Jorge, interesting you should mention the Spanish Empire. Just finished 'Empire of Blue Water',

[Berni]

which is about Henry Morgan and the Carribean pirates who basically brought the curtain down on the Spanish empire by robbing them blind. However, what's really interesting about it is the stuff about how the 'Brethren of the Coast' (which is what the Pirates called themselves) worked.

They were incredibly democratic, divided spoils according to strict rules, offered medical care, disability benefits, pensions and personal injury payouts as well as bonus and incentive schemes. This, interestingly, made them an incredibly effective fighting force.

Of course they also raped, murdered and tortured like it was going out of fashion. They had an unfortunate penchant for burning people alive from the feet up, hanging people from the ceiling with their hands behind their backs so their shoulders dislocated and - my favourite - a thing called 'wolding' that involved tying a leather strap around your head and tightening it gradually with a stick until your eyes popped out of your head. :-

So yes, not a nice bunch. But terribly enlightened employers and by God they got the job done. Like a sort of insanely violent John Lewis Partnership, really.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Unheard of.

[Berni]

And they generally spent it all on booze and whores, to be fair.

Disappointingly, though, the book didn't mention Captain Morgan's Hammond Organ.

[Classic Jorge]

Surely "pirates" is a bit harsh though, isn't the PC term "Privateers"?

The spanish empire was ace, it was almost literally like taking candy from a baby. As they swept through the americas unapposed, diseases meaning they were better off coughing than firing a musket, the gold almost fell into their laps.

Of course, there's no film about it half as good as Aguirre; Wrath of God.

[Berni]

Of course, they were great as far as the Crown was concerned. Freelancers have the great advantage of not needing to be maintained and offering a government plausible deniability. And when they get embarrassing, you can just hang them.

The book also makes a good claim for Morgan as the most historically important Welshman ever, suggesting that, without him, much more of continental America would have ended up Spanish.

The Spanish empire was too easy. Not only did disease do half the job, but the bloody people were still in the Stone Age, with gold being literally the only metal they had. And they didn't have horses. Not sporting at all.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Berni]

Is it any good? It strikes me as a bit dull.

[Classic Jorge]

[Berni]

http://www.wisdom-books.com/CoversLarge/20066.jpg

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Berni]

tell me this: is there much violence? And tits.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Bob De Niro hamming it up beyond belief, and it's got violence.

There are some nativelady teats, but they're the saggy, duggy-type.

[Luis Anaconda]

from Bob De Niro acting as normal

[Berni]

It may just be me being contrary, but I think he's so mannered as to be laughable on occasion.

Native norks don't count, I'm afraid. They've got to spend some time being covered up to be of any interest when they're not. That said, I do remember being shown Zulu at school one Christmas and the sacred hush that descended as a hundred-odd teenage boys suddenly realised there were hundreds of nubile naked breasts and buttocks being shaken at us by charming Zulu ladies. :hehe:

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

https://neatnik2009.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/captain-mendoza-the-mission-1986.jpg

[redgunamo]

[Berni]

Oh, never mind. How about this for a headline?

http://news.oneindia.in/india/dalai-lama-trusts-yak-more-tha n-horse-1509756.html (http://news.oneindia.in/india/dalai-lama-trusts-yak-more-than-horse-1509756.html)

[Berni]

[Luis Anaconda]

I may have had a drink inside me at the time though

[redgunamo]

Otherwise you're going to have to name names, I'm afraid.

[Supermac1976]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eO2oqrPWniM/UFIsk5ICIFI/AAAAAAAAAiY/Pv3N_X5PRnk/s1600/Richard+Kiel+To+Serve+Man.jpg

[Classic Jorge]

HoooooWAAARGH etc

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view5/2784818/al-pacino-o.gif

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Sean Connery and Michael Caine in particular.

[barrybueno]

anything, ever. Ever! Ever! Ever!

[Berni]

"The Yermans!" :hehe:

[redgunamo]

[Berni]

else he did. 'Heat' is possibly the most overrated film ever.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Robert Redford, Elliot Gould, Denholm Elliott, Edward Fox, Anthony Hopkins, James Caan... you'd never afford that many big names in a movie these days.

[Luis Anaconda]

[barrybueno]

[redgunamo]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Donnie Brasco, ffs.

[Luis Anaconda]

[redgunamo]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

f**k it, the bloke's a genius.

[redgunamo]

[Berni]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

It's aimed at the more discerning, literary type. The sort of person who enjoys the arts; one who appreciates good writing and visits the theatre, and so on.

[redgunamo]

[Berni]

Heat is all car chases as I recall. And ponderous dialogue between people trying to out-act each other. God, it's dull.

[redgunamo]

action film without much action in it.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Berni]

bored the hole out of me last time.

[redgunamo]

Mann's men to ever manage that was Will Graham, I think.

They all tend to dally with the idea a bit and then decide to continue hanging out with the lads after all.

Or die.

Or both.

[Berni]

Curse you, Benny Blanco from the Bronx!

[redgunamo]

Seeing that (Heat) when it came out remains the only time I've ever been to the cinema with the woman. Fortunately, we're not really movie folk.

[Berni]

Apart from the whole marrying you, thing, of course, but to err is human, I suppose. :-)

[redgunamo]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Quite sure?

[Berni]

[redgunamo]

were using FNC 80s, which despite being fully automatic assault rifles normally, were actually modified and set to semi-auto during gunfights?

My good lady did :love:

[barrybueno]