Junkyard Tom wrote: » Rodney Mullen invented a trick that gave rise to street skating as a sport/activity. Skateboarding was confined to flat surfaces, nice flat roads, and old swimming pools, until Rodney Mullen invented the 'ollie'. Here's an ollie. Suddenly kerbs and cracks on the pavement weren't a problem - in fact almost everything became a challenge which is why there are anti-skateboarding measures all around us. As a kid RM used to practice in his very strict Christian Father's barn where there was a bit of flat concrete. His Father took a dislike to his skating and took his board off him.. Rodney stopped eating he was so unhappy about it and his Father gave him back his board. Rodney Mullen went on to be a skateboarding superstar. He's a multi-millionaire now and shuns anything to do with competition in any form - he still can be seen skating the streets in various locations not far from his home and is now in his 50's.
Joeseph Balls wrote: » Mullen invented too many ollie based tricks to list here but not the Ollie.
Junkyard Tom wrote: » Probably well known but worth repeating that is that the faint crackling sound we hear when we pull a jumper/fleece off over our heads/ears are electrical sparks created by static, like tiny lighting bolts followed by tiny thunder-claps.
Liam28 wrote: » There has never been a war between two democracies.
Conall Cernach wrote: » I don't think that's true. Britain was at war with America for instance. They also declared war on Finland during WW2.
Professor Moriarty wrote: » Technically, isn't Britain a monarchy?
ohnonotgmail wrote: » the queen is a figurehead with no actual powers.
Skylinehead wrote: » A constitutional monarchy, but still a democracy. In any case it's not even slightly true. There's tons of examples of wars between democracies.
Conall Cernach wrote: » It's a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. I think Spain was also a constitutional monarchy during the Spanish-American War of 1898. I've thought of another one: The revolutionary French Republic was at war with Britain in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. Let's not forget the Irish Republic and Britain from 1919 - 22.
Quazzie wrote: » Ireland didn't become a Republic until 1937
Conall Cernach wrote: » The Irish Republic and The Republic of Ireland are two different entities. The Irish Republic had its own government, courts and army which operated over the entire country.
sbsquarepants wrote: » https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_between_democracies:cool:
Quazzie wrote: » And until 1937 was called the Irish Free State and still in the Commonwealth.
Liam28 wrote: » OK, time to debunk some of these examples of democracies at war. Finland was at war with Russia in 1941, and Britain, as Russia's ally, did declare war on Finland. But by war, I mean a 2 way armed conflict with multiple casualties. Finland-Britain had none of these. The cases of America and Ireland are similar in that they were colonies of Britain at the time of their Wars of Independence. Ireland declared itself a republic in 1919, and the US formed a congress, but they were no more democratic countries than Kerry is. After the War of Independence, Treaty and Civil War, Ireland became a democracy. (Whether it was a Republic, or in the Commonwealth does not really matter.)
Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: » That's a bit misleading. The elected representatives declared independence. Kerry has done no such thing. Nor does it have a long history as a separate nation. Anyway, there are several better examples, such as the Spanish-American War.
New Home wrote: » So why do they call themselves "The Kingdom"? :pac:
Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: » No idea. I think of it as harmless eccentricity like Corkonians saying they live in the real capital.
cdeb wrote: » Wasn't Hitler democratically elected? Or is it just that he had done away with democracy by the time war broke out?
