Hester

Scottish contemporary folksinger James Yorkston's new album title seems to give a tip of the hat to Al Stewart's classic masterpiece. It's called The Year of the Leopard You can hear his music on his my space page: http://www.myspace.com/jamesyorkston

Here's a video of a live performance of This beautiful contemporary folksong recalls the whaling fleet that sailed out of the port of Leith, Scotland, beginning in the 17th century. Hear more of this gorgeous music on James Yorkston's My Space page. Cheers, Hester

The Jam, "Ghosts"

Bill Jones, "Turn to Me" Terrific trad. folk

Don't laugh, that's actually true. Dark chocolate (my fave) is high in flavonoids -- anti-oxidants that help protect against heart disease: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter...n/chocolate.htm I like this stuff: Of course, Mars Bars don't count (except by Pirate Logic). Cheers, Hester

In reference to "rape" Fantacy...... Dang.... first Romantic novel I read.... and they 'quibble" over this part.... She wasn't raped.... because she chose to give herself to the Captain... and not the crew...... So I am not miss-understood.....I will discribe what I mean by the "Rape Fantacy"...... First off ... it is not a sexual assault..... it is baised off the concept that "good girls" don't do that sort of thing...... but if "forced" ..... well it wasn't her fault... Nacny Friday wrote an entire book about the concept Hi, Patrick: Congrats on continuing with your romance reading, and breaking down some gender stereotypes. As for the issue of "rape fantasies", I guess I should point out that Ms. Friday's book My Secret Garden was published 33 years ago when the stereotype that "good girls don't" was far more prevalent in society. And, as you note, the fantasies Friday collected from women had nothing to do with being brutally assaulted. So her choice of the word "rape" is problematic (and was highly debated at the time of publication). After all, the women involved were controlling the fantasy, and so there was no issue of really being forced to do something against their will. [cf. S&M vs. domestic violence]. Perhaps Friday would have been better advised to call these scenarios "coercive SEDUCTION fantasies". In any case, today, good girls generally DO, so the element of coercion is far less common in contemporary romance fiction. Perhaps in the case of Tell Me Lies, which you describe as being unusually erotic for the genre, the notion of coercion was introduced by the author (either consciously or unconsiously) because the sexual situations were so explicit/intense/frequent, etc. [in other words, maybe good girls DO now, but perhaps not THAT much.] Well, as you point out, the hero is generally the Fabio clone -- tall, muscular, strong, with long flowing hair (usually dark for pirates). Given that the male protagonist is physically such a cookie-cutter production, the EYES -- the windows of the soul -- take on great significance, giving him one means through which his unique personality can be physically expressed. Cheers, Hester

Having finally waded through the interminable Plum Island, I'm now gleefully starting this find from my local library, The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte: I'm always a little leery of books in translation, fearing the language will be stilted and distracting. But, judging by the first chapter this book is both well-written and well-translated, and far more literary than the plodding Plum Island. Here's Amazon's blurb: "A treasure hunt for a Jesuit ship sunk by pirates off the coast of Spain is the plot on which Perez-Reverte's new novel turns, but a love story is the real heart of this nicely crafted, carefully told adventure. A suspended sailor happens on a maritime auction in Barcelona, where he meets the beautiful Tanger Soto, a museum curator whose winning bid buys her a 17th-century atlas that may reveal the final resting place of the Dei Gloria. Coy, the sailor, is totally smitten, so it's no surprise that he signs on to help Tanger track the sunken ship to its grave in waters he's sailed since childhood. Enlisting the aid of a diver friend, Coy and Tanger stay a few steps ahead of the crooked salvagers who've been trying to get the atlas, outmaneuvering the attempts on their lives and the efforts to keep them from the treasure. Perez-Reverte (The Fencing Master, The Club Dumas) is better at plumbing the mysteries of the human heart than those of the sea, but The Nautical Chart manages to combine history, suspense, and obsessive love in a slow-paced but ultimately engrossing read." Cheers, Hester

Well, last spring, I was walking home on garbage day, and out of the corner of my eye, I spied a jolly roger in someone's recycling bin. It happened to be on the cover a paperback copy of Nelson DeMille's Plum Island: Well, always on the lookout for piratey fiction, I scooped it out of the recyclables and took it home. I put it away with stuff to take to my cottage, but then forgot exactly which box I'd put it in and "lost" it for a few months. I eventually did get around to reading it, and just finished it yesterday. It was a slow process, as I kept putting the book down and forgetting (and not caring) where it was. The main character, an NYPD homicide detective recuperating on Long Island from multiple gunshots, wasn't very appealing. In fact, he was a dick (and that's not just a short form for "detective".) He was a wiseass, apparently reflecting the author's juvenile sense of humour. And he was a hardass -- becoming progressively more violent and sadistic as the story wore on. There is piratey stuff in the book, but it doesn't enter the plot until around page 200, and it's rather difficult to put up with the gratingly annoying "hero" until then. Cheers, Hester

I'm a former volunteer rape crisis counsellor, Story. I abhor the crime involved. Had the elderly woman killed her attacker in retaliation, I would consider that her right. However, I'm also a democratic socialist, and so I equally abhor the state's use of 'legalized' torture (i.e. whipping, etc.) or murder ("execution") for any reason whatsoever. The physical, psychological, or emotional abuse of prisoners is a fundamental violation of human rights according to the United Nations Convention against Torture: http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm [ironically, the UN acronym for this convention is "CAT".] If we fail to apply these standards to all human beings -- even the most violent criminal such as a rapist -- then we open the door to fascism. Hester

... or alcohol AND chocolates for those of us with multiple addictions...

Hey, Callenish: Do you get out your cat-o-nine-tails to make that dish? Cheers, Hester

Well, technically, he is for sale ... which would make him Plunder. But... I did banish him to the hot tub, which is located in "The Way to a Pyrate's Heart"... however, he didn't really survive the frantic festivities over there. He wound up punctured and deflated and rather pathetic looking once the wild young things got through with him. Now, I think the sailmaker's trying to recycle him into a rubber dingy -- complete with mast. Cheers, Hester

Ta very much for the English Breakfast, William! [The one I originally had seems to have disappeared -- I guess Stu & Colin ate it!] What's on the menu for lunch? Cheers, Hester

Goddess grace ... I thought corporal punishment in prisons was abolished in Canada in the 19th century! To my horror, it appears it was still on the books until 1972! Hey, I was 9 years old then: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pblct/rights...0yrs-05_e.shtml When I was 6, a parliamentary committe declared: "The imposition of such a penalty is 'brutal and degrading both to the recipient and the person imposing it'." I second that emotion! But ye gods, I thought we'd done way with this brutality before my grandmother was born, not when I was in primary school! I guess I can't be so critical of the Bahamian justice system when the laws of my own country so recently allowed the same thing. ~~Hester

Christ on a crutch! I was considering a vacation in the Bahamas next spring. Now, I'll think twice about visiting such a barbaric country. Hester

[Hester walks into the Tsunami Kate, flanked by two handsome Irish bits of rough. As Hester notes the interior details of the refurbished but land-bound ship, her eyes widen in awe.] Wow, William ... what a beautiful place you've got here! It's brilliant. This is the perfect cool, quiet hideaway after last night's mayhem and debauchery at the hot tub. But, well... debauchery works up an appetite. So, William, do you think the kitchen could do a full English breakfast for me, please? Oh, and for Colin and Stu here, too... Oh, ta! Ah, and a nice cuppa too! Bless you William! Cheers, Hester

Hey, Rumba: We could always put some pirate clothes on this inflatable guy: [image censored. Yikes, ye pirates be such prudes!] And apparently his bits even vibrate! Hmmm... inflatable ... maybe once we've got the hat, the dreadlocks, and the beard in place, we should just take him over to the HOT TUB. Cheers, Cap'n Hester

Regina Spektor, "On the Radio" ... on the radio.

Here's an article on "Pirate-core" ... the pop cultural expression of piratical aesthetics. Cheers, Cap'n Hester

Hey, Capt. Alva: Nice scarf! And thank your brother for modelling it for us. He gave me quite a chuckle. Cheers, Hester

Is this the Squid name generator, or the Pirate Porn name generator? I got: Dallies with molluscs! "It is a precious jewel to be plain Sometimes in shell the Orient's pearls we find." [Lyircs of the cryptically bawdy madrigal "Fine Knacks for Ladies", written by John Downland in 1600.] Cheers, Hester

Hi, Jenny: Those aerial photos are cool! Thanks for that, and your post of historical background on the other thread. Cheers, Hester

Hey, Rumba: Not to worry, my family long ago Canadianized it by substituting butter for the suet. Cheers, Hester

I'm even a day ahead... I've just finished assembling a rabbit pie for supper tomorrow, and it's waiting in the fridge. I'll bake it tomorrow and serve it with fresh local asperagus. Tonight, though, it's a belated Canadian Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey thighs, roasted on a bed of skirlie (Scottish oatmeal stuffing) baked Klondike Rose potatoes Sweet Dumpling squash peas gravy cranberry sauce

Goddess grace, Patrick! What IS that on your head?