From the moment you walk in you're surrounded by history. Buildings of many shapes and size with various backgrounds will welcome you to learn about life in early 19th century rural New England.

My first trip to this living history museum was in the 5th grade. An assistant teacher styled the girls hair in 1830's fashions and we piled into the big yellow bus and watched in excitement as we pulled into the parking lot. We got the chance to try on clothing, make marbled paper, and tour the village.

Now over ten years later I am now a volunteer and dancer at Old Sturbridge Village. I started out as a greeter smiling warmly and offering directions to locations within the village. After becoming costumed in 1830's attire including reproduction dresses, petticoats and bonnets, I was able to become a docent and work in the Towne House.

This house has an interesting history. Its owner, Salem Towne Sr. came from a poor family. His father died during the French and Indian war. His mother eventually remarried to a lonely farmer and later would follow in his step-fathers footsteps. At the rough age of 20, Salem purchased ten acres of land and taking on the position as a land surveyor. He later would purchase and sell pieces of land making a profit and acquiring more land as time went on.

In 1796, three years after he married his third wife, Salem had the Greek revival home built in Charlton, Massachusetts. After his death 1925 the house would be passed down to his son Salem Towne Jr., Salem Jr.'s wife Sally and their ten children. By 1830 the family owned 400 acre's of land was considered the wealthiest family around gaining this status by progressive farming. Their wealth can be shown by the hallway that extends the entire length of the house that is fully carpeted. Another tell-tale sign of wealth is the elaborate sideboard placed in the hall. The house has three floor, a cast iron stove (the newest amenity in those days) and a pleasure garden.

As and Old Sturbridge Village dancer I am able to participate in 1790's to late 1830's style dancing. With skirts twirling and white gloves on you can imagine how elegant it must be to cast off in Jefferson and Liberty or circle six hands round in White Cockade. Dancing in those days was sometimes seen as scandalous but was also romantic as this was possibly the only chance you might have to touch the hand of the person you fancied.

Within the village you can also see three different mills (Saw, Carding, and Grist) that are run off of water power and are the start of the industrial revolution in this country. There is a tavern, tin shop, shoe shop, district school, pottery shop, bank, parsonage, and several farms with cattle and other animals native to this country during the 19th century. You can also grab an ice cream, watch as sheep are sheared, or taste freshly made butter.

So, if you every find yourself in search of experiencing history in a different way then Old Sturbridge Village is the place to go. You won't be disappointed.

Weather in Malaya

The Climate in Malaya is an equatorial climate. It is hot when the sun is out yet cold when it rains. It rains frequently there with flash floods.

Landscape

Malaya is a Jungle so there are lots of tropical trees growing there. This makes it difficult for moving long distances. It is usually hilly.

Where the British troops are located

The British troops were located in Malaya but had to retreat to Singapore after their defeat against the Japanese.

Where Japanese troops located

The Japanese troops landed on the Northern Side of Malaya at Kota Bhura and began their advance down the eastern coast.

The fall of Singapore

The British retreated to Singapore after their defeat in Malaya, as it was thought to be an “impenetrable fortress”. But then the Japanese landed on the peninsula and the British were forced to surrender. This was the fall of Singapore. As the Japanese attacked through the Peninsula, their troops were ordered to take no prisoners. A pamphlet was issued to all the Japanese soldiers said:

“When you encounter the enemy after landing, think of yourself as an avenger coming face to face at last with his father's murderer. Here is a man whose death will lighten your heart.”

Type of warfare used

The troops used Mule's as they can go along the Jungle Terrain which Horses wouldn't be able to do. The British in Malaya didn't have any tanks whereas the Japanese had over 200 of them, but both used guns in warfare.

Diseases

Many Troops caught many diseases as they weren't immunized against the new diseases in Malaya. So many died which created more diseases and discomfort for the troops.

Food

Has to be imported and sometimes the transport of food was destroyed so soldiers had to ration what they had.

Water

Although lots of rain it was unsafe to drink. So it had to be imported. And used wisely,

What the British people knew of the events

The British people didn't know much of the events due to censorship. The British lost to the Japanese in Malaya so the events there were not to be known by the British Public.

I have searched and surveyed about moving to Sweden so far.I've asked Swedish people about Sweden,life in Sweden and life conditions in Sweden.These are the results of my quick survey:

1. There is no war or possibility of war in Sweden.All Swedish people live in peace in their land.
2. There is a big opportunity for taking good education especially in engineering and natural sciences. Uppsala University,Lund University and Chalmers University of Technology are popular universities in Sweden and Europe.They all give good education.
   
   
   
   
3. There is a big opportunity for finding good job.Technology and Science is developed in Sweden.Sweden needs youth population.Rate of youth population in Sweden is very low.
   
   
   
4. There are very beautiful places to see in Sweden like Stan Island,famous war ship Vasa,Royal Palace,Theatre Building,Kunqsrad Park,Fjallgatan Hill,Residance Museum,Masthugget Church,Amelienborg Palace,Statue of Little Mermaid,Statue of Poseidon,Karl Johans Street and National Theatre Building.
   
   
   
5. Beautiful blonde girls of Sweden with blue eyes.
   
   
   

We'll start off with a weapon from the distant past that makes us wonder how the British every colonized America, the tomahawk! Wait a minute, that doesn't look like any tomahawk I've ever seen. In fact, it looks like the soul purpose of that is to slam a spike through your skull, seeing as how there is only one spike! Where did I find this weapon.

2. Brass Knuckle Knife

This brass knuckle knife, technically known as a trench knife was violently amazing for a reason. It was used in the most vicious spot in the most vicious war ever. The trenches in the First World War! Boy oh boy there is nothing that I would rather have with me in close quarters fighting for the sake of the world except for maybe a......

3. Brass Knuckle Gun

Apparently this weapon is so violently amazing that I could not even turn up any information about it other than multiple photographic evidence. It even looks like theres a switchblade at the end of it!!! If thats not a switchblade then it is clearly an arrow pointing to the nearest direction of the person you are supposed to kill.

4. Knife Gun

Ok now this is getting a little bit ridiculous. I take it you can just strap any combination of knifes, brass knuckles, and guns together and get an amazingly violent weapon. Ok that is definitely true, and the knife gun is no exception! Unlike the brass knuckle gun (which may or may not have a switchblade on it) this gun definitely has a huge knife on the end of it. You get the double pleasure of shooting someone when your gun is inside of them, which is also a plus.

5. Pancor Jackhammer

No, it is not some sort of a gun or knife strapped to a jackhammer, its just the most amazing shotgun ever designed. According to wikipedia the Pancor Corporation patented a 12 gauge automatic weapon. And its gas operated! I could not believe it but it seems that this is indeed quite a real gun, and that it can fire up to 10 rounds. Also of note, it was patented in 1987!! Its a miracle any of us made it through the 1980's and into today so we could witness the power of....

6. Metal Storm

It is described as the Roman Candle of guns, because it uses a concept of stacked projectiles much like the most amazingly violent handheld fireworks in the world. Except instead of using fire to shoot fireballs at you it uses electricity to fire 1 million rounds a minute at you. It's like bringing a brass knuckle knife to a brass knuckle gun fight.

“Not even the jet-liners of today can meet the rigorous luxury standards set forth by the "Clipper." Fashionable staterooms, and an air of opulence to the interior, which included a de-luxe suite and dining saloon.” Sleeping accommodation was available, although on most services passengers slept ashore during the overnight stops.

Gone for Good?

In spite of the enormous area the sea offers for aircraft to alight on, the days of large flying boats appear to be over forever. They've been elbowed out of the sky by jets that touch down alongside comfortable airport terminals with shelter and shops.

Large flying boats may be gone, but tiny ones are thriving. It's as if the flying boat, which began as a small craft (often with no more than a pilot and a passenger) and then evolved into a monster, has finally found its rightful place in the world.

A Little Bit of History

The idea of the flying-boat has never left the imagination of inventors and builders. Even before men could conceive how to fly, the thought of boats that could both sail and fly were dwelt upon. Back in 1670, a Jesuit priest, Francesco de Lana Terzi, drew a model of an aerial ship. Though his model would not have worked in practice it actually laid the ground for the development of hot-air balloons and airships. In the late 19th century, a magazine produced by novelist Frank Reade frequently presented illustrations of imaginatively drawn flying boats on its covers.

But the first flying boat to be worthy of the name was built by Frenchman Henri Fabre. On the 28th of March 1910, he successfully took off from the water and safely "landed" again. The machine's official name was Hydravion, (a combination of the words relating to water and air or flying) but it was nicknamed, Le Canard, the “Duck.” Amazingly, Fabre, who became better know for his work on the floats used on later seaplanes, had never flown before - even as a passenger.

The next pioneer of note in this arena was the American, Glenn Curtiss. Curtiss was to spend a lifetime experimenting with flying boats, and made constant improvements to his inventions. His original hydro aeroplane took off less than a year after Fabre's, on the 26th January, 1911, but not content with that success, he made improvements and flew his hydro aeroplane out to the cruiser USS Pennsylvania where it was moored on the San Diego harbour, alighted beside her, paid the crew a courtesy visit, and flew home again. The Navy was so impressed they placed an order for their first floatplane soon after. By 1912, Curtiss had so improved his plane that wealthy sportsmen, as well as the US Army and Navy all purchased versions of it.

Meanwhile in Britain, a Mr Wakefield of Blackpool, concerned for some time that planes landing on the ground were often damaged, reasoned that planes landing on water would be less liable to injury. He was scoffed at, but pursued his theory when he heard of Curtiss' work, and in 1912 he produced the Water Hen, which flew daily throughout that year without mishap.

For the next few decades, until the 1950s, flying boats were as common as planes that landed on the earth. They were used extensively in the First World War, having the advantage of being able to use a convenient piece of water as a "landing strip." This meant that flying boats could depart off the coast of England, for instance, rather than from an inland airfield, thus saving fuel.

In the 1930s, the flying boat became the luxury passenger craft. (In fact the world's first passenger service used a Benoist flying boat, carrying one passenger between St Petersburg and Tampa in the USA, over a period of several months, at the rate of $5 a trip.) Flying boats became bigger and bigger: people could walk round comfortably on them, sleep on them, and generally behave as if they were at some classy hotel.

Furthermore, in the Second World War, they also played a significant part. The largest plane ever built, Howard Hughes' HK-1 (or "Spruce Goose") was produced as a war machine. Unfortunately, in spite of the enormous expense of building her, she flew no more than a mile in her lifetime. She lifted 70 feet off the water, at a top speed of 80 miles per hour, and then made a perfect landing. Now she resides in the Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Center in Oregon.

The End of One Era, The Beginning of Another

Soon after the Second World War, the age of large flying boats was superseded by the age of ground-landing planes. The number of operational flying boats dwindled over the next several decades until they became a thing that the current generation knows nothing about.

Nevertheless small flying boats carrying no more than three people are once again becoming the norm. They're still expensive to buy, but they're a great vehicle for people for whom landing strips aren't a viable option because the places they want to go are rivers, or lakes amongst forests.

Let's take a look at some of the craft that are now available. The difference between the original models and the modern ones is that many of the modern craft are kitsets, or models that can be "wrapped up." (The only time the original flying boats were wrapped up was if Nature or a false landing did the job for them.)

Take the Catalina range, for instance. The Catalina can carry two people up front and a third behind, with plenty of room for baggage. Furthermore with full tank capacity added, this little plane can fly for up to ten hours.

The floats on modern planes are called sponsors. In the Catalina's case they are made of foam-filled fibreglass attached to the lift struts and can be used as entry or docking steps as well. But flying boats also need landing gear, which has to work both on sea and land. Thus as well as sponsors and the retraction mechanism needed for water landing, the Catalinas have hydraulic brakes and tyres.

A particular advantage of modern flying boats is their ability to be folded up -the Catalina, for instance, takes about ten minutes to fold the flaperons back without any need to disconnect them, and then the whole craft can be put on a trailer and driven home!

A different kind of seaplane is the Flying Inflatable Boat. This is one of the class of ultralights, and these models have been used widely by luxury hotels and naval special missions and Greenpeace. The FIB's ability to take off and land on all water surfaces is one of its great advantages. Unlike the Catalina, the passengers are not enclosed in a cabin.

However, the pontoon or sponson system, popular in the ultralight field, was not found safe and seaworthy for a weight shifting machine - for the same reason that single hull craft perform better in rough seas than catamarans. (The Catalina has a single hull.)

The FIB is of the Rigid Inflatable Boat type, which means it permits safe take-offs and landings in fairly rough seas, as the boat can jump from one wave to another until it reaches its take-off speed. The boat's design also protects the whole machine (including the propeller) from big waves, leaving the pilot, passenger, and engine dry. And even in bad landings, the boat slips around to avoid capsizing and damage.

There are great advantages in this type of craft: it can take off in 150ft and six inches of water depth. It can be assembled in 15 minutes, and stores easily in a garage. You don't even need a pilot's license to fly the FIB (though as with most ultralights you'll be expected to take at least a ten-hour instruction course.) It can fly as high as 10,000ft, and you can even shut the engine off and glide back down to the water, landing without power.

There's still a place for flying boats in the search and rescue arena, and in aerial and maritime surveillance. One craft, Seawolf, is specially designed for such work and can be equipped with stabilised FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) with video camera and Digital Multi-Spectral Imaging System for the most sophisticated of such roles. The Seawolf can even collect oil and water samples. It has a 14 hours flight endurance, excellent visibility, radar and navigation capability. It's also available with rescue pods for land or sea and for different climates from the Arctic to tropical areas.

It's unlikely any of us will ever take a trip on a luxury flying boat, more's the pity, but at least the excellent concept of a plane that can land on water has never been entirely dismissed.