Date: Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Word of the Day: inchoate(in\KOH\it); in an inital or early state; just begunWeight: 210 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 78 pounds
Waist Size: 46 inches
Rowing Duration: 92 minutes, 55 seconds.
I was not well yesterday, all day, and it was so bright and sunny out, at least I had Winter to keep me company, and I did manage to do my rowing today, my weigh-in day is just around the corner, after all. Yesterday, Zac went to Hamilton for an appointment with his oncologist. When one has had cancer, you really have to stay on top of the disease and go to all appointments. Zac has been in remission for four years now, and we want his good health to continue.
It is only now three days until Halloween, do you have your costume yet? Are you going to a Halloween party?, have you bought all your treats for all of the little ones (and big ones) that will be visiting your home? Do any children still collect for Unicef?, I hope so because the money goes a long way to help out people less fortunate than ourselves. I think Halloween is a child's favourtie day of the year, well, next to Christmas, which is also just around the corner. 
Image via Wikipedia
Image via WikipediaBack to Halloween, I was wondering, do people still carve out jackolanterns?, if you do, don't make it too scary. I remember one year when my sister and her family were living with me, my brother-in-law put a dummy of a man that had been brutally murdered in a chair on our porch of our house, and alot of the children were afraid to approach the house because they were afraid of the dummy, so don't make your house ornaments too scary.
Image via WikipediaYes, it is just 58 days until good old Saint Nick comes a calling, and I hope this year at my brother Biff's house, I hope the gifts do not get opened until Christmas Day. Are you reading this Louise? I do like the idea of opening one gift on Christmas Eve, but if you open up all of the gifts on the eve of Christmas, I think the day of Christmas is a bit of a letdown. When I was a child growing up, when we got up first thing in the morning, my brothers and sisters and I only got to open up our Christmas stockings. We had to wait until the whole family arrived later in the afternoon to open up all of our gifts, that was a bit too much. And that was then, this is now, I can't wait to see my kids, for me, seeing the children is the best gift of all. Oh yes, Winter also enjoys Christmas, and the kids always buy her presents, Winter really is a much loved dog. Thinking back to when I was a child, at summer camp, there was a song we always sang about the ocean liner Titanic, it was singing this song that began my fascination with the ship of dreams, and I have never lost my interest in the great ship. It was also learning of the Titanic which made me so determined to learn how to swim, I had no idea it was the freezing waters that killed alot of the people, I just thought all of those people couldn't swim, in any case, I did learn to swim and I became a good enough swimmer that I'm qualified to teach swimming, you didn't know that about me, did you?
The RMS Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world when she set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City on 10 April 1912. Four days into the crossing, at 23:40 on 14 April 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank at 2:20 the following morning, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. While not enough to hold all of the passengers and crew, Titanic carried more boats than was required by the British Board of Trade Regulations. At the time, the number of lifeboats required was determined by a ship's gross register tonnage, rather than her human capacity.
The high casualty rate when the ship sank was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people. A disproportionate number of men died due to the women and children first protocol that was followed.
On the maiden voyage of Titanic some of the most prominent people of the day were travelling in first class. Among them were: millionaire John Jacob Astor IV and his wife Madeleine Force Astor, industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim, Macy's owner Isidor Straus and his wife Ida, Denver millionairess Margaret "Molly" Brown (known afterward as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" due to her efforts in helping other passengers while the ship sank). Travelling in first class aboard the ship were White Star Line's managing director J. Bruce Ismay and the ship's builder Thomas Andrews, who was on board to observe any problems and assess the general performance of the new ship.
On the night of Sunday, 14 April 1912, the temperature had dropped to near freezing and the ocean was calm. The moon was not visible (being two days before new moon] and the sky was clear. Captain Smith, in response to iceberg warnings received via wireless over the preceding few days, had drawn up a new course which took the ship slightly further southward. That Sunday at 13:45 a message from the steamer Amerika warned that large icebergs lay in Titanic's path, but as Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, the Marconi wireless radio operators, were employed by Marconi and paid to relay messages to and from the passengers they were not focused on relaying such "non-essential" ice messages to the bridge. Later that evening, another report of numerous large icebergs, this time from Mesaba, also failed to reach the bridge.
Of a total of 2,223 people aboard Titanic only 706, less than a third, survived, and 1,517 perished. The majority of deaths were caused by hypothermia in the 28 °F (−2 °C) water where death could be expected in less than 15 minutes.
Image via WikipediaAnother disparity is that a greater percentage of British passengers died than Americans; some sources suggest it was because Britons of the time were polite and queued, rather than forcing their way onto the lifeboats. The captain Edward John Smith was shouting: "Be British, boys, be British!" as the liner went down. I, honestly, think that had I been on board the Titanic, I wouldn't have behaved in a British manner, I would like to be honourable and have nobility, but in the face of dying, I honestly think I wouldn't be, sorry if that disappoints any of you. The last living survivor was Millvina Dean from England, only nine weeks old at the time of the sinking. She died on 31 May 2009, the 98th anniversary of the launching of Titanic's hull.There are many stories about dogs on Titanic. A crewman released the dogs from the ship's kennels before it went down; they were seen running on the decks. Two lap dogs survived with their owners in lifeboats, if Winter and I had been on board, I would have somehow managed to get Winter to safety!!!
On 15 April 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic is planned to be commemorated around the world. By that date, the Titanic Quarter in Belfast is planned to have been completed. The area will be regenerated and a signature memorial project unveiled to celebrate Titanic and her links with Belfast, the city that had built the ship.
The cruise ship Balmoral, operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has been chartered by Miles Morgan Travel to follow the original route of Titanic, intending to stop over the point on the sea bed where she rests on 15 April 2012, I'm not sure on whether or not I would like to be part of this trip.
It has been speculated that the Titanic could have been saved if she had rammed the iceberg head on. It is hypothesised that if Titanic had not altered her course at all and instead collided head first with the iceberg, the impact would have been taken by the naturally stronger bow and damage would have affected only one or two forward compartments. This would have disabled her, and possibly caused casualties among the passengers near the bow, but probably would not have resulted in sinking since Titanic was designed to float with the first four compartments flooded. Instead, the glancing blow to the starboard side caused buckling in the hull plates along the first five compartments, more than the ship's designers had anticipated.
A number of alternative theories diverging from the standard explanation for Titanic's demise have been brought forth since shortly after the sinking. Some of these include a coal fire aboard ship, or Titanic hitting pack ice rather than an iceberg. In the realm of the supernatural, it has been proposed that Titanic sank due to a mummy's curse.
Contrary to popular mythology, Titanic was never described as "unsinkable", without qualification, until after she sank. There are three trade publications (one of which was probably never published) that describe Titanic as unsinkable, prior to her sinking, but there is no evidence that the notion of Titanic's unsinkability had entered public consciousness until after the sinking, isn't that curious? I always thought that alot of the mystique about the Titanic was that she was deemed "unsinkable!" This is why I love doing research, you always, always learn something that you didn't know before.
The first unqualified assertion of Titanic's unsinkability appears the day after the tragedy (on 16 April 1912) in The New York Times, which quotes Philip A. S. Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line as saying, when informed of the tragedy, "I thought her unsinkable and I based my opinion on the best expert advice available." "I do not understand it." This comment was seized upon by the press and the idea that the White Star Line had previously declared Titanic to be unsinkable (without qualification) gained immediate and widespread currency.
On 15 April 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic is planned to be commemorated around the world. By that date, the Titanic Quarter in Belfast is planned to have been completed. The area will be regenerated and a signature memorial project unveiled to celebrate Titanic and her links with Belfast, the city that had built the ship.
The cruise ship Balmoral, operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has been chartered by Miles Morgan Travel to follow the original route of Titanic, intending to stop over the point on the sea bed where she rests on 15 April 2012, I'm not sure on whether or not I would like to be part of this trip.
It has been speculated that the Titanic could have been saved if she had rammed the iceberg head on. It is hypothesised that if Titanic had not altered her course at all and instead collided head first with the iceberg, the impact would have been taken by the naturally stronger bow and damage would have affected only one or two forward compartments. This would have disabled her, and possibly caused casualties among the passengers near the bow, but probably would not have resulted in sinking since Titanic was designed to float with the first four compartments flooded. Instead, the glancing blow to the starboard side caused buckling in the hull plates along the first five compartments, more than the ship's designers had anticipated.
A number of alternative theories diverging from the standard explanation for Titanic's demise have been brought forth since shortly after the sinking. Some of these include a coal fire aboard ship, or Titanic hitting pack ice rather than an iceberg. In the realm of the supernatural, it has been proposed that Titanic sank due to a mummy's curse.
Contrary to popular mythology, Titanic was never described as "unsinkable", without qualification, until after she sank. There are three trade publications (one of which was probably never published) that describe Titanic as unsinkable, prior to her sinking, but there is no evidence that the notion of Titanic's unsinkability had entered public consciousness until after the sinking, isn't that curious? I always thought that alot of the mystique about the Titanic was that she was deemed "unsinkable!" This is why I love doing research, you always, always learn something that you didn't know before.
The first unqualified assertion of Titanic's unsinkability appears the day after the tragedy (on 16 April 1912) in The New York Times, which quotes Philip A. S. Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line as saying, when informed of the tragedy, "I thought her unsinkable and I based my opinion on the best expert advice available." "I do not understand it." This comment was seized upon by the press and the idea that the White Star Line had previously declared Titanic to be unsinkable (without qualification) gained immediate and widespread currency.Despite popular belief, the sinking of Titanic was not the first time the internationally recognised Morse code distress signal "SOS" was used. The SOS signal was first proposed at the International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea in Berlin in 1906. It was ratified by the international community in 1908 and had been in widespread use since then. The SOS signal was, however, rarely used by British wireless operators, who preferred the older CQD code. First Wireless Operator Jack Phillips began transmitting CQD until Second Wireless Operator Harold Bride half jokingly suggested, "Send SOS; it's the new call, and this may be your last chance to send it." Phillips then began to intersperse SOS with the traditional CQD call.
One of the most famous stories of Titanic is of the ship's band. On April 15 the eight-member band, led by Wallace Hartley, had assembled in the first-class lounge in an effort to keep passengers calm and upbeat. Later they moved on to the forward half of the boat deck. The band continued playing, even when it became apparent the ship was going to sink, and all members perished, they truly were all heroes.
There has been much speculation about what their last song was. A first-class Canadian passenger, Mrs. Vera Dick, alleged that the final song played was the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee". Hartley reportedly once said to a friend if he were on a sinking ship, "Nearer, My God, to Thee" would be one of the songs he would play. But Walter Lord's book "A Night to Remember" popularised wireless operator Harold Bride's 1912 account (New York Times) that he heard the song "Autumn" before the ship sank. It is considered Bride either meant the hymn called "Autumn" or waltz "Songe d'Automne" but neither were in the White Star Line songbook for the band. Bride is the only witness who was close enough to the band, as he floated off the deck before the ship went down, to be considered reliable,, Mrs. Dick had left by lifeboat an hour and 20 minutes earlier, and Mrs. Dick could not possibly have heard the band's final moments.
The notion that the band played "Nearer, My God, to Thee" as a swan song is possibly a myth originating from the wrecking of SS Valencia, which had received wide press coverage in Canada in 1906 and so may have influenced Mrs. Dick's recollection. Also, there are two, very different, musical settings for "Nearer, My God, to Thee": one is popular in Britain, and the other is popular in the United States., and the British melody might sound like the other hymn Autumn. The film "A Night to Remember (1958)" uses the British" setting; while the 1953 film "Titanic," with Clifton Webb, uses the American setting, but we all know the last song and who sang it, it was clearly Celine Dion singing "My heart will go on!"
Another often cited Titanic legend concerns perished first class passenger, William Thomas Stead. According to this folklore, Stead had, through precognitive insight, foreseen his own death on Titanic. This is apparently suggested in two fictional sinking stories, which he penned decades earlier. The first, "How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid-Atlantic, by a Survivor" (1886), tells of a mail steamer's collision with another ship, resulting in high loss of life due to lack of lifeboats. The second, "From the Old World to the New" (1892) features a White Star Line vessel, Majestic, that rescues survivors of another ship that had collided with an iceberg, I believe this is possible.
When the Titanic sank, claims were made that a curse existed on the ship. The press quickly linked the "Titanic curse" with the White Star Line practice of not christening their ships, notwithstanding the opening scene of the film A Night to Remember.
I hope my sister-in-law, Louise, is feeling better today, take care Louise and the rest of you out there reading.
Topics coming soon:
Sex
Anorexia
Art
One of the most famous stories of Titanic is of the ship's band. On April 15 the eight-member band, led by Wallace Hartley, had assembled in the first-class lounge in an effort to keep passengers calm and upbeat. Later they moved on to the forward half of the boat deck. The band continued playing, even when it became apparent the ship was going to sink, and all members perished, they truly were all heroes.
There has been much speculation about what their last song was. A first-class Canadian passenger, Mrs. Vera Dick, alleged that the final song played was the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee". Hartley reportedly once said to a friend if he were on a sinking ship, "Nearer, My God, to Thee" would be one of the songs he would play. But Walter Lord's book "A Night to Remember" popularised wireless operator Harold Bride's 1912 account (New York Times) that he heard the song "Autumn" before the ship sank. It is considered Bride either meant the hymn called "Autumn" or waltz "Songe d'Automne" but neither were in the White Star Line songbook for the band. Bride is the only witness who was close enough to the band, as he floated off the deck before the ship went down, to be considered reliable,, Mrs. Dick had left by lifeboat an hour and 20 minutes earlier, and Mrs. Dick could not possibly have heard the band's final moments.
The notion that the band played "Nearer, My God, to Thee" as a swan song is possibly a myth originating from the wrecking of SS Valencia, which had received wide press coverage in Canada in 1906 and so may have influenced Mrs. Dick's recollection. Also, there are two, very different, musical settings for "Nearer, My God, to Thee": one is popular in Britain, and the other is popular in the United States., and the British melody might sound like the other hymn Autumn. The film "A Night to Remember (1958)" uses the British" setting; while the 1953 film "Titanic," with Clifton Webb, uses the American setting, but we all know the last song and who sang it, it was clearly Celine Dion singing "My heart will go on!"
Another often cited Titanic legend concerns perished first class passenger, William Thomas Stead. According to this folklore, Stead had, through precognitive insight, foreseen his own death on Titanic. This is apparently suggested in two fictional sinking stories, which he penned decades earlier. The first, "How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid-Atlantic, by a Survivor" (1886), tells of a mail steamer's collision with another ship, resulting in high loss of life due to lack of lifeboats. The second, "From the Old World to the New" (1892) features a White Star Line vessel, Majestic, that rescues survivors of another ship that had collided with an iceberg, I believe this is possible.
When the Titanic sank, claims were made that a curse existed on the ship. The press quickly linked the "Titanic curse" with the White Star Line practice of not christening their ships, notwithstanding the opening scene of the film A Night to Remember.
I hope my sister-in-law, Louise, is feeling better today, take care Louise and the rest of you out there reading.
Topics coming soon:
Sex
Anorexia
Art
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