"I Bari" Caravaggio

I Bari (the cardsharps) is an oil painting on canvas of 94x131 cm made in 1594 by the Italian painter Caravaggio. The painting enjoyed considerable success and was the subjects of numerous copies by contemporary artists. The commissioner was Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, whose coat of arms is painted on the back. It is kept on the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth in USA. The protagonists of this painting are 3 players: 2 of them, the cardsharps, are in league to defeat the guy who is on the left of the scene. In this painting the colors and the clothing are 2 fundamentals elements: the victim wears dark and simple clothes, while the 2 cardsharps are dressed with very colorful clothes. It's very important the moment painted: the victim is intent to look carefully at his cards, the cheater who is in the center, is very close to the victim to look at his cards and to suggest them to the other man that in the meantime behind the back has some cards to launch after the other cardsharp has suggested him the cards of the victim. Also the light has a fundamental role in the composition: the strong illumination that comes from outside we can see the dresses of the various protagonists and the place in which the scene is set. 

Caravaggio has been a great innovator: the painters of the pas usually painted daily scenes with protagonists frontally set; Caravaggio painted them in three quarters making the scene more dynamic and giving the feeling to the observer to be sat to the table close to the players.

World Faire Trade Organization

WFTO is a global association of 324 organizations in over 70 countries and It was created in 1989. Fairtrade is a movement for change that works directly with businesses, consumers and campaigners to make trade deliver for farmers and workers. WFTO's mission is to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair TradeOrganizations, and speaking out for greater justice in world trade. 

WFTO's core fields of activities are:

• Developing the market for fair trade
• Building trust in fair trade
• Speaking out for fair trade
• Providing networking opportunities
• Empowering the regions

WFTO prescribes 10 Principles that Fair Trade Organizations must follow in their day-to-day work and carries out monitoring to ensure these principles are upheld:

1. Creating Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Producers
2. Transparency and Accountability
3. Fair Trading Practices
4. Payment of a Fair Price
5. Ensuring no Child Labor and Forced Labor
6. Commitment to Non Discrimination, Gender Equity and Freedom of Association
7. Ensuring Good Working Conditions
8. Providing Capacity Building
9. Promoting Fair Trade
10. Respect for the Environment

WFTO operates in five key regions: Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America & Pacific Rim.
Members in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America have come together to form WFTO regional chapters. They are:

• Cooperation for Fair Trade in Africa (COFTA)
• WFTO Asia
• WFTO Europe
• WFTO-LA – Associacion Latino Americana de Commercio Justo (WFTO Latin America).

Missile system in South Korea

In Seongju, South Korea, the military is stationing weapons near where people live,provoking irritation and fear. The country is installing 4 rocket launchers made by the USA,which are to protect the country from possible missile attacks. 

People are worried that the system's powerful radar will bring health hazards. They are worried that North Korea will want to attack them.

Protesters and police have been fighting and a lot of people have been hurt.

  

Mosaic

The stair of the good humor

Place: The 16th Avenue Tiled in S.Francisco

Artists of the work: Aillen Barr and Colette Crutcher

Year: 2005

The stair of the good humor is a mosaic realized from Aillen Barr and Colette Crutcher. The stair un S.Francisco is inspired to the various stairways of all the world, especially the stair of "Santa Maria del Monte" in Caltagirone, Catania.

In fact the inagural ribbon  of the staircase of S.Francisco was cut by the mayor of the city of Caltagirone.

The job of the two artists has lasted one year and half and it counts around 2000 handmade tiles and 75000 very colorful fragments of tiles, glasses and mirrors ; 220 names of donors have been entered among the tiles To advertise the city.

                        THE EARTH OF THE FIRES

The Earth of the Fires is the territory among the province of Naples and the province of Caserta. In these places a lot of unauthorized dumps exist, and when these dumps need to make space for other garbage, they hang some fires. These garbage are defined "special refusals". These "special refusals" were buried under earth provoking various catastrophes. The Campania has become the region more unproductive in Italy; more often thousand of people always die of tumor. These fires provoked by the unauthorized dumps were also increased by the presence of the Camorra, who arranges for the disposal of special refusals from the years 80. One of the reformed bosses is Schiavone, which has declared that the toxic garbage, nuclear waste, and chimical compositions coming from the North Europe have been burned along the costline Domizio. A lot of associations were born for defeating  this danger, like the association "Us parents of everybody": this association has been founded by parents that have lost their own children because of the Earth of fires, and the job of the association founds him on the search of the various consequences of the Earth of fires. 

   People who read live longer

People who read live longer and the books are better than newspapers and magazines. Scientists looked at the lifestyles and reading habits of 3500 men and women for 12 yaers. Everyone was over 50 years old at the start of the research. People who read for up 3 hours are 17% less likely to die than people who don't read. Older people live longer when they read.

            Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are a rock group from Sheffield in the North of England. The group is composed by Alex Turner, the guitarist and the singer, Matt Helders, the drummer, and Nick O' Malley, the bassist. The group got together in 2002 while while they were all still at school. They started practicing at home but after they found a new place to practice. After their 1st  concert, their fans created a fan-page in Myspace and they became even more famous. The group signed a contract with the Dominio label after having refused a lot of offers. Their 1st  single " I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor " and after the band has won a lot of prizes.