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Middle East: Developing the successful salesperson
Converting leads into deals is a skill in any sector but, in meetings and events, the right environment and mentoring is key says Rhonda Brewer, Vice President – Sales, Maritz Travel.
When considering how powerful the meetings and events industry is, the ability to attract top sales talent, strong leadership and coaching is critical in developing sales professionals and keeping them motivated during a complicated and long-term sales/ delivery cycle. It takes a certain degree of talent behind the scenes to successfully pull everything together to yield an experience or an event that delivers the special moments that can last a lifetime.
I've been in the industry my entire career and I'm often asked what it takes to be a successful sales professional in the incentive travel industry. It takes both education and skills, but more importantly requires innate personality traits too: patience, tenacity, a collaborative spirit and the ability to put the needs of others first. One cannot overemphasise the role of an able leader to spot talent and keep a team moving forward in the face of adverse circumstances. Coaching and mentoring are two other vitally important components.
For young professionals in the industry, it is important to find the right launch pad for their careers. This involves the right organisation, culture and leadership. Aligning sales team members with the best leader is a critical step. Team leaders aren't just bosses or managers, but mentors and coaches too. They will be the ones who help build and sharpen crucial talents related to service offerings as well as soft-skill areas such as relationship-building, team and client communications, quite apart from the sales funnel management of nurturing, selling and delivering.
It's through this teamwork that successful sales people avoid a 'trial by fire' scenario when finding their feet. This teamwork helps develop a more proactive anticipation of a client's needs and interests.
Like most, our sales organisation varies in skills and experience. A good manager focuses on a salesperson's greatest strengths and pairs them with supporting team members who can complement them. For example, I have a highly successful, passionate and well-travelled salesperson who continues to grow the business and is one of the best at building relationships and thinking strategically. Managing financials and detailed paperwork are not her strengths, so I've been able to pair her with a support team that complements her skills and that team is flourishing. We continue to work on enhancing other skills, but focusing on the big picture is really the most productive way for everyone to achieve a winning result.
Passion, trust and collaboration are key in this situation, especially when working in a team environment. Learning to respect the strengths of others and providing the right support will result in a very powerful sales organisation. The actions of individual sales team members has a tremendous impact on what we can deliver to our stakeholders.
It can be a long and tough sales cycle, running far longer than other industries, but the reward is also that much greater. I can say from experience that when you've found an organisation that listens, supports and challenges you in meaningful ways, you know you're in the right place.
With more than 24 years' travel operations experience, Rhonda Brewer focuses on strategic planning across Moritz Travel's global sales. She is also a Board Director at Site International and president-elect for 2015. Site has grown since its inception 40 years ago to nearly 2,000 members in 90 countries with 29 local and regional chapters. It is the only global authority connecting motivational experiences with business results. Site professionals bring best-in-class solutions, insights and global connections to maximise the business impact of motivational experiences regardless of industry, region or culture. Site serves as the source of expertise, knowledge and personal connections that will catapult and sustain professional growth and help build the value of extraordinary, motivational experiences worldwide. Find out more at www.siteglobal.com.


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The EU is to legally compel companies in critical sectors such as banking, energy, transport, Internet services and the public sector to report serious security breaches for the first time as part of a major overhaul of cybersecurity policy.
Published as a Network and Information Security (NIS) directive proposal, policy makers use An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace to argue that the current voluntary regime has failed, opening the continent to huge risks for its infrastructure and economy.
Both the private sector and member states were failing to share information and some lacked the necessary investment to do so, leaving toothless EU bodies powerless to intervene.
"Private actors still lack effective incentives to provide reliable data on the existence or impact of NIS incidents, to embrace a risk management culture or to invest in security Solutions," said the paper.
In addition, every member state would be required to set up a properly-funded Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) and to undertake to share security threat data with other states in a co-ordinated way.
"The more people rely on the internet the more people rely on it to be secure. It's time to take coordinated action - the cost of not acting is much higher than the cost of acting," said EC vice president for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes.
"Many EU countries are lacking the necessary tools to track down and fight online organised crime. All Member States should set up effective national cybercrime units that can benefit from the expertise and the support of the European Cybercrime Centre EC3," chimed EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström.
The EU had plumped for legal enforcement across cybercrime security policies and disclosure because it believed it had no choice, they argued.
The proposed Directive and strategy received a generally positive reaction from third parties, particularly the potentially significant decision ot impose some basic standards across all 27 nation states.
"Cyber threats do not stop at national borders, and neither can efforts to protect our networks and systems. At Huawei, we believe an international approach in which all stakeholders take their fair share of responsibility is a prerequisite to tackling this global challenge," agreed Leo Sun of Chinese telecoms equipment vendor, Huawei.
"The proposal is the start, not the end, of the democratic process within the EU, and it is definitely a step in the right direction," said Symantec senior director of government affairs, Ilias Chantzos."
Others cautioned that the problem couldn't be solved by drafting new laws as an end in itself.
"It is vital that any legislation around risk assessment and breach disclosure should focus on the market behaviours that will be created; legislation on its own does not solve the problem and if not implemented carefully may drive negative behaviours," said BAE Systems Detica managing director, Martin Sutherland.
"We need to be careful that positive outcomes and information sharing about the cyber risk is the result, rather than honest disclosure being driven underground by fear of reputational damage," he said.
As it stands, the proposals are still open to some interpretation, for instance which incidents large organisations will have to report. The document describes these as being any "having a significant impact on the security of core services."
Major security incidents – database breaches or sudden loss or important services for instance - would need no definition but, interestingly, in the EU definition 'major' includes more basic problems such as "the unavailability of an online booking engine that prevents users from booking their hotels."
Exactly when the proposed law will come into effect will depend on its adoption by the Council and European Parliament, after which member states will have a further 18 months to act.
A more detailed Q&A can be found here.

subset: commoncrawl


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The only place to listen to the match online!
- Latics live at Peterborough on PlayerHD and Latics Wall.
- Kick off 7.45pm at the ABAX Stadium.
- Annual pass available for £37.99, that's less than £3.20 a month!
Latics head to Peterborough United this evening for a 7.45pm kick off in Sky Bet League One.
If you can't make it to the match at the ABAX Stadium (pay on the day available), then we've got you covered on wiganathletic.com, with full audio commentary on Latics PlayerHD and minute-by-minute text updates on Latics Wall.
Former Latics midfielder Neill Rimmer and commentator Ashley Houghton bring you the action live from Sky Bet League One.
Our commentary team are perfect for Latics fans based outside of Wigan and for all of you Latics fans backing the team from outside of the UK!
You can also catch Ash and Neill on 102.4 Wish FM in the local area.
Get a taste for the action with our brand new match day feature below.
After the match you'll get the thoughts of Gary Caldwell and selected players, with extended match highlights from 12.00pm the following day, as well as an extensive library of content.
[Click here] to subscribe to Latics PlayerHD from just £4.49 a month or grab yourself an annual pass for just £37.99, that's less than £3.20 a month!
The Wall's popularity continues to grow, with supporters from around the world following Latics on match days as we bring you minute-by-minute text updates, in-game photos from our pitch side photographer, Bernard Platt, as well as plenty of debate and discussion from you the fans!
Away from match days the Wall is also the perfect place to catch up on all of our social media activity!
[Click here] to access Latics Wall or follow below.


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Time for a change of scenery! In this episode, Basem and Cranny watch the new crossover episode between the original cartoon turtles and the new 2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Join us on a romp through the ages, where we discuss how disgusting all the versions of Krang are!
Bonus! Trans-Dimensional Turtles
Our homepage is at http://turtlepowerpod.libsyn.com
Tweet us! @TurtlePowerPod
Email us toll-free at firstname.lastname@example.com
Cowabunga, dudes


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"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." Anais Nin I have to admit that this post has been percolating for some time. I've been unsure of what exactly I want to … [Read more...]
The Broken Mast
I was watching the movie "Master and Commander" the other night which stars Russell Crowe (one of my favs for a number of reasons :-)). For those of you who don't know the movie's premise, it's set in 1805 during the gallant yet brutal Napoleonic wars. Crowe is a British Captain who commands a … [Read more...]
Finding your truth at the moment
A couple weeks back I read an article where Steve Forbes interviewed Warren Buffett and JayZ together. It appeared to be an unlikely couple, aside from the fact that they are tremendously successful. Read the article here. Curious about the combo pair, I discovered a few things. First, that … [Read more...]


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Red Deer Arts Council's Third Open Studio Tour takes public behind closed doors!
The Red Deer Arts Council is thrilled to announce its third Open Studio Tour, June 23 and 24, 2018! We have partnered with sixteen visual artists in thirteen studios in town & country to bring you this amazing experience. Tour their private art studios from 1-4 p.m. We welcome you to see the process of creating fine art. From sculpted clay to sculpted metal, silk to canvas, oils to acrylics, the fascinating techniques and works of some of Red Deer and area's most accomplished artists will be on display for your viewing and questioning pleasure.
This self-guided tour is free of charge. Each studio is also offering a door prize for visitors. The draw will take place at a reception at Troubled Monk #1, 5551 45 Street at 5 pm. Tour visitors are invited to RSVP to the Arts Council by June 18th by phone at 403-348-2787 to qualify for this special reception. Check our website for more information.
|June 23, 2018
|1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
|June 24, 2018
|1:00 pm - 4:00 pm


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Garfield Park
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Year Established:
No votes yet
Runs through a nice park. Was an object course (woodposts) for many years. *2016 - redesign and renovation with new baskets and concrete tees.
Course Details
Course Type: Permanent
# Holes: 18
Target Type: DISCatcher Pro
Tee Type: Concrete
Elevation: Slight Slope
Foliage: Stands
Cart Friendly: Very
Course Length: 4,866ft
Alternate Length: 0ft
Hole Length: Under 300ft: 14 | 300 - 400ft: 3 | Over 400ft: 1
Course Designer: Josh Mumme
131 to Burton St. Go east to a left on Garfield to the park on the right.
Jacob Knight
Phone: 616-633-1425
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STORIES about courageous chief executives who, when faced with business pressures to do otherwise, choose to do the right thing invariably end up reading like morality tales. The message? Good ethics leads to good business results.
The fire that devastated Malden Mills Industries just before Christmas 1995 was just such a story. Rather than collect the insurance money, lay employees off and shutter the textile company, Aaron Feuerstein, the owner, promised to keep the employees on the payroll while he rebuilt. Mr. Feuerstein rescued the business, saved about 3,000 jobs and kept the town of Lawrence, Mass., where the company is based, from economic disaster.
While stories like Mr. Feuerstein's are inspiring, they add to the myth that good ethics and good business always go hand in hand. That is simply not the case.
''One could argue that responsible management and doing the right thing are often characterized by the same things,'' Jon P. Gunnemann, a professor of social ethics at Emory University, said. ''But you can't infer that every decision about the right thing to do is necessarily going to be good for the company. Sometimes, doing the right thing can have tragic consequences.''
A prime example may involve Ed Shultz, the former chief executive of Smith & Wesson, the gun manufacturer based in Springfield, Mass. Last March, in an attempt to defuse lawsuits the company was facing from at least 29 municipalities that held handgun manufacturers responsible for violent crimes, Mr. Shultz entered into an agreement with the federal government. He said that Smith & Wesson would include locks on its handguns, research and implement ''smart-gun'' technology that would only allow the owner of a gun to operate it and improve the way retailers sold its products. Much of this, said Mr. Shultz, was already being done.Continue reading the main story
''It was a business decision,'' Ken Jorgensen, a company spokesman, said. Tomkins P.L.C., the British company that owns Smith & Wesson, wanted to sell the company, a goal that was impossible as long as the lawsuits were pending. The company knew the reaction to the agreement with the federal government might be harsh. ''There wasn't any question there was going to be a hit,'' Mr. Shultz said. ''The question was how big the hit would be and for how long.''
As it turns out, the hit was huge. The company was vilified by its customers, retailers and perhaps most vocally by the industry lobbying group, the National Rifle Association.
Sales dropped off dramatically, and by October the company announced that it was laying off 125 of the 725 employees at its Springfield plant. Mr. Shultz left the company in September to run another company that had been sold by Tomkins.
Why would a company very publicly decide to implement changes in its products that it knew would likely meet with disapproval among its core constituents? Up until this time, Mr. Shultz said, the company had done everything dictated by the government that it had to do in manufacturing guns -- no more, no less. But the decision to do more, he said, ''came because I couldn't answer the question, 'Was I doing everything I knew how to do to prevent accidents?' '' When he asked himself, ''Would I put locks on our guns if it might save one child? The answer was yes.'' It is a decision that seems particularly poignant given the recent Santana High School shooting in Santee, Calif., the latest in a string of tragedies involving firearms.
''I had to make those decisions based on the tradition of the company and my own beliefs of what's right,'' said Mr. Shultz, who still describes himself as ''a rabid gun owner.'' He said the formal agreement made sense because Smith & Wesson was already doing most of what the municipalities were asking for.
In the short-term, Smith & Wesson is suffering consequences that from a business standpoint might be considered tragic. What adds to the tragedy is that no other manufacturers followed Smith & Wesson's lead and the deal ultimately unraveled.
''Shultz may have done something that was in the best long-term interests of the company -- making it seem like a corporate citizen and just doing the right thing -- but since the law doesn't require others to do it, in the short run it may have hurt the company,'' said Joseph W. Singer, a law professor at Harvard and author of ''The Edges of the Field'' (Beacon, 2000).
THE thorny dilemma for company managers then is what to do when deciding between doing the right thing and doing what is best for the business. Ultimately, the ethical choice is clear: do the right thing regardless of whether you are rewarded for doing so.
''If you take your morality seriously,'' Mr. Gunnemann said, ''then what's most important to you is not the bottom line, it's whether you can sleep at night.''Continue reading the main story


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Know Thyself.
As a professor, I teach my students that anatomy is all about structure and foundation: structure of body parts, and how those body parts relate to each other to build a solid foundation for movement. Physiology then takes those structures, their relationships, and provides us with the function and interplay of systems.
It is difficult to understand physiology without proper understanding of general anatomy (I learned this lesson the hard way in school). If one attempts to understand the physiology of bone without understanding what bone is made of, it'll be very difficult to comprehend the bigger picture. Likewise, if you want to understand why type 1 muscle fibers are more important for marathon runners, and types 2 fibers are more important for sprinters, you'll need a general understanding of the basic structure of a muscle fiber first.
The same is with life. If you attempt to understand yourself, you should first realize what you are made of. You must first understand that you are part body, part mind, and part spirit, and that these components aren't mutually exclusive. You must then understand that the body acts in a particular manner, the mind acts in a particular manner, and both effect the spirit man. More often than we care to admit, they clash! The body responds to differences in temperature and textures. The mind reacts to changes in emotion, desires, critical needs, and the like. The spirit, without choice, reflects all of these changes.
Equipped with the most basic understanding of body, mind, and spirit, you'll be able to do things (and see things) on a level that you've never dreamed of.


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This past Friday our church hosted a Holiday event with senior women and the women's ministry. The idea was to bring the older women together with the younger and discuss Thanksgiving. There were selected mom's and daughter's who went up on stage and showed there recipes and then they raffled that food item to the attendees. But one thing I thoroughly enjoyed was how the daughters talked about the memories their mom's created for them during this time of year. There was such a special bond that was so unique to each of them. One idea that was spoken, that I want to implement this year, was bringing my girls in the kitchen. Although they are 9 and 10 years old, I want to have them help me prepare our Thanksgiving meal. Include them in the shopping, cutting and baking. Yes, I might be asking for trouble but I am looking forward to the memories we will be creating! So I am beginning my search for aprons. I want to buy aprons for each of them with their names embroidered on them and present it to each of them Thanksgiving morning. I want to create this memory for my girls so that one day those two and myself will be up on that stage inspiring a mom to do the same as these mom's inspired me.
What's your favorite memory of Thanksgiving?


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Public Health England survey for the trans community
Public Health England are seeking the views of the trans community on reproductive health. It is the first and most diverse trans survey about reproductive health of its kind seen in the UK.
Below is a link to the survey and some more information
PHE is inviting all self-identified trans people (and those with a trans history) in the UK over the age of 16 to take part in the first and most diverse trans survey about reproductive health of its kind seen in the UK.
The aim of the survey is to gain a better understanding of trans people's experiences, preferences and needs for reproductive health and healthcare to inform future PHE work in this area.
It has been developed with input from trans community organisations to try and make the language and questions inclusive of the diverse identities and experiences in the trans community.
Questions the survey will cover:
As part of the Reproductive Health scope, questions will cover topics such as contraception, physical symptoms such as heavy periods or erectile dysfunction, pregnancy (childbirth, abortion and problems getting pregnant), fertility, screening (like cervical smears), the menopause, sexual enjoyment and relationships.
The survey will also ask questions on sex, reproduction, reproductive organs, hormones, transition related surgeries, and domestic abuse, which may trigger uncomfortable memories or resurface issues. These questions are optional and participation in the survey is voluntary.
How the survey works:
For the purposes of this survey, the term trans is as an umbrella term to embrace the diverse range of identities outside the traditional male/female definitions. These include transgender, gender fluid and non-binary.
The survey will take between 30 minutes to an hour to finish and the information provided is completely anonymous and confidential.
Some questions may appear or disappear on certain pages, depending on how you answer previous questions. This is done to make sure questions that are answered are relevant to the person filling out the survey. If this occurs, the page will reload and refresh. This may occur more than once on some pages.
Answers are completely anonymous and no one outside the study team will be able to see them.
Cancellation of drop in session at Victoria Plaza HUB - Tuesday 26th March 2019
Apologies, Healthwatch Southend will not be available at the HUB, in Victoria Plaza Shopping Centre Southend-on-Sea, Tuesday 26th March 2019. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but if you have any urgent queries or view / comments to pass on please contact us by telephone on 01702...


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Attorney, Advisor and Nonprofit Leader
4662 South Elizabeth Court
Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
Telephone: 303.589.0758
SYNOPSIS: Globally-recognized attorney, facilitator, problem-solver and champion of causes. Leads and counsels nonprofit, for-profit and government organizations. Creates strong sustainable financial models for companies. Successful leader in civic, charitable, cultural, educational, governmental, healthcare and corporate environments. Builds positive relationships and development opportunities for large and small companies and governments in Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Europe and North America. Outstanding corporate spokesperson and advocate. Excellent media relations, conflict resolution, reputation management, writing and oral communication skills. Extensive budget oversight and staff supervision experience. Personal career billings in excess of thirty million dollars.
President and CEO, Tisdale & Associates LLC (Denver) February 2002 – Present
Direct all client services, including corporate counseling, contractual negotiations, litigations and dispute resolutions for clients in California, Colorado, China, France and Mexico
Create successful outcomes for clients in commercial transactions
Build effective relationships with all stakeholders: clients, adversaries, courts, legislators, government officials, decision makers and investors
Create and implement business plans, strategic plans and policy statements for private and public entities
Negotiate and manage contractual matters on behalf of nonprofit and for-profit organizations and NGOs
Provide C-Level services and legal advice to commercial entities, nonprofits and NGOs
General Counsel, Liberté International Corp. (Denver) February 2002 – February 2004
General Counsel and Member of the Office of the Chairman to first international private banking firm chartered in Colorado to provide asset protection for foreign capital depositors
Create global marketing strategies compliant with Colorado enabling legislation, federal banking legislation and international currency laws
Partner, Baker & Hostetler LLP (Denver and Los Angeles) February 1997 – February 2002
Represented the National Accountability Bureau of the Government of Pakistan, successfully retrieving millions of dollars in misappropriated government assets from corrupt government officials and procuring their extradition
Continued representation of Trammel Crow Company in California, Cyprus Amax Minerals Company and numerous banks and other money-center financial institutions in their commercial transaction dispute resolution and litigation needs
Director, Global Liability Services Management (Denver, Minneapolis, Brussels) January 1994 – December 1996
Provide domestic and international consulting services to global companies, including issue management, liability analysis and media control, to companies, identifying, analyzing and solving issues surrounding financial, environmental and construction catastrophic events
Managing Partner, Popham Haik Schnobrich & Kaufman LLP (Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Newport Beach, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Beijing) August 1992 – February 1997
Continued representation of Gillett Holdings, Inc. in its $1.2 billion reorganization with Apollo Advisors, Carl Icahn and others
Represented Trammell Crow Company in its development of Park Place, a $1 billion multi-use property in Irvine / Newport Beach, including commercial leasing and litigations
Represented Cyprus Amax Minerals Company's multi-million dollar mining, environmental and securities interests in Australia, New Zealand, Idaho and Colorado
Successfully reorganized the NGO responsible for distributing all United States Agency for International Development microenterprise loans in Africa
Advised the German Unity Commission concerning private property reparations
Advised the Government of Pakistan concerning design, development and legal issues associated with the planning of Islamabad New City
Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck (Denver and Los Angeles) August 1976 – August 1992
Represented hundreds of clients in commercial transactions, civil litigations, land use/planning, banking, finance, real estate, and restructuring matters, including the Chapter 11 reorganization of Gillett Holdings, Inc.
Clients included major banks, financial institutions and advisors, real estate developers, insurance companies, hospitals, conglomerate and management companies and high net worth individuals
Partner, Warner Properties, Inc. (Vail, CO) May 1985 – February 2000
Developed five large multi-use developments throughout the Vail Valley, including single and multi-family residential, commercial, retail and hotel properties, including The Osprey at Beaver Creek (f/k/a The Inn at Beaver Creek), voted the #1 Resort in the continental United States and the #6 Best Resort in the world by Travel+Leisure Magazine (American Express)
Law Clerk to Chief Judge Alfred A. Arraj, US District Court (D. Colo.) August 1975 – August 1976
Researched and drafted legal opinions for approval by Judge Arraj on multiple matters, including US v Bishop, Love v The Pullman Co, and In re King Resources
Mayor, City of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Elected as Mayor of the #1 Best Suburb of America to Live In (Wall Street Journal, September 2012) by a landslide in three way race in April 2012, with first term expiring January 2015; elected twice previously as city councilmember (2000-2008) and selected as Mayor Pro Tem; outspoken and effective regionalism advocate
Chairman of the Board, Colorado State Board of Registered Psychotherapists. Appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to Board responsible for registering, reviewing and disciplining all psychotherapists in Colorado; trainer for Chairs and Vice-Chairs of all Mental Health Boards (2011—)
Board and Administrative Committee Member, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) – Denver. Responsible for regional planning for 56 county and municipal governments in the Denver metropolitan area and distribution of federal highway funds for projects and serve on Area Agency for Aging, principal draftsman and advocate of policy initiatives, securing approval through collaborative efforts on a regional basis (2000—2008, 2012—)
Board and Executive Committee Member, Metro Mayors Caucus – Denver. Responsible for direction, planning and policy-making on a collaborative consensus-driven basis for 40 mayors in the Denver metro area (2012—)
Chair, Policy Committee of the Colorado Municipal League. Responsible for drafting and setting public and legislative policy for all municipalities in the State of Colorado, including drafting and stewardship of proposed legislation (2000-2008, 2012—)
Chairman of the Board, Colorado Neurological Institute. Headed the largest neurological institute between Chicago and San Francisco; cooperated in design and oversaw major fundraising and donor relation activities; established the CO-DOC Stroke Telemedicine Network and negotiated and managed operating agreements with 12 hospitals in Colorado; negotiated numerous cooperative relationships with grant and funding sources; chaired strategic planning committee (2004—2010)
Chairman of the Board, Eagle Health Care Center – Eagle, CO. Created and led the first successful joint venture between a nonprofit hospital and a for-profit hospital to build a new medical facility in a common market, negotiating contract for development and management of relations between the two hospital venturers (1999—2006)
Board Member and Treasurer, Vail Valley Medical Center – Vail, CO. Managed budget, negotiated contracts, oversaw physician relations, including with Steadman*Hawkins Clinic, designed and implemented successful donor events, capital campaigns and fundraising activities (1992—2006)
Board Member, United Cerebral Palsy Legacy Foundation – Denver. Solicited major gifts from significant donors, launched a new charter school and secured a new campus for the nonprofit. Served as emcee and auctioneer at its premier fundraising gala (1997—2007)
Board Member, Employer Services Program, Inc. – Denver. Charter board member of public-private partnership that provided education, training, rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities in the Denver Region (1980—1985)
Board Member, Company of Angels Theatre Company – Los Angeles. Provide leadership, counsel and fundraising leadership to the oldest continuously operating theatre company in LA, founded by Leonard Nimoy in 1959 (2007—2011)
Capital Campaign Cabinet Member, Lone Tree Cultural Arts Center – Lone Tree, CO. Fundraiser for new cultural arts center and theatre in suburban Denver, secured the largest corporate gift for the Arts Center (2009—2011)
Emcee and Live Auctioneer, Children's Diabetes Foundation, Denver Ballet Guild, Women's Lighthouse Project, St. Mary's Academy, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Make A Wish Foundation, Mental Health America Foundation, Colorado Epilepsy Foundation, Cancer League of Colorado, LightSpark Cancer Resources and many others. Raised millions of dollars for nonprofits (1992—)
District Justice and-Law Related Education Coordinator, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International – Denver, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Responsible for planning and administering programs for lawyers and law students for largest law fraternity in the world, including creating law-related education programs for primary and secondary schools throughout Colorado and serving as LEAA-OJJDP Program Coordinator for Colorado
Juris Doctor, The University of Michigan Law School – Ann Arbor. Graduated in the top third of the class; Research and Administrative Editor, U Mich J L Reform
Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Psychology, The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; graduated 11th in a class of 11,000
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS – Past and Present
Admitted to the Bars of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals – Tenth Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United State District Court for the Northern District of California, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, and the Colorado Supreme Court
Denver and Colorado Bar Associations – Served on numerous committees and practice groups.
Colorado Bar Foundation – Fellow
American Bar Association – Chaired Foreclosures in Real Property committee
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity – numerous significant leadership posts
A-V rated lawyer, Martindale-Hubbell, for over 30 years
Listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the American West, Who's Who in Law, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders, The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and Colorado Super Lawyers
Denver Law Club – Vice President, Grievance Committee Chair and featured performer


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Day XXXVI of the Every Day is Like Sunday, Every Day is Silent and Grey Road Trip of Morrissey Ruminations
Cut & Shoot, TX
The second day of our sojourn in Greater Cut & Shoot was pretty miserable athletically, as the piercing cold rain and unmitigatingly gloomy skies made exercise an unapproachable option – and because the bad guys won both the Carolina/State game and the Super Bowl. I only cared about the Super Bowl because I think Warren Sapp is a fat, sick fuck who should go to prison for the kind of bullshit he's pulled on the field this year, and to see him celebrating with a World Champion hat on (three minutes before the game was over, mind you) further convinced me that we are deep into an era of American History I call the New Mercilessness.
I believe the New Mercilessness manifests itself everywhere from reality TV to our Republican-held government, but it's been a saturnine enough day to skip it for now. One more rant and I'm going to get that GERD acid reflux disease that Sean's always getting.
We spent most of the day with Nonnie, Tessa's grandmother, and it only nails home the Buddhist prospect of remaining in the moment. Tessa asked me (after having some family personality difficulty of her own) how I've always managed to stay friends with both my mom and my dad, and I think it is largely due to my thankfulness that I have them around. Not everyone does, you know. Plus, as Tessa said, very few people actually bother me, which is funny given that everyone thinks I'm such a rant-monger.
I did tell her the story of my mom's biggest fight with me: in 1995, I was pretty sure I got scabies from a houseguest at the Pink House (everyone in Chapel Hill deals with it at some point, and no, it isn't a sexual thing), which meant my erstwhile girlfriend and I had to sleep in the nude, covered in some radioactive lotion designed to kill the little buggers. Afterwards, you burn the sheets and pray it never happens again. However, at this juncture in my career, I was too poor to buy any new sheets, so I grabbed some extras from the Holiday Inn where my mom was staying.
She found out about it and thought it was a metaphor for everything else in my life where I'd abdicated responsibility, where I'd acted classlessly, and intimated that my life was careening apart at the seams. I screamed back that I was itching too bad to care, and we had an hour-long blowout that left me feeling like something of a worthless cad. We got over it, though, like parents and children do.
My mom and I never fought like that again, most likely because I got a job. And the only thing I bug her about now is an exercise plan, which I dearly hope she starts again. She's 71, and if she wants to see any of our kids – should we be lucky enough to have them – she's got to lay off the Snickers and enact a regimen. You hear me, mom?
Speaking of mothers, I found pictures of my dad's mom's farm while scanning images at Uncle Chuck's place. It was her childhood home in the piedmont of Tennessee back in the teens and 20s. A picture of their fields looked familiar, and when I started going through pictures of our farm upstate, I suddenly realized why:
above, Geneva's farmland in 1920; below, ours in Columbia County last year


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"If we reduce the surface area for attacks we can reduce our risk thereby reducing our cost of goods sold."
Speaking the language of business
Risk is about forecasting future loss. Credit risk puts loss in business terms: dollars and cents over time. Putting cybersecurity risk analysis results in business terms is a clear step forward. But, if we only go this far we leave a lot on the table.
Here are three concepts to help bridge the gap:
Learning these concepts will improve the value of risk analyses to your organization.
1. Understand Profit and Loss
Arm yourself by knowing how to read and reference profit and loss statements. Tying forecast risk to changes in cost and revenue is a step toward maturity. Impress business leaders by aligning the cybersecurity landscape to a P&L.
2. Know your Customer Acquisition Channels
Customer acquisition is directly linked to cash flow, the lifeblood of an organization. The goal here is to flesh out the ways your organization earns new business. Most people I run into know the channels. Yet, not enough understand the critical steps affected by cybersecurity concerns. Tuning into product channels forces analysts to align with management.
3. Learn how your organization performs Customer Valuation
Understanding customer acquisition is the pathway to customer valuation. When we work with new customers we want to understand how they valuate customers. People who specialize in measuring customer value often work in:
Sometimes we do not get access to the values on time. 10-K or 10-Q reporting serve as reasonable fall back. Forecasting reputation losses are often the scariest outcomes of an analysis. The ability to illustrate the effect on key business metrics, such as churn, is powerful.
Putting it all together
You don't have to earn an MBA to competently use these concepts in your analyses. Exploring the tip of the iceberg should improve the quality and reliability of your work. You should also experience improvement in your ability to communicate risk within the business.
What next?


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I have a simple question here. Let say you have a website on which you have a software with links to download and install it on your computer. Is it possible to find out who or how many people have DOWNLOAD the software on their computer with something like Google Analytics for example? If we cannot get that information with Google Analytics, please provide me the tools that I can use to get that information.
Thank you


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'Spaceman' is one of those rare movies which is perfectly cast, perfectly acted and tells a fascinating story of one of the most colorful characters in baseball history. It's a must-see for any adult fan.
Beautiful. Josh Duhamel IS Bill Lee. Brett Rapkin made a terrific movie and love letter to Montreal.
A baseball Big Lebowski.


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Here's a link to what I shared yesterday, in 2nd and 3rd service. In first service, the Spirit was moving and I didn't share. Great open worship, prayer for each other, and sharing what God is doing!
2 thoughts on "Figurehead Diplomat or Real Ambassador?"
I missed this when you first published it but I like it.
I really liked your image that we are all called to be ambassadors: to share the mission of our church with the other communities that we are part of. And especially how we can't "go native" – it doesn't serve anyone well, especially for Jesus's ambassadors.
It was specifically not being able to spout the US gov't party line that kept me from entering the US Foreign Service after college.
Here on my desk as I'm typing, I can see my fancy diploma (in Latin!) from the Scholae Rerum Exterarum (School of Foreign Service for those of us who don't read Latin, um, including me). An awful lot of my classmates went into the US Foreign Service after graduation. We used to have a running joke about how big of a dork you had to be to qualify for the State department. For real.
The most valuable things I learned in college were not geography or economics, although I studied both, but all about language. How to write clearly, how to speak more than one language, how to understand that what I would mean by a word or phrase or gesture is not necessarily what you mean by the same words or gesture.
I think these are also keys to being a good ambassador. From any culture to anywhere.
All this, and how to balance a plate and a glass in one hand while shaking hands with the other hand, in only four years!
Wow, Robin, this is cool to learn about you. I imagine you've got lots of stories behind those experiences. I think you're dead on about what's valuable in education. It's really hard to convey that to people going through high school and college, but I wish we could.


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The elite men's race at the 22nd annual XTERRA World Championship features the top seven finishers from last year and another dozen outside that core who could contend for the title. It's possibly the strongest, fastest, most experienced collection of men ever assembled for the Maui showdown.
Leading the way is defending champ Mauricio Mendez from Mexico City, who will turn 22 on October 20th.
"The mantra I live by is atopeysincontrol," said Mendez in an interview just before winning the XTERRA Pan American Championship race in Utah last month. "It means go as hard as you can for as long as you can. No limits."
Affectionately known as "Mau," the triathlon prodigy started swimming when he was six, doing triathlons when he was 10, he did his first XTERRA at 14, won the overall amateur XTERRA World Championship when he was 18, went pro as a 19-year-old, won his first elite race last summer when he was 20, and today he's the favorite to win Worlds for the second year in a row.
"With what the happy kid showed us in Utah against Josiah (Middaugh), we know he is in XTERRA shape," said former XTERRA World Champ and Euro Tour director Nicolas Lebrun. "He won Maui last year under very hard conditions, so will be full of confidence coming in to this race and I think he's the favorite for sure."
Last year, Mendez was third out of the water and caught Ben Allen at the front of the race at mile six of the bike. Ruben Ruzafa passed those two shortly after and rode away, taking a two-minute lead into T2. It wasn't enough. Mendez posted the fastest run of the day and caught him with one-mile left to win it.
For Ruzafa, it's a recurring theme. The three-time XTERRA World Champ (and three-time ITU Cross Tri World Champ) has taken the lead heading out on to the run in each of the last four years. In 2013 he had 45-seconds on Ben Allen and held on for the win. In 2014 he had two minutes on Middaugh and held on for the win. In 2015 he had 2:20 on Middaugh, but faded to third, and last year it was Mau's turn.
"Like every year, I have tried to improve my weaknesses," said Ruzafa, who won seven XTERRA races and the European Tour for the third time in four years this season. "I have changed my swim training, did trail running races, run in the mountains, added more interval training, and competed in mountain bike races. I feel good and I'm healthy, and will try to stay this way until the race."
Ben Allen is back, and he's finished third three of the last four years at this race. This year he hasn't traveled and raced as much as in previous years so he could focus on the big one. He's likely to be the first man out of the water, and the guy he's most worried about … is himself.
"To be honest, I'm my own worst enemy," he said. "If I can stay in my own head and focus on what I need to do, I can get the job done. I just need to stay in the moment and embrace the hurt better than the rest."
One man who has proven his ability to hurt better than the rest over an incredible 17-year-career is America's best, Josiah Middaugh. The 2015 XTERRA World Champion is as smart a racer as anyone in the field, so easy to trust him when he says, "I'm feeling fit as a fiddle, and the numbers in my training say I'm as fast as I've ever been, but the race isn't competed on paper. I need to believe I can win and I need to want it more than anyone else. I think that will be the difference."
As for who Middaugh's take on who the favorites are, "There are a dozen guys that have the talent to podium in Maui, but it just depends on their final preparation and mindset. I think Mauricio will do everything to defend his title. Ruben will he hungry to get the win. The top seven are back from last year, so those will be the guys to watch for. Add Francisco Serrano, Bradley Weiss, and Sam Osborne to that list and it will be some tough racing up front."
It'll also be interesting to see how Ben Hoffman and Braden Currie are feeling after Ironman Worlds. Hoffman was 7th in Maui after finishing 4th in Kona last year. This will be the first time Currie has done both races, but he's proven his worth in Maui with three top five finishes including a runner-up showing in 2015.
Costa Rica is properly represented by two-time Olympian Leonardo Chacon, who won the XTERRA USA Championship race a few years back and was sixth in Maui last year, and Rom Akerson who was injured, thus rested, for most of the 2017 season. Last year Akerson won two races and finished runner-up on the XTERRA Pan Am Tour.
Francisco Serrano from Monterrey, Mexico is back to fulfill his life goal to win in Maui, and he proved he is capable when he won the ITU Cross Tri World Championship against a strong field in Penticton, Canada this summer.
"Maui is another beast though," said Serrano, whose beautiful wife Terri recently gave birth to their second daughter. "My goal is to take gold. I've never been close, but it's my ultimate goal as an athlete. It will take a perfect race, a flawless race, but it's possible, I know it can happen."
South Africa's Bradley Weiss also had a career win recently, capturing the XTERRA European Championship crown in Denmark last month.
"Happy, healthy and ready for another crack at XTERRA Worlds," said Weiss. "I have been based in Boulder, CO with good mate and training partner Sam Osborne. We have done a 5-week block of training up at altitude in preparation for this year's race. Sam and I raced a lot against one another throughout the season always getting the most out of each other starting out at XTERRA Saipan where Sam won and ending in Denmark where I was able to get one over him. I believe the score stands at 2-2 going into this final race of the season so winner takes all I guess. But frankly speaking, we definitely spotted strengths and weaknesses in each other which in a training camp environment we can both get the opportunity to develop as athletes and hopefully be in a position to race for that World Title at the end of the month."
Osborne, who won back-to-back races at XTERRA Poland and Germany in August, collected another three titles earlier in the year at XTERRA Saipan, his hometown of Roturua in New Zealand, and Tahiti. He won the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour, finished second on the European Tour, and had the European Championship race title in his grasp before a cramp on the run slowed him down and Weiss went by. Needless to say, he's going to be a factor in this one.
"My goal on race day is to have some good legs and finish absolutely knackered, I don't turn up to a race to lose," he said.
As for his current form, Osborne said, "I've never been one to over analyze things. I'm a big fan of the old, chop wood carry water sort of thing. They say you are only as good as your last results and coming off the back of what I deem to be a very successful string of races In Europe, I think there is certainly some form in this body."
Another Kiwi to show some good form is 20-year-old Kyle Smith, who finished third at XTERRA New Zealand and the ITU Cross Tri Worlds, and was recently 4th at the Pan Am Champs in Utah.
"I want to be in the mix and feel I can be," said Smith, who like many others has made Colorado his training base leading into Maui. "Excited to see how the training at altitude will translate to race day. I'm feeling fitter than ever on the bike and run, which is going to be super important in Maui."
Canada's best off-roader Karsten Madsen took a different approach, and has been doing his training in Barbados.
"It's very similar to Maui so the preparation has been far better than I could have imagined," said Madsen. "I've started to work on becoming a stronger kind of fit, extending out thresholds and becoming faster over longer duration of time. I've also committed to training in heat and learning how to manage it. I really want to stay within myself this year and look to pull the best result out of myself. Wherever that lands me I'll be happy. Too many times I've got caught up in placing, and for Maui it's a multi-year commitment to learn the race and figure out how to win in coming years."
Rui Dolores from Portugal, who did nine races in Europe this season and finished 5th in the final Tour standings, has similar thoughts to Madsen.
"It's my first time in Maui so really I hope to learn and gain experience," he said. "My goal is to race my best but I dream of the top 10. I also just want to enjoy the experience with our Portuguese crew (two elite men and six age groupers) and meet some more great people with the same passion as me."
Other racers of note include Pan Am Tour runner-up Branden Rakita and fellow American Matt Lieto, who says this may be the last elite race of his career "Gotta end on a high note," he exclaimed.
France is well-represented with veteran Francois Carloni, who finished third on the XTERRA European Tour this season, Arthur Forissier (pictured) who won XTERRA Switzerland and was third in a stacked field at XTERRA France, Maxim Chane who at just 21-years-old has been getting stronger and stronger, and Cedric Fleureton who is a world-class trail runner.
All-in-all the men's elite field is 40-deep and strong as ever. Who can suffer the best? Who wants it the most? We'll find out on October 29.
Follow the race online at www.xterramaui.com, on twitter @xterraoffroad and live on Facebook.com/xterraplanet starting at 9am Hawaii time (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 4pm in Rio, 9pm in Paris, 3am Monday in Shanghai and 6am Monday in Sydney).
Bib#/Finish pos. in Maui last year – Name (Nationality)
1/1 – Mauricio Mendez (MEX)
2/2 – Ruben Ruzafa (ESP)
3/3 – Ben Allen (AUS)
4/4 – Braden Currie (NZL)
5/5 – Josiah Middaugh (USA)
6/6 – Leonardo Chacon (CRC)
7/7 – Ben Hoffman (USA)
8/9 – Sam Osborne (NZL)
9/10 – Rom Akerson (CRC)
10/13 – Bradley Weiss (RSA)
11/20 – Alex Hunt (AUS)
12/26 – Maximiliano Morales (ARG)
14/33 – Anthony Pannier (FRA)
15/43 – Francisco Serrano (MEX)
16/NA – Christophe Betard (FRA)
17/NA – Oivind Bjerkseth (NOR)
18/NA – Maxim Chane (FRA)
19/NA – Andres Darricau (ARG)
20/NA – Brice Daubord (FRA)
21/NA – Rui Dolores (POR)
22/NA – David Escolar (ESP)
23/NA – Cedric Fleureton (FRA)
24/NA – Arthur Forissier (FRA)
25/NA – Billy Gordon (PAN)
26/NA – Yuichi Hosoda (JPN)
27/NA – Jan Kubicek (CZE)
28/NA – Matt Lieto (USA)
29/NA – Henrique Lugarini (BRA)
30/NA – Karsten Madsen (CAN)
31/NA – Tiago Maia (POR)
33/NA – Pierre Alain Nicole (FRA)
34/29 – Alex Roberts (AUS)
35/NA – Leonardo Saucedo (MEX)
36/NA – Kyle Smith (NZL)
37/NA – Cedric Wane (TAH)
38/21 – Francois Carloni (FRA)
39/NA – Mario de Elias (ARG)
40/NA – Branden Rakita (USA)
The post MAUI: Elite Men's Race Preview appeared first on XTERRA.Source | Back to News


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Car Door Window Won't Budge? Possible Problems Car Door Window Won't Budge? Possible Problems
Avoid a costly auto repair bill when your car door window just won't work. Follow these steps to check the many parts involved in your power windows.
First, remove the unclean contacts at the master switch. You will find them at the driver's console.
If the contacts are clean and the switch is functioning properly, the next suspect is the motor and it must be in need of replacing. Whatever the brand, the steps for replacing a window regulator are similar:
1. Take out the panel of the door with the malfunctioning window.
2. Remove the holding bolts of the regulator.
3. Pull out the old regulator after disconnecting all the wiring. Replace it with the new one you have purchased from a parts supplier. Buy it online to avoid hidden costs when ordering through a dealer.
4. Tighten the bolts holding the new regulator and fix the moisture barrier back into the slot. Push all wires back into their positions before reassembling the door panel.
5. Switch the power window on and the new regulator will operate as you expected.
It's important that you follow the car manual for all specific instructions.


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Dressing up is meant to be a fun thing, but unfortunately in the process, some people can take it too far and cross boundaries.Read More »
Pass this Bill
Dressing up is meant to be a fun thing, but unfortunately in the process, some people can take it too far and cross boundaries.Read More »
Preserving free speech is a responsibility
"The never-ending liberal thirst for freedom, and the free speech which freedom requires, is the reason why the western world is the envy of all else. The rights which we enjoy are very unique and must be constantly fought for" – Scott PettigrewRead More »
Whither Whatcott?
"Indeed, it is said that echoes of his anti-abortion chants can still be heard in all corners of Canada: 'What is women's bodily autonomy?' "Read More »
Gitmo crosses the ocean
"When illegal detainment and police militarization happens so close to Canadian borders, should I be concerned? Perhaps I should."Read More »
Stopped before we began
"We must set ourselves collectively against C-51, or let our generation be smothered before we even let out a sound."Read More »
Charlie Hebdo was right to mock
"Although this content printed by Charlie Hebdo could easily upset anyone, Muslim or otherwise, no human rights were violated or threatened."Read More »
Should we be Charlie?
"What I suggest first is getting rid of the notion of free speech. It has never existed, and it never will." – Kyle LeitchRead More »
Collisions with prejudice
"If the man and his views cannot be kept away, I'm not sure they can afford to be ignored. And maybe it is best that they are not."Read More »
The Great Debates: LaBarbera Unjustly Arrested?
A formal contest of written argumentationRead More »


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Sponsored Listings:
Shirley F Annis (Postmaster) email@example.com
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The Bloxom Post Office is located in the state of Virginia within Accomack County. This location serves 2,106 Bloxom residents with a median income of $39,596. It's estimated that approximately 3,361 packages pass through this post office each year.


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With it's better processing power over it's previous predecessor, no wonder that the OPPO F7 will be selling like hotcakes
As we checked our inbox earlier, OPPO Philippines was proud to announce that they sold 37,697 units of OPPO which is more over to the 33,000 units that they had on the first day of OPPO F5.
In a statement from OPPO Philippines PR Manager Eason de Guzman "OPPO F7's outstanding value for money and selfie expert features are what captured the Filipinos' interest. We believe that more than the F7, people now see OPPO as a brand that can be their partner in their daily lifestyle."
OPPO F7 are available in two variants, the 4 GB RAM/64 GB ROM at Php 17,990 and 6 GB RAM/128 GB ROM configuration for Php 21,990 in OPPO stores, partner dealers and Lazada Philippines


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ASUS VivoBook S400CA Driver Download
ASUS VivoBook S400CA Driver Download and Reviews– The S400CA is a great little laptop, light and thin enough to easily carry around with you all day and done in an elegant black and silver color scheme. There is plenty of space on the palm rest, which increases the ease of use of the chiclet-style keyboard. Although it does not seem very different from the keyboard is in many other laptops on the market, is exceptionally accurate typing, with good size keys. No unusual positioning or spacing of the keys to getting rid of its accuracy, either. The touchpad is large and needs, but in a central position in a way that makes it unlikely to be accidentally brushed while typing. The touchpad buttons are integrated into the pad, rather than individual keys, but we had no problems to hit accurately.
The touchscreen has a glossy finish 14in 1,366×768 makes the colors look particularly bright, but nevertheless is not very reflective. However, it is not particularly bright, and its narrow viewing angles mean your viewing position has a major impact on how the colors appear. Fortunately, there are many possibilities to change the screen to find your ideal viewing angle. The touchscreen is accurate and agile, although the screen shakes a little when you press too hard, then you will want to be gentle.
The VivoBook S400CA provides the perfect symbiosis for Windows 8 laptop screen and conventional touch combined. This allows traditional programs and applications in mosaic presentation either be used as they were intended. The question is whether it makes VivoBook a well-rounded package?
Asus launches a new series with VivoBooks, improving common notebook with a touchscreen to allow for more intuitive operation. There are two sizes available: 14-inch version we used for this review, and a smaller version with an 11.6-inch diagonal screen (VivoBook S200CA). Although you can choose from three steel gray, pink champagne or hot, in the case of smaller S400CA VivoBooks is provided only with silver finish contained.
The VivoBook S400CA is particularly interesting because of its relatively affordable price, which means that there are virtually no competitors in its class of device with a touchscreen. Other current devices are priced from about 1000 Euros, and VivoBook S200CA, which also has a processor and touch screen ULV, even cost a set of 1300 Euros. Compared to this, the VivoBook S400CA is available from a more reasonable 750 euros.
This means that the VivoBook series is suitable for people who are satisfied with a thick shell and aerodynamic accessories? Or supply does not meet the other criteria becoming unusable because of the quality of the event, posting or cooling suffered because of the cost savings? One thing certainly was not a compromise on The speed of the SSD. Data can also be stored on a standard hard drive, but an SSD cache is supposed to provide faster boot times.


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I love food. I believe most people do. Does your food love you back though? This might sound weird but think a minute and check in on your body after a meal. Do I feel satiated? Do I feel energised? Or do I feel bloated and sluggish?
You could argue you should love your body more than your food. But what if you can have both? Loving your food and feeling great!? Don't believe me? Well, read further…
There has been a lot of controversy about what is the optimum diet for humans. The truth is our nutritional requirements have their roots in the prehistoric past. The human kind has been evolving for the last 20 million years and the majority of this time we have been eating plants (mostly fruit, greens and seeds). Only in the last 2 million years, during the Paleolithic, we added meat, fish, and with that a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol. Unfortunately, life expectancy was only 25 years back then. The main takeaway from various studies on ancestral diets is that diets which are largely based on plant foods promote health and longevity. If you are interested in learning more about the natural human diet, I recommend to watch this short video.
There is a lot of evidence that eating a whole-food, plant-based diet has amazing health benefits. Research papers suggest it is the best kept secret in medicine that, given the right conditions, the body heals itself. That's right, our body has internal mechanisms to repair or destroy damaged cells. In addition, we use vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to protect our body against disease. Phytonutrients are derived from plants and are essential to keep us healthy.
Here are the top 9 reasons to eat a whole-food, plant-based diet:
1. Better cardiovascular health
Sadly, heart disease is still the leading cause of death worldwide. In a 20-year study, Dr. Esselstyn proved that a low-fat plant-based diet can prevent and reverse heart disease. If you come from a diet high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and dietary carnitine from animal foods, chances are you (will) suffer from clogged coronary arteries. Switching to whole, oil-free plant-foods which are high in dietary fiber and devoid of cholesterol will dramatically reduce the concentration of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood and hence, lower the cardiovascular disease risk.
2. Lower rates of cancer
Research shows that a low-fat, plant-based diet slows or stops many forms of cancer, including cancers of the colon, breast, prostate and skin. Whole plant foods contain many cancer fighting elements that help to stop the development, growth, and spread of cancerous cells and tumors in the body. John McDougall successfully uses this dietary approach with his patients and sees high rates of spontaneous regression of cancer.
3. Prevent and reverse diabetes
There are over 420 million cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide. More and more people are suffering from this form of insulin resistance, meaning that their body cells cannot make use of glucose anymore and become resistant to insulin. Several studies revealed that dietary choices along with a sedentary lifestyle are the root cause of type 2 diabetes. A diet rich in highly-processed, calorie dense fast foods, animal fats, refined grains, and sugary beverages may not only lead to obesity but also type 2 diabetes. In most cases, the disease is preventable, treatable, and even reversible. The key is a diet based on fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds as well as moderate exercise.
4. Lower blood sugar
Feeling hungry all day long? Maybe you are not eating enough fiber. Consuming plant-based foods provide you with plenty of fiber, slowing down absorption of sugars in the blood stream. To keep your blood sugar level balanced include plenty of green leafy vegetables, whole grains, berries, legumes, avocados, nuts, seeds, and spices in your diet. Check out this list of high-fiber foods that will not only decrease your blood sugar but also balance your cortisol levels to help you feel less stressed.
5. Lose weight
Sure, you can lose weight by simply eating fewer calories than your body burns. That works with every diet. Is it sustainable though? If you go for a whole-food, plant-based diet you consume foods low in calorie density, yet high in fiber and nutrients which will make you feel satiated for longer. Weight loss occurs naturally when you switch to starches, vegetables, legumes, beans, leafy greens, and fruits. Be aware of vegetable oils though as they have the highest energy density of any food.
6. Better digestion
If you have trouble going to the bathroom, it could be related to your diet and lifestyle. The biggest study on bowel movement frequency compared bowel habits of 15,000 meat eaters with 5,000 vegetarian and 1,000 vegans. It was concluded that vegetarians and particularly vegans have a higher frequency of bowel movements. Whole-foods are packed with insoluble and soluble fiber aiding digestion and bowel movement frequency. If you are tempted to switch to a plant-based diet, start to slowly increase the amount of legumes, beans and raw vegetables as these can be tougher on your stomach at first. You can help digestion of protein and fat with digestive enzymes which you can find in papaya and pineapple.
7. More energy
Ever felt sluggish and tired after a big steak or cheeseburger? The more animal protein you consume the longer it takes your body to break it down. Processing whole, living foods on the other hand is less work for your body and it can provide you with more energy. If you want to have more energy on a plant-based diet, you need to nourish your body with plenty of nutrients and vitamins – simply eat enough. 🙂
8. Look younger
If you want to look younger you need to make changes from the inside. Plant-based foods are rich in water and contain antioxidants which remove free radicals, a cause of premature aging, from you skin. When preparing your food, make sure to choose a cooking method that retains the maximum amount of nutrients and antioxidants, like steaming. Be sure to eat a variety of different plants as well as enough omega-3 fatty acids by adding flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp seeds.
9. Less muscle pain
If you are into weight lifting (like me) you probably like the feeling of muscle soreness after a good workout. The quicker your body recovers, the sooner you will be able to train again. The key to quicker recovery is to lower inflammation. Eating a nutrient rich plant-based diet with plenty of dark leafy greens helps alkalise the body and reduce inflammation. Try to stay away from animal foods as they are acidic and have high inflammatory properties.
While the aforementioned benefits may make you reconsider your current diet, you might not be used to the flavours of whole, plant-based foods. There is evidence that if you cut down on junk foods and animal products your taste will change within a few weeks. The longer we eat healthier foods, the better they taste!
Stay healthy!
Marika ❤


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About the ecotanker
It concerns a type C bunker barge with the measurements 135 meters length, 14.15 meters width and a hollow of 6.17 meters. The loading capacity amounts to 6752 ton and if wished we can pump up to 2000 cubic meters load per hour.
The Amulet has been sailing since November 2010.
Green power and Carbon Footprint:
The Carbon Footprint is the measure of emission of CO2 you produce as a result of using fossil fuels. In our case, it is during the transportation over the water and the transfer of products to other ships or tank terminals.
Despite this method only being discussed once in a while, everyone agrees that doing so contributes to global sustainability.
We are striving for the most favourable Carbon Footprint in the supply chain possible, in our case a reduction of at least 32%. And the emission? The emission is at all times, during sailing on green power or during transferring for our customers, far below the EURO 5-lorry norm.
These are big steps forward and this is necessary to keep up with other modes of transportation. Through years of experience and expertise we are able to transport cleanly and safely and by that meet the increasing demand of environmentally conscious transportation. We are doing this together with our supplier Vinotra.


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Zen and the Art of Negotiation
It is always worth recalibrating yourself regarding your approach to negotiation on a regular basis. Regular negotiation training is a useful way to do this but a simple period of introspection can deliver the same value. This was brought home … Continue reading
Goldilocks and the KPIs
Can we go too hard in measuring our service providers? Performance measurement of service providers is a very fraught subject and challenges companies to find their 'Goldilocks' zone where performance measures fall neatly between too much measurement and not enough … Continue reading


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Cheap Authentic Jordans For Sale
Nike Air Jordan 16 (XVI) Original (OG) Q M Whisper White / Cherrywood Light Graphite The Nike Air Jordan 16 (XVI) Original (OG) Q M Whisper White / Cherrywood Light Graphite were released on June 2, 2001, and retailed for $160. They feature a white upper constructed from leather, together with a burgundy color at the back half of the shoe, along with the outsole. They also feature an air bubble which spans pretty much the whole span of the shoe. The Nike Air Jordan 16 (XVI) is a combination of different elements from previous Nike Air Jordans. For instance, you can see the patent leather found on the toe from the Nike Air Jordan 11 (XI), the ribbed leather gaiter much like the uppers of the Nike Air Jordan 14 (XIV). Additionally, the 3/4 midcut from the Nike Air Jordan 3 (III), and the mesh uppers from the Nike Air Jordan 5 (V). The shoe also includes a shroud or lace covering,which hides the laces and actually adds some character to the shoe. In this case, the Jordan shroud is gray, which goes well with the shoe colorway. cheap retro jordan cheap jordan for kids http://www.freewebsite-service.com/lovelyardor8701/blog.php?id=490021&snavn=Blog+post


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By Kate King
Spending on economic-development incentives in New York increased 17% over two years to $9.9 billion in 2018, according to a report released Monday by an independent watchdog.
New York's use of corporate tax breaks has sparked fierce debate in recent months, as some local officials and residents have pushed back against a deal Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio reached to lure Amazon.com Inc. to Queens. The company has agreed to bring 25,000 jobs to the Long Island City neighborhood, where it plans to build a campus in exchange for $3 billion in state and city tax incentives. Local criticism of the deal has prompted Amazon executives to re-evaluate the project, people familiar with the matter said last week.
State tax breaks and other incentives, such as grants and capital spending, increased 28% between 2016 and 2018 to nearly $4.4 billion, according to the report by the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit civic organization. Incentives from municipal and county governments grew at a slower pace of about 9% in the same period, to about $5.6 billion.
Riley Edwards, a research associate for the commission, said it isn't clear whether New Yorkers have gotten a good deal from corporate tax incentives. She said the state should build a public database that compiles economic-development incentive data from local, county and state programs.
"There's not really a centralized source of information on these things, " Ms. Edwards said. "Instead of looking at what we're spending and making sure we're getting what we want to get out of it, this number just keeps increasing."
A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said New York's recent job growth shows the Democratic governor's economic-development approach is working. Mr. Cuomo's office will discuss with state lawmakers in coming weeks several proposals to strengthen oversight and transparency around tax breaks, including a searchable database of deals that receive state incentives, the spokesman said.
New York has approved state tax breaks for a variety of programs ranging from tax credits for cleaning up and redeveloping old industrial sites to incentives for film and commercial productions.
Some of the big-ticket projects that have been approved for state economic-development spending over the last two years include Moynihan Station in Manhattan, which is part of the Penn Station revamp, and Mr. Cuomo's ongoing Buffalo Billion public-private development project. More than half of the estimated $5.6 billion in local incentive spending has been concentrated in New York City, according to the report.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has proposed scaling back corporate tax breaks. The state awarded nearly $11 billion in incentives to companies between 1996 and February 2018, according to a recently released audit by the state comptroller's office. Lawmakers are examining corporate incentives before two of the state's biggest tax-credit programs expire this summer.
Write to Kate King at email@example.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 11, 2019 17:37 ET (22:37 GMT)
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Beautiful Oak Barrel planters only £58.00 each.
Contains 2 Ivy plants, 6 Pansies, 1 Purple Kale, 3 Primroses, 1 Curry plant, 1 Thymus, 3 red tulips, 3 narcissus bulbs, 1 red cordyline and 1 bag of organic basket and tub compost.
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Madison has set a new In-Person Absentee Voting record: 6,125 absentees cast in person. That is more than any other April election in Madison, including presidential primaries held in April. Previous record: 5,550 IPAV ballots for the April 2016 Presidential Primary.— Madison WI Clerk (@MadisonWIClerk) March 31, 2018
Given that Screnock only got 17% of the votes in Dane County in February's primary, that seems like a good sign for Dallet. Although I will add the caveat that strong/weak early vote totals do not necessarily translate to strong/weak total vote totals.
When it comes to figuring out what the electorate may look like for Tuesday's Supreme Court election in Wisconsin, I think it's instructive to look at three different sets of Wisconsin electorates.
1. The primary election in February.
2. The April election in 2017 - where Tony Evers easily won the School Superintendent race with a Dem-leaning electorate, and then contrast with the 2013 April election where now-Chief Justice Pat Roggensack cruised to a win with a GOP-leaning electorate. April 2016 is a bad example because of the much higher turnout due to contested presidential primaryies going on for both parties.
3. The November elections of 2016 and 2014, to give an idea of the difference between a November electorate and an April.
We'll start with the four largest voting blocks in Wisconsin for these 3 scenarios. Those blocs are
1. Dane County (Heavily Dem)
2. The GOP strongholds of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington Counties (aka "The WOW COounties")
3. The City of Milwaukee (Heavily Dem)
4. The rest of Milwaukee County (around 50-50 to slightly GOP leaning).
What's interesting out of these turnout models is that the geographic makeup of the 2018 Supreme Court primary electorate was a lot more like what we saw in the pro-GOP elections of April 2013 and November 2014 (with the notable exception of higher turnout in 2018 also happening Dane County). Also note how the City of Milwaukee drops off below the rest of Milwaukee County in non-November elections.
Screnock greatly benefitted from the high proportion of the vote that came from the WOW Counties, as he won around 2/3 of the combined votes in those areas, and more people voted in the WOW Counties in the 2018 Spring primary than they did in the General Election in April 2017. And yet Screnock still could only pull 46% of the vote statewide, which is a major red flag.
Obviously, the other big question is what happens the rest of the state. Even though those 4 areas listed tend to make up 35-45% of the total electorate in statewide elections, that leaves a whole lot of votes in other parts of the state to turn. In recent years, the other high-voting counties in the state has turnout that varies based on the election, particularly in Northeast Wisconsin, where Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties can make up between 8-10% of the vote depending on patterns. Also note how Outagamie and Winnebago Counties drop off in non-November elections.
Also, who and where are the voters that will vote on Tuesday that didn't vote in the Feburary primary. History indicates that will be somewhere around 400,000 to 500,000 people, and more of them will be outside of the highest population counties. I'm not sure that really gives an advantage to one candidate or the other, because while you may think that the GOP candidate is favored in small-population counties, if you go back to the map from the February primary you can see that Screnock's best counties were in the WOW Counties that had a disproportionately high share of the electorate. Which means he would have won something around 43-44% if there was a "normal statewide electorate" map.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court Primary results in a runoff between Michael Screnock, the GOP lawyer who defended the states gerrymander, and Democrat-aligned Rebecca Dallet. Both Dallet and Burns identigy with Dems, meaning voters backed Dem-aligned candidates more than the GOP pic.twitter.com/7i8JhX1D5f— Matthew Isbell (@mcimaps) February 21, 2018
Note that those dark blue northern counties had very low turnout in February, likely related to a foot of snow falling in the 2 days before the election. Is that a hidden advantage for Dallet if turnout returns to a normal amount there? Or is turnout going to stay awful in a lot of the state because weather looks like it'll be crap on Tuesday in most parts of Wisconsin.
I have no polling data, and I'll be as interested as the rest of you in seeing what the numbers look like on Tuesday night. But hopefully this gives you an idea of what to look for, and to see what turnout factors may be helping or hurting the two candidates. And by the way, MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES VOTE AS WELL.


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Learning never ends. For continuous development of one's self, there has to be constant evaluation and continuous learning. College education has been a part of almost all of our CVs. However, as the years pass by, the need to keep ourselves updated becomes so much more important. There are many reasons for this.
University education, including management degrees, do not necessarily provide all the skills and knowledge that one needs in the workplace. Hence, workplaces today need to make a considerable investment in providing people with the relevant skills for their role. This is particularly relevant as one progresses in one's career and functional or technical skills become less relevant and skills in managing people, seeing the 'big picture', being able to look around the corner and spot and leverage disruptions as well as build organisational capability become critical. Therefore, the need for ongoing development, both for current roles as well as for building a leadership pipeline, fuels the need for organisations to invest in learning initiatives.
Change is another driver for management education. Technology, today, has caused such a disruption that it has reduced the time lags between innovations. This keeps people on their toes as new products and processes constantly hit the market. For companies, it has become absolutely vital to not only have skilled labour but also an adaptive labour, an updated workforce. While companies can find new talent that have an updated skill set, the time required to sharpen them with experience is a difficult constraint to overcome. On the other hand, training and updating an already experienced worker is generally more feasible. And more experience an employee has, more value they create. Therefore, educating management is a more practical option than finding a replacement.
"Survival of the fittest is not the same as survival of the best. Leaving leadership development up to chance is foolish." - Morgan McCall
Billions of dollars are spent each year on executive education. Is it important for organisations to measure returns when it comes to training? The answer to this question is an unequivocal 'yes'. Performance initiatives and training initiatives provide tangible benefits to the company, and therefore it is important that we measure these.
The reasons for this are many. Better evaluation of the impact of learning initiatives validates these as business tools. Defining and evaluating metrics form the basis of justifying the costs, and makes it easier to strategise the future spending required on the training initiatives. It helps improve the design of training and selection of the training methods.
However, measurement of the impact of management education is not an easy task. Again there are many reasons for this. Isolating the effects of the learning and development initiatives is a key challenge. Many environmental factors such as market conditions, system changes, etc can influence post-training performance. Accurate measurement of cost of training is also difficult to ascertain.
As a business leader, the measure that resonates most in terms of looking at impact of management interventions is Return on Investment (ROI). This is for several reasons, the key being its simplicity and versatility. It not only allows for a measure of a specific training, but also allows for comparison across different types of management development interventions. Most importantly, it moves the focus and attitude towards training from expense to investment. It also allows for impact of training to be looked at in a holistic way when measuring business and individual outcomes. With the increased use of e-learning and data, the importance and relevance of ROI measurement has increased.
The correlation between the Return on Investment and Cost of Investment is easy to derive, but the causal relationship of the impact of training on the performance of the organisation is a tougher task.
How then does one demonstrate the impact a particular training had on the bottom-line performance of the company? The start can be with defining the rationale of the training. As with any project, defining the requirement holds the key. While working on 'WHY', both the leadership development personnel and the executives must reach a consensus on the need. Interventions should be accommodating of the many factors that affect a business. The past performances of the intended person for training and the organisation should be evaluated in parallel. Factors affecting businesses such as the market risk, operational risk, the systems and processes, performances of adjoining departments of the employee, performances of the team members of the employee, etc must also be taken into consideration.
It is also necessary to assess the specific targets and goals the business is trying to achieve. This is vital. The training has to be designed to incorporate these targets and goals. Alignment of the organisational needs with the training needs to form the basis of the cause-effect relationship. The need of the training has to be vindicated by the establishment of this relationship. Post this; identification of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is essential. The existing KPIs need to be revisited and updated, with additions of new ones. The training modules/courses should be designed in relation with the specific KPIs.
The KPIs and the objectives of the learning modules should be designed with very quantifiable parameters. The more detailed the quantification, the greater the accuracy of the measure of ROI of the performance. However, in practice there can be a common mistake of implementing the performance management strategies while the training is in progression or even worse, when the training has already finished. It is more suitable to inculcate the KPIs during planning of the course. This helps in determining how to measure the performance of the training and thus justify the training solutions' implementation. By linking the training factors to a quantifiable measure such as improved sales, streamlining of operations, etc, we can come up with a monetary value whose effects can be traced to the bottom line performance. It is critical to choose the right performance measurement factors to demonstrate the impact of the training on employees and their contribution to the company.
This linking of KPIs with training is critical, and it is one of the best ways in which one can actually measure the impact of any management development interventions. In this way, when one is evaluating the business outcomes and individual performance, measurement of the impact of training becomes a part of the metrics in a very integrated way.
Businesses have a cyclic nature and it is very vital to understand that this can affect the performances of individuals in adverse ways. A method to mitigate the effects of cyclic nature is to set the benchmark for performances against similar performance records over a period of time. After the analysis of these performances, the median of these performances should be base points on which the performance post-training should be measured.
A performance tracker from the start of the training till a certain stipulated time should be maintained. While the focus should be on employee growth and development, it is also necessary that the employee productivity post-training meet the business objectives of the company. Even if a substantial increment in the productivity of the employee is still not at par with the expectations set by the company, then there is scope for re-evaluation of the training modules as well as the employee skill set. It is important to understand that training and education can only contribute to a certain extent in such situations. If the training has been successful on delivering results on previous occasions, then the need is to put the employee skills under examination; and also to look at other factors.
Almost all the trainings occur in concurrence with other functional areas. This results in improved performance of different departments. Therefore, while gauging productivity, it is important to define the contribution of the primary benefactor (the employee) and the secondary benefactor (other functions and employees).
This effectively means defining the intended outcomes as a function of direct and indirect KPIs of the employee. This distinction is very critical as with the increase in the interdependence of systems and processes, the claim to the increase in productivity and output can be shared by many. The evidence of the casual impact the employee has had on the productivity post-training determines the success or failure of the training program. The training leaders themselves need to align to the business in such an inherent manner that they can clearly calculate the impact areas and the magnitude of the impact the employee will have on the productivity, post-training. If they are able to successfully communicate that to the executives, then they are making a strong case for their training modules.
When it comes to leadership development and a leadership pipeline, the approach to measurement is slightly different - the KPIs relate to learning the skills and experience for a future role. The competencies related to the future role, therefore, need to be carefully defined. Measurement needs to relate to both development of competencies as well as business impact and readiness for promotion.
For any training programme, it is important to periodically evaluate the cost-benefit ratio. There is one critical point that has to be maintained from the start, 'Patience'. Like with the businesses, there needs to be a long term strategy and vision for management training - for personal development and building a leadership pipeline. Like any project or any initiative, the company has to understand there will be a gestation period. Those who will be able to get through the tough initial period of any training program are sure to witness the success of it, later on.
In summary:
"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." - Eric Hoffer
Continuing to learn is critical; both in order to deal with change and in order to further develop. For organisations, treating learning and development as a strategic business tool that can contribute to growth and profitability is also critical. Aligning learning closely with organisational goals and measuring the impact of training through measuring those organisational goals is the way forward. Measurement of outcomes of training needs to be considered and carried out as part of the key metrics of the organisation. This is what will yield the most robust results.
"Best way to respect learners: Use techniques that research has proven to work. Help people reach their goals without wasting their time." - Cathy Moore
Devendra Kumar Vyas
The writer has been the Chief Executive Officer of Srei Equipment Finance Limited since its inception and has been with the group for over two decades. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of ICAI. A smart strategist and a die-hard optimist, Devendra is known for his innovative ideas that have reshaped India's infrastructure equipment financing industry. He is in the Governing Council of Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers' Association (ICEMA), a CII sub-committee on construction equipment. He is also the past president of the Chairman of ASSOCHAM's NBFC National Council. He is a thought leader in the Industry and well known for his innovative approach in managing the ecosystem's challenges.