".. impose restrictions on people, some quite absurd nonsense.."

It's a sliding scale. Japanese bow and assess the rank of the other person to calculate who bows lower. So the UK prime minister bends the knee to be lower than HM. Everyone bows to others in our courts. Audiences clap for music which is crude copy of the sounds just made - why do musicians need to hear palms banging together?

In WWI "there was not enough clerk-power to record the casualties". No-one today has accurate figures for the organisation of using up men to reduce the other sides' men. But they all saluted by pointing fingers together on top of the head.
They tried to bow and salute at the same time as clapping with the other hand but the dogs started laughing.

Hey Nick, lay of that crystal stuff, you'll do yourself a damage. Oops, too late.

Hi Foxy,

I understand what you are saying about religions. One can only assume what the world would be like if we had 5 or 6 billion religious fundamentalists running around the place. The good thing about fundamentalism is that the vast majority of the religious in the world, about 5 or 6 billion, have not embraced it, as yet.

As a 'forumite', having been reading your posts for many years it is obvious you are a middle of the road person with a great social conscience, the only regular poster who clearly fits that bill. Many on here can see that and I believe, if not agreeing with your opinions, they certainly respect them. Surprisingly, many Christians I have met, have a similar mind set, which is no bad thing. So at least from that perspective i have to respect the religious, whoever they be.

Dear Paul,

Thank You for your kind words.

If you're interested in pursuing the sad state of
the world today there's a concise (absolutely brilliant)
book - Sam Harris' (2006) "Letter to a Christian Nation,"
a letter to believers in the US. It's worth a read.

Holy Hanson probably this year means British values in Australia. The traditional photo in Govt offices is the British monarch seen on coins.
Royal Mint : "Britannia, the female personification of the British Isles, has been a popular figure since the 1st century, when she was first depicted as a goddess."

God checker: "She is the personification and patron deity of the British Isles. No sooner did the Romans invade Britain than they had to invent a goddess of the place to apologize to. The locals probably found this very strange behavior.
BRITANNIA found a new lease of life during Victorian times when she became a symbol of stiff-upper-lipped Empire-building. Somehow the Victorians never managed to invade Rome so she is still waiting for a chance to get her own back."

nnn: : "Britannia, the female personification of the British Isles, has been a popular figure since the 1st century, when she was first depicted as a goddess."

Err, wrong. Britannia was never a Goddess. She was the daughter of a British king. She was taken to Rome as a child & raised by the Emperor. On the death of her father she was returned to Britain. Her soon to be husband was murdered by the local Garrison Commander. She sort compensation but they imprisoned her. On her release she took up arms against the Romans & dam near succeeded except at her last battle where her army got too carried away & bad planning caused a massacre & she was defeated.

Fa Gawd sake nnn get off that stuff, it bad fa ya health.