Daily Archives: June 19, 2009

Try buying car parts in France when you are not French and don’t own a Citroen/Renault

familycartripDon’t get me wrong – the longer I am away from France the better I appreciate it…it is just that the car industry over there caters basically to those who own French cars (Renault, Citroen…)

This includes the auto parts stores and we always found it an ordeal to go shopping for parts for our Japanese imported Toyota Rav4 and Suzuki Alto. If it ain’t French they basically don’t want to know and if you don’t speak very good French it makes things even harder!

If you are used to buying your parts from places like BuyAutoParts.com  provide parts for just about every make of car available you would find it a minefield doing the same in France. The staff really don’t know that much about cars ( they are sales staff not mechanics), if they do they only know about French cars and there is no out of hours support if you need help, which BuyAutoParts.com provide.

What I found really useless is that such places should stay open on weekends to cater to tourists and those who have no other time to work on their cars…nope, the French shut down so you can find yourself quite stuck if you need parts.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

Getting ‘verified’ is a pain in the a***

For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to get myself one of those handly little paypal debit cards; I get paid for some of the work I do here  via paypal and I have lost patience with the time it takes for the funds to transfer from paypal to my bank account. I only have the one bank account even though Arnold has been trying to persuade me for ages to get an online savings account - we have a joint one but I am not fussed about collecting accounts like he is.

So I thought getting a paypal debit card would enable me to have instant access to my money and this would be a boon when I am on holiday. The bone I have to pick is the ruddy ‘verification’ process…

First I had to verify my bank account - done; then my address – done; then my phone number – done. So why was I constantly getting denied? it was so frustrating – it turns out the reason is because I am not on the local electrol rolls. Naturally because I am not a native here and cannot vote!

I am fed up – paypal can keep their bloody debit card!

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

Doctor who ‘missed’ baby Peter’s injuries files for compensation

drsabahLittle Peter Connolly has been dead for almost two years and the list of those responsible are all lining up in one way or another to either get out of being punished or line their pockets as they deny their part in his horrific death.

First we had head of childrens services at Haringey Council, Sharon Shoesmith, lodging her claim for unfair dismissal to the tune of several hundred thousand pounds – thankfully dismissed as it should have been.Then she sought reinstatement in her job – denied again…it would appear totally insane to put such a person back in a position of authority over child protection when she had so appallingly failed one.

Then we recently had the ‘trio from hell’ - Tracey Connolly, Stephen Barker and Jason Owen launching appeals against their pathetic sentences for torturing and killing her little boy. It is terrifying to know that there is every chance at least one of them will get a reduction in their prison time, so dedicated are their legal teams to their cause.

Next was Baroness Scotland, Attorney General, who basically just washed her manicured hands of the whole affair after deciding the three monsters were doing it hard enough…

Now it has emerged that the most useless doctor this side of the moon, Dr Sabah al-Zayyat, is sueing Great Ormond Street Hospital for dismissing her after she failed to notice that the baby had a broken back and a litany of other injuries. This was two days before Peter was found dead in his cot and several days after Barker snapped his spine in two for fun. The Trust were correct in ridding the wonderful Great Ormond Street of this female waste of space – if she had overlooked the baby’s ‘crankiness’ she would have found the reason for it!

The arrogance of this female is sickening; Great Ormond Street Hospital is a landmark in medical care for children and that she is out to try and steal precious funds from the hospital for herself is simply immoral. I call it ‘stealing’ anyway. Peter just might have been alive had she done her job that day – he would be in a wheelchair I admit, but Dr Zabbat was Peter’s last hope. And she failed him – like every other adult in his life did.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.