Tuesday, January 30, 2007

"Blogroll" updates

Apart from the hilarious Welshman, Chip 'n Dale, I've also added ATW, or A Tangled Web. This site is well written by David Vance and his team. A rising star, I feel.

Another thought provoking site is Tim Kevan's clever Barrister Blog

Finally, I just love Drunken Blogging



P.S. I nearly forgot Tim Kevan's fiancee - Michelle Tempest and her Psychiatrist Blog

Wanna Larf?

Then check out the Jewish Princess Blog

(Things are happening in St John's Wood)

Monday, January 29, 2007

3 ways to boost your internet rankings

1. Post reguarly with relevant content

2. Get links

3. Ask people for testimonials, like this


In addition to the kind words at the top of this Blog, I'm grateful to my colleague at the PSA, Graham Jones, whose kindly posted this about me on his site

Of course, Graham is only referring to my main Blog

You see with a bit of hard work and application one does move up the rankings.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

30 for Ellee and 10 for Jeremy

About an hour ago, I was feeling quite chuffed with myself having huffed and puffed for 10 miles in London today. So you can imagine how I felt when a Comment zoomed in from Cambridge saying "I did 30 miles"!

Is there no end to the brilliance of Ellee Seymour?

Cityunslicker - top blogger

Cityunslicker is the latest Blogger to lend his support to my African Adventure. I've really been touched by the amount of comments about da Trek in the Blogosphere. If you'd like to donate to Breast Cancer Campaign then please check out this site.

Bloggies 2007

I've referred to the Awards over here. I'd like to suggest another couple of categories

1. Most Offensive Blog

2. Most hard to understand Blog

Who would be your nominations?

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Social Bookmarks...............

In addition to De.licio.us, I'm now adding bookmarks into Ma.gnolia which I think I prefer. I've also set up a special link in Technorati.

Once I get my head around this version of Blogger, I'll be adding these links ubder each post for the benefit of my many readers!

At jeremyjacobs.com social bookmarking links are under each post and in the static pages.

2 ways to Network

I'm so grateful to Ellee and Tisha for supporting my Blog in recent times. Making friends like these two lovely ladies on the Internet/Blogosphere has really offset the winter blues!

Can I point out though, I'm no Web 2.0 lothario. Electronic networking, or more traditional types of networking, is a great way to meet new people, broaden your mind and do business.

In a few minutes, I'm off to network at a PSA meeting. I'll be meeting up with various individuals such as Carole Spiers, Clive Gott, Jane Gunn of Corporate Peacemakers and the ubiquitous Adrian Barrett

Friday, January 26, 2007

Holocaust Memorial Day

Tomorrow, January 27th is Holocaust Memorial Day and this morning on BBC Radio 4, The Chief Rabbi said these words at the end of his "Thought for the Day"speech.



"People who are not quite like us, are people who are just like us".

Thursday, January 25, 2007

150 Top USA Marketing Bloggers

Being a curious chap, I love winding away the hours investigating the Blogosphere. Some of the most compelling sites are those American marketeers. Todd has posted the Power 150. America's top 150 marketing blogs. His site is like a work of art!

Another is C.C. Chapman's "Managing the Gray", nothing to do with middle-aged mens grooming but................... C.C. Chapman, VP of New Marketing at crayon, uses this marketing podcast and blog to help business professionals and individuals, stay up to date on what is happening in the world of new media, consumer generated content and no control PR. Got a question? Want to chat with C.C.? I'm only an e-mail away.

100 Thank you's

The latest Blogger to plug my Trek is Westminster Wisdom. In recent days Ellee Seymour, James Higham Tom Paine, and Young Conservative amongst others have highlighted my fund-raising efforts.

As a result, I've been asked to speak about my Maasai Mara African adventure upon my return. I'm sure there'll be plenty of "Margate to Maasai" public-speaking and presenting opportunities over the next few months.

Now it's down to the gym for that extra leg work!

2000 Bloggers

Tino Buntic has devised a new style of internet comunity with his 2000 Bloggers scheme. I'm there. Cristian Mezei at SeoPedia has a useful post on the same subject. (I just love the style and colour scheme of his Blog)

Why not add your Blog?

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Blogger problems

It would appear that Iain Dale , Croydonian and a few others are struggling with an earlier version of Blogger. I changed recently to Blogger Beta and have had no problems. This includes the uploading of photos.

( Me on a dolphin in Cuba, December 31st, 2004)

Sexy women in sexy black boots

There are a few sexy women (Kaja Wunder is to your right) dotted around this blog and now according to Lizzie Fison, the well-known Conservative activist, you can become "sexy black boots" yourself. I can't see whether Kaja is wearing boots but on the right legs they can look cool. Or is it that wearing black boots, any woman can look cool and sexy?

It's all down to one of those quizzies set by some geek on the US side of the Blogosphere.

Just a bit of fun really before I retire to the land of Nod.

Those Green Fascists again..............

I didn't see "Should I give up flying" on Al-BBC (as if there's a decent alternative to get to Moscow or Sydney) but our friends at Shepherd's Bush are now asking you to vote. Frankly, I hope some of you do, that way they'll be less queues at Heathrow for taxis.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Bad Cholesterol, Good Cholesterol

In recent weeks I've undergone my annual health check-up. The "bad" ldl level could have been slightly better, so consequently one has to consider the long-term possibility of the need to take statins. Or so we are told. These are, apparently, being dished out like Smarties. Look, I'm not having a dig at my GP or the medical profession as a whole, but having read the recent Daily Mail article, I think one ought to be cautious.

What's your experience of your GP? Good, bad, indifferent?

Do you have raised cholesterol levels?

Are you concerned?

BBC - Big Brother Corporation?

This morning on BBC Radio 4, I heard a snippet from Paul Dacre's speech at the London College of Communication which he delivered last night. His comments, and apparently most of his speech content, really struck a nerve. I'm sure I speak for many people in this country who are fed to the back teeth with the left-wing, liberal, PC attitude of our national broadcaster. The behemoth, as Dacre described the BBC, has always, in my opinion, supported the left but I feel that nowadays it comes across as the "Party broadcaster" and wo betide those who dare to criticize it.

Paul Dacre may have slightly off beam as Roy Greenslade points out in his article but I agree with the Dacre's general gist. He expressed concern for smaller broadcasters and their independent voice and coined the term "subsidiarat". This term is reserved for media giants, the BBC just being one, who by definition, are unable to survive in a free-market" as Dacre suggested.

Subsidiarat is a word we'll hear more of in the future.


How do you fell about Dacre's remarks?

Do you share his concern?

Is the BBC the behemoth hbe descibes them as?

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Top tips on donating for breast cancer

I'm receiving a few e-mails and hits concerning my Trek next month. For those of you who would like to donate to Breast Cancer Campaign, you're able to do so on-line here.

If you would like to send me a cheque, then please drop me an e-mail to

jeremyATjeremyjacobsDOTcom

or call +44(0)8453 31 31 71

The colour purple

As many of you can guess, I adore the colour purple and I have a kindred spirit in Iowa.

Sandy Renshaw authors a couple of Blogs and if you're in to public speaking, presentations and purple then she may have something for you.

On her site she links to a friend who a fabulous photographer. This pic is one of his.

The Spine

is really excelling nowadays. Three or four of the funniest posts I've seen in a long time. Well done Spine.

Friday, January 19, 2007

The weekend looms for two Jewish Princesses

Some writing, tidying and speech writing, and there's going to be a couple of sexy women coming over tomorrow night! About time for some fun and frolics with Rachel and Becky. I don't suppose politics, UKIP, Europe or football will be amongst the topics of conversation. More likely the oncoming cold weather which will be gripping the country for most of next week. Apparently!

Of course, there has to be time spent at the gym and walking around Hampstead Garden Suburb. For more details of the Trek preparation please visit here.

For more intellectual pursuits go here

For ogling at Penelope Cruz stay here


Thursday, January 18, 2007

Those Australians

Australian Bloggers. Here's one of the best

CORPORATE PRESENTER: Are you sick and tired of "Green Fascism"?

CORPORATE PRESENTER: Are you sick and tired of "Green Fascism"?

Alan Caruba's article, has appeared in part, in a recent edition of the Washington Times...............................



Here's an excerpt from today's Washington Times' Culture Briefs which quotes yours truly and my current commentary, "America Goes Crazy Over the Weather." Okay, just bragging, but enjoying my little moment of fame. -- Alan C. (PS. The commentary is posted, among other websites, at www.anxietycenter.com)
The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

Culture Briefs

Published January 18, 2007
Forecast: insanity
"It's official. America is now totally insane over the weather.
"Even the Weather Channel that used to simply provide reasonably accurate, short-term information about the weather is now telling everyone we're doomed because global warming is going to destroy the Earth. Why not just rename it the AlGore Channel?
"The weather used to be the concern primarily of farmers and ranchers. ... As America became more urbanized, the rest of the population wanted to know whether to bring an umbrella or what to wear. Now it is a source of daily anxiety over the fate of the Earth.
"To make matters worse, people are being told and actually believing that what they do or not can affect the weather in ways to keep the seas and temperatures from rising. ...
"That is a definition of insanity. It is so far removed from reality that Hollywood has to conjure up films showing New York under miles of snow or so-called documentaries demanding that industry must come to a stop in order to save the Earth."
-- Alan Caruba, writing on "America Goes Insane Over the Weather," at www.intellectual conservative.com

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Stalinist Britain marches on...........................

Dr Simon Moores of Zentelligence, posted this article about "joined" up government. It probably sums up the feelings of many of us who have to suffer a vile NuLabour government and ever more diktats from the EUssr.

The Beria Principle

Back in the good old days before every bus, train and lamp post carried a CCTV camera and RIPA (the Regulation & Investigatory Power Act) was a twinkle in Home Secretary, David Blunkett’s eye, Silicon asked me to comment on another crazy-sounding scheme, connecting all of government’s citizen information into a single giant database.

“You don’t have to worry about government until it’s joined-up” quipped my friend ‘J’ in the coffee lounge of the Institute of Director at the same time. ‘J’ was what the BBC calls a ‘spook’ and had an office overlooking the Prime Minister’s garden.

At the time, I described the giant database idea as ‘The Beria Principle’ after NKVD security Lavrentiy Beria, the executor of Joseph Stalin's ‘Great Purge’ of the 1930s. Now while we have an Office of Constitutional Affairs, we don’t yet have a Combined State Political Directorate and that’s where I fear the idea for a "A huge Whitehall 'super-database' of people's personal details” might best sit, regardless of the noises surrounding its true objective of improving public services."

At the forthcoming e-crime congress in March,, this is a subject we’ll be examining in the company of Professor Ross Anderson and Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, who has already warned that Britain may be 'sleepwalking into a ‘surveillance society'.

So why do I object to the idea of joined-up government in the battle to improve public-sector efficiency and fight fraud. In principle, I don’t but in practise, I’m naturally uneasy when it comes to public-sector guardianship of personal data, whether this involves National Insurance or National Health information, or simply the list of people who want to receive a text warning from MI5 in the even of a security alert.

The simple facts of the matter are that government leaks like a sieve. We know from scandalous story after story that personal information isn’t secure and that criminals, organised or opportunistic, know that working for government departments, like the Immigration service or even the Home Office can give them access to information or materials that can produce anything from Passports to National Insurance numbers. After all, it’s been suggested that as many as 30% of the NI numbers in circulation are bogus, costing the Treasury billions in fraud each year.

So why not have a single database that provides for a cross checking of information, an idea that re-emerged from the Government's policy review on public services, which is headed by Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton?

I have several objections. Firstly, we don’t have enough floor space in our prisons to deal with the number of fraudsters, thieves and illegal immigrants that such a database might reveal. Secondly, mirroring the privacy concerns that have marred the progress of the National Program for IT (NPfIT) in the Health Service, there’s very little trust in government to properly protect the full details of your life from ‘interested parties’. These could be the security services, the Inland Revenue, your local council, Tesco, the Russian Mafia or the nascent Combined State Political Directorate of tomorrow, given the rapid and alarming manner in which our unwritten constitution has changed over the last decade.

While being joined-up may offer a real advantage to governments departments, the privacy risks to the rest of us are even greater and until the public sector can demonstrate a rather better track record of success with personal data than it has in the past I think I’ll support my spooky friend in believing that some things are best left alone if we are not to plunge headlong into Big Brother’s vision of a joined-up future that I want no part in.

and neither do I.



Well is winter coming or not?

A bit blowy this morning but no sign of snow or ice.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Girl with the Bloke with a dirt track...........

Abby Lee has just posted this brilliant piece

Yuk!

Usage and Abusage (2)

Just got this terrible story in from Lord Wells of Pfizer

Be aware of this. I had a lucky escape.


I walked into B&Q at lunchtime yesterday and some old guy dressed in orange asked me if I wanted decking.

Fortunately I got the first punch in and that was the end of that.

Those less suspecting might not be so lucky.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Usage and Abusage

Carrying on from the theme of collective nouns from over here, I thought I would extend this to the Blogosphere. How about,

an inbox of bloggers

a rank of technorati users

a moan of memes

a lovely of ellee's

a struggle of Nulabour bloggers

what's yours?

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Margate v Tottenham Hotspur 13.1.1973

And on this day in 1973, we played Spurs in the 3rd round of the Cup. We should have scored after 10 minutes but went on to lose 6-0. It was the first time since 1936 that Margate FC had reached the 3rd Round. God knows when that will be repeated again.

The crowd that day was 14,169. Even if we had a decent ground nowadays, the Health & Safety Nazi's would stop us from having half that figure. For the Fulham game in 1997, "only" 5100 were allowed in.

Today, Margate FC is playing Worthing. The crowd is around 600.

For the football buffs amongst you, there's an excellent description of the Spurs match, with photographs, at Jeff Trice's excellent MFC history site.

On this Day in 1929


Wyatt Earp died. He was 80.

courtesy of Gabay's Copywriters Compendium.

Those 5 things............................

which were hitherto not known by the Blogosphere

1. Sold an FA Cup Final ticket to a Spurs fan outside Wembley in 1981 for £50.00.

2. I've been shopping in Lakeside. (Look it was just once, OK)

3. Asked to leave the Carlton Hotel in Cannes for wearing short shorts.

4. Went to Cubs

5. Been to Cuba

Jewish Book Week

Sashinka has reminded me that next month it's Jewish Book Week. I really must make the effort to pop along this year. But I could be recovering from this

Friday, January 12, 2007

Great Cartoon from Beau Bo D'or

Right here

Americans, they do make me smile...........

Just seen this on this US website. One of the best Americanisms I've ever come across. Can someone please explain what it means?

"Just hanging out your shingle"...................


Thursday, January 11, 2007

Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe: Goodbye

Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe: Goodbye

AGPC posted this a little earlier.Yvonne de Carlo is no more.

James Brown, Gerald Ford, Charlie Drake, Carlo Ponti, who's next?




YID With LID: News Flash: Mass Resignation at Jimmy's Carter Center


YID With LID: News Flash: Mass Resignation at Jimmy's Carter Center

Serves Peanuthead right. Ghastly little anti-semite.


Publicly Speaking

I've just posted this

Over at the other place

As you all know by now, I'm very passionate about public speaking and how it can help individuals achieve a higher sense of self-expression, confidence and achievement. Also, I'm a advocat of my Victoria-based speaking club, London Corinthians and the organization it's part of, Toastmasters International.

If you fear public speaking or worried about that presentation you have to deliver at work, you may like to consider joining your local Toastmasters Club.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What a waste of space these MP's are

From Melanie Phillips site. Some of these MP's appear to be so thick, they probably can't touch their bums with both hands. Sarah Teather has no excuses, there's plenty of Jewish and Muslim people in her constituency who could explain to her about Israel and the terrorists of Hezbollah.

Perhaps she should consider becoming a shelf-stacker at Tesco's.


January 10, 2007
Spelling it out

First we learned that Americans on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee didn’t know their Sunni from their Shia. Then we learned from the Sunday Times that British politicians who claimed some expertise in the Middle East were no better:

Both Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East, and Sally Keeble, Labour member for Northampton North, thought Hezbollah was an organisation based in Palestine. Anne Milton, the Tory MP for Guildford, wears the dunce’s cap after getting 13 out of 14 questions wrong. It even slipped her mind that she was a member of the Friends of Islam group. ‘Ooh, am I?’ she said. ‘Oh yes, I suppose so. I forgot. I don’t think I’ve sat on it yet.’ Gordon Marsden, the Labour MP for Blackpool South and treasurer for the British Lebanon all-party parliamentary group, did not know who the leader of Hezbollah was. Asked if Al-Qaeda was Sunni or Sh’ite, Brian Iddon, Labour MP for Bolton South East and secretary of the Britain-Palestine parliamentary group, said: ‘Well, it attracts all sorts.’

Oh dear.

They should read this article in the Wall Street Journal by Peter Wehner, deputy assistant to the President and Director of the White House’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, who explains the differences between Sunni and Shia. In particular, he sets out how the Shi’ite Ayatollah Khomeini subscribed to the cult of apocalyptic messianism of which Ahmadinejad is also an apostle, and which makes the Iranian regime totally impervious to the theory of mutually assured destruction which has kept the nuclear peace until now. By contrast, Sunni al Qaeda does not believe in the imminent end of days but sees its war upon the infidels as very much part of this earthly life. Both agendas, in their different ways, are totally non-negotiable. Wehner goes on:

Since the attacks of September 11, we have learned important things about al Qaeda and its allies. Their movement is fueled by hatred and deep resentments against the West, America, and the course of history. In Islam’s first few centuries of existence, it was a dominant and expanding force in the world, sweeping across lands in the modern-day Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and elsewhere. During its Golden Age — which spanned from the eighth to the 13th century — Islam was the philosophical, educational, and scientific center of the world. The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 16th century. Islam then began to recede as a political force. In the 17th century, for example, advancing Muslims were defeated at the gates of Vienna, the last time an Islamic army threatened the heart of Europe. And for radicals like bin Laden, a milestone event and historic humiliation came when the Ottoman Empire crumbled at the end of World War I.

This is significant because for many Muslims, the proper order of life in this world is for them to rule and for the ‘infidels’ to be ruled over. The end of the Ottoman Empire was deeply disorienting. Then, in 1923-24 came the establishment of modern, secular Turkey under Kemal Ataturk–and the abolishment of the caliphate. Osama bin Laden and his militant Sunni followers seek to reverse all that. Bin Laden sees himself as the new caliph; he has referred to himself as the ‘commander of the faithful.’ He is seeking to unify all of Islam–and resume a jihad against the unbelievers.

According to Mary Habeck of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University: ‘Jihadis thus neither recognize national boundaries within the Islamic lands nor do they believe that the coming Islamic state, when it is created, should have permanent borders with the unbelievers. The recognition of such boundaries would end the expansion of Islam and stop offensive jihad, both of which are transgressions against the laws of God that command jihad to last until Judgment Day or until the entire earth is under the rule of Islamic law.’

Al Qaeda and its terrorist allies are waging their war on several continents. They have killed innocent people in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, and the United States. They will try to overthrow governments and seize power where they can–and where they cannot, they will attempt to inflict fear and destruction by disrupting settled ways of life. They will employ every weapon they can: assassinations, car bombs, airplanes, and, if they can secure them, biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. The theocratic and totalitarian ideology that characterizes al Qaeda makes typical negotiations impossible. ‘Anyone who stands in the way of our struggle is our enemy and target of the swords,’ said Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the late leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Osama bin Laden put it this way: ‘Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us.’

…The war against global jihadism will be long, and we will experience success and setbacks along the way. The temptation of the West will be to grow impatient and, in the face of this long struggle, to grow weary. Some will demand a quick victory and, absent that, they will want to withdraw from the battle. But this is a war from which we cannot withdraw. As we saw on September 11th, there are no safe harbors in which to hide. Our enemies have declared war on us, and their hatreds cannot be sated. We will either defeat them, or they will come after us with the unsheathed sword.

Maybe someone should send this to all our members of Parliament and Congress. If they read it aloud very slowly and trace each word with their fingers, they might just get it.

I doubt it Melanie!

Scotland the Brave - really?

A few weeks back I posted this about Scotland

Tom Paine at The Last Ditch outlined this little gem from the Times. Only 163,000 Scots made a net contribution to the Treasury

This of course comes as no surprise. Most entrepreneurial Scots, and indeed English, may have left in previous brain-drains. You'll find plenty of McTavishes and McClouds doing very nicely thank you in California, Australia and other parts of the English speaking world.

Are the Scots lazy as the article suggests?

I don't think so.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Sodje, Sodje, Sodje!

Was the cheer when Sam received his player of the year award at Margate FC just a couple of seasons back.

A little while ago, I posted this about the exploits of Sam Sodje. Just around the corner of our minds in 2004 he was a Margate player. The photo shows him bedecked in 'Gate colours.

Now he's scored his first goal for Steve Coppell's Reading. What else can Sam achieve in his remarkable career?

Well done Sam!

The Russians are coming - maybe

The Times gets on it's high horse about the Russians cutting off "EU" oil supplies. This is all to do with Belarus tapping into the supply pipeline. On top of this "Yid with Lid" posted about our friends in Iran, who are threatening to seal off the Straits of Hormuz.

Perhaps the Russians and Iranians are buying into the "carbon footprint" regime and our teaching us wasteul Westerners. Or have we spent too much time worrying about the travails in the Middle East, whilst neglecting the ex-"Evil Empire's" intentions

Sunday, January 07, 2007

New website

went live a little earlier.

www.jeremyjacobs.com

FA Cup moments

This weekend has seen the 3rd round Proper of the FA Cup. One of the featured games on BBC tv was Tamworth v Norwich. The last time I was at the Lamb I covered Tamworth v Margate in the Conference a few years back. That was for TTFC (The Footballers Football Channel) an internet tv station, now defunct.

One of the radio reporters that day was Marc Webber, who was on duty for the Beeb at Bristol City v Coventry earlier today.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

My Sister

Would have been 59 today.

Hence this and this

Set your goals

We're a week into 2007. Do you know what you want to achieve by the end of January? Have you set goals to reach by the end of the first quarter?

If not, why not?

Have you taken on too much, or are you in a dither as to know what to do?

Just how is it for you on the morning of January 6th?

Responses required from: James Higham, The Tin Drummer, Last Ditch, and Colin Campbell from Down Under.

or it's detention!

Friday, January 05, 2007

Cold Kills 136 in Indian sub-continent

This just in from REDDIT...Now this is a story about the cold, unlike the nonsense outlined here


Winter chill kills 80 in northern India

RANCHI, India (Reuters) - Cold weather across northern and eastern India has killed at least 80 people in the past week, forcing authorities to close schools and colleges and deliver firewood to the homeless, officials said on Friday.

Bangladesh said on Thursday at least 56 people, mostly beggars and homeless, had died during the same cold snap this week.

In India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh 34 people have died as night time temperatures plummeted to close to freezing, making life a misery for tens of thousands of people who live on the streets with few ways of keeping warm.

On Friday morning, the minimum temperature in the capital, New Delhi, fell to 4 degrees Celsius, the lowest of the winter.

In Bihar, thousands of homeless people crowded around bonfires as temperatures hovered around 6 degrees Celsius. At least 35 people have died in the impoverished state in the last seven days.

"For the next one week, all educational institutions will remain closed as the cold has become unbearable for many," Madan Mohan Jha, Bihar's human resource development secretary said by phone from Patna, the state capital.

In neighbouring Jharkhand, 11 people have died and officials are distributing firewood for the homeless.

"After dusk there is a mad scramble to get some firewood as only a bonfire can keep us alive at night," Abbas Ansari, a rickshaw puller said in Ranchi.

(Additional reporting by Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow)

Taking the Piss?

From the BBC News Website

"Thief steals urinal from city pub"
Alan Dreja
Landlord Alan Dreja pictured at the site of a missing urinal
Police are on the hunt for a thief who stole a urinal from a pub in Hampshire.

The man is thought to have spent 40 minutes removing the white toilet bowl after ordering half a pint at the Royal Oak pub in Southampton.

He then stuffed the urinal in a rucksack and left the pub making sure he wiped his fingerprints off the door as he went.

But his exploits were caught on CCTV and after reviewing the tape landlord Alan Dreja handed it over to police.

"It's unbelievable," said Mr Dreja, 46, who has been landlord at the Royal Oak in Houndwell Place for two years.

'Professional job'

His wife Suzie Dreja added: "We were stunned as he did it at about 5pm.

"He had wandered in and ordered half a pint of Fosters, took a few sips and went into the toilet a few times.

CCTV image
The suspect was captured on CCTV with a bulging rucksack

"He did a very professional job. He turned off the stop cock and capped off the pipe.

"Our staff had thought we had taken it off for repair and it was not until the evening we noticed.

"After we realised, we looked at the CCTV and saw him go in with a flat rucksack and come out with it bulging. He actually wiped his fingerprints off the door as he left."

A spokesman for Hampshire police said: "It is a very unusual theft and we would like to speak to the man captured on the CCTV.

"It was clearly a very professional job," he added.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

John Brignall's Number watch Site

Number of the Month

January 2007

Alan Caruba has just sent me a copy of this. He despairs at what he sees in Blair's Britain today. So does author John Brignall, as do I, and probably countless millions of Britons.

The first dawn of a new year and the wintry sun picks out the lines of the ancient strip lynchets on the downs edging the Blackmore Vale.

A time of hope for many, but not for Soviet Britain, where the future is BBC (Blair, Brown, Cameron).

01/01/07

In Blair’s Britain

It takes some believing, even for those of us who live here, no wonder those Aussies are agape. Now you may bugger a sixteen year old boy, but you must not supply him with a cigarette.

Your bending author was recently discovered by that other grumpy old sod, the subject matter being the slow death of Britain’s small towns. Like Charles II, they have been an unconscionable time dying, but dying they are. The moves in the Blairisation of Britain are many and various, and you are hardly aware of it until one hits you in the face. By dint of Sod’s law, such an experience happens only at a time of stress; and so it was chez bending author. Oddly enough it occurred two days before this story broke.

It came about with a recrudescence of the lung infection that played such havoc with Number Watch at the end of last year. It came to a head on the Saturday before New Year’s Eve and it became clear that medical advice would be needed, so the obvious thing was to phone your local surgery (as you do). That is what we did when Mrs bending author had a scare last October and one of the local Wiltshire GPs came and ordered an ambulance for her to be rushed (well, actually, it took the ambulance five and a half hours to arrive, but that is another story) into the “local” hospital, which is now thirty miles away. Well, this time the call was diverted to an emergency service in Ringwood, Hampshire (home of the best ale on the planet). The young lady on duty said she would get a doctor to phone “but we are very busy”. At least she did not say “your call is valuable to us”. Five hours later a rather pleasant Asian gentleman phoned and after some discussion he decided that the case merited a personal visit from a doctor, who would be brought by a car based in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Some seven hours after the original call the doctor arrived and suggested immediate admission to the hospital, an invitation that was politely declined on the grounds of risk. As evinced by this piece, the patient has survived so far.

In the bad old days, the town had its own ambulance station, run by the Red Cross. They worked then on the principle that the health service was there for the well-being of patients and not for the convenience of bureaucrats. The idea then was to minimise the time to reach the patient. In fact, after standing for many years as a silent, derelict monument to health service past, it has just been acquired for private development. Only someone with the chutzpah of Tony Blair could argue that increasing the travel time for emergency cases by closing hospitals will save lives. The justifications come from Blair allies, such as IPPR, armed with figures of theoretical lives saved, which are obtained by careful data selection.

It is another sign of the times that the dedicated GP is a thing of the past. They now only work office hours. It is a story with all the usual modern ingredients – a diktat from the EU, hopeless negotiating by bureaucrats, determined negotiation by a powerful union and complete disregard of the cost to the taxpayer and the consequences for the victims. It is the same across the whole public service, particularly in education.

When bureaucracy comes through the door, dedication flies out of the window!

Here, for purely sentimental reasons and not artistic merit, is a picture of the old ambulance station.

Footnote: Why is it happening? See here.

03/01/06

Index

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Oh my God It's Winter!

Well, blow me down with a feather, it's winter. On page 21 of this evenings Evening Standard, the
headline reads "Don't get comfortable, there's snow on the way" - Really. Well, fancy that.

Mark Prigg, the ES's Science Correspondent(because an ordinary journo couldn't have written this) writes that a Met. Office spokesman said today: "there could be, by the end of February, sharp cold snaps lasting a few days and we think there is a high chance of snow". No shit Sherlock. This usually happens this time of year.

Well known weather geek, Piers Corbyn (brother of the famous Commie Jeremy Corbyn) says "it could be bad for Eastern England" (watch out Ellee). Simon Keeling of the Weather Consultancy, which produces long-range forecasts said "our predictions point to a very average year". ( I mean, why doesn't someone say that Monday will be before Tuesday) - the article goes on to say that GP's are concerned about the cold because it affects people badly. Well short of pissing off to a warmer climate for the entire population what do you expect fellas? Then we're told about El Nino, global warming and how former BBC weatherman Bill Giles says that he's seen certain vegetables in his garden he doesn't normally see until March.

This article is typical of the patronizing fuckwittage spewed out by the ES most days. No wonder they're losing out to those "freebies".

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Top tips for keeping fit - Regular Massage

These are outlined over here

One of them is to have a regular massage. I'm plugging Sheline in Boundary Road, St Johns Wood, London NW8

Deutschland uber alles? - THE DAMN EU AGAIN

New EU constitution "without public poll"

Nicholas Cecil in today's Evening Standard reports that Wolfgang Ischinger, the German Ambassador to Britain, said Berlin would "love" to get through a new treaty containing the key parts of the EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters. He suggested this could be done by scrapping the pledge made in countries such as Britain and France........Mr Ischinger told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We would love to preserve to the maximum extent possible the substance of that draft".

........and what is the substance of the draft?

A total loss of sovereignty, our way of life and our laws and customs which have served Britain well for centuries. As I said at the General Election in May 2005, the undemocratic, evil EU is succeeding where the Luftwaffe failed in 1940.



Daniel Finkelstein's 50


Not necessarily his age but his fifty reasons to love being Jewish as highlighted in the latest edition of the Jewish Chronicle.

Amongst his 50 are

11. Michael Grade.

45. Brian Epstein.

21. The fact that I can be completely British and yet different at the same time.

The ones I find the most amusing are

2. Being able to understand all the jokes in a Woody Allen film.....

7. Being able to spot other Jewish people and thereby amaze your non-Jewish friends.

48. The fact that the number of cars at a Jewish event is usually greater than the number of people.


I congratulate Daniel Finkelstein on making me chuckle over the "ghost-town" period.

Sir Phillip Green

Was on Radio 4 this morning talking about his Retail Academy.

The main thrust this morning was his clear dislike of graduates who pitch up at Arcadia with "irrelevant" degrees wishing to have a career in retail. He said he'd rather take on a 17-year old with common sense and train them. A graduate at 22 or 23 years of age will still have to go through the same process. In fact they maybe a bit of a liability, all that student debt.

I think many of us share his view that university degrees for 50% of our youth is a flawed policy of this current Government. What Sir Phillip was saying, is that we need Technical Colleges churning out plumbers, electricians, engineers and so on.

Do you agree, or should we import labour from abroad to fill the skills gap?

Monday, January 01, 2007

Mainstream Media Watchout?

We all know that the Blogosphere likes to expose the twisted truths that eminate from the mainstream media.
Things may have shifted up a gear. Just seen this on LGF.

Hammers hit for 6 by Reading.

Sam Sodje's Reading team smashed 6 past West Ham today and Iain Dale is not a happy man. Presumably, the "honeymoon period" for Hammers manager Alan Curbishley is now firmly over.