This discussion needs to be continued over (non-elitist) Vodka. Although I would prefer Irish Whiskey.
On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 6:08 PM, Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky <[email protected]>wrote: > My my how elitist we are discussing the brutalities of vanished > civilizations. Those ancient butchers were so grotesque they did each > murder > one at a time. Just imagine the effort involved, each methodical death blow > by death blow. Such brutes, in retrospect. They must have had tag teams of > executioners on high holidays switching arms as they grew weary. They > probably had a drum roll to accompany the changing of the Blades. I can > just > see the flint knappers running up the stairs with arm loads of replacement > inserts. Quick quick snap to it boys there is a rhythm to maintain for > these > special ceremonies. > > Only an academic can think to disregard the recent activities on the news > and Just 70 years ago, Katyn. ( I was told it took teams of machine gunners > all day to dispatch and fill the pits. They did not even have time to > remove > the wallets and personal items. A rush job.) > > Was I mistaken did I hear of seven heads delivered by the Taliban only > yesterday. And modern Mexicans are every bit as inventive as their distant > ancestors. Do you think they used electric saws for seven heads or did they > still use flint maces? > > Lets tsk, tsk all those brutal Mesoamericans. And the death toll from white > diseases in North America has anyone ever come up with realistic numbers. > > Tsk tsk, I defy any archeologist to turn up anything like Auscwitz or Katyn > Civilization is organized and focused brutality. We have just become better > at it none of us would waste so much effort for so few heads. > > What is remarkable is not the head count but the incredibly inefficient > ritualized waste of resources these people conducted. We have surpassed > them > in every measurable manner and we don't even leave evidence behind to > implicate us anymore. Katyn was a sloppy job. > > > > Dr.Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky > Ph.D.(Civil Eng.), M.Sc.(Mech.Eng.), M.Sc.(Biology) > > 120-1053 Beaverhill Blvd. > Winnipeg, Manitoba > CANADA R2J 3R2 > (204) 2548321 Phone/Fax > [email protected] > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf > Of Jochen Fromm > Sent: April 27, 2010 6:42 PM > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Palenque, Chichen Itza and more > > The Toltecs don't belong to the Maya, > they are more predecessors of the Aztecs. > The Maya were the culture with the most > elaborate and interesting writings. > > But you are right, we can find on the one > hand extreme violence and brutality among > nearly all Mesoamerican cultures, and > on the other hand highest culture in form > of hierogylphs and writing systems. > > I guess people back then were not that > different from today, some just wanted > to be peaceful farmers, while others > insisted on repulsive rituals, bloody > sacrifices and endless wars. The film > Apocaylpto from Mel Gibson describes > it well, I think it is quite authentic. > > -J. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Douglas Roberts > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 1:03 AM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Palenque, Chichen Itza and more > > I think the Toltecs were the most bloody, degenerate, disreputable culture > that has disgraced the planet in semi-recorded history (present company > excluded, of course). Handball games where the captain of the winning team > was obliged to decapitate the captain of the losing team and then do a > slam-dunk with the head? > > No, thanks. > > The ruins in Chichen-Itza are impressive, though. > > --Doug > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > -- Doug Roberts [email protected] [email protected] 505-455-7333 - Office 505-670-8195 - Cell
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
