Food For Thought

[Alan62]

Interesting article
I take my children to the antique stores and try to keep them interested.
I also have started each one of them a different collection for them to build upon.
Hopefully they will

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by Alan62

Interesting article
I take my children to the antique stores and try to keep them interested.
I also have started each one of them a different collection for them to build upon.
Hopefully they will

Tell them tales and legends involving the blades, or tell them about the history and exploits of the people. I think this is especially powerful when the stories are from one's native culture because it creates a sense of identity and pride. Heroes (and their blades) never die.

And how many of us wanted a dha after watching Suriyothai or Sema: Warrior of Ayutthaya, or a jian after watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or The Hero?

Now we just need someone to make a movie on the Moros and the kris-guys will probably see their collection double in value.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by BluErf

Now we just need someone to make a movie on the Moros and the kris-guys will probably see their collection double in value.

Well , there is a very old Hollywood movie starring Gary Cooper and David Niven ; The Real Glory . Of course it is a slanted view of things but not a bad flick at all .
Made in 1939 available on videotape VHS digitally remastered with stereo sound .

Try :

filmwest@pacbell.net

[not2sharp]

The Master and Commander series contains one book in which Jack and crew fend off attacks from kris waving pirates. It is closely based on a true event which staretd with a British shipwreck in ~1813. In the true life story the Captain manages to fend survive the accidental grounding on an unchartered reef, rescue his crew, deliver a VIP Envoy, organize an economy, and fend off heavy pirate attacks; not only do they survive but they do so without losing a single crew member - and on the way home the Captain even gets to meet with Napolian on Elba. The novel is greatly toned down; nobody would believe the real story even if it was true.

Perhaps the powers that be will pursuade Russel Crow to take a shot at a sequel to Master and Commander.

n2s

[Rick]

Originally Posted by not2sharp

The Master and Commander series contains one book in which Jack and crew fend off attacks from kris waving pirates. It is closely based on a true event which staretd with a British shipwreck in ~1813. In the true life story the Captain manages to fend survive the accidental grounding on an unchartered reef, rescue his crew, deliver a VIP Envoy, organize an economy, and fend off heavy pirate attacks; not only do they survive but they do so without losing a single crew member - and on the way home the Captain even gets to meet with Napolian on Elba. The novel is greatly toned down; nobody would believe the real story even if it was true.

Perhaps the powers that be will pursuade Russel Crow to take a shot at a sequel to Master and Commander.

n2s

A great book !

I wish they had done the novel of the same name (Master and Commander) instead of making a "portable soup" of many of the novels rolled into one .

Beggars cannot be choosers though .

I think I've read all of O'Brian's stuff at least three times .
I'd like to see Ridley Scott direct the next O'Brian movie ( with Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany of course ) .

[Mark]

Originally Posted by not2sharp

The Master and Commander series contains one book in which Jack and crew fend off attacks from kris waving pirates. It is closely based on a true event which staretd with a British shipwreck in ~1813. In the true life story the Captain manages to fend survive the accidental grounding on an unchartered reef, rescue his crew, deliver a VIP Envoy, organize an economy, and fend off heavy pirate attacks; not only do they survive but they do so without losing a single crew member - and on the way home the Captain even gets to meet with Napolian on Elba. The novel is greatly toned down; nobody would believe the real story even if it was true.

Perhaps the powers that be will pursuade Russel Crow to take a shot at a sequel to Master and Commander.

n2s

I read a cool passage in a biography of an ancestor of mine, Nathaniel Bowditch (mathematician, navigator, and a Salem ship captain in the spice trade in the late 18th C), about his first visit to Java. I should look up the port, etc., but he noticed that every one of the workers who came out in little boats to load pepper onto his ship had a keris stuck in the back of his waistband. This caused him some concern, so he insisted that only one boat be allowed to unload onto his ship at a time, and no more than three Malay be allowed on board at one time. Such was the reputation of Malay pirates at the time. The port folks were severely aggrevated, but he kept firm (basically said "there is pepper at the next port, so do it my way or get out of my way") and everything went smoothly. He was hardly a Russel Crowe swashbuckler -- quite a little egg-head, actually -- which makes the story all the more amusing.

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by Rick

Well , there is a very old Hollywood movie starring Gary Cooper and David Niven ; The Real Glory . Of course it is a slanted view of things but not a bad flick at all .
Made in 1939 available on videotape VHS digitally remastered with stereo sound .

Try :

filmwest@pacbell.net

Whoa, that's an old film! But to watch it, I've have to get a VHS player... Chucked the player about 10yrs ago...

[ariel]

Originally Posted by BluErf

Whoa, that's an old film! But to watch it, I've have to get a VHS player... Chucked the player about 10yrs ago...

Sorry to say that, but this remark just underscores my point: we live in an era of replaceable things and holding on old objects that have no immediate practical value may not be the smartest startegy from the financial point of view. The next generations will look at us with faint amusement...
Do not get me wrong: I am a collector and this is my passion. I collect for myself and not for my ungrateful grandchildren. I do not do it for investment purposes but just for my own joy, for the love of history and for the pure pleasure of posessing the most beautiful objects of art I know. Nothing will change my attitude.
It is just the times are a'changing....
Hope I am wrong!!!

[Emanuel]

I think some of you may have a flawed perception of kids. A 10-year old will not differentiate between the different styles of weapons and may prefer high-tech toys. A 12-18-year old will be attracted to swords due to media, as Valjhun said, but any interest will be fleeting as they have no money to sustain it. The 18+ year old has the ability to start collecting on his own and a good number of such youths will and do take up this activity. I got my first toy sword at 12. At 19 I got a modern repro of a medieval sword and a fanciful "kris sabre" unlike any true keris/kris. These got me wishing for the real thing and ebay became the incarnation of Santa. This wonderful forum and its members did the rest. "Kids" will always be attracted by the "real sword", and as soon as they'll have money and responsability, young people will start collecting. Education will ultimately refine this collection, and develop the love of history and culture.
Sword collecting may undergo waves of interest and deglect, but it will not die out. "Kids" may not know what to do with pointy weapons in this day of age, but young people do.

The legislation and registration business is indeed disconcerting but hopefully the powers that be will be made to realize their madness and cease this nonsense.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by Manolo

The legislation and registration business is indeed disconcerting but hopefully the powers that be will be made to realize their madness and cease this nonsense.

Unfortunately, it is a rare government, indeed, that increases the freedoms enjoyed by its citizens.

[Valjhun]

Originally Posted by ariel

Sorry to say that, but this remark just underscores my point: we live in an era of replaceable things and holding on old objects that have no immediate practical value may not be the smartest startegy from the financial point of view. The next generations will look at us with faint amusement...
Do not get me wrong: I am a collector and this is my passion. I collect for myself and not for my ungrateful grandchildren. I do not do it for investment purposes but just for my own joy, for the love of history and for the pure pleasure of posessing the most beautiful objects of art I know. Nothing will change my attitude.
It is just the times are a'changing....
Hope I am wrong!!!

Ariel,

The practical value of our objects is home and office decoration. And there will always be people with our incomparable taste. Someone might like the top artist sculptures and painting, others like us, like beautiful historic objects. At the top level, just compare Picasso to the japanese smith Masamune. I guess that there is more people that love Picasso today, but tomorrow? Personally I fail to attribute any beauty to Picasso, but that's an opinion. The fact is that looking from the most logical mind, where do you find more importancy? In a katana that was forged by a THE smith, regarded as the best cutting device ever, wich spilled the blood of many courageus men, wich is per se an object of exrtreme beauty, or an outrageus ugly piece of canvas wich was made by an semi-crazy sifillistic idle man? Well that's an extrem, I'm only trying to say that a antique arm has no less practical value that other objects of art...