BillF

1) Rod is associated with beating, as in "Spare the rod and spoil the child." 2) Groups of people and plurals are acceptable in Name Three People by long-established custom and practice. Joshua ben Joseph Miles Davis Jimi Hendrix Foxy Lady Wolf Tone Volpone

Adam Sandler Sandy Dennis Dennis Rodman The Beat Generation Jim Hart Blood Ulmer

My album of the week is my most recent purchase - something I hadn't heard since the 60s:

Doctor Faustus William Shakespeare William The Conqueror William Rufus Whistling Rufus Whispering Bob Harris

5 GBP less 20% VAT = 4 GBP = approx $6.

Sherlock Holmes Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie John Christie John Haigh Dr Crippen

Jazzbo Bo Derek Bow Street Runners Christopher Walken Christopher Guest Nigel Tufnel Dave Tough Toughy Clough

Speaking of that nabe, my 2009 visit was my first time at the new British Library. As Pinter was a formative influence on me, it was great to see a marked up manuscript of his on display. I know what you mean. The first time I saw original manuscripts of classic English writers from Pope to Eliot in a case at the entrance to the old British Library, I couldn't believe it. Those lines which we'd learned off by heart at school and which seemed to have been handed down as holy writ, had in fact been arrived at through numerous revisions and crossings out.

Jazzbo Bo Derek Bow Street Runners

Phil the Greek Med Flory Frank Floor Show Culley

William Carlos Williams Carl Sandburg Allen Ginsberg

Balou Bagheera Mowgli

Dusty Springfield Peter Grimes Dirty Harry

The Disappearing Man Houdini Hoodoo Man

Yes, in the 1950s when I was in the sixth form (aged 16-18) the split was between jazzers and rugger buggers. Anyway, thank goodness this orgy of nationalism is now over!

Doesn't have to be rural!

Ellen Tickell Itchy and Scratchy Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra

Arthur Penn Penn Jillett King Camp Gillette Charlie Shavers John Stubblefield Brian Blades

George Galway (brother of James) with the Gerry Tomlinson Trio at Whitefield this afternoon.

I immediately thought the fellow must have studied Churchill. I actually went to Wiki because I didn't think Great Britain was a country, properly speaking, but rather a geographical designation. Turns out it is a "territory of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and most of the United Kingdom's territory is in Great Britain." Which, I'm sure you already were aware of all that. So, it's "Great Britain AND Northern Ireland", is it? Does this mean runners from Belfast were excluded from "Team GB"? Brits who understand this, please reply.

Billy Casper Ken Loach Barry Hines

Very sharp. I'd like to think the 'Great' in 'Great Britain' is a geographical reference - though given some of our more gung-ho anthems - 'Rule Britannia' - I'm not so sure. All very puzzling. Will someone please explain to me why we're sometimes Great Britain and sometimes U.K? (I just live here.)

The Catcher in the Rye The Bourbon Monarchy Nancy Whiskey

Different music evoked by different scene. Wasn't it Mingus who said that classical music depicts the world as it should be; jazz depicts it as it is?

B Ware Danger Man Danger Mouse