Humour with a capital letter

"Going Postal" is the story of arch-swindler Moist Von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) and the beautiful, vengeful Adora Belle Dearheart (Claire Foy). It has been made into a movie, which is screening on ABC1 TV on Saturday 17th at 7:30pm.

From the film version

A life-long travelling con-artist & fraud, Lipwig's crimes finally catch up with him in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Faced with death by hanging, Lipwig is spared by Lord Vetinari (Charles Dance), who sees him as the perfect man for the role of Postmaster in the decrepit Ankh-Morpork postal service.
 

Faced with an almost impossible task, and making an immediate enemy of bloodthirsty tyrant Reacher Gilt (David Suchet), owner of the rival money-hungry Grand Trunk Semaphore Company's clacks communication monopoly, Lipwig's first instinct is to run. That is until he meets the spellbinding Adora. Captivated by her beauty and her brains, Lipwig will try anything to win her affections... little knowing the part he has played in her family's downfall.
Lipwig  has got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly & Benevolent Co., or a midnight killer. Maybe it'll take a criminal to succeed where honest men have failed, or perhaps there's a shot of redemption in the mad world of the mail, waiting for a man who's prepared to push the envelope...

Sir Terry Pratchett is the second most-read author in Britain today, behind J.K. Rowling. His back catalogue, is the number one best selling of any author in the U.K. Pratchett is increasingly popular in the United States and is now the sixth most read non U.S.-author in the United States.

Full of the jokes, parodies, allusions and references which season the Discworld stories, you need to see "Going postal".

FJs don't measure up?

Headline in today's Age newspaper -Fletcher Jones on the brink

'Venerable clothing retailer Fletcher Jones last night became the latest casualty of the gloom gripping Australian retail, being placed in administration after 93 years in the tailoring trade.
The company joined a string of retail sector failures this year that includes outdoors wear chain Colorado, Borders bookstores, and fashion groups Ed Hardy, Bettina Liano, Brown Sugar and Satch.
Staff at Fletcher Jones’ 45 stores across Australia were told of the predicament at 4pm meetings yesterday.

Fletcher Jones stores will continue to trade while administrator Bruno Secatore of Cor Cordis assesses the company’s situation.
‘‘It’s business as usual for customers and everyone,’’ he said last night, after confirming he had been appointed.
Founded in 1918 in Warrnambool by World War I veteran David Fletcher Jones, the company expanded through the 1920s and 1930s to become a postwar manufacturing success story that at its peak employed 3000 at four factories.
But it was hit by the rise of Chinese manufacturing and the dismantling of clothing tariffs from the 1980s.
Fletcher Jones' current owners, the Dimmick family, bought it in 1995. They slashed the number of shops, closing stores in shopping centres where rent was expensive in favour of lower-rent shopping strips.
Sales increased, with the introduction of the GST giving the business a one-off boost as shoppers brought forward the purchase of items such as suits.
But by 2000, sales had again started to suffer. The turmoil in Australia's manufacturing sector has also continued, with receivers taking control of packaging group HP, which employs 300 workers making a variety of products including bottles for Dettol, Harpic and Finish.
National Australia Bank, which is believed to be owed more than $50 million, appointed receivers Greg Hall and Michael Fung on Tuesday.
Mr Hall said''The business is undercapitalised and that is the main factor that has led to the decision to appoint receivers and managers and voluntary administrators''.'

FJ's iconic gardens at the Warrnambool plant

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/fletcher-jones-on-the-brink-20111207-1ojb8.html#ixzz1fvAeK8p0