Poor man's car wash

Now if you car is really very dirty, with mud and other serious stuff like tree sap etc., this method won't do much at all. If like me you just haven't washed you car in a few months and it's got some grime and dust on it, then you can cheaply and easily, with virtually no effort improve the car's appearance.

Most people wrongly assume that when it rains, cars get a much deserved clean-up. The truth is that rain water by itself won't do much at all. If we add detergent to that rain water, then we can radically shift most dust and grime relatively easily.

The trick is to prepare a strong solution of car shampoo, usually 2 to 4 times stronger than you would normally use as per the instructions. Make sure the solution is well mixed, you can even use warm water, but be careful if the outside temperature is too cold, else you'll crack the windscreen and other glass areas.

Then, when a big storm or rain shower is predicted, go out and liberally pour out the solution onto the car (it should be raining when you do this.)It should take you all of 2 minutes to cover the entire car. I use a 10 litre bucket and a 1/2 litre cup to do the job. The soaps suds and rain water start to pour off fast or slow depending on the amount and force of rain. When the rain has passed, and the car has dried, you'll find that instead of a dusty and grimy car, you've got a respectable looking vehicle for very little time, money and especially effort.

Don't invest in expensive car shampoos for this task but do use car shampoo as opposed to dish washing detergent. The reason is that car shampoo does contain both detergent and some wax aswell as other components which are better for paintwork.

If it rains frequently then you can use this method to maintain a relatively clean appearance to you vehicle. It works much better than water by itself because the detergent dissolves and shifts the dirt and grease.

A slight amendment to the above method involves using a self pressurizing garden feeder and a super strong, well mixed solution of car shampoo. The benefit of this method is convenience, speed and possibly improved cleaning. You can also use a much warmer, even hot solution to target the key areas.

As always, the usual disclaimer applies. Enjoy!!

Zeitgeist - The movie and what dreams may come of it

A good friend of mine suggested I take a look Zeitgeist - The Movie. It follows in the footsteps of other "revelationary" films such as The Secret, Earthlings and An Inconvenient Truth. I'm sure there are other films out there but I don't have time to watch them all.

Anyway, Zeitgeist was one of those films designed to shake the very foundations of modern life. It covers Religion, Banking and the attack on September 11th. As with other films in a similar vein, you can either believe exactly what you are being told or you can decide it's all made up nonsense.
In the present age of the Internet, it's very easy to start fact checking and start debunking.

Unfortunately for those of us who don't usually buy in to conspiracies etc. the facts behind Zeitgeist are actually correct. I knew that most religion was based on bulls**t but it's never been so cleverly laid out. Even the banking cartels etc. was something I was already aware of, but being a good student of economics, I already know how things work (or so I thought.)

Anyway, I would encourage anyone who wants to know some truth about the life we live to go and watch Zeitgeist.

The Russians are coming (well their music sites are)

We all know the story about allofmp3.com and how the RIAA fought and lost a battle to have the website shutdown. In actual fact, the site was shutdown (for music sales anyway) despite the Russian courts ruling in its favour. Today there are a number of excellent online music stores which have mushroomed out of the allofmp3.com debacle.

I've just started using www.mp3fiesta.com, which is allegedly the best of the new bunch of Russian music stores. I'm not a big fan of iTunes nor the other big name sites. In one way or another they all seem to be pushing their own latest tracks and forcing someone else's music choice on me. So it was with great surprise that I found the mp3fiesta website so easy to use and very compelling. High bitrates, fast connections and a vast library which included material that I thought was obscure.

So far I've been given bonus cash to play with (which is a percentage increase based on how much you choose to add to your account) and also been given an opportunity to earn affiliate cash.

All in all I encourage anyone out there interested in music and fed up of paying sky high mainstream prices (most mp3fiesta albums cost 99 cents) to go and check out the Russian competition.

Madeline McCann - Racism in action (a new apartheid)

Speaking as a non-white male living in a predominantly white country I can't help but feel angry at the disproportionate news coverage, donations, celebrity support etc. that the Madeline McCann disappearance (now more likely murder) has received.

Her parents, white and blond, used the media like pass masters to capture and enthrall the world with their plight.

At first it all seemed fairly reasonable but it quickly escalated (in a matter of weeks) to a Europe wide, then global sensation. Powered by seemingly desperate parents, visits to adjacent countries took place, a meeting with the Pope, even world leaders got involved.

So what made this little girl's disappearance so special? Why did it deserve so much attention?

Many of the non-white community swallowed the indignation stirred up by the media coverage, $2million donations, gratuitous merchandising, celebrity endorsements, etc. The non-white community has been silenced since September 11th 2001. Labeled as Muslims, terrorist, black on black crime, gang culture, dysfunctional family units and much much more.

It's clear to me and others that had this little girl been black or brown, or any colour other than white, her disappearance would have been a minor news item after the main headlines.

Today Richard Branson has donated $200,000 to the McCann's legal battle. It now transpires that they are suspects and he has decided to come to their rescue.

What a sad day it is when you realise that the colour of your skin still dictates how society treats you. Worse still all our fears and secret anguish about skin colour seem to be completely borne out by the prism that is the disappearance of Madeline McCann.

We must speak out and be heard. Our children are just as important as Madeline McCann. We are just as human, as loving, as educated, as devoted as the McCann's are.

Here are some links to other articles that have reached a similar conclusion:

Missing Minorities
2 missing girls' cases show media disparity
Disparity Documented in Coverage of Missing - Greatest Gap Is Reporting on Hispanic Children
Media under fire for missing persons coverage - Uneven emphasis on attractive white girls, women criticized
And now the Pope prays for Madeleine

Today it's called being green

The other day whilst shopping in one of our splendid, mainstream, and clearly monopoly supermarkets, I noticed how expensive toilet rim blocks are (the liquid ones.)

My wife typically buys these things with no consideration of price, bullied by adverts of talking toilets shaming her into spending a disproportionate amount on bathroom hygiene.

When we came to the checkout, I discretely removed the offending items and decided to try a new strategy.

At home I noticed that the empty rim block was easily refillable using ordinary bleach (we like the citrus scented, orange coloured, stuff.) It took me all of 10 seconds to complete the task and I'd used about 10 cents of bleach versus buying 1 dollar's worth of refills (2 dollars for a standard twin pack.)

When my wife saw the end result she started calling me a miser, cheap skate, etc. I responded by saying that it was a greener alternative to buying refills. Immediately she was won over and I had all the kudos of a conquering hero.

Nikwax Hack/Mod

A while ago I discovered a neat way to save money on Nikwax.
Basically it involved changing the way you use the TX.Direct Wash-in version.
With my method you can safely waterproof over a dozen garments using a single bottle.

Here goes:

Ingredients:

1 x Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-in
1 x Spay bottle (about 500ml capacity)
1 x hair dryer (optional)
1 x rubber/latex gloves (for your protection)

Process:

Fill Spray bottle with 100ml (two cap fulls) of Nikwax. Add water until bottle is full. Shake.

Select suitable clothing for waterproofing.

Hang clothes in a place used to getting wet, preferably bathroom/shower.

Wet down clothes with clean, cold water, ensuring that clothes are not dripping wet.

Spray clothes with Nikwax spray bottle solution. You should be able to treat about 6 or more fleeces using this technique.

Once you are satisfied that the clothes have been fully treated with Nikwax (completely covered with the chalky/milky solution) leave them to dry.

If you want to enhance the waterproofing ability of Nikwax you can gently dry the treated clothes using a hair dryer. Even gentle drying like this improves the Nikwax polymer process.

Hopefully this should save you some money.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage/harm to either you or your clothes. Reasonable skin care precautions such as wearing gloves and avoiding skin contact with Nikwax is recommended.

Viva Las Vegas/Travelling in brown skin/American imigration

A friend's recent trip to Las Vegas, USA, was seriously ruined wwithin 15 minutes of landing at McCarran International Airport.The problem started as soon as she finished queuing to clear immigration. She approached the desk alongside her husband who presented both their British passports to the immigration officer. Her husband was asked was to move along whilst his wife, my friend, was ask to proceed to another area for further questioning. The husband, clearly concerned by the turn of events, immediately asked when his wife would be coming through, but was told not to worry and carry on with his journey.

My friend, an attractive 31 year old woman with dark brown hair, set in large soft curls, began to worry. She wasn't sure why she was being detained. She clearly didn't fit most terrorist profiles and wasn't very dark skinned, a common reason most people are detained by US Immigration these days. Her olive skin would have persuaded most people that she was from Greece, Spain, or even Portugal. Her surname was decidedly English, no hint of any ethnic persuasion. Her husband, a stocky, heavy set, black man, with strong afro-carribbean features was let through without any further questioning.

So why was she stopped? It soon became apparent that she was now in the hands of the kind of Americans we always hear about. Those that have no idea about geography, non-US history, or anything non-US for that matter. It transpired that my friend's birth place had flagged her to the authorities and that she was now going to be "tortured" in the most cruel way, by being asked the dumbest questions anyone can think of.

My friend was born in Pakistan (current US ally in the war on terror,) and all people from Pakistan or born in Pakistan were being stopped at US Immigration and interrogated (Musharraf would be proud.)

She was asked all sorts of inane questions:Why were you born in Pakistan? Where are you parents from? (India as it happens!!)Why were are your parents from India and you were born in Pakistan? (Do you know the history of India?) Answer: No. (a brief lesson in Anglo-Indian history takes place, but leaves our US 'officials' none the wiser.) What is the purpose of your visit? (She's in Vegas for God's sake!! What is she going to say that you can't guess for yourself?) When are you leaving? Can you demonstrate you have sufficient funds to cover the cost of your stay here? (Yes, ask my husband, he has the money and all the details.) Can you confirm where you will be staying during your time here? (Yes, ask my husband, he has all the details.) Can you specify where you will be travelling to during your stay here? (What do you mean?) Will you be visiting any specific places of interest? (I'm sure we will, why?) Can you be more specific? (What do you want to know?) Dates and times please? (We haven't discussed that in detail. We thought we would arrange that here?) Why? (It seemed like the best thing to do. Do all people who come here have to go through this?)

My friend was now clearly stressed out and worried that she was going to disappear and never be seen again. She started questioning her 'captors,' asking them several times why they would interrogate peole in this way. It was clear from their behaviour that 'customer care' was not high up on the agenda.

Two and a half hours later my friend was a wreck. Close to tears and near breaking point. She new that if she lost control and broke down, it would be over and she would no longer see her husband.
Her husband, now outside the airport, was unconsolable. He didn't know what to think. After the first half hour had passed, he knew something was very wrong. He tried speaking to the staff mulling around the airport, but no one would help. He tried going back the way he came, but was stopped. When he explained about his wife, it was suggested that she must have already left the airport (a standard response, and clearly a lie.) I'd heard about this before, on other blogs and from people I know. It's standard policy to separate loved ones and to falsely suggest that people have 'left the building.'

Following our friend's two and a half hour ordeal, she was advised to check back with immigration four hours before her return flight.

Suffice it to say that the experience cast a significant shadow over the entire holiday.
Our friend was so worried about the prospect of dealing with immigration again, that she turned up at the airport at 10am to catch a 4pm flight. Again she was separated from her husband shortly after getting to the airport and was then delayed and interrogated for 5 hours. She was then released and met her husband in the departure lounge 20 minutes before departure time.

Call centre crime

On the BBC website, there is an article on call centre crime in India (Call centre 'scam' details sought.) It's all about a TV exposé on the UK Channel 4, from a programme called Dispatches.

Apparently, call centre crime in India is rife, with sensitive user information being traded for a price on the back streets of India's hi-tech corridor.

Having had advance notice of the programme's air date, I decided to do a little investigating myself, to try to get a better understanding of the bigger picture.

I tapped my connections inside the mobile industry to see what was going on in UK based call centres, given that UK user data was the commodity highlighted in the programme. To my surprise the Indian call centre crime epidemic is not limited to India alone. It has been flourishing in call centres all over the World (much to the relief of Indian power elite.) In fact call centre crime in the UK was actually being "managed" by the large corporations responsible, to hide the true size of the problem.

I've been told that UK mobile users are the most vulnerable to call centre crime. A large number of users upgrade handsets or extend their contracts over the phone. Credit card details as well as other personal information are copied down and then sent on to criminal thrid parties.

When complaints are are made by any customer, the operator/carrier avoids acknowledging the problem. If there is mounting evidence of wrong doing on the company's part, they will recompense the customer using a Goodwill charge.

In the UK Goodwill charges across all of the mobile companies amount to over 1 billion euros. It's clear to see that the fraud problem is huge.

Easyjet thrift

On a recent flight with Easyjet from Gatwick to Southern Spain, I discovered that despite the plane being brand new, Easyjet had decided to omit reclining seats.

The flight was short, only around 3 hours, but it was crowded with families going on holiday. I asked the flight attendant why my seat didn't recline, thinking that mine was broken, but he informed me that new Easyjet planes were no longer being ordered with reclinable seats.

I started thinking quickly as to why someone would drop such a modest amount of comfort on what is already a no-frills airline? 'Cost' was the answer. I then started questioning myself about how much would Easyjet really save over the service life of the plane?

The startling conclusion I reached was that if Easyjet were prepared to save a small amount of money, in the grand scheme of things, on seat comfort, what would their approach to safety be?

I run a decent car and from time to time it requires maintenance and things need replacing. Of late I was informed that the brake discs needed changing at some point but it wasn't urgent, not a high priority given my normal driving pattern. Last month the car passed it's official annual road worthiness test and only needed some replacement windscreen wipers to pass with flying colours.

Let's assume Easyjet behave as rationally as I do, just like most people trying to get the most for their money, and only replace parts or conduct maintenance when it is absolutely necessary or mandated. Where does that leave passenger safety? How often are planes diverted from their normal routes to cover service problems? Very often is the answer!

How comfortable would you be knowing that the airline company you use is doing things for the absolute bare minimum amount of cash?

I recently replaced the brake discs on my car because I've started ferrying my wife and daughter to nursery school. I place a greater value on their safety when travelling with me, than if I were traveling alone. I know Easyjet don't think like that...