Hi-Q for the Hi-Jump

For some years now, I've used Hi-Q in Burgess Hill for my tires. They've usually been great, but an incident happened earlier on this month which really showed me their true colours.

This is what I sent to Hi-Q head office ... it is a bit stunted because their feedback form was a bit stingy with the character allowance, but it gets over the main point. The real telling factor was that no one from head office actually had the guts to come back to me.

In future, on the recommendation of friends who know what they're talking about (KatMaul, take a bow) my next tyres will be bought from Black Circles where you can choose your tyres and then choose your garage to fit them.

Anyway, here's what I sent Hi-Q...

I don't know what happened to Hi-Q in Burgess Hill today. For some time I've come in, not knowing a lot about tyres, asked for something middle of the range, talk brands and prices and ended up with a reasonable set of Good Year, Pirelli, etc, but this time was a disaster.

The technician read my car tyre size and then said, "Oh, we ain't got any for you." I'd booked the appointment weeks earlier, so I was more than a bit upset.

Someone said, "we've got eight. They came in without paperwork so we couldn't put them on the computer." So things settled down and the job carried on. I still hadn't had the discussion on what tyre and price. I went on trust and left them to it.

Once finished, the price was reasonable. On going out and inspecting, I found they were a type I'd never heard of before. Intensa Sava. "Oh, don't worry. They're Goodyear."

Well, I still remember the technician said that the stock in the back wasn't on the computer because they didn't come with any paperwork. That was suss from the start, so urgent research on these tyres was called for.

The company is in Slovenia and apparently has a reputation that is far from satisfactory. Many people are complaining about the poor performance in the wet. They're an economy tyre, certainly not middle of the range. The only thing they've got in common with Goodyear is that Goodyear bought the company.

I recounted this experience to a friend of mine, who said that there are companies that don't really care. They'll sell you what they've got.

Thinking back on my previous visits to Hi-Q, I thought I was placing myself in the hands of experts who knew the latest tyre technologies. With hindsight, and this experience, I think my friend was right ... the switching between brands ... I've simply been sold whatever you've had in stock and wanted to sell.

I feel badly betrayed.

This visit has cut me to the core. I'll never set foot in Hi-Q again. I am disgusted and upset with what has happened. I'll be changing them somewhere else and cursing the name of Hi-Q for years to come.

I feel like I've been ripped off ... not financially, because these tyres seem to be worth the next to nothing I paid anyway ... but morally I feel like I've been put through the wringer.

I love it when a film comes together

Well, this film came together. I only rate it a four out of five because of the way it has been stitched together. It doesn't flow the way it feels like it should.

Fans of the A-Team will likely see this film in favour. The characterisations aren't as close to the originals as they could be, but once you settle down and watch it the characters do grow on you. Heck even Dwight Shultz (the original Howling Mad Murdock from the TV series) managed to make it in to the film as a German doctor. Dirk Benedict was also in there playing Pensacola Prisoner Milt but I didn't see Mr T in the credits. Unfortunately George Peppard passed on some fifteen years ago.

There is plenty of action and a few twists and turns. Some modern spy film manoeuvres make it in to some of the quieter scenes and it has been brought up to date. Certainly a watchable film which, by the finish, you've probably put all prejudice of the TV series behind you. It is a shame that the pacing doesn't quite do justice to the final scenes.

I won't spoil it for you other than to say that the TV series always said that they were tried for a crime that they didn't commit. This film is the detail of that crime. I'll just close it saying that it gets a four out of five.

Good show.

30 Years and Beyond

If you ever happen to spot this on DVD somewhere please let me know. Of the very few VHS tapes that I've got that I still can't get on DVD, this is one of those hardy souls which is cocking a snook at me.

Most of the rest of the special VHS set are episodes which I've got on my Amazon wish list, for the slimline sets, so those will come ... in time.

This one, however, is elusive.

First Aid, Chopper Reid style.

As a first aider, you're taught some key acronyms. Dr ABC. AVPU, AMPLE. You're also taught how to deal with choking people, as I detailed last time.

Well, there are some people out there with their own interpretations of first aid and one of them is Mark Chopper Reid...

St John isn't your average Christmas Saint.

St. John's Ambulance, I'm talking about, of course. December is that time of year when I have to renew my first aid qualification. Although it isn't all that arduous, I still get nervous come the examinations, because I usually don't get to use these skills throughout the year. There isn't much call for first aid in a well run office.

In the UK, every employer above a certain size needs a certain number of first aid trained personnel for every so many employees. More info on that here.

What this means is that if you're interested in becoming qualified yourself, then your employer might consider paying for you to go on one of these courses. You'll also need to make sure you've got the right health and safety reviews at work and that there is adequate first aid equipment and reporting abilities in the work place.

There is no telling when you might need your first aid skills. It is useful knowledge to have. First aid is literally that, it is the first level of aid that a person receives until fully trained medical personnel get to see the injured party.

I was conscious that I like to go out walking and it would only take a trip or slip and I could be seeing sprains, strains or at the worst, broken bones. Even our relatively tame country side has to be treated with respect. Knowing I could cope in an emergency takes some of the worry from the mind.

There is another bonus as being a part of St. Johns. If you're carrying an in date qualification, then you're automatically insured for up to £10 million public liability, world wide.

Apparently, qualified first aiders were walking away from situations in public where someone needed help because they were scared of being sued. St. John's decided to do this in order to help give people the confidence to use their skills to help people.

Of course, this liability doesn't apply if you're doing these duties as part of an organisation, so at work I'd have to be covered by my employers public liability and if I was accompanying a school trip, for example, I'd have to be covered by the schools insurance. This is simply to cover you doing the good samaritan bit.

There is also the chance that this qualification might enable me to be a lone Community First Responder, but more on that later.

You can find out more on St John Ambulance here.

Dr Dolittle for your motor.

This is it. Dr Doolittle for your motor car.

The device itself is a blue box with various different modules.April has a few Ford machines, so she lent this one to KatMaul so that we could diagnose my little Escort Emiah.

There is a socket in most modern cars to which one of these diagnostic devices can be plugged in to. It is a useful little thing, to put it mildly.

The long story short is that the Engine Management Unit (EMU) is responsible for various events that happen in the engine. To do this, it takes readings from various sensors in the car. If one of them is faulty, the EMU can't do its job properly and the car doesn't run right.

In this case, KatMaul sat in the passenger seat, tapping away at the buttons (because my diagnostic plug hole is in the passenger foot well) and directed me as to what to do.

It turns out that it complained about the throttle pot. Yeh, that's what I said too.

Don't laugh. April found just the thing on flea bay and before I knew it, I had a fresh throttle pot landing on the door step. Apparently, it is a resistance, "pot," which tells the EMU how hard my foot is down on the, "throttle." Hence throttle pot. All straight forward when you've got a KatMaul explaining things.

Then it was down to me to fit it. Well, sort of, as Kat took over part way through when things got a bit messy, because patten parts don't always have the same twists and turns as the genuine article. Ah well. At least I can say I got my hands dirty.

Now there's only the sills to replace, the radio has decided to die, one of the rear wheel bearings is groaning loudly...

The final word?

I've read countless adverts asking me if I want to drop extortionate amounts of weight with just one secret... but there is a cash catch and I'm not going to fall for that. They need a bigger hook.

And along came that hook...

The process wasn't punishing. It wasn't hard. Tiny changes were all it took. Tiny changes that, while small in isolation, produced enormous changes when used in combination. Want to extend the fat-burning half-life of caffeine? Naringenin, a useful little molecule in grapefruit juice, does just the trick. Need to increase insulin sensitivity before bingeing once per week? Just add some cinnamon to your pastries on Saturday morning, and you can get the job done. Want to blunt your blood glucose for 60 minutes while you eat a high-carb meal guilt-free? There are a half-dozen options. But 2% bodyfat in two weeks? How can that be possible if many general practitioners claim that it's impossible to lose more than two pounds of fat per week? Here's the sad truth: most of the one-size-fits-all rules, this being one example, haven't been field-tested for exceptions. You can't change your muscle fiber type? Sure you can. Genetics be damned. Calories in and calories out? It's incomplete at best. I've lost fat while grossly overfeeding. Cheesecake be praised. The list goes on and on. It's obvious that the rules require some rewriting. That's what this book is for.

OK, for seven quid, from Amazon, I'm up for this. So if you don't want to risk either your money or your health, just sit back and relax 'cause I'm totally up for this and I'll be reporting on the paperback in due course once it gets released in February.

Of course, if you know me, you'll be aware that I'm not about to load myself full of chemicals (natural or otherwise) simply so that I can put my face in a massive cream pie and go, "Yum, yum, yum..." although the image is, indeed, tempting.

I'm hoping to walk away from this book with a better understanding of what I'm shovelling in to my face and, lets face it, despite increasing my fish and fresh veg intake, dropping the meat input, being conscious of where my food comes from plus loads of walking, I still can't shake this fifteen stone carcass of mine. If I can find a tip here and there to help this stuff come off slowly and also increase my strength just a little so that I'm not having to struggle to get the top off a jar of whatever, then I'll be happy.

I'm aware that long distance runners end up shooting their knee joints by the time they reach old age and I don't want that to be me, so I won't be binging, but when a production contains things like...
"RULE #3. PLEASE BE SKEPTICAL.
Don't assume something is true because I say it is."

..it's got to be worth a punt because as it also says...

"RULE #4. DON'T USE SKEPTICISM AS AN EXCUSE FOR INACTION.
As the good Dr. Noakes also said to me about one Olympic training regimen: "This [approach] could be totally wrong, but it's a hypothesis worth disproving."

...and I'm up for that.

Wicca and the solitary practitioner

I was actually surprised to find that this book is published in America. For those interested, it is on Amazon here.

Scott Cunningham's preface, however, spoke volumes for his honesty in his approach to, and representation of, religion. Not only Wicca but what he has written is what I believe every religion should be saying of itself. It is for that reason, the strength of his preface, that I've included the two and a bit pages here. Read this first, and then I'll explain.

This book, the result of sixteen years of practical experience and research, is a guidebook outlining basic Wiccan theory and practice. It is written with the solitary student or practitioner in mind; there are no coven rituals or magical group dynamics described herein. The Wicca as described here is "new." It is not a revelation of ancient rituals handed down for thousands of years. This does not invalidate it, however, for it is based on time-honoured practices. A three-thousand year old incantation to Inanna isn't necessarily more powerful or effective tan one improvised during a private rite. The person practising the ritual or spell determines its success. If centuries-old incantations are nothing more to you than senseless gibberish, chances are the ritual won't work, any more than would a Shinto ceremony in the hands of a Methodist. To be effective, rituals myst speak to you. Rituals are at the heart of Wicca for some, and are pleasant adjuncts to Wicca's philosophy and way of life for others. In Wicca, as with every religion, ritual is a means of contacting the Divine. Effective ritual unites the worshipper with Deity. Ineffective ritual kills spirituality. There are rituals in this book, yes, but they're guideposts, not holy writ. I wrote them so that others, using them as general guidelines, could create their own. Some people might say, "But that's just your stuff. We want the real Wicca! Tell us the secrets! There is not, and can never be, one "pure" or "true" or "genuine" form of Wicca. There are no central governing agencies, no physical leaders, no universally-recognised prophets or messengers. Although specific, structured forms of Wicca certainly exist, they aren't in agreement regarding ritual, symbolism and theology. Because of this healthy individualism, no one ritual or philosophical system has emerged to consume the others. Wicca is varied and multi-faceted. As in every religion, the Wiccan spiritual experience is one shared with Deity alone. This book is simply one way, based on my experiences and the instruction I have received, to practice Wicca. Although I write it, it didn't hatch out of thin air. The jeweler who faces rough emeralds didn't create the gemstones; nor the potter the clay. I've tried to present a blending of the major themes and ritual structure of Wicca, not to create a new form, but to present one so that others can develop their own Wiccan practices. When I began learning Wicca, there were few books, certainly no published Books of Shadows. Wiccan rituals and magical texts are secret within many traditions of Wicca, and it wasn't until recently that any systems have "gone public." Due to this fact, few Wiccans wrote books describing the rituals and inner teachings of Wicca. Those outside the Wicca (or the Craft as it is also known) who wrote of it could necessarily report only garbled or incomplete pictures. Within a few years of my introduction to Wicca, however, many authentic, informative books began to be published. As I continued my studies, both independently and under teachers I had met, I realised that anyone trying to learn and practice Wicca solely from published sources would gain a sadly unbalanced picture. Most Wiccan authors tout their own form of Wicca. This makes sense: write what you know. Unfortunately, many of the foremost Wiccan authors share similar views, and so most of the published Wiccan material is repetitive. Also, most of these books are geared toward coven (group)-orientated Wicca. This poses a problem for anyone unable to find a minimum of four or five interested, compatible persons to create a coven. It also lays a burden on those who desire private religious practice. Perhaps my true reason for writing this book - besides numerous requests - is strictly personal. I not only wish to present an alternate to staid, structured Wiccan books, I also want to return something for the training I have received in this contemporary religion. Although I occasionally teach, and Wicca always draws a crowd, I prefer the medium of printed words to point out some of the things I have learned. Although nothing can replace one-on-one teaching, this isn't practical for all those desiring to learn. And so, several years ago, I began jotting down notes and chapters that eventually became this book To avoid becoming too narrow minded (Sybil Leek once said that it was dangerous writing about your own religion - you're too close to it), I've had Wiccan friends read and comment on early drafts to ensure that the picture of Wicca presented here isn't too limited or dogmatic. Please don't misunderstand me. Though this book's goal is a wider understanding of, and appreciation of Wicca, I'm not proselytizing. Like most Wiccans, I'm not out to change your spiritual and religious beliefs; it's none of my business. However with the continuing interest in non-traditional religions, concern over environmental destruction and a wide interest in the Wiccan religion, I hope this book partially answers one of the questions I'm most commonly asked: "What is Wicca?"

If ever there were words which describe religion as a way of life, then for me, these are them. In starting this particular work, I was of the impression I was starting to read something which was as aged as time itself. No such luck. This religion is not yet a century.

If there is any writing which openly demonstrates that religion should not be the basis for law and should not be taken in preference for law, then this is the strongest example I have read. The openness with which Cunningham has acknowledged that a religion is a personal choice has to be greatly applauded.

The other part of this which intrigues me greatly is as Cunningham writes, "A three-thousand year old incantation to Inanna isn't necessarily more powerful or effective tan one improvised during a private rite. The person practising the ritual or spell determines its success." which interests me greatly.

I believe that the human species is capable of more than we give it credit for. That which does happen and can not readily be explained, is quickly attributed to a deity before we have properly looked in to the alternative.

A person who is ill in hospital and has lost the will to live, will inevitably die despite all the treatment given. We acknowledge this as a natural event which is born from that persons giving up on their desire to live and although we have no physical explanation for it, we nevertheless accept it.

To reverse this situation, there are examples of people with a great zest for living who have recovered from cancer and instead of attributing this to the power that the human mind has over the progress and composition of the body, the events are instead attributed to a miracle ... as if that explained anything either!

Cunningham's writing on this subject leads me to conclude that his belief is that the success of a incantation will come from the mind and heart of the person performing it, rather than the rite itself. This is the kind of logic and admission that speaks to me.

In history, magic and recipes made from various ingredients were not understood. Today we know why certain herbs and plant have the properties and effects on human body chemistry that they do, but the people of some time ago would not have known this and it is lack of understanding which can make these things seem like wonderment. Those wielding this knowledge would then have considerable power and respect within the community.

Now, however, even basic knowledge about medicines have become more common and this could have played a part in the downgrading of the general practitioners status in our communities. The average person now has an understanding about the basis of general practice and *POOF* the mystique is gone.

The last thing I have to say before losing myself in this book is that here is a proof that religions come and religions go. They are not set in stone and are unlikely to last for the entire history of the human race. Even more reason for the separation between church and state.

Escort the snow car

To the tune of "Frosty The Snow Man"

Escort the snow car,
You're no damn use to me.
With your wheels stuck tight,
It snowed last night
And your roof I can not see.

Escort the snow car,
Your doors are iced up tight.
I can't get in,
So stop that grin.
I won't get home tonight.

I wonder why the government,
Won't let us run stud tyres.
Did they get cheap on the surface and,
Consign us to skid life.

*CRASH*

Oh, Escort the snow car,
Just why will you not go?
I turn the key,
But you cough at me.
I hate this stupid snow.