kimble

Sorry to head off on side topics above - non fiction...., lets see..., One thing I am finding fascinating, on the biography of Alexander the Great I am on, is the law. There were none as such, at all. What there was was only what a strong enough personality could enforce through strength and treaties. Few local civic laws were around as in forbidding murder and theft but the murder laws would not be translatable into our culture, and every city would have their own. The culture of the times actually would stop an organized system of law, (like the Roman's and their complex Law system), because it would be a great violation of freedom to their way of thinking; to try to have a code of law. Saxon, and Frankish, law took Justinian law (the total compilation of all Roman Law condensed and written by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian) but add their touches like the might is right bit; where law allowed trial by combat among peers to a big degree. If you were victorious in a fight to determine a case you were right under law. (And other things) But in Frankish law this ability to win a point of law by a fight was also enmeshed in a greater law of the whole society (and naturally fines payable at all levels) In the Greek, and Macedon, systems strength was the only basis. Kings never died in bed, but once weak in body or support got killed off for a new strong man to arise - which is why Alexander killed his infant brother when he took the throne, to stop this inevitable source of insurrection. (which by the way was an integral part of Ottoman ruler's custom, fratricide, and killing of all nephews, and killing of all male children of powerful vassals, even killing all ones own male children after a favorite had been selected and had survived to the point he would have sons himself - because otherwise the empire would be split up in inevitable civil war.) It is remarkably hard to get ones head around the Ancient Greek and pagan law systems of the time. Every thing we do now is codified. I am working on my complex tax return, I have just been setting out trash and it is regulated to the nth degree, my dog has to have rabies vaccines - we have wrapped ourselves in this mantel of law till we live peacefully to our 90's (in the West) safe from almost all risk from auto accidents to food poisoning to loud noises.

Hello Poet, the Lebanese/Turkish Doner Kabab is similar and is the main British take away food (taramasalata and chips too) but mostly is a massive amount of unknowable - fatty meat in a split pita instead of wrapped, with a bit of salad, tzatziki and hot chili sauce. It is the notorious food of drunken people and vomiting in the street afterwards. (UK allows being 'public drunk' and people do so a lot), part of the whole British experience is getting drunk on a 'Pub Crawl', shouting at other drunks in the street, getting a huge doner kebab (they do huge business at the end of pub hours) with extra hot chili sauce and then throwing up on the walk home - did it many times when young in London.) Irish award doner kebab made of real meat strips instead of the huge revolving cone of ground up animal by products which is more common in UK. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/migration_catalog/article25690734.ece/ALTERNATES/h342/-7659

Made a blackberry, apple, pie last evening for tonight. No stone fruits fresh and affordable so it is the canned blackberries and apple. So how does a Rooster Rogan Josh sound? The acid for the long baking to tenderize being tomatoes instead of wine for 2 hours. Then in with onion, cardomon, jeera, cassia bark whole, ton of garlic, some ginger, some fennel, Madras curry powder, some really aromatic Garm Masala and some home made marmalade from my trees. - back in for another hour. The coq au vin is based on reduced chicken stock and wine - maybe reduced tomatoes and coconut? I think just a l of whole canned tomatoes - and thoughts? Big pieces of carrot, small whole purple potatoes - yes, I think so. Veg goes so well in a curry - 2 roughly chopped poblano peppers I have too. So what about it - I have a rooster to kill, hopefully today, he is so loud.

"Not read any of those above, but my father had an original edition of The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, which unfortunately he left on a London bus. I wish I had a penny for every time he lamented about that loss to us." I have a first edition of "Seven Pillars"! I got it at a book sale at this library after Katrina. All the local libraries were completely destroyed - an interesting thing there, the police stayed in the metal building that was their station till the water began rising inside so they waded in the 100+ mph winds and water to the library, a brick building on higher ground. And then inside the water began rising till they were going to drown. The problem was they could not get out then, the glass doors were being held closed by the huge pressure. They tried using their hand guns to break the hardened glass but all it would do is cause a ricocheting bullet to fly about the room and leave a star in the glass! The police and fire men stayed so they would be there after the storm. They got a door open when deeper and stayed on the roof under a bit of roof overhang, surviving the storm - see this library is on the beach on the Gulf and 30 foot of flood came smashing in. Every single city, police, and these guys personal vehicles were destroyed. The library had been underwater and was bulldozed - and a library opened in the park in a donated double wide trailer later. Listen to how calm they are, the water is coming in like a river and the eye of the hurricane is almost over the place, they came close to all dying. But then books began streaming in from all the country - and the library had constant book sales of them, and I got my Seven Pillars. 80% of all the buildings were destroyed, mine too, and I had no insurance, so did not spend too much time going through the donated books - but bagged a load to replace my destroyed library. I think this is a picture of me walking my road with the dog during a lesser hurricane - I have no way of knowing how this will work as I have not copied old flicker pictures this way. And so I did bag a couple hundred good books, many I lost to later flooding as hurricane Rita, Gustave, Ike and another all came ashore in the fallowing years - although nothing like Katrina. I am getting through 'Alexander The Great' and 'Boadicea' simultaneously as I lay in bed at night. Both being a bit of heavy reading. The Alexander writer trying to write in High Style with inside references and quoting phrases in Latin, French, with no English and always crediting why the bit on, say, a battle comes from this and that second hand reference and si not reliable. Slow going as they are not page turners - but wonderful still, to read - the writers are being very meticulous. I lost this post and used recovery - and will post and see how it went. A picture of me walking the dog in one of our floods - this is from my porch, and shows why I use raised beds - so I can flush the salt out of the planters and save some. I am trying a new way of copying - this is on edit

One of my all time favorites is Wilfred Thesiger, "The Life of My Choice", 'Arabian Sands' The Marsh Arabs' which I am fortunate enough to have signed by him. He was the last of the great British travelers of the Edwardian style. From his early days he was in charge of large parts of Dafour, riding his racing camel everywhere alone in the huge wastelands and holding court over the tribes as HRH Colonial government. One of his jobs was to kill man eating and cattle eating lions, killing 70, of which he said he was a bit ashamed at such a huge number. SAS in WWII where he managed to kill a large number of Axis troops and survive in the deserts virtually unaided but for his small group behind enemy lines. And then the first outsider to cross 'the empty quarter' of Arabia, facing certain death is discovered - and on 60 years living in the remotest parts of the Muslim world and finally retiring to live amongst the Masai Tribesmen. The travel book - by the otter man, Gavin Maxwell, also ex SAS, "A Reed Shaken By the Wind" has to be one of the most readable travel books written as he goes with Thesiger to the Great Iraqi Marshes - the ones Saddam drained and destroyed to get revenge on the Shia, committing a bit of genocide as well. Gavin is also a remarkable writer - "Ring of Bright Water" a gay man whose woman lover - a remarkable poet, pined away for him on his life of complete solitude. If you wish to read of what the British man could be before the pu**ification of them by lefty feminizing then give these extinct Renaissance-man travelers a read. "Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton" by E Rice would be another amazing one - naturally any of the dozen of TE Lawrence, including his Autobiography "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" But these are long dead men, Thesiger virtually contemporary, passing away in the 1990's I believe - the last of his kind. For Travel writing I think Peter Flemming (Ian's brother) cannot be beat, again like the above (excepting Burton) Eaton, Oxford/Cambridge, and a brilliant writer and extraordinary traveler in dangerous and outlandish places. "Ones Company", fantastic! "Brazilian Adventure" for sly wit with a breath of 'the master'; PJ about it.

Hi Nolliag, Is your name from the Islands, it sounds like my memories from them. Irish soda bread and Guinness. "6 people shot and 2 dead is usual?" "Two people have been killed and four injured following a shooting at the Mississippi Mardi Gras parade. Some 50,000 joined the march" No never happened before that I know of, the rest was as usual with everyone friendly. I have a picture of a Black MC, all in their colors (motorcycle gang) posing for my photo - I have never had anything but friendliness from all at this mardi Gras. By the way last Monday and Tuesday and Wed. are holidays here with the schools closed for Mardi Gras, and Fat Tuesday (the last day before Lent - the North Coast of the Gulf is Catholic) and Lent. Nolliag - St Patric day is a huge thing on the coast! They even do parades like the Mardi Gras ones, same floats with some different banners - same throwing stuff, but Irish themed. Throwing coconuts is traditional by the Zulu Crew of NO so they throw cabbages (not really throw, but drop into your hands) and big carrots on the st Paddy parades, my wife brought home 50 pounds of cabbages from the one last year! (Zulu is a Black New Orleans crew going back to the 1800's, they throw plastic spears and coconuts along with the junk - actually they pass down the nuts to people at the float, too dangerous to throw. (they do real parades there, not just floats with people drinking and throwing beads and blaring very loud music like here) Zulu are everyone's favorite with huge costumes of feathers (called Indians) and makeup and music. My sister just now phoned from her walk to Waitrose in London where she is getting some things for my parents, oh, how I would love to be in a Waitrose now, I would run amuck - I am a foodie and we are quite limited here. She was telling me about yesterday when she was in the city proper and all the street food vendors with beautiful and aromatic pots of things cooking. No more 1970's food limitations in England, Swan Vesta curry and such, (I left England roughly 1976) edited to say picture from net

Pies, I always have one in the refrigerator, as well as a quart of whipping cream ($4.13 at Walmart, I would guess I make whipped cream for 2, eight times from one quart, well worth it, it even makes a pie 'pop' more than ice cream) I can make a pie in 15 minutes start to finish. As the seasons change I will use different pears, apples, peaches, plums, necterines, figs, berries, lemon, coconut, chocolate, (blackberries a Lot as I grow 15 gallons of them a year, canning most, a very simple process). (edit also - garden veg in basket, I make soup most days as a starter and use any garden veg, in warm months I make a kind of gumbo soup with okra, peppers, corn, beans, and seafoods I catch) Here is a typical one being made, blueberry nectarine (edited to say those round pears will go in too, from a friends tree, very good ones) (I pick from friends groves, or trade, I trade fish or blackberries, with people - mostly fish as I catch it in large amounts and have a commercial license.) I use deep pie shells from Walmart again - I am not for Walmart food, but their store brand pie crusts are very good, and $2.28 for 2, so not bad. I can blackberries 4 ways, as syrup, which is used in pies just as fruit would, berries with half the seed removed, and complete berries, and jam - which I also use in cooking, as well as on toast. They will be shelf stable for years once canned. This stops having to keep a freezer full. The syrup is also excellent in summer when one has to drink a gallon of water if working outside (hard work in summer heat requires drinking gallons) and added to some lemonade for a nice flavour. This is blackberry syrup in my kitchen window.

OK, I am reading 'Alexander The Great' right now, by Robin Fox, a very rigorous biography on the subject where such is possible, no detailed contemporary accounts being existent. But then all it is is a bunch more of the of same old warring and politics, that have been unpleasant for mankind for a million years, (but my contention being that it has been the fairy godmother after all as through the intellectual and technological and philosophical gains man has received much more than was lost by his warlike ways) (three point two million if you count Lucy and her ilk) - and one opinion is as valid as another's it would seem, so we have it in print here, on the book forum, that war is not good, so there it is, summed up, and my thesis stands corrected. I have read thousands of hours on history and military history, I have lived in lots and lots of places, been on archaeological digs from Orkney to Iran, but apparently all this ultimate war and hundreds of millions of lives lost must be approached very tenderly less some fragile person may have their feelings hurt, in a small way. But then I am being sarcastic, ironic, and that is pointless. So ban me if you wish, it does not matter to me at all - and I will inevitably get to religion if I stick around - next thing you know St Thomas Aquinas, or Jesus may be talked of, or mentioned. Of the 230 recognized philosophers 200 were Christians! Like the Nobel Prize winners, there is a trend there. The remarkable intellectualism of Christianity has a huge place in history - the biggest when talking of contemporary, secular, history. This is gotten from books. So I guess I would end up talking of ideas and philosophy rather than the fiber and ink of what you say this forum is really about - "We have a specific debate forum for broader topics outside the scope of books, and for topics which might cause actual debate" I suppose if I started a thread on 'Book Burning' here I should not discuss the intellectual and philosophical side, but stick to book titles burnt, maybe the temperature, Fahrenheit 451, maybe even mention Savonarola by name, but not his actual purpose........... What ever, I am almost certainly in the wrong place - Oh, and I am simultaneously reading on the History of Poland, that crossroads of war. Coming soon in the book que is 'Boudica'. Man, this military stuff, its all around.

And I think Woof-Woof's post to me was unintentionally insulting in that he said I was wrong about everything but offered no argument. "all opinions are as valid as any other." This is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard. An un-reasoned, uninformed, opinion is worth nothing - a reasoned, informed opinion is worthwhile as it presents a logical position where discussion can allow you to learn why you are right or wrong. Jewish scholars argue to learn. By defending a position you do not actually hold you are forced to see why your beliefs are correct - or not. If you bothered to present a cosmology you have spent thousands of hours forming and someone popped out and gave a tweet-esk post incoherently saying basically 'you are wrong' they have not said anything. I was brusk with woofwoof to encourage him to present a reasoned contradictory position and so learn by doing a bit of research and thinking. Instead he says I am wrong about the plague. OK, but so what, it means nothing without some reasoning why. From your response I am thinking I will soon be gone, this telling me off. I came to a books forum to discuss ideas - books are what form ideas, they are condensed lives and history so we can see big pictures. They are philosophies so we can see what we learn in a logical, and deeper, light. Notice the thread header: Military History. I am here to discuss it if any one wishes. If you or WoofWoof, or anyone wishes to talk about man, history, war, industry, science, religion - I am ready to talk, here I am, please present a reasoned reply or position or idea, and not just gainsaying. Or just gainsay - what ever.

Hi Haley, thank you for responding, and nothing bad about growing basil in a pot, it is great. I do a lot of Thai cooking where basil is king. There are bad honeys, I had one from something like 'sour wood' tree and the taste was really different, the honey almost black. But I love honey and have it on my grits. (local food.) The Coq au vin was good, but foodie food, and my wife is not a proper foodie. The old rooster meat very dark, almost black for the legs, and very white for the breast - like a game bird. The flavor also like game, and not stringy as they end up being cooked without the wine. I used 1 l of wine, 1/3 pound bacon, 10 oz pearl onions, a heaping T of blackberry jam, mushrooms, chicken broth - the liquids boiled down half way before assembling the casserole and baking 3 hours. A powerful dish. I had it with rice, kale from the garden as a side, blackberry pie to finish.

I did not want to make the last post too long so continue here; The parade is 100 floats and takes about 2 hours to go by, all throwing beads, just hold your hands up and make eye contact with a thrower (20 or so a float) and they will throw you beads or a 'throw' which is big plastic doubloons, bracelets, nerf darts or footballs, beer cozies, stuffed animals, I once caught a rubber breast, Moon Pies, (I got one yesterday, my favorite throw) plastic spears, just all kinds of Chinese stuff. Like I said, you could fill a shopping bag if you wished. But food - I mentioned how people here have #20 gas bottles and burners for fish frying and crayfish boils, here is a picture from yesterday of frying Boudin balls. They are common here, you can get them at my local gas station, with fried chicken and french fries. Boudin is from the French Cajun culture, pork meat sausage with pork heart, liver, and rice. They are rolled in bread crumbs and fried. These ones had a core of mozzarella cheese. This all is under the grand 'Live Oaks', one of the planets great trees, I have planted dozens of them, they are the regional tree. Called Live Oak because they are Southern coastal (in hurricanes they let the leaves strip off so are not blown down but end up totally naked.) and lose their leaves Feb - March as the new ones emerge so are never bare. The lateral length of their branches is extreme! This is one from yesterday, it is doing poorly and is very old - the lateral branch is a lot longer than this picture shows. Under these massive trees is where outdoor parties are held. They are draped with Spanish Moss in most parts but here are covered with 'Resurrection Ferns' mostly. Picture not down loaded properly (edited because I am having trouble with my pictures)

Big Mardi Gras, 50,000 estimated - 6 people shot, 2 dead, otherwise it went well as usual. In fact I would say less drinking - this is the only occasion where drinking in public is allowed (and laws are strictly enforced). The party we attended had a good, full, band, a large oyster roasting BBQ, another couple for hanmergers/hotdogs, and a guy from Minnesota (the German and Nordic state) brought down authentic bockworsts and cooked them, fantastic. Big buffet of sandwiches, fried chicken, and side dishes. King Cakes, which can be fantastic! Especially the authentic Paul's. Like the sixpence in a Christmas pudding a toy plastic baby is hidden inside a King Cake. Cinnamon, cream cheese, and fruit are inside, and combinations. A Paul's is best the simple cream cheese way - it is mixed with Ricotta and is amazing - pictured from yesterday, a genuine Pauls, amazingly good! The streets were packed, vendors selling stuff on rolling carts, all covered with flags, the Confederate flag is flown. We were at the white end, we usually go to the Black end, basically the East end is more Black people and the West end is more White - you can go where you want, but this is how it goes even now. The races do get along pretty well here, Black people can move onto any street they wish, I live in a White part of town yet my neighbor is Black, and my two main fishing friends are Black middle class - race in The Deep South is complex, and is moving on a bit. Races marry without issue, and homosexuals are treated like anyone else in my area - but there is a lot of history, this area goes back to the 1600's and has seen it all - and people still feel the ties to their heritage very strongly. The foods here are a huge part of the culture and go back to Spanish, French, African, and European, regional dishes are eaten by everyone regularly - or part of their daily foods are influenced by the historical foods. This is cooking oysters, a scoop of butter and garlic is on some, spinach, butter, garlic, cheese on others. Slices of garlic topped bread also cooking. We have one of the biggest oyster reefs in the world just off shore, oystering is a big industry here and they are eaten a lot. Notice two grills are loaded, and they just kept them coming.

Today is Mardi Gras and the floats are going past my house with music blaring, 20 or so people standing on them, going to the place they assemble for the parade. About 100 floats are in this parade, 40,000+ people on the route. The bayou is very low, about a foot deep, from the North winds blowing the water out of the sound, and a couple big fish are swirling, a great blue and great white heron standing on the edges. And we will soon leave for a friends house on the parade route. Last night I left a car parked right by there because all parking for a mile out will have all ready been taken by now (9:30 a.m.). This way we can walk in but then leave quickly in the stashed car and get home before the roads become a huge snarl, picking up the truck we will go in later, and then get to drive about and see the incredible mess. So food - here it is gumbos, ettoufee, cubion, crawfish/shrimp/crab boils (with potatoes, onions, lots of hot pepper, salt, garlic, and sasuage) and a big range of Soul and Creole foods, red beans and rice, all kinds of boiled greens, fried catfish and hushpuppies, cornbread, pork chops and ribs, fried chicken..............and today King Cakes. January is the Christmas tree burning on the beach with huge releases of flame balloons over the water on the breezes and a big bar and food buffet with the first appearance of 'King Cakes' the ring cake with a fruit filling often, and garish Mardi Gras colour icing and colored sugar (Gold Green and Purple). This is a crawfish boil, people here have huge pots and gas burners with a #20 gas bottle - the salt and boil spices started, potatoes, onions, lemon halfs, whole garlics, then the sausage and seafood added - and it is dumped out. All the supermarkets and Walmarts sell 20 pound bags of live crawfish - all the harbors have seafood outlets with live crabs, and on the roadside are vans selling fresh shrimp, or you can go to the harbor and buy shrimp from the boats ($2-3 a pound). Leaving soon - I have made a lemon (from my lemon tree in a pot) blackberry (from my garden - I can them for all year) strawberry and apple pie, and we are doing a dozen deviled eggs from my chickens. (the bottom layer of the pie is lemon curd which is made from 3 egg yolks, 3 T lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar cooked over a double boiler till thick and put on the bottom of the pie shell) They will have gumbo, oysters cooked over a fire, and all kinds of stuff. Food eaten outside is a big thing here, today is sunny and cool, but will be warm by noon when it begins. This party has a big yard and 100 people will be attending - the crowd in front of the yard will be packed - you can catch a bucket full of beads if you wish - they throw thousands of pounds, the streets are deep in them and trash when it is over, an amazing sight, with beads hanging off the power lines and trees and solid on the asphalt. Prisoners come and clean it up in their green and white striped uniforms.

"and therefore the biggest short-term menace to our well-being" Well, naturally any caught in conflict is in risk for their well being. But who do you mean by OUR? It is not any threat to me. I would be happy to discuss ethics, risk, well-being, history, war, or anything related - but you could take a more concise position so we would know what we actually are talking about. Things are never simple, take the plague in Europe - one could say it provided a huge good. Lots of direct suffering resulting in billions having increased happiness. The plague ended the Feudal period, and the Feudal time was vital for us - as was ending it when it did. I think you need to read Candide to get a bit broader look. Pangloss and his 'All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds' then google Leibniz, and then google utilitarianism of JS Mill. Time to learn a bit of grown up thinking and move on from the fifth form wisdoms.

"Would you prefer if it was 1001 Novels? I'm not particularly fussed, personally" Now it sounds like I am belaboring the point - but yes. I am a bit scrupulous with language and concepts and to list something, but in fact your list being something completely different than stated, irks me, just how I am. A list of 1001 flying things to see that was in fact only birds, or Tropical insects, but not both, grates on logic. 1001 lists that do not in fact list what they claim to list: 1) 1001 books you must read before you die 2) 1001 flying things to see 3) 1001 sports you must try