The Coffee Shop

[windar]

While we're all enjoying our favourite beverages, I want to pick the brains of our intellectual menbers and Tree & Barb. Does anyone know more about the pre-Columbian Mayan and Aztec civilisations than I can pick up on Wiki etc? I have the outline of a story, but don't want to make too many howlers.

School stuff is fine, as you can imagine C America is ignored in British history lessons, other than what the Euros did. Is it the same in N American schools?

They are taught here in New York, both as part of Global History and in Spanish, as part of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world. I've been to Mexico and climbed both Aztec and Mayan temples (very steep). So fire away.

But I fear that crack about Tree & Barb will get you a boatload of demerits

 

[old slave]

But I fear that crack about Tree & Barb will get you a boatload of demerits

I'd better keep my head down in the slave-pit then.

 

[Barbaria1]

They are taught here in New York, both as part of Global History and in Spanish, as part of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world. I've been to Mexico and climbed both Aztec and Mayan temples (very steep). So fire away.

But I fear that crack about Tree & Barb will get you a boatload of demerits

This is for trying to tell me when to unload demerits

I'd better keep my head down in the slave-pit then.

And this is to help you to remember to keep your head down and only say nice things about me.

 

[windar]

This is for trying to tell me when to unload demerits

Blaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

 

[old slave]

And this is to help you to remember to keep your head down and only say nice things about me.

Self-flagellation? How sensible, there's no room for both of us in the slave-pit.

 

[thehangingtree]

They are taught here in New York, both as part of Global History and in Spanish, as part of the culture of the Spanish-speaking world. I've been to Mexico and climbed both Aztec and Mayan temples (very steep). So fire away.

But I fear that crack about Tree & Barb will get you a boatload of demerits

I'd better keep my head down in the slave-pit then.

I'm not upset by the remark. I always believe 'keep expectations low and they are easily exceeded'. Barb however may have a different take on it...

 

[old slave]

our intellectual members and Tree & Barb.

Cheap gibe, uncalled for, sorry. Brain a bit fuddled after writing 2 chapters and researching, no excuse.

 

[windar]

I always believe 'keep expectations low and they are easily exceeded'.

A good philosophy in most things

 

[Eulalia]

While we're all enjoying our favourite beverages, I want to pick the brains of our intellectual members and Tree & Barb. Does anyone know more about the pre-Columbian Mayan and Aztec civilisations than I can pick up on Wiki etc? I have the outline of a story, but don't want to make too many howlers.

School stuff is fine, as you can imagine C America is ignored in British history lessons, other than what the Euros did. Is it the same in N American schools?

All I can remember is:
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star’d at the Pacific—and all his men
Look’d at each other with a wild surmise—
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

(that was exactly how I imagined the scene when we read it in class )
Oh we did hear about the Darien Scheme, a wonderful idea for starting a Scottish Empire -
it never occurred to the Lords of the Scottish Parliament
that there might be biting insects (och weel, they dinnae bite us... ),
or that oor guid neighbours the English might not come to our aid when the Spanish started giein us laldie -
so the country went bankrupt and had to sign up to the Union
But that there were natives - well, there always are in jungles aren't there?

 

[windar]

All I can remember is:
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star’d at the Pacific—and all his men
Look’d at each other with a wild surmise—
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
View attachment 444549
(that was exactly how I imagined the scene when we read it in class )
Oh we did hear about the Darien Scheme, a wonderful idea for starting a Scottish Empire -
it never occurred to the Lords of the Scottish Parliament
that there might be biting insects (och weel, they dinnae bite us... ),
or that oor guid neighbours the English might not come to our aid when the Spanish started giein us laldie -
so the country went bankrupt and had to sign up to the Union
But that there were natives - well, there always are in jungles aren't there?

Of course, Cortez never made it to Darien, which is in what is now Panama. He got no further than Honduras. It was Balboa who got to Darien.

 

[old slave]

Now the game has finished on TV, let's discuss sport in general.

I don't know whether Americans have heard of Rugby League (not to be confused with 'rugger' played by Lord Snooty in his private school) but it's a game played principally in the north of England, the east coast of Australia, in New Zealand and places like PNG and Tonga, plus France (Rugby à XIII).

Anyway, how about this for internationalism? A club has been formed in Canada (Toronto Wolfpack) who's home base is Lamport Stadium, and have been admitted to the English Championship 1 league. They are backed by the Australian David Argyle.

Is this the future of sport in general? Not just getting together once every four years for a World Cup or Olympics etc, but regularly playing as clubs (not countries) across continents? Will this alter the game?

 

[windar]

Now the game has finished on TV, let's discuss sport in general.

I don't know whether Americans have heard of Rugby League (not to be confused with 'rugger' played by Lord Snooty in his private school) but it's a game played principally in the north of England, the east coast of Australia, in New Zealand and places like PNG and Tonga, plus France (Rugby à XIII).

Anyway, how about this for internationalism? A club has been formed in Canada (Toronto Wolfpack) who's home base is Lamport Stadium, and have been admitted to the English Championship 1 league. They are backed by the Australian David Argyle.

Is this the future of sport in general? Not just getting together once every four years for a World Cup or Olympics etc, but regularly playing as clubs (not countries) across continents? Will this alter the game?

Rugby is a big college sport in the US, both for men and women. There are close to 1000 college teams. The same is true in Canada. I think it never caught on at the professional level because it's seen as too much like American/Canadian football and no one wants to compete with the 600 lb gorilla that is the NFL (National Football League).

The issue with club teams playing worldwide is the time and cost involved in overseas travel. Major League Baseball teams have long gone to Japan and elsewhere to play before or after the season, but a trip there in the middle of the season would take you out of play for well over a week, especially with recovery from jet lag, and the schedules can't accommodate it. The NFL plays a few games in Europe, including one at Wembley, but they play only once/week. For sports like basketball and hockey, which play 3-4 games/week, or baseball, which plays every day, it's harder to do that. Travelling between the US East and West Coasts is tough enough.

 

[Jollyrei]

Now the game has finished on TV, let's discuss sport in general.

I don't know whether Americans have heard of Rugby League (not to be confused with 'rugger' played by Lord Snooty in his private school) but it's a game played principally in the north of England, the east coast of Australia, in New Zealand and places like PNG and Tonga, plus France (Rugby à XIII).

Anyway, how about this for internationalism? A club has been formed in Canada (Toronto Wolfpack) who's home base is Lamport Stadium, and have been admitted to the English Championship 1 league. They are backed by the Australian David Argyle.

Is this the future of sport in general? Not just getting together once every four years for a World Cup or Olympics etc, but regularly playing as clubs (not countries) across continents? Will this alter the game?

I must look this up. We have a couple of semi-private teams in Ottawa that play in a smallish league in Canada. Unfortunately, teams are not spread evenly across the country. There are teams in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and possibly Montreal, but it's hard to find a quality club outside those centres. Most of those teams are Rugby Union. Nice to see a Canadian club playing league at top flight.

 

[old slave]

Thanks guys, as I read a long article in the local paper, Toronto are coming to England and will play all the games in one block. They will be based at a semi-pro small club while here. Then at the Canadian's expense, the English teams will fly out weekly for the return matches (normally only one game a week).

That Aussie guy must have deep pockets, but why Canada, plenty of clubs in Oz to play with, since in RL clubs rarely make much money, Bradford Bulls are in liquidation at the moment, waiting for a White Knight.

Nice to know that the game is known outside its heartlands.

 

[Eulalia]

not to be confused with 'rugger' played by Lord Snooty in his private school)

I should point out that Rugby Union (never 'rugger') is played in the Scottish Borders
(Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick, Jedburgh...)
with a ferocity formerly applied to cattle-raiding and generally beating up the English!

 

[Wragg]

I should point out that Rugby Union (never 'rugger') is played in the Scottish Borders
(Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick, Jedburgh...)
with a ferocity formerly applied to cattle-raiding and generally beating up the English!
View attachment 445313

But the English have got their own back since

You need to go back to 2008 for a Scotland win....

 

[Loxuru]

HEY! I MADE THE COVER OF "TIME". THIS IS SUCH AN HONOUR! I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE EVEN THINKING OF ME. TAKE THAT, DONALD TRUMP!

You know that nobody wanted you to get David Bowie, Prince and all those other people, right? Being on Time doesn't necessarily mean they like you.

WELL, THAT SUCKS! I NEED A TALL ESPRESSO, PREFERABLY WITH SOMETHING STRONGER IN IT.

Coming back to this : in 2016, some 30% more celebreties than average have died (read in a newspaper).

 

[Wragg]

Coming back to this : in 2016, some 30% more celebreties than average have died (read in a newspaper).

Jollyrei still seems to have plenty of energy.... you'd think he'd be tired

 

[Jollyrei]

Jollyrei still seems to have plenty of energy.... you'd think he'd be tired

In the holiday spirit now.
That said, I'm woefully behind on my reading here - there are whole stories and threads that I have not had time for recently. Apologies to Tree, probably Barb, and a number of authors. I do want to read your stuff. Maybe more coffee would help.

 

[Naraku]

I found this new devise on the net. I think, with some modifications, it could be used to supplement or even replace the aging grinder being currently on use.