Did you know that over filling your car with oil can cause it to blow the engine? – no jokes!

A colleague has just had a horrible experience!  His car had just been in at a garage for a service and the oil had been replaced.  When he picked up the vehicle he noticed that the oil light was on and so he called the garage owner over and discussed the problem.  The garage owner decided that a top up of oil was required, so he called one of the mechanics to bring more oil.  Some oil was added but the light still didn’t go off.  By this stage, the oil dipstick read over the “full” mark and the garage owner told the mechanic to pour more in…
The mechanic refused, saying that it was too full, but his boss was adamant that more oil was needed, so he ordered him to pour more.
The car was now full, the oil light was still on – but the light was explained away as “it needed to be reset, and he would do some research and call my colleague back.  But you can drive the car – no problem!”.
My colleague nervously agreed, but before leaving said something like: “(nervous agreement), I’ve had an engine blow on me before, so if anything happens, then it’s your responsibility to buy the spares and pay for the labour – everything!”

This was agreed, and he drove the car away with the oil light still burning brightly.

Needless to say, two days later, my colleague’s car’s engine seized and came to a grinding halt on the side of the road!

  

A few choice swear-words later.. he grabbed his cell phone and called the garage owner and explained the situation.  An obviously embarrassed garage owner apologised and made good his promise to fix the car.
He picked up the stranded family and is now ferrying them wherever they need to go: school, work, shopping, etc. until the car is fixed.

I would like to have seen that mechanic’s face when the car was towed back into the garage to be fixed!

Moral of the story: do NOT overfill the oil in your car – it could be very expensive!

Technical explanation:
From http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_if_you_over_fill_engine_oil: “If you put too much oil in the engine, it raises the oil level high enough that the crankshaft touches it.  The crankshaft will whip the oil, aerating it.  This air in the oil will destroy your engine bearings.  The bearings have a very thin layer of oil on them which keep the bearing and whatever the bearing is against from locking up.  The air will remove the oil layer from the bearing and the bearing will then rub against whatever engine part it is used for.  The bearing will then be shredded and metal parts will go about destroying your engine.  Moral of the story, don't over fill your oil.”

Beware of scams that steal your money via your telephone bill

A colleague received an email from a recruitment agent (pasted below) that promises that she would "assist you with finding employment, or an income opportunity, that will suit you best." His initial thoughts were - "great" another person that could find him a good job. All he had to do was fax his updated CV etc. to the number and perhaps the right job will be just around the corner. Then he looked closer.... the email was very specific in the instructions on what to fax and emphasised that return email could not be used. Then, looking closer at the fax number, he realised that it was a premium call rate number: 0866 - which would attract a charge of R1.85 per minute!

{More details here: If you refer to the blog: "Don’t be fooled by this false advertising: "FREE fax to e-mail service"" you will see that these 0866 numbers are free to the person receiving the fax, but the sender pays R1.85 per page.}

That's the catch.... all the "recruitment agent" wanted was that you "forward your full detailed CV, together with all available supporting documents, such as reference letters and certificates, to our Fax no: 0866570156".

But where's the scam? How would they make money out of this?

Well, the instructions make sure that you fax all documents to this number - this ensures that the fax call is as long as possible. {I wouldn't be surprised if the fax fails a few times before finally accepting the fax! But, the scam is that the faxes are probably never looked at either!}

They make money (and you lose it) from the kick-back that they receive from Telkom for the premium rate call. So, for each call made a percentage is "earned" back from Telkom.

So, beware - don't react to this type of request where they try and entice you to dial premium numbers and so steal money via your (or your place of work's) telephone bill!

Here's the email:

From: Employment Specialists [mailto:@]
Sent: 22 July 2008 23:00
Subject: We want to assist you with finding employment, or an income opportunity, that will suit you best.

Hello Work hunter

We were recently informed that you are currectly job hunting.

I was appointed to assist you with finding employment, or an income opportunity, that will suit you best.

Please forward your full detailed CV, together with all available supporting documents, such as reference letters and certificates, to our Fax no: 0866570156

(Please do not email your CV & supporting documents, because most of the employers still prefer and insist on fax copies.)

On receipt of your CV and supporting documents we will evaluate your application, and pass your info on to employers that are currently in need of someone with your specific skills and expertise.

If you are chosen as one of the shortlist candidates, you will be contacted, in order to set-up an interview.

We now await your urgent response.

Yours faithfully,

Melani Lewis

The Employment Specialists

"Your career is our speciality"

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Employment Specialists Disclaimer & Confidentiality Note

This e-mail, its attachments and any rights attaching hereto are, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the property of The Employment Specialists. It is confidential, private and intended for the addressee only.

Should you not be the addressee and receive this e-mail by mistake, kindly notify the sender, and delete this e-mail, immediately and do not disclose or use same in any manner whatsoever.

Views and opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender unless clearly stated as those of the company.

The Employment Specialists accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages whatsoever and howsoever incurred, or suffered, resulting, or arising, from the use of this email or its attachments.

The Employment Specialists do not warrant the integrity of this e-mail nor that it is free of errors, viruses, interception or interference.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Zimbabwe inflation hits 165,000%, so how much will something cost in a week, month, year?

CapeTalk and BBC reported this am that Zimbabwe's inflation has hit 165,000%, and I was wondering what this would mean if I was suddenly put into a financial environment suffering with that kind of burden! Taking a loaf of bread as an example, say it cost R7.00 then what would it cost next year, next month, next week, next quarter, tomorrow? {Assuming a linear inflation rate increase!}

I have created an inflation calculator to see the figures on paper! And yes, it's very, very, very scary!

Now	Tomorrow	Next week	Next month	Next quarter	Next year
7	39	221	970	3,857	11,557

Click here: for my Inflation Calculator and see how other prices will increase...

See here for another view on inflation calculations: Zimbabaloola in Zimbabwe

I don't think the new ZW$10 million will help nor last long! {see BBC for a photo of a handful of ZW$s}

The Wooden Bowl (apologies - it's not technical, but everyone should read this!)

This will make you think and you will remember this tale for the rest of your life.  I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.  Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.  There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work .

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life…"
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to BE one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn!

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my Friend.