Latest Articles from The Vandal AKA Derek Haines

A Quiet Jackhammer

Charles Brady King has a lot to answer for. For those who are unfamiliar with his name, his invention has surely aggravated you. He invented the damn Jackhammer. That incessant city noise that drives us all mad. As I write, a bunch on manly brutes are doing what they do best. Digging holes in the road just below my balcony with a pair of extremely noisy jackhammers and really ruining my morning. Also, have you noticed that these brutes rarely use a jackhammer in the afternoon. It seems to be a special morning thing with them. Well, where are today’s inventors? Why can’t someone clever invent a quiet jackhammer? And

Time For A Recipe – Veal Fillet au Confit

There are some recipes that were just made in heaven. This is definitely one of them. All you have to do is find a small portion of veal fillet and away you go. So to the recipe. Generously salt and pepper then brown the fillet of veal in butter over medium heat in a fry pan. Once golden, transfer to a small roasting dish. Then add 5-8 peeled shallot and 6-8 peeled garlic cloves to the pan and fry until golden. Add with the the veal and place in an oven at 200c. Don’t move the fry pan as you need to make the sauce. A good glass and a half of red

Authors – The Chilling Reality

An article caught my attention recently. Fittingly published it would seem on fool.com, it gives some startling statistics regarding book publication and documents the entry of Amazon as a major new player in the publishing industry. However, the following paragraph is what really brings home the chilling reality for authors. Armies of failed books Amazon has some strong industry headwinds to push through, however. Out of at least 1.2 million titles published by the entire industry over the course of a year, almost 80% sell fewer than 100 copies. Only a few books at the very top of the sales lists make any real impact. One analysis estimates that only the top

Football Hooligans

While there is no doubt at all that football, or soccer as it is called in some parts, is the world game and followed and played my millions. Often referred to as ‘The Beautiful Game’, it has a darker side that makes this title wear a bit thin. It is an unfortunate fact that football attracts the ugliest of crowds for any sport in the world. Even here is peaceful Switzerland, crowd riots, acts of thuggery and gang styled street rampages are a standard weekend event for our police. Almost every country in the world suffers from this ugly sideshow to what is really a non-contact and non-violent sport. Far