If I have to be cynical, and I do, after all this is my cynical blog! - then it would be hard to compare any two public figures, whatever their background, and come up with a good role model.
The paparazzi and trash article writers have pretty well made it so that any public figure will have any dirt in their lives, both past as well as present, made into a public outrage.

Interesting how we all prefer bad stuff, or at least most of us do. We would not be interested, for instance, if Paris Hilton had made a documentary about starving children, but we are happy to hear the details of her bedtime frolics.

Same with George Bush. He must have done something that wasn't stupid. I can't think of anything, but I suspect that is not because it has not happened, but just because it wasn't good news that would sell newspapers or TV advertising.

So, who could be a good role model for the next generation?

Food Safety Scares
So, from time to time we have 'scares' about food. Germs, bugs, whatever are found after people get sick, and the authorities charged with the preventative maintenance of the food safety systems all express surprise, and deny that they should ever have been aware that the possibility existed for contamination or bacteria ingress or whatever the cause was found to be - after the event - after the people got sick - after the food that made them sick was sold to them by a retailer - after the food that made them sick was sold to the retailer by the wholesaler - after the food that made the people sick was sold to the wholesaler by the importer.

Get the message, you purchasers of food - yes, you - the general public. GET THE MESSAGE.

Regulators and Enforcers
The food and water in so-called first-world countries is not safe. There is a good reason it is not safe, and that is because the rules and laws that would ensure food safety are being ignored. The regulators are making regulations that make sense. The same regulations give a false sense of security. The public incorrectly assumes that because there are regulations, and those regulations are well thought out and firmly in place, and that there are governmental departments that are tasked with the enforcement of those regulations, then the public, as I say, assumes that the food supplies are safe.

Here Is Why Food Is Not Safe
Food is not safe because the enforcers are not enforcing the regulations. They are choosing not to. If challenged regarding this, they try to give some diversionary reasoning, and if pressed to answer yes or no, they will choose to threaten the complainer with hints of legal action.
Presumably the tax payers would pay for their lawyer, and the complaining tax payer as an individual would pay for his or her own lawyer.
Even after a 'scare' (The definition of 'scare' in this case is a total failure of the civil servants to do their job of protecting the public, and being lucky that the poisoning was not intense enough for too many illnesses or even deaths to occur) yes, even after a scare, the status quo appears to remain. If the media slam the system hard enough, then there will be some changes, but such changes will generally only be local to the place where the sickness occurred. Any other jurisdictions merely breathe a sigh of relief, and carry on not doing their jobs.

The Proof
Here is the proof that my judgment of this situation is correct. Look up the regulations for food handling in your own jurisdiction, and then visit the retail outlets that are supposed to be following them.In most jurisdictions you will find that the regulations require that food be covered. In Nova Scotia where I live, it reads something like 'All food must be stored in a manner to prevent access by insects or vermin. Yet, I can walk into any local coffee shop or retail food outlet and see uncovered food. Often, there is no capability to cover or enclose the food, the cabinets are open. They have failed to meet the regulations from the day the business opened. And the excuse given by those that as a taxpayer I am paying the salaries of, is that the major franchise company head office has a safety program.
There are flies crawling on the uncovered donuts in coffee shops, and even in supermarkets where the food is indeed stored in enclosures, there are flies even trapped inside those  enclosures, and crawling over the bread products in there.

But we will not catch anything untoward from this situation, as these premises all have a safety program. And this situation is not unique to a single jurisdiction. The recent scare with Mexican peppers was caused not by the peppers being contaminated, but by a system of inspection that has been circumvented, presumably in favour of corporate profitability.

Lonely Planet specialize in travel books, as you might already know. Now there is an opportunity to win their Travel Guide Book by going to wanderingeducators.com where they have a book giveaway on a weekly basis. You just go to the site and leave a comment to get included in this offer.

Looking at the news on TV, it seems that Russia has it's troops kind of sitting still in the country of Georgia. The commentary was not quite clear, but it seems that there is an oil connection in there somewhere, I think it might have been relative to the moving of oil from oilfields to wherever it goes. Not quite as blatant as pretending there are mass destruction weapons, but still an invasion.

So, it might be that the more peaceful places to live in the next little while will be the ones that have no oil, and across which no oil is transported.

The world is moving from wars being created to impose political beliefs, and religious beliefs, to simple acts that might be seen by some as theft. The result of this will be to negate the value of any oil sale contracts, as such things will only be valid for those with the war machine to enforce possession.

This method of gaining oilfield rights could also be the one factor that would later, in a few years, bring China and the US and/or Russia into conflict.

Things have become more high tech than when I was DJ'ing, as there is now better software such as Blaze Media Pro, not only for audio, but for video changes too, for instance taking away the sound track of a video so you can continue the video part in a different scene, yet keep the sound flowing as if like a commentary. With all the formats there are today, conversion also becomes a critical issue, such as the ability to change from or to the standard CD format of AVI using an AVI converter from or to other formats. CD burning and all the versatility you will need are included in the Blaze Media Pro software.

China Versus USA?
At some point the US will be competing with China as a world power. Right now it looks as if, unless there are massive changes in the US systems, that China will take over as the world leader in commerce.

Corruption In China
There are however some comparisons that can be made. In China, compensation is promised to displaced people, but appears to never be paid. One wonders if it is actually paid out at the higher levels, but is 'absorbed' by individuals before it reaches the intended recipients. In any case, it is either not ever there, in which case the Chinese government are just feeding the people a pack of lies, or it is misappropriated via corruption. The end result is the same, and that is a public lack of confidence in those who are in  power.

Deception As A Business Ethic In USA
The above seems to align well with the capitalist corporate systems, where the promises are made to the workforce these days as a management tool, but are often just a pack of lies. One wonders if those doing the promising are also promising great things to the investors as well! I suspect so. And of course we have the mortgages that were deceptive, sold for a small gain for the selling agent, and at a great loss for the homeowner. A classic example of the way that the capitalist system (at its worst) is working, and not only in America.

Stinking From The Top Down
The end result in both cases is probably the same, lack of confidence, abandonment of support, obstruction of the corrupt process. In the corporate case my previous comments in this blog hold true - the company stinks only from the top down, as if it is the bottom that is bad, the top people have the power to correct that situation.
Likewise, in a governmental system, such as the one in China, if the officials at the top are aware of the corruption below, it is in their power to control or eliminate it. Or maybe they too are part of it, and will sell their country for personal gain over a short term as seems to be happening in the new non-expanding capitalist environment.

In both cases, to stand back and do nothing can only lead to failure.

Russia - Still A Threat To The West?
As years pass, countries that have seemed fairly stable as far as having control of what they do, appear to be taking a step backwards from time to time.
And now we have a so-called 1st world country, Russia, invading a lesser country, Georgia. They have the armaments to do so.

America - A Future Threat To Anyone?
Just as Russia has military strength, and apparently the will to violate another country's sovereignty, so, we have the United States. Certainly if any country has military strength, the US does.
Question is, what will the US leaders of the future do with that military strength?
Right now it seems that the agenda is to maintain the failing oil-based economy, and it is likely that this will continue, with more invasions where 'appropriate', and maybe some annexing of friendly countries if those countries fail to join in the 'trading area' type organizations that the US government creates from time to time, such as NAFTA, or the American Union or whatever the next flavor of the month is.

The Old Methods Won't Work This Time Around
I would say that with current and future acceleration of dwindling global resources, and in particular dwindling oil, in the future there has to be more focus on methods of human continuance, rather than the wasting of resources in wars or cold wars. The true world leading country will be the one that can sustain it's population within it's own boundaries, in the same manner that Cuba has apparently been so successful in doing since the Soviet collapse. I don't know if USA can successfully withstand such changes, as they currently seem to be run like an ostrich with its head in the sand. It will be interesting to see how they adapt if that is what they do, or to see the reaction as they fail sustaining, and shrink like the Romans and British Empires before them. The world might soon get to be a very dangerous place, with a leading military power having a failing economy - can this situation be compared to that of Germany in the 1930's? Probably not, as Hitler was a single constant that allowed policies, however autocratic, to be implemented over a period of years, and just as Cuban policies of universal health care and education can be seen to fruition by having long term strategies, So in the same manner could Hitler's policies for death and destruction be implemented. America lacks that long term policy advantage in getting anything done that is constructive for advantageous change.

The mayor of the city of Toronto, in Ontario province, Canada was interviewed on a TV news program. He did not come over well.
But first, the background story as I know it from watching TV.

There was a propane gas distribution site in the city of Toronto.
At the weekend, it caught fire, then exploded. This resulted in an employee going missing, and the death of a firefighter.

Now the residents want answers as to why permission was granted for it to be there in the first place.
The story is only to common, as far as I can see.

I have commented before in this blog about how the food supply is unsafe due to stupidity in the bureaucracy......... and we have the firm evidence that it is possible to have unsafe water, despite regulations - people have died because of it.......And now we have exploding propane close to residences that were there before the propane plant was.

Anyway, according to the mayor of Toronto, bless his stereotypically responsibility avoiding heart, it is nothing that is anything to do with the city. It is the provinces fault. That is the impression I have after watching him being interviewed on CBC news.

One question he was asked was something like:
So, are there other propane facilities like this one still operating in Toronto?
I have yet to figure out what his answer was, or rather what it meant. I know what it should have been - YES, or NO. 

Apparently it is OK with this person for the current rules to suffice for now.
Apparently they are looking into it, whatever that means, and however long that will take, and however many committees will be required for it, all of which will have members drawing 'per diem' expenses I have no doubt.

The current rules are something like it being OK to have a propane plant within 25 feet of residences.

Or course, anyone with any knowledge of how politicians work will know what the problem is. He doesn't want to risk making a decision that will be his responsibility and might end up with a propane company suing the Toronto City for expenses incurred due to them being shut down.
In other words, although he is now FULLY AWARE of the possibility of a similar explosion at another site and the extent of the area damaged, he prefers to put citizens lives at risk, this is my opinion.

He truly is fitting into my stereotypical previously blogged about ideas on how politicians fail, and that they work on behalf of interests other than those which would serve the voting public.

SHAME ON YOU,  MAYOR OF TORONTO

Structure
If we look  at the structure of a company (or a democratic or even communistic government), we will see that working up from the bottom, there are the workers, the supervisors, the managerial departments, the supervisors of those departments, then the upper echelons, the CEO and members of the board and similar. Finally, above that, there are the owners, which might be single individuals, or a few investors, and might well be members of the board.

Where Is The Wealth?
Now, if we break that down, we will  see that the most individuals are generally at the lower levels. This encompasses the production part of the company, the part that achieves work done.
Above that point, the individuals are basically a financial drain on the company, because they are taking out money, but achieving no production that can create money. They would generally be far less in number than the worker level people.

The Traditional Structure
If the company operates honestly, then there will be wealth created by the selling of the production created. And this wealth will be proportional at every level. And, in most cases of older established companies this was the case for years.

The New Ethic Takes Over.
The new ethic that has taken over in the past few decades has been different from the above example. Those above have, over time, changed the amounts paid out from the overall production income, while lowering the portion of the expenses that were attributed to wages and salaries.
Someone at some point realised that by abuse of power, they can make the rich richer, and the poor poorer. They simply adopt policies to reduce the outgoings in expenses that include wages, and at the same time award greater amounts in bonuses for the top company officers. At the point where this started, all remained well.

The Time Decay Syndrome
The passing of time, however, changed the stability of the situation. The lower levels had decreasing disposable income that could be spent by choice. As government departments adopted the same systems, then more tax money disappeared, and the workloads became downloaded to those below, ending up at both the municipal level, then passed on to the taxpayers. This in turn gave the producers of the company wealth even less disposable money.

The Import System
Sales of the domestic products slowed up, due to lack of purchasing power in the American public. Around the same time, companies like General Motors began to have parts made in places like Mexico. The government in turn, brought in systems such as NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement which caused trade barriers to be dropped, allowed the imports to be profitable for the American companies importing the items. At the same time, the US lobby groups prevented the trading partners from exporting into the US goods that were in competition with domestically produced goods.
This allowed any profits from the imported cheaper goods to go into the pockets of the American companies, and not the foreign companies trying to do trade with the US directly.

The Import System Slows Down.
The importation of goods from foreign sources then expanded into such places as China, and the technology for the manufacture was  handed over to these companies, as not only were the wages far less, but also the workplace laws less expensive to comply to, mainly because there are none.
So, for the past few years, everything goes great. The US consumers are getting the goods they want at rock bottom prices, enabling a maintenance of lifestyle, while the companies they work for are happy from the top down, because they are taking out masses of the company value at the higher levels. But this system is not sustainable. It slows down in the end. That end commences when the disposable income is so low for the masses, and their purchases so far inclined to be for imported goods, that the US companies start to decrease in true value, as the future starts to look uncertain.

The Collapse Begins
The whole of the US economy becomes one of reliance on imported goods, and no wealth being created for the US companies, and at the same time, the individuals running those companies are also taking out funds that  are not being replaced. Now, this situation is not a good one to promote future investment, or even maintain the current levels, so, there is a trend towards hiding the situation in some way. This ends up the whole of corporate America being based upon ideas and theories, instead of a true estimate of future wealth.
Then we add to this some mortgages sold under a non-sustainable system that was part of the pack of lies.

The Real Reason The American Economy Is Crashing
And so the above is the groundwork as to why the American economy is crashing. Few individuals have faith in the system any more because the system has not earned such trust. In fact, it has a statistical record of not acting in a trustworthy or responsible manner. When we add to that situation a government that is hell-bent on perpetuating what it is being told to perpetuate by the corporations, and the rank and file population have even less faith.
In short, the gig is up.
The people now have no confidence, and for the most part, this lack of confidence is justified. The corporations and government individuals (not just in America) have milked out funds that were not there seemingly in order to feather their own nests in a short term manner. Just like communist officials do in lesser countries. The only way that investing can now reap rewards is by hit and run tactics, making use of fluctuations in a falling market.
 
Well done, politicians, you worked well for the lobby groups.
Well done, CEO's.
Well done, board members.
Well done, civil servants, you complied without question.

You just collectively screwed up your own ultimate wealth and the futures of your own offspring.
You just shot yourself in the foot.

edited Aug 19th to correct NAFTA being 'agreement, not association, (as per the anon comment) I humbly apologise for any offence or irritation this massive error might have caused! Anon is right, I was wrong.

I have noticed that recently it has become impossible to buy regular strength clothes washing detergent. All that there seems to be on the supermarket shelves is the double-strength stuff.
Now, there is always a tendency to put in slightly more than the recommended measure of detergent. In fact, my Missus pours the stuff in like a toilet flushing! And I pour it in like it was from a teaspoon!
So, when we use, say, 10% more of the stronger stuff, we now use what was previously 20% more.

Here's a tip on how to prevent yourself getting caught up this scam, and that is to save the old container, and fill it half full from the new one, then top up both of them with water and shake to mix. Then use twice the measure amount, or a bit less - see my tip below.

Another tip - they tend to go on the large side when designing the measuring cup size because if they go too small, the consumer will be dissatisfied with the results. But if it is too big, they sell more product.
So, try reducing the amount recommended by about 10% and see if the product performs as well as with more. You can probably save quite a bit doing this, judging by the price of a container of this stuff.

I have often considered becoming a world mariner. Kind of a dream, but it is actually possible to cruise around the world fairly cheaply. One couple I read about online recently were doing it on a budget of only 2500 bucks a year. That is about the same amount we spend here every month.
When you look at it, we spend a lot on things that are expenses created by having to pay other expenses, like car insurance - if we didn't have to work, we wouldn't need a car (not even an electric one!) and licensing fees, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, interest charges on the loan. It all adds up.
The thing is though, I don't know if I could live without beef. Or pork, or even lamb like we used to eat in UK a lot. By 'without' I mean without it being the main protein of my diet. Fish is no doubt healthier, and has the benefit, if you are on a passage, of being free. Maybe I could stock up with canned meats, then make the transition gradually over time.
Or go down to New Orleans this weekend for that seafood cook-off, and get the changeover in diet completed in just 2 days!
Anyway, plenty of time, I have to get the boat first!

Louisiana, and of course in particular, New Orleans, has a well-earned reputation world wide for its spicy cooking, Cajun Style, but it is also, as many of us know, a major center for seafood. This coming weekend is the time to jump on a plane, train, or automobile, and get down there, as there is a Cook off being held, featuring top chefs from many other states. Just make your way to the Morial Convention Center for the 2 day event. Tim Thomas, of Georgia was last years winner.
Day one this year will feature 14 chefs, as well as demonstrations from guest chefs. Day 2 will have some added challenges as the chefs work with some surprise ingredients. I have no doubt in my mind that my Missus would love this one - good company, the hospitality of the South, coupled with food that will no doubt be to her taste, although much of it might be a tad too well seasoned for my own dull English-trained palate!
My own taste in seafood might be a bit boring to some people, but at the same time, yummy. I have this tendency to forget how great seafood can be, but am always delighted when I order fish and chips, for instance. Don't laugh - it is a great tasting seafood meal. So, my own choice might well be lobster, with lots of lemon juice available to go with it.
Healthy, too - no need for greasy batter or other additions, the shell is the part that ensures that the inside is protected, which adds to the positiveness of domestic seafood sustainability. Fairly conventional, but the great thing about eating out at such functions with the Missus is that she enjoys the more spicy stuff, while I can munch away at what is simply plain good-tasting seafood. Great thing is, the source is known, it is local and fresh.

It is interesting to see the latest set of TV adverts for GM. 
They give the impression that they have new technology, but they actually show nothing.

If you listen to the commentary it states that they 'will have' or something similar, all the good stuff they are mentioning, but the only actual thing that they admit to having is fuel efficient cars.

 You must have heard of those, you know, the things that burn fossil fuels, and that the industry has been making for many years now.

They do have small cars.
They do have gasoline engines in them.

All they have to do is omit fitting the gas tank and similar stuff, and add an electric motor where the gas one sits, and maybe if possible omit the transmission, and add a few batteries, and they would have what India has had for years now, namely, and electric car.

Not a GOOD electric car with massive range, and dragster-like acceleration, but still an acceptable electric car.
A starting point.
Heck, I know little about building cars, but I bet that with my backyard mechanic knowledge, and a budget of say, $50,000 I could have one ready to sell in under 6 months. The hard work is already done, stamping out the body parts etc.

Anyway, I have to rush - got to drive 6 miles into the town to do some banking. Oh, and 6 miles back.
Shouldn't cost me too much in gas, maybe 5 bucks.

Now, if I had an electric car, I could do it in one charge, probably less than a buck.

That would be an interesting thing - measure the cost to North America in money spent and carbon emitted just because GM and the others have no vision or creativity.

It is obvious that the next step in transportation is some alternative to oil-based fuel. There is the problem or range, which is not an issue for a lot of drivers, and especially if they have access to a recharge when at their destination.
Hydrogen has the storage and safety issues, no-one it seems, wants to drive a potential Hindenburg.
So the current trend is the hybrid vehicle.
I see this as a way to perpetuate the expense of manufacture and maintenance of the gasoline powered vehicle, while appearing to be moving forward.

The fact is plain - it would be possible to see large quantities of electric vehicles if the following criteria were met:
They have to look good, not like a golf cart.
There have to be changes in laws in order to allow them, due to potentially somewhat slower speeds.

And that is it! Not a big list, is it?

The snag that I can see is the pressure from not only the auto manufacturers, but the repair businesses.
For years, we have been ripped off, soaked, call it what you will by those running these lucrative businesses, where a vehicle can be put in for a brake lining change, and end up having about an extra one thousand dollars worth of work done.
The amazing thing about this rip off is that those who know nothing about mechanical things have been conditioned to it - they expect the bill to be 3 times the quote, no surprise at all.

Electric cars don't have the same potential.
An electric motor has one main rotating part, and maybe a couple of carbon parts that would need replacing from time to time. And the wear can be estimated in hours of use, rather than miles.

So, the changeover is going to mean tough times. But waiting won't help that.

If there is one thing I cannot understand it is this North American thing where guys are supposed to do barbecue cooking. I mean, I like my life to be as uncomplicated as possible, and that means that I don't do stuff, if others can!
The regular old barbecues are ridiculous, the price compared to lifespan of them is crazy. Like a snowblower - you can pay for a guy to snowplow a whole bunch of times for the price of a snowblower, and there is no going out in the cold - you let the plow guy do that for you. Maybe that is why I am overweight!
Anyway, I was delighted to see that there are such things as Outdoor Electric Grills. None of that running out of gas garbage going on with these little babies! It kind of makes a good compromise. I guess sometimes I have to do the barbecue thing, so it might as well be upon my own terms, which include making life as easy and stress free as possible. And that is for me, out here in the boonies. Now, if I was in a city apartment now that they have a lot of those Fire Marshall's restrictions on fires, it would be almost essential to go the electric route.

After doing my last blog entry, I looked up for more information on the car I was blogging about.
Reva Indian Electric Car
Turns out it has been in production for 7 years, and goes along for about ONE US CENT PER KM!
That is about 1.6 cents per mile.
Taking an Imperial gallon here in Canada to currently be around $1.40 a litre times 4.55 = $6.37 a gallon,
then the cost of a gallon would take you about 400 miles.
Can that be right? Is my math correct?
Now, another thing has arisen from this.
In Europe, there is a vehicle category called 4 Quadricycles. But not in America.

And now we know why the US is dragging the world down.
Because the governmental system is set up to favour the corporations, rather than the people, this type of thing would never be allowed.
They would find all kinds of whining reasons about safety, or low speed blocking other vehicles, etc etc. Get with it, America.
Well, guess what, AMERICA? (That includes you too, Canada!)
Those faster vehicles will soon be parked.
The owners will have no jobs.
And all because of failure to adapt to new situations where the false systems created years ago will no longer be sustainable.

And the corporate gurus and stock market honchos will no longer be strutting around in their Docker pants,(except on Fridays) and doing Powerpoint presentations about how wonderful they all are! Because they will be broke too. The whole world will be, so there is nowhere to hide!

I read somewhere, or saw it on TV that India has an electric car in production.
Amazing - this nation is far underestimated in the west. The fact is plain that many people here in Canada or in the US and Europe could make good use of a car that is simply plugged in, and when charged will go enough miles to get the groceries.
It would be interesting to have a survey done of how many miles some people drive - I used to always live a long way from work, but I am now retired, so I go about a 25 kilometer round trip about twice a week. That is about 6 to 8 miles there, and the same back.
And what do I drive? Either a Jeep Grand Cherokee or a Hyundai Elantra.
And yet I could get away with a small electric car, and assuming it would last for, say ten years, probably save money - let's face it, in 10 years, gas will probably be about ten bucks a gallon!

Funny how no company has tried this marketing in North America due to waiting instead to try to copy the unsustainable gas powered vehicles that we know so well. Such a vehicle would be useful, and it could always carry a small gas powered generator in case it ended up out of range of home.

And, here is why!
If such a vehicle was marketed here, due to the simplicity of it, it might retail at about 5 grand.
Right now, the car makers base their profits on a percentage of the cost of manufacture, called the 'markup'.
If they sell cheaper cars, and keep the markup percentage the same, they lose profits.
So, they seem to be waiting until they can justify an expensive replacement for the gas powered car!
Isn't the system wonderful?

When I lived in England, I suffered a lot from hayfever, which is basically a reaction to pollen in the air. Every summer, I would hope that it would be rainy, so that the pollen is kept down out of the air.
A lot of us suffer from such allergies, and sometimes we don't even realize that it is happening, we just sneeze a couple of times and accept it.
At least now these days we have the means for cleaning dirt out of the air, whether by filters, or by electrostatic attraction that traps particles. Life is better now!

You have to admire Fidel Castro.
I know that there are actions of his that are dictatorial, but maybe that is the kind of government we all need.
Only by being securely in power for the foreseeable future can long term plans be made.
Right now, any system that appears to be sustainable without masses of involvement from outside the country looks like a good bet for survival as the US economy, in failing, brings down the global economy with it.
Another point is that Cuba is small enough to be managed well.
As soon as you create bureaucracy, then you perpetuate stupidity.
Take for instance the news going around today about US food safety. The matter is discussed, and certain assumptions are made, namely, the big one in this case being inspectors. The discussion centres around whether there are enough inspectors, and makes the assumption that the position of inspector automatically causes proper inspection, whereas the proven reality for me is that the inspectors will take the civil servant route of protecting their territory as a priority over food safety.
Check out my blog from around the start of the year:
http://bloggerjohn2.bravejournal.com/entry/26157

But back to the subject. Cuba has a record of implementing education for every child. They have also managed to survive trade restrictions by the US that have been in place for years.
They have become largely self-sufficient, and will no doubt be in a good position to weather the storm of the US induced depression of which we are currently in the commencement phase.

It would be ironic if those in the US who have acted like spoiled brats all these years are ultimately forced to use methods pioneered by the victim of their over-sized schoolyard bullying!

Speaking of mobile phones, Three Mobile Phones is a UK company that has what they call 3 Mobile deals at their website, which is at mobilephonestore.net. They have some great handset offers as well as tariffs. The website is easy to navigate around, and has mobiles from many different makers as well as other stuff that is worth looking at if you are a UK mobile user who wants to do some saving.