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Post by mossie on Sept 21, 2021 6:47:01 GMT
creeper
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Post by tod2 on Sept 21, 2021 7:55:01 GMT
"Jeepers Creepers, where'd ya get those peepers"....so the song goes
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 9, 2021 18:00:38 GMT
Today is only the 40th anniversary of the abolition of capital punishment in France.
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Post by questa on Oct 9, 2021 22:53:37 GMT
In Hanoi I saw the guillotine the French used in Vietnam...up close...(Shudder)
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Post by tod2 on Oct 11, 2021 8:25:21 GMT
That was something I never knew - I thought the guillotine was only used in Paris.
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Post by questa on Oct 11, 2021 11:36:01 GMT
In Hanoi there is a war museum on part of the "Hanoi Hilton" site (At least in 1994).It was closed while the Govt planned what to do with the relics. Saigon had a reasonable museum with lots of "Look what the terrible USA did to us" exhibits. With the ban on western contact about to expire and the tourists lining up at the gates, Hanoi wanted a balanced collection. The gate was partly open so I wandered in and saw the guillotine,covered with vines and rubbish, Then a fellow ran towards me shoo-ing me off like a chicken.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 11, 2021 12:15:48 GMT
I think the guillotine was used in just about all of the French territories and colonies but also in Germany, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Switzerland. This was considered more humane than other methods used such as decapitation by hatchet in Sweden or by sword in Switzerland. I would think it was even more humane for the executioner because can you imagine having that job and missing a clean cut?
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Post by tod2 on Oct 11, 2021 16:31:57 GMT
Thank you Kerouac,,,,wisest of all things French, and appreciated.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 11, 2021 17:06:42 GMT
I read that the only other "humane" execution is hanging on a long rope with a long fall. But I don't know who ever did that.
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Post by onlyMark on Oct 11, 2021 17:47:41 GMT
Common practice in the UK to use a 'long drop' method resulting in instant death. Most 'famous' executioner was Albert Pierrepoint who executed "between 435 and 600 people" - though how you could not take note of how many you've killed is confusing. "From entering the condemned man's cell to opening the trapdoor took him a maximum of 12 seconds. The neck was broken in almost exactly the same position in each hanging — the Hangman's fracture." "In September 1946 Pierrepoint travelled to Graz, Austria, to train staff at Karlau Prison in the British form of long-drop hanging. Previously, the Austrians had used a shorter drop, leaving the executed men to choke to death, rather than the faster long-drop kill." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Pierrepoint"The Official Table of Drops, formerly issued by the British Home Office, is a manual which is used to calculate the appropriate length of rope for long drop hangings." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Table_of_Drops
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Post by bjd on Oct 11, 2021 17:58:46 GMT
Speaking of killing people, I had always understood that Jesus Christ suffocated to death when he was crucified. Well, in the book Jerusalem (that I only got halfway through), I read that when the condemned person was crucified, after a while the Roman soldiers would break the person's legs, causing him to sag and only then suffocate.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 11, 2021 19:20:49 GMT
Fascinating stuff Mark. There was a film about him a few years back and I think he was played by Timothy Spall. Didn’t he oversee the Nuremberg trial executions?
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 11, 2021 19:23:26 GMT
Timothy Spall = perfect casting
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2021 20:33:55 GMT
Wikipedia has a page on crucifixion. It's horrifyingly complete, in fact a sort of instruction sheet. I suggest not reading it. The awfulness stayed with me.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 11, 2021 20:39:12 GMT
Russia has 25% of the world’s fresh water.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 11, 2021 21:48:13 GMT
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Post by questa on Oct 11, 2021 23:11:30 GMT
Trouble with living in the antipodes...I'm always out of sync with the topic in discussion here. So-called Birthdays are actually anniversaries of one's birth. and the good wishes are to acknowledge the anniversary. You can only have one Birthday. Speaking of killing people, I had always understood that Jesus Christ suffocated to death when he was crucified. Well, in the book Jerusalem (that I only got halfway through), I read that when the condemned person was crucified, after a while the Roman soldiers would break the person's legs, causing him to sag and only then suffocate. I wondered why use metal nails when iron was so expensive in this era. Paintings often show the 2 thieves tied with rope but nails for Jesus.There is a theory that Jesus had TB and the spear in the side allowed the fluid (ascites) to drain
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Post by questa on Oct 11, 2021 23:41:25 GMT
Malaysia and Indonesia both have Capital Punishment for carrying drugs. Occasionally Aussies are executed, Malaysia by long drop hanging, Indonesia by firing squad. Any soldier may be called on to be part of a squad except Buddhists. The law recognises their vow of not taking life.
With hanging, the object is to fit the large round knot just in the hollow beneath the ear so that the drop snaps the spinal cord and death is almost instantaneous. Too long a drop can remove the head, too short and they strangle.
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Post by onlyMark on Oct 12, 2021 4:56:40 GMT
Fascinating stuff Mark. There was a film about him a few years back and I think he was played by Timothy Spall. Didn’t he oversee the Nuremberg trial executions? No. Timothy Spall was just an actor and too young.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 12, 2021 8:45:02 GMT
Fascinating stuff Mark. There was a film about him a few years back and I think he was played by Timothy Spall. Didn’t he oversee the Nuremberg trial executions? No. Timothy Spall was just an actor and too young. I just knew he'd say that...
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 12, 2021 8:49:11 GMT
Yes, Highlighting Today wrong. Meant Something I learned today.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 23, 2021 13:41:18 GMT
Today is the 48th anniversary of Richard “I am not a crook!” Nixon agreeing to turn over the tapes subpoenaed by the Watergate special prosecutor.
Even Tricky Dick did the right thing, eventually.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 23, 2021 17:27:29 GMT
Amazing to remember the utter, universal outrage at Nixon's actions -- how we were practically baying for his blood.
And here we are almost fifty years later, with big portions of the House and Senate just rolling their eyes and saying "we need to get past" the events of January 6, 2021 -- events provoked by a former president who makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout.
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Post by mossie on Oct 24, 2021 7:51:53 GMT
Well it is America after all, the place where they go for absolute realism on their movie sets and guns are part of the furniture
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Post by casimira on Oct 25, 2021 14:41:12 GMT
Today T. and I are celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary. Going to lunch in the French Quarter. (Mondays are the worst day to find a decent restaurant as most of them are closed). So, we could not go to our usual spot.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 25, 2021 15:23:14 GMT
Oh congrats Cassie! 37 is something to cherrish!
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 25, 2021 16:56:21 GMT
Goodness gracious! Since both of you remain under 37 years of age in my mind, that big anniversary amazes me! Be that as it may, my fondest wishes for a very~
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Post by mich64 on Oct 25, 2021 18:24:06 GMT
Happy 37th Wedding Anniversary Casi and T.!!! Hoping you enjoy the special little spot you are sure to find to celebrate.
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Post by questa on Oct 25, 2021 22:35:34 GMT
Congratulations and good wishes for many more anniversaries to come.
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Post by casimira on Oct 26, 2021 14:58:14 GMT
Thank you good people. We had a lovely lunch at a Northern Italian restaurant in the French Quarter. We were the only diners there so our waiter was very attentive. The food was excellent as was the wine, a particularly delicious Chianti. All in all we had a lovely day.
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