Playing for Keeps

Whether you are the wealthy inventor of a patented product or an employee struggling to make ends meet most people realise at some point that to earn money is easier than keeping it.

Coin Dropping Into Piggy BankTrue financial wisdom lies in putting a portion of the money received and then being prudent in preserving the underlying value of your assets. Many may find it difficult to believe that someone that receives a windfall of a large sum of money and simply leaves it in the bank is worse off after ten years than a salaried employee who invests a small amount regularly in carefully selected stocks and funds.

A simple parallel to this is the maintenance of a vehicle. Once purchased a vehicle it is not simply a convenient piece of machinery that transports you from A to B with no further thought. Regular servicing and insuring against unforeseen circumstances are all essentials accepted by the majority of owners.

The concept is no different when it comes to MONEY MATTERS – another “vehicle” that requires time and effort to reach your destination. Many people make the mistake of thinking that once an asset is acquired it is the end of the process. It is however just like obtaining a vehicle – it is only the beginning.

In the maintenance of assets it is essential to have regular consultations with financial “mechanics” that can assess if you need a change in strategy to protect their value, to advise on tax efficiency and how to obtain value for money in securing high quality financial advice.

The message at the end of the day is clear – if you are playing for KEEPS – to PROTECT and PRESERVE the wealth that you create then high quality advice is priceless. •

Gravity Defying Tequila

A guy sits at a bar in a skyscraper restaurant high above the city. He slams a shot of tequila, goes over to the window and jumps out.

The guy sitting next to him can’t believe what he just saw. He’s more surprised when, 10 minutes later, the same guy walks back into the bar and sits down next to him.

The astonished onlooker asks, “How did you do that? I just saw you jump out the window, and we’re hundreds of feet above the ground!”

The jumper responds by slurring, “Well, I don’t get it either. I slam a shot of tequila, and when I jump out the window, the tequila makes me slow down right before I hit the ground. Watch.” He takes a shot, goes to the window and jumps out.

The other guy runs to the window and watches as the guy falls to just above the sidewalk, slows down and lands softly on his feet. A few minutes later, the jumper walks back into the bar.

The other guy has to try it, too, so he orders a shot of tequila. He slams it and jumps out the window. As he reaches the bottom, he doesn’t slow down at all. SPLAT!

The first guy orders another shot of tequila. The bartender shakes his head. “You’re really an a**hole when you’re drunk, Superman.”

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Movies This Week

PLETT MOVIE HOUSE

TEL: 044-533 3952
FRIDAY TO THURSDAY 26 JULY – 01 Aug

 

DISCONNECT – NPU 16 – 115 MIN
Drama, On the Art Circuit
Weekdays: 11h00 13h20 17h50
Weekend: 15h20 17h40

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Murderball director Henry Alex Rubin explores the destructive potential of the internet in this ensemble drama starring Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, and Alexander Skarsgård. His marriage dissolving before his very eyes, a former Marine (Skarsgård) ruins his credit by gambling online as his wife (Paula Patton) strikes up an intimate relationship on a popular social networking site. When identity theft puts their life savings at risk, the couple tracks down the man (Michael Nyqvust) they believe is responsible for the crime. Meanwhile, an introverted teenage goth (Jonah Bobo) becomes the victim of a humiliating prank when his two biggest tormentors pose as the girl he likes, trick him into exposing his true identity online. When the prank leads to tragedy, the young victim’s mother (Davis) is overwhelmed by grief as her husband (Bateman) explodes with rage. Later, an ambitious TV reporter’s quest to expose an online prostitution racket has unexpected repercussions for the frightened young man at the center of the growing controversy.

Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough

 

MAN OF STEEL – PG 10 – 143 MIN

Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Weekdays: 13h20 17h10 20h00
Weekend: 11h00 20h00

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Warner reboots Superman again, with some inputs from Dark Knight wunderkind Chris Nolan. The basic storyline generally follows the expected introductary arc, but the timeline is juggled and there are a few adaptations. With his home planet Krypton about to be destroyed, a father sends his son away in a spaceship, which eventually lands on Earth. A farming couple raises the boy, who gradually learns of his super powers. When grown to manhood, the baddie from Krypton arrives, intent on destroying Earth, and it’s up to Superman to see off the threat. Note that this movie is far more violent than previous instalments.
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Kevin Costner

 

EPIC – PG 10 – 102 MIN
Action, Adventure, Family
Daily: 11h00 13h30 15h50

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Epic tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world… and ours.

Voices of Amanda Seyfried, Beyoncé Knowles, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Blake Anderson, Judah Friedlander

 

 

OUTDOOR HIKING: WHY IT’S GOOD FOR THE BODY AND MIND

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Outdoor hiking has a myriad of benefits for both the body and the mind. Hiking is inexpensive and easy to start, so you can participate no matter how fit you currently are. Most people live within driving distance of wonderful hiking spots and discovering these places is a good way of getting to know an area. Here’s a look at some of the benefits of hiking.
Outdoor Hiking Promotes Mental Health
Hiking is much more varied than many other types of exercise, particularly those undertaken in a gym. Not only can your workout be different each time, depending on the trail you take, but the landscape will also change, if only from the seasons. Hiking outdoors can help you to maintain your motivation for exercise by making it more interesting. Hiking can also be as social as you like. You might feel embarrassed about exercising on the streets or in a gym when you’re first starting out, and hiking on an isolated trail will decrease the chances of feeling like people are judging you (although you should always tell someone where you are going for safety’s sake). Alternatively, hiking with a group or a friend can feel more like entertainment than exercise, and campsites are often very friendly places where it is possible to meet new people.
Exercise is a very good stress reliever in any form, including hiking, and can also reduce insomnia, leading to better mental health. Hiking outdoors will help you feel closer to nature and natural rhythms, which may increase your happiness and help you feel more fulfilled. A difficult hike, for example, up a hill or mountain, can also help you feel like you’ve achieved something more tangible than completing a fitness circuit at the gym.
Outdoor Hiking Promotes Physical Health
Hiking is a great exercise because it is easy to adjust to any level of fitness. Outdoor hiking can be on a level, well maintained path, or up a pathless mountain. This makes it excellent for people who are hoping to improve their fitness, as they can simply take more and more difficult hikes. Losing weight is another benefit of hiking. This is particularly true of hiking uphill, as this can burn similar amounts of calories to jogging. Exercise can help reduce insulin resistance in both the short and long term.
As hiking puts pressure on your bones, it encourages healthy bone structure and reduces the chances of osteoporosis. Being exposed to sunshine will also increase your levels of vitamin D. Hiking is a cardiovascular activity, depending on how hard you push yourself during a hike, and thus has benefits for your cardiovascular system, such as reducing the chances of heart disease, and increasing your overall fitness. Hiking is excellent for muscle tone, particularly cross country hiking, as your body and legs have to compensate for the rough terrain by working harder.
Hiking is a wonderful activity that is easy to start and continue, due to its varied and customizable nature. Outdoor hiking can help you to lose weight, clear and ease your mind and build a healthier body.
RESEARCHED BY : KÁTIA C. ROWLANDS – Pilates Instructor & Personal Trainer – 082 513 4256513 4256•

 

Weird Facts

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Dead people can get goosebumps.

If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die. Humans can’t handle that much vitamin A.

There was a ten foot tall ape called Gigantopithecus that is now thought to be extinct. The fossil record also indicates that they most likely buried their dead, which indicates a cognitive level that only one other ape possesses.

If you were to remove all of the empty space from the atoms that make up every human on earth, the entire world population could fit into an apple

A mantis shrimp can swing its claw so fast it boils the water around it and creates a flash of light.

The brain named itself.

Olympus Mons is a mountain on Mars, which is about fifteen miles high, three times higher than Mount Everest on earth, and at the top it is 45 miles across!