The first third was a wonderfully sunny Saturday afternoon enjoying a picnic lunch
on Richmond Green with friends before going on to see the matinee production of
'De Montford' at the Orange Tree Theatre. A dramatic 1800 depiction of the effects of
obsessive hatred on a man of high standing. Amazingly well written by Joanna Baillie
who kept her playwright skill anonymous for a while presumably because of antipathy
towards female writers in C18/19. Interesting too how much of the action took
place in Catholic convent/monastery in those pre Catholic emancipation years in
England. Justin Avoth played the venom filled De Montford, frighteningly well
and Alice Barclay was perfect as his sister Jane. Ben Nealon's Rezenvelt was Mr Nice personified. His eventual assassination by the demented de Montford was a highlight
of this thought provoking play.
Sunday brought the next third part of bank holiday. Free tickets courtesy of SWTrains
gave a cheap comfortable jouney to Portsmouth Harbour; thence using FastCat
catermarane 2 for 1 ticket a quick sea jorney to the Isle of Wight's Ryde Pierhead; from where
courtesy again of SW trains an ancient electric train (1950s London Tube style)
rattled us on to a remote station called "Lake" though there is no lake to be seen.
Glorious hot sunshine made for a great walk along the IoW coastal
foot paths through Sandown, Culver Down and then cutting across Bembridge
aerodrome to Brading marshes via an ancient NT Windmill. Starting back on the tube from
Brading to Ryde pierhead and the sea we eventually returned home sunburnt.
Today - the third third, rain and more rain. My seven mile jog over the
Common is usually punctuated by greetings from other joggers horseriders
and the like with the odd cannine interuption. Such was the pre-breakfast
downpour on this Bank Holiday Monday that for a change in this part
of London, "the loneliness of the long distance runner" is an apt description
of the prevailing(wet) atmosphere.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
More on Tempus Fugit
Today's post brought a letter from Canada Life notifying me that my tiny
pension fund with them is due to mature in less than a year.
A perplexing statement that, as I feel far from mature at present and
guess that to be fully human, fully alive and fully mature, would take a lifetime
to achieve at which point ironically, death probably sets in.
Yet it is true I am sure that the older you are the faster time seems to
pass by. Today would have been the birthday of the old friend whose passing
away on 22nd May 2007 (on which I posted then) seems like yesterday.
Yet when we were boys together at school from age 13, times then
drifted slowly and seemingly endlessly, by.
Similarly, tomorrow HCPT Group Leaders from the HCPT London Beaumont
Region meet in Weybridge to review the Easter 2008 pilgrimage and to plan for 2009.
Our planning meetings in 2006, for 2007 seem like they only just occurred
last week.
Much of the political, economic and media attention these days dwells on the
price of oil and in the UK anyway, 10pence on the income tax, yet the
most precious commodity of all - time - is diminishing from everyone
in equal measure. Top priority is needed as to spending it wisely.
pension fund with them is due to mature in less than a year.
A perplexing statement that, as I feel far from mature at present and
guess that to be fully human, fully alive and fully mature, would take a lifetime
to achieve at which point ironically, death probably sets in.
Yet it is true I am sure that the older you are the faster time seems to
pass by. Today would have been the birthday of the old friend whose passing
away on 22nd May 2007 (on which I posted then) seems like yesterday.
Yet when we were boys together at school from age 13, times then
drifted slowly and seemingly endlessly, by.
Similarly, tomorrow HCPT Group Leaders from the HCPT London Beaumont
Region meet in Weybridge to review the Easter 2008 pilgrimage and to plan for 2009.
Our planning meetings in 2006, for 2007 seem like they only just occurred
last week.
Much of the political, economic and media attention these days dwells on the
price of oil and in the UK anyway, 10pence on the income tax, yet the
most precious commodity of all - time - is diminishing from everyone
in equal measure. Top priority is needed as to spending it wisely.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Yet More on Investing
This blog entry is for "The Headmaster" who asked for some investing observations:
I enjoyed a recent lucky streak with buying shares through Sharecrazy,
in Ultima Networks plc, at share prices as low
as 0.60p, between January and March 2008 and selling many of them in
April 2008 after the reduction in capital gains tax from 40% to 18%, some at share prices of
well over 3p.
I can do little better but take extracts from my subsequent post on the Sharecrazy
site below. Most companies quoted on the stock exchange are known by their
electronic initials or EPIC so Ultima Networks plc is known as UTN:
"Having locked in as cash, good profits from UTN decided to start a new Sharecrazy p/f from the free balance with a view to holding for the remainder of the current tax year unless good reason for selling meanwhile.
UTN being the sole consituent of my previous tax p/f was a v. high risk one. The risk having paid off I'm trying spreading the load round this time and will compare/review outcomes in 2009.
Given that the new p/f is all with profit from UTN, losing the lot would cost me nowt so investment risks for the new p/f can be greater than if the need to preserve the capital
was acute.
The post UTN SC tax p/f now comprises:
ZYZ - having already dmor and holding in long term SIPP p/f (at a c. 30% paper loss to date) decided that time is ripe for ZYZ sp gains during current tax year.
ZRL - Les Ames mentioning this tinycap on his mkt summary post and dmor caused me to conclude that this co's holes in the ground might have some pay dirt to give its sp a boost during tax yr rather than having a black hole effect on PIs' cash.
XLT - recovery highish tech investment co appeals. Although its Agcert stake might be an expensive flop, a third party has put upc. $10m as well, which reassures
VLK- I had invested in this co b4 but exited at a loss. Communication needs in C21 are exapanding so the services/products of a co like this are unlikelyto lose marketability imho. An SC poster last week reminded me of the co so after looking at itsfin/fundies I bought a few.
SAR - another previously unprofitable investment I decided to try again now that it isessentially up for sale and with a v. low sp to reflect that.
LNX - again I have tried this unsuccessfullyb4. However its Spanish tax problems appear now to be contained and resolved with the authorities there. If so and if the results later this month signify that its trading is holding up, then the SP could head N.
IFM - film co bound to be highrisk/reward - but its tiny cap status and low looking sp appealed.
LDC - again one I have invested in b4 unsuccessfully but its NAV still justifies much higher sp.
BWB - water is going to be a huge problem in C21. A co that cleans up wastewater could clean up.
BSP - I don't know why I reinvested in this co. Too many share options etc but at 0.46p to buy - again well below NAV -I did perhaps because previously this had been a v. profitable investment in my p/f.
ACG - debt problems in the UK are not going away anytime soon despite banks' protestations about too high IVA fees. After all, sub prime debts are being written off entirely.Might be better all round for debtors to pay something even if middleman takes a fee
One more co to invest in which I am dmor on, then the p/f will be complete.
All imho so dyor
EDIT: UTN - I should have added that I retained some UTN shares in the new p/f
AND (the "one more co")
"PCF -Counter cyclical buy but its lending seems likely to continue as people still need to borrow occasionally, and to become more profitableas competitors fall by the wayside."
INVESTMENT CAUTION:
As previously posted though Mr Headmaster, you should never depend on
posts from bulletin boards or blogs for making your investment decisions
but should always do your own research and only blame yrself if the investment
proves to be a dud. Likewise don't invest cash you can ill afford to lose.
I enjoyed a recent lucky streak with buying shares through Sharecrazy,
in Ultima Networks plc, at share prices as low
as 0.60p, between January and March 2008 and selling many of them in
April 2008 after the reduction in capital gains tax from 40% to 18%, some at share prices of
well over 3p.
I can do little better but take extracts from my subsequent post on the Sharecrazy
site below. Most companies quoted on the stock exchange are known by their
electronic initials or EPIC so Ultima Networks plc is known as UTN:
"Having locked in as cash, good profits from UTN decided to start a new Sharecrazy p/f from the free balance with a view to holding for the remainder of the current tax year unless good reason for selling meanwhile.
UTN being the sole consituent of my previous tax p/f was a v. high risk one. The risk having paid off I'm trying spreading the load round this time and will compare/review outcomes in 2009.
Given that the new p/f is all with profit from UTN, losing the lot would cost me nowt so investment risks for the new p/f can be greater than if the need to preserve the capital
was acute.
The post UTN SC tax p/f now comprises:
ZYZ - having already dmor and holding in long term SIPP p/f (at a c. 30% paper loss to date) decided that time is ripe for ZYZ sp gains during current tax year.
ZRL - Les Ames mentioning this tinycap on his mkt summary post and dmor caused me to conclude that this co's holes in the ground might have some pay dirt to give its sp a boost during tax yr rather than having a black hole effect on PIs' cash.
XLT - recovery highish tech investment co appeals. Although its Agcert stake might be an expensive flop, a third party has put upc. $10m as well, which reassures
VLK- I had invested in this co b4 but exited at a loss. Communication needs in C21 are exapanding so the services/products of a co like this are unlikelyto lose marketability imho. An SC poster last week reminded me of the co so after looking at itsfin/fundies I bought a few.
SAR - another previously unprofitable investment I decided to try again now that it isessentially up for sale and with a v. low sp to reflect that.
LNX - again I have tried this unsuccessfullyb4. However its Spanish tax problems appear now to be contained and resolved with the authorities there. If so and if the results later this month signify that its trading is holding up, then the SP could head N.
IFM - film co bound to be highrisk/reward - but its tiny cap status and low looking sp appealed.
LDC - again one I have invested in b4 unsuccessfully but its NAV still justifies much higher sp.
BWB - water is going to be a huge problem in C21. A co that cleans up wastewater could clean up.
BSP - I don't know why I reinvested in this co. Too many share options etc but at 0.46p to buy - again well below NAV -I did perhaps because previously this had been a v. profitable investment in my p/f.
ACG - debt problems in the UK are not going away anytime soon despite banks' protestations about too high IVA fees. After all, sub prime debts are being written off entirely.Might be better all round for debtors to pay something even if middleman takes a fee
One more co to invest in which I am dmor on, then the p/f will be complete.
All imho so dyor
EDIT: UTN - I should have added that I retained some UTN shares in the new p/f
AND (the "one more co")
"PCF -Counter cyclical buy but its lending seems likely to continue as people still need to borrow occasionally, and to become more profitableas competitors fall by the wayside."
INVESTMENT CAUTION:
As previously posted though Mr Headmaster, you should never depend on
posts from bulletin boards or blogs for making your investment decisions
but should always do your own research and only blame yrself if the investment
proves to be a dud. Likewise don't invest cash you can ill afford to lose.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
The Bogey Man in Austria
Can any lessons be drawn from the horror story coming out of Austria at present?
That a girl was held for years in a cellar and gave birth
children there through the abuse at the hands of Josef Fritzl is hideous.
The numerous old nursery stories like Little Red Riding Hood taught children about evil
but more than balanced the evil with illustrations of the goodness of the human spirit
that invariably prevailed over evil. Yet Josef is probably mentally ill; his actions are evil
but he as a human being, is damaged by his illness.
To be incarcarated for 24 years without natural light and forced to bear
children by the very person most in a family would look to for protection and love,
is the personification of the worst of human nightmares.
Where is the goodness of the human spirit in all this? Perhaps it is
in the process of manifesing itself; perhaps it will come out in the children's
reactions or those of others; perhaps and in my view probably, the father was
so badly mentally ill that he was unable to appreciate the cruelity of his actions.
Who knows? Probably no one now but some enlightenment might in the years ahead,
strike the many who now dispair at the depths of man's inhumanity to man. Maybe this
will occur when the damaged family itself starts on the long path to some recovery.
Meanwhile as always, there is hope and healing through prayer - whatever that
means.
That a girl was held for years in a cellar and gave birth
children there through the abuse at the hands of Josef Fritzl is hideous.
The numerous old nursery stories like Little Red Riding Hood taught children about evil
but more than balanced the evil with illustrations of the goodness of the human spirit
that invariably prevailed over evil. Yet Josef is probably mentally ill; his actions are evil
but he as a human being, is damaged by his illness.
To be incarcarated for 24 years without natural light and forced to bear
children by the very person most in a family would look to for protection and love,
is the personification of the worst of human nightmares.
Where is the goodness of the human spirit in all this? Perhaps it is
in the process of manifesing itself; perhaps it will come out in the children's
reactions or those of others; perhaps and in my view probably, the father was
so badly mentally ill that he was unable to appreciate the cruelity of his actions.
Who knows? Probably no one now but some enlightenment might in the years ahead,
strike the many who now dispair at the depths of man's inhumanity to man. Maybe this
will occur when the damaged family itself starts on the long path to some recovery.
Meanwhile as always, there is hope and healing through prayer - whatever that
means.
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