Capn Bob

Currently reading "Mao's Great Famine : the History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962"...madness, I tell you, utter madness...and of course, things just get worse during the "Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution" just a few years later...

Not just Flag Day, but Army Day as well. And aye, I flew the National Colours...me ol' Pa (Sarge First Class) would have a word or 50 wi' me if'n I didn't...

I'd have to say that makes good sea sense. As a side note, in the field of flintknapping, we've got something called an "end-scraper" for cleaning up the yuck from hides...given their size, it must have taken some time. Additional side note: It's hard to type when ye got a cat on ye lap...

That curved knive in question...I can't tell ye what it is, but it doesn't strike me as an amputation blade...seems much too thin for that, unless used for digits. And I would not want to be a bloke what had his finger(s) chiselled off...

Its now official...the N.C. wreck has been officially confirmed as the Queen Anne's Revenge. Neddy is certainly getting the press this year... http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/10/3692152/its-official-ship-found-off-nc.html

Found an official site of Panama Viejo, or Old Panama...sadly, it's all in Spanish, but there's lots of pictures and photos, including finds from excavations in the city. These are the goodies that Morgan and the boys would have seen and handled whikle they stayed in town as...guests. http://panamaviejo.org/catalogotags/index.php?q=coleccion And the home page of the site: http://www.panamaviejo.org/ I've often had the idle notion of gathering together a few like minded fellows and recreating Morgan's March, from Ft. San Lorenzo, along the Chagres, to Panama Viejo, Then I decided to take a look to see what impact the Canal might have had on such a route. Let's just say my knowledge of the geography of the region was a few years...decades...centuries...out of date.

Sometime last week, Medina OH "suffered" a 3 pointer earthquake...not exactly a Port Royal event, but this is *Ohio*, scupper me hide... Back in the 1980's, we had an earthquake in the Akron area. Being an Army brat as well as a pirate, the very first thing I thought when I started feeling the rumblins was..."Tanks are going down the street". Fort Knox mode, I reckon...

A fair warning to the world...beware of Scottish global ambitions! Scottish War of 2032

I've finished with A.C. Crispin's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom", which wasn't a bad read at all, and I've started David Mamet's "The Secret Knowledge", and after that will be our own E.T. Fox's "Pirates of the West Country".

Well, who knew Gilbert and Sullivan were writing music back in the good old days of 1718. Came across this little ditty on youtube, part of the "Horrible Histories" series, which we don't get down here, and why not share the booty? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlOEl5tCi1M

Blast these ol' deadlights, I thought it said "early 18th century *Tickling*"...

I'm about finishing up the Woodes Rogers bio, still reading the Newgate Calender (hey, it's a *big* file...reading an electronic version, d'ye ken...), I've got the *second* book of the Newgate Calender (1740-1799) lined up...and I've started re-reading Konstam's Blackbeard bio, since he's currently starring in his very own movie...

Ye may log me agreement regarding Scrum...a likable bloke

At my demand, the library where I work picked up this book "Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean : the adventurous life of Captain Woodes Rogers", by David Cordingly. And altho he be a villian to all right-thinking pyrates, I still grabbed it off the shelves and am reading it now...

Okay, strange question...and ye'll just have to take me affy-davy that I'm responding *before* looking at anything below the original post. First thing I think of for that year is WW1. Right on the heels of that is the Easter Rising in Ireland...I heard the current Hanoverian, Queen Lizzie, went to the Memorial in Ireland recently, and I salute her for doing so. Mark ye, I got no irons in the fire regarding Ireland. There's a story that the family's part Irish on me father's mother's side, but what little research I've done has yet to confirm this. The Brits of the family got out in 1637, just a couple years before the Civil War, and looking either for escape from the tyranny of Charles 1, religious liberty, or a decent meal. Or indeed, all three.

Just saw the movie today. Not a great movie, there were things about which to quibble (shouldn't Fat George have a bit more of a German accent?), and Blackbeard could have been more sinister, but it was fun and enjoyable. Plus I got to see me first 3-D movie, altho those specs put a strain on these ol' deadlights, ye may lay to that. I noted an "echo" of the end of the first movie at the end of this one, that's not been remarked on as yet. In this first movie, Anna Maria places the coat over Jack's shoulders as he takes the wheel of the re-acquired Black Pearl. Sort of...coronation-like, I thought. Now, this new one, "Boy" hands Barbossa his hat, as twere a crown...another coronation? And Barbossa uses the same gesture as he takes over the wheel. And could there be a father and (adopted) son relationship between the two? Something I'd like to see explored further, but likely never will, alas...

Brains... *Brains*... **Rum** and brains... Rum... Well, that may be, but I guess I didn't find them any more interesting or threatening than any other big thug. But you are right -- it would have been much worse to have them stumbling about moaning "brains...brains..."

And scupper me hide, I'll be seein' the movie tomorrow (May 20)...also the day I need to go pillagin' fer two necessities, rum and Doritos. I'm also plannin' to hit Magic Kingdom this October, as a shore excursion durin' me cruise, an' I'll be doin' some pillaging in the Pirate Marketplace just next to the PotC ride, ye may lay to that!

Well, scupper me hide, I'd surely fancy bein' included. I'd have to make up some good lies for ye to use, belike...which I can't do just this minute, cuz I be at work, goose me with a handspike... And just as a beside...I like brigs, I do...

Really? Who's that, then? Makes her one up on me...I can't dance the polka, either... I know one NY girl that can.

Had no idea that German "Augustin" song went back that far. Herr Schmidt taught that to us, back when I was living on base in Illesheim. Well, scupper me hide...