Titanic! One that actually made land...
This new year will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage. In April 1912 it was a disaster like no other and the history of the event lives on; quite likely it will continue for another hundred years!
This model is 5 feet long and 1:200 scale. Paul gets a tad annoyed at models that aren't true to the actual ship and the colours used at that time, or that have the name of the ship out of scale. There was only one Titanic and even in silhouette it's recognizable to most people. Models should express as much detail as possible to get a good idea of the actual size of the original. Titanic was huge for its day and weighed 45,000 tons.
He makes a lot of models of vehicles, cannon, and anything that is of interest to him at the time. If he can't get a part or bit he needs he makes it himself. His models are fabulous but I'm one of his fans. What do you think?
This is a model cannon from a period ship. Paul's now working on the Royal Caroline, one of the most decorated ships ever made. Ostentation only begins to describe it.
So Much Can Happen...
In an hour, a day, a week or a month. Sometimes it boggles the mind how quickly your entire life can change for any number of reasons.
One thing that's changed in my life the last month is the birth of a hard-copy mail-out flyer that I'll be mailing in early January 2012. Or, within another week. It's almost incredible but only to me.
I was talking with some friends recently about advertising and explained that I had once spent ten years years publishing a monthly newspaper with the largest distribution in my province. It was an achievement I was quite proud of. I also learned a great deal about advertising and publishing.
While I was learning the software for my publication I took an advertising course offered through Adult Education and passed it with A+'s for all lessons. It was an interesting course and I enjoyed it. I also liked the comments from my teacher and looked forward to getting the lessons back.
My friends kept saying I should get back into the business so I went home and took an inventory of my current software and my available time to see if even a small project was do-able. I began by registering my company, PaperKnights Publishing Ltd.
Once that was taken care of I set up my files and accounting and got busy to sell advertising. My publication would be limited to several dozen adverts and published monthly, distributed into mailboxes throughout my own neighborhood.
The ads weren't hard to sell but getting my hand back into layout and artwork wasn't as easy as I thought it might be. Also the technology had changed a bit. Now we have PDF which would be a help to me because I could send the file to my printer and then go get it and take it to the post office who for the appropriate fee would get it out to community.
What I found was that most software is now targeted to online publishing and hard copy is almost ignored. I have to check and double check the dpi on graphics and anything that is turned into an image has to to checked to see how sharp the image prints; especially with text. It makes work to some degree but thankfully
I do have my initial knowledge and foundation as a resource.
It feels good to be putting ads together again and since I live and work in a rural area, people have been very encouraging to me. I even contacted one of the printers I used to work with and they actually remembered me and were also encouraging. So I'm hyped to publish and looking forward to my first issue.
Marriage Was Invented to Give Men an Unpaid Servant.
I mean that in the most general way, but I do believe it to be true. I don't want to be misunderstood here. I know there are some wonderful men in the world. I'm lucky to have one of them for my partner. But historically "marriage" has had some promotional campaign! When marriage was initially instituted women were chattels. Things, like chairs and tables. Men would say, "I have land, a house, a horse, furniture and a wife." All assets.
I will not expound on the religious aspects of marriage but I do see it as part of the promotional package.
Women were to do their duty by their husbands and endow them with anything they might happen to own at the time of that marriage. This included giving them children. The children belonged to the man like everything else. Men were thought at the time to be the "superior species" who patronized women and did whatever they might get away with themselves. After all, who would believe "a mere woman".
The power was in the hands of men; political, social and economic. It stayed that way for centuries. A woman who inherited wealth from a father, mother or other relative lost it all to a husband when she married; unless her relative managed to tie it up legally. As to procreation, women were seen as the "oven" and men got the credit for it. The battle continues and equality takes a slow path.
Even education was thought to be wasted on a female because they would marry eventually and not need it. :) As though marriage was the complete answer to all the problems a woman might ever encounter.
Even in this century many women still think so. Some go into shock when a man deserts the marriage bed shedding wife and children without a backward glance. All manner of guilt trips don't work to bring back the wayward Lothario and they're left in utter confusion wondering why. After all they've been taught indirectly that to keep a man, they should get pregnant and have as many children as possible so that he doesn't dare stray. Hard to believe but a lot of females honestly believe this. Even in the face of birth control.
Many men never leave one relationship unless they have another woman waiting in the wings. Women on the other hand will leave thankfully whether or not they have a replacement partner. They want to think about it for a while. Analyse it and promise themselves not to get trapped again.
In our current society we have two working spouses. Much of the time this is a necessity to keep bills paid, children fed and body and soul together. While some men will help around the house many don't.
The working woman is expected to get off work, come home, do the laundry, cook, clean and collect the children before his royal majesty arrives.
One time they even had books out for women on how to "treat a man". Usually the text would tell the woman to meet hubby at the door with fresh makeup and clothing, his slippers by the fire, and a nice cocktail in her hand so he could relax from the world while she put his overshoes, top coat, gloves and walking stick in the closet. The table should be tastefully set, and the dinner cooked and ready to "serve". Poppycock!
Any children were to be out of sight and unheard because "the man of the house" needed peace and tranquility to refresh himself from the care and struggle of earning a living.
Even the education system promoted this lifestyle image providing courses that would make females better housewives. I remember HomeEc vividly; also remember a career counselor who told me to take a typing course so I could get secretarial work. I never did.
Oddly enough my daughter 20 years later also got told to take a typing course (or secretarial) in preparation for the work world. She's a Phd who actually works in her field of expertise. Go figure! Makes me question the quality of Career Counselors.
Now I have to mention vacuumn cleaners because when manufacturers built them for a man's workshop, they actually sucked up the dirt quickly and effectively. However when a machine was for the home, it required a lot more push and pull to get even a minimum of dirt collected. That always amazed me. I can only hope that has since changed. I bought a lot of shop vacs in my time for that very reason. :)
We're now well into a new century. We have "technology" up the ying yang which a hundred years ago would have been considered witchcraft. But the leaps and bounds of scientific and technological development have surged ahead while people have struggled to keep up with it and maintain their humanism. It won't be an easy century for many. Still others will manage quite well. Oddly enough, the more things change, the more they really do stay the same!
Stay Well until next time.
