Dec 25 2007
Joke of the day
This is based on what a friend in the Peace Corps claims is a true story.
The presidents of two African countries—let’s say Togo and Nigeria—meet in Nigeria. The Tongan is surprised by how nice the Nigerian’s house is.
“Nigeria is so poor,” the Tongan said. “How can you afford this estate?”
The Nigerian points out the window to a bridge spanning a river.
“See that bridge? The World Bank give us a huge amount of aid to build it, but not all of the money was spent on the bridge.”
The Tongan thought about his shabby home and nodded. “That seems like a really great idea,” he said.
The next year, the Nigerian was visiting the Tongan and was astonished to learn that Togo had an absolutely luxurious palace. He asked the Tongan how he had improved his house so much in a year.
The Tongan pointed out the window to a barren desert, rolling as far as the eye could see. “See that bridge?”
People from Togo are called “Togolese,” not Tongan. Togo and Tonga are very different nations.
An impressively minute distinction. I approve!