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Norwegian Jade - Venice to Rome 10/08/11: Norwegian Jade Cruise Review by CTCruisers
Overall Member Rating
Norwegian Jade - Venice to Rome 10/08/11
Destination: Europe - Eastern Mediterranean
Embarkation: Venice
It was our 13th NCL cruise (17th overall). We have sailed three times on Carnival and once with Royal Caribbean.
It was our third time on the Jade as we had sailed on her a year earlier on a 7-day cruise out of Barcelona to Italy and two years earlier on a 5-day cruise from Southampton, England to Ireland. We are rated as Platinum Latitudes members with NCL.
This was our second Mediterranean cruise and our first visit to each of the ports except for Naples and Civitavecchia. We were intrigued by the itinerary as we prefer DIY exploring and there More seemed to be a lot to see and do in the immediate areas of the various ports we would be visiting.
Arrival in Venice
We arrived in Venice in the afternoon the day before our sailing on the Jade. We had delays with our connection in Frankfurt, Germany, so we arrived a few hours later than planned. Our landing path took us right over the city so we could see how the city is small and compact. At the airport, we went to the Venice Connected Desk to pick up 24-hour Tourist Travel Cards that we had ordered on line (15.30 each). The passes would let us use the local transportation for the 24 hours after we picked up the tickets. To get to Venice, we took an ATVO bus for the 25 minute ride from the Marco Polo Airport to the Piazzale Roma bus terminal in Venice (5 each).
We had purchased Euros at the airport in the States prior to our takeoff. All of our port stops would allow us to use Euros except for the two in Croatia as they have their own currency. Once we were at the Venice airport, we purchase a small amount of Crotian Kunas.
Our hotel, the Dalla Mora, was located just a short 15 minute walk from Piazzale Roma. We chose to stay there because the cruise terminal is located a short distance from Piazzale Roma. Our rate was 100 for a superior double with a private bath and shower and included a continental breakfast for us. The hotel is located in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Venice with many of its rooms overlooking a canal. It is a small hotel, but it served the purpose for our one night stay in Venice. Thankfully, we only had one piece of luggage and a carry-on bag for our trip as we had to walk up and over 4 bridges to get to the hotel from the bus stop.
After checking in, we set off to discover some of Venice. Because of our late arrival, we just walked back to Piazzale Roma and jumped on the number 1 vaporetto (water bus) that went up the Grand Canal before finally reaching the stop for the Basilica of St. Mark and the plaza there with the Campanile tower and the Doges Palace. It was after 5:00 pm, so St. Marks was closed to the public. We walked around the area to look at the Bridge of Sighs (surrounded by advertising) and the piazza area. After 6:00 pm we went to a side door at St. Marks and asked if we could go to the scheduled mass at 06:45 pm (every weekday) and we were guided into a small chapel on one side of the cathedral for prayers and then the mass. Even with the waning sunlight, we could catch a glimpse of the magnificent mosaics around rest of the Basilica.
After the mass, we returned to the hotel using the number 2 vaparetto. For dinner, we went to Trattoria Antico Gafaro, which was across the street from where the hotel was located. We had a good meal that was moderate in price for Venice restaurants. I had a Venetian specialty, spaghetti with black ink from cuttlefish, which was very tasty.
Day 1 Embarkation Day Venice, Italy
It was a partly sunny day with temps in the high 60s F. But, it was windy and felt colder.
We woke up and had a quick breakfast at the hotel before taking off to see more of Venice before we would be heading to the cruise terminal. Check out time was 11:00 am, but they let us keep our luggage there until we returned to go to the ship.
As we left the hotel, we walked over to visit a church only a few blocks away called the Chiesa San Pantalon. I had read about the incredible painted ceiling and had wanted to see it. We were not disappointed as it was the most jaw dropping thing we had ever seen. They would not allow photos, but I did buy a postcard. After that we walked a few more blocks to the second largest church in Venice called San Maria Gloriosa dei Frari which was only a few blocks from our hotel. The artwork there, including works by Titian (who is buried there) and Donatello, was amazing. Across from the church is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco which is filled with huge artwork pieces including several by Tintoretto. Also across from the church and the Scuola was the Chiesa de San Rocco which had terrific artwork as well. Next, we walked over to a nearby vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal and took the number 2 vaparetto to take a mini-cruise from there which went back through the Grand Canal and circled around the cruise port and over to St. Marks before returning to Piazzale Roma. It was a great way to see the city and all the cruise ships in port that day. The round trip took about one hour. The Number 41 and 42 vaparettos circle the outside of Venices main neighborhoods which is another great way to see different parts of Venice. These take about two hours for a round trip. But, we were happy with the route of the Number 2.
We ended our vaparetto cruise at the stop by Piazzale Roma around 01:30 pm. From there we went back to our hotel to gather our luggage before walking back to the Piazzale Roma bus terminal to get the ship. It is about a mile walk from Piazzale Roma to the cruise ship terminals. At Piazzale Roma, they have a people mover (monorail) that takes you most of the way to the cruise terminal for 1 per person. As we came off the people mover, it was about a half mile walk to the cruise terminal for our ship.
There were 6 other cruise ships in port as well, so you could imagine how much activity was to be found in the cruise port area. We saw the Happy Dolphin, Costa Victoria, Voyager of the Seas, The World, MSC Opera, and MSC Magnifica there along with the Jade at the cruise port along with the Star Princess that was docked just north of St. Marks square.
When we walked into the terminal at 2:30 pm, there were no lines for checking in. We just walked up to a clerk in the gold and platinum Latitudes line, received our docs and keycards, and were ready to go to the ship in less than 20 minutes from the time we arrived in front of the terminal. As we boarded the ship we found out that the cabins were cleared as of 02:00 pm, so we headed to our cabin to drop off our carry-on before going up to deck 12 to get a little something to eat in the Great Outdoors buffet. Our cabin was an inside cabin (room 10579) which was midship on deck 10.
All announcements were made in English, German, French, and Spanish.
The muster drill was scheduled for 4:00 pm, so we headed down to deck 6 to our muster station in the bar city lounge area. We did not need to bring our life jackets with us for the muster. After the drill, we went to up to the deck 13 Sundeck to stake out a spot to watch the sail away.
The Jade pulled away from the pier at around 5:15 pm. The two MSC ships had pulled out previous to us. The ship sailed past the city of Venice and reached St. Marks Square by 6:00 pm before heading out to sea. It was a wonderful sight to see. We had terrific unobstructed views of the Venice skyline. With the setting sun and cold winds, everyone was bundled up with sweatshirts and coats. Venice is one city we hope to have the chance to re-visit in the future.
After the sail away, we went back to our cabin to unpack and change before going to dinner in the buffet on deck 12. We dined while watching a beautiful red sunset.
The show for the evening was the Welcome Aboard Showtime show in the Stardust Theater at 09:00 pm.
The Stardust Theater has a variety of seating and most have good views with seating for about 1,000 people. The show was hosted by the Cruise director, Jill Tasker who did a good job of welcoming us and introducing some of the entertainment acts that would be performing on other evenings. They included Duo Volgyi which was a couple that combined powerful acrobatics and dance for their performance as well as a few numbers from the production cast singers. Jill spoke in both English and Spanish.
After the show, we went to the Spinnaker Lounge to listen to Ocean Vibe, a quartet, play songs from the 50s and 60s.
Day 2 Koper, Slovenia
It was a partly cloudy day with temps that started in the mid 50s and only warmed up to the mid 60s F.
We arrived on the port of Koper shortly before 7:00 am and docked at a pier close to the center of town.
Koper is located in western Slovenia only 12 miles south of Trieste, Italy.
They announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark at 7:50 am. All non-EU passengers had to have their passports with them as they left the ship.
There was one other cruise ship in port that day; the Voyager of the Seas, which arrived around 07:30 am after following us from Venice.
Koper is the main port for Slovenia and is only 40 miles from the Italian city of Trieste. In the Bay of Trieste this day, the Barcolana Regatta was being held. It is one of the worlds largest sailing races with over 2,000 participants.
At the last minute, we had decided to take an excursion from Koper to the seaside town of Piran. We met up with other passengers that had decided to take tours to the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana and/or Lake Bled. Those tours required about 3 or so hours of driving and we did not feel we wanted to spend that much time in a vehicle, especially with the sail away time of 4:00 pm for this port.
When we got off the ship, we had a tour bus waiting to take us on our 4 hour tour at 08:45 am. The 10 mile ride to Piran took about 30 minutes as we passed along the coast through the towns of Izola and Portoro on the way. The bus stopped at a parking lot just outside of Pirans old town section. You could spot the Church of St. George as it stood out on a hill over the rest of this small town located on a peninsula filled with buildings and their red roofs. We walked around Piran for an hour or so visiting the church, a monastery, small medieval streets, the old square, the Punta (point) with its lighthouse and church, and Tartini Square before returning to Koper. Before heading back to Koper, we had a free hour to explore the town on our own. We went back to the St. George church to climb up the bell tower. It was built as a copy of the Campanile of St. Marks in Venice. We had about 150 wooden steps to climb to the top. The bell in the tower rings every 15 minutes and it was loud as it rang while we were up there. We had wonderful views of Piran and the area. We could see the Bay of Trieste and all of the sailing ships in the Regatta.
Piran was very quaint. The ride back to Koper gave us some terrific views of the countryside and the Adriatic Sea as we returned to Koper. Just at the edge of the city, we stopped by a Koper wine exhibit building for tasting and purchasing (if one desired).
After returning to the dock in Koper, we walked up the hill overlooking the dock to visit the center of Koper and its Tito Square. There, we found a small cathedral with a bell tower you could walk up to get great views of Koper. The tourist office for Koper was located in the Praetorian Palace building located near the cathedral. Both Koper and Piran had a real Italian feel to them. All signage was in Slovene and Italian and you could hear locals speaking Italian.
To get back to the ship, we had to go through a long line to have our IDs checked and passports stamped.
Sail away from Koper was 4:00 pm
The evenings entertainment in the Stardust was a violinist named Gary Lovini who played classical and pop songs along with the Jade Orchestra band.
We went up to listen to Ocean Vibe again in the Spinnaker lounge after the show.
The Spinnaker Lounge had the Super 70s Disco Dance Party later on, which was lightly attended.
Day 3 Split, Croatia
It was a sunny day that started with temps in the mid 50s F before getting up to the mid 60s F by the afternoon.
We arrived in Split (Croatias second largest city) before 07:00 am. We were anchored just outside the harbor. They announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark using tenders at 07:50 am.
We were the only cruise ship in the harbor that day.
Off in the distance, we could see that there must have been a forest fire behind a large hill. As we were having breakfast, we could see 3 fire fighting planes repeatedly diving down to skim water in the bay and then fly back over the fire.
We had a late breakfast before heading off the ship. Our plan was to only go into Split and check out its main attraction, Diocletians Palace (which is a Unesco World Heritage site) on our own. There were a lot of tours offered for this location with some visiting the countryside and/or the nearby ancient ruins in Salonae which is where the Roman Emperor Diocletian came from.
After a 10 minute tender ride, we walked from the dock area towards the old city section of Split (called Stari Grad). It was a very short walk from the pier where the tenders docked to the south gate entrance to the old city. The gate led us into the cellars under the palace. Diocletians palace/fortress was built around 400 AD and takes up almost half of the old city. As I have always been interested in Roman history, I found this area to be fascinating. There was so much to see as we walked around.
There are many gates that lead in and out of the old city. The Bronze Gate faces south to the harbor. To the east, you can take the Silver Gate which leads to an open air market area. To the west, you take the Iron Gate which leads to the main square (Narodni Trg) of Split which has their city hall building and the Ethnographic Museum near there. To the north, is the Golden Gate which leads to the Strosmajerov Park. Just outside the Golden gate, we found the large statue of Gregory of Nin (Grgur Ninski) by a local sculptor named Ivan Metrovic. It is said that rubbing the toe on the statue will bring you good luck. The toe of his right foot is a bright golden color from the constant rubbing by people over the 80 or so years since the statue was unveiled.
We also stopped by the Cathedral of St. Dominus which was originally built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Diocletian. It has a bell tower with wonderful views of the old city (after walking up 186 steps). After the cathedral we walked west to visit Jupiters Temple, a Roman temple converted to a baptistery.
Just outside the Silver Gate and next to the market area, we found the church and monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria. It had a simple church with some nice paintings and statues. As we were leaving, we found that the doors had been shut. One of the two nuns in the church came over to unlock the door as they had closed the church at noon without our realizing it, but they did not want to disturb us.
The Marjan hill (mar-yan) is a park area that overlooks the city and gives great views of the city of Split and the harbor below. Facing the harbor as we left the old city, we took a right (away from the ship) and walked along the harbor to the park which was about a half mile away from the old city. There were over 300 steps to take you up to the top.
Along the water by the old city area is a boardwalk area known as Riva. This is a wonderful place to sit back, relax, and have a drink or just admire the sights.
Croatia has its own currency, the Kuna. While most places accepted Euros and/or charge cards, a few places would only accept Kunas. There were plenty of ATM machines and currency exchange shops in Split.
The ship left Split at 5:00 pm.
The main show in the Stardust was a production show called Showdown. The show was a type of American Idol singing contest with the audience voting for the best singer.
In the Spinnaker Lounge, they had a Perfect Couple game show hosted by Alp of the CD staff that was very funny to watch.
Later on in the Spinnaker Lounge, they had a musical game show called If You Know It, Sing It.
Day 4 Dubrovnik, Croatia
It was an overcast morning in the 60s F that cleared up and temps rose to the mid 70s F.
We arrived at the port for Dubrovnik before 07:00 am. They announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark at 07:50 am.
The Jade was anchored near the old city part of Dubrovnik, close to the island of Lokrum. We would have to tender to shore at this port. Other cruise ships were docked at the other end of the city in Gruz Harbor, including the Star Princess, Ocean Majesty, and Astor.
The tender docked in the old city harbor near the main square and its clock tower. Again, it only a 10 minute tender ride from the ship.
Dubrovnik is known for its old city area which is a Unesco World Heritage site. It is surrounded by famous fortified walls that were started in the 8th century. The entire perimeter of the walls is about 2 kilometers with lots of steps especially on the side facing the city and hills. Entrances (with a fee) to the walls can be found at both ends of the city. The Ploce (plo-cha) gate is the one closest to the harbor where the ship tenders dock. This entrance tends to be less crowded than the Pile (pee-la) Gate which is the main gate at the other end of the old city that leads to the rest of Dubrovnik. We found long lines at both gates. As you walk along the walls, you pass through a few small forts. The views from the walls were spectacular. They will only accept Croatian Kunas or charge cards to enter the walls. It takes about 2 hours to leisurely walk the entire length and for the walls along the water, they have everyone walking in the same direction from the Pile Gate to the old harbor. There is no shade while you are up there.
The main pedestrian thoroughfare from the docks to the Pile Gate is called the Stradun Placa. It is lined with shops and cafes. At the end of the Stradun, just before the Pile Gate, is the large Onofrio fountain, a famous landmark and meeting place. We found it more interesting to explore the side streets found on both sides of the Stradun.
There are a lot of buildings and landmarks to see and visit in the old town area besides the walls and forts. There are a few monasteries, The Church of St. Blaise (patron saint of Dubrovnik), and the Rectors Palace.
Near the Jesuit church, along the outside walls facing the water, we found an opening that led to a bar situated on the rocks at the waters edge with wonderful views. It was called the Cafe Bua. You can spot this bar from above when you walk along the ocean side of the walls
Outside the walls by the Ploce Gate is a station for a high speed cable car gondola that takes you up to the top of Srd Hill (serge) which offers incredible views of the old city and the surrounding area. The cable car station at the top is 1,324 feet above sea level and it only takes 4 minutes to go up from the station below. The cost was 80 Croatian Kuna per adult (about $15). They would not accept Euros, only Kunas and/or charge cards. At the top are viewing stations, a restaurant, and a souvenir stand.
There are very few public toilets in the old town area, so one had to go into one of the cafes to order a drink and use their facilities.
We also visited the Cathedral (Katedrala) which was at the East end of the city towards the old harbor before heading back to the old city harbor docks to take a tender back to the ship.
We arrived at the ship by 3:00 pm and the ship sailed away at 5:00 pm.
For the main show in the Stardust, they had a vocalist named Marcus Jefferson performing a musical tribute to Lionel Richie.
In the Spinnaker they had a The Weakest Link game show.
In the Spinnaker later that night, they had the White Hot Dance Party with the CD staff.
Day 5 Day at Sea
It was a partly cloudy day with temps in the low 70s F.
This was a day to sit back and relax as we sailed out of the Adriatic Sea and into the Ionian Sea as we went around the boot of Italy on our way to Messina.
The pool area was busy, but not entirely full. You could find lounge chairs if you wanted to sit in the shade.
The main show for the evening was another production company show. This one was called Elements and was Cirque Soleil type show that had dancing, singing, and included the couple called Duo Volgyi soaring over the audience as they swung around on silk ropes as well as others coming down from the ceiling on ropes.
After the show, we went up to the Spinnaker to listen to the Jade Orchestra play Big Band Ballroom music. The band was very good.
Later on in the Spinnaker, they had the Dancing with the Jade Stars where guests teamed up with the production show dancers for a contest that was entertaining.
Day 6 Messina, Sicily, Italy
The day was sunny with temps were in the 70s F with a nice breeze.
We arrived at the port of Messina before 8:00 am. They announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark at 08:00 am.
Besides the Jade, the MSC Fantasia was in port as well.
The cruise ship docks are right next to the city. A lot of passengers were taking tours to visit the nearby resort town of Taormina or to see Mt. Etna. We had planned to stay in town.
We walked off the ship and headed south about a half mile to stop by the ruins of a church called Santa Maria Alemanna (St. Mary of the Germans). It was built in the 1200s by Normans and was once visited by Richard the Lion Hearted on his way to a Crusade. We then headed north on Via Garibaldi to visit the Duomo (which has the largest organ in Italy) of Messina and view the astrological clock found in the Duomos bell tower. There is a daily show by the clock at noon with moving figures and music. The piazza was filled with people watching the 12 minute show. The beautiful Fountain of Orione is found in the Duomos piazza as well. After that, we walked east up the hill to two churches. The first was called the Santuario di Montalto and the second was called Christo Re. Cristo Re is now a memorial. Both buildings offered a wonderful view of the Messina harbor and the Italian mainland from an esplanade in front of them. The churches themselves are very visible from the harbor. We then headed down the hill and returned to the ship. There is an art museum in Messina that was further away from the ship going north, but we decided to just head back to the ship.
As we were spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing topside playing cards, we watched as a MSC cruise ship and then a Costa cruise ship sail past Messina through the strait of Messina on their way north.
Sail away was 6:00 pm where we left the harbor and passed through the Straits of Messina into the Tyrrhenian Sea on our way to Naples.
For dinner, we went to the Le Bistro.
In the Stardust Theater they had a juggling show with someone named Hilby, the Skinny German Juggle Boy.
The Ocean Vibe band was in the Spinnaker playing Buddy Holly and other music from the 50s while the Jade Orchestra was in the Atrium playing Dixieland Jazz.
They had a Quest Adult Game show in the Spinnaker lounge at 10:30 pm.
Day 7 Naples, Italy
It was dark overcast morning with temps in the 60s F and very windy. The forecast said partly cloudy, but we had a surprise waiting for us later that morning.
We arrived in Naples before 7:00 am. They announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark at 7:30 am. The cruise terminal is located in the heart of Naples with Mount Vesuvius off in the distance.
In port, along with the Jade, were three other cruise ships; the Celebrity Solstice, MSC Sinfonia, and the Island Escape.
Visiting Naples, they are many things to do and see both near and far. You can go to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum, the Amalfi Coast, Mt. Vesuvius, or the Isle of Capri. In Naples itself, there are quite a few interesting sites to explore. This is one port I would not mind visiting several times just to get the chance to see it all.
We had been to Naples before, so we had decided to go off into Naples to visit just a few sights in the city. The cruise ship terminal is located opposite the Castel Nuovo fort. Our main plan in Naples was to visit the Duomo di San Gennaro and some other churches in that area before taking a funicular up to the top of the Vomero district that overlooks the entire city to visit the monastery and castle there before returning to the ship.
As we walked out of the terminal, we stopped at a tabacchi shop that was to the left of the exit. We purchased all day transportation passes (biglietto giornaliero) for 3.10 each. On our previous visit to Naples, I had picked up a local bus map that showed all of the routes for buses as well as funiculars and subway trains. We had taken the HOHO bus in Naples before and had a terrible experience with them, so we were determined not to use them. We wanted to only use the public transportation system instead. We started walking to the Duomo di San Gennaro. About 10 minutes along in the planned 30 minute walk, it started pouring as a thunderstorm came over the city. Even though we had raincoats on, our pants and shoes were soaked thoroughly by the time we reached the Duomo. The Duomo is located at 147 Via Duomo. Please note that the Duomo is closed from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. We found out the hard way on our last trip to Naples as it was closed when we went there in the mid-afternoon.
After walking around the large church, we left the Duomo and walked down Via dei Tribunali towards Piazza Dante. Along the way we stopped by a church called Purgatorio ad Arco. This church had wonderful paintings and sculptures, but they did not allow photos.
Next, we walked to the Sansevero Chapel which has an incredible collection of marble sculptures with the most amazing being one called the Veiled Christ. Again, we were not allowed to use our camera.
After leaving that church it was still raining with no signs of letting up. Wet and cold, we decided to head back to the ship instead of going to the Vomero hill. So we have a reason to come back to Naples again hopefully. We did talk with other passengers that had gone to see Pompei and they said that while it did not rain, it was cold and windy. Tours to Mt. Vesuvius were cancelled due to the strong winds.
There were plenty of pizza shops to be found, especially along Vie de Tribunali. We are spoiled with several terrific Neapolitan style pizza shops near our home in Connecticut and the ones in Naples looked and smelled just as good.
Walking across streets in Naples is nerve wracking. The drivers there are very aggressive and stop lights are only a suggestion. You just have to pick your moment and go, do not hesitate!
Sail away was at 7:00 pm.
In the Stardust Theater, instead of a production cast show, they had the Jade Crew Show that included a performance of Fountains.
They had a Karaoke contest in the Spinnaker Lounge that night.
We had been given luggage tags and information on disembarking the ship. If you wanted to have your luggage brought down by the ships porters, you had to have your luggage outside your cabin with your luggage tags attached by 11:00 pm.
Disembarkation Day Civitavecchia, Italy
We were scheduled to arrive in Civitavecchia by 5:00 am.
By 05:45 am you could start to walk off the ship if you carried your entire luggage yourself. By 06:30 am, passengers with specific colors of tags could start to walk off. They would not make announcements until 07:30 am, so it was up to you to head down on your own.
All passengers were to be off the ship by 09:45 am that day.
It was a real ship parade at the cruise ship docks this day as there were seven ships in port; The Jade along with the Queen Victoria, Costa Magica, Noordam, Ocean Princess, Seabourn Pride, and Costa Deliziosa.
We got up early for breakfast before heading off the ship to pick up our luggage in the terminal at 09:30am. They had shuttle buses (no charge) to take us to the gates at the end of the port area (5 minute ride). From there, we walked across the street, turned right, and walked a few blocks along Viale Garibaldi. We then headed leftward where the road sloped uphill; the train station is on the Viale della Repubblica. There were long lines of cruisers already there waiting inside to buy train tickets at the Trenitalia windows, so I went past the lines to the right inside the building, passed by a Tabacchi shop and bought BIRG tickets at a coffee shop inside the station for 9.50 without having to wait. (Reminder: be sure to validate your tickets with a time stamp at the yellow boxes you will find on the platforms before you board the train) We caught the 10:56 am train and arrived at the Roma San Pietro station in Rome at 11:49 am.
Our plan was to stay in Rome for two nights before flying home. We had been to Rome the previous year as a port stop on our Jade cruise out of Barcelona, so we had already seen all of the major sights (albeit briefly) in the day we had spent there. We wanted to go back to spend time enjoying just a few locations of what Rome has to offer for visitors.
We had booked a room at a B&B called A Casa di Nannali that was located just a few blocks (100 meters) from Vatican City for 80 a night. It is located halfway between the Roma San Pietro train station and the Vatican. From our rooms balcony, we could see the Dome of St. Peters.
After we walked the short distance from the Roma San Pietro train station to the hotel, we checked in and then spent the rest of our first day in Rome visiting the Vatican museums which included the Sistine Chapel and then St. Peters. We had booked tickets for the Vatican Museums online prior to our trip, so we did not have to wait in a long line for tickets. The museums were incredible and we ended the visit to the museums in the Sistine Chapel. At the advice of other people, we followed a tour group through a side door that led us into St. Peters without having to exit the Museum and then having to go into a line to enter the Cathedral. A third of the church was blocked off and they would let anyone go to the crypts or up to the dome that day. But, we did stay long enough to be able to attend mass in the side chapel there before leaving.
For dinner, we went to Il Bacio on the recommendation of the B&B owner, Annalisa. It was near the Castel San Angelo.
The next day, we headed into the old part of Rome by bus to spend the afternoon at the forum area and the Colosseum. We stopped by a Tabacchi shop to get our one day transportation passes before catching a bus to Piazza Venezia. We had booked a guided tour of the Colosseum online. The same tickets gave us admission to the Palatine Hills and the Forum. When we got to the Colosseum at 11:30 am, the lines for the ticket window were a third the way around the building and moving very slowly. But, we were able to go to the very short line for on-line tickets to make our way into the building and wait for the guided tour which was informational.
After leaving the Colosseum, we walked past the Arch of Constantine and entered the gate that led us to both the Palatine Hill and the Forum areas which we toured on our own for an hour. We then caught a bus to take a short ride to visit the Area Sacra Argentina which has Roman ruins (supposedly where Julius Caesar was murdered) and is also used as a cat sanctuary. We spotted at least 20 cats around the area.
From there we walked north to visit a church called S. Maria sopra Minerva and then the Pantheon before walking over to the Piazza Novana to grab an early dinner. We ended up at a sidewalk caf just outside the piazza called Sale Miele. We had a wonderful meal there at half the price of the cafes in the Piazza. After the meal, we took a bus back to the Vatican area and our room.
Our flight to go home on Monday morning was not until noon. We just walked back to the Roma San Pietro station and took one train (FM3) for the short ride to the Roma Trastevere station and caught another train (FM1) that took us to the Fiumicino airport. The cost was 8 each. Altogether, it took about 45 minutes to get from the San Pietro station to the airport.
A fitting end to our visit to Italy was the flight from Rome to Munich for our connection to the States. We flew over Venice as we approached the Italian Alps prior to our arrival in Munich.
The Jade was built for freestyle dining. The ship has several restaurants which include two main dining rooms (Grand Pacific and the Alizar) that are free of charge along with the buffet areas (Garden Caf and the Great Outdoors), Topsider and Bali Hai poolside bar grills, and the Blue Lagoon (comfort food). Grand Pacific and the Alizar have the same menus each night and because the Grand Pacific is larger, the wait times were shorter. The other restaurants had a fee, which we chose not to go to. They have Cagneys (Steakhouse), Jasmine Garden (Asian), Le Bistro (French), Papas Kitchen (Italian), Tapas & Salsa (Tapas), Sushi Bar, and Teppanyaki. We are not too picky about food, so we never felt the need to go to any one restaurant over another.
The Garden Caf buffet area is set up very well with plenty of stations offering various foods. So you do not have to wait in line while everyone passes by the same items before you can select something. For example, they have a separate station for salads, then one for fruits & desserts, then another for hamburgers & hot dogs, etc. There are no trays, so you have to take a plate and then find a table before going back to get a drink. In the early mornings where we were in port, it was very hectic due to everyone wanting to grab a bite before heading off the ship. We found that the Italian restaurant next to the buffet had its doors open during breakfast and lunch to handle the overflow of diners. It was quieter eating in there as well.
For most nights, we went to the buffet as if was faster than sitting down in the dining rooms which usually took about an hour and a half for the full meal (appetizer, entre, and dessert). We just preferred going to a see a show in the Stardust Theater or to a lounge to listen to music instead of sitting down for dinner.
We enjoy the convenience of freestyle and the fact that we did not have to bring an extensive wardrobe for dining. We wore business casual attire the evenings we went to Le Bistro. We saw other passengers that did take advantage of dressing in more formal wear and others that were dressed even more relaxed than we were. To each their own, which is what freestyle is all about.
Bar Service
We are beer drinkers and we took advantage of the beer bucket specials where you would get 6 beers for the price of 5 that was offered throughout the cruise. Since the Jade had been in Europe, their selection of beer was much better than any other NCL cruise ship we had been on. I wish they could bring some of those selections over to the States. They allowed us to mix the beers we ordered. The free beer would be the cheapest of the ones you selected. I preferred the German wheat beers to most of the selections offered on the ship.
Also, in Le Bistro we were entitled to a free bottle of wine (see Latitudes). When we explained that we do not drink wine, they allowed us to order beers of any variety we preferred.
We are rated as Platinum Latitudes members and were invited to the two Latitudes parties. We also received a welcome aboard package with fruit. But, we did not get any snacks delivered to our cabin as on previous cruises.
The party for all of the Latitudes members was held on the afternoon of the sea day in the Spinnaker lounge. They gave away a small variety of gifts for the Latitudes guests and plenty of drinks.
We were also invited to a separate party for Silver, Gold, and Platinum Latitudes members in the Medusa lounge and it was lightly attended. It was held the evening we sailed from Split and was for a half hour with only wine and a variety of cheese offered.
As platinum members, we received some additional perks. The guided tour of the ship was free (held on the sea day) which we did not attend as we had taken a tour on a previous cruise. We did receive two invitations to Le Bistro for a free meal and bottle of wine. We were given priority tender tickets on the day we were in Split which allowed us to take any tender we chose into the city. We were given VIP luggage tags which allowed us to disembark at any time we wanted and have our luggage waiting in a designated area away from the other color luggage tags.
They did offer laundry service that was free of charge (it was normally $25 to fill the small bag) on Tuesday.
There were plenty of things to do on aboard for all interests. They had the usual plethora of bingo games and art auctions. Every night, we would receive a copy of the next days Freestyle Daily which listed all of the activities and their times. This was helpful in planning.
We took advantage of the several trivia games (which we enjoy) they offered during the cruise. We met up with several friendly people and we enjoyed their company and conversations. We did win one time with our team and came close on several others.
The casino was open during times at sea. We do not gamble, but sometimes we would walk through to watch fellow passengers give donations to the ship.
They had plenty of talented musicians on board to entertain people at various locations and times.
The Jade Show band was great playing big band jazz.
In the bar city area and atrium they either had a piano/singer and/or a single guitarist playing mellow easy listening music.
In the Medusa Lounge, they had a trio called Guys and Doll playing dance music.
The Spinnaker lounge band called Ocean Vibes was our favorite band to listen to on all of our cruises. Their mix of songs was very strong with songs from the 60s, but they also played songs from the 50s, 70s and even some contemporary tunes. It was refreshing to hear so many up tempo and classic songs.
For the majority of times, we were always met by a smile and a hello when we walked by any of the crew members.
Jill Tasker (England), the cruise director was always at the production shows and Latitudes parties. But, other than scheduled events, you never really saw her. The rest of the cruise staff were very friendly, especially Alp (Turkey), Juan (Mexico), and Gabrielle (Gabby) (West Va. U.S.A.). We had met Alp and Gabby on several other cruises.
The ship
The ship was originally built and named as the Pride of Hawaii in 2006. It was to be used for the Hawaii only cruises by NCLA. Even though the ship has since been renamed the Jade, other than the hull artwork being changed, the rest of the ships decor still has Hawaiian themes.
The fitness center is found on deck 12 forward and had a wide variety of treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and other pieces of equipment available at all times at no extra charge. They even had a punching bag and free weights. They offered pilates and spinning classes for a fee.
The running track is found on deck 13 and goes from midship (in front of the Star Bar) around to the aft and past both sides of the basketball court. It is very narrow on the sides around the court and walkers can get in your way. It takes 5 laps to complete a mile. The promenade deck is for walking only and it takes 2 2/3 laps to walk a mile.
On deck 12, there are two pools midship with one designated as adult only and the other having a slide. In cool weather, the pools are heated. There are two hot tubs next to each pool. In addition to these, there is a small kids pool tucked away in a corner of the pool deck under the overhand of deck 13 by the Topsiders Bar.
The Ying & Yang Health Spa has several treatment rooms and a relaxation area with heated ceramic lounge chairs and a large lie-down hot tub. It is on deck 12 forward. In the spa, they have segregated areas for men and women; each one has saunas and a hot tub. Since these were segregated, we decided to not use them as we like to relax together. You can buy spa passes for the day ($20) or the entire cruise ($99). They offered spa treatment specials during port days. Also on deck 12 in the hallway leading to the spas and fitness rooms are the library and card rooms.
One trick we learned was that the carpeting on the decks with cabins had dolphins in the print. The dolphins face forward in all of the hallways, so you can use that to help navigate around the ship. The breaks in the Dolphin patterns signaled a stairway.
There is a bridge viewing room on deck 11 forward on the port side. You can view the bridge and see the various plaques the ship has accumulated from each of the ports it has visited since being launched.
We always book an inside cabin. We are only in our cabin to sleep or shower, so we prefer to save money in order to cruise twice a year versus once or less with a balcony or suite type cabin. Our cabin had more than enough room for the two of us. There are two small twin beds that you can have next to each other or separated. We had them separated in order to free up a little more usable space. The closet had about 20 hangers. We easily stored our 4 pieces of luggage under the beds. There is a safe and a small fridge in the cabin. In the bathroom, there is a toilet, sink, hair dryer, and a shower with a sliding glass door. The European-style shower head is height adjustable and can be hand held.
Our cabin was on deck 10. This was a great location for us as it was only a few decks up to the pools and buffet and a few decks below to the promenade deck, the Stardust Theater, and dining rooms. We tried to use the stairs as often as possible. In the mornings, I would head up to the buffet with insulated mugs to bring hot tea back to the cabin while my wife was getting ready.
We found out that the Jade is scheduled for a dry dock refurbishment in November which would include replacing the Tapas and Salsa restaurant with a churrascia style restaurant. In addition to replacing all of the bedding and TVs, they will also give her a new coat of paint on the hull.
With freestyle and the relaxed dress code, we were able to limit our luggage to one check-in and one carry-on bag for our 11 day trip. You gotta love that.
This turned out to be an exciting and exhausting trip as most of days were filled with a lot of walking around wonderful locations. We had smooth seas for every day except the last night as we left Naples into rough waters and wind. We had beautiful sunsets every night except for the night in Naples. The full moon over the water on some evenings was special.
We hope NCL can add more unique itineraries to their offerings in the future.
Hard Rock Caf I make it a point to visit Hard Rock Cafes around the world when traveling. Prior to this cruise, I have been to 61 different HRC locations. We were able to visit the local HRC in Venice for number 62 on my list. It was located just outside the Piazza San Marco at the Bacino Orseolo where a lot of gondolas can be found. We had already visited the Rome HRC which is near the Spanish Steps and American Embassy while on our previous cruise to Italy.
Here are links to photos we took on our cruise:
Photos of the ports of call:
Photos of the Norwegian Jade including rooms, restaurants, and public areas plus other cruise ships:
I have a PDF of all the freestyle Dailies. Keep in mind that this was a unique cruise. If you want a copy, send an e-mail to the following e-mail address. Please be sure to have "Jade Freestyle Request" in the header so that I do not delete it as spam:
firstname.lastname@example.com Less
Published 10/21/11
Cabin review: IA10579 Mid-Ship Inside
We always book an inside cabin. We are only in our cabin to sleep or shower, so we prefer to save money in order to cruise twice a year versus once or less with a balcony or suite type cabin. Our cabin had more than enough room for the two of us. There are two small twin beds that you can have next to each other or separated. We had them separated in order to free up a little more usable space. The closet had about 20 hangers. We easily stored our 4 pieces of luggage under the beds. There is a safe and a small fridge in the cabin. In the bathroom, there is a toilet, sink, hair dryer, and a shower with a sliding glass door. The European-style shower head is height adjustable and can be hand held. Our cabin was on deck 10. This was a great location for us as it was only a few decks up to the pools and buffet and a few decks below to the promenade deck, the Stardust Theater, and dining rooms. We tried to use the stairs as often as possible. In the mornings, I would head up to the buffet with insulated mugs to bring hot tea back to the cabin while my wife was getting ready.Read All Mid-Ship Inside (IA) Reviews >>
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Blake Shelton Tweets Adam Levine's Cell Number!
By JACKIE WILLIS
April 29, 2014
For a good time, call Adam Levine?! Blake Shelton made Twitter the public bathroom of the Internet when he tweeted out his frenemy's phone number!
Daring his Twitter followers to call the number while live on Monday's The Voice, the 37-year-old country crooner wrote:
.@adamlevine… I just found the craziest thing in my phone!!! Your PERSONAL cell phone number… hope I'm not stupid enough to tweet it out…— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) April 28, 2014
HEY EVERYONE!!! Here it is: (310) 493-7939 <-- @adamlevine's CELL NUMBER! Think I'm kidding? Try calling it!! Bitch!!!— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) April 29, 2014
Needless to say, thousands of callers jammed up the 35-year-old Maroon 5 frontman's phone, leading Shelton to admit, "I feel bad. ...This is Blake. I'm answering Adam's phone 'cause I actually feel bad that I gave his number out. So, I'm answering the phone now."
RELATED VIDEO: Are Miranda Lambert and Blake Thinking About Kids?
Levine responded to the prank, telling his rival, "Just know that you have it coming because that's not cool at all." Shelton quipped back, "I think it's pretty cool."
I'm seriously amazed at @blakeshelton's stupidity…— Adam Levine (@adamlevine) April 28, 2014
Did you call Levine's number?

subset: commoncrawl


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If you use Adobe Photoshop CS2 then you already know about "Actions." With this feature, you can record a series of commands and then play them back whenever you wish (a major timesaver if you need to perform the same processes on a set of images). We even provide a set of preset Actions for typical tasks in various workflows.
What most Photoshop users don't know is that we include a set of preset Actions for Video & Film Workflows in Photoshop CS2. That's because they're hidden well within the Actions Palette Fly-Out Menu (the little triangle-within-a-circle at the upper-right corner of the Actions Palette).
As you can see above, by going down to the very last item in the Fly-Out Menu, you can load the preset Video Actions. This gives you access to a number of time-savers for video/film workflows, such as "Broadcast Safe", which filters your artwork to make sure it's within broadcast-legal luma & chroma, and "Alpha Channel from Visible Layers" which automatically creates alpha channels (transparency information). If you've ever had to do either of these tasks manually, you know how tedious they can be — this will definitely help you get the job done much faster (and maybe get home at a reasonable hour now & then?).


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Slocombe, K.E. and Zuberbuhler, K. (2007) Chimpanzees modify recruitment screams as a function of audience compositiond with a question mark. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104 (43). pp. 17228-17233. ISSN 1091-6490
Wild chimpanzees produce acoustically distinct scream vocalizations depending on their social role during agonistic interactions with other group members. Here, we show that victims during such agonistic interactions alter the acoustic structure of their screams depending on the severity of aggression experienced, providing nearby listeners with important cues about the nature of the attack. However, we also found that victims of severe attacks produced screams that significantly exaggerated the true level of aggression experienced, but they did so only if there was at least one listener in the audience who matched or surpassed the aggressor in rank. Our results are consistent with the more general hypothesis that chimpanzees possess sophisticated understanding of third-party relationships, so-called triadic awareness, and that this knowledge influences their vocal production.
|The University of York
|Academic Units:
|The University of York > Psychology (York)
|Depositing User:
|York RAE Import
|Date Deposited:
|20 Feb 2009 16:42
|Last Modified:
|20 Feb 2009 16:42
|Published Version:
|National Academy of Sciences
|Identification Number:


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Starks Memorial VFW Post 4759 and Ladies Auxiliary
Starks Memorial VFW Post 4759 — Officers for 2015 - 16
Larry Jo Fountain, Commander; J. E. Broussard, Sr., Vice; J. B. Says, Jr. Vice; Bruce Poole, Quartermaster; Mike Fountain, Judge Advocate; Elton Barks, Chaplain; Boo Clark, Lacy Shreeve and Buddy Piat, Trustees.
Starks Memorial Ladies Auxiliary 4759 — Officers for 2015 - 16
Barbara Fountain, President; Mary Johnson, Sr. Vice; Ella Wilson, Jr. Vice; Midge White, Treasurer; Armethia "Sissy" Borel, Secretary; Linda Lawson, Guard; Desireé Mott, Chaplain; Ramona Herman, Conductress; Kasey Davis, Ramona Herman and Barbara Barks, Trustees.
The Starks Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4759 was instituted April, 1977 by residents of Starks who had served in foreign wars and conflicts. They joined the National organization in Kansas City, Missouri and became Comrades with thousands of other men and women who, just like them, wanted to band together to fight for Veteran's benefits, entitlements and insure a better life for Veterans and their families. The Ladies Auxiliary was instituted two months later to help and support the VFW in their National programs and activities for the community.
Donations are put back into the community as funeral aid (food, flowers, cemetery upkeep), Veteran's Cemetery, VFW Children's Home, Starks High School, McNeese, Lamar, NSU, LSU, scholarships, food baskets, hospitals, pharmacies, St. Jude's, Cystic Fibrosis, Operation Uplink, Special Olympics, American Cancer Society, Angelo's, biomedical research, flags, DeQuincy Shriners, Veterans' Home, Ward 5 Recreation District, hunter safety and Ronald McDonald House.
Starks Memorial VFW and Ladies Auxiliary awarded $1,000 scholarships to seventeen 2014-2015 graduates.
Starks Memorial VFW Post 4759 and the Ladies Auxiliary encourage all to volunteer any time they can to help make life a little easier for someone else and to show your patriotism by displaying the American flag at your homes and businesses.


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Staying warm has been a major priority for College of Wooster students during the recent cold snap, and not surprisingly the large fireplace in Lowry Center has become an even more popular destination for those seeking relief from the frigid arctic blasts.
"We've seen a large increase in the number of students huddled around the fireplace (during the first three weeks of the semester)," said Steve Plant, maintenance supervisor of Lowry Center. "When I arrive here at 7:15 every morning, my first task is to load the fireplace with fresh firewood and keep it burning strong through 10 o'clock at night, when our campus life crew cleans it out."
Plant, who estimates that he has used more firewood this year than ever before, says it is not unusual to see students gathered around the fireplace socializing, studying and even sleeping. Wooster's Dean of Students Office has provided additional relief with free hot chocolate and several days of free bowling and munchies in Scot Lanes, which drew more than 200 students.
As for the fire, Plant sees a range of therapeutic benefits, even beyond physical warmth. "When it's cold and cloudy and snowy, there's just something about a fireplace that warms the heart and soothes the soul."
GREAT DECISIONS: Jehane Noujaim, Egyptian American documentary filmmaker, will screen her film "Rafea: Solar Mama" Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center, 525 E. University St. Admission is free and open to the public. Wednesday, Noujaim will give a lunch lecture in Kittredge Dining Hall, 535 E. Wayne Ave., at noon, titled "Capturing the Zeitgeist." Just prior to that lecture, a special Egyptian/North African Buffet will be served. The cost of the luncheon is $13.50 per person. Seating is limited and advance tickets are required. For more information email email@example.com or visit www.greatdecisionswayne.com.
HONOR SOCIETY LECTURE: Diane Jeske, professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa, will speak at the Philosophy Honor Society Lecture next Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall, 303 E. University St. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information call 330-263-2380 or email email@example.com.
DID YOU KNOW? The first Ph.D. issued by The College (then University) of Wooster was granted in 1882 to a woman, Annie B. Irish, who later became the college's first female professor. In addition to teaching German language and literature, Irish worked tirelessly to mentor Wooster's female students, and served as a role model in an era when the majority of colleges and universities still excluded women.
LOOKING BACK: February 2004: State Department warnings about possible terrorist attacks against Westerners leads The College to cancel its planned trip to Kenya in the fall. February 1989: Students begin utilizing the Safewalk program, which provides a male and female escort between certain hours of the night for students returning to their residence halls. February 1964: The on-campus Republican Club sponsored a lecture by U.S. senate candidate Robert Taft, Jr., to speak about "What's going on in Washington."


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Riverdale, N.Y. (April 18, 2007)- Three Manhattan pitchers combined on a one-hitter, and three different Jaspers went deep as Manhattan won its 12th straight game, 9-0, over Fairleigh Dickinson University this afternoon at Van Cortlandt Park. With the win, the Jaspers improve to 20-11, and, coupled with the University of Michigan's 10-2 loss to Eastern Michigan University, Manhattan now holds the longest winning streak in the nation (12 straight) as well as the longest road winning streak in the nation (11 games).
A one out, infield single in the top of the first inning was the only hit allowed by Manhattan starter Zac Goyer (1-0), who earned his first collegiate win, working the first 5.1 innings, striking out three. In fact, only one FDU base runner reached scoring position the whole game. Jeremy Shaw relieved Goyer and twirled 2.2 innings of no-hit ball to run his stretch of no-hit innings to 8.2 over his last four appearances. Tom Moran worked a perfect ninth, striking out two, to close things out.
Mike Garcia continued his hot hitting of late, blasting a one-out, opposite field home run in the second to provide all the offense
The Jaspers blew the game open in the fifth, scoring six runs on six hits. Kevin Nieto led off the inning with a single, and advance to third in a double by Ruben Perez. Ryan Masters plated Kevin Nieto with a sacrifice fly, with Perez moving to third on the play before Nunzio Franzese's RBI double scored Perez. After an out and a wild pitch moved Franzese to third, a Knight error allowed Rene Ruiz to reach and Franzese to score. Matt Rizzotti then deposited an FDU offering over the left center field fence for two more runs, and, after a pitching change, Nick Derba also homered to round out the scoring for the inning.
In the seventh, Ruiz scored on a wild pitch and Marc Giordano drove home Erik Lucas with an RBI single to provide the final margin.
Manhattan gets back in action this weekend, traveling to Niagara Falls, N.Y. to battle Niagara University in a three-game MAAC series, beginning Saturday, April 21 with a double header at Sal Maglie Stadium, and concluding with a single, nine-inning game on Sunday, April 22. The first pitch on both days is slated for 12 noon.


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Available ebook formats: epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html
Review by:
Charissa Stastny
on April 07, 2013 :
YA fiction about a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant. The story delves into her thoughts as she tries to figure out what to do. Her family life isn't so good; she dares not tell her parents about her condition for fear of being kicked out onto the streets. She considers abortion, almost gets one. Her aunt discovers her secret and talks her out of it (her aunt understands her as she got pregnant as a teen and did go through with an abortion, which spiraled her down into depression, drugs, etc. as a consequence). This was a very emotional journey that I enjoyed because of the information.
(reviewed 44 days after purchase)


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Bruce Babbitt, President Clinton's Secretary of the Interior,
is a former attorney general and former governor of the State
of Arizona. Babbitt became governor after one Governor resigned
and his replacement died, leaving Babbitt the next in line for
the post. In 1988, Babbitt ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic
presidential nomination, failing to ever register in the double
digits in public opinion polls. But the contacts Babbitt made
while on the campaign trail reportedly helped him land his next
job -- as President of the League of Conservation Voters.
The League of Conservation Voters was founded in 1970 by Friends of the Earth. Each year, it publishes a National Environmental Scorecard, rating Members of Congress on their votes on environmental issues -- or, to be more precise, on their support for more and more regulation. In 1994, the League's PAC provided $777,717 in donations to congressional candidates, 95% of whom were democrats. The League's Scorecard and PAC contributions appear to be a powerful combination: Members of Congress receiving donations from the League of Conservation Voters' PAC in 1994 voted for the League's agenda -- as measured by the Scorecard -- an average of 89% of the time. Babbitt's tenure as the League's president may be most remembered for a rather intemperate remark he included in the introduction to the League's 1991 Scorecard: "We must identify our enemies and drive them into oblivion."
As Secretary of Interior, Bruce Babbitt has been one of the Clinton Administration's most unpopular cabinet secretaries -- particularly in the West. Upon taking office he moved quickly to attempt to raise grazing and mining fees on already economically-distressed ranching and mining industries and created over congressional objections the National Biological Service, a agency created to assess the nation's biological resources that too often has -- as congressional opponents feared -- been used to violate landowners' privacy and property rights. Babbitt also assembled a team at Interior openly hostile to the resource-dependent communities of the West. For example, George Frampton, Babbitt's choice for Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks was a former president of the Wilderness Society. Speaking before an Earth Day Press Conference in 1992, Frampton said, "...A group of industries, principally mining, logging and... ranching... for decades have enjoyed enormous federal subsidies to develop and exploit the public lands... We're going to help the environment... And they're fighting back. If you had a license to loot the federal treasury, you'd be fighting to keep it too." One of Secretary Babbitt's most controversial moves, however, was his apparent assault on the Boy Scouts of America. Shortly after joining the Clinton Administration, Secretary Babbitt reinstated a National Park Service order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Service's Western Region. Under the order, the Boy Scouts of America -- which does not permit avowed homosexuals to serve as troop leaders -- could have been barred from volunteering in the National Parks. Subsequent public outrage over the Secretary's decision ensured that the Boy Scouts would not be barred from National Parks.
Version Date: February 1996
|Return to the National Center Home Page
|Return to the Dossier Index
|Go to the Environmental Policy Task Force Home Page
|Go to the Earth Day Information Center Home Page
|Go to the Global Warming Information Center Home Page


text:
Scrabble partner
by: julien quievreux • 13
All Android applications categories
by: julien quievreux • 13
Scrabble partner is the perfect assistant for your games of Scrabble. With this tool, you can easily find the full words achievable with the letters on your rack for games such as Scrabble, WordSmith, Words with Friends, Word Game, DroidWords, WordWise, Mix & WordFeud.
* Sort the results by length, Score.
* A timer is also available for your party when you met the official time.
* the application uses the dictionary ODS5 French (official dictionary of the game, in its latest version)
Supports the following dictionaries:
* English U.S. (TWL06)
* International English (SOWPODS)
* English North America (ENABLE)
* Words with French friends (ODS5)
* Italian (Zingarelli).
No problem of inspiration, no loss of points and correct answers for sure!
(The application can also be used to verify that a word is spelled correctly and if accepted in the game of Scrabble).
You can enter up to 12 letters including 2 jokers!
This application is made by Julien and Nicolas Quiévreux brush.
It is not affiliated with the company that holds the board game "Scrabble" ..
Tags: scrabble partner apk , partenaire scrabble apk , free scrabble partners , scrabble partner , scrabble , scrabble apk , scrabble francais ddl , 的拼字遊戲 , 拼字遊戲
from 13 reviews
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text:
The superhit duo of Naadodigal, Samuthirakani and M Sasikumar have teamed up again for Poraali. This time, their film entertain the audience with well-written dialogues and a good story but disappoints the audience at parts with some boring moments.
The story begins on a rainy night, when Ilamkumaran (Sasikumar) and Nallavan (Allari Naresh) run from mental hospital and reach Chennai city. They settle at Pulikutty's (Ganja Karuppu) residence and find jobs in a petrol bunk. His honesty and kind heartedness win people. As the part of the story, a girl named Bharathi (Swathi) comes to his life. Like most of the movies, her initial wrong beliefs about him change as the time passes by. Soon, the love blooms between them.
But there lies a twist by the end of the first half. Ilamkumaran's past is mysterious and people are behind him to see him death. The second half has a quite a few flashbacks that make the audience to believe that the first and the second parts are two-different flicks.
Sasikumar steals the show with his costumes and his serious expressions. In fact, his one-liners and sense of humour at times get a huge round of applause. Allari Naresh has completely justified his role. Swathi has given her best but it is newcomer Nivetha and Vasundhara, who make a serious impression in the minds of the viewers. Ganja Karuppu, Jayaprakash, Soori are at their usual best. The performances of the cast are the biggest plus point of Poraali.
Coming to the technical department, music director Sundar C Babu has disappointed the audience. Adding to that his background score also falls flat. SR Kathiir's cinematography is praiseworthy. However, Samuthirakani's story is good but has jerks in its movement. The story runs in a slow pace at parts and confuses with its too many plots. Nonetheless, it has every ingredient to engage you till the end.
Overall, Poraali is a masala entertainer, which can be easily watched once.
Cast: Sasikumar, Allari Naresh, Swathi, Ganja Karuppu, Niveda, and others
Director: Samuthirakani
Music: Sundar C Babu
Cinematography: SR Kathiir
Released on: December 1.


text:
|Price incl. VAT
|Price excl. VAT
|Panasonic RP-WF830E-K £49.90
|Extended warranty + 1 year £32.90 Extended warranty + 1 year
|Return products within 60 days £16.45 Possibility to return products within 60 days
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Picture Mastering Index creates a lively and perfectly fluid video images through advanced technology from LG, which ensures greater brightness, better color and stronger contrast.
Display content from their smart mobile devices on the big screen LG TV using mirror image over WiDi and Miracast. Your content can now be shared without problems and without restrictions.
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Volunteer Opportunities - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland County
Ages: AD
65 N. Main St. - 845-634-2199
New City, NY 10956
Description: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland County is seeking mentors, especially men, to volunteer as role model friends for youth in our community. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver's license and transportation, be covered under automobile insurance, and able to commit to volunteer for a minimum of four hours per month for one year. Call or go online for an application.


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[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
Plot resolution
I got a problem with a plot of a function. The function 'pressure' should
decrease monotonically with r. The Plot function is giving a non-monotonic
plot at big r, this is a problem with the resolution of the plot or with the
function? How can I check that?
\(ro = 10\^3;\)\[IndentingNewLine]
\(pressure =
p[r] /. \(DSolve[{D[p[r], r] ==
1\/\(\(r\^2\) \((1 + r)\)\^3\) -
Log[1 + r]\/\(\(r\^3\) \((1 + r)\)\^2\),
p[ro] == 10\^\(-7\)}, p[r],
Plot[pressure, {r, ro, 10\^4}, PlotRange -> All]\)


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Lovely Lace Leaf Yoke T-Shirt
This t-shirt is constructed in an unusual manner, however it is not difficult. First, you knit the yoke with a provisional cast on. Once the yoke is completed, the stitches are picked up from the provisional cast one and then are worked from the top down to complete the t-shirt. This allows for ultimate fit since the garment can be tried on and adjusted to create a perfect fit.
Sizes: XXS (XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL) - 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 44, 48)" chest
Cascade Ultra Pima (100% cotton – 220 yds) – 4 (4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7) -
800 (800; 800; 900; 1,000; 1,200; 1,400) yds.
U.S. 5 (3.75 mm) circular needle - or needles that give gauge
U.S. 4 (3.50 mm) circular needle
Stitch Markers
Scrap Yarn to hold sts
Optional – depending on what provisional cast on you choose to use, you will need a crochet hook
Gauge: 24 sts = 4"
Gauge (alternate): This t-shirt can be worked in Cascade Pima Silk in 20 sts/4" gauge, for sizes L (40") and XL (44") by following the size S (34") for size L; and by following size M (38") for size XL instructions.
Please note the pattern has been updated as of 11.10.16 Make sure you are using the most recent copy of the pattern.


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Money Tip$ Make it Work! - Financial Literacy Workshops
Orange County Library SystemGo to Website
Innovation SummaryWith grant funded support, the Orange County Library System partnered with the Rollins College Crummer School of Business to develop and implement financial literacy workshops tailored for people of modest income, especially employees in the service industry.
The library also partnered with the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association to promote the workshops directly to the target market and offer them on site at local hotels.
The workshops held at the library were scheduled with simultaneous children's programs so as to make it easier for parents with children to attend. The workshops held in the hotels dealt directly with issues many hotel employees face with personal finance.
Problem Statement- Orange County is a service based community which has been hit very hard in the economic downturn. As travel slowed and occupancy dwindled, local service industry workers faced challenges to their financial well being. Orlando ranked 10th in the U.S. for average consumer debt and was leading in foreclosures and bankruptcies. The need to empower the community with financial know how increased dramatically.
- Many patrons with children stated they wanted to attend library programs but did not because of child care issues.
- Many service industry workers had a hard time visiting a library branch to attend programs.
InnovationBy partnering with the Rollins College Crummer School of Business to develop and implement the workshops we were able to leverage our resources and give credence to the presentations. Our partnership with the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association enabled us to promote the workshops to hotels and offer the workshops on site to employees.
We developed simultaneous children's programs at the branches to make it easier for patrons with children to attend the workshops. The library and Rollins College recorded the content of the workshops in video format and loaded them on a dedicated web page. This makes the workshops available for everyone at any time.
ProgressWe were able to offer eight workshops at four local branches. In order to make it easier for parents to attend, we offered simultaneous children's programs. One hundred and eighteen patrons attended the workshops and seventy six children participated in the juvenile events.
The workshops were also offered at five local hotels. Ninety-nine employees attended the on-site workshops.
For those unable to attend a workshop in person, the library loaded the entire content in a video format to a dedicated web site. These workshops in video format have been viewed over 384 times in February and March, 2012.


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One has grown used, over the years, to the Alexi Lalas personality. I did not particularly like it at first -- all that dopy long-hair and "Hey, man ..." stuff. But things change
-- I've changed, and so has Alexi - to the point where, particularly during last year's World Cup, during that impenetrable Brit fog that ESPN landed on us, I found Lalas about the only
guy worth listening to.
As his TV persona developed, so too did his tendency to wave his arms around as though constantly fighting off swarms of pesky insects -- but I guess TV will not allow its experts to just sit there any more. Compensating for the obviously synthetic, and really quite comical, gesticulations is the fact that Lalas always comes over as a genuine human being -- and an articulate one with a sense of humor.
His opinions shouldn't really come into it -- I don't expect to agree with him all the time or even most of the time, but I've found that Alexi, on the whole, has shed the shallowness of his hippie days for a much more meaningful view of things.
In short, Alexi has become a "voice" on the US soccer scene, someone who people listen to.
So what happened to him on Monday night, then? Too much Independence Day reveling? Simply a bad day at the office? Suddenly, there's Alexi, pumping his arms all over the place as usual, but uttering the most fatuous nonsense about the refereeing of Yader Reyes in the Real Salt Lake-New England game.
Just listen to this: "I mean, this was the worst refereeing job -- definitely this year and probably in history. Absolutely horrible."
What got Lalas going -- and what got the game and Reyes off to a controversial start -- was that Reyes had the audacity to award the Revs a penalty kick after only three minutes, and to red card RSL defender Nat Borchers on the same play.
"It wasn't a foul," said Lalas with truculent authority, adding redundantly, "It wasn't a red card." To make out that Borchers' clumsy challenge on Benny Feilhaber was a "clean" tackle is absurd. There was considerable contact between the two players -- all of it initiated by Borchers, who can hardly be classified as one of the league's more elegant defenders (he reminds me, actually, of Alexi himself).
The replays make it pretty clear that Borchers did get to the ball first, before he flattened Feilhaber. It would not have been easy for Reyes to see that as he was following the play -- considerably behind it, the inevitable result of a long-ball play.
What I'm saying is that Reyes' call was not as wacky as Lalas would have us believe. There is also this. After the tackle, the ball remained within playing distance of Feilhaber, who might well have been in a position to play it -- had he not been taken out by Borchers.
So: a correct call? No - with benefit of replays, no. An outrageous call? Of course not.
Would there have been so much spluttering from Lalas if the call had come later in the game -- say at the beginning of the second half? I wonder. I've had my say, repeatedly, on this business of a team having to play with 10 men. I do not like it, it can wreck a game -- though it did not wreck this one, whatever the coaches may say, for this ended in a highly eventful 3-3 tie.
One of the reasons I don't like the "down-to-ten-men" scenario is because it clearly weighs on referees, making them reluctant to issue justified red cards, or any cards, early in a game (we saw exactly that reluctance at work with Howard Webb in last year's World Cup final).
So here we have a totally different way of looking at Reyes's call: that he should be praised for making a gutsy call.
Not by Lalas, obviously, who decided that this was the "worst refereeing in history" -- a slice of over-the-top hyperbole that destroys its own credibility as soon as it's uttered. What else was so wrong? The second penalty -- given for an obvious hand ball (and Kevin Alston's arm was away from his body, something that is usually used as an indication of intent)? The red card for Ryan Cochrane -- after two fully justified yellow cards? The second one was simply madness on Cochrane's part - a player who knows he's carrying a first yellow but grabs an opponent and brings him down? Who's making the mistake here -- the ref or the player? Yet we have to put up with Cochrane making matters worse by arguing the point, while, over on the sidelines, Steve Nicol was going through a whole repertoire of Sarah Bernhardt histrionics.
And I simply do not know what to make of this: "When you see Jason Kreis on the sideline with his counterpart Steve Nicol, go over to him after has been awarded a penalty kick and propose, 'Why don't we walk off because this is so horrible?' -- this is the situation MLS is in right now."
I have to assume that Lalas knows that's what Kreis said -- I mean, Lalas would not just make that up, would he? -- in which case MLS should fine Kreis heavily, because withdrawing your team from the field has always been the ultimate no-no in any sport -- not to mention encouraging your opponents to do the same.
But talking of the coaches is appropriate. Lalas is going on about the referees as though they are responsible for "the situation MLS is in right now." He doesn't spell out that situation, but we can safely assume that he doesn't mean anything good, and that it's all the referees' fault. Which is also a shock of crit.
There are, as it happens, too many boring games in MLS. Soccer America editor Paul Kennedy recently drew attention to the record number of 0-0 ties so far -- with half a season still to play! -- and that is a problem. Are we going to blame that on poor refereeing?
It's just too easy, Alexi -- blame the referee. A simplistic answer to a serious problem: how to improve the quality the league in every area -- yes, including refereeing. But, frankly, the league could so with some better coaching, too -- and some better players, if it comes to that. And, no doubt journalists, and TV commentators. But of all those contributors, it is the referees who are the traditional scapegoats, the favored victims. Of course they are to be criticized -- but they should not be singled out for their errors -- certainly they should not be pilloried while the poor coaches, bless their generous hearts, are exculpated as the innocent targets for atrocious calls.
Think about it: if we are getting too many boring games, too little scoring (and too many idiotic post-game excuses) ... does it really make any sense to finger the referees as the villains?
It does not -- and, in this particular game, I do not believe that it was justified. We got a game full of "incidents" -- it was none the worse for that. In fact, this was one of the liveliest MLS games I've seen in a while.
No, the refereeing was not the worst in history ... but the half-time rant may well have been.


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One of the many highlights of the Fort Worth Sister Cities evening of cultural perspectives hosted by the Toluca, Mbabane and Reggio committees, was the presentation by local artist, Jo Dufo, whose original goal was to create 36 Peace Murals in just 6 months.
Dufo's plan has now expanded to include a non-profit organization (ZOAZ) and a documentary about the project entitled "Walls of Peace", to be created and directed by Michael Aku RoDriguez. With murals already completed in Fort Worth, (2009) Nagaoka, Japan (2010) and on all four outside walls of the care center in Mbabane, Swaziland,(2011) Dufo's plans include our other six sister cities as well. Her vision reaches as far as a children's mural in Nicaragua, a women and children's health clinic in Bangladesh and projects in India and Haiti.
"It is inspiring to have 150 people show up and be able to complete a 250 foot mural in a day. Especially one that brings awareness to these care centers that provide meals to kids between 3-13 years old, who have been orphaned by AIDS and whose caregivers cannot afford to feed them, " said Dufo.
The documentary, entitled "Walls of Peace", will be featured on Kick Start.org once completed. Dufo and filmmaker RoDriguez spent two weeks this past Christmas in Chiapas, Mexico at an orphanage completing a 100 ft peace mural with artists in the community, both adults and children. Dufo shared, "Our way of spreading peace in the world is to go to these various locations, orphanages, hospitals, schools, clinics and celebrate life, celebrate the children, and create peace murals as a way for the community to connect with the organization. The experience allows people who live in the same area to develop a relationship with each other." The nonprofit that supports this project is ZOAS, Creative Healing Arts. To see pictures of the project in motion visit their facebook page.
The evening included an historic documentary on the Rose Marine Theater by Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts and Jorge Varela, Executive Director and a presentation of "Mexico and the United States: Perspectives on Police Training" by Fort Worth Police Officers Daniel Segura and Manuel Reyes.
You can stay updated on the wonderful international and cultural events hosted regularly by Fort Worth Sister Cites by signing up for our newsletter, or visiting our facebook page.


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How do I know?
Because the Cougar Convention is coming … to the Sunshine Coast no less. And organisers say their mature-age guests will be "on the prowl" for young cub flesh across a weekend that culminates with the crowning of Miss Cougar Australia.
Cougars. Are we for them, or against? The time has come to decide.
But first, let's define our terms.
Cougar (not to be confused with MILF): A mature aged woman who seeks out the intimate company of much younger men. Sexually confident, socially aggressive and known to 'prowl' nightclubs, bars, parties or any other social jungle where 'cubs' are likely to dwell. Usually cougars are over 40. Usually cubs are under 30.
Now, is there anything necessarily wrong with that?
Feminism long ago reclaimed the language of animal objectification. Older men have been chasing young tail for years. Women over 40 have just as much right to enjoy active sex lives as their younger counterparts. And if no-one is getting hurt, what's the problem?
Are we really going to believe that the young 'cubs' care if their lover is an older lady? After all, it could be quite mutually satisfying. Mrs Robinson's robust, sexual appetite matched by a young buck's zest and energy … Not to mention the fiscal allure a young lad looking to make his way in the world might enjoy should he take an older, more monetarily sound madam.
Indeed, such arrangements are quite refreshing in an age (still) dominated by stuffy, old-fashioned, conventional relationships comprising a youngish man and youngerish woman who meet in their mid-twenties, get hitched just ahead of thirty and pop out progeny not long after. SIGH - like, been there, done that, sooo Brazilian.
But maybe that's why cougars get such a bad rap? Because they threaten our traditions, undermine more relationships than they affirm, rock our romantic love boat harder than Jessica Watson's record breaking fail?
Or are cougars loathsome because they represent a brand of love and sex and relationships that's all about hunting?
The language of cougars might not be derogatory to dames like the word 'chick' was when my mum was picket-line, front-and-centre, but it certainly seems to diminish the value of relationships based on anything other than divide, conquer and devour …
And I think it's this particular element of the cougar conundrum that I take task with. Sure, I'm all for flirtation, Lord knows I love the thrill of the chase - but real love doesn't come from war. You can't treat your partner like an adversary and expect things to work out … or can you?
Cougars: Love them? Hate them? And why?
BTW Apparently being a cougar kills you quick. Go figure.


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- HubPages»
- Travel and Places»
- Visiting North America»
- United States
Loretto Chapel Santa Fe New Mexico ~ Cristo Rey Church ~ St. Francis Cathedral ~ Historic Places to Visit
Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe, NM
Vacation Santa Fe New Mexico
What do you think of when you think of vacationing to Santa Fe, New Mexico? Is it the adobe construction on many of the homes and businesses? Is it the Indian and Spanish influences that have left their marks over time? Is it the terrific art galleries that seem to flourish and thrive in this high altitude sunny spot? Is it the abundance of fine dining spots? Is it the historic places to visit and the beauty of the churches both large and small such as the St. Francis Cathedral; the Loretto Chapel or the Cristo Rey Church? Or is it all of the above and more?
This posting will take you for a journey into the three churches just mentioned.
Whether you are a tourist interested in merely the history and architecture of such buildings or a visitor looking to attend a church service, you should find something of interest here.
All three of these churches certainly add to the color and ambiance of what is found in Santa Fe.
Cristo Rey church altar
Cristo Rey Church
What makes this fairly new church (by Santa Fe standards) stand out and make it unique among any other church is that it is the largest adobe structure in all of the United States!
It is situated at the eastern end of Canyon Road, a street which is known for its numerous art galleries, restaurants and shops.
While on a tour taking us to places like Cristo Rey Church, we passed large homes that were located off of Canyon Road in the surrounding hillsides. The minimum square footage requirement was 5,000 square feet when having these residences designed and constructed. Many were much larger and obviously wealthy people live in areas like this.
Keeping with Santa Fe's architectural standards and commitment to keeping with the cultural flavor of the place, when Cristo Rey Church was designed in 1939 by architect John Gaw Meem, he did it in classic New Mexico Mission style.
Cristo Rey church interior
Tinwork - Cristo Rey Church
The interior of this massive adobe church is very plain. The wooden beams on the ceiling counter-balance the wooden pews on the ground and plain windows cut through the thick adobe walls shed light into the interior.
The altar piece shown above is believed to be very old and is made out of stone.
Along the walls are the typical Stations of the Cross found in most Catholic Churches, but these are special. They are framed with hand-worked tin-work which is just about a lost art.
Undoubtedly inspired by people who migrated up to these parts from Mexico, the most active period of creating pieces like these frames around the Stations of the Cross as well as other pieces like candle holders and sconces, was from 1860 to about 1890.
Rarely were the tinsmiths who created these pieces viewed as artists. It is nice to see such handcrafted pieces recognized for what they are...true pieces of art and representing an era long past when tin was used as a decoration for people's homes and other places such as now hanging in the Cristo Rey Church.
Loretto Chapel
Loretto Chapel Santa Fe, New Mexico
Unlike the very simple and plainer adobe construction of the Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe, the Loretto Chapel was built in the Gothic Revival style with pointed arches and the use of flying buttresses which are needed supports to keep tall buildings like this intact.
It was constructed in the years 1873 to 1878 and was entrusted to the Sisters of Loretto on the Old Santa Fe Trail to manage.
Antoine Mouly, a French architect, designed this building.
Stations of the Cross in Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM
Loretto Chapel
Stations of the Cross
Most Catholic Churches and many if not most Lutheran Churches have physical representations of the Stations of the Cross inside of their churches.
This is meant for people to meditate upon the sacrifices that Jesus made when he was convicted to a death on the cross giving up His life on earth as a "sacrificial lamb" so that the rest of us could attain heaven after our deaths.
It follows his journey of carrying the cross up to his tortured death and removal from the cross. The number of Stations of the Cross vary with some going beyond His death to His rising from the dead and ascension into heaven.
In Europe there are some large outside Stations of the Cross built, one of which I got to see in Germany when visiting a friend of mine years ago. People follow along as a pilgrimage stopping to pray at each of these stations.
The Stations of the Cross inside of the Loretto Chapel are sculptural beautiful depictions.
Loretto Chapel altar
Loretto Chapel (shows interior)
If you look closely at the picture above, at the base of the altar is a Bas-Relief of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper.
The stained glass windows inside of the Loretto Chapel were made in France in 1874 from what we learned.
Statues were made by the Daprato Statuary Company about 1915.
This Loretto Chapel no longer functions as a church but weddings can be arranged to be conducted in this beautiful space.
Loretto Chapel
Loretto Chapel's Miracle Staircase
Loretto Chapel Staircase
There are several stories about this famous staircase inside of the Loretto Chapel.
Probably the most popular rendition goes something like this...
Construction of this chapel for the Sisters of Loretto was almost completed when it was discovered that the original plans for a staircase up to the choir loft would not fit. The nuns prayed for a solution to their problem when lo and behold a carpenter appeared out of nowhere and built this fabulous staircase using wood that was not local and no nails.
The curved staircase making two complete 360 degree turns also had no visible means of support. After completion the carpenter disappeared receiving no pay from the nuns.
They would like to think that it was St. Joseph himself who arrived (as he is the patron saint of carpenters) and who did this "miraculous" building of this staircase in answer to their prayers.
No matter who created it, it is a masterful piece of construction and draws many tourists who like to gaze upon it in wonderment.
St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico
St. Francis statue at the St. Francis Cathedral
St. Francis Cathedral
Named after St. Francis of Assisi, this majestic cathedral dominates the downtown horizon of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
It is an active church and the tolling church bells still call the faithful to services.
St. Francis is a highly venerated saint to people from all around the world. He gave up a life of privilege and wealth and took on vows of poverty while teaching and preaching what Jesus Christ had taught while on earth.
He started the Franciscan Order which also accepts the tenets of not amassing wealth of material things on earth.
St. Francis had a special rapport with animals and could communicate with them. A blessing of the animals takes place in many places around the world on his Feast Day of October 4th.
Prayer of St. Francis beautifully sung in 2 languages
Prayer of St. Francis
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
St. Francis Cathedral
St. Francis Basilica
In 2005 on the Feast Day of St. Francis (October 4th), Pope Benedict XVI changed the status of St. Francis cathedral to basilica.
In Catholic churches, a cathedral is the home church for bishops and archbishops.
What makes a basilica special? It is deemed such due to special spiritual, historical or architectural significance. Certainly this St. Francis basilica has historical significance.
It sits atop a location of two former churches, the earliest being one dating back to 1626.
Architecturally it was built in a Romanesque Revival style starting in 1869. Local yellow limestone was utilized. While the towers were never completed as planned on top of the squared off buttresses, it is certainly a thing of beauty.
St. Francis Cathedral stained glass window
Stained glass windows
Inside of the St. Francis Basilica is a beautifully crafted round rose window that was installed in 1884.
It along with twelve large other stained glass windows depicting the 12 apostles of Christ were produced by the firm of Felix Gaudin in Clermont-Ferrand in France.
The workmanship is exquisite.
These windows are luminescent particularly when the sunlight is bright outside sending shafts of prismatic colors into the interior of the church.
Interior of St. Francis Cathedral
Small chapel inside of St. Francis Cathedral
Our Lady of the Rosary
This is a smaller chapel inside the much larger cathedral as is common with large churches and cathedrals.
The altar is made out of carved and painted wood and is reminiscent of the more simple types of altars found in many smaller places around the State of New Mexico and elsewhere.
A large crucifix of Christ on the cross adorns one of the adjacent walls inside of this chapel.
The statue that highlights this altar is called La Conquistadora.
She represents Mary, the mother of Jesus and was built out of willow wood in Spain.
She is the oldest Madonna that is present in the New World.
At one point taken from Santa Fe down to Juarez, Mexico (due to fighting and hostilities with native Indians)...she was returned back to Santa Fe by Fray Alonzo Benavidez representing the Spanish government in 1629.
Location of St. Francis Cathedral Basilica, Loretto Chapel and Cristo Rey Churches in Santa Fe, NM
Show with distances in
Shows more interior pictures of 2 of the 3 churches shown in this hub, plus the "oldest church" featured in another hub + street scenery in Santa Fe.
Do you like visiting churches and cathedrals when vacationing?
Travel to Santa Fe
Spanish influences and Catholicism customs meshed together with the Native Indians (many of whom converted to Catholicism) have had strong influences in the culture found in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
If your travel plans have you headed to Santa Fe, be sure and include visiting some of these sites like the Cristo Rey Church; St. Francis Cathedral and the Loretto Chapel to get a sense of the overall picture making up what Santa Fe has become today. If you enjoyed this look at this aspect of the Santa Fe culture, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
Did you enjoy this hub? If so, please take time to give it a star rating. Thank you!!!
© 2011 Peggy Woods
Comments are welcome. Thanks!
How could I have missed this Hub on my last visit. I guess I didn't scroll down far enough. My wife, son and I started visiting Santa Fe for a week in a July (in conjunction with the International Art Festival) about 9 years ago. And on each visit we stop by the Cathedral and the Loretto - we never get tired of basking in its history. Great Hub! Have you been to Chimayo?
I have been to this chapel and the staircase is nothing short of amazing! A really beautiful chapel that anyone going near Santa Fe should be sure to visit. Excellent article packed with great information as always, and also as usual, superb photos.
Voted up, BAUI, pinned to my 'Travel' board, and sharing.


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Pat Banya Model
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*The idea behind the shoot
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Position Papers on RCOFs
An important outcome expected from the international expert meeting RCOF Review 2008 (3-7 November 2008, Arusha, Tanzania) convened by WMO is the development of position papers devoted to the issues central to RCOF operations and further development. Specific topics identified for position papers include the following, along with the lead coordinators who are helping with the task:
The position papers are expected to include recommendations to the regional and national stakeholders, and to the WMO and its international partners as well as sponsoring agencies. The lead coordinator identified for each of the position papers will initiate discussions among the peers and develop the papers in an iterative process. The position papers will be presented at the end of RCOF Review 2008, discussed and adopted by the meeting. The lead coordinators can be contacted by email by clicking on their names above, for more information on the position papers and also for providing inputs for their consideration.
©2017 World Meteorological Organization, 7bis, avenue de la Paix, CP No. 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland - Tel.: +41(0)22 730 81 11 - Fax: +41(0)22 730 81 81


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Description of the School of Rock, BY the School of Rock:
Our performance-based teaching method is an immersive experience that inspires our students to be their best. We get our students playing music as quickly as possible because we know that that is what our students want to do. As a result our students become more interested in the theory of music.
We deliver an authentic experience using professional equipment, a staff of seasoned musicians, and performances on real rock stages, at real rock venues in front of real live audiences.
Our instructors live to play and play to live. They are experienced professional musicians that can instruct students on the finer points of their instrument, while at the same time educating them on everything that goes into putting on a great live show.
We teach and perform music that our students love to play and our audiences love to here. From the fundamental roots of rock and roll through classic rock, funk, reggae, heavy metal, alternative, indie and prog rock – we share, engage and celebrate it all.
School Of Rock Kids will be playing Songs by: Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, Ween, Primus and More…
Come check out our future rockers of America!