by Roy Witman © 2006

When you here the words “spacious cabin,” most people don’t imagine a 5,750 square-foot suite. But Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) did! Beginning with the Norwegian Dawn in 2002, NCL began creating Garden Villas aboard their most luxurious ships. Today, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Garden Villas still offer the largest accommodations at sea.

Private Staff

The primary goals of the Garden Villas are to offer guests privacy, luxury and pampering at every turn. Five butlers staff these suites in order to ensure every need is anticipated and met even before guests make requests. Guests have the direct phone numbers for the suite staff in order to call upon them night or day. Want your luggage packed or unpacked? Absolutely! Need help planning and hosting a party? But of course! Hoping to receive VIP tickets to events or private excursions? The butlers are there to make it happen.

The Accommodations

The Garden Villas include a master bedroom and two additional bedrooms, each with a private, luxury bathroom. Guests also have a whirlpool tub; large, plush beds with premium bedding and a dining area. The outside, multi-tiered sundeck features a Jacuzzi as well as luxurious deck furniture and ample space for entertaining up to 100 guests. Garden Villas also treat guests to multiple private balconies.

The Views

High atop Deck 14, the views are simply unmatched. Elegantly decorated, the Garden Villas offer a spacious living room with a panoramic ocean view, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows. In fact, panoramic views are featured throughout the suite, in every room from the master bedroom to the bathroom.

Awake to the sunrise dancing across the waves as you enjoy a made-to-order breakfast served at the time of your choosing. Then, at night, watch the lights glisten off the water right outside your bedroom, as you’re lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the sea. You’re even likely to spot dolphins playing in the ship’s wake or a massive whale as it crashes through the waves.

The Price

At $25,000 per week, you might assume these premium suites go uninhabited much of the time. Quite the contrary is true. As one of the most popular suites in the fleet, the Garden Villas are almost always filled on each voyage.

Families, family reunions, groups of friends, multiple families traveling together and those who simple want the best accommodations available have been known for occupying the Garden Villas.

The addition of Garden Villas aboard Star (2001, later retrofit with Garden Villas) and Jewel (2005) means there are only six of these suites in the entire NCL fleet. That puts them in even higher demand.

If you want the most luxurious accommodations available, cruise critics agree that Norwegian’s Garden Villas are your best option.

One of the things that Florida is known for is, you guessed it, is orange juice! The citrus industry has been playing a big role in Central Florida for many decades, and considering its importance, I wanted to learn a bit more about it.

So with the help of the Orlando Visitors and Convention Bureau I was able to locate “Florida’s Natural Growers”, a citrus-processing cooperative that produces the well-known “Florida’s Natural” brand of juices. The cooperative was founded in 1933 and today more than 1000 independent growers are part of this cooperative processing and marketing organization.

Florida’s Natural operates a 540 acre fruit processing center in Lake Wales, about an hour south of Orlando. They are now the largest employer in the Lake Wales area. The facility also offers a visitor center which educates tourists on the history of Florida’s citrus industry, and the science and processes behind citrus juice production.

I first viewed a 10 minute video which provided a very good overview of Central Florida’s citrus industry. The organizational structure of Florida’s Natural is quite interesting as well since it is not a corporately owned juice company like Minute Maid or Tropicana (owned by Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co. respectively), but rather it is a cooperative of local farmers that share in the production of the fruit and the juice. Florida’s Natural prides itself in doing things a little differently from the big juice companies and its unique nature is reflected in its motto:

- We own the land – We own the fruit – We own the company

Orange cultivation was originally introduced by the Spaniards several centuries ago. Grafting resulted in stronger and more resistant trees which produced fruit in 3 years instead of 15 years. Fruits are still picked by hand, put into containers, which are boxed and shipped by truck to the processing plant.

A variety of quality control processes are applied and fruit is washed and separated by size by grading inspectors. About 95% of Florida’s orange harvest goes to juice production. Florida’s Natural extractor machines can handle about 13 million pounds of oranges every 24 hours. Once the fruit has been squeezed, a so-called finisher removes the seeds. Then the juice is flash-pasteurized and packaged.

The key thing about Florida’s Natural products is that they are not made from concentrate, but rather contain only pure unsweetened fruit juice. Different varieties of orange juice are stored and blended in order to ensure that the taste is consistent throughout the different harvests during the year. The organization prides itself that its juice is as close to the grove as you can get and it is the fastest growing not-from-concentrate brand. Florida’s Natural 64 ounce cartons are shipped all over the globe.

In addition to juice, every part of the orange is used to produce other products, such as orange oil, for example, while seeds and peel are processed into cattle feed. Florida’s Natural growers also believe in wildlife conservation and have created wildlife habitat areas while employing various methods for reducing water usage.

In addition to the video screening theater, the Visitor Center houses a gift shop in the front and a walk-through display area that provides information about various themes, including weather, the history of the citrus industry, the history of citrus juice packaging, two display panels on the indigenous species of wildlife, as well as a variety of classic orange juice advertising posters.

When I was done with the educational part of the Visitor Center I explored the Gift Shop where I found all sorts of souvenirs and citrus-related presents, including citrus-scented candles, jams, marmalades, creams, t-shirts, books, hats, everything you can imagine with a citrus theme. I picked up some orange-flavoured (and orange-shaped) Whetstone Chocolates as treats for my friends at home.

I also got to taste free samples of 4 varieties of juices which represent a good cross-section of Florida’s Natural product line, which includes different types of orange juice (with varying degrees of pulp and some with additions of vitamins or calcium), ruby red grapefruit juice, apple juice, cranberry apple cocktail, lemonade, raspberry lemonade, and lemonade ice tea.

Dropping by the Visitor Center at Florida’s Natural was a great introduction to one of the most important industries in Florida and gave me a real appreciation of everything that goes into producing that healthy, refreshing glass of orange juice that I enjoy in the morning.

The Chagga people are mountain people, who live on and in the shadow of Kilimanjaro – Northern Tanzania. They once believed in Sheuta and ancient creator god who formed the human race as a potter creates earthen vessels.

Even to this day people talk of the process of pot making is comparable to the creation of life in a woman’s womb. In the villages of Tanzania, usually the women folk are the potters. This profession is traditionally passed down from mother to daughter. Typically men do not participate in this trade.

The clay is dug out of the earth in large clumps, using a traditional hoe; this is back breaking work. These large pieces of clay are then taken home and broken into smaller lumps, water is added to make the clay more supple to work with. The consistency must be easy to work with – being very careful not to make it too wet. This is achieved by pummeling and needing the clay. A ball of clay is formed, then working quickly, turning and working the clay with the whole hand, fingers, and palms, continually tuning the container in a rhythmic manner – this process is completed surprisingly quickly. Once finished time is spent on the details, some potters marking their pots to make them distinct. The larger pots are made from producing long sausage shaped coils and these coils are wound around and around to from a pot. The sides are smoothed with water to remove the corrugated effect. Many home made tools are used in this process, scrapers, knives twigs and bits of timber.

The pots are then put in the shade to dry which can take up to four days for the larger pots. The pots are fired by covering them with wood and dried fragments of banana tree and the pot is half fired half smoked, this process takes an hour or two.

Once the fire has died down the pots are carefully removed from the ashes whilst still very hot. They are rubbed with leaves to give them a distinct colour and to seal them. Many of these pots will be used to cook food over an open fire.

These women are very talented at what they do although for all the effort and hard work not to mention talent a pot can be purchased for a dollar or maybe two.

More information can be got on any subject related to Tanzania at http://www.betheladventures.co.uk Thanking you for your interest. Bethel Adventure is a non-profit making organization and is registered with the Tanzanian Government.

Rangers hold off Devils, win series in 5

Numerous risk takers will surely have found the term “offshore sports betting” by now, but some aren’t entirely assured what it signifies. An overseas gambling site in effect runs outside of the rules of any particular state but alternatively it could mean a live sports betting site which has its host computer inside the boundaries of a state where machine-accessible wagering isn’t at this time outlawed. To sum up then, it’s a wagering web site active independently of the control of the country of the clientele. World wide web based sports betting websites are currently regulated via 3 organizations. These are OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association FTGA.

The Offshore Gaming Association is a nonpartisan agency which keeps tabs on the modern overseas sports betting business, they undertake to supply sports betting fanatics an avenue to quickly distinguish reliable businesses to play games of fate with. It tries to maintain customer’s rights, and in addition they don’t demand any membership expenses. The OSGA is a well-qualified and neutral third party agency who manifest impartial conclusions, founded around customer feedback, unprejudiced examination, telephone conversations, tips and also to dispense industry information.

The IGC is a nonprofit organisation. The organization was set up to furnish a platform for worried people to discuss the latest issues also to further common interests in the global online sports gaming business, in an effort to establish scrupulous and also accountable trade guidelines and forms that raise customer trust in online gambling commodities and functions, also to work as the betting trade’s public procedure guardian and in addition the council offers a data hub.

The IGC has established a name for encouraging dependability, candor and in addition plausibility by virtue of the tough standards it demands, and its appeal to business enterprises of ethical practise. The Interactive Gaming Council governs overseas sports gambling by advancing an extraordinary 10-step set of instructions and also charges gaming web sites a fee for displaying their logo. Vexed customers may additionally report any of their disagreements to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The FTGA was set up in an effort to create a standard which will raise the transactions of live betting business concerns. The council believe that carrying on business with respected enterprises, they can create an alliance of the most honest and professional online betting businesses globally.

There are governing bodies that oversee the practises of online sports gambling and which should in time serve to take the sting out of some of the apprehensions experienced by gambling fans. On-line sports betting internet sites are now totally safe, beacuse private data should not be necessary and also the remuneration not to mention the gambling odds are mainly as equal and sportsmanlike as a standard Vegas-style Vegas style sports bet. They reduce traveling time, but maintain of a casino, but these days you may bet in your home.

This is a very interesting poem, I would recommend reading it.There is a longing in this girl The smearing of make-up Brought on by the tears glazing down her cheek A bitter taste follows down the throat A barbie fake smile Placed upon her face to fool the world Sliding through life unnoticed, Only wanting one thing A love pure as ice She’s sickened greatly by Envy of love Darkened by the promises broken, Dreaming of the words unsaid. A desire to grasp the wind gracing her face A need for another’s hand to reach out to The thought of dreams coming true A thought impossible And yet Still she dreams The need to know Therse’s a Catcher in her rye The want to see through the lies The desire to look into the eyes of another And See through the mist The dream to look upon their hearts And know Just know they’re different from the rest A dream darkened by lies The dreams thrown aside The longing returns.

http://www.originalpoetry.com/impossible

adjective1. not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with; “an impossible dream”; “an impossible situation” [ant: possible] 2. totally unlikely 3. used of persons or their behavior; “impossible behavior”; “insufferable insolence”

After three flights and lots of expectations about the following
week, Geneva appears in the far distance – green, neat and
welcoming. The memories of the deep Norwegian snow disappear the
minute we get out of the airport. The evening is warm and the
people are in a hurry. It is April in Geneva. The first thing my
Swiss friend, Fabian, wants to show me late at night is an
English pub with good beer. Much later we are still sitting
there with some unknown English and German guys, drinking and
talking nonsense. That’s the good thing about Geneva, says one
of the Brits, it makes you feel at home. The Germans do not seem
to agree, however, and a big blonde guy objects: That’s the
thing about home – you never want to stay there but you always
want to come back. Too much beer, I’m thinking, and the evening
goes on. To make it clear from the beginning – I am not a
tourist in Geneva. Every time I go to a place I end up in the
mainstream tourist paths polished by the steps of thousands
before me. Not this time – I am here to attend the conference
and to do some shopping. The conference goes well, the shopping,
too. The shops are cheaper than expected and there are fancy
brands I have not seen before. The first thing I notice about
the streets are not the nice buildings but the people. All are
well dressed – from rich Arabs which you meet in every shop, to
young gorgeous men in suits. Fabian explains the guys in suits
work in banks. That young? Sure! The banks are everywhere -
solid buildings with respectable names. Fabian’s father works in
a bank too. With only four clients, his father’s bank is one of
the smallest. The conference is about to end and a fellow
linguist insists on showing me some special Genevan chocolate.
We go to a small shop in the old part of the city and enjoy the
soft Genevan chocolate in the shadows of the big cathedral. Do
you know a special attraction we can visit in the afternoon, he
asks. And our tour begins. First we go on a boat trip. The lake
is huge, the water fountain really tall, there are lots of
families on expensive boats just basking in the sun. We see lots
of nice houses, or rather palaces. The brochure reads: the
chalet on the right was the Residence of Lenin in 1914 while he
was preparing the Russian revolution. Small and dull at first
sight, the house suddenly becomes somewhat mysterious and cozy.
Here’s Mont-Blanc, the White House Napoleon gave to Josephine,
the UN building… We are both impressed. After the boat trip,
we make a quick tour around the city. We see the Russian church,
the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the flower clock, an Egyptian
exposition in the Art and History Museum, where I buy I lovely
Indian postcard; we rest in few cafes in the street, see some
capoeira dancers on a small square and really get an
international feeling about the city. Tourists or not, I don’t
seem to care anymore, and the evening ends in a small restaurant
where we can taste the famous fondue. More friends join and the
feast begins. Our host is a lovely old lady who only speaks
French, jokes all the time and smiles at us motherly. The meal
is really delicious and the old lady makes sure we always have
full glasses of white wine. No water, no water, she gestures
vividly and then jokes again about something most of us do not
understand. The place itself has a bit of oriental touch in blue
and white. A bit drunk from the wine and the dish itself we
can’t refuse the dessert. The cherries in alcohol we try at the
end are irresistible. We all get kisses and hugs before we
plunge into the warm evening. A year after, I still remember
the soft breeze in the lit evening streets, the crowded bars,
nice shops with beautiful women, the soft chocolate I had in the
old town, and the nostalgic chateaus on the lakeside. After all,
the German was right – Geneva is a place you definitely want to
come back to. This is thanks to courtesy of Copenhagen Hotels:
http://www.europe-cities.com/hotels-copenhagen.aspx

The city of Venice is an extravaganza of sight and sound. From the Bridge of Sighs that spans one of the many canals to the decadent architecture that hangs across the city’s skyline, it is a place where history truly comes alive for the visitor. Echoes of past lives can be found everywhere you go, and this is no more so true than at the Venice Carnival in the ten days before Lent.

The Carnival has a tradition that stretches back to Roman times in Europe, and is more traditionally associated with the final feast before fasting at Lent. In Venice, the carnival took on a new meaning at the height of Venetian oppulence in the 17th and 18th centuries. Then Venice was a world power. Living was done to excess, and so the carnival was begun on December 26th, the non-stop partying, flirting and gambling lasting through until Mardi Gras.

Carnival dress was important. Masks and costumes we worn to hide identities and to protect the reputations of those participating in the more illicit activities. By the end of the 18th century the high life in Venice was over. The carnival fell by the wayside as Venice came under the rule of Napolean.

Today a reincarnation of the Venice Carnival occurs every year in the week leading up to Lent. Events include numerous masked balls, theatrical performances, concerts and pageants in a more tempered style of the Venetian glory days. The 2006 Venice Carnival takes place from the 17th-28th February.

Getting to Venice

The Marco Polo International Airport is the main gateway into Venice for international travellers. A connecting flight from Milan or Rome may be required. Whichever route is chosen car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from these airports at http://www.your-carhire.com

Seb Jay is a freelance writer specializing in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com

Ever since I can remember, my love affair with dolphins has always been a restless force inside of me. As a child I was besotted with the intelligence and charm of “Flipper” in the TV series of the same name. And so, many years later, as an adult, having the opportunity to interact with these creatures one on one was indeed a dream come true.

Quite rightly, dolphins are vigorously protected by many laws which makes
swimming with them in the wild an illegal activity. However, thanks to their
conservation and education programmes throughout the world, Sea World has been
granted special approval by USA government to give visitors to it’s parks a once in a
lifetime opportunity to play with dolphins “up close and personal”.

One of the very best of these facilities is Discovery Cove, Florida. Discovery Cove is a
sister park to Sea World, and they are in fact located just across the road from one
another. However, Discovery Cove is an theme park like no other.

With daily admittance numbers strictly monitored, you will have to book well in
advance, because your day at Discovery Cove is an adventure from beginning to
end.

Once inside the park, you will be awed by the sheer scale and beauty of your
surroundings.

Following a brief orientation, and a complimentary photograph, you are supplied
with wet suits, snorkels and masks. Once kitted out, the day is yours to do with as
you please.

You can swim with sting rays and other tropical fish, glide safely alongside real
sharks, feed the exotic birds housed in a stunning free flight aviary, or simply relax
and enjoy the Florida sunshine on pristine sandy beaches.

A tasty lunch is also included in your admission fee, and there is a great selection to
choose from, including vegetarian options.

But without doubt, the highlight of your day will be the dolphin swim itself. For me,
after dreaming of this event for so many years, I was almost breathless with
anticipation, and I am delighted to report that I was not disappointed in any way.

My time spent, swimming and playing with my designated dolphin, named “Star”
was the most magical experience of my life. I was truly amazed at the connection we
had, and once you have looked close into a dolphin’s eyes and witnessed for
yourself the intelligence, unique personality and endless sense of fun, your life will
never be the same again.

Almost moved to tears by the sheer wonder of the experience, I have been drawn
back to relive the experience on subsequent trips to Florida, and each time has been
even more magical.

Although Discovery Cove is not suited to everyone’s pocket, if you want a truly life
changing experience, I cannot recommend this adventure enough.

Chris Neilson is a professional writer and private Villa Owner who has an extensive
knowledge of the Florida Travel Industry. He is also the senior copywriter for the
well known Florida Vacation Rentals web site Orlando Villas – http://www.orlandovillas.com and the related Florida Guide – http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/

© Copyright Chris Neilson 2005 All Rights Reserved

Children grow up fast which means it is important to find out about saving when they’re young. By saving from just £10 to £25 a month with Scottish Friendly’s Child Bond while they are children you could aid them when they are older. Situations where this might prove useful might include helping to pay for university fees or making a payment to secure a place to live.

You can invest in a tax-free savings plan for any child with a Scottish Friendly Child Bond. It’s tax-free because it’s a friendly society savings plan, so under current financial legislation it grows free of income or capital gains tax. Without doubt it is an ideal way for parents, grandparents, family members and friends to make a substantial financial difference when the little ones are older.

Put succinctly the Child Bond is a with-profits investment plan: It invests for long-term growth as well as a certain element of security, in stocks and shares, fixed interest funds and cash.

Funds accrues through the addition of potential yearly bonuses and when the bond becomes payable there’s a tax-free payout. The value of bonuses will be based on on how much profit we make and how we distribute it.
Bonuses are not guaranteed.

The Child Bond can last for a minimum of ten years, but you can invest for longer if you want – perhaps to coincide with an 18th or 21st birthday. You can save either monthly, annually or with a lump sum payment.It’s totally up to you. It should be borne in mind that if the plan is cashed in at a point prior to the end of the term, the amount the child will get back may be less than the amount paid in.

If you decide upon the monthly option, you can begin saving from as little as £10 a month – up to a maximum of £25 per month. Or you can make yearly payments of up to £270 a year.

You can also make the payment of all of the premiums in one go through our lump sum funding plan. If you invest the maximum permitted figure of £2,340 for a 10 year period, this actually invests £270 a year into the Child Bond – making twenty seven hundred pounds in total. The minimum lump sum of £1,040 will yield £120 a year for 10 years – a total of £1,200. This provides a way for you to make payment of all your premiums in one go and is particularly popular with grandparents who like the reassurance of knowing all premiums for the whole term of the plan are taken care of.

This particular plan has life cover included with it, so you should consider if this is suitable for your financial needs.

The owner can attempt small inflatable boat repair if factory-gluing instructions are followed closely. Rips and holes larger than one inch in the air chambers, or those within two inches of a seam, should be repaired with internal and external patches by a professional repair technician at a certified repair facility. A quick patch repair by the user may solve the problem for a short period of time, but it is recommended to have it redone by a professional.

It is also recommended that major inflatable boat repair, and the addition of large accessories such as oar locks, seating or towing rings, be done by a professional repair technician at a certified repair facility.

If the boat is still under warranty, and the user is experiencing a seam failure, or the wooden transom is separating from the molded transom flanges or tube set, or the fabric is turning yellow and sticky, it is recommended that the dealer be contacted immediately. Defective seams or sticky fabric may result in complete warranty coverage, and the user may receive a new boat free, or at a small-prorated fee.

Hypalon® is a brand name of DuPont. Its technical name is chlorosulfonated polyethylene, but the user may know it simply as synthetic rubber. It is one of the most popular types of materials used in inflatable boat manufacture. Hypalon® is more expensive than PVC, but lasts longer, being more resilient to UV damage, abrasions, gas and oil. It has an average life of 20-30 years. Hypalon® inflatable boats can be repaired and restored with adhesive.

Hypalon® adhesive is a product that performs inflatable boat repairs and restores the boat to its original condition. The adhesive has two parts, the Basecoat and the Topcoat, which are easily applied by simply painting it on, after properly cleaning with a primer like Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). The adhesive comes in a variety of colors to suit the color of the boat.