A SCARY ROAD

The Shimla-Himalayan Road

Posted on Facebook by author James George

The Shimla Road

Shimla is the capital of Himachal-Pradesh Provence in Northern India and the road from there to the Himalayas is one of the oldest and most primitive on the planet.

The city is located at 2,200 meters above sea level (7,200 feet), was the summer capital of the British Raj and on one of the many alternative Silk Roads. From Shimla the road ascends quickly to over 5,000 meters.

A short distance away to the northwest is the Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan and China. It is the highest paved road in the world.

The City of Shimla

I traveled the Karakoram Highway in 1995 leading a group of tourists from New Zealand and Australia. It was an unforgettable experience.

Travel the highways of America in this wonderful EBook

From Amazon or Smashwords

Happy reading

NEW ZEALAND TRUCK CRASH

Driver dead after truck 'embedded' in RSA

By Hayden Donnell  New Zealand Herald

9:46 AM Tuesday Jul 17, 2012

The driver died after his truck and trailer unit crashed into the RSA on SH1 at Bulls. Photo / SNPA / Ross Setford

A 37-year-old Dannevirke, New Zealand, man has been killed after crashing his truck into the Bulls Returned Servicemen’s Association building on State Highway 1.

Emergency services were called to the crash on High Street in the Bulls, North Island, town center at about 3.38am.

Senior constable Chris Craig said the driver had failed to negotiate a slight bend before slamming into the RSA.

Bulls chief fire officer Brian Carter said the driver was crushed inside his cab when the truck became "embedded" in the building's outer veranda.

Fire crews freed him from his cab and performed CPR but he was declared dead by paramedics arriving on the scene, Mr Carter said.

They had to work carefully because the truck was carrying potentially flammable containers of pressurized oxygen and LPG, he said.

Mr Craig said police were investigating whether fatigue was a factor in the crash.

State Highway 1 had been reopened by 9 am, but drivers were being cautious of debris from the crash, he said.

Peter’s Comment

Fortunately accidents like this are fairly rare, but never-the-less is an occupational hazard for drivers who are generally overworked and under-paid.

While the cause of this accident is still to be determined, one thing is evident in the transport industry. Employers and customers insist that drivers work to conditions that would not be tolerable in an office or factory. And what is worse is that governments approve.

If you are wondering why a driver is on the road at 3.30 am, it is so that others can work in offices and factories during the daytime.

ANOTHER INTERNET SCAM

LR Luxury Replicas

Today I received an email from myself! Well that’s how it was shown in my Inbox.

My immediate thought was that someone had hacked into my emails and stolen the addresses. So I opened the email from myself and clicked where it said Click Here.

I had spam from Luxury Replicas offering too-good-to-be-true deals on watches and jewellery.

I Googled them and found, as I suspected, that they are a bunch of criminals who will take your money and send you inferior products and refuse to refund your money. Sometimes they don’t even bother to send the goods at all.

If you get an email from LR Luxury Replicas claiming that I have recommended them, that will be a lie. Before you send them any money, or even communicate with them in any way, you should look them up on http://www.scambook.com

Below is what some people have had to say about these criminals:

I am sick of getting spammed by these! yet there is no way of contacting them!
Does any one have any way of stopping these spams? Has anyone succeeded in getting in touch with them? I would be grateful if anyone has any answers to the above. 
Gordon   Posted 06/21/2012

I bought a Ladies Presidential Rolex ( knock off). This watch worked for around
2 months. One morning I went to set the time and the hands wouldn't move.
I sent it to the shop; I was told that the motor was gone in the watch.
I email the company and explained what happened. This guy named Jeri emails me
about how to wind the watch. I sent him a reply and requested a replacement. He
emailed me again with the same email. I then sent a demand to resolve the issue
of refunding my money or sending a replacement or I would report them the the BBB
I have not gotten a response from them yet. I know there has got to be some way
for all of us that have been scammed to have our money refunded. I want my money back. Anonymous Posted 06/23/2012

In March 2012, I ordered a watch from this company (which, by the way also calls itself
"Fabulous Replicas"). I received a confirmation and my credit card was debited.
It took weeks to receive the watch, and, it was not the one I ordered, but a different one!
So, I complained. I always had to wait for 2 or 3 weeks to get an answer from them.
The answers either came from a Jeri or an Alice. I was promised a quick solution.
About three weeks ago, I received another mail. They suggested that I should buy another watch, with a discount. I told them, I do not want to keep that wrong (ugly) watch, and that I would not intend to buy an additional watch. Since then, no answer.
I cannot remember how many mails, I sent to them .....Do not buy anything from them !!!!!!!!!
Wolf from Germany Posted 07/12/2012

You will find other references to these criminals elsewhere on the internet. Don’t touch them.

Below is the Google listing and link to their website but if you go to the site you may notice two important things. 1. The English is bad. 2. There are no contact details; who they are, where they are, etc.

Swiss Replica Watches - Rolex - Panerai - Best Replica Watches

We mainly deal swiss replica watches with reasonable price. Hublot, Omega, Breitling, Cartier, Panerai, Rolex Daytona, Audermars Piguet replica watches.

luxuryreplica.net/

Send money to this website at your peril!

349 Indonesians in Mass Wedding

Baznas holds mass marriage for 349 couples

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Sun, July 15 2012, 8:04 PM

A newlywed couple wearing traditional wedding outfits poses between ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi effigies) during a mass wedding ceremony at Silang Monas in Central Jakarta on Sunday. The mass wedding, which married 349 couples and broke a national record for the largest wedding podium, was hosted by the National Alms Agency. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

The government-sanctioned National Alms Agency (Baznas) held a mass marriage of 349 underprivileged couples at the Silang Monas area in Central Jakarta on Sunday.

Baznas chairman Didin Hafiduddin said that most of the couples had only conducted nikah siri (Islamic religious marriages unregistered with the state) since they were unable to pay for wedding certificates.

The official rate for wedding certificates is Rp 85,000 (US$8.99).

“We gathered as many as 349 couples to perform legal marriages so they were able to get their wedding documents,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

“With marriage certificates, their children can enter schools and eventually increase the family’s economic status. We consider this program a way to eradicate poverty.”

The youngest participant was Liawati, 17, while the oldest was 70 years old.

Liawati actually tied the knot two years ago with Ti’an, 28, a cardboard collector from Bekasi, West Java.

“At that time, I didn’t have an ID card yet. Now there is this mass marriage ceremony, we wanted to participate,” she said.

Law No. 1/1974 on marriage stipulates that a bride should be at least 16 years old and a groom should be at least 19 years old to be legally married. Those under 21 years old should also get permission from their parents.

Liawati expected the wedding certificates would make it easier to get birth certificates for their future children.

Parents who fail to register their marriages with the state cannot apply for birth certificates for their children, making it difficult for their children to get formal education.

Endang and his wife Juju face this exact problem. Married according to Islamic religious rules in 1980, the couple now has 4 children who do not have birth certificates yet.

Juju said the absence of wedding certificates had also prohibited her husband from being promoted as a civil servant despite having worked for 30 years at the Animal Husbandry Research Center in Bogor, West Java.

The mass wedding ceremony was held by Baznas in cooperation with the Jakarta city administration, JakTV and BRI Syariah to welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, which will start next weekend.

The ceremony was recognized by the Indonesian Records Museum (MURI) for having the longest pelaminan (wedding podium) in national history at 325 meters.

http://www.gypsybooks.co.nz

ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT INSULTED

Reporter in court for denigrating Head of State

Saturday, 14 July 2012 12:00 Zimbabwe Herald

President Robert Mugabe Court Reporter A freelance journalist has been arrested for allegedly insulting President Mugabe during an an altercation with another man at Avondale shopping centre. Vimbai Kamoyo (35) is now being charged for contravention Section 33 (2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, for allegedly undermining the authority or insulting the President. Kamoyo was not formally charged when he appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma. He was remanded out of custody to August 1 on US$50 bail. Prosecutor Mr David Magwegwe alleges that on July 7 this year at around 5pm, the informant was at Avondale shopping centre while in the company of his wife. It is alleged the informant parked his vehicle outside a bottle store and Kamoyo who was in the company of his friend Joseph, walked towards the informant’s car. The court heard that Kamoyo inquired from his friend the kind of business the informant was into. The informant overheard their conversation and approached Kamoyo in a bid to inquire from him as to why he wanted to know about his private life. It is the State’s case that this did not go down well with Kamoyo who suddenly became violent and started insulting the informant and the President. It is alleged that he said, “Urikufungidzira kuti VaMugabe vacharamba vachikuprotector kusvika rinhi . . . Iwe naMugabe wako hamuna zvamunondiita mukada kuita anything ndinokunyorerai nyaya yenyu mumanewspaper because I am a reporter.” Kamoyo, the State says, further insulted the President with some unprintable words. The informant made a report to police leading to Kamoyo’s arrest. Peter’s Comment Mugabe should be accustomed to the insults by now. His citizens have to tolerate a lot worse from him.

TRAVEL INSURANCE FINE PRINT

Thai hospital refuses care for Kiwi man

NZ NewswireJuly 14, 2012, 11:01 am

Staff at a Thai hospital are refusing to perform surgery on a New Zealand man because he can't pay the bill for previous operations, according to his family.

Sean Kenzie, 27, was seriously injured when he was knocked off his moped last week and has been in a Phuket hospital since.

Both of his lungs were punctured and collapsed, his kidney was ruptured and he broke a number of bones including his jaw, his mother Nadine Mouritsen told Fairfax.

He is now conscious but his family say he needs surgery that hospital staff are refusing to carry out until a $16,000 hospital bill is paid.

Ms Mouritsen says family and friends are trying frantically to raise the money.

Mr Kenzie has travel insurance through Covermore but after the accident he was told this did not extend to riding scooters or mopeds.

Ms Mouritsen said care at the hospital had been largely okay, but there were one or two incidents which were worrying.

"There was an instance where he wasn't getting any of the medication he needs, and that was when we called Foreign Affairs and they must have helped because that night he was given his medication."

Peter’s Comment

Shame on Covermore. They should change their name to Coverless. It’s not good enough to have the exclusions buried in the fine print or subject to interpretation by Philadelphia lawyers.

Thai authorities should take some responsibility also if they want to protect their vital tourist trade.

When the New Zealand Government enacted an accident compensation law in 1974 it applied to all accidents without taking fault or residence into account.

I Googled Covermore and some good reviews. But then came the bad ones. Two things arise from this; insurance companies need to be more customer and public image orientated and customers need to be aware that contracts are signed in the expectation of having a wonderful holiday, but claims are made under stress, disappointment and confusion. READ THE FINE PRINT!

Dont rely on the included car excess !

- Bad

Terry Shuker posted this on Jun 30, 2012

This was our first need to claim on travel insurance - although we have always taken it with Covermore.
The insurance cover states that they will cover the cost of out-of-pocket excess on car rental damage. They won`t - without a fight! We had a small ding with our car, getting it back into the Europcar depot in Lyon, France. Europcar charged us just over 1000 euros for repairs and when we returned home we put in a claim accompanied by all the paperwork. Covermore refused to pay the bill unless we supplied the original workshop repair invoice - something the customer is not given. We had 6 months trying to contact the repair garage in Lyon in our limited French before we could get the requested repair sheet. The garage said it was an `unusual` request but eventually sent it (all in french and largely illegible). Only after 9 months and a threat to go to comsumer affairs did we get a cheque from Covermore. Imagine if we had had to go back to a garage in Mongolia or Zimbabwe or somewhere remoter than France!

Refund of payment of Cover for Travel Insurance

- Terrible

Vicki Smith posted this on Jun 29, 2012

I have been dealing with Sarah in relation to obtaining my refund on travel insurance. After numerous phone calls and unanswered emails I then receive an email on the 29 June stating that I was to contact my Doctor and resolve this in a timely manner. Where is the customer service from CoverMore - does not exist. Quick to take the money but don't want to give it back. Unhappy customer. 

WHO IS MAKING IT IN AFRICA

Forbes 10 Young African Millionaires: Nigeria's Jason Njoku Tops List

July 13, 2012

Mfonobong Nsehe, who writes for Forbes, has put together a list of 10 young African millionaires to watch. Here is the top five of his his picks:

Jason Njoku, Nigerian
Age: 31
Founder & CEO Iroko TV:Top of Form

Jason Njoku

Jason Njoku is the founder and CEO of Iroko Partners, the largest digital distributors of Nigerian music and movies, with a library of ~1600 licensed movies. Mr. Njoku’s, Iroko Partners, consist of 5 web brands; iROKOtv, iROKING, iROKtv, NollywoodLove and YorubaLove. Mr. Njoku is building a modern digital distribution infrastructure using Amazon Web Services, Ooyala and several video ad networks, to service the second largest movie industry in the world (by volume), Nollywood, or Nigerian cinema.

According to Pando Daily’s, Sarah Lacy, last year Iroko did eight million YouTube streams a month, with a $1 million revenue run-rate. But since then, his traffic has soared, but the relationship with Youtube has soured. In Njoku’s view, YouTube has become so maniacal about pleasing Hollywood and doing original, high-level US-centric programming that they just didn’t care about what someone like Iroko was doing.

“I’m not going to hide who we are,” said Mr. Njoku. “We have 71 people working for us in a country with 50% unemployment. We did $1.3 million in revenues last year. We are the largest Internet company in Lagos by nearly any definition. We want to be Nigeria’s Netscape moment.”

Earlier this year, Njoku decided to close his YouTube channel that was generating millions in revenue in an attempt to build something even bigger. He’s in the process of migrating users and content now, so his YouTube content will still be available for a bit longer.

Mr. Njoku holds a BSc, Chemistry from The University of Manchester, University of Manchester - Manchester Business School, 2002 – 2005.

Mark Shuttleworth, South African
Age: 38
Founder, Knife Capital:

When Shuttleworth was 22, he founded Thawte, a digital certificate and internet security company which he sold to VeriSign for $575 million in 1999, when he was 26. Shuttleworth used a fraction of his proceeds to start HBD Capital (now called Knife Capital), a Cape Town-based emerging markets investment fund. HBD has made a series of successful exits including Fundamo, a mobile financial services company which was acquired byVisa for $110 million in 2011; and csense, which was acquired by GE Intelligent Platforms the same year. Shuttleworth also founded and funds Ubuntu, a computer operating system which he distributes as free open source software. Shuttleworth has a net worth north of $500 million.

Ashish Thakkar, Ugandan
Age: 29
Co-Founder and CEO, Mara Group:

Thakkar, 29 is a co-founder and CEO of Mara Group – a Ugandan conglomerate with tentacles in financial services, hotels, renewable energy, technology and manufacturing. Annual revenues are approximately $100 million and the group has an active presence in 16 countries on four continents. Devoted philanthropist: Through his Mara Foundation, Thakkar provides mentorship and seed funding to young East African entrepreneurs. Also funds Next Generation Schools, an independent charity focused on improving education quality in disadvantaged secondary schools in Uganda. The Mara Group recently signed a $300 million deal with the Tanzanian government to develop a 3.5 million square foot state of the art mini-city.

Ladi Delano, Nigerian
Age: 30
Founder and CEO, Bakrie Delano Africa:

The jet-setting Nigerian serial entrepreneur made his first millions as a liquor entrepreneur while living in China. In 2004, at age 22, he founded Solidarnosc Asia, a Chinese alcoholic beverage company that made Solid XS, a premium brand of vodka. Solid XS went on to achieve over 50% market share in China and was distributed across over 30 cities in China, and pulled in $20 million in annual revenue. Delano subsequently sold the company to a rival liquor company for over $15 million and ploughed his funds into his next venture-The Delano Reid Group, a real estate investment holding company focused on mainland China. Today, Delano is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bakrie Delano Africa(BDA) – a $1 billion joint venture with the $15 billion (market cap) Bakrie Group of Indonesia. Bakrie Delano Africa serves as the investment partner of the Bakrie Group in Nigeria. The Indonesian conglomerate has provided over $900 million worth of funds to invest in Nigeria and Bakrie Delano Africa is responsible for identifying investment opportunities in mining, agriculture and oil & gas and executing them.

Justin Stanford, South African
Age: 28
Founder & CEO, 4Di Group:

South African-born Stanford is a software entrepreneur and venture capitalist. After dropping out off high school, Stanford set out to launch an internet security company which flopped. When he came across ESET, a Slovakian anti-virus software package, he negotiated with its manufacturers and cornered the exclusive, lucrative Southern African distribution for the product. Today, Stanford’s ESET Southern Africa operates the ESET brand in the region and sells ESET’s range of internet security products in about 20 sub-Saharan countries, leveraging on an extremely successful internet business platform and digital distribution model for online software sales and service. Today, Stanford’s ESET brand records over $10 million in annual turnover and controls 5% of the anti-virus market in Southern Africa. Stanford is also the founding partner of 4Di Capital, a Cape Town-based venture capital fund. Stanford is also a co-founder of the Silicon Cape Initiative, a non-profit movement that aims to turn the Cape into Africa’s own Silicon Valley.

Peter's Comment

An interesting list. And this is only the junior list.