Russian clocks stay on summertime

Russia has not put its clocks back for winter this year, after President Dmitry Medvedev decided the country would stay permanently in summertime.

Mr Medvedev announced his decision in March, saying it was in order to relieve the stress of changing clocks.

Officials at the time talked about an annual increase in suicides.

It means that this winter in Russia the mornings will be darker for longer, but there will be more daylight in the afternoons.

So, as almost all of Northern Europe set its clocks back overnight, Russia did nothing, opting instead to remain on summertime for the whole year.

But because Russia is almost alone in sticking to summertime it has meant that businesses like banks, and in particular airlines and railways, have had an extra complication this autumn.
Source: BBCnews By Daniel Sandford,BBC News, Moscow

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“Officials at the time talked about an annual increase in suicides” sure it might give a slight push but come on – what is really the main cause of someone being so stressed, that all they can think of is not facing those dreads and working through them.
Many will blame something they can change – and steer clear of some of the real problems that are causing the problem(s). – no work, lack of food, family breakdowns, a lack of opportunity, say to grow and take part of what is important.
- Steve

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

Photo: Apple.com home page today

To all those people who never had the opportunity to work or play around with an Apple computer, iPhone, or iPad, you’ll really never know Steve Jobs.
Give yourself a break - go out sometime this week and try an apple or two out at a store or at a friends home. Then you will know why so many people who fell in love with his products will miss this man.
(I don't know of anyone who really loves their PCs - everything that is not an apple)
The next thing to do is go buy an apple product. It's as simple as that.
- Steve
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"'A eulogy of action'
I can't compose a proper eulogy for Steve Jobs. There's too much to say, too many capable of saying it better than I ever could.
It's one thing to miss someone, to feel a void when they're gone. It's another to do something with their legacy, to honor them through your actions.
Steve devoted his professional life to giving us (you, me and a billion other people) the most powerful device ever available to an ordinary person. Everything in our world is different because of the device you're reading this on.
What are we going to do with it?"
- Seth Godin's Blog October 6, 2011

Daylight Saving Time 2011

During 2011 we in Canada along with those living south of the border will be setting our clocks and watches back one hour on Sunday November 6. But in Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Spain etc. will change their time a week ahead of time on Sunday October 30.

I like Daylight Saving time – it wakes one up to our seasons and it helps us focus on how precious time is to all of us. I love making sure all our clocks are set properly (which brings me to a question for you: how many clocks and watches do you have to change? – for us it’s 14)
What bothers me, is simple, why do we in Canada along with the USA not change our time on the same day as Europe?
With international trade so important why do we through another wrench into the mix by having a week or even two weeks difference in changing our time?
When we live in our own little space and have no contact with others in different time zones I guess it does not really matter but when you deal with different time zones is one thing but during this week that is changed in one part of the world and not in another can really mess things up. - Steve

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From an article in National Geographic News by Brian Hanwerk

"For most Americans, (USA and Canada) daylight saving time 2011 starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, when most states spring forward an hour. Time will fall back to standard time again on Sunday, November 6, 2011, when daylight saving time ends. //
Where it is observed, daylight savings has been known to cause some problems.
National surveys by Rasmussen Reports, for example, show that 83 percent of respondents knew when to move their clocks ahead in spring 2010. Twenty-seven percent, though, admitted they'd been an hour early or late at least once in their lives because they hadn't changed their clocks correctly.
It's enough to make you wonder—why do we do use daylight saving time in the first place?

How and When Did Daylight Saving Time Start? Ben Franklin—of "early to bed and early to rise" fame—was apparently the first person to suggest the concept of daylight savings, according to computer scientist David Prerau, author of the book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time.

While serving as U.S. ambassador to France in Paris, Franklin wrote of being awakened at 6 a.m. and realizing, to his surprise, that the sun would rise far earlier than he usually did. Imagine the resources that might be saved if he and others rose before noon and burned less midnight oil, Franklin, tongue half in cheek, wrote to a newspaper.
"Franklin seriously realized it would be beneficial to make better use of daylight but he didn't really know how to implement it," Prerau said.
It wasn't until World War I that daylight savings were realized on a grand scale. Germany was the first state to adopt the time changes, to reduce artificial lighting and thereby save coal for the war effort. Friends and foes soon followed suit.
In the U.S. a federal law standardized the yearly start and end of daylight saving time in 1918—for the states that chose to observe it.
During World War II the U.S. made daylight saving time mandatory for the whole country, as a way to save wartime resources. Between February 9, 1942, and September 30, 1945, the government took it a step further. During this period daylight saving time was observed year-round, essentially making it the new standard time, if only for a few years.
Since the end of World War II, though, daylight saving time has always been optional for U.S. states. But its beginning and end have shifted—and occasionally disappeared.
During the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, the U.S. once again extended daylight saving time through the winter, resulting in a one percent decrease in the country's electrical load, according to federal studies cited by Prerau.
Thirty years later the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was enacted, mandating a controversial monthlong extension of daylight saving time, starting in 2007."

Read More from this article Daylight Saving Time 2011: Why and When Does It Begin?

Will Turkey get the Marble Head of a Child

Tolga Tuyluoglu said the other day "The Turkish ministry of culture thinks this item belongs to Turkey. We believe if an item has been removed from a country then it should be returned to the original place." Tolga is the director of Turkey's Culture and tourism office in London England. He is talking about a marble head that should be on the top of the Sidamara Sarcophagus that is in Istanbul's Museum of Archeology.
In 1882, the archaeologist Sir Charles Wilson, then Britain's consul-general in Anatolia, removed the head from the Sidamara Sarcophagus, a huge tomb dating from the third century, which he had excavated.
The marble head is that of a child with curly hair looking over his shoulder. Sir Charles's family later donated the head to the Victoria and Albert Museum.


Should Turkey's demand for the return of the missing stone head develop into the kind of row that still surrounds the Elgin marbles, it could have broad ramifications. As Turkey seeks EU membership, co-operation in the fields of art and history is seen as a key element of diplomacy, leading the British artist Mark Wallinger to be commissioned last year to create a temporary cinema for the Turkish city of Canakkale as a symbol of goodwill. "Discussions about Turkey's joining the EU are intense and can be fraught, but without a cultural dimension they lack depth," the British Council's David Codling said at the time. "The arts, in this instance, provide a forum for debate within and between countries."


Note: General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS (7 February 1840–21 January 1927) was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of Temple Mount. Much of his military service was spent in the British South Africa, but in later life he was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police, from 1886 to 1888, during the period of the Jack the Ripper murders. His command in combat during the Second Boer War was criticised, but he achieved considerable success during his long life in his military and civil posts.
Click Here for more info on Charles Warren

da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan

Between November 09, 2011 until February 05, 2012 I would love to visit the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, in the UK. for the exhibition 'Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan' you can fine more info by going to Click Here

‘Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan’ is the most complete display of Leonardo’s rare surviving paintings ever held. This unprecedented exhibition – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – brings together sensational international loans never before seen in the UK.

Leonardo the artistWhile numerous exhibitions have looked at Leonardo da Vinci as an inventor, scientist or draughtsman, this is the first to be dedicated to his aims and techniques as a painter. Inspired by the recently restored National Gallery painting, The Virgin of the Rocks, this exhibition focuses on Leonardo as an artist. In particular it concentrates on the work he produced as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.
As a painter, Leonardo aimed to convince viewers of the reality of what they were seeing while still aspiring to create ideals of beauty – particularly in his exquisite portraits – and, in his religious works, to convey a sense of awe-inspiring mystery.

Works on displayFeaturing the finest paintings and drawings by Leonardo and his followers, the exhibition examines Leonardo’s pursuit for perfection in his representation of the human form. Works on display include ‘La Belle Ferronière’ (Musée du Louvre, Paris), the ‘Madonna Litta’ (Hermitage, Saint Petersburg) and ‘Saint Jerome’ (Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome).
The final part of the exhibition features a near-contemporary, full-scale copy of Leonardo’s famous ‘Last Supper’, on loan from the Royal Academy. Seen alongside all the surviving preparatory drawings made by Leonardo for the 'Last Supper', visitors will discover how such a large-scale painting was designed and executed.

Related: Berlin is buzzing over the arrival of a new woman in town. The city has been waiting to see her serene beauty unveiled for months, and tomorrow she will finally show her face. Despite the hype, most of Cecilia Gallerani's fans don't even know her name. But visitors will soon be lining up to glimpse her portrait -- a work by Leonardo da Vinci. -- For months now, Berliners have seen her face on buses, posters and local news programs. Starting Thursday, they will be able to see her portrait in person at a special exhibit of Renaissance art at Berlin's Bode Museum. -- Cecilia Gallerani was about 16 years old when she sat for a portrait by the Italian master Leonardo da Vinci. Well-educated and talented in music, Gallerani was best known as being the favorite mistress of the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza. Her image, "Lady with an Ermine," is one of only a handful of portraits of women Da Vinci completed, and draws comparisons with his other masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. Read On with photos

Some post I put up. . .

Started a newspaper online the other day
The Thursday File Gazette Click Here
It takes my post to Twitter and features them. cool!

There is a coolness in the air today or should I say this morning - well having toast and coffee with Beverly out on the deck I got a little chilled. I hope it warms us.

Beverly is out but if she gets back in time say 3:30pm we will go down to the Jitter Bean Cafe (to see some photos of the cafe click here)

I also posted an article by Cordelia Hebblethwaite on Haiti: Should Creole replace French in Haiti's Schools? Article

U2 came to Moncton last night

U2 came to Moncton last night
You could hear, from our house, the beat, yes the beat, the beat, the beat - and you could hear the singing but not the words; it was U2 for sure. It was hard to get to sleep last night for sure. - Steve

. . .it was their 110th and final show of its monster U2 360 Tour Saturday (July 30) in Moncton, New Brunswick, wrapping up not only epic technological and musical achievements, but also going into the history books as the biggest tour ever. -- When the final numbers are tallied, U2 360 will record a gross of $736,137,344 and total attendance of 7,268,430, Billboard.com has learned, both the highest tour tallies ever reported to Billboard. U2 broke the Rolling Stones' previous gross record of $558 million on April 10 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as first reported on Billboard.com April 8. -- The success of 360 is a testament not only to the enduring global appeal of the band, but also its ground-breaking -- and risky -- 360-degree production, which increased the capacities of stadiums by as much as 25%. - Source: http://www.billboard.com


The Rolling Stones' 2005 in Moncton
AC/DC's 2009 in Moncton

Blog: Moncton’s Weather: Everything You Need To Know Click Here

What's Happening Around Us Today: July 31, 2011 Click Here

Coffee not so good. . .

I have my Globe (that's 'The Globe and Mail') and my coffee which we picked up yesterday on our shopping trip - miss the good stuff - this is better than Tim's but it will have to do until I get out again; well it will have to. The coffee is Melitta's 'World Harvest - Costa Rican Tarrazu' - I was fooled by the package, dark rich and I thought I would give it a taste. I did learn something 'Never judge a package by the visual'.
We made BTLs for lunch and it looks as if I will be babysiting tonight.

Take a lookFood stylist Adele Hagan shows you how to transform Greek salad into a simple and beautiful finger food
Video: Salad fixings + skewers = perfect outdoor party food Click Here

British soul singer Amy Winehouse found dead

Grammy award-winning soul singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead. The cause of death is not known. She was 27. Winehouse battled drink and drug problems, which overshadowed her recent musical career. She pulled out of a comeback tour last month.

the darn birds woke me up this morning at 4:30

Sounds,
birds,
4:30am,
chirping,
singing,
all at once,
symphony of sounds,
Saturday morning,
eyes open,
out of bed at 5:30am
'Let the day begin'

I could have used more sleep for sure but once up my mind starts to turn over and will not turn off.
Made my first of two espressos - I really think I've got it down pat.
By 6:30 I was on to the second and flying like a kite.

We (Beverly, Liz, Anthony and well you know...) went shopping - picked up a ton of much needed food.

We ate our lunch late - a magnificent salad with homemade dressing beverly dreamed up, we also had croissants, to pick up any leftovers dressing. mmmmmmmm!

Beverly, Liz and the little guy headed for the beach. – I worked on my English Tutor Newsletter and felt good I got caught up and a little a head of the game for once.

I also spent some time on the Thursday File Digest. Getting an itch to put one out next week and get the program up and running again.

Another grey sky but at least the rain has held off (the last three nights it has rained). I am having a very busy morning will all my clients being in France today. Beverly is over at a garage getting the car fixed – the muffler is making a terrible noise and it must be certified. It was due at the end of June.
If she gets home in time we will be going out to shop, chiefly for food, but we could drop into a café close by.

Borders going-out-of-business sale click here

Found a town in France and an interactive map of Europe

I woke up this morning to the thunder and the rain coming in the window. I got up closed it and then checked the rest of the house, as I walked into the dark kitchen I almost went blind with the lightning.
Needless to say I never did get back to sleep.
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It's been one of those long days but I did hook up a few new clients and found a new town in France; Carrieres Sur Seine with a population of only 15,596.
Carrières-sur-Seine is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
The inhabitants of the town of Carrières-sur-Seine are called Carillons (masculine plural) or Carillonnes (feminine plural), which translate into "Chimes" and "Ringing," respectively.
--
found a fantastic interactive map of Europe, showing the European public debt at a glance: Fourteen out of 27 countries in the European Union had public debt exceeding 60% of their gross domestic product at the end of 2010, according to official statistics. Interactive Map along with text

Apple Announces Two New MacBook Airs

I have been really wanting to pick up a laptop and this one would be the one I would love to have:

Apple Announces Two New MacBook Airs

The new Apple products keep on coming.

Apple has announced that it is releasing 2 new MacBook Airs, the first updates to the super-light laptop since October 2010. The new Airs will be available to order online and in Apple stores immediately.

The most noticeable difference between the two Airs is screen size: one comes with an 11-inch screen, and the other a 13-incher. Both come standard with much of the hardware we've already told you about: Intel i5 processors, super-fast Thunderbolt periphery connection, a back-lit keyboard, and the recently-released OS X Lion. After that, though, the options are up to you.

First, let's look at the 11'' model, which, at a starting price of $999, Apple has trumpeted with the tagline "Everyone should have a computer this advanced. Now everyone can." Here are some specs for the $1,000 model (all upgrades are on the $1200 model):

•2GB RAM (upgrade to 4GB RAM available)
•1.6GHz processor (upgrade to 1.8 GHz available)
•64GB storage (upgrade to 128GB and 256GB available)
•Weight: 2.38 pounds
•Two USB ports and a Thunderbolt port (no SD card reader)
•Up to 5 hours of battery life
And here are your bullet points on the 13-inch model, which starts at $1299 and upgrades to $1600 for the top-of-the-line model:

•4GB RAM
•1.7 GHz processor
•128GB storage (upgrade to 256GB available)
•Weight: 2.96 pounds
•Two USB ports, a Thunderbolt port, and an SD card reader
•Up to 7 hours of battery life
These aren't the flashiest updates to the Air, but they are substantial. The Thunderbolt port and the back-lit keyboard are the most noticeable changes, but the real work has been done on the inside. Apple says that the new Intel processors make this Air up to 2.5x faster than the previous generation; it has also added more durable flash storage, which means faster start-up times and the ability to put the computer on standby mode for up to 30 days.

This has been a busy week for Apple, which posted its "Best Quarter Ever" and also announced its new Lion operating system. According to ZDNET, the company reported shipping 3.95 million Macs last quarter--impressive, but not as robust as the numbers for the iPad, 9.25 million of which were shipped in the same quarter.

Summer is here but without any vacation

It has been raining in France just as they enter their vacation period - July and August - most will take three to four weeks vacation so they are not happy. On the other hand we here in Moncton have been having lots of sun with an average temperature of around 25°C but Beverly and I have not been able to get time away from work to really enjoy it.

It would be nice just to have a long weekend together or we dream of a week.