The terrible luck of the three sisters, the Titanic, the Olympic, the Britannic, and the incredible luck of one woman

 

Violet Jessup

The White Star Line, a British steamship company, faced a challenge in the 1900’s. Its rival, the Cunard Line, had built smaller but faster steamships, and threatened the White Line’s traditional routes to America.  Bruce Ismay, the Director of the White Line, decided that to counter the threat by constructing larger and more opulent vessels. From this decision came the ‘Olympic’ class of ships, which set the standard for large passenger cruisers of the era.

The Olympic

The first, eponymously named Olympic, set sail on her maiden voyage in 1911. With nine
decks, a length of 883 feet and a height of 175 feet, and designed by the notable naval architect Thomas Andrews, its size eclipsed anything seen on the seas so far. Unfortunately, within a year of its launch, it collided with the HMS Hawke, a warship designed to sink others by ramming them with its reinforced bow. The Olympic’s hull was breached, but somehow it made its way back to port.

The Titanic

The White Star Line next launched the Titanic on the tenth of April, 1912. It sank five days later. Its first class quarters were the epitome of luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, fine china, several restaurants and well-appointed cabins. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers, over 1,500 died, making it the deadliest peacetime marine disaster.

The Britannic

Being gluttons for punishment, the White Star Line launched the Britannic in 1914, with the same unfortunate result. When the First World War started, it was leased by the Royal Navy and served as a hospital ship. On the 21^st of November, 1916, it struck a German mine while sailing in the Aegean Sea. The explosion ripped open her hull and she sunk in less than an hour. Fortunately, having learned its lessons, the company had installed sufficient lifeboats and, of the 1,605 persons on board, only thirty died.

As incredible as it may seem, there was one person on board of all three ships when they sank, though she barely survived the disasters. Her name was Violet Jessup and she worked as a stewardess for the While Line Company. She inherited the love of the sea from her mother, who worked as a ship stewardess until she became too ill to continue. Jessop was twenty-one years of age but she kept getting rejected at job interviews. The employers found her “too pretty,” fearing problems with crew and passengers. Indeed, over the course of her career, she received three marriage proposals, including one from an extremely wealthy first-class passenger.

When she appeared for a job with the White Line Company, she wore old clothes and made herself look haggard. She got the job. Her first appointment was with the Olympic, then the Titanic and then, the Britannic. While she was unhurt from the Olympic disaster and was ordered into a lifeboat (as she was carrying a baby in her arms) aboard the Titanic, she almost lost her life during the sinking of the Britannic.

She jumped into the waters as the ship went underwater. The sea sucked her under, towards the ship’s propellers. Her head struck the keel, arresting her momentum and she was able to surface. Years later, when she went to a doctor complaining of persistent headaches, it was discovered that she had suffered a fracture of her skull. Displaying enormous fortitude, she continued working on large ships for another thirty-four years, until her retirement at age sixty-three.

The White Star Line did not survive its disasters. It was bought by the Royal Mail Packet Company in 1927, and in 1933 merged with its old rival, the Cunard Line.

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of 'The Yoga Zapper', a fantasy, and 'Karma Nation', a literary romance (www.mohanashtakala.com). He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com).

 

Google Trends, a Powerful Tool

Google is the world’s most popular search engine. Want to know when the next snowfall will arrive in Calgary? What about the spread of the coronavirus epidemic? How about a recipe for apple pie? These are just three of the about five billion daily searches on Google, accounting for an astounding 90.5% of all searches on the internet.

The question arises as to how to make sense of these searches. Are some items searched more often than others? Are some searched seasonally? Can searches be categorized—for example, relating to book purchases?

These questions have more than a curiosity appeal, given that Google’s ad revenue amounted to $135 billion in 2019. There is big money to spend, and to make, with Google. Having the ability to use Google in marketing and promotion affects every business with an on-line presence, and even for purposes other than sales.

For example, a blogger may want to know what the hottest trends are in fashion. An epidemiologist may want to investigate the country with the most searches per capita of a virus. A marketer would like to know if the band he’s promoting is trending in a particular province.

Fortunately, for the common man or woman, there is a tool to help search searches. Google Trends was launched in 2006, but only became the robust tool that it is today in 2012.

To use Google Trends, one needs to enter the following website: trends.google.com. On the website, there is an “Explore” bar, where one can put in the search terms. For example, I chose the United States as my geographic region, entered “Apple Pie,” and several sections showed up. One, “Interest over Time” revealed a large spike in the search for this term in the last week of November which, being Thanksgiving in America, makes sense. The next section showed that Pennsylvania, for some reason, evinced the greatest interest for “Apple Pie.” Google Trends also allow you to compare searches: I compared ‘Apple Pie recipe’ with ‘Cherry pie recipe.’ The winner: Cherry pie, by a mile! 

More powerfully, it also allows searches by categories, such as Books, Games, Education, and so on. What about the hottest trends? Google Trends has a section that lists the top twenty of searches, by day, of all topics. On another page, called ‘Real Time Trends,’ shows the number of searches in real time, per hour, in a graph of the top searches.

A very simple use of Google Trends would be in Search Engine Optimization: the use of terms that would generate the greatest interest in a blog, a website or a product description. But Google Trends has turned out to be a lot more subtle and revealing than many expected. For example, the search ‘is my son gifted?’ was shown to be more popular then ‘is my daughter gifted?’ Similarly, the search ‘Is my daughter overweight?’ turned up more times than ‘Is my son overweight?’ Searches like these show cultural attitudes in statistically significant ways.

It takes times to become a competent user of Google Trends. Fortunately, over forty free lessons are available on the website itself. For authors, bloggers, businesspersons, or for anyone who is interested in public trends, it is a wonderful tool!

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. www.mohanashtakala.com

He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)

Weird Apps

Most of us use apps—those digital applications, downloaded on our cellphones, to help us order a pizza from our favorite fast-food joint, track appointments or manage our finances.  The number and variety of apps have mushroomed over the past decade. Many of them are useful, such as the one from your local transit department which lets you when the next bus is coming. Others, however, are only mildly useful, and a few, truly bizarre. Here, then, are ten apps that will leave you shaking your head:

1)      Nothing. Yes, Nothing. You press the Nothing icon on your phone and nothing happens. Nothing is free, but a premium version (which still does nothing) costs a whopping $0.99.

2)      Hold On. As the name implies, the idea is to keep pushing down on the app for as long as you can. A little timer pops up and lets you know how long you’ve been holding on. But, Why?

3)      I am Rich. Designed for rich people to make them feel good about how much money they have. At $400 a pop, I am Rich is definitely not for the poor.

4)      Fake Conversation. Ever want to desperately leave a boring meeting or a bad date? Fake Conversation will send you a fake phone call from a doctor, layer or even a magazine editor. The app will tell you what to say; you repeat it, and everyone around will be convinced you have a real emergency on your hands.

5)      Ghost EMP Meter. Yup. Your smartphone will sniff out pesky spirits and lingering apparitions. Note: It may not work if your smartphone itself is demon-possessed.

6)      Drunk Dial NO. This actually may be useful. The app allows you to enter the phone numbers of people you should not call when drunk (think: your ex or your boss.) It will hide those numbers for a period of forty-eight hours, long enough for your sober side to reassert itself.

7)      Binky. For totally random people. Binky will send you an endless stream of completely unconnected random stuff which you can browse or resend. Being totally pointless, it faithfully reflects the entire digital experience.

8)      $1,000,000. The app loads images of currency (in denominations of $50 or $100) which you can count by swiping on the screen. You won’t become rich, but your fingers will feel the pleasant tiredness a real millionaire experiences when counting his money.

9)      Lick the Icicle. The app shows an icicle on your smartphone. As you start licking it, the icicle starts melting. At this point, it’s uncertain if your tongue will stick to your smartphone if you stop licking.

10)  Places I have Pooped. As the name implies, this app allows you to map every place where you have answered the call of nature. Rather than humans, it is probably more useful in helping dogs and cats mark their territories. Use your phone to help your pooch to play Places I have Pooped.

 Mohan Ashtakala is the author of “The Yoga Zapper,” a fantasy, and “Karma Nation,” a literary romance. www.mohanashtakala.com, www.bookswelove.com.

Grandparenting – The Joys and the Pitfalls

A Visit to the Grandparents by Adolph Tidemand 1859

Everyone undergoes life-changing events. Some are happy, others sad. Becoming a grandparent is, without doubt, a uniquely exciting and enriching experience. Research suggests that grandchildren find exceptional emotional and mental benefits in their relationships with grandparents. A bond of genetically-disposed acceptance and trust is formed between the two. Kids who grow up with emotional closeness with grandparents are less likely to become depressed as adults, one study shows. This well-being extends into the teenage years.

Children find grandparents to be a major source of support during family disruptions. They are taken as role models and mentors for younger generations. Sometimes they're playmates for their grandchildren. They are important in teaching values, introducing ethnic heritage and passing on family traditions.

For grandparents, the presence of grandchildren provide tangible health and emotional benefits. Caring for little ones keep adults mentally sharp, boost social connections and stave off depression. Grandparents who babysit grandkids live longer than same age adults without child-rearing responsibilites, according to recent research. 

While becoming a grandparent bring much joy, some pitfalls may occur, especially in relations between grandparents and their adult children. Even if one has raised a dozen kids, the new parents will assume that grandparents know nothing about raising children. The rule for grandparents is not to offer guidance unless requested. Better to bite the tongue than to offer unasked-for advice.

In the excitement of becoming grandparents, some tread on the toes of the parents when it comes to rules on how to raise the child. Grandparents have to remember that the primary caretaker will always be the parents. Boundaries need to be respected.

Sometimes the birth of a grandchild can trigger old or buried emotions, relating to childhood or control issues. This can occur both with the parents and the grandparents. These will usually go away with time and goodwill on both sides.

Somewhere along the line, both have to let go of expectations. The grandparents may not have as much access to the grandchildren as they desire, and parents may not receive as much support as they want. It is best to live in the moment, to be grateful for pleasant surprises and to enjoy what fortune brings.

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanashtakala.com) is the author of 'The Yoga Zapper' a Fantasy and 'KarmaNation' a Literary Romance. He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)

When Goals Come Between You and Your Passion

 

Lao Tzu

The idea for this blog came when one of my fellow authors asked me, “What are your goals for the next five years?”

This should have been an easy question to answer. In my previous profession as a business owner, I lived on a steady diet of goals: annual targets, monthly objectives and even daily goals. There was no way around it. Businesses need goals and without them, become directionless. I felt a constant need to compare myself  to my past achievements and to others in the industry. Indeed, a business without goals is one destined to die.

Several years ago, I sold the business and became a writer. Just as with a new business venture, I planned what books and how many I would write over a given time period. I tied everything together with timelines and spreadsheets. In other words, I brought exactly the wrong mentality to the writing world.

Not long into my first book, I realized that my plans were holding me back. Constantly checking back to where I was “supposed” to be became demoralizing. Worrying about plans interfered with the creative process. Ideas don’t magically appear on schedule nor does the imagination heel to spreadsheets. They take their sweet time and, in my experience, usually blossom outside the time spent at the keyboard---during evening walks or drives in the car.

I concluded that writing success should be measured by how satisfied I am by what I put on paper, rather than by writing a certain number of pages per day. The passion and engagement that I pour into my work give my story more impetus than any number of tick marks on a to-do list.

Is this an argument for anarchy? Of course not. I use planning devices to help me maintain the arc of the story or to chart the progress of my characters. But in the actual process of writing, it is better to remain in the moment and let feelings and emotions flow freely from the imagination to the page. And, if well written, the reader shares in this engagement and passion.

Lao Tzu wrote 'A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.' I find this to be the correct approach to writing: to take joy in the process. It made me a better writer.

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. Please check him out at www.mohanashtakala.com. Published by Books We love: www.bookswelove.com.

Weird Television Shows

Television has given us some of the strangest ideas in entertainment. Here are eight of the most bizarre shows ever:

1) The most tone-deaf concept: Heil Honey I'm Home! 

Hitler getting his ears chewed off by Eva Braun

A British sitcom, written by Geoff Atkinson and produced in 1990, which was cancelled after one episode. It centers on Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, who live next door to a Jewish couple, Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. The plot?  Hitler's inability to get along with his neighbours (you think?) It caused controversy when broadcast and has been called "perhaps the world's most tasteless situation comedy".

2) Love me, Love My Car: My Mother, The Car

As its title suggests, My Mother The Car dealt with a talking automobile. Jerry Van Dyke starred as David Crabtree whose mother, Gladys, has been reincarnated as a 1928 Porter car. Announcing the show’s cancellation in May 1966, The Chicago Tribune’s television critic Clay Gowran called My Mother The Car “a horror that defies description.” A total of 30 episodes were broadcast: the last new episode aired on April 5, 1966.

3) Cook and Vomit: Close to the Bone: Surgeons and Chefs

This is pretty much what it sounds like. Chefs, surgeons, a lot of edible anatomy, plus a dose of hard-body doctor windsurfing footage--turns out the show's resident surgeon, Dr. Hu, knows how to cut through both cervical fascia and sick waves. Everyone involved in this is Canadian, and an article from Dr. Hu's medical alma mater reports that the show actually aired on the Canadian Learning Channel in 2004. Good thing restaurants don't provide health care.

Brutal humiliation of Earthlings by Alien Monkey News Anchors

4) Alien Monkey New Anchors: Mikorte Informativo

Think our late-night comedians are harsh? This Mexican news-satire show has hosts that dress as monkeys from another planet and mock what’s going on with Earthlings.

5) Taking on the Russian Police: The Intercept

Who wouldn’t like to receive a brand-new car for free? That was the concept behind this Russian game show. A guest would come on to the show and drive off with a car. Of course, where’s the “game” in that? So the producers added this wrinkle: After you got your car, they would report it stolen to the police. If you avoided the cops for 35 minutes, the car was yours. The show included “losers” getting beaten by Russian cops.

6) Celebrity Executions: Ramez Galal's Prank Show

Paris Hilton on the Bus to Eternity

Ramez Galal, an Egyptian prankster who has the rapid intensity of someone who takes his Red Bull intravenously, is the star of the show and is accompanied by his crew of "sidekick terrorists." A bus full of actors and one mark (usually a celebrity or group of tourists) is hijacked by Galal and his team, who are covered in headscarves and wielding AK47s. The marks are then dragged out of the bus, blindfolded, forced to their knees and told they're about to be executed. Just before the trigger is pulled, Galal reveals himself and the prank.

7) The Bachelor” knock-off, starring Mothers-in-law: Perfect Bride

This show was what can be called the Indian version of Splitsvilla. Like Splitsvilla the male and female contestants were made to stay in a picturesque villa and performed brainless tasks. However, the winning jackpot, in this case, was not a date but a wedding. And the best part, the mothers of the prospective grooms were also to reside with the female contestants of the show and judge them to be worthy or not of their sons. For those who like romance served with a side of awkwardness, with tension thick enough to slice with a knife.

8) The never-ending drug-trip from the ‘70’s: Monkey

Who? What? Where? How? But mostly, WHY?

Attempting to sum up the plot is an exercise in futility, but needs must, so here goes: An immortal

human-monkey hybrid with magic powers who was born from an egg on a mountain top joins a Buddhist monk who’s actually a woman on a pilgrimage to India. They are accompanied by a water monster (Sandy) and a pig monster (Pigsy) and travel around either on a biddable cloud or a shape-changing dragon who serves as the group’s horse. The horse can talk, and is voiced in the English version by Andrew Sachs. From China.

 Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "Karma Nation," a Literary Romance, and "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy. Check him out at: www.mohanashtakala.com or at Books We Love, www.bookswelove.com

How to frighten away prospective writers

Fellow authors will recognize the following: Upon first meeting someone who discovers we’re writers, the conversations are quite predictable. First comes flattery: I’ve never met a writer before, or, It must be so exciting, and my favorite, You must be making so much money!

Many conversations end at this point, with people regarding us with admiration while we bite our lower lips, studiously avoiding correcting their exaggerations of any literary or other successes.

But some conversations turn serious, with questions on how to become a writer, an author’s lifestyle, or the craft itself.  These require actual honest answers, but a struggle ensues on how to gently deflate the wild expectations of bright-eyed individuals eager to set off on a journey of artistic expression and personal self-fulfillment.

For these people, I have compiled a list of quotes from well-known authors, which I submit for all to use:

Harper Lee

On how to become a writer:

 “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”

—Harper Lee, WD

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”
—Ernest Hemingway

Ray Bradbury

Upon the Author’s lifestyle:

“When I say work I only mean writing. Everything else is just odd jobs.”
—Margaret Laurence

“...I have this one nasty habit. Makes me hard to live with. I write...” – Robert Heinlen

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
― Ray Bradbury

William Carlos Williams

On the craft of writing:

“I think all writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.”
—William Carlos Williams

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”

—George Orwell

“I get up in the morning, torture a typewriter until it screams, then stop.” 
― Clarence Budington Kelland

Finally, if the individual has not run away screaming, we know he or she is ready to take the plunge. Now is the time to give the best piece of advice yet: “Start writing!”

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "Karma Nation," published by Books We Love.

www.mohanashtakala.com

www.bookswelove.net

Plantation Life in South Carolina

Boone Hall - Live Oaks

As part of the research for my latest novel, "Karma Nation," my son Rishi and I traveled across the American South. My previous blogs recorded our explorations of Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta and Charleston. In this blog, I share my impressions of some of the plantations I visited in South Carolina.

We were actually quite surprised at the number of plantations that dotted South Carolina, especially around Charleston. What could be their economic base?

Our visit to a few of them answered our questions. Several plantations have become quite well-known tourist attractions, some remain working plantations, while a few are preserved by non-profit societies, wealthy individuals or as state parks.

Boone Hall was on our list as a must-visit site. USA Today’s #1 plantation, it is dominated by a magnificent colonnaded home form the Antebellum period, situated at the end of a stunning allee of two-hundred-year-old live oaks. The interiors reveal the luxury that country gentlemen of the era lived in. Portraits of the erstwhile inhabitants hung on the walls, expensive furniture filled the rooms and curtains imported from Europe lined the windows. Nine original slave cabins, replete with mementos and displays of the lives of its tenants sit on one side of the mansion. A live theatre show of Gullah culture, a mixture of Creole English and Geechee, practiced by the slaves, is presented during the busy season. It is also a working plantation, well-known for its strawberries and vegetables.

Slave Cabins, Boone Hall

Next, we visited McLeod plantation. The main home, designed in the English Georgian style, it too paid attention to the Lowland slave culture that became prominent in South Carolina. A part of the Charleston County Parks system, it was crowded with school children when we were there. Full of detailed historical notes, along with interpretive tours, it satisfied our curiosity.

Plantations were large communities, villages really, with populations that sometimes reached thousands. Many functions were centralized, such as cooking and clothes-cleaning. The cook-house, attended to by slaves, usually sat behind the main house. So did the wash-house.

Inside the master’s house, a series of rules—a system of apartheid really—allowed white slave-owners and their families to live deeply separated lives, despite being surrounded by a very large number of black slaves. Certain areas of the house, such as the sleeping quarters of the white women, were off-limits to male slaves. Only a select number of slaves were allowed into the main house on a regular basis; most of the field slaves didn’t enter. Slaves had their speech and actions constantly surveilled; only at Church on Sundays were music and speech by slaves allowed. This practice had the effect of eventually pushing Black Churches to the forefront of civil rights movements.

While the plantations today seem idyllic with their flower gardens and sunny weather, it was obviously not pleasant for its inhabitants. While the slaves lived a life of hard work and deprivation, the plantation owners had their issues as well. With constant rumors of slave rebellions and attacks against them, they lived in anxiety. When Spain controlled Florida, escaping American slaves were offered freedom and some joined the Spanish Army to fight against them. In America, the Abolitionist movement became active almost since the birth of the country. Following the Revolutionary War, Northern states abolished slavery, beginning with the 1777 constitution of Vermont, followed by Pennsylvania's gradual emancipation act in 1780. In many ways, it had to be clear to plantation owners that their way of life was not long to last.

Behind the manicured lawns, extensive gardens and brightly painted houses, lay the narratives of a difficult and divisive period in American history. That to me, was the story of our visit to the plantations.

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "Karma Nation"

Published by Books We Love

Charleston, S.C. – A Beautiful City with a Divisive Past

As part of the research for my latest novel, "Karma Nation," my son Rishi and I traveled across the American South. My previous blogs recorded our explorations of Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta. In this blog, I share my impressions of Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston is the epitome of Southern charm—a genteel, laid-back city with friendly people who treat visitors with exceptional grace and manners. In 2016, Conde Nast, the magazine for travelers, named it the “friendliest” city in the entire world. In 2018, Travel+Leisure, another reputed magazine, awarded it the Best City in America title for the sixth straight year.

Indeed, the recognitions are well-deserved. Blessed with natural beauty, well-preserved history and a vibrant cultural life, Charleston is a great place to visit or live in. We arrived in the city after visiting Atlanta and the contrast could not be greater: Atlanta was a huge modern city rushing into the future while Charleston took pride in preserving its past. Dotted with centuries old churches and antebellum-period plantations, it certainly introduced visitors to the charms of a bye-gone age.

One of our destinations in Charleston was the Old Slave Mart Museum. Situated on a picturesque cobble-stoned street a few blocks from the harbor, the museum, an erstwhile slave auction house, presented the stories of the trade that originally established the city.

According to historians, at least 40% of all slaves imported into America first landed in Charleston. By the middle of the 1700’s, Charleston became the only major city in America with a majority-enslaved population.

The Museum at one time contained a cook-house for slaves, a barracoon (a jail for slaves) and even a slave morgue. Now, only the auction area is preserved. The history of the slave trade, mementos of the period and personal recollection of the individual slaves themselves line its walls.

In 1807, Congress passed an act prohibiting the importation of slaves. Yet, another trade took its place. Interstate slave trade grew and Charleston became the center of that industry, until slavery’s final abolition by President Lincoln. The institution of slavery implicated many—slave traders, bankers, plantation owners, financiers, politicians, lawyers, shippers and even slave insurance providers. These deep roots, and the difficulty of uprooting them, bequeathed the state and the city with one of the most divisive pasts in American history.

But the city is moving on. In 2015, the Confederate flag was finally removed from the South Carolina State House.  Last year, the city council of Charleston officially apologized for the city’s role in the slave trade. More importantly, the city is planning to build the $75 million International African American Museum on land not far from the Old Slave Mart Museum. It promises to become an important part of the fabric of the city and will go far to present an aspect of American life that is not much exposed.

My son and I truly enjoyed our visit to this beautiful city. The city and its people are beginning to fill in the missing parts of its history and are making it available to everyone. It provides one more reason to plan our next visit to this friendly and captivating city!

Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "Karma Nation", a literary romance. For more information, please visit: 

www.mohanashtakala.com 

www.bookswelove.com