Jamie123 Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 (edited) No...this is *not* more drivel about the Flat Earth people and how Antarctica is really a giant ice-wall holding the oceans in and spilling out into...well presumably into Nifelheim and the roots of Ygdrassil (if you're into that sort of thing). This is something far more important... The fact is that Antarctic exploration makes me VERY angry! Why? Well there are two very important reasons... Firstly because Roald Amundsen ate his dogs! They were nice cute husky dogs that anyone else would have been glad to have for a pet. Good, loyal, faithful, hard-working dogs who pulled his sleds all the way to the south pole, allowing him to beat Scott (who despite his poor organization played things fair as far as doggy-woof-woofs went). And how did that Norwegian git repay them? By using them not only as a source of propulsion but also as a source of food. He and his men ate almost the whole lot of them! While Scott was freezing and Oats was going out for "some time", the Norwegians were stuffing themselves with husky-burgers and fries! Amundsen brought only ONE dog back to Norway. You can see it today, stuffed in a museum in Olso. If you ask me Amundsen should be disqualified, and the credit given to Scott instead! (Please excuse me while I go and grind my teeth.) But there's another reason as well... When I was 10 years old, my teacher (I'll call him Mr. Keswick - which is very nearly his name) told us the story of Robert Falcon Scott, and how he used horses to pull his sleds to the pole. I asked him why he didn't use mechanical tractors to pull the sleds. Mr. Keswick looked at me and said "For goodness sake this was in 1910! Did they have mechanical tractors then?" Now I had no idea whether they had mechanical tractors in 1910, but the class was already looking at me with amusement, so instead of confessing my ignorance I said "no". Mr.Keswick then led the whole class in a good old laugh at "stupid old Jamie". Well, that summer, when our family was on holiday, I was given some spending money by my Ma and Da which I used to buy a book about Antarctic exploration. (I bought a book on dinosaurs too, but that doesn't come into this story.) On the centre pages it had a cut-out penguin which you made to stand up by pasting it to a toilet roll middle. It also had the story of Scott's and Amundsen's expeditions and - in the middle of one page was a picture of a vehicle with caterpillar tracks, and a caption underneath reading "Motorized sled used by Scott on his 1910 expedition to the south pole!" Check it out here: http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/image/?imageId=images-18720&profile=access So Scott DID attempt to use "tractors". He had two of them. Admittedly neither of them reached the South Pole, but my question had been quite valid! Despite the teacher-induced snickering all around the classroom, it wasn't "stupid old Jamie" at all. It was "stupid old Mr. Keswick!" So I got a train straight back home, went to Mr.Keswick's house, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pushed the picture in his face and shouted "Look at this, Mush! Who's stupid now???!!!" Well ... OK so the last bit of the story is pure fantasy but I certainly did it in my head! Edited September 24, 2015 by Jamie123 Vort, hagoth and Jane_Doe 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 Jamie, I hope we live next door to each other in the next life. You would be a hoot to get to know better. Jamie123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted September 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 Jamie, I hope we live next door to each other in the next life. You would be a hoot to get to know better. We could hang out over a cool glass of nectar and ambrosia - that would be quite something! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdowis Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 1. Scott’s two motorised sledges (tractors) broke down early on the journey. 3. The dogs were not pets. Cows are also "cute". The dogs that were killed were used for both the men and the remaining dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted September 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 1. Scott’s two motorised sledges (tractors) broke down early on the journey. 3. The dogs were not pets. Cows are also "cute". The dogs that were killed were used for both the men and the remaining dogs.And 2. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 And 2. ? What? You can't see 2? I don't understand why not. All virtuous people can see 2. Oh... Never mind. As you were. EarlJibbs and Crypto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackmarch Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 No...this is *not* more drivel about the Flat Earth people and how Antarctica is really a giant ice-wall holding the oceans in and spilling out into...well presumably into Nifelheim and the roots of Ygdrassil (if you're into that sort of thing). This is something far more important... The fact is that Antarctic exploration makes me VERY angry! Why? Well there are two very important reasons... Firstly because Roald Amundsen ate his dogs! They were nice cute husky dogs that anyone else would have been glad to have for a pet. Good, loyal, faithful, hard-working dogs who pulled his sleds all the way to the south pole, allowing him to beat Scott (who despite his poor organization played things fair as far as doggy-woof-woofs went). And how did that Norwegian git repay them? By using them not only as a source of propulsion but also as a source of food. He and his men ate almost the whole lot of them! While Scott was freezing and Oats was going out for "some time", the Norwegians were stuffing themselves with husky-burgers and fries! Amundsen brought only ONE dog back to Norway. You can see it today, stuffed in a museum in Olso. If you ask me Amundsen should be disqualified, and the credit given to Scott instead! (Please excuse me while I go and grind my teeth.) But there's another reason as well... When I was 10 years old, my teacher (I'll call him Mr. Keswick - which is very nearly his name) told us the story of Robert Falcon Scott, and how he used horses to pull his sleds to the pole. I asked him why he didn't use mechanical tractors to pull the sleds. Mr. Keswick looked at me and said "For goodness sake this was in 1910! Did they have mechanical tractors then?" Now I had no idea whether they had mechanical tractors in 1910, but the class was already looking at me with amusement, so instead of confessing my ignorance I said "no". Mr.Keswick then led the whole class in a good old laugh at "stupid old Jamie". Well, that summer, when our family was on holiday, I was given some spending money by my Ma and Da which I used to buy a book about Antarctic exploration. (I bought a book on dinosaurs too, but that doesn't come into this story.) On the centre pages it had a cut-out penguin which you made to stand up by pasting it to a toilet roll middle. It also had the story of Scott's and Amundsen's expeditions and - in the middle of one page was a picture of a vehicle with caterpillar tracks, and a caption underneath reading "Motorized sled used by Scott on his 1910 expedition to the south pole!" Check it out here: http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/image/?imageId=images-18720&profile=access So Scott DID attempt to use "tractors". He had two of them. Admittedly neither of them reached the South Pole, but my question had been quite valid! Despite the teacher-induced snickering all around the classroom, it wasn't "stupid old Jamie" at all. It was "stupid old Mr. Keswick!" So I got a train straight back home, went to Mr.Keswick's house, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pushed the picture in his face and shouted "Look at this, Mush! Who's stupid now???!!!" Well ... OK so the last bit of the story is pure fantasy but I certainly did it in my head!I've found that God has aa tendency to do that sort fo thing to people.... one of the type of things that helps drive home the "miracles come after the test of your faith". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdowis Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 (edited) And 2. ? I was going to say something about Scott but decided against it. You may find the Masterpiece Theatre "THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH" of interest for the complete story. You can find it on youtube. Edited September 25, 2015 by cdowis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David13 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 It could have been worse.You have heard of the Donner expedition.And they have not been the only ones. There are other well known cases.I don't think any discussion about polar exploration should leave out Shakleton.Clovis I don't know what you would say about Scott. I think I had heard Scott didn't know how to work the dogs like Amundsen did. His daily mileage totals were much smaller.dc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David13 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 It could have been worse.You have heard of the Donner expedition.And they have not been the only ones. There are other well known cases.I don't think any discussion about polar exploration should leave out Shakleton.Clovis I don't know what you would say about Scott. I think I had heard Scott didn't know how to work the dogs like Amundsen did. His daily mileage totals were much smaller.dc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagoth Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 ....Nifelheim and the roots of Ygdrassil (if you're into that sort of thing).I am, actually.* But I don't see how such things relate to Antarctica. Thanks for the enjoyable story, though. :) * "The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God." (Joseph Smith) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted September 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) Cows are also "cute". Maybe so, but I don't expect them to pull sledges to the South Pole. I mean....that's just plain silly! Edited September 28, 2015 by Jamie123 Blackmarch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackmarch Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 how about these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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