Canada Bob

Wigin did the honours for me today, they helped put a few quid in me pocket this afternoon, best part of 2 grand, but I had to lay better than 5/2 to get the bets on, but with Wigin strugglin' and Everton in form it looked a safe bet... Watching Match of the Day here in Playa Blanca the now, with a bottle of Drambuie to celebrate the win :angry:

Hello Clacher, Yea things are bad in Nigeria, mind you the Super Eagles would do well enough in the SPL, so it aint all bad for the natives out there, having said that, the heat just got ramped up by MEND, they are threatening all out war right now, I'm glad to have got out when I did. As for Cameroon, I have a trip coming up to Douala, but I have to fit in a trip to Munich first, 21st to the 27th February, a meeting with the EPO re my Patent Applications, once that's out of the way I;ll be off to Cameroon, should be a walk in the park, long as I don't have a run in with any black mamba's, I'm told they are knee deep in them the last few months Canada Bob. PS... Laying against Wigan {big time} this afternoon...

Nigeria is a tough place at the best of times but it's gerrin' warmer by the minute right now... If they say it's Tuesday, it's ****in' Tuesday Canada Bob.

Hello Heilandee... Spent some time in Port Harcourt, Nigeria {what a place that is}, it's like the wild west, machete's have gone out of fashion, folks are walking round with AK47's or worse, slaughtering each outer by the hundred, yea, really while I was there they went at each other Christians vs Muslims in Jos city finished up with near 300 dead. Wasn't quite as bad in Port Harcourt, but while we were having breakfast a gun battle kicked off less than a mile from where we were, 40 odd members of MEND {think a Black IRA} attacked a work convoy of ex-pat workers, shot an armed guard dead, shot up a few others, kidnapped 3 Brits and 1 Colombian, would have been more than that but in the confusion a Brit managed to run for it {not the smartest of ideas when there's automatic gun fire going on}, but he let lucky. The blokes were released about 4-5 days later after Shell {they worked for Shell} paid ore $1 Million in ransom. I've been to a few places in Africa, and it's tough in most of them, really tough in some of them, but on a scale of 1-10, Port Harcourt is a 90 :017: I'll no be going back, but I've a trip to Cameroon coming up, I'm just acclimatising meself for the World Cup, well that's what I tell folks, but it's all to do with that mosquito repellent that I make, it'll stop bites, but no the bullets...

NEWSFLASH !!! A CONTAINER WITH 5,000 ROSS COUNTY SHIRTS INSIDE IT WAS RETURNED TODAY BY THE PEOPLE OF HAITI. INSIDE THE FOLLOWING NOTE WAS FOUND... "WE HAVE NO HOMES, NO FOOD, NO CLOTHING AND NO WATER, BUT WE STILL HAVE OUR ****ing DIGNITY"

Well I haven't been near a Betting Shop for months, but I've had me share of excitement, I've just got back from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, yesterday, and what a trip that was. I knew that Nigeria was a tough place, but I didn't know how bad Port Harcourt was, folks walking around with machete's, handguns even AK 47's it was like being a bit player in that "Lords of War" movie. You soon get used to the sound of gun fire, most the time it's in the distance, but not on Tuesday morning as I'm having me breakfast. I was sat there with me "minder" Rocky having bacon, eggs toast etc, when there's a burst of automatic gun fire and it aint far away, I'm thinking less than a mile away, so that was it, no time to mop the eggs up, straight to the Land Cruiser and off down the road {if you can call it that} in a cloud of mud, few roads are paved here so when it rains {and it rained a lot while I was there} the roads turn to mud. By the time we got back to the GRA {a secured compound where expat workers live} we were told that some 40 MEND rebels {think gangsters} had attacked a convoy of oyibo's {expat workers} killing one of their armed guards, badly wounding a driver, and initially kidnapping 4 Brits and a Colombian, but in the confusion of the gun battle, just a mile away from where we were ! One of the Brits made a run for it and escaped, not the wisest thing to do, you are told that if you get attacked to take cover and stay put, let the guards and the gun men sort it out, if you run for it the rebels get hissed off, and you become a target, if you stay put they won't harm you, it's not you they want, it's the ransom, so they want you alive, check the link for the story... Kidnapping MEND, away supporters... That was the closest I came, and I won't be going back there, Nigeria is a ticking time bomb, just a matter of time before the Muslims {who are now the majority} start a civil war, and the mystery about the missing {rumoured dead} President is likely to pull the pin on it all. Wednesday was somewhat eventful too, I was scheduled to fly out late at night, but rather than be on the road with just 1 "minder" {if he gets shot I'm knackered}, so we set off for the airport at 4 pm, stopping for a last bottle of Guinness with Rocky {a George Foreman look alike if ever there was one}, but this guy carries a S&W .41 revolver magnum !!! pistols are women's guns here, real men carry revolvers !!! Anyway, we pull in at a little roadside bar, hadn't been there 5 minutes when a pick up truck with what looked like an anti aircraft gun bolted on the flatbed rolls up, {they call these things "Technicals"}, thankfully it wasn't the rebels, it was a security team, but we drank up and set off anyway, not wanting to be around if anyone took a dislike to them. We got to the airport 4 hours before my flight, just so that Rocky wouldn't be driving back in the dark, I heard the next day what he'd seen on his way back, am I glad we'd gone early, check the link... Talk about Gory !!! Followed the next day by this... Like the Wild Bleedin' West !!! The above wasn't the end of the excitement for me though, the Air France flight to London was cancelled {due to an ATC strike in Paris} leaving 200 or so of us stranded at the airport, in the middle of the night. We were given the option of returning to Port Harcourt {under armed escort} and to stay there a couple of days until the stike was over, or to take a 'plane to Casablanca at 05:30. I'd seen enough of Port Harcourt, so along with around 60 other folks we took the option of taking a flight to Casablanca and then get routed on to where ever we were headed {me back to Lanzarote}. I tried to get a bit of sleep in the airport lounge, but at 04:00 they came round to tell us the AF flight to Casablanca had been cancelled, they'd conned us, they must have known earleir, but conned us out of costing them hotel rooms for the night. Had to be rerouted again, this time to Lagos by Chanchagni Airlines {who the **** are they}, but they did the short haul for us, and from there I got a flight to Heathrow, had to overnight there and then nip up to Gatwick to get a charter flight to Arrecife, it took me 2 full days to get back here, sigh... This trip was more Indiana Jones than Canada Bob, I won't be going back to Nigeria, I'll be staying well away, my mosquito stuff stops the bites, but it don't stop bullets... Canada Bob.

Managed to get on line from a cyber cafe here in Playa Blanca, first time I've been to Playa Blanca but it beats the hell out of Blackpool :angry: and to be honest most of the other places I've been anywhere in the world ! at any price... Some really classy hotels around here, not that I'm in one of them, this is where I have set up my base camp for my expeditions to Cameroon and Nigeria, {connected with that mosquito stuff I make} Villa Roma I'm here {and there} for 6 months, someone has to do it but thankfully it's tax deductable I'm actually in Faro Park, about 4 miles west of Playa Blanca, but a nice walk into town takes me about an hour and a half, longer when I stop for a Guinness in the Princess Yaiza, a hotel equal to the best of them in Florida, the Carolina's of Vegas. But all the other hotels are top notch too, the nearest one to my place is the Rubicon Palace, if you can get a decent deal on a stay at any of the hotels in Playa Blanca you'll have a great time, check this site out... Playa Blanca You can't beat breakfast here at the Lighthouse Bar I spend a bit of time at the Timinfaya Palace it's top notch, they even have a grab a Granny Night every Wednesdays. I went last week to check it out, you should have seen them, it looked more like Halloween than a Disco, all these 60+ year olds with huge teeth receding gums, it was frightening, looked like a walrus colony. Can you imagine what it's like when an old bird the spittin' image of that Gannny in "Benidorm" is sat opposite to you, with split crotch panties ! She gives me a flash and says, "would you like some of this" !!! I says "No thanks, look what its done to yer knickers"... Anyway, if you steer clear of the Grannies on their last night before they go home you'll be in good shape... The classiest hotel I've seen in a while is the Princess Yaiza if you really want a 5 Star experience this is it for sure, a great place for couples. If you're on a bit of a budget then this is one of many really decent places, right on the ocean front. Club Puerto Chico Other than the above I've done a bit of fishing, using marshmallows as bait, {that's a Canadian thing}, get's you salmon over there, they like the sweetness of it, but the fish round here are near tame, too easy to catch, like the Grannies, full of bones and not good eating, {again like the Grannies}... Hey up, me half hour is near up so I;ll have to sign off, but, before I do... Joe de Maggio !!! "You have mail" {to your hotmail account, check it out and PVT me. Canada Bob.

Here's a service for the expats amongst us, a way to watch a good number of UK TV channels without doing any tunneling and without any complicated software to set up. Check out the link below... LIVE TV from the UK Best of all, it's a free service {at least for now} and legit, so no worries or concerns about piracy or whatever they'd like to call it. Works a treat here in Nova Scotia... Canada Bob.

Dundee for me @ 1.80

Dundee v ICT to draw @ 3.00 for me... Battening down the hatches right now, before Bill arrives... Hurricane Bill

Dundee U @ 1.80 for me...

Don't talk about the Irish... I was watching some scuba divers in the harbour at Boca Raton this morning, when this bloke stood next to me, {a Texan} asks... "why do they fall backwards into the water" ? I said " how stupid can you be, if they fell forwards they'd still be in the f*kkin' boat" !!! Canada Bob.

Signing in from Boca Raton {Rat Beach}, Florida, after a 2,387 mile / 4 day drive from Nova Scotia, thank gawd I found a bar with Guinness on draught, it's 95f here, and only drops down to 80f at night ! Anyway, in the hope that I'll be able to keep in contact with the comp this year, I'll kick off with... Albion @ 2.87 All the Best to all of yer. Canada Bob. PS... petrol is $2.45 a gallon in the US, that's about 2 quid per Imperial gallon, cheaper than Canada, diesel {for me Jetta} is slightly less, and I managed to average >60 mpg on the way down, just 4 tank fulls of diesel got me here !

Thanks for the kind words and the understanding of the situation {and obligiations} that I find myself in right now. Things have moved on at a pace for me, I've sold the Patents that I had on the shaving cream etc, and if all that was connected with that wasn't enough the XL5 {my mosquito/blackfly etc repellent} now places demands on my time as folks {think Government Dept's and Charitable Agencies} from Cameroon, Malawi and South Africa are placing orders and sending folks to Canada to meet with me, so all in all I'm run off me feet. Thankfully the Mountain is coming to Mohammed as I've spent some time in more than a few countries in Africa where it came as a shocker to find out that in much of Africa life expectancy is in the mid 40's. If it's not Malaria knocking them down like flies over a Million people a year, then it's the fact that up to 30% of folks have Aids/HIV, not to mention River Blindness, it just goes on from there, including... 90% of people in Africa don't have ready access to clean/safe water, 90% of them live {or try to live} off around $1 a day, if a man can earn {by real hard graft} $15 {10 quid} a week he considers himself to be doing well, no wonder when you find out that there are 1 Million people {men, women and children} STILL in slavery in Africa, how come no one tells the Western World about that ! Have to say that what I saw changed my view of the world, and of the unfortunate people in it. once you have seen the poverty and the struggle they have simple to stay alive, you can't turn your back on it. I've dropped for a lot more money than I ever expected to have, and I'm way to old to spend it on wine, women and song, so in my last few years I'll do what I can to bail these poor beggars out. I'll also dedicate a project to the folks of our Betting Forum, once that's sorted out I'll let you all know where it was and what it was... All the Best, to all of you... Canada Bob.

Hello Clacher... Following on from your comments in the other thread {about Sid's System}, I've no problem with what you have said, unlike me you haven't given the "game" away. I guess that you can now see how easy it can be to win money on the horses, long as you become a Bookie that is. I hope the money keeps rolling in, at least you've had the nerve to give it a go. "He who dares, wins", this time next year you could be on yer way to your first Million ;) Anyway, speaking of such things {money}, "the cheque is in the mail" for me, so to speak. I've sold off much of my interest/involvement in the shaving cream, and After Inked etc, so the money should be in my account by Friday of this week. Now that I'm free of the involvement in all that, you'd think I'd have the sense to talk some time out, and just walk the dog or go fishing, but... For the last few years I've been involved in helping folks out in Douala, Cameroon, you've no idea how bad life is for these poor beggars. I was out there about 7 years ago, saw it with my own eyes, and could never put it out of my mind how poverty struck many of them are. If it was just the poverty, {the world is weighed down with that, 1 in 6 people go to bed hungry in this world that we live in}, but it's their back breaking and heart breaking plight to see how life is for millions of people in Africa. Here's a few facts to contemplate, in many African countries 30% of their children die {from malaria etc} before they turn 5, add to that 1 Million people of all ages die each year from Malaria. Not to mention that there's 1 Million people still in slavery !!! Yet few folks complain, those who consider themselves to be doing alright often have a life expectancy of around 47 ! Work {if you can get it} is hard graft, what they consider to be a good job pays around 20 quid a week, if you are lucky, and on it goes... After seeing what I saw 7 years ago I got it in my mind that if every I made a pile of money from the shaving cream etc, I'd do something with it to make the lives of at least some folks a little easier, and that's what I'm going to do. There's already some folks that I've been helping out as much as I could, via Kiva. Link to Kiva.org I've made my mind up that this year {at least, while I'm still around}, I'm going to spend much of my time and a good bit of my money doing what I can for them. I'm planning to head out to Cameroon sometime in November, then on and off spend as much as 6 months there to make sure my money gets put to good use. So I'll no be wandering round the pubs in Donegal this year. I've had my kick at the cat, now it's time for this old socialist to pay his dues so to speak. All this brings me round to 'The Comp" and the sponsorship that I've put into it over the last 3-4 years. I don't mind giving a few grand away, I've had a lot of fun out of it, but after thinking long and hard what {extra} good 3-5 grand could do in Cameroon I feel it's time for me to bow out of the sponsorship. I hope that you guys will be able to appreciate where I'm at with this, the simple fact is, there's folks with greater needs than any of us have, so in a few months time my money and myself will be heading their way. I hate to have to announce this as I've had a great time in here, and made some really good friends, but I just feel obliged to have my priorities right. I hope that you'll all understand, and I hope that The Comp will carry on regardless. All the Best, and Thanks for the friendship and support that many of you have given me during the tough times I've had battling cancer the last few years. Canada Bob.

No wonder I'm getting it in the neck about posting details of Sid's System in here... Someone has posted it up on BetFairs Forum, and in just a few days it has seen 237 responses, FFS. Hard to believe that folks can't keep their traps shut, mind you, I've some room to talk, I was the first one to write it up in here, but I thought we would be able to keep it in here, for our benefit... That's it then, no more talk of Sid's System, thankfully the folks in BetFairs Forum only know about 1 of the variants rather than them all..

Makes sense to me, I think we discussed that a while back, but didn't get it in gear, we should for this season though. Other than that, what's the thinking on having a prize for the first 3, or one big {non money} prize for the outright winner. wadderyerfink ? Let me know what you think...

Just has another do at it, can't get the damned thing to work Surely we're not all in the same boat ? someone must have figured it out ?

Here's one for you... When you look at where you are in life, the now, how do you reckon you got to where yer at ? Is it, Zen, was it Karma or is it all down to Kismet ? Are we masters of our own destiny ? or not...

Aye, well, I'm no worshipper of "celebrity" just because they are "Rich & Famous", it don't impress me. Even though we have no shortage, my guess is there's more r soles in their ranks than in ours... But having known "The Cultural Icon" for a good while, and knowing what he did quietly, who would believe Manning could do anything quietly {raising money for charities etc} gave me, and a lot of other folks an insight to the real man, I've always had respect and regard for him. "When I was a Lad" folks had the wit to know that what they saw on TV was "entertainment" now they serve up "reality TV" which the Gobshytes and Gormless b*stards who wander the planet these days think is reality, FFS. As a rough guide, if it aint being broadcast from Haydock Park, "it aint REAL" !!! Somehow along the way celebrities are now worshipped {by half wits}as thogh gods, the end result is, we have simply devalued ourselves in our own eyes. Folks who seek Fame and Fortune will never be satisfied, they'll never be famous enough, nor will they ever feel that they have enough money, or enough cocaine up their nose. The only "real" important things in life are, a good mate, a good dog, and a good fishing spot. If you have nothing more than these three affordable things, chances are you are in way better shape than the celebrities that the half wits worship.

They don't call it Rip off Britain for nothing do they... Looks at the pricing for Windows 7... US: Windows 7 Home Premium ($49.99) and Windows 7 Professional ($99.99) Canada: Windows 7 Home Premium ($64.99) and Windows 7 Professional ($124.99) Japan: Windows 7 Home Premium (?7,407) and Windows 7 Professional (?14,073) UK: Windows 7 Home Premium (?49.99) and Windows 7 Professional (?99.99) France and Germany: Windows 7 Home Premium (?49.99) and Windows 7 Professional (?109.99) In Canada right now we can get a full copy of Windows 7 for just over 30 quid, so why should it be almost double the price in the UK, when the UK package will have less in it then the North American version ? what's going on ? Add to that, aint the ? worth MORE than the Euro ? yet the Euro pricing is less than the UK pricing ? I remember when it used to be "the Americans" that we laughed at, as they'd pay any price for any thing, the boot is on the other foot these days hey, if it's not the Politicians, or the Directors of the BBC it's everyone else flogging you stuff... Here's a good link to compare Canadaian prices to against UK prices, if you half the Cnd $ amount that's near enough what it should be costing you in ? notes... Canadian Prices Other than that, I guess you don't want to know that petrol is 50p a litre here, diesel is 45p a litre, how can that be when it's an "international commodity" ! and it's not down to "Taxes" because 80% of the price on petrol over here is down to our Government dipping into our pockets... The problem with petrol prices in the UK is, the oil is in the North Sea, but the Dip Sticks are in Westminster.

Conversely... what's the best way to go ? For me it would be, to be shot in the back at age 83 by a jealous husband :party01: Aye, well, us owd blokes can dream too...

Right ! the picture is getting clearer now, so you have to wait for a while then ? have you uploaded any photo's Mick ?

I had the benefit of knowing Bernard for near 40 years, off the stage that is, the problem is that what you see when he was in front of a camera, or any audience, was him doing what he got paid for. No doubt he offended many, but being a comedian he was "joking" {most of the time}, as we all do ! Like Chubby Brown the more provocative you are on stage, the more money they pay you for it. Those who knew Bernard as he was when he wasn't infront of a camera, or playing up to someone in a pub etc, knew he was a better man than most. In his time he raised well over a Million quid for hospital {and other} Charities in the NW, that should count for something... He wasn't one to stand off you either because he was a "celebrity" and you were just a bloke, he went out of his way to make you feel comfortable, and bought his share of ale. That's more than you can say for that r sole Fred Dibnah {knew him as well}, and how he milked his so called friends for every pint he could get out of them. I don't know anyone who got a pint out of Dibnah in the last 20+ years. The last time I saw him I told him what a c**t he was, to his face in Westhoughton Labour Club. I was there with Owd Gordon, then an 87 year old veteran of WWII, North Africa and all that. Gordon had worked with Dibnah for 30 years after the war, and given him all sorts of stuff, but that night in the club Dibnah couldn't find his way to buying Owd Gordon a pint, and when Gordon was talking across the table to him he never took him on, holding his hand to his ear, pretending not to hear, {taking the *iss}, yet when I {quietly} asked Gordon what he wanted, Dibnah was the first to shout up "mines a Boddingtons", boy did I give him a f***ing down, in front of all his mates and all, to the extent they all supped their dregs they had left and ****ed off... Having said that Dibnah on TV was great, but in real life he was one of the most miserable leeching c**ts on the planet... It's a real pity that folks think that what they see on TV is how that person is in life, especially when the television persona is so very different to who they really are. I'm just listening to the comments Bernard had at the end of the video, if you listen closely you'll see that little chink in his armour, he was a good man. The only pity was, {like any Jew, grin} he liked money, and he carried on "working" well past his sell by date. The last time I saw him on stage {about 6 years ago} he was missing his lines, his timing had gone and he was repeating jokes, it ws pityful to see the man in such a state, I never went to watch him after that, although I did still meet up with him at the Embassy on Rochdale Road, Manchester. Bernard was a "one off" a real Cultrual Icon {on and off the stage} for the working class of the NW, and beyond, but, sad to say he was no doubt, a dinosaur for the latter years of his life. I guess at the end of the day we all finish up with "enemies" much of the time those with the worst attitudes towards us are those who know us least.

Thanks for the above, tried it but no matter what I do my photo's finish up floating about 1000 ft above the damned location, looking more like table tops than links to the photo's sigh, even though I've zoomed in to almost ground level, there's more to this caper than meets the eye.