The answer, in the modern use of the world flag, is ‘no’. The world is of Germanic origin and was used in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to mean a piece of cloth, or other material, displaying the insignia of a community or armed force, an office, or an individual. They were used originally mainly in warfare, and were signs …

An ecotarian is a person who eats a diet of food grown or produced in an eco-friendly manner. In a wide sense, it is organic, locally produced food, minimally processed and with little packaging. It should have a minimal impact on the planet. An ecotarian is not necessarily a vegetarian, but a meat-eater who sticks to poultry and pork.

There’s a media gag on the Indian cricket players at the World Cup. They speak to members of the media only when they absolutely must. If they fail to do that, they face sanctions by the International Cricket Council (ICC). But for the first time in the World Cup, an Indian player — Virat Kohli, no less — spoke to …

When Lewis Carroll wrote Alice In Wonderland, he introduced the nicknames of some of his friends The Lory was young Lorina Liddell, the sister of Alice on whom Carroll based his look. The Eaglet was Alice’s other sister Edith. As for the Dodo, this was Carroll himself. Lewis Carroll was born January 27, 1832. In 1861, he decided to enter …

Because he first started writing on the staff of a women’s periodical. He spent four years writing a gossip column under the odd penname of “Gwendolyn.” He regarded the time thus spent as the most valuable part of his life. He later became the assistant editor and then editor of a weekly magazine called Woman. His later commet was: “I …

William Wilkie Collins who was the son of William Collins, the painter. Born in London January 8, 1824, he studied law and was called to the Bar in 1851. He was already writing and in 1850 his novel Antonina had appeared but his high rank in literature stands on his two well-known mystery novels. Wilkie Collins was a close friend …

Harry Faversham is the hero of the novel The Four Feathers which was written by Alfred Edward Woodley Mason and first published with great success in 1902. When the story starts Harry Faversham is a young officer in the British army. He is tired of army life and wishes to settle down and marry his fiancee, Ethne Burroughs. Harry is …

Robert Southey was born at Bristol, August 12, 1774. When he was 20 years old, the French Revolution was in full swing and Southey was so inspired by this that he stupidly conceived the idea of founding a communal republic in the United States. He was ably abetted in this notion by Samuel Coleridge, also a poet. The two young …

He was Francois de Montcorbier, known as Villon, born in 1431. His father died when he was quite young and he was brought up by a relative, Guillaume de Villon, whose name he adopted. He was educated at the University of Paris from where he graduated in 1449. He soon fell into bad company and roistered through the seedy taverns …

The names that the famous swordsmen assumed when they joined the French King’s bodyguard of musketeers were Athos, Porthos and Aramis. By these names they are known throughout Alexandre Dumas’ magnificent novel The Three Musketters. It is not until the swashbuckling D’ Artangnan sets out twenty years later, that the true names of them all are revealed. D’ Artangnan, now …