A question I get asked all the time these days is – How can I lose as much weight as you have in such a short space of time?! In this post I hope to answer that, let you in on some secrets I’ve found out and prove to you that you really can have your cake and eat it.

I had been introduced to a new diet my friend Danny Ball had been doing, after seeing how dramatic the results he was getting were (losing over 2 stone in 2 months) I decided to try it out and see if It worked on me, operation rapid fat loss began! After the first month I lost 3.9% body fat, 17Lb and a total of 8 inches.

I guess operation rapid fat loss was a success.

If there would be one lesson I could share it would be that so many people who want to lose weight do it the hard way, they think you need to work your butt off, have amazing self control, patience and self discipline. I’m proof that you don’t need that, the way I did it wasn’t punishing, it wasn’t hard, tiny changes were all it took. Tiny changes that make a massive difference.

I hope you enjoy my story and I hope it inspires you.

To the new thinner you.

Ryan

A little while ago in June 2011 one morning after a martial arts session my friend Danny started talking to me about a principle called the minimum effective dose and explained how he is going to start a new diet to move from 203Lb to 175lb. Although Danny trained at the gym regularly and trained martial arts, he had been overweight for a number of years and constantly complained about not being happy with his body. I still find it really cool how a small change in diet can lead to such a massive difference in weight loss and fat loss. The Joys of working smarter not harder!

After 4 months on the diet he lost over 49Lb, 12% body fat and a total of 31 total inches. (waist, hips, thighs, chest, biceps)

The thing that shocked me the most about Danny wasn’t just the amount of weight he lost or the time frame he lost it in. When I asked him how he did it I thought it must have been a mixture of eating one stick of celery a day, 23 hours in the gym, taking fat loss pills and maybe training under a waterfall in the mountains with Shaolin monks. The thing that shocked me the most was how he did it by following 4 easy rules. I count them as 4 even though he explained them as 5 because one of the rules is you have to stuff your face with junk once a week on your cheat day! Don’t worry, on diet days you will be able to eat as much as you want too. Once again… The joy of working smarter not harder. Now I know there’s a lot of knowledge about popular diet rules:

Eat more Veg

Eat less fat

Exercise more to burn off the calories etc.

But these popular diets DON’T give people the results they want in the time frame they want them. I’m not saying that the popular diets don’t work, I’m saying that to be successful, to be outstanding, don’t do what the masses do. Were going to approach this from a different angle. An angle that wont make people say “looks like you’ve lost a bit of weight” but more like “what the $%^@ have you been doing!?” I never heard of a diet that had results as drastic as that so I made it my mission to find out what Danny knew that I didn’t. Here’s what I discovered..

The Minimum Effective Dose

This is what everything we will be discussing is based around and is described as the smallest dose that will give you the biggest results. For example: To boil water the minimum effective dose is 100 degrees Centigrade, boiling it more wont make the water more boiled, it will just be wasteful. In the context of weight loss the minimum effective dose to keep in mind is to remove stored fat by doing the least amount possible to trigger a fat loss cascade of specific hormones. Remember that the minimum effective dose gives you the most dramatic results in the fastest time possible.

5 Rules

Following 5 simple rules is all it took for me to lose over 17Lb in 30 days even though I put on a total of 17 Lb with having a cheat day once per week.

1. Don’t Eat White Carbs – This includes bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, chips, cereals etc. Anything white with carbs avoid like the plague. Don’t eat the food just described unless you want to get fatter.

2. Don’t Drink Calories – The only drink I have is water, I aim for 2 – 3 litres a day. Sometimes ill have a can of diet coke as it is only 330ml, anything over 450ml of diet coke stimulates weight gain due to the aspartame level. No milk, fruit juice, beer, soft drinks or fizzy drinks allowed. I don’t drink wine but you are allowed up to 2 glasses of red wine a night but no more unless its a cheat day.

3. Don’t Eat Fruit – The quick reason why is because sugar and fructose = fat storage. Exceptions are tomatoes, have as much tomatoes as you like. And avocados if eaten in moderation.

4. Include 3 Food Groups With Each Meal – There are 3 food groups you have to eat with each meal. Protein, Legumes and Vegetables. Its important to eat legumes for caloric load as you wont be getting calories from carbs.

5. Have A Cheat Day Once A Week

This is for 2 reasons:

1. To keep your metabolic rate from slowing due to extended caloric restriction.

2. To help make the diet is sustainable. Remember you can have your cake and eat it. Just get the timing right.

That’s all the bare basics of how I lost 17Lb in 30 days and continue to lose body fat every day.

To your fat loss success

Ryan Phillips

PS If I can achieve this in 30 days and keep it sustainable then you can do the same. If not better!

God is Love (1 John 4:8)

Some people tend to believe that their sins will be overlooked because “They’re not that bad”; “There are a lot worse people than me”; Or, “I’m basically a good person”; “Hey, I never killed anybody”; or “I didn’t hurt anybody but myself”…

Imagine this scenario: You have been arrested for a relatively minor offense – say shoplifting. The judge gives you jail time. As you are handcuffed and hauled away to jail, would any of those arguments work? You would not even dream of it, would you?

Sin breaks God’s Heart

Now, imagine the saddest situation you can think of. How about a mother clutching her dying baby to her chest with no way to help. Remember, God is Love – not that he has Love – Love is His very nature. God has been watching things like this happen for thousands of years. If we, being mere humans are grief stricken, imagine how a scene like that breaks His poor old heart.

God’s Wrath

How can God feel anger if He is love? Imagine another scenario. You are walking down the street and you see a poor old lady being robbed… Would it not make you furious? You are furious because even though you may not know the lady, you have a certain measure of love in your heart. God’s wrath is clearly justified.

“Victimless crimes”, or “I never hurt anybody but myself”

All sin has consequences. How about alcohol and drug abuse? According to the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, the alcoholic is like a tornado roaring through the lives of others. Even people who drink alone affect people other than themselves: Their employer, family and so on… Pornography, for another example. Looking at porn has consequences for you, and the person who posed for it. And whether or not you believe it him, it twists your mind and opens the door for Satan. Here is an excerpt of a study on pornography’s effect on the mind.

Internet pornography is the new crack cocaine, leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction, according to clinicians and researchers testifying before a Senate committee Thursday.

Witnesses before the Senate Commerce Committee’s Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee spared no superlative in their description of the negative effects of pornography.

Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cognitive Therapy, called porn the “most concerning thing to psychological health that I know of existing today.”…

Pornography addicts have a more difficult time recovering from their addiction than cocaine addicts, since coke users can get the drug out of their system, but pornographic images stay in the brain forever, Layden said…

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/11/65772

What about Grace?

God’s grace is not a license to sin. God wants to help release you from sin through grace. If you have given your life over to God, your whole perception on sin will change over time. I used to enjoy and actively pursue sinful pleasures. And at some point, if you are honest with yourself, you will find that you did, too. Or if you have not been baptized, you still do. But if you turn your life over to God, his Holy Spirit will “quicken” your spirit to life. Your whole perception will change. Now you will regret your sins and try to get rid of them. You may never completely get rid of them, but you will want to. You are not suddenly better than anybody else, and with cooperation from God, you will not become hypocritical and look down upon people who are still lost in sin – you will feel sorry for them and try to help.

Don’t you know that someday we Christians are going to judge the world?… Don’t you realize that we Christians will judge angels?… (1 Corinthians 6:2a,3a NLT)

On Judgement day, which side of the bench do you want to be on?

Did you know that you can evoke memories from all of your senses? Some studies have decreed that being right-brained or left-brained defines your personality. Other studies show that we use both hemispheres to solve problems.

According to Dr. Judi Hollis, Family Therapist and Psychologist, “Our creative and emotional right brains are much more influential. I always recommend less intellectual discourse, and instead more action and emotional exploration.”

Regardless of what side of the hemisphere your memories come from, just know that they are there and waiting for you.

I have the perfect plan for retrieving memories. Close your eyes and call on your five senses for memories. I guarantee, they’ll come! I’ve used this method in my workshops, and once my students have tuned in they can’t stop their pens from going wild. A treasure-trove of memories is just waiting to pour forth, and it’s hard to know where to stop.

This, then, is the easiest way to write a memoir of a certain time in your life, or an autobiography that you can leave for your children. You are giving them a gift. When you ask the question: How did my parents and their parents deal with life. What made them the people they turned out to be? What made me the person I am?

Try these exercises next time you sit down to recall memoirs.

HEARING: Enlist your ears to pick up sounds that might remind you of years gone by: favorite songs, expressions, poems. The haunting whistle of a train in the distance. Did you ever take a trip on the train? To where? What was the occasion?

Think about listening to the radio as a kid. What programs were favorites in your family? Do you remember lying on the rug with your siblings listening to those radio shows? Was there a favorite baseball team you rooted for as you sat staring at the radio, listening to the announcer yell the exciting play-by-play action? Were your parents there? Did you have a sense of family?

SIGHT: Look for items tucked away in drawers or old boxes; things that you might have put away years ago. These treasures will spark memories. Tickets to theaters, plays, ball games. Napkins or a book of matches from some long-forgotten first date. Who was she/he? Old photograph albums. Scan them for people you know, haven’t seen in years. Did they impact your life? What were they like? Where was the picture taken? Old photo albums are a link to your past.

TOUCH: Find old clothes in the back of closets; boxed clothes stacked in the garage that you just couldn’t part with. An old coat that belonged to your mother, father, or a child long moved away. A Mohair sweater that years ago you relegated to a bottom drawer. Touch them with your eyes closed. Feel the memoirs.

TASTE: The hamburger joint you found that reminds you of the “the old days.” The cherry coke you used to sip after school at the corner malt shop that has now made a comeback in the 50s-style diners. Think of who you were with, your favorite outfit, hairdo, friends. What were the favorite songs you played on the juke box while in the malt shop?

SCENT: This is one sense we could not do without. This is a tried and true source for bringing back memories. Animals live by it, humans take it for granted. Yet, without smell, food would have no taste. Imagine a world without the taste of food! What if there was a fire? You would have no warning without smell.

Now, sit down at your computer or pick up your lined, yellow note pad. Close your eyes and breathe in slowly through your nose. Now think back to your youth. Think about the wet grass early in the morning that you loved to run through with bare feet. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Think about how the dirt smelled after a good, hard rain. Breathe in again. Think about how bad your dog smelled after being caught in a good, hard rain. Don’t breathe in!

One thing about the sense of smell is that most people can attach some sort of memory to it. You hear it often: “Oh, what is that smell. It reminds me of when I was ….” Some of us can remember the sweet smell of our father’s pipe tobacco. The smell of our mother when she worked in the kitchen; fried Chicken, oven roasted ham, smells that clung to her as she went about her tasks. Smells when she dressed up to go out on the town with Dad; the cologne that enveloped her as she bent to kiss us goodnight. Comforting smells.

Then take those memories, one by one, and expound on them to enhance your writing memories. Try to associate those memories with another memory. One sentence on the page can go on for ten more pages as you recall smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing, all associated with times in your life. All these memories can be triggered by most of the senses, but brought back easier by the sense of smell.

Try to remember what was happening in the world at the time you’re writing about. What year was it? Open Wikipedia.org on your browser and type in a year. Amazing what you can find if you try. Start with that year on your document. As you write, other memories from that time will bounce off of those memories. More associations. Write down the month, or the season. If those memories take you to another year, start another page for that year.

As you do this, don’t be tempted to edit. Just let your fingers fly and your memories flow. Inhale the smells. Write whatever comes to your mind while you’re in that long-ago room with your family. Don’t stop until you run out of thoughts.

When you return to your story, whether it’s a day later or a week later, go back to those memories and inhale. More will come. As the years progress on your document, you’ll remember more: Your classroom; the smell of chalk, the smell of sweaty kids after recess. You’ll remember kids you played with; the bullies, the buddies. Write it down. All these memories are what made you who you are. They must be included for you to know what shaped you into the person you are. Your children need to know this.

Immerse yourself into the smell: Your college dorm, stale beer, dirty socks and cigarettes. Or dances, dates with great looking guys and corsages that smelled of lavender and gardenias. Memories will flood one after the other. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to bring up memories from your sense of smell.

Try it and let me know how it worked!

My wife and I loved this island and agreed that the Radisson Aruba was a terrific place to stay. The staff was very friendly and the grounds are beautiful! The room was a little smaller than I expected but it was very clean and comfortable and nicely decorated. The Island itself is very expensive, and although Aruba has its own currency, everything is charged in American dollars in and outside the hotel. Don’t bother with hotel transfers, as cabs a readily available outside the airport for cheaper then the hotel shuttle service. If you want to lounge on the beach under a palapa you either have to get one before 7am or after 4 pm, but the beach staff will help you find a comfortable spot if you desire a shaded area and have missed out on the palapa. (Sunsets are gorgeous!)We walked the beach and found that the Radisson had the best thing going!

Everything was great at Radisson Aruba, especially the service. The two pools were very nice and the beach was simply beautiful. The food was excellent at the Gilligan’s however at the more expensive restaurant, “Sunset Grille”; the food was just above average, although the service was great. Food is generally very expensive, especially at the hotels. The hotel room was very nice, however the bathroom was a bit small and the shower and tub was too small. The ceiling in the bathroom shower/tub was too low. Generally, we had a very good experience at this hotel.

Although the hotel restaurants are great, they are pricey. If you desire to save money, especially on breakfast or lunch, there are a strip of restaurants across the street (walking distance). Try SALT and Peppers!!! Great inexpensive place with a very friendly staff and good food! We waited until our 3rd day and wished we had discovered this place right away!

Make sure you go downtown to the store and purchase drinks to put into a refrigerator that you can request from the front desk. Drinks can be expensive, 1 can of Coke is $1 and fountain drinks are $3. Also fountain drinks are not free refills in any restaurant. Another tip take the local bus into town it is only $2 round trip and comes every hour.

Rent a car to see the island. Worth the money if you make reservation over internet before trip. Amigo had best prices. Don’t go all inclusive if you like variety of foods, but expect to pay average of $40/person per meal. Arubians speak 4 languages (expect friendly treatment); if they speak 2 they are foreigners working on the island (we found their treatment less than nice). Don’t miss The Flying Fishbone restaurant if you value dining experience but don’t mind prices (snapper was awesome!).

More Aruba resort reviews and traveler’s tips here: all inclusive Aruba resorts reviews by travelers

I was asked today by a group of students; What do you feel is the best way to build brand name and why? And what significance do you feel are relevant to a strong corporate identity?

Well obviously this is a group of marketing students. And it almost sounded as if I was being tested on an essay question. My answer will differ from those you maybe use to hearing. That is fine, but I am right. They may also be right and it may not be a black and white issue in all markets, sectors or areas. Here is some of what I know in relation to building brand name.

I would like to say a few words on this subject, which I feel of important. For instance the universal sign for a barbershop, the candy cane striped pole, for happiness the Belgium born happy face. But let us look deeper. In the grocery store on the Soda pop isle, look at it from the distance let us say the end of the row. Let us say you want a citrus soda? We all know that drinks that taste like citrus have green color bottles, Yet the appropriate color would be yellow or even orange, if you were to think of it. Some use these combos. Orange is for Orange soda, Yellow with green would be lemon type soda. Green for Mountian Dew and all the copy type generic sodas. Red obviously for cola. But why? Red is the color of blood not soda, and green is not necessarily the color of Mountain dew, that would really be crystal clear. Yet green tint and die coloring is added for effect, why to create brand identity. Has nothing to do with anything else. 7-up is clear yet the bottles were green. Then Mountain Dew came along and simply used this color theme. They used the other brand to build their identity.

Pizza Hut buildings are all the same, so are IHOPS and McDonalds restaurants. Even if they were to close a store you can always tell what use to be a Hubble House, Wendy’s, Der Wienersnietzel, or Blockbuster store. Why? Brand identity. But colors and brand are also important. Think about the bear companies they almost have to have the cans gold or silver or at least some showing. Coors, Miller, Bud, but also Mickey’s (yuk), Red Dog, Sapporo, but why those. Why not, why recreate the customer’s perception. The customer wants everything in their perspective, they want order, but why? It is a chaotic world and some postulate that chaos is the only given in the random order of the universe, and that the only thing constant is change, yet the consumer buys what they are familiar with? This that go against this familiarity concept, must spend money to change customer perception. A risky ordeal and if they succeed? No problem, some one will copy that theme and cash in on the progress made and the marketing dollars spent.

Why do I as a Car Washer submit these facts to a bunch of hungry knowledge seeking students? It is our job at WashGuys (my company) to create brand identity, We have, we are, we will. What do you pay for when you buy a franchise? You pay for brand identity and future growth in customer recognition of that brand. Sometimes with a small franchisor, (using the franchising industry due to the many examples and my familiarity on the subject), that can be risky and it is one topic that is often discussed in academia, yet few really understand it as well as franchisor.

It is a current trend of corporate identity people to create an image that brings with it thoughts of the conditions needed to affect a customers desire to buy. So a logo created need to instill reliability and honesty and strength in a Phone company or a bank. In a tech company; state of the art, innovation and vision. In a sports shoe company; winning, comfort, effortless versatility and power. There maybe other reasons but let us look at the logos for AT&T, Nike, Addias, Silicon Graphics, Apple Computer, etc. Think of all the symbols you know like Coca Cola, Levis, California Cheese, Starbucks, Kinkos, Frito Lays, etc. What do these brand names need to retain customer base and extend market mix. If they are too limiting they lose and if they are too diverse they do not hit their intended audience. Band names; some many of them remember and they for the most part achieve their objectives.

Frito Lays logo tends to promote longevity in the market place, your grandparents ethics, reliability. Coca Cola Classic says it all, An American Tradition, precisely what the company wants it to say. This is one reason the New Coke failed, people drink coke because it is a tradition and it is a coke sometimes even if it is a Pepsi or RC Cola. Often our customers call the people who wash their cars “The Car Wash Guys”, yet it likely may be Jose’s Mobile Wash in Albuquerque, Schmit’s Detailing in Couer D Alene ID, Winslow’s Washing Service in Boston, Chang’s Car Wash in South City San Francisco area, Fidel’s Fine Finishes in Miami, Jacques Car Care in Quebec, Bernies Beverly Hills Detailing, or even Paquito’s Truck Wash in El Paso. Hey stop laughing, they do not have brand name we do. We win again. The more cars and trucks they wash and detail the more famous we get, because we own the most recognitzed name and the name which has become figures of speech. Gotta love brand name recognition. Lord knows I do and you know what? That is right you can say whatever you want, but we are winning that brand war. Even the FTC attempted to increase our brand name by having us interviewed by Forbes, Business Week, WSJ, USA Today, Business Journals all over the country, when competitors could not beat us in the market place and complained to the government. Every time your brand is written about, spoken about, promoted, publicized, advertised, you win. We certainly know what we are doing. Yet the rest of the industry lacks any brand identity at all, as a matter of fact the attempts are even poorly engineered from a academic standpoint. Simonize Car Wash, uses an old brand name not popular with most of its clientele, Mace changed its name and was unable to capitalize significantly on its efforts. WOW-Wash-on-wheels did not do it. Spaklewash? No, Ziebart? Not really, what is Ziebart? A Zebra on the wall in a painting? Imagine the cost of promoting nothingness into a brand name?

Imagine being a franchisee of a system and being forced to use a name that is nothing. I think that Yahoo, had a better chance. Yahoo is a yell of euphoria. Like in the beginning, Yahoo, I am cruising the Internet. So how did the Car Wash Guys come to be? Well this is interesting. One day washing cars in Westlake Ca, I went to an office as I had gone into every week for a year. The lady at the front desk said. The car wash guys are here. Our name was at the time Aero-Auto Wash. Signifying that we washed cars and aircraft. That was our two specialty niches back then, yet we washed other things, we were known for these. What she was meaning to say to the rest of the 500-employee office on the intercom that day was that the guys who wash cars, me and three workers were there again at the prescribed time. Each week same announcement. Eventually people would say Hey it is the car wash guy. And Hey I said “why fight it?” It was a few months later that I had heard the same announcement several times at other offices some small, some large, some over the Public Address System and some just yelled it over the counter to the small staff of my potential or weekly wash customers. Even more interesting was that eventually the checks made out to my company said things like Wash Guy, The Car Wash Guys, Wash man. So that is when I decided that before someone looked at the name the check was made out to at the bank, I better get that DBA. I did, but before that I had to hide those checks that were not made out to Aero Auto Wash in the middle of the stack so the teller would not see them. Eventually the checks started to say all different things.

One said the Car Wash Gays, which we were not. Car Wash, all kinds of stuff. So we said hey the most common thing people say is; “The Car Wash Guys are here.” So we started to put that saying on the trucks and then we officially changed the name to the customer’s perception of who we were. We are the Car Wash Guys or Car Wash Gals and we own both Federal Trademarks. They are undisputed and we do enforce our brand rights. Sometime later another company was formed called the Good Guys, electronic retailer. Then people occasionally made the mistake and made the check out to the Good Guys. Wow, I knew we had won the brand name war in that area. The Good Guys, sub consciously that is what people thought of our clean-cut crews and uniformed service. We had made it. They thought of our fundraising efforts as Good, our team as Good Guys and we washed cars. That is miraculous. We know take what we have learned to any market and immediately establish brand identity. And we are growing in size and numbers. We always win the brand war. Perhaps it is because no one else has as many units in as many states as us or that the cost to create that recognition is the reason. Perhaps no one in this industry knows what we know about the customer or that they do not care.

Maybe they are just lazy, stupid, incompetent or bullheaded to think that a name like Bubbles, Sunshine, Dicks Car Wash, Car Spa, Dr. Car Wash is where it is at. The car washes, which just say “car wash” may actually have an advantage in that they have no identity at all. Yet that is easily arguable, if you looked at our rise to power in various regions in the 1990s.

Our company has been called by our critics and competition the McDonalds of The Car Wash Industry, The Wal-Mart of Car Washing, low price leader, usually in a derogatory since, yet it is by far a compliment to the Brand name we are building, it will increase its value to us and decrease their market share. The customer is calling us the good guys, the convenient choice, a better mousetrap, a time saver, a good deal, a cool business, a lifesaver. WOW, sometimes it gets heavy, when a customer tells you, Oh thank you, how can I ever repay you, you are a gods sent. Sometimes you want to say Hey Chill Out Lady, All I Did Was Wash Your Car, but that is inappropriate, so you just smile and graciously accept the large tips. Ever wonder why Starbucks puts out a tip jar? With every car you build brand name and goodwill, one car at a time, yet that critical mass theory is also real, in that once you become a household topic, the exponential exposure is intense. Who can we thank?

We can thank careful planning, strategy, customer service, community goodwill, belief in what we do and ever motion we make. It is not luck building brand name. Far from what many believe. Ben and jerry drove around the country in a damn beat up motor home delivering free ice cream to every group they could find. Luck. Yah right, tell them that. Hopefully as you go about your business this week you will begin to understand some of these observations in the Real World and perhaps you already have? Are you on a Dell, HP, IBM, Apple Computer right now? Are you wearing New Balance, Addidas or Nike Shoes? Think about it?

Why is that so hard to see from the perspective of a college student who wears name brand clothes, wears a name brand watch, eats at name brand establishments and drinks a lot of name brand beer, when they can afford it? It appears that until you live brand name from the business side you cannot fully understand it. Likewise I feel and have personally witnessed former Professors who run large companies fail to capitalize on their brands. People like Service Master’s President, straight out of what I consider a top business school and a company doing billions a year in sales, but in my humble opinion should be doing 150-200 Billion per FY. I cannot tell you how many companies make obvious mistakes with their brand name, based on advise from experts, advertising agencies and academia, which in my opinion is always looking back, and has not a clue how to change the market direction midstream and take advantage of brand name value in opportunities right before their eyes. We will not allow ourselves at The Car Wash Guys to miss opportunities within our reach when they meet the criteria needed to win against the competition in the market sector or deliver the desired results to the consumer.

I suggest you watch such trends in your company and offer suggestions or use this knowledge to make strategic decisions which will propel you company from good to great or help consumers believe you are a company that was built to last.

It’s been thirty-years, but I remember it as if it was yesterday, the year is 1986, we are at the Diamond T. Ranch, in Minnesota Zaneta is eleven years old, thereabouts. The value here resides in the premise, less important being the plot or progression of the account! It bends the laws of nature, and seemingly for me, orbits the paranormal; but it’s worth telling.

It was on summer weekends I took Zaneta places, and so as this story is about the Diamond T. Ranch, she was in fact familiar with riding horses, and we’d be bunched up with a group of people, and ride within the woods on old horse paths, and here and there the guide would allow us to gallop up a hill or two. About twelve folk to the group. Zaneta was given a larger horse than normal this day, and a more stubborn horse than expected. And as we trotted along the many paths within the woods, all was well, I and my horse were behind Zaneta and her horse, then suddenly, and abruptly, the lead horse galloped up an incline, Zaneta’s horse kicked up and bucked, sprang into a gallop, and ploughed its way forward all the other horses, so hard Zaneta flew from her saddle seat high in the air three-feet from leather as if to depart from earth’s atmosphere: the horse in a deep rage, bucking and kicking and galloping up this hill faster and harder and Zaneta several times flying from her saddle seat, it was as if an angelic being was sitting behind her, bringing her back down steadfast and safely and holding her momentary into the saddle.

I was rather terrified, and had a hard time trying to pull myself together, feeling she was about to be thrown from the horse at any moment. I was in great pain and anguish, Zaneta was as if she didn’t even notice what was happening. In such a moment, there is nothing a father can do for the child, except prayer; but I do believe the angel was ahead of me.

Well, the sun grew hotter out of the woods, Zaneta took hold of the bridles of the horse a tinge firmer, and was not diverted by the whole account at all and so I sat merrily back in my saddle at ease as we road on-untroubled by the horses, -and more by the flies, and the many birds flying to and fro, from the woods, branches hitting the faces of the horses, then cooled by the soft breeze going down the hill to the ranch house, whereupon the closer we got to the horse stalls, and corral, the horses in the caravan picked up their pace, knowing water and oats were at hand.

I approached Zaneta, after we got back to the ranch house had a coke and a bite to eat: she looked at me a little surprised of my worry, as if there was no need for it.

Note: This story was started in 2009, and forgotten out of a lack of expertise in putting it into words, now rewritten for this forth coming book, and hoping it befits the book in general. #1101/ 7-23-2015/Revised, 1-2016.

The Hudson Dusters were an unruly street gang that ruled the Greenwich Village area of New York City, starting in the late 1890’s. They were formed by the trio of Kid Yorke, Circular Jack and Goo Goo Knox, who was a former gang member of the Gophers, a group that ruled Hell’s Kitchen a few blocks to the north. Knox tried to take control of the Gophers, failed, then moved south to terrorize a different neighborhood, which was open to whichever gang could take command. The Dusters crushed local gangs like the Potashes and the Boodles, then took control of the Greenwich Village and the business of plundering the docks along the Hudson River, a few blocks to the west.

The crooked streets of Greenwich Village were perfect for getaways after the Dusters committed one of their varied crimes. Their most accomplished thief was Ding Dong, who would roam the streets with a dozen or so youths. He would direct them to jump on passing wagons and toss to him any valuables they could get their hands on. Before the police could respond, Ding Dong was long gone, having disappeared down the maze of streets that comprise the Village.

The Gophers became street legends, but they were not particularly known for their fighting prowess, as were other brutal New York City gangs. They hung out in the taverns and gin mills of the Village, mingling with the famous writers and artists of their time. The journalists also favored the Dusters, and they were portrayed in the newspapers as nothing more than a fun-loving bunch, who drank more than they fought. One of the Duster’s party pals was playwright Eugene O’Neil, who frequented the gang’s hangout – the Hell Hole, on Sixth Avenue and Fourth Street. It was there that O’Neil garnered most of his characters for his most famous play – The Iceman Cometh – the Iceman being Death.

At their inception, the Dusters moved their base of operations frequently, finally settling on a house on Hudson Street, just below Horatio, later the site of the Open Door Mission. More interested in partying than pillaging, the Dusters installed a piano and they danced the nights away, in a cocaine induced stupor, with the prostitutes who prowled the West Side piers a few short blocks away. This annoyed the neighboring homeowners and business owners to no end, but all were afraid to make a complaint to the police, because the Dusters had the reputation of seeking revenge in a hot moment on anyone who would rat. After a night of carousing, the Dusters were known to parade in the streets, boozed out and hopped-up on coke, looking to cause mayhem on anyone, or anything in their path.

One night, the Dusters asked a local saloon keeper to provide them with a few kegs of beer for a party, on the arm, of course, meaning they did not expect to actually pay the man money for his stock. The saloon keeper refused and the Dusters descended up his establishment, wrecking the joint and carrying away every ounce of booze on the premises. The saloon keeper ran to his friend Patrolman Dennis Sullivan. Patrolman Sullivan decided to declare war on the Dusters. He rounded up ten of them, including their leader Red Farrell, and arrested them for vagrancy.

The Dusters decided to retaliate, and with the blessing of a Greenwich Village politician, who used the Dusters for intimidation on Election Day, they ambushed Patrolmen Sullivan as he was about to arrest one of the Dusters on a robbery charge. They attacked him from behind and stole his jacket, gun and shield, while beating him with stones and blackjacks. As many as twenty Dusters took turns kicking and punching the distressed policeman after he was down. When Patrolman Sullivan was finally unconscious, four Dusters rolled him onto his back and ground their heels into his face, causing permanent scars. Patrolman Sullivan was finally taken to the hospital, where he stayed, recuperating for over a month.

The Gophers Street Gang congratulated the Dusters on their cop-beating accomplishment, and Gopher leader, “One Lung” Curran, felt moved enough to write a poem, praising their actions. The poem read:

Says Dinny “Here’s me only chance

To gain meself a name;

I’ll clean up the Hudson Dusters,

and reach the hall of fame.”

He lost his stick and cannon,

and his shield they took away.

It was then he remembered,

Every dog had his day.

The Dusters loved this poem so much, they printed up hundreds of copies and distributed them on the streets of Greenwich Village, even dropping one off at the Charles Street Station House, where Patrolman Sullivan was assigned.

By 1916, The Dusters had dissipated, as most of their gang members were either coke addicts, dead, or locked up in jail. Another Greenwich Village gang, the Marginals, led by Tanner Smith, took over the Duster’s rackets, and they controlled the Village until Tanner was killed by Chicky Lewis, inside the Marginal Club on Eighth Avenue, on July 29, 1919. For all practical purposes, that was the end of street gang presence on the Lower West Side.

Some suggestions of where to go and what to do during a short ‘city break’ in Athens.

 Part 3 – More eating out, yet another bar, and Kolonaki.

Continuing the saga of a four day ‘city break’ in Athens finds us in need of a little rest and as many of the gay bars/clubs are closed on Monday we can do this without feeling guilty!

After the customary early evening sleep I head off to Goody’s in the middle of the city. Goody’s is the Greeks answer to MacDonalds, the system of ordering at one desk and walking to another to collect your food is confusing, none of the staff speak English but you can always point can’t you? The food is good though and there is enough of it but it is not cheap. But if you want a good burger then you have to pay for it.

Monday is a much quieter night around Monastiraki and Psirri, I find the bar called Inoteka in the Platia Avisinias that houses the flea market. This bar is listed as ‘gay friendly’ but I cannot tell for sure as I am the only person in there. I can say that is interestingly decorated and warm and cosy, maybe if someone else goes there they can let me know. I can imagine spending the evening there though.

Moving on I find a seat in a bar restaurant in Miaouli Street near Platia Iroon, called Rebekka. Normally you cannot get into these places as they are packed but it is Monday. As I sit with a large bottle of beer (EUR3) and start to write up my notes there is the brightest flash of lightning I have ever seen, followed by a magnificent roll of thunder and torrential rain and hail stones for the next twenty minutes. Never mind it is warm and dry under this canvas awning.

Tomorrow is my last full day and I want to make the most of it, so I take an early night.

Tuesday comes and another bright sunny day, apart from the odd shower of rain I have had pleasant weather but I do need a coat and a sweater especially at night.

My plan is to visit Kerameikos, which is on Ermou Street near Thissio station. This area used to be very run down but is now a pleasant pedestrian area, but beware of scooters. The archaeological site is actually old graveyards where the good and the great of ancient Athens were buried. I expected it would only take me thirty minutes to go round the site, by the time I had been round the museum I had stayed three hours!

Grabbing a spinach pie on the way through Monastiraki, I head up Ermou towards Parliament House. The streets are packed with shoppers as the January sales started today. Reaching Syntagma Square I look in the post office to see if it is still as busy and chaotic as ever. It is. (There are other post offices less busy near Omonia Square and opposite the National Bank in the square off Athinas Street).

Pausing to take a picture of one of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier I carry on to Kolonaki, which is the most expensive area of Athens and is home to many of the foreign Embassies and Government Buildings. Here you will find all the well-known designer shops and most have sales on. There is also the usual number of street cafes where the rich, famous, beautiful and not so beautiful of Athens come to play.

It is the place to take a coffee and so I do. In my chosen cafe the menu is new and wonderfully produced on heavy glossy paper. The price of a cup of coffee is so close to EUR5 that it is not worth taking your change, and if you also have something to eat then the prices are cleverly worked out to be enough over EUR9 that it is not worth taking the change from a EUR10 note! My coffee is called something like a ‘espressocaccia’ and I choose it because it has more ingredients than anything else! When I leave I take the menu with me but leave it behind in my hotel.

Tonight is my last night and I am staying in the city at Hotel Euripides to reduce the travelling time to the airport the following day. I am intending to get another early night, without alcohol, as I don’t travel as well as I used to.

I am warned by the owner that they have the workman in doing some refurbishment but I don’t mind as I want to be up quite early.

For food I head to Monastiraki and the street by the railway line where a burly Greek ‘komaki’ has tried to get me in three times already, (sorry folks I lost the card and do not know the name!). Having ordered and got as far as the Greek salad I realize I have left my money in the hotel and take a fast walk back to get it. The Greek salad is big enough for three, there is half a loaf of bread, and when they arrive the meatballs are enormous with rice on the side. Another case of two eating as cheaply as one! I am serenaded by two Greek musicians as I am the only person in the place, I buy them a jug of raki and a bottle of beer. They ask me where I am from and laugh when I say ‘Krhth’ as I am obviously English. But of course they have relatives on Crete. I pay the bill EUR23 all up, a bargain considering I couldn’t finish all the food but did manage to drink the half litre of wine!

Strolling back to the hotel I pass Aleko’s hoping it would be open for a nightcap, it is closed so I determine to get back to the hotel for an early night.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I pass a bar that is playing Boney M which segues into Village People my interest is aroused. Well it is early still and one Metaxa and Cola will be OK. The bar is called Cosmopolis and it stand on the corner of Agatharchou and an un-named street quite close to the hotel. I enter and sit at the bar, it’s busy and the barman is in the middle of pouring a large round. For a Greek he appears to be tall and I think maybe the floor behind the bar is raised, standing up I check, but no he really is that tall, and he is an absolute dream, to watch working that is, what else did you think I could mean? He is now pouring a round of Tequila shots, I look around the bar while I wait, the barman taps me on the shoulder and pushes a shot towards me and then points to a crowd of late 20’s Greek males behind me. Obviously this is a celebration of some kind and being a person that never refuses I drink I clink glasses with them all before downing it in one.

I order my Metaxa and Coke, the barman looks slightly bemused and has to open three fridge doors before he finds the Coke, the Metaxa is enormous! I am handed the drink along with a large glass of water, strange? It is warm in here, the music and the mood of the place are infectious and one thing is for sure it is NOT a gay bar, but then I can drink anywhere.

As I sip my drink and enjoy the music I watch the barman and realize that none of the spirits, which seems to be the only thing they sell, has a mixer. Even the enormous glasses of gin go out straight! But why not? Everybody has a large glass of water which gets topped up frequently, no wonder the barman looked bemused when I asked for Coke, he couldn’t remember where it was! Of course after another drink the rot had set in and it was 3am before I got to bed, but with drinks that size and only EUR5 each who am I to complain? As ever, it is the unplanned events that are often the best!

I am woken the next day at 9am by the sound of hammering and drilling, it seems the workmen started at 7am and they are amazed that I could still manage to sleep.

Breakfast is included in the price of my room, 25 per night, and I am need of something solid. I make my way up to the 7th floor and the first thing I do is turn the thermostat up on the water boiler. (Remember I have stayed here before!). The breakfast here is a ‘Dutch’ breakfast with juice, cereal, cold meats, cheeses, croissants, dried and fresh fruit, jam and bread. A new addition is a toaster, which is very welcome as Greek bread is often very dry and toasting it makes it edible. While I am making toast, the water boiler is now up to speed and I can make a decent cup of tea, don’t even think of trying the coffee here!

 

I get back to my room, to find the builders have already removed the doors, lucky I packed my suitcase before I went out last night!

Manhandling my luggage back to Monastiraki Metro station about 600 meters away is a challenge with a thick head but I cope and am soon speeding on my way to the airport. Thirty-five minutes and EUR6 one-way fare gets me back to the airport in plenty of time for my homeward flight to Crete and as the aircraft takes off I ponder on whether I could actually live in Athens and remain sane.

William Murdoch introduced the concept of gas for domestic use in 1812, and for the next 60 to 70 years the fuel was almost exclusively for lighting. It produced a much stronger light than either candles or oil lamps, could be piped throughout the houses of the upper and emerging middle classes and stayed alight in the draughty houses of our ancestors. It actually took the introduction of another and better fuel for lighting, in the form of electricity, to drive the private gas companies and their associated manufacturers into changing direction.

Socially this coincided with the separation of heating and cooking and the creation of artisan and middle class housing that featured a kitchen as well as a ‘living room’. With cooking taking place elsewhere, the living room fire moved away from the range design to purpose built units where the heating characteristics were optimised. Coupled with this was the desire of the average middle class user for fires that required less work than their existing coal fireplaces.

It is difficult to say which company produced the first gas fire. Collector of gas ephemera, Billy Carter, believes that it could have been Willsons and Mathiesons and that an early fire dated around 1895 in his collection may, indeed, be the first commercial model. The company had started as umbrella manufacturers but in the entrepreneurial environment of the late Victorian era, good engineers tended to turn their hand to anything that was profitable. The early fires were very simple – a basic gas burner heated a cast iron carcass that radiated the heat out into the room. Typically they were free-standing and moveable with the products of combustion fed straight into the room!

As the country entered the 20th century there was literally hundreds of companies producing all sorts of gas fires together with cookers, water heaters, wash boilers and a whole raft of other products. Some names like New World and Parkray continue through to the present day. Others like Arden Hill, Eagle Range and Bratt Colbran have disappeared into larger conglomerates. As the companies proliferated the technology also improved. Designs became fireplace based, utilising the ‘Milner fireback’ that had appeared towards the end of the previous century as the efficient chimney base for artisan’s cottages. Ceramic radiants, often with elaborate designs, began to be used to project radiant heat from the front of the fires into the rooms. These design progressions bridged World War I and, by the 1920s, a well established industry was turning out over a million gas fires a year which were sold by the myriads of gas showrooms owned by the private and municipal gas companies.

The companies themselves did not stand still. A definite move towards acquisition and conglomeration was visible during the 20s and 30s with its most obvious effect being the creation of the Radiation Group. With gas utilities, particularly the London based Gas Light and Coke company, wielding incredible power, companies saw advantage in amalgamating to form a larger unit with economies of scale. Initially Radiation comprised Fletcher Russell, Arden Hill, Eagle Range Company, New World, Willsons & Mathiesons, Davis Gas Stove Company, Richmond Gas Stoves & Meters and John Wright Ltd although other companies were incorporated later. Its inspiration and direction came from Ivan Yates, an entrepreneur, JF Davis who as ‘front man’ created the right image for the group and Dr Hartley who provided the technical know-how. Up to World War II, the individual companies retained their names with many designs being sold under a variety of names to different gas companies.

The inter-war period saw a host of other innovations. Jordans, part of the Radiation Group, perfected stove enamel – enamel for heating and cooking stoves -, which could be applied in a wealth of ‘modern’ colours. The move to enamel was, in part, stimulated by the growing affluence of the middle class who saw their homes as something to be ‘decorated fashionably’ as well as somewhere to live. Other developments, often regarded as ‘post war’ innovations, were first created in this era. The Metro Log Fire, a forerunner of today’s living flame fires was sold by the Gas, Light & Coke Company in 1932. The Raytonic fire of 1935 had a simple heat exchanger, often regarded as a 1950s feature. The Raytonic design was itself seen as a replacement for soapstone clad fires, which had improved Gas Fire convection output since their inception in 1932.

Wartime stopped virtually all development projects but as the UK entered Harold Macmillan’s era when we had “… never had it so good!” the gas fire continued its onslaught on the traditional coal fires which, in the mid 50s, still formed the UK’s main source of domestic heating. More amalgamations had taken place and some new ‘players’ including GlowWorm had appeared on the scene. Gas fire design had started to include heat exchangers and the ornate ‘Cinderella’ type of ceramic radiant was replaced by the box designs that still appear on many public sector targeted fire designs. Getting gas to the fireplace was of critical importance – many of the newly nationalised gas boards had schemes for providing gas poker points close to the fire for as little as ’30s’ (£1.50) and these were utilised by salesmen to increase the growing sales of gas fires.

In the 1950s, Flavel, based in Leamington Spa, introduced a product still available today – the box radiant gas fire with a metal case or clad in wood. The Flavel Debonair revolutionised gas fire sales and, while peoples’ tastes now prefer glowing coals (or even logs, driftwood, pebbles or geometric shapes), the faithful old box radiant fire survives on in over 2 million houses nationwide. Now highly realistic ‘living flame’ gas fires are available with stylish surrounds. There are options which suit a range of periods such as Victorian, Edwardian and Art Noveau. Some companies even offer fires which can be lit at the touch of a button on a remote control handset – offering the ultimate in convenience and comfort.

The porta potty need is not just limited to the household usage or special occasions alone; you can also see these lightweight boxes doing wonders at many civil engineering workplaces too. The sanitation facility is essential at job sites to empower the well-being and restrict the health hazards caused due to poor restroom arrangements. Since the nature call is unpredictable, a single restroom wouldn’t be a viable option for a huge workforce. Constructing a restroom for a temporary need could be a sigh of relief, but cleaning it on frequent days would irk you often. However installing a porta potty unit is a mindful thought; it can be relocated as per your convenience and also reduces the odor smell for regular usage, so the hassle of maintenance is less in a ratio in contrast to the constructed bathroom.

The units are manufactured by plastic materials, which lessen the weight of the product and make it easy for the cleaning process. So, we can say that a nice rental deal could save your pocket for the next spend, whereas constructing a restroom is a bit costlier. Regardless of renting a porta potty unit only for construction sites, you can also rent one for other job sites too; perhaps the requirement of toilet facility could be for shorter or longer time duration, but considering the intent of renting a couple of units would appreciative. On the other hand, the mobility of the unit allows roadside works to relocate the unit as per requirement.

There are numerous instances where you need to rent a specific type of the unit intervening the requirement and budget limit. For instance, few basics such as understanding the need of temporary restroom based on the type of outdoor location (event, workplace, special occasion) that you are planning to organize, and the approximate number of individuals to use the facility would be beneficial to make a firm decision.

The requirement of the temporary restroom is not limited to one, two or any certain number for different types of outdoor workplaces. As stated earlier, irrespective of construction workplace, there are few civil works where you need porta potty in action to ensure the safe way to access the restroom. And the below list depict the same.

Types of civil works:

Factories: Shipyards; breweries; chemical works; coke ovens and furnaces

Health: Hospitals, welfare centers, junior special schools, handicapped and for rehabilitation centers

Offices: Banks, exhibition centers, private companies

Entertainment: Concert halls, film studios, swimming pools, sports ground, stadiums,

Agriculture: Farms, greenhouses, market gardens, remote places

The relevance between workplaces are likely few; hence the arrangement of restroom ought to be planned as per requirement. Since the numerous verities of porta potties are available for rental, the customer can choose any specific model based on the necessity. For example, the restroom at the shipyard should be feasible to relocate comfortably on a timely basis thus the unit with trailer facility would be the best option. And in special schools, installing ADA compliant portable restroom is suggestive to provide a comfortable access to the user, whereas the slip-resistant surface and the hand holding bars allow users to move wheelchair inside the cabin comfortably.

Gathering the basic details to rent a restroom would be beneficial, you will have a clear picture of your requirement, and also it is helpful to find a suitable unit without any complication. If you are wondering how to start collecting the details, then the below opinion could do the trick for you

Type of outdoor location: Whether it is a construction workplace, temporary business, or any job site

Number of users: Have an approximate calculation on the number of users per day

Required facilities in the unit: The facilities provided inside the unit varies from one another; hence you have to search for the product which matches your requirement

Type of rental plan: There are two types of options given by service providers to the customers, short-term and long-term rental plans. Based on your requirement you need to select the suitable plan

Approximate budget: Having an approximate budget limit would help you to plan the restroom arrangement in the least expensive way hence it could save your pocket from additional spending

The intent of renting a porta potty conceives various thoughts about arranging sanitation facility at outdoor space. Perhaps we get perplexed by numerous rental options and end up choosing an expensive rental deal maybe this could be the reason why many of us drop the idea on renting a porta potty on numerous occasions. But one smart move can save you from unhygienic activities without hurting you pocket weight. Rent smartly!