iDale

The world is full of problems. And as new problems emerge, so do new charities, organisations and groups of passionate individuals who want to help (generally by rallying for your support and your hard earned money.) Some are good. Others are better. That’s for you to decide.

I’ve always been taught to give charity. And in many cases I’ve been sad that I wasn’t able to give as much as I would have liked to give. Times are tough. I’m sure you’ve heard people say “charity starts at home,” or even said it yourself. Giving charity is not easy. It’s not cheap.

With that said, I still can’t find a single reason to justify the stupid headline of the blog post. Why? Because it’s utter crap.

You should give charity. And I have a way for you to do it right now, very easily. It won’t even cost you a cent…

I was approached by MoneySmart last week to participate in a “social media” budget challenge. They’ve given me R1500 to survive on for an entire week. And they’ve put me up against 9 other folks who need to do the same. Sadly my budgeting skills are pretty kak. That’s where you come in…

R10k to give away

Here’s the deal that lets you give charity for free:

1. If I win the challenge I get to give R10k away to the Starfish Foundation.
2. I can win if you support me because it counts for almost half the score (40%)

Give charity for free. Right now.

- Update -

I won!!!

The Starfish Foundation. Why?

Read this story…

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said “I made a difference for that one.”

The Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity, aiming to bring life, hope and opportunity to orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. They (and I) believe that everyone anywhere can make a very real difference to the lives of these children.

If you’re interested, click here to visit the Starfish Greathearts Foundation web site

PS. If you think you shouldn’t give charity, then I think you suck.

Roman Abramovich, one of the  richest men in the world (with a £14billion fortune), has purchased all nine flats of a prime London block with Harvey Nichols and Harrods as their corner shops.

Look, I can see my yacht from here

Considering the size and the prime Knightsbridge location of the property, experts estimate it’s worth up to £150million…

5 stories up + 3 stories down = 8 stories

Abramovich lives with his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova and their one year old son Aaron. And I think it’s safe to say that the palatial house which boasts a cinema, an indoor pool, steam room and sauna, as well as a children’s study and entertainment room will have ample space for the three of them. Be real – 30,000 square feet is enough space for anyone.

See this old post: The Worlds Biggest Yacht (belongs to Roman of course)

The Taj Mahal holds the distinction of being one of the Seven Wonders of the World built by man and is a white marble tribute built by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century.

The best of the best.

So you can’t blame the world-renowned Franklin Mint for unveiled a rare and unprecedented work of artistry – the Taj Mahal Gold Coin – at their new Manhattan showroom.

It was minted and designed by Monnaie de Paris and only 29 of these beauties will ever be produced.

1 of 29

It doesn’t stop there – the coin is not only the first and only French coin comprised of 1kg of solid gold, but it is the world’s first coin to include 68 hand-set Cartier diamonds.

You heard me - 68 Cartier diamonds!

The Taj Mahal Gold Coin is valued at $140,000 and is being offered exclusively in the United States. The case alone – an elaborate leather and wood piece by French luggage designer Goyard – is worth approximately $7,000. Thats over R1 million for a single coin!

Here is a closeup, so you don’t mistake this bad boy for lesser-awesome coins that don’t feature diamonds, weigh less than 1kg and are made in larger quantities…

Bang!

Love Gold? See more…

• Gold Bugatti Veyron Model Goes for R22m
• Get Gold from this Vending Machine
• Bang & Olufsen Goes for Gold
• Wireless Gold Mouse

You gotta know when to hold ‘em… and when to fold ‘em!

I’ve been searching for a simple sleek cash wallet for a long long time now. I hate the coin holder and whoever thought men needed them should be punished!

These slender sheaths are about as low tech as you can get – just a single piece of leather, three folds, and voila your cash is snugly secured for safekeeping!

They come in two sizes; small for dollars and large for Euros, Pounds, Yen plus a credit card or two.

Leonardo Davinci put it well (and Capitec bank bastardised it:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

You’re bound to see this branding around town in the coming months:

It’s the second Discovery Leadership Summit to be held in SA and I’m still regretting the fact that I never attended the event in 2009! I missed Branson and Gladwell lined up with other global business leaders and I won’t do it again!

So this year I’m going to the event come hell or high water because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to engage! And two of the several speakers are people I’ve wanted to hear for ages; Rudy Guiliani (former mayor of NYC) and Johann Rupert (Chief Executive of Richemont Luxury Brands)!

If you don’t know who these blokes are, best you check out the event web site and get on with making a plan to be there! Do it!

The Girlfriend and I generally throw all our coins into an awesome bubblegum machine we have at home. I’m hoping that someday I’ll crack it open and have enough to cruise to Cuba!

After seeing the picture below, I’m wondering if I shouldn’t rather take all the little copper coins and re-tile my balcony with the bling effect?

The image was taken in a New York restaurant and I think it looks great! For the real money shot, you could substitute 5c coins for R5 coins. Cha-ching!

The Thinker is one of the most recognizable sculptures in the world. It even has a role in the new film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Last week one of the Thinker sculptures by French master Auguste Rodin was sold at auction for more than 3 million euros (that’s $4.2 million or R35m) in Paris. This Thinker, which is just 28.5 inches high, set a record for any of the Thinkers. It’s part of a series of 21 sculptures made by Rodin.

For those who care, it was originally meant to be part of Rodin’s Gates of Hell inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Rodin made a first small plaster version around 1880 and the first large scale bronze was presented to the public in 1904. This particular Thinker was purchased by Emile Chouanard in 1917, the same year it was cast. Another Rodin statue owned by Chouanard, “Little Eve” also sold for a record price of over 2.4 million euros at the auction.

What you think of that eh?

Rest your head close to home or drift off to a far away land with this set of three continent pillows! Either way, you can rest assured with these bright and cheery cotton cushions. The set of three includes Asia, Africa and the US:

Get your set of three here for only $95.00 (about R780).

I can’t be the only one guilty of collecting small expensive things. So I’m always seeking a safe place to keep them – somewhere I won’t forget about myself!

You’re probably thinking “sticking it in a safe dumb-ass”! What nonsense! Where’s a thief going to look first? That’s right – your safe. Stupid. Here’s the real solution…

Hide your stash in plain sight – that’s what you need to do! So, just glue two random hardcover books together, drill out several hundred pages, and BOOM! You’ve got the perfect hiding space.

OR, you can just buy the book above and cram it full of treasure, and nobody will be the wiser! There you go!

If you dont already know, I sell the shiny yellow metal for a living, but I just discovered one of these babies, threatening to put me out of business! WTF! I found this article at this cool blog called what about gold – a great resource for info on the markets.

This is the brainchild of a German asset management company and they plan to set up a whopping 500 “Gold-To-Go” ATM’s in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in under a year. These pics were taken in Frankfurt Central Station.

Satisfied customers

The product

Something gives me a feeling that this wouldnt work in good old sunny South Africa, which is good news for me!