Oblomov

For over 30 years I have been trying to find an alarm clock that plays the same tune as the one in the 1966 film Walk Don't Run with Cary Grant. In the film, the clock used to wake Grant up in the mornings with its crazy tune much to his irritation. I think it is some form of Japanese morning call and very catchy. Any ideas would be appreciated.

In several ways. Your fingers get exercised by hammering on the keyboard; ;our facial muscles from constant scowling and grimacing; your arms from doing the Boris Becker fist shake each time you win something (or kill something?); and so on.

You're on!

I am closer to Avebury and there is a real mystic pub there called the Red Lion.

You have not upset me at all. Quite the contrary in fat, realising that there is yet another like minded person. How about a drink sometime?

I have come across countless books where the author has forgotten to compensate for the time difference, particularly if it is in the same country. For example, according to the book a flight from New York to Los Angeles departs at 11am and after a 5-hour flight, arrives in LA at 4pm; in reality, it would arrive at 1pm because LA is 3 hours behind New York.

It depends on how you define a "mistake". Errors related to dates and times are usually typographical - at least we usually assume so. With historical events - like WW2 for example - most writers claim a certain amount of artisitic licence. For example, the German writer H H Kirst has written an excellent book about the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler on 20th July 1944 - the book is called The 20th of July. In it, the chronology of someevents is slightly altered to suit the storyline where real-life characters mingle with fictitious ones. Some mistakes are very obviously due to poor research. I have seen the Titanic referred to as a "Cunard liner" in quite a few fiction books, whereas any serious student of the Titanic knows that the ship was built by Cunard's rivals White Star. I have seen some cheapo thrillers where the author tells us that The Koran is a holy book for Muslims as well as Hindus...and so on.

I am sorry, but that is manifestly untrue. In fact, physical excercise is a very good therapy for stress and even depression to some extent. Games do help to focus one's mind a lot better and give that "feel good" feeling.

I would very heartily recommend World's Fair by E L Doctorow. It is written through the eyes of a young boy growing up in the Depression era of 1930s New York; his hopes and aspirations for the future, with the light at the end of his tunnel represented by the famous 1939 New York World Fair. A real classic.

Here is the Abe Books link to the book and quite a few of the dealers are in the UK. It is occasionally available on e-Bay as well. http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Collins&sts=t&tn=The+Fifth+Horseman&x=57&y=12

Of course you can; look! http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Horseman-Larry-Collins/dp/0380547341