Author: siskinbob

Formerly employed by MOD and IBM, now retired

Landlady given boost in battle with SKY TV over broadcasting live football – TV: A look back – The News


Good news and another step to breaking the virtual monopoly that Sky has over the satellite marketplace. As a result  of the control that they have they are able to keep their prices ridiculously high.

We were sold  EU membership on the basis that we would have equal rights with regard to the work place, travel and choice of goods and services.  Well we have seen anything but.

Great Britain is seen by all the major marketeers as “Treasure Island”  and Sky has been and continues to be one of the biggest pirates raiding the treasure chest that is the captive market place. Trapped as we are by the ludicrous and artificial borders which define who can transmit and who can receive.

If this helps to break their stranglehold then so much the better.

Landlady given boost in battle with SKY TV over broadcasting live football – TV: A look back – The News.

Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging


So I’m sitting here in West Quay, Southampton. Scummer Land my granddaughter, a Pompey fan, would say.
Why am I here ?
Well I’m waiting for my wife who has a post-laser treatment appointment. Rather than sit on the less than comfortable seats in the shop I am sat outside, people watching. Hence the title.
Who are all these folks ?
Where are they going ?
Very few seem to be happy. Faces rigid, neutral, expressionless. Some look left or right into the shop windows but most stare, zombie like, straight ahead.
Perhaps I should try looking at my own reflection in one of those same shop windows.
Oh and my apologies, of course, to Genesis.

Daughter tells of shock at father’s death on flight – East Hampshire – The News


Daughter tells of shock at father’s death on flight – East Hampshire – The News.

I am posting this as I knew Phil Austin.

He was manager of the department I joined when I started at IBM Hursley back in 1977. He was somewhat larger than life and at the same time he was very down to earth. Very much the type to roll up his sleeves to get down and help with the job.

Condolences to his family.

Carr and Hall Comedy Legends ?


Carr and Hall handed comedy awards – National – The News.

I like both Jimmy Carr and Rich Hall. But to call them legends is total bollocks.

Just how long do you have to be in the public eye to be referred to as a legend ?

Bob Monkhouse is a legend. Ken Dodd is a legend. Morecambe and Wise are legends. The 2 Ronnies are legends. These folks served their time and are imbedded in this nations psyche. These two newbies have a long way to go yet.

Notice I haven’t mentioned the likes of Billy Connolly, Smith & Jones and of course Lenny Henry. They are way up there but are not really legends.

Carr and Hall have, so far,  just been a mere flash in the pan by comparison.

Anyone Tried To Access http://www.police.uk/ – See Below To See What I Got


Updated at 16:00 today, some 90 minutes after my original post. I was able to enter my post code this time. Results below.

Well I finally got to review my own local data at around 09:30 on the 2nd Feb.

Based on what I saw I didn’t exactly get a warm feeling. However, I didn’t feel that my level of anxiety about our society has increased.

There appear to be three areas of concern but, hey, no surprises. Anti-social Behaviour and Violent Crime are the main statistical groups. Anyone who has one iota of local knowledge could have told you that without the aid of this expensive website. Ask any local and they would also tell you where the hot spots are. The website just confirms it in a graphical manner.

As I said there are three areas of concern. Having mentioned two of them above  the third is “Other Crime”. Or to put it another way “miscellaneous”. The total for this catch-all category is almost as large as the sum of all the other categories. This suggests that some further filtering is required with additional categories being defined.

Will I be revisiting this website ? Probably not any time soon.

 

Aaarrrrggggghhh !!!


The Royal Mail was once a fabulous organisation. Dare I say it, they once provided the best postal service in the world. However, in latter years they have become something of a pariah

They have removed the convenience of the local post office, once the heart of every community, by closing them all down. My local post office used to be a 5 minute walk away. They closed that one down. My nearest post office is now a 5 – 10 minute car drive away.

And they have reduced the once great postal service to a single delivery per day whilst increasing the cost of  that reduced service. How does that work ??? Oh and quite often there are days when I don’t receive any “legitimate” mail but the postman still comes to my house just so he can deliver pamphlets advertising Pizzas, Double Glazing, 2 for 1 Spectacle offers, Car Insurance, Mortgages and so on.

Now they intend to deliver more junk mail. <— Click Here

WHY ??? Don’t I have a say in what gets delivered to my house ?

Am I the only person in this fast deteriorating country who doesn’t want the endless flow of special offers that spew forth from my letter box.

I’m sure, like me, many of you have opted to take the paperless billing route.  All of my utility bills are available on-line. My bank accounts and therefore my statements are accessible 24/7 via the internet. So I am doing my bit to save the forests, reduce the energy consumption and therefore my carbon footprint.

When it comes to shopping I do my grocery shopping on-line. If I need to buy a new household appliance or spare parts for the car I do it on-line. When the grand-kids come round and we hold a pizza party we select and order on-line. Same thing when us adults have a curry or a chinese delivered home.

I have just registered with the MPS and hopefully that will reduce the flow of unwanted junk mail  through my letterbox. I won’t be holding my breath though.

Our lives are already blighted by the number of nuisance telephone calls we receive. I registered with the TPS to try to stop the unsolicited calls but that doesn’t work very well.

I want freedom of choice.

  • I want the freedom to choose to “opt – in” to receive marketing mail.

  • I want the freedom to choose to “opt – in” to receive marketing telephone calls.

So listen up Royal Mail & The British Governement

  • I want the default option to be that I “opt – out” !!!

Councillor leaves meeting to avoid Islamic prayer – Politics – The News


Councillor leaves meeting to avoid Islamic prayer – Politics – The News.

My view, for what its worth, is that the councillor should show due respect and he should have stayed for the prayers.

Walking out is tantamount to sticking ones finger up.

Why is it that Councillor Hey, if he is such a devout christian, doesn’t actually demonstrate much in the way of christian spirit.

Unfortunately this is the kind of thing that I have come to expect from supposedly christian folk. They don’t actually follow the teachings of the bible. Rather they follow a path dictated by their own biased interpretation.

RIP Nimrod


Here we go again.

The British Government, hell bent on ripping the UKs defence forces apart.

They have now scrapped the latest Nimrod variant. This high tech plane would have been the most advanced of its type. It has now been dispatched to join our carriers and of course ther Harrier.

Soon we will be seen as a 3rd rate force. We will be totally dependent on other nations for our defence. We will be totally impotent especially should we need to deploy forces the other side of the world.

Time to don the black arm bands Englands military heritage.