Pertinax

chronically over-educated.My knowledge of obsessive compulsive substance abuse in 19th C Ireland has never really been a help in my work.

Terry Pratchett wrote something similarish with "small gods" ie" gods only receive strength from sincere worship, new gods appear with new "cults" , tv , microwave ovens. kfc family buckets etc.Old gods just fade with their believers.

only if he is defeated-as Caeser says to Antony!

I think P-P may be inadvertantly putting Christianity in the cross hairs of guilt. A few of as have discussed this on the side and the Church helped degrade civic pride more than anything. I have to second this statement, I have expressed my views on Julian (the Apostate ) elsewhere , but I take no issue with Christians/Christiannity pre se : my point is that as a tactical separation of the Cult of the Emperor from the actuality of everyday Roman business/economic brand loyalty to the "conscience of the individual" as a (potentially) atomised individual unit of Empire ,we hit the greatest mental cleavage since the death of the Republic.Indeed this is the key fracture line in the end of the western Empire. The diminution of the old order and its supplanting with the new religion did not bring any greater moral strength -certainly inits early days we see rapacious opportunism as the new state "cult" is empowered. I repeat this is not an anti Christian statement but a comment on the mundane practical appreciation of "Romaness" in relation to a centrally identifiable brand cult.

Laser is very good nowadays-but the clinic must be of the best standing. For quality self-medication seek out "lutein" and a natural "beta carotenoid" , bilberry is (believe it or not ) very good for the health of the eye.Golden Seal herb-which is a canadian product ,can be used with care.

Geez--I thought all women did that. never crossed my mind :fish: honest

He did-but first he had has son killed as he feared the boy would not be strong enough to resist torture.

Part two of my episodic review of "Sacred Beers" is in the blog area-this week its Mead as a wild Pictish ride!

Ye seconnde partte_Part 2 So firstly we see the near universal practice of fermentation as food, medicine and divine conduit now we are down to practical matters and the

please note it also said "sacred"-it is your solemn spiritual obligation to consume high quality beer to commune with the Divine! Wow--and there's a book proving this!? I can't wait to show it to my girlfriend! Now I'm not just a beer snob any more; I'm just doing my sacred duty... The only drawback is that she might claim the sacred right of women alone to be responsible for the divine process of fermentation ( men were excluded from the process) -similarly if she herself is the brewer ,she may claim oracular powers and the right to issue impenetrable instructions to you as to the conduct of your daily life.

I think the link is working now -though the site is still under massive reconstruction and has been stripped back. Please be patient if you are interested in the "small objects" add-ons to the UNRV gallery reports, im working on it! Quite a few extra Vindolanda items are posted and some Eboracum ones also on the msn blog. As you will see the materia medica are replicated but will extend beyond the Roman domain. My passion for all things Japanese is also notable. Beer and assorted pleasurable consumables will link in later when I have additional items in Pantagathus's "Nectar " site. Sacred Beer part 2 coming soon!

no pizza ! seriously, the non-industrial nature of such an advanced society as a generality, in particular- the non-personage of slaves as a daily lived experience. PC -women still wax their "bikini lines" today and shave their legs.The swiss sell a dedicated implement for the rotary cutting of nostril hair!

I would like to point out that a major strand of Japanese seppuku ( ritual suicide-hari kiri is a vulgar western abasement) is the concept of admonishment by moral rigour. For example a highly respected retainer might commit seppuku to admonish a young ruler who was departing from his fathers moral precepts-this was 1.shocking -the self inflicted death of such a worthy individual was a stern warning of impropriety-they could not countenance the morality of the Lord and chose death. 2. impeccably correct-it showed iron moral virtue. I am no lover of Cato as you all know , but I see his death as being understandable in this cross cultural context. The dramatic and painful circumstances reinforce his perceived moral position.Remember the "respect" seppuku of Admiral Togo (victor of Tsushima ) on the death of the Emperor.

please note it also said "sacred"-it is your solemn spiritual obligation to consume high quality beer to commune with the Divine!

correct -your medicine dance is not intense enough-concentrate harder and the sacred will appear .However you must be full of decorum and subtlety! Maple would be even more sugary and juniper is a strong contender-as it has a resident yeast as well.

From what ive been reading about Celt and Pict brewing practices im surprised they were actually ever sober, especially when fighting.The Picts pre-battle beer formula explains a little as to why they were always running around half naked ,dancing on fast moving chariot poles.

The essence of the Art is coaxing-and retaining a "personal" yeast into the wort.Keeping it dormant perhaps on a birch branch and re-using ad infinitum.There is a graet deal said about wild yeasts in the book, indeed that they dominate the Earth, and all organisms must conceal any fermentable elements -or the yeasts will consume them.

There are virtually no beers in the book (and this includes an absolute torrent of recipes from around the planet ) that arent for "altered states". Buhner suggests that modern puritanism has been driven by women since they lost control of the priest/healer/brewer role to men -they want it back!

Ok the first part of the review is in the blog if members care to view it, from there it will grow and progress to a full analysis ( including non-european items) off site at Pantagathus's Nectar of the Gods! site.

well -one very major assertion is that far from civilisation becoming settled due to use of grain for bread, it became so to allow fermentation to be more conveniently achieved via a grain source.The logic being that as fermentation was utterly central to nearly all ancient cultures as a mode of spiritual enlightenment and of "foodstuff as medicine" ( our modern terms) then the brewer (virtually always without exception a Woman ) would be oracle,technician, priestess, healer.

Review of