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Europa Universalis IV – gra komputerowa z gatunku grand strategy wargame osadzona w realiach epoki nowożytnej, wyprodukowana i wydana przez szwedzkie przedsiębiorstwo Paradox Interactive. Premiera gry odbyła się w 2013 roku w wersji na platformy Microsoft Windows, Macintosh oraz Unix. Europa Universalis IV stanowi czwartą numerycznie i piątą chronologicznie (po grze Europa Universalis: Rzym) część serii gier wojennych pod tytułem Europa Universalis. Gracz w niej przejmuje kontrolę nad dowolnym państwem historycznym z lat 1444–1821, próbując doprowadzić je do miana potęgi poprzez administrację posiadanych terenów, wspieranie rozwoju handlu, prowadzenie dyplomacji oraz działania militarne. Rozgrywka toczy się na planszy podzielonej na prowincje, z których gracz czerpie dochody przeznaczane na bieżące wydatki.

Europa Universalis IV stanowi twórcze rozwinięcie mechanizmów znanych z poprzedniej numerycznie części serii, Europy Universalis III. Oprócz odnowionego silnika graficznego wprowadza nowe rozwiązania w rozgrywce, częściowo zapożyczone z dodatków do Europy Universalis III (podejmowanie decyzji narodowych, zróżnicowanie buntowników i tym podobne elementy mechaniki gry), a po części nowatorskie w ramach serii. Między innymi finansowanie rozwoju technologicznego oraz stabilizacji państwa zostało uproszczone za sprawą systemu punktów monarchy; zmianie uległ również sposób prowadzenia handlu międzypaństwowego.

Europa Universalis IV została wyprodukowana w Paradox Development Studio, którego głównymi pracownikami byli projektanci Johan Andersson oraz Thomas Johansson. Głównym celem twórców było uproszczenie interfejsu gry oraz uczynienie jej bardziej przystępną dla nowicjuszy. Efektem zmian był pozytywny odbiór gry przez krytyków, którzy chwalili rozgrywkę, zmiany w serii oraz oprawę audiowizualną. Europa Universalis IV zyskała także popularność wśród graczy korzystających z systemu dystrybucji cyfrowej Steam.

Rozgrywka

Europa Universalis IV jest strategiczną grą czasu rzeczywistego, jako że gracz podejmuje w niej działania na bieżąco; twórcy wolą jednak określać ją mianem grand strategy game ze względu na rozbudowaną sieć zależności międzypaństwowych. Gracz rozpoczyna rozgrywkę na planszy, którą można przybliżać i oddalać; początkowo część mapy jest niewidoczna dla gracza, dodatkowo znane już obszary poza zasięgiem widzenia osnute są mgłą wojny. Na górze ekranu widnieją aktualna data w świecie gry i pasek informacyjny ze wskaźnikami dla kierowanego państwa (prestiż, stabilność itd.), a także pasek powiadomień ukazujący pilne zdarzenia oraz sytuacje; na dole ekranu położone są minimapa, pasek narzędziowy z podstawowymi opcjami do wybrania oraz dziennik wydarzeń z całego świata. Dodatkowo możliwe jest otwarcie wyspecjalizowanych interfejsów dotyczących poszczególnych aspektów zarządzania państwa.

W Europie Universalis IV gracz wciela się w przywódcę wybranego przez siebie państwa historycznego. Możliwe jest wybranie dowolnej daty rozpoczęcia gry z przedziału od 11 listopada 1444 roku do 31 grudnia 1820 roku; cel rozgrywki może ustalić sam gracz, aczkolwiek gra opiera się na systemie punktów zwycięstwa, przyznawanych za szczególne osiągnięcia gracza. Zarządzanie własnym państwem opiera się na administracji, dyplomacji, handlu oraz działaniach militarnych.

Administracja
W Europie Universalis IV państwo gracza podzielone jest na prowincje. Generują one dochody z produkcji i handlu, produkują też jednostki militarne. Gracz w poszczególnych prowincjach może wznosić budynki (na przykład sąd, świątynię czy katedrę), które na przykład zwiększają zdolności produkcyjne czy też siłę roboczą. Budynki podzielone są według kategorii (przykładowo rządowe, produkcyjne) oraz według rodzaju (budynki podstawowe, specjalne oraz manufaktury).

Administracja państwem dokonuje się przy użyciu nowego w serii systemu tzw. punktów monarchy. Państwem nominalnie kierują zmieniający się cyklicznie władcy. Oznaczeni są oni punktami umiejętności administracyjnych, dyplomatycznych i wojskowych, od których zależy skuteczność aktualnego władcy oraz prędkość przyrostu punktów monarchy. Dzięki nim gracz może podejmować decyzje skutkujące między innymi wznoszeniem nowych budowli, zatrudnianiem generałów i admirałów oraz przeprowadzeniem reform państwowych. Osobny element stanowią tzw. decyzje narodowe, czyli ustanawiane przez gracza dekrety skutkujące wprowadzeniem modyfikatorów do współczynników oraz zmianami w ustroju państwa. Możliwe dla gracza jest również zatrudnienie doradców, przynoszących bonusy do wskaźników państwa.

Punkty monarchów służą również do wynajdywania nowych technologii. W Europie Universalis IV nie są one finansowane bezpośrednio z budżetu państwa, jak w poprzednich odsłonach. Technologie w grze zostały podzielone na trzy kategorie: administracyjne, które odblokowują między innymi nowe ustroje, budynki i idee; dyplomatyczne, powiązane oprócz dyplomacji z rozwojem handlu i floty; a także wojskowe, poprawiające współczynniki armii oraz udostępniające nowe rodzaje jednostek. Wspomniane idee narodowe, odblokowywane wraz z postępem technologicznym, dodają nowe opcje dla państwa i modyfikatory do współczynników.

Gracz musi utrzymać stabilność swojego państwa. Jest ona wyrażona poprzez wskaźnik przyjmujący wartości od -3 do +3; stabilność wyższa od zera zmniejsza ryzyko buntów i podnosi dochody z podatków, natomiast niższa obniża skuteczność ściągania podatków i zwiększa prawdopodobieństwo powstań. Jako że w czwartej odsłonie serii zlikwidowano finansowanie odbudowy stabilności z budżetu, gracz może kosztem punktów monarchy spowodować jej przyrost. Na bunty ludności wpływają niekiedy też różnice w wyznawanej przez poszczególne prowincje religii. Z buntownikami, którzy występują w różnych postaciach (od chłopów do nacjonalistów), gracz może pójść na ugodę.

Ekonomia i handel
Gracz w trakcie rozgrywki wpływa również na budżet państwa. Dochody państwa pochodzą z produkcji, handlu czy też podatków; wydatki obejmują utrzymanie armii i floty, opłacanie prac nad technologiami i tym podobne pozycje. Gracz ma możliwość wpływania na budżet poprzez zmniejszanie wydatków, a w kryzysowych sytuacjach – zaciągania pożyczek. W przeciwieństwie do poprzednich części serii, w których należało spłacić pożyczkę po upływie określonego terminu, w Europie Universalis IV gracz ma możliwość spłaty w dogodnym momencie.

Handel również został zmieniony w stosunku do poprzednich części serii; poprzednio odbywał się w specjalnych centrach handlu, natomiast w Europie Universalis IV do wymiany handlowej przeznaczone są szlaki handlowe. Gracz może czerpać dochody z nich poprzez wysyłanie kupców; możliwości państwa w zakresie handlu zależą między innymi od skuteczności handlu, odległości od szlaku oraz polityki handlowej państwa.

Dyplomacja i wojna
W grze kluczową rolę odgrywa dyplomacja. Państwa powiązane są siecią zależności dyplomatycznych, zawierając wzajemne sojusze i umowy oraz prowadząc wojny. Stosunki między krajami wyrażone są zakresem liczbowym od -200 do 200. Gracz może – w zależności od rodzaju państwa – wypowiadać wojny, zawierać sojusze, zlecać działania wywiadowcze, zawierać mariaże dynastyczne, podejmować działania ekonomiczne względem innego kraju (wliczając embargo) i tym podobne. W specyficznych warunkach gracz ma również możliwość przejęcia kontroli nad papiestwem bądź Świętym Cesarstwem Rzymskim, co przynosi państwu korzyści.

Wojnę gracz może wypowiedzieć bez uszczerbku na reputacji państwa tylko wtedy, gdy ma stosowne casus belli. W przypadku wojny gracz ma do dyspozycji – w zależności od sytuacji na planszy – armię i flotę. Na tę pierwszą składają się pułki piechoty, kawalerii i artylerii; tę drugą reprezentują okręty ciężkie, lekkie, galery i statki transportowe. Poszczególne jednostki można łączyć w większe armie i vice versa – dzielić większe oddziały na mniejsze; kieruje się je do odpowiednich prowincji poprzez naciśnięcie prawego przycisku myszy. Gdy obie strony konfliktu spotkają się w określonej prowincji lub akwenie, dochodzi do bitwy. Jej wynik w dużej mierze zależy od morale obu stron oraz technologii państw; armia, która straci wszystkie punkty morale, ucieka z pola bitwy. Pomyślny atak na wrogą prowincję skutkuje oblężeniem, po którym gracz ją zajmuje. Prowincje są główną kartą przetargową przy negocjacji z wrogimi siłami; możliwe jest żądanie od wroga na przykład określonych prowincji, zapłacenia kontrybucji, przyznania niepodległości innym państwom lub zerwania układów z innymi państwami.

Produkcja
Europa Universalis IV została wyprodukowana przez Paradox Development Studio, filię szwedzkiego przedsiębiorstwa Paradox Interactive. Pracami nad grą kierowali Johan Andersson, autor jej projektu, oraz Thomas Johansson, pełniący funkcję głównego projektanta. Po produkcji Europy Universalis III studio producenckie ustaliło, że nowa część serii nie będzie różniła się zbytnio od poprzedniczek. Zamiast tego postanowiono skupić się na dopracowaniu istniejących elementów gry, co nie wykluczało jednak wprowadzenia nowych rozwiązań. Jednym z nich jest system punktów monarchy prowadzący do personalizacji przywódców państw. Został on zapożyczony z innej gry Paradoksu pod nazwą Crusader Kings II: Mroczne wieki z 2012 roku. Podobne zmiany dotyczą systemu handlu, który jednak został maksymalnie uproszczony dla zapewnienia graczowi prostoty obsługi. Ostatnią znaczącą zmianą było wprowadzenie nowego, autorskiego silnika gry Clausewitz Engine, który obsługuje grafikę trójwymiarową.

Zadaniem postawionym przez Johanssona było "uczłowieczenie" gatunku grand strategy game, postrzeganego wówczas jako przeznaczonego jedynie dla koneserów gier strategicznych. Stąd zmiany dotyczące interfejsu, który stał się czytelniejszy dla przeciętnego gracza. Andersson z kolei stwierdził, że zamierza tworzyć gry, w które sam chciałby grać, i tym kierował się przy nadzorowaniu projektu. Zaznaczył przy tym, że Europa Universalis IV niczym nie różni się od poprzednich części serii w kwestii złożoności świata gry. Andersson zdecydował również o przywróceniu systemu wydarzeń historycznych, dopasowanych jednak do rzeczywistości na planszy; stąd w krytycznej sytuacji w Anglii może wybuchnąć konflikt podobny do Wojny Dwóch Róż. Zrównoważono zarazem stopień trudności zarządzania poszczególnymi państwami, aby nie dochodziło do sytuacji, w której na planszy rządzą same imperia. Mimo podobieństw do serii Civilization w zarządzaniu imperium Europa Universalis IV nie narzuca graczowi szczególnego celu; Johansson przyrównał ją do piaskownicy, w której gracz sam ustala, co chce osiągnąć.

Europa Universalis IV miała premierę 13 sierpnia 2013 roku w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Wydał ją sam Paradox Interactive na platformy Microsoft Windows, Macintosh oraz implementacje systemu Unix. Gra była również dystrybuowana poprzez system dystrybucji cyfrowej Steam.

Dodatki do gry
Paradox Interactive oferuje graczom kupno dodatków do gry, które pełnią funkcje rozszerzeń:
 Europa Universalis IV: American Dream (2013) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise (2013) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations (2014) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Res Publica (2014) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Art of War (2014) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense (2015) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado (2015) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: The Cossacks (2015) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum (2016) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man (2016) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Mandate of Heaven (2017) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome (2017) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Cradle of Civilization (2017) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia (2018) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Dharma (2018) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Golden Century (2018) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Emperor (2020) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Leviathan (2021) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Origins (2021) – PC
 Europa Universalis IV: Lions Of The North (2022) – PC

Odbiór gry

Europa Universalis IV została entuzjastycznie przyjęta przez recenzentów; zyskała też popularność wśród graczy, gdyż w sierpniu 2013 roku znajdowała się w czołówce najczęściej kupowanych gier dystrybuowanych przez Steam. Maciej Kozłowski ze strony Gry-Online stwierdził, że "to zdecydowanie najlepsza, najbardziej satysfakcjonująca i najciekawsza część sagi". Zdaniem T.J. Hafera z amerykańskiego pisma "PC Gamer" pozycja, będąca arcydziełem wśród gier strategicznych, idealnie wypełnia niszę między Civilization V oraz tradycyjnymi strategicznymi grami wojennymi. Daniel Shannon z portalu GameSpot uznał Europę Universalis IV za szczytowe osiągnięcie serii; tak samo ocenił grę redaktor witryny IGN Rowan Kaiser, upatrując w niej pozycję godną klasyka gatunku.

Krytycy doceniali na ogół rozgrywkę oraz zmiany wprowadzone w stosunku do poprzednich części serii. Kaiser docenił fakt, że gra w sposób logiczny za pomocą wydarzeń losowych konstruuje sytuację na planszy, nie idąc jednak po linii sztywnej prawdy historycznej. Shannon pozytywnie ocenił też nowy sposób wysyłania dyplomatów, misjonarzy, osadników i kolonistów, którzy pozostają w miejscu przeznaczenia aż do osiągnięcia sukcesu, za co grę chwalił również José Álvaro Sañudo Díaz z hiszpańskiej strony Meristation. Shannon uznał za właściwe także zmiany w zachowaniu sztucznej inteligencji, zarazem krytykował jednak grę w chwili premiery za poważne błędy konstrukcyjne, w rodzaju wasali stających się przywódcami sojuszu militarnego. Ponadto Claudio Chianese z włoskiej filii IGN-u zwrócił uwagę na to, że Europa Universalis IV zbytnio opiera się na systemie punktów monarchy, co ogranicza możliwości gracza. Ponadto jego zdaniem nadal bardzo trudno kieruje się pozaeuropejskimi państwami, przy czym narzekał na ahistoryczny system frakcji w przypadku państwa dynastii Ming.

Pochwały zebrały także nowy interfejs i oprawa audiowizualna. Mattias Holberg, redaktor szwedzkiej filii portalu Eurogamer, uznał interfejs za dużo bardziej intuicyjny niż w poprzednich częściach serii, a tym samym zwiększający przyjemność z rozgrywki; zarazem zwrócił uwagę na to, że nadal gra jest bardzo skomplikowana. Zdaniem Kozłowskiego stopień złożoności rozgrywki nawet się zwiększył, ale recenzent docenił fakt, że wszystkie ważniejsze wskaźniki zostały pokazane "w czytelny i zrozumiały sposób", według Hafera – graniczący nawet z traktowaniem gracza jak idioty. Shannon zarazem zauważył, że dołączony do gry samouczek nadal nie wyjaśnia wielu tajników rozgrywki. Kaiser był też zniesmaczony systemem handlu, który na tle złożonych elementów gry wydał mu się trywialny. Powszechnie chwalono natomiast nowy silnik graficzny; Shannon opisał mapę terenu jako "fantastyczną" i pełną życia, Kozłowski z aplauzem przyjął drobiazgowe elementy mapy oraz modele postaci, Díaz zaś uznał oprawę graficzną za przełom techniczny w porównaniu nie tylko z poprzednimi grami serii, ale również względem innych gier Paradoksu korzystających z Clausewitz. W podsumowaniu Shannon stwierdził, że zmiany w porównaniu z poprzednimi częściami serii są zdecydowanie na plus, a zdaniem Holmberga Europa Universalis IV stanowi archetyp wśród gier strategicznych.

Uwagi

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Linki zewnętrzne
 Oficjalna strona gry
 Europa Universalis IV na stronie Paradoksu

2013 w grach komputerowych
Gry komputerowe wyprodukowane w Szwecji
Strategiczne gry czasu rzeczywistego
Gry na platformę Windows
Gry na platformę macOS
Gry na platformę Linux
Gry z serii Europa Universalis


OpenClassrooms courses are concise. They are great if you want to have a general idea about the subject that is covered.
Good courses to get the fundamental info but you have to pay if you want to do a project to practise your new skills.


Question: Does the ruling of the traveller apply to [long distance] drivers of cars and buses who continuously work during the day in Ramadhaan?
Response: Yes, the ruling of the traveller applies to them, so they are to shorten the prayer and refrain from fasting.
So if someone said: When do they fast whilst their job is continuous?
We say: They are to fast during the winter days because they are short and cold days.
As for the [local] drivers within cities, then the ruling of the traveller does not apply to them, rather they are required to fast.


This and 7 other objects are a part of a set whose first object is Album.
This is a Bound print. We acquired it in 1931. Its medium is etching. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.


text:
Devotional Reading for the Commemoration of Joanna, Mary, and Salome
Concordia Publishing House August 3, 2018
Today we remember Joanna, Mary, and Salome, the women who went to Jesus' grave to anoint His body with spices. Our devotion is from Concordia Bible Story Book.
Jesus had foretold that He would rise from His grave on the third day after He died. The third day was the next Sunday.
Very early that morning, before sunup, a group of faithful women who had watched the burial of Jesus were on their way to Joseph's garden. They wanted to finish the work of putting perfumed ointments on the body of their beloved Master. In the group were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women whose names the Bible does not tell us.
But before the women arrived at the garden, wonderful things had happened there. A great earthquake had shaken the place. At the same time an angel of the Lord had come, rolled away the stone that closed the grave, and sat on it. The face of the angel was as bright as lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.
The appearance of the angel terrified the soldiers guarding the grave. Trembling in fear, they fell to the ground and became like dead men. As soon as they recovered somewhat from their fright, they got up and fled to Jerusalem.
The women knew nothing about this, and they did not think of the promise of Jesus that He would become alive that day. Instead, their minds were on the large, heavy stone that closed the door of Jesus' grave. And they wondered who would roll it away.
When the women came near Joseph's garden, the sun was rising. Soon they were within sight of the grave. Suddenly they stopped and stared. The great stone no longer covered the entrance of the grave. Someone had rolled it away. What could this mean?
Mary Magdalene thought she knew. Immediately she ran back to Jerusalem to report that the body of Jesus had been stolen. In the meantime the other women went inside the grave and looked around. Jesus was not there!
Soon the women noticed two angels dressed in dazzling white clothes. Thoroughly frightened, the women quickly bowed down to the ground. But the angels said, "Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Remember how He told you when He was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered to sinful men, and be crucified, and rise again on the third day. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go and tell His disciples, especially Peter, that He has risen from the dead."
Filled with joy but trembling from excitement and awe, the women left the grave and ran to tell the disciples what they had seen and heard. But before they reached Jerusalem, Jesus met them and greeted them. Happy to see their beloved Master alive, the women knelt down, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My disciples to go to Galilee. There they will see Me."
This joyful Eastertide
Away with sin and sorrow!
My love, the Crucified,
Has sprung to life this morrow: Refrain.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain:
But now has Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!
Devotional reading is from Concordia Bible Story Book, page 438 © 1971 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Hymn text is from LSB 482:1.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In this current time and place, in 2011, with the onslaught of convergence culture, we find ourselves amidst change and advances in storytelling. However, through all of this, there is much confusion within both academia and industry regarding terminology, definitions and simply the various meanings within this overall area known as Transmedia Storytelling. It is due to this confusion and differing definitions that we will present an array of possibilities, mostly by others, and then attempt to provide our own interpretation of what the terms like transmedia, multimedia, crossmedia, franchise, storytelling and storyworld mean.
There's always a lot of confusion when new technologies and practices emerge, and the relationship between academia and industry is really what drives much of the push for understanding and the proliferation of these technologies. But, as a result of commercial intent, industry tries to put labels on particular concepts and define words as a marketing approach, in order to establish a vibrant industry and bring income. This is a valid action as the constant defining and re-defining of words and semantic play will help push certain areas of development. Continuous research into the field will also back these ideas up.
But it is important to recognise that this muddle of definitions and differing interpretations has great significance. Firstly, if there are no solid and concrete definitions, it makes it extremely difficult to prepare models of engagement and interaction. Of course, as is explored throughout this research report and website, there are theories and certain paradigms that have proven to be successful, it is not a system that is anywhere near as established as a media industry like film, television, magazine or radio etc.
However, there is most certainly an upside to this current confusion that one should acknowledge and appreciate. Industries like TV, Film and Radio have established terms, processes and rules of production, distribution and behaviour, stretching from business models to the very structures of the forms and narratives themselves. Whilst these formulae work to a large degree, these boundaries and walls that have been put up constrain much thought and innovation. Experimental films do exist, but they are only exist in a space that is very limited in terms of its distribution and audience. All of the traditional media industries have conventions that restrict creative bodies, and it is actually quite a good thing that conventions have not been totally applied to the arena of transmedia. As Jenkins explains in his blog post Hollywood Goes Transmedia: "while the Transmedia Hollywood conference drew criticism from some quarters for having too elastic or "vague" a definition of its core concept, this very expansiveness is what allows us to bring many different voices to the table, to map diverse kinds of experiments, and to promote new innovations and explorations" (http://henryjenkins.org/2010/04/hollywood_goes_transmedia.html). Basically, as Christy Dena also advocates (http://www.christydena.com/2010/04/pgas-transmedia-producer/), formalising notions of transmedia down into marketing terms, structures and models has the great potential to restrict people's attitudes on transmedia production and uses. This, in turn, could force people to specialise in skill sets that would inhibit them in expanding their creativity through transmedia. Whilst speaking with Katherine Phelps, we found her attitude to echo this, in that he does not want metaphorical "marketing walls" to be put up around a creative individual.
The point is, we should not be too quick to give such tight definitions to words that, at this stage, should be vague enough to encompass a lot more, and leave room for more 'toying' and experimentation.
But, how does this help us when communicating our projects to others. Well, when it comes to definitions, explaining exactly what you mean, in a direct sense, with your own personal intent and meanings, is probably the best way to communicate. In this research paper, these definitions can be given to provide some understanding on certain concepts, but it almost doesn't matter what words you use, as long as you comprehend the various principles and notions behind the general area of "transmedia".
Multimedia usually refers to the technologies themselves, without much regard for anything to do with content, especially narrative and storytelling.
According to Nicoletta Iacobacci (http://www.lunchoverip.com/2008/05/from-crossmedia.html), crossmedia and transmedia are very similar and have a lot of crossover, but use multiple media storytelling in different ways.
"In a crossmedia environment, content is repurposed, diversified and spread across multiple devices to enhance, engage and reach as many users/viewers as possible." 'Content 360', which crossmedia is also called, is a re-editing or re-using of the same program or content, specialised for the different devices that consumers use. The reason for the repurposing is to enhance or focus the user's experience according to these devices' features and functions. [LINK to consumption devices and platforms] A crossmedia story is a single story re-told in several ways.
"In transmedia storytelling, content becomes invasive and permeates fully the audience's lifestyle... A transmedia project develops storytelling across multiple forms of media in order to have different "entry points" in the story; entry-points with a unique and independent lifespan but with a definite role in the big narrative scheme." It is within this definition of transmedia that notions like 'story universe' and 'storyworld' start to appear.
The storyworld is something that quite unique to transmedia creation. More detail can be found about it here.
Steve Peters, one of the great transmedia gurus, provides a good set of definitions from various sources in this blog post.


Giles Martin talks about what makes the White Album so special, and the approach he took to remastering the record without taking away from it.
It was, in many ways, the Beatles' most ambitious, most sprawling studio creation and demonstrably the biggest commercial success of the group's fabled career: It has sold more than 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the body that awards gold and platinum certifications.
The new edition is due Nov. 9 — 13 days short of the actual 50th anniversary of its release Nov. 22, 1968 — and it follows last year's 50th-anniversary reissue of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." That was the first Beatles album to be fully remixed, not just remastered, for a new generation of listeners as well as fans who grew up with the original.
The "Sgt. Pepper" remix scored a perfect 100 on Metacritic.com's aggregate review website for the fresh perspective on that rock masterpiece brought about by Martin and his collaborators at Abbey Road, which the Beatles helped turn into arguably the most famous recording studio in the world a half-century ago. Not a day goes by that dozens, sometimes hundreds, of Beatles fans show up at the studio's iron gate, ever-hopeful to glimpse a Beatle or other rock star working there.
Following the acclaim generated by the "Sgt. Pepper" update, Martin's attention has turned to the wildly diverse album that gave the world the soon-to-be-Beatles classic songs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Dear Prudence," "Birthday," "Helter Skelter," "Cry Baby Cry," "I Will" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" among its 30 tracks.
"I thought the White Album would be the easy one," Martin says ruefully.
But Martin is in a unique position to make the evaluation: Over the last dozen-plus years, he has assumed the mantle of supervising production of globally beloved works originally overseen by his father, Sir George Martin, who guided the group's recording career from the quartet's first session in August 1962 through its swan song seven years later.
The vast majority of those sessions played out at what was then known as the EMI Recording Studios, a complex that became world famous as Abbey Road Studio only after the band titled its 1969 album for the quiet suburban street on which the facility resides and where fans regularly stop local traffic to pose for photos in the iconic striped crosswalk between the two curbs.
The 50th-anniversary package of the White Album — so named for its groundbreaking plain white cover with the band's name subtly embossed, off center, and an individual serial number stamped on original pressings — offers the deepest dive yet into the Abbey Road archives of Beatles material.
The mountain of recordings offered in several configurations — including a particularly rich seven-disc super deluxe box set (listed on Amazon for $138.74) — reflect both a creative outburst that was impressive even by Beatles standards and an evolution in the band's working process — conceiving, developing, nurturing and polishing songs in the studio while tape was rolling rather than perfecting songs through live performance as they'd done in their earliest sessions.
The bonus tracks in the new edition, drawn from that wealth of raw material, are generating at least as much excitement among Beatles enthusiasts as the upgraded sonics of the original album.
Many had been written, or at least started, during the band's trek to India early in 1968 to study Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
The demo versions were recorded upon their return during initial work at Harrison's house in Esher, a town in Surrey outside London. These versions have been bootlegged for years but in poor-quality transfers from second-, third- and fourth-generation sources.
The original two- and four-track tapes were discovered in recent years among Harrison's things at his Friar Park Estate, resulting in the sonically superior recordings included with the 50th-anniversary reissue. Martin encountered them while working with Olivia Harrison selecting music for Martin Scorsese's 2011 Harrison documentary "Living in the Material World." He said they were housed in boxes marked simply "Beatles 1," "Beatles 2," "Beatles 3," etc.
The set includes three more discs with 50 tracks, the majority never previously released, spotlighting alternate takes of most White Album songs, bits of studio chatter allowing fans to eavesdrop on their working methods, and assorted songs they also tackled during those sessions but that didn't end up on the album.
There's a slow, simmering workout on "Helter Skelter" before it turned into a blistering rocker — Giles Martin opted for relative economy of a 13-minute jam rather than the even more expansive 27-minute take lurking in the Beatles' vault. Ringo Starr's famous screeched ending to the song — "I've got blisters on my fingers!" — however, erupted after one of the group's more adrenaline-charged takes. There's also on extended run-through of "Revolution 1" that tops 10 minutes, as well as tracks isolating instrumental backing or a cappella vocals from various songs.
The seventh disc is a Blu-ray disc with high-resolution versions of the new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes of the album's 30 songs plus a direct transfer of the original monaural mix of the White Album.
A 164-page hardbound book with the super deluxe edition combines extensive notes on the songs, previously unreleased photos, reproductions of original handwritten lyrics, introductory essays by McCartney, Giles Martin and Beatles authority Kevin Howlett and other documentation of the album's creation.
Fans wanting to dig even deeper into the stories and music of the White Album have other recent resources available including the White Album installment of the DVD series "Deconstructing the Beatles" with musicologist Scott Freiman as well as historian Bruce Spizer's forthcoming book, due Nov. 22, "The Beatles White Album and the Launch of Apple," the group's own label that they launched with the double LP.
"Sgt. Pepper" represents what may have been the zenith of band's revolutionary work with George Martin for which they conceived the recording studio itself as a tool as creatively important as their guitars, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments. The result was a dazzling explosion of new possibilities for making records that continues to resonate today.
The White Album, however, was more of "a garage-band record," Giles Martin thinks. The band often spent hours, or days, in the studio developing ideas while tape was rolling — a stark contrast to their earliest efforts when songs had been whipped into shape through hundreds of hours of live performance.
The ambitious application of studio technology and techniques that came to the fore in "Sgt. Pepper" continued with their 1967 double A-side single "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" and in their songs for "Magical Mystery Tour," which was not considered a bona fide successor to "Sgt. Pepper" because in England it was a six-song double EP, not a full album.
By the time the foursome returned from India and began work on a new album in May 1968, however, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr had become increasingly confident in their abilities to call the shots in the studio. In Giles Martin's view, they also increasingly missed playing together as a band.
That's one reason that recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who previously helped realize some of the most innovative facets on "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper" and "Magical Mystery Tour," walked out during the White Album sessions.
Giles Martin notes that his father often rolled his eyes when fans described the White Album as their favorite — but more because of his memories of demanding all-night recording sessions that laid waste to conventional studio practices.
Furthermore, sessions for the White Album began almost two years after the group famously retired from touring in August 1966 out of frustration from being unable to hear themselves during concert performances, playing for audiences who also couldn't hear the music above the roar of screaming Beatlemaniacs. Their time making "Sgt. Pepper" was creatively liberating but often at the expense of playing music in real time with one another.
That aligns with one of Starr's favorite memories of that album, even though at one point he also quit the group for two weeks.
"I love 'Yer Blues,' " Starr, 78, says during a separate interview in Nice, France, where he hosted his 10th Peace & Love birthday celebration this year. "We'd got through 'Sgt. Pepper.' Yes, it was great, but you know, for me, I love being in a band, and on the White Album, we became a band again.
"We got in a room that was like 8 feet square with everything we needed, and John sang his heart out and we all played looking at each other," he says of a cramped room in the back of Abbey Road's Studio 2, a utility room that no longer exists.
The "Sessions" discs offer a wealth of insight into the Beatles, not just as supremely gifted musicians but as dedicated craftsmen and enthusiastic experimenters as well.
There are also moments of extreme intimacy that make the band that famously "changed the face of pop music as we know it" all the more human.
They're discussing "Julia," named for Lennon's mother, who died after being struck by a car when John was 17. It also was something of a love note inspired by his new relationship with Yoko Ono, who became a regular presence in the studio during the White Album sessions.
It's one of the many discoveries that are coming to light in the 50th-anniversary set. The dialogue snippet, and the version of "Julia" that follows, turned up on an uncataloged tape, one of many that Abbey Road archive engineer Matthew Cocker threaded up and listened to in its entirety. After 20 minutes of blank tape, suddenly he heard the exchange between Lennon and Martin and another attempt at bringing "Julia" to fruition.
Another fetching moment comes in an alternate version of "Good Night," the lullaby-like ballad Lennon gave to Starr to sing.
On the original version that closes the album, Starr's vocal is bathed in a lush orchestral arrangement by George Martin. Earlier, however, the band plays with and for him — Lennon, McCartney and Harrison lifting his vocal performance up with their sympathetic harmonic support.
It's a much rawer but exceedingly sweet performance of Lennon's unabashedly romantic, unapologetically sentimental composition.
Asked whether he believes Martin's new mix of the White Album will give fans a better idea of what he and his bandmates heard within the hallowed walls of Abbey Road studio 50 years ago, Starr scoffs.
"Those speakers EMI had were terrible!" he says.
As with "Sgt. Pepper" last year, the new mix of the White Album doesn't radically alter the essence of the original. Instead, remixing it a half-century later from the original tapes enhances the sonic impact of those recordings, which typically were compressed to comport with playback on audio equipment of the time. The sound digs deeper, reaches wider and has greater immediacy and overall is more open.
The first thing most listeners will notice is more visceral punch from the bass and drums, instruments that sometimes created problems for mastering engineers decades ago. Additionally, the recordings gain clarity and definition — the percussive power of McCartney's piano on "Martha My Dear" more evident, the earthy richness of the saxophones in Harrison's "Savoy Truffle" fuller, the intensity of Lennon's vocal on "Yer Blues" all the more gripping.
Such upgrades on archival projects such as this can elicit mixed reactions among purists.
At the same time, Tench says, "I don't want a new mix. Don't go like George Lucas did [with modified editions of 'Star Wars']: Don't repaint the masterpiece. When I get a record, I want to hear the record that moved me in the first place. I don't need to hear the kick drum more clearly. I don't need to hear anything more clearly on [Elvis Presley's] 'That's All Right Mama.' I don't need to hear anything more clearly on a Robert Johnson record.
Martin knows well the competing interests at work in the modern-day editions of classic recordings.
"There's one side of a fence — which is actually more the Beatles' side — that says, 'Why should we be playing outtakes? They're outtakes'," he says.
"We had good reason to go back and revisit 'Pepper' in the stereo world," he says of the motivating reason behind last year's remix: The Beatles were minimally involved in the stereo version because in 1967 their primary focus was on monaural mixes of their recordings. Consequently, the new stereo remix of "Sgt. Pepper" garnered the bulk of the public's attention. The alternate takes, demo recordings and other extra material packaged with it were treated as bonus tracks — the icing on the cake.
"On the White Album, we became a band again."
A year later, however, priorities were different. By 1968, the Beatles were much more attentive to the stereo mix of the White Album.
"It wasn't until we started compiling stuff and going through the outtakes and the Esher Demos and everything else that I started to realize that this is probably more about all of the other bits and pieces as it is about the remix," he says.
"I'm not putting the remix down in any way," Martin says. "I'm really proud of that. I think it sounds really good, and people seem to like it.
Indeed, the deluxe version's three "Sessions" discs pull back the curtain on the group's creative process as it continued its ever upward and outward expansion.
"The Beatles did think in terms of albums, from 'Rubber Soul' onward, and they knew they had this towering oak tree of 'Sgt. Pepper,' critically and commercially successful," says Beatles scholar Martin Lewis. "They weren't in fear, but they were very conscious that the eyes of the world were going to be on them. Most artists would have thought, 'How do I top it?' But they didn't approach it that way.
"Instead, they went on a group vacation to India and effectively cut themselves off from the world," Lewis says. "There were no telephones, no radio, no TV. You might wonder how could they create in that vacuum? But you carry all your parts in you, and the tranquility of being in India brings forth an incredible amount of new songs.
Two months after Giles Martin has previewed a substantial chunk of the massive White Album 50th-anniversary release for The Times at Abbey Road, he returns to Los Angeles for a broader press preview of the project for an audience of about 60 writers and other music industry members at Capitol Studio A in Hollywood.
With even more time to reflect on what place the album holds in the group's extraordinary artistic oeuvre, Martin concludes: "They didn't want to make another album like 'Sgt. Pepper,' I think — much to my dad's disappointment — or even go to the next stage of 'Sgt. Pepper,' which I think was his intention.
Martin was on the lookout for any evidence of the kind of tensions that director Michael Lindsay-Hogg caught on film when he made the "Let It Be" film a year later.
"If there was anything on the tapes that supported that idea, I would have included it — I would feel obligated," Martin says. "But it just wasn't there.
In a quick aside in a hallway outside the Capitol Studios during a break, Martin provides an update for his Abbey Road visitor, proving that even 5,400 miles away and two months down the line, he hasn't forgotten those other septuplets that recently came into his life.


LDA started with hydroacoustic post-processing software in 1975, and echosounders for aquaculture in the late 80s. Today's products include the software suite SonarX, and the echosounder system CageEye (aka MerdØye). We are currently in a transitional phase, and are expanding operations as well as product range.


One thing that all 39ers—those who are Forever Young at heart—have in common, is optimism.
November is a great month for 39ers to usher in the Holiday Season, as it begins with deep-thinking Scorpio, and ends with the optimistic, party-hearty Sagittarians.
But finally, 'tis the Season for fun and folly! Whether your birthday falls in November or December, we tend to treat both Holiday months as one big party. So is it any wonder that by January 1, we're exhausted and ready to settle down, planning our goals and following our dreams?
In the early weeks of the month, we danced in the streets to the Bee Gees' bestselling album/soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, even though the movie wouldn't release until December 14. Look for John T. again, for December 39ers!
By the latter half of the month, we saw a historic meeting between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin, to forge a permanent peace settlement. Define permanent. For that matter, someone needs to properly define Peace!
November 1977 also brought us a connection between three ARPANET nodes that ultimately lead the way to establishing the Internet protocol.
On the fun side, people were popping out of cakes, The Godfather (1972) topped Gone with the Wind (1939) as the most popular TV movie, and Rolling Stone…The10th Anniversary TV special celebrated the venerable magazine's first decade—and I liked it better then, when it stuck to entertainment news.
In every generation, November is a month of thanks and humble gratefulness, as it leads into the world's most compassionate season of the year.
This month, my dear November 39ers, be especially thankful for what you have—not the material world of things, but in your heartfelt world—family and friends, however many or few they may be. Each one, from the youngest to the optimistic 39ers, deserves your appreciation.


LIFT WAVE creates an ideal curve for body and face.
BODY: After warming up your skin with a stimulation which would reach to the deep level, the device will exercise your muscles with dynamic movements.
FACE: Warm up your face with a comfortable stimulation and exercise your mimic muscles with the movement which would work on their fundamentals.
Rollers only (power OFF): approx. 10 minutes per body part, up to 3 times per day.
(total of 10 minutes for right and left upper arms, thighs, and calves, respectively).
*The above durations/ frequencies are only guidelines. Use the device appropriately based on your skin conditions.
using it on the face.
The device is waterproof and it can be used in the shower or bath, but do not leave it under water.
In some cases, the pinching action of the rollers will be weak if the skin is wet. In such a case, adjust the strength which you are pressing the rollers against the skin.
corrosion due to their ingredients.
When your skin is dry, it may be difficult to feel the stimulation.


Skelton Crew Studio — CHEW: Limited Edition Blue Fricken Chog Hat!
CHEW: Limited Edition Blue Fricken Chog Hat!
Winter is coming to the CHEWniverse.
The officially licensed, limited edition blue Fricken Chog Hat is inspired by John Layman and Rob Guillory's wildly popular "CHEW," published by Image.
This super soft, super warm hat is designed by Rob Guillory. It's lined and embroidered on the back with a massive red CHEW logo. It features the Chog's trademark bulging eyes, red comb, wings and embroidered spots - all the good Choggy parts. One size fits most.
Not guaranteed to make you look cool. But c'mon. It totally will.


text:
St Paul's Cathedral facts for kids
This page is about St Paul's cathedral in London, England. For other cathedrals of the same name, see St. Paul's Cathedral (disambiguation).
Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle
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London, EC4
stpauls.co.uk
Consecrated
Heritage designation
Grade I Listed
Previous cathedrals
Architect(s)
Sir Christopher Wren
English Baroque
Years built
518ft (158m)
Nave width
121ft (37m)
Width across transepts
Dome height (outer)
Dome height (inner)
Dome diameter (outer)
Dome diameter (inner)
Number of towers
Tower height
London (since 604)
Richard Chartres
David Ison
Precentor
Michael Hampel
Canon Chancellor
Mark Oakley
Canon Pastor
Tricia Hillas
Canon Treasurer
Philippa Boardman
St Paul's illuminated, with the Millennium Bridge in the foreground
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grade 1 listed building. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London.
The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominated the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the highest in the world. St Paul's is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.
St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity. It is the central subject of much promotional material, as well as of images of the dome surrounded by the smoke and fire of the Blitz. Services held at St Paul's have included the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher; jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer; the launch of the Festival of Britain; and the thanksgiving services for the Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees and the 80th and 90th birthdays of Elizabeth II.
St Paul's Cathedral is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services.
Pre-Norman cathedrals
Old St Paul's
Present St Paul's
War damage
Occupy London
Ministry and functions
Wren's cathedral
Development of the design
Final design
Designers, builders and craftsmen
Artworks, tombs and memorials
Clock and bells
Images for kids
A list of the 16 "archbishops" of London was recorded by Jocelyne of Furness in the 12th century, claiming London's Christian community was founded in the 2nd century under the legendary King Lucius and his missionary saints Fagan, Deruvian, Elvanus, and Medwin. None of that is considered credible by modern historians but, although the surviving text is problematic, either Bishop Restitutus or Adelphius at the 314 Council of Arles seems to have come from Londinium. The location of Londinium's original cathedral is unknown. The present structure of St Peter upon Cornhill was designed by Christopher Wren following the Great Fire in 1666 but it stands upon the highest point in the area of old Londinium and medieval legends tie it to the city's earliest Christian community. In 1995, however, a large and ornate 5th-century building on Tower Hill was excavated, which might have been the city's cathedral.
The Elizabethan antiquarian William Camden argued that a temple to the goddess Diana had stood during Roman times on the site occupied by the medieval St Paul's cathedral. Wren reported that he had found no trace of any such temple during the works to build the new cathedral after the Great Fire, and Camden's hypothesis is no longer accepted by modern archaeologists.
Bede records that in AD 604 St Augustine consecrated Mellitus as the first bishop to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Saxons and their king, Sæberht. Sæberht's uncle and overlord, Æthelberht, king of Kent, built a church dedicated to St Paul in London, as the seat of the new bishop.
It is assumed, although unproven, that this first Anglo-Saxon cathedral stood on the same site as the later medieval and the present cathedrals.
On the death of Sæberht in about 616, his pagan sons expelled Mellitus from London, and the East Saxons reverted to paganism. The fate of the first cathedral building is unknown. Christianity was restored among the East Saxons in the late 7th-century and it is presumed that either the Anglo-Saxon cathedral was restored or a new building erected as the seat of bishops such as Cedd, Wine and Earconwald, the last of whom was buried in the cathedral in 693. This building, or a successor, was destroyed by fire in 962, but rebuilt in the same year.
King Æthelred the Unready was buried in the cathedral on his death in 1016. The cathedral was burnt, with much of the city, in a fire in 1087, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Main page: Old St Paul's Cathedral
The fourth St Paul's, generally referred to as Old St Paul's, was begun by the Normans after the 1087 fire. A further fire in 1136 disrupted the work, and the new cathedral was not consecrated until 1240. During the period of construction, the style of architecture had changed from Romanesque to Gothic and this was reflected in the pointed arches and larger windows of the upper parts and East End of the building. The Gothic ribbed vault was constructed, like that of York Minster, of wood rather than stone, which affected the ultimate fate of the building.
Reconstructed image of Old St Paul's before 1561, with intact spire
An enlargement programme commenced in 1256. This 'New Work' was consecrated in 1300 but not complete until 1314. During the later Medieval period St Paul's was exceeded in length only by the Abbey Church of Cluny and in the height of its spire only by Lincoln Cathedral and St. Mary's Church, Stralsund. Excavations by Francis Penrose in 1878 showed that it was 585 feet (178 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide (290 feet or 87 m across the transepts and crossing). The spire was about 489 feet (149 m).
By the 16th century the building was starting to decay. After the Protestant Reformation under Henry VIII and Edward VI, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and Chantries Acts led to the destruction of interior ornamentation and the cloisters, charnels, crypts, chapels, shrines, chantries and other buildings in St Paul's Churchyard. Many of these former Catholic sites in the churchyard, having been seized by the Crown, were sold as shops and rental properties, especially to printers and booksellers, who were often Puritans. In 1561 the spire was destroyed by lightning, an event that was taken by both Protestants and Roman Catholics as a sign of God's displeasure at each other.
In the 1630s a west front was added to the building by England's first classical architect, Inigo Jones. There was much defacing and mistreatment of the building by Parliamentarian forces during the Civil War, and the old documents and charters were dispersed and destroyed. During the Commonwealth, those churchyard buildings that were razed supplied ready-dressed building material for construction projects, such as the Lord Protector's city palace, Somerset House. Crowds were drawn to the north-east corner of the churchyard, St Paul's Cross, where open-air preaching took place.
In the Great Fire of London of 1666, Old St Paul's was gutted. While it might have been possible to reconstruct it, a decision was taken to build a new cathedral in a modern style. This course of action had been proposed even before the fire.
St Paul's Cathedral in 1896
The task of designing a replacement structure was officially assigned to Sir Christopher Wren on 30 July 1669. He had previously been put in charge of the rebuilding of churches to replace those lost in the Great Fire. More than 50 City churches are attributable to Wren. Concurrent with designing St Paul's, Wren was engaged in the production of his five Tracts on Architecture.
Wren had begun advising on the repair of the Old St Paul's in 1661, five years before the Fire in 1666. The proposed work included renovations to interior and exterior to complement the Classical facade designed by Inigo Jones in 1630. Wren planned to replace the dilapidated tower with a dome, using the existing structure as a scaffold. He produced a drawing of the proposed dome which shows his idea that it should span nave and aisles at the crossing. After the Fire, it was at first thought possible to retain a substantial part of the old cathedral, but ultimately the entire structure was demolished in the early 1670s.
In July 1668 Dean William Sancroft wrote to Wren that he was charged by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in agreement with the Bishops of London and Oxford, to design a new cathedral that was "handsome and noble to all the ends of it and to the reputation of the City and the nation". The design process took several years, but a design was finally settled and attached to a royal warrant, with the proviso that Wren was permitted to make any further changes that he deemed necessary. The result was the present St Paul's Cathedral, still the second largest church in Britain, with a dome proclaimed as the finest in the world. The building was financed by a tax on coal, and was completed within its architect's lifetime with many of the major contractors engaged for the duration.
The "topping out" of the cathedral (when the final stone was placed on the lantern) took place on 26 October 1708, performed by Wren's son Christopher Jr and the son of one of the masons. The cathedral was declared officially complete by Parliament on 25 December 1711 (Christmas Day). In fact, construction continued for several years after that, with the statues on the roof added in the 1720s. In 1716 the total costs amounted to £1,095,556 (£142 million in 2015).
On 2 December 1697, only 32 years and 3 months after the Great Fire destroyed 'Old St Paul's', the new cathedral was consecrated for use. The Right Reverend Henry Compton, Bishop of London, preached the sermon. It was based on the text of Psalm 122, "I was glad when they said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord." The first regular service was held on the following Sunday.
Opinions of Wren's cathedral differed, with some loving it: "Without, within, below, above, the eye / Is filled with unrestrained delight", while others hated it: "...There was an air of Popery about the gilded capitals, the heavy arches...They were unfamiliar, un-English...".
The River Thames With St. Paul's Cathedral On Lord Mayor's Day (Canaletto, 1746, Prague, Lobkowicz Collections)
St Paul's, seen across the River Thames, 1850
The iconic St Paul's Survives taken on 29 December 1940 of St Paul's during The Blitz
The cathedral survived the Blitz although struck by bombs on 10 October 1940 and 17 April 1941. The first strike destroyed the high altar, while the second strike on the north transept left a hole in the floor above the crypt. The latter bomb is believed to have detonated in the upper interior above the north transept and the force was sufficient to shift the entire dome laterally by a small amount.
On 12 September 1940 a time-delayed bomb that had struck the cathedral was successfully defused and removed by a bomb disposal detachment of Royal Engineers under the command of Temporary Lieutenant Robert Davies. Had this bomb detonated, it would have totally destroyed the cathedral; it left a 100-foot (30 m) crater when later remotely detonated in a secure location. As a result of this action, Davies and Sapper George Cameron Wylie were each awarded the George Cross. Davies' George Cross and other medals are on display at the Imperial War Museum, London.
One of the best known images of London during the war was a photograph of St Paul's taken on 29 December 1940 during the "Second Great Fire of London" by photographer Herbert Mason, from the roof of a building in Tudor Street showing the cathedral shrouded in smoke. Lisa Jardine of Queen Mary, University of London, has written:
Wreathed in billowing smoke, amidst the chaos and destruction of war, the pale dome stands proud and glorious—indomitable. At the height of that air-raid, Sir Winston Churchill telephoned the Guildhall to insist that all fire-fighting resources be directed at St Paul's. The cathedral must be saved, he said, damage to the fabric would sap the morale of the country.
Extensive copper, lead and slate renovation work was carried out on the Dome in 1996 by John B. Chambers. A 15-year restoration project—one of the largest ever undertaken in the UK—was completed on 15 June 2011.
In October 2011 an anti-capitalism Occupy London encampment was established in front of the cathedral, after failing to gain access to the London Stock Exchange at Paternoster Square nearby. The cathedral's finances were affected by the ensuing closure. It was claimed that the cathedral was losing revenue of £20,000 per day. Canon Chancellor Giles Fraser resigned, asserting his view that to evict the anti-capitalist activists would constitute "violence in the name of the Church". The Dean of St Paul's, the Right Revd Graeme Knowles, then resigned too. The encampment was evicted at the end of February 2012, by court order and without violence, as a result of legal action by the City Corporation.
St Paul's Cathedral is a busy church with four or five services every day, including Matins, Eucharist and Evening Prayer or Evensong. In addition, the cathedral has many special services associated with the City of London, its corporation, guilds and institutions. The cathedral, as the largest church in London, also has a role in many state functions such as the service celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The cathedral is generally open daily to tourists and has a regular programme of organ recitals and other performances.4 The Bishop of London is Richard Chartres who was installed in January 1996.
St Paul's during a special service in 2008
The cathedral chapter is composed of the dean, four residentiary canons and (currently) two lay canons, each with a different responsibility in the running of the cathedral.
Dean: David Ison (since 25 May 2012)
Chancellor: Mark Oakley (Canon since June 2010; Chancellor since 11 January 2013). Previously Canon Treasurer, Oakley is in charge of the cathedral's educational outreach to schools and the public.
Precentor: Michael Hampel (since 25 March 2011) is responsible for music and liturgy at the cathedral.
Treasurer: Philippa Boardman (since May 2013) is responsible for finance and for the cathedral building.
Canon Pastor: Tricia Hillas (since November 2013) oversees welfare and training with specific focus on marketing, enterprises, communications, HR and development.
Lay Canon (Finance): Gavin Ralston (since February 2010) holds particular responsibility for finance. He is also Global Head of Product and international asset manager at Schroder Investment Management.
Lay Canon: Pim Baxter (Pamela Jane Baxter; since March 2014) is also Deputy Director at the National Portrait Gallery, with experience in opera, theatre and the visual arts.
The Registrar, Emma Davies (September 2015), is the cathedral's principal administrator and lay officer, and assists the cathedral chapter in its work, overseeing more than 150 full-time staff, together with volunteers. She is a solicitor and was a senior civil servant prior to her appointment.
There are three full-time clergy working at St Paul's who are part of its ministry and mission team, but are not members of the cathedral chapter. Two are Minor Canons with particular areas of specialist responsibility, including ceremony, music, liturgy and daily services.
Succentor: Rosemary Morton (since December 2014)
Sacrist: James Milne (since February 2015).
The Chaplain is responsible for the pastoral care of the Cathedral, under the oversight of the Canon Pastor. The role of Chaplain is no longer that of a Minor Canon but is in the newly established category of Priest Vicar.
Chaplain: Helen O'Sullivan (since November 2015)
The Director of Music is Andrew Carwood. Carwood was appointed to succeed Malcolm Archer as Director of Music, taking up the post in September 2007. He is the first non-organist to hold the post since the 12th century.
See also: List of musicians at English cathedrals
The organ was commissioned from Bernard Smith in 1694. Lang 1956, p. 171 The current instrument is the third-largest in Great Britain in terms of number of pipes (7,189), with 5 manuals, 189 ranks of pipes and 138 stops, enclosed in an impressive case designed in Wren's workshop and decorated by Grinling Gibbons.
Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register
St Paul's Cathedral has a choir, largely of men and boys, which sings regularly at services. The earliest records of the choir date from 1127. The present choir consist of up to 30 boy choristers, eight probationers, and the Vicars Choral, 12 professional singers, historically men. In February 2017 the cathedral announced the appointment of the first female Vicar Choral, Carris Jones (a mezzo-soprano), to take up the role in September 2017.
During school terms the choir sings at Evensong five times per week, the service on Mondays being sung by a visiting choir (or occasionally said) and that on Thursdays being sung by the Vicars Choral without the boys. On Sundays the choir also sings at Matins and Eucharist.
Many distinguished musicians have been organists, choir masters and choristers at St Paul's Cathedral, including the composers John Redford, Thomas Morley, John Blow, Jeremiah Clarke and John Stainer, while well known performers have included Alfred Deller, John Shirley-Quirk and Anthony Way as well as the conductors Charles Groves and Paul Hillier and the poet Walter de la Mare.
"Sir Christopher Wren
Said, "I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls,
Say I'm designing Saint Paul's."
A clerihew by Edmund Clerihew Bentley
In designing St Paul's, Christopher Wren had to meet many challenges. He had to create a fitting cathedral to replace Old St Paul's, as a place of worship and as a landmark within the City of London. He had to satisfy the requirements of the church and the tastes of a royal patron, as well as respecting the essentially mediaeval tradition of English church building which developed to accommodate the liturgy. Wren was familiar with contemporary Renaissance and Baroque trends in Italian architecture, and had visited France, where he studied the work of François Mansart.
Wren's design developed through five general stages. The first survives only as a single drawing and part of a model. The scheme (usually called the First Model Design) appears to have consisted of a circular domed vestibule (possibly based on the Pantheon in Rome) and a rectangular church of basilica form. The plan may have been influenced by the Temple Church. It was rejected because it was not thought "stately enough" Wren's second design was a Greek cross, which was thought by the clerics not to fulfil the requirements of Anglican liturgy.
Wren's third design is embodied in the "Great Model" of 1673. The model, made of oak and plaster, cost over £500 (approximately £32,000 today) and is over 13 feet (4 m) tall and 21 feet (6 m) long. This design retained the form of the Greek Cross design but extended it with a nave. His critics, members of a committee commissioned to rebuild the church, and clergy, decried the design as too dissimilar to other English churches to suggest any continuity within the Church of England. Another problem was that the entire design would have to be completed all at once because of the eight central piers that supported the dome, instead of being completed in stages and opened for use before construction finished, as was customary. The Great Model was Wren's favourite design; he thought it a reflection of Renaissance beauty. After the Great Model, Wren resolved not to make further models and not publicly to expose his drawings, which he found to do nothing but "lose time, and subject [his] business many times, to incompetent judges". The Great Model survives and is housed within the Cathedral itself.
Wren's fourth design is known as the Warrant design because it received a Royal warrant for the rebuilding. In this design Wren sought to reconcile Gothic, the predominant style of English churches, to a "better manner of architecture." It has the longitudinal Latin Cross plan of a mediaeval cathedral. It is of one and a half storeys and has classical porticos at the west and transept ends, influenced by Inigo Jones's addition to Old St Paul's. It is roofed at the crossing by a wide shallow dome supporting a drum with a second cupola from which rises a spire of seven diminishing stages. Vaughan Hart has suggested that influence may have been drawn from the oriental pagoda in the design of the spire. Not used at St Paul's, the concept was applied in the spire of St Bride's, Fleet Street. This plan was rotated slightly on its site so that it aligned not with true east, but with sunrise on Easter of the year construction began. This small change in configuration was informed by Wren's knowledge of astronomy.
The Greek Cross Design
The Warrant Design
St Paul's, as it was built
The final design as built differs substantially from the official Warrant design.
Wren received permission from the king to make "ornamental changes" to the submitted design, and Wren took great advantage of this. Many of these changes were made over the course of the thirty years as the church was constructed, and the most significant was to the dome: "He raised another structure over the first cupola, a cone of brick, so as to support a stone lantern of an elegant figure... And he covered and hid out of sight the brick cone with another cupola of timber and lead; and between this and the cone are easy stairs that ascend to the lantern" (Christopher Wren, son of Sir Christopher Wren). The final design was strongly rooted in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The saucer domes over the nave were inspired by François Mansart's Church of the Val-de-Grâce, which Wren had seen during a trip to Paris in 1665.
The date of the laying of the first stone of the cathedral is disputed. One contemporary account says it was on 21 June 1675, another on 25 June and a third on 28 June. There is, however, general agreement that it was laid in June 1675. Edward Strong later claimed it was laid by his elder brother, Thomas Strong, one of the two master stonemasons appointed by Wren at the beginning of the work.
Cross-section showing the brick cone between the inner and outer domes
William Dickinson's plan for the floor paving (1709–1710)
Wren's challenge was to construct a large cathedral on the relatively weak clay soil of London. St Paul's is unusual among cathedrals in that there is a crypt, the largest in Europe, under the entire building rather than just under the eastern end. The crypt serves a structural purpose. Although it is extensive, half the space of the crypt is taken up by massive piers which spread the weight of the much slimmer piers of the church above. While the towers and domes of most cathedrals are supported on four piers, Wren designed the dome of St Paul's to be supported on eight, achieving a broader distribution of weight at the level of the foundations. The foundations settled as the building progressed, and Wren made structural changes in response.
One of the design problems that confronted Wren was to create a landmark dome, tall enough to visually replace the lost tower of St Paul's, while at the same time appearing visually satisfying when viewed from inside the building. Wren planned a double-shelled dome, as at St Peter's Basilica. His solution to the visual problem was to separate the heights of the inner and outer dome to a much greater extent than had been done by Michelangelo at St Peter's, drafting both as catenary curves, rather than as hemispheres. Between the inner and outer domes, Wren inserted a brick cone which supports both the timbers of the outer, lead covered dome and the weight of the ornate stone lantern that rises above it. Both the cone and the inner dome are 18 inches thick and are supported by wrought iron chains at intervals in the brick cone and around the cornice of the peristyle of the inner dome to prevent spreading and cracking.
The Warrant Design showed external buttresses on the ground floor level. These were not a classical feature and were one of the first elements Wren changed. Instead he made the walls of the cathedral particularly thick to avoid the need for external buttresses altogether. The clerestorey and vault are reinforced with flying buttresses, which were added at a relatively late stage in the design to give extra strength. These are concealed behind the screen wall of the upper storey which was added to keep the building's classical style intact, to add sufficient visual mass to balance the appearance of the dome and which, by its weight, counters the thrust of the buttresses on the lower walls.
During the extensive period of design and rationalisation Wren employed from 1684 Nicholas Hawksmoor as his principal assistant. Between 1696 and 1711 William Dickinson was measuring clerk. Joshua Marshall (until his early death in 1678), and Thomas and his brother Edward Strong were master masons, the latter two working on the construction for its entirety. John Langland was the master Carpenter for over thirty years. Grinling Gibbons was the chief sculptor, working in both stone on the building itself, including the pediment of the north portal, and wood on the internal fittings. The sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber created the pediment of the south transept while Francis Bird was responsible for the relief in the west pediment depicting the Conversion of St Paul, as well as the seven large statues on the west front. The floor was paved by William Dickinson in black and white marble in 1709–10 Jean Tijou was responsible for the decorative wrought ironwork of gates and balustrades. The ball and cross on the dome were provided by an armorer, Andrew Niblett.
Audio description of the cathedral by Sandy Nairne
St Paul's Cathedral is built in a restrained Baroque style which represents Wren's rationalisation of the traditions of English medieval cathedrals with the inspiration of Palladio, the classical style of Inigo Jones, the baroque style of 17th-century Rome, and the buildings by Mansart and others that he had seen in France. It is particularly in its plan that St Paul's reveals medieval influences. Like the great medieval cathedrals of York and Winchester, St Paul's is comparatively long for its width, and has strongly projecting transepts. It has much emphasis on its facade, which has been designed to define rather than conceal the form of the building behind it. In plan, the towers jut beyond the width of the aisles as they do at Wells Cathedral. Wren's brother was the Bishop of Ely, and Wren was familiar with the unique octagonal lantern tower over the crossing of Ely Cathedral which spans the aisles as well as the central nave, unlike the central towers and domes of most churches. Wren adapted this characteristic in designing the dome of St Paul's. In section St Paul's also maintains a medieval form, having the aisles much lower than the nave, and a defined clerestory.
The most notable exterior feature is the dome, which rises 365 feet (111 m) to the cross at its summit, and dominates views of the City. The height of 365 feet is explained by Wren's interest in astronomy. Until the late 20th century St Paul's was the tallest building on the City skyline, designed to be seen surrounded by the delicate spires of Wren's other city churches. The dome is described by Sir Banister Fletcher as "probably the finest in Europe", by Helen Gardner as "majestic", and by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as "one of the most perfect in the world". Sir John Summerson said that Englishmen and "even some foreigners" consider it to be without equal.
Wren drew inspiration from Michelangelo's dome of St Peter's Basilica, and that of Mansart's Church of the Val-de-Grâce, which he had visited. Unlike those of St Peter's and Val-de-Grâce, the dome of St Paul's rises in two clearly defined storeys of masonry, which, together with a lower unadorned footing, equal a height of about 95 feet. From the time of the Greek Cross Design it is clear that Wren favoured a continuous colonnade (peristyle) around the drum of the dome, rather than the arrangement of alternating windows and projecting columns that Michelangelo had used and which had also been employed by Mansart. Summerson suggests that he was influence by Bramante's "Tempietto" in the courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio. In the finished structure, Wren creates a diversity and appearance of strength by placing niches between the columns in every fourth opening. The peristyle serves to buttress both the inner dome and the brick cone which rises internally to support the lantern.
Above the peristyle rises the second stage surrounded by a balustraded balcony called the "Stone Gallery". This attic stage is ornamented with alternating pilasters and rectangular windows which are set just below the cornice, creating a sense of lightness. Above this attic rises the dome, covered with lead, and ribbed in accordance with the spacing of the pilasters. It is pierced by eight light wells just below the lantern, but these are barely visible. They allow light to penetrate through openings in the brick cone, which illuminates the interior apex of this shell, partly visible from within the cathedral through the ocular opening of the lower dome.
The lantern, like the visible masonry of the dome, rises in stages. The most unusual characteristic of this structure is that it is of square plan, rather than circular or octagonal. The tallest stage takes the form of a tempietto with four columned porticos facing the cardinal points. Its lowest level is surrounded by the "Golden Gallery" and its upper level supports a small dome from which rises a cross on a golden ball. The total weight of the lantern is about 850 tons.
The West Front
For the Renaissance architect designing the west front of a large church or cathedral, the universal problem was how to use a facade to unite the high central nave with the lower aisles in a visually harmonious whole. Since Alberti's additions to Santa Maria Novella in Florence, this was usually achieved by the simple expedient of linking the sides to the centre with large brackets. This is the solution that Wren saw employed by Mansart at Val-de-Grâce. Another feature employed by Mansart was a boldly projecting Classical portico with paired columns. Wren faced the additional challenge of incorporating towers into the design, as had been planned at St Peter's Basilica. At St Peter's, Carlo Maderno had solved this problem by constructing a narthex and stretching a huge screen facade across it, differentiated at the centre by a pediment. The towers at St Peter's were not built above the parapet.
Wren's solution was to employ a Classical portico, as at Val-de-Grâce, but rising through two storeys, and supported on paired columns. The remarkable feature here is that the lower storey of this portico extends to the full width of the aisles, while the upper section defines the nave that lies behind it. The gaps between the upper stage of the portico and the towers on either side are bridged by a narrow section of wall with an arch-topped window.
The towers stand outside the width of the aisles, but screen two chapels located immediately behind them. The lower parts of the towers continue the theme of the outer walls, but are differentiated from them in order to create an appearance of strength. The windows of the lower storey are smaller than those of the side walls and are deeply recessed, a visual indication of the thickness of the wall. The paired pilasters at each corner project boldly.
Above the main cornice, which unites the towers with the portico and the outer walls, the details are boldly scaled, in order to read well from the street below and from a distance. The towers rise above the cornice from a square block plinth which is plain apart from large oculi, that on the south being filled by the clock, while that on the north is void. The towers are composed of two complementary elements, a central cylinder rising through the tiers in a series of stacked drums, and paired Corinthian columns at the corners, with buttresses above them, which serve to unify the drum shape with the square plinth on which it stands. The entablature above the columns breaks forward over them to express both elements, tying them together in a single horizontal band. The cap, like a bell-shaped miniature dome, supports a gilded finial, a pineapple supported on four scrolling angled brackets, the topmost expression of the consistent theme.
The transepts each have a semi-circular entrance portico. Wren was inspired in the design by studying engravings of Pietro da Cortona's Baroque facade of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome. These projecting arcs echo the shape of the apse at the eastern end of the building.
St Paul's from the south-east with the tower of the destroyed Church of St Augustine to the right.
The building is of two storeys of ashlar masonry, above a basement, and surrounded by a balustrade above the upper cornice. The balustrade was added, against Wren's wishes, in 1718. The internal bays are marked externally by paired pilasters with Corinthian capitals at the lower level and Composite at the upper level. Where the building behind is of only one storey (at the aisles of both nave and choir) the upper storey of the exterior wall is sham. It serves a dual purpose of supporting the buttresses of the vault, and providing a satisfying appearance when viewed rising above buildings of the height of the 17th century city. This appearance may still be seen from across the River Thames.
Between the pilasters on both levels are windows. Those of the lower storey have semi-circular heads and are surrounded by continuous mouldings of a Roman style, rising to decorative keystones. Beneath each window is a floral swag by Grinling Gibbons, constituting the finest stone carving on the building and some of the greatest architectural sculpture in England. A frieze with similar swags runs in a band below the cornice, tying the arches of the windows and the capitals. The upper windows are of a restrained Classical form, with pediments set on columns, but are blind and contain niches. Beneath these niches, and in the basement level, are small windows with segmental tops, the glazing of which catches the light and visually links them to the large windows of the aisles. The height from ground level to the top of the parapet is approximately 110 feet.
The nave, looking towards the choir
The choir, looking towards the nave
Internally, St Paul's has a nave and choir in each of its three bays. The entrance from the west portico is through a square domed narthex, flanked by chapels: the Chapel of St Dunstan to the north and the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George to the south. The nave is 91 feet (28 m) in height and is separated from the aisles by an arcade of piers with attached Corinthian pilasters rising to an entablature. The bays, and therefore the vault compartments, are rectangular, but Wren roofed these spaces with saucer-shaped domes and surrounded the clerestorey windows with lunettes. The vaults of the choir are decorated with mosaics by Sir William Blake Richmond. The dome and the apse of the choir are all approached through wide arches with coffered vaults which contrast with the smooth surface of the domes and punctuate the division between the main spaces. The transepts extend to the north and south of the dome and are called (in this instance) the North Choir and the South Choir.
The choir holds the stalls for the clergy, cathedral officers and the choir, and the organ. These wooden fittings, including the pulpit and Bishop's throne, were designed in Wren's office and built by joiners. The carvings are the work of Grinling Gibbons who Summerson describes as having "astonishing facility", suggesting that Gibbons aim was to reproduce popular Dutch flower painting in wood. Jean Tijou, a French metalworker, provided various wrought iron and gilt grills, gates and balustrades of elaborate design, of which many pieces have now been combined into the gates near the sanctuary.
The cathedral is some 574 feet (175 m) in length (including the portico of the Great West Door), of which 223 feet (68 m) is the nave and 167 feet (51 m) is the choir. The width of the nave is 121 feet (37 m) and across the transepts is 246 feet (75 m). The cathedral is slightly shorter but somewhat wider than Old St Paul's.
The interior of the dome showing how Thornhill's painting continues an illusion of the real architectural features.
This view of an arch spanning the aisle shows how Wren succeeded in giving an impression of eight equal arches.
The main internal space of the cathedral is that under the central dome which extends the full width of the nave and aisles. The dome is supported on pendentives rising between eight arches spanning the nave, choir, transepts, and aisles. The eight piers that carry them are not evenly spaced. Wren has maintained an appearance of eight equal spans by inserting segmental arches to carry galleries across the ends of the aisles, and has extended the mouldings of the upper arch to appear equal to the wider arches.
Above the keystones of the arches, at 99 feet (30 m) above the floor and 112 feet (34 m) wide, runs a cornice which supports the Whispering Gallery so called because of its acoustic properties: a whisper or low murmur against its wall at any point is audible to a listener with an ear held to the wall at any other point around the gallery. It is reached by 259 steps from ground level.
The dome is raised on a tall drum surrounded by pilasters and pierced with windows in groups of three, separated by eight gilded niches containing statues, and repeating the pattern of the peristyle on the exterior. the dome rises above a gilded cornice at 173 feet (53 m) to a height of 214 feet (65 m). Its painted decoration by Sir James Thornhill shows eight scenes from the life of St Paul set in illusionistic architecture which continues the forms of the eight niches of the drum. At the apex of the dome is an oculus inspired by that of the Pantheon in Rome. Through this hole can be seen the decorated inner surface of the cone which supports the lantern. This upper space is lit by the light wells in the outer dome and openings in the brick cone. Engravings of Thornhill's paintings were published in 1720.
The choir, looking east
The apse and high altar
The eastern apse extends the width of the choir and is the full height of the main arches across choir and nave. It is decorated with mosaics, in keeping with the choir vaults. The original reredos and high altar were destroyed by bombing in 1940. The present high altar and baldacchino are the work of W. Godfrey Allen and Stephen Dykes Bower. The apse was dedicated in 1958 as the American Memorial Chapel. It was paid for entirely by donations from British people. The Roll of Honour contains the names of more than 28,000 Americans who gave their lives while on their way to, or stationed in, the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It is in front of the chapel's altar. The three windows of the apse date from 1960 and depict themes of service and sacrifice, while the insignia around the edges represent the American states and the US armed forces. The limewood panelling incorporates a rocket—a tribute to America's achievements in space.
The south choir organ
St Paul's at the time of its completion, was adorned by sculpture in stone and wood, most notably that of Grinling Gibbons, by the paintings in the dome by Thornhill, and by Jean Tijou's elaborate metalwork. It has been further enhanced by Sir William Richmond's mosaics and the fittings by Dykes Bower and Godfrey Allen. Other artworks in the cathedral include, in the south aisle, William Holman Hunt's copy of his painting The Light of the World, the original of which hangs in Keble College, Oxford. In the north choir aisle is a limestone sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Henry Moore, carved in 1943. The crypt contains over 200 memorials and numerous burials. Christopher Wren was the first person to be interred, in 1723. On the wall above his tomb in the crypt is written in Latin: Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice ("Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you").
The sarcophagus of Nelson in the crypt
The largest monument in the cathedral is that to the Duke of Wellington by Alfred Stevens. It stands on the north side of the nave and has on top a statue of Wellington astride his horse "Copenhagen". Although the equestrian figure was planned at the outset, objections to the notion of having a horse in the church prevented its installation until 1912. The horse and rider are by John Tweed. The Duke is buried in the crypt.
A 1913 memorial by Max Gill commemorating those who were buried or memorialised in Old St. Paul's Cathedral.
The tomb of Horatio, Lord Nelson is located in the crypt, next to that of Wellington. The marble sarcophagus which holds his remains was made for Cardinal Wolsey but not used as the cardinal had fallen from favour. At the eastern end of the crypt is the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, instigated in 1917, and designed by Lord Mottistone. There are many other memorials commemorating the British military, including several lists of servicemen who died in action, the most recent being the Gulf War.
Also remembered are Florence Nightingale, J. M. W. Turner, Arthur Sullivan, Hubert Parry, Samuel Johnson, Lawrence of Arabia, William Blake and Sir Alexander Fleming as well as clergy and residents of the local parish. There are lists of the Bishops and cathedral Deans for the last thousand years. One of the most remarkable sculptures is that of the Dean and poet, John Donne. Before his death, Donne posed for his own memorial statue and was depicted by Nicholas Stone as wrapped in a burial shroud, and standing on a funeral urn. The sculpture, carved around 1630, is the only one to have survived the conflagration of 1666 intact. The treasury is also in the crypt but the cathedral has very few treasures as many have been lost, and on 22 December 1810 a major robbery took almost all of the remaining precious artefacts.
The funerals of many notable figures have occurred at the cathedral, including those of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill, George Mallory and Margaret Thatcher.
360° view of the interior near the High Altar.
A clock was installed in the south-west tower by Langley Bradley in 1709 but was worn out by the end of the nineteenth century. The present mechanism was built in 1893 by Smith of Derby incorporating a design of escapement by Edmund Denison Beckett similar to that used by Edward Dent on the 'Big Ben' mechanism in 1895. The clock mechanism is 5.8 metres long and is the most recent of the clocks introduced to St Paul's Cathedral over the centuries. Since 1969 the clock has been electrically wound with equipment designed and installed by Smith of Derby, relieving the clock custodian from the work of cranking up the heavy drive weights.
The south-west tower also contains four bells of which Great Paul, cast in 1881 by Taylor's bell foundry of Loughborough, Leicestershire, at 16½ tons was the largest bell in the British Isles until the casting of the Olympic Bell for the 2012 London Olympics. This bell has traditionally sounded at 1 o'clock each day. Great Paul has not been rung for several years because of a broken chiming mechanism. The clock bells included Great Tom, which was moved from St Stephen's Chapel at the Palace of Westminster and has been recast several times, the last time by Richard Phelps. It chimes the hour and is traditionally tolled on occasions of a death in the royal family, the Bishop of London, or the Lord Mayor of London, although an exception was made at the death of the US president James Garfield. It was last tolled for the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 2002. In 1717, Richard Phelps cast two more bells that were added as "quarter jacks" that ring on the quarter-hour. Still in use today, the first weighs 13 long hundredweight (1,500 lb; 660 kg), is 41 inches (1,000 mm) in diameter and is tuned to A flat; the second weighs 35 long hundredweight (3,900 lb; 1,800 kg) and is 58 inches (1,500 mm) in diameter and is tuned to E flat.
The north-west tower contains a peal of 12 bells by Taylor of Loughborough hung for change ringing and the original service or "Communion Bell" dating from 1700 and known as "the Banger" which is rung before 8.00 am services.
The south-west tower
Details of the bells
1 8-1-4 1461.0 F 30.88" 1878 John Taylor & Co
2 9-0-20 1270.0 E♭ 32.50" 1878 John Taylor & Co
3 9-3-12 1199.0 D 34.00" 1878 John Taylor & Co
4 11-2-22 1063.0 C 36.38" 1878 John Taylor & Co
5 13-1-0 954.0 B♭ 38.63" 1878 John Taylor & Co
6 13-2-14 884.0 A 39.63" 1878 John Taylor & Co
7 16-1-18 784.0 G 43.75" 1878 John Taylor & Co
8 21-3-18 705.0 F 47.63" 1878 John Taylor & Co
9 27-1-22 636.0 E♭ 52.50" 1878 John Taylor & Co
10 29-3-21 592.0 D 55.25" 1878 John Taylor & Co
11 43-2-0 525.0 C 61.25" 1878 John Taylor & Co
12 61-2-12 468.0 B♭ 69.00" 1878 John Taylor & Co
Clock 12-2-9 A♭ 1707 Richard Phelps
Clock 24-2-26 E♭ 1707 Richard Phelps
Clock 102-1-22 A♭ 82.88" 1716 Richard Phelps
Bourdon 334-2-19 317.1 E♭ 114.75" 1881 John Taylor & Co
Communion 18-2-26 E♭ 49.50" 1700 Philip Wightman
The gilt statue of Saint Paul at the top of St Paul's Cross in the cathedral precinct
18th-century engraving of St Paul's from the north-west by J. M. Mueller
19th-century coloured engraving from the south-west by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd
Romantic 19th-century engraving of St Paul's in the evening after rain by Edward Angelo Goodall
Oil painting, John O'Connor, Evening on Ludgate Hill (1887) St Paul's looms beyond St Martin's.
St Paul's from Richmond House by the Venetian painter Canaletto (1747)
St Paul's viewed from a loggia (c. 1748) by Antonio Joli who also worked in Venice.
An Impressionist view of St Paul's from the River by Ernest Dade (before 1936)
St Paul's from Bankside, a watercolour by Frederick E. J. Goff (before 1931)
An airship, Nulli Secundus, circling St Paul's on a flight from Farnborough to London (1907)
A member of the Royal Observer Corps on watch during the Battle of Britain (1940)
The geometric staircase appears in several films including Sherlock Holmes (2009)
St Paul's Cathedral Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.


RIO GRANDE, N.J. (WTXF) - More help for Florida, struggling to recover after Hurricane Michael, is on the way from southern New Jersey. Another truck full of supplies is being mobilized in Cape May County.
All the students of Ms. Venturini's first grade class know is that in Florida, there are people in need and their classmate – Matthew – has a dad who is going to Florida to help.
"Because they don't have any food," said Matthew Chin.
So, it was all smiles all around as the Cape May Court House students loaded the bright yellow rental truck with donated goods and their teacher beamed at what they'd gathered in just two days.
"I told them we're going to help some people that had some bad weather that made them lose things. They went home and brought in goods," said teacher Lynsey Venturini.
This the third mission of mercy to a storm ravaged region by Cape May Cares, a group of former military and law enforcement volunteers.
Chris Chin is leading the effort.
"This storm came out of nowhere and blew up. Sitting and watching the damage, how could I not help?" stated Chris Chin.
It started when Hurricane Harvey raked Houston and Chin and others sent a truck of relief items.
When North Carolina was hit, Cape May Cares drove a supply truck there.
Tuesday mid-afternoon in a Cape May County business, the truck was loaded with water, blankets and pet food for the journey to Florida.
Helen Fink lived in Stone Harbor in 1962 when a Nor'easter struck.
She appeared Tuesday with a backseat full of donations and a message of hope.
"It gets better. All you can do is work through it and move on," said Fink.
For more information on ways to help, see the Cape May Cares Facebook page or the Cape May Cares GoFundMe page.


In the strict sense of the word, "Shaping" refers to a training method in which a desired behavior is, as it were, "kneaded". The end behavior is divided into small, separately learned exercises. These exercises are then finally "kneaded together" to the desired end result. But the term Shaping is also sometimes used in a broader context. In that case, the focus is on a reward-based learning method in which dogs start offering behaviors themselves.
They learn from the consequences of their behavior. If the behavior, shown, results in getting a reward, the dog will repeat it. If it does not result in getting rewarded, the dog will not repeat it. In this case, Shaping is used as a synonym for operant conditioning. During Shaping (in the sense of operant conditioning) we need a "tool" to "mark" the correct behaviors (which we classify as correct). A commonly used tool is a clicker. That's where the word "clicker training" finds its basis. Whether we are talking about Shaping, Clicker training or operant conditioning, the idea is that we will teach behaviors starting from the dog's own CHOICES.
The terms "Clicker training" and "Shaping" quickly create a link to teaching "tricks". However, with this training technique much more can be achieved than just learning tricks. It is possible to "raise" a dog from his own choices. Is not that great!
As a true dog lover, don't we strive to have the best possible bond with our dog? Punishment will always undermine our good relationship with our dogs. Punishment makes us unpredictable and that makes the dog insecure and suspicious. If we, as a trainer or educator, succeed in steering the choices of the dog in such a way that these choices correspond with our choices, and, in other words, with the rules imposed by society, we will get a happy dog who knows what is good and less good and who will CHOOSE to do the right things.
Reward desirable behavior, ignore undesirable behavior. Sounds simple, maybe a bit too simple. For the novice trainer / educator it is indeed not that simple.
Unfortunately we are pretty stuck in a "No, Bad!" culture rather than in a "Yes, Good!" culture. Especially parenting to dogs. Anyone who makes an effort to understand this method and who strives for a close relationship with his / her dog can "grow" in this way of training/raising a dog. It becomes a second nature. You will start looking for behavior that can be rewarded and no longer for behavior that needs to be punished. The "to learn" instead of "to unlearn" principle. Of course there are tricks to it. Self-rewarding behavior, for example. These are behaviors that many reward-oriented trainers have already caused sleepless nights. A lot of creativity from the trainer's side is needed to overcome training issues caused by self-rewarding behavior. That makes this way of training super exciting!
Shaping is commonly regarded as a "positive" way of training dogs. But as a trainer / educator, it is important to always consider the consequences of rewarding and withholding the reward for the dog. Frustration, for example, is not really a "positive" feeling. The dog will certainly feel frustration during clicker training.
In order for the training to succeed, it is very important that the level of frustration is kept in mind so that it does not become unpleasant for the dog. We cannot hide behind a "positive" method while the dog actually has negative feelings about it. The aim of the training is to learn things in a fun way and to build a good, strong bond based on mutual trust. It must be FUN, for dog and owner! So no, it's not as simple as it sounds, but if the trainer / educator gets the hang of it and keeps an eye on the pitfalls, Shaping becomes a great way of training and the bond between dog and man becomes incredibly strong.
And then we come to the "tricks teaching". Teaching tricks is the best "training" for the dog trainer / educator to get started with Shaping. Learning a trick requires a plan. Where do I start? What steps do I need to come to the end result? It makes the trainer think. And does he/she does not achieve the perfect, desired result? Then nothing bad has happened. On the contrary, they will have gained a lot! Trainer and dog have had fun and they both learned a lot. Hop to the next trick, probably with better results. Once someone can learn tricks, he/she can learn everything. Everything then becomes a trick or a game. Whether it is teaching to weave in agility or "send to place" in obedience, the trainer will have the confidence to start off because he/she KNOWS what the dog is able to and what he/she has been able to teach him allready. The trainer learned to "read" the dog and the dog learned to "read" the trainer. The bond is there, the TRUST is there.
We like to help everyone who is interested in this training method, either for learning tricks or for general education/raising a dog!
The shaping classes are taught by Inge. The training studio is located in Wechelderzande (Vendelmansweg 41).
Currently no specific shaping (tricks) group training is planned. Fitness training is based on this training method, though.
It is possible to take private shaping classes. Private lessons are taught at Nimble-K9 on Monday and Wednesday between 9:00 and 21:00 and on Friday between 14:00 and 18:00.