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In a tale as old as time, here is a short list of classic books and other literary works that were originally attacked by critics and subsequently given bad reviews.

* A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakeaspeare - performed in London in 1662.
"The most stupid ridiculous play that I ever saw in my life."
- Samuel Pepys, Diary.


book pages
* Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift - 1726.
"..evidence of a diseased mind and a lacerated heart."
- John Dunlop, 'The History of Fiction', 1814.


* Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert - 1857.
"Monsieur Flaubert is not a writer."
- Le Figaro.


* Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - 1877.
"Sentimental Rubbish"
- The Odessa Courier.


* The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1925.
"What has never been alive cannot very well go on living. So this is a book of the season only."
- New York Herald Tribune.


* Catch-22 - Joseph Heller - 1961.
"Heller wallows in his own laughter... and the sort of antic behaviour the children fall into when they know they are losing our attention."
- Whitey Balliett, New Yorker.


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US naval salute
U.S Naval salute - palm down.
Recently I was involved in a conversation where an American decided to, quite arrogantly I might add, tell an Englishwoman that the reason that the American military salute with their palms down (as if shading the eyes from the sun) is because they have never lost a war, whereas the British, who salute with their palms facing outwards, have lost in the past and therefore must salute as such.

Upon pointing out that they lost at Vietnam, the American initially tried to deny that it was actually a war, and when challenged on the issue subsequently snapped and the night turned into a smaller, but more tense version of Fawlty Towers ‘don’t mention the war.’

[ Click here to read more ]
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McDonald's McNugget Mayhem!

March 6th 2009 08:58
chicken nuggets
As reported by AAP on March the 5th, 2009, "an American woman who paid for a 10-piece meal of McDonald's Chicken McNuggets became irate after she was told the store was out of them. So she called 911.

Three times.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Those FUNNY SIGNS!

February 28th 2009 10:49
We all love funny signs so here's a few extra to enjoy for the weekend.

funny sign instructions free

[ Click here to read more ]
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pink squares
In 1962, Barbara Cartland, writer of romance novels and lover of the colour pink, wrote a book instructing people in etiquette.
Seeing as Valentine's Day is on the march, I thought I'd share with you some of the notions she has about using etiquette correctly. This should make you rise an eyebrow or two!


[ Click here to read more ]
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london underground tube station
I've recently discovered the joys of browsing through the online site Going Underground where I discovered these priceless gems of humour delivered by both the station staff and train drivers of the London Underground, or Tube as it's commonly known.

"to the gentleman wearing the long grey coat trying to get on the second carriage, what part of 'stand clear of the doors' don't you understand."
[ Click here to read more ]
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SOCK and AWE - Fancy a Go???

December 16th 2008 21:06
George W. Bush U.S. President
Following in the footsteps of the Iraqi journalist who recently hurled his shoe at George W. Bush, the online game Sock and Awe, has been drawing high numbers of people willing to throw their shoes and socks at the outgoing U.S. president's image.

The soles of shoes are considered to be the ultimate insult in Arab culture - at the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad in April 2003, many people used the soles of their shoes to beat it.

[ Click here to read more ]
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MISHEARD & Sung Christmas LYRICS!!!

December 1st 2008 23:45
Christmas candles carols
Some more of those laughable misheard and mis-sung lyrics, only this time from Christmas carols.

1. The Christmas Song

[ Click here to read more ]
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I'M SPEECHLESS!!!!

November 27th 2008 18:39
dunce cap hat
Taken from a police station's daily written record of events.
funny advert
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The Things PEOPLE Actually SAY!!!!

November 5th 2008 10:00
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: 'I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,'
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.

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The FUNNY SIDE Of The CREDIT CRUNCH!!!

October 15th 2008 09:25
Q. What's the difference between investment bankers and pigeons?
A. The pigeons are still capable of making deposits on new BMW's.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

October 5th 2008 12:25
These men have been installing bollards to stop cars parking on the pavement outside an Irish sports bar.

After having installed the bollards, they are now cleaning up.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Idiocy OR Coincidence?!!

September 29th 2008 12:48
bullet
In 1883 Mr Henry Ziegland, broke off a relationship with his girlfriend who consequently committed suicide.

The girl's brother was so enraged that he hunted down Ziegland and shot him.

[ Click here to read more ]
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OK, so I stuffed it again......

September 5th 2008 12:38
.....just when I thought I was getting everything back on track, more or less, I decided it might be more visually appealing to make the finger on one of my hands shorter....by about an inch or so, so typing is quite difficult, not to mention various other tasks, so between that and the fact that I'm taking of to London for a fair few days as of this afternoon, I won't be able to set up any new posts for a few days more yet at least.
I can hear Kylie Minogue's 'Did It Again' playing in my head which should give you some idea about how often I manage to cut, burn and physically mutilate myself domestically.......

[ Click here to read more ]
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