Welcome to 'On Air'

Castelfranco Veneto is a town and comune of Veneto, northern Italy, in the province of Treviso, 25 km by rail from the town of Treviso. It is approximately 40 km inland from Venice.
The town originates from a castle built here by the commune of Treviso in the course of its strife against Padua (1195). In 1246 it was captured by Ezzelino IV da Romano, returning to Treviso after his death in 1259. In 1329 it was acquired by Cangrande I della Scala, lord of Verona. Ten years later, together with Treviso, it was handed over to the Republic of Venice, to which it belonged until 1797. Castelfranco then followed the history of Veneto.The older part of the town is square, surrounded by medieval walls and towers constructed by the people of Treviso in 1211 (see Cittadella). The massive Castle is noteworthy.

Castelfranco Veneto was the birthplace of the painter Giorgione, and the Cathedral (1723) contains one of his finest works, the Madonna with St. Francis and Liberalis (1504), but more commonly called La Pala del Giorgione. In the background, the towers of the old town may be seen. The painting was being restored in Venice, Italy; however, ceremonies were held for the return of 'La Pala' near the end of 2005.

The Cathedral itself was designed by Francesco Maria Preti, over an ancient Romanesque church. Other artpieces include seven fragments of frescoes by Paolo Veronese

The name CastelFranco is actually two words that have become one over the centuries from "castello" meaning fortified or castle. And Franco meaning Tax exempt. After the plague struck the Veneto, it was hard to get people to leave the safety of their homes to move to new towns and begin again. So the council of 10 under the express permission of the Doge, set up a number of tax exempt cities to allow them to get on their feet and start small businesses. This one was set up by Francesco Carraro and his crest adorns the walls of the Torre del Orologio and can also be seen in the castle at the top of nearby Asolo.

The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas [pɪlɪˈpinɐs]) officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. To its west across the South China Sea is Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest separates it from the island of Borneo and to the south the Celebes Sea from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city is Manila.

With an estimated population of about 92 million people, the Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country. It is estimated that there are an additional 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. Its tropical climate sustains one of the richest areas in terms of biodiversity in the world.

In prehistoric times, Negritos became some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants. They were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples who brought with them influences from Malay, Hindu, and Islamic cultures. Trade introduced Chinese cultural influences. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 marked the beginning of an era of Spanish interest and eventually dominance. The Philippines became the Asian hub of the Manila-Acapulco galleon treasure fleet. Christianity became widespread. As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, there followed in quick succession the short-lived Philippine Revolution, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine-American War. In the aftermath, the United States replaced Spain as the dominant power. Aside from the period of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until the end of World War II when the Philippines gained independence. The United States bequeathed to the Philippines the English language and its democratic presidential bicameral system of government. Since independence the Philippines has had an often tumultuous experience with democracy, with popular "People Power" movements overthrowing a dictatorship in one instance but also underlining the institutional weaknesses of its constitutional republic in others.

Traditional music of Val

The Malays of Kelantan and Terengganu are culturally linked to peoples from the South China Sea area, and are quite different from the West Coast of Malaya. The martial art of silat which is originally from Indonesia is also popular in Malaysia, while essentially still important as a branch of the self defence form. Similar to tai chi, though of independent origin, it is a mix of martial arts, dance and music typically accompanied by gongs, drums and Indian oboes.

The natives of the Malay Peninsula played in small ensembles called kertok, which performed swift and rhythmic xylophone music. This may have led to the development of dikir barat. In recent years, the Malaysian government has promoted this Kelantanese music form as a national cultural icon.

Arabic-derived zapin music and dance is popular throughout Malaysia, and is usually accompanied by a gambus and some drums. Ghazals from Arabia are popular in the markets and malls of Kuala Lumpur and Johor, and stars like Kamariah Noor are very successful. In Malacca, ronggeng is the dominant form of folk music. It played with a violin, drums, button accordion and a gong instrument from Indonesia. Another style, Dondang Sayang is slow and intense; it mixes influences from China, India, Arabia, and Portugal with traditional elements.