Interesting story as to how that saying came about.
Elephants are expensive beings to keep.
White elephants were sacred.
Ancient kings would present a white elephant to officials they didn't like.
This would cripple them financially, as they cannot do away with them as they are both sacred, and were a gift from the king, so had no choice but to exhaust their fortune caring for it.
Thus the saying, to be given a white elephant.
(going off memory, pretty sure it was only one king that did this)
Christ Eddie, your anecdotes are almost as tame as your life seems to be.
It’s like you’re back on the moo bahn baking shortbread.
One has to suspect someone’s looking over your shoulder.
Someone who perhaps wouldn’t warm to the luigi persona.
For some reason.
People are naturally anthropocentric but that's rather myopic imho.
Fascinated by mirrors like so many budgies.
Some minds reach out a bit further.
It seems to my admittedly tiny and autistic brain that some countries like Australia and New Zealand need only put their image on a flag to differentiate themselves from coloured stripes and squiggles.
Eh? Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense
At the end of the day it is factual. It is part of history and to deny it or deflect is quite silly. No one judges people now by 'their' country's actions hundreds of years ago. Or shouldn't anyway. I mean, I'm half German and half French and Aussie as an additional choice - a lot of nasty history there too . . . nothing to deny if it's factual.
^^ you mean knocking around Africa killing fuzzywuzzies, if they didn't the fuzzies would be killing each other..horses for courses and at least the whities brought them the wheel. Its like the famous African sketch "what did the Europeans ever do for us". Anyway Viktor Kalashnikov has killed more Africans than all the colonials combined. What did the Russians ever do for Africa
Unfortunately the nicest flag of all hasn't been posted.
A lovely Map of Tassie.
You must be new here, that’s kinda his ‘thing’, welcome!Originally Posted by Panama hat
^ I think the only people us Brits rank above when it comes to hygiene is actually the French.
I bet we buy more razor blades
French Lax on Routine Hygiene, Study Suggests
PARIS (AFP) — As France braces for a surge in cases of the new coronavirus, which is spread mainly by poor hygiene, a new survey suggests that some of the population may need to clean up their act when it comes to routine cleanliness.
The study carried out by Ifop pollsters for Diogene France, a company specialized in cleaning insalubrious housing, showed that as many as 24% of French men only have a “thorough” wash twice a week and five percent only once a week.
Among French women, the ratios were 15% and 4% respectively.
Health officials view frequent hand washing as a basic precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has killed some 2,760 people around the world and infected more than 80,000 since it was first detected in China in December and has now spread to dozens of other countries.
But the Ifpop study showed that 29% of French people do not routinely wash their hands after going to the toilet and only 25% do so after blowing their nose.
The study also exposed French men to be far more lax than women when it comes to changing their underwear.
Only 73% change their underpants every day, compared with 94% of women.
Twenty-one percent of French men toss their underwear in the laundry basket just twice a week and 1% avoid the problem entirely by going commando (underwear-free).
Nevertheless, when it comes to hair care, French men are meticulous, the study suggested.
Ninety-seven percent wash their locks at least once a week, compared to 96% of women.
The survey of 2,005 people was carried out online between January 31 and February 3.
Commenting on the results, the head of Ifop’s gender and sexual health division, Francois Kraus, said the results showed that while things had “improved enormously” since the post-war period, sizeable “pockets of dirtiness” remain among men and the elderly.
© Agence France-Presse
As for flags, Malawi's has great significance...
Malawi, in Southeastern Africa, adopted its flag on 6 July 1964 to symbolize its independence from the United Kingdom as well as the broader independence movement across the continent. The sun up top represents the dawn of that new era; its 31 rays for Malawi being the 31st state freed from European rule; the black represents the indigenous people; the red their blood spilled fighting for freedom; the green its natural bounty. It’s rare to find a flag that conveys a deep history in only three colors and shapes.
The best flag though, has to be The Union Jack for me. It does appear on the flags of 19 other countries and is the coolest looking imho and must be the best selling flag used on merchandise.
^^ Hawaii
^ nope, it’s smaller than that
^ Docs flag
Sneaky way to get a hint NPT
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