Monday, November 17, 2008

I am easily amused (yet again)

Last night I went to see a Chinese documentary film about the operations of a small station of the 'border police' (who appear to be a division of the PLA - the army - rather than the PSB - the police) in a desolate north Chinese town. It had its longeurs, I have to say, and I left before the end.

However, the name of one of the producers tickled my funnybone (some sort of Scandinavian, I would imagine):

Nonglux Thongdard.


I am not making this up. Though perhaps he is.

The further question that plagues me here is whether the g in his first name is part of the first syllable or the second. Is 'glux' a bad thing to be in his cold northern homeland, and do parents who want to name their children auspiciously protest that they are 'non-glux'? Enquiring minds want to know.

A 'thongdard', of course, is a flag or banner made out of skimpy underwear. Such crudely improvised battle emblems were traditionally carried into the fray by Viking 'berserkers'.

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