K D.

Used Car SCAM CAR TRADER WARNING

Another very smelly site from the bad fish factory on the Isle of Man

Clone site of autousedcars.com (look at the reviews on Site Jabber)

Same bunch of crooks and scammers.

Read the warning from the Isle of Man Government below:

UPDATE FROM ISLE OF MAN GOVERNMENT

http://www.gov.im/fsc/ViewNews.gov?page=lib/news/fsc/bogusinternetcar1.xml
Update: Bogus Internet Car Sales - F. S. C Public Warnings
This notice is issued by the Financial Supervision Commission ("the Commission") in accordance with the powers conferred upon it under Section 30 of the Financial Services Act 2008.

autoparks.co.uk – Autoparks Plc

ioofmausedcar.com – IoofmaUsedCar Plc

cars-direct-inc.com – CarsDirect Plc

iomusedcars.com – IomUsedCars Plc

swift-usedcars.com – Swift-UsedCars Plc

autousedcar.co.uk – AutoUsedCar Plc

The Commission has become aware of the above listed websites and companies.
All of the sites purport to offer motor vehicles for sale. Text and pictures used on these websites appear to have been copied, without authority, from the websites of genuine car dealing companies.

Within the text of the above listed websites, there is the suggestion that they represent companies located in the Isle of Man using addresses in Castlemona Avenue, Prospect Terrace, Kingswood Grove in Douglas, the Isle of Man Business Park in Braddan, Isle of Man and AutoUsedCar PLC, Hills Meadow Industrial, Douglas. Whilst these are genuine addresses in the Isle of Man, there is no trace of companies by these names operating from there.

No companies by these names are incorporated in the Isle of Man.

It should be noted that there are a large number of what appear to be false testimonies extolling the virtues of the above named entities listed on the internet.

Care should be taken with the validity and worth of these postings.
Under the circumstances the Commission feels that any approach relating to the above websites may be an attempt at persuading the viewer to part with money for non existing motor vehicles,

OR

Is an attempt at gaining personal data from the recipient in order to steal their identity – see explanatory notice issued by the Commission at:

http://www.fsc.gov.im/ViewNews.gov?menuid=*******&page=lib/news/fsc/identitytheft.xml

Also see information issued by the Isle of Man Office of the Data Protection
Supervisor at:

http://www.gov.im/lib/news/odps/yourinformationy.xml

Under all the circumstances the Commission would discourage people from having any contact with the above named entities.

Any persons who are already involved in dealings with the purported entities and have concerns should contact the Enforcement Division on +44 1624 ******* or by email to *******@gov.im.

Any persons who have paid out funds to the above purported entities or supplied personal or financial details to them should consider contacting their local police fraud unit without delay.

Updated 3 March 2011 from Warning NDR/002/2011 to include details of additional subjects: swift-usedcars.com – Swift-UsedCars PLC and autousedcar.co.uk –

AutoUsedCar PLC

Please Note: The crooks behind this website have issued threats against Site Jabber contributors. These threats and all details of the correspondence have been passed onto the police and trading standards authorities.

THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS – DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY OR ANY OF THE OTHER COMPANIES LISTED IN THE ISLE OF MAN GOVERNMENT WARNING!

Auto Used Car PLC SCAM CAR TRADER WARNING

http://autousedcar.co.uk
Bad smell? Something fishy on the Isle of Man? Maybe it's Auto Used Car PLC?

Quick web search:

Trustworthiness rank is -1 (minus 1) In comparison, Site Jabber is plus 90. Big warning!

Domain name:
autousedcar.co.uk

Registrant:
Jane denyer

Registrant type:
Unknown

Registrant's address:
Cirencester road
Cheltenham
GL53 8DB
United Kingdom

Registered through:
GoDaddy.com, Inc.
URL: http://www.godaddy.com

Registrar:
Key-Systems GmbH [Tag = KEY-SYSTEMS-DE]
URL: http://www.Key-Systems.net

Relevant dates:
Registered on: 23-Feb-2011
Renewal date: 23-Feb-2013
Last updated: 23-Feb-2011

Registration status:
Registered until renewal date.

Name servers:
ns67.domaincontrol.com
ns68.domaincontrol.com

www.autousedcar.co.uk seems to be almost identical to scam car sales website Ioofmausedcar.com which was identified by many Site Jabber reviews and has since been removed. (Check the Site Jabber reviews on ioofmausedcar.com)

Same hype, same explanation of how they buy and sell 'reposessed'cars at amazing prices. Same reluctance to allow you to inspect the vehicles. Same demand that you transfer cash direct…

Also, here, they are claiming to be a PLC (Publicly Limited Company). Now, getting PLC status is quite difficult – and I suspect falsely claiming PLC status may be breaking even more trading laws than just stealing money from gullible customers.

Hopefully the police and trading standards will take an even closer interest in these people.

Now, can I find any reference to a PLC called 'Auto Used Car PLC'? No? How odd!
Google their address – only one hit – which comes back to their brand new website. Strange.

Google map the address – go to satellite – no sign of a large used car operation. Stranger.

Look at Site Jabber reviews – an onslaught of fantastic reviews – mostly on the same day, and just a couple of weeks since the website domain was purchased. Truly amazing! (They have someone working for them who knows how to work Google SEO ranking system so they are not all dummies)

Just for fun I took a paragraph from their 'about us' page and flew it through www.plagium.com What a surprise – six hits, ALL FROM SCAM AUTO TRADERS. Now, isn't that a coincidence?

People, the smell of bad fish from this bunch is so strong, I'd gag if I got any closer.

Best advice – avoid like the plague. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Global People Power! Add your name do some good. Change something for the better!

You know when you read something in the news and think 'I wish someone would DO something about that' or 'That's outrageous I really ought to write to my representative / MP / senator or whatever' but somehow, you usually never get around to actually doing it?

Well, the Avaaz Organisation utilises the power of the internet to highlight just those issues and bring the views of millions of Avaaz members to governments, authorities, organisations and businesses around the world.

The multi-lingual website www.Avaaz.org shows current campaigns and highlights where they claim to have made a difference.

When an issue comes to the fore they will email you and ask for your signature on a combined petition which will then be sent to where it will have most effect.

It's a neat idea and Avaaz now has more than 7.3 million participants.

I have signed up for several petitions on causes that I feel riled about but do not go along with each and every cause Avaaz supports. It does sometimes feel like 'Rent-a Crowd' but I think the positive effects out-weigh the negatives.

7.3 million is a lot of people to have on your case few institutions can ignore numbers like that. Good idea, Avaaz well done!

Gary Larson Far Side Cartoonist

I really like 'The Far Side' cartoons. Gary Larson's off the wall, slightly black, slightly cynical humour hits my buttons, I guess. I was pleased to find his website:

http://www.thefarside.com/

Unfortunately this site does not link to his cartoons, but only provides details on how to buy his books and DVDs and only in the USA copyright problems, I guess.

I was hoping to find a 'cartoon a day' feed like on the Dilbert website, www.Dilbert.com, but no such luck.

So, five stars for Gary Larson and his cartoons, but only two for his website.

On Google image search tons of his stuff comes up, but it's not quite the same as having a cartoon delivered to your inbox every day!

Foundation for a Drug Free World (FDFW) Drug Abuse Education and Support

Support for all people worried about drug abuse in families, community and work place.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a non-profit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.

No one, especially a young person, likes to be lectured about what he or she can or cannot do. The FDFW provides the facts that empower youth to choose not to take drugs in the first place. The 'Truth About Drugs' campaign consists of activities that they can join which popularize drug-free living. These activities are simple, effective and can involve people of all ages.

Through a worldwide network of volunteers, 56 million educational handouts have been distributed, tens of thousands of drug awareness events have been held in some 120 countries and Truth About Drugs public service announcements have been aired on 275 television stations. These materials and activities have helped people around the world learn about the destructive side effects of drugs and thereby make the decision for themselves to not use them.

The Foundation provides information you need to start a Truth About Drugs education and prevention activity in your area.

Every 12 seconds a schoolchild in the USA begins to experiment with drugs.

Materials are available in 20 languages – and are sent all over world, free of charge. Drugs are not a national problem. They are a global problem and the FDFW supports counter-drug education all over the world.

The FDFW focused programmes cover 12 commonly used groups of drugs – including illegal drugs, prescription drug abuse and alcohol.

Education packs include teaching assignments, materials for students, teachers and parents

Law enforcement agencies are supported with materials

All materials are free of charge – the FDFW is government and business supported.
25 million books have been distributed around the world, along with countless leaflets and posters.

Information and interviews with addicts, reformed addicts, medical staff, law enforcement staff and families – how drugs have impacted their lives, their health and their safety.

I suggest that anyone worried about drug abuse by a family member or friend, or anyone concerned about drug abuse in a school or institution should get one of the information packs, and make sure that local community support staff are also aware of these free anti-drug resources.

Pass on the website details to anyone who might be helped! Four stars.

http://www.drugfreeworld.org

Click through to order booklets, downloads and support packages.

And, while on the subject of drugs, below is a link to a series of comparison pictures of methamphetamine users – see the huge differences from their first arrest photo to a subsequent arrest photo, sometimes months, sometimes years apart. The pictures might make people think twice before dabbling in drugs. It's not a pretty future…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthpicturegalleries/*******/From-Drugs-to-Mugs-Shocking-before-and-after-images-show-the-cost-of-drug-addiction.html

France Soir - French Daily Newspaper

Now published in tabloid format, France Soir is still one of the top ten daily newspapers in France. At its peak in the 1950s it had a circulation of 1.5 million copies per day. After several re-inventions and changes of owner (it is now owned by Alexander Pugachyov, son of a Russian multi-millionaire) circulation has dropped to around 90,000 per day.

If you are looking for a heavyweight French newspaper website, look elsewhere (Le Monde, Le Figaro etc.,) but if your French (like mine) is not up to in-depth economics or politics and you just want a quick glimpse of what our French friends are focussing on, try France Soir. http://www.francesoir.fr/

Friends of the Earth International – Green Issue Activists

Two million members, 76 national groups, 5,000 activist groups spread across all continents. Friends of the Earth has grown immensely since American green issues activist David Brower split from the Sierra Club to form Friends of the Earth (FOE) in 1969 over the reluctance of the Sierra Club to challenge the construction of nuclear power plants.

FOE campaign around the world on a wide range of ecological, political and economic issues – desertification, biodiversity, deforestation, mining and extractive industries, food sovereignty, sustainable development, bio-engineering, fishing, factory farming etc., etc.

Their statement says that Friends of the Earth 'considers environmental issues in their social, political and human rights contexts.'

They have proved to be fairly effective at getting 'green' issues into the public eye and promoting fuller debate over many difficult questions.

I don't agree with all their views – for example, I doubt if the world will be able to totally move away from nuclear power. I am however, very glad that organisations like Friends of the Earth exist to highlight the dangers and protest at any rash developments and foolish exploitations that threaten the long term good of what is left of this rather small planet that we all inhabit.

This website http://www.foei.org is the main international site – you can click through to the many national websites on one of the drop down menus.
There is lots of information on current campaigns and how to contact and support them.

Website versions in English, French and Spanish.

Madhur Jaffrey - Delicious Indian Cookery Techniques, Ingredients & Recipes

A world authority on Indian cuisine, Madhur Jaffrey is author of many of the best books available on Indian cookery and an experienced presenter explaining the techniques, ingredients and serving combinations of the best of the sub-continent's delicious array of food. She first came to fame as an actress – and is credited with introducing film makers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant to each other. She acted in many of the Merchant-Ivory films including 'Heat and Dust' and 'Shakespeare Wallah',

Her cookery books (Curry Easy, At Home with Maddhr Jaffrey, 100 Essential Curries, etc.) are fun to read, tempting to try and easily accessible. Her laid back approach in her TV shows takes any fear out of trying to cook what might be a new and challenging cuisine for many people. Stay with it, it's worth it. Indian food is very diverse, full of subtle and interleaving flavours and textures and a delight to eat.

The website http://www.madhur-jaffrey.com/ gives you lots of information on Madhur Jaffrey, explanations and forums on Indian cooking, a good selection of her recipes and links to related cookery websites. Yummy.

P.S. Lots of her cookery show TV clips on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=madhur+jaffrey+cooking&aq=2sx

The Science Museum (London)

Founded in 1857, the Science Museum is a wonderful day or half day out in London, with or without kids. If it's raining or cold take the tube (subway) to South Kensington (on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines) and walk through the pedestrian tunnel to the museum. The museum is funded by the government and visits are free apart from some special exhibitions for which an entry fee may be charged. Opening times and current exhibitions are detailed on the website.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk.

The Science Museum is great for kids as there are hundreds of interactive exhibits – buttons to press, things to turn, push, swing, watch…

There is an IMAX 3D cinema and a new wing, funded by the Wellcome Trust, focusing on digital technology and medicine.

In the Computer Section they built a complete copy of Charles Babbage's 'differential engine' often seen as the first computer. The Science and Art of Medicine display shows the development of medical theory and technology from around the world. Sections on 'Science in the 18th Century', 'The History of Flight', 'Measuring Time', 'Marine Engineering', 'The Secret Life of the Home' 'Exploring Space', 'Challenge of Materials' 'Psychology' and 'Agriculture' are just a taste of what can be seen in the museum.

Kids can experience what it's like to fly in a jet fighter with the RAF 'Red Arrows' display team. They can take a 'co*kroach tour' (substitute 'c' for '*') and see what life is like from the point of view of one of nature's great survivors. Not sure why, but probably of more interest to the boys… Taster at:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/smap/collection_index/cockroach_tour_of_the_science_museum.aspx

There are also many other online activities if you visit the website and links to resources for teachers.

If you can manage to visit the museum itself, you won't be able to see all the 300,000 exhibits in just one visit, but if you have any interest in science or the world around you, you should have a great time trying. Enjoy!

The Daily Beast Online News Current Affairs Cheat Sheet

Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Talk Magazine lunched 'The Daily Beast' in October 2008. A year later it joined up with Newsweek and is now 'The Newsweek Daily Beast'

The name is derived from the newspaper 'The Beast' in Evelyn Waugh's 1938 satire of sensationalist journalism, foreign correspondents and war reporting. (Seventy plus years later, 'Scoop' is still very funny)

The Daily Beast 'Cheat Sheet' (must reads from all over) is a good source of links and backgrounds to top stories. Newsweek is obviously favoured, but not exclusively. Fast overviews, some good writing, interesting topics.

The Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com is a worthwhile bookmark for news hounds. Recommended.

Howard Marks, Drug Smuggler aka 'Mr. Nice'

An Oxford university graduate in nuclear physics with a postgraduate degree in philosophy, Howard Marks is no dummy.

He developed an interest in what are coyly known nowadays as 'recreational drugs.' He started hustling at college, then quickly developed a lucrative business which morphed into drugs empire. He hid behind 43 aliases, 25 companies and 89 phone lines. He masterminded the shipping and sale of large quantities of cannabis around the world – thirty tons at a time -until he was trapped by the American DEA in 1988.

He was sentenced to 25 years in to be served at the Federal penitentiary at Terre Haute, Indiana. He was released on parole after serving 7 years.

His book. 'Mr. Nice' published in 1996 became an international best seller – and is a very good read.

Since his prison days Marks has become a journalist and showman. He now campaigns for legalisation of marijuana and liberalisation of the drug laws. Agree or disagree with his views, he's an interesting man and very entertaining.

Anti-Qadhafi Libyan Information Website - Libya Our Home

Libya Our Home is one of the key websites for information from the anti-Qadhafi forces in the Libyan conflict. http://www.libya-watanona.com

With anti-Qadhafi forces now based in the city of Benghazi, 'Libya Our Home', and a UN sanctioned no-fly zone restricting strikes by Qadhafi's military, it now seems that the Libyan 'rebels' have a serious chance of either overturning the rule of Qadhafi, or at least splitting the country into two zones.

While there is currently intense coverage of the crisis by Western media, this interest may well fade over the coming weeks so it is good to have access to a source of news dedicated to the views of the Libyan democracy movement.

Lots of facts and figures about Libya, details of main players and hour-by-hour, day-by-day updates of the crisis, as viewed by the anti-Qadhafi movement.

Available in English and Arabic.

Interesting.

Note: To ensure impartiality, I also tried to access the Libyan State News Agency, Jana, (famous for airing the wise, reasonable, calm, honest, succinct, logical, unbiased and obviously truthful statements of Col. Qadhafi, ahem,) to get their view of things. The website http://www.jananews.ly/ is currently down.

It seems that the 'rebels' and their supporters are a step ahead of Qadhafi in the information war

German Foreign Intelligence Agency - Spies

For students of spookology, the German Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) foreign intelligence agency has had a chequered history. Founded in the early years of post-war Germany by ex-Nazi master spy Richard Gehlen, the BND is divided into 13 different directorates – each badged by a two letter acronym and overseeing either a particular aspect of intelligence gathering, or focusing on a particular region.

The UM directorate is charged with the relocation of the BND to Berlin. A large 100,000 square meter complex is being built on the Chausseestrasse (in former East Berlin), designed to house up to 5,000 intelligence specialists and support staff. Current headquarters are in Pullach, near Munich. The move to Berlin should take place in 2014.

Like most intelligence agencies, the history of the BND is varied – with triumphs, disasters, scandals and embarrassments seeming to alternate with each other.
Heavily penetrated by the East German STASI in the 1950s, the BND miserably failed to predict the erection of the Berlin wall in 1961.

During the early 1960s, and then in the 1990s many outsiders looked on the politically correct BND as a bit of a joke.

On the positive side the BND scored some notable successes.

The BND detected the sending of Soviet missiles to Cuba in 1962, and warned the American authorities – prompting the Cuban missile crisis.

It correctly predicted the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968).

In Latin America and the Middle East during the late 1960s and 1970s it was often the best informed Western intelligence service.

The BND has been used to broker truces and exchanges between Hamas and Israel – it is generally more trusted in the Middle East than American, British or French agencies.

The website www.BND.de includes little such history, and mainly contains explanations of its current structure and tasking according to the requirements of the Federal government of Germany. There are versions available in German, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It's interesting but only scratches the surface of the story.

For those interested in a deeper knowledge of the BND the Wikipedia article is a good place to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundesnachrichtendienst

USAID from the American People – Official American Disaster Aid Organisation

Give money, not goods, to help Japan

The generousity of the American people to others in distress is well known and well documented. Since the Marshall plan of the post Second World War era helped a stricken Europe recover from the ravages of war, much of the American international aid effort has been channelled through USAID.

The 50 year old organisation is hugely experienced at bringing aid to disaster struck areas all around the world.

If you are in the USA go to www.USAID.gov to see how best you can help the victims of the current disaster in Japan.

General rules are give money, not goods, and if you are interested in volunteering, only do so through official organisations that will provide proper training, logistical support and work in conjunction with other aid agencies on the ground.

In summary – YOUR HELP IS MUCH NEEDED AND MUCH APPRECIATED -DONATE MONEY – GO THROUGH OFFICAL ORGANISATIONS.

Look at the USAID website - there is a lot of information on how you can help. Well worth a visit.

Center for International Disaster Information HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) provides information guidance on the best way to help support international disaster relief efforts. It is an official information source that is used by governments and charities around the world. http://www.cidi.org

General guidelines for anyone wishing to help in a disaster:

Do NOT donate goods to ship directly for International disaster relief!

Do NOT travel independently to the disaster area to help!

PLEASE give MONEY to official organised aid groups!

If you want to volunteer, join an official charity or organisation and get properly trained, organised and supported before being deployed into a disaster area. (Red Cross / Red Crescent / Save the Children / OXFAM / Shelterbox / etc., etc.)

In general the last thing people struggling in a disaster area need is a shipping container arriving to clog up an overstretched port, only to find unsorted second hand clothes or unsuitable / out of date food and no support for distribution.

They do not need well-meaning unskilled volunteers without local language skills who turn up 'hoping to help'. These people become mere disaster tourists who also need help and consume precious resources – shelter / food / water, resources which are in desperately short supply for the original victims of the disaster.

In summary – YOUR HELP IS MUCH NEEDED AND MUCH APPRECIATED -DONATE MONEY – GO THROUGH OFFICAL ORGANISATIONS.

The information below is taken directly from the CIDI website:
Why is Cash Best?

There are three basic reasons why Cash Is Best.

Professional relief agencies use monetary contributions to purchase exactly and specifically what the disaster victims need. Staff for the organizations work directly with the victims at the disaster site and are in the best position to know not only what is immediately needed, but also when it is needed and where it is most needed. In addition the experience of the relief workers enables conversion of cash donations into items that withstand cultural and religious sensitivities, as well as environmental issues. Cash is also flexible, which allows relief workers to meet the changing priority needs of the disaster victims.

Money is easy to transport. Moving a container of donated goods can cost more than the value of the items. Getting a donated commodity into containers and onto a ship, across the sea to the disaster site, through the port costs and the customs' tariffs, quality checked, quantity checked and sorted, and organized into warehouses, requires payment at each step. Supplies can almost always be purchased local to the disaster site and provide savings in many ways.

Money used to purchase available items local to the disaster offers multiple advantages.

Consider that a cash donation:
• Stimulates local economies, providing employment and generating cash flow, providing confidence and a sense of normalcy as the area recovers
• Does not compete with goods from the local market
• Ensures that supplies arrive as quickly as possible
• Does not entail transportation/shipping costs.

Purchasing locally also decreases the environmental impact of relief efforts, because it requires less energy and creates fewer carbon emissions.
A cash donation helps relief organizations respond in a flexible, timely and cost-efficient manner – ultimately providing greater help to those in need. For these reasons, cash contributions to established and legitimate relief agencies are always considerably more beneficial than the donation of commodities.

Why Are Donations Not Preferred?

Donated goods rarely meet international disaster victim's urgent needs and often interfere with professional relief efforts. Donated goods may cause more harm than good to the supply chain following an international disaster.

Simply put, when individuals or groups send goods, whether it is clothing, shoes, canned goods, or bottled water, supply chains get clogged, boxes need to be unloaded and warehoused eating up precious time, personnel and storage space.

The vast majority of these goods can be procured locally. Unfortunately, many people send items without thinking about the intended recipient. Examples includes donations of winter coats to people in tropical regions, teddy bears to children who never before seen one, canned ham to Muslim countries, and diet supplements to famine victims. While well-intentioned, donations of goods are rarely useful. The transportation of these goods often costs more than the value of the goods themselves. Additionally, containers of commodities placed freely for the use of international disaster victims has the negative impact of competing with the recovering, local markets.

Who Receives the Donation?
Contributors can be unsure for whom a cash contribution is intended. Some may think the money will be placed directly into the pockets of the victims. Some anticipate it will go to the U.S. Government or the government of the affected country. Others assume CIDI collects money. None of these is correct. Victims' assistance entails basic needs and not direct cash. The federal government has money already earmarked for use in humanitarian response activities, and CIDIhas no program or mechanism for receiving or distributing publicly donated money. Instead, monetary contributions go to relief professionals working in the field with the disaster victims.

There are many recognized U.S. based disaster response agencies. Some are very large and well-known through their appearance in the media. Many are faith-based groups and others are specialized service groups for unique needs within the relief response activities. All can play an important role in the response and recovery for different sectors of international disaster victim need and so CIDI does not make recommendations of recipient agencies to donors.

How to Give Responsibly

CIDI encourages individuals and groups to make financial contributions to a well-established, recognized international disaster relief agency or nonprofit organization.

CIDI partners with InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations, which provides a list of credible responding agencies for international emergencies. Each InterAction member undergoes a rigorous financial and policy review. Contributors should determine agencies with which they are fundamentally and philosophically comfortable. Donors make contributions directly to the recipient of choice. CIDI does not direct the selection process or the contribution process. Rather, CIDI helps contributors find organizations that would benefit from donations, but the actual choice and the process of making the donation is left to the contributors.

For further guidance on making informed decisions when supporting charities, we recommend visting CharityNavigatorand the Better Business Bureau. CIDI also partners with GlobalGiving which offers additional opportunities to make an impact with humanitarian relief efforts.

What Else You Can Do
There are many ways you can help and make a difference to international disaster victims. Tell your friends about why cash is the best way to help, plan a fundraiser in your community, and support the efforts of international disaster relief agencies.

Become a fan of CIDI on Facebook and encourage your friends to do the same. Follow CIDI on Twitter to keep updated about developments. And remember, to help the most, cash is best!

Red Nose Day - Help a good cause by having fun!

Do something funny for money – Friday 18th March 2011 is RED NOSE DAY!

Once a year Britain's comedy stars, celebrities, schools, businesses, organisations and the general public get together to do funny things for money. Check out the website for all the details: http://www.rednoseday.com/

The organisation behind this is the excellent charity Comic Relief, started in 1988 in response to the famine in Ethiopia. Since that date they have raised over $1 billion for good causes around the world.

Throughout the UK people will be going to work wearing red noses, kids are dressing up and thousands of sponsored silly events will take place. The madness continues on the main BBC TV channels.

A good time is had by all, there are lots of laughs and smiles and a shed load of money is raised for charity. What's not to like?

Report Crimes Anonymously UK

Crimestoppers is a simple but effective idea, helping in the fight against crime. Sadly, many people who are in the position to report on criminal activities are scared of doing so in case they might be identified. Crimestoppers helps solve this dilemma.

Anyone in the UK can now call a freephone number, 0800 555 111. The call is not traced and they are happy for you to use the 141 call number trace blocking service before you call them. You will be answered by a volunteer who will only ask questions about the crime – not about yourself. The calls are not recorded. Because it is a freephone number, it will not show up on any landline bill or standard mobile phone bill.

If you are in a dangerous personal position and fear your phone may be checked, make sure to erase the phone call from your 'last numbers called' memory on your landline or mobile (cell) phone.

The website http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org has an anonymous online information report which is encrypted to help prevent the submission being traced. If you are scared about your computer being checked for traces to Crimestoppers, it might be wise to delete your history and clear all browsing data from the computer as well, just to be on the safe side.

Crimestoppers was set up to enable people to report crimes and criminals completely anonymously, without any direct interaction with the police. Crimestoppers make sure that the information is completely sanitised of any connection to the caller, and then submit the report to the police or other appropriate authorities.

If the information given Crimestoppers leads to an arrest and criminal charges, the person who called Crimestoppers may receive a cash award, again, totally anonymously, by means of a code to be given to a local bank.

Crimestoppers is NOT an emergency response number - for that people should still call 999 in the UK.

The Crimestoppers website gives many other links and contacts which may also be useful. It explains what Crimestoppers can and cannot do.

Crimestoppers is a registered charity, and now handles all call information for the UK TV real crime series 'Crimewatch'. Information submitted to Crimestoppers has proved effective in solving many crimes and the arrest and conviction of numerous criminals. Good idea.

The Big Curry - Army Curry Night Charity Event

Since they were deployed to India by the East India Company in the 17th Century and then directly by the British government in Victorian times, the British soldier, or 'squaddy' has always had a taste for curry. The army taste for curry then percolated through to civilians, and curry can now realistically be listed as one of Britain's national dishes.

The Big Curry www.Bigcurry.org takes a curry night to a new level – organise a curry night for you and your friends to raise funds for ABF-The Soldier's Charity (see http://www.soldierscharity.org for details)

Now in it's 5th year, supported by many celebrities, The Big Curry has become an effective annual fund raiser for soldiers, former soldiers and their families in need.

Have fun, have a great meal and raise a few quid for squaddies and their families who now need your support…

ABF The Soldiers' Charity are for soldiers, for life.

ABF -The Soldier's Charity, formerly known as the Army Benevolent Fund was founded in 1944 to help with supporting wounded and distressed British army veterans after the Second World War.

Since then, the British Army has continued to serve around the world in a variety of conflicts both large and small in army parlance known as 'high intensity operations' and 'low intensity operations.'

In recent years, the army has faced hostile enemies and taken many casualties in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. For every physical wound there additional mental scars both of which can lead to needs for long term medical and financial support.

Half of their money is donated to individual veterans or their families to help with, for example, debt relief, mobility, education bursaries, care home fees and respite breaks for helpers. The other half of their money is given as grants to more specialised charities dealing with ex-soldiers.

Good cause. Good charity. http://www.soldierscharity.org

Why do I smell rats?

Their own website is forced by UK law to admit that:

'This site is neither a financial institution nor a lender. We merely match your requirements with lenders based on your application.'

This means at a point where you are obviously in considerable financial pain, if you are applying to them you will

A) Pay through the nose for a short term, high interest loan.

B) Have to pay an extra amount - which will be the no doubt generous commission to these cowboys.

I suggest that virtually any other source of money would be a better deal.

Check out moneysupermarket.com and moneysavingexpert.com for loans advice.

I checked on the website details. They score -1 (minus one) on google ultimate flags trustworthiness (Sitejabber scores 90). Big warning!

Their registration details are:

Domain name:
paydayloansnodebitcard.co.uk

Registrant:
Frostwite enterprises

Registrant type:
Unknown

Registrant's address:
Shop number 130 c badheri, sector 41 d
Chandigarh
*******
India

Registered through:
GoDaddy.com, Inc.
URL: http://www.godaddy.com

Registrar:
Key-Systems GmbH [Tag = KEY-SYSTEMS-DE]
URL: http://www.Key-Systems.net

Relevant dates:
Registered on: 29-Dec-2007
Renewal date: 29-Dec-2011
Last updated: 01-Jun-2010

Registration status:
Registered until renewal date.

Name servers:
ns31.eukdns.com
ns32.eukdns.com

Do you really want to get short term cash from an outfit registered to shop number 130 c badheri, sector 41 d, Chandigarh, *******, India?

Strong advice: DO NOT USE!