Christmas 2014 and a few 2015 Predictions

My 2006  Christmas blog  post read:

I hope everyone (anyone?) who reads this blog has a very happy holy
Christmas 2006 and much good fortune and peace in 2007.

On this Christmas Eve, the world is looking in a decidedly negative
shape. Presidents and prime ministers in the West are 
looking less and less like leaders who seek to
inspire the people to put the 
message of Christmas into practice, with the humility and 
insight of Kings Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar 
but more and more with the self centredness and arrogance of 
King Herod, of old. 

Maybe we the people, need to inspire our leaders
so that love and compassion flow from the people upwards
rather than looking to such enfeeebled leaders, to guide 
us through their example.

In many ways the same  as regards paragraphs   two and three could be said about Christmas  2014 but the key is  really in paragraph one.

So what will 2015 bring? For the UK at least there will be  a general election the outcome of which is very difficult to predict. My prediction is that the Tories will  win again in England at least but with a coalition in prospect once more but between whom?

The hideous ISIS killings will continue  but their hideousness is  surely being accentuated by today's virtually instant media reporting.

One of the newspapers recently commented that fewer people have died in all wars and acts of terrorism (including the ISIS inhumanties) from the end of WWII to date than died in day 1 of WWI (surely I am misquoting and the words 'day 1 of should be deleted?). That  sounds  almost un-believable. However the media survives on extreme news which is often appalling as  people tend not to buy newspapers reporting on the ordinary. 'The ordinary' is  often about   human love generosity and kindnesses which are  unfathomable and usually so almost routine that such items are unlikely to sell newspapers so are  reported far less extensively.

Good news that will hopefully recur in 2015  but which will be largely unreported should include:

HCPT's Easter pilgrimage of 5000 children and young people to Lourdes.

Churches generally will experience an increase in interest prayer and even attendances as people become disaffected with consumerism.

 I wish I could predict that AFC  Wimbledon would emulate their predecessors Wimbledon FC and win the FA cup as the latter did  by beating Liverpool FC on that great day in 1988. However AFC Wimbledon should at least  give Liverpool  FC a great run for their money in the 3rd Round on 5th January 2015. All c. 4500 seats at the AFC Wimbledon  home ground sold out before I could even blink.but at least TV will show the match live.

I am beginning to enjoy reading the Independent newspaper  which amazingly  is substantially cheaper than the Guardian. Both make losses but hopefully the Indy will not go the way of the Sunday Correspondent which closed in 1990 just as I began to enjoy reading it. Still the likelihood is for one national newspaper  to fold in 2015.

On the  AIM part of the London stock exchange my recent amateur  investor website prediction is that the following 5 stocks will do well in 2015 but as they always say, please do your own research before investing in any shares especially on AIM:

Using 19th December 2014 closing  offer share prices:

KIBO 7.5p. This co has just had a very +ve report into Rukwa Coal to Power Project ("RCPP"). and the co states: "...We are particularly pleased with project robustness, because the RCPP is a clear opportunity for Kibo to assist the Tanzanian government in its striving for energy solutions to address the energy supply deficit in Tanzania. Access to power provides enhancement to everyday life domestically and commercially..."

PRS 0.26p Primarily because of its holding in MTR which in turn holds some kibo shares but also because some of its other holdings are not doing badly.

MTR 0.95p really ditto prs except mtr has a direct stake in kibo and is rather smaller than prs.

CBUY 30p A little risky but their own blurb reads well:
"cloudBuy, formerly @UK, is a world-leading transactional cloud platform.
cloudBuy has used the platform to build world-leading business to business (B2B) ecommerce and e-procurement applications, which address the full range of buying and selling activities in an easy-to-use web and mobile digital experience. The platform is also used to build complementary applications such as content management, secure email and big data analysis.
To date, the applications have processed over $500 billion of spend, and are being used by leading organisations around the world to deliver savings, increase profits and improve services.
The applications are unique in delivering correct pricing in the complex world of B2B procurement, whilst being simple enough for anyone to use - to the extent that people with disabilities can easily use a Care marketplace version to buy their own social and health care."

OXS 2.35p. This is a complete gamble because the outcome of their Arbitration claim  is so uncertain. A commentator has stated:

"I understand shareholders' frustration at the lack of information being provided to them as a result of the confidentiality obligations of the arbitration. However, I can confirm proceedings are progressing as expected and the Board of Oxus Gold remains positive that shareholders will be appropriately compensated for the blatant expropriation of the Company's mineral rights in Uzbekistan."

A Very Happy  and Holy Christmas 2014 and prosperous 2015 to the few who red this blog.