Photo: Catherine McEver

Food as art isn't a totally new concept. Yet I can't help but be amazed by the work of three creators who are using everyday ingredients in totally new ways. Oakland, Calif., artist Catherine McEver has made art of out everything from bologna to swiss cheese. Her latest obsession? Wonder Bread. So far, McEver has designed Barbie clothes using the bag that holds the iconic loaf, sculpted people and animals out of balled up bread and embroidered flowers and other designs onto slices. And although McEver figured her works would eventually go moldy or decompose, the bread has actually demonstrated a wonder-ful longevity. She's had some slices five years.


[Next, photos of potatoes that have ...antlers?.]

Photo: Thinkstock

In a recession-weary world, cutting a music program from a school's budget seems like a tough, ugly decision that most administrators might eventually have to make. A row of kids with violins onstage looks cute, but, really, what today's children need to learn is how to read and do algebra.

For one principal, however, a man who'd spent 16 years shepherding kids in tough South Philadelphia through grades 5 through 12, the budget choice was a call to action. Rather than lay off his music teachers, he walked right out the door.

The 62-year-old Angelo Milicia sacrificed his $180,000 job and long-term health benefits running the Girard Academic Music Program school in order to divert those same funds into his music curriculum. By retiring early and letting his assistant take over, Milicia prevented two of his music teachers from being laid off, both of whom were essential to the school's arts mandate which requires that all students participate in choir and take three music theory classes a week.

The budget cuts "would have been devastating to that program," Milicia told the Philadelphia Daily News. (Note to all other principals out there: Research by the U.S. Department of Education has found that students who reported consistently high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years showed significantly higher levels of math proficiency by grade 12.)

One of his graduating students told the paper, "Here's a man who makes a sacrifice for the students that he loves. You can't get any better than that." We agree. Read the full article...with tissues.

Photo: Spiegel Online/DPA

There are so many reasons to love a beauty pageant for cows. The winners get sashes. And trophies. Some of the contestants train at camps where they're washed and brushed daily, and encouraged to bulk up, since judges are looking for curves and buxom udders.

A stunner named Krista won the grand prize at the 2011 German Holstein Show last week. She defended her 2009 title against some 200 other dairy cows in the competition, with her bright eyes, taut skin, strong legs and round belly.

But nothing makes me happier than this factoid: The animals get their hair cut and blow-dried before the big day—but not curled. Cows, you see, have a natural permanent wave.

[via Spiegel Online International]

Photo: Thinkstock

Better late than never! After over 30 years of debate, the FDA has issued sunscreen regulations that will make it a whole lot easier to ensure your skin is getting the best protection possible. I talked to Steven Q. Wang, MD, director of dermatologic surgery and dermatology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Basking Ridge, NJ, about how things will change in the sunscreen aisle when the new rules go into effect next summer. And what this means for beachgoers now.

The old rule: Sunscreens are stamped with an SPF value (anywhere from 4 to, in recent years, 100+). This number tells you only how effectively a sunscreen can protect you from UVB rays (the ones that turn your skin red and cause skin cancer). Many sunscreens are also labeled "broad spectrum"—meaning they protect against UVA rays (the ones that age the skin and cause cancer) as well. Manufacturers don't have to prove this claim, though, so the protection may not be adequate.

The new rule: Only sunscreens that pass a new test of UVA protection can be labeled "broad spectrum," a claim that will indicate that the product protects equally against UVB and UVA rays. Sunscreens with an SPF over 15 that earn the "broad spectrum" designation will be allowed to claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and slow down the skin aging process when used properly (applied 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every two hours). Sunscreens with an SPF under 15, or that do not give equal UVB and UVA protection, will have to carry a warning that they haven't been shown to slow skin aging or help prevent skin cancer. 

Next: Will "sweatproof" SPF disappear?

 

Photo: Thinkstock

Do you need a pulse to live? Not if you're a hunky HBO vampire, and not if you qualify to be a recipient of a new, prototypical mechanical heart. Two doctors in Texas have developed a device to replace a broken (as in malfunctioning) heart with two centrifugal pumps. During a radio report on WNYC's Morning Edition, Billy Cohn, MD, and Bud Frazier, MD, at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston described how they honed the technology by implanting the devices in young cows. After testing the devices on 38 calves, the doctors decided they were ready to implant a version of the machine into a human body. The patient, Craig Lewis, had a heart that was so damaged that he'd been given 12 hours left to live.

[After the jump, hearts that don't have a beat and songs that barely have a pulse.]

Imagine someone tells you a joke—in two separate languages—and not only do you not get it, but it seems like maybe you're the butt of it. It's an age-old problem, and last week it happened to the Dalai Lama on Australian TV.


Once again, His Holiness the Dalai Lama shows an uncanny knack for handling an uncomfortable situation. His response: Laughter always helps. It's a graceful demonstration of compassion for the journalist who looks desperate for a time machine, and it helps us forget that we've just heard a groan-worthy punch line.

It made us remember what the Dalai Lama once told Oprah: "I don't take myself too seriously! That makes me happy." Today it makes us happy too.

(via The Hairpin)

Photo: MoMA Store

Celebrate making it halfway through the week with a little something fun...

Watermelon Knife, $25. A green handle and red blade will make this the cutest tool in your kitchen, and the nonstick serrated blade and seed-shaped cutouts (which let air in) help the fruit fall neatly onto your cutting board.

Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips, $9. Dress up nails fast (minus the dry time) with these press-on polish strips from Sally Hansen. From denim patterns to chic lace designs, your fingers will get a fashion upgrade in no time.

Hail Merry Blonde Macaroons, $4.99. They're made with coconut oil, which melts at 76 degrees. That means you need to store these cookies in the fridge—but it also means they dissolve in your mouth in a most delicious way.

Pressa Hanging Dryer, $4.99. Compact and cute, this hanging dryer offers an easy way to dry the entire family's swimsuits. Or, on a rainy day, have your kids create works of art and display them in their rooms like a mobile.

The World's Smallest Post Service, $22.95. A new kit designed by artist Lea Redmond lets you send tiny—and next-level-adorable—messages to your loved ones.