Comments for Ragged Clown

Comment on A Fresh Look by Don

Don — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:09:02 +0000

Bob Hope, too. He was very funny until about 1954. Woody Allen says he imitates Bob Hope in every one of his movies. Once you know that, it’s very obvious. I would imagine lots of high brow Woody Allen fans have never given poor Bob a chance since folks who are about our age only remember him from his corny Christmas specials.

Comment on A Beautiful Mind by A Fresh Look | Ragged Clown

A Fresh Look | Ragged Clown — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:25:16 +0000

[...] A Beautiful Mind [...]

Comment on A Fresh Look by Georgina Lawrence

Georgina Lawrence — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:01:58 +0000

Really really true…all that you said. I think that’s why Elvis is not my favourite cause I do picture him in the white jumpsuit…and old blue eyes too. Funny how I don’t do that with Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan though…to me they will always be young. Maybe it’s because they still appeal to the younger generations as much as the older! Will miss Roger Ebert…

Comment on My Deepest Shame by A Fresh Look | Ragged Clown

A Fresh Look | Ragged Clown — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:22:38 +0000

[...] My Deepest Shame [...]

Comment on The Gift of a Book by carol chandler

carol chandler — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:36:52 +0000

To my knowledge I had nothing to do with a chemistry book! I too fell for the great Gatsby trick – I saw the film in my teens but didn’t get the point so I read the book. Didn’t get that either. I saw the film again in my 40s but age made little difference. And now they have remade it.

The bath is likely to drown the kindle – I tend to fall asleep there!

Comment on The Gift of a Book by Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:02:32 +0000

I’ve violated Bamber Gasgoine’s Law (I’ve started, so I’ll finish) a few times recently and ditched an awful book or two before the end. I’ve found two loopholes in the law though. One is that you are allowed to put a book aside as long as you promise to come back to it (see The Federalist Papers & Crime and Punishment & The Sound and the Fury & Paradise Lost). The other is provided by Mr Besoz’s Magical Device itself. You are allowed to send yourself a sample for free and read the first couple of chapters before agreeing to see it through to the finish.

But Bamber had me finish a couple of truly horrible books recently, both of which were recommended by Everyone Important: The Great Gatsby was horrid. It was one of those books where, when I got to the end, I wondered whether everyone else in the world was conspiring together in some vast practical joke on me Let’s pretend it’s a Great And Important Book and see if we can trick Kevin into reading it. (see also Lolita). I even tried watching the movie in case I had missed some subtle point in the book but, nope. The movie was equally without merit. Anyway, well done everyone. I fell for your silly prank.

The other book was The Road which I only kept reading to see if the second chapter (and the third and the fourth) would be as bad as the one before it. I already have No Country for Old Men on my Kindle but I am afraid to start it in case it’s horrible and Bamber makes me read it to the end.

Don’t worry, Carol, your Kindle won’t electrocute you in the bath but the the bath might drown your Kindle. I’m glad I was able to successfully recommend at least one book in my life. Hmm… Now I think of it, I wonder if you had a hand in recommending that chemistry book. Did you?

Comment on The Gift of a Book by Carol Chandler

Carol Chandler — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:26:47 +0000

Despite the many calls on my time in this modern day – work, golf, gardening, knitting, wine, “Bejewelled” on my Kindle, TV, more wine – like my brother, I must always have a book on the go. Unlike him, I can only do one at once but, once commenced, must finish it(although I do confess to the very odd failure). I read a wide variety of books, some literary treasures, some trash (as long as it’s written in “proper English” with real sentences and proper punctuation. I’ve read many a Dickens and Hardy novel (although the title of Bleak House has perhaps put me off that one). I too loved Call of the Wild as a child and read it often. I loved the book my little brother bought me some years ago – Les Miserables – and its on my “must read again some time” pile. We studied Sylvia Platt on a number of occasions in long-ago English literature classes and I could once recite some of her poetry, although an ageing mind has put paid to that! I shall now accept the recommendation for The bell jar, and download it to my Kindle, a newish toy which I am coming to love, although as yet I do think I still prefer the real thing (which is definitely less dangerous in the bath). Dad definitely never read a book, unless from the top shelf, but Mum did, and still does, read a lot so perhaps we got the bug from her. She was also guilty of telling little sister who was perhaps about 6 at the time, that the cat in Bleak House, which we visited when in Broadstairs once, did, of course belong to Dickens!

Comment on The Gift of a Book by Georgina Lawrence

Georgina Lawrence — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:16 +0000

I think the Internet Killed the Book Star! I used to read a lot but just like the little clown, there’s too many temptations to sit and focus on a good book…shame really! I owe you for all the books you’ve read and summarised for me! Thank you…and maybe when we’re retired, I’ll let you recommend a book for me again! Not long now:)

Comment on Acceptable Prejudice by Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:00:59 +0000

I don’t remember more than a tiny handful of kids who believed in God when we were growing up but every single one of us wrote ‘Church of England’ on the forms. I made the switch when I went to BRNC Dartmouth and I had to choose what religion to put on my dog-tags. I had been CofE for 6 year as a non-officer but when I joined Dartmouth, I put ‘atheist’.
Everyone said I was just nuts. Why rock the boat? My boss almost had steam coming out of his ears when he asked me why I did it.

I agree that it will be a passive thing. Europe is already post-christian and has been for 50 years. It’s just taking a while for the census forms to catch up.

It’s different in America though. In much of the country, it’s social death to admit it but I bet America isn’t more than 25 years behind Europe in shedding religious belief. That’s who Richard Dawkins’s book was aimed at – all those millions of people who think they are the only one who has doubts about what the Sky Pilots are saying. One day soon, they’ll realize that they are actually in a majority.

Comment on Acceptable Prejudice by Matt

Matt — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:53:29 +0000

I wonder if the percentage of atheists in the western world is under estimated. If asked on “say” a census or, infact, any other of the numerous forms which I seem obliged to fill in for her Maj’s government, what my religion is, I always enter Church of England.
Typical form filling exercise episode-
Me-
“Mum/Sir etc- what should I put for that?”

Mum/teacher etc-
” Er. Just put church of England”.

And that’s why.

Is it because I just do what i’ve always done or that the cause is not that important to me?
I beleive all 7 Billion of us will eventually see the light, and I beleive the transition will be a passive thing.
Then we can all get on with hating Arsenal supporters.