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stranger
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stranger
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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H;ey, Faldage: I think your "bituminous" is more interesting than you may have realized.It came from a Celtic word for gum or resin, and originally referred to asphalt found in a natural state. Asphalt came from the Greek "a"=not + sphallein=to cause to fall . Together meaning adhesive, as protective covering of walls, roofs, and pavement.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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It came to me in a flash of inspiration, Dr. Bill. I should learn to honor those flashes.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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'bitumen' is etymologically related to 'cud' too.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear NicholasW:When very young, I chewed both spruce gum and asphalt. But not as a cud. And bituminous coal was much less desirable than anthracite.
What was Greek fire?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Ooh, Ooh, I think that is naptha, isn't it?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Greek fire was a chemical mixture which would burn on water. It was a dreaded weapon in the days of wooden ships -- for the sailors on the victim-ship could not douse the fire by pouring water on it.
Greek fire was particularly by the Byzantines. Its deadliness in combat, especially at sea, has been cited as a prime reason for the long survival of the Byzantine Empire in the face of many enemies. The art of compounding the mixture was a secret so closely guarded that its precise composition remains unknown to this day. [1997 Britannica as quoted on-line]
As Connie notes, it is believed that one ingredient was naptha.
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Carpal Tunnel
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The thing that had me puzzled was that my Encarta encyclopedia said it ignited spontaneously. I can't imagine how they could handle it safely with their primitive containers and pumps that projected it onto the enemy.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Just a speculation here, dr. bill. I imagine two different mixtures, each harmless in itself, were stored in separate containers, to be combined to make the final product immediately before before use. As I recall, certain epoxy cements are currently marketed in this "binary" form, and the most deadly nerve gases are stored as binaries.
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