Yearly Archives: 2008

Mar
12
2008
20 de Sfaturi pentru Finantele PersonaleEnglish Version“Daca vrei sa stii ce parere are Dumnezeu despre bani, uita-te numai la ce fel de oameni ii da.” – proverb romanesc. Traim in vremuri ce ne solocita tot mai mult imaginatia si sistemul de valori in ceea ce priveste finantele personale. Discutiile despre bani sunt tot mai dese in familie, cu prietenii sau cu colegii. As vrea sa spun ca puterea banilor depinde de atitudinea noastra fata de ei si ca banii au importanta pe care le-o dam, insa -- pentru ca aceste afirmatii sa aiba efect – ele trebuie practicate de cat mai multi oameni. Multimea de sarbatori care s-au precipitat in ultima luna (Sfantul Valentin, Dragobetele, 1 si 8 Martie), asezonate cu onomastici si reducerile din marile magazine au adus in atentia noastra banii pe care ii castigam, nu atat ca numar cat si ca valoare. Pornind de la aceste premise, am cautat pe net informatii care sa ma ajute sa adopt o atitudine sanatoasa si constructiva vis-à-vis de bani. (more…)
“Daca vrei sa stii ce parere are Dumnezeu despre bani, uita-te numai la ce fel de oameni ii da.” – proverb romanesc. Traim in vremuri ce ne solocita tot mai mult imaginatia si sistemul de valori in ceea ce priveste finantele personale. D
Mar
10
2008
Caring for your household plants and flowers The spring is coming closer and closer and we need to let it enter in our homes too. The spring cleaning – which is a must -- is a great opportunity to pay more attention to your plants and flowers. It is the time for your plants’ rebirth, and the time spent with them this spring will be paid back by the beauty and health of your plants in summer. For those who have no plants at home, it’s time to buy at least 2 or 3, from the easy to maintain types of plants. The plant market has a lot to offer and the effort is worth: the plants beautify the house, purify and keep the air humid and bring positive energy to those around them. To ease the job of caring for your plants, I've created this document (in excel format) to keep record of them. You can save it on your pc, print it or give it to a friend who has a passion for house plants. The information needed to write on the spreadsheet can be taken from websites, for accuracy; they refer to ordinary caring of house plants. In this way, you’ll get an overview of your plants that you’ll guide your caring for them. In the second part of the document, you’ll find a spreadsheet for plant and flowers you wish to buy. You can fill it in every time you have an idea and print it when you go shopping. Hoping that this information is useful for you, I want you feedback for improving these spreadsheets. Good luck on taking care of your plants and enjoy them as much as you can.
The spring is coming closer and closer and we need to let it enter in our homes too. The spring cleaning – which is a must -- is a great opportunity to pay more attention to your plants and flowers. It is the time for your plants’ rebirth, and
Mar
3
2008
A inceput lupta impotriva gropilor din straziO stire mi-a atras atentia: Brigada de Politie Rutiera a Capitalei a identificat, si cu ajutorul soferilor, 87 de gropi si canale descoperite, in descursul a doua saptamani. Ma mira numarul mic de gropi descoperite, mai ales ca si soferii au avut un cuvant de spus. De lucrul asta si-au dat seama si cei de la Brigada, prelungind termenul de “insemnare” a gropilor cu inca o luna, pana la 31 Martie. Asta este o veste cat se poate de buna. Nu se stie ce se va intampla dupa asta, insa un singur raspuns in vine acum in minte: le astupa / repara. Din spirit civic, am pus online un formular conceput pentru a aduna cat mai multe informatii despre gropile din Bucuresti. Va invit sa lasati in comentariile la acest subiect datele necesare (cartier, strada, problema, observatii), iar eu voi completa la sfarsitul zilei formularul online. Pe 31 Martie ar trebui sa avem o baza de date sanatoasa cu majoritatea gropilor din Bucuresti. Astept feed back pentru imbunatatirea acestui sistem de colectare a informatiilor.
O stire mi-a atras atentia: Brigada de Politie Rutiera a Capitalei a identificat, si cu ajutorul soferilor, 87 de gropi si canale descoperite, in descursul a doua saptamani. Ma mira numarul mic de gropi descoperite, mai ales ca si soferii au avut
Feb
28
2008
No Country for Old Menversiunea in limba romanaYesterday evening I saw the last Oscar movie: “No Country for Old Men”. Motto: “There are no clean getaways”. It was mind blowing and all that violence and blood made me seek. I didn’t understand a thing before the end and most part of the people form the theater thought it was horrible. NCFOL is definitely not an easy movie. I started understanding it as I re-played it again and again in my head and talked about it with my husband and friends. As all things in life, this movie has its haters and lovers. The haters are hating is for shallow reasons (bad haircut, too much violence, the good guy died off screen, only 2 soundtracks etc) and the lovers are loving it for the meaning those shallow reasons are giving to the hole story and point of the movie. (more…)
Yesterday evening I saw the last Oscar movie: “No Country for Old Men”. Motto: “There are no clean getaways”. It was mind blowing and all that violence and blood made me seek. I didn’t understand a thing before the end and most part of the
Feb
25
2008
Feb
22
2008
LifeStraw changes the world

Changing the world for the better … tough job, but somebody has to do it. Some people’s destinies are connected to the humankind’s evolution. They make pieces of history. They invent and fight for things that save / humanize / enrich lives.

One of these things is LifeStraw® (Switzerland), a water-purification tool that turns even the dirtiest water into safe drinking water by filtering out bacteria and viruses. This life saving tool won the World Changing Ideas Award, a competition organized and sponsored by Saatchi & Saatchi. Their objective is to recognize, celebrate and promote ideas that have the potential to change the world.

You can find more information about this product on their official web site: lifestraw.com. Just to sum it up: it is highly portable, kills 99.9999% of bacteria and 98.7% of viruses that can cause deadly diseases and can filter up to 700 litres of water.

I hope that the Saatchi & Saatchi marketing consultancy worth USD 50,000 will have the desired effect: to bring the LifeStraw® to every people who lack access to safe drinking water.

Saatchi & Saatchi AwardI see this device delivered next to the OLPC laptop to the children in the developing countries, like a 2 in 1 package. I also see this tool part of the wilderness survival kit you bring with you when you go hiking or mountaineering, next to the Swiss army knife, firestarter and survival blanket. Travel agencies should give it to you when you book trips to exotic destinations. What can I say….a life savior in situations that you only see on Discovery’s I shouldn’t be alive TV-program.

So far, the good news is that LifeStraw® is already distributed in major rural towns in Uganda. Congratulations, LifeStraw® team!
Changing the world for the better … tough job, but somebody has to do it. Some people’s destinies are connected to the humankind’s evolution. They make pieces of history. They invent and fight for things that save / humanize /
Feb
21
2008
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Feb
21
2008
Puma Cool TagLast year I’ve spotted a beautiful tag on a Lee Cooper T–shirt. The T–shirt was nice but the tag attached to it was even nicer; I wanted to buy the T-shirt because of the tag, but I do not year black … The thought stuck with me though: why so few of the tags attached to clothing and shoes are beautiful. How come the big brains behind the products do not come up with interesting and gorgeous tags? How about cool or glamorous? Tags should say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in December and Happy Easter in April – to mention only two holidays. Tags should be so beautiful that you want to keep them, collect them, share with friends, and hang them as ornaments in your house during holiday times (as long as the brand’s name is not too obvious). I have a tag from an Only for You jacket – I used it to customize my rucksack. I wonder why the tags are not used as a way to bond with your customers. In my opinion an apparel product should have, besides a price tag, another tag – beautifully designed – with the web address of the company (a must), a suggestion / picture on how to wear the product and other interesting information related to the product. Like this Puma tag Mr. Seth Godin shared with us. I like it. That’s why I’ve chosen to help spread the word. From my point of view, apparel and cosmetics (for start) tags should be seen as a new kind of business card: the type of information they contain is up to the business’s imagination and the customer will definitely take it home (being attached to the product). Maybe there should be a tag contest with customers voters only … What do you think about this Puma tag? Do you collect tags and labels? Do you have any cool apparel tags? What do you do with tags and labels you like? What is the most beautiful or interesting apparel tag you have ever seen?
Last year I’ve spotted a beautiful tag on a Lee Cooper T–shirt. The T–shirt was nice but the tag attached to it was even nicer; I wanted to buy the T-shirt because of the tag, but I do not year black … The thought stuck with me though:
Feb
19
2008
{{ It´s important to carry a good umbrella. I always say, "Men who carry a high–quality umbrella will move up in life. Women who carry a high–quality umbrella will be showered in happiness." It´s the truth. The umbrella above your
Feb
19
2008
Ziua Mondiala a PamantuluiIn ziua de 21 Martie a fiecarui an, intreaga lume sarbatoreste Ziua Mondiala a Pamantului. Avand in vedere actuala noastra relatie cu planeta Pamant, cred ca aceasta sarbatoare va fi marcata in acest an mai mult ca niciodata, cel putin la nivel mondial. Ziua Mondiala a Pamantului se sarbatoreste din 1970, proclamarea acestei sarbatori fiind insotita de cuvintele: “May there only be peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.”. Intr-adevar, echilibrul este foarte fragil, iar supravietuirea noastra pe acesta planeta depinde de multi factori, printe care si atitudinea noastra vis-à-vis de tot ce ne inconjoara: natura, animale, oameni. Cuvintele “iubeste-ti aproapele” sunt mai adevarate in ziua de azi ca niciodata. Dupa o scurta analiza a prezentei Zilei Mondiale a Pamantului pe internet, am remarcat ca Earthsite.org sugereaza diverse moduri de sarbatorire a zilei, dintre care mi-a atras atentia propunerea de a face cu totii curatenie in locurile unde locuim sau lucram, sa plantam copaci sau arbusti in parcuri. Suna bine, insa in Bucuresti nu am auzit de astfel de actiuni, nu s-a gandit nimeni sa organizeze asa ceva. Din punctul meu de vedere, orice companie romaneasca sau straina putea sa organizeze sarbatorirea Zilei Mondiale a Pamantului pentru salariatii sai, familiile lor; un mod simplu si elegant de a scapa de rutina si a petrece ziua in mijlocul orasului in care traiesti. Chiar si pentru scoli era o ocazie buna de educat si motivat copiii. (more…)
In ziua de 21 Martie a fiecarui an, intreaga lume sarbatoreste Ziua Mondiala a Pamantului. Avand in vedere actuala noastra relatie cu planeta Pamant, cred ca aceasta sarbatoare va fi marcata in acest an mai mult ca niciodata, cel putin la nivel m
Feb
19
2008
IOAA-07-Romania wins golden medalDear Vilmos Loo & team, Congratulations for the medals and prizes won at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. I am very proud to be a fellow citizen of such bright teenagers. I am sure it was a real challenge for them, having in mind the lack of resources and motivation in our present education system. Bravo for these students that they followed their ambition and didn´t listen to the pessimistic and good-for-nothing comments. The details of the competition: - The IOAA (International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics) 2007 took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 30th Nov – 9th Dec 2007. - It is the first competition of this kind - 21 countries (the distribution map is very interesting!), 86 students, 41 Leaders and 7 Observers - Our team:
  • Students: Miruna Oprescu, Mihai Tomozeiu, Vilmos Loo, Valentin Buciumas, Nicu David Serban
  • Leaders: Sorin Trocaru and Radu-Calin Zapotinschi
  • Observers: Constantin Traistaru
Congratulations to the Romanian team! Keep up the good work. (more…)
Dear Vilmos Loo & team, Congratulations for the medals and prizes won at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. I am very proud to be a fellow citizen of such bright teenagers. I am sure it was a real challenge for them, ha
Feb
18
2008
Simply Surprising7.5 million tourists visited Romania in 2007, 27% more than 2006. Hotels and motels had been built, renovated and marketed. The offer is wide and unique: beaches, the Danube delta, mountains, and spa resorts - all four seasons have something interesting to offer.Almost everyone is making an effort to redefine the Romanian tourism and discover its strengths: - the hosts are improving the quality of their services - the authorities are branding the "fabulous spirit" of Romania - the agencies are marketing their offers I invite the foreign tourists to share their stories about visiting Romania on a news blog created especially for you: TravelNotes.ro. Create an account in seconds and start sharing pictures and comments about Romania. Here are a few hints: - What part of the biodiversity caught your attention: the relief, the fauna or the flora? - Which cultural event brought you to Romania or interested you? - What do you think of the Romanian people you encountered? - Did you enjoy hiking and discovering the nature around you? - Which Romanian tradition caught you attention? - How does the food you had in Romania differed from the one in your country? - Which tourist destination from Romania would you recommend to your friends? Share your travel notes, eve if you have a blog or profile in a travel community - we want to know about it and let others learn from your experiences. travel in RomaniaBottom line: We want to know what the foreign tourists think about Romania. The simple truth, so we can learn from it.
7.5 million tourists visited Romania in 2007, 27% more than 2006. Hotels and motels had been built, renovated and marketed. The offer is wide and unique: beaches, the Danube delta, mountains, and spa resorts - all four seasons have something interest