Silver Steele

Seems we have a few Wally-World shoppers here! I too picked this up. Needless to say, after about 15 minutes I walked out of the room as I couldn't watch it anymore. My other half did watch the whole thing. Blahhhhhhh.

Well perhaps a common ground is a good start. Using either POTC or Treasure Island. I think most school age children have read TI, and have probably seen POTC. Perhaps you could focus on the things that most people think pirates had or used based upon Treasure Island. For example, in TI there are peg legs, eye patches, walking the plank, earrings, parrots, buried treasure, and lots of gold. Because of TI, most people think ALL pirates had these things. Using the lots of gold example, most pirates didn't get rich. There are of course a few exceptions, but most of the time the items they plundered were goods such as food, sail cloth, water, clothes, black powder, etc. That not many a pirate died as rich and successful as Morgan. Most died poor at the end of a noose or as a street beggar. Using POTC as an example is the Code set down by the pirates Morgan and Roberts. Morgan died in 1688 when Roberts was only 6 years old. That there was a ships "code" persay, the ship's articles. And Roberts does have one of the most well known. So perhaps a bit on weapons? That in movies ships are portrayed as huge galleons, with 100 guns, when in reality they were sloops with 6-10 small cannons. ANd pirates used those ships because they were faster and could sail under the attacked ships cannons. Of course you could bring up there are exceptions to this also, meaning Blackbeard. Just my .02 doubloons.

Remember 10 yrs later when Will "comes back" that there is a flash of green just before the ship appears. Remember, when there is a green flash someone comes back from the dead, per say. My only problem with this is when the FD originally disappears with Will at the wheel.. err.. well Bootstrap at the wheel, there is a green flash then also. Soooooooooo who came back to life? Or was it just bad gas from an undead pirate crew who is destined to help the dead to DJ's locker to play with sand crabs that will move yer ship for ya... for free.. as long as ya lick em. They like that!

(shrug) Well.... I suppose the internet could know more then the writers. I asked The guys and that was what they told me. She said nothing. Maybe the answer is somewhere half way between..... I'll let them know they are getting old and cannot remeember what they wrote. And somewhere along the line, I think they forgot half of the story line from the first and second movies as evidenced in the third movie........... but then again, maybe it's their master plan in the long run and the evil of cutting up half the film to the cutting room floor. Lets just hope that when this comes out on DVD that there is a directors "cut" that is well.. uncut.

I happened across this icon several days ago.

According to Marty the mystery of what Tia said from the script is as follows: "Malfaiteur en Tombeau, Crochir l'Esplanade, Dans l'Fond d'l'eau!" Translation: "Across all the seas, find (search out) the path to he who wrongfully entombed me!"

Then there are those of us who are the ones who applied to be beta testers. All I have to say is...... ALPHA TESTING not beta testing.

"Santa, I've been a very very good little pillaging pirate this year. Can I have the 1730's Gentleman's Suit for Christmas?" That is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

And for those who can not find the books at the library or are short on funds you can find the following two books online. General History of the Pyrates Buccaneers of America

Now Foxe, you know I haven't updated THAT specific page in eons....... Gimmie a few days, I've been working on trying to categorize about 2 gig worth of information and go thru probably what amounts to about 15 reams of paper containing copies of primary sources from books, etc and printouts. In addition to dealing with copying info over from the old hard drive to the new computer. However, I think there might be something on the Bonnet page from one of the newspapers about descriptions of flags flying when Bonnet was with Blackbeard. How many hours are there in a day? I'll sleep when I die. Oh, and one of my new year's resolutions was to better document or rather actually footnote interesting facts that I find....

Odds seem more in favor of the thought that he may have worn a wig, which was pretty much the fashion, instead of his own hair, or that he was shaved prior to his execution. In order to obtain a better fitting wig, men would shave or wear their own hair closely cropped... Here is a quote regarding Bonnet's execution off of the history of Bonnet that I have been working on. "Bonnet's wig was removed and the noose lowered over his head. Major Stede Bonnet died at the end of a rope, being shoved off the tail of a cart. For four days following his body hung from the gallows. His remains were then buried in the mud at the low tide mark. Execution records from South Carolina state that Bonnet was 48 the day he was hanged." Additionally regarding his burial at the low tide mark another source states that he was buried in the swamp in an unknown location as he was afraid of his wife searching him out. Another explanation regarding the burial at low tide mark is that sometimes after they were chained to the post for three tides, they were buried face down at the low tide mark. As for sources regarding Bonnet being bald at the time of execution. Hmm.. well.. I know it came from one of the following, but at this exact moment... I can not tell you. * Mainwaring, Sir Henry, Of the Beginnings, Practices and Suppression of Pirates, London * Rankin, Hugh F. Pirates in Colonial North Carolina, State Dept. of Archives & History, Raleigh, NC 1965 * Rhett, Robert Goodwyn, Charleston, an Epic of Carolina, Garret Massie, Richmond, VA 1940 * Hacke, William A Collection of Original Voyages, London 1699 * Howell, T.B. State Trials, vol. XV, London 1812 * Johnson, Capt Charles A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates, London, 1724 * Cordingly, David Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates, New York 1996 * Seitz, Don C. Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates, New York, 1925 * Ellms, Charles The Pirates Own Book, 1837 * Paschal Jr., Herbert R. A History of Colonial Bath, Edwards & Broughton Company, Raleigh NC, 1955 * Moore, David D. A General History of Blackbeard the Pirate, the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Adventure, Tributaries, 1997 v. 7, p 31-35 * Stockton, Frank R. Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts, New York, 1898 * Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Services, America and the West Indies, Preserved in the Public Record Office. Edited by Cecil Headlam. London: Cassell & Co. Ltd. , 1930-1933 * Boston News-Letter, 1704 - 1726, Boston, Massachusetts * Boston News-Letter, November 11, 1717, Boston, Massachusetts [1] * The South-Carolina Gazette, Friday, October 3, 1718 * Bonnet Captured at Cape Fear, Charleston Reproductions, 3rd Ed., Charleston, SC. 1996 (Original edition 1972) * Burney, James History of the Buccaneers of America [1816] London, University Press * Woodbury, George The Great Days of Piracy in the West Indies [1951] New York, Norton & co. * Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, volume 1717-18, no. 5563 [3] * Lawrence The Lower Cape Fear in Colonial Days, [1965] Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press * Ellms, Charles The Pirates Own Book [1837] * Population Census of Barbados 1715 - 1716 * Parish of Christ Church, Marriage and Baptismal Records, Barbados 1688 - 1715 * Aix-en-Provence. Centre des archives d'outre-mer. AN Col C8A 22 (1717) f°447. 10 décembre 1717 Charles Mesnier, Intendant of Martinique * July 5, 1717, CSPCS Vol 29, #635 * Deposition of Thomas Knight, contained in a letter from Gov. Hamilton, Jan. 6, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #298. ii * Deposition of Richard Joy, contained in a letter from Gov. Hamilton, Jan 6, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #298. i * Letter from Gov. Hamilton, Jan. 6, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #298. (Occurrence Late Nov or early Dec. 1717) * Deposition of Henry Bostock, contained in a letter from Gov. Hamilton, Jan 6, 1718 CSPCS Vol. 30, #298. iii. * Letter from Lt. Gov. Bennett, Bermuda, May 31, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #551 * Letter from Gov. Johnson, South Carolina, June 18, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #556 * Letters from Carolina, August 19, 1718, CSPCS Vol. 30, #660. * Deposition of David Herriot, 1719 * Captain Ellis Brand of the HMS Lyme in a letter (July 12, 1718) to the Lords of Admiralty, as appeared in Moore, 1997 * The Boston News-Letter, No. 739, June 9 -16, 1718, p.2, col. 1 The "biography" on Bonnet that I have been working on can be found HERE And please forgive the spelling errors. I'm in the process of redoing the entire site.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- You could call it the ultimate cold case investigation. It started 10 years ago when state archaeologists announced they'd found a ship wreck believed to be the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard. Now there's new evidence that Blackbeard was on board, according to some. There's new evidence that the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard really is sitting off the coast in Beaufort Inlet. Scientists said 10 years ago that a cannon, bell, gold dust and other artifacts were strong evidence that the ship belonged to Blackbeard. But questions remained. On Friday, researchers unveiled new discoveries including a coin weight with the Queen's likeness along with shackles and glass beads from Africa. Blackbeard captured a French slave ship and renamed it the Queen Anne's Revenge. "The inescapable conclusion from a decade of historical and archaeological research is that the wreck at Beaufort Inlet is the Queen Anne's Revenge," said historian Dr. Lindley Butler. Scientists are proposing a three-year project to fully excavate the ship. Gov. Mike Easley included money for a new expedition to the ship in his budget. If the General Assembly approves, the dives would run for 12 weeks this fall. PICTURE OF THE COIN: http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/news....03-02-0012.html ADDITIONAL ARTICLES: http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/548968.html http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070303/ap_on_...kbeard_s_ship_1

I found this little thing on the Science and Society Picture Library site although a wee bit past the GAoP, it still is quite interesting as the tails are not leather, not thick rope, but very small diameter rope or cord (which I believe to be hemp). Description reads as follows: Cat o’ nine tails, 1700-1850. Picture Reference: 10422471 Subject: SOCIETY & WARS > Politics, Government & Law > Crime & Punishment, Punishment Equipment Inventory No.: A034184 Credit: Science Museum Keywords: 19th Century, Assaults, CAT, Cat o' nine tails, Cord, Crime, Crime & Punishment, Punishment, Discipline, Equipment, Exton, David, Industrial Revolution (1780-18, Navy, Nine, O', Punishment, Royal, Royal Navy, Tail, United Kingdom, Whip cord, Whip, Whips SOURCE SITE

I say tie em to the mast an' give em' Moses' Law. Then give em a bucket of sea water over their noggin to sharpen their soul.

Interestingly enough, Yahoo just posted an article saying Ancient Americans cooked with chili peppers 6,100 years ago. You can read the article on Yahoo HERE