History of the Crusaders

Posted on by efsbnews

Kevin Pic

Kevin Bolt,Switzerland

In the year 1095 after Christ, Pope Urban II called in the Council of Clermont at the beginning of the Crusades.

 

In the spring of 1096, the Crusaders broke up into four armies under the leadership of French princes.

 

The religion of Islam, founded by the Arab Mohammed in Mecca 630, became a threat to Byzantium. As the holy places of Christianity in Jerusalem were also in the hands of the Arabs, the Pope called for the First Crusade.

Kevin 3

In the year 1099, the Crusaders succeed in conquering Jerusalem. 

Kevin 4

 

 The siege lasted five weeks. During this time, the Crusaders set up an appalling massacre among the Islamic and Jewish populations.

 

The goal of the crusade had been reached and more than one million people had lost their lives in this war.

 

: 1096-1099 First Crusade

: (15.7.1099 Storming of Jerusalem

: 1147-1149 Second Crusade

: 1189-1192 Third Crusade

: 1202-1204 Fourth Crusade 

: 1218-1229 Fifth crusade

: 1248-1254 Sixth crusade

: 1270 Seventh Crusade

 

The Seventh Crusade was also called the Children’s Crusade. Crusade undertaken by French and German children, in which they moved, from religious zeal, to the thousands to Genoa and Marseille, and perished miserably or were sold as slaves on the way.

 

The consequences of the Crusades:

The formation of Knights ‘ order

(Templar order, Order of St. John and Teutonic Order.

kevin pic 2

kevin6

Ranking of the order of the Knights Templar:

Since there was a well-organized hierarchy among the Templars, it was possible for them to set up a powerful army.

There were a large number of well-trained knights in the main quarters who guarded the fortresses on the one hand and were on call for the fight on the other.
In addition to these knights, there were sergeants and squires who belonged to the Templars.

 

Grandmaster–he acted like a sovereign
• Seneschal-he was the second highest dignitary • Marshal-was responsible for the training of the Knights

• Komtur – responsible for the provinces and treasurers

• Schneider – provided the Knights with the necessary garments depending on the seasons

• Fighting Brothers Knights – were members of the aristocracy – their possessions: 3 horses, a squire and a tent

• Serving Brothers Sergeants – came from a non-aristocratic family and possessed 1 horse

• Under Marshal-subjected to the marshal-was treated similarly to a knight

• Banner Carrier – was sergeant and responsible for all squires

• Squire – Stood up to the knight in battle and took care of the equipment and the horse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hedi Slimane’s “Californication”

Posted on by efsbnews

Matilde Serri Pini, Italy

Innovation is the best way to describe the style of Hedi Slimane. In every fashion house he has worked in, he always leaves an indelible mark.

Already in the year 2000, in the house of Dior he created the Dior Homme line upsetting the whole fashion system, fusing male and female lines, tight sleeves and an occasional cravat which became the new concept of fashion. Thus, he abandons the idea of ​​”classic” typically approached by the name of Dior.

In 2007 the revelation.

The designer abandoned Dior , and decided to move to Los Angeles to devote himself to music and photography. His passions are always crisp: thus creating a sort of personal diary and archive with his best shots. It is affiliated with the local scenario, to  rock’n’roll and indie subcultures and to its emerging artists; this setting continues to revolutionize the artist’s thought.

matildespmatildesp2

He returned to Saint Laurent in 2012, instilling a rock vision in the brand, thus redesigning a more youthful and accessible picture compared to something strictly traditional. A return to the full ’70s, the same Slimane claims to have drawn inspiration from his youth heroes as Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Mick Jones.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

But the true “californication” of the designer was completed with the transfer of the French house of Saint Laurent to SoCal. He compared LA to the London of the 70s: “an overlap of cultures and genres”.

The gesture of the designer provoked a division of opinion from those who grasp the geniality of the action ,to those who criticize without understanding the real motivations that have pushed the artist to do so.

In conclusion, as The Red Hot Chili Peppers sing about californication in a negative sense Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind’s elation
And little girls from Sweden dream of silver screen quotation
And if you want these kind of dreams it’s Californication.

In contrast, Hedi had his own version of californication, with the only difference that he knew how to capture all the positive and artistic aspects of the place, creating the califonication style , in particular LA style , a capital of fashion.

matildesp4

Real life vs Social media

Posted on by efsbnews

Serena Brassesco, Italy

Are we really the same person on social media as we are in real life? I ask myself this question everytime I scroll down my IG home page, looking at photos of my friends and internet influencers. It seems that everyone is living their best lives. And I wonder: “would people think the same looking at my profile?”

Maybe we hide ourselves behind a screen, deciding to share just our best traits, trying to be liked and appreciated by people we don’t know, or perhaps we post the memories we love the most, to have them imprinted into the web forever.

It’s obvious that everybody tries their best to show their followers how fun or exciting their daily lives are, and even if I do the same, I always make an attempt to be as consistent in my real and private life as in my on line life, because it’s useless to show ourselves as people we’re not, with the risk of meeting people thanks to our fake selves.

In conclusion, the desire, and maybe the need, to be appreciated by strangers can lead us to be the best version of ourselves, without all the aspects of our lives that we would like to erase.

I used to act like this, convincing myself that I could have been my best self in front of the public eye, but now I don’t care at all. Why should I be someone I am not?

hand-pressing-like-button

Does the Street Art have a place in Galleries ?

Posted on by efsbnews

Post graffiti, murals, frescoes or Urban Art, the Universe of the Street Art is known under many appelations. But where does it come from ? What were the changes ?

These different kind of appellations have evolved over time and with the artists in this movement. At the beginning the Street Art was known as “Graffiti” which was an act of vandalism during the 1960/1980s decades. 2018-06-24 11.52.31Nowadays, this form of Art which is exhibited in the international galleries, festivals or fairs like the “Urban Art Fair” in Paris, “District13 Art Fair” in Paris [which is coming soon in September 2018], “Beyond The Streets in Los Angeles” a huge showcase of graffiti and street art or the different festival of POW ! WOW ! in Hawaii, Long Beach, Washington and many other countries in the world.

This big change about Street Art in our time period evolved the attitudes and beliefs in this Art movement. Now, this kind of Art is perceived as cool and “in”, Artists don’t really need to hide anymore. Some of them became famous and can live on the income from their Art. Companies, city halls, associations and different kind of institutions call on these artists to beautify their buildings and facades. Artists are not perceived as “delinquent” like in the past when they could be arrested and go to jail for vandalism, but this fact depends as well on many aspects (location where the artists “graff” and if it can be legal or not).

Street Artists now are reconignized and some of them have their exhibits in Galleries because they deserve to be famous and well-known and live off their passion for their art. Their passion became their profession. However, if Street Art tends to be exhibited in galleries and only in galleries the movement will lose its meaning/value. If Artists forget the space that gave them their reputation, their birth as an Artist and they will expose/exhibit in Galleries, the fact that they wanted and desired to make Art accessible to the street, to people who don’t go on or are used to going in galleries will be lost and the debate on this accessibility and about money and business can be questioned.

2017-04-21 21.01.14

In other words, Artists should continue to do murals on the street and for free when they can/want and they have the right, as well if they wish to show and exhibit their Art in Galleries, Fairs, Festivals etc. Both can be combined for the well-being of each Artists.
E.F

What makes me miss Korea

Posted on by efsbnews

What makes me miss Korea

Bijin Park, South Korea

Image result for south korea

Have you ever missed your country while you were traveling? Maybe almost all people have felt it once. I am living in Santa Barbara and I am from South Korea. I can experience a lot of any other foreign cultures in Korea, so I have never felt difficulty while living in USA. However, I feel nostalgic for my country sometimes. What makes me feel this about Korea is because of Norea Bang and PC Bang. This is also one of what I love in Korean culture, and from now on I am going to tell you about this culture.

 

1.Norae Bang

Related image
Normal Norae Bang

If you like singing and dancing, I really recommend ‘Norae Bang’ to you. It is Korean Karaoke, and we call it ‘Norae Bang’. ‘Norae’ literally means singing, and ‘Bang’ means a “room” in Korean. In South Korea, there are a lot of Norea Bangs everywhere because almost of Korean people from kids to adults love to enjoy their time here, and going Norea Bang after drinking is taken for granted nowadays.

Image result for 코인노래방
Coin Norae Bang

There are two types of Norae Bang. One is normal Norae Bang. You pay money for 1 or more hours, and you can sing any songs whatever you want in a room. The time is limited. The other is coin-Norae Bang. You pay money for the number of songs. One song is 500￦(about 50 cents), and 2 songs are 1000￦(about $1). I usually go to coin Norae Bang because the room is usually smaller than normal, so I go there by myself and enjoy! Moreover, most of them open 24 hours. So anywhere and anytime you can have a good time!

In the video below, people went to one where they take off their shoes in a Norae Bang in South Korea, but we usually don’t take our shoes inside. How the Noreabong looks, how  we play inside and how much we pay is all different from each other.

 

 

2.PC Bang

Related image

South Korea is famous for amazing game players. I guess PC Bang is one of the factors contributing to it. PC Bang is a Korean Internet cafe. It is also everywhere and is open 24 hours. So many Koreans go to PC Bang, even though they have their own computers in their houses because PC Bang has a lot of benefits. They have SUPER nice computers, headphones, keyboards, chairs that you can even sleep comfortably and if you want, you can order some snacks and food through computers. Also, playing games for 1 hour is usually $1, and if you stay more, the price goes down like 2 hours for $1.5, but they vary in different locations.

As of 2017, South Korea had the fastest average internet connection in the world at 28.6 Mbit/s, according to the report State of the Internet published by Akamai Technologies, and PC Bangs are the best. So some people use PC Bang when they book tickets that are on a first come, first served, but most people go because they want to enjoy games without disconnection and slow Internet speed.

Image result for pc bang

To be honest, I wasn’t interested in PC Bang before because I really didn’t play any games on the computer. However, when I found myself in trouble, It helped me. One day my phone was dead while I was traveling to some places in Korea by myself. I could not do anything, stuck in strange world, I didn’t know well, and the time was about 2 or 3 am. Nobody was around me. Walking down the streets with panic, I found PC Bang and I got an idea to use the Internet and found my way to get out. Thanks to PC Bang, I was able to find where the house I was supposed to go was, the way to get there and contact with people there who were so relieved. Also, in other cases, it helped me a lot like when I needed to register for courses in university. And now, I sometimes enjoy doing ‘Overwatch’ game. This is what I came to like PC Bang. However, the one thing that you have to know is people under 18 can only use it until 10 PM, but if you are not, you can use it for 24 hours. Someday, if you have the opportunity to come to South Korea, I hope you enjoy this culture and have a great time. Thank you!

 

 

Continue reading What makes me miss Korea

Losing Weight Without Exercise?

Posted on by efsbnews

The success of ‘Brown adipose tissue’ transplantation of fat

Bijin Park, South Korea

  To lose weight, we have to decrease the amount of food eaten or use more calories than before. Doing a restricted diet and exercise at the same time is the most ideal way, but also the most difficult way. So some people try to lessen food consumption too much or stop eating, but these approaches cause side-effects, such as yo-yo weight loss. In many markets, there are thousands of products that say “I can make you slim,” but there is no scientifically supporting evidence ,or the products have a little effect.

So scientists are studying new ideas to develop more effective and convenient ways to lose weight. Kevin Tharp and his colleagues at California University insisted ‘Brown fat tissue’ can be the way in a thesis about diabetes. This can sound weird, but it is fully supported. In animal fat tissue, there is ‘brown adipose tissue’ that can be changed into heat when consumed and normal ‘white adipose tissue’ that preserves energy in a form of fat that we commonly know.

‘Brown adipose tissue’ is usually abundant shortly after new-born animals because it has to maintain the body temperature of the young animals. The animals that hibernate during winter also hold a large amount of brown adipose tissue in their bodies to protect themselves against freezing to death. It is adipose tissue, but it makes your body consume energy so it brings out weight loss after all.

The researchers made stem cells of experimental rats into cells similar to brown adipose tissue and injected them to the other rats. These cells multiplied and made a lot of brown adipose tissue. The part of the body that has a lot of brown adipose tissue was 0.5C higher in temperature than other parts of the body. As a result, rats in the scientific control group (have more brown adipose tissue) consumed more calories than normal rats.

 

A is the part injected, B is normal part

(Thermal camera photo by Kevin Tharp and Andreas Stahl)

 

So, the researchers are expecting that this new study will allow people with diabetes or obesity to control their blood sugar and weight, but it is still a long way off to realize because there can be side effects in inserting stem cells or increasing body temperature over time.

 

sourse : http://nownews.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20150822601009

 

 

Photography, a Breakthrough Technology In Art

Posted on by efsbnews
Angele Dubos, France.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.”

 

Photography is one of the most incredible breakthroughs in technology, in society and in art movements. As a mirror to the world, photography explores human emotions. It captures or marks a passage of time. Developed over the past 200 years, it enhances faster than any other visual art, plainly because it’s a blend between technology and art,  science and abstraction, reality and imagination, techniques and inspiration. Generally speaking, photography aims to capture the reality of everyday life, in parallel, it’s a fine art which requires time and attention.

This discipline, which has helped us to understand of our world, is widespread, omnipresent, everywhere: in our smartphones, advertising, social media, streets… Then how did photography become so renowned and appreciated by everyone?

Photography took shape when a Chinese photographer created the Camera Obscura, the first camera.  The main principle occurs when the image is projected through a screen which is a kind of mirror where the image is upside down.

Camera-obscura

Then, a lot of cameras, which I’m not going to list for the reason that it’ll be so long, have risen in popularity in our societies. Cameras have been examined through scientists’ hands and professionals in order to become more effective and obtain higher performance. Some well-known brands are Nikon and Canon.

nikon_1558_d5_dslr_camera_body_1452034368000_1214153.jpg

Regarding photography as an art, this discipline navigates around genres, artists, themes, works and techniques. Sometimes similar to the art of painting, photography has followed mostly the art movement: avant-garde, propaganda, contemporary art,  modernism, pointillism… On one hand, works are really carefully thought through by the artists focusing on lighting, the subject, the background, the meaning. On the other hand, some artist’s photographs are snapshots and have been captured in the right amazing moment.

However, some works are misleading, such as the The Kiss by the Hotel de Ville. Photographed by Robert Doisneau in Paris, this work is one of the most iconic of the 20th century. It reveals the love and romantic aspect that photography may have. Whereas, this photograph was actually all planned, all organized and everything you see was set up, even the extras behind, the cars, and included the blurred background.

p04swn9p.jpg

Photography also addresses fashion, photojournalism, war, advertising, death, nature, nudes, paparazzi and even more. That’s why I strongly suggest that you buy and read this book: The short story of Photography, which reviews in an enjoyable and pleasant way, the history of photography from the first movement until today.

content

What You Can Do When You Visit Amsterdam

Posted on by efsbnews

Floortje Klein Schiphorst, the Netherlands

History
Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands. Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city. Amsterdam’s name comes from ‘Amstelredamme’,  of the city’s origin around a dam in the river Amstel.

Facts
– There are 17,620,000 visitors per year
– More then 100km canals
– Daily use public transport: 747,000
– There are 881,000 bikes
– 63% of the people who live in Amsterdam travel everyday with the bike

Things to do
There are a lot of things that you can do if you visit Amsterdam.

Canals of Amsterdam
There are 165 canals that combine for a length of over 100km (about 60 miles). There are 2,500 houseboats in the canals. You can book a boat tour through the canals. There are many different canal cruise companies. You can choose many different types of tours, like hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours or night time cruises with food and wine.

Amsterdam5

Shopping
Amsterdam is a excellent city for shopping. Most of the brands are on Kalverstraat and Leidsestraat. Kalverstraat is close to the ‘Dam of Amsterdam’, also a part that you need to visit. Another nice shopping area is ‘The Nine Streets’ (De Negen Straatjes). It called that because this area, located in the heart, has nine narrow streets. There are a lot of great restaurants, cafés, art galleries, jewelers, boutiques and vintage stores.

In heart of Amsterdam you have also a lot of typically Dutch souvenir shops.

amsterdam2

Parks
If you want to enjoy the sun, you can buy some food at the supermarket and go to a nice park. The most famous park in Amsterdam is ‘Vondelpark’. In the summer, there are also a lot of people from Amsterdam and it is close to the heart of the city.

Located in Amsterdam West is ‘Westerpark’. It’s is a nice place to walk, skate, relax or have a picnic with friends.

Also ‘Amstelpark’, located in the south, or ‘Rembrandtpark’, located in west, are both good parks to go to.

Amsterdam6

Museums
There are several museums you can visit in Amsterdam.
– Amsterdam Rijksmuseum is one of the most popular museums. They have historic art by Vermeer, Frans Hals, and the most famous one of Rembrandt ‘ The Night Watch’.
– Stedelijk Museum is at the Museumplein. It presents the best of modern art in Amsterdam.
– Van Gogh Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world and presents all the work from Vincent van Gogh.
– The Anne Frank House is at the Prinsengracht 263 where she lived in hiding with her family for more than two years during World War Two.
– Hermitage Amsterdam is rotating their collection of art from the Hermitage in Russia.

In addition to these museums, there are a lot of other ones like, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Nemo Science Museum, EYE film, etc.

Amsterdam7

In the Night
If you want to go out at night you can go to Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein in the heart of the city. There are a lot of bars and clubs. In Amsterdam South you have also a lot of nice bars, in the neighborhood ‘de pijp’. If you want to know what kind of parties there are, you can go to: https://www.djguide.nl/events.p?city=amsterdam&language=en

Amsterdam4

Other things
You can go to ‘Olympic Stadium Amsterdam’, which was built for the Olympic games in 1928. You can also go to the zoo in Amsterdam ‘Artis’. If you go in April, you need to go to King’s Day, on the 27th of April. We celebrate the birthday of the king and wearing all orange clothes, and there are parties everywhere on the street.

Nice places and restaurants 
There are a lot of nice places in Amsterdam that you can visit. We have a lot of festivals in the summer, but you can also relax on a terrace. The best spots in Amsterdam are Hannekes Boom, Waterkant, Cafe de Jaren, pllek, Café de Ceuvel, Tolhuistuin, Canibal Royal, Westergasterras, Foodhallen, Sumo Sushi, etc.

I AMSTERDAM City Card
A good website you can use for research: http://www.iamsterdam.com
There are a lot of good tips and they tell you where you need to go if you want to know more things that you can do in Amsterdam. They also sell a lot of tickets for places to visit. There is a special card you can buy when you are staying in Amsterdam. You can choose a card for 24, 48, 72 or 96 ours. It includes free entrance to over 50 museums and attractions, free unlimited public transport in Amsterdam with tram, metro or bus, free canal cruises, free giveaways and discounts and a lot more things. So you can check the website for more information and prices.

Amsterdam3

 

 

 

 

Women’s Soccer

Posted on by efsbnews

Amelie Plenk, Switzerland

 

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been in existence since 1991 and takes place every four years. In 2019, the next Women’s World Cup will take place in France. Then the World Cup will be held for the eighth time and 24 teams will compete against each other.

Image result for The FIFA Women's World Cup

Marta Vieira da Silva

Marta Vieira da Silva was born on the 19 February 1986. Marta has been a Swedish citizen since 14 March 2017, but she will also retain her Brazilian citizenship. Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known as Marta, is a Brazilian 

Image result for marta vieira da silvafootballer who plays for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Brazil National Team as a forward. With 15 goals, she holds the record for the most goals in FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.

 

My experience

I have been playing soccer for four years on a women’s team in a small village. Four years ago, we were still the only girls team in our club and now there are 4 teams – women’s football is becoming more popular! But, of the 265 million football players worldwide, only 10 percent are women. 

 

 

Visit Extraordinary Belgium

Posted on by efsbnews

By Andreas Top

Belgium is one of the favorite countries of tourists and students. Every year we receive more than 1 billion tourists. I would love to tell you guys something more about the places you must see. We have an abundant culture, from the beers to the French fries,…

Bruges

brugge

The spirit and history emits strongly in this lovely city of canals. Burges has beautiful architecture, particularly on the southern side of the city, for example The Grote Market Square.  If you are interested in visiting musuems, then you should go to the chocolate museum or the Belfort.

Brussels

Brussels

Brussels is the capital city of Belgium and is likely where visitors will begin their sightseeing. As the headquarters of many European institutions, Brussels might also be considered the capital for the European Union. The Grand Place is the city’s center and was established in the 13th century. There are terrace cafes and pubs around this central square, and other sites of interest such as the Gothic style Town Hall. The shopping is fun there, too.

Ghent

ghent

Ghent is a city of history. The impact of its past can be clearly seen when viewing the impressive architecture of churches and the houses of rich traders. The entire center of the city is restored in this style. Ghent is also one of the biggest student cities in our country, with more than 74,000 students.

Antwerp

antwerp

Antwerp is a city with many faces. While it may not be as historically preserved as Bruges or Ghent, it is a very dynamic city, offering a perfect mix of history and present-day modern life. Lovers of great food, great beer, and good times, this city is most well-known for the Diamond District, where more than 70 percent of the world’s diamonds are traded.

Leuven

leuven

Leuven has the oldest Catholic university.  It has 100,000 residents,  35,000 are students. Two long streets have interesting shops and galleries. You must visit the Belfry on St. Peter’s Church and the Grand Beguinage.