Scale model soccer field and volleyball field

Dimensions:

Soccer field: 12,5 x 17 cm (4,92 x 6,69 inches). 

Volleyball field: 10 x 18 cm (3,93 x 7,08 inches).

Advertising

     Advertising is a strategy to persuade people to do something (to buy a product, to use a product, to elect a politician). In this sense it is a kind of magic.

     For some analysts, advertising is a kind of magic. Raymond Williams in Problems in Materialism and Culture, (UK: Verso, 1980) argues that it has the ability to ‘associate consumption with human desires to which it has no real reference. The magic obscures the real sources of general satisfaction because their discovery would involve radical change in the whole common way of life’. Judith Williamson in Decoding Advertisements (UK: Marion Boyars, 1978, 1998) shares a similar concern: ‘Advertisements obscure and avoid the real issues of society, those relating to work, to jobs and wages and who works for whom. The basic issues in the present state of society which do concern money and how it is earned, are sublimated into ‘meanings’, ‘images’, ‘life-styles’, to be bought with products not money’. Further the magic of advertising means that we may believe commodities can convey messages about ourselves; this leads to us being ‘alienated from ourselves, since we have allowed objects to “speak” for us and have become identified with them’. Such alienation may well lead to feelings of fragmentation and discomfort within the self, feelings which may fuel a desire to seek solace in further consumption.

     The many modes of advertising may be categorized as follows:

     (1) Commercial consumer advertising, with its target the mass audience and its Channel the mass media.

     (2) Trade and technical advertising, such as ads in specialist magazines.

     (3) Prestige advertising, particularly that of big business and large institutions, generally selling image and good name rather than specific products.

     (4) Small ads, directly informational, which are the bedrock support of local periodicals and are the basis of the many giveaway papers which have been published in recent years.

     (5) Government advertising — health warnings, for example.

     (6) Charity advertising, seeking donations for worthwhile causes at home and abroad.

     (7) Advertising through sponsorship, mainly of sports, leisure and the arts. This indirect form of advertising has been a major development; its danger has been to make recipients of sponsorship come to rely more and more heavily on commercial support. Sponsors want quick publicity and prestige for their money and their loyalties to recipients are very often short-term.

     Source: Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, fifth edition, James Watson and Anne Hill, Arnold, A member of the Hodder Headline Group LONDON Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press Inc., New York. 

Carvings. Beetle, butterflies, mushrooms and leaves

Little mushrooms with radish and zucchini, butterflies with lemons and carrots, leaves with zucchini, beetle with radish.

Thanksgiving Day

     Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October.

     This holiday has roots in cultural traditions. It’s a very old tradition and a very important date on the American calendar. It was first celebrated in October 1621 by the first British settlers, the Pilgrims, but today is on the fourth Thursday of November. The Pilgrims gave thank after their first winter in America. They celebrated (at Plymouth, in present day Massachusetts) with the Indians who helped them to live in the new land.

     Today it’s a family feast celebrated with a spectacular parade and a huge dinner  with traditional food: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, corn bread and pumpkin pie. 

The Pilgrims and their Native American friends

     At the beginning of the 1600s, a group of English Protestants lived in England under the reign of King James. He was also the Head of the Church of England, but these people wanted to separate from the Church of England. They were called Puritans and they dressed in a very severe way, and had very strict rules.

     People who disobeyed the king could be sent to jail, so the Puritans made their decision.

     The Puritan Pilgrims boarded a ship called the Mayflower at Plymouth, in the south of England. They sailed for many weeks until they reached America, far across the sea. It was a long and difficult journey – the people were tired and sick when they arrived off the coast of Massachusetts, in November 1620.

     They got off the Mayflower by stepping onto a big rock which they called Plymouth Rock. The people who met them when they arrived in the new land were Indians from the Wampanoag tribe.

Squanto and a group of Indians stayed with the Pilgrims and showed them how to survive in the wilderness. They taught them how to plant and cook maize, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, how to catch wild turkeys and deer, and where to fish. They also showed them how to shoot a bow and arrow to fertilize the soil with dead fish. 

     One year later, thanks to the Indians, the Pilgrims had a good harvest. To celebrate it they had a big party, which now is called Thanksgiving. The new European, settlers and the American Indians were quite happy together at first. But gradually life became very difficult for the Native Americans and eventually they were forced to live on reservations. Only now are Americans beginning to learn and respect Indian values again, and Indians are fighting for their rights. 

     Source: Excursion, an old Italian book. 

White chicks & Jack and Jill’s soundtrack It’r tricky – Run D.M.C.

This speech is my recital, I think it's very vital

To rock (a rhyme), that's right (on time)

It's Tricky is the title, here we go...

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...it's Tricky

It's Tricky...Tr-tr-tr-tricky (Tricky) Trrrrrrrrrrricky

I met this little girlie, her hair was kinda curly

Went to her house and bust her out, I had to leave real early

These girls are really sleazy, all they just say is please me

Or spend some time and rock a rhyme, I said "It's not that easy"

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...(How is it D?) It's Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Trrrrrricky)

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...Tricky (Tricky) Tricky

In New York the people talk and try to make us rhyme

They really (hawk) but we just (walk) because we have no time

And in the city it's a pity cos we just can't hide

Tinted windows don't mean nothin', they know who's inside

 

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...(How is it D?) Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky)

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) huh!

When I wake up people take up mostly all of my time

I'm not singin', phone keep ringin' cos I make up a rhyme

I'm not braggin', people naggin' cos they think I'm a star

Always tearin' what I'm wearin', I think they're goin' too far

A girl named Carol follows Daryll every gig we play

Then D dissed her and dismissed her, now she's jockin' Jay

I ain't lyin', girls be cryin' cos I'm on TV

They even bother my poor father cos he's down with me

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...(How is it?) Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky)

It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time

It's Tricky...Tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tricky (Tr-Tr-Tr-Tricky) Tr-tr-tr...

We are not thugs (we don't use drugs) but you assume (on your own)

They offer coke (and lots of dope) but we just leave it alone

It's like that y'all (y'all), but we don't quit

You keep on (rock!) shock! Cos this is it...

How to survive in the jungle

     The jungle is an exciting place, but it’s dark and dangerous if you aren’t well-prepared. Here are some guidelines to make your excursion safe.

     Clothes

     Wear strong, cotton clothes. You’ll get wet and need to change your clothes and wash them frequently.

     Don’t wear short sleeves or shorts. Wear a cotton hat. Wear strong boots, designed to dry easily. Avoid open necks and keep your sleeves rolled down. Carry a pullover for cool evenings.

     Equipment

     Take a lot of water in strong containers. Don’t drink any water without filtering and purifying it first. You’ll need a well equipped first-aid kit. Wear insect repellent bands on your wrist and ankles; and carry a mosquito net for sleeping.

     Keep valuables on a string around your neck. A strong knife is very important for cutting your way through the vegetation; but don’t carry your knife in your hand when you’re not using it, keep it in your belt.

     Some tips

     Get an anti-malaria vaccination and take the prescribed medication. Don’t put on clothes before checking them for insects and snakes! Move backwards if you get trapped by vegetation. Don’t put insect repellent on your forehead as it will get in your eyes. Don’t travel during the heat of the day. Look for a campsite by 3 pm. If you can, sleep above the ground to protect you from animals, and splashing rain. Don’t eat unfamiliar fruit and plants. Keep all cuts covered. Eat well-balanced food. Drink a lot – jungle travel is dehydrating. 

     Source: Excursion, an old Italian book. 

Aquatic origami

Sailing boat, frog, gold fish, lobster, seahorse, ray, turtle, three different types of  crabs, penguin.  

The Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence

     The Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, which they began to build in 1294 according to the plans of Arnolfo di Cambio, is the largest Franciscan church in the world. It was constructed with funding from the population and the Florentine Republic and built above the foundations of a small church which some monks had erected outside the walls of the city in 1252, just a few years after the death of Saint Francis.

     The remains of the original building weren’t identified until 1966, when, in the aftermath of the great flood that submerged the city, part of the paving belonging to the present Basilica gave way. From its beginning, the history of Santa Croce has been closely linked to the history of Florence itself. Since its foundation, it has been continually re-planned and re-designed throughout the course of those seven centuries without suffering significant interruptions, and therefore acquiring new symbolic connotations each time.

     From the original Franciscan church it evolved to become a religious “town hall” for the important families and corporations when Florence was ruled by the Medici family. From being a craftsmen’s laboratory and workshop – first Humanist and then Renaissance – it became a theological centre; and in the 19^th Century, it saw a change from being a pantheon of the nation’s glories to a place of reference fro the political history of Italy before and after its unification.

     In Florence, Santa Croce has always been a prestigious symbol and a gathering place for some of the greatest artists, theologians, religious figures, writers, humanists and politicians. It has similarly served the powerful families that throughout the centuries have determined, both for good and bad, the identity of Florence during the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. Within its walls, it has hosted many famous people in the history of the church, such as Saint Bonaventure, Saint Antony of Padua, Saint Bernadino of Siena, Saint Ludovico d’Angiò and the bishop of Tolosa. It was also a resting and reception place for Pontiffs such as Sixtus IV, Eugene IV, Leo X and Clement XIV.

     With its impressive gothic architecture, marvellous frescoes, altar pieces, precious stained-glass windows and numerous sculptures, the Basilica represents one of the most important pages in the history of Florentine art from the thirteenth century onwards.

     Inside it houses works of art by Cimabue, Giotto, Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, Giorgio Vasari, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Orcagna, Taddeo and Agnolo Gaddi, Della Robbia, Giovanni da Milano, Bronzino, Michelozzo, Domenico Veneziano, Maso di Banco, Giuliano da Sangallo, Benedetto da Maiano, Canova and many others.

     In particular, the presence of Giotto and his school of art makes Santa Croce and extraordinary complete testimony of Fourteenth Century Florentine art.

     The historical and political upheavals that have accompanied Santa Croce right up until today have always left a precise mark as much in the artistic-architectural works (such as the radical transformations imposed by Vasari around the middle of the sixteenth century; or the exuberant commitment during the nineteenth century to transforming Santa Croce into a huge mausoleum of Italian history), as in the testimonies guarded in its archives which hand down to us a daily reconstruction, through the course of the centuries, of a great project befitting its own creators, its own resources, its own objectives and difficulties.

     Santa Croce has been defined as “the Pantheon of the nation’s glories” because within its walls are the tombs of famous figures such as Niccolò Machiavelli, Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Gioacchino Rossini, Giorgio Vasari, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Vittorio Alfieri and Ugo Foscolo.

     The indisputable fascination that this place exerts, in an unequalled synthesis of art, spiritually and history, is confirmed by the influx of around one million visitors a year. 

     Source: Opera di Santa Croce, Italy. 

Transamerica Pyramid embroidered cross-stitch

Plato and the cave

     A literature of questions: the influence of Plato

     What is man? What is the purpose of life? Why does man have such a short time to live? What are good and evil, and who can judge? What is love? What are the qualities required of a king?

     These are just some of the questions that the literature of the Renaissance was trying to address. The climate of intellectual uncertainty which arose in this age is partly due to a revival of interest in the philosophical ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BC). Plato’s idea of the nature of the world differed from that of Aristotle who had been the dominant figure in medieval philosophy because his ideas were more easily adapted to religious dogma. Plato's philosophy was also more open to interpretation.

     In any case, whatever its merits, the study of Plato represented another major theory of the world. This in itself inevitably led to differences in opinion among the educated classes and encouraged freedom of thought.

     Plato and the cave

     Plato believed that our knowledge of the world came not through the senses but through a type of reminiscence or memory of what he called ideas. Everything that existed in nature corresponded to its idea of which it was an inferior but faithful copy.

     To give a contemporary example we could say that a Platonic idea could be compared to the design of a car from which countless identical examples are produced. We can say that all of these cars participate in the idea but none of them embodies it fully. There is not one car which we can say is the original.

     Plato described our sensory experience of the world as being similar to that of people trapped in a cave who can only see the shadows of things and not the things themselves in their essence. Plato says that the philosopher is he who goes outside and sees things in direct sunlight. The sun is highly important for Plato as it represents the source of truth.

     For Plato it was vital to understand the essence of a thing, which the argued could only be done through the intellect. By comparing the available examples of a given  object or idea we could discern what elements were common to them all, which would give us a notion of the universal form. Thus, beauty, for  example, is judged by Plato to be the perfect harmony of parts.

     Another crucial element in Plato’s idea of knowledge is judgement. We must be able to judge true essence from false appearance. This is why Plato wishes to exclude artists from his ideal society described in the Republic. Writers are dangerous, because if words are separated from the person who speaks them their meaning becomes ambiguous. Both art and music are dangerous because they appeal to the emotions and sensorial experience. Regarding drama, Plato says that a good man should not imitate an evil character. Like all art, acting creates a world of false appearances.

     Source: Thomson – Maglioni, Literary Links. Literature in time and space, Cideb, an old Italian book 2000. 

Balloon sculptures. A climbing monkey

The stars and stripes

     The American flag of 1777 had 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 States of the Union.

     In today’s United States flag the 13 white and red stripes represent the original States of the Union; the 50 white stars on a blue background represent the States of today. When a new State is admitted to the Union a star is added to the American flag. 

Carvings. Goldfish with Kumquat (chinese mandarin)

British Sports

     Soccer (football) is Britain’s most popular team game. There are about 129 professional clubs in Britain and the season lasts from August to May. Football matches are usually on Saturday afternoons and the highlight is the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London in May.

     Rugby is also very popular and is played in two versions: Rugby Union with fifteen amateur players per side, and Rugby League with thirteen-a-side professional teams. The season starts in September and you can watch matches every Saturday during the winter.

     Cricket is often considered the English national sport and is difficult to understanding. It is played with a bat and ball with two teams of eleven players. A match can last up to five days. The season starts in April and people love watching games on village greens and County grounds. The main international competitors are: the West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and India.

     Tennis is also a popular sport. The world's top tennis players come to Wimbledon (in London) every year in the last week of June and the first week of July for the Lawn Tennis Championships.

     Motor-racing is very popular. Britain’s motor racing championship for Formula One cars, is the British Grand Prix, held in July every year at Silverstone racing circuit.

     Golf is a very old game and St Andrews in Scotland is the oldest Course in the world. The most important annual golf tournament in Britain is the British Open Golf Championship. It takes place in July and is for professional and amateur players, and is on a different course every year.

     Rowing s a very popular sport and is about 500 different schools, colleges and rowing clubs Every year there are about 250 regattas in England — the most traditional is the 6.8 km long Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race held at the end of March on the River Thames in London. Another AP important event is the Henley Royal Regatta in July.

     Equestrian events can be seen all year round and many people love ‘a day at the races’. The most famous events are the Derby (in June at Epsom), the Grand National that takes place each spring (March or April) at Aintree, and Ascot (June) famous for its hats! The main showjumping events are the Royal International Horse Show in July, and the Horse of the Year Show in October. Both are at Wembley, in London. 

     Source: Excursion, an old Italian book.