What's wrong with flat? I mean as in geography. Kansas is flat, Florida is flat,

[raccoon]

and many other areas, no doubt, are flat.

People always say that like it's a bad thing. What's bad about it?

[Aristus]

1. It tends to lead to flat thinking.

At least, according to a professor I had in college. He was talking about life on the huge Russian steppe, flat, semi-arid, no identifiable land features, nothing to break up the monotony of the landscape. He postulated that this was one reason why the peasants of the steppe tended to be docile, subservient, unimaginative, taciturn, and stoic.

I don't know how much of that is true, but it's one supposition, at least.

[petronius]

4. That's an old notion called Environmental Determinism, which is largely

discredited and rejected today. It lead to a lot of strange conclusions (some amusing, some offensive) about the development of culture...

[Aristus]

7. I haven't read anything on my own about it, but I'm willing to accept it as a discredited notion.

It's sort of like saying: "Well, you know how they are!..."

[rrneck]

5. I sorta doubt that.

I just finished a really good book on this guy.





Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan (/ˈɡɛŋɡɪs ˈkɑːn/ or /ˈdʒɛŋɡɪs ˈkɑːn/,[4][5] Mongol: [tʃiŋɡɪs xaːŋ] ( listen); Chingis/Chinghis khaan; 1162? – August 1227), born Temujin, was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise.

He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. After founding the Mongol Empire and being proclaimed "Genghis Khan", he started the Mongol invasions that resulted in the conquest of most of Eurasia. These included raids or invasions of the Kara-Khitan Khanate, Caucasus, Khwarezmid Empire, Western Xia and Jin dynasties. These campaigns were often accompanied by wholesale massacres of the civilian populations – especially in the Khwarezmian controlled lands. By the end of his life, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China.

[Bucky]

12. Google the YouTube video of Euroband "Dschinghis Khan"

Then try to the get the following tune out of your head

"Dsching, Dsching, Dschinghis Khan!
[font color="#f0f0f0"].[/font] Hey, rider! Ho, rider! Come, rider, we will follow!
[font color="#f0f0f0"].[/font] You can hear his laughter (ha-ha, ha-ha!)
[font color="#f0f0f0"].[/font] For now and ever after (ho-ho, ho-ho!)
[font color="#f0f0f0"].[/font] When. He. Lifts. Glass. Up. In. The. Aaaaiiiirrrrr!!"

[Bucky]

13. For what it's worth, Mongolia isn't very flat.

Liberal Minnesota is on fairly flat lying prairies. Knee jerk conservative Wyoming has lots of mountain contours.

[KamaAina]

17. Rhode Island: flat and Blue.

also, Delaware.

West Virginia, Idaho: mountainous and Red.

Next?

[rrneck]

19. There, y'see. Now I'm learning.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. How can anything be flat, when the Earth is round?

.
.
.



CC

[Jenoch]

10. Drive through southern Saskatchewan if you want to see flat.

I grew up on the Minnesota prairie.

[bluesbassman]

3. Growing up and living in Northern California, I've been surrounded by hills and mountains.

The times that I've had to be in areas that are totally flat, I've always felt a little anxious. I suppose having hills and mountains nearby gives me a sense if security. Perhaps I would feel different had I grown up in flatlands.

[a la izquierda]

6. I felt like that when I moved from Southern California to Oklahoma.

The flatness made me think a bald eagle was going to fly down and peck me in the head.

Now, however, after 7 years on the plains, I feel a bit claustrophobic by the mountains and trees in West Virginia. I love flying into Oklahoma City or Dallas. You can see to the ends of the earth.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. I thught that was only me.....

Grew up in Puget Sound area, hills and very tall trees and mountain ranges on both sides.
Moved to Fla. and felt very very disoriented for months and months, almost like I was going to fall over..weird but true.
then moved to Mobile Al. and was thrilled that some of the streets had a bit of an incline!

[fizzgig]

14. i'm the same way

i've lived spitting distance from the rockies my whole life and the flat makes me not only bored but anxious.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. No depth in the landscape.

Or the thinking.

No mountains. Mountains make you think. If you're not 100% committed to seeing where you're going, you can land in a ravine.

[Raffi Ella]

11. Tornadoes.

No hills to hike, no views from high. No variation.

There are waterfalls in North GA. And even when I'm driving around metro Atlanta my ears will actually pop from different altitudes. It's thrilling to go motorcycle riding on hilly back roads. It's fun on flats too but I my stomach doesn't flutter with fear/excitement on flat roads.

I love seeing big sky. All the pictures I've seen from Kansas et al have amazing endless views of prairies and sky, they're beautiful. But without variation there's nothing to discover, it's all the same.

[DFW]

15. My wife's home province is flat (no tornadoes).

She comes from the flat farm country of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border, where her 85 year old mom, who has trouble walking, still takes her bicycle the 6 miles (10 KM) to her dentist and back with no difficulty. I have yet to hear what's "wrong" with the terrain. It's nothing like the place I grew up (hills of Virginia), but so what?

[KamaAina]

16. San Jose is flat.

Although it does have mountains on one side and hills on the other.

Last month I went to Berkeley. As I turned the corner, I noticed a slight incline. A slight incline! I hadn't been on one in months.

[AsahinaKimi]

18. Not according to Slartibartfast

He was responsible for many new features in Earth.2*



*hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

22. I think it depends on where your grew up.

If you grew up in a flat area, you don't know what the view of mountain ranges feel like, let alone being up in them. It's a feeling I think. This photo online with this caption expresses the same thing I noticed back in 1976 making the same drive: "Then I drove into Colorado and glimpsed the mountains in the distance. It is unbelievable how flat everything was up until I reached the mountains."

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

Maybe the mountains seems mystical. I think there's something magnificent about mountain ranges. Even though they're created by earthquakes, I love the mountains!

[Throd]

20. Flat is better if you drive a beater that needs to be pushed often.

I have a long history with beaters.

[NV Whino]

21. Reminds me of a bumper sticker a friend of mine from Kansas had

"Climb Kansas"