The smallest and greenest island of the Dutch Caribbean is also a divers' paradise. Saba has an undisturbed and protected underwater world.
That´s why sailing boats and small cruises specialising in diving always find Saba a highlight of their logbook.
The mountainous inland has lush vegetation and tropical rainforests which are just perfect for hikers to go wandering and exploring. If the title "Green Island" were applicable anywhere it is to Saba.
This smallest island of the Dutch Caribbean, is a round unpolished emerald lying in the deep blue sea. Grass-covered hills and tropical rainforests are beautifully layered on a long extinct Volcano.
And its coast ......a fascinating underwater world rich in flora and fauna. Being the top of an extinct volcano rising out of the sea is what gives Saba its unusual and majestic beauty, like a landscape plucked out of a book of fairy tales.
Columbus spotted Saba during his second voyage in 1493, but the first settlers, shipwrecked English sailors, came only in 1632. Today the 13 sqm isle, after a long history of changing hands, has been Dutch-ruled since 1912, and is shared by 1,200 inhabitants.
It is as if a little of Switzerland were planted in the Caribbean. Saba's mountanous topography has shaped its architecture and way of life. One finds green hills and pretty little houses and cottages, some of which are nestled against rocky mountain slopes. However, this minature Switzerland, in comparison to the original, has the added advantage of an almost constant year round temperature of 27°C.
Upon arrival by air the visitor experiences one of the most exciting sides of Saba. The runway of the tiny airport found on the "Flat Point" on the east side of the island is only 400m long and surrounded on 3 sides by spectacular cliffs.
Reaching the island used to be slower and more arduous. Ships anchored in the rough "Ladder Bay" on the west coast. To reach the middle of the island travellers had to climb 600 steps carved out of the cliff rocks and known as "the Ladder".
All goods brought to the island, right down to building materials, had to be carried up the steep stairs. Today there is a real port at Fort Bay and from there the only real road on Saba, "the Street" takes you to all 4 main parts of the island.
Saba´s capital is "the Bottom" home to half the island's population. Between white houses with fine red roofs, the pastel coloured governor´s house and the 200 year old Anglican church, life on Saba moves at a very pleasant and amiable pace. This tranquil atmosphere can best be enjoyed with a typical island meal in one of the cosy restaurants.
Only in July does the pace really step up. It´s carnival time and Sabans celebrate it as brightly and lively as any of their Caribbean neighbours.
The best thing about the picturesque little Saban villages Hell´s Gate and St.Johns´ is most certainly the trip there. The road has some of the most breathtaking views of the neighbouring islands, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Barths.
The largest place on Saba is Windside, a beautiful village with small and winding lanes. Here you´ll find the only museum of the island, in a house with green window shutters, a four-poster bed and lots of memorabilia and antique pieces that give the visitor a real look into what life was like for a Dutch ship´s captain in the 1800´s.
And if it's souveniers you're after, you´ll probably strike gold at the Breadfruit Gallery, where you can find an array of wonderful handicrafts and paintings by local artists.
Two Saban specialities that just shouldn't be missed are Saba Spice, a rum liqueur with fennel aroma and the so-called Spanish Work, needlework in linen and fine emboidery.
The highest point on the island is the former volcano summit, whose point is often nestled in the clouds. As a natural landmark, this mountain has a very special significance for the Dutch. At 887 m, the "Mountain" or "Mount Scenery" as Sabans call it, is the highest mountain of the Netherlands.
Saba does not have large deposits of inland waters, but the tropical climate and humidity act like a sponge that releases moisture, keeping the oleander trees and hibiscus in full bloom and the dense rainforests in the island's interior green.
Last, but not least, Saba has become nicknamed "unspoiled queen" due to her unique, untouched underwater enviroment.
Diving into her crystal clear waters is an unforgettable experience. And so that generations to come may also enjoy her natural wonders, the number of dive sites have been restricted. In 1987 the Saba Marine Park was founded to protect the fragile reefs, flora and fauna.
The park´s roughly 30 permanent mooring buoys have limited diver impact and have ensured that future divers will be able to enjoy the brilliantly coloured coral reefs, boulders and caves, all a product of the island´s volcanic origins.
Hot springs and underwater lava tunnels are other examples of volcanic geology. Due to her fiery volcanic origin, Saba lacks the classic beaches of other islands, which means most dives are boat rather than shore dives.
The spectacular and extensive diving region is found in the quieter Caribbean Sea between Diamond Rock, where you can swim with stingrays, sea turtles and small sharks, and Trent Bay, where you´ll find various tropical fish, bright sponges and coral. Mackarel and grouper are also often found swimming past.
Other dive sites, like Twilight Zone, and Third Encounter, offer exactly what their names suggest. Both rock faces lie next to each other and hang about 30 meters above the bottom of the seabed, covered through and through with enormous yellow, violet and orange coloured sponges and giant coral tubes of spectacular beauty.
All the dive shops on Saba offer diving courses at all levels, as well as accompanied dives and equipment rent.
And for those who prefer to go snorkelling the Torrens Point is a wonderful spot. Saba is to one of the most treasured destinations for small cruises that specialise in diving. One can therefore enjoy not only the island´s majestic terrain but also her beautiful underwater world.
Copyright © 2010 Global Travel All Rights Reserved.


Campus visits are the most important aspect of the college decision making process. Visits give you the opportunity to discover what makes our unique University the right fit for you. TROY welcomes you to come and see what makes our campus different, one that you will want to consider your home away from home.
While visiting Troy University in Troy, Alabama, you will have the opportunity to take part in a student-guided tour of campus. While learning the TROY history and traditions you will also tour various academic buildings and residence halls. Following your tour you will have the chance to meet with an Admissions Counselor to discuss admissions and scholarship opportunities, major and career options, housing possibilities and student life.
We invite you to register for a visit Monday - Friday at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. or on specified Saturdays for a TROY Tour or Trojan Day event.
Schedule your campus visit today and start getting to know TROY.
*Students interested in visiting other Alabama campuses must contact the specific campus for visit information and registration as available dates and times vary.


text:
UNESCO's Rebuff to BHP Billiton | Forest Society
The threat to protected areas was sufficiently acute to have prompted a rare official intervention from the usually apolitical UNESCO Asia Pacific office in Jakarta (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
UNESCO's letter appealed to Indonesian parliamentary committees considering government plans to mine in protected areas, with specific reference to tiny Gag Island in West Papua where BHP Billiton planned to build the biggest nickel mine in the world and dump mine waste into the sea.
The letter explained that an International Workshop in Hanoi in February 2002 chose the Raja Ampat archipelago including Gag Island as one of seven sites to consider for World Heritage listing from a field of 25 potential sites in Southeast Asia.
The extraordinary biodiversity findings in the Raja Ampat/Gag area listed 505 species of coral, which is an extraordinary 64% of all known coral species in the world. In addition, scientific findings also listed 1,065 fish species – amongst the highest fish diversity in the world. UNESCO's intervention was a blow to BHP Billiton's lobbying to overturn protected forest status.
International Civil Society, academics spoke out for forests turning the tables on hypocritical foreign government pressure asking the Indonesian government to weaken protected areas. Over 1,100 letters arrived from individuals and organizations in 43 countries in support of forest protection.
Apart from groups of renown such as the Sierra Club and the Orangutan Foundation, other letters addressed to Indonesian President Megawati include testimonials such as this from Beth Partin, who heard of US mining company Newmont's push to expand into Indonesia's protected forests: "I live near Denver, Colorado where Newmont is based. In Colorado, we live every day with the damage caused by mining, for example, the Alamosa River was poisoned more than a decade ago by a cyanide leak and after years of cleanup is only beginning to show signs of life."
Around 6,000 sets of three postcards addressed to each of the House of Representatives, the Forestry Department and the Minister for Mineral Energy and Resources had been signed and sent by ordinary Indonesians as an expression of support for existing environment protections against mining.
Student environmentalists staged protests at the Australian Embassy in anger at Australia and other foreign government lobbying on behalf of mining companies. Protests were held at the House of Representatives and the Forestry Department.
The Students' actions were supported by statements opposing mining issued by groups of academics including a declaration of opposition to mining in protected areas issued on 3 July 2003 by heads of forestry education at five prestigious universities: Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Gajah Mada University, Mulawarman University, Hasanuddin University and Lampung University. Students and academics highlighted the total economic contribution made by sustainable forestry and environment protection, which according to Indonesia's national budget, outweighed that of mining, with much more potential untapped.
Paragraphs on Kalimantan (Borneo) Forests
Sustainable Forest Management: and Forest Conservation Methods
Forest: Speech for Kids on Forest

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Yesterday, the Globe Theatre in London asked its Twitter followers which words from Shakespeare had always stuck with them and which quotes inspired them. It's the sort of question that lights a gleam in my eye – a speculative, ruminative, reminiscent gleam – as I mull over the possibilities. It seems I am far from being the only one to be thus affected: the answers poured in all morning and I had great fun reading through them.
In the pantheon of literary gods that I revere, Shakespeare undoubtedly occupies the highest of high thrones. His words have surrounded me since childhood; I loved other authors for their storylines and characters, but it is to Shakespeare's cadences that I owe my love of the English language itself. To (mis)quote what his Anthony says of Cleopatra: "Age cannot wither [him], nor custom stale / [His] infinite variety".
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him." – Julius Caesar, Act III, scene 2. I never remember the rest of Marc Antony's speech (apart from the oft-repeated variants of "they are all, all honourable men"), nor even recall the plot of the play, despite having seen it twice; but my mother made me memorise it as a child, and the famous first line has stayed with me to this day.
"Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day / Stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops." – Romeo and Juliet, Act III, scene 5. Shakespeare's portrayal of the intensity of teenage love was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the favourite play of my own adolescence. I read and re-read it, and I knew whole passages by heart. Its star has since waned a little in my firmament, but the beauty of this line still makes me catch my breath.
"There was a star danced and under that was I born." – Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, scene 1. I will be eternally grateful to Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson for bringing this play alive for me and showing me just how funny Shakespeare could be. Amid all the quips exchanged by Benedick and merry, sharp-tongued Beatrice, this line (spoken to the Prince, before Benedick returns to annoy her once more) stands out for me because of its unexpected gentleness and poetry.
"Halloo your name to the reverberate hills / And make the babbling gossip of the air / Cry out 'Olivia!'" – Twelfth Night, Act I, scene 5. This play has, for many years now, supplanted Romeo and Juliet in my affections and held absolute sway over my heart. To me, it is almost perfect, and I could quote it ad infinitum. However, since one must choose… Cesario's willow cabin speech is one of my favourite parts, and for some reason, these two lines really resonate (forgive the pun) with me.
"A witchcraft drew me hither." –Twelfth Night, Act V, scene 1. I think this is one of the saddest lines in the play. Antonio, the sea-captain who rescued Sebastian and has been travelling with him, has been caught by Orsino's men and must justify his presence on enemy land. Amid all the hostility and the insults that ensue, we are suddenly given a glimpse of unrequited love and loneliness.
"Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love." – Hamlet, Act II, scene 2. I have never much cared for the Danish prince, his paranoia, his jealous love for his mother, or his suicidal tendencies, but I do think his words to Ophelia constitute one of the most beautiful declarations of love ever.
"When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past" – sonnet 30. Last but not least… Naturally, sonnets 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") and 116 ("Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments") rank high on my list of favourites, and the fact that I can still recite them, word for word, is a source of some pride to me; but this is the sonnet that moves me most. To me, it speaks not so much of love as of friendship, and it is the text that best sums up what I feel when I think of my best friend.
This entry was posted in Around the Tea-Table, Poets' Corner and tagged Globe Theatre, inspiration, London, quotes, Shakespeare. Bookmark the permalink.
What a lovely name, and a lovely blog! I'm new to blogging – (actually I just made my first post), but just discovered your site somehow in the black hole of the internet. I too am an avid reader, book lover and Shakespearean. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading many of your posts today, and hope you won't mind me adding your URL to my blog-list? For the record, my favorite Shakespeare quote comes from Richard The III – "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun [or son] of York".


text:
A katholikon or catholicon () or sobor (Slavonic: съборъ) refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church:
 The cathedral of a diocese.
 The major church building (temple) of a monastery corresponding to a conventual church in Western Christianity.
 A large church in a city at which all the faithful of the city gather to celebrate certain important feasts rather than go to their local parish church.

The name derives from the fact that it is (usually) the largest church where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. In Russia, it is common for a katholikon to have a smaller church in the basement which can be more easily heated in the winter. A katholikon may have special architectural features in it, such as a kathedra (episcopal throne), or both an esonarthex (inner-narthex) and exonarthex (outer narthex), used for special services such as the Paschal vigil or a lity.

The word katholikon is often translated into English as cathedral rather than assembly and that can cause confusion. In Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for example, there is a placard in Russian and in English describing the building as having been "кафедральный собор", rendered in English as the "cathedraly cathedral". However an Eastern Orthodox diocese may have several katholikons, only one of which is the bishop's cathedral, other important churches being known as katholicons. The rector of such churches is usually an archpriest.

References

Types of church buildings

Ecclesiology
Christian terminology
Greek words and phrases

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text:
Houston on the Move
Cover: Houston on the Move
A Photographic History
By Steven R. Strom, Photographs by Bob Bailey Studios
Presenting over two hundred previously unpublished images from the city's largest and most comprehensive photographic archive, this volume chronicles Houston's transformation into a city of international importance.
Series: Focus on American History, Don Carleton series editor
264 pages | 8.5 x 11 | 8.5 x 11 | 216 color photos |
Houston completely transformed itself during the twentieth century, burgeoning from a regional hub into a world-class international powerhouse. This remarkable metamorphosis is captured in the Bob Bailey Studios Photographic Archive, an unparalleled visual record of Houston life from the 1930s to the early 1990s. Founded by the commercial photographer Bob Bailey in 1929, the Bailey Studios produced more than 500,000 photographs and fifty-two 16 mm films, making its archive the largest and most comprehensive collection of images ever taken in and around Houston. The Bob Bailey Studios Archive is now owned by the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Houston on the Move presents over two hundred of the Bailey archive's most memorable and important photographs with extended captions that detail the photos' subjects and the reasons for their significance. These images, most never before published, document everything from key events in Houston's modern history—World War II; the Texas City Disaster; the building of the Astrodome; and the development of the Ship Channel, Medical Center, and Johnson Space Center—to nostalgic scenes of daily life. Bob Bailey's expertly composed photographs reveal a great city in the making: a downtown striving to be the best, biggest, and tallest; birthday parties, snow days, celebrations, and rodeos; opulent department stores; Hollywood stars and political leaders; rapid industrial and commercial growth; and the inexorable march of the suburbs. An irresistible "remember that?" book for long-time Houstonians, Houston on the Move will also be an essential reference for historians, photographers, designers, and city planners.
1930–1945: A City Comes of Age
1945–1960: Postwar Suburbanization and Expansion
1960–1991: City of the Future
STEVEN R. STROM
Cathedral City, California
A former director and architectural archivist at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Strom is the author of the award-winning book Houston Lost and Unbuilt.
"A masterfully crafted, organized, and executed book that makes an extremely important contribution to photographic history and to Houston's history. Bob Bailey did for Houston what nationally prominent photographers, including Berenice Abbot, Charles Sheeler, and Esther Bubley, did by documenting the growth of other American cities and America's twentieth-century advances in technology and industry. The photographs of the Bailey Collection superbly show Houston's meteoric rise to be arguably America's premier twentieth-century city."
Michael Botson, Houston Community College, and author of Labor, Civil Rights, and the Hughes Tool Company
"This book enriches many fields: architecture, interior design, retail design, urban development, social history. It will be a great resource for photographers, designers, developers, retailers, educators, and students of cities and urban growth. To those of us interested in Houston history, it is invaluable."
Barry Moore, Founder of the Workshop for Historic Architecture at the University of Houston and past president of the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects and of Preservation Houston
Houston Lost and Unbuilt
Where Texas Meets the Sea
The City in Texas
Cinema Houston