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news
summer moods blog 27/07/2009
This winter i'll have plenty of tea! This is how it looks right now, freshly gathered in nearby meadows. P.S. There's St John's wort, a bit of Tansy, a lot of Meadowsweet and tonns of Yarrow. Underneath it all (couldn't get it all in one shot) lie limetree blossoms.
home at sea blog 24/07/2009
There are some men who have gone far in their love towards nature and their longings for independance. Sailed, not gone - if more precise. 'Till the end of the world, so to speak.
Friends told me about a couple of men - keen sailors - whose hobby literarily have became all their life. They sold everything on land, raised the sails and went... well, wherever they wanted! When they needed money or food, they stopped at a nearby harbour, took some jobs at a rancho - but only to sail into the sea again at the first chance. Wow, what a life! Not sure I could live like that. But boy! - would I want it!
And you?
something about reputation blog 20/07/2009
Or brand. Or "face of your business". No matter how you call it, it's equally important and - so it seems - becomes more and more crucial lately.
The recent buzz around cable TV operator "IZZI" is a perfect example. Their client service or - more precise - a lack of one, together with miscommunication between the Firm and the user quickly evolved to a social network disaster...
with bad reviews and horrible Google search results all over the place (info for further reading here).
More recently, another company, "SmsReklama.lv"have made the same mistake - not paying close attention to it's customers. They sent sms spam to a lot of people who didn't want it, never asking their permission; some of them turned out to be known bloggers and internet marketing specialists... The rest is pretty clear (detailed info here).
This time it's not just our mentality. This is a tendency. One recent international - and did i mention HUGE? - case of failed seller/consumer relationships rocked YouTube, the hard way. With thousands and thousands of clicks, the Canadian country bands "Sons Of Maxwell" sing-along review of "United Airlines" is something any company would want to avoid. This time all it took was band leader's broken guitar and some ignorance from the company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
All these cases speak pretty clear and remind you once again:
1. Seller/Consumer relationships have changed drastically during the last 10 years or so. If some time ago all you could do if unhappy with service in a shop was ask for the manager, today the seller or manufacturer will try to avoid sending you home unhappy at all costs. What if you write about it on Facebook, chat through Skype, tweet on Twitter... After that it'll be impossible to undo.
2. The importance of social media is growing fast. For example, paying no attention to bad Google search results is a huge risk. There's a small step from a negative comment to a trashed brand. Similarily, positive reviews can lead to a positive and beloved brand.
3. Brand is everything! This slogan can be found in many business guidebooks but, as it turns out, "everything" yesterday is many times "everything" today.
In the end - one truly positive video about GOOD service and how it can change the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao
dilemma blog 20/07/2009
This weekend i went to my aunt, living deep in northern Vidzeme, almost at the Estonian border. Sitting under an oak tree that's surely hundred years old and peeling the carrots with a rusty, old knife, i thought about The Dillemma. Lately everybody says: turn to nature, remember about your roots... But hasn't the Man actually completely forgotten how it was - living in nature? Aunt lived in other times, when every decision had to match nature - when cows should be taken to the meadows, when the grass should be cut, when the lumber should be taken home from the woods. Could you live like that today? Could I live like that today?
I'm sitting and thinking. In nature. Somewhere near the hornets are humming, in the grass the yellow "ears" of the adder can be seen. Some people perhaps would grab a stick right now - to protect themselves. But something tells me, reminds me that there was a time when we all lived together, harmoniously. In nature.
some Baltic magics for natural beauty blog 16/06/2009
Midsummer is not only a time when all the plants have reached their blooming and growing peak. It's also a time when even those who have grown accustomed to city comfort and technologies, are ready to wet their bare feet in dew, scatter their hair full with cleaver petals and burn their noses into the bonfire. It's a night when people - possibly for the only time in a year - voluntarily goes into the nature. MADARA wants you to also enjoy this night and therefore offers a fern flower searcher's guide through summer solstice. It gives useful, nice and romantic advices which can make Your summer solstice unforgettable.
Put some fennel into your Midsummer crown... and have no worries at the table
Dill essential oils improve one's appetite, stimulates digestion, helps get rid of the gases, so you must not worry, even if you have eaten a little too much. Fennel also helps against insomnia and respiratory problems.
Cut some sweet flag roots and scater along the floor... and enjoy peace and harmony into your home
Sweet flag smell during Midsummer not only brings a special festive feeling into your house, but also scares away the insects, improves the guests appetite and gives energy. You can also put a small piece of sweet flag into your pocket - for a pleasant scent and great mood!
Rub your skin with peppermint leaves... Insects will leave you alone
If you'll rub your skin with peppermint, basil, wormwood or melissa leafs, you will keep your soft skin safe from mosquitos. These plants contain essential oils, which scare the insects away. Nevertheless, it is recommended to repeat this rubbing from time to time, for a longer-lasting effect.
Wash your mouth in the morning dew... and be beautiful till autumn
Dew is the only naturally available water on the earths surface which doesn't contain any salts or minerals. In it's softness it is similar to distilled water! Together with the ozone formed by the plants during the process of photosynthesis, dew also obtains a bleaching effect, therefore when washing your mouth in the dew, the skin becomes whiter, fresher, cleaner and softer. You can also prepare a dew mask for your hair - early in the morning pull a towel around a damp meadow, then take all the ticks and mosquitos off the towel and put it around the head.
Dandelion leaves for tired eyes
If your eyes are tired or a little irritated from the Midsummer bonfire's smoke, place some chopped and crushed dandelion leaves on them. Dandelion leaf juice is used externally to treat eye diseases, as well as a facial skin treatment for acne and freckles. The small leaves you can also put on cheese slices. Not only it'll improve the taste, but also complement your body with iron and make you less tired after the fest.
Rinse your hair in birch juices... and make your hair shining and smooth
If you have some birch juices left over from spring, rinse your hair with them. Birch juice, as well as birch bud and leaf decoction has a reinforcing effect of hair roots. You can also flush wounds with it.
Hops for a sweet sleep in summer's shortest night
Collect hop fruits, put them into a cloth bag and place near the bed or below the cushion - you will have good sleep. Hop has a calming and pain-reducing effect.
If bruised a knee, put some comfrey leaf on it
Comfrey juice has antibacterial, styptic and curing effect. It will also help against mosquito bites and various skin irritations.
Rinse your hair with nettle broth
Pick some nettle, cooke a broth and rinse your hair with it - they'll grow bushy and strong. Also, you can try other brewages for strengthening your hair roots - take equal doses of sweet flag roots, burdock roots, hops and camomile flowers, cook, then leave to brew, filter and wash hair.
Cornflower, cornflower
Decorate the refreshments table with cornflowers - you can eat them too! Before a bath drink cornflower tea - it'll let you sweat more and make you slimmer. Cornflower has an excess water-wasting effect, it also reduces irritations. Also you can prepare an eye-wash out of cornflower tincture - it'll remove swelling!
Wild strawberries for rosy cheeks
Collect a handful of wild strawberries - eat a half yourself, the other half squash in fingers and apply on the face. Taste for the stomache, beauty for the face! For external use, the wild strawberry cures various skin irritations and improves facial color. If eaten, forest strawberries regulate the metabolic process and have a positive effect on intestinal activity.
Before kissing - St John's Wort and oak leaves
Collect St. John's wort and prepare a tincture. Wash your mouth with it before leaving in search of a fern flower. St. John's Wort has antibacterial and astringent effect. It cures gums and oral mucosal. For the same effect you can use oak leaf infusions, which will help against an unpleasant smell from your mouth.
some Baltic magics for natural beauty news 16/06/2009
This is the time of the year when it feels just right to get closer to nature, back to our roots, back to knowledge of our grand- grandmothers. Read in the blog!
Midsummer nostalgia blog 12/06/2009
So close! The scent of blooming meadows, buzzing of insects and our singing - "līgo, līgo". A bit witchy process of searching for those special Midsummer plants and flowers; rituals, developed during centuries, turning this night into a very special event.
For many years I'm trying to remember that song, that funny melody with childish lyrics which i was always singing as a kid a day or two before summer solstice, when I was walking at hand with my parents through a forest and searching for flowers. The lyrics were something about meadow clover, dandelions and sun... It was so long time ago but every year at the same day this past memory bothers me and brings back such powerful emotions that I just can't keep them inside.
I don't want to loose it. Just as I never want to loose this one night. When everything around you becomes a bit magical, spooky, when people loose their masks and disguises, turn to nature and all of a sudden unveil that not so long ago exactly here was their real and only home.
unbelievable queues for MADARA! news 11/06/2009
On the first day of opening of our second store in Riga, Latvia (in the shopping centre SPiCE) the queues for MADARA products extended far into the corridors. Is there really a financial crisis in Latvia afterall?
More here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhRQ7ldVq7Q
Thoughts blog 06/06/2009
This morning ir rode a bike to work and, i think, for the first time this year i felt that unmistakeably sweet summer scent in the air. For lime-tree blossoms - too early, for lilac - too late, but something SOOO SWEET, that i raised my head, closed my eyes and rolled down the hill, into the summer.
And where did YOUR bike lead you to this morning?
in labyrinths of the sun’s rays blog 01/06/2009
Summer is here, and finally we can let the warm rays of the sun gladden our hearts and caress our skin. But the sun also has a dark side - the ill effect of UV rays, from which we should protect ourselves. It's impossible to completely avoid the sun's rays. If you wish to protect yourself, choose products that contain natural sun filters.
Titanium dioxide is a physical barrier of the sun, which blocks UVA and UVB rays, as well as UVC rays. It is a natural inorganic pigment that, when in a cream, coats the skin with a reflective and protective layer. Anyone that wants to protect the skin entirely from the sun should look for titanium dioxide in the ingredients labels of sun blocks. Moreover, thanks to its inorganic origin, titanium dioxide is one of the most inert and antiallergenic sun filters. This is an important aspect, taking into account that many synthetic, organic substances can irritate the skin and cause allergic reactions. In comparison with other filters, the allowed maximum amount of titanium dioxide in a product is 25%, while the larger part of chemical substances are limited to 2-10%.
Another popular substance, equal to titan dioxide, is zinc oxide. Check the labels of sun blocks - if Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide is mentioned, you can be certain that this cream protects you from both UVA and UVB rays.
Alongside inorganic pigments, other great UV filters can be found in nature. Carotenoids (red and yellow pigments) found in plants have a dual effect: they block the sun's rays and also, as an antioxidant, lessen the damage already done. For example, sea buckthorn, which is one of nature's more powerful antioxidants and contains all forms of vitamin E, was lauded in ancient Greece as a wonderful agent to keep skin looking young. The extract from the yellow berry not only protects the skin, but also facilitates the renewal processes of cells and eliminates free radicals created by the rays of the sun. Other plants that are well known to contain carotenoids are calendula, sweet briar, and tomatoes. A popular antioxidant from far-away lands is green tea. Combining these and other plants together with inorganic pigments, a powerful sun-protection and anti-aging cream is made. And all the better - it's completely natural.