There is a Mini gathering up at the TT Grandstand on Sunday so if you have any Manx registered Minis in your garage, shed or on the drive (the pre-BMW sort) why not head up there?

Its been orgainsed as part of the marque’s 50th birthday and it all gets going at about 10.30 in the morning.

For more information email John at jonetee@manx.net

Sounds like a bit of a do!

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It was reported today on www.iomonline.co.im that the boss of the Venda claimed that the Manx online shopping portal www.shopiom.com is ‘visionary’.

As I don’t really agree with what Dan Wagner (The Venda Boss) has said or the decision taken by the DTI to use a UK based company and pay such considerable fees using the Manx tax payers cash (Freedom to Flourish in action), I thought I would share with you a some song lyrics of that 1998 classic by the Vengaboys – The Venga Bus, that I have adapted only slightly to indicate my true feelings on the matter, so here goes.

If you cant remember the tune and how it goes, check out this link on youtube so you can get the jist of the tune!

Vendaboys – Venda Boss Lyrics

I like to party (Dan Wagner)

I like, I like to party

I like to party

I like, I like to party

I like to party

I like, I like to party

I like to party (I’m not flippin surprised!)

I’ve got something to tell ya

I’ve got news for you

Gonna put some online retail wheels in motion

Get ready ’cause we’re coming through

Hey now, hey now, here’s what I say now

Online retail happiness is just around the corner

Hey now, hey now, here’s what I say now

I’ll be there for you (for only £265,000)

The VendaBoss is coming

And everybody’s jumping

From Ramsey to Santon

A manx government fiasco

The wheel of fortunes turning

And the taxpayers pounds are burning

So if you like to part with your money

Get on and shopiom

I like to party

I like, I like to party

I like to party

I like, I like to party

Gonna put some online retail wheels in motion

Get ready ’cause we’re coming through

Hey now, hey now, here’s what I say now

Online retail happiness is just around the corner

Hey now, hey now, here’s what I say now

I’ll be there for you (for only £265,000)

The VendaBoss is coming

And everybody’s jumping

Ramsey to Santon

A manx government fiasco

The wheel of fortunes turning

And the taxpayers pounds are burning

So if you like to party

Get on and move your body

The VendaBoss is coming, the VendaBoss is coming

The VendaBoss is coming, the VendaBoss is..

I must admit I really hated that song when it came out, but I am quite liking the new version!

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I have been running too and from work lately, partly to keep fit, lose weight and save a bit of cash. Yes that’s me!.
I have been really enjoying it, but something really gets to me.

My route takes me up and down Richmond Hill and I am sure every local would agree that the road is not ideal. What really gets me is on the way home about 5.20pm – 5.30pm the amount of drivers that are absolutely flooring it up there on the “dual carriageway” / overtaking lane like complete arseholes to only get one or two cars ahead of the queue. Bearing in mind that it is probably the only place you can overtake on your route south (well at that time of day anyway) I reckon that would lesson your journey time by about 15 seconds! Wow that was really worth it wasn’t it!

The thing is the number of people who do this is pretty staggering, well I think so anyway. I have been doing a rough count to distract me from the fatigue and I reckon it is roughly three cars for every ten. And just to please all you motorbike riders, you are pure angels, believe me!

Sort it out people. I am quite happy for you idiots to kill yourselves, just don’t get me or any other driver at the same time!

And I think I have been quite restrained writing this so consider yourselves lucky. You know who you are!

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There is a new look Money media in circulation and I have to say I am quite impressed with the new look. Its a more modern layout using softer fonts with much clearer and well defined articles that are much more pleasing on the eye to read.

I also noticed an advert for the new online money media ‘the islands first dedicated business website’ so I checked it out only to find that the site wasn’t live yet and was under construction. I have since noticed that more recent adverts indicate that the site is not launching until early March.

There are also quite a few online news suppliers in the Isle of Man media arena already, maybe not specialising just on business, but certainly covering Isle of Man business news in a fairly substantial way!

The main news providers on the island are:

isleofman.com

iomtoday

Manx radio

BBC news – Isle of Man

3FM

Isle news

Energy fm

The Manx Herald

It will be interesting to see how the new site turns out and also to see if there is any legs still left in the printed version?

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Why you smiling Tony Brown?

I was driving back from a meeting this morning and was stopped at the traffic lights. I noticed  by the side of the road a poster campaign that has sprouted up around the Isle of Man.

You see Tony,  I would guess that in the current economic climate you have to be 100% transparent and it won’t do your popularity on the Isle of Man any good if your not seen to be practicing what you preach in terms of government spending!

Maybe you don’t care, after all when your term is up you can sit back with a nice little pension and enjoy the finer things the Isle of Man.

You have to laugh!

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There is a new online news service just gone live distributing news across the web available to Isle of Man and Channel Island business’s and organisations. Isle News looks like its just started up, but it looks like a great service and all for free.

If you not up to to speed on the benefits of online PR yet, its all very simple to understand and undertake.

You simply email your news release to the site, if you want you can optimise your news release with some key words or the site can do this for a small charge. The you leave the rest to the site.

The benefits include reaching a new audience and driving traffic to your site, as well as getting listed in key news sites such as Google News and Yahoo News, they help to increase your organic search ranking by building new links to your site!

How good is that!

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How much has the Isle of Man Government spent on the Freedom to Flourish campaign or whatever they call it?

I think they should invest more time in a robust email policy!

Need I say more…….?

Actual screen shot from an email I received today! Believe me, I have seen far worse, but is this the freedom flourish?

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On Thursday night I was lucky enough to be invited to the Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence 2008 thanks to the guys at Isle of Man Post.

I must admit the evening was very entertaining as the islands great and the good gathered at the Sefton Hotel and Villa Marina for pre-award drinks and a meal (which was surprisingly good too) before heading through into the fantastic Gaiety Theater for the evenings 18 awards.

The Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for excellence is in its third year now and was the brain child (I think) of Trudi Williamson of Isle of Man Newspapers and Professor Hugh Davidson as part of the islands rather over used not sure what it’s trying to be ‘Freedom to Flourish’ initiative.

The evening was a celebration of excellence in organisations and individuals within the Isle of Man community and it was great to see so many people being recognised for all their dedication and hard work.

The host for the evening was the very ,very, very, very funny and quick witted Graham Davies, with some other memorable moments coming from Anna Goldsmith and Geoff Corkishes Manx rendition of ‘Show me the way to Amirillo’ or was it Peel?

Some of the worthy winners on the night included Volunteer of the year which was awarded to Paula Lunt who has worked incredibly hard to set up Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, after the death of her 25-year-old son Craig from an undetected heart defect in 2005.

Paul McCann was chosen as the Sefton Group’s Public Sector Person of the Year for his dedication as manager of the Noble’s Hospital neo-natal unit

The CMI Personality of the Year winner, was cyclist Mark Cavendish

The Nationwide International Business Person of the Year award winner was Microgaming boss Roger Raatgever.

The Britannia International award winner for Innovation and Independent Thinking went to CVI Optics Ltd, who manufacture high-energy laser optics and are based in Onchan.

The Island’s Aircraft Registry was the winner of the Collins Stewart Public Sector Achievement of the Year award.

Online Regional Travel rightly so won an award with the HSBC Award for Effective Use of Information Technology for their development of the world’s first global flight booking engine that can be used in mobile phones – a really cool product.

As I was a guest courtesy of Isle of Man Post Office, I better do my bit! The Isle of Man Post Office award for Marketing Effectiveness winner was the Isle of Man Creameries and it was good to see Findlay Macleod collect the award I think for the second year running?

There were also many many more great awards and a full list is avaialable on the Isle of Man Newspapers website.

The final award of the evening went to Robin Gibb for Life Time Acheivement, however his mimed rendition of Ellan Vannin was incredibly naff and the fact that he looked to be reading the words from an auto cue did make me ask a few questions albeit in my own head if not anybody elses!

All in all it was a great and memorable night though.

Probably got myself scrubbed of the guest list now for next year but hey I am a turtle and sometimes you have to stick your neck out!

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I took a trip out the other day for a walk and spotted this rare brred of Manx Sheep. The Orange Belly!

mm I wonder what it tastes like! Ha Ha. Even better would make good coats for Highway Board!

Rare Manx Sheep

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After last nights public meeting about the collapse of the Isle of Man based Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Bank the news coming out of the local newspapers is more positive today as reported by iomonline.

My thoughts are with everyone who has lost money and I only hope that the Isle of Man, UK and Icelandic Governments can come to some sort or financial arrangement to assist in compensating all those who have lost their money!

Tough times ahead.

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