Genghis Khan statue on the Mongolian steepes

[Denny Crane]

Only 43 million? That's nothing. My calculator says 86 million.

My calculator says that there were 88 million American Indians. Since there are now 1 million, white people killed 87 million of them.

Beat 'cha.

Smallpox. Beat 'cha.

White man seemed more interested in moving the indians from reservation to reservation than outright killing them all. At least for the first few centuries.

 

[donkiez]

So Stalin is offically the biggest douche in history? Or are we all still going to go with Obama and/or Bush?

 

[THE HCP]

I recommend this book: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Good read.

Do they have a CliffsNotes version?

 

[donkiez]

http://www.reddit.com/

I just started reading this reddit thread and thought about you guys. If you dont know reddit, this is a fascinating place to start, if you do know reddit this is still a must read. Wow people are fucked up.

 

[Further]

This thread needs an epic rap battle between Genghis Khan and the Easter Bunny.

[video]

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Do they have a CliffsNotes version?

No, but here's the main message of the book

Beneficial aspects of Mongol empire:
The book argues that the Mongol Empire was the impetus for the European Age of Discovery. Europeans two centuries later were trying to reclaim the lucrative global trade that was lost when the Mongol Empire collapsed.

A brief list of some of the ways in which Mongol influence, according to Weatherford's claims, helped shape Renaissance Europe:
Unprecedented religious tolerance
Low level of discrimination toward other races
Low level of meddling with local customs and culture
The idea of rule by consensus within Mongol tribes
Culture of meritocracy
Culture that believed in the rule of law
Strong sponsorship of Eurasian trade
Building of roads to support trade
First culture to promote universal literacy
First international postal system
First widespread use of paper money
Reduction of the use of torture in the penal system
Belief in diplomatic immunity for ambassadors/envoys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan_and_the_Making_of_the_Modern_World

 

[VanillaGorilla]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...eople-forests-grew-carbon-levels-dropped.html

Genghis Khan has been branded the greenest invader in history - after his murderous conquests killed so many people that huge swathes of cultivated land returned to forest.

The Mongol leader, who established a vast empire between the 13th and 14th centuries, helped remove nearly 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, claims a new study.

The deaths of 40 million people meant that large areas of cultivated land grew thick once again with trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

And, although his methods may be difficult for environmentalists to accept, ecologists believe it may be the first ever case of successful man made global cooling.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Genghis Khan, the fearsome Mongolian warrior of the 13th century, may have done more than rule the largest empire in the world; according to a recently published genetic study, he may have helped populate it too.

An international group of geneticists studying Y-chromosome data have found that nearly 8 percent of the men living in the region of the former Mongol empire carry y-chromosomes that are nearly identical. That translates to 0.5 percent of the male population in the world, or roughly 16 million descendants living today.

The spread of the chromosome could be the result of natural selection, in which an extremely fit individual manages to pass on some sort of biological advantage. The authors think this scenario is unlikely. They suggest that the unique set of circumstances surrounding the establishment of the Mongol empire led to the spread.

"This is a clear example that culture plays a very big role in patterns of genetic variation and diversity in human populations," said geneticist Spencer Wells, one of the 23 co-authors of the paper. "It's the first documented case when human culture has caused a single genetic lineage to increase to such an enormous extent in just a few hundred years."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0214_030214_genghis.html

 

[VanillaGorilla]

The reason it surprises many of you to see Genghis Khan looked at highly is because you've only heard western history of the Mongol Empire.

 

[THE HCP]

The only one on here that looks like a Khan is MAGS!

 

[huevonkiller]

I recommend this book: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Good read.

Lighter taxes and more individual freedom are nice, but I still use modern standards when judging someone.

 

[huevonkiller]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...eople-forests-grew-carbon-levels-dropped.html

Global warming improves vegetation in many areas, even those like the Amazon Rain forest.

 

[chevyrunssometimes]

Beautiful? Hmmm. Spectacle? For sure.

Did you know the elevator entry is through the rear? Literally and metaphorically.

 

[tlongII]

What the hell are "steepes?"

 

[chevyrunssometimes]

What the hell are "steepes?"

I wondered about that too. Steep steppes is my guess.