Transportation has undergone massive change. The Trans Canada did not go from coast to coast . A trip to Alberta meant a trip through the U.S. Access to BC was limited . Highways in general were fewer Driving long distances was not common. The trains went from coast to coast A promise made by Sir John Macdonald to create a railway across Canada was fulfilled . Canada was not settled by wagon train. Much was settled by train. Airplanes no longer make a lot of stops and are able to fly from city to city without stopping to refuel.there was no de-icing , No massive machines to clean runways. Radar was not as refined There were many more cancelled flights than there are today. In the mid 50's a trip to Saskatoon would have included at least one stop in Calgary.The planes were prop not jet It took much longer.There were very few frequent flyers. It was a big help to political representatives as they now could actually visit home and their constituents.As the 50s progressed props became jets
The more simple cars of previous eras were left behind as the auto industry boomed Cars becane status symbols They became more luxurious. Heaters were standard and radios a common option. As the cost of a car rose and gas shortages became common the Japanese stepped in and provided small compact affordable vehicles.They gradually became more upscale. There are few simple cars now Gone are the days when the average man could work on his car and do minor repairs With all the electronics that is a past
With the car becoming popular families were no longer obliged to live in the city Thus began the great exodus to the suburbs.Land was cheaper and subdivisions full of new homes were surrounding all of North American citys.As time went on women got jobs and went to work More cars filled the highways. Soon there were 2 cars per family.There has been much said about cars and pollution in the last few years. In the beginning they were thought to be a blessing . Why? Well for example can you imagine the number of horses donkeys etc that dropped manure on the streets? .Think about millions living in citys like New York and London.. All had delivery services not only to business but home delivery was common.Cars did not leave behind a warm stink pile Not only was smell and issue but there was disease ,abuse to animals ,cleaning up after and feeding Gasoline transports better than feed or bedding .
With urban sprawl business moved to the suburbs It changed shopping Little shops no longer lined the street .And so the Shopping Centres were born Strip plazas were also common they were smaller than Shopping Centres, Corner stores became Convenience stores, Convenience Stores ,barber shop and hairdresser were common tenants of the commercial strip ..Shopping Centers evolved to malls, commercial strips were retailers opened varous types of store to accomodate the ever increasing number moving to what once was the country Malls became centralized Busy working Moms took advantage and business thrived. The change from shopping Centres to Malls was very popular in Canada as climate was no longer an issue.
Cities had Trams They were light electric trains They were relatively low maintenance They took many people all over In the lower-mainland It was refered to as the interurban. They went between cities.One could take the interurban to New Westminster from Vancouver It was an outing. People also used it to go back and forth from work. Use died off and the interurban stopped.
In the early 50 s Bridges were fewer.There was a ferry going between North Vancouver and Vancouver. It was very popular.Eventually there were fewer ferries and they too were mothballed.
Trains changed from steam to diesel It was an awesome site to go meet the train. It was large and a little scary. More than one child was afraid of the snorting puffing and huffing train. The whistle sounded very lonely and eerie when heard in the darkness of night. Like some animal crying out in loneliness.Eventually diesel won . The whistle changed to something that sounds more like a harmonica than a train whistle. Nothing can replace the long lonely wail of trains in the dark.
Truck Transport has become the major mover of goods.Trains used to be a the main commercial movement of things. Trains have returned and play a larger role than they did for years. As highways improved and bridges were built Trucking became cheaper and easier .With International trade increased freight by train has increased again,
Generally both transport of people and goods have improved. Shipping takes less time. Travel takes less time.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
NOW and THEN
Things have changed. Social. Moral,Economic,Fashion,Technology.The speed and degree things have changed is amazing. In 1950 in Vancouver things were much different to 2011 Vancouver.
Not everyone had a phone ,No one had a TV. There was no 911.No computers and no calculators.There was no direct dial.No numbers on the telephone.
A husband could beat his wife senseless without repurcusions from the law.Children could receive beatings or anytype of abuse. No abortions.Few support organizations.A divorced woman was considred a bit loose Getting a divorce was extremly difficult.
Housepartys were the normal social venue. This continued well in to the 1960's. The food was supplied by the hostess as was some alcohol. Guests often brought both food and alcohol as a show of courtesy and thanks Sometimes in the 60's it evolved to a BYOB party which means you were responsible for bringing your own alcohol. This was because of the expense and variety of tastes..In some social circles it was expected that most invited should also have a party. Many times these were work related All socio-economic levels participated. The lavishness depended on the economic status of the participants.
There was no day care Women did not make good money. They had just come through a war where they ran things They worked in factorys, drove taxis amublances and firetrucks. They welded and riveted. They farmed. Women took the place of men to be left by the wayside when the men came back . Thank goodness that was relativly short lived.
It was easier to get ahead with hard work. At this time Canada lost a lot of talent to the U.S as emigrating was much easier. It was a blessing in disguise that they tightened the rules about getting into U.S Most that went south did well financially due to Canadian work ethics.
Penicillan was available but not antibiotics. Mumps Measles and Chicken Pox were common childhood illenessess. Whooping Cough was less common as was Scarlet Fever and Rheumatic Fever. TB was a huge issue and People were isolated in TB sanitoriums to recuperate.These long extended stays were extremely hard on families. No treatments were available for Venereal Disease. Surgical techniques by todays standard seem primitive now. The only major diagnostic equipment was Xrays. The equipment was large and cumbersome The doses of radiation often large.
In the late 50's or early 60's a man named Tommy Douglas promoted Health Care Insurance for all It was a universal program . It was created to encourage better health and prevent useless deaths due to economic circumstance. It was considered extreme to have a facelift to prevent and rid of signs of aging.If people found out you had a facelift it would be embarassing. Thought to be too vain and was not covered. It was feared there would be arush of people to get treatment that would break us financially. There was a small rush but nothing that would break the system. It turned out Universal Health Care was cheaper With the former system people would not go to a doctor until things were at a crisis. Penicillan and the advent of antibiotics and preventative treatements turned out to be less expensive to the pateint and the system. Doctors thrived financially as they had no defaults No produce or or animals as payment..Bookeepping was cheaper because the forms became standardized. Private healthcare now was for extra things and remains today.. . To this day Canadians are proud of their Health Care Insurance. It has flaws but nothing is perfect.
Birth control changed the lives of women and familys. Increase in income made lives easier Womens rights organizations all became active at this time. Many jobs foremerly restricted to men were now open to women. Latch key kids were common.
After the invention of the transistor and the pocket calculater technology raced along and new things became available. Everyone had more money to spend and they did. The first computer I think was created by IBM and was huge. They remained huge until the 80's.Radio Shack sold the first computers. They were very primitive compared to todays sophisticated pc. The common household computer likely has more capacity than that of the 1980's institutional computer.Now computer can be book size. The radiophone evolved to become the cell phone The first cell phones were large and evolved to become the size of a large shoe and then to the small size they are today.
In the 50's there was a cartoon character called Dick Tracy. He had a 2 way wrist radio It was fantasy then. Real;ty now.
Mentally ill people were not homeless .In BC they were sent to a Mental Hospital ,Essondale later to be renamed Riverview. They had a board there that reviewed involontary admissions to prevent colusion between husband and the doctor. As a moral issue It was considred intolerable for mentally ill people to go hungry not have a warm dry place to live. Essondale was the best available As polcy changed more people were released. Would it not have been better to not only up date policy but build a new modern facilty.?Was too exensive Street was cheaper. Most fascilitys did not come up to Essondale standards Crease Clinic was clinic for more temporary patients. They were not the best by todays standard ,but were better than most.
Amongst educated people homosexuals were considered to have " problems" It was thought to be a psychological issue. Intolerance was blatant If one was a homosexual it could not ever be made to be known. Things were more tolerant in the late 60's and certain professions became acceptable. It was not talked about. I expect in some very conservative circles that still remains taboo
Abortion became a hot topic Women will get abortions The legality or safety was not an issue due to desperation Most were married They were poor women Many men came back from the war broken and the women had to support the family. Thousands of untold heroines of the back street abortions died or were severly damaged for life. Often they simply bled to death. They were unilkely to seek help as it was a criminal offence that would have gotten them jail time and shamed the family. Employment would have been impossible to procur.It was a nightmare that changed with birth control and later the acceptance of abortions.
Once a week the air raid sirens were tested.This continued up into the 60's Places The suburbs used them to announce fires and for Volunteer Firemen to do their duty.
Not everyone had a phone ,No one had a TV. There was no 911.No computers and no calculators.There was no direct dial.No numbers on the telephone.
A husband could beat his wife senseless without repurcusions from the law.Children could receive beatings or anytype of abuse. No abortions.Few support organizations.A divorced woman was considred a bit loose Getting a divorce was extremly difficult.
Housepartys were the normal social venue. This continued well in to the 1960's. The food was supplied by the hostess as was some alcohol. Guests often brought both food and alcohol as a show of courtesy and thanks Sometimes in the 60's it evolved to a BYOB party which means you were responsible for bringing your own alcohol. This was because of the expense and variety of tastes..In some social circles it was expected that most invited should also have a party. Many times these were work related All socio-economic levels participated. The lavishness depended on the economic status of the participants.
There was no day care Women did not make good money. They had just come through a war where they ran things They worked in factorys, drove taxis amublances and firetrucks. They welded and riveted. They farmed. Women took the place of men to be left by the wayside when the men came back . Thank goodness that was relativly short lived.
It was easier to get ahead with hard work. At this time Canada lost a lot of talent to the U.S as emigrating was much easier. It was a blessing in disguise that they tightened the rules about getting into U.S Most that went south did well financially due to Canadian work ethics.
Penicillan was available but not antibiotics. Mumps Measles and Chicken Pox were common childhood illenessess. Whooping Cough was less common as was Scarlet Fever and Rheumatic Fever. TB was a huge issue and People were isolated in TB sanitoriums to recuperate.These long extended stays were extremely hard on families. No treatments were available for Venereal Disease. Surgical techniques by todays standard seem primitive now. The only major diagnostic equipment was Xrays. The equipment was large and cumbersome The doses of radiation often large.
In the late 50's or early 60's a man named Tommy Douglas promoted Health Care Insurance for all It was a universal program . It was created to encourage better health and prevent useless deaths due to economic circumstance. It was considered extreme to have a facelift to prevent and rid of signs of aging.If people found out you had a facelift it would be embarassing. Thought to be too vain and was not covered. It was feared there would be arush of people to get treatment that would break us financially. There was a small rush but nothing that would break the system. It turned out Universal Health Care was cheaper With the former system people would not go to a doctor until things were at a crisis. Penicillan and the advent of antibiotics and preventative treatements turned out to be less expensive to the pateint and the system. Doctors thrived financially as they had no defaults No produce or or animals as payment..Bookeepping was cheaper because the forms became standardized. Private healthcare now was for extra things and remains today.. . To this day Canadians are proud of their Health Care Insurance. It has flaws but nothing is perfect.
Birth control changed the lives of women and familys. Increase in income made lives easier Womens rights organizations all became active at this time. Many jobs foremerly restricted to men were now open to women. Latch key kids were common.
After the invention of the transistor and the pocket calculater technology raced along and new things became available. Everyone had more money to spend and they did. The first computer I think was created by IBM and was huge. They remained huge until the 80's.Radio Shack sold the first computers. They were very primitive compared to todays sophisticated pc. The common household computer likely has more capacity than that of the 1980's institutional computer.Now computer can be book size. The radiophone evolved to become the cell phone The first cell phones were large and evolved to become the size of a large shoe and then to the small size they are today.
In the 50's there was a cartoon character called Dick Tracy. He had a 2 way wrist radio It was fantasy then. Real;ty now.
Mentally ill people were not homeless .In BC they were sent to a Mental Hospital ,Essondale later to be renamed Riverview. They had a board there that reviewed involontary admissions to prevent colusion between husband and the doctor. As a moral issue It was considred intolerable for mentally ill people to go hungry not have a warm dry place to live. Essondale was the best available As polcy changed more people were released. Would it not have been better to not only up date policy but build a new modern facilty.?Was too exensive Street was cheaper. Most fascilitys did not come up to Essondale standards Crease Clinic was clinic for more temporary patients. They were not the best by todays standard ,but were better than most.
Amongst educated people homosexuals were considered to have " problems" It was thought to be a psychological issue. Intolerance was blatant If one was a homosexual it could not ever be made to be known. Things were more tolerant in the late 60's and certain professions became acceptable. It was not talked about. I expect in some very conservative circles that still remains taboo
Abortion became a hot topic Women will get abortions The legality or safety was not an issue due to desperation Most were married They were poor women Many men came back from the war broken and the women had to support the family. Thousands of untold heroines of the back street abortions died or were severly damaged for life. Often they simply bled to death. They were unilkely to seek help as it was a criminal offence that would have gotten them jail time and shamed the family. Employment would have been impossible to procur.It was a nightmare that changed with birth control and later the acceptance of abortions.
Once a week the air raid sirens were tested.This continued up into the 60's Places The suburbs used them to announce fires and for Volunteer Firemen to do their duty.
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