Pounds, Shillings and Pence

WIM's DESK
The stay-away seems to have been quite well attended looking at the newspapers and T.V. It seems to me that the strong Rand is upsetting a lot of people. Now, all these years I used to act concerned (I don’t know why) about the devaluation of the Rand and did my bit to fight inflation. How often I’ve mentioned (to younger people FYI) that I remember when the Pound was £1/0/- = R2.00. For those who think there’s a typo there, it’s quite correct, England had not yet metricated and the sign means Pounds, Shillings and Pence. But, I digress. A week Rand, it appears, is a good thing. Petrol going up to near R5.50 with a strong Rand. It’ll be interesting to see the petrol price when the Rand = $8.50.

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KNOW YOUR STAINLESS
Titanium

Atomic Number: 22
Atomic Weight: 47.867
Melting Point: 1941 K (1668°C or 3034°F)
Boiling Point: 3560 K (3287°C or 5949°F)
Density: 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter

What's in a name? From the Greek word Titans, the mythological "first sons of the Earth
History and Uses:
Titanium was discovered in 1791 by the Reverend William Gregor, an English pastor. Pure titanium was first produced by Matthew A. Hunter, an American metallurgist, in 1910. Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust and is primarily found in the minerals rutile (TiO2), ilmenite (FeTiO3) and sphene (CaTiSiO5). Titanium makes up about 0.57% of the earth's crust.Titanium is a strong, light metal. It is as strong as steel and twice as strong as aluminum, but is 45% lighter than steel and only 60% heavier than aluminum. Titanium is not easily corroded by sea water and is used in propeller shafts, rigging and other parts of boats that are exposed to sea water. Titanium and titanium alloys are used in airplanes, missiles and rockets where strength, low weight and resistance to high temperatures are important. Since titanium does not react within the human body, it is used to create artificial hips, pins for setting bones and for other biological implants. Unfortunately, the high cost of titanium has limited its widespread use.Titanium oxide (TiO2) is used as a pigment to create white paint and accounts for the largest use of the element. Pure titanium oxide is relatively clear and is used to create titania, an artificial gemstone. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), another titanium compound, has been used to make smoke screens.A final bit of titanium trivia -- titanium is the only element that will burn in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen.

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SELF IMPROVEMENT
We all try to make the most of our time, however, we also tend to operate in the same manner we have become accustomed to. Here are some simple changes you can make that will actually give you more precious free time. (One per Day)
Tip 4.) Practice saying no. You shouldn't do everything and can't anyway.

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NICKEL PRICE
LME Official Prices (US$/tonne) for 27 June 2005
CASH BUYER - $14515
CASH SELLER & SETTLEMENT - $14520
3 MONTHS BUYER - $14375
3 MONTHS SELLER - $14400
LME Official Opening Stock (in tones) Nickel = 7794

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COMPUTER TIPS
The Pound Sign £:
Hold down the Alt Key and type 0163 on the numeric key pad, let go. Alt+0163 = £

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THE ASTUTE JAMMY LEXICON EXPLICATED
A little ignorance can go a long way.... in the direction of maximum harm.- Gerrold's Law (with Lyall's Addendum)
Explained: A diminutive lack of comprehension can inevitably steer one into a course of complete deletion or reformatting of ones “C” drive