Watch New Year’s at the Needle

The countdown to 2010 will culminate in the Pacific Northwest with the Farmers Life New Year ‘s at the Needle fireworks show on the Seattle landmark.

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Watch New Year’s at the Needle

The Greatest Explosion Can Only Occur When Opportunity Meets Preparedness

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

There is probably not a day in America when at least a million employees wonder “When am I going to get promoted?” or “I am so upset that they promoted him and not me?”

On that very same day there are hundreds of managers or employers who, when confronted about offering a promotion would say, “If you want to get promoted, do something and I will promote you,” or, when confronted about a promotion they made would say, “You are simply not ready to be promoted.”

These workplace sentiments happen because employees tend to look only at opportunity, and employers tend to look only at preparedness. The reality of life is that the greatest explosion can only occur when opportunity meets preparedness.

The fact is, millions of employees would get promoted before their counterparts if they were better prepared before an opportunity occurred.

Imagine for a moment how fired up I would be if the Seattle Seahawks suddenly needed a middle linebacker after a serious injury to their All-Pro and 3-time Pro-Bowl Samoan Middle Linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Imagine that Mike Holmgren, the Seahawk coach who will retire after the season and wants desperately to get to and win another Super Bowl on his way out, calls for an open tryout nationally.

Hundreds of wannabe professional football players would show up for the tryout. All of them would have played high school or college football. Some would be very big. Some would be very fast. A very few would be able to take the pounding that you would receive fighting off 300-pound-plus nasty offensive linemen. Even less would be great open field tacklers. A scant 1 or 2 might be able to cover a tight end or slot receiver.

Exactly none of them would have all or enough of the skills to compete effectively in the National Football League or they would already be there. In short, they would not be prepared to take advantage of a great opportunity to succeed in the NFL.

This is an extreme example, but an example nonetheless, of how too often opportunity does not meet preparedness when offered.

So how does one get prepared to meet opportunity in the workplace? The obvious answer is acquire more education and/or training. If you do not have a college degree in an academic discipline, do whatever it takes to get one. If you do not have specialized or professional training in a certain task, get involved in a technical training course at a vocational school.

Make yourself more marketable to be hired at a higher level task, or to be promoted to a higher level task.

Believe it or not, as difficult as it may be for you to acquire more education or training, it will be far easier than accomplishing the second route to getting prepared to meet opportunity head on when it arrives. That will require personal growth.

Personal growth is 100 times more difficult to achieve than professional growth because it requires that you not only learn or become aware of new information, but forces you to willingly change your thought process and belief system. People CAN change but most choose not to.

You will rise higher faster by achieving more personal growth than professional growth. If you do not believe me, that is your business, but you might want to ask yourself this question:

If it only takes professional growth to get on in life, why is it that there are so many people with college degrees, professional training, smarts and talent that are not promoted and are also prejudiced, intolerant, judgmental, self-centered, self-absorbed and sometimes even nasty?

The Clearwater Human Rights Experience

The program, put on by Poets for Human Rights, has grown much broader than the reading of human rights-related poetry. The annual event includes a special group reading of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, showing of the Story of Human Rights (an entertaining yet informative look at the history of human rights), and the presentation of the Clearwater Humanitarian Awards.

 

The Human Rights Experience touches nerves with joy and dismay, and so it was at the Poets for Human Rights Annual Awards at Clearwater Main Library on Saturday, December 12.

 

The purpose of the annual awards event is to enlighten, educate and validate those members of our community who through selfless effort make our world better.

 

The event was hosted by Poets for Human Rights co-founder Larry Jaffe. Special presentations were made by Poets for Human Rights Co-Founder Stazja McFadyen for the winners of the 2009 Anita McAndrews Award and Alexander Popoff Award poetry contests, and by event producer Shelley Jaffe who introduced the winners of the 2009 Clearwater Humanitarian Awards.

 

The event opened with a short welcome by Mr. Jaffe and moved on to a moving invocation by Maurice Mickens, Deacon of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church . Jaffe then read the proclamation from Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard designating December 5 – 12 to be Clearwater Human Rights Week.

 

Gracia Bennish, President of United for Human Rights, informed everyone about the organization and its purpose of bringing groups together for greater strength. Ms. Bennish then made the official announcement appointing Larry Jaffe as the Poet Laureate and voice of United for Human Rights. A showing of the award-winning documentary The Story of Human Rights produced by the group followed.

 

As humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard stated, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream”.

And to award those who worked to make human rights a reality through 2009, Shelley Jaffe presented the Clearwater Humanitarian Awards. This year’s winners are an incredible group that makes our city very proud. Awardees included Maurice Mickens for his tireless work with youth in the Greenwood community, Community Tampa Bay’s Executive Director Stacie Blake, Tampa Bay Academy of Hope Founder James M. Evans, Ida Lopez of World Relief and the Community Learning Center. Each of these individuals received standing ovations for their accomplishments. Tears of joy were seen on the entire audience.

 

Stazja McFadyen hosted the poetry segment of the program which featured special guest Venus Jones who led the audience with a responsive poem and a truly wonderful poem as a response to the movie Precious. The Anita McAndrews Award winning poem written by Seattle Poet Sarah Zale received a dramatic reading by Lisa Mansell. Renee Duke told a stirring story about her relationship with Anita McAndrews.  Other guest poets included L.D. Sledge, 2008 Anita McAndrews Award winner, Dustin McGahee, President of Youth for Human Rights, Malcolm Johnson and Barbara Sorey.

 

The event ended with Jaffe reading a poem called I Never Saw Another Butterfly from a collection of the same name with works of art and poetry by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. This book is named after a poem by one of the children, Pavel Friedmann.

Selling In A Tough Economy

In late 2008, the economy started to take a turn for the worst. People were uncertain about what was going to happen. As we all know, the financial collapse took us for a downward slide into the abyss of fear, doubt and insecurity.

Now that 2009 has hit, we are dusting ourselves off and facing the abundant challenges ahead. Unemployment is at an all time high due to layoffs… It has been compared the dirty 30s.

In short, both consumers and companies are being extremely conservative until they wait and see what happens.

Anyone can try to predict what will happen. The pundits can look at their crystal balls, analyze their charts and come up with their best guesses. In reality… nobody really knows. It is also unclear how long our economy will be in trouble. The only thing we are certain of is what we are prepared to do to improve our odds for success. What is my prediction?

As sales professionals, this is both good and bad. It is good because the best sales people will come out of this better and stronger than ever. They will have earned their way to the top by further strengthening their relationships with their clients and keeping them for the long term.

It will be bad because the companies and their sales people who are not ready for the challenges and changes ahead will be cleaned out.

As mentioned, businesses are tightening up on their spending. They are in survival mode. The sales that were given to us just a few years ago have all but dried up. There are few freebies that can be expected.

We are about be tested. So strap on your battle armor, pay a little homage to Darwin and get ready for a feast of humble pie.

Be adaptable to change: In order to stay in the game, we will have to adapt. This is the most important consideration we will have to make. It’s easy to play trial and denial…to hope that business will remain strong if the same things are done that worked before. Then be in denial when it doesn’t work.

Survival of the fittest applies to business and sales. Figure out your challenges and adapt your strategies to win business. Measure what is working and tweak as necessary. Most importantly take notice of what is going on around you. Try to be an innovator or early adopter.

I truly believe these ideas for adaptability will certainly help you stay above water as we all ride the economic waves of uncertainly. Adopt the latest technologies that apply to your business.

If you don’t you might end up like the newspaper industry in the United States.

Circulation rates are way down because people can get their news for free online. Advertisers know this, so they are not buying news print as much as they did before. Since advertising has been cash cow for newspapers, and the publications cannot persuade them to buy, the business model is drying up fast.

Newspapers are folding at an alarming rate because they still have huge overhead costs, such as staff salaries & printing presses, debt etc. They can no longer rely on the past advertising to pay their bills. The inability for them to adapt their business model and monetize the internet is killing them. Just look at the Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C. They filed for bankruptcy protection a month ago. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is done after146 years. This is sad, but true.

Stay true to your core principles: Having the resolve to stick to your core ideals will put you in a position of power.  It will be hard, but seek creative solutions to attract business by being different and better. Buyers will be drawn to those companies who are firm and consistent with their values. They know that you are stable and reliable.

Sales people who avoid the temptation to deviate from their core values will emerge victorious following this economic unrest. There will be many sales people willing to change their values to survive. This will only confuse the buyers and result in lost sales.

For example: Dropping your prices to get business. If you have done well at a fair price, it is a mistake to drop your price due to economic pressure. Why? It could turn into a domino effect. Your competitor will see the price drop and reduce his price. Then the next guy will drop his price and so on.

What started out as a $5,000 purchase may end up as a $2000 purchase. This price reduction sends 2 really bad messages. 1) Your product or service offering carries little value. 2) Your price was too high in the beginning so it appears that you were robbing your existing customers.

What eventually happens is terrible. The loss of business will leave many battered and beaten, left to lie there licking their wounds as the casualties pile up all around them.

The strong sales people will find a creative way to emerge victorious. They may end up with fewer, yet better qualified clients willing to ride along side for the long run.

So what ever your core values are, don’t compromise them. Instead, use them to your advantage as a competitive edge to show how stable you are in this tough economy.

Improve every part of your sales game: As companies tighten their purse strings, you as professionals must look at all of your sales tools and sharpen them. If they are sharp, try not to lose the edge.

Some of this might sound like common sense… well it is. However, just because we know we should be doing something does not mean we will. It seems to be human nature. Many people start smoking even though they know it’s not healthy. See what I mean?

Surprisingly, one of the biggest challenges sales people have is appropriate follow up. It is no longer acceptable to follow up later when you have the time. Instead, make it a priority to follow up when agreed upon.

Take a look at the 5 stages of the sales process. There are a variety of names given to theses stages. But for argument sake, let’s call them:

Prospecting (Looking for new business, follow up) Qualifying (Determining if the business is appropriate for you and the client) Covering the bases (Clarifying the details of the agreement, covering objections) Closing (Gaining commitment Nurturing the client (Ensuring client satisfaction & selling ad on products and services)

If you are part of a sales team then find out which one of you is the “super star” in each stage. Pick each others brains on the topics and test one another. If additional outside training is required, then arrange for it.

At one point, I offered a service where I called the customers of my clients to evaluate their sales experience. By having an outside service do this, my clients gained valuable insights for improvement. It is usually easier to be honest and critical to those we don’t know. So if you chose to go this route, your clients might be more open to speaking to a 3rd party rather than your company.

If you have earned your way to solid relationships with your clients, call them and ask them how your can better serve them in relation to the 5 stages.

Perhaps you could work with the customer service people at your company to launch a survey to determine your challenges.

The challenges in this tough economy are just beginning. As the wave rolls in it will do what it is going to do regardless.

The impact we make as individuals is the difference that will set us apart as we move forward. In my opinion, the way to stay in the game is by being truly honest about the sales practices we adopt on a daily basis. We need to continually seek ways to better our current situation.

How ever we choose to interact with our clients, we must try to be better, faster and smarter than before. We can look beyond the norm for creative ideas to implement…be different.

Be true to your core values and make it known that you won’t sell out because the “other guy” did.

Most importantly, try to keep focused and resilient as the economic storm makes its way across our business landscape. All the best to sales success!

Feel free to let me know what you think.

Comments are welcome.

Tassimo Coffee Brewing Tutorial

Coffee lovers’ options greatly improved with the advent of the one-cup coffee maker. Now, instead of having to venture out to get a cup of gourmet coffee, you can brew everything from a premium french roast to a dreamy cappuccino or soothing tea at home, in less than a minute, with coffee makers such as the Tassimo Brewing System.

Whether you’re the owner of a Tassimo Brewing System or are just looking to learn more about the stylish coffee machine, this guide provides helpful information on what makes the Tassimo Brewing System unique and how to get the best brewing results with each and every cup:

What is the Tassimo Brewing System?

The Tassimo Brewing System is a convenient, easy-to-use single cup coffee maker. The machine features a large water reservoir and an adjustable cup pedestal that can accommodate regular coffee cups or large travel mugs.

What sets the Tassimo machine apart from other single cup brewers is the use of Tassimo T-Discs instead of coffee pods. T-Discs work exclusively with the Tassimo system and contain precisely measured amounts of coffee, tea, chocolate or concentrated milk. This means there is no grinding, mixing or measuring required in order to make the perfect hot beverage. The Tassimo system also offers manual settings that allow you to adjust for individual taste preferences.

What makes the Tassimo system unique?

The Tassimo Brewing System’s combination of T-Disc technology and Bar Code technology make it easy to brew a perfect cup every time.

As noted above, each T-Disc contains perfectly measured amounts of coffee, tea, chocolate or concentrated milk. The brewing process takes place inside the T-Disc as the discs internal components guide the flow of hot water using a process called “inverse filtration.”

With inverse filtration, the water is pushed upwards into the T-Disc then delivered to your cup, making for a more efficient flavor extraction process. Because the water flows from the T-Disc directly to the cup, you can brew different flavors of drink, one after the other, without the intermingling of flavors.

Each T-Disc also comes with a unique bar code printed on the label. This bar code tells the machine how to prepare your beverage. When you insert the T-Disc, the machine reads the bar code and calculates the brewing time, the amount of water needed, and the optimal brewing temperature. If you prefer, you can manually adjust the water amount or brewing time for a cup that is customized to your taste.

What can I brew?

With the Tassimo Brewing System you can make your favorite flavors of coffee, tea, real milk lattes and cappuccinos, café crema and hot chocolate. T-Discs are available for some of the most celebrated brands and varieties including Gevalia Swiss Hazelnut, Jacobs Latte Macchiato, Suchard Hot Chocolate, Twinnings Chamomile Tea, Seattle’s Best Breakfast Blend, Carte Noire Petite Dejeuner and coming in December 2007, four original Starbucks coffees.

How do I use the Tassimo Brewing System?

Using the Tassimo Brewing System is as easy as one, two, three:

1. Choose your favorite beverage brand and flavor, then insert the T-Disc upside down into the machine and place your mug on the cup pedestal.

2. Place your mug on the cup pedestal and push the start button. The Tassimo T-Disc bar code reader reads the discs and automatically calculates the settings needed to brew the perfect beverage.

3. In about 60 seconds, your cup is full and ready to enjoy.

Manually making your drink stronger or milder is easy. For large cups or travel mugs, hold the start button in after the brewing cycle has completed to dispense more water. You can also press the start button during the brewing cycle to halt flow of water for a stronger taste and smaller cup.

The large water reservoir holds about 68 ounces of water so you can make several cups before refilling. The reservoir is clear, so you will know when you need to add more water.

Clean up is a breeze. Just wipe the surface and bar code reader with damp soft cloth. The machine comes with a reusable cleaning disc that should be used every 7 days. All removable parts are dishwater safe, except the water reservoir which should be rinsed out with every filling.

T-Discs should be kept in a cool dry place away from direct light. The concentrated, real milk T-Discs used in cappuccinos and lattes do not need to be refrigerated. T-Disc’s are designed to be used once and discarded.

The Tassimo Brewing System is the perfect system for those with diverse tastes and little time. Follow the steps outlined above and you’ll be rewarded with years of fast and easy brewing, with no mess and little cleanup.

About CoffeeCow

This article was provided by CoffeeCow.com which goes to great lengths to provide the highest quality products, the fastest service, and the deepest discount prices you will find on single cup coffee makers, regular, decaf, and flavored coffee and tea, and a full line of Tassimo coffee supplies. Developed by coffee professionals with over 35 years of experience in fulfilling any coffee service need, CoffeeCow offers all the coffee conveniences for your home or office. Visit http://www.coffeecow.com for more information.

Six Super New York Attractions

New York is a wondrous place. Most think of New York City when thinking of New York, but there are so many attractions up and down the state. Today, I will give you a list of six super attractions for your next New York trip.

Empire State Building

This has to be one of the most famous buildings in the world. Located at 5th Avenue and 34th Street, the Empire State Building offers amazing panoramic views of New York City. It’s been in many movies, such as Elf and Sleepless in Seattle.

Saratoga Race Course

When you’re in need of a break, take in some great horseracing action at the Saratoga Race Course. It’s located in Saratoga Springs. They have horseracing from the end of July to the beginning of September. If you’re a horseracing fanatic, stop by the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame and Museum, which is also in Saratoga Springs.

Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo is a perfect family attraction. There are more than 4,000 animals in this amazing zoo, which is the largest metropolitan zoo in the US. The “World of Darkness” is an interesting exhibit. It features all sorts of nocturnal animals, like bats. At just $14 for adults and $11 for kids, it’s a great deal too!

Niagara Falls

If you’re heading upstate, the Greater Niagara region makes for a perfect stop. Surely you’ve heard of Niagara Falls? If you want to get close to the beauty, take a journey on the Maid of the Mist. Just remember, this voyage gets you real close, so raingear is a must.

Splish Splash Water Park

The Splish Splash Water Park is a fun time. It’s located in Riverhead (Long Island), New York in a 96-acre park like environment, nestled in the woods, which provides a lot of shades, and a lovely landscape.

The Travel Channel voted it as one of the best water parks. Splish Splash offers 25 thrilling water slide rides, some of them very tall and steep. It’s a fun time for the whole family.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of art is an absolutely must-see attraction when you’re visiting New York City. It’s part of the famous Museum Mile. The amazing display of over two million works of art is quite the experience-from photography and European paintings and sculptures to the armors of the Middle Ages to Greek, Roman and Egyptian exhibits.

Admission is by donation. The Metropolitan Museum does have a “recommended” donation, but in the end, it’s your call.

Peconic Wines

When it’s time to relax and sample fine wines, Peconic is a good place to venture to. There are some great wineries there. One winery to visit is the Raphael Winery, which is located on Main Road down Route 25.

This Mediterranean-style winery offers guided tours and wine tasting daily. However, I’d advise against just showing up. Make a reservation. The tour is $12 and takes about one hour. This is a solid winery. They were featured in The Wine Spectator Magazine and other top-level publications, such as the New York Times.

Somebody Give Me Odds On Farve Lasting the Season!

A terrific handicapper once told me that a team that plays poorly is never really that bad and a team that looks awesome is really not that good. In a Tale of Two Cities, Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay certainly showcased two teams headed in opposite directions.

The Packers and Brett Farve looked awful, while the Bears looked incredibly fast on the big screen and also unveiled quite possibly this year’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ in former Miami Hurricane, Devin Hester.

The on again and off again saga on whether Farve should retire, was certainly fueled again by his erratic play. The inability of Packers’ management to have the foresight to retain the services of some of their former offensive lineman was once again evident this past weekend.

Allowing Panther Mike Wahle, Cowboys Marco Rivera and Texan Mike Flamigan to depart via free agency was a huge mistake. Starting two rookies on the offensive line and a second year center is going to spell the end of the road for Farve and I see him departing the scene prior to the half way mark.

Paying Offensive Linemen Is The Way To Go!

Last night in the nation’s capital Redskins owner Daniel Snyder had all the big shots in attendance, including Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox. Unfortunately for Washington coach Joe Gibbs and quarterback Mark Brunell, they did not have the Vikings offensive line blocking.

In a very craft move this past offseason, the Vikings scooped All Pro guard Steve Hutchison from the Super Bowl finalist Seattle Seahawks and with the return off All Pro center Matt Birk, Minnesota is for real.

While the statistics were not that far apart and the Vikings actually allowed one sack to none for Washington, Brunell never seemed to have any time and was always throwing on the run.

Brad Johnson looked superb for the Vikes and their new coach Brad Childress is the real deal in terms of play calling and discipline. Their defense is very stout and this team will be in the playoffs this season. Check out their odds at your favorite sportsbook, and do some football betting on them.

Bob Acton

Sports Betting

Dancing! Binging! Sexing! Dirty Matresses! Chinese Food!

The Stranger — Fri Jan 01 12:00:00 UTC 2010 The dizzy, glorious orgasm that is New Years Fucking Eve looms greedily over our souls. There is so much to do. (So much!) No one could possibly do it all. But if you don’t drop with a sickening thud by 3am, and wake up two days later tied to a filthy … about: CARESSA DICK Disc jockey E Pike Homo, Nightlife and Tonight JACKIE HELL New Years Eve PHOEBE FONDUE Post Alley Seattle The Eagle Tony Burns Unofficial Capitol Hill After Party at: Orient Express Pike Place Market Alibi Room Chop Suey Pony

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Dancing! Binging! Sexing! Dirty Matresses! Chinese Food!

My Top 10 Seattle Shows of 2009

The Stranger — Fri Jan 01 12:00:00 UTC 2010 In the Oughties, the Nineties made a comeback. THEESatisfaction photographed by Maceo Paisley. Man, have I been procrastinating or what? I've been passionately resisting making any kind of Top 10 of 2009, and especially putting off any Top 10 of t… about: Entertainment Culture Hip hop Lists Musical ensemble musician Musician Seattle

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My Top 10 Seattle Shows of 2009

Re: Tomorrow Is a Good Day to Buy Books

Comments On: Slog — Fri Jan 01 12:00:00 UTC 2010 Woo, I just placed an order (via phone) for three titles! So we'll see how this goes. The only way this could be better would be if they would have an option to pick up printed books at the Ravenna location. Posted by stinkbug about: Book Business and Economy Shopping

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