As a matter of pure concidence I am sure but the Huffington Post (and others) have just reported today that Iran is banning the word 'wine' as it is an insult to the Prophet. Apparently they are also producing a new list of forbidden words and seemingly any Englsih language works.
It seems that having had returned their frozen assets, they are retrograding back into the Dark Ages - didn't take long did it?
I wonder how this will affect other Muslims in our midst? They have already tried (unsuccessfully) to ban the Munich October Bier Festival, but as their numbers are anticipated to increase exponentially in the next year or so, it might be wise to stock up on German wines and French ones before they disappear off our shelves?
I suppose my book collection could also be in danger if this sort of thing spreads?
You must remember that for a certain sector of the Islamic faith only one book is worthy of reading, and that was written about 1500 years ago,(circa 650CE) so why should we be surprised at the official displeasure of almost every other book ever written?
What's hard about it? Based on the Gordon Riots it could be read as a factual history book enlivened by putting real characters in it - bit like the Sharpe series.
David, that is absolute Rubbish! Books that have stood the test of time for over 150 years and are still being bought and read and made into films, and even TV series - and you call them rubbish?
Maybe not to your taste perhaps, but what you have just said defies belief or any form of logic.
I throughlly enjoy Dickens books and his incredible use of description - the characters are 'real' with all the faults of everyone. Yes, exaggerated, yes the plots are contrived (tell me any series or serials that don't have the same basis?)
Plus, you did hear of course that Dickens was the prime social conscience of his time?
I learned to read through Dickens and won't hear people spouting off such as you have done. You have your tastes, but as you may have realised I vehemently disagree. My 1910 Bound 'London' edition still holds a prime place in my 3000 book plus collection.
I'm putting 50 Shades of Grey on the list - arguably unfairly because I've not even read it - but the mass hysteria that seemed to surround it and the constant hype was enough to turn me off.
Almost certainly. I've read some since and they do seem to be so full of drolls and grotesques and the principals seem to be devoid of any kind of internal life, any intuition that the bools are not worth reading.
Ha ha ha ha, is that because you were forced to read them at school? Ah, those seemingly endless school days, or as Mr C Dickens would say himself, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."