Books, films and stinky poo

7 May 2012

Have you by any chance read the Harry Harrison book Make Room! Make Room!?  No?  Well, have you seen the film Soylent Green?  Yes?  In which case you have seen the film based on Harrison's book - however loosely!  In the book an over crowed Earth is plagued by food and water shortages and senseless violence.  A detective tries to find out the truth while he investigates one politically sensitive murder.  If you haven't read it, please do try to - it's worth the effort!

In the book water is rationed and one of the tasks of the police is ensure that what water is available is shared out properly - from lockable stand pipes!  Now then ... think of Ms Spellman who recently suggested that the over populated South East England may be reduced to getting water from stand pipes is we get a third dry winter.  Think back the senseless riots of last August.  And then remember that Harrison generally writes science fiction, or in the case of Make Room! Make Room! a dystopia story ... and see if you can find the parallels.

The other day I bought a book called Dead Like Me by Peter James.  I bought it at the same time as I bought a small dic'n'arry for beside me bed.  What drew to the book was that I had just read that morning a piece in Writers Magazine  about James so I thought it worth a go - and it is.  James' character Roy Grace is based Brighton, a place I have only stayed in once, for three nights last October.  No I fancy going back ;-)))  But that's not why I mention the book, no, it's because my latest project Photo Finish has a series of murders followed by a gap and then another set of murders with the same MO.  And guess what, so does James' book.  It also has a possible corrupt copper in it; so does my project 18 Months Later.  I know that ideas are not copyrighted but I'm getting nervous about having too many similarities with other writers in this way.

I have changed the title of this blog.  At some time we will be saying "Goodbye" to the dive that is Nuneaton (Dorktown) and in any case, there's not a lot of world sacking events within the town to make it worthwhile keeping it up.  Like today - a Bank Holiday Monday - and no Dorktown News to report on.  When that happens I go off and find other things to write about, like I have today.  So now this get's a new title from today.  The change of title doesn't mean a change in content.  I shall continue to post a daily photo and a daily funny - well, I think they're funny anyway;-)))

So here's today's photo ... 

I found quite few of these wooden tables in Camden Market, all with this type of picture on them.  Very clever idea that, and very different too!

So for a funny ... another blonde one ...

A blonde woman walks into a chemist and asks the assistant for some bottom deodorant. The assistant, a little bemused, explains to the woman that they don't sell bottom deodorant, and never have.
The blonde, unfazed, assures the lady behind the counter that she has been buying the stuff from here on a regular basis, and would like some more.
The shop assistant thinks for a minute, knowing full well that they don't stock, or have ever sold, such an item. She smiles at the thick blonde pillock and says, "One moment please, I will get the chemist."
The chemist looks at the blonde and says, "Can I help you miss?"
"I would like to buy some bottom deodorant please," says the blonde.
"I'm sorry," says the chemist, "we don't have any."
"But I always get it here," says the blonde.
"Do you have the container it comes in?"
"Yes!" Said the blonde, "I'll go home and get it."
She returns with the container and hands it to the chemist who looks at it and says to the her, "This is just a normal stick of under arm deodorant".
The annoyed blonde snatches the container back and reads out loud from the container, "To apply, push up bottom."