For all of the biting rhetoric that is thrown against the US, it is seemingly a point of embarrassment, that nearly every nation in the world is forlorn by its tie to the US dollar. The dollar is the tell-tale mark left on confrontations and wars in every continent, it is the multiplier of force for the American Empire, it is the engine for the excesses of unbridled Capitalism and it is the real invisible hand that controls the world’s markets.

There was a time when sound money existed. It protected honest commerce and restrained the hands of Kings. Gold was never made of paper, and wars could not exist without funding. Sound money was based on the use of gold as the principle medium of exchange, and this was the bane of governments who had delusions of power. The very power of gold was that governments could not control its power. Eventually though, governments colluded to make the yellow metal lose its sheen, they convinced people that paper is a match for gold, until they made the belief that paper itself was as good as gold. It ushered in a new era, where the dreams of governments could finally be fulfilled. Where the nightmare of the US could finally be played out.

In the year of 1971, President Nixon finally banished gold to the realm of being a ‘barbarous relic’, by fully abandoning the link of the US dollar to gold. The US dollar had then become the worlds de facto currency, backed up the full faith and credit of the US government. Regardless of everyone else’s proclivities, the only faith that the US held, was that of Capitalism. Insofar, that the world is only a market for US Capitalists, and that they now have even more an effective monetary instrument to achieve this.

The first recognised danger of producing money via the printing press aka counterfeiting, is that of runaway inflation. Despite the savant like abilities of monetary manipulation by the US Federal Reserve and the Wall St banking cartels, it is a die-cast rule that printing money, erodes the very value of the money being produced. Given that restraining money supply would be a drag on the American way of life, the US found a clever way of skirting around this problem – by essentially exporting its inflation abroad.

This was achieved by engineering a means to absorb excess US dollars. In 1973, through collusion with the oil cartel OPEC, it was decided that in return for tolerance of OPEC practices, the worlds most important commodity – oil – would be solely priced in US dollars. With oil being the lifeblood from which modern living is sustained, every nation would have to hold reserves in US dollars to buy oil, while oil producing nations would possess a surplus of dollar denominated reserves. Consequently, the US greatly benefits from the arrangement as the only way to use holdings of US dollars is to recycle them back through the US economy by investing them in US assets and debt, such as treasuries.

The triumph of America’s economy has been built on the exports of its depreciating dollar. Through it, it imports valuables goods, feeding manic consumerism. The never ending wars that it fervently pursues, is again only sustainable through a never ending supply of money. Even in our current times, where economies are grinding to a halt and markets sink deeper, the US continues to accrue benefit. There is no free market, just one biased to the US dollar.

Breaking the dollar dominance, would free the world of American Imperialism or at least level the playing field. The return of the gold standard would be the return of sorely missed prudence. Stability would return as inflation comes under control, and the volatility of exchange rates would vanish overnight. Economies would vie for greatness, by real production and its associated comparative advantage.

Yet, no one is willing to take up the mantle of the gold. The power of the dollar, has allowed the US to purchase current and erstwhile governments alike; who forcibly keep their nations under developed, in return for dollar ringed paychecks. The supposedly independent and liberal countries, similarly share a distinct lack of vision; whose rulers alike prefer not to court anything radical, counting the years to election, and not the welfare of their citizens.

I apologise for not posting on the blog for so long. Truth be told, I’m just bogged down with work. Not in the normal sense of  ‘hey, big project deadline coming up’. No, I wish. More like ‘OMG, I’m going to lose my job, let me work my pants off’ type.

About 6 weeks ago, I was asked to take voluntary redundancy. I really didn’t see it coming. In fact my colleagues got the call, but it didn’t seem to register in me that I would receive the same call. You easily get stuck with the ‘it’s never gonna happen to me’ mentality. Anyway, I did. Another lesson in humility for me.

Fortunately voluntary redundancy is better than mandatory redundancy.  You’re given the option of resigning, and offered a ‘package’ upon leaving.  Upon consulting a few brothers and speaking to a honest recruiter, I decided it was the worst thing I could do. Not only are good jobs vanishing into the mist, salaries are being heavily undercut by the long lists of educated unemployed fighting for the few available positions.

So I still have a job, but I’ve been alerted that I’m in the firing line for the mandatory cuts that are just around the corner.

All in all, I don’t feel that bad. If I do lose my job, I’ll just move back with my parents. I don’t have any dependents and my savings will help me get by. Most importantly, Allah is Ar-Razzaq. The money I earn, to the air that I breathe is a provision that is granted for me. No need to feel depressed, or worse, to think about dodgy (read haraam) ways of trying to earn money.

The problem that people have is that the loss of a job actually means the total loss of security. In this society, you rarely own anything. Nor can you exercise independence in controlling your livelihood. Your house is likely owned by a landlord or a bank. Your right to water, electricity and fuel is at the mercy of privately controlled conglomerates. All of these need to be paid for; lose your job and you can’t ‘just get by’.

Or you can, but only just. That’s what welfare support from the state is supposedly for.

I dread welfare though.  Only once in my life did I take a jobseekers allowance. True, it is a little embarrassing walking into the local Jobcentre plus*, but it shouldn’t be from the worry of auntyjee catching sight of you holding out for your giro, but because you are ashamed about not earning your rizq. After all, the Prophet (saw) advised us that the best of earning is through our own two hands.

On many levels though, the idea of state welfare support is wrong. The key word here is state welfare support. I’m also primarily referring to the Capitalist countries.

For one thing, it’s easy to abuse. Given that rampant individualism and morally vacuous concepts exist aplenty, some people are easily inclined to switch to a mode of living for welfare. Stereotypical Asians trying to scam the system for income support come to mind here.

Next, is that leveling a price value for welfare payments distorts the market for jobs and disincentivises the want to work. If your welfare allowance provides you with £250 a month, then regardless of how honest and hardworking you are, why bother taking a job that only offers £240 a month? There are many reports in the UK of citizens unwilling to work manual labour jobs (and preferring illegal immigrants to do it instead).

Then we come to the whole issue of how welfare support is actually paid for. It is paid for by taxes (unless the government wants to take ‘quantitative easing’ to another level). Taxes are the price we pay for government services, and amongst many of such services one of them is welfare support. The question about welfare support though, is if the tax was removed and so thus welfare support also stopped, would I actually ever need support for my welfare?

The answer lies in everything I’ve talked about Islamic Economics in the other posts of this blog. I’ll post a more comprehensive blog post soon insh’Allah, but the summary is:

Welfare support is primarily the duty of the family, then your neighbours, then the local community, and then the (Islamic) State. Islamic economics does not exist devoid of the other relationship elements of society.  A strong family unit means that no man is an island – able or disabled.  The Islamic culture nurtures a collective sense of responsibility over your fellow brothers and sisters, something Capitalism cannot cater for, and thus in the Capitalist societies welfare support is relegated to the role of the state. This extra burden for the (Capitalist) state is handled via the raising of extra taxes on its citizens. A vicious cycle is now created. The application of crushing taxes, reduces the availability of disposable income. The very income that would allow people to ensure welfare for themselves, at the very basic level, by owning their own property. Due to the cyclical boom-bust nature of the Capitalist system, when the bad times roll, and people are caught short. They have no family or community to provide a helping hand, thus they resort to the state for support. The growing number of people seeking state support forces the state to increase taxation….and so the cycle continues.

*Non UK readers. The Jobcentre in the UK is also where you go to pick up your dole.

Last week BBC Panorama aired a documentary made by Richard Watson, the BBC appointed expert on terrorism and extremist groups. It was the prelude to what is to come in the strategy of dealing with difficult Muslims that are obstinate in not fully integrating with British Values. What was the stimulus for such a program? The recent sentencing of  a man with Asperger’s Syndrome, 22 yrs old, Nicky Reilly and the recent demonstrations against the Israeli action against Gaza.

The government, coinciding with the program, leaked draft policies of how a new direction is going to be initiated, the next stage in suppressing Islamic values code name CONTEST 2. Already at its disposal, it has a multi-prong attack . Funding projects in the local Muslim communities via the councils in holding projects for Muslim Youth, the PVE program and funding those so called Islamic organisations that either call overtly or covertly for liberal, secular values. It appears they have realized that dealing with stopping terrorist attack is not enough but get to the root of the problem, namely, Islamic values.  Now, they defend their stance with the word Islamist values, but we are not so gullible to fall for such a pathetic attempt of dividing the followers of the religion of Islam.

Since this project will be targeting “extremists” with “hate-filled ideologies,” I guess it will be useful to know who will now be included in it. Following are some of the concepts that are being targeted:

• They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries.

• They promote Sharia law.

• They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against  Israel 

• They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.

• They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

So this is the new XXL size net to trap or pressurise Muslims who hold these views.  I wouldn’t be surprised in the future when CONTEST 3 or 4 comes out they will include those Muslims who are under 25yrs still being virgin, or have not have an STD screening at their local health centre, not registered with the local Pub and lastly not being able to present a white, British man as one of your best friends! (Time to update you facebook friends list) Its absolutely ridiculous! You can see step by step, glorification of terrorism laws were implemented to shut the critics of the War against Terrorism, then came Preventing violent extremism program rolled out in schools and now CONTEST 2 to marginalise those that hold “extremist” views, try hazarding a guess whats going to be next?

This resembles how the British forcefully assimilated the Aborigines in newly colonised Australia in the 19th Century. Sold as being “for their own good”, policies to assimilate Aborigines into British culture went to the extent of  defining how the natives brought up their children which included forceful separation of  Aboriginal children from their parents. These children became known as ‘the stolen generations’ and are still searching for their families. This British policy is now widely acknowledged as having largely contributed to the destruction of Aboriginal families and society, on 13 August, 1997 a Statement of Apology was issued to the Aborigine people.

In Islamic tradition there is to be no compulsion in deen – i.e. no one is compelled to believe in Islam’s views – whether political, social or spiritual. In an Islamic state, non Muslims would be like any other citizen insofar as they have to obey the law of the land – which is based on Islam. Muslims in Britain are going to be MUSLIMS living in Britain, being pressurised into a political compartment or position is not and will not compel Muslims to relinquish their values or views.

Finally, a quote from Baroness Cox (who chaired the parliamentary screening of Geert Wilders’ film 2 weeks ago), said:“it is not enough for the vast majority of decent, peaceful, law-abiding Muslims to renounce terror in principle: they also need to renounce the view-frequently expressed by Islamists-of an inevitable war between Islam and the rest of the world. If they choose to live in Western liberal democratic societies, they must accept the values of liberal democracy-as Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and others have done for many years.”

New and exciting kinds of funny happened on Monday. Within one country, we can find two different legal systems. Laws that would lead to the violent and brutal killing of people. Shock! Horror! What is the world coming to?! Ahh… Now it makes sense. It is in a place where people have more guns than sense.

Of course, I’m not referring to Pakistan. I’m describing America.

In Texas and 36 other American States, there are laws in place that can – and do – lead to state-sanctioned killing. In Texas alone there have been over 400 people put to death. If you commit a crime in New Jersey, the worst case scenario is that you end up in prison. However, if you cross an imperceptible line into Pennsylvania… too bad. The local wali (Governor) of the state wants to cook you in an electric chair.

The same legal system also allows states to decide who can go to school and what is studied, how much money the government will take in taxes (in Washington, for example, there is no income tax), what the speed limit is, whether prostitution is legal or not, set the age of consent for sex (anywhere from 14 to 18 years), and whether gay marriage is recognized. In fact, when it comes to prostitution, there are multiple laws within the same state, varying from county to county.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this might lead to a measured response to the events in Pakistan, but no. Instead we read headlines like “Sharia to be law 80km from Islamabad“.

A region of Pakistan known as Swat Valley has been allowed to establish what is being described as “sharia”.  Instead, this punitive system is anything but sharia.  It is a means for punishing people for their actions.  Without the correct education and social system in place, this can only be described as oppression.  So, in a nutshell, the Pakistani government has gone from oppressing its people, to… harshly oppressing its people.

To further prove that it isn’t the true Islamic legal system – a system in which the commandments of Allah are paramount – the so-called sharia can be overridden by the people of the national government.  That’s not Islam, that’s just secularism!

Take a guess what the American government thinks about this, the same people that have been dropping bombs on Pakistan.  Surely they would hate the “Islamization” of a country bordering Afghanistan, China, India, and Iran?  Nope.  As reported by the Telegraph:

On Tuesday night however, US officials in Islamabad privately backed the deal as an attempt to drive a wedge between Swat’s Taliban, which is focused on its demand for Sharia law, and the al-Qaeda-linked Taliban led by Baitullah Mehsud.

So-called “sharia” is being used to divide Muslims.  The Swat Valley isn’t even going to be allowed a military, so at any time they can be removed at the behest of the American government.  In fact this is part of the plan since the establishment of “sharia” is only in exchange for a ceasefire with the Pakistani Army.  Notably, this is in same region (the “NWFP”) that the Americans are bombing, most recently killing at least 26 people on Saturday.

What have the people of the Swat Valley achieved? No sharia, no military, overruled at any time by a kufr legal system, and the two groups of people who were on the brink of unity are instead being divided. The Pakistani government is just allowing its enemies to chop each others hands off.

“Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the re ward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do.” [Surat al-Baqara, verse 85]

The only upside of this debacle is that it is a sign that the people of Pakistan do want to be ruled by Islam, even if they aren’t getting it just yet.

“Uncontrolled population growth threatens to undermine efforts to save the planet,” writes Dr John Feeney who is an environmental writer based in Boulder, Colorado, US. He further goes on to say the environmental movement should stop running scared of the controversial topic of population growth. Similar outbursts have been made recently by a UK government advisor, Jonathon Porritt, that couples who have more than two children are putting an ‘irresponsible’ burden on the environment. Instead the government should divert money away from curing illnesses towards contraception and abortion services to limit the country’s population and help in the fight against global warming.

These rumblings have increasingly been reported in the media in the last decade as the call for a Green Environment gathers pace. Industries and Governments around the world have discovered a new venture of finding out the “Global Carbon Footprint,” and as a result a new industry in itself has emerged. I am not against saving the planet and the notion that there needs to be more consideration taken now, more than ever, for the environment, but measures such as birth control compels me to highlight the tacit mistakes that are being committed which if transformed to law, would be a disaster.

Without delving into the pros and cons of uncontrolled population growth, I would like to step back and look at the factors that have bought us into these trepid circumstances in the first place!

Ever since the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the world has never seen in its history the astounding utilisation of natural resources, expansion of populations, destruction of natural habitats and species and lastly the new phenomenon of consumerism especially in the 21st Century. The Industrial Revolution created an unusual situation: for the first time in history products were available in outstanding quantities, at outstandingly low prices, being thus available to virtually everyone. The newly emergent middle class arising at the turn of the twentieth century continued to grow and feed the consumerism drive which has played its part in Globalisation.

Consumerism is an equation of personal happiness combined with the consumption and purchase of material possessions. Allow me to elaborate. A couple of decades ago once you had bought a car (let’s say a Nissan Cherry) the next time you buy a car would probably be after another decade. Nowadays people are exchanging their cars every three years (if not sooner)! Laptops are upgraded every two years and mobile phone promotions are held annually. The sheer desire to acquire a new product constantly either for luxury or status is the main culprit for the pervasive environmental degradation we see today.

What I have just described is exactly what has been happening in America and Europe for decades. But since China and India have emerged as the new Kids on the Block in the Economy world, does it now transpire for the Western Thinkers to start questioning about the environmental impact these populations will cause for adopting the consumerist life! Emulation is also a core component of 21st century consumerism. As a general trend, regular consumers seek to emulate those who are above them on the social hierarchy. The poor strive to imitate the rich and the rich imitate celebrities and other icons. One needs to look no further than the celebrity endorsement of products to realise that the American or British population rarely make their own lifestyle decisions.

It is the validity of personal happiness linked with purchasing and possessing materials as the ultimate objective of life that I question and believe to be just another example of the many rotten fruits of capitalism. I’m not advocating that everybody should live in a block of flats and drive Skodas. Nor am I advocating that we should live grey, mundane lives in a cave with no source of entertainment.

I am simply pointing out the obvious; if every individual is pushed in society to have a car, mobile phone, plasma TV, wireless Internet, iPod, large houses, buying expensive gifts for your girl friend on Valentines Day etc. you will naturally come to a point where no resources will be available to feed this addiction. An addiction created by the western world and its colonialist past.

Opponents of the anti-consumerist movement, namely, libertarians believe that no person should have the right to decide for others what goods are necessary for living and which aren’t, or that luxuries are necessarily wasteful, and thus argue that anti-consumerism is a precursor a totalitarian society. Twitchell, in his book Living It Up, sarcastically remarked that the logical outcome of the anti-consumerism movement would be a return to the sumptuary laws that existed in ancient Rome and during the Middle Ages, historical periods prior to the era of Karl Marx in the 19th century.

Ironically, Jonathan Porritt could now be labelled as one that calls for sumptuary laws!

In Islam it clearly delineates what is a necessity for living and what is a luxury. Obtaining luxurious items or earning tremendous amount of wealth is neither forbidden nor discouraged. However, based on the revelation from the Creator, it instructs how a society should function, where the real pursuit of happiness remains, what is the position of material wealth in the Islamic faith and more importantly how the environment should be treated. There is no draconian or appalling idea of population control which quite frankly would not correct the environmental problem the west or in fact the world faces today.

What is required is a fundamental change in living habits which can only happen when there is a change of fundamental ideas about life. I can see this can be a bit difficult for some people right now as they are probably too busy pondering about the Brit Awards right after they have watched the Baftas!

Okay, so this is more than two months late. But better late than never

There are many excellent books out there for Hajj. For starters check out Al-Rashad press, and make sure you buy the invaluable Performing Hajj DVD by Imam Tahir Anwar.

Regardless of how much I prepared for Hajj,  when I was actually in Hajj, there were many times I found myself thinking ‘Whoa, wait a minute, I didn’t read about this!’ or ‘Hmmm, that seems a little dodgy’. So this post, is really about relating the experiences, that I didn’t or couldn’t prepare for. If that makes sense…

Know your Fiqh – and I don’t mean start preparing for it on the plane journey to Saudi. Not only will you potentially be making mistakes in Hajj, you’ll also be missing out on the abundance of blessing that performing Hajj carries. It will force to you be over reliant on your mu’allim, and that’s when some of the big problems arise.

Many of the UK tour operators will have Saudi guides with them in Makkah and Medinah. The majority of UK hujjaj though tend to be Hanafi in fiqh, and there definitely is a disparity in some of the wajib actions of Hajj that a Saudi based guide will try to enforce, and those who are Hanafi need to follow. An example being the order of pelting, animal sacrifice and the shaving of the head.

My operator had both a Saudi and a separate Hanafi scholar. Who respectively led two different groups in Hajj, but under the umbrella of our tour operator. For those who were unprepared the very idea of having two different groups caused confusion. Just remember that you are accountable for your own actions. Don’t blame your tour guide for your own shortcomings.

Watch your Health – Yeah so I can do 40 press ups, no sweat. But after the after first ‘Umrah performed, I found myself envying those being pushed around in wheelchairs. Sad fact, but we’re just not used to walking around for long periods, especially when you’re barefeet. Get used to long walks before you head out for Hajj, and buy some decent sandals (meeting the requirements of Ihram).

Antibiotics. Obviously check with your doctor beforehand. I had the worst cough of my life, that peaked in Muzdalifah. It was soo bad, that each time I coughed I thought sandpaper was being ripped against my throat. I started a course of antibiotics, that alhamdulillah, helped me recover within a few days.

For brothers, whilst in Ihram, walking around for an extended period of time will cause chafe burns on the inside of your thighs. I finally realised the purpose of boxer shorts, but you can’t wear undergarments in Ihram. So make sure you have some good ointment.

Cut your Nails – this is just standard hygiene and sunnah, but also an emphasised sunnah before entering the state of Ihram. This especially applies to your toe nails. The worst offenders will find themselves scratching the feet of their fellow hajji’s. How? On the days of Hajj, the Haram will be packed by people. In the crowds and in Tawaf, close contact and shuffling, leads to a lot of feet being stepped on.

Pollution will Sting – combine the intense heat and several thousand coaches (that apparently lack particulate filters), you have Mexico City on a bad day. It sucks. Asthma sufferers be aware. Face masks can help, but don’t don them whilst in Ihram (know your fiqh).

No Traveller Checks – This is like soo 80’s. But my dear father still prefers the 80’s. Nowhere in Medinah or Makkah, could he cash in his traveller checks. So don’t bother. There are cash machines and easily enough Exchanges around to help out with money.

Advantage of Bengali – you don’t speak Arabic? Bengali will do just fine. I don’t have a typical Bengali appearance, so at first I was getting by, with my simple Arabic. Soon after I realised that more than 80% of the shopkeepers, merchants, taxi drivers and Haramayn maintenance staff were Bengali (mainly from Chittagong, home run for me), my life had become supinely simple. Urdu will do just as well to.

Make time for the Jam’aah – depending how far your hotel is away from the masjid. For me it was 35 minutes for Masjid an-Nabawi (5 minute walk from hotel) and 50 minutes for Masjid al-Haram (12 minute from hotel). The added time is to find sufficient space in the masjids.

Much of the time you’ll find yourself staying for the whole day anyway. But an example of how packed it could get would be the Jum’aah that I attended in the Haram the day before the Hajj actually began. We left our hotel at 10:30 AM. By 10:40 AM, we were about 100 m from the masjid, but told to sit down on the road in (early) preparation for the salah!

Buy a Gym Bag – You’ll need this to carry your prayer mat and to store you sandals in. You might find yourself with a free bag given at the airport, but my one had a torn strap by the next day.

Buy a Saudi Sim Card – they cost bout 75 riyals, easily sufficient to cover more than 3 weeks of intermittant calls. Also leave your BlackBerry’s at home and buy one of those super cheap Nokia’s (you’ll have to get it unlocked in the UK) – you know, the ones that even schoolchildren balk at. The battery can go uncharged for a nearly a week, this is essential as the camps don’t really have plug points.

Laundry Service – hotel charge rates are exorbitant. Look around the hidden alleyways and you’ll find the laundry shops. Given that you should have packed light and the heat of KSA means daily clothe changes, finding a nearby shop is essential (advantage of Bengali).

Careful of the Crushes- and have sabrun jameelun. I really wasn’t prepared for this. My first week in Saudi, was spent in Medinah. Entering the Haram of Medinah, I naturally wanted to follow the sunnah, by stepping through the Jibril gate, then praying 2 rak’at in the Riyadul Jannah. The gate was closed, and then nearly had a heart attack when coming into the Rowdah area. The crowd was incredible. Makkah is even more intense.

The biggest choke points in Masjid al-Haram are probably at the escalators. The majority of the hujjaj show unparalleled patience. Do the same, be alert and offer a hand to the elderly.

Segregation in the Haram- meaning in Makkah. Outside of the months of Hajj and Ramadhan, the masjid is usually segregated. Segregation is self-enforced though, but when it gets real busy, this can fall apart. Men should not pray behind women, nor pray side by side with each other.

Be polite to your sisters, and have some understandable sign language (not everyone speaks English or Arabic). There are often easy resolutions (such as a sisters group within a circle of mahrem men), but often elderly sisters will cling tightly to their husbands. Don’t be an idiot and expect the sister to move, instead use your youthful health and go the roof.

Alas, if you really are stuck. Then use your gym bag to create a gap between each other. But be careful, gaps are highly coveted, and someone will inevitably try to fill it.

Prep for the Loo - and relieving yourself will be a doddle insha’Allah. I don’t mean you prepare by doing a tour of inner city public toilets.  Nor do I mean, start a training regime of squats. Or worse, practice squatting on a English commode (you’ll fall off).

What I mean, by preparation, is to be immensely grateful to Allah ta’ala for accepting His most honoured of invitations. That’s it. I mean how can hole-in-the-floor be an obstacle to Hajj?

Compare an analogy with reality TV shows. You have contestants who would bare humiliation, risk life and limb….or do a pooh in a jungle somewhere – all for some prize money. So what would you risk for your share of the Afterlife?

Anyway, look you’re not going to be swallowed up the loo, so don’t worry. At first it’s shock of unfamiliarity. Then it’s the yuck factor. Then its the realisation that there is no flush.

Mina has the best facilities, then ‘Arafah, leaving Muzdalifah in last position. My advice is to finish up in ‘Arafah. Waiting times for the ques in Muzdalifah can extend for hours.

Here is my killer tip – Adidas and Simple. My Adidas shower sandals, had excellent grip on wet floors (thus avoiding the fear of being swallowed up). Whilst Simple is a brand name for non-scented and non-alcoholic cosmetic products, such as wipes. Do not buy scented wipes, buy Simple! No, I don’t work for them either…