Article

2018-02-13 Home Front: Culture Wars

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Raj 2018-02-13 01:04|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 it has lots of canals that can freeze in the winter

And in the summer, well they can run to work because their wooden shoes float!

Posted by Skidmark 2018-02-13 02:39|| 2018-02-13 02:39|| Front Page Top

#2 Wonder if she'll get the 'wooden shoe'?

Olympics: NBC boots analyst over Japan comment at Pyeongchang Games

Posted by Skidmark 2018-02-13 03:27|| 2018-02-13 03:27|| Front Page Top

#3 They do a lot of cycling and the muscles are the same.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2018-02-13 05:01|| 2018-02-13 05:01|| Front Page Top

#4 You mean Fake News is not an Olympic Event?

Posted by Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 2018-02-13 05:21|| 2018-02-13 05:21|| Front Page Top

#5 There posed in D.C. a great Thinker
Who plugged leaky dikes with his finger,
Though he wasn't quite Dutch
Nor especially butch,
And he skated as well as Hans Brinker.

Damn you, Rodin.

Posted by Zenobia Floger6220 2018-02-13 06:48|| 2018-02-13 06:48|| Front Page Top

#6 The do have great canals for practice. Just saying.

Posted by Woodrow 2018-02-13 08:08|| 2018-02-13 08:08|| Front Page Top

#7 Not that dumb though

Posted by European Conservative 2018-02-13 10:51|| 2018-02-13 10:51|| Front Page Top

#8 Skating on the canals depends entirely on the winter being cold enough, long enough to freeze solid. Has this been the case during these recent years of much-trumpeted catastrophic global warming?

As I recall, Hans Brinker, Or The Silver Skates was set during the Little Ice Age, when winters were much colder, allowing London to hold Frost Fairs on the frozen Thames.

Posted by trailing wife 2018-02-13 11:30|| 2018-02-13 11:30|| Front Page Top

#9 The last Elfstedentocht (skate run through 11 towns) was held in 1997. The canals don't freeze easily these days. But look at Dutch paintings of the 17th century.

Couric isn't entirely wrong but frozen canals in Amsterdam are a rare event these days.

Posted by European Conservative 2018-02-13 11:46|| 2018-02-13 11:46|| Front Page Top

#10 My understanding is pole vaulting originated in Amsterdam as well. The Dutch used the poles to vault across the canals. Exciting little factoid there but I won't vouch for its credibility.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2018-02-13 12:01|| 2018-02-13 12:01|| Front Page Top

#11 Nope, that was already done in ancient Greece

Posted by European Conservative 2018-02-13 12:07|| 2018-02-13 12:07|| Front Page Top

#12 Cruising in my klompen
On a Sunday afternoon...
https://youtu.be/rpX0mPSYMC8

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-02-13 12:43|| 2018-02-13 12:43|| Front Page Top

#13 Always fancied pole vault originally as a way to scale walls.

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-02-13 13:20|| 2018-02-13 13:20|| Front Page Top

#14 The problem is, you can't count on walls having airbags on the other side.

Posted by S. Thaick9166 2018-02-13 13:22|| 2018-02-13 13:22|| Front Page Top

#15 I'm sure the Dutch used pole vaulting to get to the red light district without being seen by busy-bodies on the bridges.

Posted by rjschwarz 2018-02-13 14:24|| 2018-02-13 14:24|| Front Page Top

#16 #14 The problem is, you can't count on walls having airbags on the other side.

Could explain why the Spartans were not very good at sieges. "We. Are. Sparta! uaah...uahh..ieeee!"

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-02-13 19:57|| 2018-02-13 19:57|| Front Page Top

#17 The problem is, you can't count on walls having airbags on the other side.

This is why during a siege the attackers often catapulted rotting animal carcasses over the walls - to have something soft for the pole vaulters to land on. Just another little known fact.

Posted by SteveS 2018-02-13 20:41|| 2018-02-13 20:41|| Front Page Top

#18 I seem to remember the Mycenaean proverb, "If you pole vault over the walls and land on hay, you will be known as the good guys."

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-02-13 21:13|| 2018-02-13 21:13|| Front Page Top

#19 With Maunder Minimum 2.0 coming soon to this solar system, maybe they will get more time to skate.

Posted by Blackbeard Bumble5724 2018-02-13 21:29|| 2018-02-13 21:29|| Front Page Top

#20 She’s not wrong.

Posted by KBK 2018-02-13 21:29|| 2018-02-13 21:29|| Front Page Top

#21 Katie Couric might want to visit Amsterdam sometime.

No problem! She can skate across the Atlantic!

Posted by CrazyFool 2018-02-13 23:13|| 2018-02-13 23:13|| Front Page Top

#22 "It's true, and no bullshit." The Bulgar,
A boatman, was prone to be vulgar.
"A sturdy devochka
Would chop down a tchotchke,
And over the Volga vaults Olga."

Posted by Zenobia Floger6220 2018-02-13 23:14|| 2018-02-13 23:14|| Front Page Top

23:55 Wholuling Phavirt6994
23:14 Zenobia Floger6220
23:13 CrazyFool
23:06 Dale
22:50 CrazyFool
21:29 KBK
21:29 Blackbeard Bumble5724
21:13 swksvolFF
20:52 Besoeker
20:48 Besoeker
20:41 Anomalous Sources
20:41 SteveS
20:40 Frank G
20:36 Frank G
19:59 AlanC
19:57 swksvolFF
19:17 Capsu78
19:13 Omeger Gray6606
19:08 Sock Puppet of Doom
19:06 Omeger Gray6606
18:57 SteveS
18:48 Sock Puppet of Doom
18:48 ed in texas
18:40 newc