Scottie James Grainger

Man Utd suffer big loss, but it’s nothing to worry about

Being a Manchester United fan and seeing my team lose 6-1 to Man City at Old Trafford was devastating, but it does by no means mean that Man City have taken over the dominance  Manchester.

Yes United were beaten by the better team and looked frail in defence, but all good United teams of the past have had some shockers of results and still ended up on top. I don’t think Man Utd have had the best overall tem in the league for many years now; you can see this by their results against the top 4/5 teams over the past seasons, but their ability to beat most of the other teams keeps them on top.

The team has lost whatever they had at the beginning of the season and really needs to find its top gear again and quickly, but what you can never do is write off a Manchester United team.

Hopefully this result will kick the team into life again and as Sir Alex said himself, this won’t happen again.

posted by Scottie in General,Sport and have No Comments

What You Need To Start Trading Forex

Every forex trader needs certain things in order to get started. Without these tools, trading is not possible. When you decide you are ready, ensure you have everything on this checklist in order to become a successful trader. Getting what you need takes little time, meaning you can start trading in no time at all.

Forex Training

Start by actually learning something about the forex market. Join a forex forum, visit professional trading websites and practice with free demo accounts. These will all give you a good background in forex. They will also help you further understand the tools you will be using to perform trades. Reading CitiFX Pro Reviews sites will also give you a good indication of how reputable a broker is.

Find a Broker

While it is possible to trade without a broker, most traders find it easier to use a broker. You can work one on one with a broker or use a platform to input your trades. Brokers then ensure trades are correct before entering a position. Reputable brokers are registered as a futures commission merchant. Since they go through large financial institutions, your money is safer and better managed.

Forex Trading Software

All traders must use some type of software to enter their trades. This can be web based or client based. Most prefer web based, since it is available from any computer and sometimes from mobile devices with internet connections. Software also provides analysis tools, real time quotes and even news feeds to make trading forex easier. Most brokers have their own software. Features vary greatly, so it is important to choose software which best fits your trading needs. Demo accounts allow you to try software before you open a live account.

posted by Scottie in Hobbies,News and have No Comments

Finally bought Fifa 12

After playing the Fifa 12 demo for a couple of weeks I decided that it was time to get the real thing. At first I didn’t like the new defensive controls as I thought it ruined the game a bit, but after a bit of practise I think it’s a lot more realistic.

The graphics are a little better than the last one (on the demo anyway) but not a lot of difference really. The two major changes that I’ve noticed are the new defensive controls and the player impact engine. Both seem to add more realism to the game, but can also become frustrating if you need to get a result.

Can’t wait to get the new teams and stats, and with the special edition you also get ultimate team player cards, so I’ll have to give that a go.

posted by Scottie in Sport,Technology and have No Comments

Impotence drug Levitra approved for NHS in Scotland

Levitra, a drug used to help men with erectile dysfunction has been approved by Scotland’s medical watchdog and could soon be available on the NHS. Levitra is the first erectile dysfunction medication to be in orodisersible tablet form, which means that it melts on the tongue without the need for a glass of water; this is especially useful for those who have difficulty swallowing

Sufferers can also buy Levitra online, but the new approval means that erectile dysfunction sufferers will also be able to get it on the NHS.

It is estimated that around 2.3 million men suffer from some form of erectile dysfunction in the UK, but only 1 in 10 men receive medication for the condition.

Good news for Scottish men then!

posted by Scottie in News and have No Comments

I fancy taking a cruise and stay holiday

I’ve toyed with the ideal of taking a cruise next year but often think that being on a cruise ship for 14 days may be a bit constricting, so I’ve been looking at a cruise and stay holiday instead. Cruise and stay holidays seem to be the best of both worlds and I found a great deal on Imagine Cruising.

The deal I have seen is a 14 might cruise and stay holiday in the Caribbean which starts with a 5 night stay in the Gran Melia Hotel, followed by a 7 night cruise around the Caribbean with Celebrity Cruises and a 2 night stay at the San Juan Hotel to finish things off.

The cruise sets off from San Juan and visits some of the most exotic Caribbean destinations including Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua giving you time to look around and take in the scenery.

Prices for this cruise and stay holiday start from just £1,398 per person and I’m really tempted to book one of these for next year.

posted by Scottie in General,Holidays and have No Comments

Learning Forex with Real World Investments

Once you have learned the Forex system, you are ready to start trading. At first, it may be a good idea to trade with a demo forex account, so that you can learn the ropes with no financial risk to you.

As soon as you feel comfortable with executing trades consider switching to a micro or mini account. These accounts allow you trade with actual money, but in small enough amounts that there is still little risk to you. Micro or mini trades function just as full trades do, but in fractional units of currency.

When you start trading in this way you really begin to experience the market for real. You can begin trading with as little as a few pounds, so risk remains low. What is important about this is that you will really begin to hone your trading skills. The mini account is really a tool for you to learn with; consider the few pounds you start out with as a sort of tuition fee and that the lessons you learn will enable you to trade forex more successfully in the longer term.

With a micro or mini account, you will learn the forex market in the real world, instead of just pretending to trade, as with a demo account. A mini account will teach you how to navigate the forex market using methodologies you develop. If you wish, you can then apply them to a full value account, but only when you are ready.

posted by Scottie in Hobbies,Online and have No Comments

Clearing out the garage – it’s amazing how much rubbish you keep

Today I decided that I would clear out the garage and get rid of all the stuff we didn’t need in the vain hope that I could once again fit the car in. This didn’t happen, but I did notice that the garage has become a sort of dumping ground for lots of stuff we don’t use or didn’t want.

I opened the first couple of boxes which contained photo albums and other mementos that we will keep; it was nice to look through them again and see when the kids were babies and our wedding album (oh happy days). Then it was on to the rest of the stuff.

I opened a few more boxes and was staggered by what we actually keep; old kettles and toasters that are probably 6+ years old, board games and jigsaws with half the pieces missing, not to mention old baby toys and prams.

I boxed up all of the decent stuff so my wife can take them to the charity shop and I took the rest to the skip.

There wasn’t enough room to fit my car in after all, but at least the garage looks a lot better than it did.

posted by Scottie in General,Home and have No Comments

iPhone 4S – is it worth upgrading?

A few days ago, Apple announce its newest mobile phone the iPhone 4S and this got me wondering, is it worth upgrading? The iPhone 4S is an upgraded version of the iPhone 4 and boasts a faster processor, an 8 megapixel camera and Siri voice recognition.

The iPhone 4S uses the same case and screen as the iPhone 4, so would someone upgrading from a iPhone 4 notice much difference? Yes the phone would run faster, but is it worth signing up to a 2 year deal and paying £200 for the phone worth it when most of the competitors have similar specked devices for less money.

Yes the Siri voice recognition looks good and the better camera is a bonus, but unless you have an iPhone 3 or 3GS then I wouldn’t upgrade. For those with iPhone 4’s I would wait till next year for the iPhone 5 which could once again break the mould when it comes to smartphones.

posted by Scottie in News,Technology and have No Comments

How to Clean Oil from Concrete Drives or Garages

Oil spots from cars can leave a drive or garage looking rather messy and poorly maintained. There are a variety of methods available to remove the oil spots with items you may already have in your cupboards. Try these suggested methods before resorting to acidic washes, which can be not only dangerous to you, but also to the environment.  

One popular remedy is to simply pour a couple cans of cola on the affected area and leave it on overnight. The next day, add a good amount of washing up liquid to a bucket of water and use it as a rinse on the oil spot. Follow this with another good rinsing with the garden hose.

Bicarbonate of soda is another environmentally friendly approach to removing oil stains from concrete. Shake bicarbonate of soda over the oil spot. Add a small amount of water in order to make a good scouring paste. Scrub the area with a broom or stiff cleaning brush and then rinse with water. If you do not have any bicarbonate of soda available, cornmeal or sawdust can also work.

Sprinkling the oil stain with automatic dishwasher detergent powder is yet another remedy. After applying the automatic dishwasher powder, pour a kettle of boiling water over the area. Then scrub with a broom or stiff cleaning brush. Follow with a good blast from the garden hose.

posted by Scottie in General,Home and have No Comments

My broadband wasn’t working so been practicing my airbrushing

Over the weekend I noticed that my broadband kept cutting out; I would reset the router and it would work for around 10 minutes before cutting out again. So instead of faffing around with the internet I decided to go to the local art store and pick up some airbrush supplies.

While I was there I bought an easel, a set of small paint brushes and one of those 12 inch wooden mannequins all for under £15, bargain. I went home and set up the easel in the garage, got all my airbrushing stuff out and started practising.

I am mainly practising my lines and dots at different heights away from the page. This is one of the techniques I learnt in the book I reviewed last week, Airbrush: The Complete Studio Handbook and it really helps you to get a feel for the airbrush.

I also make the shield detailed in the book (see pic below) from some over heat projection film I had laying around and it works great. All in all I spent a couple of hours practising before the kids got back and demanded that I fix the internet.

After about an hour trying to find out what the problem was and phoning BT up, it turned out that one of the pipes had gone down which meant most of the people in my area were suffering from the same problem. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow, but if not there is always airbrushing to pass the time.

posted by Scottie in General,Hobbies,Technology and have No Comments