April 13, 2008 (LPAC) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe dismissed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as "a little tiny dot on this planet," in a press conference that followed a meeting with South Africa's Thabo Mbeki.

Or, perhaps a little Brown dot? The comment by the embattled African resistance leader brings to mind an old World War II story about army issue toilet paper. According to one version, when supplies got low, the quartermaster would issue each soldier a single sheet of toilet paper to last for the month. In order to keep up morale, an innovative sergeant figured out a way to instruct his troops on its proper use. First you make a hole in the center. Then you wipe. Then you use the remainder to clean off your finger.

In the British army, the policy was known as "holier than thou."