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Narrowboats A Brief History

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Narrowboats A Brief History

Narrowboats ?A Brief History

A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of England and Wales.

In the context of British Inland Waterways, &25609;arrow boat?refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals (where locks and bridge holes would have a minimum width of 7 feet (2.1 m)). The term is extended to modern &25609;arrowboats?used for recreation and occasionally as homes, whose design is an interpretation of the
Narrowboats Terminology

Purists tend to use the term with a space (narrow boat) when referring to an original boat or a replica, and to omit the space when referring to a modern boat used for leisure or as a residence ?but this is not a hard and fast rule.[citation needed] The single word &24962;arrowboat?has been adopted by authorities such as British Waterways and the magazine Waterways World to refer to all boats built in the style and tradition of the narrow canal locks.

Although some narrow boats were built to a design based on river barges, it is incorrect to refer to a narrowboat (or narrow boat) as a barge. In the context of the British inland waterways, a barge is usually a much wider, cargo-carrying boat or a modern boat modelled on one, certainly more than 7 feet (2.1 m) wide.

It is also incorrect (or at least incongruous) to refer to a narrowboat as a longboat, although this name was sometimes used in the Midlands in working-boat days.

Usage has not quite settled down as regards (a) boats based on narrowboat design, but too wide for narrow canals; or (b) boats the same width as narrowboats but based on other types of boat.
Narrowboats Size

The key distinguishing feature of a narrowboat is its width: it must be no more than 7 feet (2.13 m) wide to navigate the British narrow canals. Some old boats are very close to this limit (often built 7 feet 1?inches/2.17 metres or slightly wider), and can have trouble using locks that are not quite as wide as they should be because of subsidence. Modern boats are usually 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) wide to guarantee easy passage everywhere.

Because of their slenderness, some narrowboats seem very long. The maximum length is about 70 feet (21 m), the length of most locks on the narrow canals. However, modern narrowboats tend to be shorter than this, so that they can cruise anywhere on the connected network of British canals ?including on the &25624;ide?canals (built for wider, but shorter, boats). The shortest lock on the main network is Salterhebble Middle Lock on the Calder and Hebble Navigation, at about 56 feet (17 m) long. However, the C&H is a wide canal, so the lock is about 14 feet 2 inches (4.32 m) wide. This makes the largest &25596;o-anywhere-on-the-network?narrowboat slightly longer (about 60 feet) than the straight length of the lock, because it can (with a certain amount of &25618;hoehorning? lie diagonally. Some locks on isolated waterways are as short as 40 feet (12.2 m).

Hire fleets on British canals can contain narrowboats of many lengths from about 30 feet (9.1 m) upwards, to allow parties of different sizes or different budgets to hire a boat.
Development ?traditional working boats

The first working narrow boats played a key part in the economic changes accompanying the British Industrial Revolution. They were wooden boats drawn by a horse walking on the canal towpath led by a crew member, often a child. Narrowboats were chiefly designed for carrying cargo, though there were some packet boats, carrying passengers, letters, and parcels.

Boatmen&25263; families originally lived ashore, but in the 1830s as canals started to feel competition from the new railways, families (especially of owner/skippers of independent single boats) started to take up home afloat. This was partly because they could no longer afford rents, partly to provide extra hands to work the boats harder, faster and further, and partly to keep families together. However, as late as 1858, a &25548;ousehold Words?article states that the Grand Junction Canal company did not allow the boatmen&25263; families on board ?and the crew of the non-stopping (&25595;ly? boat in the article (the skipper, two crewmen, and a &24975;outh? is said to be typical.

Historic working narrowboats on the Macclesfield Canal in Cheshire, England. The motor boat at the front &25546;orget Me Not?is pulling along an unpowered butty &25557;ilith? This was the traditional working style used on working boats after motor boats became common.

The rear portion of the boat became the cosy &25589;oatman&25263; cabin? familiar from picture postcards and museums, famous for its space-saving ingenuity and for its interior made attractive by a warm stove, a steaming kettle, gleaming brass, fancy lace, painted housewares, and decorated plates. Although such descriptions rarely consider the actual comfort of a large family working an extremely hard and long day, and sleeping in the one tiny cabin, it is no doubt true that at the time there were many workers in harder, indoor, trades with less healthy conditions and worse accommodation where the family were separated for long hours rather than being together all day. Nonetheless it was impossible for such mobile families to send their children to school, and most boat people remained illiterate and ostracised by those living &24963;n the bank?

As diesel and steam replaced the tow horse in the early twentieth century, it became possible to move more cargo with the same manpower by towing a second unpowered boat, commonly referred to as a &25589;utty? &25589;uttyboat?or &25589;utty boat? There was now no horse to look after, but someone had to steer the butty, unless on a wide canal such as the Grand Union Canal where the two boats could be roped side-to-side or &24948;reasted up? and handled as one while working locks.

Cargo-carrying by narrow boat was almost extinguished as a way of life between 1945 and the last regular long distance traffic finishing in 1970. However some traffics continued into the 1980s and beyond including over 2 million tonnes of aggregate carried on the Grand Union (River Soar) from 1976 to 1996, latterly using wide beam barges however, and aggregate currently carried by narrow boats (and wide barges) between Denham and West Drayton on the Grand Union Canal. A few people are doing their best to keep the tradition alive, mostly by &25610;ne-off?deliveries rather than regular runs, or by selling goods such as coal to other boaters.

There are many enthusiasts dedicated to restoring the remaining old boats, often members of the Historic Narrow Boat owners Club and there are also many replicas ornately painted with the same traditional designs, usually of roses and castles. If the boat is not horse-drawn, it may have a refurbished, slow-revving, vintage diesel engine, and there are even some steam-driven narrow boats such as the ex-Fellows Morton and Clayton steamer President.
Painted decoration on narrowboats

Decoration on a traditional English narrowboat: roses on the water can (top) and castles on the open doors to the cabin

By the latter part of the 19th century it was common practice to paint roses and castles on both narrow boats themselves and their fixtures and fittings. Common sites include the doors to the cabin, the water can or barrel and the side of the boat along with ornate lettering giving the boat&25263; name and owner.

The origin of the roses and castles found on canal boats is unclear. The first written reference to them appears to be in an 1858 edition of the magazine Household Words in one of a series of articles titled &25561;n the Canal?but while this shows that the art form must have existed by this date it doesn&25264; provide us with an origin. For some time, a popular suggestion was that it had some form of Gypsy origin, however there does not appear to be a significant link between the Gypsy and boating communities. Other suggestions include transfer of styles from the clock-making industry (in particular the decoration on the face), the japanning industry or the pottery industry. There is certainly a similarity in style and a geographical overlap, but no solid proof of a link. There are similar styles of folk art in Scandinavia, Germany, Turkey and Bangladesh.

In the eighteenth century, the similar Dutch &25548;inderloopen?paintwork would only have been a sailing barge journey away from the Thames. There is also an article in the Midland Daily Telegraph of 22 July 1914 that credits the practice painting of water cans, at least, to a Mr Arthur Atkins. The date of the events make the claim possible, but would require the Household Words article to be reporting on the very start of a phenomenon, rather than ?as its tone suggests ?something that had existed for some time. Until further evidence comes to light, it is impossible to support or deny the claim that Arthur Atkins was responsible for the start of the practice and thus the origin of the paintings remains uncertain.

While the practice declined as commercial use of the canals dwindled, it has seen something of a revival in recent times with the emergence of leisure boating. Narrowboat decoration with roses and castle themes are a reasonably common sight on today&25263; canals, although these may utilise cheaper computer-printed vinyl transfers in place of the traditional craft of hand-painted designs.
Modern narrowboats

The number of licensed boats on canals and rivers managed by British Waterways (BW), a government organisation, was estimated at about 27,000 in 2006. There are perhaps another 5,000 unlicensed boats kept in private moorings or on other waterways. Most of the boats on BW waterways are steel cruisers popularly referred to as narrowboats.

Modern narrowboats are used for annual holidays, weekend breaks or as permanent residences. Usually, they have steel hulls and a steel superstructure, but when they were first being developed for leisure use in share this site the 1970s glass re-inforced plastic (fibre-glass) or timber was often used for the superstructures. They are usually powered by modern diesel engines, and are fitted inside to a high standard. There will be at least 6 feet (1.8 m) internal headroom, and similar domestic facilities as a small landward home: central heating, flush toilets, shower or even bath, four-ring hobs, oven, grill, microwave oven, and refrigerator; quite a few also have satellite television and mobile broadband via the use of 3G broadband technology. Externally, their resemblance to traditional boats can vary from a faithful imitation (false &25617;ivets? and copies of traditional paintwork) through &25603;nterpretation?(clean lines and simplified paintwork) through to a free-style approach which does not try to pretend in any way that this is a traditional boat.

They are owned by individuals, shared by a group of friends (or by a more formally organised syndicate), rented out by holiday firms, or used as cruising hotels. A few boats are lived on permanently: either based in one place (though long-term moorings for residential narrowboats are currently very difficult to find) or continuously moving around the network (perhaps with a fixed location for the coldest months, when many stretches of canal are closed by repair works or &25618;toppages?.
Modern narrowboat types

On most narrowboats steering is by a tiller, as it was on all working narrow boats, and the steerer stands at the stern of the boat, aft of where a person emerges from the hatchway and rear doors at the top of the steps up from the cabin. The steering area comes in three basic types, each meeting different needs in terms of maximising internal space; having a more traditional appearance; having a big enough rear deck for everyone to enjoy summer weather or long evenings; or protection for the steerer in bad weather. Each type has its strong advocates. However, the boundaries are not fixed, and some boats blur the categories as designers try out slightly different arrangements and combinations.
Narrowboats with traditional stern

Many modern canal boats retain the traditional layout of a small open, unguarded &25591;ounter?or deck behind the rear doors from which the crew can step onto land. It is possible to steer from the counter, but this is not very safe, with the propeller churning below only one misstep away. The length of the &25621;iller extension?allows the steerer to stand more safely on the top step, forward of the rear doors (on a working boat, this step would have been over the top of the coal box). On cold days, the steerer can even close the rear doors behind them, and be in relative comfort, their lower body in the warmth of the cabin, and only their upper body emerging from the hatchway and exposed to the elements. In good weather, many trad-stern steerers sit up on the hatchway edge, a high vantage point giving good all-round visibility. On trad boats, the bow &25624;ell-deck?forms the main outside viewing area, because the traditional stern is not large enough for anyone other than the steerer to stand on safely.
Narrowboats with cruiser stern

Cruiser stern narrowboats are designed to allow more people to be on deck during the reasonably good weather of the British summer holiday season. The hatch and rear doors are farther forward than on a traditional boat, creating a large open deck between counter and rear doors, protected by a rail (perhaps with seats) around the back and sides. At the rear, a &25591;ruiser?narrowboat looks very different from traditional boats. The large rear deck provides a good social space or al fresco dining area, but in the winter (or the occasionally less than perfect weather of the British Summer) the steerer is quite unprotected from wind and rain. The lack of an enclosed engine room means that engine heat does not contribute to keeping the boat warm and there is wasted space above the deck area. The name for this style arises because the large open rear deck resembles that of the large rear cockpits common on glass-fibre (GRP) river cruisers. The &25591;ruiser?stern also allows the engine to be located under the deck and not in the cabin as it is in a traditional-stern boat. Although this then makes access to the engine for maintenance more difficult,[citation needed] it does have the advantage that the engine is not located in the cabin and the ensuing noise and smell are not as much of an issue.
Narrowboats with semi-traditional stern

A semi-traditional stern is a compromise to gain some of the &25618;ocial?benefits of a cruiser stern, while retaining a more traditional design and providing some protection for the steerer in bad weather or in cooler seasons. As with the cruiser stern, the deck is extended back from the hatch and rear doors, but in this case most of the deck is protected at the sides by walls which extend back from the cabin sides ?giving a more sheltered area for the steerer and companions, usually with lockers to sit on. The engine is located under the deck, much like a cruiser, again allowing a separation between the cabin and the engine bay, with the steps down to the cabin being located past the false sides of the &25618;emi-trad?social area.
Narrowboats with a butty stern

A butty boat is an un-powered boat traditionally with a larger rudder with (usually) a wooden tiller (known as an elum, a corruption of helm as the steering does not benefit from the force of water generated by the propeller. The tiller is usually removed and reversed in the rudder-post socket to get it out of the way when moored. A few butty boats have been converted into powered narrowboats like NB Sirius. The term butty is thought to have originated from the French, bateau, meaning boat.
Centre cockpit narrowboats

A small number of steel narrowboats dispense with the need for a rear steering deck entirely, by imitating some river cruisers in providing wheel steering from a central cockpit.

Source: Wikipedia

A Quick History Of Cocktail Glasses

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A Quick History Of Cocktail Glasses

Cocktail glasses have a short but colorful history. Created to serve martinis in, they became a hallmark of speak easies and later for anyone effecting stylish tastes, share here especially during the 1960’s. These glasses have since become part of read here any decent bar. Strictly speaking, the martini glass is a subset of cocktail glasses, as the bowl is more tapered than others in the same category, even though they can be used reasonably interchangeably.

The design of the glass itself is perfectly functional. They are used to serve chilled aromatic drinks. The wide v-shaped design allows for the sniffing of its contents without needing to make it obvious. The tapered design is said to keep the ingredients from separating, allowing the martini to keep its particular bouquet longer. Some, of course, note that the wide mouth allowed Prohibition drinkers to quickly dump the contents, but those claims remain unsubstantiated. The standard size is 4.5 ounces, even though six ounce, 7.5 ounce, and twelve ounce sizes are also popular.

The long stem allows for it to be held without warm hands touching the bowl and thus warming the contents. This allows for it to be served chilled without ice and maintain that temperature for a reasonably long period of time, at least compared to other glasses. Some stems are decorated with angular cut gemstones; these “pillar stems” are becoming more popular.

Vizovice, in the Czech Republic, is arguably the home of the best known cocktail glasses. However, the glasses can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes zombie tsunami hack ios and styles, as the basic form allows for all manner of permutations. There have even been competitions to create the most interesting glass, such as Mia Fierra Wiesenthal’s winning stemless entry for a Sapphire Bombay contest.

The oldest legend has the drink named after the site a prospector was going to: a strike in Martinez in the California Bay Area. Jerry Thomas, a bartender at the Occidental Hotel, made the drink for the price of a gold nugget in 1850 by combining an ounce of Old Tom gin, a dash of bitters, two dashes of maraschino liquor and some vermouth. Obviously he didn’t have the right glass, as the martini glass hadn’t been invented yet. Other tales keep it in Martinez, and there is a New York version dating to 1912, and another has it named after a rifle due to its kick.

Regardless of click this site how it came to be, the martini did show up in a bartender’s guide in 1887, and has been enjoyed since then. The glasses just add a certain degree of style to that simple drink, allowing it to be nursed for a long time. Regardless of what one puts into it, it is still a nice drink to mix in with company.

A History Of Ear Gauging In Different Cultures

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A History Of Ear Gauging In Different Cultures

Through studying the history of ear gauging in different cultures and civilizations worldwide, it has been concluded that the practice is at least as old as recorded history, and likely much older. Mummies, statues, old drawings and prehistoric paintings have suggested that ear gauging has been used as a sign of maturity in both men and women, and also of status, particularly with men. It has also been used cosmetically, largely by women.

Ear gauging is a way of stretching the piercing of an earlobe to larger diameters. These diameters can be a lot more than the original piercing, and go up to over an inch and more. It is usually carried out as a fashion statement, and click more details to show that the recipient is ‘cool’. It cannot be described as ‘modern’, because King Tut had his ears stretched, as did Otzi the Iceman – way back in 3300 BC!

Many men have had their ears stretched to indicate their virility and sexual capabilities, although this is not as much a reason today as it was many years ago. Today, men have their ears stretched to make a fashion statement, or to follow the example of their favourite pop group. Thousands of years ago, however, the main purpose is believed to be to make a statement, not of fashion, but of stature in the tribe.

Chiefs had the largest stretching, while other male tribe members also used the size of their gauged ears to indicate their standing in the community. For women, this was lords mobile cheats tool often a means of adornment but also of signifying their womanhood, having started menstruation.

Why do people gauge earlobes today, and what benefits do they believe they get by doing so? Here is some information on how other communities regard earlobe gauging in today’s world.

A. Women of the Mursi People

The Mursi tribe live in Ethiopia, in the lower valley of the Omo River. After puberty, and once they reach about 15 to 18 years of age, their family – generally their mothers – will pierce their bottom lip (and sometimes also the top) and insert a wooden peg. This peg will regularly changed with a larger one until it reaches around 2 inches (4-5 cm) when it will be replaced with a wooden or ceramic plate.

This continues until it is felt the plate is large enough – from around 8 cm to over 22 cm (3 inches to over 9 inches in diameter). These young women will also have their ears pierced and then stretched until the gauge of their earlobes is considered acceptable for the tribe or community.

The young women that have undergone this ordeal are then known as Bhansanai, as described earlier, and are regarded with more respect within their community. The ear gauge discs and lip plugs should be worn at specific ceremonial occasions (weddings, serving food and others). The custom is no longer obligatory, and young Mursi women now have the choice whether to follow the tradition or not.

B. Ear Gauging Among the Masai

Although ear gauging has been customary among men and women of the Masai tribe in Kenya, young men have been increasingly reluctant to adopt the practice. Many women, however, still regard gauged ears as giving her zombie tsunami hack android status within her tribe, and will submit to piercing at an early age, using thorns, sharpened sticks or even sharp animal bones.

Ear gauging can then be carried out the traditional way or the modern way, both being used today in Kenya. Traditionally, the fistula is stretched by wearing heavy jewellery made of stones or heavy beads. The weight stretches the piercing, with the result that the gauge will increase with age. A typical Kenyan woman’s earlobe will have a long gauge rather than a neat round hole.

Modern methods can also be used, such as insertion tapers that progressively increase the gauging diameter with each size of taper. The type of plugs and decoration used can range from cross-cut elephant tusks and animal bones or horns, to decorative stones, wooden plugs and beaded items.

C. The Nigerian and Central African Fulani Tribe

Ear gauging is common among Fulani women, although the gauge tends to be higher than that of other African peoples. The higher gauge, of course, means a smaller diameter hole, and the gauging of the Fulani women are often fitted with hoops rather than proper plugs or flesh tunnels. These hoops are then used to hang earrings and other forms of ear decoration and jewellery. Another form of jewellery used by the Fulani are massive golden domes fitted into the gauged piercing.

D. Thailand and Myanmar Customs

The Lahu people of Thailand practice ear gauging in much the same way as the Masai. Known as the long ear technique, they too load their piercings zombie tsunami hack ios with heavy jewellery so as to stretch out the size of the hole in their earlobes. The same is true in central Myanmar, where the Karen-Paduang people also stretch their earlobes using this method. To women it is means of beautifying them, while men believe it offers them greater strength. This tribe also lives in the Phrae province of Thailand where they observe the same practices.

E. Ear gauging in Aztec and Mayan Culture

The Mayans and Aztecs of Mexico and Central America also wore ear gauges designed to give them permanent large-diameter ear piercings. In Mayan culture, jade plugs or flesh tunnels were a sign of wealth and status, although people also used shells, stone, bone and wood. The Aztecs tended to use metals to which they had easy access, such as gold, silver and copper, although they also used the same materials as the Mayans who lived in an earlier era. Some of the most beautiful Aztec metal craftsmanship can be viewed to this day in the form of fabulous ear spools or plugs intended for use with gauged ears.

Ear gauging is used today by both men and women as a means of bodily adornment and to express their individualism just as they were by the ancient Ainu of Japan, or the Dayaks and Berawan of Borneo. There is vast range of ear jewellery available online today that can be used for normal piercings or for ear gauging. By checking this out you can enjoy expressing your own personality on the way you look to others.

A Short History Of The Smartphone

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A Short History Of The Smartphone

Modern technology moves fast and furious, especially when it comes to capabilities of the smartphone. Just what is a “smartphone”? Actually there are no agreed upon or exact definitions for the term. share here Most would agree however share this website that smartphones do more – much more – than what Alexander Graham Bell first envisioned when he invented the original telephone back in the 1870s.

Definition

The smartphone differs from ordinary mobile phones in that they are capable of advanced functionality because they contain software applications that can be run directly from the phone itself. This software is typically open-source, an advantage that makes adding applications as easy as loading them onto the phone via wireless downloads. Today, these devices are not considered very “smart” unless they can accomodate a datebook/calendar, advanced internet connectivity, photography, music and even video capability.

Origins

IBM was the first to venture into the business of offering consumers a highly advanced mobile phone. In 1993, the company introduced what could be considered the world’s smartphone – simply called Simon. Considered low-end by today’s standard, this first smartphone featured an amazing array of features – email, address book, clock, calendar, note pad, and even the ability to send and receive faxes.

During the mid-90’s, Nokia began to heat things up by introducing its first line of smartphone – the Nokia 9000 series. This phone was not only the first in a series of popular roblox cheats hack smart phones manufactured by Nokia, they were also the most expensive, coming in at 20-40% more costly than its rivals. The Nokia 9210 was indeed the first real and true smartphone due to its open operating system.

Cutting Edge Smart Phones

The 21st century has spawned smartphones that are incredibly powerful and easy to use. Touch-screen functionality has become the norm and manufacturers such as Apple, Nokia and Research in Motion are furiously vying for the smartphone consumer and business check more dollar.

Apple changed the smartphone industry with its introduction of the Apple iPhone in 2007. Nokia has since countered with the unveiling of its Nokia XPress Music Phone in 2008. The Nokia 5800 is a touch-screen lovers dream that includes just about every feature a user would want. The handset even comes with millions of downloadable music tracks at no cost. Google recently joined the fray by introducing it Android phone during the same time period.

The Future

Could the smartphone get any smarter than it already is? Sure can! In the not so distant future, virtually everyone on earth will be carrying some type of smartphone – devices that will make today’s handsets pale in comparison. Increased bandwidth and speed will allow phones to be able to handle video in real-time with no problem. In the future, these mobile handsets will be indispensable to daily life, used for a wide array of functions, including consumer purchases, banking, real-time video connectivity, advanced GPS tracking, entertainment and much more.