CiceroD

Thank you Ramses! Okay Bacon is chemically altered. Pickles and Saurkraut are too! but Nitrates aren't the point. The point is Trans Fats. Mcdonalds can definitely switch too natural saturated fats with an increase in cost. Similar to how properly FDA inspected meat costs more!

Really? Libertarians like me used to make a reductio ad absurdum argument that if the state could ban smoking in public places, there was nothing logically stopping them from banning fatty foods too. Yesterday's headline from the New York Times: New York Bans Most Trans Fats in Restaurants No slippery slope, huh? Sorry to play the devil's advocate Cato but take a closer look at the article you cited. "Trans fats are the chemically modified food ingredients that raise levels of a particularly unhealthy form of cholesterol and have been squarely linked to heart disease. Long used as a substitute for saturated fats in baked goods, fried foods, salad dressings, margarine and other foods, trans fats also have a longer shelf life than other alternatives." Chemically modified food ingredients This doesnt mean that they are banning bacon or big macs. New York has simply banned a food additive that is detrimental to public health. There has to be some point where public health concerns outweigh one's personal freedom. We can argue around in circles about where that point is. was it fascism when lead based paints were banned? is it fascist to require a building owner to remove asbestos? was it fascist that T. Roosevelt pushed the Pure Food and Drug Act? All this is besides the point. For the reasons I stated in my last post I dont think that a ban on smoking, such as the one happening in Britain can happen in the US.

The background of Sulla is what truly confuses me Although of the Cornelii, his family was in a state of poverty. He served under Marius against Jugurtha. What caused him to go to the Optimates? Although He recieved a large inheritance, Im surprised that the optimate elite didn't thumb their noses at him? any ideas?

"Conquest Denied" is a good essay. Ober maintains that with the lack of a hellenistic world Rome would have picked up cultural aspects from an undefeated Persian Emipire. Hmm a temple to Ahuru-Mazda in the forum? what do you guys think?

I think you and Cato see slippery slopes where none exist! Yes there is state sponsored propaganda. But there always has been state sponsored propaganda! It doesnt matter if the message is 'dont smoke kids' or 'duck and cover' Also the US has far too many illegal drugs to be worring about policing tobacco! I'm a college student. I rarely go three days without someone asking for a smoke! hardly a minority I think politicians remember Prohibition enough to not deprive nicotine from the masses!

I know that a menorah was part of the booty seized and marched through Rome. But no Ive not seen it. I'd be really surprised if the Romans kept it around. I'm looking at a photograph of the Arch.

There are several problems with this. A) how big were Legionary Eagles? Somthing small like documents (and later silk moth eggs) would be easily concealed and transported. Gold on the other hand is really heavy B ) Parthia was BIG after their initial display the eagles couldve been taken anywhere C) If I was the Parthian King I would have melted them down for coin as soon as I got tired of showing off my glorious victory (and rubbing it in Romes face). why? well this meant that the romans could never recover it. oops too slow

I think In wouldve enjoyed it better if I wasn't on a date. Im glad too that I was able to fob off my Grandparents when they wanted to take me to it! believe you me people Borat is not a date movie

Looking at the Arch of Titus Im amazed that theres actually a sentence there. (Is There? ) SENATVS POPVLVSQUEROMANVS easy enough to know what that means DIVOTITODIVIVESPASIANIF I can see TITO (im guessing Titus) and Vespasian but it seems as if they just chose filler letters VESPASIANOAVGVSTO again easy enough to understand. Now I dont know Latin but I do want to understand why they made reading (already hard with no spaces) harder (It seems) with abbrieviations! I'd appriciate the help.

I've read this before, but I don't understand how this person's DNA could be *that* close to the 8000-year-old skeleton. When you trace backwards, everyone has two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents and sixteen great-great grandparents and so on. Wouldn't a lot of people in Britain be related to this 8000-year-old skeleton? I think my dear Caius that Neil is referring to Mitochondrial DNA this is DNA from a separate part of the cell. This DNA is passed down whole from mother to offspring of either sex. Thus this guy could trace his ancestry back matrilineally to a woman with a specific mutation. Mitochondrial DNA has allowed many amazing discoveries. Such as the one National Geographic article on tracing the genetic impact of the Phoenicians. To the discovery of a Mitochondrial Eve!

In Josiah Ober's essay "Conquest Denied, the premature death of Alexander the Great" The author puts forward that without trade contact with a hellenized world, Rome wouldnt have adopted nearly so many Greek conventions. Then again one shouldnt entirely accept conterfactual history as Gospel.

Alas perhaps that is true in Britain but not in the U.S.! Mind you Im not a pothead It remains the scourge of God to American law enforcement. All of this was because of the puritanical zeal of some Government agencies during prohibition. P.S. watching reefer madness is an absolute hoot

Italian American Romanophilia makes sense But Germans? weird: They were the part of Europe that didn't become Roman! Our poll "where is everyone from" doesn't bear this out. I guess the 13 members from Continental Europe are the Romanophiles who are comfortable using English. what do you guys think?

I think Hannibal also had Hoplites. Didn't he put them on either side of his line? I have heard that that was important to his strategy in surrounding the Romans. This shows great tactical planning! his victory wasn't just because the Romans were stupid. I would like to compare taking Cannae away from Hannibal to taking the Victory of the Battle of Britain from the RAF!! Like the Consuls, Hitler made a mistake. Instead of concentrating on the RAF air fields he blitzed London to rubble. This mistake does not and should not diminish the men who fought in the RAF. likewise Varro and Paullus made a mistake. This doesnt mean that the battle was easy for Hannibal.

The Minoans had to trade with the near east and Egypt. Who else was there? We know that they were primarily a mercantile society and the first one in Europe. Logic would then dictate that they had some contact. But I always thought that the classic columnade developed after the Greek Dark ages. This was when the Phoenicians filled the trade vacuum left by the collapse of the Myceneans and re-introduced writing. Mycenae the direct cultural inheritors of the minoans do not show the "Greek architecture" that we know and love.

I'm curious, Was there a gens Horatii in historical Rome? anyone who claimed descent from the surviving brother? I immediately think of Horace but Im not too sure

I would say that columns were primarily aesthetic in roman architecture The real Roman contribution was the arch! And while it is very easy to see the greek influence in their art, The Romans made their marks too. Didn't the Romans come up with the bust as a sculpture form?

Well I guess this means in future I should get a newer source. my 1920's book "The Clothing of the Ancient Romans" by Lillian Wilson maintained that. "White Woolen cloth of the natural color of fleece, and, for fine garments, sometimes bleached to give it a more dazzling whiteness, was worn by the Ancient Romans much more than by any peoples living in the present time except those living in the orient." I guess this doesnt preclude the wearing of bright colors

I, for one, think that it all hangs on whether or not second hand smoke is as bad as they say it is. As I understand it hasn't caused a health crisis so lay off the owners of establishments! But I could be wrong. But I'd like for them to stop the truth ads they've been showing in the States. with very few exceptions they are extremelyannoying. what does shaving hairy backs have to do with smoking and lung cancer?

Well those seem to be really different from the 'Star Thistle' variety of caltrops that one thinks about. Im surprised one doesnt hear more about the tactical use of these things that could devastate a calvary charge.

The research Ive been doing in the Roman clothing indicates that men were far more restricted in color than were women. Although my sources are a bit old. (The best ones are from the twenties) I dont have much reason to doubt them. I'll try to find the appropriate quotes. MPC do you have any pics or sources of [/i]men from the 1st century in colorful garb?

I have finally rented the first two episodes. I was dismayed however at the colorful tunics and togas that I saw. with the exception of the dress of the senators and the military tunics Pullo and Vorenus wore, most were all sorts of colors. At one point Cicero wore a grey and white striped tunic with a green toga! I was given to think that Roman men's clothing were far more drab amongst the lower classes undyed and the patricians wore a dull white with the exception of clavii and among the candidati!

I was just thinking caldrail that your hyothetical has a strong resemblance to the Michael Jackson innocent sleepover hypothesis. One which I couldnt really believe!

Were curses used by all levels of society? Or only the poor as The article relates?

I agree with you there! I had to drive my roomate last year to the store and back at any hour of the day or night just because he couldn't ration his cigarettes and forgot his ID at home! Then again I didnt want to deal with him without Nicotine!!!