Spurius

Ah, back when I was 35, (*cue music*) "It was a very good year...." (/music: for sanity of others) I only counted one other person in the post 40 Club...any others? In really real life: I'm a bureaucrat and bean counter at the Ohio State University (Treasurer's Office). I have a degree in Journalism and another in History (Islamic emphasis, not Rome, alas). I cooperate and contribute to several projects and groups concerned with the teaching of history. And I have used this site as an example of where several different age groups can contribute with low friction and good standards. Keep up the good work all of you.

Thanks to you all. I have been distracted of late , but I also wish to pass the news why: We're expecting a little girl (May 12 due date). ^_^ A toast and cigars all around. (Keep this quiet, because my wife'll kill me, but I was going to run a name suggestion thread soon in the forum. I'll be posting soon... ) Happy Christmas to all. Oh, and Lost_Warrior I hope you can get it delivered. It's a good map. Let her take a good look at this site if she needs convincing to permit it to be delivered to a neutral third address.

My bad. I'll get on the flogging....

Heh, this reminds me of a couple lines from a childs song: "Look here comes our police force. "Three men on one horse, I wonder: Who's boss?" Let the umpah-pah-pahs roll....

I'm kind of partial to Military's answer: ballista These cast iron tips are nine to ten centimeters long: http://www.legionxxiv.org/catapulta/ballistaboltpoints.jpg and the thrower: http://www.ihistory101.net/espanol/rome-pi...ge-machines.gif Ouch.

This guy's house is about 45 minutes away from where I live. Neat lights and low power radio for the audio (so the neighbors don't get the noise). Big problem: the street traffic it generated as the story and video broke across the internet, even though it was last years display. Last time I checked there was an injunction against him and he was filing for traffic permits during limited time periods for his new piece. He's done light displays other years too. He actually posted intructions on how to do it here and another one of his light shows here. Happy Christmas!

Some recent evaluations of recorded data (I'll try to find an on-line source but I'm very distracted right now) suggest that lethal injection is more like a hanging without the possibility of a neck snap. It paralyzes and then sufficates the injected. The "putting them to sleep and then lethally injecting" is false. Brain activity is the same as an "awake" person, they just can't move or cry out effectively. So, it's death by slow strangulation. If you're going to kill someone, have the guts to do it quick public instead of slow and out of sight. The guillotine perhaps...

I do not support the death penalty any more. There have been too many instances of systemic abuse uncovered to grant this power to any person or political entity. What I would do in the rage of revenge is not what the state should do for justice.

Ah, the old chestnut... I ask one of them: " Would the other person in the room with you tell me it is safe to go through that door, yes or no?" If the answer is "Yes," then go through the other door. If the answer is "No," go through the door you asked about. Logic: If the person you are talking to lies, they will tell you the opposite of what the truthful person would actually say. Thus: Safe as an answer would be translated to unsafe (No), and unsafe translated to safe (Yes). So, go through the "No" door. And it follows that the truthful person would repeat the same thing since they would be truthfully stating the lie the other person would give. (Liar would say Safe or "Yes" for unsafe, "No" or unsafe for the really safe one.) This puzzle used to give me fits...

My american colonialism showing here (sorry): I wonder if Dr. Seuss got part of his idea for the Grinch from this? "How the Grinch stole Christmas", hmmm....? On the plus side, nothing like giving kids a good basis for nightmares when you try to get them to sleep Bravo.

Or you can put it this way (since all this is, is fun with words): The men gave the Hotel $30, the Hotel gave the men $3 back. 30-3=27 or nine bucks spent each. The two bucks in the Manager's pocket is a deceptive amount, since the Hotel owner fired him for skimming money... saving not only his salary and benefits but probably filing suit for any money the accountants find missing. So in reality, the Hotel owner made out like a bandit.

To save Constantinople you would have had to first kick the Ottomans out of Europe and back into Asia Minor (Turkey). They had a strangle hold from the straits to the Danube (thanks to the reconquests of Murad II and Muhammad II) and the Byzantines would have withered even if the city was safe. The Ottomans had suffered several set backs earlier, but had proven their tenacity in wanting the southeast of Europe and the city. That would necessitate a prolonged campaign in an area well known not to like ANYONE not native to the area (and quite a few of their neighbors who were). So the costs would have been high for the crusade. The optimal time to try this would have been when the Ottomans were subjucating the other turks or the one campaign against the Mamluks, but difficult to do since military intelligence was at a minimum (unless you bribed Venice well enough). Also, since only France really had a standing army and a small one at that, the crusaders would have had to be promised a sacking of the whole area. That would have made Venice really paranoid. Not a good thing. And that whole Hundred Years War thing only recent ending probably would have meant that the English and French would have to be kept seperate and out of each other's country... So I don't know what incentive would have been enough.

Ahh, a question I can answer. My avatar comes from a bust of a legionaire. IMHO it doesn't glamorize, but it doesn't demonize either. It just says: I'm here, deal with it. (Kind of like Rome in her day...) Also some people say it bears more than a bit of likeness to me, but I wear a full bead most of the time. My sig comes from a fun movie (Real Genius) an is related to the ancient world

I always watch this movie when given a chance and I own the restored copy (With Anthony Hopkins doing his Olivier immitation for voice over during the Oyster-Clams scene). And I do love a bit of cheese... However, for the last fight, it may have been a bit too much history...and against movie content at the time...but i have come to think that maybe this would have been better: Instead of fighting, have both of them look st Crassus, throw down their swords and recite: " Uri, Uninciri, Uerberari, Ferroque necari " or perhaps in english: " Burnt by fire, shackled with chains, whipped with rods and killed by steel." The oath of submission. You know, a cheesy bit of them proudly waiting to be killed (by having their throats cut) as is their lot, but not surrendering in the face of death. Just a scene that came to my mind. Of course you could save the final baby scene by having them bump off Antoninus that way but "sparing" Spartacus for crucifixtion. One of my favorite movies though.

The blues I play most everyday when working on projects: ARTHUR ADAMS, B.B. KING, DEBORAH COLEMAN, POPA CHUBBY, BIG BILL MORGANFIELD & TAJ MAHAL GEORGE "HARMONICA" SMITH, MEMPHIS ROCKABILLY BAND, MUDDY WATERS (Blind Pig all the way, baby!) Just in the background, far too many movie and showtunes to list here Get my butt moving, no matter how it's dragging...most any good swing band doing stuff from the late 30s and 40s. (I can see the retirement home 30 years from now, the music in the speakers: "Highway to Hell" and maybe "Electric Funeral" :punk: )

Here is a discussion on the fall of the Republic. It has some good points and shows the diversity of opinion on this subject here in UNRV. There might be some good discussion points to bring back up from that topic for this topic.

Hi, I've been a bit busy and working on a revision of this post, but I'd like to answer some comments. FLavius Valerius Constantinus: Ben Hur, the Chuck Heston version, did capture the wide open feel of the race...and the potential body count. As noted in the post- Roman style wrapped reins could lead to dragging. The spina could get that tall and decorated, enough to obstruct view of the other side of the track...but the public seemed to think that added to the suspense. (Green was leading going around the far meta, but Red was close. And there was a lot of Red cheers over in the other stand...) In my revision I'll also mention the use of fish (a nod to Poseidon and horses) to note laps, though not in the way the movie shows. Pertinax: Fiat, too bad it's from medieval latin or else it might have made a combined meaning instead of just the obvious car company location. Thanks for the compliment. Favonius Cornelius: Good question. If it hasn't been discussed before it's fully worthy of its own thread. I'll be checking. My initial thoughts are people need entertainment, no matter what. The physicality and athletic feats of the games would be roughly equal to great special effects in today's movies...so sports of any type would still have been popular. Perhaps the threatre would have received a boost if Ceasar had been public in watching them. (Not to say he watched the games while working through them, he just knew what concessions he had to made to the "mob".

I don't see a reason for the British Museum to keep them, outside of funding. The Museum makes a goodly amount of trade with the Elgins (and their images) as one of its big draws. They would need to ensure, in the long run, that something with as much drawing power goes up in their place. To the larger question of preservation, that shold be one of local priority. To make everyone's past the province of countries who can afford to preserve antiquities risks taking history and placing it with art: Only those who can afford it should have it. That is wrong on so many levels.

Kind of funny if you don't think like Captain Kirk and give answers like someone who had to really deal with this on a day-to-day basis Prostitute You scored 33% on Social Skills! You are only margianally better than a slave. You are still most likely enslaved, but you have a chance to end that. Through pleasing your master, and your customers you may get tips that will eventually be enough to buy your freedom. Until then, you are used and abused by the highest of Romans, but are most likely left in the dirt and filth that is your room in the Lupanar (brothel). Still, you're feed, clothed and somewhat healthy...if you haven't caught a venerial disease that is. One of the risks of your 'business'. (should my wife know?)

Part one: The Chariot Races The team of horses was called auriga; the best horse was the funalis, always the horse on the extreme left.. As befits Roman society, the best teams were those in which the common auriga was employed to best effect with their better, the funalis. The chariots were built purely for speed, very far removed from war chariots, and were drawn by teams of two, four or sometimes more horses. A two-horse team was called a biga, a three-horse a triga and a four-horse team was a quadriga. The larger teams, as many as six to ten horses, were very rarely used and mostly as a showcase of drivers skill rather than speed. to the full article

I'd also like to recommend , for those who haven't seen them, Glory (1989) and Waterloo (the 1970 Chris Plummer/Rod Steiger and units of the Soviet Army version). Recently released on DVD, Ridley Scott's The Duelists has a great flavor to it, good dueling scenes, and starring Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel. Check it out too.

Yeah, we haven't had the clustering of soft or immobile targets in recent wars. Flame weapons can still take out otherwise invulnerable targets by sheer heat and air intake problems. Also, adding WP was added to increase napalm's casualty causing effects...not kill outright but make people hurt and force the enemy to expend medical resources. Sure, covered with napalm kills you outright but seldom did that happen. Mostly you got tagged, then shot in combat or suffer and possibly die in hospital/aid station. And if you live, you'll need help with PT and the scars. Nasty stuff to scare sane individuals spitless...

Probably would work in colors as long as you don't invert or otherwise change the contrast between light and dark. The dark giving the details at distance, the light adding contrast to change the picture over up close. The results could be spectacular looking. Let us know if you have a good result.

Happy Birthday guy! Too bad the major, had-great-fun-but-I-can't-remember *lord kill me, my hangover is too much punishment* party has to wait for the weekend. Right? Let's see, you bio says 1979 birthdate. Hmmm, 1979. My junior year in high school. Hey, there's serendipity here! That was the first year I took a computer course. Programing basic on a TRS 80, using reverse polish notation to play "baseball" on an old wangenstein calculator, buying new tapes for my cassette player/recorder to store programs. (Oy! The youngsters around here...) Have a great day citizen-mechanic.

"'Tis the season for impaling, Fa-La-La-La-La, La--La--La---Laaa!" Yeah, Vlad hated Turks much like a dog who bites the hand that feeds him. He used Ottoman support to get his position the first time, then turning on them after being deposed by a family member and making an alliance with the King Hungary to regain the throne. He kicked butt during this time in charge, striking hard against the Turks. After 5-6 years he fled back to Hungary after the Ottomans got tired of him and overwhelmed Wallachian forces. The Hungarians didn't like him much either and kept him captive a number of years. His brother Radu ruled for years as a client of the Ottomans and then he died. Vlad managed to get Stephen Bathory's support and marched out from Transylvania with an army to defeat the Turk. He did, but Stephen took the army back home. Left to his own resources, Vlad died in combat with the Ottomans near Bucharest. Fun loving guy, from a fun loving time, in a fun loving part of the world...