Daylight saving time ... please, don't!

For me, it's also an eternal debate, is it good or bad or do we switch forward or backward and is this then the summer time = sun time of is the sun time winter time.

Anyways, the video on the below (and link here) neatly explains the ups and downs (since it compares different hemispeheres, also literally) of the clock switching that happens to a lot of us twice a year.

  From the first idea to the Nazi Germany, to confusion in setting up business meetings across the globe, to more heart failures (sleep deprivation) and 4 $ per household saving on electricity.

I know today is Monday, but ...

This I got from a friend of mine (or actually, I snatched it from her FB wall):

“I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but according to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths, and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States. Also today, there will be at least 4 people that will win the multimillion dollar lotteries, 600 people will get promotions at work, and 3,000 people will lose their virginity. There will also be 600 dogs adopted, 35,000 balloons sold, and 800,000 skittles eaten. Plus, the words “I love you” will be said over 9 million times. So again, I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but just smile, because according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day.”

Enjoy. Today, tomorrow and well, the week. (And if you doubt it, decrease the numbers for 10 %, multiply by six, add to the abovesaid statistics of Monday and you get sort of a week's average. Then marvel at the numbers.)

Forward-Looking Statements

From an announcement on Amazon's press release pages:

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Aaaah, now I know.

Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. 

So basically, they can say almost anything, in a very-convincing manner, and call it a misplaced/unfulfilled expectation?

These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. 

I.e., everything.

More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings. 

I.e., don't come snivelling to us, if you lost money, betting on Amazon's stock value.

Funny, this.
If you want to have more fun, you can read an article (? justified nudging) or google (scholar) search for "nudging" (in marketing). Nice stuff.

Menjava politikov in Volovja reber (Gure)

Iz maila:

Pozdravljeni člani Koalicije za Volovjo reber,
Že dolgo se nismo oglasili, zato bo tale kratka novička »osvežujoča«. S Tomažem Jančarjem sva se 8. avgusta sestala z državno sekretarko za okolje ga. Marjeto Peterlin v zvezi s primerom Volovje rebri. Do sestanka je prišlo na našo prošnjo, ki smo jo naslovili na g. ministra Bogoviča maja in še enkrat julija 2012. Na sestanku so sodelovali še dr. Silvo Žlebir, direktor ARSO in g. Mladen Berginc z MKO.
  Sestanek ocenjujemo kot uspešen. Na poldrugo uro dolgem sestanku je ga. Peterlin izkazala velik interes, da se seznani s problematiko varovanja narave na Volovji rebri, argumente za ohranitev smo predstavili jasno, opozorili smo tudi na odgovornost ARSO pri sprejemanju ključnih odločitev.
  Obenem smo dali jasno vedeti, da okoljevarstveno soglasje zakonito ne more biti sprejeto, čemur je seveda oporekal direktor ARSO, ki je skušal zadeve okrog pravnih postopkov zamegliti. Verjamemo, tako je vsaj zatrdila ga. Peterlin, da bodo podrobne informacije s sestanka prišle tudi do ministra Franca Bogoviča.
  Lep pozdrav, Gregor

Še pomnite Islandijo? Tukaj je Francija ... pod Hollandom!

Preko Petra Zlodeja, ta preko Petra Mrgole:

Koliko časa je Holland predsednik Francije? Dobra dva meseca. Tako dolgo,ja, da o Franciji Evropski in Slovenski mediji sploh ne poročajo več. Tudi Janševa vlada omenja zgolj še Merklovo, pa čeprav ji je tudi v Nemčiji padlo zaupanje na zgolj 33%. Naši še vedno govorijo o Grčiji in Španiji, Francija

in Islandija sta TABU!

Holland pa je v 2 mesecih naredil:
  100% je ukinil vsa protokolarna vozila , jih dal na licitacijo, izkupiček pa namenil za izgradnjo infrastrukture večjih, do zdaj neurejenih predmestij. Objavil je dokument, ki vsebuje 12 alinej, kjer vsem državnim podjetjem ukinja službena vozila. Holland je prepričan, da si vsak poslovnež, ki letno zasluži 600.000€ ali več, brez težav lahko sam kupi avto. Če tega ne naredi je škrt, nesposoben ali pokvarjen in takih ljudi državna podjetja ne potrebujejo. Pozor. S tem je prihranil 345 milijonov €, ki jih bo do 15.avgusta letos investiral v nove raziskovalne inštitute sodobnih tehnologij in, spet POZOR, zaposlil 2560 mladih nezaposlenih razvojnih znanstvenih raziskovalcev. A si predstavljate Vizjaka, da bi se moral peljati s svojim avtom? Si predstavljate Janševe in Pahorjeve kadre, da izgubijo službene limuzine? Ali da bi vlada kakšno spodbudo zaposlovanju mladih, izobraženih?

  Da je zavrnil vpis fiskalnega pravila v ustavo je edino znano širši javnosti, ker je to pač neumno, je pa za 75% zvišal, z urgentnim predsedniškim dekretom, davek vsem družinam, ne osebam, katerih neto prihodek letno presega 5 milijonov €. S tem denarjem, ne da bi se dotaknil državnega proračuna, je LETOS zaposlil 59.870 brezposelnih izobraženih kadrov, od tega s 1. julijem 6900 in 1. septembrom še 12.500 učiteljev in profesorjev v državnih izobraževalnih ustanovah.
Pa spet POZOR!. Cerkvi je ukinil podporo v višini 2,3 milijarde €!!!, s katerimi je RKC financirala privatne liceje in šole, s tem denarjem pa bo izgradil 4500 otroških vrtcev in 3600 Osnovnih šol, ne zasebnih!!!! Žiga Turk bi mu najraje zalepil usta in ga razrešil! Ljudomila pa se križa in prosi boga, da se kaj takega ne bi zgodilo pri nas!

Uvedel je davčne olajšave na področju »bonus kulture«, na primer knjižnic, tisti pa, ki bi zaposlili najmanj dva nezaposlena diplomirana profila, pa bi bili davka celo oproščeni. Žiga Turk je že ves prepoten!
Ukinil je vladne in državne časopise /ala Demokracija, Reporter/, revije, fundacije in časopisne hiše. Nadomestil jih je z društvi oziroma zadrugami, ki bodo spodbujale razvoj podjetništva z večjo dodano vrednostjo. Černač se je že skril v Postojnsko jamo!

Bankam, ki omogočajo razvoj domačega gospodarstva bo dal olajšave, bankam, ki se ukvarjajo samo s transakcijami denarja pa bo povišal dajatve. Šušteršič, dobro jutro, vam zveni zelo futuristično? Kar ugasnite računalnik, po kosilu ni pametno brati česa takega, lahko bruhate!

Znižal je plače vsem vladnim uradnikom za 25%, parlamentarcem za 33%, ostalim državnim vodilnim zaposlenim ,ki zaslužijo več kot 800.000€ letno pa za 40%!! S 4 milijardami prihranka bo financiral socialno kategorijo. Matere samohranilke bodo tako imele za prvih pet let starosti otroka ugodnosti, ostale, z nekoliko starejšimi otroki pa 3 leta. Dobivale bi redni zajamčeni dohodek, ki pa ni 500€, kot pri nas.
Vse zgoraj našteto se ni dotaknilo niti z 1 centom državnega proračuna!!!

Šokantni podatki, ki se jih boji cela Evropa, Janša pa si že nekaj časa z veliko rjuho briše mokro plešo. In rezultati: inflacija se ne povečuje, produktivnost in konkurenčnost pa se je prvič po treh letih začela zviševati.

Zdaj se sprašujem, ima kdo med poslanci Peterletova kokošja produkta, da to prebere v parlamentu, je kdo, ki si upa sprožiti enake postopke v totalno obubožani Sloveniji, kjer vsi vladni ukrepi vodijo v neizbežen propad dežele? V dveh mesecih je Holland naredil za Francijo, kar naše vlade nikoli ne bodo, ker nočejo. Pri nas vodi politika v neizbežno podrejenost Slovenije tujim državam in res je čas, da ljudje glasno pokažemo, kam sodi naša politika.

BOŽO ŽABJEK

Volounteer position in Peru available

There's a Volounteer position in Peru available, jul/aug 2012 - June 2013. Work will be done for a project on the mating system of saddle-back tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons, we are offering 1-2 volunteer positions. See attachment for more info.

Problems of the world

... are simply too great in number to list here and now. For you would be reading through the night or simply loosing interest. Therefore, I shan't.
What I will do, however, is list a couple of ideas and key speakers/authors I believe every person alive in this world (when old 'enough') should see or read.

Today, I feel sad; and honestly I don't know whether I should hope that humanity is just so insanely stupid or that it is just a part of a nice, big, world-wide conspiracy. Perhaps my feeling today is simply due to lack of oxigen in my system - should excercise my haemoglobin and muscles, I think.

A book explaining how we should redesign our world economy from the linear system

that it is now (producing waste, cutting forests, dividing wealth to the rich) into a circular economy, into a restorative society. And how it can be done: The Ecology of Commerce, by Paul Hawken. (Alternatively, if you are more of a visual type or would just like to see something positive for a change, see this inspiring video: Paul Hawken: Blessed Unrest, at Bioneers, 2006)

Middle Earth and Eärendil or Miðgarðr and Éarendel

You know Tolkien's Middle-Earth, right?! Well, it so happens it is actually Midgard -> Norse Mythology, Thor, Odin ...

 Midgard (an Anglicised form of Old Norse Miðgarðr) is one of the Nine Worlds and is an old Germanic name for our world and is the home of Humans, with the literal meaning "middle enclosure".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midgard 

 And also, from a verse he took up the name Éarendel (Eärendil). Tolkien was particularly inspired by the lines in Crist:

éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended 

"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, sent over Middle-earth to men." 

On Lord of the Rings wikia it continues: 

The first line is paralleled by Sam's exclamation in Cirith Ungol,
Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima! which is Quenya, and translates to
"Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars."  

 from: http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/E%C3%A4rendil

Bee excited!

But the best advice I can give you is this: trust your excitement. You need self-discipline to get yourself going every day; but after that your only reliable guide is your own excitement. If what you're doing doesn't excite you, there's something wrong somewhere. And if you *are* excited, nothing else matters--except nuturing your excitement.

-- Stephen R. Donaldson

 http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/fromtheauthor/gi_view.php?NewWindow=yes&Filter=&all=&any=&none