Andy Mcnab
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SAS hero targets employers over basic skills
16/11/06
Andy McNab, SAS hero and author of bestselling Bravo Two Zero, was guest of honour in London last week at a business dinner exploring companies' approach to improving basic skills.
Speaking at the fourth annual 'Skills for Life' gathering at Lancaster House, his description of his own personal struggle with literacy hit home with the companies present - figures show that poor reading, writing and number skills cost UK industry millions of pounds a year.
McNab described his involvement with the QuickReads series, an innovative publishing scheme to provide books for the millions of adults in the UK who struggle with reading.
Full article (but nothing more AM related):
http://www.bitc.org.uk/news/
news_directory/mcnab.html
>>By Lynn (Friday, 17 Nov 2006 21:55)
i think recoil has to be mcnabs best for some time i actually enjoyed this one.
>>By fony (Saturday, 18 Nov 2006 20:53)
for some time.. possibly...
i not read it, but his best book of all time, and i don't think it will be beaten..
REMOTE CONTROL
>>By Shoot-To-Kill (Sunday, 19 Nov 2006 21:19)
Can't wait to form my own opinion on Recoil, but it may be another three weeks or so of waiting for my copy that's coming via snailmail from the UK. As Carley Simon would say: An - ti - ci - pa - ay - ay - ay - ee - tion!
In the meantime, I stumbled on an audio and article from May 2006 re: Aggressor -- but better late than never, right?
www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s1638012.htm
>>By am-i-binned (Monday, 20 Nov 2006 16:41)
You are what you eat, eh?
"The writer and former SAS soldier Andy McNab eats too many carbs and not enough greens for Dr John Briffa's liking"
Interview by Tom Williams / Sunday Nov 19, 2006
I ate a lot of crap as a child really. Parents of that generation, well it was all about feeding you up wasn't it? On Sunday lunches we wouldn't have beef but we'd have bacon instead. But we still had Yorkshire puddings and all that sort of stuff. And lots of soggy cabbages and vegetables. Sometimes the gas got cut off, and I used to think it was great because my mum used to say 'right we're off camping' and she'd turn this three bar electric fire we had upside down and cook Teddy Bear's Porridge which was bread, milk and sugar.
I joined the army when I was 16. A lot of the kids there were complaining about the food but I thought it was great. You could have as much as you wanted, but you had to eat it.
When I joined the Special Air Service the food got better. There was a lot more choice and it was more exotic. We used to have nasi goreng [fried rice] at breakfast and things like that because the guys travel a lot and you get a taste for different foods. We had some bad food in Oman. You'd go into these small villages and do these 'hearts and minds' things and part of the protocol is you sit down and eat. The women get the goat meat, chew it and then spit it into the goats stomach and that's what makes the sausages. So you watch these women gobbing it into a goats stomach and then twist them into sausages and you've got to sit there and eat them and go, 'Oh that's nice'. Tea's important in the army. It's a very cultural thing. It's a morale booster, you're getting fluids down you, there's a social thing about it as well. It helps you calm things down and literally if you get lost - Iraq, Northern Ireland - standard operating procedure is: stop, get a brew on.
Nowadays I'm pretty lazy. It's anything that goes Bing really after a couple of minutes in the microwave: I'm just too idle. My wife cooks one or two times a week. We eat out four or five times a week. We've got a local Thai and it's fantastic.
At home, nine times out of 10 I don't even touch breakfast. I get up and make a cup of tea and pick up a banana or something and fold it between a slice of bread. And I don't eat lunch; sometimes I'll end up going into a Starbucks or a Pret A Manger and getting one of those baguettes and then that's it until the evening. Sometimes I cook if I've argued with my wife and then it's comfort food. Mashed potatoes and sausages and green beans. I do it like Desperate Dan and I put the sausages in, sticking up to try and get a laugh out of her.
I don't consciously watch what I eat, but if there's a choice between lamb and chicken I'll have the chicken because I think it's better - it's leaner, and I drink Diet Coke as opposed to Coke. I don't eat butter - and I've never had sugar since I was about 11 because I was a fat kid, so in that way I'm sort of conscious but I'm not. Everything in moderation is what I say.
For the analysis of AM's dietary choices, here's the rest of the article:
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/
food/story/0,,1948497,00.html
>>By am-i-binned (Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006 13:23)
10-second Christmas shopping, anyone?
http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=39139
>>By am-i-binned (Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006 14:48)
Nice :-))
Good to see you back here !!
>>By Lynn (Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006 16:22)
It's all food these days??
SAS kitchen survival
Broke and hungry? Jonathan Bray asks the rich and famous for tips on cooking on a shoestring
For students, cooking is never top of the to-do list. There's always something much more pressing to do - like write tomorrow's essay, or catch the latest episode of Scrapheap Challenge. But food is important - not just to soak up all the alcohol, but to keep you going through a lifestyle that would make Paris Hilton weep. If you're not eating well, you won't be performing your best academically. And beside, being able to cook a few staple meals will make you a minor celebrity in the eyes of your hungrier housemates.
That's why we're be asking celebrities to share their kitchen secrets - student-scrounger style. So you too can live like a star - or at least, like they did once. That's almost the same, right?
Andy McNab - Bubble & Squeak
If your student kitchen feels like a battlefield, spare a thought for Andy McNab. Although the ex-SAS soldier has now swapped his mess-tins for le Crueset, he still favours the take-no-prisoners approach to cooking. His Bubble and Squeak is perfect for those 4am "what the hell are we going to eat" moments. And, if you turn up the volume on the discovery channel, you can even pretend you're cooking under fire (even if the closest you've got to "hostile movement" is the flies on last week's pizza).
"I used to cook anything in a frying pan," says McNab. "We even used to boil things in the frying pan. But mostly we'd fry. Well, it's either that or a Pot Noodle, isn't it? Bubble and Squeak is the best. First you cut and mash up the potatoes, then mix in anything you've got left over in the kitchen. Bacon, eggs, onion, anything. Get it hot, then leave it in the pan until it burns. It's only done when underneath you've got a layer of burnt potatoes." Mission accomplished.
Ingredients (serves 4)
450g cold potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
250g cooked cabbage, chopped
Bacon / 100g cheese / 1 egg (optional)
Salt and pepper
4tbsp oil
Directions:
1 Peel and finely chop the potatoes and crush slightly. If you've got any, grate the cheese, crack and whisk the egg, and chop up the bacon.
2 Heat half the oil in the frying pan, and lightly fry the onion and bacon.
3 Add another tbsp of oil, then mix in the potato and everything else and season well. Press the "bubble" into the hot fat and fry over a medium heat until browned underneath.
4 Turn the bubble over, add the last of the oil and fry until the other side is browned (or burnt, if you're ex-SAS).
Full article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article
/0,,3565-2463347,00.html
>>By Lynn (Tuesday, 21 Nov 2006 22:46)
I admit it--I'm going to eat that "bubble and squeak," just to be more like Andy. I looked quite the idiot wearing a hawaiian-style shirt in Toronto in January right after reading IA and the bit about the "bone shirts."
There's a reason I admit to my hero worship...when the authorities have a look in my freezer, I'm gonna hand them my well-read copy of "Crisis Four" and plead Nabsanity.
>>By Just Jon (Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 04:04)
I lost some pictures in the midst of an NSA raid...can anyone send me:
The pic of Andy holding "Boy Soldier"
The B/W pic of andy which replaced the one I'm using for new greyman's (lynn knows what I'm talking about)
Any hi-res pic of Andy that isn't on gml right now and isn't just the back of his head (black bars and pixelated fine)
Thank you, need it for the website.
>>By Just Jon (Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 07:48)
Sorry to post again...Cam asked about McFab...
There will be no more McFab stories. Making fun of a certain outlook gets less funny as the bodies start piling up in real life, and the stories got more mean-spirited as that happened. The last one, in particular, I'm ashamed of.
There will be new stories at randymcfab.com and I will let you know when they're there, but it's going to be "real" fiction and will have nothing to do with Randy. I'm just too cheap to pay for a new domain name.
I thank you for your support and hope you will enjoy the new stuff.
>>By Just Jon (Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 08:20)
Dear JJ, all pics available at AMFT, though I've given most a bit of a personal 'touch' - if there's one you like 'original' let me know ;-)
Isn't Randy gonna officially die in some 'herioc' action? Or do have to start mourning for him now
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 13:31)
Jon! mate, buddy, devastated I am at that news. There is nothing wrong with sick humour, it is because the reader knows it is sick that makes it funny for Gore's sake! I am now wrapping black duct tape around my WW2 battle dress sleeve. Another of life's pleasures gone!
>>By camban (Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 15:42)
Happy Thanksgiving Day! And in keeping with today's thankfulness theme...
Thank you, AM -- not only for your books but also for drawing together such a diverse and interesting group of folks!
And to everyone who posts and/or visits here -- what a terrific pleasure it is to share online time and space with you all!
And a special 'thank you' to you, Marek -- for the wonderful (and unmatched) online environment you've created for us to use!
Thanks muchly, All!
L, :oD
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 23 Nov 2006 17:32)
MY BOOK MY BOOK MY BOOK MY BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's here. I'm off. Reading. Bye.
:-))))
>>By Lynn (Saturday, 25 Nov 2006 17:58)
Just a quick one for AIB !!!!
Am reading Recoil, hope your copy arrives soon too. I'd like to quote just a little phrase cause I know you will love this one (don't worry, it's not spoiling anything and I'm not quoting all on that page) but to give everyone a choice I'll 'cover it up' anyway.
'Don't take HIS name in vain, Nick'
'Davy won't mind mate. I do it all the time...'
(..)
He lifted his arse, fished in his back pocket and handed me a battered leatherbound book. 'Go on', he said. 'It's right up your street - sex, violence, revenge, all sorts. '
And I know AIB will know what comes next ;-))
>>By Lynn (Saturday, 25 Nov 2006 22:13)
Just want to say, AIB talked about being thankful, and I for one am thankful for her. She has done so much for this board and this "community," I often wonder if it's her more than Andy who has brought us together.
I know this, her mission to introduce Andy to more Yanks is still active and will end in success.
It is through AIB that I have met the people I care about here--Lynn, Cam, Ninj, Fony--I shouldn't name names because I'm sure I'll leave some out accidentally.
We have all accomplished something in supporting a writer we believe in, and I truly think we have only seen the beginning of what Andy McNab will accomplish.
Having had my bipolar ups and downs, I want you all to know--everyone here--that I appreciate you even when I'm a bastard, and that I will never forget what reading Andy's story or learning your own life stories has contributed to my own life.
The new gml is almost done so back to work for me. Again my thanks.
>>By Just Jon (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 00:13)
Ditto Jon - agreeing fully with the above ;-)
>>By Lynn (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 13:26)
Dont know if any of you have Read Lofty Large's 'Soldier against the odds;, ecellent book well the big fella passed away recently
RIP big man
http://www.herefordtimes.com /news/ htnewsround/display.var. 1023176.0.a_final_battle_ fought_with_true_courage.php#mpubot
>>By BushisaManiac (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 13:35)
ps I had to put a few spaces into the link
>>By BushisaManiac (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 13:35)
Oohhh, sorry to hear that BM!! :-((
There's an introduction from Andy in Lofty' Larges book you mentioned.
Starts with "Being like Lofty was something that I always aspired to without realising it"
Quoting just a little part of it, if I may...
"Within the Regiment learning from other people's experience is all important. Even with the best training and hours of practice, everything can change in a moment on active service. The ability to adapt and to improvise is vital. Lofty was one if the first to understand this. His take is that ‘Lady luck…is usually gracious enough to smile upon me when the shit hits the fan, so I have survived where better men have perished’.
Lofty is a survivor, but it’s not just about luck. He is too modest to say that it’s also about guts, thinking faster than the enemy and being willing to go further than they will to survive. That takes courage and skill.
And about the book:
"I’ve been privileged to meet some of the men mentioned in this book, and now I have met many others through its pages. Most of all, I am honoured to know Lofty."
Don't ask me which one but I've seen a documentary sometime with Lofty Large in it and (I didn't know anything about him then, nor about his books) but the charisma splashed from the screen. He must have been really special to his family and people that knew him. I think he will not be forgotten though.
>>By Lynn (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 23:04)
A Recoil review from News of the World:
RECOIL by Andy McNab
Former SAS man Andy McNab takes us deep into the new Heart of Darkness - one of the most corrupt corners of present-day Africa.
Hero Nick Stone, who isn't a million miles from McNab himself, has to rescue his friends from an evil militia responsible for massacres across the stricken continent.
And the dangers Stone faces along the way - bloodthirsty and brainwashed child soldiers, creeping dehydration and the gnawing terror of ambush - will keep you more on edge than he is.
The grim realities of guerrilla warfare in the steaming, sweat-soaked African jungle hit home with the brute force of a slug of lead to the abdomen.
It's a compulsive read that will have you by the throat until the final page.
------
I had to get up and take another seat for a mo to prevent my butt from sticking to the reading chair, but now I go back to the compulsive read ;-))
>>By Lynn (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006 23:21)
Of course it has been a recent headline.. Andy was 'coming out' - never guessed this though.
Andy, no black bars, not in the dark... just ... dark??
http://images.google.nl/images?ndsp=20&hl=
nl&lr=&q=+site:www.national-army-museum.ac.uk
+%22andy+mcnab%22
;-)
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 29 Nov 2006 14:46)
Meltdown has a cover too now:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/
images/n41/n206462.jpg
:-)
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 29 Nov 2006 15:10)
Nice try, JJ and Lynn -- but no way are you gonna shift the blame for everything AM and Marek have done! ;o)
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 15:13)
LOL @ "dark", Lynn!
----------
"Meltdown" addendum:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/robert-rigby/meltdown.htm
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 15:14)
http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/press/files/newsReleases/mcnab.pdf
Dear Mr. McNab:
Any chance of a repeat performance next year, say... oh, I dunno... maybe sometime around the first weekend of November or so? I'm asking now because I strongly believe in the principle of the NINE P's (and a few other letters) -- Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Attitude When You're Just Plain Piss Poor!
Very in-debtedly yours,
am-i-binned ;o)
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 15:41)
Aaaahh thanx for spotting the Meltdown synopsis AIB! I think it wasn't there yesterday when I found the cover so it's ''fresh from the press' ??
I do not really 'like' the last sentence "battle to the end" .............. what end? Someone's end?? I hope not, after 3 books I'm kind of attached to Danny and Fergus too. Since this book is supposed to be last in series.. I do hope it's not a sad end!!
Any chance of repeat performance - LOL @ NINE P's and absolutely agree with your plea, except for the first weekend of November maybe ;-)
Is your Recoil still somewhere on the ocean?? Love to talk to you about it. I'm about 3/4 done and I've learned about Nick's pee, which was perhaps a bit TMI (hehe) but ... you are gonna love it!! It's loaded with the typical AM humour and it's a 'great' (not fun though) topic, so awful what's going on there (Africa) and it's very confronting - even though everyone should KNOW about this, we rather do not know - let alone act on it. Andyway - love to talk about it but here I have to be 'unspoiling' so can only say that it's defenitely a very very good one in the Nick series!!
:-)
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 21:52)
Oh, found this one!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/
local_radio/annabel_amos_audio/archive
/2006/apr_jun.shtml
Radio interview from June - about The Grey Man
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 23:37)
You can also use this link, it gets you straight there:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/
realmedia/amos_mcnab_int.ram
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 23:48)
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