Here's a link to a Music Clip -- read down the comments and I promise you will not be disappointed.

And enjoy the music as you to do. Gloria Dios!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWAhM8viw60&feature=related

Hi Saro. In view of the other Network54 link you posted in your mystery Japanese? video thread I can see how you came to find this YouTube page. But as you note, what a strange exchange in the midst of the comments!

It is reputed that many visitors to this estimable Forum cannot be bothered to click on links. I find this difficult to believe, but just in case here is the exchange in question:

asachildtobecome (3 months ago)

It's Buenos Aires. The avenue is the widest in the world, Avenida 9 de Julio. photos from Bariloche. A parklike area, with palm trees, is Palermo, B.A. I went to school right across it. Vicente Lopez: Michael Ham Memorial College. Alguien fue? Las inspeciones de los bloomers?! :+} Que colegio che.
, Che = Mapuche =people. We use it as OK here
Guevara's nickname.
t our house PuntaBallenaUruguay...Ayche, me atraparon..

odalrich (3 months ago)

A Roman Catholic posh college for posh girls. Bloomer inspections? mmmm sounds sexy; tell me more about it!

asachildtobecome (3 months ago)

Nah!... I'm kind of "nice. OK. Just before going to class by turns, Sister Georgina, ruler and hand and nothing to measure: up goes the tunic. No bloomers. On the school bus. So what? only the goodies wore them. The bus never took back home though, Just an Irish concept of teaching good clean Shame. Oh we were so, so, very so much unashamed, unlearned and wicked as witches...I got better thought,,, a la monty python and the knewt?

Sexy? no. Nasty? That's what happened with the energy

Here is a link to the English translation of the home page of the Michael Ham Memorial College, Buenos Aires. Spanish speakers, including R. G. Tracker and our recent new contributor Veronica, should go here instead.

And here is a picture of some charming young ladies from the College.

It is not stated if their bloomers have just been inspected, but somehow I doubt that this is the case!

Sometimes I just troll Youtube looking for Spanish religious music -- can I help it if kinky comments pop out at me? I believe they would pop out to most on this forum. We are most a kinky bunch here -- except for Aparna and Dr. Dominum who are actually concerned for the plight of school children still getting in in schools. (sarcasm)

Kind of weird to make comments about my predilections on THIS forum.

This was going to be a possible explanation for the comments on the YouTube page, but in view of Saro's comments above I may have some explaining to do there as well.

Saro, you say:

Kind of weird to make comments about my predilections on THIS forum.

If, as I fear may be the case, that was a reference to my comment on how you found the YouTube video I clearly owe you both an explanation and an apology.

I produce web sites. I therefore have a great interest in how people find things on the web. You had recently posted a link to The New Forum for Classical Singers and clearly had an interest in classical singing. I assumed that interest was how you came to find the YouTube video and I commented on that, as I sometimes do here about peoples links because of my interest in web searching. I did give the wrong location for the link to The New Forum for Classical Singers. It is of course in the foundation post of your 'The mystery of Embedding videos on Network 54' thread, though you did refer to belonging to 'another Network 54 musiciany forum' in your 'Help to ID this caning clip from a Japanese movie/serial drama please' thread, hence my mistake.

If I have caused you any offence as a result of the comment in my post above I assure you that none was intended, and I hope very much that you will accept my apology.

And now the possible explanation for the strange YouTube comments. I am informed, by a probably reliable source, that in the past in strict Catholic girls' schools the modesty of the pupils, and any attemts by said pupils to take liberties therewith, were of considerable concern. Regulations therefore required the wearing of an additional somewhat voluminous and bloomer-like garment. Analogous in fact to the cycle shorts apparently worn by schoolgirls in some countries where modesty is also a consideration, and on which our esteemed contributor Sill Lee Asso is the internationally acknowleged authority.

In hot weather especially the pupils were apt to rebel against the additional 'bloomers' and dispense with them, hence the 'bloomer inspections'. Therefore the YouTube comment by 'asachildtobecome' which says

No bloomers. On the school bus. So what? only the goodies wore them.

almost certainly does not mean what it might be thought to mean!

modest|clothing|girl's|christianbloomers, jumpers, aprons, nightgowns and more! ... dresses are fun for little girls, but not always modest so add some bloomers! ...
www.jumpinbloomers.com/ - Cached - Similar

This sounds like an English school-there's been a considerable English influence in Buenos Aires since Victorian times. One of the most famous football teams is Racing, founded as Racing Club of Argentina by a British industrialist.

I'd say the photo suggests a distinct lack of nuns & rulers. More importantly, the young fillies therein would appear to be as familiar with the underwearial type of bloomers as I am with why young people flock to Bingo or believe apples grow in supermarkets.

Wonder if the posters on youtube are an older generation, or quoting from their mothers' experience? Or were they on the bus to play hockey or netball and decided they'd sooner play in sexy satin shorts?

Thank you, Saro-trust you to dangle such an intriguing little mystery before us all!!


Steve

Hi Steve. You say:

This sounds like an English school

Pretty well spot on as far as I can see, although the Vicente Lopez school is bi-lingual, presumably English and Spanish. The website of the school is in Spanish. The YouTube poster, asachildtobecome, refers to 'an Irish concept of teaching good clean Shame' so Sister Georgina, who appears to have been conducting the bloomer check, may have been Irish, or the Nuns generally may have been predominantly Irish at that time.

The Michaael Ham Memorial College appears to consist of two schools. The Vicente Lopez girls' school, mentioned in the YouTube comment, was founded by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, an order founded in Manchester in the 19th century. The College had its origins in 1923 when Nuns of the order came to Argentina from Chile, but the Vicente Lopez school was opened in 1926 when a further group of Nuns arrived from England. The land was, as the college's name suggests, denoted by Mr. Michael Ham, which sounds about as English as you can get.

You also say:

I'd say the photo suggests a distinct lack of nuns

I am not sure that you can assume that. I am no expert on religion, but was there not a Papal instruction a few years ago to Nuns in some orders to abandon traditional dress and integrate themselves into the wider community? As far as I am aware there is no reason why the staff in the picture should not be Nuns. I agree though that they are not carrying rulers, and I suspect that the wearing of over-bloomers by the girls, the bloomer checks, and the measuring, presumably of skirt lengths, ceased many years ago.

Some woman may be lay teachers or coaches and other Nuns in lay garb since the Second Vatican Council. I'm sure they have a vocation shortage. My older sister (as many girls were I'm told) was made to kneel on the floor in 1965 and she was told in front of a coed high school class that she was a bold hussy by one of the sternest when her uniform skirt didn't touch the floor. Did I get mileage out of that with my nephew and nieces?

It may be a case that when they were younger the bloomers were dress appropriate but they've out grown them in many ways in their minds. They are getting to big for their own bloomers.

One skirt is not higher than the other and they are growing every day so they are being regulated IMHO. The one kneeling on the far left will some day be the Princes of the Maldives. Apres mois deluge.

Don't cry for me Argentina

Hi American Way. You say:

Did I get mileage out of that with my nephew and nieces?

American Way, I do hope you are not one of those dreadful people who tells youngsters embarrassing stories about their parents!

Seriously, thanks for the confirmation with regard to the Second Vatican Council.

You are certainly correct about the uniformity of the hemlines, but I wouild not necessarily take that as evidence of any regulation except perhaps a school rule which says not more than x cm/inch above the knee. I recall several press reports saying that similar rules have been instituted in schools in the UK when girls have got a little over-enthusiastic in the trend towards mini-skirts, and such rules don't seem to take account of the height of individual girls.

As for your link I can only say yes, but who won?

Just noticed your comment about the Maldives American Way. If you mean what I think you mean I'd check your atlas and have a look where the Maldives are - a long way from Argentina.

As for the Falkland Islands, any princesses they have live in the UK and certainly don't go to Argentinian schools - and that isn't going to change any time soon!

Who won the war? The British of course but let's give us some credit where credit is often overlook.

Reagan/Haig/Thatcher were a veritable trinity. War casualties in the 1982 conflict totalled 655 Argentine soldiers, and 236 British soldiers. Three civilian residents. Does anyone ever win a war? Just ask the penguins.

I know why I had Maldives on my mind. I certainly don't need an atlas. Fly that 107 year old woman there. She is the worst of the lot. Serial polygamist.

Maldives on my Mind

One skirt is not higher than the other and they are growing every day so they are being regulated IMHO.

Many Christian schools say no shorts and skirts not above the knees when standing. Most public schools two inches above. Many public schools half way up the mid thigh. I went to school around the time of Twiggy and Nuns never used rulers except (as I wrote in a previous post) on the palms for being stupid and the knuckles for being bad.

American Way: I went to school around the time of Twiggy

So did I. Actually I went to the boys' school across the road from Twiggy's girls' school. Those were the days!

PS Sorry not to have posted much recently, I've been quite busy.