Things you have recently learnt

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  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    Ben6899 said:

    That this guy



    is Lord Kitchener.

    I had never put two and two together!

    I assume that you thought it was a caricature of a senior British officer

    Not many people know that he died in 1916 on his way to Russia when his ship hit a mine
  • Tashman
    Tashman Posts: 3,497
    pinno said:

    rjsterry said:

    You want to stop taking Mail headlines at face value. Chaucer isn't banned.

    https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/why-is-chaucer-disappearing-from-the-university-curriculum-leicester-essay-a-s-g-edwards/
    Is the University of Leicester now "Schools"?
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    pinno said:

    rjsterry said:

    You want to stop taking Mail headlines at face value. Chaucer isn't banned.

    https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/why-is-chaucer-disappearing-from-the-university-curriculum-leicester-essay-a-s-g-edwards/
    Taken off the syllabus on one course in one university ≠ banned even from that university.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,459
    Guto Harri is a Welsh name
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • thedirector135
    thedirector135 Posts: 142
    Other people that aren't me have feelings. Who knew..
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    tailwindhome said:

    Guto Harri is a Welsh name

    in English it means "Final Nail in the Coffin"
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,725
    That there's not a Swanee River (of the song/film fame, and as in "Up the Swanee"), but there is a Suwannee River, which was the inspiration for the song. I guess it didn't scan as the lyricist/composer wanted it to...
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,491
    edited February 2022
    William T. Sherman died in New York on February 14, 1891, at age 71. Former foe, Joseph E. Johnston, served as a pallbearer. Johnston refused to wear a hat as a sign of respect, and he caught a cold which developed into pneumonia. He died a few weeks later.

    That'll teach him to respect folk.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,228
    surrey_commuter said:

    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

    The origins of this were explained in Jon Ronson's "Things Fell Apart", episode 6. On BBC sounds/podcast. It's good stuff.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,501
    surrey_commuter said:

    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

    Wtf is a 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist'?

    I'm off Googling...
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    a TERF
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,501
    If you threw one into the sea, you would create a Surf 'n' TERF.


    I'll get my coat.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    pinno said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

    Wtf is a 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist'?

    I'm off Googling...
    A radical (as opposed to liberal) feminist who excludes trans women from their definition of women.
  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,996
    pinno said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

    Wtf is a 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist'?

    I'm off Googling...
    There's a whole world of weirdness out there for you to google. :D

    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-university-pronoun-guide-staff-6614781

    Bristol uni has jumped the shark.

  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,501
    ballysmate said:

    pinno said:

    surrey_commuter said:

    TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist

    Wtf is a 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist'?

    I'm off Googling...
    There's a whole world of weirdness out there for you to google. :D

    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-university-pronoun-guide-staff-6614781

    Bristol uni has jumped the shark.

    Just read through a link to the page of 'neo pronouns'...
    Thanks. Cheers. Great.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    pinno said:

    If you threw one into the sea, you would create a Surf 'n' TERF.


    I'll get my coat.

    Surely serf and TERF?
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,501
    Ben6899 said:

    pinno said:

    If you threw one into the sea, you would create a Surf 'n' TERF.


    I'll get my coat.

    Surely serf and TERF?
    That too.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    I never realised until seeing the present winter Olympics, that ice speed skates did this...


    When one of the commentators mentioned 'the hinge' I did a sort of double take and then watched out for it in future slow motion clips. Well I never.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited February 2022
    known as "klapschaatsen" in Dutch, aka "clap" skates.

    In long-track speed skating, consistency in the lap times is really what it's all about.

    The Dutch commentators will know what lap times each athlete is capable of and anything too much in either direction means a poor performance. One lap too fast and you can expect a collapse at the end.

    That Swede van der Poel is remarkable as his technique is all over the place nor is he very consistent yet he won - very unusual .
    _
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    capt_slog said:

    I never realised until seeing the present winter Olympics, that ice speed skates did this...


    When one of the commentators mentioned 'the hinge' I did a sort of double take and then watched out for it in future slow motion clips. Well I never.

    Never realised that either. I always fancied long track speed skating. It looks so graceful and easy when it is obviously hard work. It reminds me quite a lot of cycling pursuit racing (short track has never appealed and seems to rely on a fair bit of luck to just get around, more like BMX).
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,389
    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    First.Aspect said:

    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

    Presumably lots of waterways to freeze.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    Bit rough skating on frozen lakes and the like even if the zamboni has been along.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,725
    morstar said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

    Presumably lots of waterways to freeze.
    Yes, indeed. A long history of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfstedentocht



    And cycle training on the flat into headwinds is good training for long Alpine slogs uphill. So not at all strange. Maybe ironic.



    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,389
    morstar said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

    Presumably lots of waterways to freeze.
    Well yes, but they do have to freeze.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,491
    Appears to be quite popular none the less.


    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,725
    First.Aspect said:

    morstar said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

    Presumably lots of waterways to freeze.
    Well yes, but they do have to freeze.

    See my link. It is a national obsession, despite the relative rarity of the natural events.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,389
    Sure, and I can find you photos of curling on the Lake of Menteith, from like a decade ago. Or snow in Las Vegas.

    But Amsterdam isn't as reliably cold as Quebec City is it?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    edited February 2022
    First.Aspect said:

    morstar said:

    First.Aspect said:

    Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

    A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

    Presumably lots of waterways to freeze.
    Well yes, but they do have to freeze.
    Used to be commonplace, I guess less so now with global warming. I seem to remember RC commenting that one traditional race hadn't been run for years and then the canals were frozen enough last year only for Covid to cause it to be cancelled (maybe misremembering some of that though). Racing on the canals was a big thing, a bit like kermesse races in Belgium. I remember reading a comic as a kid (one of the war based ones like Victor) and there was a Dutch kid as a character who used to skate around.

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