text:
No gimmicks. No Hyperbole. No Magic Bullet. The Compound Effect is a distillation of the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal achievements in business, relationships, and beyond. This easy-to-use, step-by-step operating system allows you to multiply your success, chart your progress, and achieve any desire. If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you want. You will find strategies including:
How to win--every time! The No. 1 strategy to achieve any goal and triumph over any competitor, even if they're smarter, more talented or more experienced.Eradicating your bad habits (some you might be unaware of!) that are derailing your progress.The real, lasting keys to motivation--how to get yourself to do things you don't feel like doing.Capturing the elusive, awesome force of momentum. Catch this, and you'll be unstoppable.The acceleration secrets of superachievers. Do they have an unfair advantage? Yes they do, and now you can too!
The 5 Levels of Leadership are:
1. Position - People follow because they have to.
2. Permission - People follow because they want to.
3. Production - People follow because of what you have done for the organization.
4. People Development - People follow because of what you have done for them personally.
5. Pinnacle - People follow because of who you are and what you represent.
Through humor, in-depth insight, and examples, internationally recognized leadership expert John C. Maxwell describes each of these stages of leadership. He shows you how to master each level and rise up to the next to become a more influential, respected, and successful leader.
In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who've watched his TED Talk based on START WITH WHY -- the third most popular TED video of all time.
Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.
START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way -- and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
For decades, The One Minute Manager® has helped millions achieve more successful professional and personal lives. While the principles it lays out are timeless, our world has changed drastically since the book's publication. The exponential rise of technology, global flattening of markets, instant communication, and pressures on corporate workforces to do more with less—including resources, funding, and staff—have all revolutionized the world in which we live and work.
Now, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have updated The One Minute Manger to introduce the book's powerful, important lessons to a new generation. In their concise, easy-to-read story, they teach readers three very practical secrets about leading others—and explain why these techniques continue to work so well.
As compelling today as it was thirty years ago, this classic parable of a young man looking for an effective manager is more relevant and useful than ever.
Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning.
But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?
The Study
For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
The Standards
Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.
The Comparisons
The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good?
Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't.
The Findings
The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include:
"Some of the key concepts discerned in the study," comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people."
Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?
Meng's job is to teach Google's best and brightest how to apply mindfulness techniques in the office and beyond; now, readers everywhere can get insider access to one of the most sought after classes in the country, a course in health, happiness and creativity that is improving the livelihood and productivity of those responsible for one of the most successful businesses in the world.
With forewords by Daniel Goleman, author of the international bestseller Emotional Intelligence, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, renowned mindfulness expert and author of Coming To Our Senses, Meng's Search Inside Yourself is an invaluable guide to achieving your own best potential.
Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organization? Did it go down with a loud crash? Or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by other competing priorities?
By the time it finally disappeared, it's likely no one even noticed.
What happened? The "whirlwind" of urgent activity required to keep things running day-to-day devoured all the time and energy you needed to invest in executing your strategy for tomorrow! The 4 Disciplines of Execution can change all that forever.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable, and proven formula for executing on your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind. By following The 4 Disciplines:
• Focusing on the Wildly Important
• Acting on Lead Measures
• Keeping a Compelling Scoreboard
• Creating a Cadence of Accountability
leaders can produce breakthrough results, even when executing the strategy requires a significant change in behavior from their teams.
4DX is not theory. It is a proven set of practices that have been tested and refined by hundreds of organizations and thousands of teams over many years. When a company or an individual adheres to these disciplines, they achieve superb results—regardless of the goal. 4DX represents a new way of thinking and working that is essential to thriving in today's competitive climate. Simply put, this is one book that no business leader can afford to miss.
While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he's gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.
Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz's personal and often humbling experiences.
Pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quitMake customer service the responsibility of the entire company-not just a departmentFocus on company culture as the #1 priorityApply research from the science of happiness to running a businessHelp employees grow-both personally and professionallySeek to change the worldOh, and make money too . . .
Sound crazy? It's all standard operating procedure at Zappos, the online retailer that's doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine's annual "Best Companies to Work For" list in 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
In DELIVERING HAPPINESS, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business, through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Fast-paced and down-to-earth, DELIVERING HAPPINESS shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success-and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own.
To learn more about the book, go to www.deliveringhappinessbook.com.
The Globe and Mail Top Leadership and Management BookForbes Top Creative Leadership Book
From the visionary head of Google's innovative People Operations comes a groundbreaking inquiry into the philosophy of work-and a blueprint for attracting the most spectacular talent to your business and ensuring that they succeed.
"We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. It's not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumanizing." So says Laszlo Bock, former head of People Operations at the company that transformed how the world interacts with knowledge.
This insight is the heart of WORK RULES!, a compelling and surprisingly playful manifesto that offers lessons including:
Take away managers' power over employeesLearn from your best employees-and your worstHire only people who are smarter than you are, no matter how long it takes to find themPay unfairly (it's more fair!)Don't trust your gut: Use data to predict and shape the futureDefault to open-be transparent and welcome feedbackIf you're comfortable with the amount of freedom you've given your employees, you haven't gone far enough.
Drawing on the latest research in behavioral economics and a profound grasp of human psychology, WORK RULES! also provides teaching examples from a range of industries-including lauded companies that happen to be hideous places to work and little-known companies that achieve spectacular results by valuing and listening to their employees. Bock takes us inside one of history's most explosively successful businesses to reveal why Google is consistently rated one of the best places to work in the world, distilling 15 years of intensive worker R&D into principles that are easy to put into action, whether you're a team of one or a team of thousands.
WORK RULES! shows how to strike a balance between creativity and structure, leading to success you can measure in quality of life as well as market share. Read it to build a better company from within rather than from above; read it to reawaken your joy in what you do.
Since it was originally published in 1994, The Oz Principle has sold nearly 600,000 copies and become the worldwide bible on accountability. Through its practical and invaluable advice, thousands of companies have learned just how vital personal and organizational accountability is for a company to achieve and maintain its best results.
At the core of the authors' message is the idea that when people take personal ownership of their organization's goals and accept responsibility for their own performance, they become more invested and work at a higher level to ensure not only their own success, but everyone's. Now more than ever, The Oz Principle is vital to anyone charged with obtaining results. It is a must have, must read, and must apply classic business book.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
When Captain Abrashoff took over as commander of USS Benfold, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve his ship. Within months, he created a crew of confident and inspired problem-solvers eager to take the initiative and responsibility for their actions. The slogan on board became "It's your ship," and Benfold was soon recognized far and wide as a model of naval efficiency. How did Abrashoff do it? Against the backdrop of today's United States Navy, Abrashoff shares his secrets of successful management including:
See the ship through the eyes of the crew: By soliciting a sailor's suggestions, Abrashoff drastically reduced tedious chores that provided little additional value. Communicate, communicate, communicate: The more Abrashoff communicated the plan, the better the crew's performance. His crew eventually started calling him "Megaphone Mike," since they heard from him so often. Create discipline by focusing on purpose: Discipline skyrocketed when Abrashoff's crew believed that what they were doing was important. Listen aggressively: After learning that many sailors wanted to use the GI Bill, Abrashoff brought a test official aboard the ship-and held the SATs forty miles off the Iraqi coast. From achieving amazing cost savings to winning the highest gunnery score in the Pacific Fleet, Captain Abrashoff's extraordinary campaign sent shock waves through the U.S. Navy. It can help you change the course of your ship, no matter where your business battles are fought.
For the first time, science and technology have taken charisma apart, figured it out and turned it into an applied science: In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers could raise or lower people's level of charisma as if they were turning a dial.
What you'll find here is practical magic: unique knowledge, drawn from a variety of sciences, revealing what charisma really is and how it works. You'll get both the insights and the techniques you need to apply this knowledge. The world will become your lab, and every person you meet, a chance to experiment.
The Charisma Myth is a mix of fun stories, sound science, and practical tools. Cabane takes a hard scientific approach to a heretofore mystical topic, covering what charisma actually is, how it is learned, what its side effects are, and how to handle them.
Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.
The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on "validated learning," rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.
Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it's too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.
The world's most trusted guide for leaders in transition
Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.
In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions—no matter where you are in your career. Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations, also addresses today's increasingly demanding professional landscape, where managers face not only more frequent transitions but also steeper expectations once they step into their new jobs.
By walking you through every aspect of the transition scenario, Watkins identifies the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter and provides the tools and strategies you need to avoid them. You'll learn how to secure critical early wins, an important first step in establishing yourself in your new role. Each chapter also includes checklists, practical tools, and self-assessments to help you assimilate key lessons and apply them to your own situation.
Whether you're starting a new job, being promoted from within, embarking on an overseas assignment, or being tapped as CEO, how you manage your transition will determine whether you succeed or fail. Use this book as your trusted guide.
The consensus is clear: MBA programs are a waste of time and money. Even the elite schools offer outdated assembly-line educations about profit-and-loss statements and PowerPoint presentations. After two years poring over sanitized case studies, students are shuffled off into middle management to find out how business really works.
Josh Kaufman has made a business out of distilling the core principles of business and delivering them quickly and concisely to people at all stages of their careers. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. In The Personal MBA, he shares the essentials of sales, marketing, negotiation, strategy, and much more.
True leaders aren't made by business schools-they make themselves, seeking out the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed. Read this book and in one week you will learn the principles it takes most people a lifetime to master.
Maxwell also opened the floodgates and invited people from around the world to ask him any leadership question. He answers seventy of them--the best of the best--including . . .
What are the top skills required to lead people through difficult times?
How do I get started in leadership? How do I motivate an unmotivated person? How can I succeed working under poor leadership? When is the right time for a successful leader to move on to a new position? How do you move people into your inner circle? No matter whether you are a seasoned leader at the top of your game or a newcomer wanting to take the first steps into leadership, this book will change the way you look at questions and improve your leadership life.
What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined by a particular moment of fame or notoriety; these notable and fascinating accounts are as relevant today to understanding the intricacies of corporate life as they were when the events happened.
Stories about Wall Street are infused with drama and adventure and reveal the machinations and volatile nature of the world of finance. Longtime New Yorker contributor John Brooks's insightful reportage is so full of personality and critical detail that whether he is looking at the astounding market crash of 1962, the collapse of a well-known brokerage firm, or the bold attempt by American bankers to save the British pound, one gets the sense that history repeats itself.
Five additional stories on equally fascinating subjects round out this wonderful collection that will both entertain and inform readers . . . Business Adventures is truly financial journalism at its liveliest and best.
"The best how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training, and driving flawless execution." —FORTUNE
Since Turn the Ship Around! was published in 2013, hundreds of thousands of readers have been inspired by former Navy captain David Marquet's true story. Many have applied his insights to their own organizations, creating workplaces where everyone takes responsibility for his or her actions, where followers grow to become leaders, and where happier teams drive dramatically better results.
Marquet was a Naval Academy graduate and an experienced officer when selected for submarine command. Trained to give orders in the traditional model of "know all–tell all" leadership, he faced a new wrinkle when he was shifted to the Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. Facing the high-stress environment of a sub where there's little margin for error, he was determined to reverse the trends he found on the Santa Fe: poor morale, poor performance, and the worst retention rate in the fleet.
Almost immediately, Marquet ran into trouble when he unknowingly gave an impossible order, and his crew tried to follow it anyway. When he asked why, the answer was: "Because you told me to." Marquet realized that while he had been trained for a different submarine, his crew had been trained to do what they were told—a deadly combination.
That's when Marquet flipped the leadership model on its head and pushed for leadership at every level. Turn the Ship Around! reveals how the Santa Fe skyrocketed from worst to first in the fleet by challenging the U.S. Navy's traditional leader-follower approach. Struggling against his own instincts to take control, he instead achieved the vastly more powerful model of giving control to his subordinates, and creating leaders.
Before long, each member of Marquet's crew became a leader and assumed responsibility for everything he did, from clerical tasks to crucial combat decisions. The crew became completely engaged, contributing their full intellectual capacity every day. The Santa Fe set records for performance, morale, and retention. And over the next decade, a highly disproportionate number of the officers of the Santa Fe were selected to become submarine commanders.
Whether you need a major change of course or just a tweak of the rudder, you can apply Marquet's methods to turn your own ship around.
In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor space of its competitors. The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.
Complete with profiles of organizations that have successfully adopted Toyota's principles, this book shows managers in every industry how to improve business processes by:Eliminating wasted time and resources Building quality into workplace systems Finding low-cost but reliable alternatives to expensive new technology Producing in small quantities Turning every employee into a qualitycontrol inspector
In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.
To John's surprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet profound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice.
Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don't demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. The Servant's message can be applied by anyone, anywhere—at home or at work.
If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtues that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss.
A compelling look inside the mind and powerful leadership methods of America's coaching legend, John Wooden
"Team spirit, loyalty, enthusiasm, determination. . . . Acquire and keep these traits and success should follow."
--Coach John Wooden
John Wooden's goal in 41 years of coaching never changed; namely, to get maximum effort and peak performance from each of his players in the manner that best served the team. Wooden on Leadership explains step-by-step how he pursued and accomplished this goal. Focusing on Wooden's 12 Lessons in Leadership and his acclaimed Pyramid of Success, it outlines the mental, emotional, and physical qualities essential to building a winning organization, and shows you how to develop the skill, confidence, and competitive fire to "be at your best when your best is needed"--and teach your organization to do the same.
Praise for Wooden on Leadership:
"What an all-encompassing Pyramid of Success for leadership! Coach Wooden's moral authority and brilliant definition of success encompass all of life. How I admire his life's work and concept of what it really means to win!"
--Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
"Wooden On Leadership offers valuable lessons no matter what your endeavor. 'Competitive Greatness' is our goal and that of any successful organization. Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is where it all starts."
--Jim Sinegal, president & CEO, Costco
Gerber walks you through the steps in the life of a business—from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed—and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether or not it is a franchise. Most importantly, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.
The E-Myth Revisited will help you grow your business in a productive, assured way.
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Collins and Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies -- they have an average age of nearly one hundred years and have outperformed the general stock market by a factor of fifteen since 1926 -- and studied each company in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?"
What separates General Electric, 3M, Merck, Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Walt Disney, and Philip Morris from their rivals? How, for example, did Procter & Gamble, which began life substantially behind rival Colgate, eventually prevail as the premier institution in its industry? How was Motorola able to move from a humble battery repair business into integrated circuits and cellular communications, while Zenith never became dominant in anything other than TVs? How did Boeing unseat McDonnell Douglas as the world's best commercial aircraft company -- what did Boeing have that McDonnell Douglas lacked?
By answering such questions, Collins and Porras go beyond the incessant barrage of management buzzwords and fads of the day to discover timeless qualities that have consistently distinguished out-standing companies. They also provide inspiration to all executives and entrepreneurs by destroying the false but widely accepted idea that only charismatic visionary leaders can build visionary companies.
Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the twenty-first century and beyond.
The Industrial Revolution's "under one roof" model of conducting work is steadily declining as technology creates virtual workspaces that allow employees to provide their vital contribution without physically clustering together. Today, the new paradigm is "move work to the workers, rather than workers to the workplace."
Remote work increases the talent pool, reduces turnover, lessens the real estate footprint, and improves the ability to conduct business across multiple time zones, to name just a few advantages. As Fried and Hansson explain the challenges and unexpected benefits of this phenomenon, they show why--with a few controversial exceptions such as Yahoo--more businesses will want to promote this model of getting things done.
In the future, historians may look back on human progress and draw a sharp line designating "before Scrum" and "after Scrum." Scrum is that ground-breaking. It already drives most of the world's top technology companies. And now it's starting to spread to every domain where leaders wrestle with complex projects.
If you've ever been startled by how fast the world is changing, Scrum is one of the reasons why. Productivity gains of as much as 1200% have been recorded, and there's no more lucid – or compelling – explainer of Scrum and its bright promise than Jeff Sutherland, the man who put together the first Scrum team more than twenty years ago.
The thorny problem Jeff began tackling back then boils down to this: people are spectacularly bad at doing things with agility and efficiency. Best laid plans go up in smoke. Teams often work at cross purposes to each other. And when the pressure rises, unhappiness soars. Drawing on his experience as a West Point-educated fighter pilot, biometrics expert, early innovator of ATM technology, and V.P. of engineering or CTO at eleven different technology companies, Jeff began challenging those dysfunctional realities, looking for solutions that would have global impact.
In this book you'll journey to Scrum's front lines where Jeff's system of deep accountability, team interaction, and constant iterative improvement is, among other feats, bringing the FBI into the 21st century, perfecting the design of an affordable 140 mile per hour/100 mile per gallon car, helping NPR report fast-moving action in the Middle East, changing the way pharmacists interact with patients, reducing poverty in the Third World, and even helping people plan their weddings and accomplish weekend chores.
Woven with insights from martial arts, judicial decision making, advanced aerial combat, robotics, and many other disciplines, Scrum is consistently riveting. But the most important reason to read this book is that it may just help you achieve what others consider unachievable – whether it be inventing a trailblazing technology, devising a new system of education, pioneering a way to feed the hungry, or, closer to home, a building a foundation for your family to thrive and prosper.
Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.
Some of the biggest problems facing the world—war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation—are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking.
While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner.
In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions.
It is not generated by your title. In fact, being named to a position is the lowest of the five levels every effective leader achieves. To be more than a boss people are required to follow, you must master the ability to inspire and invest in people. You need to build a team that produces not only results, but also future leaders. By combining the advice contained in these pages with skill and dedication, you can reach the pinnacle of leadership-where your influence extends beyond your immediate reach for the benefit of others.
Derived from material previously published in the Wall Street Journal bestseller The 5 Levels of Leadership.
A thought-provoking, accessible, and essential exploration of why some leaders ("Diminishers") drain capability and intelligence from their teams, while others ("Multipliers") amplify it to produce better results. Including a foreword by Stephen R. Covey, as well the five key disciplines that turn smart leaders into genius makers, Multipliers is a must-read for everyone from first-time managers to world leaders.
Millions worldwide have read and embraced John Kotter's ideas on change management and leadership.
From the ill-fated dot-com bubble to unprecedented M&A activity to scandal, greed, and ultimately, recession—we've learned that widespread and difficult change is no longer the exception. It's the rule. Now with a new preface, this refreshed edition of the global bestseller Leading Change is more relevant than ever.
John Kotter's now-legendary eight-step process for managing change with positive results has become the foundation for leaders and organizations across the globe. By outlining the process every organization must go through to achieve its goals, and by identifying where and how even top performers derail during the change process, Kotter provides a practical resource for leaders and managers charged with making change initiatives work. Leading Change is widely recognized as his seminal work and is an important precursor to his newer ideas on acceleration published in Harvard Business Review.
Needed more today than at any time in the past, this bestselling business book serves as both visionary guide and practical toolkit on how to approach the difficult yet crucial work of leading change in any type of organization. Reading this highly personal book is like spending a day with the world's foremost expert on business leadership. You're sure to walk away inspired—and armed with the tools you need to inspire others.
Published by Harvard Business Review Press.
This revised edition of Peter Senge's bestselling classic, The Fifth Discipline, is based on fifteen years of experience in putting the book's ideas into practice. As Senge makes clear, in the long run the only sustainable competitive advantage is your organization's ability to learn faster than the competition. The leadership stories in the book demonstrate the many ways that the core ideas in The Fifth Discipline, many of which seemed radical when first published in 1990, have become deeply integrated into people's ways of seeing the world and their managerial practices.
In The Fifth Discipline, Senge describes how companies can rid themselves of the learning "disabilities" that threaten their productivity and success by adopting the strategies of learning organizations—ones in which new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, collective aspiration is set free, and people are continually learning how to create results they truly desire.
The updated and revised Currency edition of this business classic contains over one hundred pages of new material based on interviews with dozens of practitioners at companies like BP, Unilever, Intel, Ford, HP, Saudi Aramco, and organizations like Roca, Oxfam, and The World Bank. It features a new Foreword about the success Peter Senge has achieved with learning organizations since the book's inception, as well as new chapters on Impetus (getting started), Strategies, Leaders' New Work, Systems Citizens, and Frontiers for the Future.
Mastering the disciplines Senge outlines in the book will:
• Reignite the spark of genuine learning driven by people focused on what truly matters to them
• Bridge teamwork into macro-creativity
• Free you of confining assumptions and mindsets
• Teach you to see the forest and the trees
• End the struggle between work and personal time
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned:Management of time Choosing what to contribute to the practical organization Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect Setting up the right priorities And Knitting all of them together with effective decision making
Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.
The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook is today's most complete and results-based reference to the tools and concepts needed to understand, implement, and leverage Lean Six Sigma. The only guide that groups tools by purpose and use, this hands-on reference provides:Analyses of nearly 100 tools and methodologies--from DMAIC and Pull Systems to Control Charts and Pareto Charts Detailed explanations of each tool to help you know how, when, and why to use it for maximum efficacy Sections for each tool explaining how to create it, how to interpret what you find, and expert tips
Lean Six Sigma is today's leading technique to maximize production efficiency and maintain control over each step in the managerial process. With The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook, you'll discover how to propel your organization to new levels of competitive success--one tool at a time.
If you read nothing else on managing yourself, read these 10 articles (plus the bonus article "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen). We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles to select the most important ones to help you maximize yourself.
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself will inspire you to:Stay engaged throughout your 50+-year work lifeTap into your deepest valuesSolicit candid feedbackReplenish physical and mental energyBalance work, home, community, and selfSpread positive energy throughout your organizationRebound from tough timesDecrease distractibility and frenzyDelegate and develop employees' initiativeThis collection of best-selling articles includes: bonus article "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen, "Managing Oneself," "Management Time: Who's Got the Monkey?" "How Resilience Works," "Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time," "Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform," "Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life," "Reclaim Your Job," "Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership," "What to Ask the Person in the Mirror," and "Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance."
In 2008, Howard Schultz decided to return as the CEO of Starbucks to help restore its financial health and bring the company back to its core values. In Onward, he shares this remarkable story, revealing how, during one of the most tumultuous economic periods in American history, Starbucks again achieved profitability and sustainability without sacrificing humanity.
Offering you a snapshot of the recession that left no company unscathed, the book shows in riveting detail how one company struggled and recreated itself in the midst of it all. In addition, you'll get an inside look into Schultz's central leadership philosophy: It's not about winning, it's about the right way to win.
Onward is a compelling, candid narrative documenting the maturing of a brand as well as a businessman. Ultimately, Schultz gives you a sense of hope that, no matter how tough times get, the future can be more successful than the past.
Strategy is not complex. But it is hard. It's hard because it forces people and organizations to make specific choices about their future—something that doesn't happen in most companies.
Now two of today's best-known business thinkers get to the heart of strategy—explaining what it's for, how to think about it, why you need it, and how to get it done. And they use one of the most successful corporate turnarounds of the past century, which they achieved together, to prove their point.
A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, in close partnership with strategic adviser Roger Martin, doubled P&G's sales, quadrupled its profits, and increased its market value by more than $100 billion in just ten years. Now, drawn from their years of experience at P&G and the Rotman School of Management, where Martin is dean, this book shows how leaders in organizations of all sizes can guide everyday actions with larger strategic goals built around the clear, essential elements that determine business success—where to play and how to win.
The result is a playbook for winning. Lafley and Martin have created a set of five essential strategic choices that, when addressed in an integrated way, will move you ahead of your competitors. They are:
• What is our winning aspiration?
• Where will we play?
• How will we win?
• What capabilities must we have in place to win?
• What management systems are required to support our choices?
The stories of how P&G repeatedly won by applying this method to iconic brands such as Olay, Bounty, Gillette, Swiffer, and Febreze clearly illustrate how deciding on a strategic approach—and then making the right choices to support it—makes the difference between just playing the game and actually winning.
Most organizations and individuals work in the context of annual goals and plans; a twelve-month execution cycle. Instead, The 12 Week Year avoids the pitfalls and low productivity of annualized thinking. This book redefines your "year" to be 12 weeks long. In 12 weeks, there just isn't enough time to get complacent, and urgency increases and intensifies. The 12 Week Year creates focus and clarity on what matters most and a sense of urgency to do it now. In the end more of the important stuff gets done and the impact on results is profound.Explains how to leverage the power of a 12 week year to drive improved results in any area of your lifeOffers a how-to book for both individuals and organizations seeking to improve their execution effectivenessAuthors are leading experts on execution and implementation
Turn your organization's idea of a year on its head, and speed your journey to success.
The silver lining is that "who" problems are easily preventable. Based on more than 1,300 hours of interviews with more than 20 billionaires and 300 CEOs, Who presents Smart and Street's A Method for Hiring. Refined through the largest research study of its kind ever undertaken, the A Method stresses fundamental elements that anyone can implement–and it has a 90 percent success rate.
Whether you're a member of a board of directors looking for a new CEO, the owner of a small business searching for the right people to make your company grow, or a parent in need of a new babysitter, it's all about Who. Inside you'll learn how to
• avoid common "voodoo hiring" methods
• define the outcomes you seek
• generate a flow of A Players to your team–by implementing the #1 tactic used by successful businesspeople
• ask the right interview questions to dramatically improve your ability to quickly distinguish an A Player from a B or C candidate
• attract the person you want to hire, by emphasizing the points the candidate cares about most
In business, you are who you hire. In Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer simple, easy-to-follow steps that will put the right people in place for optimal success.
From the Hardcover edition.
Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry. Each book contains an access code for the reader to take a comprehensive online MBA Inventory (Motivating By Appreciation)—a $15 value.
The inventory is designed to provide a clearer picture of an individual's primary language of appreciation and motivation as experienced in a work-related setting. This assists managers and supervisors in communicating effectively to their team members, and thus building a more positive and productive work environment.
The essential skill of creating and maintaining new businesses—the art of the entrepreneur—can be summed up in a single word: managing. Born of Grove's experiences at one of America's leading technology companies, High Output Management is equally appropriate for sales managers, accountants, consultants, and teachers, as well as CEOs and startup founders. Grove covers techniques for creating highly productive teams, demonstrating methods of motivation that lead to peak performance—throughout, High Output Management is a practical handbook for navigating real-life business scenarios and a powerful management manifesto with the ability to revolutionize the way we work.
Decline can be detected.
Decline can be reversed.
Amidst the desolate landscape of fallen great companies, Jim Collins began to wonder: How do the mighty fall? Can decline be detected early and avoided? How far can a company fall before the path toward doom becomes inevitable and unshakable? How can companies reverse course?
In How the Mighty Fall, Collins confronts these questions, offering leaders the well-founded hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course. Collins' research project—more than four years in duration—uncovered five step-wise stages of decline:
Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success
Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More
Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril
Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation
Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death
By understanding these stages of decline, leaders can substantially reduce their chances of falling all the way to the bottom.
Great companies can stumble, badly, and recover.
Every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline. There is no law of nature that the most powerful will inevitably remain at the top. Anyone can fall and most eventually do. But, as Collins' research emphasizes, some companies do indeed recover—in some cases, coming back even stronger—even after having crashed into the depths of Stage 4.
Decline, it turns out, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, our history, or even our staggering defeats along the way. As long as we never get entirely knocked out of the game, hope always remains. The mighty can fall, but they can often rise again.
The good news is that none of those things is necessary for you to achieve significance and create a lasting legacy. The only thing you need to achieve significance is to be intentional. And to do that, all you need to do is start. You can't make an impact sitting still and doing nothing. Every major accomplishment that's ever been achieved started with a first step. Sometimes it's hard; other times it's easy, but no matter what, you have to do it if you want to get anywhere in life.
In INTENTIONAL LIVING, John Maxwell will help you take that first step, and the ones that follow, on your personal path through a life that matters.
"EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS should be required reading for anyone interested in the ways exponential technologies are reinventing best practices in business." —Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google
In business, performance is key. In performance, how you organize can be the key to growth.
In the past five years, the business world has seen the birth of a new breed of company—the Exponential Organization—that has revolutionized how a company can accelerate its growth by using technology. An ExO can eliminate the incremental, linear way traditional companies get bigger, leveraging assets like community, big data, algorithms, and new technology into achieving performance benchmarks ten times better than its peers.
Three luminaries of the business world—Salim Ismail, Yuri van Geest, and Mike Malone—have researched this phenomenon and documented ten characteristics of Exponential Organizations. Here, in EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS, they walk the reader through how any company, from a startup to a multi-national, can become an ExO, streamline its performance, and grow to the next level.
"EXPONENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS is the most pivotal book in its class. Salim examines the future of organizations and offers readers his insights on the concept of Exponential Organizations, because he himself embodies the strategy, structure, culture, processes, and systems of this new breed of company." —John Hagel, The Center for the Edge
Chosen by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, to be one of Bloomberg's Best Books of 2015
On television, Coffey is known for using tough love to overhaul failing businesses and help owners take charge of their future. In Own It!, Coffey takes her trademark no-nonsense style and business expertise to the page to provide small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to "own their lives" with the keys to success. Combining her own experiences with those of everyday people who have faced challenging transitions, Own It! will help readers reach their goals.
Drawing on a decade of research, Noam Wasserman reveals the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them. He looks at whether it is a good idea to cofound with friends or relatives, how and when to split the equity within the founding team, and how to recognize when a successful founder-CEO should exit or be fired. Wasserman explains how to anticipate, avoid, or recover from disastrous mistakes that can splinter a founding team, strip founders of control, and leave founders without a financial payoff for their hard work and innovative ideas. He highlights the need at each step to strike a careful balance between controlling the startup and attracting the best resources to grow it, and demonstrates why the easy short-term choice is often the most perilous in the long term.
The Founder's Dilemmas draws on the inside stories of founders like Evan Williams of Twitter and Tim Westergren of Pandora, while mining quantitative data on almost ten thousand founders.
People problems are the leading cause of failure in startups. This book offers solutions.
In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle's company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues.
Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players. Whether you're a leader trying to create a culture around teamwork, a staffing professional looking to hire real team players, or a team player wanting to improve yourself, this book will prove to be as useful as it is compelling.
From Leadership and the One Minute Manager® you'll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; why knowing when to delegate, support, or direct is critical; and how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person.
By consistently using Situational Leadership® II's proven model and powerful techniques, leaders can develop and retain competent, committed employees. This remarkable, easy-to-follow book is a priceless guide to personalized leadership that elicits the best performance from your staff—and the best bottom line for any business.
YOU WANT LESS. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions—and lots of stress. AND YOU WANT MORE. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends. NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH—LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to • cut through the clutter • achieve better results in less time • build momentum toward your goal • dial down the stress • overcome that overwhelmed feeling • revive your energy • stay on track • master what matters to you The ONE Thing delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life—work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT'S YOUR ONE THING?
If you read nothing else on managing people, read these 10 articles (featuring "Leadership That Gets Results," by Daniel Goleman). We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you maximize your employees' performance.
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing People will inspire you to:Tailor your management styles to fit your peopleMotivate with more responsibility, not more moneySupport first-time managersBuild trust by soliciting inputTeach smart people how to learn from failureBuild high-performing teamsManage your boss
This collection of best-selling articles includes: featured article "Leadership That Gets Results" by Daniel Goleman, "One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?" "The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome," "Saving Your Rookie Managers from Themselves," "What Great Managers Do," "Fair Process: Managing in the Knowledge Economy," "Teaching Smart People How to Learn," "How (Un)ethical Are You?" "The Discipline of Teams," and "Managing Your Boss."
What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale?
Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.
When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).
In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives.
The company's new IT initiative, code named Phoenix Project, is critical to the future of Parts Unlimited, but the project is massively over budget and very late. The CEO wants Bill to report directly to him and fix the mess in ninety days or else Bill's entire department will be outsourced.
With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of The Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow, streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited.
In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.
The Innovator's Dilemma
His work is cited by the world's best known thought leaders, from Steve Jobs to Malcolm Gladwell. In his bestselling book, The Innovator's Dilemma, innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen introduced the world to the revolutionary principles of disruptive innovation--new rules for doing business in a rapidly changing environment. This business classic shows how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right—yet still lose market leadership. Every thoughtful business person--no matter your level or industry—should read this book to avoid a similar fate.
Offering both the successes and failures of leading companies as a guide, The Innovator's Dilemma reveals how you can simultaneously do what's right for the near-term health of your established business, while focusing enough resources on the disruptive technologies that ultimately could lead to its downfall. Ignore the innovator's dilemma at your peril.
"How Will You Measure Your Life?" (BONUS HBR article)
At Harvard Business School, Clayton Christensen teaches aspiring MBAs how to apply management and innovation theories to build stronger companies. But he also believes that these models can help people lead better lives. In the award-winning Harvard Business Review article, "How Will You Measure Your Life?," he explains how, exploring questions everyone needs to ask: How can I be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationship with my family is an enduring source of happiness? And how can I live my life with integrity?
For the first time, get this article together with the bestselling book that established Clayton Christensen as one of the world's most influential management thinkers.
Two-time New York Times bestselling authors Roger Connors and Tom Smith show how leaders can achieve record-breaking results by quickly and effectively shaping their organizational culture to capitalize on their greatest asset-their people.
Change the Culture, Change the Game joins their classic book, The Oz Principle, and their recent bestseller, How Did That Happen?, to complete the most comprehensive series ever written on workplace accountability. Based on an earlier book, Journey to the Emerald City, this fully revised installment captures what the authors have learned while working with the hundreds of thousands of people on using organizational culture as a strategic advantage.
Based on research conducted in more than seventy countries over a forty-year span, Cultures and Organizations examines what drives people apart—when cooperation is so clearly in everyone's interest. With major new contributions from Michael Minkov's analysis of data from the World Values Survey, as well as an account of the evolution of cultures by Gert Jan Hofstede, this revised and expanded edition:Reveals the "moral circles" from which national societies are built and the unexamined rules by which people think, feel, and act Explores how national cultures differ in the areas of inequality, assertiveness versus modesty, and tolerance for ambiguity Explains how organizational cultures differ from national cultures—and how they can be managed Analyzes stereotyping, differences in language, cultural roots of the 2008 economic crisis, and other intercultural dynamics


text:
I see Derailing the topic never stops through all the years ive been here
Exactly. And you know, I would put a stop to this topic, but with the lack of any real posters, I don't feel the necessity to mod the thread. It's like shutting down the only thread thats being posted in. If Makoto feels this thread needs to be locked, then I shall do so.
Page created in 0.057 seconds with 26 queries.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Free shipping on any online purchase
Treat yourself or a loved one to the perfect gift, a La Canadienne gift card!
Items 1-30 of 59
Register to our newsletter to be part of our monthly draw to win a $500 La Canadienne online gift card!
Once part of our database, you're always eligible to win. By subscribing you will be the first to know of exclusive offers, new arrivals, and product news. You can unsubscribe at any time.


text:
Find us on:
NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world.
Review Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2015
List reviewed web resources
The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is the only non-profit health and education agency dedicated to protecting children from the misuse and abuse of potentially harmful lice and scabies pesticidal treatments. As part of its mission, the NPA works to encourage our nation's health and child care professionals to adopt standardized head lice management programs http://www.headlice.org/downloads/nonitpolicy.htm
to keep children in school lice and nit free. Communities that promote head lice prevention programs demonstrate a commitment to health and wellness.
Founded in 1983, the National Pediculosis Association®, Inc. (NPA) is a 501 c 3 non-profit volunteer organization including scientific advisors dedicated to protecting children and their environment from the misuse and abuse of over-the-counter chemical treatments for lice and prescription pediculicides. Proceeds from the LiceMeister® comb allow the NPA to be self-sustaining and accomplish its mission.
Review Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Note: Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you experience problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Reader®.
Language Assistance Available


text:
|Hamburg, NY
|High School:
|St. Francis (Canterbury School)
2007 Team Captain 2006: Played in 14 games with 10 starts...Finished third on the team in scoring with 24 points...Led the team with 12 assists...Scored 12 goals on 25 shots on goal...Scored a season-high four points in a 12-10 loss to Colgate (2/25/06), scoring three goals and assisting on another...Had a pair of goals and an assist in an 11-9 loss at Air Force (3/10/06)...Had two assists against Manhattan (3/4/06), UMass (3/21/06) and Robert Morris (3/25/06). 2005: Started all 14 games on the year...Finished third on the team in scoring with 28 points...Scored 17 goals and passed out 11 assists...Had one game winner and a team-high six man-up goals...Picked up 24 grounders during the season...Netted a career-high four goals, two-man-up, in the 13-9 win over NCAA Tournament team Fairfield (3/6/05)...Tallied three scores n a 13-12 win over Manhattan (3/13/05)...Scored a marker and handed out a career-high three assists in a 15-11 loss at Delaware (4/2/05)...Scored the game-winning goal in a 13-12 win at Hartford (4/30/05) in the season finale. 2004: Played in all 14 games with 11 starts as a rookie...Scored 18 points, fifth on the team, with 11 goals and seven assists...Scored first career goal against Manhattan (3/3/04)...Had three goals and an assist against Butler (3/13/04)...Scored a goal with two assists against Denver (3/6/04)...Tallied three goals in an 8-7 win over Marist (4/28/04). High School: Played three sports for St. Francis High School...played for head coach Mike Greco...Named All-American in 2001 and 2002...led his team to an undefeated 2002 season and the private school championship...also played football for three years and basketball for two years. Personal: Born: 9/3/84. Parents: Mike and Renata Greco. Sibling: Anthony Greco. Favorite Athlete: Larry Bird. Favorite TV Show: The Real World. Favorite Movie: The Last Waltz. Favorite Style of Music: Jazz. Favorite Food: Italian.


text:
Panasonic SVAV50 MPEG-4 SD Video Camera
Panasonic SVAV50 MPEG-4 SD Video Camera
Manufacturer Description
The amazingly small, ultra-slim, and lightweight Panasonic SVAV50 is ready to capture your favorite moments in digital video and still photos wherever you roam. You can also use the SVAV50 as a digital audio player, voice recorder, and image viewer through your TV (using the included cradle). The SVAV50 is so small because it uses no tape--all video, images, and audio are stored on a tiny Secure Digital (SD) memory card. It also features 2-megapixel digital still resolution, 2-inch flip-and-twist LCD for reviewing your video and photos, and 2.5x digital zoom. This model (SVAV50A) comes in blue, but the SVAV50 is also available in silver (SVAV50S).
Video and Still Optics
Using the MPEG4 format, the SVAV25 saves video to Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards (an 8 MB SD card is included). With the small size of MPEG4 files--featuring resolution modes of either 320 x 240 or 176 x 144--you can easily post video to your Web site or send files to friends and family via e-mail.
The D-snap cradle is equipped with an A/V terminal that makes it easy to connect to a TV or VCR and record TV programs onto an SD card. Using the SVAV50 for playback, you can watch the news, a movie, or other programs just about anywhere.
The following shows the approximate amount of continuous video that can be recorded on several sizes of SD memory card (including larger optional cards):
- Super Fine (320 x 240, 1 Mbps): 0.9 minutes (included 8 MB card), 7 minutes (64 MB card), 15 minutes (128 MB card)
- Fine (320 x 240, 420 Kbps): 2 minutes (included 8 MB card), 17 minutes (64 MB card), 35 minutes (128 MB card)
- Normal (176 x 144, 300 Kbps): 2.5 minutes (included 8 MB card), 25 minutes (64 MB card), 50 minutes (128 MB card)
- Economy (176 x 144, 100 Kbps): 8 minutes (included 8 MB card), 70 minutes (64 MB card), 150 minutes (128 MB card)
The SVAV50 has a 1/3.2-inch CCD for a 2-megapixel resolution--capturing enough image data for print enlargements up to 8 x 10 inches. It features 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), 1280 x 960 (1 MP), and 640 x 480 (VGA--great for sending in e-mail) resolution modes. You can zoom in on subjects using the 2.5x digital zoom.
In addition to its motion and still image capability, the SVAV50 can also be used as a digital audio player--just slip in an SD card loaded with tunes and listen via the included earphones. It's compatible with MP3 and AAC audio files. And with the built-in microphone (monaural), you can easily record voice memos, lectures, interviews, and reminders to the SD card.
More Features
- 2-inch flip-and-twist LCD with 117,000-pixel resolution
- Connects to your PC via USB 1.1 connectivity
- Lens: F4 (4.5mm focal length)
- Measures 4 x 1.94 x .81 inches (H x W x D)
- Weighs 3.7 ounces
What's in the Box
This package includes the Panasonic SVAV50A digital camcorder, 8 MB SD memory card, USB cradle, battery pack, AC adaptor, stereo earphones with remote controller, USB and A/V cables, carrying case, cleaning clot, neck strap, and CD-ROM with USB drivers for Windows and the following Panasonic software (not Mac compatible):
- SD MovieStage Ver. 2.5 displays MPEG4 motion images and JPEG still images in thumbnail form and plays them back on a PC. You can also cut and edit motion images and send e-mail with motion images attached.
- SD Jukebox Ver. 4.0 Software transfers music from your SD memory card to your PC and allows you to rip CDs to your PC and convert music data to different PC music file formats. When ripping CDs, music information from the CD database (CDDB) is obtained automatically, including album title, artist and song title. You can also organize your songs by artist, title or personalized playlists. There is also a "Mood Analyzer" (Music Sommelier) that automatically selects songs to match your mood.


text:
Author Notes: This is a tart with an agenda. Its roots are old fashioned and small town but don't let that fool you. It is as luscious and silky as Scarlet Johansson sauntering the red carpet. It is as lascivious as True Blood and as beaten-up as Mickey Rourke on a bad day. There are tarts and then there are tarts. The best are the kind that even your mama would like. Never suspecting or questioning what makes up its character but just enjoying it for what it is because it is so good. All the while, later, you know you are going to lick your fork like...well, lets just say it is a tart that likes to please and it will. Truly, it is like fine champagne on a Sunday afternoon. The basis of this tart has been around for a long time, the old fashioned egg custard pie, you know the one with nutmeg that has shown up at every family reunion since people started having reunions. Well, take that base and an idea from Alice Waters and her Madeira cream pots, add in the videos from Shuna Lydon about cooling your custard and then use duck eggs (again Waters' idea) which make for an even silkier tart and what you come up with is nothing less than sexy. Never fear, I have written the recipe to use chicken eggs but if you ever come across fresh duck eggs, by all means use them to make a custard. - thirschfeld —thirschfeld
Food52 Review: Thirschfeld takes a seemingly simple custard tart and layers on the charm. After you slip through the heady, Madeira-laced flan center, you'll hit the soft sandy crunch of the semolina crust and, before you know it, you'll be reaching for another slice. With just 8 ingredients and a press-in crust, the process is simple but do take care. Chill your custard thoroughly (overnight if possible) to deepen the Madeira flavor and allow it to warm through gently in the oven. And if your oven runs hot or if you're baking in a dark tart pan, start it at 350. It may take longer to bake, but just watch for that Jell-O jiggle. But even if it does heat up too quickly and bubble on top like ours did the day we shot the photo, have no fear -- it's still delicious, its charms just a bit more rustic (more Mickey Rourke than Scarlett Johansson, in thirschfeld's terms). Amanda loved it served warm; Merrill dug it cooled to room temperature. - A&M —The Editors
Serves: 8
For the crust:
cup all purpose flour
cup semolina flour
cup sugar
cup unsalted butter, softened
finger pinch of salt
For the custard:
1 1/2
cups whole milk
cup sugar
teaspoon salt
tablespoons madeira
large eggs, or three duck eggs
- For the custard: Place the milk into a sauce pan and scald it over medium high heat. Remove the pan from the burner. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, madeira and salt. Temper the eggs by whisking in a 1/2 cup of warm milk and then add the rest while whisking. Cover the bowl and place the custard base into the fridge. You want it to be cold. It can sit in the fridge overnight, which is probably best, but at least let it get to 35 or so degrees F. You could do this in an ice bath if you are in a hurry.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl and using a large wooden spoon mix all the crust ingredients smashing the butter into the mixture with the back of the spoon until you have a cornmeal and couscous-looking crumble. You can use your hands rubbing them together with the mixture between them to make some of the bigger chunks smaller.
- Place an 8-inch tart pan onto a sheet tray. This will make it easier to move around and get out of the oven. Dump the crumbles into the tart pan. Press the dough up the sides, packing it tightly as you go, and then work toward the center until you have a crust. Prick the bottom a few times with a fork. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven.
- Turn the oven up to 400 degrees (350 if you're using a dark pan or your oven runs hot). Strain the chilled custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove and albumen pieces. Pour the custard into the tart till it is half full. Place the tart into the oven and then finish filling the tart. You will probably have about a 1/2 cup of base left. I made a little extra so you wouldn't come up short in case your tart pan was a little bigger.
- Bake the tart for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake it for another 20 to 30 minutes or until set. Depending on how cold your custard is, it will lengthen or shorten the baking time. If you give the sheet tray a gentle but sharp shake, the tart should jiggle like jello if it is done. If it creates waves that look like you dropped a pebble into still water continue cooking.
- When the tart is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Cut and serve.
- Your Best Late Winter Tart (Sweet or Savory) Contest Finalist!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Pie|Tart|Milk/Cream|Serves a Crowd|Winter|Dessert


text:
This resource is no longer available. Go back to the Resources list
Tel - Cork Office: +353 26 20520
Fax: +353 26 20536
Email: email@example.com
The SMILE Resource Exchange accepts no responsibility for the exchanging and transportation of resources between members.
We assume that members abide by the relevant laws and regulations in place (click here to read more on environmental legislation).
Copyright © 2008 - 2018 SMILE Exchange.
Web Design & Development By StudioForty9


text:
Nashua Overpass Options Presented
Residents Raise Questions At Meeting; Public Comment Period Ends Oct. 11
Nashua residents had a chance to ask questions and voice concerns about the building of an overpass to alleviate the problem of the village's railroad crossing being blocked by trains.
Approximately 40 people were at the meeting held Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. in the Nashua Civic Center.
A presentation of four options for construction of the overpass was presented by Tim Erickson of HDR Engineering in Billings. Also present at the meeting to field questions were MDT officials. No representative from BNSF was present.
Although several people openly stated their vote of either for or against the project, most did not.
Questions from the audience ranged from if an economic analysis had been conducted to safety concerns in regard to emergency responders to feasibility of options other than an overpass.
The public comment period on the overpass will end on Friday, Oct. 11. Everyone who was at the meeting was given a form they could fill out and return to the Montana Department of Transportation.
Those who did not attend can send their letters to Shane Mintz, Glendive District Administrator, MDT, P.O. Box 890, Glendive, MT 59330-0890. Include your name, physical address and email address. You can also fax your letter to 406-345-8250. Or, if you wish, go online to http://www.mdt.mt.gov/comment_form.shtml to submit your comments.
See next week's Courier for more meeting coverage.


text:
Come Party With Me: Baby Shower — Menu
When hosting a baby shower, be sure to consult the mother-to-be before selecting a menu. Her appetite may have changed, so ask her what she wants to enjoy at the party. My pal Denise has requested a delicious spread of savory brunch dishes. Thus the menu will consist of a crisp breakfast pizza made with hash browns and two types of cheese, home fries with peppers and onions, and crunchy slices of fried bacon. The pizza recipe calls for sausage, but I'll make a couple pork-less pies for the vegetarians in attendance.
Supplement the homemade items with easy, grocery store additions. Fresh fruit, plain yogurt, and an assortment of breads are delightful finishing touches. To experiment with these mouth-watering breakfast recipes,
Breakfast Pizza
From Taste of Home
- 1 tube (4 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1/4 pound bulk pork sausage or 4 pork sausage links, sliced
- 1/2 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 2 tablespoons diced sweet red pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced green pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
- Separate crescent dough into four triangles; arrange on a ungreased 7-1/2-in. round pizza pan with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom of pan, building up edges slightly; seal perforations.
- In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle over crust. Top with potatoes, peppers and cheddar cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and pepper.
- Pour over pizza; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are completely set and top is golden brown. Cut into slices.
Serves 2.
- Category
- Other, Breakfast/Brunch
- Cuisine
- Italian
Home Fries with Peppers and Onions
From Rachael Ray
- 2 1/2 pounds red skinned potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Coarsely chop potatoes and transfer to a nonstick cookie sheet.
- Toss with oil, peppers, onions and seasonings and place in the oven 25 minutes, turning twice with spatula.M/li>
- Serve hot.
Serves 4.
- Category
- Potatoes, Breakfast/Brunch
Fried Bacon
From Martha Stewart
- 1 pound bacon
- Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat.
- When hot, add bacon strips in a single layer. Cook until browned on bottom, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Flip bacon, using tongs, and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes.
- Drain and reserve fat for another use, and repeat with remaining bacon. Drain bacon on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 pound.
- Category
- Meats, Breakfast/Brunch
- Cuisine
- North American


text:
The Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Researchers Decipher Clues From Those With Greater Awareness, Control of Behavior in Dreams
Anthony Bloxham was standing in the garden of his house when he wondered if he was dreaming.
To figure it out, he looked at his hands. Experts in a phenomenon known as lucid dreaming, where sleeping people are aware that they're in a dream, say dreamers should look for reality checks, or details that look different in dreams than in real...


text:
Hello, I am 32 male from india suffering from tingling / numbness sensation throughout the body. Actually the sysmptoms started before 2 years at my right hand suddenly and the time my blood pressure goes up to 170 /90 and heart beat raises to 140. I admitted in a hospital and undergone CT, ECG, dopller neck.. and many more blood tests. All are negative and have been discharged from hospital. Doctors suggested some medicines to control my BP, cholestrol and palpitation, i used for 2 months and then stopped. Later after 6 months my i notice the tingling / numbness and burning sensation entire my left side and there is a feeling of bugs crawling sensation in my skull (behind skin) also my left side face (above cheeks) going numb, also i have a feeling of dizzyness, again went to hospital and ran multiple tests like NCV, MRI Brain, Spine and few blood tests. Reports shown below symptoms
MRI Brain - OK
MRI Spine - Mild disc dehydration seen at C3 to C7 , mild Cervical Spondylosis
Vit B12 - 220 (border line)
Doctors suppects my dizziniess is related to inner ear infection and asked me to refer a ENT. I went to ENT and they refer few multi vitamin tablets. also they refer Vertin, Zolfresh medicines for my dizzyness and Methylcobalamin for my B12 levals.
The problem continuos...
Now some times i am having rapid heart beat and sharp pins and needles sensation in my left fingers (most of the time), some times at right hand fingers, feet, feeling always dizziness and bugs crawling sensation in my head.
Recently i consulted a heart specialist for my fast heart beat and he put me under Holter monitor, ECG, and the reports are OK.
One more symptom to add: Juat before 2 months (in Jan 2013) i have a blurred vision for couple of minuts and its gone after few mins
Can any one please advise me what my problem is?


text:
David Pericak, Chief Engineer
Click here to download related images.
- Dave Pericak, chief engineer of the Ford Mustang, comes from a family that owned Fords; he wanted to own a Mustang while growing up
- The Chicago native started his career as a manufacturing engineer in a parts plant
- Pericak has a 1968 Mustang he likes to work on, as well as a 2000 Mustang GT convertible
Each work day for Dave Pericak is absolutely packed. And he couldn't be happier about it.
Pericak's dream while growing up was to own a Ford Mustang. It's a dream shared by many, as more than 9 million Mustangs have been sold, and the iconic muscle car has been the top seller in its class for 45 consecutive years.
Pericak has attained a position that other Mustang owners can only dream about: he's Mustang's chief engineer. That means he is responsible for engineering, manufacturing, quality, cost – in short, everything.
"You hear a lot about how people have their dream job and how lucky they are," said Pericak. "Well, I'm definitely one of those lucky few. It's an honor to lead the Mustang team. This car, more than any other, represents the freedom we have in this country and it is raw power at its finest."
That raw power will get an even bigger boost with the return of Mustang GT to its rightful place, at its rightful displacement of 5.0 liters. This advanced Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) V-8 engine delivers 412 horsepower and – when paired with a six-speed automatic transmission – improved fuel economy over the previous offering. This new engine – along with six-speed automatic and manual transmissions – will be available on the 2011 Mustang GT.
"Mustang continues to evolve with more power, class-leading fuel economy, industry-first technology and a bold, muscular design evocative of classic Mustangs," said Pericak. "What excites me most about the 2011 Mustang is that we will prove you don't need to trade performance for fuel economy."
Moving the legend forward
Pericak said one of his goals as Mustang's chief engineer is to bring even more edginess back to America's favorite sports car.
"I want to take a great car and make it second to none," he said. "The 2010 Mustang is outstanding, and the next couple of years will be some of the most exciting for Mustang. Our vision is to make Mustang a world-class sports car."
Pericak's first Mustang was the 2000 GT convertible. He also has a 1968 version he's restoring.
"Owning the cars and having a passion for them keeps me grounded with customer wants and expectations as I am truly a customer of Mustang," Pericak said. "This helps me as I make decisions about Mustang going forward."
City boy takes to country living
Pericak began his career at Ford as a manufacturing engineer at a parts plant working on door panels. This position afforded Pericak the chance to interact with several chief engineers and inspired his desire to direct a vehicle program himself.
"For the program to be Mustang was almost too much to hope for," he said.
A native of Chicago, Pericak and his wife, KrysAnna ("my high school sweetheart"), have been married 13 years and live in Bruce Township, Mich., with their 20-month-old son Dominic.
"The best thing about living here is the outdoors," said Pericak. "My house is my favorite place to hang out. We live on a pond – I love to fish – and have a bit of land. The wildlife is awesome. I always feel like I'm on vacation."
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
- Pericak has been married to KrysAnna for 13 years. They have one child, Dominic, 20 months
- His favorite auto-themed movie is "Gone in Sixty Seconds." Not surprisingly, the famous Mustang, named "Eleanor," is his favorite car featured in a movie or TV show
- In Pericak's garage are a 1968 Mustang, a 2000 Mustang GT convertible, a Lincoln MKT and a Ford Focus. "I am going to add another Mustang soon," he says
- Pericak recently wrote a chapter in the book Program Management Circa 2025
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.


text:
2013 Modesto Poets Corner Winners
2013 Poets' Corner Contest Winners Announced
Winners have been announced for the 32nd annual Poets' Corner Contest sponsored by the City of Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department and the Modesto's Poets' Corner Committee, a sub-committee of the Culture Commission.
Judges selected 45 winning poems and 9 Honorable Mentions from 196 entries. Winners ranged in age from Preschool/K to senior citizens. The winning poems will be read at 1:30 p.m., on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the McHenry Museum, 14th and I Streets, Modesto with a reception to follow. Each winner will receive a copy of the Modesto Poets' Corner Celebration Program of Contest Winning Poems. The public is invited.
This year's special category was entitled "Pets," in celebration of a favorite pet, a family pet, an unusual pet or the pet we wished we had. In addition to the special category, the contest was open to any other subject and form of poetry, such as rhymed, free verse, light verse, sonnet, haiku and ballad. Congratulations to this year's Poets' Corner poets.
The 2013 Winners are as follows:
Youth Winners: Annyher Reyes-Ayala Autumn Collins Bradley Scott Cinthia A. Hernandez Czarina Garcia Dekker White Eleni Keriotis Eliana Montalavo Gillian Gray Grace Benham Jesus Bernal Josephine Henderson Katie Krieger Kiley Pesco Kylie Tuitavuki Lars Paulsen Mia Bird Hargrave Paige Johnson Sarah Lim Sarah O'Leary Savannah Adeline Lucero Sofia Johnson Sophia Orlando Zoe Keriotis
Adult Winners: Angel Villagomez Arnold Acker Casey Giffin Chyril Turner Cleo Griffith Donna Snow Doug C. Souza Louise Kantro Lynn M. Hansen Nancee Kinkaid Maya Nancy Haskett Roberta Bearden Sarah Haskett Tom Myers Tom Portwood Virginia Calderon Virginia Dall
Honorable Mention Youth: Bryceen Warda Eleni Keriotis Joshua Romano Nick Trovao Tegan R. Jackson
Honorable Mention Adults: Donna Snow Elizabeth Provost Louise Kantro Virginia Dall


text:
- How Does the IRS Treat Federal Agencies Who Owe Employment Taxes?
- October 4, 2012 | Author: George W. Connelly
- Law Firm: Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry - Houston Office
Previous Blawg articles have cautioned my readers about the problems they can face if they do not take care of their Federal employment taxes, ranging from collection action against their business, to the trust fund recovery penalty being asserted against individuals determined to be "responsible officers." Since Federal agencies are also required to pay employment taxes for their employees, it is only fair to wonder if the IRS is dealing as harshly with them. The answer warrants a letter to your Congressman.
On September 5, 2012, the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued a report to follow up one prepared in August 2007, when TIGTA found that there were serious weaknesses in the Federal Agency Delinquency Program's efforts to identify and address the causes for delinquencies in filings and payments. TIGTA found that the corrective action the IRS took in response to that prior report did not fully address the previously identified weaknesses, and particularly those involving delinquent tax accounts. TIGTA analyzed 132 aged Federal agency delinquent tax accounts from December 2008, and found that as of December 31, 2011, 40-totaling approximately $2.6 million-were still open after three years, and that collection action had been suspended for 34 of those 40 accounts, totaling $2.4 million.
TIGTA noted that the IRS does not have the same set of tools available when the taxpayer is another Federal agency. For instance, Federal agencies are not authorized to pay interest and penalties for late filed returns or underpaid employment taxes. Also, various IRS policies-policies!-do not allow enforcement actions to be taken against Federal agencies with delinquent tax accounts. These apparently prevent filing of a Notice of Tax Lien, sending a Final Notice of Intent to Levy, or assessing the trust fund penalty against responsible officers, let alone seizure of property. Of the 132 aged delinquent tax accounts for 68 Federal agencies in December 2008, TIGTA found that 36% had their collection statutes expire-the collection statute is ten years from the time of assessment!-and thus prevented the IRS from ever collecting those amounts. 40 accounts were open and unresolved after three years and in 85% of those, collection action had been suspended by the IRS.
There's an old saying: "What's good for the goose is sauce for the gander." There is simply no reason why our hard-earned tax dollars should go to paying interest and penalties incurred by Federal agencies which should be setting a standard for compliance with employment taxes. However, if the trust fund recovery penalty could be asserted against the persons in those agencies who are not performing their jobs, we would see a different response from them. Moreover, we would not have to worry about the IRS wasting resources on chasing the few dollars it does collect from them.


text:
- AltCar Auto Show
- Beijing Auto Show
- CES Auto Show
- Chicago Auto Show
- DC Auto Show
- Detroit Auto Show
- Frankfurt Auto Show
- Geneva Auto Show
- LA Auto Show
- NAIAS Auto Show
- New York Auto Show
- Paris Auto Show
- Philadelphia Auto Show
- SEMA Auto Show
- San Diego Auto Show
- Shanghai Auto Show
- St. Louis Auto Show
- Tokyo Auto Show
Auto Show: 2011 Tokyo Auto Show
Nissan Leaf Nismo Concept - Tokyo Auto Show
Although electric cars aren't known for their high-performance capabilities or precise handling, Nissan is looking to help change that notion with a new concept revealed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. Dubbed the Leaf Nismo Concept, the hatchback features several upgrades that transform Nissan's plug-in Leaf from a mundane electric car to a more engaging hot hatch.
The most obvious upgrades to the Leaf Nismo Concept come to its exterior. Displayed with a stylish white finish, the concept features an exaggerated front and rear body kit that gives it a lower presence, while enlarged side skirts further enhance the EV's sporty appearance. Other exterior revisions include 18-inch, black-painted wheels, LED front lighting that accentuates a sense of motion and blue mirrors which remind buyers of the Leaf's earth-saving electric powertrain despite its sporty touches.
The Leaf Nismo Concept also features several modifications designed to boost the hatchback's performance. Among them are and several aerodynamic upgrades that improve the flow of air over the Leaf's body and add downforce for better handling, plus low-profile tires that increase grip in turns. Although Nissan didn't make any changes to the Leaf's drivetrain, the automaker notes its electric powerplant perfectly lends itself to a high-performance version thanks to the technology's instant torque at all engine speeds.
"Nissan LEAF has shown that zero emission mobility is no longer a dream but a reality," said Hideaki Wantanabe, Nissan's corporate vice president in charge of the company's electric vehicle business unit. "The Nismo Concept not only proves the hidden potential of Nissan LEAF but also adds even more excitement and energy to LEAF, delivering a guilt-free yet exhilarating driving experience that can be enjoyed by every car enthusiast."
What it means to you
While Leaf Nismo Concept probably won't make production, the hatchback's Tokyo debut - coupled with the Leaf's participation in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb earlier this year and Nissan's recent unveiling of the track-oriented Leaf RC Concept - proves the automaker may be considering a high-performance EV.
See more Tokyo Auto Show news.


text:
Texas corn producers will increase acreage in 2007, but how much will depend on winter rainfall in typically dryland production areas.
Based on reports from seed companies and elevators across the state farmers are "looking for more seed and booking forward contracts," says David Gibson, executive director of the Corn Producers Association of Texas.
Gibson discussed planting prospects, propelled by significant price surges in recent months, with Southwest Farm Press staff during the recent Texas Commodity Symposium, held annually in conjunction with the Amarillo Farm Show.
Gibson also laid out other issues Texas Corn Producers and the National Corn Producers Board will be following in 2007. Concerns include: new insurance rules, offshore drilling for natural gas, increased demand and challenges for ethanol production, transportation and production cost increases.
Gibson said Central and South Texas corn growers show interest in adding acreage for 2007. "In the High Plains, we've seen many farmers make marketing contracts for 2007 and into 2008. Dryland production depends on rain, but we expect more corn. It's just hard to tell how much." Gibson said increased production could mean "spot storage shortages. That's a potential issue at harvest.
"Transportation also may be taxed to move more grain. We bring a lot of grain into Texas to feed the livestock industry and it's getting harder to get that on line. Increased ethanol production may add to the (bottleneck)."
Gibson said the NCPB "puts a lot of emphasis on river transportation improvements. Railroads may be the next target."
He says ethanol has been a catalyst to boost corn and grain sorghum prices. "We're looking at ways for producers to participate in this expanded market.
"Producing for the ethanol market is one option but moving into ethanol production may also give traditional grain producers new opportunities."
Ethanol offers tremendous prospects but some challenges as well, Gibson said. "We've seen it coming, but Hurricane Katrina accelerated the process. We lost refineries and demand for energy exceeded supply. I hope the growth in demand for ethanol does not exceed what we can do efficiently."
He said the surge in ethanol demand occurred quickly and may stress available infrastructure. "We don't want people disillusioned with an inadequate supply."
He also voiced concern about potential effect on export markets. He's not particularly concerned about the "feed versus fuel debate. The market will determine adequate production levels. But foreign markets are concerned with our increased domestic demand. We export 20 percent of our production, about 2 billion bushels a year."
About 60 percent of annual production goes into the domestic livestock market.
"Ethanol takes some of the supply and exporters wonder if they will be the first cut. The global situation is much different than just a few years ago. We can know quickly what happen in Beijing and they know what happens here.
"China's people want a better food supply and domestic production is not growing fast enough to meet demand."
Gibson said foreign markets look to long-term, consistent sources for grain.
He said growers also need to bone up on new insurance regulations in force for the 2007 crop, especially as they apply to aflatoxin-contaminated corn.
"We have new rules on how to handle a crop at harvest," he said. Under new rules, growers can get settlements within a matter of days after harvest. "In the past, if producers didn't sell out of the field they had to wait for a value to be established. A lot of difference exists for local values. These policy changes make it easier to settle on payments and to help growers maintain cash flow at harvest."
Gibson said the NCPB is following legislation that would increase offshore drilling for natural gas. "We hope that passes," Gibson said. "We need to increase the supply of natural gas because it affects production costs, fertilizer and fuel.
"Higher energy prices have spurred the ethanol market," he said, "but has also pushed production costs up."
email: [email protected]