Tiger

I don't consider that fair. You have to remember that Sir Evelyn outranks him and that they've been known to have trysts in the past. There's also a strong bond between the. Also, I'm sure he would have sex with Travers again if they crossed paths again. Just because he is polyamorous does not make him a slut. He stopped Fitzwilliam. It is unlikely that a true slut would have stopped, choosing instead to give into their lust. He'd also sniff out others on the ship to consort with. Even though it was technically illegal, I doubt many would refuse because 1) he's the captain and 2) they're at sea and judging by the fact that a woman hasn't been spotted on the ship during the showers, no women are available. You do the math on that one.

Me? I only have 2.7% of the total posts. Surely that is a minuscule contribution.

Geeze... they're making a mountain out of a mole hill. 1,800 isn't that many when one considers the millions who have died of AIDS or how many would die if something like Ebola spread around the world. It's not even nearly as bad as the flu that spread around the planet in 1918 that killed millions of people. Yeah, it could hit again, but I don't see it causing millions or billions of deaths.

I don't eat snails or rotten meat either. The thought of eating any of it makes me nauseous.

Of course eating rat meat is gross to me, but that doesn't mean that others don't eat them. I'm pretty sure a bum on the street would eat a rat if the opportunity arose, and the bum would be rather idiotic to pass up the opportunity. Whether this applies to people on all ships or not is difficult, because I doubt captains went around logging every instance of midshipmen eating rats.

Another thing we must remember is that religion changes over time. I have little doubt that early Christians had the best of intentions and believed strongly in a compassionate god. However, Christianity quickly became a state religion. That changed it forever, because politicians use religion (or in some cases lack thereof) as a means of controlling the masses. The United States started out as a nation of people escaping religious persecution, but there were already many distinct belief systems at the nation's founding. I should stop here before I start talking politics though...

Actually it is a question of accuracy. The story itself is fiction, but the setting should be as historically accurate as possible. If you have any doubt about whether sailors consumed rat meat, look it up. You might also find instances of cannibalism in extreme cases. Edit to add: I did not find anything about rats or cannibalism, but this article is interesting nonetheless. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/life_at_sea_01.shtml

I still find it rather disgusting. Still, I guess rats would be nothing when one considers that pieces of dead bodies were proudly displayed all over England as a reminder to citizens not to defy the king.

Haven't you listened? He doesn't date. He f**ks. He even says so. That's wonderful. I hope your relationship lasts forever.

I want the vaccine...

You forgot to mention Marcel. By the way, I have enjoyed the series and the music that accompanied it. You have good taste in music, and I don't say that to very many people.

Can I be a minion too?

You have a way with words. Can we call you Mother Sage?

That's terrible, Lacey. It's exactly why he shouldn't. Still, I'm shocked that you had sex with a girl.

Graeme, many of us have sought relationships with women in the past, but many of us accepted our sexuality instead of taking the step of marriage. To that extent, it is a choice, a choice between accepting who we are or to remain in hiding. I'm not saying this to bash anyone either. It's a reality we must all live with. How we deal with it is our business as individuals, and judging others for making a different choice is wrong. If the answer to an individual is to marry and find cruising as a release valve, that is a lifestyle choice, and it would be wrong to criticize someone based upon that alone. It's not the life for me, but who am I to say that others cannot or should not live like that?

He confirmed the other day that her cancer is terminal. I might not have mentioned this before, but my friend is an Australian.

Has anyone told you that you're scary?

Well, Texas is a pretty big state. And yes, there are shelters in the major cities here. What part of Texas is he in? That would be a good starting point.

That sounds like fun. Can I be Death?

My advice... don't do it. She likes the ladies. You prefer guys. There's the risk of another complication. What if she gets pregnant? That would be a disaster for you. Thus, you shouldn't go there. There's also the risk of someone invoking some emotion. That would be bad as well. It could seriously jeopardize your friendship.

I know gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia are curable. There is a series of three vaccinations that will make it unlikely that you will contract Hepatitis B. Hepatitis C and D are not so simple. They are both STDs just like B, and they can eventually cause liver failure. Eh, after doing a bit of reading, there is actually a treatment, though I suspect that it's expensive. The treatment includes two anti-viral drugs, Pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin. Treatment can take months... like 6 months to close to a year. Thus, it can be "cleared", but it takes a long time. My guess is that the disease is still present but dormant. Permanent liver damage is likely. Still, there are those resistant genotypes of the disease and people who do not respond to treatment. It's simply better not to get it. Early treatment is key otherwise before permanent liver damage and even death occur. It's not at all pleasant. I've seen someone in an acute phase. He was quite sick from it. The treatments seem to be new, because even a few years ago, there was nothing that could stop the disease completely, or clear it for that matter. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HepatitisC.htm

They also carry communicable diseases like rabies, hantavirus, and bubonic plague. There are others though. Here's a link. Some of those diseases are quite scary. If you had any undercooked portion, you could be sentencing yourself to death. Rats aren't exactly known for cleanliness. They are a pest, and pests tend to cause problems. They also attract my least favorite creature of all, the snake.

Well, for me, I think I'd have to be at a point where I haven't eaten for days before eating a rat would enter my mind. I also suppose that rats weren't considered as "dirty" as they are now. Of course, we all know now that rats tend to be carriers of disease. Thus, people are less likely to augment their diets with rats.

Not all are forbidden. There are some switch hitters too.

Only if he kills Travers. I thought this was an interesting chapter. One thing that stuck out in my mind was the fact that some of the crew members liked to "augment" their diets with rats. That sounds so disgusting. Why would anyone want to eat a rat? That's sick. Granger got some money. Will he share it, and if so, how much of it? 20,000 pounds had to be worth a lot back then, so I'm sure it'll help him get back what he spent on the estate and what he lost from gambling. It's so cute! Granger and Calvert are meant for each other. Maybe they should travel the entire world together.