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If Swindon twinned with itself, then people would assume it was because it was always the last town to get picked for football matches.
Surely there are only two reasons for twinning ceremonies. A: To show the Town Councils political leanings (mostly some pit in East Germany, these ones - or somewhere in the States for Tories) or B: To allow a junket abroad to be designated 'official business'. Normally these ones are in the South of France, the Algarve or Hawaii</HTML>
<HTML>That's a fair point. Incidentally, in real life Sheffield is twinned with Donetsk, which is kind of interesting from my point of view because my great-great-grandfather John Hughes actually founded the place (feel free to Google him if you're interested - there is a fair bit about him). I didn't know that when I originally moved here 19 years ago - I mean about the twinning, not about the ancestor. Every now and then I wonder if I could use my family connections to get taken on one of the official exchanges that happen from time to time, but I haven't quite got the brass to try it.
If you do Google him, there is one site that tells you he was Scottish. This is wrong. He was Welsh, look you. Born in Merthyr Tydfil. Not that I have anything against the Scots - my best friend is one - but people ought to get their facts right...</HTML>
<HTML>There was once an Internet poll to find out the greatest human being of all time. It was hijacked by QPR fans under the leadership of my mate Dave Thomas; I didn't actually participate because I wasn't connected at the time, but I heard all about it, naturally. The poll was therefore won by Jamie Pollock, whose heroic own goal saved us from relegation. ;-)
If this gives anyone any devious ideas, I shall smile sweetly and deny all knowledge.</HTML>
<HTML>Well, I'm pretty sure that the Beeb would notice a book published in the last two years storming up into the top five. However if we pick on Jane Eyre then the Eyre Affair will naturally get mentioned so Mr fforde gets plugged by default. Cunning heh?</HTML>
<HTML>OK ... I see the plan. Once Jane Eyre is being promoted with a BBC tie-in edition, all we have to do is make sure Carla gives instructions for copies of TEA to be piled near the Jane Eyres.
<HTML>Please, no, don't get TEA on Oprah! It's nowhere near depressing enough (TEA, that is, Oprah's way too depressing). And Jonathan Franzen did well enough even though he did refuse to allow The Corrections to be selected as an Oprah Book. Please, Jasper if asked, refuse!
Has anyone told BBC2 that Radio 4 have been running a book club for years?
And, back to a previous theme, along with poll-rigging, there was the time New Labour tried to rig the poll for Tone to win the Today Programme's Man Of The Year .(I'm sure Sarah wasn't involved)</HTML>