Vatican Museums

Founded in the early 16th century, the Vatican Museums within the Vatican City display works that have been collected by the Catholic church over the centuries. The museums contain roughly 70, 000 works, of which 20, 000 are on display mainly in over 54 galleries. You will find classical sculptures, tapestries, and paintings by Renaissance greats such as Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Lconardo da Vinci. They also have a collection of Modern Religious Art with works of artists like Carlo Carrà, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso.

With the intention of using art as a vehicle to spread culture, the Vatican Museums have been designed to be “a place of beauty and welcome”. It is a space that is not only open to new forms of art but also to people from all walks of life.

Where Are the Vatican Museums Located?

The Vatican Museums are located within the Vatican City, which is also home to the famous Vatican Gardens. Located in the direction of the Tiber River, just a stone’s throw away from the Castel Sant’ Angelo, the Vatican is one of the richest areas of Rome in terms of culture and history.

Nearest Metro Station: Ottaviano

Opening Hours

Monday to Thursday: 8:30 AM-6:30 PM (Final entry 4:30 PM)

Friday to Saturday: 8:30 AM-10:30 PM (Final entry 8:30 PM)

Visitors are required to leave the halls 30 minutes before museum closing time.

Days closed: 1 November, 8 December, and 25 December

An 11-year-old Oklahoma boy is being called a hero after his quick thinking saved two lives in a single day.

The first incident occurred during the school day. Johnson jumped into action after one of his classmates at the 6th Grade Academy accidentally swallowed a water bottle cap after attempting to open it with his mouth. Johnson “immediately sprinted over” to the choking child and performed the Heimlich maneuver (海姆里克腹部冲击法). From the account of the witnesses, when he did it, the bottle cap popped out.

Johnson said he learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver on YouTube, and advised others to do the same. “Just in case you’re in the situation I was in, you can know what to do,” he said.

But Johnson’s heroism didn’t end there.

After school, Johnson spotted a woman with a walker attempting to escape a burning home. The boy said the fire began at the back of the building, but it eventually got to the front of the house. That’s when Johnson jumped into action. The sixth-grader quickly realized the woman was “not moving fast enough” and rushed across the street to help her to her truck. “It was a disabled lady and she was walking out of her house,” Johnson said of the incident. “She was on her porch. But I thought, being a good citizen, I would cross and help her get into her truck and leave.”

LaToya Johnson, the boy’s mother, said that her son’s actions weren’t entirely surprising. In addition to the boy’s dream of becoming an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), LaToya said her brother. Wendell Johnson, is an EMT.

“I’m just a proud mom,” she said.

Every email, post, photo and click you make online leaves a track. Even by reading this article, you’re adding to your ever-growing online image, which will be seen and judged, fairly or not, by others. Whether or not your information is shared intentionally, it’s being gathered by advertisers, employers and companies from which you shop.

It's permanent, it follows you for life and it's not going anywhere——it's your digital footprint.

It is becoming more important than ever in today’s digital economy. One's digital footprint can affect somebody’s life in a positive or negative way depending on what kind of digital citizen you are. Everybody can see what you post, react to, or comment on. This includes employers, parents, teachers and even people you don't know. From seeing the types of things you post and like, people get an understanding of who you are and take a glance at your life. This can lead to loss of opportunity like jobs and schooling. Your digital footprint can also help one to be exposed to more opportunities and bring more attention to one’s brand and business.

“A strong online presence, or digital footprint, can be a career wealth in today’s competitive job market. Many employers are performing online searches——in addition to reviewing resumes and cover letters——in an attempt to learn about potential hires, including their interests, industry involvement and, more importantly, their ability to market themselves effectively,” says Diane Domeyer, career expert and director of The Creative Group.

Now that you know what a digital footprint is, take the proper steps to cultivate it. Think of it as a lifelong development. Take advantage of the platform to present yourself in a good light and show off your best qualities. After all, you never know who will be looking in our newfound digital economy.

Animal leather alternatives like PVC leather may have solved the fashion industry’s animal cruelty problem, but they are not the most environmentally friendly solutions. Piñatex——a new leather——like material made from pineapple leaves——on the other hand, may just be the all-around eco-leather we’ve all been waiting for.

Piñatex is the invention of Dr. Carmen Hijosa and her modern materials company, Ananas Anam. While working as a consultant to the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines in the 1990s, she discovered the character of pineapple leaf fibers and devoted her life to creating sustainable alternatives to leather. After years of research, Ananas Anam has finally come up with what it believes is an alternative to animal leather——Piñatex. It recently showcased (展示) the different uses of Piñatex during a presentation held at the Royal College of Art in London, where designers displayed various clothing items and decorative items made entirely from the material.

Piñatex is made from bonded fibers that are taken out from pineapple leaves by farmers before they are cut up. These fibers go through an industrial process to make Piñatex. The materials can then be coloured, printed and treated to give it different thicknesses and types of patterns, including leather. The remaining substances created by production can be returned to the farmers to be used as fertilizer on their farms.

Piñatex is still in development, and Dr. Hijosa admits that it will take some time before it becomes market ready. To continue her research and hopefully turn Piñatex into a commercially sustainable alternative to animal leather, Dr. Hijosa is currently trying to secure more funding for Ananas Anam, of which she is the majority owner. She is also looking into other possible uses for Piñatex, including anti-bacterial wound bandages, as the material would allow air to circulate to an injury.