Flavio Tosi, Mayor Of Italy's Verona. Nominated For The 2014 Most Despicable Person Of The Year Award...

Mr Tosi. It is none of my business how you conduct your mayoralty of Verona but if the media reports are true then I wish you to know that I find your behavior towards your fellow man absolutely disgusting.
That you with your right-wing stance should impose fines on a 'local homeless charity' for doing unto others that which they'd choose to have done to them' is in my opinion, a despicable act against humanity.
So Mr Tosi, I'm nominating you for the 2014 Most Despicable Person Of The Year Award.
Don't think that you'll score an easy victory though, there are plenty of other arrogant bastardos like you in the world vying for the title but I'm sure you're in with a damn good chance.
You're right up there with the best of the worst...

The Wonderfully Coloured Houses On Italy's Little Island Of Burano...

Forty minutes away from Italy's famous Venice is the wonderful old and colourful island of Burano.
The island which is home to a fishing village that dates back to the Roman times is not only famous for it's colourful houses but for its beautiful handmade lace.
The story goes that often when the fishermen returned to their homes they couldn't see them as a result of the heavy fog, so bright colours were introduced. Of course a specific colouring system developed and now if someone wants to paint their house, they need to send a request in to the government no less, to make sure their colour choice is permitted for that lot.
It's good to know that even in a simple little Italian fishing village, bureaucracy
is alive and well...

Burano. The Most Colourful Town In The World...

The first photo shows the beautiful Cinque Terre town of Manarola on the coast of Italy, my mistake I'm sorry and thankyou Bernice for correcting me, but the others show the houses of the town of Burano.
Burano is made up of four islands in Italy's beautiful Venice and is known for its small vibrant brightly painted houses.
The colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of the town's development.
If someone wishes to paint their house, they must request permission from the government no less who will approve certain colours to be used.
Bureaucratic interference perhaps but this practice has resulted in a myriad of warm pastel colours that characterises the island today.
And then there's Bepi Sua's house, the town's most famous...

Ettoire Guatelli And His Museum Of Everyday Life...

I was chatting to the gorgeous Gabi over at Moon To Moon the other day after she'd posted some photos of Ettoire Guatelli and his amazingly displayed collection of everyday objects.
He started buying these, these things, in the 1950's spending all he could afford from his primary teachers salary.
This carefully compiled collection of tools, hammers, screwdrivers, axes, adzes, knives, shoes and clocks amongst other things, grew to over sixty thousand items which became of course, objects d'art all arranged by Ettore, the man with a wonderful sense of visual rythym.
After he died in September 2000 his farm in Parma, Italy, became a musuem and is now administered by the Foundazione Museo Ettore Guatelli.
It's called The Museum Of Everyday Life...

Ashes And Snow. A Film Of Rare Beauty By Gregory Colbert...

Canadian born Gregory Colbert has crafted an exquisitely beautiful piece of cinematic art titled Ashes and Snow and gifted it to the world.
Gregory debuted Ashes and Snow at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy in 2002 to much acclaim.
More than ten million people have viewed this film at the Nomadic Museum making it the most attended exhibition ever by a living artist.
Gregory's photos have been described as windows to a world in which silence and patience governs time.
This film is a result of many years of perserverence, persistance and patience for this photographer. The results are well worth the time and effort that has gone in to this piece of poetic cinematography as you'll be witness to this man capturing the interaction between humans and wildlife.
You might like to spend eleven minutes and eight seconds contemplating this piece of artistic serenity. Poetry in slow motion...

Winners Of The National Geographic Traveller Photo Contest 2012...

The winner - Butterfly by Cedric Houin.
This image is from the Kyrgyz lands of the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan.
The yurt's interior is in stark contrast to the harsh envionment in which this family lives.
They and other members of their tribe live weeks away from any village.
In spite of being located at an altitude of 4,300 metres in one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan, they're equipped with solar panels, satellite dishes and cellphones.
Ancestral ways of living with touches of today.
Second - My Balloon by Vo Anh Kiet.
H'mong children play with their balloons on a foggy day in Moc Chau Son La Province, Vietnam.
Third - Devotees by Andrea Guameri.
Holy /easter celebrations in Trapini, Italy.
Fourth - Looking Into Another World by Fred An.
The Great Japanese Maple Tree in the Portland Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon.
You can see more of the marvellous images including the Merit Winners here...