Rent the movie "V for Vendetta". Awesome! V is HOT!

Stargazer

Ok I manually changed themes to the halloween one early now how do I go back to it being automated? Under the exisiting themes the guy fawkes one is not listed and I REALLY want to see it!!!!!!

chadams

Just delete what you have in the theme box and save.

TG

ok nevermind I am an idiot!!! I figured it out. Just leave it blank.

Thanks TG you beat me to it. That was a very quick response! This theme rocks!

Quote

In 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament (with Protestant King James inside) by smuggling 36 kegs of gunpowder into the cellers. The Plot was foiled and ever since then we have burnt effigys of Guy Fawkes on Nov 5th to show that we won't have our Parliament messed with.

It's a shame when you learn more about history in one afternoon on a letterboxing board than you ever learned in school.

One more question: is "Guy" pronounced like it has a long i sound or a long e sound?

Quote

One more question: is "Guy" pronounced like it has a long i sound or a long e sound?

It is pronounced with a long i sound. Same as 'that guy over there' - the slang for 'man' over there.

YT

OOO...thanks for the site, YT! The hubby will love it!

We loved the movie, and I love the theme! Go Ryan!!! :D

P.S. I think Marjorie make a very good Guy!!!

moonshowr ¤

Quote

It's a shame when you learn more about history in one afternoon on a letterboxing board than you ever learned in school.

One more question: is "Guy" pronounced like it has a long i sound or a long e sound?

The first time I remember learning about Guy Fawkes day was when we were visiting the Tower of London and they had a big display about the Gunpowder Plot, which just fascinated me. Amanda made the observation--which I'll always remember because I thought it was so funny--is that would be like us celebrating "Benedict Arnold Day" in America. =) The idea cracks me up.

I didn't think to make a theme out of it until I saw the movie V For Vendetta a couple of months ago. (Great movie, I thought--but I absolutely *loved* the scene at the beginning of the movie when V blows up the building with fireworks shooting off and and playing the Overture of 1812. Classic! One of my favorite movie scenes EVER!)

When it came down to creating a theme, I figured I needed to learn more details about this strange holiday, and I learned some other interesting factoids. I can't remember WHERE on the Internet I found this stuff, and some of it could be false. (It is the Internet we're talking about here.) But it was interesting enough that I didn't forget it:

* The word "guy" used in America didn't become part of the English language until Guy Fawkes came along. No relation to the English word Fox, however! =)

* Fawkes was supposed to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, but got out of it by jumping from the gallows and breaking his neck. (He still suffered plenty of torture during interrigation, however, so it's not like he got off "easy.")

* There is actually some controversy about what, exactly, the "drawn" part of "hanged, drawn, and quartered" means.

* Trying to find a website about Guy Fawkes that's NOT about V For Vendetta is more challenging than you might think. =)

* I wanted to figure out what the story was behind the Guy Fawkes mask. I'd never heard of a Guy Fawkes mask, and I don't remember any masks playing a prominent roll in the Gunpowder Plot. So I did a Google search and found a blog at http://lyingeyes.blogspot.com/2006/03/so-this-guy-in-guy-fawkes-mask-walks.html -- which I had a lot of fun reading and completely understand this poor guy's frustration. =)

Who knew that creating themes on Atlas Quest could be so educational. =) Even stranger, who knew that this sort of information I can actually use in the "real world." I always thought my teachers were kidding when they said that. =) (Not that they ever taught me anything about the Gunpowder Plot, but there were quite a number of things they did teach which I was sure I'd never, ever use in the real world and was proved wrong!)

-- Ryan

"The first time I remember learning about Guy Fawkes day was when we were visiting the Tower of London and they had a big display about the Gunpowder Plot, which just fascinated me. Amanda made the observation--which I'll always remember because I thought it was so funny--is that would be like us celebrating "Benedict Arnold Day" in America. =) The idea cracks me up"


I have heard it said that the Gunpowder Plot was the last time that anyone went into Parliament with honest intentions.

y-nought

Quote

I have heard it said that the Gunpowder Plot was the last time that anyone went into Parliament with honest intentions.

And that's another thing.... I was trying to figure out exactly what people are celebrating: The failure of the Gunpowder Plot, or it's attempt? Even with all my Google searching, I still haven't found a definitive answer as to whether people think of Fawkes as a hero or a villian. (Even in the movie, it's not always obvious what to think of him!)

-- Ryan

Quote

I have heard it said that the Gunpowder Plot was the last time that anyone went into Parliament with honest intentions.

You are looking for trouble - just remember Guy Fawkes only did one little thing wrong in 1605 and we have burnt him every year since. LOL

YT (who is keeping to herself that Guy Fawkes was a Yorkshireman)

Quote

just remember Guy Fawkes only did one little thing wrong in 1605 and we have burnt him every year since. LOL

I've always felt kind of sorry for Guy Fawkes. To have several effigies burned of you for hundreds of years can't be nice! But I do love Bonfire Night. Wish we had it over here.

Hey, Ryan, I wouldn't mind keeping this one past the 5th. Any chance of getting that URL so we can add it to our preferences?

Knit Wit

It's interesting. I learned about Guy Fawkes Day in high school but I attended high school in Europe so that might explain it? Of course I didn't really get US history until college and then it was like drinking out of a fire hydrant because up til that point I'd had world history over & over & over again.

Guy is also a French name although it would be pronounced 'ghee' like that lovely dairy-by product consumed more often in places more distant from the US. ;)

daelphinus

...penny for the guy....

jackbear

Quote

I do love Bonfire Night. Wish we had it over here.

I thought the same thing. Maybe we can start our own celebration locally and it will start to catch on. I've heard the Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in America than in Mexico. We will use any excuse to have a party. :)

Shiloh

thanks for the history lesson. a fabulous movie it was to be seen again and again. the board put a great big smile on mine and i'll everyone elses face when viewed.

Quote

And that's another thing.... I was trying to figure out exactly what people are celebrating: The failure of the Gunpowder Plot, or it's attempt? Even with all my Google searching, I still haven't found a definitive answer as to whether people think of Fawkes as a hero or a villian. (Even in the movie, it's not always obvious what to think of him!)

I was reading only for about 10 minutes within the link and info you gave and felt strongly and read that Bonfire night was in celebration of Guy Fawkes being caught..or the fouling of his attempt.
here is a quote:

Quote

On the night of November 5th, throughout Britain, we commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes with bonfires and fireworks, and by burning an effigy of Guy.

dixie

Is there more than one version of the V is for Vendetta movie? I looked at netflix and see one that was made in 2006 about "a masked freedom fighter who's taken up arms against the totalitarian government in a futuristic Britain" Is this the one??

After hearing (reading) all the conversations here about it, I want to get it and check it out.

Quote

I looked at netflix and see one that was made in 2006 about "a masked freedom fighter who's taken up arms against the totalitarian government in a futuristic Britain" Is this the one??

Yep, that's the one! The Guy Fawkes mask in the AQ banner is taken from that movie (the mask of the freedom fighter).

Quote

I wouldn't mind keeping this one past the 5th. Any chance of getting that URL so we can add it to our preferences?

If you know how to view the source files on the site, the URL is in it. I also tend to use a pretty regular pattern in the URL for themes so I'm sure a lot of people could guess it. But, the URL to use: http://www.atlasquest.com/css/guyfawkes/base.css

-- Ryan

Quote

Bonfire night was in celebration of Guy Fawkes being caught.

Yes absolutely in celebration that he was caught and The Houses of Parliament were not blown up.

You might like to see me in my Guy Fawkes outfit:-

http://www.atlasquest.com/gallery/viewphoto.html?gPhotoId=6307

YT

Quote

You might like to see me in my Guy Fawkes outfit:-

Oh, that's great!! Very funny!

lol....yes, YT... I looove your outfit. That's fabulous!

On another, darker note.......

Could someone please tell me what "drawn and quartered" means, as in, "hanged, drawn, and quartered"? Hanging was not enough? What are these extra two steps?

*realizing that this is quite the odd question*

Infinity

I think it's akin to slaughtering, like livestock.

Quote

hanged, drawn and quartered

OK, I am by no means a historian (and I may be misremembering something) but I have always understood this to mean the following:

hanged- culprit hanged just enough to *really* hurt, but not kill. (Thus the distinction "hanged by the neck until dead" in all those old movies.)

drawn- culprit stretched on a rack or by other such means to have the joints broken/dislocated, possibly tied between two yokes of horses who would pull in opposite directions

quartered- what it sounds like- culprit cut into four pieces though I believe the head was removed at some point and put on a pike. One cut through waist, then two halves cut into right and left quarters.

The point of all this being that the pieces were carried through the kingdom to prove that said culprit had been "dealt with". The head being left on the pike on London Bridge, perhaps, to warn passersby.

I think William Wallace had this done to him, but I may be mixing my histories. Anyway, I don't know where I read all this stuff but it's been floating around in my head for a while.

Knit Wit

I always Thought drawn and quartered was like stephen King explained in The Stand. The person has a rope attached to each limb that was anchored to four horses and then the horses were made to run out in four directions pulling the person into quarters.
chadams

that is an awesome little image!!
I absolutely LOVE it.
thanks for the smile
:-)

dixie

I absolutely love your Guy Fawkes outfit, YT!! What a ride! :)

Webfoot