Pertinax

I thought we could usefully integrate "hair care" threads.The earlier posts reference shaving in particular. Pompey Magnus looks almost benign in his portrait bust, but as the eyes (as mirror to the soul) are absent I may well be mistaken.

Thats the chap from the SS Charlemagne Division isnt it? Who also did "Knights Templars had Secret Base in Mexico".

As I move about the countryside , I find that my mind occupies two different temporal co-ordinates; the present and sometime circa 50 BCE to 125CE . These function as two fixed points between which strange things seem to happen as regards the flow and movement of medical thought, Great modern "discoveries" turn out to be not quite as modern nor undiscovered as first appears. The form and consistency of pre-prepared medicaments has certainly improved apace, but the mis-use and overuse of these same goods by industrialised and post-industrial populations seems to know no bounds. I was examining some mature Hemlock which is (after a very wet summer) in a particularly ripe and robust condition, likewise the very ancient horsetail fern (a very primitive plant and a useful if slightly dangerous source of the mineral silica). However the one herb that has flourished mightily in the damp "meadowy" conditions has been Filipendula ulmaria or Spirea ulmaria. This is an attractive plant known commonly as Meadowsweet which , in the Middle Ages was very popular as a house rush (ie: as disposable flooring , to be swept up and burnt along with food scraps , fleas and the like when its fragrance faded). It was one of the sacred Druidic herbs along with water mint and vervain (mistletoe and the oak occupy a rather more specialised niche in the Druidic canon). The Druids were aware of the curative power of the plant , the active principle being salyciylic acid (amongst others, but that predominates) which Hoffman of the Bayer chemical company synthesised into acetylsalicylic acid in 1897. Hoffman decided to call his new product Asprin after jumbling the older latin name "Spirea" . If you are familiar with the product "Germaline" you would recognise the smell and taste of Meadowsweet..because they are the same thing. "http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1864 And I add this quote especially for Lost Warrior: "Magical Uses: used in divination, and in spells and charms for peace, happiness, love. It was a sacred herb of the Druids. Fresh meadowsweet should be arranged on the the altar when mixing love charms or performing love spells. Strew around the house for love and peace. At Lammas garlands of meadowsweet are worn to join with the essence of the Goddess" I think that altogether has more romance than taking an asprin. Post Scriptum: on the subject of Thin Ladies in 1694 from ther Ladyys Dictionary.. "Thin women are scragged, sad-looking and not comely".

I have a suit older than you. Its a good suit though. Happy Birthday do not eat anything bigger than your own head.

I say he's the Messiah. I should know i've followed a few!.

Well this a light throwaway read , not researched nor written lightly though. I suspect purists will not be pleased, but this is a good bedside wind down . Lots of amusing slangy-modern phrases wrapped up to sound vastly erudite. It costs little and is entertaining. This is typical, "useful phrases for barbarian evildoers" : Amamus vestras currus immanes, cibum festinater paratum , et cultur saevum! or animal convivialissium arbiteris esse caprum https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/...2__basicSearch_ Good vulgar fun.

I happen to have come by a quantity of ostrich liver. It is advertised as being "like calves liver" (that is veal liver), as veal liver (wrapped in smoked bacon/cured ham )is a favourite of mine, I searched for a Roman recipe to attempt. Sadly I found only the recipe for ostrich ragout, and no real help in the related area of goose liver. Ostrich ragout (venison would be a possible alternative). the original calls for the meat to be boiled, I would suggest frying to seal the flesh first then roasting ,boiling might render the flesh a bit dull. Make a roux of flour (spelt) and olive oil, add passum (sweetish madiera or similar), stir . Mix cumin, celery seeds (not too many can be salty) dates , garum (nam pla or your own similar choice) , anchovies , mint ...all these in vinegar, honey and more oil (a little walnut might be an idea). Mix the two liquids togetehr and add the meat. Faas suggests: 2 tsp flour 2 tbsp olive oil 300ml passum 3 tbsp garum tbsp cumin seed tsp celery seed (no more!) tsp peppercorns 3 pitted dates plenty of mint (2 tbsps) tsp honey 3 tbsp vinegar . Thats a recipe for the stronger flesh. I suspect that the ostrich liver can be treated like a ripe goose liver , I see that the latter was dedicated to Isis and found this : "The Capitol was unable to protect the goose from having to give up its liver as an offering to you,Isis, daughter of Inachus" (Ovid Fasti 1-453). Sad. The likeliest method seems to have been light frying in olive oil , served whole. So I will experiment on behalf of the Forum with a little oil, garum and passum. Its a dirty job, but it has to be done. Benigne, secundam mensam non requiro, nisi antidotum continet.

Holding a beer in one hand and a pizza with the other. Yeah, that would be masterful. ...which I happen to be having for dinner! Perhaps this is a sign that I should photograph naked women. A sign ! A sign! He is the Messiah!

Welcome Skiman and Eric. Whatever your area of interest , I think you will find some dark corner of the site has discussion, images, bibilography and links regarding it.

Does the term "The worried well" strike a chord? That is (as my cousin , now a Prof of radiology suggested the term to me) a large segment of the population who pester those in medicine , for medicines/surgical procedures even ,as some sort of cure-all for their fractured and dysfunctional lives...thinking that the physical manifestations of moral and psychological problems they are experiencing (along with habitual ingestion of poor quality food) can be cured by a direct intervention into the body.

The phages seek out bacteria wherever possible..a (properly) cured ham would support a reasonable bacterian population as it progressed toward the elysium of mature excellence , what better place then for a passing phage to hang out , waiting , spikey protruberance at the ready. for unassuming bacterian or flagellate passerby? Obviously we must all eschew cheap nitrate soaked "watery" hams as they will be essentially "dead" , having neither everyday bacteria nor darkened alley , knife wielding, phage tough guys, just mountains of sodium chloride.

Such are the difficulties faced by the true artist.

Totally naked women?

Excellent the irony of it . The main source of phages? Sea water. This also gives a clue as to why certain Rivers were (from Classical times) suggested to have curative powers . Also bacon and (properly ) cured hams and pickles have high phage populations! This at least has some sense to it , antibiotics have been obscenely over prescribed (and wrongly prescribed to the very young) for too long , the MRSA bug (which is merely staph' gone nuclear) is a direct result of this overkill. So drink clean river water and eat bacon sandwiches! http://www.bacteriophagetherapy.info/ECF40...Phage-Solo1.jpg

The Kure Beach shot I like very much...the female form is well represented as well.

A few here tonight, but the cloud cover is very variable. Alas its work in the morning so we will have to try again tomorrow.

Never mix your natrah and nushtar! It only leads to a bad hangover and recrimination.

Actually , I was thinking that any film in which Brian Blessed's performance seems reasonably stable has got serious problems. How come all Macedonians are Irish anyway?

The reference may be Hindi I will post if my Bengalii contacts can make sense of it. Nushtar is a reference to opium tears .The cretic wine reference might be a Victorian "re-invention" of a peppered opiate based wine from Old Kingdom Egypt.

Oliver Stone has announced another attempt at a re-edited Alexander. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexander-Revisite...5149&sr=8-1 has this actually appeared in the States? Does it contain less ham than the original product? This "new" version is said to "emphasise further the relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion" ..."oh Gods no!" I hear you wail already, it was turgidly dull first time round.Perhaps Jolie's performance will be improved, from the emotional range of a plank to just embarrassingly dim?

The Militaria and assorted impedimentiae are not my sphere , so I tread carefully lest I offend ..is the original post not reminiscent of later period Nordic headgear? Also do we not have the suggestion of masks, in cavalry exercises and sports as indicators of the riders "team"?

Could we but allow the savages to "hijack" a merchants wagon filled with honeyed cakes (with an additional filling of henbane and aconite) ?

Stratford-Upon-Avon i'm afraid. http://www.rsc.org.uk/home/default.aspx The Globe is in Town though: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/ Good grief I forgot this! http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/shop_c...81dc6dbbe8888bc Very near to T and A (post above).. and you will need this: http://www.pubs.com/home.cfm this place is top hole: http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=227 this is my out and out favourite http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=203 these are for "serious" beer drinking (The Lamb is near the British Museum), cocktails I refer you to The Dorchester or Harvey Nicks in Knightsbridge (top floor).

Are you a dandy? You might like:- Turnbull and Asser Shirtmakers, Jermyn St: http://www.turnbullandasser.co.uk/ "Debonair" , Tiemakers -Royal Opera Arcade.Say hello to Mr Saad from me, charming chap. Are you a flaneur? Go to Mile End tube station,get a Number 25 Bus heading into Town , sit at the front upstairs and enjoy the ride. 18 Folgate Street http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/ MOST IMPORTANT:The Bar at the Dorchester, http://www.thedorchester.com/restaurants_b...hester_bar.html

How odd that another brief stroll should , this time without a hangover , should present me with what is now a commonplace weed in Britain that has a very exotic origin. Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus) is a threat to any small grazing animal and non-too kind to humans . Immature animals can die from consuming the plant and humans can have a nasty reaction to contact on account of the toxins it contains.The toxic priciple is alkaloid and tends to poison by causing the liver to fix too much copper in the host.The main alkaloids are the wonderfully named Jacobine, Jacodine and Jaconine.Inclusion in fermenting silage is a particular problem. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1862 In folklore Fairies are said to fly on the ragwort twigs, though this is mainly confined to folktales in Scotland and Ireland. Senecio squalidus is actually of hybrid origin. Its parents are two other species of Ragwort, Senecio aethnensis and Senecio chrysanthemifolius which are both presently only found on Sicily , on the slopes of Mt Etna and Vesuvius in Campagnia . It appears that the occur at different heights on the mountain and in between these points on the mountain the hybrid occurs. Now a strange thing has happened , some suggest diffusion of seedlings due to volcanic eruption (quite feasible) others point to the Botanic Gardens at Oxford. http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/ In the early 1700's the plant was brought to the Gardens as an exotic, the later spread of railways on gravel beds proved an ideal medium for the propogation of the species. What is the best method of control ? The caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth.which is ironic because these fellows have enjoyed a bumper year. Bees adore Ragworts of all types, so harking back to some older treads about toxic honey I wonder if this plant was implicated in some of the poisonings mentioned regarding Antony's troops in particular?