Archive for January, 2009

The Oldest Surviving Carpet in the World

The art of Persian Oriental rug weaving has been around for centuries. Carpet weaving is an essential part of Persian art and culture and dates back to ancient Persia. Over time this art underwent many changes, but the principles and level of quality remained the same.

Wool is the most common material used for carpets, but oftentimes silk would be used to weave these precious oriental rugs. Silk carpets date back to the sixteenth century of oriental carpet weaving. Silk is more expensive, and less durable, but the value does tend to increase with age.

Unfortunately, over the passage of time, materials such as wool, cotton and silk start to decay. This leaves hardly any remnants for archaeologists wanting to research the history of Persian rugs and carpets.

In a very beneficial archeological discovery in 1949, the oldest Persian carpet in the world was found. The carpet was found in the grave of a Scythian prince amongst the ices of the Pazyryk valley in Siberia. It is thought that perhaps the ice from the mountains preserved the carpet, which has been dated through radiocarbon testing as being woven in the 5th Century BC.

The Pazyryk carpet is 283 by 200cm in size and has 36 symmetrical knots per cm squared. This oriental carpet indicates a long history of evolution of this art, because of the advanced weaving technique that can be matched up to the technique of latter centuries. The Pazyryk carpet is considered to be the oldest carpet in the world.

Internet Home Business Reviews

When people start out with an idea in their head that they're going to start an internet buiness, they don't realize that looking for something to promote is only just the start of their quest for having a real business.

So, you might look for home business reviews to see what programs or home business opportunities are right for you, or at least the most highly recommended.  However, if you look around and ask aorund you'll soon realize that most internet marketing gurus are at the top of their game because they had created their own program, product, or service.

Look at it this way...  If your hobby was bird-watching or birding, then you're likely to know something about that niche topic, right?  So, tell me this, how many birders out there know internet marketing as well as the average newbie to internet marketing? Not many...  Therefore the avid birding enthusiast should create their own product or even a suite of birding guides to help promote themselves as an authority in this niche.

That's why it is so important for you to focus on what your passions are if you want to have your own business. Promoting someone else's program or product is good if the program stays around forever, but at the end of the day, you do not own the program, site, service, and are left without any branding of any kind in the long run.

Promoting someone else's product doesn't give you a business, it just makes you a good employee of that company...So, the next thing you need to do once you accept these facts, is to discover niche affiliate marketing and how to do niche research properly. The reason this is so important is because not all your passion niches will turn out to be profitable.

Creation of the Bomber Jackets

As early as World War I when airplanes had open cockpits, pilots began seeking clothing to provide warmth and comfort in the cold temperatures of the open skies.  Thus the birth of the legendary “Bomber Jacket” or “Flight Jacket” was born.

Over the years, there have been many variations from the unofficial and popular early leather flight jacket of 1915 through 1917 to later official military issue bomber jackets such as the 1931 “A2 Bomber Jacket.” 

Originally, pilots and crews wore whatever they could find because no formal or official clothing was issued to handle the extreme cold and weather conditions the pilots faced in world war I.  Heavy long leather jackets quickly became popular with tight snug cuffs around the writs, tight fit around the waists, and high collars to help protect from the cold.  These are the design principles that are at the core of what today we commonly think of as a flight jacket or bomber jacket.

At the end of world war I, the US army created the Aviation Clothing Board and started distributing these heavy leather jackets.

By the time World War II broke out, the US Air Corp was distributing the A-2 Bomber Jacket.  The Navy and Marine Corp were issued a similar jacket that became known as the G-1.

As aircraft technology developed throughout the war, airplanes were now flying at much higher altitudes and much higher speeds.  Temperatures inside these planes – often flying with open doors – plummeted!    And the stylish bomber jackets started to give way to a much warmer jacket with a lining of wool or fur.  These new jackets were popularized by the B3 Bomber Flight Jacket, a large wool and fur lined jacket with large cargo pockets.

Ground personnel and flight crews quickly adopted the pilot’s B3 Bomber Jacket and the new B7 Flight Jacket became the instant rage.

A decade later introduced the new age of the jet with its enclosed compartments and more attention needed to be paid to the warmth, comfort, and safety of the pilots.  The B-15 Flight Jacket was designed out of nylon and other synthetic materials to keep the pilot both warm and dry.  The lighter weight and more flexible comfort was also appreciated.  As jet technology continued to develop, the MA-1 jacket removed the fur collars because they interfered with the harness of the pilot’s parachute.  Today, you can often find both the B-15 and the Leather MA1 Flight Jackets with and without the fur collars.

A classic flight jacket or bomber jacket is consider a both a stylish and practical piece of clothing.  Suitable for a night out on the town or a practical outdoor excursion – and should be in every man’s closet.