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Store Security

Guard dogs in department stores


Before alarm systems, Macy's Department Store in New York City used dogs like the Doberman Pinscher to guard their premises.  Known for their high pitch bark that equally matched their fierceness, they were able to scare off even the boldest trespasser.   

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Painting Tall Buildings

Painters painting Woolworth's Building in New York City 1926


In 1926, these painters were painting the Woolworth Building in New York City.  Buildings were sometimes painted to give them a more presentable appearance, but it wasn't typical to paint all of them. This practice was seen mostly among the wealthier companies.  

Usually when we look up from ground level and see these guys, we know them as professional window washers hanging by a crane.  

But on this day, perhaps they doubled as painters.  The picture is iconic mostly because it was preserved so well and it wasn't everyday in 1926 that one saw men hanging off the side of a tall building.

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Photographing The Dead

In the 1850s, families in Victorian England and in some parts of America, began to commission photographers to make portraits of their deceased loved ones. This came to be known as "postmortem photography." 


Even today in the 21st century, you might see someone at a wake gingerly making their way up to the casket with their camera, hoping to snap one last picture of their loved one as they lay peacefully in their coffin. 


Portraits of the dead dressed in Sunday best
Usually dressed in their best laying out clothes - their Sunday Best  


It became common practice to photograph the dead before burial using pins, tools, and clamps to prop up and hold the body in place until the portrait was taken.


A Personal Story: 
I can remember being a young child of about 10 years old, paging through our family photo albums. I found an yellow dog-eared photograph of a newborn baby, laying in a small coffin and dressed in her christening outfit. I didn't recognize the name of the long-dead infant which was hand-printed on the back of the picture, along with the birth date and death date. At the time, I thought that it was morbid to take a picture of a dead baby to keep in photo albums. 


Years later when I was about 29 years old, I accompanied my fiance' to the viewing and funeral of his sister who had died with her newborn baby in a house fire. Both she and her infant lay in the same casket and he took a picture to show his grandmother who was in a nursing home. It was only then that I remembered the picture of the baby in our family photo albums when I was 10.  As an adult, I knew that the parents took some comfort when they looked at the picture from time to time and that it reminded them that their baby girl really did exist long ago when years later there was nothing but the photograph to mark her place in family history.



******

Because Victorians died young and of injuries and infections that modern medicine helped abolish, there were elaborate grieving rituals to give meaning to the lives of their loved ones.

Victorians would haul their dead out of a coffin, prop them up on stands, and take a picture that were worth a thousand words. These prop stands helped corpses look alive, and allowed the living to pose with their dead family members. Or so the story goes.


In recent years, whether categorized in error or intentionally mislabeled to sell for a profit, faked postmortem photos have become widespread on the Internet. 

They fill online galleries of Victorian oddities and are on Pinterest and Instagram. Some quasi-reputable websites have contributed to the myths by vouching that the photos are real.   


Postmortem posing stands are similar to microphone and guitar stands. Not only were they used to prop up the dead, professional photographers used them with their live models and family portraits to help them hold still when it took ten to thirty minutes to get the exposure just right before snapping the picture.  

By 1839, when the daguerreotype was invented, the longest exposures were a minute and a half. By the 1850s, they were three to eight seconds and posing stands became less in use.


Not all postmortem pictures were of dead people. Some of those people were alive and were "posed" because postmortem pictures can bring a pretty penny on both eBay and Etsy. 

People are easily duped because the majority of armchair collectors are not going to consult a patent library to see how authentic the pictures are before clicking the Buy-It-Now button. 


The more misinformation there is online, the more likely it is that someone’s “research” will turn up myths rather than facts.

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The 1915 New York Subway Disaster

It was rush hour in New York City on the morning of January 6, 1915, when the worst disaster, up until that time, occurred in the underground subway system, injuring 210 people and killing one.  





NY Times headlines 1 dead, 210 hurt in subway fire
The New York Times recapped the story the 
next day on  January 7, 1915






Insulation that was wrapped around two electrical cables which provided electric power to the midtown subway system suddenly shorted out, causing a fire and a blackout. The cables were not fireproof.  Toxic smoke permeated the underground tunnels that, lacking electricity, were plunged into darkness.   






Over 2500 people were trapped inside very smoky subway cars and on station platforms. Feelings of panic and desperation grew.  Everyone had one objective - to get above ground to fresh air and safety.




The firemen who were working the underground part of the rescue found passengers struggling to get out of trains. However, with no electricity, passengers found it very hard to pry open the train doors.  Other victims lay on the floors of the train cars having been asphyxiated from the smoke were getting trampled on. 




Firefighters were overcome with smoke
Firemen recovering from smoke inhalation
January 6, 1915







Firemen handed people onto ladders to bring them up to street-level for emergency aid.  Some victims had to be hospitalized for smoke inhalation.  



Firemen who were working at street level attempted to break through the tops of subway cars.  





NY Subway fire was fought by breaking through the subway roof
Breaking through the subway roof from the street 
January 6, 1915





Firemen who were working the underground part of the rescue quickly found themselves overcome with smoke and came up to street-level to get medical aid.  




NY Firemen take a break at street level from massive amount of smoke
Firemen resting on street level
January 6, 1915



 
As soon as they recovered, they went back to help passengers find their way out the heavy acrid smoke. 


          
The scene above ground was bedlam as well. Police held back the rubber-neckers - spectators - because they were pushing and shoving others and looking for relatives who rode the subway to get to their workplaces. 




Spectators looking through pavement grills at fire in subway below
Crowds of spectators looking through sidewalk
grills at the commotion on the subway below





Streetside spectators in automobiles caused traffic jams as they slowed down to watch the scene.  




Street view of slow moving traffic around subway fire January 6, 1915
The street scene above the subway on January 6, 1915




  
On the street, spectators abandoned their cars to watch the firemen bring victims up to the street.


     
The power was restored to the underground by 4:00pm, just in time for the evening rush hour.  


However, subway service was messed up for a few days until trains returned to their normal schedules.



    
Although there was one death, everyone agreed that this could have been a much bigger tragedy.  Some armchair experts believe this disaster could have been avoided by using fireproof insulation.   


But as Frank Hedley, general manager of the Interborough Rapid Transit System said:  "There is nothing known which will prevent the recurrence of short circuits.  New York received a warning, the next occurrence may be a far more serious loss of life due to the same cause - suffocation. No time should be lost remedying the most serious defect - lack of suitable ventilation at all times."





Here are the headlines of some of the newspapers who covered the story.  The New York Times recapped the story the next day, January 7, 1915, then sort of downplayed it after the crisis was over and services were restored.


The New York Times January 7, 1915 with stories laying blame



                    
The Evening World reported that experts were brought in to remove all perils from the tunnel to prevent another subway disaster.





Headlines of The Evening World on January 6, 1915 detailing the subway fire
The Evening World headlines January 7, 1915 stirring up
public fears






The Star Independent reported that preparations were being made to dynamite the streets to let air into the subway tunnels.


 
Headlines of The Star Independent January 7, 1915 about subway fire
The Star Independent headlines and details of one death












The above video clip is an interesting 2-minute video about the origins of the New York subway.  Take note of the vintage 1915's clothing as people got on and off the subway trains.


            
If you are really interested in history, this is a 46-minute documentary from 1994 on the History Channel about the origins and building of the New York City subway system with Roger Mudd and Jack Perkins.






                


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Philippines National Flag





Philippines National Flag flies different during war time
Philippines National Flag


The Philippines national flag is the only national flag that is flown differently during times of war and times of peace.   The flag's rectangular design consists of a white equilateral triangle, which symbolizing liberty, equality, and fraternity; a horizontal blue stripe which symbolizes peace, truth, and justice; and a horizontal red stripe for patriotism and valor.





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Short Women Likely To Be Killed By Imploding Air Bags


In a news story from November 1996 in the Baltimore Sun:

When Susan Hayes skidded off the road into a drainage ditch in 1996, the air bag in her Mazda Miata slammed into her head and broke her neck.  The 5-foot-2-inch, 29-year-old Baltimore woman spent six weeks in a coma and eight weeks in intensive care. She was wearing a seat belt in the crash.


It was the air bag that caused her the most injuries. Her 4-year-old son was in the front passenger seat next to her with a seat belt, but the seat did not have an air bag option.   


While the risk that air bags pose to children has attracted national attention, that danger has overshadowed the fact that bags also can injure and kill adults, particularly short women.


NHTSA warns imploding airbags can break necks of women who are short
Imploding airbag broke Susan Hayes neck




The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned for some time that women, especially those over 70 who may be frail, are among the adults most at risk of being killed by air bags.

Deaths from air bags are also likely to be under-reported, partly because the NHTSA has focused on reducing the deaths of children from air bags.


Because air bags are required to pass a federal safety test involving an unbelted dummy representing a 164-pound adult male in a 30 mph crash, air bags deploy with explosive force, even in fender benders.


The air bags, which come out of the dashboard or steering column at 200 mph, have saved hundreds of lives, but the powerful devices also are blamed for the deaths of at least 47 people who would otherwise have walked away from their accidents.


You can read more about short people and the challenges of driving here:




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Remedies for Dry Cracked Feet

Cracked feet home remedies
Home remedies for cracked feet



If you don't know what causes dry cracked feet before you can apply any remedies, or if you are doing something that contributes to the cause, no remedy is going to help get rid of the condition.



CAUSES:

1) Standing on your feet for too long

2) Fluid retention followed by fluid reduction

3) Obesity

4) Cold weather

5) Caustic soaps

6) Excessive exposure to water (i.e. soaking feet routinely, not drying thoroughly after bathing, leaving oils and creams on skin instead or blending into skin until dry)

7) Rough towels and bed linens

8) Certain medications

9) Not using moisturizer

10) Psoriasis or other skin conditions




Most of the current remedies concentrate on a moisturizing regimen. Vaseline was the most recommended moisturizer.




Here is a short video with some remedies. Click the square at the bottom right of the video screen to view it full screen.







As you can see, prevention is the best remedy.




Cracked feet, dry socks, good shoes
Good fitting shoes and good
socks help cracked skin



Try to avoid exposing your feet to extremely hot or extremely cold weather by wearing the right footwear - good fitting shoes and dry socks, no matter what the weather is.  











If you take baths, avoid using very hot water because it will dry out your skin. Check the soap or bath salts that you are using to see if it has sulfate or fragrances listed in the ingredients because both are drying agents. 
Foot Magic paraffin wax moisturizer for cracked feet
Foot Magic scrub
moisturizes cracked feet





Moisturize your feet two or three times a day and then put on socks so your skin retains the moisturizer. If you get pedicures, inquire if you can add a paraffin wax treatment at an appointment.  It isn't a permanent fix, but it will provide some relief for a few days.  





For extremely dry cracked skin, you may need to get a prescription for steroid cream. If that isn't to your liking, consider using a liquid bandage to seal the cracks in your skin and prevent infections. Spray it on, put socks on, and forget about it.  The liquid coating dries fast. It is available over the counter. No prescription needed. 




Liquid bandage seals for cracked feet
Liquid bandage relief for cracked feet





There is a DIY remedy circulating on the Internet saying that super glue has had good success. Considering that super glue seals things so well that they will never un-glue, there was a study done in the late 1990's where patients put three drops of super glue on each crack, then allowed it to seal.  A week later the cracks were closed. We can't attest to the pain level because pain is different for everyone. So if you try it, write in the comments and let us know how it worked out for you. 





Baby Foot chemical peel gel-lined booties
Baby Foot Peel is a chemical peel
A product being hyped at the moment is called BABY FOOT PEEL, which is  a Japanese foot chemical peel that comes in the form of gel-lined booties.  







The 1990's treatment has gone viral in 2018. Users have raved about the strips of dead skin that peel off after using the product, leaving their skin softer. 







Cost of Baby Foot Peel remedy for cracked feet
This gives you an idea
of the cost of Baby Foot Peel 
  



Here’s how it works: After soaking your feet, you wear the booties for an hour, letting the natural extracts and fruit acids soak in. About one to two weeks later, users say the dead skin starts to peel off in sheets, revealing soft “baby-like” feet. Such big claims need a user to write a comment to let us know if it is true.




DIY Remedies for cracked feet
DIY Remedies



Regularly exfoliating and applying moisturizing foot cream can help treat and prevent flaky, itchy, dry feet. Many experts recommend soaking your feet first in warm water to soften the skin, then using an exfoliating scrub to gently remove dead skin. To treat rough, dry or cracked heels, follow up with a moisturizer such as Gold Bond Triple-Action Foot Cream or Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Foot Magic with vitamin E.





Pumice Stone sloughs off dead skin of cracked feet
Pumice stone removes
dry skin and calluses

A pumice stone removes dry, dead skin and calluses. This lightweight volcanic rock has a rough, porous texture that is perfect for sloughing off dead skin. Use it in the shower or after a bath a few times a week, rubbing the rougher areas of the feet to exfoliate. Follow up with moisturizer to seal.






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QUOTE OF THE DAY

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How To Become Mentally Stronger

12 steps to become stronger mentally
12 steps for a stronger mind


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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Everyone smiles in the same language
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Unique Fact About Pineapples

Pineapples have bromelain benefits
Benefits of Pineapples




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20 Interesting Facts About Dogs And Puppies


Interesting facts about puppies
20 facts about puppies and dogs


20 Interesting things about man’s best four-legged friend. 


1. An adult dog has 42 teeth.


2. A dog’s sense of smell is more than 1 million times stronger than that of a person.


3. One in 3 families in the United States owns a dog.


4. Spaying or neutering your dog can help prevent certain types of cancer.


5. If never spayed or neutered, a pair of dogs can produce 66,000 puppies in 6 years.


6. A dog’s sense of hearing is 10 times more accurate than that of a person.


7. The average dog can run about 19 miles per hour at full speed.


8. Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible.


9. A dog’s nose print is one of a kind, very similar to a person’s fingerprint.


10. The average body temperature for a dog is 101.2.


11. With an average lifespan of just over 11 years, the typical dog costs $13,500.


12. The only sweat glands a dog has are between its toes.


13. Dogs are omnivorous; they need to eat more than just meat.


14. Dogs have twice as many ear muscles as people.


15. Dogs will be submissive to anyone they feel is higher up in the pack.


16. People have been keeping dogs for pets for 12,000 years.


17. A female dog carries her puppies for about 60 days before they are born.


18. It is a myth that dogs are color blind; they actually see color, just not as vividly as a person.


19. Obesity is the number-one health problem in dogs.


20. Seventy percent of people sign their pets name on greeting/holiday cards.





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QUOTE OF THE DAY

You cannot always control what goes on outside but you can always control what goes on inside
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Women Smile More Than Men

 It takes 37 muscles to frown. And 22 muscles to smile. So Smile and conserve some energy.

According to Buzz Feed, the average woman smiles 62 times a day while the average man smiles only 8 times a day.



Average times women smile vs men
Smiling - men vs women  



We smile when funny things happen, or when we spend time with people we like or love,  or when we find pleasure in the things we do.

Did you know if you smile while talking on the phone, it makes you sound friendly?

Smiles are very powerful.  Smiling can reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and thereby makes your brain healthier. 



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