What book are you currently reading?

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#381 Post by Boac » Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:48 pm

Indeed, Rossian - the very one. Mad as the proverbial. I think he was 'ex' the large rivet formation himself (enough to drive anyone to religion............. :)) )

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Re: TGG re #370

#382 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:49 pm

Rossian wrote:
Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:24 pm
....I'm sure that the F/L Bell came to 210 SQN at Ballykelly (late '60s-ish??). He had a photo taken from his gun?camera on his Lightning after he had done a from-below-vertical attack on a Vulcan at a very high altitude. All that was in the photo was the stbd intakes v v close as he passed it on the way up. This guy also went off to do a bit of Godbothering in the dark continent. Same chap perhaps??

The Ancient Mariner
Your question ref. F/L Bell seems to fit the profile outlined in the book I was reading. Was he promoted to Squadron Leader later, as he gets a call out and thank you for assisting the author? Boac also seems to think that Bell left to bring light to the heathen in Africa.

As for Wing Commander Holmes, I have delayed contacting his (putative) son, my ex boss, immediately, out of respect, as I was informed that he had been looking after his ex wife, a lovely American lady, resident in Wales, in the later stage of her illness, by a mutual friend. I was loth to go in in TGG's usual enthusiastic but cack handed way asking about his father at such an unhappy time for him (he and his ex had been very close and had a son as well). I shall do so shortly though.

I must admit that if Wing Commander Holmes had done any Godbothering as well, it certainly never rubbed off on his son Jeremy. If I remember correctly Jeremy told me that his dad had retired to run a fine art and picture framing business with his wife in Norfolk, but I may be mistaken. It is almost twenty years since we last spoke, shame on me.

I will let you know what the result is.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#383 Post by Boac » Mon Mar 14, 2022 4:00 pm

I think (fading brain cell...) that he was promoted on leaving 23(F) to go to Leconfield.

In fairness re the 'godbothering' but, he was my Flight Commander when I was instructing at Cranwell and not a godbother passed his lips in my time, even when he was doing his lunatic aeros. :))

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Re: Dinger Bell.....

#384 Post by Rossian » Mon Mar 14, 2022 4:52 pm

....they are all "Dinger" in the RAF, aren't they?
There were two of my colleagues in Maritime who became full time "godbotherers" and left the service to do it. I use the slightly pejorative term to characterise them, being a fulltime heathen myself as well as a lapsed Free Presbyterian in upbringing.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#385 Post by PHXPhlyer » Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:34 pm

Just finished "The Apollo Murders" by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
A good read of historical fiction with technical aspects that are reality based.
Just started "Black ops : the life of a CIA shadow warrior" by Ric Prado.

"A memoir by the highest-ranking covert warrior to lift the veil of secrecy and offer a glimpse into the shadow wars that America has fought since the Vietnam Era. Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric's legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism. Operating in the shadows, Ric and his fellow CIA officers fought a little-seen and virtually unknown war to keep USA safe from those who would do it harm. After duty stations in Central and South America, and the Philippines, Black Ops follows Ric into the highest echelons of the CIA's headquarters at Langley, Virginia. In late 1995, he became Deputy Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force. Three years later, after serving as head of Korean Operations, Ric took on one of the most dangerous missions of his career: re-establish a once-abandoned CIA station inside a hostile nation long since considered a front line in the fight against Islamic terrorism. He and his team carried out covert operations and developed assets that proved pivotal in the coming War on Terror. A harrowing memoir of life in the shadowy world of assassins, terrorists, spies and revolutionaries, Black Ops is a testament to the courage, creativity and dedication of the Agency's Special Activities Group and its elite shadow warriors."-- Provided by publisher.

PP

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#386 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu Mar 17, 2022 6:20 am

Was prompted to purchase Bernard Schutz's "Gravity from the Ground Up" after watching the ever brilliant Nick Lucid's YouTube Channel...

https://scienceasylum.com/

Which brought to mind Hannah Sullivan's anthology 'Three Poems'.
To begin with, everything was nothing
And there was nothing to speak of and no begin with.
No, there was nothing to speak of, before there was everything.
Then (when?) all speed of light and speed of forever, balls of gas,
Bright stars falling into the suck of black holes, radiant plates,
The outward transfer of angular momentum,
Then gas accreting into galaxies, becoming a little more clustered,
Becoming worlds, becoming worlds on which something so comical,
So precise, so utterly different from the world, so lovely
As that language of ours, these words, could arise in one of them.
To speak of when and then and moments is a figure of language,
It is language addressing itself to what is not, and to what it is itself not.
Language with its simple action words, verbs: Ich mag es nicht, vas-y toi, non sum qualis eram,
Language with its ‘past’ and ‘future’ and ‘present’,
Pointing to what it doesn’t know,
I love you, now, babbling of unicorns.
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You must have somewhere
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Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#387 Post by FD2 » Wed Mar 30, 2022 3:50 am

I am about one third of the way through Anna Politkovskaya's book 'Putin's Russia' . I bought it a few years ago but with the invasion of Ukraine thought it was time to read it again to try and gain some insight into Putin's actions. It is well translated from the original Russian and a fascinating read for anyone who may want to delve a little deeper into his motivation. The book is full of dates, times, names and a full narrative of the methods used by the Russians before and after the fall of the USSR - so much so that it earned Ms Politkovskaya a death from four bullets in the lift to her apartment.

An article from the Spectator sums the Soviet and Russian methods and army morale very well and her attempt to expose the dark controlling methods used in Putin's Russia.

https://app.spectator.com.au/2022/03/in ... index.html

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#388 Post by om15 » Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:21 am

I have just finished "Operation Pedestal" by Max Hastings, I had read other books which touched on this before and had seen information on the convoy in museums in Malta, but this book gives the full story, absolutely recommended, here the the Times review;

The Sunday Times bestseller ‘One of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings’ DAILY MAIL
In August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the ‘island fortress’ must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain’s fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb.

The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort fourteen fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by six hundred German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain’s war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were appalling: defeat seemed to beckon.
This is the saga Max Hastings unfolds in his first full length narrative of the Royal Navy, which he believes was the most successful of Britain’s wartime services. As always, he blends the ‘big picture’ of statesmen and admirals with human stories of German U-boat men, Italian torpedo-plane crews, Hurricane pilots, destroyer and merchant-ship captains, ordinary but extraordinary seamen.

Operation Pedestal describes catastrophic ship sinkings, including that of the aircraft-carrier Eagle, together with struggles to rescue survivors and salvage stricken ships. Most moving of all is the story of the tanker Ohio, indispensable to Malta’s survival, victim of countless Axis attacks. In the last days of the battle, the ravaged hulk was kept under way only by two destroyers, lashed to her sides. Max Hastings describes this as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. Until the very last hours, no participant on either side could tell what would be the outcome of an epic of wartime suspense and courage.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#389 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:06 pm

I am apt to purchase Operation Pedastal on the basis of the recommendation. Max Hastings writes very well.

Currently reading The Dream Machine The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey by Richard Whittle. Gives a good history of the travails and political machinations that bedeviled this programme. Very well researched but slightly short on technical information, i.e. the nerdy stuff. Recommended though for those who like this kind of thing. Sadly it doesn't cover the more recent operational history of the aircraft.
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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#390 Post by PHXPhlyer » Thu Mar 31, 2022 3:34 pm

Just finished Mel Brooks' All About Me! :YMAPPLAUSE:

An amazing career. :-bd
An EGOT!

At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words. “Laugh-out-loud hilarious and always fascinating, from the great Mel Brooks. What else do you expect from the man who knew Jesus and dated Joan of Arc?” —Billy Crystal For anyone who loves American comedy, the long wait is over. Here are the never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny. All About Me! charts Mel Brooks’s meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Whether serving in the United States Army in World War II, or during his burgeoning career as a teenage comedian in the Catskills, Mel was always mining his experiences for material, always looking for the perfect joke. His iconic career began with Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows , where he was part of the greatest writers’ room in history, which included Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. After co-creating both the mega-hit 2000 Year Old Man comedy albums and the classic television series Get Smart, Brooks’s stellar film career took off. He would go on to write, direct, and star in The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, High Anxiety , and Spaceballs , as well as produce groundbreaking and eclectic films, including The Elephant Man, The Fly , and My Favorite Year. Brooks then went on to conquer Broadway with his record-breaking, Tony-winning musical, The Producers. All About Me! offers fans insight into the inspiration behind the ideas for his outstanding collection of boundary-breaking work, and offers details about the many close friendships and collaborations Brooks had, including those with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock, and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft. Filled with tales of struggle, achievement, and camaraderie (and dozens of photographs), readers will gain a more personal and deeper understanding of the incredible body of work behind one of the most accomplished and beloved entertainers in history.

PP

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#391 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:11 pm

om15 wrote:
Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:21 am
I have just finished "Operation Pedestal" by Max Hastings, I had read other books which touched on this before and had seen information on the convoy in museums in Malta, but this book gives the full story, absolutely recommended,


I Have just downl loaded onto kindle. :)

At the mo re reading Eleni by Nicholas Gage; was lent a copy years ago by a friend on Amorgos and have now got my own copy on Kindle. :)
RAF 32 Sqn B Flt ; Twin Squirrels.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#392 Post by OFSO » Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:18 pm

Mrs OFSO concurs on the Mel Brooks book. I don't need to concur.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#393 Post by ricardian » Thu Mar 31, 2022 8:33 pm

I have given up after the fourth attempt to read Robert Tressell's "The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists". This time I got to page 20 before giving in and passing the book on to our island's free book store (The Peedie Library). Several people have assured me that it is an excellent book with a message for today - I shall just have to take their word for it. I was hoping for something along the lines of "The Diary of a Nobody" by Grossmith and Weedon.
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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#394 Post by om15 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 4:29 pm

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist is very leftie, and as the leftie message doesn't amount to very much it just repeats itself over and over again.
More interesting as a picture of working life after the turn of the century is "The Carriage and Wagon Works of the GWT at Swindon" by Ken Gibbs, ISBN 978 0 7509 6419 7, it is quite fascinating even though I only have a passing interest in railway engineering.

Currently reading "Filth" by Jane Gardam.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#395 Post by Seenenough » Fri Apr 01, 2022 5:02 pm

Is not a book but I watched several series on Youtube about Fred Dibnah himself and also his programs about Great Britain -I found it very enlightening and entertaining.

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#396 Post by FD2 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:02 pm

Fred - the strongest Bolton accent I've heard! Great entertainment when he blew up a huge old factory chimney, incredibly neatly. :YMAPPLAUSE:

My chums and I used to catch the train up from Bath and go around the Swindon works writing down the engine numbers... :ymblushing:

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#397 Post by Wodrick » Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:08 pm

"The shower of ***** over Cheshire" is well worth finding and listening to.
Which, as I forgot is Blaster Bates still worth a listen.
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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#398 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:25 pm

FD2 wrote:
Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:02 pm
Fred - the strongest Bolton accent I've heard! Great entertainment when he blew up a huge old factory chimney, incredibly neatly. :YMAPPLAUSE:

My chums and I used to catch the train up from Bath and go around the Swindon works writing down the engine numbers... :ymblushing:
I am sure I have bored everybody here with my Fred Dibnah story but "nous nous ennuyons!"

A wily, tight, albeit very charming northerner.
I am talking about Fred Dibnah who was the after dinner speaker at a software conference where I had been invited to give a talk on something scintillating like "White Box Testing Techniques Within The Context Of The SEI Software Capability Maturity Model". Anyway my talk "went down a storm" and the young software groupie girls were showering me with their underclothes <<cut back to reality>> and a small room full of mostly male geeks politely applauded after I had finished, but things got a lot better with Fred's very amusing and interesting after dinner talk about his life as a steeplejack and later I got into conversation with him at the bar where I bought him a pint and we discussed things like Garratt engines in South Africa, the steam train graveyard outside De Aar in the Karoo, and sundry other interesting things and I bought him two more pints and then he tapped me for £20.00 to catch a taxi back to King's Cross station. When asked by one of the organisers why I had done that, I explained that "poor Fred told me that in his rush down to London that morning he had mislaid his cash card and that he was short of cash to pay the taxi fare" to which "fact" and roars of laughter it was explained to me that that Fred had been paid, in cash, well over a thousand pounds that very evening for his speech! I had to laugh at the old rogue. He died, sadly, not many months later and I never got my money back but I do remember our chat with a lot of warmth and a wry smile.
I enjoyed Fred: The Definitive Biography Of Fred Dibnah by David Hall.
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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#399 Post by FD2 » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:38 pm

Sounds like he was a bit 'careful' with his money. You never know what's around the corner...

I'd forgotten that his interests encompassed such a wide range of heavy engineering - the 'wole thing' as he might have said. ;)))

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Re: What book are you currently reading?

#400 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:44 pm

FD2 wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:38 pm
Sounds like he was a bit 'careful' with his money. You never know what's around the corner... ;)))
You sure can't take it with you. If I remember correctly, in the biography noted above, his wife notes that she used to go on foreign holidays without him due to his reluctance to "waste his brass" on such frivolities!
Though you remain
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"To be alive
You must have somewhere
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Your destination remains
Elusive."

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