Spurius

Just reading this bit from the "Gladius" thread, and the reference to the brilliance of SCA members remined me of an old story. My wife, who loves history as much as I (though she concentrates more on English history-especially the Regency period), had a brief flirtation with the SCA while in college. It didn't last very long but did generate some good interludes and meditations on "How can that brain generate enough electricity to make those legs go?" Any way, she and a full fledged fighter type were in an argument over the bow and how effective and/or overated it was in histories. My wife was (and is) good with a bow, so you know her stance. The fighter thought they were almost useless against well armored opponents, that the aimed firing rates were greatly exagerated and infantry could charge home faster than archers could aim and fire. Finally a third party set up a contest. Bales and target were set up in the middle of a field, at the far end stood the fighter type. He would charge across the field while my wife would aim and shoot the target bales as often as she could before he crossed the line on her end. At the breathless end of his sprint, much to the amusement of the witnesses, my wife had put three aimed shafts into the target. What cracked people up was her and the judge's comments while aiming- (wife)"Leg shot" - *shoomp* - (Judge): "Hit!" "Crotch " - *shoomp* - "Oww!" "Head" - *shoomp* - "Left eye!" Moral of the story: She's better with firearms.

ejurate, leporicide, magistricide, roblet, vacivity Used them.

Agreed. I don't see it as pederasty at all. I think he just got too caught up in the moment and did a move a close family member would do: Such a serious young man, so fierce - *blaaat* (blowing bubble on tummy)

Sorry to hear that. Keep us posted.

Once again thanks for the wishes...but speak softly...Dad had a bit too much of that white trash boxed wine last night

Ah, thanks for the wishes. Everything is going very well at home, the family is healthy and gearing up for the summer. Tonight's supper is going to be spanakopita (with leeks, garlic and nutmeg), falafel, and baklava instead of birthday cake. (I know it sounds a lot like what we had for Easter- -sans roasted lamb- - but I'm on a Greek food kick right now.) Then, my family finally got me a DVD of the Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers (the 70s one with Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlin, Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch....). It's going in and Dad can watch some swashbuckling fencing duels. Should be a good evening....

I've used mug and brush for over half of my adult life (stopped in college and took a few years after to get the tools back), and it does connect me with my Dad like the article suggests. In fact I used his old brush for a while after he died but it was already about 25 years old when I got it. I use the cakes that you can still find at some independant stores. Just wet, swirl, lather and swipe. I use my wife's facial moisturizer at the end and then splash some blue or green shaving lotion for an old school smell. It IS one of life's little pleasures to be shaved by a good barber complete with wet towel wrap beforehand. -_-

I agree about Rosenstein's appendices. I'm in the middle of obtaining his book on the mid-Republic "Rome at War : Farms, Families, and Death in the Middle Republic (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome)" which I will be reviewing here (hopefully). Here's the Amazon link for it. I also had him as a professor and his lecture style is similar to his books, you gotta look at the edges for the gold to understand his main point. I took his course from the founding of Rome to late Republic/Early Empire. It was like a survey course in scope but he managed to put a lot into it. Now with your link I have more to read.

Won more often than not, and only got a couple weapon scars (head, arm, leg). Slashed your "M*CENSORED-CENSORED*g" tires? Maybe...if you were in Ohio 20-22 years ago and p***ed me off. Fortunantly now I'm much more calm and collected. I just ruin people with random keystrokes and holds on academic records

I think the peppery taste was the Copenhagen. They did come in the shorts and had a fair tatste for cheap ale. Main reason I loved 'em was that you could shoot down about six in quick order, get a great buzz, and not have to go take a leak every 10 minutes. You two shot at things? Me, I was a peaceful drunk. Just ripped up signs or mail boxes by hand...or "turfed" yards. And got into fights with two or more guys at once to prove my manhood (still not quite sure how I survived from 17 to 22-years-old )

If you can query the antiquities office at the Vatican and get tickets to the limited tour underneath St. Peter, do it! When the basilica was being built they leveled off the top of a hill that had a cemetary on it. They threw the earth to cover the tombs and created an underground necropolis. The tour takes you through climate controlled areas to view the old tombs and end up at what the Vatican believes is the tomb of Peter. On the uncovered tombs you can see the old "pagan" symbols, some are Christian, but a few hedged their bets by having symbols from both. It's very impressive and very interesting if you get a good guide (and why would the Vatican have a bad one?). Since it is limited in number, you'll have to make sure to try and reserve a spot well in advance of your visit. Cheers.

"I am 53% White Trash. You may have been raised white trash, but you have escaped to find the other side. Even now your white trash traits sneak out, like drinking beer from the bottle at a restaurant." 'Mazingly accurate this is. My mullet looked cool. Ah, fond memories of drinking beer on top of the oil tank, next to the pump, during those lazy summer and fall nights. Little Kings Ale, all the way. Then throwing up and going out to vandalize something... Coming back in and settling in with Sherry for some he'n and she'n. Well I do miss not having anything to do on a lazy night, but thankfully I got out of the rest relatively unscathed.

My random thoughts: 1) If you want to be able to judge how well a legionaire or cohort kept their kit (as a sign of how good of soldiers they are), the best color for tunics is a white or off-white. Plus there would be very little extra processing done in manufacture outside of obtaining extra urine. Also a centurian could dress up his men by having them use some of their rations to white starch their parade tunics. 2) To have a truely spectactular display for impressing a dignitary or local peoples, having a legion going through evolutions while each cohort wore a different color tunic and/or cloak would be a sight. 3) To set the regulars apart from the auxilary, let the add ons wear bright colors. The professionals wear white. So, I can see issuing a white tunic and then local coloring another one or two other tunics that the cohort had to buy out of their own funds. White would definitely set the legionaire apart from the auxilary and lend itself for inspection/parades. I would guess white to be a standard of sorts with everyday and most other wear being varied by location. Imagine how the tunics from a formerly levant based cohort would look when they marched into, say, England. Very much setting them apart as the professionals to the local garrisons.

Another small item to consider: A cross body draw requires either hunching the shoulders or moving the shield. A same side draw down is done without either...no change in stance necessary if you have the shield forward like the Romans did not toward the side like the Greeks. Of course it was mainly just tradition, most likely.

Well, I found a couple time wasters from my younger days: and (From The Commercial Album where all 40 some songs are no longer than 2 minutes...most barely 90 seconds) Sidenote: I love the Residents and have their albums from Third Reich and Roll and the Commercial Album to their last covers. Keeping with the Rome theme, here's Constantinople *Warning has male animated nudity*

Never read "A Moment of War", but I'll get my hands on a copy. Thanks for the tip.

Until she died, my mother never fully trusted anyone from Germany. Side effect of having been used as slave labor by the Nazis during WWII. (Yes, she chose not to return to the USSR after the war even though it meant never seeing her family again from the age of 17.) It took until the late 60s for her to really talk with a native German. She even developed a friendship with a woman who was in Germany at the time, but there was always a certain level she would never let it get to. My father, however, didn't have this problem. His view: They're trying to kill me like I'm trying to kill them. If we weren't in uniform and ordered to fight we probably would be having a beer. He hated the higher ups who made policy and decisions but he had no major problem with the common folk. Of course he was a friendly guy who would risk limb or give anything to help another. (I remember times when I gave up gifts to give to enlisted families in his company when they didn't have Christmas gifts for their kids...with the soldier standing at the door on Christmas morning.) The upshot: People are people and how they react varies according to their experience. I think that as a group, the Japanese government has not fostered an honest dialog about WWII. I also think that the war crimes tribunals were cut short for the Japanese. Such is expediency and needs with the Cold War taking up where pre-WWII red scares and military action left off.

It has taken a killer filth off the planet, but it is mostly a political huzzah. There are three major (including Al-Qaida) and about 20 minor groups doing roughly the same thing. al-Zarqawi's death might make it easier for people to support the resistance to occupation. He did mad dog tactics, but if others don't behead people, call jihads against Sunnis and bomb mosques...the more common population may have a bit more tolerance of them. But hey, now he can learn first hand about his religious beliefs. If he is punished, great! If he is rewarded, I'm sure I don't want to worship his god. Or to sum it up, what I'll do on his grave won't pass for flowers and I'll bring a good dance tape.

Hmmm, day I was born: US #1 : Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto (never heard of this one) UK #1 : I Like It - Gerry and The Pacemakers (This I have heard...strange.) Life Theme: Stars on 45 Medley - Stars on 45 (err...) Maybe UK? Life Theme: One Day In Your Life - Michael Jackson (Ahhhhh!) Stupid music idea,*<grumble,grumble>* I'll just go with my High School Class song: Comfortably Numb....

Maybe not all of the Arabian penisula but only what came to be called by the Romans as Arabia Felix, or the lands of the Sabaean and Himyarite kingdoms - known today as Yemen. Alexander raided into India, tasted its wealth, so why not control the primary trade route the spices and aromatics came through? After all, Egypt was on the other end...why not go for the whole route (especially if you have a meglomanical streak )?

Your entry just revived an old spark of a thought in my head. To me it looks very much like Roman Empire era poltics of government control and change in the Levant area. Militarily control the area, install a civil government and appoint religious heads. Tibet is a vivid example with China holding it, setting up a rubberstamp local government, luring the younger generation away from its religious roots into a more materialist society and now on the brink of controling the religion by controling the appointment of the new Dalai Lama by their appointment of a Panchen Lama in 2003 after the disappearence of the boy Panchen Lama appointed by the Dalai Lama. A quick review for those who don't know: Historically the Panchen Lama is the number two head of the religion, appointed by the Dalai Lama after the reincarnation search is concluded. The Panchen Lama does the same duty for the new Dalai Lama. With the current Dalai Lama aging, the young Panchen Lama and family missing for years, and the government appointed Panchen Lama waiting to rubber stamp a government approved Dalai Lama...it's a mess. Especially with the Dalai lama announcing a special situation where he will reincarnate within 45 days after death - a move to try to keep China from having time for a full term pregnancy. The Chinese government, if they wanted to completely control it now, would have to keep a ready reserve of the right women in cycles of pregnancy. Kind of a SF / Fantasy novel plot that no one would believe. Isn't life strange?

At 9:39 am EST on 5/15/2006, Marian Elizabeth was born. She weighed in at 6lbs, 3.9oz or 2.43 kg and 21 inches in length. Mom is recovering from C-Section, Marian is in the NICU for observation. Apart from a small problem with low normal blood sugar, a possible small problem with two cervical vertabrae (nothing major, just not complete bone closure yet - the column is intact just the closure/fissure has cartilage right now) and the doctors saying they have to monitor her liver bile ducts a bit closer (but they aren't worried), Marian is doing fine. There will be running a more extensive battery of test on her tomorrow including an echo-cardiogram, EKG, EEG, and an Ultrasound of her head and kidneys. The poor little girl had to have an IV put in, in case they had to give her fluids for the blood sugar, and it blew on each of her hands so she has one in her foot. But if the tests come back she's as healthy as she appears otherwise...she'll be in the regular nursery tomorrow at some point. I left the camera at the hospital, otherwise I'd post a picture of her right now. Maybe tomorrow, right now I've been up since 3 am and am going to sign-off. Happy Birthday everyone, buy a drink and send me the bill...this round is on me.

eNTj....just like all the times I've taken this over the years. "The Portrait of the Field Marshal Rational (eNTj)" Figures with all you "I..." types running around here, we get the "Your conclusion is correct, you're just saying it wrong" type of arguments a lot. Now if everyone would just follow me.... :pimp: I still say patricians should be able to be ignored (Hey, maybe Cato did have a catchy end phrase idea...)

Oh,oh...I got exactly the same line-up. (Wouldn't mind Ashley Judd) *Owww*....Hi dear!

First, let me suggest a good starting site for anyone interested in the Etruscans http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/ This short piece is meant as a brief look at certain aspects of Etruscan society and symbols, and how they affected Rome and through the millennia