docoflove1974

Dancing girls are under the delegation of Nephele...I'm just here for the vino.

What do you mean? Are you referring to the Crusades? Or something else?

Ursus? The butler? Whoa, that's a good one! Hmmmm...mice...Doc gets the caesus from out the ice box, and spreads it outside of the hall...grabs a flute from a wandering musician, and leads the mice out to the caesus...ratus no more! Doc spies the loverly Pertinax among the crowd, plants a kiss on his cheek, and imbibes yet another Pertimaximusususus!

Oh, we have those signs posted all over the mass transit stations in the SF Bay Area...no idea how many people actually do something, but at least the word is out. All I know is, I was brought up to not just glaze over and pass out while travelling or sitting or walking...sure, we all have our tired moments, but as a general rule one has to keep alert. If nothing else, than for you own safety! As for the foiled attempt...heh one in a million!

One of my all-time favorite comic strips is "Elderberries"--mostly because I love Phil Frank. Often the characters go into a run-down Cadillac and take imaginary trips...to remember the 'good old days,' or to escape for a bit into a dream world where things go right, or just to shirk the evil grasps of Boredom. So, after this black day, and after Nephele pushed me into the impluvium, I think we should start an Imaginary Party...Roman or otherwise...cuz Lord knows I need it today. So... I imagine Caesar's Palace (in Roma or in Vegas...take your pick)...everyone in their finest togas (or elegant wear). I know my nails are painted gold, since they match my gold sandals, my hair done up, my face painted, I'm perfumed, and I'm ready to go. Goblet of wine in one hand, nibblies in the other, going around and avoiding Nephele, lest she try to push me in the impluvium again. (Do it, go on...you'll be the drowned rat, not I! hahaha!) Take it away!

**Doc grabs Nephele's arm as she's falling into the impluvium.** Don't think I'm going down without someone coming in with me, hun. :boxing:

Wow, what a party! Happy birthday, Ilian. Hope you can enjoy the day!

I think what's bothering me about the whole situation is the lack of awareness. By that I mean: there are always nutty people about, and if a nutter wants to shoot up the town, well, he's gonna try to do it. That's just the way it is. You can't really prevent the intention of a chemically-imbalanced person. But there are always signs...dude's all of a sudden taken a major interest in guns and the layout of his 'target', whatever that may be. Spending too much time on his fascinations, and not so much time on 'reality', whatever that may be. 'Odd' behavior, or at least behavior which isn't normal for that person. So, where in the **** were those observations about this dude? Where were the voices of those around him, who saw him every day, and who would have noticed that he was not quite right? How could they not know that he was up to no good, so to speak? Are people walking around with their heads up their arses, just ignoring what they see? Those people who I see regularly--friends, family, students, dude at the local coffee shop--I would know if something was 'off'. Their body language changes. Their manner and thought process is different. Then again, I'm observant. I know this. I also know that many, many others are not, that they just go through life so focused on themselves and perhaps those immediately around them, that the sky could be falling and they wouldn't know. Some are going to say that this event is a wake-up call for stronger gun control in the US. Meh, that's BS...not with our constitution, not with the lobbyists for the NRA and others. Besides, what does it solve? If a nutter wants a gun, dammit, he's gonna get that gun. Or at least he's gonna exhaust every avenue he can think of to get it. It our job as a society to watch out, and to tell someone when we notice something's not right. This is tragic...obviously for those whose lives are immediately affected. But also for our society, for it once again shows that we need to pay attention--not in a paranoid fashion, but in an awake fashion--to the world around us, and not always be so concerned with ourselves. Well, at least that's my $.02.

Regardless of the stance on accessibility to handguns and other weapons, this day is a black one. To answer an earlier question, it is believed that the gunman had 2-9mm style handguns, either with a standard or an extended clip. He didn't just go into one classroom, but at least 2; this is after he went into a dorm and shot 2 people. As of yet he hasn't been identified b/c he shot himself in the head, blowing off half of his face, and seemingly didn't carry any ID on his person. Several major news agencies are covering it, naturally; I know ABC and CBS are on the scene, and I'm sure many others are, too. I'm currently sitting in the cafeteria of my campus, watching students of all types come in and out. If something like that happened at my campus right now, who knows how many would be affected; the population right now is sparse, and since it's a community college there are no students living on campus. But just the thought that this can happen is freaky and bone-chilling. I'll be fine to teach tonight, but who knows how many students will come.

D'OH!!! [/Homer Simpson]

I think the urbanization, or lack thereof, after the fall of Rome had something to do with it. Once the various Germanic tribes had a stranglehold on the running of the Roman Empire, the (Catholic) monasteries were often a hub life, not just for religious purposes, but for sustenance (as I recall, the monasteries had the most complete gardens, and often the only oven and grain mill for the area), medicine, and a sense of community. So, if the (Catholic) monasteries are the hub of life in the Dark Ages, one could understand that this would help to enforce the Catholic church as 'the' religion, as well help to spread it.

A little context: Panama City was founded in 1519; Havana in 1510; Cortez conquered the Aztecs in 1518. Point being, the conquest of the New World was well underway in 1513, and even illiterate peasants throughout Europe could be expected to have heard something of it. Let alone that Columbus himself had 4 excursions to the New World before his death in 1506.

Help from Geneology.com, yes, but much of it was basic resource gathering. I don't know about Egypt, but many European countries are similar to the US, where the provincial or municipal 'capital' has archival records of births, marriages and deaths...and in the case of Europe, often the local cathedral has many of the records, particularly of christenings and marriages. Also, go to whatever major library is closest to you--university libraries are great for this, but even major municipal libraries--and ask for help. There's always someone around who either knows what databases to use, or who knows the people and organizations to ask. For the Italian documents, we wrote to the Milan and Genoa archives and asked for help. Since my grandfather's parents were from Genoa, we could get the data from them, but for my grandmother's parents, because they were from towns outside of Milan, the Milanese archive directed us to the individual archives for those towns--yes, we got lucky. I have no idea how my uncle got the data on my father's side...other than census records, and going from there. Hope that helps!

That's when you start hitting the internet and geneology/historical society sites. We were lucky in that we still have the passports that my great-grandparents used when they came over, but we poked around until we could find a central agency to get us a copy of their birth and marriage certificates. Once we did that, we can get any information on our family tree. As for my paternal side, ironically enough, that's harder. Because so much of the family is 1) poor; which leads to 2) born without certificates, they're harder to trace. But my paternal grandmother's side has been traced back to 1640 (my uncle did that), and my aunt is working on the paternal grandfather's side. It's been a tough rode, and one had to constantly ask questions. If your family doesn't want to answer, just say it's so that the family legacy can continue. If that still doesn't work...well, try other routes! Write letters and emails to the central agencies (town halls, archives, etc.) from where your family is from, and someone can probably help you. If you want to know, there's always a way!

Ummm...because it's Buffalo?

Well start asking about them! I did! My great-grandparents were all dead by 1953, and my grandfathers both died when my parents were teenagers. My paternal grandmother died when I was 8 months old. I know about them, and other members of my family, because I asked questions, wanting to know more abou them, their lives, and why they made the choices that they did. Know more about your past, and you will appreciate your present and your future.

GO SHARKS!!! (Ok, so they prolly won't make it...I really only seem to catch the western conference games, and I can't tell who's coming out of here. But watch the Sabres go all the way! Wouldn't that be a laugh!)

I often count my blessings, noting that I've been smiled upon by Whoever Up There for the opportunities that I've had, and hopefully will continue to have. This year, 2007, is a huge year for me and my family, for so many reasons. This year I will finish my dissertation, and get some kind of full-time job; My parents are about to move, having sold their house of 30 years and have bought a brand-new house in a new development; My youngest brother, having finished another set of travels, seems to want to settle down here (for now); My middle brother is attempting to buy a condo in his complex, and looks like he might do it. But these are not the only reasons: This marks 100 years since the birth of my paternal grandmother (although she passed away in 1975); This marks 100 years since 3 of my maternal great-grandparents emigrated here from Milan and Genoa (my grandmother's mother came in 1910). My 4 great-grandparents came here with very little education in Italy--maybe to the 2nd or 3rd grade, enough to scribble their name and do basic math; their children all had a high-school education, and in the case of my grandmother and her sister, went onto a business (e.g. secretaries) college. My grandfather and his brothers were all business owners and professionals. Of their 5 great-grandchildren, 3 have college degrees, and one is about to finish a PhD. But that's nothing. My paternal grandparents came from Indian Territory--no doubt they have Indian blood in them, although documentation is negligible at best--and were quite poor. My grandmother had an 8th grade education--unheard of at that time, and it would have allowed her to teach at a school. My grandfather only got through the 2nd grade...was illiterate, and couldn't really do much beyond very rudimentary math. He couldn't even sign his name. Their granddaughter is about to finish a PhD. I am truly humbled, even emotional, when I reflect upon that. My dad said I should mention it at my defense...I might. It'll definitely be in the forward of the dissertation. My roots are not exactly blue, but we as a people have fought to get the best that we could. Inside of 3 generations, we've gone from illiterate to highly educated. It's not just pride that I feel...it's honor.

While I don't have any sources on here, the later addition of the 'G' to the alphabet probably relates to speakers creating a voiced /g/ (represented by 'G') counterpart to the voiceless /k/ (represented by 'C'). I don't recall how common the /g/ sound was in Old Latin, and I don't have my sources here, so I'll defer this to someone else. But that's what I see with that addition.

At least you're in the same country at the meet-up! But, I shall be thinking of you all during your running-around, knees-bent behavior!

This is the phrase that's troublesome for me. I was under the impression that the Moors were mostly North African (and to a lesser extent Arabian) in make-up until the later days of the Iberian occupation (memory is coming up with post-1100s, but I can look this up next week, once I get my books back). Is this not necessarily the case? I also agree with Augusta...the mix of the empire in all areas--not just in the outposts--was pretty mixed, thanks to the nature of the army. With army brings other people...so who knows.

I wouldn't lump in Moorish and other Arabian arquitecture in this discussion; as was stated earlier, 'Dark Ages' refers really to Europe that was previously under Roman rule but then fell under Germanic rule. I've read old texts of how when the Moors invaded Iberia, the Ibero-Romans already there were thankful for the upgrades in arquitecture, agriculture, and literature. I'm not saying that they fully enjoyed Moorish rule, but particularly in the south there was a feeling of 'oh, this is how life used to be like!' This is not necessarily how life was like in England, Gallia/France, or Italy, to name a few.

Don't forget the Basques...they've laid claim that their whaling and cod-fish expeditions took them to the New World!

Well here in SF, the sun is out, there's a stiff breeze, but it's sunny! What a miracle, compared to yesterday!

I felt the same way as I passed through the halls of El Escorial, the palace outside of Madrid that Felipe II built in the 1500s...and when I walked through old Toledo, as well as the Alhambra. So much history comes alive all at once! I'm drooling to go back to Europe and see more, as well as visit these 'old friends'. Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip...can't wait to hear the rest!