AUGUST 2011 - FAO STAFF COOP€¦ · Via della Magliana, 295 - Tel. 06.55282956 Fax 06.55178798 Finito di stampare: Luglio 2011 Contents Typewritten electronic contributions for the

AUGUST 2011

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Malta sparkles in thesunshine of early summer

La Storia Sporca

FAO Goodwill Ambassadors &Celebrities - Run for Food

Run for Food - ModuloIscrizione

The FAO Artists Corner

Pearls, pots and petroleum:fascinating new discoveries inthe archaeology and historyof Qatar

Recipes:Avocado and Tomato SaladCombination salad with pinenuts

AGOSTO2011.qxp 20/07/2011 14.43 Pagina 1

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MIDSUMMER

by Derek Walcott

Midsummer stretches beside me with its cat’s yawn.Trees with dust on their lips, cars melting downin its furnace. Heat staggers the drifting mongrels.The capitol has been repainted rose, the railsround Woodford Square the colour of rusting blood.Casa Rosada, the Argentinian mood,croons from the balcony. Monotonous lurid bushesbrush the damp clouds with the ideograms of buzzardsover the Chinese groceries. The oven alleys stifle.In Belmont, mournful tailors peer over old machines,stitching June and July together seamlessly.And one waits for midsummer lightning as thearmed sentry in boredom waits for the crack of a rifle.But I feed on its dust, its ordinariness, on the faith that fills its exiles with horror,on the hills at dusk with their dusty orange lights,even on the pilot light in the reeking harbourthat turns like a police car’s. The terror is local, at least. Like the magnolia’s whorish whiff.All night, the barks of a revolution crying wolf.The moon shines like a lost button.The yellow sodium lights on the wharf come on.In streets, dishes clatter behind dim windows.The night is companionable, the future as fierce astomorrow’s sun everywhere. I can understandBorges’s blind love for Buenos Aires,how a man feels the streets of a city swell in his hand.


The “FAO CASA GAZETTE” is theregistered title of the journal of

the FAO STAFF COOP

FAO Staff Coop Board

Chairman: Enrica RomanazzoVice-Chairman Bouchra El ZeinSecretary: Valentina Delle FratteTreasurer: Adriano FavaPublicity Officer: Edith MahabirMembers: Cynthia Edwards

Paolo TrippaPatrizia Ragni

Auditor: International Audit Service s.r.l.

Direttore Responsabile: Patrizia Cimini

Editorial Committee: Edith Mahabir, Peter Steele,Danilo Mejia, Alexia Di Fabio,Enrica Romanazzo, Michelle Cherki,Jill Stevenson

Cultural Activity: Patrizia Ragni

Sports Activity: Valentina Delle Fratte

For Advertising:STAFF COOP OFFICEViale delle Terme di Caracalla - 00153 RomaTel: 06/57053142 or 06/57054112 - Fax 06/57297286E-mail: [email protected]: faostaffcoop.org

Printing by: New INTERSTAMPA - RomaVia della Magliana, 295 - Tel. 06.55282956 Fax 06.55178798Finito di stampare: Luglio 2011

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Typewritten electronic contributions for the FAO CASA Gazetteare welcome. These can be in English, French, Italian or Spanish- articles, poems, drawings, photographs, etc. in fact anythinginteresting that staff members and/or their families in Rome orthe field may like to contribute. No anonymous material will beaccepted, and the Editor reserves the right to choose and/or rejectmaterial that is not in keeping with the ethics of the Organization.Send contributions electronically to the Editor [email protected] or leave signed copies with the COOPOffice on the ground floor of Building E. The deadline for editorialmaterial is due on the 1st of the month preceding the date ofissue.The Editor may schedule articles according to the priorities andeditorial requirements of the FAO Staff COOP. The FAO CASA Gazette is published every month.

The FAO Staff Coop does not take any responsibility for commercial advertisements published in the CasaGazette or for services rendered by third parties according to conventions stipulated with the FAO Staff Coop.

AUGUST 2011Cover:The Vedette at Senglea,overlooking the Grand Harbour,Valletta, Malta

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Poets Nookby Derek Walcott

Malta Sparkles in theSunshine or early summerby Peter Steele

La Storia Sporcadi Marco Minicangeli

FAO Goodwill Ambassadorsand Celebrities - Run for Foodby Rosarita Pagano

Modulo Iscrizione - Run for Food

FAO Staff Artists Cornerby Flavia Carbonetti

Pearls, pots & Petroleum:fascinating new discoveriesin the archaeology and history of Qatarby Tony Grey

Recipes:Avocado & Tomato SaladCombination Salad with Pine Nutsby Edith Mahabir


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Staff Coop Services Hours / Location Extension

Housing Service Monday-Friday 541129.00 - 13.30Coop Office E.016

Information Monday-Friday 54112/531429.00 - 13.30Coop Office E.016

Library Monday-Friday 5347911.30-14.00 E.008

Theatre Booking Monday-Friday 531429.00 - 13.30Coop Office E.016

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Staff Lounge Building D, Ground floor

Language Classes:Italian Monday & Wednesday 53142

13.00-14.00 E.021Monday to Thursday17.00-19.00 E.021

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Services and Special Interest GroupMEMBERSHIPFull membership of the COOP is open to all staff of FAO/WFP.Associate membership is available for spouses and thosewho work with FAO and associated UN agencies. The COOPShare is € 25,00 “una tantum”, annual dues for bothcategories are € 18.00 for singles and € 24.00 for families.Apply for membership at the COOP Office (E.O16) Monday-Friday 9.00 - 13.30.

FAO STAFF COOPSTAFF COOP OFFICE

Bldg. E Ground Floor Ext. 53142Monday-Friday 9.00 - 13.30WFP1

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JOIN OUR ACTIVITIES

Cultural Contact Extension

Antroposofia Ms A. Vittorini 52422Arab Cultural (Al Rouman) Ms M. Mansell 55356Artists Ms I. Sisto 53312Caribbean Cultural Mr Robert Lee 56021Childrens Ms V. Delle Fratte 54015Choir Ms M. Saraceni 54308Coro ÑDancing:

Arab Ms E. Romanazzo 52411Dancercise: Zumba Ms M. Manuel 53820Salsa Mr C. Khoury 53353

Drama:English Ms J. O'Farrell 56550Italian Mr P. Tosetto 53585

Feldenkrais Method Ms G. Pistella 54629Hispanic Cultural Ms M.E. Gazaui 54072Human Values Mr A. Banzi 54817Music Therapy Ms K. Hasselman 52109Pet group Mr P. Trippa 55150Philippines Cultural Ms D. Mendoza-Galasso 56240Pranic Healing Mr R. Krell 52419Sai Baba Ms S. Kulkarni 52607Sensory Evaluation Ms B. Burlingame 53728Tai-Chi Ms G. De Santis 53344Hatha & Raja Yoga Ms C. Spadaro 52255Yoga for Self Development Ms M. Ratsimba 54236Yoga Yin

SPORTSAngler’s Mr M. Evangelistella 52127Athletics Mr D. Gargano 54024Basketball Mr D. Catton 22273Badminton Ms I. de Borhegyi 56174Beach Volley Mr F. Jimenez-Aureli 53908Cycling Mr F. Calderini 53828Darts Ms C. Canzian 52617Football Men Mr M. Staffilani 53268Football Women Ms R. Nettuno 56742Golf Mr A. Stocchi 55276Gymnastics:

Eutonic Ms L. Naim 52921Fitness & Muscle Toning Mr C. Pardy 54087Lotte Berk Ms M. Van Arkadie 56835Pilates Ms D. Perpoli 56325Soft Ms C. Bosi 52253

Table Tennis Mr B. Bultmeier 53008Tennis Ms A. Gabrielli 53012Volleyball Men Mr G. Trobbiani 53142Volleyball Women Ms A. Laurenza 55344

All activities arefor Staff CoopMembers only


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Valletta skyline. Seen from the deck of the ferry to Sliema the elliptical shaped dome of Our Lady ofMount Carmel stands 64m and dominates the city, but only since 1958 when this original Sixteenthcentury building destroyed during the Second World War was rebuilt. It towers over the spire of StPaul’s Anglican Cathedral and surrounding apartments. To the right you can just see the twin spiresof St. John’s Co-Cathedral. That’s where you can find the one and only painting signed byMichelanglo Merisi (of Caravaggio).

Malta sparkles in the sunshine of early summer

by Peter Steele

Less than an hour by catamaran from Sicily is an island culture that encompasses>3,000 years of recent Mediterranean human history. This is reflected in peopledescendent mainly from Arab origin who speak a unique Semitic language – Malteseand, like pragmatic peoples everywhere have been able to learn, adapt and benefit fromthose who have taken control of their lands. This is not about to change but theestablishment of the EU, the impact of the ITC industries and access to air transporteverywhere are bringing great change to one of the smallest nations in Europe.

First some backgroundThis is Italy with an English veneer, and itworks; and with or without the Chineseinvasion that is due for July 2011, it seemslikely that this is a mix that will continue towork. But the country is changing fast andnot least from EU membership that hasprovided immediate access to the richest

trading block in the world; and largenumbers of Maltese people have moved outin search of work and new opportunities,just as others have shifted in to escape thosecold northern winters. Everywhere youlook, the second-home apartment blocks areunder construction, hugging the coast-line.


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and reinforcements from Sicily.)

Malta of recent times – well, back almost 70years – was awarded the Cross of St George(it features on the flag of the country) asrecognition of the courage of the peopleliving in the country during the early 1940s;people subjected to prolonged bombing bythe Axis countries in an effort to deprive theAllies of Maltese ports and airfields duringthe Second World War and to thedeprivation, hunger and isolation of thosetimes. You have to visit the war museum togain some impression of the hardshipendured; and it is difficult to appreciatethese old wasted animosities in modern dayEurope.

Malta enjoyed an unparalleled period ofeconomic growth as a British naval portstarting at around the time of the CrimeaWar of 1854 and followed by the opening ofthe Suez Canal 15 years later. Tradingvessels of all kinds stopped over forvictalling and refuelling and it was only asthe merchant ships grew larger with

Clandistini cruises. Running ‘Romatika cruises’ out of St Paul’s Bay just round the coast fromValletta, this boat had come into the country illegally earlier in the year with >300 clandistini onboard; and was taken into police custody before being sold. Count the numbers; it looked full withabout 60 tourists on board.

With around 400,000 thousand people livingin an archipelago of little more than 300km2, this is one of the most denselypopulated parts of Europe; providing aneasy land bridge between North Africa andEurope. Originally part of the ancientcivilizations that linked to Sicily, these earlypeople left a legacy of temples older thanthe Pyramids of Egypt.

Centrally-located in a small easy-to-negotiate sea, just about every empirical ortrading nation in the region has, at one timeor another, occupied the Maltese Islands –from the Greeks through the Phoenicians,Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish andFrench and, last of all, to the English. GreatBritain governed the islands for >160 yearsand left a legacy of language and culturewith distinct advantages for a modernworld. The Maltese even drive on the left.(Only the Turks – the strongest maritimenation in the region during the mid-Sixteenth century – failed to take theislands; thanks in part to the leadership ofthe Grand Master of the Knights of St John,


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greater range that they began to bypass thecountry. Even the shorter routes to Asiaoffered by the Canal were not sufficient tomaintain the strategic value of the navalports, and the Maltese economy began todecline. This was a time for emigration, andthe establishment of Maltese communitiesinitially around the Mediterranean and inEurope and, latterly, in the New World.During a 20 year period from 1948-on,estimated 30 percent of the populationemigrated; and mainly to Australia, Canadaand the UK.

Newcomers to the islandsTourism took over as the mainstay of the

economy from the 1970s-on; from theoriginal and historical agriculturalindustries which once fed the people (whichis amazing when you look at the exposednature and windswept bleakness of thecountry, and the lack of water available),and from dependency on the British RoyalNavy. (During the Roman era the islandswere famous for honey – providing onederivative of its modern name - from‘Melita’ a Latinized version of the originalGreek name.)

Malta remains an important trans-shippingpoint for regional trade and has small butimportant manufacturing industries, but itis seats on planes that currently pay theexchequer, provide employment and createwealth. And more than 1.2 million peoplecome each year to enjoy the ambience ofthis most southerly of the 27 EU states.

Less than 300 km from Tunisia, the countryhas in more recent years attracted thewrong kind of visitor – illegal immigrantsfleeing hard social and economic conditionsfrom mainly West and North Africa.Landings have accelerated since the ‘ArabSpring’ of January this year. Small numbersby comparison to those landing on theItalian islands but, for a small and denselypopulated country and one in which GDP isat best two-thirds that of western Europe,these are additional people who place severestress on limited national resources.

The country walks a fine line between thenatural hospitality of the people and therights of genuine asylum seekers, but talkto local people and follow thecorrespondence in the Times of Malta, andfeelings sometimes run high for thecomplexity of the issues and the manypressures involved.

Long weekend in paradiseWhy Malta? Why not indeed! It was theadvertisements on the metro of an eveningstanding around waiting for thoseovercrowded trains, and reading thosepersuasive messages from one well-known

English street furniture. Looking like a stage setleft behind by a street theatre, English phoneboxes and mail boxes provide a glimpse of theBritish presence that once representedgovernment. There is something novel andincongruous about seeing them out-of-place, as-it-were, and they provide popular posingbackground for the tourists with their cameras.


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Water aqueduct. Ride the iconic buses around the island and you quickly get a feel for the ancientpeoples who once lived here; added, of course, by the structures left behind, in this case an aqueductthat serviced farm communities in south and SE Malta – from the Romans and the Knights of St.John. Fortunately for local heritage, in this case, the materials of the aqueduct were not recycled intosomething else. In the distance - the distinctive dome of the 300 year old Church of St. Nicholas ofSiggiewi. Sometimes, the front window of the bus had a bird in cage hanging – a real one, no less.

low-cost airline with a hub in Rome thatprovided the incentive. They wereadvertising €25 fares to Malta; only at thetime of booking it had been reduced furtherto €15. It was the deal of the week; and toogood an opportunity to miss. A bunch offriends thought much the same, and therewere eventually seven of us searching forthe sun for a few days; none of us had beento Malta before.

Malta is awash with hotels of all kinds; and- the advantage of the internet - you cansearch and book from home. Sliema, justacross from Valletta by ferry, was anobvious choice for early summer. The seasaround the islands at this time are a cool 20degC, so you can swim (and people were

swimming from the beaches), but save thisto later in the year and enjoy the novelty ofa new country first time round (although itfelt really familiar coming from Italy), thejumble of building styles and designs leftbehind by the occupiers and, for those fromthe UK, this thing about a different kind ofEnglish veneer; not as different as India oras similar as Australia, but somewhere inbetween. Compact and easy to travelaround, cheaper than Italy, but with thatAnglo-Italian blend of cuisine and eating(and drinking) that provided great novelty.Seated with vistas overlooking keybuildings, open squares and/or harbourswith boats moving around, there were fishmenus to die for at little more than pizzacosts in Rome.

(continued on page 10)


STUDIO DENTISTICODR CECILE HELENE CHARPENTIER

DR SERGIO BRESCIAMedico Chirurgo Specialista

Protesi Conservativa Chirurgia ImplantologiaOrtodonzia

English, French and Swedish spokenPiazzale Ardeatino n. 6, Roma

Zona: San Saba (5 mins. from FAO)tel: 06 5748070 (Preferably by appointment)cell. 338 4655835 - www.sergiobrescia.com

(Free estimates given)

VAN

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PROVIDER

Insurance

Stefano Giannì(General Agent)

Special agreement for

UN staff, Embassies

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00151 Roma,P.zza del Sacro Cuore 19

Tel: 06/53272753

Fax: 06/53270798

Service mobile:

329/[email protected]


ST. STEPHEN’S SCHOOLUniquely set in the historical center ofRome near the Circo Massimo and FAO,St. Stephen’s School is a non-denominational, co-educational day andboarding high school for ages 14 to 19.Visits welcome.

Accredited by the New England Associationof Schools and Colleges and the C. I. S.

Uniquely set in the historical center ofRome near the Circo Massimo and FAO,St. Stephen’s School is a non-denominational, co-educational day andboarding high school for ages 14 to 19.Visits welcome.

Accredited by the New England Associationof Schools and Colleges and the C. I. S.

Via Aventina 3, 00153 Rome, ItalyTel: 06 57 50 605 - Fax: 06 57 41 941

Web site: www.ststephens-rome.com E-mail: [email protected]

ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-2012First day of school will be on

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dr. Anna Margherita SassoneMedico Chirurgo, MD, FACOG, Board Certified in OB-GYNSpecialist in Uroginecology and Pelvic SurgeryFellow of the American College of Obstetrics and GynecologyMember of the American Society of UrogynecologyMember of the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology

In Office: Pelvic

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Office: Via Costantino 94 (Metro B: S. Paolo Basilica)

Tel.: 06- 51-600-500 - www.drsassone.it

Affiliated with: Salvator Mundi International Hospital

AUTONOLEGGIOCON CONDUCENTE

Fabio e LucaRoma - Fiumicino - Ciampino

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Gianluca - Cell. 338-3644737

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Valletta

The modern capital city started as afortress at the end of the peninsula morethan 500 years ago; Fort St Elmo. Today,Valletta is an architectural gem. This isharbour to harbour paving with grid-pattern blocks of buildings – many of themof relatively recent origin - stretching eitherside of the main commercial area – RepublicStreet, and surrounded by high fortifiedwalls. And as the warships with theirweaponry became more powerful, so thewall were built thicker and raised higher.Walk the walls of an evening or join theearly morning joggers and share in thedelights of a museum-piece of a city; and

one, moreover, which will struggle to remainseriously commercial into the next period.

It’s this thing about providing access,providing facilities and services and makinga dollar or two. Modern freight handlingfacilities demand space, and the country’smain harbour ‘Malta Freeport’ has longsince departed from the domain of the threecities and Grand Harbour Valletta toMarzazlokk Bay in SE Malta. You get to seeit from the air too, approaching the mainrunway at Malta International 3km away.

Supermarkets, like most other places,dominate neighbourhood trading servicesacross the country and, notwithstanding thedelights of a capital city, as a local you wouldprobably not go there unless you hadbusiness, visitors or theatre tickets or what-have-you. Parking, of course, is always achallenge when space is limited; and youwould not have easy access to the city as anoutsider. So this is a ‘tourist city’; a sort ofreal-life ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ – clean,functional, great value for money for thetourist dollar, and a pleasure to visit. It’sfriendly. The cruise ships, for example, parkoutside the city, with their exhaust stackslevel with the fortified walls below theBarrakka Gardens. This is where you findtrees and green grass in Valletta.

Wander down the side streets from the maincommercial area, however, and the slow tideof change is obvious; many small shopsclosed and shuttered, devoid of people andtheir demands for services and goods.Everyday commercial shops have gone orare going. You need to be near an attraction– museum, cathedral or palace – toencourage the tourists, and then all theirneeds can be summed in the descriptor‘entertainment shopping’. It’s a challengefor the city managers and those living there;and not just in Valletta, but in icon citieseverywhere. Long-term visitors/residentscan see the same trends in Venice,Dubrovnik, Trastevere and elsewhere; onceworking cities for ordinary people to …what comes next?

Horse bathing notice. Equality in most things inthe country, but horses are forbidden to bath inthe harbour of Bugibba in NW Malta. The issueis one of whether horses can read English.Perhaps they refused to wear their swim togs.


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La Storia Sporcadi Marco Minicangeli

Roma, Casal Palocco. L’ingegnerSorge possiede diverse societàche lavorano nel campo

dell’edilizia. Gli affari però nonsembrano andare molto bene e luirischia il fallimento, anche seprobabilmente ha messo da parte unagrossa fortuna evadendo il fisco.

Una notte l’ingegnere e sua moglievengono torturati e ammazzati nellaloro villa di Casal Palocco, mentre suo

figlio Roberto si salva per miracolo.Sembra proprio una rapina finita male.Partono le indagini di cui si occupaAlessio Zeni, un investigatore di polizia.Non ci vuole molto a capire chel’ingegner Sorge aveva contatti con ipolitici ed era implicato in qualchestoria sporca. Chi è stato però adammazzarlo? Come hanno fatto icriminali ad entrare nella sua villaprotetta da antifurti e da due pitbull chevengono ritrovati sgozzati? E che ruologioca l’altro figlio di Sorge, Luca, che halitigato con il padre e se n’è andato dicasa senza un euro? E’ lui il colpevole diquello che è successo?

In un susseguirsi di colpi di scena,raccontato con uno stile secco etagliente, La storia sporca (Besa,giugno 2011) ci fa trattenere il sospirofino ad una fine per niente scontata. Ilromanzo è il prequel di Conti insospeso, uscito nel 2007. In questoritroviamo la figura di Alessio Zeni, oforse sarebbe meglio dire facciamo lasua conoscenza, quando è ancora inpolizia. Ambiento in una Roma fatta diprostitute, spacciatori, extracomunitarie poliziotti dalla dubbia reputazione, Lastoria sporca vuole mettere il dito nellepiaghe del malaffare romano. Zeni,appena arrivato nel commissariato diPiazza Risorgimento sarà affiancatonelle sue indagini dal più esperto NicolaSperlo, un poliziotto che è una sorta dicane sciolto che però conosce moltobene gli ambienti criminali e sa comemuoversi. Finale a sorpresa ■


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FAO Goodwill Ambassador and athletics legend Carl Lewis cheers with students in a visit to theirschool during his official FAO mission to Haiti in June 2011. During the mission, Carl advocatedthe current initiative Fruit Trees for Haiti, and supported the Run for Food and the InternationalYear of the Forest. Credit: Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH

FAO and become spokespersons for therace. Their personal appearances,interviews, recordings and theirendorsement contribute to our ongoingefforts to improve the impact of the raceworldwide.

Over the years and since its launch in 2006,Carl Lewis, Anggun, Raoul Bova, FionaMay, Valentina Vezzali, Andrew Howe,Mory Kanté, Nino Benvenuti, GianniRivera, Maria Grazia Cucinotta and othershave added their voices to the growingroster of celebrities in support of FAO’svision of a world free from hunger.

The Run for Food got off to a successfulstart in 2006, with thousands ofrunners taking part in various parts

of the world to raise awareness for the fightagainst hunger and collect funds for theFAO TeleFood community projects. Theywere joined by a host of celebritysupporters at various venues across theworld, all doing their bit to support the race.

Celebrity support, especially when thecelebrity is truly committed to theparticular cause that s/he is endorsing, is apowerful communication tool. And here iswhere great stars from sports, athleticsand show-business have teamed up with

FAO Goodwill Ambassadors and Celebrities Run for Food, why don’t you join them?

by Rosarita Pagano


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14 October 2008 - Rome, Campidoglio (Sala Pietro da Cortona) - Press conference on the 3rd Run forFood race in Rome with the presence of Justine Pasek, former Miss Universe and FAO GoodwillAmbassador, Fiona May, Olympic medallist and race testimonial,Jimmy Ghione, anchorman, andthe TV crew of Striscia la Notizia. Credit ©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

September 2010, Rome - Portrait of Olympicgold fencing champion Valentina Vezzalisupporting the Run for Food.

Credit ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano

In a recent interview, Olympic fencing goldplurimedallist Valentina Vezzali said:

“Our dad always told us not to waste foodand just get what we are able to eat,because there are some who are unable tobuy their own food and there are lots ofpeople who are dying for starvation. Weare all soldiers of life. We go and getourselves equipped and tell the world howready we are to be in such a battle just asevery time. However, you can agree withme that it’s so hopeless to go in a fight whenyour stomach is empty. It’s like you arephysically geared up but mentally damagedbefore long. This is why I take part in therace, to increase awareness and raise fundsfor valuable FAO micro-projects”.

To renew his commitment to FAO’s fightagainst hunger, actor Raoul Bova, whorecorded a fantastic video, will be running inthe five-kilometre race this year. He sayshe will be tagging along some sporty friendsto join him in the cause. He hopes that thisyear’s participants can outnumber last


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FAO Goodwill Ambassador Raoul Bova, active testimonial of the Run for Food race over the years.

Credit ©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

year’s numbers.

Athletics legend Carl Lewis, who carriedout last June an official mission for FAO toHaiti to witness reforestation efforts aimedat helping the Caribbean country to protectitself against flash floods and mudslides asthe annual hurricane season begins, tookout of his time to record a strong Run forFood support video message in the field,together with the local youth and teenagerswho are beneficiaries of the projects, and hesaid:

“Everyone,

It is time once again to get ready for thisyear’s Run for Food. This year marks the6th anniversary and we are excited tocontinue the success we have had so far andincrease it. Your participation over the lastyears has allowed us to contribute largeamounts to TeleFood micro-projects all over

the world. Please help us to make this yearour biggest and best race ever by becominga race participant. Because this is not aroad race, it is a race to save lives. The raceyou run or walk will make a difference”.

May we add:

Running a race for charity can be a hugelyrewarding activity, as while you may enjoythe running challenge itself, there is also awonderful sense of achievement to be therefor fundraising too. It’s hugely motivating,it’s so easy, you make new friends, you havefun fundraising, your efforts can make adifference, AND it makes you feel so good.

Hunger kills more people every year thanAIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

So put on your running shoes and sweatyour way through the annual Run for Foodthis year on 16 October, World Food Day �


A.D.S.-AMERICAN DENTAL STUDIOS

English Spoken. Si Parla Inglese. (American Dentist) Dentista

Americano Laureato in USA. Disponibile tutti i giorni anche Festivi.

Abbiamo Canadian Endodontist ) (who uses the latest computer

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Opening hours in August: 08:30 - 19:30; from 8th to 12th and from 22nd to 26th 13:00 - 17:00.Closed from 15th to 19th.

For emergencies only call 392.9771230

Specialists:Christian Abi Nassif general practitioner,

liver and metabolic diseases.Livio Antinucci OsteopathGabriel E. Buntin Orthopaedic trauma surgeonMassimiliano Magaletti Orthopaedic trauma surgeonFlavio A. Tranchida Orthopaedic trauma surgeonSabine Buchner Physiotherapist

Viale Aventino 38 - 00153 Roma

Tel: 06.57289413-501 Fax: 06.5759483

[email protected] www.aventino38.it

Consultants:Sergio Anzisi General, oncologic and vascular surgeonGiuseppe Calandra AngiologistGennaro De Vivo Vascular surgeonDanilo Patti Urologist, andrologistBonaventura De Vivo GynaecologistElio Fusco GynaecologistAnna Franca Cavaliere GynaecologistGiuseppe Pizzi Radiology, Ultrasonography

and Color Doppler UltrasoundAntonella Carbone Dietology and Clinical NutritionDaria La Torre Endocrinology and DiabetologyAlbert Rübben Dermatologist

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* * * *HOTEL PONTE SISTO

Roma - via dei Pettinari, 64

*Nel periodo 24 dicembre - 3 gennaio prezzi come nell'alta stagione.

I prezzi indicati sono comprensivi di prima colazione a buffet e tasse,

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Phone +39 06.686310 - Fax +39 06.68301712 - [email protected]

[email protected]

www.hotelpontesisto.it

Periodo Costo camera doppia Costo camera DUS

Marzo - Ottobre € 220,00 € 185,00

Novembre - Febbraio* € 160,00 € 140,00


Departures for Airports

Auto per rappresentanzaAuto per cerimoniaTel: 06 39378725Cell: 338 3288452

E-mail: fortuna.cs katamail.com

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Via delle Fornaci 133/B, Roma

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18

The FAO Staff Artists CornerThe abstractionism of Mr Julien Bacelon

by Flavia Carbonetti

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” Pablo Picasso

” J’ai vécu toutes les vies”Oil on canvas- year 2011 – Size cm 80 x 100

Mr Bacelon, the real purpose of “Art”should be to transform disharmony andchaos into harmony and beauty.Through “Art” human conscience canbe fed with beauty. Do you agree? Whatis “Art” for you?

In my personal opinion art represents thediscovering of myself, the understandingof my mind, what I can do with my ideasand also how I can find a way to transferthem on canvas. Before starting a newpainting I have in my mind exactly what I

want to do. My deep desire is totransform a perception into an image andthe purpose of my painting, is to transferthe “vision”, of the perceived images, onthe canvas; the mind, his infinity, theuniverse, a place without limits. Inpainting my wish is to discover somethingnew; painting is a trip, a journey, and mygoal is not to know where I am going butwhat I will find during my journey.

When did you start to paint and why?Was abstract art your “first love”?

Mr Julien Bacelon, was born in Paris, France and started to work at FAO Headquarters in2001 as Cashier in the Commissary. Since February 2011 he has been working in theProcurement Service as Registry Clerk.


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I started to paint only in 1997 and it waslove at first sight. I developed this passionthrough the films and books of Pier PaoloPasolini, and the works of art of Pierodella Francesca, Giotto, Masaccio. I beganby reading books, I bought everythingpossible on artists, on the “CourantsArtistiques”, went to exhibitions, andthrough these experiences I decided tostart painting, at least….. to try. My firstlove was “Figurative Art”, I liked to doportraits, especially self portraits. A fewyears after I started with abstract art and

subsequently enjoyed doing both. For mypaintings I usually use oil colors.

Mark Rothko, Master of the abstractexpressionism, supported the idea of“high” art and was convinced that thecontemporary artist should face thecrucial questions of human life: thepurpose, the death, the destiny. Do youagree ? What do you think about it ?

Art for me is sacred. The body is not soimportant, it is the mind that controlseverything, that can do anything. To meculture is essential; some books are magiclike “A la recherche du temps perdu” andclassical music and certain movies arecrucial for the discovery of new spaces;

discover the future thanks to the past.The art of painting is evolving, like everybranch of art. You don’t wake up one dayand say “I am going to paint like thisMaster”. You find your art day after day,through experiences, throughinvestigation, looking at the Masters,studying their art their styles. I considerthat nobody can teach you how to paint,perhaps they can teach the techniques,but not your personal style, you discoverit by yourself with time and experience.

Mr Bacelon, what do you wantto communicate with yourpaintings? Do you want tobring the observer to a totalexperience of the colours or doyou want to reach thesensitivity of the observer toawake passions and emotions?

With my paintings I want tocommunicate the Neverending,the Infinity, the Space,something that doesn’t belongto the Earth but to theUniverse, I want my paintingsto travel through time, throughspace; their journey has justbegun. My wish is to

communicate to the Observer the “magic”of the art of painting. Painting is almostlike a “sorcellerie” and I want to transferthis “sorcellerie” to the Observer so thathe will not only look at the work of art ,but he will also feel completely absorbedby the subject, in the colours, like I dowhen I paint. Every time I paint I amcompletely absorbed in the canvas, in itsuniverse, and this experience is each timeamazing.

During the course of 2011, FAO’scolleagues have admired your works ofart in the lounge of the Bar “D”. We areinterested to know if you have also heldpersonal or collective exhibitionsoutside FAO? Where and for how long?

”Elysabeth”Oil on canvas- year 2011 -Size 80 X 100


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Through the years I have held personalexhibitions and also participated incollective exhibitions. I remember with alot of emotion my first personalexhibition, in 1999 at the Gallery Fontanain Anguillara and inparticular two collectiveexhibitions in 2000 atthe famous exhibition inRome “Centro Pittori diVia Margutta” and atthe end of 2010 at theStudio Soligo Gallery,Rome. In September2011 I will hold anexhibition at the OrlerGallery in Venice. ThisGallery, throughArtetivú, is going toorganize a specialprogramme to show mypaintings on television.

Mr. Bacelon, what areyour plans for thefuture?

My plans are to paint"Untitled"Oil on canvas - year 2008 – Size cm 80 x 80

forever.

Do you have a web sitewhere we can admire yourpaintings?

Early September 2011 mypaintings will be on the website:http://www.facebook.com/pages/ARTETIVU-

LAB/169595796436791

We thank Mr Julien Bacleonfor his willingness to sharewith us his hopes, histhoughts, his passion forpainting and we wish to him allthe best for his future and asafe and pleasant journey inthe fantastic world of art.

Should you be interested in this newspace, The FAO Artist corner, kindlysend your e-mail address to the Editor ofthe FAO Casa Gazette [email protected]

"Untitled"Oil on canvas - year 2008 - Size cm 70 X 100

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Pearls, pots and petroleum: fascinating newdiscoveries in the archaeology and history of Qatar

by Tony Grey

The old and the new in Doha, Qatar

The State of Qatar is a peninsularbranching from Arabia into thePersian (Arabian) Gulf lying adjacent

to Bahrain. Famous today for its exports ofpetroleum and liquefied natural gas, itssports fixtures, diplomatic initiatives and al-Jazeera television Qatar has a fascinatinghistory that is being revealed by severalcurrent archaeological and landscape studyprojects. Before the wealth of modern timesQatari people made a living from pearldiving, fishing and date processing. Many

Qataris now live in the modern capital Dohabut traditional links with the desert remainsuch as the sport of falconry.

Archaeological discoveries and history areabundantly displayed in Doha’s Museum ofIslamic Art and the out-of-town SheikhKhalifa al-Thani Museum housed in afortress-style palace and comprising awonderfully eclectic collection ranging fromdhows to weapons.An arc of towns, villages and forts once


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stretched around Qatar’s northern coast.Many of these have been abandoned forpolitical reasons or because fresh waterfrom wells became exhausted as recently asthe 1950s. The pearl-fishing town ofZubarah lasted from the mid Eighteenth toearly Twentieth century. After the town wasabandoned a fort was built in 1937 to guardthe coast. Today it houses a small museumwith finds from the archaeological work inthe vicinity.

The archaeological discoveries extend backin time far beyond the Eighteenth century.At Murwab an Eighth century settlement,pottery sherds lie alongside stone age flintflakes and tools. Medieval Chineseporcelain including celadon has been foundat the coastal settlements like Zubarah.Elsewhere on rocky outcrops mysteriouscarvings of boats and circles from ancienttimes remain little understood.

The University of Wales, Lampeter, iscurrently excavating at Eighteenth-Twentieth century settlements at Rubaigaand Ruwayda revealing the foundations ofhouses, mosques, forts and date presses.The wonderful pottery assemblage revealsQatar’s rich maritime trade links via thePersian (Arabian) Gulf and Arabian Sea toIndia and beyond to China and south-eastAsia. Coarse pottery for jugs, water jars,storage jars and cooking pots wereimported from Bahrain and Ras al-Khaimahin the United Arab Emirates. Simple glazedwares for bowls and dishes came from Iranwhile Chinese porcelain was much prizedfrom medieval times. In the laterNineteenth century cheap chinaware fromEurope included brightly decorated bowls,cups and dishes with painted and sponge-printed flowers or transfer-printed motifs.

The work is ongoing and much remains tobe discovered in Qatar ■

Tony Grey holds pot sherds outside Zubarah Fort


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Avocado and Tomato Salad

by Edith Mahabir

Ingredients:1 ripe avocado1-2 salad tomatoes1 small fresh spring onion2-3 tbsps mayonnaisesaltblack pepper2-3 tbsps lemon juice5-6 lettuce leaves (cappuccina or iceberg)

MethodChoose a ripe avocado with firm flesh, peel and cut into cubes, sprinkle with the lemon juiceand mix delicately (this will avoid them getting black). Wash the tomato, eliminate seeds andcut into cubes same size as avocado. Wash the spring onion and cut into 1 cm pieces. In alarge bowl combine the avocado, tomato and chopped spring onion, season with salt andpepper and mayonnaise, mixing delicately to distribute evenly the mayonnaise. Washthoroughly the lettuce leaves and cut into ribbons, spread out on a plate and pour theavocado and tomato salad in the middle. Refrigerate at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

This is great to accompany Red beans and rice pelau and Blackeye peas pelau (pages 26 and27 in Cooking Fantasy cookbook – copies can still be obtained from the FAO Staff CoopOffice at the special price of €10.00).

Combination salad with pine nuts

Ingredients:Mixed salad consisting of radicchio, cappuccina, lettuceSalad TomatoesSweet corn kernels (also canned)Spring onion or chives (ciboulette/erba cipollina)250 gr very fresh champignon mushrooms3-4 heaped tablespoons of pine nutsSalad dressing: 4-5 tbsps olive oil, 2 tbsps red or whitevinegar, salt, pepper

Method: Wash thoroughly all the salad leaves and cut into bite size pieces. Wash tomatoes,cut into slices removing the seeds; wash the spring onion or chives and chop finely. Clean andwash mushrooms and then slice them. Combine the salad leaves, tomatoes, spring onion orchives, mushrooms and drained corn kernels in a salad bowl and set aside. Toast the pinenuts in a small pan over moderate heat turning constantly until they begin to brown – notburn. Remove from fire, transfer to a plate and allow to cool about five minutes. Add to theprepared salad and toss all together to mix evenly.


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Documents

AUGUST 2011 - FAO STAFF COOP€¦ · Via della Magliana, 295 - Tel. 06.55282956 Fax 06.55178798 Finito di stampare: Luglio 2011 Contents Typewritten electronic contributions for the