work of artist and former body painting champion Johannes Stoetter who spent four weeks planning this shoot, five hours setting it up, four hours painting the model, and another hour trying to find the pose that most resembled that of a real parrot. The result is beautiful and almost infuriating in its execution. If you didn’t know that this was a work of art you might just dismiss it as really nice photograph of a beautiful bird…

Way cool.

Thanks, Ursarodinia

Schoolkid suspended for making “gun motions” with his pencil

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Jonny Ive should be pleased he didn’t attend design school in the United States

A New Jersey teen was suspended from his middle school for doing something with his pencil other than taking notes.

Seventh-grader Ethan Chaplin, a student at Glen Meadow Middle School, claims he was suspended for twirling his pencil during math class. “He’s making gun motions, send him to juvie,” another student reportedly yelled during class.

The school ordered Chaplin to undergo a physical and psychological evaluation and suspended him.

“I’m absolutely livid,” his father, Michael Chaplin, told News 12. “I think it’s gross misconduct at its finest. They took something so minimal and took it so far over the edge…”

“The child was stripped, had to give blood samples (which caused him to pass out) and urine samples for of all things drug testing,” Michael said. “Then four hours later a social worker spoke to him for five minutes and cleared him. Then an actual doctor came in and said the state was 100 percent incorrect in their procedure and this would not get him back in school.”

According to Vernon Schools Superintendent Charles Maranzano, he was just following school policy. “We never know what’s percolating in the minds of children,” Maranzano said. “And when they demonstrate behaviors that raise red flags, we must do our duty.”

Young Ethan still hasn’t been told when he’ll be allowed back in school.

Next time someone asks you why schools in America suck, turn out little robot parrots with diminishing abilities at thinking and creating – send them to Superintendent Marazano. He doesn’t believe in learning a damned thing other than obedience.