|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Coltimbers Chronicle
All the months news on one page
|
|
|
|
MAY 2009
31 May 2009
THE BIG PICTURE
• An Air France Airbus crashes off the coast of Brazil. All 228 people on board are presumed dead
after pieces of wreckage are found. Brazilian navy divers commence the search for the flight
recorders. Experts say the search along the 3000m deep ocean floor will be amongst the most
difficult recoveries in history. At this stage, it is clear that the aircraft’s electrics
failed – why they failed is the question that needs answering.
• General Motors follows Chrysler into filing for bankruptcy. What will be left of the Big 3 US
automakers once the dust settles is anyone’s guess. This market is certainly testing the agility
and ruggedness of companies.
• There is only bad news coming out of the world’s economies. Unemployment is up everywhere.
However, stock markets have gone up about 35% this year, on the basis that all this bad news is
already priced into share prices. The question is – are these “green shoots” of optimism, or
will the market crash again as it did in 1929 when, after a brief but dramatic recovery, it
crashed to levels lower than the original crash.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCENE
• President Jacob Zuma’s first state of the nation address will provide some interesting clues as
to how government will balance the recession and falling tax revenue with the expensive promises
made during the election. If the Sub Prime crisis has taught us one thing, it is the need to
live within our means.
• The new and expanded cabinet contains some interesting choices, including a FF+ cardholder as
the deputy agriculture minister! The finance minister job goes to the widely respected former
SARS chief Pravin Gordham. Trevor Manuel moves into a more powerful planning role. These changes
were well accepted by the markets.
• A war of words erupts between DA leader Helen Zille and the ANC Youth League. When accused of
being sexist (ie. a women-hating woman) for appointing an all male provincial cabinet, Zille
counter-attacks with references to President Zuma’s polygamy and his dangerous liaison with an
HIV positive woman. The participants in the scrap use words like “concubine”, which have a lot
of people reaching for their dictionaries. Thankfully the wet winter has doused the flames of
anger and our country’s politicians can once again worry about service delivery.
THE SPORTS SCENE
• The Bulls destroy the Chiefs in a one-sided Super 14 Final. Bryan Habana’s 2 tries in the final
see him overtake Breyton Paulse to become South Africa’s leading all time Super 14 try scorer.
• The Twenty20 World Cup is about to commence in England. We are amongst the favourites.
• Barcelona demolish Man Utd in a one-sided Champions League final. Lionel Messi proves he is the
world’s greatest player at the moment.
• The recession is not affecting everyone. Real Madrid have bid ₤56m (about R728m) for Brazilian
magician Kaka after he rejected a ₤100m (R1.3b) move to Man City which would have seen him
earning weekly wages of ₤0.5m (R6.5m). Real are also expected to test Man Utd’s resolve with a
₤70m (R910m) bid for petulant Portuguese winger Christiano Ronaldo.
NEWS FROM THE COL FACE
• Our factory continues its progress to world class manufacturing and we welcome any customers who
would like to visit.
• Our stock outs continue to decline and our service continues to impress. An example of the small
improvements we are making – all pieces including OGs and quads will now be barcoded. Any
customer still sticking their own label on our timber and still in need of a barcoding list
should email jonathan@coltimbers.co.za for more info
• Our new factory and warehouse in Atlantis starts to take shape. We are investing in state of the
art equipment, some of which will be a first in South Africa. Our quality and service will be
untouchable
MONTHLY MOTIVATIONAL THOUGHT
Making your good times count and not forgetting your bad times makes a man successful.
[ back to news ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
