Our elderly people

i like old people. they tell it like it is,they dont have their head turned or get involved with new fangled ideals that are more marketing than fact.

they also inform and influence with very few words needed from them.

my star of the day is Elsie, the elderly lady who was out and about shopping in birmingham town centre, who summed up perfectly for me, why we are in a "financial crisis"

- how is the crisis effecting you?
* moneys tight! bills are going up faster than my pension.
- do you blame anyone for this crisis or is it just a global problem?
* i blame the government....

.... then elsie hit us with the words of wisdom....

banks dont just go bust overnight, who was supposed to be watching them?

with that the reporter's gob dropped... and off she went.

So to elsie who was interviewed, thankyou madam, you summed it up perfectly!
Denz on 09.30.08 @ 02:42 PM CST [link]

time goes fast!

tomorrow it will be october already... where do the years go when you get older?
i remember talking in the school yard about the year 2000 and what it would be like, as if it would never come, already the year 2000 and the new millenium was fast approaching a decade ago!

i reckon time goes faster as you get older cos you have more jobs you need to do... i never seem to have time to get them all done!

happy birthday to MARTINE.... you are only 12.. hope you get a new bike or summat hehe
Denz on 09.30.08 @ 10:48 AM CST [link]

Down on the street - awaiting a baby!

once again a little sprog is dictating events here. with stormy weather lashing the place, the long awaited baby landing from the osmonds, (im including joke names to A. hide real identities and B. im sick of writing the word "neighbours") its due anytime and last night there were late night voices on the street so im guessing its on its way..... fingers crossed!
Denz on 09.30.08 @ 10:44 AM CST [link]

Down on the street - Excitement!

old and young live on our street... its a pretty average place with normal stuff goin on.... on the whole most people living here are good people, they just forget sometimes.

the street is a cul-de-sac, on a large estate about 600 houses, on the outskirts of a small town.

over the weekend, the local ex sub post office/high priced shop got ram raided!
big news for round here that - of course the rumour mill was in overdrive (always good for a laff)
the son of one of the neighbours lives close by, of course the car used for the ramraid was left outside his house (but he didnt see or hear anything?) and they ran over the backs using a cut through to another cul-de-sac where they got into a getaway car and sped off.
once again... no one saw or heard anything???

the car was taken from a small town thats two small towns away from ours.

the story developed as i plodded on giving the a team van its winter wash and polish - first nothing was seen, then another neighbour brought it up in conversation, and the story changed to some people heard something but didnt recognise them...you get the picture.
then details of what the robbers were after were presented as facts by the neighbour, then intimate details of how the shop owner unusually empties his speedbank machine every night as he closes arose, until one neighbour asked "did they get into the shop then?"

to which a stunned silence fell on the group assembled around to get the latest news... "i dont know" was the reply!
the crowd broke up and went away to spread the shocking news no doubt,with their own opinions and slant on everything roflmao

anyways... had a knock today, mr benn called to tell me a police car was parked up in the garages... unusual to see a police car on our street... "itll be waiting for the ramraidersi bet!" he claimed

go and ask them what they are doing then if you want to know... "i cant do that theyll tell me to get lost!"
i started singing meat loaf as i closed the door...
Denz on 09.30.08 @ 02:36 AM CST [link]

Welcome back to the seventies!

dont worry, not birmingham bags or blockers and no david cassidy will not be back on our screens every thursday singing daydreamer (sorry gerls)
we are going back to the financial world of the 70s.

* low wages
* low cost of living
* low house prices
* less mobility (ie, more things done locally)

in return we get

* more recycling
* more "communities"
* more local bobbies (ie lower crime)
* more manufacturing jobs (no more commuting! factories and business' will spring up locally)
* more people housed
* less immigration (as mobility slows) both legal and illegal - which in turn will take the pressure off education, housing, NHS and other services
* more local services
* less profiteering
* less risks being taken
* lower tax burden
* less chance of war
* more patriotism

all in all, as drab as the 70s sound, we will be returning to an easier way of life, where things are more black and white and simpler for us all.

as the banks fall one by one, mortgages will become almost worthless assets, huge debts of the individual will be wiped out, yes the value of your home will collapse and your wages will fall, but so will the cost of living, life will be more sustainable as we return to making a living rather than working to live.
normality will be restored as new lenders grow from the ashes of the old style lenders who burnt out, manufacturing will return as we start to make our own things again, which will be sold around the world, and our economy will once again be based on manufacturing and retail sales, instead of solely on the housing market.

all that we the normals, need to do, is vote in a party who wont keep throwing money at delaying the inevitable, by delaying the fall of the lenders who have burnt out the economy, and sit tight and wait!

now wheres my home made dutch arrow and catapult....
Denz on 09.26.08 @ 10:56 AM CST [link]

Financial crisis - a good thing?

in 1974, my dad worked full time night shifts, for around £37 per week.
that sounds appauling, but it wasnt really, as a large 3 bedroomed house, cost around £5000

the costs of living were much cheaper, a loaf of bread was 10p pint of milk 8p, etc.

in effect we are all no better off:
if you earn £40,000 a for example, but have to pay £250,000 for a 3 bedroom house, the costs of living are high, then you are no better off than we were in the 1970s. its all relative.

instead of pumping billions into failing banks - let them fall, everyone's assets would take a huge hit, but it wouldnt matter - the people would benefit!
could it be that the powers that be and their friends in the banking world, dont want us little people to be equal?

a bank which collapsed, would then have assets that would be worthless. customers with mortgages would see them wiped out overnight.
the price for this would be a huge hit on your property prices - say going from a valuation of £200,000 to £5000.
sounds bad i know,but everything else would take a hit and fall dramatically, the cost of living would drop, the amount of tax you pay would drop your wages would drop, currencies around the world would devalue,but its all relevant, you would be no worse off as everything else falls.

the normal man on the street would then own their house outright, as the bank couldnt trade anymore as it would lose its credit license, the economies around the world would "bottom out" and stabilise, then we all would see a return to normality, normal prices for cost of living, housing, wages, etc.
a law being brought in, restricting the individual to owning only 1 home could be brought in.
new banks would grow slowly from the ashes of this crisis.
banks would instead invest in retail and manufacturing (as france currently does and they have avoided most of the problems we face now) instead of the housing market, profits would be slower and less chance of burning out, but it would be sustainable, and employment would increase. (a company can afford to take on 200 extra staff if the wage levels are halved)

the economy is not in crisis - its simply returning to reality.

throwing money at the problem is not the right way to go i think. it smells of desperation from the rich trying to cling on to the gap between them and us!

we are going through a huge period of change, going back in time so to speak, may well be the answer, instead of building up huge debts for future generations, and protecting their friends in high places, governments should let them fall and be making sure that the individual is given the same rights as these big business' - in that the bank cannot trade,the asset (ie mortgage) becomes worthless, so the individual gets to keep it!

as we stand, the uk government is bailing out failing banks and manipulating the laws so their friends in high places can benefit and keep them afloat for a cheap price.
this is artificial, wrong and shows an extremely poor judgement - which will ultimately cost them their jobs when the people get a chance to have their say!
Denz on 09.26.08 @ 09:48 AM CST [link]

sales assistant experts?

a report out today from which? claims a third of pharmacists gave out "insatisfactory" advice.
the royal pharmacutical society responded by stating that despite this, there are some excellent pharmacists!

many counter staff working at a pharmacy, have the training of a sales assistant. this puts them at a similar level of training as a person who works at B&Q, a supermarket, the local cafe, etc.
people actually trust them to when they recommend basic drugs for a family member is ill?
they put on a white coat and suddenly theyve been through medical school - think about it

im sorry but i must be on a different planet... i wouldnt trust todays sales assistants to look after an apple, another classic example of "doing things on the cheap"
today, they are not there to help you, so called "expertly trained" staff are there to SELL YOU SOMETHING!

when was the last time you spoke to a sales assistant, asking for their opinion, and they havent tried to sell you something?
get a grip people....
Denz on 09.25.08 @ 09:55 AM CST [link]

ground control to major tom....

the world passed me by today.

i woke up late, ran around and got ready to graft, ran around at work for the gang, ran home to run around for the sprog and run backwards and forwards for hoovergerl... paused for breath about 9pm.

hectic stuff - seem to have so little timeto do so many nagging jobs around the place, jon an boo's party was the last weekend off i can remember.
when ya get older the weeks fly by,already we are coming into october.. wow!
soon be halloween, then bomby night, then christmas then 2009!

after yesterdays temporary lights, i drove over the tops today looking over the valley, on the way to work,not a cloud in sight, the valley where i live really is a beautiful place, its been that long since the sun was out id forgotten how lucky i am to live here.
for all its problems and hassles, when i get some free time the hills and views are 5 minutes away on my doorstep. fanastic!

have a cracking wednesday gang!
Denz on 09.24.08 @ 01:07 AM CST [link]

FSA - solutions?

It appears that my last post may have touched a nerve.
Mostly on what solutions can i put forward to help stop the non regulation... so here goes...

* return to the old rules and laws that used to regulate the lending markets.
* instead of bailing out lenders for their mistakes, use this money to stabilise and support current borrowers. (ie, whilst we return to previous protection and regulation, this money is used to support those borrowers who would not survive such a change over, on their own finances)
* restore protection to the borrower regarding admin fees, penalty charges, extra interest, etc. give the borrower an avenue for redress and force lenders to adhere to it or be fined heavily. (eg, refund charges and interest in full within 14 working days or face a fine - part of which could be used to help other borrowers immeadiately)
* when a property has a black mark against it, lend again only once that amount has been paid back to the lender.
* stop varied interest rates on lending, its either a yes or no answer to the borrower. (no more "yes" we'll lend to you but charge you 7% interest as opposed to only charging 5% to people with no credit balck mark)
* in the short term - end the selling of debts onto a collection company. the selling price of the total amount outstanding, should be offered to the borrower. (for example: £2500 outstanding - sold to collection company for £500-£600 and insurance pays for the difference. why cant the borrower be offered this price to clear the debt?)
selling a debt on is petty and spiteful towards the borrower. the lender makes no more profit from the debt, so why not genuinely work with the borrower to help them clear it?
* regulate and introduce laws to force the lender to produce actual financial records for the borrowers account, when the borrower seeks redress. if the lender fails to provide this information within a set time scale, then the debt is wiped cleared without further payment. this should focus the lender's concerns towards being open and acting quickly.

by this measure i mean that at present there is nothing to stop a lender piling on interest, penalty charges and admin fees, etc, to boost the outstanding amount.
there is nothing to stop the lender lending £1000 - the borrower cannot meet payments so extra costs are added inflating the total amount owed to £1300 - the lender then sells the debt on for £400 to a collection company and claims the other £900 from its insurance - the lender has the money back plus £300 so they dont care what happens to the borrower.
(this pushes up the cost of everyone's loans as insurance costs rise)

if the law was changed to force the lender to provide the full account information to a civil court, then the lender can only claim £1000 minus the £400 sell on fee charged to the collection company - which would be £600 in our example
(they could of course allow the borrower to clear the debt for the price they sell on the debt to a collection company?)

Denz on 09.22.08 @ 11:01 AM CST [link]

Financial Services Authority (FSA)

today the head of the FSA, came out and told the media:

"we need to look at how the markets work, we need to address the systems in place see whats working, see whats not working of this unprecedented economic downturn" etc etc etc...
(reports also say that the FSA hinted at looking at bonus payments made to employees involved in the money markets)

what a complete load of tosh!

the FSA were put in place to regulate the financial industry and were said to offer the country "safeguards and regulation" to protect the UK from exactly the problems we have seen this year.
they havent just failed, they have failed in a manner that has never been seen before.
they havent done their job.. they have been caught with their proverbial pants down!

Im no expert, but looking at how the UK financial companies have changed the way they operate, might just drop a hint to the FSA of how they can sort out the mess they created?

* lenders now dont lend money based on their customers deposits - because they dont make profits on their lendings directly!
- why? because the government and FSA have allowed them to change and not REGULATED to stop them!

old system:
lender lends money dependant on depositers in their accounts (ie they have a pot to lend from) - one interest rate (its either a yes we will lend or no we wont) - strict laws enforced as regards charges and penalties (to protect both parties) - if borrower cannot keep up payments then debt goes to court and black mark goes against the borrowers address to stop further credit being given, until the debt is cleared - borrower then pays £1 and has black mark removed.

Todays system:
* BILLIONS of pounds are made in profit from outrageous admin fees, penalty charges and extra interest (ie interest not costed in to the original agreement)
* If the borrower has black marks against their house, the lender just charges them a higher interest rate when they set up the loan (for yet more profits) even lending to others in the house with a black mark against it, which they can once again charge a higher interest rate on (more profits again)
* The lender uses the "contact us so we can help you" channel to whack (yes i mean whack) the borrower for yet more profit. the lender no longer puts it before a civil court to issue a judgement - it first cuts the monthly payments for 3 months to "help" the borrower (often increasing the charges or interest on their account, increasing the amount owed) - if the borrower is still struggling to meet the payments, more charges are placed on the outstanding amount for automated letters, (interest on the total amount also increases, which equals yet more profit for the lender) - the debt is then sold to a collection agency company, for a knockdown price (sometimes as low as £600 for a £2500 debt!) as the remainder of the debt is covered by insurance (which the borrower pays for indirectly by increased charges and/or interest when the loan is taken out) - this process is dragged on by the lender, in some cases for 12 months! (why? for yet more profits and a higher "sell on" price to the collection company)

The whole credit process is not a simple "we'll lend you XXX amount and charge you XXX for lending it" as it used to be, its designed to suck as many borrowers in as possible, knowing that billions can be made from them indirectly.

how does this cause problems overall for all of us, lenders and borrowers?

todays set up allows lenders to make huge profits, indirectly, so they stop using only depositers money, encouraging lenders to "buy" money as all costs can be passed onto borrowers, and the profits to be made even if the agreement breaks down, are HUGE!
The lender "buys" vast amounts of money, the more they "buy" to lend out, the worse the problem gets when the "buying price" starts to rise - which in turn is passed on (in part) to the borrowers.

what could the FSA/government have done about this?
* enforced regulations under their control and stopped todays lending process.
by this i mean they could have stopped the lenders making billions of pounds in profits from penalty charges - sending out a letter - extra interest - administration fees - early and late penalties, etc. by stop allowing the lenders to manipulate the system they set up you cant blame the lenders for doing this if the system doesnt stop them from doing it can you!
(how long has the court case against bank charges been dragged out - even though there is already a legal precedent in place?)
* the FSA could have stopped lenders from making profits by discriminating against people
different interest rates charged dependant on a borrowers circumstances is disgraceful! an underwriter (on instruction from his lender company bosses) can impose higher prices and make more profit simply by changing the interest rates charged to different groups of borrowers - without anyone knowing (we are starting to see this happening in the insurance marketplace now!)
* the FSA could have stopped lenders dragging out the whole process when the borrower cannot meet repayments, so that they can add on more charges and interest to the total amount (again for more profit)
so the lender can get more money for selling the debt on to a collection agency
* the FSA could have stopped lenders from lending to people in a household with a black mark against it - until the outstanding amount is paid off
this would have cut down by a large amount, the numbers of people eligable for credit, therefore reducing the temptation for lenders to "buy" money to lend out - reducing the impact of the problem and discouraging lenders from "buying" too much money to lend!!

whenever i hear the answer "its an unprecedented global problem" churned out as an excuse to justify spending billions of taxpayers money to prop up failing financial markets and bail out lenders who over stretched, that could be spent on other things or given back to the public its been taken from, it makes me sick to my stomach!

the government assured us for years the FSA was watching over us, in reality, it was not.
the FSA didnt question government policies when they changed from the old system, so called "experts" who ought to have known better, stood back and did nothing, not even a warning!

an now we, the taxpayer, must face years of higher taxation and fewer services to pay for their negligence.... if a thicky like me could see this coming... why couldnt they?
Denz on 09.22.08 @ 01:27 AM CST [link]

J.K Rowling donates £1 Million pounds to Labour

to reduce child poverty - because of her single parent experiences in the early 1990's

take a walk down a normal street anywhere in England Ms Rowling, there you'll find parents and their families going to the wall as they struggle to support themselves, whilst facing the biggest tax burden Britain has ever seen, all brought about by this fantastic Labour government and its leader gordon brown.

Over £600 billion the treasury received off the back of the people last year, how much of this has been used to "fight child poverty?" - less than £1 single billion pound!

think of how many "we wont introduce student loans" (some at £18,000 a time) could have been paid off with your donation, instead their parents (single and married) will have to help out with indirectly because their children cant get on in life as they are struggling too.
Denz on 09.20.08 @ 12:15 PM CST [link]

what a difference a day makes...

after a total farce of BT engineers and head office bull, yesterday, once id got rid of another BT engineer that couldnt find any repair notes on the account, i hit the garden.

for 4 hours - i got to mess about without a care in the world... it was brilliant!

no "system" no paperwork no hours validating a complaint or response.... bliss

for the first time since may/june, we didnt have a single drop of rain here. what a difference it made!
flowers are out, everything from glads to sweetpeas, but yesterday, i spent in the back garden.
the grass was like a jungle so that got a light cut, edges were overgrown so i made a start cutting them down, the habitat needed a bit of help so was pulled apart and the base filled with grass cuttings and a layer of visquene was added to stop any water dripping through.
next doors fushcia bushes were hanging over and over grown - took me an hour but weve cut them all back now (its the right time for hedges and bushes to have a trim) theyll come back thicker next year and not be as "gangly"

lots of fushcia cuttings placed in the habitat, i was careful not to cut too many seed pods off, as the birds eat them for fun.

and the compost heap was stacked up. ill try and get a picture or two later today. the strawberries (yes strawberries!) are rooting for fun even now, sadly tho, the veg box has been decimated by caterpillars and slugs, and i have the tallest lettuces ive ever seen... they are about 2 foot tall... whats that all about?

have a cracking day wherevere you are in the sun today... dont be hassled or stressed by routine stuff, get out in your garden and "potter" - for today at least, stick two fingers up at the "system" and chill
Denz on 09.19.08 @ 09:58 AM CST [link]

Labour: how much longer?

gordon brown im sure is a decent and honest bloke, but how much longer must we put up with his party's pathetic attempts at running the country?
how many more households are going to go under?
how many more pension funds are going to be wiped out?
how much more spin and/or backroom deals are done before we finally get some answers?

janet anderson, who used to be my MP, has been voicing her need for a "debate" and telling all the media how things should be looked at regarding labour party policy and the way in which gordon brown is working.
janet anderson is a member of the NEC (national executive committee) who sat this morning, one week prior to the labour party conference, and discussed sending out "nomination" papers, if requested to do so by labour MPs.

janet anderson didnt turn up for the meeting as planned!

today, the labour party executive (NEC) revealed that this year, "leadership nomination papers" will not be sent out, even to those MPs who have requested them.
apparently, the rules since blair got into office, were changed, so that should labour party control the UK government, they no longer have to send these papers out!

what a cop out! i thought this was the party of debate? i thought this was the non authoritarian party, a party for the people and members?
Some MPs have requested these leadership nomination papers and are being refused them to protect gordon brown. the fact that janet anderson, a member of this committee, didnt turn up and sent in a text last night apologising for her absence - despite telling the media all week that they needed change within her party - absolutely stinks!

our current MP, greg pope, who campaigned locally against post office closures, and then went back to westminster and voted in favour of closures, reveals that all labour MPs can be bought off.

I hope that when a general election is eventually called, the public around here kick them out and vote for someone else.
they have shown they clearly have no scruples and dont care a jot about the "democracy" they try to impose on other countries.
Denz on 09.16.08 @ 10:47 AM CST [link]

are the public fighting back?

over at penny pinchers we highlight the constant battle against marketing and general craftyness (is that a word?) from companiesor individuals who run website forums or companies who deliberately mislead people, into believing they are all singing all dancing helpful caring towards the people they "serve" yet at the same time they are after as much money from them as they can get.

these people/companies dont give a monkeys about us the normals, firing marketing at us whenever possible... but after watching a program tonight - totally by accident - did it send out the message, that people are beginning to get a bit sick of being misled, wether it be marketing/packaging/confused to the point of getting angry. the system is fast becoming the enemy! (and rightly so!)

"despatches" the channel 4 investigative team, were looking into "wine"
i cannot find the link for you to watch for free on 4od - ill keep looking - but it explained that there is no law to put ingredients on the bottle label. this wouldnt be needed if wine was simply grapes.... thats the trouble, some wines are only 30-40% wine and the rest manufactured like a form of jam - with added sugar and/or water!
one leading wine grower stated that tesco artificially stock wine at one price, so they can lower it a couple of months later to under a fiver and sell it all as if its a sale price!

for example: "tesco tell the wine seller that they will stock it for a shelf price of £7.99, the wine grower objects - stating it is £5.49 wine, etc. tesco's tell the wine grower not worry, as two - three months later, they then have a "sale" and drop the price to the original price the wine seller recommended!"

no doubt every little helps?

they tested reknowned wines and champagnes and found - although not illegally - some had pesticides in them, many had sugar added and water, etc. some had acids added to them.... the general practice is that wines are more a collection of chemicals with just a percentage of grapes rather than entirely from grapes now!

only the co-op came out well, as they have been labelling wine ingredients for some time now despite opposition and threats from the wine industry bigwigs. well done the co-op!

you should be looking at most wines as we now view supermarket ready meals was the gist i got from the show - certainly an eye opener... if only i could find it online!
Denz on 09.16.08 @ 01:49 AM CST [link]

Work...

since leaving the full time work job, contrary to popular myth, i dont sit at home all day watching daytime tv, whilst claiming benefits.
i dont idly sit around in the sun (suns rare i know) nor do i drink brews at everyone elses house and doss.
i do actually do something. typical weekend this one just gone:

saturday:
day starts at 10am (up late friday night working on penny pinchers) quick coffee then bath and out, got to hit the butchers before 12, get meat in for the week, (normally a joint, with some chops/steaks and some bacon and meat fora stew or spag bol) total cost - £15 to £22
then from there its off to the market for fruit, veg and/or fish for the week total cost - £8 to £13
then a trip to the supermarket for a few bits of tinned stuff normally £15 to £25

this is routine - but this saturday, we had extra to do:
* sorting hoover's car insurance out
* sorting p&o's complaint and refund
* told at 2.30pm that i was needed to look for a car with the sprog (3 hours)
* moving furniture picked up last week (30 minutes heavy lifting)
* washing clothes, sprog left me a pile from the last 3 weeks, which covered almost half the bathroom, all had to be sorted into colours/whites/darks. undies and socks seperated from kegs and pockets checked. washed then dried on line (ongoing all day)
* driving - sprog wanted to go around 3 towns looking for a car and also needed to be "dropped off" at his mates for a night out (45 minutes)

saturday night i sat down to have time for myself at 9.30pm

sunday:
earlyish start about 10am
* dad lands at the house with the car for its winter polish - washed, hand polished, trim cleaned, windows cleaned, wheels scrubbed, tyre walls cleaned and protected, etc. plus driving to and from town twice. (2 1/2 hours)
* more washing clothes (ongoing)
* cooking meat (turning every hour)
* front garden, poppy seeds collected and rest of dead poppies cut back - full wheelybin of cuttings (1 hour)
* another drive to town and back to pick up some gas credit so we can cook, heat water etc.

by the time i sat down sunday evening it was close to 9pm

unpaid work, and the empty calendar for this week has already two jobs on it with more to come around the house and for others.
easy life? yeh right hehe

have a crackin day!
Denz on 09.15.08 @ 10:55 AM CST [link]

its progress!

being a now middle aged git, every now and again there are little things that amuse me.
its not often apparently funny, to me or anyone else, but once its in my head, it normally becomes distorted heh, then tickles me.

one such happening, is the comparisons with "how its doing" and the size of various food stuffs. (keep up now - the penny will drop)

all last week, we were the proud owners of "a grain of rice" rofl... this week its been "an apple pip" and next week.. we are responsible for "a lentil" rofl
in denzil's world, we are collectively mark fowler setting up a fruit and veg stall.
Denz on 09.14.08 @ 01:50 AM CST [link]

How much is your money worth?

im astounded by the news reports today, of a couple who have had to cancel their wedding in vegas due to XL holidays going bust.
and i quote, "we cant believe it, almost £30,000 we have spent on this wedding, flying everybody over, all the dresses and suits, etc. we may even have to sell one of our cars now!"
are these people for real? 30 grand on a wedding? get a grip!

hoover towers
to the casual observer, hoover towers looks like a mish mash building site. its gardens look a bit better each year after the minimal work weve done... just one small area that needs work.
walk around inside and theres a combination of plastered and un plastered walls, bare brick and breeze block in some areas, carpet that doesnt match curtains etc, folding temporary doors, one room even uses visquene (builders plastic) for a ceiling. tubs everywhere are gradually being sorted through and the contents are either thrown or found a new home.

but last night i was reminded why i love it here.
there is always a job to do, always things to keep an eye out for or materials to pick up, etc.
everyone was in bed, and the place was silent, amazingly i was upstairs reading, (yes reading! sarky gits) when the rain started, lashing it down on the tiles above me, making one hell of a noise. i felt snug!

another plus, is when people look around they ask "how do you live like this?" or "dont you find it difficult etc"
everything here functions as it should!
we have boiling hot water, central heating, we have lights, toilet, bath and sink, we have a fitted out kitchen we have spareroom, etc, we have everything that a complete finished home does.

the big bonus, is that this allows us to focus on one area at a time, ie, i can rip out the bath, plaster the wall behind it, then put the bath back in again, and the clan are good to go. i can take off the toilet and plaster behind it, then refit it in a couple of minutes, once again we are good to go.

in the kitchen, a fully fitted kitchen with cooker, it may not be finished or permanent - but its fully functional right down to a selection of cook books, and its total cost was... £18 and this was for a new gas pipe for the cooker we were given. this allows hoovergerl to decide what units she wants where once wecome to fitting the final kitchen. all it took was some effort to get the units and a day putting them in... apart from that, nothing.

im sure we feel the same way about our place as you do in yours, its our space, its our choice what we do with it, and everytime we get some rain,it feels great to be here
Denz on 09.12.08 @ 05:11 PM CST [link]

our american friends

There but for the grace of god, go I.

I remember where i was this day, as im sure many across the world do. the events that day had an effect around the world. lets hope that regardless of which new president you choose, things will improve still further.

god bless those people caught up in it all.
Denz on 09.11.08 @ 10:29 AM CST [link]

"To heat or eat?" That is THE question!

i highlighted this phrase, when i heard a pensioner on the news say it quite a few months ago now, and again its creeping into news reports, newspapers, etc.

there are basic problems that need to be addressed on two fronts:

the first front - look how previous schemes such as boiler lagging, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, etc, have faired as regards cost.
the fly by nights rub their hands with glee, as they see big profits for minimal outlay.
voucher or subsidised schemes in an ideal world would work well, truth is they dont because companies and individuals increase their prices to the maximum allowed for that household. a boiler lagging that normally costs for example £40, if the household are granted a voucher for £70, the company or individual doing the work, of course charge £70 for their work - the taxpayer loses out.

they also often inform the household that they should apply for other vouchers, and offer to do the work, again charging higher than they normally would upto the price of the benefit given.
i know personally of one household who had a grant given for fitting a new boiler - almost £800 - when the company came out to look at what was needed their price shot up by more than £400 above the grant.
they stated that the new boiler only came with 4 radiators, and they were told theyd have to buy another 4 radiators themselves before the new boiler could be fitted!
utter tosh!
many boilers on the market come with 8 radiators included in the price, obviously this company were profiteering and sticking to a product they could fit quickly to obtain maximum return, then charging the household for the other 4 radiators which came with the boiler. disgraceful!

there is nothing in the package to help the household today that prevents both taxpayers and households having work done, being stung for maximum payment.

On the second front:
the background (for want of a better word) to the problem is causing many of the problems.
storage for our energy has decreased rapidly to just 5% of national need. which means excess of this is produced, other countries know that we cant store it so must sell at a cheap price, to those that can store more than 20% of energy need. such as france, germany, european countries.
in winter, when the energy need is increased, there is a shortfall in the UK, so the UK must buy back from other countries with larger storage facilities, at a considerably higher rate, as they know we need the extra energy.

the astonishment for me is how this problem isnot recognised, why was it allowed to happen? did no one in government stand up and stop it? voice objections? etc.

gas terminals dont look pretty, but are vital in keeping energy costs down. why are more not being built and the storage capacity the UK has not being increased considerably?

there is also a problem for our "equalities minister" hariet harman (deputy labour party leader)
instead of focusing on women in top jobs etc, why wont she recognise that "postcode britain" is damaging the people of britain?
the postcode lottery in britain is cruel unjust and unfair to all. it favours no one.
put aside the inequality in dental treatment, nhs resources for drugs, beds, operations,education, housing, etc, the postcode lottery even applies to energy provision!

why do people in wales pay on average £120 more for their electricity than someone in the north west, over a year?
its scandalous that i pay more for paying for energy in advance, than someone who uses the direct debit system.

Gordon brown's "New" package for helping britain with their fuel bills
encouraging us all to take up direct debit payments and save upto £120 a year.
a simple scenario, you go £3 overdrawn, our bank charge us £35 for this.
the sprog went £4 overdrawn last january, by march the bank charges alone (as hed had no statement through) had increased to £145!
do we really want pensioners in this position? or any of us for that matter?

help with double glazing being fitted to your home
how does this tie in with the goverment guidelines on charging higher council tax, for homes with double glazing?
what about the household who have scrimped and saved over the past two years, to pay for double glazing for their home, when they see neighbours now getting this (and other measures) for free?

this is the kind of policy that makes us need an "equality minister" but what is hariet harman saying/doing about it?

Those in power are pinballing around from one problem to another, they dont see how hard EVERYONE is finding it to live.
we dont want preferential treatment for small groups of people, we want EQUALITY!
Denz on 09.11.08 @ 10:23 AM CST [link]

wednesday blues

"the back of the week" over the monday hassles halfway to the weekend.

got a room full of furniture at the moment, units in half, base units etc, its like the trotters front room sometimes here, got plastering to do, housework, got to get some brass in the bank but its closed for training (why they need an hour on a wed to learn how to make brews and fob off customers is beyond me)
ive survived the big bang (i think) got stacks of work to do over at penny pinchers working on getting the companies listed so that its easy to link discount voucher codes to the penny pinchers calendar

we have some new companies that have signed up as well, including dial-a-phone, jarvis hotels, new look, cadburys, millets (returning) and a big company ive been trying to get for ages - John Lewis!

as people quite rightly, get more careful with their money, opportunities to save money are growing.
those companies such as halfords and woolworths (amongst others) who have focused on reducing warehouse space, have nowhere to stock their winter lines, which means summer items have been reduced for big discounts.
woolworths for instance, have been offering more than £300 pounds off outdoor garden toys.

many high street retailers are cutting their profits on summer stock, hoping to make it back on their christmas stock. now is an ideal time to pick up a few bargains for christmas!

this extra work is taking time, then we have school work, whilst also starting a teaching degree soon, times are very busy.

each week the calendar is empty, easy week i think, by wednesday however, its normally full of jobs to do, plus the hoover tower's stuff, and im tied up until sunday!

hope your week is going a bit easier than mine....
Denz on 09.10.08 @ 10:48 AM CST [link]

estate agents

i dont take pleasure in their plight of struggle, but i do say: "i told you so!"

similar to the boy who cried wolf estate agents are suffering from a result of their own marketing and spin.
for years a whole host of estate agents have jumped on the band wagon of daytime tv shows, encouraging people to buy a property, slap on some paint and flog it on for big profits. NOT ONCE have i seen any of these shows, that have shown just how easy it can be to lose money and reveal the truth that no amount of spin and waffle can disguise what it is - blatent marketing.

take a simple two up two down terraced house.
* a bog standard back yard becomes a sun terrace
* "you could easily knock this wall down to make a bigger bathroom/bedroom"
* a fourth bedroom should be changed into "a study," to avoid paying tax
* ideal for the first time buyer or "ideal way to get on the property ladder"
it has been obvious to all us older generations, that estate agents are only talking up a propertyto get a bigger percentage when the house is eventually sold.

weve seen estate agents being used in the bidding/negotiating process on house sales - an absolutely crazy way to conduct business, as they have a vested interest the more they sell the house for - the bigger pay out they get!
property tv shows
many thousands of people are that gormless they are influenced by tv programs!
investing thousands of pounds and putting their own home at risk being "property developers" for big profits!

i have no sympathy at all... whats wrong with this common scenario?

former radio weather girl (for example) who is now hosting a daytime tv property show, takes a couple around 3 houses and advises them on where they can or cant knock walls down, move doors, move windows, etc.
she tells selling house owners, that by spending lots of money on "light colours" how they can make the property look bigger, putting pebbles in fireplaces and selected candles etc can "transform their home"
or perhaps youve seen the home "makeover" show, where a team of experts (ie, 3 tv presenters who's experience consists of knowing a producer who found them a slot on a tv show) come in armed with a a couple of tradesmen and 10 labourers, rip your home apart and fill it full of total and utter junk - unbeknown to any of the viewers of the show, they often charge thousands of pounds for this "sevice and advice!" - all of course, with a vested interest, ie, they are gaining financially for what they do.

spot the dangers?
since when did a tv presenter have building experience and qualifications?
when was the tv presenter an expert in property sales?
where are the required qualifications that most people in the industry have to take?

your local estate agents
ever heard the statement "much sought after area?"
i know of one area where crime is very high (one of the highest in country when measured 4 years ago) where i personally wouldnt live, or visit late at night, (even buses dont go there after 10pm!) where estate agents have described properties there as "being in a much sought after area" and "in an up and coming area which has seen substantial investment"
they have described properties in this area as "being only minutes away from a motorway leading into a city centre, ideal for commuting!" - minutes? ive driven many times to this area, every rush hour, it takes at least 45 minutes to drive the few miles to the bypass or back again to the area, as there is only one road in and out.

the sooner people realise that an estate agent is not interested in "helping" people, but nothing more than a middle man, who takes apercentage of your house sale, and there are vested interest warnings screaming at you! the better.

as house prices have been over inflated, even the government come in for some blame.
they havent stopped irresponsible lending, they havent issued warnings about getting into debt to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds, the official bodies set up have done little to stop the mass spending spree, the government jumped on the bandwagon too, increasing taxation on almost every area of the house buying/selling process, extra fees have come in, everything from early repayment to late payments and extra interest come at a stiff price for the individual.

the "credit crunch" is not down to big banks, shortage of mortgages, etc, although this hasnt helped. the slowdown is due to the people of the UK waking up and realising that all the spin and marketing of the government, estate agents, the media, mortgage advisors, etc, is exactly that - marketing.
a home isnt a moneymaking scheme, its a place to live and people should be stopped from owning many houses, perhaps then we can all have a place to live that is affordable and our own?

the housing market is in recession,id guess its been that way for many months now and will continue to be so, until house prices fall to what they are actually worth, from the prices we are TOLD they are worth.
look at the ones pleading hardship in this financial climate:
the estate agents, the mortgage advisors, the government, home insurers, and those that own 2 or more houses and walk around with an air of authority as if they are better than everyone else.

the credit crunch monster is a black hole, and slowly it will swallow them all up, leaving the common sense people safely alone, as they dont view a house as a way to make profits and a quick buck at the expense of others, they see it as a home, to live their lives from.
Denz on 09.09.08 @ 07:49 PM CST [link]

union leaders speak...

the TUC are having their general meeting in brighton, with a grand speech by their leader.
i always watch parts of this, as its a good indicator as to how pressure is being put on the government, which shows what we can expect in the coming months.

in his opening speech, he lists various problems and talks about what is fair and what is not fair.

whilst respecting his opinions and disregarding his ideal scenarios that all talking shops promote (including this place!) some things must be pointed out:

* it wasnt "the credit crunch" that robbed UK pension funds of over £50 billion pounds and destabilised financial markets
* it wasnt the credit crunch or europe or the exchange rate that has cut 1.7 million jobs from manufacturing and changed our working lives, as regards unsociable hours, by turning the UK's leading jobs market into a service industry
* it wasnt banks and the financial industry that influenced county court magistrates and decided that a new legal precident needs to be set, regarding redress for the individual against penalty charges issued by banks, etc.
* it wasnt big business and energy companies that changed the law on meter reading (leaving many people with horrendous bills) nor did they change the law on minimum storage for the UK of our gas and electricity supplies (which forces us to sell cheap energy we create to european neighbours and buy it back during winter at a higher price)
* it wasnt big business or the taxpayer that signed away border rights of entry to the european union, in effect opening the borders to free movement and open entry to the UK
* it wasnt business that allowed the country's population (both official and unofficial figures) to explode increasing the burden on NHS, education, housing, police, etc.
* it wasnt the banks or the credit crunch that decided that they could lend upto 6 times a person's income to buy a house
* it wasnt the financial markets that encouraged personal consumer debt to rise to the highest level in history

want me to carry on?

everyone knows who has got us into this position, and whilst the "credit crunch" hasnt helped, "globalisation" and the "credit crunch" cannot take the blame for incompetance.

until these organisations recognise and acknowledge the who got us into this mess, the sooner people and their members can start to get us out of it... until this is done, its nothing more than fudge and hot air.
Denz on 09.08.08 @ 11:34 AM CST [link]

wind turbines - wind farms

around the area where i live, wind farms and turbines are springing up everywhere on the horizon.
with all these spinning blades generating electricity, why is my electric going up in price by more than 20%, regardless of which supplier i use?
Denz on 09.08.08 @ 11:15 AM CST [link]

why does nobody else see it?

two things in the news stand out for me this weekend:

eat less meat to reduce carbon emmissions and save the planet
why is the individual targeted?
why no mention of the companies that grow and ship in half their food products and packages them here (to have the UK stamp)?
surely this is more damaging to the environment?

i buy fish, fruit and veg, meat, eggs and bread, all from local sources, where most of it is grown or made locally and packaging is almost non existant.
im eating well, im eating things that are not gas waxed (supermarket fruit and veg) is not fed on waste produce (battery chickens and eggs) doesnt travel hundreds of miles just to get to my table (meat from european or scotland - fruit and veg grown in china and around the world) and doesnt need long periods of refridgeration and packaging.
The cost argument doesnt stack up either, buying the way i do each week, saves me hard cash that would otherwise line the pockets of shareholders.
Instead, the local milkman (milk and eggs) farmer (meat and cheese) market stall (fruit, veg and fish) bakers (bread and homemade pies) all benefit from my custom.
waste and packaging are minimal, no need to pay for mass storage of goods as its all made fresh, no plastic tubs around my meat, just simple greaseproof paper and a wafer thin plastic bag around it.

my milk is in bottles, so the only waste is the bottle top, eggs come in boxes that are handed back to the milkman every couple of months to be used again.
2 carrier bags of fruit and veg each week. the market stall buys it fresh three times a week, its laid out on a stall, and all veg is weighed and placed in one bag, all fruit is weighed and placed in the other bag.
it lasts longer than 7 days, so less if none, is chucked out (any that doesnt get used or eaten is placed in the compost bin and goes back on the garden) most of it is grown in the county where i live, there are no nettings, plastic tubs, "cold crates" used in its storage, its displayed in simple wooden boxes which are re-used every week. even the carrier bags are reused as bin liners
i shop this way because it saves money, i would argue it saves a hell of a lot more towards "the environment" so why are so called experts pointing at my eating habits as damaging?

next up, we have the struggling NHS debate:
sky news have "a health service advisor and expert" on their monring show, to inform us that one of three things needs to be done to sort the problem out.
1, increase NHS funding
2, the individual should increase medical insurance cover
or 3, we should change to a USA style medical service.
(all of these would cost the individual british person more money, in taxation or insurance costs or both.)

ok then mrs expert - why not consider a 4th option - acknowledge that immigration policy is putting impossible strain on the NHS (along with other UK services, such as housing, fuel use, education, employment, etc) and has failed by those who signed up for it in europe and their policies at home?

i think these so called experts dont know their arse from their elbow, until MPs and "experts" can admit to their own failings, then the problem will never start to be addressed.

to plod on and put the burden onto each and every household, is blatently wrong. what ever party you support, policies you vote for, etc, the powers that be cannot address an issue by ignoring the obvious problem that is causing it!

the numbers of people coming into the UK, are too high. these are just the ones we know about, what about all the people who are not on the official figures?
i personally know of people from outside the EU landing in spain, spending 6 months there and then being issued with a european passport which then allows them free movement around the EU and the ability to work anywhere.
once they are working in the UK their families then move over. im not against free movement of people etc, im against the processes that denies its happening. (like ive said - you cant deal with a problem if you deny its cause and effect exists)

these people then use our NHS, education, housing, benefits, etc, all the services UK people have paid for all their lives. the people coming here have not paid into the pot, and many are working outside the system the people of the UK have to pay into.
This creates an unequal playing field, as the government and each service top brass deny its happening, the only option is to charge the UK born individual more money, by way of taxation or insurances etc.
The people of the UK are sick to the back teeth of paying increased fees and charges for their services, whilst watching non british people using services for free and not paying anything back.

its not xenophobic, its about fairness!

for example
when i want a dentist, i have to pay registration fees and private prices for basic treatment. there are no nhs dentists or nhs dentist places in our area (a position that more than 2 million people find themselves in today)
ive paid into the taxpayers pot for more than two decades/ twenty years.

so why can a person come to the UK and get free dental treatment within a week?

either stop the inflow of people, or make the dental treatment free for all of us....it really is that simple. i want equality, i want to be treated for free as visitors to the UK are, if i have to pay for it, then make those that come here pay for it as well.
creating new systems, new contracts, new procedures, new regulations and laws, is pure fudge!

it will not solve the problem, it will cost yet more money from the taxpayer and it will create more inequality.
i really dont see why they have to complicate things and spend more taxpayer's money just to look like they are doing something about it?

if there are european laws and agreements that the government signed upto, that prevent making us all equal, then hold your hands up and admit that this is stopping you from sorting the problems out.
the government did afterall, tell us that those warning this would happen were wrong, and that it wouldnt put an increased burden on UK services or funding.
obviously the government were wrong.

this process can be applied to many of todays problems. its not good enough to manipulate figures or reviews etc, to deny a problem exists, we need to start sorting things out and we need to start NOW!
not plod on for another two years or so until the people decide...

Denz on 09.07.08 @ 02:04 PM CST [link]

officially thick!

im no lover of companies, councils or government, who, in their position of power or trust, dont know their arse from their elbow.
I can tolerate people who work for them, providing they openly acknowledge the company/official body, have lost the plot and are operating in a way that makes no sense and doesnt work for the people/customers they serve.

The latest in a long line of companies or official bodies that can be put under the banner THICK! is the Open University.

i rang them up to register on their degree course to become a primary school teacher.
i got passed to other officialbodies, who told me to "do whats best for you!" (how solid is that advice!) so back to the OU.
rang the OU again, they finally conceded that the course was the best one for me and booked me a place on it.
at last! i thought... "we'll send you details out by post, fill out the forms and send them back or visit our website and register there"

off to the OU website, tried to log in via my username and password, 4 times, failed "username not recognised"
so i checked my emails for my "personal identifier number"
i entered it to retrieve my log in details, it wasnt recognised.
i emailed the OU with the problem and waited for a reply.
3 days later, i get an email "sorry this is not our department, ive passed your email to another department who will be in touch soon"
2 days later another email lands "you cannot log into the website unless you are registered on a course. if you want to register on a course, please do so at their web address using your personal identifier number"

i emailed them back - i cannot register for a course as you have to log in using your personal identifier number before you can register for a course. i emailed you because the personal identifier number you provided me with previously, is not recognised and no longer works. also i cannot log into the website using my username and password as they too are not recognised, nor can i have my log in details sent to my email as none of the previously recognised passwords or usernames or personal identifier numbers will work, as you will see from my previous email

the OU's response? nothing, not a dicky bird.

finally, yesterday a prospectus pack arrived in the post for my course. at last i thought.
"Dear Denzil, please fill out the forms provided and read through your course prospectus, etc.
please return the documents requested by the course reservation date at the top of this letter."

at the top of the letter is the "deadline for suibmission of application" dated Yesterday!
the date the letter was printed is given as 8 days ago, so i assume its been sat in their posting office for 7 days before being sent out?
the good news is i can appeal for an extension of the submitting process!
"however, due to the high demand for our courses, it is unlikely that this will be granted as courses are filled very quickly on a first come first serve basis!"

how thick is this? hardly inspires confidence when they cant even organise their own registering procedure so that when you are booked on a course you can actually confirm your booking before their own "final dates" does it!

and this my friends is why nothing ever gets done in britain, why have 1 simple department to do a job when you can have 5 departments and employ hundreds more people for the same thing, and make no one accountable for the rediculous cock ups they make!
Denz on 09.06.08 @ 10:50 AM CST [link]

weekend at last!

its been a hectic week, from boo's party and meeting loads of new peeps who have a rare finding... a sense of humour!
to finishing the week with a pile of washin and a load of housework to do, whilst waiting for bt engineer number 18 (they also sent me our bill - completely wrong and full of mistakes that i was told had been sorted out over the past 6 months.)

its been a successful week as well, more so than normal.
of course the best part was the wonderful news we had this week,dont think its dawned on me yet, but it will give it another week or so.
a first win on lotto for more than 2 years was a nice surprise for a change
plenty of work on, and one or two great "karma" results.

im a huge believer in karma, what goes around comes around, etc. some people tell me they are amazed, or im stupid because of the things i do for people without making money on the back of them... they dont understand why you would help someone out when theres no money in it for them.
they really dont know me at all, but im confident my friends know this already.

like when i gave a neighbour 10 large single ply woodboards, id picked up for nothing, as they were going to be skipped, spotted him gawping in the garden and they asked me what im doing with them.. help yourself if you can use them!
skip space saved for the firm gettin rid, and a full van panelled out in ply board for neighbour which cost him not a single penny piece - but over the summer, when i needed a sledgehammer to knock fence posts in, who lent me theirs without having to be asked? yep, the very same neighbour...

the same neighbour needed a large plot filling in so he could turf it, i had a mound of waste soil and clay i wanted rid of, it took me 3 days to shift the 3 ton mound, but it worked well for both of us.
you get the picture...

slowly peeps that dont know me, or simply think they do, or may have known me for a short while, are realising that i dont do exploiting people for money, would they offer me their help if i asked? if the answers yes, then i help them out when i can.
its a great feeling to save someone a few hundred quid cos theyve got something to get rid of and i come across someone who wants it, so with a bit of teamwork, we get it sorted so both sides are happy.

we are all in the same boat, we all need help at some point, i think for too long weve all just forgotten HOW to help each other, or become lazy and cant be bothered.

im knackered writing this, but its a happy tired,so im offto bed. have a crackin weekend... until i annoy yas again... adios!
Denz on 09.06.08 @ 01:27 AM CST [link]

The "system"

it astounds me that:
when you need something involving a company or official "system" it costs you more money..... if the "system" makes a mistake (official or company) it costs you more money....

so a question for you all my friends: when has the system ever benefitted you of someone you know?

some other "system" questions:
* why cant the system hold your data safely and correctly as promised?
* why do they spend billions on systems, yet cannot simply sort their system out to correct any possible error?
* why is the system always at fault? even when the system only works when an individual feeds it information, it is still blamed.
* why do different systems, have different laws applied to them? (for example: if the system pays you too much cash ie, nettos cashback system, it can take you to court and claim it back - yet if the system of staff giving you £10 too much change at a local shop, then they cant touch you!)

life in the UK is plain daft at the best of times, but when the system is involved, its batty!
billions are spent on collecting information for all kinds of benefits, more money is spent creating call centre departments to work it all, staffing costs, call centre rents and rates, taxes, wages, holiday/sick pay, etc.
billions are then paid in contracts to develop and run and train staff to use,a computer system, as the old system is always out of date, etc.

what happens when this "system" cocks up?

the powers in control over the system, then bring in measures to penalise the individual, rather than fix the system itself.
the individual is subjected to snooping, fines, paying back, etc.

i watched the benefit cheats program tonight, one bloke in scotland had claimed for 36 children!
not a single government department had discovered it and only looked at it when an anonymous tip off came in.
now yes its wrong to do that, but why didnt anyone check it out?
why pay those people thousands of pounds in wages when not a single person was sacked or demoted for clear failings in their work?
instead its blamed on the system and nothing is done to change it so noone else can do the same thing.

even the judge stopped the trial several times, in disbelief that not one single check was made on any of the 36 seperate claims!

it shocks me more when the system failings are identified, and those running it get off scot free and nothing is said against their failures, than it does when someone beats the system.
Denz on 09.05.08 @ 12:06 AM CST [link]

Petrol prices...

i cannot be the only person who has seen why UK people are being blatently ripped off?
as posted previously, i have witnessed a total garage, increase the price on petrol per litre, 4 times in a week long period, on the same delivery.

i asked first if the garage paid XXX amount for an oil delivery. "yes, why?"
why indeed, why have you increased the price 4 times when you pay a set price for it?
no answer...

with the oil price in decline at last, down today at $107 per barrel from $147 back in july 2008, the price of petrol at the pumps is holding at the same price, and at some outlets its actually increased!

if you listen to the petrol companies, the price of oil is rocketing, so prices at the pump must go up to break even. little if any,money is made on petrol (id dispute this totally as my example above proves)
months if not years, the companies have been saying this.
and now the price of a barrel of oil has fallen?
"its not as simple as that!"
it never is, is it!
funny how the "system" or "when its not as simple as that" is involved, its always us the customers, who end up being skinned.
either by the petrol company, the garageitself, or both, we get ripped off!

if the oil companies really have been buying oil months in advance, why then did the price of petrol shoot up alongside the price of a barrel of oil shooting up?
surely if (for example) that a company like total, paid £2000 for a months oil (its an example) then the prices shouldnt have gone through the roof when the oil price changed to £2300 should it!
the fact is, the price did shoot up even though the company had bought the oil for £2000, therefore they were selling petrol to make bigger profits and told the public lies.
the petrol companies did not mention they got the oil cheaper by buying it in advance, why not?

they were happy for the public to believe their stories that petrol prices went up due to the cost of oil increasing.

they cant have it both ways, they either did or did not buy it in advance.
they are expecting joe public to believe that they bought it short term when the price was rising,but keep the prices high and make more profit when the oil price falls, as they now buy it in advance. which one is it?

finally (thank the lord) what about the bulk buying dicounts they get?
total petrol stations will pay a lower price for petrol than joe bloggs independant garage, as they buy more fuel in bulk and have a buying discount, yet the pump price is identical... why?
(the same applies to supermarkets - they buy cans of coke for example in bulk, yet you walk into an independant spar shop and the price you pay for a can of coke is the same as asda or tesco charge)

penny pinchers: Good value is a retailer (of any goods) who sells based on the price the retailer bought the product for - Good value is NOT, having a similar price when compared to a rival outlet!

Denz on 09.04.08 @ 12:26 AM CST [link]

how things change...

yer plodding along, looking around for summat, when BANG everything changes in a second.
its wednesday after ive kipped, still ages in the week to go, yet stuff has changed dramatically since last week.

first time in 2 years ive got so much as a sniff on the lotto... 4 numbers is rare but welcomed.

school starts again... but a bit earlier for me as i turn up a day early for work and get roped into doing miles more work with a nice surprise tho.

the boards i picked up for nowt, whilst getting some formica covered canteen tables (8 of which are available free if you know of anyone wanting them) come in handy for a neighbour who can now panel out his VW camper van.

signed up for my degree course, just part time for now so well see how it goes, even with no job at the end of it...

doris the dahlia is flying and the centre piece of the front garden

a retuned in freeview box for a neighbour reveals they need a new aerial rofl

a weekend with a great family and old friends who i aint annoyed in ages, turns out to be the best night out ive had in ages.. i almost feel welsh!

bumping into loads of old firends in during a chatgames marathon weekend online, and being mistaken for my old mucker diim (heh brenda!)

and there may yet be another dramatic twist.... of which well know more in a few days....

you never know whats around the corner...
Denz on 09.03.08 @ 12:28 AM CST [link]

Labours "Housing package" farce!

if you are a labour supporter, you really must be tearing your hair out, as you watch their party policies blow around like a carrier bag in the wind!
i feel for all of you, i really do, as we are all the same when it comes to the financial climate, if they could only get something right, then we'd all benefit!

stamp duty announcement
a month ago, the chancellor was asked about the suspension of it, he said he couldnt tell us, all he could say was that he was looking at it (amongst other things) and would make an announcement in the pre budget report in october.
today (early september), hazel blears the communities minister was on all our screens stating that the tories would do nothing, then announced a range of measures "that show the government are helping decent people"
she then told us about "free" loans to help households earning less than £60,000 per year.
trouble is it later comes out that these "free loans" are not free at all!
they are only for first time buyers (upto 30% of the mortgage) - they are only for new build buyers (funded half by the taxpayer and half by the property developer) - after 5 years, charges are made to the individual - and when asked to provide details, hazel blears couldnt provide any!
what kind of policy is this?

hazel blears was then asked about stamp duty freeze, as she was announcing all these measures "to help decent people" to which she said she couldnt announce anything about it, it was the chancellor's job to announce it!

hazel blears department said that "hundreds of millions of pounds were set aside at the last budget to pay for the measures" yet i dont recall the chancellor stating this at the despatch box, or there being any mention of it in the budget report. ive searched for details of this from the last budget, but cannot find anything about it.

next we have the releasing of information about the "stamp duty freeze" for the sale of houses upto £175,000 (from its current charging level of homes over £125,000)
this comes not an hour after hazel blears is denying any knowledge of an announcement, and a full 6 weeks before the october pre budget report that the chancellor gives, where he previously stated it would be announced then and only then!
its not a cut in stamp duty, its not an end to stamp duty, its merely a freeze.
which means it will come back at some point in the future, the government will borrow money to pay for the lost revenue, which means longer term, the budget deficit will increase.

"For existing homeowners who can no longer afford mortgage payments, the government says councils or social housing landlords can pay off the debt and instead charge tenants rent "at a level they can afford"
ideal scenario "at a level they can afford" but what does this mean?
they couldnt tell us!
and with council's strapped for money, how can they be expected to set aside funds for this?
It is obvious that financial obligations fall on councils up and down the country, to pay for labour government policies, now that labour doesnt control many of them!
will the council tax have to rise by any chance? will services be cut?
how is this different from the amount of money it will cost to follow the opposition party's plans for dealing with the problems?
I dont see how labour can accuse others of wasting money, when they are borrowing to pay for their own schemes?

a debt advisor on sky news asked a simple question which sums this whole farce up perfectly: "hazel blears and the government say these measures will help decent people - who is decent? where does it start and where does it end?
are they going to help buy to let mortgage owners who are in trouble? are these decent people?
if they dont, and lose the house, what about the people renting from them? they will be put out on the street, are these people the decent people they are helping?

it really is a complete fudge, any measures to help anyone in trouble are welcome, but those introducing and enforcing the measures seem more intent with headline grabbing rather than doing anything to help the MAJORITY!
Denz on 09.02.08 @ 10:54 AM CST [link]

I always judge a country or an area, by the way people who live in that area/country are, towards my family and I in person.
during our trek across europe this summer taking in 7 countries, hoovergerl told me at a run down truck stop just after we entered poland, "you are too trusting! just because you knew a person who was polish once, and they were nice, doesnt mean all polish people will be the same!"
This was after a greased up bloke who ran the petrol station had kindly exchanged some pounds for zlots, for us so we could buy something to eat!

it turned out that he had given us a very good exchange rate for our pounds - so all was good, my philosophy served us well!

so when an old friend who i havent seen for years, but speak to online regularly, and his missus invited us down to wales for a 40th birthday party this weekend, i had no hesitation in accepting.
within hours, Boo and Jon had arranged a hotel room for us (despite running around like duracell bunnies trying to organise a big family party) and offered to meet us on arrival and take us to our hotel, etc. (altho i suspect jon maybe trying to get out of working? *vbeg*)
along for the ride, was the loverly "lickers" Elixir from chatgames who is always a top laff and joins in with the all the "banter" who suffered at the hands of our totally crap public transport service in england for hours to be at the party also.

i have only been to north wales once, in recent years (this was a decade ago - working in denbigh) and the people were very friendly, so i had no problems returning to the area once again.

now as im old school, ie, i like to have a laff with people, invites to parties etc, are very rare these days, mostly because i annoy people heh.
from the moment we landed at Boo and Jon's house for a brew and a few beers, we were treated to a wonderful time!
talk about being made to feel at home, it was like we were neighbours and see each other everyday!
after changin at the haunted (but very nice) hotel, it was off to the pub for an afternoon and evening of Boo's 40th birthday party.
All Boo's family made us feel like we were part of the family, rarely have i met a group of people, whom we had never met before, who took us as they found us and accepted us.

from our arrival, everybody (young and old) involved us in celebrating Boo's birthday, with smiles and laffs and banter, even the locals of the pub had a laff with us, and it made our night!
god knows i tried my best to annoy everyone, but they were just like me... laffed it off and fired back, brilliant!

from Bel "with a bald patch and roots" to Donna "the famous star" who autographed everyone on their skin before leaving (and she left several times to gain maximum attention) - from Vicki who drank the bar dry to "Alan" who didnt drink a drop all night (nor did she stop smiling once!) thankyou for a crackin time!

but most of all, thanks Boo and Jon, for inviting us down to share your day, you have fantastic family and friends! Thankyou for putting up with us!

if you are ever in any doubt about visiting north wales (wrexham in particular) - dont be! they are very welcoming and good people, who will welcome you with open arms!
Denz on 09.01.08 @ 02:16 PM CST [link]