British Imperialism….a good or bad thing?
At one point we ruled about a fifth of the world(i think!!)and the Queen is Head of the Commonwealth(53 countries!!)….so imperialism must have had its good points and bad…what do you consider them to be?
Do you believe in the separation of religion and state? Why? Why Not?
What about the freedom of religion?http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues
"Church-state separation has worked very well in practice. Americans freely support an array of houses of worship and other religious institutions, our nation is religiously diverse and many faiths exist side by side with remarkably little sectarian conflict." – AU.org
Will the Dems move to socialism cause a rash of secessions when the economy collapses?
Capitalism is the reason for prosperity in the United States. Moving to socialism will reduce us to mediocrity or worse. Secession may be the only way to salvage what has made us great up until now. What are your thoughts?
Countries mentioned in this Post: United States
Was George W the worst American president in history?
Everywhere I look, I see another comment on Bush being the worst president we’ve ever had. I’ve even heard die hard Conservative Republicans complain that he was not the best one we ever had to elect. Come on people, surely Nixon has to be up there on the worst presidents list.
What period in your lifetime is generally held to be the most exciting or memorable and for what reason/s? Do you wish you had lived it in a different way to the way you did and why?
For me the 60s and early were 70s were believed to be the most exciting because of the proliferation of sexual freedom, marijuana and the then rock music scene. I would have loved to have participated in them all more than I did!!
What is your preferred mode of transport?
If you could pick any mode of transportation from the present or the past (cars, trains, planes, horses, chariot, carriage, sedan chair, etc.) what would you prefer to use and why?
What happened to Hitler’s personal fortune?
Since we’re in a bit of a Hitler mood tonight…
He made a packet out of sales of Mein Kampf. What happened to it when he died? Was it lost, confiscated, transferred to his next of kin?
And what about other Nazis? People like Goering and Goebbels were loaded. Where did their money go?
Whatever happened to Ian McDonald?
I am thinking of the civl servant at the Ministry of Defence who made the official annonucements during the Falklands War back in 1982. Retired now probably but did he ever do anything interesting again?
The freedom of Walmington
In an episode of Dad’s Army a Russian visitor is given the freedom of the town, which apparently includes a bit of pomp, a speech, and the handing over of a scroll.I have never heard this sort of ceremony being called "giving someone the freedom of [a town]" before and can’t find any reference to [...]
Has extremism become extinct, because it is now classified as terrorism?
It’s the age old conundrum… one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s rebel. Has this been taken to the extreme where all justified rebels are calssified as terrorists, today?
culture population in the uk
I was wondering if you would be able to tell me the amount of cultures apparent in the population of children in the last 5 years, i.e the cultures that exist and how they have grown over this period of time
What are some great speeches that have been made by children?
I found this one. Any more?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Sb6RmRMbBY
What do you know about the Teapot Dome Scandal?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Pot_Dome
I just saw a book review on Book TV by this author:
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400063161
They had one person who hide the gun before committing suicide.A woman who hide documents in Mexico that still haven’t been found.People dropping like flies and a President who dies.
Countries mentioned in this Post: Mexico
Formula 1, Is it all over?
What a fantastic finale to the F1 season.
The performance of the best driver the sport has ever seen (IMHO) was outstanding. Alonso did what he needed to do. Massa stunning drive from start of qualifying right until the chequered flag. Button, unfortunate he didn’t start further up the grid but a brilliant race none the [...]
Was Rudolf Hess really the last person to be incarcerated in the Tower of London?
Another busy day in the back bar of the Black Horse Inn.
A few of the pie-eyed pundits clinging manfully to the bar insist that this is true.
I have my doubts.
Had a quick flash around the websites – but drew a blank.
Was Hess really the last prisoner in the Tower? Or was it someone else?
London
Cities mentioned [...]
Is London really riddled with old plague pits, and are they a cause for concern?
It’s rumoured, for instance, that the reason there’s a big curve in the tunnel between Knightsbridge and South Kensington on the Piccadilly Line is because they had to go around a mass grave of plague victims.
And where are these plague pits, if they do exist. I herd there was possibly one under Golden Square. [...]
Are there any plans to actually do anything with Battersea Power Station? Or is it just going to rot?
Loved by Pink Floyd fans. Drooled over by Mrs Thatcher. Snapped up by eager Japanese developers.
I grew up in the shadow of this once mightily powerful symbol of London. Last time I went past it it was a disembowelled mouldering heap.
Gutted. Abandoned.
Designed by the great Giles Gilbert Scott (the man who also gave us [...]
Where can I find information on what life in Victorian London in the time of Jack the Ripper was like?
I can’t find any info! Thanks, and if you find any websites then please could you let me know if there are any gory pictures on there before posting the link!
London
Cities mentioned in this Post: LondonCountries mentioned in this Post: United Kingdom
I came down Park Lane the wrong way (!) yesterday and saw a statue for the first time. It consists of a riderless horse and a dog posed in front of a sculpted, white stone, wall. Does anyone know what it’s called and why it’s there?
Couldn’t find a picture because I don’t know what it’s called but it’s on the "grass verge" between the hotels on one side of the road and Hyde Park on the other. Any ideas?
When were showers invented?
Meaning the ones that pump water through pipes and spray it on you. I’m sure rich people in the olden days could have got their servants to pour water over them, but that’s not what I want to know about right now.
What was the way of measuring the years before Jesus was apparently born?
In present times, the time before Jesus was born is refered to as BC – Before Christ, but for the people living at that time, there would not be aware of that event in the years before & be counting down the years such as 50 BC, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, [...]
The Phantom Time Hypothesis
The Phantom Time Hypothesis suggests that the early Middle Ages (614-911 A.D.) never happened, but were added to the calendar long ago either by accident, by misinterpretation of documents, or by deliberate falsification by calendar conspirators. This would mean that all artifacts ascribed to those three centuries belong to other periods, and that all events [...]
Experiences of affro caribeans under Nazi occupation.
Does anyone have any information about the experiences of people of affro caribean descent living under Nazi occupation in France belgium Netherlands etc. Were they persecuted or marginalised? How did Nazi racial policy impact on black people living under Nazi occupation?
Countries mentioned in this Post: France, The Netherlands
What was the sword of Damocles? What event caused the legend to grow up?
Was it always an illustration of how easily destruction can befall us, or was it a factual thing? I had an idea it was a form of torture, the prisoner was kept below a swinging sword suspended by a very fine thread.
Should Jim Morrison be given a posthumous pardon?
Someone’s trying to get Jim Morrison pardoned for indecently exposing himself at a concert in 1969. Is this sensible? Is it necessary? Once you’ve grown out of their music, isn’t the only vaguely interesting thing about Morrison the fact that he was kind of a rebel? Do we really have to try to sanitise our [...]
When were libel laws introduced?
Was there a tradition of libel laws going back to, say, Ancient Rome, or was libel created somewhere? Was there a time when people could say anything about anyone in print? If libel laws do have a definite beginning, what caused them to be introduced?
Rome
Cities mentioned in this Post: RomeCountries mentioned in this Post: Italy
how long does a royal decree last for?
the decree by king charles II states that the cavalier king charles spaniel is not to be denied access to any public building in the country, including the houses of parliament. i’d like to know if this is still valid, and if it is, where i can get a copy of it!
Second world war code-breaking.
We all know that the Allies consistently cracked German and Japanese codes in World War Two, and were able to gain huge advantages as a result.
But surely they were trying to do the same thing to us. Did they ever succeed? Were the Germans or Japanese or Italians ever reading Allied encoded messages, or were [...]
Can anyone give some insight into being raised in the 1950’s? Cont below
My daughters has a school project to do on life in the 1950’s Britain and we would like to hear anyones personal accounts of it.
I know we can look up any old website on the matter but as always they tend to glamourise it and we want real life.
Doesn’t matter what age you where we [...]
Do you think that John F. Kennedy was…..
really killed by Lee Harvey Oswald or do you think Oswald was the fall guy for a government cover up? Why would the government have such a popular president done away with? I am curious as I saw a documentary on this the other day and the conspiracy theory on this is still [...]
Moon landing conspiracy?
I have heard numerous suggestions about the legitimacy of the moon landing by the Apollo 11 crew back in 1969, and wondered what other people thought about this. The most ‘damning’ piece of evidence as told by conspiracy theorists is the flag waving in space where supposedly, there is no atmosphere and therefore should [...]
‘World Trade Centre’ the movie ??
I have just seen the film and didnt think it done the public justice what do you think ? i must say however it was a really good film and wonderfully done, and i commend all the emergancy services that helped on that day and the film done them good !
Is teaching boys and girls seperately a progressive step forward in education or a step backwards putting social skills in jeopardy?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=5098…
Why do Bolivian indio women wear bowler hats?
… as part of their traditional costume?Seems like an odd choice. Like Mongol horsemen wearing ties. What’s more, the bowler hats must have come from the European invaders.
American Presidents…..
America’s president at the moment is not really highly thought of around the world. What i want to know is was there another president that was worse than G.W.Bush Jnr ?
Will China forsake Communism in favour of Christianity?
This is following on from Nicmeek’s recent Q re: Emerging Chinese Christianity.As we enter the twilight of US world dominance (possible 30 years remaining?) and pre-eminence of China, do you think, (in line with the last 2,000 years) the new leading nation will follow the Roman, Spanish, British and Americans in adopting Christianity?
Countries mentioned in [...]
A few years ago, Google forked out around
On the face of it, it would seem to be a bad investment as it only really gets income from advertising. Where exactly would they recoup the money spent for it?
Will you be writing a blog on the 17th?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/10/nhistory10.xml
what do you thing of the long now clock project?
will the clock still be running in 10k years time? can you see a perpose in the whole project. i have to admit it’s got my imagination going. and it’s absolutly beautiful.
http://www.longnow.org/projects/clock/
How did Henry VIII decide which abbeys and churches would be dissolved when he set up the Church of England?
Many strong abbeys were destroyed in the Dissolution, but how did the king determine which should be destroyed and which should stay? Who made the decision within each church of whether it should join the new Protestant church, or whether it should remain Catholic, and face destruction?
Countries mentioned in this Post: United Kingdom
What Gods were there in England before Christianity?
We went to a museum this week and it said on one of the plaques that Christianity was not the predominant religion in England until around the 4th century. What Gods did people worship before this?
Countries mentioned in this Post: United Kingdom
Why does the ancient symbol for peace and goodwill strike terror into the hearts of people?
I’m talking about the swastika. I know about people equating it with Naziism, but isn’t it time that this false use and correlation was relinquished and the proper interpretation reinstated? The reason I ask is because I put it up to be my avatar(in all innocence), and had my profie, questions and answers temporarily revoked.
This may be a dumb question but what are the latter day saints?
In an idle moment this question popped up, the Jehovahs witnesses are more correctly known as the church of Jesus Christ and the latter day saints.
What or whom exactly are the latter day saints?
I am not particularly religious but this query is begining to bug me a bit.
people think ( wongly) crosses inverted really mean there is evil about or to represent evil?
would an inverted star of david or ankh inverted represent evil? how does inverting a thing make people think of evil? what other inverted things have this bad reputation either rightly or wrongly?
What forms of modern slavery still exist?
There’s a question on here (way back) about slavery, and it quotes estimates of between 2.7m and 27m slaves around the world, but it didn’t give a full range of the different types of slavery – I know there are a few, but is there a number of specific definitions? Are there figures attached to [...]
What were you in your previous life?
If you don’t know there is the cluehttp://www.thebigview.com/pastlife/
I was a female born somewhere in the territory of modern Saudi Arabia around the year 1125. My profession was that of a digger, undertaker.
Countries mentioned in this Post: Saudi Arabia
Do you believe in Winston?
Seems like teens aren’t getting the education they should be:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/04/nhistory104.xml
I appreciate that the syllabuses will change over time, but does this excuse this level of ignorance?
ST MARY’S PARISH CHURCH, MARKET PLACE, STOCKPORT
Why did the nave and tower ST MARY’S PARISH CHURCH, MARKET PLACE, STOCKPORT, have to be rebuilt in 1813? What event was its partial collapse blamed on?
What was the biggest box office flop in history…
as it relates to money spent to produce the movie versus profits from ticket, dvd/video, and distribution sales? Also, other than the top one, are there any other notable flops?
Are any quota quickies still watched?
Quota quickies were films made in Britain in the 1930s-50s. Legally, a certain quota of films shown in Britain had to be made in Britain, and the quickies were cheap films made to put on double bills with popular Hollywood films. Thing is, although I know that much about them, I don’t actually know the [...]