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Post by kungfuzu on May 20, 2022 20:21:32 GMT -8
The Romans were experts at setting up quick forts. As I recall, this was done every time they moved camp, so it could done every day. They must have built thousands of these in various sizes. Roman Legion Camp
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 21, 2022 13:37:40 GMT -8
I watched a couple episodes of Secrets of the Castle with my nephew, a yute. They got around to making beer (usually ale), as is common in these documentaries. And they noted that this was what everyone drank instead of water.
My nephew couldn't understand why the water was not good to drink. I assume contamination by sheep and cattle. But I don't really know. But they knew enough at the time not to drink the water.
Ruth made some ale (no hops) in an episode of Tudor Monastery Farm. It looks surprisingly simple to make. During one of the processes she skimmed off a few quarts of the liquid from the top. This would be set aside as proper in-the-evening-to-get-plastered ale. The remaining (and, by far, the largest portion) would be a weaker brew meant for quenching your thirst during the day without making you tipsy. Not sure how well that worked in practice rather than theory.
They take a surprisingly even-handed approach. They note that the church is into everything, Christian religion being omnipresent in the rhythms of their daily lives. Surprisingly, they don't sneer when they say that. They're just describing what is (was).
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 21, 2022 13:41:18 GMT -8
I've read some very interesting historical novels on the period. Romans were absolutely obsessed with setting up good fortifications, even for just a day. There's a great (true) story (I forget the name of this famous battle) where the Romans were laying siege to some Gaul stronghold while they themselves were being besieged from the outside. Caesar apparently really did think this could be it for him. But with strong fortifications inside and outside their lines, they pulled through. I doubt any army before or sense were as competent as the Romans, given the era they were in and the materials/technology they had to work with.
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Post by artraveler on May 21, 2022 14:21:23 GMT -8
There's a great (true) story (I forget the name of this famous battle) where the Romans were laying siege to some Gaul stronghold while they themselves were being besieged from the outside This was the battle of Aelisa in 52 BCE. Caesar faced two armies greatly outnumbering his and growing larger. It was the cumulation battle of his Gallic campaign. He not only defeated both armies but captured Vercingetorix to end the war. Within two years he was dictator and involved in civil war with Pompeii. It is thought of by military experts as one of his greatest victories en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia#:~:text=Caesar%20defeated%20the%20Suebi.%20In%2057%20BC%20he,he%20conquered%20the%20Gallic%20peoples%20one%20by%20one.
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Post by artraveler on May 21, 2022 18:48:20 GMT -8
My nephew couldn't understand why the water was not good to drink. I assume contamination by sheep and cattle. It is not just farm animals but also human waste that made water unsafe. We have a whole list that today we don't, in the west, have to worry about. Dysentary, cholera and E. coli being the worst. But even now the last thing you want to do is drink unboiled "fresh water". Our founders were fond of hot buttered rum and beer and had amazing tolerance for the alcohol in both. At one time George Washington was the largest brewer of whisky in the US. It is still possible to purchase whisky made to his standards at Mt. Vernon. https://whiskey.mountvernon.org
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Post by kungfuzu on May 21, 2022 18:59:39 GMT -8
I believe I am correct in saying that water-born diseases have been the single largest killer of mankind throughout history. As Artler said, there are many nasty little things in water around the world. Having lived and traveled in something like forty countries, you can bet I have been careful about drinking the water. Even so, I have contracted some bad bugs in the past. (Don't drink iced drinks in the tropics)
In one castle I visited on the Rhine, they showed the kitchen area which included large casks of wine as the water could not be drunk safely. I believe they would dilute it a bit for the children, but even children were drinking alcoholic beverages as crick water wern't safe.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 21, 2022 19:04:16 GMT -8
Although modern medicine has done much to extend the lives of people, I believe modern civil engineering and hygiene have done even more.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 21, 2022 19:06:28 GMT -8
When I traveled in the Orient, I would often have a shot of whiskey in my water in order to kill germs. And I don't like Scotch.
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Post by artraveler on May 21, 2022 19:51:39 GMT -8
Washington's whisky was made with rye and corn as the main grains. Mt Vernon claims that they follow his original recipes from the 1790s and you can only purchase it in the DC area at about $150 fifth. It is however rather low proof. I assume the lower proof makes it smother than most American whisky or bourbon, and much smother than off the shelf Scotch.
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Post by artraveler on May 21, 2022 19:57:30 GMT -8
I believe modern civil engineering and hygiene have done even more. Indeed, as little as 125 years ago the average life span was about 50. Medicine has done wonders to help extend that but sanitary water systems and sewers have done much more. Also the invention of the internal combustion engine clears streets of horse manure and led to more hygienic homes and offices. Civil engineers dub their speciality as "roads and commodes."
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 8:31:08 GMT -8
Good point. That's a big one. And we can relate to that even today. I was listening to conservative John Carlson on the radio yesterday. He mentioned a report of strange toxins appearing in Puget Sound (Elliot Bay, to be more precise). These toxins apparently have the signature of human waste. A logical deduction is that the "homeless" population in Seattle is having some effect on water quality.
We take our modern waste-disposal systems for granted. We think that such technology and infrastructure has solved the problem. And, generally, it has solved a large problem. People no longer throw their waste every morning out the window and into the street below, nor is it necessary to have some kind of "night soil" door-to-door pickup service. (Uber could perhaps look into that even now as a service in King County.)
But despite the modern conceits to being "environmentally friendly" – as if man has been truly transformed by his affectations – most people are only one step away from throwing their shit out the window. It's just that flushing the toilet is more convenient. But, if we are frank, it is shocking the number of people who would easily slip into a Middle Ages mindset if given half a chance. Look at the streets of Seattle.
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 8:45:34 GMT -8
Take a look at a series on Amazon Prime called Scotch! The Story of Whiskey. I'm not sure if you can watch it "free with ads" from that link. But give it a try. It's a moderately-interesting three-part series presented by a crusty old Scot, David Hayman. In fact, there are no less than seven or eight documentaries on whiskey on Amazon Prime. But I just happened upon the one by Hayman by chance. Those Mount Version whiskeys look suitably grand...if a bit grand in price as well.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 8:49:58 GMT -8
So petroleum products are actually responsible for a cleaner world? Bite your tongue.
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Post by artraveler on May 22, 2022 9:01:33 GMT -8
Look at the streets of Seattle. San Francisco, LA, Oakland, Stockton, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, NYC, Atlanta, DFW, Austin, El Passo, Little Rock, Tulsa, Sacramento. Just to list a few, all mostly governed by leftists or left leaning democrats. If the greenies really wanted to get rid of pollution they would dump the democrat party.
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 9:32:19 GMT -8
I was listening to an oldies station just now and the news came on. I don't know if it was NPR news but it could have been. Regarding higher gas prices, inflation, etc., you'll be happy to know that the Dems have passed (or are going to pass) some bill to stop "price gouging" at the pump.
Somehow I don't think gouging is the problem here. But the point is to offer some half-plausible talking-point to the idiots who believe (and want to believe) this stuff.
I had a haircut appointment Friday afternoon. When I got there my haircut-guy was having a water-cooler chat with a guy (about my age) who presumably was his previous customer. When he left, Dave (the hair-cutter) thanked me for restraining myself. It turns out this guy is a retired teacher, and you know what that usually means.
I didn't know this beforehand, but it brought our conversation into perspective, especially when I got on the subject of inflation and the terrible affect that Democrats having the economy...as far back for me as Jimmy Carter.
This fellow said something that seemed relatively harmless at the time. He said how economic policies can take a while to have their effect and that current presidents can blamed or given credit for it. I took him back to the Carter years whereby Reagan inherited an awful economy because of Carter and that it took two difficult years for his policies to have effect. So, yeah, that lag can be real.
In hindsight, I now understand that this non-confrontational libtard was trying to tell me that all the ills of today are Trump's fault. As I've said, Progressivism is a religion, and a sour and stupid one at that. This guy was made stupid by his beliefs. Believing his own bullshit was more important than facts.
I was frank. I told him (in the general midst of the conversation) that I hated both Biden and Trump but that one had to separate the personalities from the policies. And when it came to the economy, Trump's policies were great even though some people were offended by his Tweets
If you're a Progressive Religionist, it's hard to imagine a situation whereby they would ever admit their policies would be harmful. Like full lunatic cultists, they are invested in their dogma.
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 10:00:09 GMT -8
The interesting thing about these series is that rural areas didn't seem to have much of a problem with waste. Not only was most waste not a problem it was instead something called "fertilizer." Horse manure could never become a problem, for instance, because that resource was highly sought after.
But certainly rural areas were not free from various diseases including the plague. But it's interesting that waste became a problem only when we started cramming ourselves into cities...where water-based bugs were made all the worse.
And with some relevant hindsight, we can see that the problem of sewage was solved by cities. But that "cramming into cities" has produced other kinds of waste, including political waste. It is just as thick and nearly as toxic in the big cities as the "night soil" waste was of old. And no one has yet figured out a way to dispose of this political waste safely. It's still just thrown out into the streets (or Tweets).
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Post by artraveler on May 22, 2022 10:05:06 GMT -8
Scotch! The Story of Whiskey Watched the first part. There is a certain amount of, shall we say, overbearing in the show. The Scotts have a lot of things to be proud and a good whisky is one of them. However, American blended bourbons are just as good and have as many varied tastes. Makers Mark and Wild Turkey being two of many examples.
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 22, 2022 10:59:56 GMT -8
Glad you watched at least the first episode. That guy really is a card. But ultimately he does take a fairly multi-culti look at whiskey. He goes to Japan, Sweden, and Tasmania (Tasmania?) where there is a healthy interest in the amber gold. All of the people he talks to pretty much genuflect to the Scots (and rightfully so)...even if (as you say) they may be producing some blends or single-malts that they have nothing to apologize for. He concludes the series with a sort of "there will always be a healthy and large distilling industry in Scotland." But you wonder about that.
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World Whiskey Day is May 21, by the way. Sláinte.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 22, 2022 14:34:43 GMT -8
Take it even further. Fossil fuels are responsible for modern life and the abundance in which we live. It started with burning wood and then coal to heat up water to produce steam in a boiler. At best, the greens would have us go back to around 1790. In reality, I think they would like most of us to simply die off.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 22, 2022 14:40:15 GMT -8
Even some of the cheaper bourbons are excellent. But for my money, if I am going to drink some type of whiskey straight or on the rocks (I do not include cognac or schnapps here) it will be Crown Royal or one of the variants made by some crazy Texans.
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