TV Teaches

There was almost everything there is to know about Al Capone.....the Prohibition.....WWII.
(there was also, A moment in the Life of Li'l John.....about 4 times.....OH----Kaey)

But after watching some technical TV, the Dutch seem a little psychotic about their land.



We all learned in high school that The Netherlands is a country mostly below sea level with large dikes to hold back the waters. In my high school mind.....big deal, the Dutch put big mounds of dirt to block out the water.

Now, learning some of the obvious. If the land is below the water level.....Where does the water go when it rains? That's right; it just pools up on the land unless removed. Those big ol' windmills.......they harness the wind to pump water out of the fields (millions of gallons of it daily).

The big "inlet" in that country was formed from a North Sea surge across a dike. This resulted in the current location of Amsterdam. That and a really large dam/dike built separating the body of water into a sea blockade and a freshwater lake.

After WWII the Dutch went as far as building a "gated" dike. This mechanical device lets normal sea surge in, but closes to block heavy surge. Technologically amazing how it got built....the Dutch are constantly pumping water out of their sinking lands...(said like Napoleon Dynamite) gosh; idiot; just let the land go.

I'm sure the reason for the craziness has something to do with the System Internationale......