My donation for save the beard was $10 greater than the sum total of the shave Matt donations. So to honour the shave the beard (scissors supporters) I have chosen to significantly trim my beard.

If you want to see my face pink and hairless you will have to do better next year.

Dear friend,

Congratulations! Your campaign raised $120, which alone can give 6 people clean water for 20 years.

The mycharity: water site tracks every dollar donated on your page to a specific water project. When the water projects you helped fund are completed in 12 - 18 months, we'll send you and everyone who contributed to your pictures and GPS coordinates. Even though your page can no longer receive donations, you can go back to the site anytime to see your campaign and to eventually see the village you helped.

We've seen the amazing impact that water projects have on people's lives. Your dedication these past three months is deeply appreciated.
Thank you.

--the team at charity: water

Yahoo news has more:

The European Commission proposed new penalties for countries that spend themselves into debt in hopes of preventing another crisis like the one that pushed Greece ot the edge of bankruptcy and shook confidence in the euro.

France is not offering her support for this move and the high debt nations are not likely to be comfortable with such a rule this could be an idea that goes nowhere fast and as Anti-austerity protests sweep across Europe the Euro could possibly be set to be fairly weak in the coming months. Already Stocks are opening lower as a wave of protests against austerity measures in Europe bring new worries about the region's financial system.

Strikes or protests were also taking place Wednesday in Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Slovenia and Lithuania, all aimed at the budget-slashing, tax-hiking, pension-cutting austerity plans that European governments have implemented to try to control their debt.

How do you see things turning out?

Thinking specifically of "spread betting" as a trading method how would you advise a new trader?

He (or she) says to you "I want to trade and make money but which should I choose?"

And you say...?

Is it shares where expert or domain knowledge of industry and market place trends can be a huge help?

Is it the global market place - the biggest stock exchange ever and one that never sleeps?

Forex or shares?

Which would you recommend and why?

What I found was the sites that I had normally looked at and one that I did not expect. As a social media guy this site excited me just a little more than normal. As it has a Digg/Readit style social element to it but for the forex community niche.

Woo-hoo!

The site is called FreshPips and it is user voted content. Which means that the well reported news shows up and the crapola and filler news does not make it.

I like that.

Update I just found Another one! These things are like buses.

Now I'll be frank with you - I'm pretty sure I'm not going to cause $5,000 (US) as we have just got to $110 (US) but I'd like to at least get to $250. Just a donation of $1 (about 70p give or take a wee bit) would take us forward.

Give a little and change a life

Here are some pictures from that event.