View allAll Photos Tagged tips
Basic Techniques to Prevent Spit-Up In Babies - In the first three months of life, 50 percent of infants often experience spit up, when the contents of the stomach up and out through the esophagus. If your baby looks comfortable, eats well, and gains weight, then you do not have to worry about spit up.
As parents, we must always be on alert with conditions that are felt to help the baby's health. We must also be able to see what is happening to him, including if he spits out suddenly. To follow up the spit on the baby, we must first examine the cause.
Spit up in infants can also occur when the baby experiences a reflux condition. There is a muscle ring that connects the stomach to the esophagus, which in infants is not yet fully developed. Therefore, this muscle is not perfect for controlling incoming and outgoing foods.
Read AlsoTips On Washing Baby Clothes Safely
In reflux conditions, food or milk consumed will pass through the back of the throat, then into the esophagus and down to the stomach. Muscle rings can open and let food or milk into the stomach. When closed, this incomplete muscle ring may not close tightly. So in the end, food or milk can return to the esophagus.
However, you do not have to worry. You can prevent the occurrence of spit up the baby. There are several easy ways to avoid babies from spitting up:
When you are feeding, keep your baby's body tense. Do not let him in a position to duck let alone face down.
Try to burp the baby so that the air that can continue to be removed. Trying to burp this can by taking a break in the middle of drinking milk. Can also after drinking milk.
At the time of trying to burp, lean the baby's body into your shoulders so that the position is upright, but do not let the stomach depressed by your baby
At the time of breastfeeding, try to be in a quiet closed room and free from any disturbance, so that babies do not panic. Babies who suckle in a state of panic will tend to swallow air in unison with incoming milk.
If the baby is feeding the milk with bottles and teats, pay attention to the dot hole so that the baby is not choking because the milk flow is too fast and not too small to make it hard to suck milk and instead suck the air.
When the baby finishes eating, position his body upright for half an hour or more to make food or freshly consumed milk remain under. If the baby has to lie down, place some pillows to support his body so that his body stays upright
Read AlsoMagic Touch Is Needed By Newborn Baby
Avoid feeding or too much milk. Stop feeding or drinking when the baby is calm and comfortable.
Avoid wearing pants or diapers that are too tight so that the baby's stomach is not depressed
Avoid taking a baby traveling by car, especially right after eating or drinking milk. The position of the baby lying on a chair will make the baby's stomach under pressure.
Sometimes also spit on the baby occurs because something that the mother of consumption so that it can affect the taste or content of breast milk. Please consult your doctor to know the dispenser for sure.
Spitting out on a baby is a natural occurrence, but often this can make us panic.
By knowing how to overcome it then we can try to avoid the spit does not happen to our children. more info @ www.babygifa.com
Aberdaron is a community, electoral ward and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llyn Peninsula (Welsh: Penrhyn Llyn) in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies 14.8 miles (23.8 km) west of Pwllheli and 33.5 miles (53.9 km) south west of Caernarfon. The community includes Bardsey Island, the coastal area around Porthor, and the villages of Anelog, Llanfaelrhys, Penycaerau, Rhoshirwaun, Rhydlios, Uwchmynydd and Y Rhiw.
Y Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys have long been linked by sharing rectors and by their close proximity, but were originally ecclesiastical parishes in themselves. The parish of Bodferin/Bodverin was assimilated in the 19th century. The village was the last rest stop for pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), the legendary "island of 20,000 saints". In the 18th and 19th centuries it developed as a shipbuilding centre and port. The mining and quarrying industries became major employers, and limestone, lead, jasper and manganese ("Mango") were exported. There are the ruins of an old pier running out to sea at Porth Simdde, which is the local name for the west end of Aberdaron Beach. After the Second World War the mining industry collapsed, and Aberdaron gradually developed into a holiday resort. The beach was awarded a Seaside Award in 2008.
From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:
Touchdown brings me ‘round again to find…solid ground. Though I sometimes do feel like a rocket man. Including layovers, this trip to Vietnam consisted of 8 separate flights. The third one brought me to tiny Phu Quoc Island, a tropical island 40 kilometers west of the southern tip of Vietnam (and less than 5 kilometers from Cambodia on the mainland). The island, then, is actually west of the southern tip of Vietnam, and less than an hour flight from Saigon. The flight goes something like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated as it’s time for take…and now we’re landing.”
There are actually two tropical islands off the southern coast of Vietnam that I would have liked visiting, Phu Quoc being the more appealing of the two. (The other, for those curious, are the Con Dao Islands which actually are south of the mainland…but there doesn’t seem to be daily flights to/from there, which took it out of this trip’s consideration.)
Compared with Thailand, you would probably never think of coming to Vietnam for a tropical island experience – mainly because it’s not developed – and you’d be correct. I can easily name a handful of islands in Thailand (or Malaysia) that I would prefer to visit from an island standpoint.
However, that’s not to say that I was disappointed by Phu Quoc. On the contrary, I love the island. I found myself thinking, many times, “If I were an investor interested in developing a tourist resort, this would almost be at the top of my list.” (So, any investors reading this…feel free to take a slightly closer look at this island.)
It’s an easily accessible island with many daily flights to Saigon, and also flights to Hanoi. It claims to be an international airport, so I assume there are flights from Cambodia, as well, though I can’t say for certain. I can only say…it’s easy to get here.
Once you get here, you’ll find Vietnam’s largest island (though not large in comparison with many others). It’s 50 kilometers from north to south and 25 kilometers at its widest. It’s triangular in shape and, poetically speaking, can be said to look like a tear drop. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, the island also includes smaller neighboring islands as well.
Phu Quoc has slightly over 100,000 full-time residents, mostly living in Duong Dong, the island’s main town on the midpoint of the west coast of the island. Other than tourism, the economy here is driven, obviously, by the sea. Fishing, seafood, and so on are the staple here. Phu Quoc is the producer of the most famous fish sauce coming out of Vietnam. (Phu Quoc’s fish sauce can be found on grocery store shelves around the world.)
It’s also an island of hills. Our tour guide claimed that Phu Quoc has 99 mountains and, while I can’t (or won’t) dispute that, it struck me as a curious claim. There are hilly parts, though, and they include two waterfalls, one of which we visited on a day trip.
I mention that Phu Quoc struck me as being somewhat underdeveloped. I’ll elaborate by saying that they have a solid foundation – lots of restaurants (catered to foreigners; western food, pizza joints, etc., in addition to local/Vietnamese cuisine) – and hotels ranging from budget to top end. The basic utilities on the island (electricity, internet, etc.) are also completely stable and reliable. Where they could develop more is in the following: infrastructure and the actual amenities of tourism.
The roads weren’t shoddy, by many standards, though there’s still a lot of room for development. Once this is improved, it’ll make getting around more comfortable for anyone who wants to be completely insulated from “natural.”
The other thing that struck us as a little odd is that there doesn’t seem to be much going on at night (unless you’re a fisherman). It’s still a very quiet island and there weren’t many options for bars, clubs, live music, for example. (This is a huge difference between here and, say, Koh Chang in Thailand; the only other nearby island I have for comparison.) There aren’t convenience stores here that are open 24 hours a day and they don’t have much to offer after dark…besides the Night Market. Perhaps that’s the way they want to keep it, but there’s certainly potential here.
During the daytime, though, there’s plenty for tourists. As a photographer not equipped with waterproof gear, I was much more limited, but for the typical tourist you have options of fishing, diving, snorkeling, and swimming. The beaches were, in my opinion, a little dirty, but there are others on the island that are better, I think. (All in all, it would be nice to see things cleaned up a bit…)
In addition to water pursuits, there’s Phu Quoc National Park (that we didn’t visit; apparently better other times of the year) and – though the crux of the economy is tied to the sea – there are also other aspects of the economy that they represent well: pearl farms, pepper farms, cashew plantations, fish sauce factories, and local wine (wine aficionados, don’t get your hopes up).
For the land-loving folks, this is far from a crowded island. There are a number of beaches, the national park in the northern part of the island, and a few small waterfalls (one a classic, the other more of a rapids where you can swim). In short, there’s not a lack of things to do during the day.
With the long-winded generalities about the island out of the way, time to carry on with our experience. We took an early flight out of Saigon, around 9 or 10 o’clock. Flying into the airport, in the heart of the island (on the south side), my first impressions were “green” and “hilly.”
Naturally, it’s a small airport – everything here is small – which made it easy to get our things and be on our way to the hotel. I paid about $5 for the ride into Duong Dong. Our hotel, the Sea Breeze, had very friendly staff. (I can actually say that about every hotel we stayed at, with the New Moon in Danang being the least friendly…and they weren’t bad by any means at all.)
Anyway, the Sea Breeze was a fine place to sleep, though the Cat Huy was slightly nicer. But, for three nights, this hotel was perfect. Comfortable bed…and they did same day laundry service. I don’t remember the cost, but it was probably between $20-30 USD/night.
The hotel wasn’t one that had a restaurant or breakfast included (Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi all did), but there was a restaurant attached and a few feet away. I had breakfast there two of the three mornings and, while not the best western breakfast I’ve had, the staff were exceptionally friendly. I think that’s a Vietnamese quality…be really cordial to folks.
We had most of Friday on the island, plus the entire weekend, with a Monday morning flight to Danang (via Saigon) around 10:00 in the morning. Friday, then, was a completely unplanned day. So we spent Friday toddling around Duong Dong.
The first place we went (besides the hotel, obviously), was to find something to eat. We ended up going with was a decidedly non-Vietnamese restaurant named Buddy’s, walking there via the Night Market street. For me, I loved ‘em because they had milkshakes with real ice cream. Didn’t matter what else they had. That was enough to get me to go back 2-3 times.
After lunch and sitting around Buddy’s for a while, we walked across the street and followed the river out to its mouth in the Gulf of Thailand. (The river is why the main town was built at this spot.)
At the river’s head is a curiously named spot called Dinh Cau Castle. There is nothing about this place that shouts out “castle” if you were to just chance upon it. It’s actually a combination lighthouse-temple. The temple aspect is just a small room with a statue dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The lighthouse, obviously, has its practical purposes. It’s more a light station, though; there’s no house for a keeper.
However, this was a very enjoyable spot (much nicer than the Thien Hau “Pagoda” in Saigon) and would end up being the spot where we watched the sunset on Friday and Saturday. The lighthouse-station-temple was built in 1937. There are a few tables benches on an upper platform to sit and enjoy the view of the sea (or the river mouth with its fishing fleet behind you) and there’s also a jetty going out into the sea that gives some nice perspectives. I can only say that I was surprisingly pleased with both Friday and Saturday’s sunsets.
Staying at Dinh Cau well past sunset, we strolled back towards the Sea Breeze via the Night Market, which is rather clean as far as Asian markets go. (I mention this to contrast it with Phu Quoc’s Day Market, mentioned below.)
Before getting back to the hotel, we stopped at the recently (2015) established Crab House (Nha Ghe Phu Quoc) on the main road at the south end of the market. The owner was – as all seem to be – very friendly and talkative. I was curious to know why the interior had banners from a handful of SEC schools (US folks will know what this is) along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turns out, the guy used to live in Muskegon, Michigan, which isn’t terribly far from where I was born (and a town I’ll be passing near in about 3-4 weeks’ time).
Junebug & I split the Crab House battered garlic pepper fries (65,000 VND); miniature crab cakes with sweet mango coulis (175,000 VND); and com ghe: hot, steamy jasmine rice with fresh, sweet crab meat, julienne cucumber, and nuoc mam cay (Phu Quoc fish sauce) for 175,000 VND. Add in two cans of Sprite at 20,000 VND a pop and that’s a happy stomach. (The exchange rate, while we were there, was around 21,000-22,000 VND to the US dollar, so we’re looking at…$20-25 for a fresh seafood dinner for two.) With a thoroughly happy stomach, it was time to call it a night, even though it was barely 8:00.
Saturday brought with it another day trip with a small group. This was similar to the Saigon trip with Bao in terms of time and what we did, though I think Bao was a better guide than the girl here. She seemed disinterested half the time, though was never rude or mean, per se. Anyway, at $11/person, it wasn’t a bad way to spend the day.
Since the one part of this tour I was looking forward to most was a waterfall, I was grateful that it was overcast almost the entire day. For parts of it, rain was pretty heavy. (It even made me mildly – albeit very mildly concerned about the flight out on Monday as it was the first of two for the day.)
First up, though, was a pearl farm where I found it interesting to see them pulling pearls out of oysters. That thrill lasted for about a minute or two. However, we were scheduled to be here for close to an hour. (They were hoping that people would buy pearl jewelry.) Given that we were in a fairly heavy rain, I was surprised that there were so many people here. It made me think the entire day would be like this with overcrowded spots. (Forunately, that didn’t come to pass.)
With no interest in buying jewelry, I spent the hour on the back patio looking out at the very rough and stormy sea, and a few of these shots are from there. Finally ready to go, we were waiting on two Vietnamese women from the group (a recurring theme for the day) before we headed off to the next stop: a pepper farm.
To call it a pepper farm would be to stretch one’s imagination to its utmost. It was about 5 rows of pepper trees with each row being no more than 10 meters long. (I’d like to hope this is just the “sample” section they show us dopey tourists.) Much more attractive was the attached shop where they hoped you’d buy pepper. This time around, I pulled out my wallet. There’s one of us born every minute, you know. I bought four separate jars of pepper, one of which wasn’t a powder (and was subsequently confiscated in Guangzhou as I rarely check luggage and this trip was no exception). At about a dollar a jar, it wasn’t a bad deal.
From the pepper farm we were off to the wine shop. This tour was beginning to feel like just going from one spot to another to buy local goods. This wasn’t grape wine, but was a berry wine and was, for the most part very sweet. Don’t think port or sherry, though. It wasn’t quite that sweet, but it was close. Certainly not bad, but also something I could’ve done without. However, they seemed proud of their wine, and I don’t blame them. (It’s better than most of what I had in Korea.) Once again being held up by the Vietnamese ladies, we finally all settled back into the van and went off to Suoi Tranh.
The waterfall was actually much nicer than I expected. Apparently, half the year, it’s dry, so it worked out well that we came at the end of the rainy season. The fall is a classic cascade in a very nice, wooded setting. (Even if it were sunny, it probably would’ve photographed rather well because it had enough cover to give it shade.) We were given 45 minutes to walk the 600 meters up to the falls and back, which meant a bit of a rush for me, but…fortunately, the Vietnamese ladies were even slower than I was.
The creek leading up to the falls had some nice rapids, too, but it also had some unfortunate eyesores: a manmade fall at the entrance (why would you need that when you have the real thing a few minutes away?) and, worse, some fake animal statuary. Count my lucky stars, but these all disappeared after the first 100-200 meters, and you were left with a tasteful and well-made natural path leading up to the falls.
After this – it was around 12:00 or 12:30 by this point – we hopped in the van and headed to Sao Beach at the southern tip of the island. To get here required driving down a very bumpy road for a few minutes at the end. (As I said…they can still do a little infrastructure work here unless one of the unstated tourist goals is to make people feel like they’re bouncing around in a bag of popcorn.)
The beach was…pleasant, I guess I can say. It wasn’t a large beach. In length, it covered a small cove, so it had a nice setting. It also isn’t a wide beach; only about 30 meters from the restaurant to the water, and maybe even less than 20 meters. I saw a little too much trash around which disheartened me, though we aren’t talking dirty to levels that I’m accustomed to seeing in China. I didn’t go swimming, and the lunch at the restaurant here – though Vietnamese – was among the most unimpressive meals we had in the entire two weeks here. The best part of the time at the beach is that the weather cleared up from overcast and rainy to mostly cloudy. So it wasn’t crowded here, nor was it raining.
We left the beach at 2:00 and drove to a nearby fish sauce factory. This was a lot like the pearl farm, pepper farm, and wine shop. “We make this here. Please buy it.” Of the four of these places, the pearl farm is the only one who actually had some kind of “demonstration,” and that lasted about a minute.
If it seems I’m being critical of the roped in commercialism of these types of tours, perhaps I am a little jaded. The spots in and of themselves are actually quite interesting and I just accept this as an unnecessary evil. They need to survive somehow, and for that, I guess I’m grateful that they do this. Back to the actual tour, the fish sauce factory was quick and interesting. (Though I don’t like seafood that much, I do like fish sauce to add flavor.)
The last “scheduled” stop was Nha Tu Phu Quoc – Coconut Tree Prison – right across the street. This isn’t a place that I would otherwise go out of my way to visit, though in conjunction with the beach and the fish sauce factory, it was perfect. (Individually, none of the three spots amazed me, but as a whole, they were quite pleasing.)
The prison was built by the French in the 1940s and this was one of the ARVN’s POW camps during the Vietnam War. Apparently, prisoner treatment here was quite inhumane, as detailed by the signs around the barracks. The recreations of people, though, aren’t the most lifelike I’ve ever seen and seem kind of cheap. There aren’t any period photographs, so there’s a little “oomph” missing here, but it’s still a good effort all around.
Our last stop before being dropped off back in Duong Dong was at Ham Ninh, a small fishing village on the east coast of the island (almost directly across the island from Duong Dong. We didn’t do anything here except have 15-20 minutes to walk to the end of the pier and come back. As uneventful as that may sound, I enjoyed it a lot because the surrounding scenery and seeing the fishing fleet up close (along with a lot of small floating restaurants) made it unique and worthwhile to me.
When we got dropped off, we went right back to Buddy’s and repeated the same thing from Friday night (minus eating at the Crab House). I can’t recall what we ate for dinner on Saturday night and perhaps we didn’t. Lunch at Buddy’s was late enough that I doubt we were terribly hungry by evening except for some snacks.
The only difference between Friday & Saturday was my positioning to photograph the sunset. Friday night was from up near the lighthouse, and Saturday was a little ways out on the jetty. Skies were equally moody both nights.
I’m easy like Sunday morning. No rush to wake up since there was absolutely nothing whatsoever on the agenda. Brunch, around 9:00 or 10:00, after stopping by the post office to send off some postcards, was at Buddy’s. From there, we crossed the river to the day market and spent about an hour or so wandering up and down the street photographing a variety of things.
Going back to the west side of the river, we spent a little while at Dinh Cau, but decided not to watch the sunset there for the third night in a row. We had a late (and small) lunch of a wood-fired pizza, which was surprisingly delicious – so much so that I considered going back for dinner.
Instead, we went to one of the few access points for Long Beach (the beach nearest the hotel) to watch the least spectacular of the three sunsets in my opinion. Sunday night’s was cloudier than Friday and Saturday’s. However, there are still some interesting pictures. It’s just the most muted of the three, by far, and there’s simply less to work with.
After sundown, we walked the few hundred meters north up the main road, passing the Sea Breeze, and stopped at a local restaurant. (I suggested it not because it was local, but because they proudly talked of the ice cream that they have.) The food was not terribly great. I had fish and chips that didn’t have enough tartar and was a bit bland. I also ordered some smoked cheese that, when they brought it, they didn’t say what it was and, since it looked more like noodles than cheese, didn’t eat it. The ice cream, however, was sorbet, and it was wonderful.
All in all, Phu Quoc was about as good as I wished it would be, and I was lucky enough to have three reasonably good sunsets and decent weather for the weekend. Also, the waterfall was actually nicer than I had expected, we ate well (for the most part), and it was a relaxing weekend. Not a bad way to spend life.
After breakfast Monday morning, we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport at 9:00 for the first of two flights on the day.
As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.
Tip # 3: make time to workout. Get the blood flowing to your brain; plus if you're a fit and healthy person chances are you won't get sick very often and will be able to make it to class (always important to making good grades!).
© This photograph is copyrighted. Under no circumstances can it be reproduced, distributed, modified, copied, posted to websites or printed or published in media or other medium or used for commercial or other uses without the prior written consent and permission of the photographer.
Built: 2006
Dimensions: 130 feet length/ 25 feet beam/ 6 feet draft
Class: First class
Type: Motor Yacht
Capacity: 16 guests
Crew: 7 crew members + 1 naturalist multilingual guide
Accommodation: 10 cabins. Each cabin with private bathroom (toilet, shower, washbasin and vanity)
Facilities: Bar, dining room, salon and sun deck. All cabins and public areas are fully carpeted. Snorkeling gear available for rent.
Safety and navigation: Twin RL72C, 24 miles range Raytheon radar's; Raytheon L755 Ecosounder & Chart plotter; 667 Furuno Ecosounder; Raytheon GPS-112; 1503 Furuno SSB radio; Standard Spectrum VHF radio; ACR RLB-23 Epirb; Ritchie magnetic compass, barometer; clock; thermometer; helm indicator; searchlight; horn. One DSB inflatable life raft for 12 passengers; One DSB inflatable life raft for 16 passengers; (Solas 74/83); 50 life jackets; fire & smoke detectors; complete fire system; Twin 14 feet Nautical RIB Inflatable boats with 25 HP outboard motor for 10 passengers each. Safety equipment complies with international Coast Guard regulations.
Kicking off the 135th Preakness Stakes, in the infield with a crowd-pleaser tradition of beach volleyball (girls/women). At the Pimlico race track in Baltimore, Maryland.
Copyright © ShoreShot Photography 2010
Sweetmore Transport's Renault still proudly displaying its yellow and green bumper, with LJS Transport's new Scania
Truck : Scania 124 L 470 TL (RO) with curtainsider semi-trailer
Company : Tipes Spa from I-23887 Olgiate Molgora
Date : 30/04/2011
Location : motorway A 40 (France)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry unveil the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses government efforts around the world to combat modern slavery, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2014. Secretary Kerry also honors the 2014 TIP Report Heroes, 10 men and women whose tireless efforts have made a lasting impact on the global fight against modern slavery. The 2014 TIP Heroes are Gilbert Munda of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Elisabeth Sioufi of Lebanon, Beatrice Jedy-Agba of Nigeria, Monica Boseff of Romania, Ta Ngoc Van of Vietnam, Bhanuja Sharan Lal of India, Tek Narayan Kunwar of Nepal, Jhinna Pinchi of Peru, Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews of Trinidad and Tobago, and Myeong-jin Ko of South Korea. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Tip Top Weekly / Heft-Reihe
Burt L. Standish / Dick Merriwell's Registered Package; or, Frank Merriwell's Desperate Struggle
Street & Smith Publications USA 1903
Reprint: Comic-Club NK / 2010
ex libris MTP
Semana Santa en El Salvador
Viernes Santo
Santo Triduo Pascual
Solemne procesión del Vía Crucis
"Los Encuentros"
Actividad organizada por la parroquia El Calvario
Dirección: Pasaje "José Simeón Cañas" # 338, San Salvador, El Salvador Centroamérica.
Tel.: 2221-1523
Fax: 2271- 4567
Calle de La Amargura
Forma parte del grupo de 8 vías de oriente a poniente, que conforman la ciudad de San Salvador a partir de la última década del siglo XVI
La construcción de la vía fue dedicada por las autoridades españolas, con dos puntos equidistantes para servir en las actividades de Cuaresma y Semana Santa. Estos puntos fueron las iníciales Ermitas de El Calvario al poniente y la de San Esteban al oriente.
Esta calle significo para la ciudad la ubicación de residenciales de familias acomodadas, de uno de los antiguos cuarteles coloniales ubicado en las proximidades del actual Palacio de la Policía Nacional Civil y, a partir del siglo XVII del monasterio de la orden Mercedaria y de un intenso comercio a partir del siglo XX.
La actual calle poniente/oriente, sirvió inicialmente y hasta nuestros días como Vía Dolorosa, aprovechando la ubicación de los dos templos arriba mencionados. Las autoridades eclesiásticas coloniales decidieron denominarla Calle de la Amargura, una de las formas de llamarle al camino de Cristo hacia El Calvario, durante su proceso de crucifixión.
El Vía crucis es, para muchos cristianos, un ejercicio de piedad lleno de contenido y de cariño agradecido. Consiste en seguir espiritualmente este mismo trayecto, deteniéndose ante 14 escenas o estaciones para meditar los sufrimientos de Jesucristo y unirse interiormente con Él.
Los distintos textos que se han hecho, son un instrumento, no sólo para la oración vocal, sino que pueda ayudar a la meditación personal, a la reflexión sobre el misterio de la redención y sobre todo al diálogo intimo con el Señor. Los textos intentan ser un medio para la oración personal o comunitaria, sobre todo en momentos fuertes en que la Liturgia nos invita a asociarnos a la Pasión del Señor, por ejemplo en los viernes de Cuaresma, o el Viernes Santo.
Tradición de dolor en La calle de La Amargura
Reseña histórica del escenario de la procesión de Cuaresma y Semana Santa más representativa de la capital
Por Héctor Ismael Sermeño
Fue una de las más largas de las calles coloniales desde mediados del siglo XVI. Equivalió, y todavía, a más de mil metros lineales. Formó parte de las primeras ocho calles de la ya, en ese momento, Ciudad de San Salvador; hoy es la sexta calle oriente- poniente. Fue antes y quiere volver a ser: la Calle de la Amargura.
La nomenclatura de las ciudades fundadas por los españoles no era igual que la de hoy. No había avenidas y todas eran llamadas calles, exceptuando algunas de mayor importancia que las denominaban calzadas. Estas calles tomaban el nombre de algún edificio relevante o de algún santo, también de algún hecho histórico. Así había en San Salvador, la calle de la Parroquia, la del Monte de Añil, del Cabildo, de Santo Domingo, de San Francisco, de La Merced, de la Esperanza, etc.
De tal manera que la calle de la Amargura hacía y hace referencia, a la denominación religiosa del camino que Jesucristo, caminó hacia el Monte de la Calavera con la cruz a cuestas y luego crucificado en dicho monte. Calles con esa denominación existen en muchas partes del mundo cristiano, al igual que templos dedicados al culto de este proceso y que denominan “El Calvario”, que quiere decir de la o las calaveras y que era uno de los tantos sitios en donde se crucificaba a los condenados a muerte por el gobierno de Roma Antigua, en este caso en Jerusalén. Cristo fue unos de esos crucificados.
Según algunas fuentes, en 1660, dada la importancia de San Salvador y su crecimiento poblacional; el obispo de Guatemala, Payo de Rivera , dio la autorización para la construcción del un templo para atender las actividades de la Cuaresma y de la Semana Santa, ya que eran la Parroquia Central y otros templos quienes llevaban a cabo dichas actividades. Se pretendía entonces que existiera un templo dedicado de manera particular para los rituales respectivos de la época, sin que dejaran hacerlo de manera más discreta en las otras iglesias y conventos.
El templo no se llamó siempre “El Calvario”, en 1740, el alcalde mayor de San Salvador, general Don Manuel de Gálvez y Corral, describe y detalla la lista de edificios religiosos sansalvadoreños y escribe “además existen tres ermitas, la una dedicada a San Francisco de Paula, que sirve de Calvario, otra de San Esteban y otra a Nuestra Señora de la Presentación”. Sirve de Calvario dice el cronista, no dice que se llama de esa manera. Eso no quiere decir que no cumpliera las funciones antes detalladas. Porque el nombre “de la Amargura,” si lo tenía la Calle. Vemos que la vía tiene más de tres siglos y medio y conserva los dos sitios histórico-religiosos que fueron y son sus límites: El actual Calvario y San Esteban.
En 1623, La orden Mercedaria construye convento y templo dedicados a Nuestra Señora de la Merced, sobre la Calle de La Amargura. Continúa en el mismo sitio, y San Esteban que nunca fue parroquia, sigue siendo ermita y ahora Capellanía dependiendo de la parroquia de La Merced. La calle pues, ha tenido casi desde sus inicios, tres sitios religiosos de importancia.
EL CALVARIO Y LAS PROCESIONES
El actual templo de El Calvario se levanta, posiblemente por sexta o séptima vez, después de los terribles terremotos de los siglos XVIII y XIX, que prácticamente borraron del mapa a la antigua Capital Provincial y luego San Salvador y su primera historia como capital del nuevo Estado y después República. Sustituye al incendiado en 1908, construido en estilo neoclásico, con algunos referente barrocos, después del terremoto de 1854, según podemos apreciar en el grabado publicado por Guillermo J. Dawson, el año de 1890, en su libro: “Geografía Elemental de la República del Salvador” y si bien era de muy buen diseño y amplitud, era de menor tamaño que el que podemos apreciar hoy día.
De estilo neogótico, el edificio actual fue diseñado por los ingenieros italianos Uberto Goria y Francisco Mannasero y la construcción fue supervisada por el Arq. Augusto César Baratta. La primera piedra se colocó en 1911 y la construcción inició fuertemente en 1917, después del terremoto de ese año. Sin haber sido terminado, se pre inauguró en mayo de 1932 y nuevamente en mayo de 1936. Se utilizó para los servicios religiosos, pero fue finalizado totalmente en febrero de 1950 y consagrado en enero de 1951, por el entonces Arzobispo Metropolitano, Monseñor Luis Chávez y González. El cemento armado adquirió categoría de obra de arte en este templo.
El monumental edificio en forma de cruz latina es realmente grandioso. Posee retablos del mejor mármol italiano y un excelente vía crucis en alto relieve en placas, también de mármol, único en El Salvador. En la neogótica fachada posee dos torres laterales y esculturas del mismo movimiento artístico, adaptado al siglo XX (por eso se llama neo gótico, porque recoge los elementos góticos europeos de las catedrales medievales).
Las procesiones, patrimonio intangible de los salvadoreños, se llevan a cabo, fundamentalmente, sobre la calle de La Amargura. Algunas como la de La Soledad y El Santo Entierro, cambian en parte su recorrido. La participación de los ciudadanos sigue siendo de gran nivel. Pese a estar en una ubicación que le crea problemas con vendedores informales, mercados y comercio formal, las procesiones llegan a tener los viernes santos, más de cincuenta mil participantes. Es algo excepcional ya que se llevan a cabo más de un centenar de procesiones similares en el Gran San Salvador. De esto se desprende que las tradiciones siguen vigentes, que continúan siendo punto de encuentro, y que, antropológicamente, la otredad se manifiesta independientemente de los análisis sociológicos o filosóficos desde la distancia académica y de la comodidad de la no participación de los eventos similares, de un sector de clase media y alta que desprecia a priori las manifestaciones culturales del Centro Histórico, desde el escritorio o del sillón frente al televisor, incluso desde la playa o similares. A muchas personas les cuesta entender que son precisamente estas manifestaciones culturales que incluyen ritos y hasta gastronomía, las que nos hacen ser más salvadoreños que los centros comerciales gigantescos de moda o las “actividades vacacionales”. Tampoco se les quita su importancia socio antropológica a estos sitios, pero no pueden sustituir siglos de conducta social heredada convertida en identidades nacionales.
Los rituales procesionales, al igual que muchos de las religiones similares a la Católica, tales como la budista o la brahamanista, son muestras parateatrales con la mayor participación popular a lo largo de los siglos que han fundamentado la fe. Las explicaciones científicas se vuelven intrascendentes, ante estas expresiones culturales que mueven miles y hasta millones de participantes. Hay algo más que fanatismo e ignorancia en ello, también es querer ser y existir, querer sentir pertenencia a una sociedad y tratar de olvidar sentimientos negativos sobre la vida. Es muy difícil entenderlo, es más fácil atacar, también es fácil participar. En fin.
LA CALLE DE LA AMARGURA EN EL SIGLO XXI
Con el crecimiento y la pujanza que San Salvador obtuvo desde mediados del siglo XIX con la aurífera industria del café y , a finales con el comercio desarrollado por las migraciones llegadas del Medio Oriente, Europa y China; la sexta calle reflejó esa riqueza y fue sede de construcciones habitacionales de primera categoría para las clases medias altas. El comercio y las oficinas construyeron grandes, modernas y hasta lujosas edificaciones, las iglesias ya las describimos y el gobierno también hace lo suyo cuando construye el Palacio de la Policía Nacional, hoy Civil, conocido como El Castillo, y que diera mucho que hablar negativamente en épocas de los gobiernos militares, por conducta inapropiada en irrespeto a los derechos humanos, contra los capturados y alojados en los ya inexistentes sótanos. Realmente un edificio extraordinario, también único en su género y que continúa en el mismo lugar desde 1934.
Existen aun construcciones habitacionales en lámina troquelada, madera y bahareque, algunas dañadas, algunas otras en buen estado; muestras de la arquitectura de entre 1875 y 1930, que se consideraba antisísmica, pero que, más tarde se comprobó, no lo era tanto.
Para las décadas de 1930 a 1950, arquitectos salvadoreños, como José María Durán y otros, diseñaron y construyeron buenos edificios de concreto: e l Rodríguez Porth, el lujoso de departamentos “Julia de Duke”, excelente muestra de edificación habitacional para clases acomodadas; el edificio Veiga, también de oficinas y departamentos, de 1948, restaurado y puesto en valor nuevamente en 2008 y algunos otros como oficinas bancarias, el mercado Sagrado Corazón de Jesús que nos son más contemporáneos, y algunos de uso comercial, le siguen dando gran valor urbanístico a la Sexta Calle, incluso después de los daños causados por los terremotos de 1965, que destruyó gran parte del barrio San Esteban y el de 1986, que destruyera la Torre López, de departamentos con cine en el primer nivel de doce que poseía(el cine era y es hoy: El Izalco) y la famosa torre de la Casa Ambrogi, considerado rascacielos en 1925, con tan solo 4 niveles de tipo francés (pisos más altos que lo usual), pero más bajo que las torres de la Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en la Calle Arce, con ocho niveles desde 1905.
La calle de la Amargura ha sido trascendental para los avances urbanísticos y arquitectónicos de San Salvador. También para su desarrollo cultural. Fue una de las más elegantes calles hasta la invasión de los vendedores informales y el abandono de los todavía grandiosos edificios del siglo pasado que han sobrevivido, también ha sido valiosa para las manifestaciones religiosas. No son recuerdos los que quedan, la calle está muy viva, varios edificios han cambiado su uso, pero su sólida construcción también hace que continúen vivos. Como generalmente concluyo, son algunos salvadoreños los que consideran que no vale la pena. A la Ciudad y a su historia, le importan muy poco. Ella, la fuerte y terca en cuanto a su lugar desde su fundación, destruido en, al menos 19 ocasiones, sigue allí… desde hace cuatro siglos y medio.
Nota tomada de: Diario digital CONTRA CULTURA
I found this sign at the British Museum. It lets the patrons know how many steps it will be. The elderly can then better judge for themselves if they can handle this amount of steps or should take the lift. When you can't see the end of the stair case, you need other affordances, in this case, a sign.
The ray flowers are unusually rolled unlike the typically flat ones.. This was pointed out by my friend, Jerry.
Belmont Tr.,
Carrizo Plain, eastern San Luis Obispo Co., California