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The ways through which New Yorkers communicate, find information and connect with friends and family are changing rapidly as a result of the explosive growth of social media. In order to serve and inform New Yorkers in a way that is accessible, convenient and rewarding, the City of New York is committed to enhancing its digital media presence, from NYC.gov to social media. Fueled by enthusiastic agency engagement, the City's social media reach has expanded to over 2.4 million followers across more than 280 cahnnels, including existing channels such as Facebook, Twitter and iOS apps and new adoptions of Foursquare, Instagram, Pinterest, Soundcloud, Tumblr and the Android mobile operating system.
The public success of the City's digital media efforts has been recognized over the past year by several awards and studies, including New York City's first time ranking as No. 1 for civic engagement online by the University of Chicago at Illinois and O'Reilly Media's GovFresh City of the Year award. The Webby Awards presented Mayor Bloomberg with a Webby Award for Lifetime Achievement. And at this year's Shorty Awards, the Mayor was honored by Dennis Crowley with the "Foursquare Mayor of the Year" Award.
Other city agencies won awards in social media including the FDNY which won a Shorty Award for the #LifeSavingHero category. The Department of Transportation's Daily Pothole Tumblr was named one of "The 100 Best Tumblrs of All Time" by Complex Magazine while NYC & Company recieved a Webby Award in the tourism website category.
Shortly after the Digital Roadmap was released in 2011, the City launched its first App Hub, featuring the City's ten official apps and selected winners from NYC BigApps. Since the introduction of the Digtial Roadmap, the City of New York has launched or updated five new apps, including ABCEats, which enables New Yorkers to instantly look up the health inspection grades of restaurants nearby; NYC Stuff Exchange, which helps users donate, buy or sell gently used goods; and NYC Media, which provides on-the-go, location-aware access to short videos about interesting restuarants and cultural venues across the five boroughs. Visit nyc.gov/html/digital/html/apps/apps.shtml to see the available apps, which are all free of charge.
Above: @NYCgov on Twitter
Reaching over 31,000 followers, @nycgov captures the pulse of new York City government with tweets about news and serviecs that affect their lives. Residents can find out if alternate side parking rules are in effect and whether schools are in session, read about free events in their neighborhood, recieve emergency notifications, watch live video broadcasts from Mayor Bloomberg and learn about new City programs as soon as they launch. twitter.com/nycgov.
NYC Gov on Tumblr
NYC Gov's Tumblr is a microblog with over 13,200 followers that publishes frequent updates on the topics that matter most to New Yorkers, like schools, jobs, getting around the City and more. The NYC Gov Tumblr features up-to-the-minute announcements, exclusive photos from City events and Mayoral visits, as well as quick videos that answer frequently asked questions on City services. The Tumblr also regularly "reblogs," or features, photos by Tumblr users showing life in the City through the eyes of New Yorkers. Users can browse posts by major themes, share them by reblogging, and even submit a question to Mayor Bloomberg with the #AskMike feature. The innovative design theme is unique to the City of New York and features a dynamic city skyline graphic that reflects changes in the color of the sky based on real-time feeds from the NSKYC project managed by Mike Bodge. nycgov.tumblr.com
WNYC.org and NYTimes.com used the evacuation zone dataset from the NYC Open Data platform to create their own versions of theHurricane Evacuation Map, reaching even more New Yorkers at the most critical time and with the most accurate information.
In August 2011, when Hurricane Irene threatened to batter the East Coast and the City issued an evacuation order for certain areas, New YOrkers needed to know if they were at risk of flooding or other damage. To keep the public informed and monitor the situation digitally, the City leveraged a range of social media and crowdsourcing tools online. The results demonstrated the potential of these technologies to assist emergency preparedness and response efforts.
The City published evacuation maps and updates on Facebook, and at several press conferences, Mayor Bloomberg encouraged New Yorkers to follow updates on @nycmayorsoffice. Twitter also partnered with the City to support communication, featuring tweets from @nycmayorsoffice prominently to users who self-identified as based in the boroughs. Over the course of that weekend in late August, the City's Twitter follower count soared from 24,000 to over 54,000 and over 400,000 tweets, resulting in more than two million impressions that included the @nycmayorsoffice handle. On the video front, all nine press conferences were streamed live online to web, iPhone and iPad devices. The videos were added to YouTube and garnered more than 60,000 views during the weekend.
In open data, NYC Digital reached out via Meetup to the data analysis community in the early days of Hurricane Irene's trajectory, encouraging expert designers and developers to take advantage of the geographic shape-files corresponding to hurricane evacuation zones, available free of charge on the NYC Open Data platform.Several major media outlets ultimately used the NYC Open Data platform to launch their own versions of the hurrican evacuation zone maps, helping crucial, official City data reach an estimated 1500% more New Yorkers. This development illustrates the potential for open data to help the City of New York scale its reach and serve individuals at little to no cost.
Public response to the social media engagement was overwhelmingly positive, with New Yorkers stating - on Twitter - that they felt secure, informed and connected to New York City government throughout the incident.
The infographic shows that social media and digital communications played an integral role in the City's public communications during Hurricane Irene.
NYC DOT collected 10,000 station location suggestions for the City's Bike Share initiativeBIKE SHARE MAP
To help determine locations for the City's upcoming bike share program, the Department of Transportation partnered with local development firm OpenPlans to create a participatory website featuring a dynamic map that allows New Yorkers to pinpoint their desired bike share locations on a map of the five boroughs. So far, there have been over 9,900 submissions. To view the map, visit nyc.gov/bikeshare/.NYC HEALTHY RECIPES TUMBLR
New Yorkers can share and learn how to prepare healthy recipes on the NYC Healthy Recipes Tumblr, a crowdsourced digital cookbook that has garnered over 100 recipes from the public and nonprofit organizations such as City Harvest. Featuring recipes for herb-roasted chicken with broccoli, yogurt-cucumber dipping suace, leek soup and many other dishes, the Tumblr was launched by the Food Policy Coordinator to encourage healthy eating for all new Yorkers nycfoodrecipes.tumblr.comNYC QUITS SMOKING SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNIn March 2012, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched a digital campaign to support the Health Department's Nicotine Patch and Gum Annual Giveaway. As part of their goal to create conversations and engagement around the Giveaway program, the agency identified and reached out to digitally savvy influencers, including Jeff Meltz, Jill Hanner, Jennifer Lee and many others in the NYC area to share what "Quitting is..." means to them. As the influencers shared their storylines through creative PSAs on the NYC Quits Facebook Page and on their own social networks, conversatiosn started to rally around personal stories of overcoming smoking and built awareness for the Giveaway program. With a wide range of personal stories being shared on the NYC Quits Facebook Page, the Health Department also used Facebook ads and sponsored stories to drive increased social awareness to the campaign. facebook.com/nycquitsJill Hanner tweets why she quit smoking for the NYC Quits Smoking campaign
Above:Inform NYC
Creating useful, effective content goes hand-in-hand with developing a successful social distribution strategy. One of the City's priorities is to streamline information about City services, in line with New York's widely praised 311 customer service system. To help achieve that goal, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment unveiled the 50-video series Inform NYC, providing New Yorkers with concise, useful shorts featuring information based on the most frequent questions asked of 311. The videos provide helpful tips on what to do for a variety of situations, including how to report street noise, request a birth certificate and locate an item left in a taxi, among others. Inform NYC is available on NYC.gov; the NYC Gov social media channels, on the City's television stations and in taxi cabs.INNOVATIONS IN DIGITAL VIDEO
NYC Gov's newly launched YouTube channel features curated playlists of videos from all City agencies. Residents can find visual answers to the most common 311 questions through Inform NYC and enjoy entertaining videos on the history of the City. Viewers can also watch videos of Mayoral events, interviews with New Yorkers and videos from NYC Media, the city's official network. youtube.com/nycgov
See real-time Foursquare check-ins within NYC Parks' propertiesNYC PARKS MAP FOURSQUARE CHECK-INS
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYCDPR) unveiled an interactive map, displaying markers for each time a visitor checks in using Foursquare to one of over 1,250 NYC Parks locations. These visitors can get tips on fun and interesting things to do as they explore the park or recreational facility and view "to-do" lists created by the NYCDPR. The City expects to see more than one million Foursquare check-ins to public parks and spaces over the next year. nycgovparks.org/web/foursquare/map.php
Public libraries across the five boroughs are experiencing a renaissance thanks to their vital role in connecting New Yorkers to technology resources and the internet. Today, there is Wi-Fi in every branch of every library in the City's three library systems: Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Library. To server public demand, libraries are investing in infrastructure with federal broadband grants, expanding technology training and digitizing their offerings.THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is Brooklyn's largest provider of free Wi-Fi and offers access to computers and the internet for tens of thousands of Brooklynites. System-wide, BPL offers approximately 1,300 public-access computers, and each year, on average, the Library provides 2.3 million personal computer sessions. Since 2010, BPL has expanded its broadband internet capacity by 77%, and last year, BPL significantly enhanced technology programs and resources at eight of its libraries located in underserved communities. These libraries now offer a total of 95 new lending laptops for use inside the library, roughly three times as many computer classes, and increased broadband internet speed. Since July 2011, these libraries have offered more than 40,000 laptop sessions, for a total of over 60,000 hours of laptop usage. In December 2011, BPL also opened a state-of-the-art, 50-seat Computer Center at the Central Library. The new Center is the largest technology hub in the Brooklyn Public Library system and features the first rollout of the Library's next generation of public computers.THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARYBibliocommons
Over the past year, the New York Public Library (NYPL) partnered with the company Bibliocommons to launch a new catalog that has quickly become the most popular page at nypl.org. The new catalog has better search functionality and interactive features such as user generated "lists" of recommended books. This interactive resource brings together patrons from NYPL and beyond, including all of Bibliocommons' participating libraries.
Photo provided by the New York Public Library.Biblion
To increase access to NYPL's material and reach a wider group of individuals, NYPL partnered with design and technology firm Potion to transform its old collections magazine into the Library's first-ever iPad app. The first edition launched in May 2011 and highlighted the Library's 1939-1940 World's Fair collection. Through original essays, digitized photos and letters, video and audio and more, the app - which Apple Inc. named best education app of 2011 - recreated the feel of exploring the Library's holdings at home, giving anyone the opportunity to research the World's Fair. A second edition of the app launched in spring 2012.QUEENS LIBRARY
In Queens, more than three million library usrs access 1,550 public-use computers and 600 laptops, and many more use Wi-Fi with their own devices. queens Library also offers courses to improve digital literacy and free computer workshops available in English, Spanish, Chinese and other languages. In addition to adult education at all levels, queens Library offers a free, open portal for advanced online training and internationally-recognized certification for high-value tech skills, such as Cisco certification, Six Sigma, CompTIA Strata and more. In total, over 1,000 people are counseled every month on job-specific technology skills from resume writing to software training. Finally, the library reference service is now available via text, email or chat, and users have the option to borrow a Nook with their library card.


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Slipknot's Corey Taylor married his girlfriend, Stephanie Luby, on Friday in Las Vegas. Read more on Taylor's wedding below.
The singer married Stephanie Luby at Las Vegas' Palms Hotel on Friday in front of guests such as Mark McGrath, Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison, who officiated the ceremony.
The wedding party walked down the aisle to Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls."
The 350 wedding guests enjoyed the wedding and a concert, with the groom Corey Taylor even joining in for a few songs.
Taylor, 35, has two children with his first wife named Scarlett. They divorced in 2007.
Congrats to Corey Taylor and Stephanie Luby!
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Cal Bears Blog
News on Cal football, basketball and all other sports
Posts filtered on Tag
3 things we learned from Cal's loss to Washington State
1. Phantom injuries The amount of injuries Cal players have sustained this year is unfathomable. You can try to blame outside factors — artificial field turf, the strength and conditioning program, lack of contact in training camp — but realistically, this is simply a case of bad luck. "I don't know what to say about […] [Read More]
Cal Football: Jared Goff sets school passing record after stat corrections
Here is the release from Cal's athletic department: The final stats from the Cal-Washington State football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday have been corrected. With the corrections, Cal quarterback Jared Goff's passing yardage increased to a Cal single-game record 504 yards (33-of-59, 2 TD, 1 INT). Goff surpasses Pat Barnes, who had held the […] [Read More]
Cal falls to Washington State 44-22 in battle of Air Raid offenses
Put Jared Goff in his comfort zone, and good things happen for Cal's offense. Fumble twice inside the opponent's 5-yard line and allow several big plays on defense, however, and even a record-breaking game from the freshman quarterback won't result in a win for head coach Sonny Dykes and the Bears. "This was obviously not […] [Read More]
Cal vs. Washington State: Gameday Central — Notes and links
Who: Washington State (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) at Cal (1-3, 0-1) Where: Memorial Stadium, Berkeley When: 1:00 p.m. TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1, 810 Radio Storylines: Cal and Jared Goff look to get back on track after a nightmarish 55-16 loss to Oregon in the rain. Bears head coach Sonny Dykes and Washington State head coach Mike […] [Read More]
Cal vs. Washington State – Preview (VIDEO)
I joined Ryan Gorcey of BearTerritory.net to break down the matchup between Cal and Washington State in this week's edition of Three and Out. Ryan and I each talk about three storylines we will be watching when the Bears host the Cougars on Saturday at 1 p.m. — Hunter Hewitt is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. […] [Read More]
Cal Football: Bears to play against familiar offense Saturday
There's no sugarcoating it — Cal's defense has had a tough season thus far. The Bears rank 121st out of 123 FBS teams with 45.3 points allowed per game, and 118th with 515.5 yards allowed per game. The struggles can surely attributed to playing three of the top 16 teams in the country, but it […] [Read More]
Cal Football: Washington State Q&A with Jacob Thorpe
Due to some staff changes at the Spokesman-Review, the Know Your Enemy podcast this week has been replaced with a written Q&A with Washington State beat writer Jacob Thorpe (@JacobThorpeSR). I asked Jacob five questions about Cal's upcoming opponent. Here are his responses: 1. Washington State seemed to playing well to start the season, but took a step […] [Read More]
Cal Football: First Glance – Washington State
Team: Washington State Cougars Coach: Mike Leach, 2nd season Record: 3-2 (1-1 Pac-12) Last game: 55-17 loss to Stanford on Sept. 28 Schedule/results: Week 1: at Auburn — L 24-31 Week 2: at USC — W 10-7 Week 3: vs. Southern Utah — W 48-10 Week 4: vs. Idaho — W 42-0 Week 5: vs. Stanford — L 17-55 […] [Read More]


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750W for ladies
I want to buy a 750W for my wife ,she wears a small/medium in cloths,what size would that be in the 750W?
Gail on 11/12/13 at 07:28 AM
We do not advise or address sizing on jackets on our blog, as sizing inquiries can become extensive in questions for the different styles. Also when we are very busy we always do not get to reply to the blog inquiries daily as we are replying to the email inquiries first.
We are more then happy to help you with your sizing inquiries by contacting our customer service with an email. Please include in your email the jacket style you are interested in and measurements. Measurements should include chest, sleeve, waist and height. Our 750W is in actual women's sizes not graded sizes such as small and medium which can be 6/8 for small to 10/12 for medium in sizing.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Jami Martin finished with a three-round score of 250 on Tuesday to capture the Woodbridge Golf and Country Club 18-Hole Ladies Championship.
Randi Schimke was the winner of the first flight with a 271, followed by Debbie Wall (274) and Rita Kooyman (278).
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There's good news and bad news for UGA about Tramel Terry, the 4-star wide receiver who has already committed to the Bulldogs twice.
The good news is that Terry will make an unofficial visit to UGA this weekend for the Ole Miss game. The bad news for the Bulldogs is that Terry will make a return trip the following weekend to Clemson, according to Palmetto Sports.
There has been rampant speculation that Terry is considering switching to Clemson — and publicly committing for a third time – after he took an official visit with the Tigers a few weeks ago. It has become such a sensitive topic that Terry has mostly avoided the topic of recruiting with reporters. However, he did throw out these comments this week to the website, which have to make UGA fans wonder:
"I'm not talking about (recruiting) right now … I'm
Continue reading INSIDER: UGA WR commit Tramel Terry to visit Clemson … again »


text: Get the low prices and friendly service that you deserve when you order Football uniforms, football jerseys, youth football jerseys, or football pants from Complete Sportswear. We offer a wide selection of colors, styles, and sizes for men and boys. Football uniforms are available in dazzle, moisture wicking and mesh fabrics. Blank football uniforms, football jerseys and football pants can ship to you immediately or team names and numbers can be added and shipped in 2 weeks.


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Tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning on Friday night at Hank Aaron Stadium, reliever Daniel Stange made a unique season debut for the BayBears as he balked home the go-ahead run in a 3-2 loss to the Tennessee Smokies.
Stange (0-1), who started the season at Triple-A Reno and spent some time in the big leagues this year, allowed a one-out single to Tony Campana in the top of the ninth. Just a moment after nearly picking Campana off first, Stange balked the runner to second. Campana advanced to third with two away as Marwin Gonzalez flied out to center, but before a pitch was thrown to Ty Wright, Stange balked again to score Campana.
It was a tight ballgame throughout the contest with both teams fighting for playoff spots. The BayBears (35-31) grabbed the initial lead in the first when Evan Frey was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Collin Cowgill.
Bryan Shaw threw the ball well for the BayBears over six innings but let the lead slip in the fifth after opposing pitcher Craig Muschko walked and came home on a two-strike, two-out single by Wright. Tennessee (41-26) scooped the advantage in the sixth when Josh Vitters doubled with two away and touched the plate after a single by Tony Thomas.
Tennessee's lead didn't last long as the BayBears locked up the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth with Kory Casto doubling and being knocked home on a one-out single by Taylor Harbin.
Reid Mahon and Leyson Septimo worked scoreless innings before handing the game over to Stange in the ninth, who was ejected after arguing the second balk. Tennessee's magic number is now at one to clinch the North Division title.
BayBear Bits
- The BayBears are guaranteed a winning ecord in the first half, as they are three games over .500 with two remaining
- All eight BayBears position players in the game collected at least on base-knock
- Ollie Linton stole bases in consecutive games after going just 5-for-15 in his first 54 games
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Prices and availability are subject to change from the time and date that you print this page.
9/16/2014 12:52:10 AM. For Customer Service, please call 800.933.9904
$29.00 - $259.00
- Designed by Amy Soczka
- Nod exclusive
- Quilt is embroidered, appliquéd and printed
- Cotton percale
- Quilt available in Twin and Full-Queen
- Sheet Sets feature contrasting trim
- Sheet Sets available in Twin and Full
- Imported
- Click here to order Complimentary Swatches
- Quilt and Sham: Shell is 100% cotton; Fill is 100% cotton, exclusive of decoration
- Sheet Sets and Case: 100% cotton
- Machine washable
- Coordinates with Blue or Green Fish Throw Pillows
Details, details
Show 'em what you're made of
Care instructions
Extras! Extras!
At The Land of Nod, nothing is more important to us than providing safe, high-quality products to you and your family. We believe that kids' products should be able to handle everything kids throw their way (literally and figuratively). That's why all of our products have an 18-year quality guarantee. And, hopefully, your kids will no longer be sleeping in bunk beds by then.
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Baltimore Pride 2013 events [Pictures]
Baltimore Pride, the annual celebration of the city's gay community, features a parade, festival, high-heel race and -- new this year -- a gay mass wedding. Here are the schedule highlights.
-- Chris Kaltenbach
-- Chris Kaltenbach
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Twilight on the Terrace
Twilight on the Terrace, a high-end cocktail party and major fundraiser for Baltimore Pride, offers an open bar and dancing to music from DJ J.R. Embrey. While gaudy outfits are sometimes de rigeur for Pride weekend, Twilight on the Terrace is a bit more refined -- the suggested attire is "garden-party chic." 7 p.m.-11 p.m. June 14 at Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. $150.


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Members of Habitat for Humanity built another house Friday, but this time they are doing away with the wood and concrete, and using Legos instead.
Kids of all ages were at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion Friday afternoon for what's called a "Legos Blitz Build." It's in celebration of World Habitat Day. Kids were encouraged to design houses that represent homes from around the world, and were judged on their creativity.
Chase Crickenberger, the event organizer, said, "We came up with this Lego build and all of the little kids get together and build houses and at the end we put them all together and we're going to make a village and that's going to be put up in the office, the Habitat office."
Friday's winner will receive a gift card. Habitat is expecting to build at least 40 Lego homes.


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Here is one of me from last weekend
Type: Posts; User: RSHARP76; Keyword(s):
Here is one of me from last weekend
I'm just north of Dallas Texas. Heading out to big bend on my DR650 in March. Thanks for your kind offer haha, I'm trying to enjoy the clean bike phenomenon as long as I can. It gets the TKC's and...
Loco Coyotes - Glen Rose Texas
The Fish Shack - Plano Texas
That looks awesome! Definitely the kind of riding I enjoy, can be hard to find such cool wooded scenery to play around in here in Texas though. I'll try to make it out to one of the rally's!
Been hunting for some time and finally pulled the trigger on a new-to-me '07 GSA last week. 1300 original miles so I'm looking forward to riding this bike till we have flying cars!:clap Loving the...
My new-to-me '07 GSA keeping me company at my favorite catfish stand here in Dallas. Love this bike!!!:thumb


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- Primary Role
- Co-founder at Dafiti
- Education
- Harvard Business School
- Born:
- December 4, 1979
- Location:
- São Paulo
Person DetailsUpdate
After graduating as a business administration major in college, Andre joined AmBev in 2002 (the largest brewery in Latin America later to become AB InBev) as a trainee and worked there for 5,5 years, holding positions in sales, trade marketing and marketing. Andre left AmBev in 2007 to pursue an MBA at the Harvard Business School and after graduating in 2009, joined McKinsey at the Sao Paulo office, where he stayed for 1,5 years. In January 2011 he was the first Brazilian recruited by Rocket Internet and one of the co-founders of what became the largest fashion e-commerce in Brazil, Dafiti.
In June 2011 Andre left Dafiti to launch olook, which is the first and largest women fast-fashion eCommerce brand in Brazil. Olook combines its own monthly collections of clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories with the curation of selected brands to provide customized offers that are supported by content and personalized product recommendations.
Experience (4)Update
Jul, 2011
Jan, 2011 - Jun, 2011
McKinsey & Company
Aug, 2010 - Dec, 2010
Marketing Manager
Jan, 2002 - Apr, 2007
Education (1)Update
Harvard Business School
MBAJan 1, 2009


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All 'DocsPics' notes and images © Phil Brown 2000-2013
Scenes and Notes from England, Ireland & Scotland & Europe
Interesting places to visit, places to stay, good walking areas
City of York and places nearby
Whitby-Scarborough and surrounding area
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR)
The Middlesbrough-Whitby Esk Valley Railway
Yorkshire Dales-East Cumbria-North Pennines
The Upper Esk Valley, North York Moors
Pickering in Ryedale, North Yorkshire
Helmsley, Coxwold, Kirkbymoorside & Rievaulx Abbey
Malton in Ryedale & Howardian Hills in North Yorkshire
Fragments of Archaeology & History on the North Yorks Moors
Lastingham, Hutton-le-Hole,Appleton-le-Moors, Bransdale, Rosedale & Farndale
Sutton Bank National Park Centre and the NW edge of the North Yorks Moors
Yorkshire Wolds, East Riding and its North Sea Coast in South Yorkshire
West Yorkshire - Leeds & Bradford and environs
Other parts of Northern England
The Lake District & North-West England e.g. Chester, Liverpool, Carlisle
Northern England-selected views
Scenes around Cleveland (NE England)
North East England - Newcastle upon Tyne City, County Durham, Northumbria Scenes
Southern & South-West of England Scenes * Eastern England and East Anglia
Wales - Cadair Idris and CAT * Midlands Scenes of England
Pictures of archaeology sites from miscellaneous walking holidays
Scotland - Rail trips, Glasgow, Isle of Skye and Edinburgh
Geological-Rock Scenes from around England, Ireland and Scotland
Cameos of London Town - Snapshots of walking around the City of London
Ireland - Dublin - scenes & notes of places to visit
Ireland - Dublin - selected views
Ireland - selected Irish views of places to visit including NI
Ireland - Irish Landscape holiday walks pictures and notes including NI
Other EUROPEAN LOCATIONS other than UK and Ireland
ITALY - pictures of the towns and landscape of Umbria and Tuscany
FRANCE-Paris scenes - images and notes from walking around the city
Scenes from Austria-Vienna (Wien) * Scenes from Prague, Czech Republic
Scenes from Budapest, Hungary * Scenes from Bratislava, Slovakia
Old Photographs of steam trains and locomotives in the late 1960's
Preserved Steam Locomotives and Contemporary Trains - Diesel and Electric Locomotives, DMU & EMUs etc.
Geological-Rock Scenes from around England, Ireland and Scotland
Tea Rooms, Cafes, Pubs and B&B's, Hostels etc.
Domestic pet and rural animal Scenes
Nature scenes e.g. butterflies and fungi
Peter M. Hicks - Northern landscape artist-painter of Danby, North Yorkshire
Ian McCulley - another artist based in Castleton, North Yorkshire
Peter Rushforth, The sadly missed novelist of "Pinkerton's Sister" * Music
Phil & Chris Tidy's lovely budget Lealholm Hall Holiday Cottage - North Yorkshire
EMAIL Phil Brown * Please note we do NOT take bookings for places mentioned!!!!
Top Tourist Destination Cities in the UK for 2010 by overseas visitors
1 - London 2 - Edinburgh 3 - Manchester 4 - Birmingham 5 - Glasgow
6 - Liverpool 7 - Bristol 8 - Oxford 9 - Cambridge 10 - Cardiff
11 - Brighton 12 - Newcastle-upon-Tyne 13 - Leeds 14 - York 15 - Inverness
16 - Bath 17 - Nottingham 18 - Reading 19 - Aberdeen 20 - Chester
Top Tourist Destination Cities and Towns in the UK for 2010 by UK residents
1 - London 2- Manchester 3 - Birmingham 4 - Blackpool 5 - Scarborough
6 - Bristol 7 - Leeds 8 - York 9 - Newcastle-upon-Tyne 10 - Liverpool
11 - Isle of Wight 12 - Skegness 13 - Nottingham 14 - Bournemouth 15 - Brighton & Hove
16 - Norwich 17 - Sheffield 18 - Southampton 19 - Bath 20 - Oxford
© Phil Brown 2000-2012 docspics landscapes digital images snapshots photographs pictures views scenes scenic views pics photos snaps webshots * We do NOT take bookings! England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Top class hotels accommodation travel arrangements cheap flights dining out travel tours top tourist destinations tourist information weekend breaks mini-breaks family holidays restaurants touring coach trips continental tours cruise ships pleasure cruises summer breaks spring breaks continental winter breaks European winter holidays spring holidays summer holidays in Europe good pubs cafes restaurants for eating out guided walking holidays coach trips adventure trekking holidays historic buildings castles churches cathedrals famous archaeological sites historic cities
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You are going to become totally smitten with Brittany's Bod. The beautiful blonde is voluptuous in all of the right places. For this gallery, Brittany wears sexy black lingerie and dark eye makeup surrounding her baby blues. She pulls her big soft boobs out of her lingerie and pulls her thong up between her pussy(…)
Brittanys Bod in the Bedroom
Brittany Bod shows off her thrilling physique as she strips off her white hoodie and denim skirt indoors. The buxom blonde temptation has killer curves and naughty eyes. Her breasts are full and look ready to be touched while her ass is in perfect shape to spank. This uninhibited girl isn't shy at all about(…)
Brittany Bod Exposes Her Body
Brittany Bod seems very appropriately named since her smoking hot body is such a magnificent vision to behold. The busty blonde has an enticing pair of juicy breasts and a nice round ass to go with. She is all together alluring and she uses that seduction to the fullest as she strips off her cami,(…)


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Kunisaki Yukito is a traveller, ever seeking the girl in the sky from a legend passed down in his family. His journey takes him to a small seaside town, where he meets Misuzu, a girl who seems eager to become his friend. A story spanning a thousand years begins to unfold against the background of [...]
Archive for October, 2011
Living for the Day After Tomorrow (Asatte no Houkou)
A girl and a woman – tied together by their secret desires, a young man and a small roadside shrine rumored to be able to grant wishes.
Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime)
Amamizukan is an apartment complex where no boys are allowed. Kurashita Tsukimi, a girl who adores jellyfish, lives there happily with her friends who all have nerdy obsessions of their own. Their peaceful lives gradually start to change when a beautiful woman helps Tsukimi out of a pinch. She stays overnight at the apartments — [...]
6th-year grade-schooler Ayase Chihaya's dream is for her sister to be Japan's top model. However, transfer student Wataya Arata admonishes her that a dream must be about one's own self. Thus, she takes up karuta, a Japanese card game, competitively.
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You
Kuronuma Sawako is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she's often mistaken for the haunting movie character Sadako.
Skip Beat!
Kyoko has devoted her life to Shotaro. When Shotaro came to Tokyo to debut as a singer, she followed him and worked to provide for him. But one day, Kyoko overhears Shota telling his manager that Kyoko means nothing to him. She's just convenient, a housekeeper. This makes Kyoko furious, and she vows revenge on [...]
Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko: Leda (Genmu Senki Leda)
Asagiri Youko is an ordinary high school student, and she is in love with a boy who does not know it. To help things along, she has written a song to explain how she feels, but that song has quite a bit more than a couple of good bridges. Youko learns that while she is [...]


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Organization Projects By Martha
Like most city-dwellers, most of the rooms in our home do double and triple duty. The dining table is a hub of activity - the crayons and fingerpaints have to be put away to make way for lunch and then the playdough comes out after naptime. The use of a simple canvas shoe organizer would make an attractive and inexpensive way to store everything when not in use.
The project was meant to help organize the backseat of a car but we think it would look great hanging on a wall or over a door.
Another way to create a designated area within an area? Try this study center fashioned from cardboard. It's easy to set up and even easier to put away. Use it to help young ones focus on homework and art projects.
2 Comments
my mother made some over-the-car-seat pockets like that for long car trips - brilliant. One for my brother and one for me - she let us decorate them with fabric markers and we used them for books, toys and coloring for the road. Such a good idea for anywhere.
How about using some cute Amy Butler fabric to create either project and then entering the contest?


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69 User Reviews of Carnival Victory Cruise Ship
This was our first cruise and I took my wife and 4 kids. It was overall dissapointing. The food was terrific and the waiters and cabin staff first rate. The even accomadated our daughter who is on a gluten free diet. However,the very few things for the children to do was not very exciting for them. They even had "scavenger hunts" UNSUPERVISED where they would let the kids go throughout the ship. We opted out of these.
The ship has a very confusing layout and we were lost a good bit of the time, even at the end of the week. Also, to get to several sections of the ship you HAD to walk through the entire casino. THe pools were very crouded and dirty. The carpet in the hall of our cabin deck had huge nasty stains which were not cleaned all week. We stepped over them. The shows were mostly not kid-frendly. The kids were actually bored on some of the "at-sea" days. Don't know if we will ever go on another cruise, but it will not be Carnival!!
Woo-hoo. We had a great time. Food, service, dining room were all better than expected. Entertainment was a little weak.The "Carnival Victory Dancers" were great energetic kids but 15 - 20 minutes of them on one occasion would have been enough. Some comedians were funny, others were not. Late night comedy shows are to be avoided as I found them offensive and simply not funny.
We sailed on the July 6 Carnival Victory to Halifax. We have cruised previously on Carnival, Princess, NCL etc so we have some idea of what to expect. Frankly, we were concerned after reading many reviews as they were mostly neutral or negative. Thus, we were pleasantly surprised.
Our experience would overall be rated above average with few problems. The embarkation in NY occurred about 11:30 am and was reasonably fast (no more than 20 minutes). We found the ship, as others have said, to be difficult to move around in as many decks don't go through, but we learned….I should say I am 63 (and my wife is MUCH younger she would want me to add), we are retired, and also had 2 of our kids and spouses with us. We stayed in 7427 balcony cabin on the back end of the ship (larger wonderful balcony, but you give up the couch – great for sun bathing with one chair and one lounge chair and would love to have it again—though I would ask for another lounge chair); the kids were in 7205 and 7206 (front of ship outside corners)which don't allow beds to go together, but do have a larger shower, and are adjacent to a more or less 'private' deck on the front which they enjoyed as a 'semi-private' balcony (though no lounge chairs).
Jerry, our steward, was perfect in that he was attentive but not obtrusive. Just what you want in a steward. Facility was clean and had reasonable storage, etc. THE BEDS ARE WONDERFUL. They advertise the beds as special, and they are!!! My body just LOVED to get on to the bed, it felt so good.
We had first sitting in pacific dining room and found the food and service again above average. Yes, I noted the lobster was tough…..one of the few prior reviews I agreed with. The food, however, we found to be very good. Our waiter and other servers were among the best we have experienced.
Activities were normal, with overpriced bingo, etc. The shows were good and overall available activities pretty standard. The foot massage I asked for in the spa was just ok for the $35 (I can remember when reflexology was $10, and now you can seldom even get the reflexology and the plain old foot massage is three times as much)!!! I have never been offered so many products during a foot massage, but I was equally persistent in saying no!!
Our weather was much better than previous trips, so I suspect that helps to keep attitudes positive. Halifax was seen with the hop on-hop off bus tour (nice town, tour as billed but nothing special). One of the kids went to Peggy's Cove and found that town very nice. We saw no whales (though some said they did) but did see some porpoises or very small whales!!
Had only one bad experience (if you don't count my losses in the casino) in that my wife's card demagnetized, and when it was reissued I found at 10:30pm it wouldn't let me in the room (she was using mine in the casino to get past the 1000 points for the $10 prize – which she spent too!!). Unfortunately, this put me in the line the night before debarkation at the purser's desk. Lots of hostile people (security problems, billing issues, some wanting to simply pay bills, etc. After 15 minutes in line, they told me the machine had gone down and could I wait until someone came to fix it. Now I was standing off to the side at the front of the line when new people in the line of course thought I was trying to get in front of the line…..interesting to see how people handled subtly asking me what I was doing, and if I hadn't been tired it would have been funnier (it is in hindsight). Well, after another 30 minutes, the repair tech left, they tried the machine for my card, and it still wasn't working. I should mention that in this whole time of observation, I found the 4 people working the desk to be highly professional and PATIENT. Well, to make a long story short, they sent someone to open my door after another 30 minutes of waiting in the hall, so I wasn't the happiest person at that moment. All of that said these things do happen; they were no ones fault, so life goes on.
Debarkation was slow (as normal) with the 'self-disembarkers' carrying more suitcases than I would and jamming the process for an hour. We were in no hurry, walked off when our color was called and found our bags within 2 minutes without having to carry them down all those stairs or elevators.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip.
We had a great cruise vacation on the Victory. We found the Victory to be a very beautiful ship with hues of blue and green. The nautical theme was carried throughout the ship. In the past embarkation in Miami has been difficult with long lines. We arrived at 11:30 and within an hour were on the ship. We found our cabin on the Riveria deck. We chose a cabin midship to avoid any sea sickness. The seas were rough the first 2 days. But we did not feel the movement in our cabin. Our cabin was roomy, but could have been cleaned better. We were able to find our way around easily, since we cruised the Valor as year and the layout is very simular.
The formal dining room was nice with dark colors. We managed to get a table for 2, which was a nice change. This cruise, we tried to eat all of our meals in the formal dining room. We visited with others at breakfast and lunch, then had time to our- selves in the evening. It was great. The food was very good with somedishes better than others. Our servers were friendly and gave us good service. At times some of the items we ordered were forgotten and we had to ask more than once, this was usually at breakfast and lunch.
Service ship wide was good, we did not have any complaints. Our cabin stewart always had a smile and met all our requests. There always seemed to be something missing, wash cloths one night, beach towels another night, but we had a towel animal every night.
The Las Vegas shows (2) were just okay. We have cruised Carnival several times before and found other shows to be better. We did see a magician, who was so interesting! The ship had a singer and comedian too, both were good. We would have like to see more comedy acts. We did not attend the R rated show, those really are not to our liking. We enjoyed the Not So Newly-Wed Show.
We visited the pizza and burger areas several times. Both were very good. The buffet food was just okay. One day after visiting a port, we tried to find a buffet line open. Only 1/2 of one of the buffet lines were open along with the pizza and burgers. This made things very crowded.
Our shore tour in Costa Maya was to Uvero Beach on the Jungle Beach Break. It was nice with plenty to do. The open bar had limited drinks. We had a cool cloudy day, so we did not swim.
In Grand Cayman we walked upon a place to snorkel right off the shore. The cost was only $12.00pp. We saw so many colorful fish. What a great experience!! We had planned to just walk around since 6 other ships were in port that day. Grand Cayman was just a beautiful sight. We will return there again someday.
In Ocho Rios we tried to just walk around and were hassled to death by the locals. We couldn't take 10 steps without being approached for a taxi ride, tour, or to buy goods. We decided to swim at the beach across from the ship. The cost was $3.25pp (Jamaican $200.00. We enjoyed our swim and talked with a couple vacationing from Michigan. We returned to the ship early. After being hassled, we don't plan to return to Jamaica again.
Our days at sea were quiet. We found the spa hot tub to be a quiet place to relax as well as the adult only sun deck. The adult only hot tubs on deck were always filled with children.
All in all we had a great time on Victory and would not hesitate to cruise on her again.
My family and I recently traveled on the Carnival Victory. My husband and I, with our 8-month-old son, joined my parents, my 18-year-old nephew and my sister and her husband on a 7-day cruise of the Western Caribbean. Our planned ports of call were Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios.
Our first disappointment came before the trip began when a private vendor, through whom we were booking a fishing trip, informed us that we would not be stopping in Cozumel. We were quite upset at this discovery both because we were very excited about visiting Cozumel because it has such a wonderful reputation for beauty and for its excellent fishing spots and because someone completely unrelated to Carnival told us. I would have thought and expected Carnival to, at the very least, inform its customers of such an important change to itinerary. By the way, when we arrived at the port we were handed a sheet of paper that said, â?oAs you were previously informed will not be stopping in Cozumelâ?¦â? However, no one in my party was ever informed, nor were any of the other cruisers in line near us. And noneof us were happy.
Also prior to sailing, we were shocked and disappointed to learn that the cost to bring an 8-month-old infant was going to be the same cost as my 18-year-old nephew! While I did not expect him to be free, there is no reason that we should be charged a full price 3rd person in room rate for a baby. In addition, we were further informed that had he been the 2nd person in the room (i.e. had it been just he and I traveling, he would have been charged a full price ticket)!
The embarkation process was long and tedious and completely insufficient to handle such a large number of passengers. The online fun pass completion was completely useless, as we were never even asked if we had done it and had to wait in the same lines as everyone else. The porters were rude and blatantly asked for tips. One was indecent enough to stop, ask for a tip, and then stand there and count it in front of us while we waited. Only after he was satisfied did he continue on with our bags. It was completely unbelievable.
After the disappointment of the cancellation of the Cozumel stop, we decided to make the most of it and plan for our alternate visit to Costa Maya. However, this was impossible to do since we were not told what town we were going to. We learned, on our own, that Costa Maya is a large area with several towns within it. Turns out this was all for naught anyway since the sea was too rough to dock and we sailed away from Costa Maya without a word to the passengers as to what was happening. After approximately 30 minutes an announcement was made informing us that we had to leave without docking. Carnival refunded us all $25 for the inconvenience and told us to spend it on their boat. Thanks.
While our cabin was nice and more spacious than other cabin I have stayed in previously, the toilet smelled slightly and the water that filled the bowl after flushing was always tinged yellow and oftentimes had what looked like charcoal from the filter floating in it. The cabins all have 6 cans of soda and one large bottle of water that is available for a charge of $1.75 per can and $3.50 per bottle of water. I cannot stress enough that you should not buy these beverages. On the first day there we drank 3 of the sodas and the water and were charged on our accounts the proper amount. The next day, the cleaning staff forgot to replace it and we were charged again. The following day â?" same thing. We told the housekeeper that we were not using the sodas and he should credit us for the overcharge. He was clearly annoyed and told us this happens every cruise with the in cabin beverages. After wasting 20 minutes trying to figure out how much to refund us, the refund never appeared and the overcharging continued. This also happened in my sister's cabin.
The boat was nice but not great. The Norwegian Dawn was much more beautiful. Midships 7th floor smelled like a urinal and the elevators and stairwells smelled like the back room of a restaurant. Not good.
The Victory was much more rocky than either of the other cruises I have been on. To be fair, this may have been due to the fact that our room was on the back end of the boat. Both my husband and my sister caught stomach bugs and spent at least two full days sick in the cabin. Each visited the infirmary and were given a shot to stop the incessant vomiting. My husband was charged $40 because he saw the nurse and my sister charged $70 because she showed up during doctor's hours.
Our next destination was Grand Cayman. Once again we were not allowed off the boat because tendering was suspending due to choppy waters. Ugh, it was looking like 5 full days on the boat. Another $25 was given out, again in hopes of spending on the boatâ?¦ We finally did get to see Ocho Rios, but it was raining and there was no announcement that we had arrived so most people missed out on some time because after the last two cancellations, we weren't sure if we were actually getting off and waited to hear! After waiting in line to get off in Jamaica, my husband was turned around because he was quarantined because he visited the infirmary 4 days prior!!! So we had to go to the infirmary and get the OK on his account to be let off the boat.
The food was fair at best. The breakfast was horrible. It was the same thing everyday and the food was bland and usually cold, never warmer than lukewarm. The toast was always stale and the omelets were sweet. The bananas were bruised and the oranges were soggy. The pizza was good but the hot dogs tasted funny and the hamburgers were way overcooked. The buffet at lunchtime was pretty good but the food was never warm enough. Dinner was the best meal of the day, but again was always served warm, never hot. Again, the food paled in comparison to the food on the Norwegian Dawn.
The staff was very nice. The bar staff, the wait staff and housekeeping were all very nice to the baby and were very accommodating. After chatting with one or two we found out that they work practically all day (I saw them at breakfast and at late seating dinner) for about 10 months straight! There is, although, a definite language problem. To order is fine, but if there is a problem forget it, they won't understand you. Also, there is a definite cultural difference. While I stress that I really liked our waiters, one of them picked up my baby and walked around the room with him! I was trying to be friendly and not offend him, and it was okay until he actually took him out of my site into the kitchen. My husband jumped up and ran after him immediately. Of course everything was fine and he was just trying to be nice, but that stuff just isn't done in the US and it made me nervous!
Take cash with you, as there is a $5.50 charge on the ATM on board and try to avoid the photo gallery. I had a picture taken of the baby, which was totally adorable. I asked them to simply crop it so that the baby was closer in the picture; this is easy enough to do, as it is all digital pictures. They told me no problem, but I had to buy the original first. So I had to pay $20 to buy a picture I didn't want plus $10 for the 5X7 package I wanted. When I arrived to pick it up, they had cropped the 8X10 and then made another 8X10. This would have been understandable had the instructions not been written right there on the envelope the picture was in!!! Of course no technician was available when I was there so I had to come back. All of this occurred at 7am on the day we were getting off the boat, which helped add to an already hectic morning.
Disembarkment was even worse than embarkment. There was very little order and the groups were called to deck 3 too quickly so everyone was lined up all over the boat. Our group was lined up on a staircase and there were people with strollers and canes! There were no accommodations for people with children. We stood in line for over an hour on the boat, then again off the boat.
Overall, this cruise was a bust. I just spoke to a friend and I told her it seemed like an economy cruise. She recommended Royal Caribbean and I recommend Norwegian. Carnival will not see me again.
My family and I were long awaiting our trip on Carnival Victory. Eight of us, including myself arrived in Miami at 3:00 pm because of a delay in NY (American Airlines of course). Needless to say we were very nervous about missing the boat. Upon our arrival to the baggage claim, we were met by a Carnival rep who told us under NO circumstances could we wait for our luggage, we needed to be on the shuttle bus to the boat by 3:30 or they would leave without us with no refund. We were ASSURED that our luggage would get to us in our first port of call which was Tuesday in Costa Maya. We quickly made the decision to just leave our luggage and make due with what we had from Sunday to Tuesday. Once we arrived on the ship, everyone on the boat was calm and friendly and made it seem like we had all the time in the world (the boat didn't set sail until well after 4pm- plenty of time to get our luggage, I think).
Anyway, once we got on the boat we wentto the pursers desk only to be helped by a group who didn't really seemed concerned with our situation. Upon explaining, we were informed that we would NOT get our luggage in Costa Maya because there are no nearby airports and we would have to wait until Thursday to get everything in Grand Cayman. Even then we figured we would make the best of it and try to purchase some items in Costa Maya and in the ship gift shop. Little did we know the gift shops didn't have any women's bathing suits or underwear! To make matters worse, we couldn't even stop in Costa Maya or Grand Cayman because of the rough waters. So when we asked what happens with our luggage since we could not stop in Grand Cayman, we were told it would be sent back to Miami and we can pick it up on our way back to NY on Sunday. One word can describe this vacation - nightmare!
At no time did any Carnival rep seem concerned or offer anything to help rectify our situation. To top it all off, the food on the boat was average, at best. I hardly ate during the day because the buffet was not appetizing most of the time. Sit down dinners were ok, I had snapper one night that was so fishy, I couldn't take one bite. The filet mignon the following night was better. All in all, even if I had my own luggage I would not cruise again. When people pay to see 3 ports and end up getting stuck on a boring boat for 5 days straight, I think they deserve more than a $25.00 refund!! What a disgrace, Carnival definately won't get my business again.
This was my second cruise - both with Carnival. We last sailed on the Destiny in 1999. I am going to give an honest review, but in spite of anything I say that may sound negative, I had a wonderful trip! This was our first holiday cruise: December 18-25.
There are some things that Carnival could change but others were beyond their control. In general, I did notice that they have cut back (since our last cruise) on the amount of activities, and there were a couple nights were they didn't have the late night buffet.
We didn't have the best of weather. Most of the trip, it rained and the seas were choppy. You can really feel the movement on this ship. Some crew members mentioned that even they noticed the difference in movement between this ship and the others they had been on. I am not prone to motion sickness but even I was feeling off kilter on Monday. I just bumped up my ginger dosage to four pills (2-3 times per day). I never got sick, so yes, it works!
Embarkation After all the horror stories that Iheard about this process, I was amazed at how fast it went. We stayed overnight in Miami at the Intercontinental and left for the port at 10:30 a.m.. We got inside and in line at 10:45 and they were already letting people board the ship. I will say that about 11 a.m., the lines stretched outside the terminal door. My advice is to get there early. We were on board and having lunch by 11:30 a.m., but weren't allowed into our room until 1:30.
Cabin We booked an ocean view guarantee room two weeks prior to traveling. When we got our keys, we found we were upgraded to a balcony on the Lido deck. What an unexpected Christmas gift! The room had enough space, and having the balcony was wonderful. I did spend more time in my room because of the balcony, plus it was nice leaving the door open at night to hear the waves. If you are on this floor and you have Santiago as your cabin steward, you are lucky. He was so good that we tipped him extra.
The Ship I found the ship to be clean and the public areas to be very pretty. The only disappointing thing that many people commented on was the lack of holiday decorations. It took me two days to realize there were decorations on the banisters. There was no big Christmas tree.
Entertainment I did not attend any of the big shows, so I cannot tell you how they were. We went to Karaoke every evening and had a great time. It is amazing to see how talented some of your fellow guests are. It was always busy. Damian is the Karaoke host and a great guy. He is as fair as he can be to everyone. Be nice to him - he will be there until February 12. Note: The equipment in karaoke is not the best, so if something technical happens, it isn't the host's fault.
The piano bar is a lot of fun. I tried to go there for a while each night. I didn't spend much time in the disco but heard it was great. The music that they played in the Adriatic Lounge was good. I think the band was "Music Network".
I know someone else had mentioned the Cruise Director, Dana Hodson. I have to agree with them that he is not very entertaining. Some of his jokes I had seen on the Internet. With his radio background, you would think he would have experience with ad-libbing. You could tell that everything he did was scripted (which to some extent I suppose is necessary). But I never got a sense that he enjoyed what he was doing; he seemed to be going through the motions. Karl with a "K" is an excellent Assistant Cruise Director with a wonderful personality. He makes up for what Dana lacks. The rest of the staff is wonderful, from social hostess Emma to Club O2 (teen disco) Director Theresa.
Food/Dining I am a very picky eater and I patronize a lot of fine dining establishments. If you can't find something you like to eat on this ship, you aren't really trying everything. The only thing I didn't try was the Oriental place because there are very few Asian items that I like. Yes, there were some things I didn't care for or were bad. If that happened, I just ordered something else.
Main Dining Room: We ate two breakfasts and five dinners there. Almost everything was good to very good. The soups were great as were some of the desserts. One recommendation -- be careful how you order your beef, since they seem to undercook it. I usually order mine medium rare and it was too rare. Once I started to order it medium, it was perfect. The menus were pretty much the same as in 1999.
Lido: Everyone talks about the lines for the buffet but I didn't think they were that bad. Sometimes they were long, but they moved quickly. The food was good, better than many buffets that I have frequented. Some beef on the buffet was tough. One day they had ham and it was delicious. The "Taste of the Nation" line always features a certain type of ethnic food. I liked both the French and Greek days. Pizza: I have been spoiled on New York pizza but Carnival's was good. I had a couple of slices almost every night. Deli: Great sandwiches. The Rueben was good and the tuna very good. I had them make me a tuna melt by adding cheese and grilling it, and this was great. The staff at the pizza and deli counters aren't very friendly. The grill is wonderful for burgers and fries.
Pools/Decks Since it rained a lot, we only had a day or two to use the deck. We were on a full ship and I didn't really have a problem finding space; within 15 minutes I found a chair. Then I headed to the hot tub and there were only a few people in it. It was nice and warm without being too hot. The bartenders at the Siren's bar are great. Tommy always remembers everyone's name and Marcelino is so nice.
Spa/Gym I was a spa model when they gave ship tours on Sunday. I got the seaweed wrap and it was great. Later in the week, my feet were hurting and swollen, so I had the foot massage/pedicure. This was so worth the money.
Ports/Tours Costa Maya: This is not a port I would go back to. Do not shop here as things are very expensive. We did the "Jungle Beach Break" excursion. For the price, you could not beat it. The beach isn't as pretty as Cozumel's but the staff is great. Unlimited drinks are included in your fee and we ended up sitting next to the party group who had tipped the staff as soon as they got there. We never had to get up out of our chair to get a drink and they never let our glasses get empty. Not being a heavy drinker, I had to slow myself down so they wouldn't give me more.
Grand Cayman: The port was closed due to weather and rough seas. I had already been there and was going to stay on the ship anyway.
Ocho Rios: We were just going to go shopping but we had a wonderful cab driver, Jason, who gave us a great deal on a tour. He took us everywhere, spent four hours with us and only charged $35 each for the two of us. We couldn't have done any excursion with the ship for that amount, so we loved it. Seeing the island like this gave me a better respect for it.
Debarkation Believe it or not, this was uneventful. We got up at 7:30 a.m., got dressed, went to the Lido to have breakfast. Our deck was called about 9 a.m. and we were on the bus to the airport by 9:30.
There are things I think could be better but it would not make me stop cruising with Carnival. I think the staff was great from housekeepers to bar staff to entertainment staff and dining staff. I would have enjoyed more of a holiday atmosphere, and everyone I spoke with mentioned that it didn't feel like Christmas or Hanukkah. The main thing is that I was on vacation and it is what you make of it. I heard some complaints from other passengers about things, but my response was to just enjoy yourself - that is what being on holiday is all about.
My parents and I were on the Victory October 23rd. This review will most likely get very long so bare with me.
We live in a small town in central Wisconsin and left Friday afternoon for Milwaukee. Our room was at the Best Western right near the airport and we had booked it for both before and after our flights. This was the first year we had stayed here and will most likely stay again in the future before and after our cruise. The room was nice; however, we will be sure to ask for queen beds in the future. They offer a full hot breakfast starting at 6 am. Unfortunately our flight was due to depart at 7:25am so having breakfast at the hotel was out. We had gotten donuts from Dunkin Donuts the night before and had them before we left. The staff was great; they scheduled our shuttle for us the night before, so we knew exactly when we needed to be ready to go. The shuttle is the standard van style; there was another group that joined us on the shuttle.
Getting to the airport took notime at all Saturday morning, which was great. We wanted to have as stress free a vacation as possible, so we left our luggage with the skycaps and headed for the gate. Our flight left on time from Milwaukee, as did our connection in Atlanta, making our arrival in Miami a little after 1pm. After picking up our luggage we got ourselves a cab (van style) and headed to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Port of Miami.
This was a great hotel as far as we were concerned. The front desk was very helpful and check in was a breeze. I had booked this room in August when my sister and BIL had to cancel joining us on the cruise. I was very glad we booked this hotel. We had the cruise package and I asked for a room facing the port and as high up as possible, and that is exactly what we got. The room was on the 8th floor overlooking the Bayside Market and the port. The window in the room was huge allowing my parents and I lots of room to spread out and watch the people and the boats and ships. The only thing that has stopped me from booking our room for next year is that the hotel will not let me book it so far out.
>From our room we could see 2 ships in port, 1 for Carnival and the other RCCL. After watching Carnival leave I investigated the hotel a bit and then ordered in dinner. There was lots of people coming and going from the Bayside Market. Around 9pm there was a fireworks display. This happened just before the RCCL ship was due to leave, what a sendoff for them.
The hotel offered a full hot breakfast buffet as part of the package we had and we really enjoyed getting something before heading off to the port. Again, this was stress free as there were plenty of cabs waiting for hotel guests to head to the port. We got to the port about 9:30. A porter was there to unload our luggage from the cab and directed us to the terminal entrance. There were many people waiting for their transportation from the port as well as some that were as arriving for their cruise. After joining a small line to get checked in and get our sail and sign cards, we joined another short line to wait for security to open. By 10:30 the security check point had opened and we passed swiftly through the scanners, and then headed upstairs to have our security pictures for the sail and sign cards. It was time again to wait, seated this time, until the ship had been cleared for boarding. I actually enjoy this time of waiting so that I can people watch. I always marvel at the fact that there never fails to be those persons who just can not seem to arrive on time, even when it is for a wedding. Oh well. After the wedding parties, I believe there were 2, we were able to head over to get our embarkation pictures taken and board the ship, and it was 11:30.
What can I say about the ship?! I thought the décor was great. The greens and blues were awesome. The size of the ship was much larger then I had imagined but not impossibly so. While the layout took a bit to get used to I can not say any thing badly about it. Our room was a balcony on the Verandah deck near the atrium elevators. The room was not ready quite yet but we were able to leave what little we carried on in the room and head off to grab something to eat at the Lido deck grill. After eating a little exploring, then back to the cabin to watch the buses and cabs dropping off cruisers and the forklifts moving the luggage to the ship. It was actually fun to watch as there were a few mishaps with the luggage falling from the carts; nothing appeared to have gotten broken though.
Of course there was that wonderful muster drill to attend before we could start truly enjoying our cruise. Having cruised before and not wanting to deal with the crowds as they fill the stairs, we went to our cabin and got our vests and headed to our muster station about 10 minutes prior to the actual drill. Yes, we got some strange looks, but we were not the only ones wanting to avoid the masses. Having almost no neck, wearing the vest is absolutely my least favorite thing to do, so I held it until the last possible moment. As with the wedding party late comers, there were those that just did not want to do the drill making those of us already there wait for them. But, like everything, the drill ended and we were heading out. 2 of us found chairs next to the window on the lido deck while the other took our vests back to the cabin. Watching the Miami shorelines disappear as we drank the special of the day, "The Fun Ship Special" was awesome. The 3 of us laughed and laughed as we started what we knew was going to be a great cruise.
Our dining room experiences were due to start that very evening at the 5:45 early dining in the Pacific dining room. Our table was No. 110. and it was located on the 2nd level. The only time that being on the 2nd level was a disappointment was when the wait staff was performing. Speaking of the wait staff, ours was fantastic and I mean fantastic. They were always there to fulfill our wants and needs. It was also the time to meet our tablemates. We were seated at an 8-top which was what we were looking for, a chance to meet others. Meet others we did, in the form of the Jason, his wife, sister-in-law and his parent-in-laws from Ohio. Jason was a hoot and called himself a redneck. He added some great times to dinner and we were all sad when we had to say good bye. With Jason, it was all about "Git R Done" and our wait staff did just that.
We spent the rest of the evening exploring the ship and just relaxing. To say that this was the perfect start to a great vacation is only half of what it was. When we booked the cruise we had thought we were going to do the Western itinerary but thanks to hurricane Wilma, the route was change to the Eastern Itinerary. This meant that we would have almost 2 days at sea to start the cruise. We really enjoyed have a full day at sea at the beginning of the cruise as it gave us a chance to learn the ship and just have a relaxing day, not having to worry about getting ready for a port.
Tuesday we arrived in San Juan at about 3pm. As we got close to the port the Norwegian Dawn was just heading out. Behind us Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas was following us in. Due to the different locations of the docks in San Juan we had a great view of not only the ship but of San Juan. There was a small airplane runway strip that also gave us lots of things to watch, and I can not forget the birds that were flying around.
Carnival offered an excursion called San Juan Nightlife. It gave us a chance to see both Old and New San Juan and to also do some shopping. Am unsure if I will get off the ship the next time, if I do it will be to just get a cab and do some shopping.
Wednesday we arrived in St Maarten at about 10am. The view from the ship was spectacular. We could not get over how beautiful the islands were. We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed down for our excursion.
This excursion was offered by Carnival and was called "4 X 4 Jeep Expedition". I can not tell you the fun we had. We got the chance to see the island and see both the French and Dutch sides. I would recommend and have recommended this excursion. It is about 4 hours in length and there is shopping and a beach stop as well as seeing the entire island. Depending on what is offered next time, I may even take this one again.
Thursday we arrived in St Thomas about 6:30am to wonderful views of the island once again. The ship was docked right next to the shopping area and it was fun to watch the people shopping and getting ready for tours. Since we had a 1 pm tour, I did some shopping first. I could not get over how hot it was here as compared to the other 2 ports, but it did not stop me.
Again, Carnival offered an excursion, "The Best of St Thomas Island Tour", which is what we took. We traveled aboard an Airbus and got to see the island and all it had to offer. The Great House, the views of the other islands and the beaches was fantastic.
The one thing that stands out to me about all the tours and the islands was the streets. I have never seen such narrow streets or the amount of traffic that travels on them. The beauty of the islands and the amount of things that we saw and learned is what has compelled us to do the same cruise again next year. There was so much we did not see and can hardly wait to have the chance.
The next 2 days were spent at sea and it was great. A chance to relax from all of the activities that had filled the last 3 days. To just enjoy what the ship had to offer and enjoy each other.
Since hurricanes Wilma and Alpha decided to happen, movement on the ship was a bit noticeable, but nothing that affected us and our enjoyment, if anything, it added to the adventure and gave us some fun memories.
As to the ship itself, I found it to be beautiful. Sure there were some blemishes, but nothing eye popping or even bothersome. What minor things we did find were created during the cruise by the passengers themselves and were handled as quickly as possible to either fix or clean up. The layout was a bit different, but if one just took their time and thought about were they were and were they where going, getting around was easy enough.
Debarkation was easy enough. We got up around 7 or so and headed to the dining room for breakfast. This gave us a chance to enjoy the ship a bit longer and to watch the happenings at the port. We had to laugh as we eating at our tablemates. They wanted to do the self assist and yet did not get to the dining room to eat until 8am. Of course time was tight for them to eat and then do the self assist and they were fussing that it was taking so long to be served, and yet, all it would have taken was them planning their time better, yes getting up earlier, and they would not have been rushed.
We went back to our cabin to get the carryon items we had still waiting there, and then headed to the Caribbean lounge to wait for our color to be called. When our color was called we sadly left the ship and went to claim our luggage. While finding our luggage, which was easy enough, we also found a porter to help us handle it. No we did not have that many pieces, counting carryon, we had 6 pieces for 3 people, but this enabled us to not have to deal with it. The porter also found us a cab, loaded our luggage in the cab and we were on our way by 9:30.
Ok, this is a really long review and I have missed stuff and have included things that maybe I should not have, but it was a great cruise and I loved every minute of it. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. I also have some pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecruisingwalls/.
Carnival Victory-September 13, 2006 Canada/New England-Boston, Portland, Saint John, and Halifax Room: 1201 (1A-guarantee)
AIRPORT/EMBARKATION: Everything in New York seems to happen in one hour intervals. Our flight arrived at LaGuardia at 12:30pm. The bus loaded at 1:30 and at 2:30 we arrived at the Pier. The baggage handlers did take the luggage off the bus and directed you to the freight elevators to reach the second floor for check in. By 3:10 we were on the ship but after you activated your sign and sail card there was no direction to get to your cabin. The atrium was already crowded with guests which made it difficult to navigate thru the area to the elevators. The Life Boat Drill was at 3:30 with ship departure around 4:45.
PORT DEPARTURE: This was my favorite sail away. The Starboard side sees the Status of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Port Side see the New York Sky Line and Ground Zero. After that the ship sails under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, there is little room between the ship funnel and the bottom of the bridge. It was an experience to be on the Sky Deck(Deck 14) and come so close to the bridge.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The room was a 1A guarantee with a twin bed/sofa converting to a bed and two port hole windows. It was the last cabin forward located on the Riviera deck. This location was convenient for debarkation on port days and the last day the room steward let us stay in the room until our deck was called then we debarked via one the crews gangways. Since the Dining Rooms are on Decks 3 and 4 and the Caribbean Lounge on Decks 3-5, you could use the stairs and avoid the elevator.
PORTS OF CALL/SHORE EXCURSIONS: Boston: Fenway Park. History Tour not a Sports Tour. You donâ?Tt have to be a baseball fan to love this trip just be able to walk up and down a lot of stairs. The first stop was the press boxes, then the Hall of Fame. We were able to walk on the field to the scoreboard and look thru the slats to see the signatures on the wall inside. Later climbing the stairs to sit in the seats above the Green Monster. Leaving the Park via Autograph Alley. On the 30 minute trip to and from the park our guided pointed the historical sites of Boston making you realize you need to return for several days to see everything.
Portland, Maine: Best of Portland and Kennebunkport: This tour starts with a drive thru the port area past Victorian Homes, pubs, shops and restaurants. The tour does stop at the Portland Head Light. Then its on to Kennebunkport for a stop at Dock Square for lobster rolls and shopping. The bus does go past the Bush Estate at Walkers Point, but the buses are not allowed to stop. Our guide did tell us that secret service has turned buses back. The shops in Portland are located on Commercial Blvd.
Saint John, New Brunswick: Saint John Photography Tour: The Saint John Photography Tour is hosted by a local photographer who gives tips on taking better vacation pictures. Since a foggy day in Saint John is the norm, he concentrated on what you can photograph when the weather hampers your day. Stops were at Carleton Martello Tour, Reversing Falls Rapids, and Rockwood Park. The tides change rapidly in Saint John. Twice daily the tides of the Bay of Fundy reach such heights that they actually force the Saint John River to change direction and flow up river. The rapids at the mouth of the river actually change direction. Our guide stopped here at the beginning and the end of the trip to show the big difference in the tides in such a short period of time. After visiting Rockwood Park, we walked thru the Old City markets which has local vendors.
When you disembark the ship locals hand all the women roses. There is a vendors tent outside the ship area which also has local vendors. There are a lot of great architecture outside the port area.
Halifax, Nova Scotia: Trolley tour in the Heart of Halifax: The trolley tour starts with a drive along the waterfront, passes the Public Gardens then heads up the hill for a stop at the Citadel. Our stop at the Citadel included the noon firing of the cannon and enough time for pictures. The last stop was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery for a visit to the graves of the Titanic passengers. Our guide gave us suggestions for places to return to visit in the afternoon. Thereâ?Ts a bus stop right outside the terminal (FRED) that stops at all the downtown area sites. The shops located in the terminal area have some of the shops that are located downtown.
SHIP: Dining/Entertainment/Staff We had all our dinners in the Atlantic Dining Room. The dining staff was excellent, very friendly and accommodating. Several days we had breakfast and lunch in the Pacific dining room. The two shows Livin In America and Vrooom were excellent productions. This was the first time I saw the Legends show featuring guests and the production dancers, a very enjoyable show.
A very enjoyable itinerary and ship.


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By Cory Nealon
4:02 PM EDT, September 23, 2011
Attention Canada: NASA likes your robots.
Speaking at an aviation conference Thursday in Virginia Beach, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden praised our northern neighbors for their skills in the artificial intelligence world.
"Canadians are incredible at robotics!" Bolden told a few hundred people.
The outburst came as Bolden talked about how NASA needs to work with other countries to advance its goals. He also singled out Russians for their ability to build engines.
Copyright © 2014, Newport News, Va., Daily Press


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Very good, but the prep work made quite a mess of my kitchen, especially the orange paprika-rich oil that needed to be skimmed from the juice at the end. Next time I'll cut some of my larger potatoes into fourths, some of my potatoes weren't done all the way through. Also, the entire recipe just barely fit into my crockpot. Next time I'll only make a half batch.
Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Quarters
Photo: Hector Sanchez
The key to this dish is to brown the chicken before it goes into the slow cooker. (See "The Art of Browning," below.)
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
More From Southern Living
Recipe Time
Hands On:
25 Minutes
Total: 4 Hours, 25 Minutes
- 3 carrots or celery ribs
- 5 pounds chicken leg quarters
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons pimentón (sweet smoked Spanish paprika)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
- 12 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 pounds fingerling Yukon gold potatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Garnish: fresh rosemary
- 1. Place carrots in a single layer in a 5-qt. slow cooker.
- 2. Remove skin from chicken, and trim fat. Stir together rosemary, pimentón, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Rub mixture over chicken.
- 3. Sauté garlic in 3 Tbsp. hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon; reserve oil in skillet. Cook half of chicken in reserved oil in skillet 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown. Transfer to slow cooker, reserving drippings in skillet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- 4. Add broth and garlic to reserved drippings in skillet, and cook 1 minute, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 hours.
- 5. Toss potatoes with 1 tsp. oil and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook 2 more hours.
- 6. Transfer chicken and potatoes to a serving platter, and pour juices from slow cooker through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; skim fat from juices. Serve immediately with chicken and potatoes.
- The Art of Browning Browning meats and poultry before simmering in the slow cooker yields major depth of flavor plus a picture-perfect presentation, so don't be tempted to skip it. First, pat the meat dry with paper towels before seasoning. Set a heavy stainless-steel or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet (not nonstick) over medium to medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot enough for the oil to shimmer--the meat should hiss and sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. Be sure not to crowd the pan; doing so drops the temp, causing the meat to steam rather than form a crisp crust. Don't turn the meat until the bottom is well-browned.
Also featured in: Southern Living Our Best Slow Cooker Suppers, Southern Living, November 2013
My Notes
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Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Quarters Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Main Dishes
- CONVENIENCE: Make-Ahead, Family
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Poultry
- COOKING METHOD: Slow Cook
- PUBLICATION: Southern Living
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16 Year Old David E. Johnston 1845-1917 FIST HAND ACCOUNT OF CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS.
The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War.
Portland, Or.: Glass & Prudhomme Co., c1914. DAVID E. JOHNSTON, of the 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment Author of "Middle New River Settlements"
The Confederate soldier was truly an American, for his people in the South were the truest type of Americans in the land, having very little foreign population among them. Again, this Confederate soldier was born and reared a gentleman, was so by instinct. He was not a mercenary; he was neither for conquest nor aggression, but stood purely for self-defense. He believed in his inmost soul that no people had juster cause, higher aspirations, or made braver or nobler resolves for cause, country, families, homes and firesides. I turn to ask, who were these Confederate soldiers? They were principally country folks, farmers, mechanics, school boys, as stated; native born Americans, descendants of Revolutionary patriots, by no means all slave owners; thousands never owned slaves, and many were opposed to the institution. The Confederate soldier was always impatient of military restraint, feeling himself the equal of and as good as any man, and not inferior to his superior in rank; in battle, as a rule, his own general; his individuality and self-reliance, among his noted characteristics, were the crowning glory of his actions, and this self-reliance taught him when it was wise and prudent to fight, and when it was the better part of valor to decline. On the battlefield he was at his best; "his clothes might be ragged, but his musket and saber were bright. His haversack empty, but he kept his cartridge box filled. Often his feet were bare, blistered and bleeding; occasionally he might straggle on the march, but was up when the battle was on."
Barefoot, ragged, without food, no pay and nothing to buy if he had money, he marched further, laughed louder, making the welkin ring with his rebel yell; endured more genuine suffering, hardship and fatigue, fought more bravely, complained and fretted less, than any soldier who marched beneath the banners of Napoleon. His nerve was steady and his aim was sure, and his powers of endurance and resistance unmeasured. This same Confederate soldier fought and hoped and hoped and fought:
"Sometimes he won, then hopes were high;
Again he lost, but it would not die;
And so to the end he followed and fought,
With love and devotion, which could not be bought."
Though his ears were often greeted with the cries of woe and distress of those at home (enough to break his heart), his ardor chilled not; he had a never faltering courage; his spirit remained unbroken, his convictions never yielded. In the darkest hour of our peril, in the midst of dark and lowering clouds, with scarcely the glimmer of a star of apparent hope, he still stood firm and grasped his musket with a tighter grip. Following is the description given of this soldier by another:
"Look at the picture of this soldier as he stood in the iron and leaden hail, with his old, worn out slouch hat, his bright eyes glistening with excitement, powder-begrimed face, rent and ragged clothing, with the prints of his bare feet in the dust of the battle, a genuine tatterdemalion, fighting bravely, with no hope of reward, promotion or pay, with little to eat and that often cornbread and sorphum molasses. If he stopped a Yankee bullet and was thereby killed, he was buried on the field and forgotten, except by comrades or a loving old mother at home."
"In the solemn shades of the wood that swept
The field where his comrades found him,
They buried him there - and the big tears crept
Into strong men's eyes that had seldom wept.
His mother - God pity her! - smiled and slept,
Dreaming her arms were around him."
In modern times there has never been such valor and heroism displayed as in our Civil War, never such soldiers as the Union and Confederate, and certainly never such as the Confederate soldiers, and it would be nothing to their credit to have achieved victories over less valorous foes than the Union soldiers, and no credit to the Union soldiers that they overwhelmed men of less bravery. The individuality of the Confederate soldier was never lost, and this with his self-possession and intelligent thought made him well nigh invincible. The Army of Northern Virginia as a whole was never driven, from a battlefield, although confronted by as good soldiers as were on the continent. No danger could appall these men of Lee, no peril awe, no hardships dismay, no numbers intimidate. To them duty was an inspiration. They had devastated no fields, desecrated no temples and plundered no people, always respecting woman, and feared no man. The record of these soldiers since the war is clean, their names a stranger to criminal records; few, if any, who followed Lee have been behind the bars of a jail. He was their great exemplar. Thousands of these non-commissioned officers and private soldiers, after the first year of the war, were fitted not only to command regiments, but could well have filled much higher military positions.
Great soldiers were Lee, Johnston, Jackson, Longstreet, Hills, Pickett, Stuart and others, but who made them great? No generals ever had such soldiers. It was these Confederates in the ranks that made the names of their generals immortal.


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Funny Birthday Quotes and Sayings - Page 2
Happy birthday!! May you live long enough to sh*t yourself!
You sure don't look your age, you look way older! Happy birthday oldie!
I don't know your name, but your birthday cake was delicious.
You are not over the hill. You are on top of it and the view is magnificent.
"Happy Birthday" is normally what people tell you every year, but it's more like "Congrats! You're officially one year closer to being dead! Good for you!"
Every year someone asks me "What are you doing for your birthday?" and every year I say "Celebrating, idiot!"
Happy 29th Birthday! (again)
Birthdays are like boogers the more you have the harder it is to breath.
As you slide down the bannister of life… May the splinters never point the wrong way.
Celebrating another birthday means another year closer to seeing God's face.
It's proven that at the age 41 you start to lose your memory. We can only hope!
Now I'm not saying the professor is old, but if you consider his age – he's likely to die soon.
Too young to die, too old to rock n roll.
Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know WHY I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.
The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
I know it's your birthday but I have no idea how old you are.
People say that the good die young, but if that is true how evil are you if you get older and older!
Old age is when you reverse your car from your driveway into your neighbor's swimming pool across the road and believe it was the car's fault and not yours.
Birthday – It is a day when you will be happy for wasting one more year.
Birthdays: Keep doing them every year and one day you'll wake very old.
Just imagine the things you'd want to hear on your birthday and assume I said them. Mwah!
There are lots of good people in the world. One of them would like to wish you a happy birthday.
I'm not going to make any age related jokes because I genuinely feel bad about how old you are.
Don't forget to wear your birthday suit…but check it for wrinkles first!
OMG!!!! It's your birthday! Have a blast and I hope you enjoy your day. P.S Try not to think about your age.
Old enough to know better…Young enough to still do it.
Go celebrate age and have fun going around the sun… HAPPY GETTING OLD…
They say the older you get the more respect you get.So I just want you to know I have all the respect in the world for you!
It has been scientifically proven that too many birthdays will kill you.
Of course you're not old! You aren't very young either.
When asked how old I am I reply, "Old enough to know better, and young enough to do it again!"


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By Amanda Hatfield
Staff writer
TITUSVILLE -- The hard work and extraordinary vision of three young minds paid off this month, when they each received an outstanding honor for their efforts.
St. Teresa Catholic School students Azyiah Haynes, Bjorn Tapia and Isabella Ebaugh-Santos each claimed "Best in Show" at the Brevard County Catholic Schools Science and Art Fair on March 14.
"Third-through sixth-grade students, winning science projects from their individual schools, were judged at the county level during the Brevard County Catholic Schools Science and Art Fair," said Dawn Melcher, Orlando Diocese regional marketing director for Brevard and Volusia Counties. "Kindergarten through eighth-grade students' art projects were judged in the art portion of the competition."
Fourth-grader Azyiah Haynes received "Best in Show" in art for her depiction of flowers blooming in a flower pot, topping 80 entries submitted third- to eighth-grade students throughout the county.
"I really like flowers and their beautiful colors, and this art represents beauty," Azyiah said. "Winning this award makes me excited and feel awesome. To me, this award has meant that I am a good artist."
Bjorn Tapia, a fifth-grader at St. Teresa Catholic School, was awarded "Best in Show" for his science project, in the fifth- and sixth-grade physical science category.
"My project is 'Which three-dimensional shape will reflect the most light?'" Bjorn said. "I found out that, the more surfaces that the object has, the more light it will reflect."
Bjorn also discovered that, if the shape's surfaces are not the same, the light it reflects will be determined by which way the shape is facing.
"Receiving this award means that I did a good job," Bjorn added.
Rounding out the "Best in Show" sweep for St. Teresa Catholic School is fourth-grade student Isabella Ebaugh-Santos, who also received her award in the third- and fourth-grade physical science category.
"My project was, 'How far will a car go if you put it on a ramp at different heights?" Isabella said.
In her tests, Isabella discovered that the highest ramp would yield the car that traveled the greatest distance.
"Receiving this award makes me very happy," Isabella said.
For more information, visit www.brevardcatholicschools.org.
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The Goodish started as a series of conversations about music. Mostly e-mail sent back and forth between friends and like-minded music fans in Texas and California with the subject: You must hear (or see, or read) this. Each passing along some recently unearthed song ,or singer, or band that needed to be heard (or seen, or read about). We felt slightly guilty about keeping these conversations to ourselves, so this site is our effort to spread the wealth. We feature reviews, videos, mp3s and general thoughts on good music. Our contributors are located in Fort Worth, Texas, and San Luis Obispo, Calif., so from time to time, we feature local music from these areas.
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Comic by Adrian Ramos (better known to his fans as "Adis") about a hyperactive young girl named Katie, her neurotic mother, and their shared imaginary friend, a sheep named Ship.Originally intended as an endless variation on the joke that when Katie wants to go to sleep she only needed to count sheep — of which she only had one, which made it very easy. Very soon Adis realised that this joke would wear very thin very fast, and began following Katie and Ship in their day-to-day lives instead, introducing her mother Laurie as a character (for six years, these three were the only people to ever appear in the strip; recently Laurie's sister and became the fourth (and her newborn baby would become the fifth)). Laurie even started getting her own "Back in Time" strips, flashing back to when she was a kid and she and Ship had the kind of relationship that he now has with Katie.One of the few G-rated webcomics ever produced (along with Irregular Webcomic!), it mostly focuses on single gags and humorous, epigrammatic observations, although at times it has longer story arcs, and it is gradually establishing a backstory about Laurie's romance with her late husband.In addition to the regular comic, the artist posts fanart he has done for other comics, and a series of The Far Side-like single panel strips called "Adrianisms."Seems to be an Orphaned Series as Adis hasn't updated it since 2011.Can be read here.
This webcomic provides examples of:
Now go to bed!