You have to be impressed by N-Powers' moxie. On the very same day that EnergyWatch announce an investigation into unjustified energy price rises, NPower announce a 'new' three year deal' where customers 'worried about an uncertain future' can FIX their over inflated prices for three years.

Given Energywatch has had some success in the past shaming providers into dropping their prices, it would make sense in a world where profit is more important than people, for NPower to trick people into paying the higher price, before the drop, for three years. Imagine the profits.

What astounds me is how much profit NPower declares each year and then in the same breath say how tight their margins are. Nice.

So... if I were you, I'd give that offer a miss.

Tags: npower, energy watch

Just been watching what I thought was the BBC weather report and it started talking about snow over Western Canada, particularly Alberta.

"It's winter..." I thought, "What would you be expecting?!"

On this wasn't an everyday weather report. No, because (and for reasons I can't imagine) the 12.15 (pm) weather report includes a ski resort breakdown. So anybody who should be going on holiday for a quick Ski, would be fully informed of the details.

1. Why is it on at 12.15?
2. Why would anybody going on holiday check the BBC.

Actually, maybe the do. Just because I'd rather find a more sensible/safer way to slide down a mountain doesn't meant that those who do choose to do so, won't check the BBC.

Tags: canada, weather

Did anyone catch LennyHenry.TV on Channel 4? I deeply sympathise.

I thought it would never happen. But poor old Lenny has been reduced to making funnies in between stupid YouTube clips. Apart form this being the worst idea the BBC came up in a long time.. it's terrible to see Lenny in such a position. I'm of an age to remember Lenny when his careeer started, way back in the distant 1970's. He won a TV talent show called "New Faces" and I saw him in the same year on the Central Pier in Blackpool.

Tags: Lenny Henry

I recently read an article linked from Digg from a Canadian blogger, it's essentially his Top Five things about America that freaked him out. Here is the link.

I wanted to create my own Top Five list of things that concerned, disturbed and frankly upset me about America also. Not to particularly run the US down. But if anyone from the US does read this blog (and I do get approx. 500 or so hits a month from America) then they would look upon my list in terms of the worst and not representing the whole.

Top 5 Dislikes of America

5. Cars

We've been the US on five occasions and each time had to hire a car.

Our first mode of transport was a Ford 12-seater van. But this was always going to be bad. So I discount it.

Then we had a Dodge Charger. It did about 15-20 mpg, made lots of noise but was actually incredibly slow.. so, not much 'charging' around there.

Next we had a Chrysler PT Cruiser. The steering wheel was fixed more of less vertical, in the style of an arcade game, it just about managed 20-25 mpg (on mainly highways) and it went around corners like a greased whale.

Next up we had a Chrysler 300C. Now apparently Chrysler went to the Nürburgring to sort out this cars dynamics. They must have gone when it wasn't raining. It handled like a bar of soap in the wet. It could have a lot to do with the tyres. They appeared to be plastic then rubber.

Finally, this time around we ended up with a Mercury (Ford) Grand Marquis. It is a car straight out the 1970's in all aspects of its abilities. It would not corner without rolling, the brakes locked instantly under emergency use (not progression) and as for the style, oh my... Just take a look.

This 4.6 litre V8 (or was it the 3.6 litre v6.. there is no performance difference) box only manages to deliver 224 bhp. Fuel economy? 17 mpg around town up to a BEST highway limit of 25 mpg. I have since found out the 0-60mph time (should you be brave enough) is 8.9 seconds.

Compare that to my European Saab 9-3 2.0 litre turbo. 210bhp, 25 mpg around town and 45.6 top. Oh, did mention it also does 0-60 in 7 seconds and has a top speed of 145 mph. 2000cc. Not 4600cc.

In previous years I had a super little run around by Fiat that would do 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and because it was diesel would do 58 mpg. When I told some poor kid working in TGI Fridays he nearly died of shock. He kept asking if it was hybrid!?

4. Lack of Education

I shocked me the first time I got into a conversation with a couple of seemingly well educated guys in a bar. They worked relatively high jobs in New York. But what surprised me most was the lack of any worldly knowledge. For one, they thought that Morocco (in the news at the time) was in the middle east. I had to eventually get a diary out to prove it was in North Africa... and even then they asked somebody else.

It's almost a wilful ignorance though. While I encourage my kids to learn all they can about the world, it seems a large amount of America is happy to just think the world will remain the same.. so why bother.

The US has been progressing down the scale of educated nations since the end of World War Two. Some people have even gone to suggest it's systematic and intentional; a less educated nation is a happier easier nation to lead. I hope this isn't actually true. But there is a shocking amount of real world examples of this in action. See YouTube for well over a dozen examples.

The most amusing being...
This satirical Australian show

3. Systemic Racism

And by this, I want to make it clear that I'm talking about the sort of racism that most people aren't even aware of.

Next time you in the states, epecially Florida, take a quick pole of which ethnic groups are doing what jobs. You'll find the Hispanic community mostly working in Wal*Mart or cleaning pools or maintaining gardens. The black community in Florida can be found working as food servers or cleaners within the parks. While people (poor) are often in charge or shops or restaurants while the richer members of the white community are managers or very senior staff.

Let me tell you a story. The very first time we went to Florida (2005) all and the back of a very generous offer by Sue's father. We went to the International House of Pancakes (that's 'International' in that 'World' Series kind of way). Anyway, our server was a very lovely (and Cuddly) black lady in her late thirties. From talking to her it seemed her kids (also girls) we the same age as our kids. Plus the attraction of our well behaved one year old Gabriella was a draw. She just smiled (and does still) at everyone.

Time came to leave and as we left, so did our server for a little break. So my father in law and I ended up getting into a little conversation with her outside the restaurant. In fact her friends also came out and we all started having a good old chin wag. You know the usual, is it nice to work here etc. etc. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the restaurant manager (late forties, white, died red hair) staring at us through the windows and she came belting out.
"Is there a problem?" she asked in a very worried tone. Which immediate got the waitresses moving away from us and starting at their feet.
Oblivious to what was going on, my father in law (bless him) said "No, why? What's the problem".
Which was funny, because no matter what happened how the Manager answered the question, it was going to sound bad.
Worst of all she said the insanely odd "I thought they were talking to you."
The rest, I can't repeat.
Lets just say that we pointed out our displeasure in what she implied and pointed out just how much of a benefit our waitress was to her restaurant and she should treat them with more respect.

2. Health System

America has the finest health care system in the world. Or so they keep telling me. Trouble is... nobody else in the world agrees with them.

Globally they spend the most of health care than any other nation on Earth. But in the World Health Organisation ranking (based on deaths, treatment, preventative etc), out of 190 surveyed, the US came in 37th. After Chile, Costa Rica and Columbia. Three countries that I watch an Fox Newscaster lambast for their terrible health care.

Of course, despite having no evidence to the contrary, your average US Joe (who by the way usual spends MORE on Health Insurance then most 'heavy taxed and socialist' countries do in health tax) believes we have to wait years for treatment, there are no advanced equipment etc. etc.

It's rubbish of the highest order and you are told this so that you feel it's OK to spend 13.4% of the Gross Domestic Product on healthcare versus us foolish saps in the UK who spend just 6.6% (and get universal health care... and only pay $9 for drugs).

Then we have the argument about all those people on 'welfare' not paying a penny in taxes and claiming all the free benefits. Maybe it's because we've known nothing but war for the last two thousand years and it's changed us. I'm not sure. But I could not in all honesty want to risk the concept that some poor person would die as a result of not getting treatment because they could not afford it while I can. Me, I can't judge a person on how much they earn or what they've paid in tax.

How many people in the US die each year because they can't afford treatment? Eighteen thousand.

The problem in the US is that the entire health system is geared around making money. So once you do have 'a medical problem' they nail you with half a dozen (mostly pointless) drugs and then ramp up your insurance and drug charges.

I met a woman in Lake County, Florida and she told me that she's been saving up to have her hip replaced (due to an accident!) for nearly five years. The UK waiting list for NON-EMERGENCY hip replacement is around six months. She would have been classified as emergency and would have had the operation on the day of her accident. Then she would have been given FREE 'out patient' care to aid her recovery.

We considered moving to Florida last October, after speaking to an Ex-Pat who we bumped into at Downtown Disney of all places. Seems all we needed to do was 'buy' a business and that would be enough. He also went on to mention that if a company wanted you, they could find ways and means to get the visa quick. I digress....

It also seemed perfectly lovely and we even spotted what sounded like just the ticket. They in February we paid Florida another visit. I was ill on the flight out (nothing major, just a bad cold) so I decided to sleep off the travel while Sue and the kids got to wander around our Disney resort. At some point they came back and Sue was watching an ABC new report.

"That's it! We are NEVER MOVING TO THE US!" she burst into the room and shouted!

Turns out, some poor (as in economic) kid had an infection in his tooth that would just require a simple operation or drugs. His family could afford neither. The infection spread to his bread and this poor, lovely, nice young man died as a result. As a result of being born in a country that cared more about his bank balance than his life.

It's very emotive and I'm sure a lot of you will not agree. But that's just the way I feel.

1. Money is Everything

If you have none.. you are nobody. £10 is the equivalent of $10 in real terms. If you balance out salary and the cost of living. So a £5 ice cream is just as expensive as a $5 ice cream. If you see what I mean.

The only trouble (for the US) is that for a long while now £10 doesn't equal $10, it actually equals $20. At one point last year it actually equalled $22. All of which meant that for the price of one decent three/four bedroom house in a really nice area of Manchester it would be possible to afford two or even three similar sized houses in a nice area of Florida.

Stick with me, this is going somewhere.

Now, what turned out to be a sales guy, sparked up a conversation with us and asked how much our house in the UK was worth in dollars. Sue worked out that it was more or less $500,000. Again, in your mind, imagine that £250,000 is in fact $250,000.

Well, all of a sudden we were elevated to the status of 'the rich'. I suddenly became 'Sir' to the waiter (who had overheard me), the female Manager kept on coming over and making sue everything was fine and it all got a little embarrassing. The 'Realtor' (Estate Agent to me and you) then started pulling out beach front villas and seven bedroom houses in 'gated communities'.

The point is this. Because of the perceived wealth we had, we were treated differently than before.

Now I'm not a communist, I own a computer consultancy for goodness sake! But it didn't half make me feel that there was something fundamentally wrong with this. Does rich mean better? Well, in the US... I'm afraid it does.

So let me tell you who IS better.

Firemen
Ambulance drivers / Paramedics
Cops
Volunteers who give up their own time to help those who are less fortunate.

These are the real people of value in America. Not the Rockefellers or the Gates or whoever. Those people who day in and day out put their own lives on the line to help over people.

Feedback

If you think I'm wrong or right then please do find the time to leave a comment.

If you think I'm unfair or my understanding or expectations or off kilter then please do put me right.

If you're just going to be rude or sarcastic, don't bother, I get enough of that from the kids.

In a few days I'll write FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT AMERICA to show I have a balanced view.

Tags: US, USA, top 5

Couldn't resist but create a sub-blog for all the people on EBay who might not be the best buyer or seller....

I call it



EBERKS!

Tags: eburks

Just been thinking about DVC. Our Disney Vacation Club membership... which has another 48 years to run.

My thought is that if my kids have their own children in their twenties, that my grand children will be old enough to go to Disney on their own.. i.e. in their 20's.

It's a combination of feeling old and impressed at the same time.

Tags: DVC

Working away a bit this week so I've managed to take with me a few DVD's from "Love Film".

Love Film, in case you've not seen it, is an online DVD service... Prices start at £3.99. But I digress

I wanted to just give a quick write up of the California DVD... that I've just watched.

Firstly, at only 49 minutes long, it's definately something you'll want to rent rather than purchase. Unless you see it for about £2 that is.

So Justine Shapiro takes us on a journey from Southern California. From Joshua Tree where the Mormons believed that had seen a representation of Joshua in the open arms of the local flora and U2 got an album name.

It's also home to the Slab Rats.

People who choose to live out in the desert on cement slabs left when the US Army left the area and took the buildings with them.

But some are more creative than others, including Leonard Cooper who has devoted the last 25 years to creating his very public shrine; Salvation Mountain.

This DVD is a number of years old and I'm not sure how extensive Salvation Mountain is now, or what Leonards current state of health is.

Next up is Palm Springs, a heady mix of nostalgia and Botox (which incidentally, is in fact the botchalistis virus).

Not much to talk about on that front. Although they do got to a rather famous racquet club and meet somebody who was there in it's heyday, in the 40's and 50's. Plus we also see the campiest dress shop owner on Earth. Who is more than entertaining.

Then we are off to Los Angeles... making a very deliberate point of it not being that dangerous to visit and the crime really has gone down considerably in the last seven years.

I'm somewhat reminded of what a (female) Project Manager once said after a colleague made a claim of being good at their job. "Saying something like that is a bit like saying you have a large penis." she said, "If you have to tell everybody, it's probably not true.".

Incidentally, he wasn't good at his job. As for L.A., the jury is out. Probably too scared to go to court

We do get to see the "Skating Coach to the stars". It's not clear WHICH stars she's coached. But she did have a very patriotic line in beach wear. So what the heck.

Oddly, Justine skips San Francisco (why!?!) and heads further north up the coast. Stopping off at Hearst's San Simian Castle.

It's amazing what just a few hundreds of millions of dollars can get you in California! And it's notably bonkers.

Not in a totally distasteful way, just an obscenely opulent kind of way.

It's also on this little trip that Justine meets this interesting young Californian chap. I quote
"Californians are like extreme people. We do everything extreme. We have our hot sauce hot and our beer cold".

And that's EXTREME! I mean how cold would beer have to be in order to make it an extreme sport?!
Then she takes a fantastic drive up Highway One towards Big Sur, which has to be one of most beautiful places in California.
Yosemite being the most.

It's gigantic trees being just one of the highlights of DVD. Plus we even have enough time to deafen Big Foot with some great big speakers playing big foot calls. Needless to say, Big Foot didn't make an appearance during the filming.

Did I mention to Garlic Festival in Gilroy? Depending on how you feel about garlic, this could be a spot to visit or miss like that plague. I imagine vampire attacks in Gilroy must be non-existant.

Along the path she visits ghost town Bodie. Which was last inhabited in the 1940's.

The gold ran out and the third largest city in California emptied.

It's an extraordinary site, with quite a few items simply abandoned when the people left. So the General Store still has tines of spices and food gathering dust and one of the saloons (there were 65 at one time*) has playing cards and poker chips on the tables.

It really is spooky and it's pretty eerie during the day. What must it be like at night?

* which reminds me of a local town called Leigh. It's town centre is entirely made up of shoe shops, card shops cake/pie/bread shops and pubs. On Bradshawgate alone there are eight card shops and it's only 1/2 mile long. I digress... again.

Is the DVD any good. Well, judged against the better of the rival Lonely Planet DVD's it's better than average.

So I'd say it's about 7/10. Worth a drop in your rental list... but not a purchase.

Tags: Globe Trekker, Lonely Planet, Pilot Guides, Los Angeles, Bodie, Hearst

Many moons back BBC 2 (or was it Channel 4) used to show a fantastic travel show called Lonely Planet.

Rather than usual run of the mill travel show, that often is nothing more than one step away from what's in the brochures, Lonely Planet specialised on giving places a fresh look and feel.

Years pass.... then when I came to look a places to visit for our family holiday I turned to guides on Love Film. They appeared to have very similar offerings from, at first glance, appears to be two sources. But basically here it is.



Pilot Guides and Globe Trekker are the same company and if you're wondering where this is going. Check out this still from Pilot Guides - California



Yes... it's Lonely Planet.

So I wasn't going mad.

Tags: Globe Trekker, Lonely Planet, Pilot Guides

BBC, ITV, Channel 4. Simply story, it appears that Marks and Spencers sales we're about 2.5% down, their share prices dropped 17%... Conclusion.

WE ARE IN RECESSION.

Is it me, or is that a bit of a step too far.

They keep talking about $100 a barrel, which I covered in a previous posting. It's the dollar that's devalued, not oil that's got more expensive. Quite why Brent Crude, traded in the INCREASEING Euro is more expensive, is anyones guess.

You can't help but wonder whether there is a need for a recession.

Tags: M & S, Marks and Spencers, Recession

Here's a little cute product for 2008. (OK, so they have been around a little while, but now they are slightly cheaper).

These cute little 'Free Trade' devices are mainly constructed from renewable sources, and those parts that are not are easily deconstructed for recycling. Sounds like a great idea and the bring the friendly colours are the perfect gift for kids.. or bright and friendly adults you might know.

They market two devices at present. The starfish style 4 port USB hub, called "Oscar" and the 1.3MP USB WebCam called Lili.
Lili is obviously meant to be an Octopus or Squid, to go with the star fish style Oscar. But I can't help be reminded of the UK children's television program Itzy and Bitzy. A couple of cute spiders whose antics are sadly underreported on the Web.

Oscar and Lili are constructed from combinations of cotton, sand & kapok. Kapok, in case your wondering, is used for the padding. It used to be used for stuffing pillows before some numbty decided it was smarter to use highly inflammable poly-what's-it's-name instead.

Reviews seem to suggest that both Lili and especially Oscar perform up to scratch. While 1.3Mp doesn't sound fantastic, 1280 x 960 pixels is more than good enough for a WebCam and you might find yourself dropping down to 800x600 unless you've got decent bandwidth.

But lets be honest, these little things are so cute... are you really 100% focused on the specification?

UK distribution is via Aria (a fine Manchester firm) or via Play.com (who are technically based outside the UK in Guernsey). Currently Oscar is selling for £21 from Aria and Lili is £30. However, Aria does have Oscar on offer at present and frequently during the month. But do bare in mind, this IS free trade. So stretch a little.

Tags: united pepper, Oscar, Lili, USB, webcam, hub

Well, like everybody who's just got over the hump of Christmas, I'm looking towards this years holiday. Having a young family and a fondness for fun, it's likely to be in Florida... and given the crazy temperatures in June, we will be looking at October. Shhhh. Don't tell everyone, but with the exception of late January / early February, it's the best time of year to go.

But where is the best place to 'bag a bargain'. Well, I guess that all depends on your needs. We're Disney Vacation Club members, so our accommodation is taken care of. But if you are looking for a whole package can I recommend Kenwood Travel.

The second time we went to Orlando as a family we travelled with Kenwood and hired one of their excellent villas. Actually, if you want to stay in the area we went, you can actually hire direct. They are under a company called Global Resort Homes. The link I've provided is directly for where we stayed, and it was really very nice. If you want to be really sad, you can stay at 16837, which is at the bottom of the map on the right, near the "Clubhouse".

I digress. If you're in the UK, you'll find them excellent value for money.

But lets say you are only looking for flights. Well, here are the top search engines for flights.

Cheap Flights has been around for many years now. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was one of the UK's earliest independent flight finder. They also provide some links to a great number of independent (but ABTA/ATOL registered) travel agencies that really offer superb deals because they don't have huge overheads.

Travel Supermarket are relatively new to the market, having been around for a couple of years now. But they have a fantastic search system that really does delve into the fairs to get some decent options.

Opodo are more of a broker than flight/holiday finder. But they sometimes come up with some surprising bargains.

If you looking for Florida holidays in particular, a new site has come up. It's part of the Co-Operative Travel group and it's called Florida4Less. I've had a look at the prices and options and it seems a pretty decent site, especially given it's got the backing of the Co-Op.

Best airline for good seats at a bargain. Well, it would have been MyTravel. But they have been taken over my FlyThomasCook. But while the prices have remained the same, Fly Thomas Cook has consistently been the most unreliable of web sites. Which, at the end of the day, is a pretty poor show from a company that's been in the industry for nearly two hundred years!

Tags: Cheap flights, florida, Holidays, Orlando, villa, DVC, CheapFlights.co.uk, travelsupermarket.com

Big brother is back... or rather some weird celebrity big brother thing... I'm banished from the living room. No.. I've escaped from it.

Tags: big brother

So, apparently, we are in the middle of oil crisis because oil has hit $100 a barrel.

Which is odd really. Because production hasn't fallen and demand hasn't risen.

Then in the very next story we are told that Gold has risen to an all time dollar price. Again, no increase in demand or loss of supply.

So come on.... do the math. If nothing has happened to either oil or gold, what is the real truth about this story.

Well, it's simple. The dollar has devalued. That's why all other commodities have also taken a sudden increase in cost.

By how much, well take a look a the GBP to USD or EUR to USD conversion. At the time I write this posting, it's currently running at;

1 GBP = 2.21 USD

and

1 EUR = 1.53 USD


What's really annoying me though, is that petrol (gas) prices in the UK have risen, when the exchange rate is working IN OUR FAVOUR. Quite how long petroleum companies like Shell or BP can get away with this is astounding me. People are actually suggesting that it's OK for them to profiteer on this because it allows them to build up cash reserves for when times are hard. I'm sorry, did I miss something here. But don't they put the prices up when there is a crisis?

BP makes around £3.5 BILLION pounds PROFIT each Quarter. That's £14 BILLION PROFIT per year. It's about time somebody started to really kick off about this. Because that's absolutely ridiculous. I'm not suggesting the Government, because lets face it... 2007 was another fantastic year for cock-ups. No, I'm talking about customers. Trouble is, they ALL make stupid profits. So just how do you fight back? Well, short of opening your own oil field... I'm short of answers. But I'm open to suggestions.

It was only a few years back when the truckers blockaded the main petroleum distribution depots and forced a price drop. I think it's about time that happened again. Don't get me wrong, I understand that most of the price in petrol is tax. But can somebody explain to me how BP makes £14 billion a year profit if things are paired to the bone?

Tags: Oil, Crisis, $100

Watched the Doctor Who special today (Sky+ it) and you know, it was actually really good.

But then I have to say that the latest incarnation of the timelord from Galyfrey (or however you are meant to say it) has been a breath of fresh air. I think a lot of it's popularity has to be put at Christopher Eccleston's feet, fellow Salfordian that he is. Don't get me wrong, David Tennant has picked up the baton and turned the show into what it is today.

What where my highlights from the third series? Well, I was very impressed with "Blink". Where the silent assassins (who look very much like statues of weeping angels) not only appeared to be stone when you looked at them, but could also move very fast and when they caught you... sent you back in time. Sucking out the life-force you would have had, or some such nonsense. Fact is, it played upon our fears of statues being alive. Plus the bit when the light started to flicker in the cellar and they got closer and more frightening. Well, it was fun to see the kids hide, then laugh.

I also liked the two parter when the Doctor became human and taught at the school. Especially the soldier scarecrows!

Tags: Doctor Who, Dr Who

Happy New Year to all my readers (if any)

Sorry I've been offline for a while. It's been a combination of the screen dying on my MacBook (tubes only) and being really busy.

Tags: 2008