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Quote of the Day"Humour is always based on a modicum of truth,have you ever heard a joke about a Father-in-Law?"
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
'The End of the line from the tip of Africa'
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Ocean Waves
Topic: Sustainable Seafood

The End of the line from the End of Africa

 

Take a look at the header image above .

We are all familiar with the World  Wildlife Federation’s Panda? YES . Are you completely clear on the image of three fish in the ‘Traffic light’ sequence? Perhaps I’ll call them ‘Robotic Fish’ for South African readers! SASSI is ‘The South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative’

The significance of this ‘Robotic Fish Symbol’  you may ask? Each Fish represents a category of Sustainability within the Consumers Seafood Guide. 1)Green  Best Choice 2)Orange Think Twice 3)Red Don’t Buy.

Finding the pocket guide is simple . Just click on the SASSI link and download here  http://www.wwfsassi.co.za/sassicard.pdf

The End of the Line Question & Answer with Charles Clover.

 

I attended A review of a movie by Charles Clover at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town and afterwards listened to a  question  and answer session. I think it would be easy to watch this movie and have a great feeling of negativity but instead I have faith in the human race and especially South Africa ,who have  a good record in the field of preservation of Wildlife and the diverse countryside in which we live here in the Western Cape.

 

Certain factors are in our hands,however large governments today must adopt a much more sustainable seafood policy as described by Charles and his colleagues in this honourable quest to save our planets Sealife .Perhaps man's production of farmed seafood can be a positive with much more research into a less destructive theory which destroys irreplaceable salt marshes and inshore coastal regions.

 

I'm an engineer who has a love of the oceans handed to me by a father and grandfather who were chief of engine works at Harland & Wolff Belfast. My father would take his three sons rock fishing all over the beautiful Irish Coast,such a different style of fishing than South Africa. None the less in my  forty -six  years on the planet I noticed a major depletion of the fish from inshore areas ,soley caused by Trawlers and huge factory ships.

 

A hugely diverse subject that is sustainability of the best resource of nutrition on the planet means the bottom line is the need to push governments into a different stance. We can do a little to start by abiding to the SASSI regulations. Ask questions. How was the seafood caught? is it a sustainable seafood, consult your  SASSI pocket guide? If in doubt 'DON'T BUY IT !'

 

Callum adores everything at the Two Oceans Aquarium Cape Town, yet he is truly in his element when he walks the beaches of the Cape and the Overberg observing the little rock pools,the Whales and even the Penguins of Boulders beach.. Let's not destroy our Eco -System! 

 

"I want my three year old son  to grow up and still be able to marvel at the diversity of the Oceans" 

Here is a short review of the movie :  


Posted by fourthxjuly at 3:54 PM MEST
Updated: Tuesday, 21 September 2010 6:54 PM MEST
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Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Classic Motorcross
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: MOTOR CYCLE RACING

Here's a Photo of my brother on his Maico 400!

He races it in the classic Irish Championship.

Just like the one he raced way back in the mid to late 70's!

I had a Maico all those years ago it was a 250cc!

Apparently you never lose the ability for riding a bike even with 2 dodgy knees! I want do try this again!

After all i'm just a mere slip of a boy at my age

Will someone please sponsor me on a bike?

 

 


Posted by fourthxjuly at 11:29 AM MEST
Updated: Tuesday, 31 March 2009 11:39 AM MEST
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Sunday, 25 January 2009
Burns night!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Burn's night

Celebrations For Burns' Night

3:14pm UK, Sunday January 25, 2009

Scots the world over are celebrating the birth of their national poet, Robert Burns.

Robbie Burns, Scotland's national poet

And this year is particularly special - it is the 250th anniversary of his
birth.

The traditional Burns suppers consists of haggis and whisky for the toast.

Burns' hometown of Alloway in Ayrshire opened the weekend of events with a Scotland-wide programme of poetry readings, music and dance to celebrate the life of the author of "Auld Lang Syne".

Burns' face also adorns a set of postage stamps created by the Royal Mail to commemorate the anniversary, with one featuring the words of one of his best-known poems, "A Man's A Man For A' That".

Tonight, we celebrate not just the man of the moment, but Scotland’s human being of the millennium.

Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister

The poem, written in 1795, became an anthem of the slavery abolitionists. Two centuries later, it was sung at the opening of the
Scottish parliament in 1999.

This evening in Alloway, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond will sit down to a traditional Burns Night Supper, a dish of minced sheep's heart, liver and lungs mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet, stock and salt, and boiled in the animal's stomach.

"Burns was indeed a man who spoke for all occasions. A man born of humble rank, whose legacy today goes far beyond riches," said Mr Salmond.

The cooking of haggis

"Tonight, we celebrate not just the man of the moment, but Scotland's human being of the millennium."

He added: "Over 200 years since his work was written, it has been translated into every known language. And it is as resonant today as it ever was."

Fans of the poet have set up a website in a bid to break the world record for the largest simultaneous toast, hoping that hundreds of thousands around the world will raise their glasses to "the immortal memory of Robert Burns" this evening.

Born on January 25, 1759, Burns died when he was just 37, but filled his life with bawdy romps through the picturesque hills of Ayrshire and Dumfries which provided the inspiration for much of his work.


Posted by fourthxjuly at 7:16 PM CET
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Monday, 19 January 2009
COAT OF ARMS
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: COAT OF ARMS

Here's the Calderwood "COAT OF ARMS"


Posted by fourthxjuly at 10:07 AM CET
Updated: Monday, 19 January 2009 10:16 AM CET
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Wednesday, 24 December 2008
South African Open Golf
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: GOLF

Anyhow I nipped up to the South African Open Golf on Thursday,Saturday and Sunday.What a week for the Northern Irish with Gareth Maybin just lipping out on 18 for the win and young McIlroy close in 3rd not to mention michael Hoey leading and big Darren Clarke shooting two 67's over the friday and saturday.

I still think Ernie Els is the ultimate professional,even after a bad day on Saturday he came back with a 64 not to mention signing my wee fellas hat ,even smiling when I told him he was in esteemed company with the Ulstermen on the hat!  Below is the said hat and a freebie from Lexus:

                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Then of course we had the view from the Bar! I never went  in of course:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   


Posted by fourthxjuly at 7:20 AM CET
Updated: Monday, 8 November 2010 8:46 PM CET
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Saturday, 6 December 2008
Minder
Mood:  cool
Topic: 80's

Then of course in the early 80's we had "Minder" Although it did'nt quite hit the heights of The Sweeney for me ,I still enjoyed it with George Cole and Dennis Waterman.

If you watch until the end of this clip you'll see the title was " gunfight at the OK Launderette" I suppose there was more humour in Minder!I do remember my brother in law asking his brother to mind his new Ford Capri company car just like minders; while he was on holidays.Roy came home to find the brother had "written it off" His brother was ok but the car was a wreck.


Posted by fourthxjuly at 7:58 AM CET
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Thursday, 30 October 2008
City Trader
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: City Trader

                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So the past couple of days I've been having a bit of an experiment and basically proving to myself that it's not all about having mega finance qualifications to become a successful city trader,infact I'd go as far as to say it's a disadvantage to be of sound accounting or banking stock!

You may ask yourself why?Well I have always had a bit of a feel for the market,it's a system were a lot of factors come to play including politics .I must admit it is fun  and challenging,  however this last few weeks have been perhaps a "once in a lifetime event" top companies like GM motors in the USA have literally been reduced to the value of "Junk Shares"

So I thought I'd try a Level 2 trading platform with some virtual money." monopoly " if you like. So I opened with ten thousand gbp (10,000 gbp) I began trading mostly in CFD's (contracts for difference) and the Forex (foreign exchange) I found the most money to be made and lost! was buying or selling on the Indicies like the FTSE in particular.,

By doing a bit of homework on the opening value of the markets and buying 500 shares you attained a leverage of 100 times your funds!basically speaking if the market rose by 100 points you stood to make 500 become 50,000 less the spread of 1% . Of course you could also lose if you got it wrong!but by placing a stop loss limit of 5% you can protect yourself,however during really volitile market moves you could get frozen out! so I reckon you would need a very hot dsl connection and a good phone connection to the broker! 

Using a bit of a combination of live tv reports and the tools onboard the trading platform I've managed to turn 10,000gbp into 212,179,59 gbp. not bad for " Thick Irishman" so anyway I have proved to myself that these City Boys or "Suits" as I would call them are maybe not so clever afterall,well either that or I'm in the WRONG business! My next experiment is to see how quickly I can lose it all!ohh I must buy a pair of bright red, white and blue braces so I can look like a Trader?


Posted by fourthxjuly at 11:27 AM MEST
Updated: Thursday, 6 November 2008 9:19 AM CET
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Monday, 27 October 2008
Sunday In The Cape
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Camps Bay

Thought I'd get a bit of southern hemisphere summer feel on here,Callum loves to watch the Paragliders and the Surfers!We went to Camps Bay on sunday morning and had a lovely time!

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

camps  bay  and a few paragliders!

                                                                                                        


Posted by fourthxjuly at 9:57 AM MEST
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Saturday, 25 October 2008
South African Rand versus Great British Pound
Mood:  chatty
Topic: MONEY ADVISE

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of last week there was widespread relief that an almost global governmental rescue effort would pull the world back from the brink of systemic financial collapse. The optimism was very quickly replaced by gloom about an imminent recession that will be felt everywhere. A week earlier, the market had been afraid the global economy's legs would be cut off. Now it realised all it would suffer was a kneecapping. The choice between amputation and kneecapping might have been a no-brainer but the sound of a Black & Decker did not make for easy listening.

Sterling's Unique Selling Proposition (UBP would be more appropriate) was the speed and decisiveness of the government action to take significant holdings in RBS, Lloyds TSB and HBOS. Britain's banks were being rescued very publicly. The adoption of the Downing Street plan by EU heads of government and, to an extent, by Washington, was a persuasive argument in favour of its viability.

That was just as well, for the few UK economic data did not make comfortable reading. The RICS house price balance fell to -84 with sales at a 30 year low. Inflation hit 5.2 per cent with absolutely zero chance that the Bank of England would do anything about it. Unemployment nudged up to 5.7 per cent with every chance that continue higher for at least another 12 months. Early this morning the Rightmove property website will have engendered a wry smile from would-be house sellers with its estimate that prices were 5 per cent down from a year ago. If only.

The Rand put in its worst one-day performance for a dozen years when it slumped last Wednesday. An initial 17 per cent loss was soon reduced but it still leaves the Rand nearly nine per cent down against the Pound compared with a week ago. The move was a graphic example of what can happen when speculative "hot" money moves out of a small currency.

Other than particularly weak South African retail sales figures there was no single event that prompted the exodus. Rather, it was the result of several coincident factors; growing fear of recession, falling commodity prices and the heightened risk-aversion that was having a similarly stark impact on equity prices. Investors were already nervous about the Rand - as they are about commodity currencies in general - so when there was a rush for the exit everyone tried to get there first.

As I have said for several weeks, the safest strategy in an uncertain world is to hedge half of any currency exposure. To lean one way or the other is to take a view on the unknown. (I for one am not going to give advise on how to become a trader in cfd's derivitives or hedge funds!well you don't expect me to give the secret of my success away! )Last week's trashing of the Rand could mean one of two things: a) Investors really do not like it so it will fall further; b) The scale of the decline was unjustified, an aberration that happens once in a decade, so the Rand will recoup more of its losses. Anyone who can identify which of the above is correct will win cash prizes(me). For the rest, buyers of the Rand should continue to hedge 50 per cent of their requirement.

The other major issue is oil and it looks like OPEC'S decision to cut production should theoritically  raise the price of brent crude from it 62 dollar base,however it looks like the markets are just paying attention to the "R" word and I'm not going to say it! I would suspect though a more natural price for oil is 80-100usd per barrel. we shall wait and see.I feel it's a situation were the oil producers will have to see the actual demand figures.

 ...first it was the markets ;wall street ..then the banks..now it's main street..it's going to be ugly out there. As the big sgt  in "Hill Street Blues" used to say "Lets be careful out there guys"


Posted by fourthxjuly at 3:14 PM MEST
Updated: Saturday, 25 October 2008 3:39 PM MEST
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Monday, 20 October 2008
The Most Boring Sport In The World
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Formula 1 banks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I switched the tv on Sunday morning 9.00 am and I thought "ohh it's one of them RBS adverts" however seconds later when the driver of the Williams passed by all the RBS billboards I realised that it was infact the Formula 1 from China,suddenly a big ING bank sticker flashed by a Santander sticker on the inside of a Cedit Suisse BMW then a cloud of dust as a Toyota went off...you know I couldn't find a bank sticker on that one!..

Does it mean that the british public are now part shareholders on the RBS formula 1 team? and can we get some free corporate fatcat pitlane tickets for Brazil?I suppose the banks have to advertise somewhere?,do we have to be reminded so vigourously with all these billboards flashing past on and off the track?I would expect that the Government rep on the board of these banks will be looking into sponsorship of all sports.

 Maybe there is not such a crisis afterall?I suppose with Labour in power Bernie Ecclestones show will go on! This is definitely the most boring sport on the planet and it goes hand in hand with the most boring job. A banker.They were made for each other!


Posted by fourthxjuly at 11:48 AM MEST
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