Forces and Trends in Business

The corporate environment is characterized by a number of variables: competition, dynamism, turbulence, complexity and change. All organizations must develop ability to continuously and consciously transform themselves and their contexts. Such contexts include restructuring for optimum effectiveness, reengineering key processes and streamlining functions that are able to provide a source of competitive advantage. The aim is to adapt, regenerate and most important, survive. (McLean, 2006).

For a company to thrive today, strategists must find ways to increase the organization's ability to read and react to industry and market changes. They must know their goal to boost the company's strategic flexibility by recognizing disruptions earlier and responding faster.
Strategic flexibility or adaptability can be defined as the organization’s capacity to identify major changes in its external environments, quickly commit resources to new courses of action in response to such changes, and to recognize and act promptly when it is time to halt or reverse existing resource commitments. Being adaptable means leaders must not get stuck in a too-rigid way of looking at the world. The organization must view change as an inevitable and essential part of an organization's growth, in order to achieve this adaptability.

When there is uncertainty or unpredictability in the environment, managers tend to focus almost all their energy on successfully executing the current strategy. What they also should be doing is preparing for an unknown future. Flexibility stems from the ability to learn; managers tend to overlook the negative and emphasize the positive. They need to understand not only what led to the positive outcomes but also what led to the negative ones. This will optimize their learning experience. According to Ford (2004) four points to foster and maintain adaptability include challenging complacency, giving all employees a voice, encouraging participative work and driving fear out of your group.

The companies chosen for this task vary by industry: a famous automobile manufacturer (Ford) a bank going through a merger (Compass) and a start-up software company (DawningStreams). Ford and Compass have been in business for a long time; it is likely they have changed their strategic plan based on changing forces and trends. DawningStreams is new (established in 2005 and incorporated in 2007). Even though they have not had their first sale and have no staff, the owners have devised several iterations of their strategy.

There is a diversity of stakeholders all that are interested in the activity of business organizations. Emphasis must be placed on their adaptability in strategic analysis and their adaptability in strategic management of business organizations. The organization must have a strategic management model.

Each company might scan the same areas, but for different reasons. Considering technological advances, Ford would prepare itself to lead the market by having various electronic equipment in their vehicles, as well as robotic equipment with which to build them and the supply chain technology to keep all in check. Compass Bank is going through a merge and expanding globally; therefore they will need to keep abreast of communication technology. DawningStreams is a software company; they will need to monitor those companies who would be their competition to ensure their product offers better functionality. All three companies would make sure potential customers would be able to get good information from internet websites and advertisement, which encompasses yet another area of technology the organizations may need/want to scan. In this instance, many members of the organization must be enrolled: upper management and finance, who will determine budgetary factors; the IT department, who will be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of some of the technology; the staff who must be trained to use the technology; a sales force who will sell the technology.

To the outside observer, it may seem unnecessary for any but Ford to scan the (actual) environment when it comes to issues such as emission control, fuel efficiency and hybrid cars. That is true however; Compass Bank and DawningStreams can plan a strategy to be friendlier to the environment (and their pocketbooks) by practicing paper reduction (through the aforementioned technology). Lastly, DawningStreams’ product may be useful as a file sharing service to environmental groups.

With regard to the legal environment, all three must be acutely aware of laws, which affect their respective industry among others. To Ford, legal applies, among other areas, to environmental protection laws and department of transportation safety laws. To Compass Bank, they would abide by the rules of the Federal Reserve (www.federalreserve.gov) and the Federal Insurance and Deposit Corporation (www.fdic.gov). DawningStreams must follow laws as they pertain to the transfer of files, which have intellectual property and also the export of products, which have algorithms. All three companies are global and will need to monitor those laws in other countries, which could effect the strategic planning.

At one company after another--from Sears to IBM to Hewlett-Packard to Searle, strategy is again a major focus in the quest for higher revenues and profits. With help from a new generation of business strategists, companies are pursuing novel ways to hatch new products, expand existing businesses, and create the markets of tomorrow. Some companies are even recreating full-fledged strategic-planning groups. United Parcel Service expects to spin out a new strategy group from its marketing department, where strategic plans are now hatched. Explains Chairman Kent C. Nelson: ``Because we're making bigger bets on investments in technology, we can't afford to spend a whole lot of money in one direction and then find out five years later it was the wrong direction.''

In such a world we need a planning model that allows us to anticipate the future and to use this anticipation in conjunction with an analysis of our organization--its culture, mission, strengths and weaknesses--to define strategic issues, to chart our direction by developing strategic vision and plans, to define how we will implement these plans and to specify how we will evaluate how well we are implementing these plans. The fact that the world is changing as we move forward in the future demands that the process be an iterative one.

Ford Motor Company – Socio-cultural

Ford Motor Company embraces the socio-cultural changes taking place to allow the company to move in the right direction with respect to attitudes in the society. Two areas that stand out in terms of socio-cultural attitudes would be that of fuel economy and smaller cars. The growing concern by the public for better fuel economy has influenced the company’s introduction of the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The organization is committed to the hybrid to improve fuel economy as a global strategy to meet customer demands. The increased demand in society for such environmentalism has assisted in the decision for Ford Motor Company to look forward to adding the hybrid feature to the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan and continue in such a strategic planning direction.

The customers that use these vehicles get a substantial break on their insurance in many states and a tax credit as well while enjoying the increased mileage of a vehicle that runs on gasoline and capabilities for 100 percent electric power. The environmental scanning by Ford Motor Company has allowed the company to be knowledgeable of the fact that the people in the United States are buying more small cars today than any other type of vehicle segment. The lifestyles changes have been monitored and there is good data that shows that such a trend will continue in this direction and the expected growth in this segment will continue. The company has redesigned the inside and outside of the Ford Focus to set the car apart from the competitors in the small car segment while increasing upgrades and features to experience positive outcomes. The direction that the company is taking is based on a competitive advantage and being a leader in the industry. The vehicle line has both a sedan and a coupe to attract targeted markets including younger buyers at an entry level to build upon brand loyalty and customer retention. Ford Motor Company will continue to use the socio-cultural factors to drive the business and enjoy future success.

Ford Motor Company – Legal –

Ford Motor Company with regard to the Environmental Protection Agency adheres to the legal aspect of environmental scanning. Ford Motor Company accepted an award in March 2007 from the Environmental Protection Agency called the Energy Star 2007 Partner of the Year Award in Energy Management. The company is the first automaker to have ever been awarded the award two years in a row. The award has come to be presented due to the commitment made by the company to increase energy efficiency and to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from all of the facilities in the company.

The organization is committed to the responsible use of resources and energy efficiency. The leadership realizes that the environmental protection laws are of great importance and use the environmental scanning to move in the right direction to obtain future success in the company. In 2006 alone the company has improved the energy efficiency in the United States operations by five percent and saving approximately $25 million with enough energy saved to equal 220,000 homes. The effective energy management protects the environment and reduces the greenhouse emissions. Some of the actions taken by the company include replacing lighting fixtures that use 40 percent less energy and using different low-energy, long-lasting compact fluorescent lamps in the properties to include the plants, corporate offices, distribution centers, and research and development campuses. Due to the environmental scanning that takes place at Ford Motor Company the company will use the information that is collected and continue in this direction. New projects for the company include Fumes-to-Fuel that is a system that converts paint fumes into electricity that is being performed with Detroit Edison along with attempting to consolidate the application of primer, base and clearcoat paint applications into a single application to eliminate the need for separate applications and ovens. In addition to the paint booth emissions Ford Motor Company will continue to rely on alternative energy sources such as landfill gas and wind and solar technologies to power their manufacturing facilities.

Ford Motor Company – Technology –

Another environmental scanning tool that Ford Motor Company monitors and uses would be the technological portion. The company has invested $1 billion in the latest technology for flexible manufacturing. The technology that is involved is in many forms to include wireless technology that is installed on the delivery trucks with supplies to the plant as a monitoring status and improved efficiency to reduce inventory. The flexibility of products in the same plant allows the organization to use the same machinery and process for all areas from body assembly, paint facility, and final assembly. The improved efficiency at the manufacturing facility allows for several vehicle platforms to be built on the same line to produce multiple models and quickly change the vehicle mix, the volume, and options based on customer demand.

The technological changes that are being embraced by Ford Motor Company through environmental scanning enables the company to experience huge cost savings through new product launches and 50 percent reductions in cycle changeovers along with waste reduction. Robots are among the technological changes that are being experienced within the organization to include the 400 from the project that are used to weld and assemble the metal body of the vehicle for stamping and assembly. Artificial intelligence in the form of advanced visions systems and laser tracking systems are used to ensure quality through accuracy and dimension abilities. A multi-million dollar training facility is used to ensure that the workforce has the knowledge, skills, and ability to reap the benefits from the new technology that is being used by the company. The training that is administered includes the new servo-electric weld gun system that identifies the perfect center for welding that has replaced the older and loud air-powered system that used a less sophisticated spring system. The environmental scanning of technology that is performed by Ford Motor Company has allowed the company to have positive outcomes in efficiency while remaining a competitive company in the industry through cost savings and continuous improvement.

Compass Bank- Political -

On February 16, 2007, Compass Bancshares, Inc., the parent company of Compass Bank, announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE: BBV Madrid: BBVA) ("BBVA") will acquire Compass for a combination of cash and stock. Compass will become a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of BBVA and will continue to operate under the Compass name. The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2007, pending customary closing conditions, including necessary bank regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Spain and the approval of the stockholders of both Compass and BBVA.

BBVA, which operates in 35 countries, is based in Spain and has substantial banking interests in the Americas. The transaction will facilitate BBVA’s continued growth in Texas and will create the largest regional bank across the Sunbelt. Upon completion of the transaction, Compass will rank among the top 25 banks in the United States with approximately $47 billion in total assets, $32 billion in total loans and $33 billion in total deposits. In addition, the combined company will rank fourth in deposit market share in Texas with $19.6 billion in total deposits and 326 full-service banking offices.

Compass is a $34 billion Southwestern financial holding company that operates 415 full-service banking centers in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas. Compass provides a broad array of products and services through three primary lines of business – Corporate Banking, Retail Banking and Wealth Management. Compass is among the top 30 U.S. bank holding companies by asset size and ranks among the top earners of its size based on return on equity.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, which has been approved by the board of directors of Compass and the relevant bodies of BBVA, Compass will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA. After closing, BBVA intends to merge its U.S. based banking affiliates – including the former operations of Texas Regional Bancshares, State National Bancshares and Laredo National Bancshares – with Compass.

The aggregate consideration is composed of a fixed number of approximately 196 million shares of BBVA common stock and approximately $4.6 billion in cash. The merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including necessary bank regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Spain and the approval of the stockholders of both Compass and BBVA. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2007.

The merger between both companies will be determined by the political factors ranging from implications of laws and regulations to the state of world politics including the consideration of wars which may be going on in different parts of the world. New laws, regulations, tax programs and public policy create forces and trends, which may provide challenges and barriers or opportunities for any company or organization.

Compass Bank – Technology –

Ford is in the process of implementing a laser marking system on its production line to ensure the highest standard on each transmission assembled. The system will be checking for quality on different points on the assembly line. Ford is teaming up with a company called MECCO to implement this process and a trial run of the new system will last for 3 months. MECCO is a leader in its industry when it comes to laser technology. The decision to implement this new laser marking system came because it is more cost- effective and safer than previous ways of marking checkpoints for quality.

Although this process at Ford has not officially been implemented yet, Compass Bank can learn a few different things. It may be a good idea for Compass Bank to do a short trial of online cell phone banking to see how popular it becomes and if it worth all the time and effort, being spent to get it launched. Compass Bank should also consider investing into a company who is the best at what they do, is in the same time zone, and can meet their demands in a timely manner, not simply because they may be cheaper. Finally, Compass Bank can learn that they need to consider what will be most cost-effective and in the best interest of the company over time. Organizing a time line and a list of costs and potential risks would also be beneficial to Compass Bank so they know what to expect and when with the implementation of online cell phone banking.

When completing the global scan one looks for emerging new technologies which may impact any business in any industry. At one time the emergence of the Internet was a technology that was becoming an emerging trend across all industries. Today very new technologies are used to develop information systems at a fraction of the cost and time of processes that were used five years ago. Wireless is a telecommunications technology that may have moved from a trend to a force in revolutionizing the way information is stored, accessed and used across all industries around the world. Some, if leveraged by a company within an industry before competitors use it, may even provide a competitive advantage.

Compass Bank – Competition –

Although mergers may be costly and rather difficult, the value it creates in the end is the desired outcome companies seek. The eagerness to merge is based on several beliefs, those beliefs are, that the performance gains are greater, expenses are reduced, market power is increased, and shareholder’s wealth is also greater than before. The value of a merger is enhanced when the overall benefit is more valuable than the aggregate of two separate pre-merger companies.
In the end, both John and Bernard should consider this before finalizing a decision. When Zion’s purchased Stockmans, there overall value increased by 43 branches. These branches will help performance and brings much more power to the financial market. In the Journal of Money article, Pilloff states “Companies are more willing to acquire others to avoid being acquired themselves.” Keeping this in mind, companies must figure out a cross border strategy.

As part of the broad environmental scan, it is important to identify the internal capabilities of the organization. There are various models for defining capabilities. Most focus on the broad set of intangible assets such as brand, human capital, organizational capital and even relationship capital. Others include the more concrete assets such as available capital, the organization structure, current technologies and information technology infrastructure. In addition to doing a broad environmental trend, Compass Bank needs to do a more detailed capability assessment using any of the models available.

DawningStreams - Competitors –

Business activities are becoming more and more complex to manage, because of distance, time zones, number of parties involved in projects, number of tasks to achieve, multiple prioritizations, lack of general synchronization, insufficient secure and confidential communication channels and growing complexity of IT infrastructures. The use of task list managers has become very common. It is becoming more difficult to keep teams synchronized, to follow and to implement new business processes and to exchange sensitive information confidentially. The DawningStreams software application is aiming at increasing the practicality of daily executive activities. The types of business, which will most probably be interested in our product, are construction (size of network), consulting (need for synchronization), pharmaceutical research (secure exchange of information) and the software industry (complexity of manufacturing).

Many companies have already developed software applications that enable secured communications and file sharing. However, most, if not all, are relying on Microsoft technologies, which prevent them from expanding to Mac or Unix users. DawningStreams is developed in Java, which can be used on any platform, including Mac and Unix. Microsoft has acquired the Groove Company and has released a new version of the product, which can perform many of the functionalities of DawningStreams, but not generic activities (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/default.aspx). This is our closest competitor by far. More recently, we found, merely by accident, a company called Shinkuro (www.shinkuro.com), which offers the file sharing aspects of DawningStreams but lacks other capacities.

Although DawningStreams will face competition from many existing players, the fact that it will combine a super-set of functionalities in one application, for a very reasonable price, will give it some leading edge over other competitors. If the US patent is granted, the position of DawningStreams will become a niche. Even if the patent were not granted, it would take a profound architectural redesign of Groove (or other competitors) to include generic activities and match the offer of DawningStreams. As a strategy we will monitor the activities of those companies’ websites and understand what they offer in terms of similar functionality and try to ensure we match or best those functionalities to the best of our ability and resources

DawningStreams – Political -

Maintaining the secrecy of information is the fundamental function of encryption items. Persons abroad may use such items to harm US law enforcement efforts, as well as US foreign policy and national security interests. The US Government has a critical interest in ensuring that persons opposed to the United States are not able to conceal hostile or criminal activities, and that the legitimate needs for protecting important and sensitive information of the public and private sectors are met. Since 2000, US encryption export policy has been directed by three fundamental practices: technical review of encryption products prior to sale, streamlined post-export reporting, and license reviews of proposed transactions involving strong encryption to certain foreign government end-users and countries of concern. US encryption policy also seeks to ensure that American companies are not disadvantaged by the European Union’s “license-free zone.” (Bureau of Industry and Security, 2007).

DawningStreams will contain cryptographic functions. Any reliable and efficient cryptographic system requires a central authority to avoid identity theft. Cryptography is a key functionality of DawningStreams. All specialists insist on designing systems using well-studied algorithms and fully tested protocols; novelty is considered a source of risk. The cryptographic layer of DawningStreams will rely on a dual public-private key system. The private key encryption system will implement Rijndael, the Advanced Encryption Standard (http://csrc.nist.gov/CryptoToolkit/aes/rijndael/), the public key system will implement RSA (www.rsa.com) and the hashing function will implement the 256 bits version of the Secure Hash Algorithm (http://secure-hash-algorithm-md5-sha-1.co.uk/ ).

Encryption products can be used to conceal the communications of terrorists, drug smugglers, and others intent on harming U.S. interests. Cryptographic products and software also have military and intelligence applications that, in the hands of hostile nations, could pose a threat to U.S. national security. The national security, foreign policy, and law enforcement interests of the United States are protected by encryption export controls. These controls are consistent with Executive Order (E.O.) 13026, which was issued on November 15, 1996, and the Presidential Memorandum of the same date. (Bureau of Industry and Security, 2007).

DawningStreams also plans to be an international company, as offices now exist in the Netherlands and the US. As part of the strategy, we will ensure we remain compliant by registering our product with any necessary agency and allowing those agencies access to the processes if they feel there is a threat. We will be responsible to monitor (as best as we can) our client base and to put the proper verbiage in our contracts that illegal activities will not be tolerated. We will continue to monitor the BIS site mentioned in previous paragraphs and also sites in the European Union such as the Crypto Law website of legal expert Bert-Jaap Koops (http://rechten.uvt.nl/koops/)

DawningStreams - Technology/Intellectual Property –

The management of organizational strategy requires a comprehensive assessment of the macro environment of the business. Intellectual Property (IP) refers to the original ideas and innovations evolved by an organization in order to haul up its systems and processes. Creation of ideas requires large investments. This necessitates the protection of IP. Benchmarking is the continuous process of measuring products, processes, and systems of an organization against those that are rated best in the industry. It helps in uncovering weaknesses and flaws in the organizational systems, processes, and products. (Watson, 2003)

The study of the global research conducted by McAfee Inc. and MessageLabs Ltd. on security threat in small businesses in the U.S. reveals that 80 percent of small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMB) believe that an information technology (IT) security failure would be damaging in attaining their business priorities. Yet, only few are courageously making steps to fight against infringements due to resource limitations from other business related priorities. The research implies that company size plays an essential part in the way senior management views security. Among the challenges that SMBs face include keeping up-to-date with security solutions and keeping costs low. Small-to-medium businesses’ behavior towards security is very tactical and meets only immediate requirements. (unknown, 2007)

DawningStreams’ relevance to these forces is two-fold. We are a software company—there is an opportunity for us to lose the intellectual property by those who would download and attempt to modify the code. We have competitors who offer functionality similar to ours, however we offer an additional functionality the others do not. It is this ‘specialty functionality’ for which we applied for a patent the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If the patent is granted, there is less likelihood of software piracy or the loss of our IP. Environmental scans should show us if there are other companies trying to do this.

The functionality, which most resembles our competitors’, is the ability to share files. That brings in a different concern with intellectual property- the possibility someone else’s IP could be sent from one of our users to another, as this could seriously damage our reputation, as what happened with Napster. (www.napster.com).

Conclusion

At one company after another--from Sears to IBM to Hewlett-Packard to Searle, strategy is again a major focus in the quest for higher revenues and profits. With help from a new generation of business strategists, companies are pursuing novel ways to hatch new products, expand existing businesses, and create the markets of tomorrow. Some companies are even recreating full-fledged strategic-planning groups. United Parcel Service expects to spin out a new strategy group from its marketing department, where strategic plans are now hatched. Explains Chairman Kent C. Nelson: ``Because we're making bigger bets on investments in technology, we can't afford to spend a whole lot of money in one direction and then find out five years later it was the wrong direction.''

In such a world we need a planning model that allows us to anticipate the future and to use this anticipation in conjunction with an analysis of our organization--its culture, mission, strengths and weaknesses--to define strategic issues, to chart our direction by developing strategic vision and plans, to define how we will implement these plans and to specify how we will evaluate how well we are implementing these plans. The fact that the world is changing as we move forward in the future demands that the process be an iterative one.

References

Bilek, E. (n.d.) Compass Bankshares to be Acquired by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.,

Investor Relations. Retrieved from the Internet on March 31, 2007 at

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/77/77589/bbvarelease.pdf

Cole, Jim. Zions makes small deal, cites growing Arizona market. American Banker, 171(175), 1-1. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from Proquest Database.
Ford Motor Company (2006). Ford Motor Company. Retrieved March 2007,

from the World Wide Web, Web Site: [https://ford.com]
Ford, S. (2004) Adapted from 13 Skills Managers Need to Succeed, Harvard Business School

Press. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from EBSCOHost Database.

Hockenberry, Todd. (2006). Ford implements advanced laser marking. Industrial Laser Solutions, 21(4), 6-7. Retrieved March 31, 2007, from EBSCOhost database
Jacobs, P. (2005) Five Steps to Thriving in times of Uncertainty. Negotiation (p.3) Retrieved

April 1, 2007 from EBSCOHost Database.

McLean, J. (2006) We’re going through changes! British Journal of Administrative Management

54. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from EBSCOHost Database.

Pearce, J. & Robinson, R, (2004). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved March 2007, from the University of Phoenix, Resource, MBA 580-Strategies for Competitive Advantage Course Web Site: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp
Author Unknown, Strategic Planning, After a decade of gritty downsizing, Big Thinkers are back in corporate vogue. (2006) Retrieved from the Internet at http://www.businessweek.com/1996/35/b34901.htm

Unknown (2007) 80% of Small-to-Medium Sized Firms Fear a Security Threat. Computer Security Update 8 (4). Retrieved March 30, 2007 from EBSCOHost Database.
Unknown (2006) Strategic Planning, After a decade of gritty downsizing, Big Thinkers are back
in corporate vogue. Retrieved from the Internet at
http://www.businessweek.com/1996/35/b34901.htm
US Department of Commerce (2007), Encryption (ch.10, section 742.15). Retrieved March 27, 2007 from the Bureau of Industry and Security Website at http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2007/foreignpolicyreport/fprchap10_encryption.html
Watson, G. (2003) Business Environmental Scans for Intellectual Property Strategy (PowerPoint Presentation). Retrieved March 28, 2007 from the Oklahoma State University website at http://www.okstate.edu/ceat/msetm/courses/etm5111/CourseMaterials/ETM5111Session3Part2.ppt#260,1,Business Environmental Scans for Intellectual Property Strategy

Steven Brown, MBA is a loving husband and father of two boys. He enjoys his time with his family by providing a strong family foundation of Christian Faith. After completing his Bachelors degree, Steven wanted to further his ability to teach and share to others his mindset that they can do anything if they would believe in themselves.

Honolulu - In A Nut Shell

Honolulu, among the most visited places in the US, is a dream destination for anyone looking for a break. Read on to know why it is a great idea to have a fun-filled vacation in Honolulu, which will reinvigorate your senses.

Beautiful beaches, thrilling water sports, prolific nightlife, evocative museums, friendly people, amazing weather, Pearl Harbor; that is Honolulu in a nut shell. The place has enough to keep visitors occupied and keep them calling when they have left.

Waikiki Beach is a stretch of interconnected sunny beaches that are lined by restaurants, hotels and bars. A range of community events are held on the white sand of Waikiki Beach. The beach features lifeguards for families and individuals frequenting the sandy shores, making sure that there is no untoward incident, damaging its reputation.

Talking about water sports, Honolulu offers a whole range of activities including Snorkeling, Windsurfing, Surfing, Kiteboarding, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Kayaking and Bodyboarding. Places like Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve are perfect for snorkeling. Live coral, brilliant tropical fish and sea turtles make snorkeling a rewarding activity here. Ala Moana Beach Park is wonderful to go for an afternoon swim. Honolulu welcomes seasoned as well as uninitiated surfers and kiteboarders. While the former can go pumping themselves from the word go, the latter can go for the lessons with the instructors. Equipment for all sorts of water sports can be rented easily.

Honolulu goes electric once the sun sets. Tourists arrive at the bars in hordes after a hectic day of sightseeing and fun activities to have a few drinks. They dance, socialize and not just sit around staring at one another. They love to take their energy to the max on the dance floor. Bars are dispersed all over Honolulu, so it doesn't really matter where you are putting up. Nearest bar won't be more than 15 minutes from your hotel.

For enriching yourselves with information about local history and culture, you can visit the museums in Honolulu. Bishop Museum, the largest museum in Hawaii, is regarded as the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific. Shangri La is an architecturally significant home that includes a collection of Islamic artwork. Hawaii State Art Museum displays some remarkable modern pieces. Contemporary Museum, located atop a hill, specializes in temporary exhibits. Mission Houses Museum provides a look into 19th Century Hawaii. You can get introduced with Hawaii's rich maritime history through exhibits at Hawaii Maritime Center.

Pearl Harbor, among the most visited places in Honolulu, is the site of a Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. USS Arizona Memorial, located in Pearl Harbor, straddles the sunken hull of the namesake battleship. Iolani Palace in Downtown Honolulu, reflects the old culture of Hawaii. The palace can be toured between Wednesday and Saturday weekly with advance reservations.

For making the most of your Honolulu tour, you need to assure yourselves of reliable and comfortable transportation as well. You just won't be able to dig into Honolulu if you spend time looking for a taxi after visiting every site and rub shoulders with the locals in public transport. Your best bet to enjoy your trip will be to hire a Honolulu limousine service provided by reputable, local travel agencies. You will move around in the city with your group in a luxury vehicle in utmost comfort putting in all your energies and time to enjoy the place that is called Honolulu.

Author of this article is associated with Honolulu Airport Shuttle LLC, a tour agency that helps tourists their Honolulu tour by hiring taxi Honololu is a place high on the tourist radar in the US.

Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (1972)

This is another version of the Budokan concert in 1972.

Dubai Lifestyle - The History of the City and Day to Day Life in Dubai

Background Information to the United Arab Emirates and Dubai: -

Dubai is one of the seven states that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE); it is located in the Middle East. The UAE borders the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf and is situated between Oman and Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 by the then 'Trucial States' after their independence from Britain.

The UAE is governed by a Supreme Council of Rulers, the council is made up of the seven emirs and they appoint the prime minister and the cabinet for the country. Despite being ultimately ruled by the Supreme Council, as with the other six states, Dubai maintains a large degree of autonomy from the UAE when it comes to general decision making for the city's development.

Oil was first discovered in the United Arab Emirates in the 1950s, before that the country's economy was built on fishing and pearling, since 1962, when Abu Dhabi became the first of the emirates to begin exporting the oil, the country's economy has been completely transformed.

Sheikh Zayed, who has been the president of the UAE since its inception, quickly understood the economic potential for the country from the oil industry. He has continued to ensure that each of the emirates benefits from the oil generated wealth, he has insisted on the reinvestment of oil revenues into the healthcare system, the education system and the general national infrastructure.

The development of the oil industry has led to a large influx of foreign workers to the UAE, in fact Dubai's population is the fastest growing in the world and the foreign population makes up about three quarters of the entire UAE population! As a direct result of this fact the UAE is one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf, with other cultures and beliefs tolerated. Dubai has also been quick to understand the need for diversification. Oil in the region is only projected to last for about 30 years and so Dubai has successfully embarked upon a major diversification program aimed to at developing industries and commercial enterprises to take the place of oil as the predominate commodity of the state's economy.

The climate in Dubai is sub-tropical and arid or desert like. The city enjoys almost year round sunny blue skies. Rain is infrequent and if it does fall, it falls in the winter.

Temperatures range from lows of 10°C to extreme summer highs of 48°C. The average maximum daily temperature in January is 24°C and the average maximum daily temperature in July is 41°C when humidity is very high.

About the city of Dubai

Dubai is recognised as the commercial and tourism capital of the UAE and is globally regarded as one of the most sophisticated, futuristic and cosmopolitan cities in the world, in fact Dubai is something of a phenomenon! It is an Arab Muslim society with the fastest growing foreign population in the world, and it has successfully developed harmony through ethnic diversity. It is a city with unrivalled levels of economic energy and architectural ambition, a unique city of contrasts where the most modern and architecturally stunning skyscrapers stand alongside traditional beautiful Arabic structures.

The experiences and attractions available in Dubai are many and varied. From the miles of immaculate beautiful white sandy beaches to the richly exotic Arabian heritage, from the awe inspiring majesty of the desert to the lively international bars, restaurants and nightclubs - a visitor to Dubai is guaranteed an incredible, never to be forgotten experience.
In 2003 Dubai was voted safest holiday destination in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, and in fact Dubai is recognised globally as one of the safest cities in the world. Living in Dubai you will find that it is virtually crime-free with the Dubai police ensuring personal safety and security. Anyone found guilty of committing a serious crime will be severely punished. Alcohol and drug related offences are considered serious.

The economy of the city of Dubai is a mainly service-driven economy, with every business amenity from banking to telecommunications offered. International trading and industrialisation are actively encouraged through the provision of favourable taxation advantages, offshore status, specialist free trade zones etc. Recent innovative projects in the city include the foundation of Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, bringing 21st century technology to Dubai in the world's very first 'Free Zone' wholly dedicated to e-business.

Day to Day Life in Dubai

Accommodation

If you are considering moving to Dubai one of your first thoughts will no doubt be finding somewhere to live. This is not something you'll find too tricky, there are many companies advertising rental accommodation in the classified sections of local newspapers and they offer everything from private villas to luxury apartments or even shared accommodation. Whatever your budgetary and lifestyle requirements are, the specialist relocation and housing companies will be sure to have something to assist you. If you prefer to find your accommodation privately and avoid any agency costs, many people use supermarkets notice boards to advertise or request accommodation.

In terms of which areas of the city offer the type of accommodation you are after, Jumeirah, Umm Sequiem and the Safa Park area are upmarket and offer villa-type accommodation. Satwa and Garhoud also offer villas but are slightly cheaper. Rashidiya, Mirdif and Al Quoz are mainly Arabic areas and they actually attract a lot of expats.

If you are after an apartment the most popular areas are around Bur Dubai, the Sheikh Zayed Road with cheaper flats are available in Deira, Satwa and Karama. Some of the more exclusive apartment developments offer shared gym and pool facilities together with garaged car parking and the like.

Education

If you are considering moving to Dubai with family and are interested in finding out about the education system and the availability and quality of schools, one of the best ways is to ask around! Because of the numbers of expats in Dubai there is actually a large number of primary and secondary schools from which you can to choose. Most schools are private fee paying schools and really the best way to get an idea of the reputation of a school is to ask friends, colleagues and other expats who live in Dubai. Many of the schools also have their own websites where you can learn about the curriculum they follow, after school programs etc.

When it comes to enrolling your child in the UAE there are a few restrictions you should be aware of. For example you are not allowed to change your child's school during the academic year...unless approval is given by the Ministry of Education and the circumstances are 'special'. This means that you have to make sure the school you choose for your child will definitely suit them. Another restriction you should be aware of is that is you move to Dubai on or after the 1st May each year you can't enrol your child into the schooling system for that year. Instead you'll have to enrol for the beginning of the new school year which is usually the beginning of September.

Health

Another consideration you may have if thinking about relocation to Dubai may be the state of the health care system available there. It is fair to say that Dubai has many very well equipped hospitals and surgeries. Dubai's Department of Health and Medical Services runs Dubai, Rashid, Maktoum and Al Wasl hospitals, with Dubai Hospital one of the best medical centres in the entire Middle East. Al Wasl is a maternity and gynaecology hospital.

The Department of Health also run out patient clinics or surgeries and in addition there are a number of quality private hospitals in Dubai offering in and out patient facilities - e.g., The American and Welcare Hospitals. Overall both the private and publicly offered health care services in Dubai are first class.

Working

Working in Dubai you will enjoy a tax free salary and all shop goods can be bought at tax free prices, making it an incredibly attractive city to international workers and international companies. Job opportunities in Dubai and diverse and plentiful, particularly since the additions of the Media and Internet cities...Dubai is a city expanding its horizons at an unrivalled rate.

It is important to mention that some countries worldwide have tax laws enabling them to tax their nationals on their worldwide income. It is important to check your status with an international accountant before taking up employment in the city.

Lifestyle

Dubai has a thriving expat population who make the most of their tax free lifestyle in this amazing city of opportunity. The nightlife in the city is excellent, with cocktail bars, wine bars, themed bars and typical British or Irish pubs available, many of which offer food and entertainment as well.

High standard international cuisine is available in the city's many restaurants and if you are looking for lively evening entertainment there are numerous night clubs around the city. Some of the clubs attract international DJs; there are also Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian nightclubs offering entertainment with singers and dancers. Dubai also welcomes international touring singing and entertainment acts which cater to all tastes and ages...from traditional theatre groups to ballet, from opera to international rock and pop bands - all are regular visitors to the United Arab Emirates.

You can be assured of an exciting pace of life in Dubai and a high standard of living.

Rhiannon Williamson is an experienced publisher who has produced articles for leading travel and tourism guides and financial magazines. Her specialist knowledge about both travel and finance gives her site Shelter Offshore the unique ability to literally cover every single aspect of moving & living abroad - including the often less discussed offshore tax advantages that can be available when leaving our homeland.

Os Jackson's Um Sonho Americano- Epis 04 [3/6] (DUBLADO EM PORTUGUES)

( Comunidade e download da série no orkut:www.orkut.com.br ) SERIE EXIBIDA NA REDE GLOBO EM 92 Q CTA A HISTORIA DE VIDA DE MICHAEL JACKSON E SEUS IRMAOS DESDE INFANCIA ATE O ESTRELATO

Chick Corea Elektric Band. Gt.Mike Miller

Mt.Fuji Jazz Festival 1993

Platoon Leader Duties and Responsibilities

Serving as a Platoon Leader (PL) is a fun, rewarding, challenging and exciting job. Most people coming right out of college will not get the same level of responsibility or authority, as a new platoon leader. Where else can a 21-23 year old be in charge of nearly 50 people and several million dollars worth of equipment?

So, what are the duties and responsibilities of a PL? Here are a few:

Manager: A Platoon Leader is a manager and leader. He or she must get things done through other people. Most PLs supervise between 20-50 soldiers.

Training: PLs plan, resource, execute and assess training at the platoon level. They write operation orders, request training resources, conduct mission briefs and assess training. They also prepare risk assessments and do After-Action-Reviews (AARs) with their soldiers and with their supervisor, the company commander.

Morale: Platoon Leaders are responsible for the morale in their platoons. They set the tone for their platoon. Their leadership style, level of competence and attitude directly determine whether morale is good or bad.

Discipline: Platoon Leaders work with their platoon sergeant to enforce the Army standards. PLs do not have command authority to administer the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but they do make recommendations to the company commander. More importantly, PLs administer corrective actions to remedy poor performance. This includes corrective training and formal or informal counseling.

Property Accountability: Most PLs are responsible for $1 million or more worth of equipment. This includes vehicles, sensitive items, radios and much more. They typically "sign" for this equipment and must maintain accountability for it at all times.

Maintenance: PLs are responsible for the operational readiness of their equipment. They must adequately maintain their equipment to ensure it is ready to deploy at moment's notice. This includes scheduled maintenance, unscheduled maintenance and services.

Soldier Readiness: PLs must ensure their soldiers are ready to deploy at moment's notice. This includes physical fitness, medical readiness, weapons qualification, profiles, etc. Platoon Leaders manage their soldiers on an individual basis and know the strengths, weaknesses and shortcomings of each soldier.

Soldier Development: The PL works with the Platoon Sergeant to develop his or her subordinate Non Commissioned Officers and Soldiers. The Platoon leader gives classes and oversees the NCO Professional Development (NCOPD) with his or her Platoon Sergeant.

This is not a complete, ends-all list. But, this gives you a fairly good idea about what to expect as a new Platoon Leader.

Simply put, serving as a PL is a great job. You learn so much about yourself, your strengths, your level of competence, and your own leadership style. It is the best company grade officer developmental job in the Army.

To learn more helpful tips about platoon leader duties and responsibilities, visit our resource center at http://www.part-time-commander.com/platoon-leader-duties_62.html. Charles Holmes is a former commander and PL.

A History of Safety

Throughout history, the safety and health movement has been impacted by legislation. In the following safety and health chronology, noteworthy events, individuals, and legislative action are set forth to illustrate the theme that the safety professional/practitioner is and has been a significant part of those preventive experiences making up the story of life.

The Ancient Chinese (c 2,500 BC) spread the risk of loss by placing 1/6 of their harvest on each of six boats traveling to the market.

Hammurabi (c 2,000 BC), ruler of Babylon, was responsible for the Code of Hammurabi, part of which bears resemblance to today's workers' compensation laws.

Ancient Egyptians (as early as 1600 BC) recognized the hazards of breathing the fumes produced by melting silver and gold.

Hippocrates (c 460-c 377 BC), the father of contemporary medicine, established a link between the respiratory problems of Greek stonecutters and the rock dust surrounding them.

In ancient Rome, the few slaves who survived the dangerous task of ship launching were given their freedom.

In 1601, the first English statute on "assurance" (an earlier term for insurance) was enacted. This statute covered marine risks.

In 1667, the Great Fire of London (September 2-7, 4666), caused the first English fire insurance laws to be enacted.

In 1700, Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian physician, published the first thesis attempting to prove the connections between occupation and disease.

In 1730, Benjamin Franklin organized the first fire-fighting company in the United States as well as detecting lead poisoning symptoms with Dr. Evans.

In 1775, English doctors discovered that chimney sweeps, who were exposed to coal tar residues in their daily work, showed a higher incidence of cancer than did the general population.

In 1792, the first charter to write marine and fire insurance was granted in the United States.

In 1812, the Embargo of the War of 1812 spurred the development of the New England textile industry and the founding of factory mutual companies. These early insurance companies inspected properties for hazards and suggested loss control and prevention methods in order to secure low rates for their policyholders.

In 1864, The Pennsylvania Mine Safety Act (PMSA) was passed into law.

In 1864, North America's first accident insurance policy was issued.

In 1867, the state of Massachusetts instituted the first government-sponsored factory inspection program.

In 1877, the state of Massachusetts passed a law requiring guarding for dangerous machinery, and took authority for enforcement of factory inspection programs.

In 1878, the first recorded call by a labor organization for federal occupational safety and health law is heard.

In 1896, an association to prevent fires and write codes and standards, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), was founded.

In 1902, the state of Maryland passed the first workers' compensation law.

In 1904, the first attempt by a state government to force employers to compensate their employees for on-the-job injuries was overturned when the Supreme Court declared Maryland's workers' compensation law to be unconstitutional.

On March 21, 1911, in the Asch Building in New York City, nearly 150 women and young girls died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire because of locked fire exits and inadequate fire extinguishing systems. A major turning point in history, this fire changed regulation by the government and laws instituted to protect workers.

In 1911, a professional, technical organization responsible for developing safety codes for boilers and elevators, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) was founded. A17 Safety Code was published.

1911-1915, During this five-year period, 30 states passed workers' compensation laws.

In October 14, 1911, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) was founded in New York City. Originally named the United Society of Casualty Inspectors. The ASSE was dedicated to the development of accident prevention techniques, and to the advancement of safety engineering as a profession.

California Railroad Commission, now known as the California Public Utilities Commission, ws created by constitutional amendment to oversee rail safety, including the safety of highway/rail crossings.

In 1912, a group of engineers representing insurance companies, industry, and government met in Milwaukee to exchange data on accident prevention. The organization formed at this meeting was to become the National Safety Council (NSC). (Today, the NSC carries on major safety campaigns for the general public, as well as assists industry in the development of safety promotion programs.)

In 1916, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of state workers' compensation laws.

In 1918, the American Standards Association was founded. Responsible for the development of many voluntary safety standards, some of which are referenced into laws, today, it is now called the American National Standards Institute [ANSI].

In 1931 the Uniform Traffic Code was established because of the increase in speed and volume of motor vehicle traffic and accidents. The code consists of four separate acts: motor vehicle registration, driver licensing, automobile anti-theft and uniform traffic regulations.

In 1936, Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, called for a federal occupational safety and health law. This action came a full 58 years after organized labor's first recorded request for a law of this nature.

In 1936, the Walsh-Healey (Public Contracts) Act passed. This law required that all federal contracts be fulfilled in a healthful and safe working environment.

By 1948, all states (48 at the time) now had workers' compensation laws.

In 1952, Coal Mine Safety Act (CMSA) was passed into law.

In 1960, specific safety standards were promulgated for the Walsh-Healey Act.

On Jan 3, 1961, an accident at an experimental nuclear reactor at a federal installation near Idaho Falls, ID kills three workers. These were the first deaths in U.S. nuclear reactor operations.

In 1966, the Metal and Nonmetallic Mines Safety Act (MNMSA) was passed.

In 1966, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its sections, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), were established.

In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson called for a federal occupational safety and health law.

In 1969, the Construction Safety Act (CSA) was passed.

In 1969, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) was established. This organization certifies practitioners in the safety profession.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), thus creating the OSHA administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

In 1970, on January 1, the National Environmental Policy Act, (NEPA) was signed. This provided a national charter for protecting and improving the environment and created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

On May 29, 1971, the firast OSHA standards were adopted to provide a baseline for safety and health protection in American workplaces.

In 1972, the Consumers Product Safety Act (CPSA) was signed into law.

In 1976, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) passed and became the instrument by which the management of hazardous waste is regulated.

In 1980, to address the issues of hazardous waste management, the Pollution Liability Insurance Association (PLIA) was formed.

Jan 16, 1981 OSHA updates business electrical standards to simplify compliance and adopt a performance approach.

1991 North Carolina Plant Fire kills 25 workers and 49 injured at the Imperial Chicken processing plant in Hamlet NC. The employees were trapped inside due to padlocked doors meant to keep vandals away.

Sep 11, 2001, 2886 work related fatalities including 537 rescue workers, resulted from terrorist attacks on the NY City World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, an on the planes that crashed.

Charles Morrison, Certified Safety Professional has published several articles and has presented papers at professional safety conferences while he has worked for major oil & gas companies and has created his own company, Safety Consulting Services. Charles holds a patent for a cold weather gas measuring device using body heat. He is active in the American Society of Safety Engineers.

California Transit Authority 11 "Antonio's Love Jungle"

Danny Seraphine and CTA (California Transit Authority) play a free show at Border's in Chicago to promote their new CD "Full Circle." August 9, 2007. Part 11 Antonio's Love Jungle and drum solo.

Niko Seuao (Nick Seuao) - I Belong To You

Niko Seuao - I Belong To You Aka Nick Seuao Produced by CTA / Fire & Ice

Museum of Science and Industry Train set

the MSI train set includes BN,BNSF,ATSF,CSX,CTA,Metra,and Amtrak

Troubleshooting the Top 3 Common HP Drivers Problems

There is a lot of tradition and reliability when one mentions the HP brand, and this is applicable to all the products within the market name. When one thinks of HP, the most predominant thing to come to mind would undoubtedly be printers, scanners and a whole slew of office equipment. This is due to the fact that HP is a company that has successfully branded itself as an all in one solution for office and even personal needs. Many people out there own HP equipment in one form or another, and the one thing they will say to you is that these machines are generally reliable. Yet with all aspects of technology, there are often many hiccups that can appear along the way.

While HP has a very strong and competent technical support team, they are not always available on a 24-hour basis, and sometimes getting to them can prove to be quite difficult, as they have a whole host of customers to deal with. Also, most people find it too inconvenient to lug their equipment down to the local repair shops, the dealer, or even HP's service centre.

So most tend to find the most convenient, the easiest solution in order to troubleshoot their problems, if at all possible. The good news is that most problems are simple enough for most computer users to rectify right in the comforts of their own home. In fact, the one most common problem that afflict most computers is a problem associated with outdated drivers. Drivers typically are made available at the point of purchase, usually in the form of an installation CD or a plug-and-play feature of a particular peripheral. Driver files are often updated every few months and sometimes every few weeks, so you need to make sure you have the latest drivers.

Updating to the latest drivers is necessary because of changes to a computer's operating system, and most hardware manufacturers like HP has to adapt and change the drivers to fit the new environment so that no conflict will occur with the new, updated OS. Problems may also occur when certain programs or system files conflict with the outdated driver within the Windows environment.

This phenomenon isn't quite as uncommon as most might think. In fact, we should almost be expecting it to occur at some point because of the myriad of equipment and computing hardware we use, which often comes from a wide variety of manufacturers. As such, the design of the drivers, their DLL structure and system files that they share commonly across the board might not be optimal and can conflict with each other.

One way to resolve this of course is to consult the internet and more than likely, HP themselves will have technical forums that will allow you to view common problems and solve them on your own. They might also release software patches, either for the HP hardware or direct you to the other vendor's website, where an updated driver to resolve this issue might have been posted.

The last common problem is driver compatibility with some operating systems, which would mean that some of the features cannot be utilised. Off the top of the list are features like duplex printing, framed printing, which cannot be used for HP printers when they are attached to a LINUX or MAC system. There may be software workarounds for this, or you can simply install Windows as a backup OS on your system.

Click Here to download Driver Scan for free and instantly remove your ATI drivers problems. Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting drivers issues at http://driverscan.org and has helped many to optimize their computers for peak performance.

Top 5 Facts About the George Washington Bridge

Tourists and history buffs alike love George Washington Bridge interesting facts. There are certainly no lack of fun facts about the George Washington Bridge. Here are five of the most unusual.

1. Radio Fans Save Jumper

Howard Stern fans were called into action on December 7, 1994. A young man called Stern's radio show and announced that he was about to jump from the George Washington Bridge. Westbound listeners stopped their cars and tried to dissuade him. A Port Authority police officer, who also happened to be listening to Stern, rescued the man, then used the would-be jumper's cell phone to tell Stern and his listeners that the man was safe.

2. Deviations From Flight Plans

Christmas Day of 1965 shocked motorists on the George Washington Bridge as a small plane sputtered down over the westbound lanes. A young pilot had skimped on his pre-flight and left the fuel cap off. An old pilots' adage is, "A good landing is one you walk away from. A great landing is one where you can use the plane again." This was a good landing, since the pilot and his passenger walked away with only minor injuries. It fell short of a great landing, though, since the plane was demolished. It also clipped a truck, whose driver must have had fun explaining to his dispatcher why he was late and his rig was damaged. Motorists got another aviation surprise on January 15, 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 came bearing down on them. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger managed to clear the bridge by a mere 900 feet before ditching in the Hudson.

3. What's in a Name?

Local newspapers called for a more inventive name than the original Hudson River Bridge. Among their suggestions were Bistate and Mother's Bridge, Bridge of Prosperity, Gate of Paradise, and Pride of the Nation. It was the children of the New York City schools, however, that managed to lobby for a rechristening in honor of George Washington. The name is particularly apt, since the Manhattan end of the bridge is near Fort Washington, whence Washington once withdrew his forces to Fort Lee - near the New Jersey end of the bridge.

4. World's Heaviest Traffic

The day the George Washington Bridge was opened, it hosted over 55,000 vehicles, 33,000 pedestrians, and one equestrian on a horse named Rubio. Now the bridge carries roughly 106 million vehicles annually - an average of nearly 300,000 a day, the most of any motor vehicle bridge in the world. Pedestrians, as well as roller skaters and cyclists, still traverse the upper deck.

5. Unintended Dumping Ground

With all that traffic, mishaps are inevitable. Occasionally trucks have overturned and spilled their cargo. Among the unscheduled deliveries were beer, frozen chicken parts, and watermelons. One truck liberated a herd of goats that trotted off down the lanes. Another truck treated motorists and bridge employees to free fertilizer when it failed to contain its load of manure.

Jeffrey Myers has been interested in nyc city tours for many years. He has written many articles about this topic, including brief histories and the top most interesting facts. For more information about tours of new york city please visit http://newyorkbridges.org.

Assault Rifle Controller for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move

Available to purchase at Amazon.com: amzn.com The PS3 provides the ultimate experience in realistic combat situations, but to truly face the battlefield head on, you'll need the right equipment. Introducing the PS3 & PS Move Assault Rifle Controller from CTA Digital. Our unique rifle controller has every button featured on a standard PS3 Dualshock controller, including clickable thumb sticks for strafing, running, steadying your weapon and looking around within the game environment. It also includes a rumble effect similar to the PS3 Dualshock. To sync wirelessly, all you need to do is plug the USB antenna into the console and press the home button on the Assault Rifle. That's it! Perfect for titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, or Battlefield Bad Company 2 as the R1 button is mapped to the trigger. With the Assault Rifle Controller from CTA Digital, there's simply no need for your standard PS3 controller. The controller also works with the PlayStation Move. Just attach the cradle and insert a motion controller to play various Move compatible warfare titles, such as MAG, Killzone 3, and SOCOM 4. The unique dual trigger system of the Assault Rifle also makes contact with the Move motion controller's T button. In addition, the rest of the rifle can mimic the functions of a Move navigation controller. Another great feature is the built-in speaker; the assault rifle controller comes alive with blasting sounds when you pull the trigger ...

Mesum Abbas 2012 Noha - Prayer of Ali (as) - 1080p

The prayer of the mighty successor of the Last Prophet of God.

Hazardous Materials Training and Chemical Transport: The Department of Transportation and Explosives

State officials visit your office and fine you $50,000 for failing to train your personnel to handle and sign Hazardous Waste Manifests. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The United States (US) Department of Transportation (DOT) is charged with oversight of our public roads and highways. Each of our country's states also maintains its own 'state' Department of Transportation in order to more efficiently enforce federal mandates. The federal DOT gives authority to each state's DOT to regulate the transport of our hazardous chemicals on both Interstate and Intrastrate highways, as well as enforce regulations.

The Interstate is that portion of highway that crosses state lines, whereas Intrastate is that portion of highway that is within the state lines.

Federal DOT regulations govern all states, however an individual state DOT can, and occasionally does, impose harsher regulations than the federal government. DOT is responsible for many things, some of which include maintenance and inspection of the bridges and ramps, snowplowing, obstructions and fallen trees, condition of commercial vehicles and the professionalism of the commercial drivers.

State DOT sometimes operates hundreds of trucks and wheeled equipment to carry personnel to work sites, repair other trucks, plow, and oversee the conditions of each mile of road. Even its trucks and drivers have to ascribe to regulations that private carriers must meet when hauling.

Usually DOT trucks do not haul large quantities of hazardous material (hazmat). However, DOT and commercial vehicles in the performance of normal work may carry a limited amount of hazmat in order to perform personal work in the course of a normal day's work. These items might include propane gas, fuel for engines, degreasing liquid, spare batteries, etc. This type of hazmat is considered ORM, or Other Regulated Material.

Commercial trucks that haul chemicals are required to placard their vehicles and units with the type of hazardous chemical that they contain, such that emergency crews can respond appropriately in the event of a chemical release or spill.

We know that a tractor trailer is hauling Exposives when we visually see a placard on one of each of the four sides of the hauling unit. Hazard Class One (1) covers those items that are Explosive as per the United States (US) Department of Transportation (DOT). This class is further broken down into subclasses. Subclasses such as 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3, define different types of explosives ranging from very reactive explosives to blasting caps and "strike anywhere" matches. US DOT instituted the Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Guidebook to help drivers, public safety officials, and emergency responders know what type of hazards our commercial tractor trailers were hauling over our raods. The book is broken up into 9 classes plus one category for ORM (Other Regulated Material).

The sign, or placard, for the Explosive hazard class is an Orange one and is marked with a picture of a bomb detonation. It also has the numbers 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. attached at the bottom of the 4 sided diamond shape. This placard must be attached to be clearly seen on all four sides of the unit carrying the material. It must also be attached when there is any amount stowed in the unit.

The DOT Hazmat book lists hundreds of specific and general chemicals and hazardous materials. If one knows the type of chemical to be shipped, one could look it up in the DOT book for an understanding as to which hazard class it may be. While the DOT has done a good job with classifying many chemicals and explosives, the book is not totally thorough. DOT has laid out general guidelines that allow the generator of the hazardous material to classify it as best they can for the safety of the operator, unit, and public.

The Hazmat book also states how the actual material should be packed inside the hauling unit. In the book, DOT defines types of packaging such as drums, pallets, totes, boxes, tanks, pails, and cylinders. These containers must be certified by the manufacturer to withstand certain types of pressure tests without rupturing or spilling the contents. Some substances can not be packed in certain containers, and in no case may a container be visually damaged or leaky, or used in such a fashion as to degrade its safety. Each container must be marked with the same type of Explosive sticker that is also a 4 inch by 4 inch, 4 sided diamond. A miniture placard of sorts.

Many training companies offer DOT Hazmat Training for the shipper, driver and receiving facility. Compliance with federal regulations is mandatory and training records must show that personnel have been trained to handle hazardous chemicals correctly.

MLI Environmental specializes in workplace and online hazardous materials training, Commercial Drivers License (CDL) preparation, and worker safety.

Also, we perform lab chemical packing and removal, and transportation anywhere in the world.

Our capabilities include, but are not limited to: chemotherapy, pharmaceuticals, DEA regulated, radioactive, electronics, toxics, universal, PCB's, corrosives, poison gas, cylinders, gold, reactives, and all specialty wastes.

We are not aligned with any one specific disposal facility, so we are able to get the best pricing and give the highest quality consultations to our clients. We have a money back guarantee on all of our services.

We are required by the federal government and states to have all related permits, licenses, and insurances for the work we perform.

J. Carpenter has over 30 years of experience with industry and science. He currently helps manage environmental services companies from New England to Texas

Complaints Choir of Chicago

The Complaints Choir invites people to complain as much as they want and to sing their complaints out loud together with fellow complainers. The first choir was organised in Birmingham followed by the Complaints Choir of Helsinki and Hamburg. The lyrics were written by the Choir, Music by Jeremy Jacobson. Project by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen. Produced by Smog Veil Records/Frank Mauceri. Project website: www.complaintschoir.org Artists Website: www.ykon.org Jeremy Jacobson's website: lonesomeorganist.com

CTA Bus and Train Action, Wabash & Washington

It's 5:00p.m. on a Monday, and the evening rush hour is in full swing. Buses headed for the north and west sides crowd Washington Street as a CTA train waits overhead.

Pennsylvania State Fair at the Racetrack

The Philadelphia Park Racetrack in Bensalem hosts the Pennsylvania State Fair every year from the end of May to the beginning of June. This state fair is relatively new and as of 2006 was only in its 21st year. Visitors to the fair each year can find lots of good deals and discounts designed to help ease the strain on your budget. There are ride discount coupons and a special free admission for one chaperone per 15 children grades K through 8. Plus the fair organizers try to include cheap one dollar menus on each concession stand.

Grandpa Cratchet the puppet is available on the grounds to meet and entertain the kids and family members of all ages. Also fun to enjoy is the Animal Specialties Petting Zoo. Kids can come pet and feed many domesticated farm animals from goats to chickens. Another animal show that has come to the state fair on occasion if 'Bwana Jim' and his educational animals. Its wild and crazy and you just might learn something about the animals.

The rides at the fair are provided by the Reithoffer Shows Midway. It is the largest midway in the country and has lots of one-of-a-kind rides. The Midway has been around in some form or other since 1896 and they are always looking to add new rides. Some recent additions are the Starship, the Freak Out and the Avalanche. A fun kiddies ride is the titanic. A somewhat ironic theme, but the ride is really a giant blow up slide of the sinking ship that the kids slide down.

Roaming the fair on occasion is also Buffo, the Strongman Clown whose many talents include juggling bowling balls, balancing extension ladders on his face and being able to rip phone books in half. Whoa. Also visitors can enjoy a stunt bike show, the woodchuck chainsaw sculpture show, and a Dairy Farm Milking exhibit.

Gail Leino is known throughout the internet world as Mrs. Party. She has become the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies with clever themes. Her simple party planning approach demostrates how to use proper manners while teaching etiquette with organizational skills. She shares lots of interesting fun facts. See travel vacations for more tips and holiday spot destinations.

KCK CTA Ep 1-2j

Chicago - Dialogue Part 1 and 2 (1972)

Studio Version. Great lyrics.... www.chicagotheband.com Are you optimistic 'bout the way things are going No, I never ever think of it at all Don't you ever worry When you see what's going down Well, I try to mind my business, that is, no business at all When it's time to function as a feeling human being Will your bachelor of arts help you get by I hope to study further, a few more years or so I also hope to keep a steady high Will you try to change things Use the power that you have, the power of a million new ideas What is this power you speak of and this need for things to change I always thought that everything was fine... everything is fine Don't you feel repression just closing in around No, the campus here is very, very free Don't it make you angry the way war is dragging on Well, I hope the president knows what he's into, I don't know... Oooh I just don't know Don't you see the starvation in the city where you live All the needless hunger all the needless pain I haven't been there lately, the country is so fine My neighbors don't seem hungry 'cause they haven't got the time... haven't got the time Thank you for the talk, you know you really eased my mind I was troubled by the shapes of things to come Well, if you had my outlook your feelings would be numb You'd always think that everything was fine... everything was fine We can make it happen We can change the world now We can save the children We can make it better We can make it happen We can save the children ...

Freight Forwarder License

A freight forwarder also called a freight agent or forwarding agent is a domestic transportation expert who is a well informed about the logistics of cargo shipment of manufactured and distributed goods. A freight forwarder arranges for transportation of trade goods by contracting with hired carriers companies. Forwarders are the go-between manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and carriers, who arrange pre-transportation, shipping and issues of documentation in agreement with instructions from their clients.

They generally do not take possession of the cargo, nor take over the responsibility for the cargo arrangement except on few occasions. Their task is much of the technical works that has to do with shipping documentation, terms and charges. In the United States like in most other parts of the world, a license is required for the operation of a freight company.

After acquiring the required training and knowledge required in freight forwarding, which can be through, being an apprentice with a licensed freight forwarder. Freight training is also available to teach prospective freight forwarders about the relevant transportation and logistical knowledge, using a collection of manuals and books.

This application for freight forwarding license is made to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a government agency set up by law to administer the service of registering and issuing licenses to freight forwarders in the case of the United Stated. A surety bond will have to be obtained as established by the FMCSA, to be filed along with the OP-1 application form. The present bond required is $10,000 and a proof of such bond must be filed. The forwarder must also indicate and file a designation of process form for state in which its plan to conduct it business and the requirement might differ from state to state. It is important to be acquainted with each state requirement to be sure of the requirement. An agent must be designated for each state the prospective freight forwarder seeks to operate in and filing must also be completed before an application approval by the FMCSA. It will take about a month or two for the authority to process this application and charges and other relevant information can be gotten of the FMCSA's website.

The conditions required for the licensing of a person or company to perform the task of forwarding services often defers from one part of the world to another. While some countries have because of their rich history in freight service have established freight forwarding services and regulatory bodies, set up to provides regulatory framework for the industry some others are yet to develop any regulatory framework. This however, has consequences even for the international trade. The failure to provide a regulatory framework locally in some countries impedes the general desire to develop an integrated regulatory framework that will protect the interest of every country and the international community.

The freight forwarder license differs in duration. Some are issue to the applicant to be renewable within a period of year, say 10 years while in some other settings it's issued for life. This mean the regulatory agent will only contact you periodically to update it data and issue notice to pay a specified amount called continuation fee. The regulatory agency reserves the right to withdraw a life license already issued or in the case of a breach or failure to comply with laid down rules.

More Information about Freight Forwarder License visit our site http://freightforwarderlicense.info.

Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home - Chicago (request)

album : Chicago III (1971)

4 - CTA Primeiro Emprego

4 - CTA Primeiro Emprego

Washington DC Metro Rail.

A Easter trip to washington DC, April 2010. Metrorail, commonly called Metro, is the rapid transit system in Washington, DC, United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name. In Maryland, Metro provides service to Montgomery County and Prince George's County; in Virginia, to Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria. Since opening in 1976, the network has grown to include five lines, 86 stations, and 106.3 miles (171.1 km) of track. Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States in number of passenger trips, after the New York City Subway. There were 215.3 million trips, or 727684 trips per weekday, on Metrorail in fiscal year 2008. In June 2008, Metro set a new monthly ridership record with 19729641 trips, or 798456 per weekday. Fares vary based on the distance traveled and the time of day. Riders enter and exit the system using a stored-value card in the form of a paper magnetic stripe farecard or a proximity card known as SmarTrip. Metro stations were designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese, and are examples of late-20th century modern architecture. With their heavy use of exposed concrete and repetitive design motifs, Metro stations also display aspects of brutalist design. In 2007, the design of the Metro's vaulted-ceiling stations was voted number 106 on the American Institute of Architects ...

Pune Airport

The airport in Pune is below the organization and management of the Airports Authority of India. to be found at a remoteness of just about 10 km to the northeast of the town, the airport is at the moment sharing its landing strip with the Lohegaon Air Base. The airport in Puna serves up only national flights for fairly a long time. On the other hand, of late it started operating flights to worldwide regions also. Air India commissions straight flights from Pune to Dubai and Indian airlines, from Pune to Singapore.

Pune airport is linked to nearly all the chief cities in India, like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, etc. There are campaigns to build a new airport for the town of Pune. The Government of Maharashtra has given over the liability of carry out the Pune International Airport project. The fresh airport is planned to be constructed between the area of Chakan and Rajgurunagar. Situated at a distance of nearly 40 km from the town, this particular airport will be all along the Pune-Nashik National Highway.

Pune Flights

Pune, the enlightening capital of Maharashtra, is a dwelling to a number of of the best educational in the entire of India. So, beside with the usual and average tourist traffic, a large number of students also come here every year. The town is easily reachable by flights from more or less from all the main towns of India. Each and every national airline in the nation have direct flights to the town. Despite that, Pune airport also has straight flights to Dubai and UAE. One can also acquire flights from Pune to Singapore, via Mumbai.

Numerous of domestic airlines operate flights to the Poona town of India. Some of these airlines are the deluxe and the comfortable ones, with all the appropriate accompaniments and magnificence. The travelers are provided with all the reassurances and lavishness of a regular flight. Then, we have several cheap airlines going to Pune, which have very sensible charges. However, the customary accessories of a regular flight, like free food, are not obtainable in case of these flights. In the subsequent lines, we have talked about the normal airlines flying to Pune the famous town of India. They are Air India, Indian Airlines, Air Sahara and Jet Airways.

Some of the low Cost airlines to Poona are IndiGo Airlines, GoAir, Visa Airways, Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines.

Author is an associate editor for Cheap Flight tickets. Get all possible information about Book air tickets for Pune Flights and Cheapest air tickets on Delhi Pune Flights. We also provide information about Online Flight Booking, Holiday Packages and Flights Booking in India.

Más cooperativa - Colaboramos Cooperativa de Trabajo Asociado

CTA Yellow Line Train to Skokie, Illinois

And now yellow.

Chicago - Museum of Science & Industry

The Carters went to Chicago, July14-18, 2008. This video records experience at the Museum of Science and Industry, and some trauma on the CTA

Hawaiian 50th State Fair is Tropical Fun

The 50th State Fair is a month long festival of rides, games and fun held from the beginning of May to the middle of June in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is not held on the Island of Hawaii, but on the Island of Oahu, so when you are planning on making a trip to the islands for the fair make sure you don't end up on the wrong one. The fair is put together by E.K. Fernandez Shows, a company that is locally owned and whose founder helped to bring the idea of fairs and carnivals to Hawaii.

Visitors to the fair can usually find it easily because it is held every year at the Aloha Stadium. Normally a place that hosts thousands of fans and football teams during the cooler months; it is still the site of much fun in summer, just in a different form. It's the only fair in Hawaii where you can the Wild Cat Rollercoaster and Skyliner Rides. Make sure before getting on board that you don't tend towards motion sickness.

For the kids there's the Sea Lion Splash Show that operates three times a day. Watch the cute furry creatures perform stunts and drench the front of the crowd in water. You may even get to volunteer to be a part of the show. For the adults there's the Beer Garden, the only place at the fair where you can buy and enjoy alcoholic drinks. Entertainment is usually available in the form of free musical acts and the always popular Karaoke.

Visitors can get to and from the fair on Oahu's Public Transportation System accurately called TheBus. Buses go all over the island, including the Aloha Stadium and have many easy to find stops. This makes it easy for visitors to check out some of the islands other wonderful sites. The Honolulu Zoo is all week, or you can see the Bishop Museum considered to be the largest museum in the State of Hawaii.

Gail Leino is known throughout the internet world as Mrs. Party. She has become the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies with clever themes. Her simple party planning approach demostrates how to use proper manners while teaching etiquette with organizational skills. She shares lots of interesting fun facts. See travel vacations for more tips and holiday spot destinations.