Chicago- Introduction -LIVE 1972

This was filmed live in Tokyo June, 1972. "Introduction" was written by Terry Kath. The video quality is a little poor due to the age of this video. But, it's a rare glimpse at the original Chicago performing this classic. Enjoy!

Travel by Bamboo Trains in Cambodia - True Ingenuity!

Bamboo train transportation performs a key role during the advancement of societies. Sumerians invented the wheel in 3500 BC to aid during the movement of hefty stone as they designed their temples; Romans created a vast network of roads across their Empire so soldiers could march and conquer more efficiently; Egyptians constructed ships to access more markets for trade and later on, canals were created to give additional passage. In the 1800s, America's own Industrial Revolution was spurred on by expanded transportation including the Cumberland Road (now part of Interstate 40), the creation of the Steamboat, the opening of the Erie Canal and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

Their selection of materials is an unusual combination from the strong and abundant bamboo that surrounds them and parts from abandoned military tanks. Described as a "bamboo slab on wheels," these trains sprung up within the late 70s where they were controlled by a series of levers and hand-cast controls. They have since upgraded to wooden footbrakes and small motors that poured into the country, courtesy from the United Nations relief effort during the 1980s.

Efficiency is key for this train system. They use the existing railroad tracks and spurs to travel. When they meet an additional bamboo train on the tracks, whoever has the least passengers merely lifts their train off the track to let the other one by. They keep a razor-sharp ear out for the infrequent freight trains that come through and when they reach their destination, they simply pick the train up and turn it around to head back.

These bamboo trains, or "Norries" as they are known as by locals, offer a link between villages, a way to get produce and animals to the market, a way to transport lumber to building sites and a means of income for several as rich tourists pay up to $2/day to ride them. In Cambodia, that may equal two months wages to most citizens. A local village has even turned into a "little Detroit" and builds up to 10 trains a month for sale and use. Not only are they building them, but they want to make them more beautiful to help encourage the tourists to ride them.

Necessity is the mother of invention and in a nation that desperately needs (and wants) to rebuild itself, these bamboo trains are an ingenious solution.

Douglas Michaels Jr. writes educational articles for Green Earth News, the authority on everything Bamboo. Read the full article on Bamboo Train Cambodia. Check out Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bath towels, duvet covers, womens clothing, all made from the world's most sustainable and renewable resource on the planet

Throwing A Fun Filled Dora The Explorer Party

Throwing a Dora the Explorer party should be fun, for you and your guests! Send out your invites two to three weeks in advance. If you can't find the right invites, make them. Use bright paper and have on the front that Dora invites them to explore a birthday party with her! Find or make a map to your home inside with your child.

For a party of mostly young girls, get some old dress up clothing. Have them ready when the guests arrive. They can pick and choose and wear their new clothing during the party. If you don't have any good older clothing, head to a local thrift shop, they should have a lot of items for not that much. Girls adore dress up.

For more Dora the Explorer ideas for your party, have the kids make some bracelets. All you need are some pony beads and some string. Make sure that you have some extra help on hand for this activity.

Those that want something a bit more extravagant get some small backpacks and flll them with items that Dora the Explorer carries around. Don't forget the Map! Or get one larger one and fill it with interesting ideas. Have the kids pass the backpack around and have them take one object from it. Consider having the children go on an adventure using a map to find different activities throughout your backyard.

For a great Dora the Explorer party, you look into getting a Dora the Explorer piñata. If don't want to go with a piñata, read a Dora the Explorer story to everyone while they have cake! Most of all make sure that everyone has fun and has a great time! With this theme of a party, it shouldn't be any problem at all!

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

CTA Train Tracker (rev) - Feb. 2011 - Connections - Chicago Transit Authority

CTA's Train Tracker is gaining momentum. The beta test program was introduced in January and customers are eagerly taking advantage of the new technology to get estimated times for train arrivals. Like Bus Tracker, Train Tracker is available on any Internet-enabled device....a computer, smart phone, iPad or similar gadgets. No matter what the device, Train Tracker is incredibly easy to use. Check out CTA Train Tracker at www.transitchicago.com (This video segment is a revised and expanded version of the Connections segment released in January 2011)

All About Apex, NC

Apex, which is a suburb of Raleigh, is located in Wake County in North Carolina, with the town motto of "The Peak of Good Living." The town had an estimated population of nearly 32,000 residents as of 2007.

Incorporated in 1873, Apex was so named because of its distinction as the highest point located on the Chatham Railroad between Jacksonville, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. Population growth was slow but steady in Apex for the first several decades. After experiencing a devastating fire in 1912, the town was rebuilt and is now one of the most complete railroad towns throughout the entire state.

During the Depression, the town experienced some more minor setbacks. By the 1950s, however, the town really began to grow. This was largely due to the proximity of the town to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park.

Despite the major boom in population growth, Apex managed to maintain its small-town feel. When the population boomed to almost four times its original population in the 1990s, however, the town's infrastructure was stressed greatly. The town managed to keep up and by July of 2007 it was listed in CNN/Money magazine as one of the top 100 small towns.

Apex offers a mixture of races and ethnicities, though over 80% if the population is Caucasian. The median income for its residents is quite respectable, with the median household income being $71,052 and the median family income being $78,689. Less than 2% of the population is living below the poverty line.

A number of transportation options exist in Apex. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport is located nearby, as is I-40 and US-64. Although the town is not directly serviced by passenger trains, there is Amtrack service nearby in Raleigh and in Cary. The town is served by the Triangle Transit Authority, which provides bussing in the region and also connects to the bus systems within Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill.

The author would like for you to visit Raleigh, NC real estate and Moving To Apex North Carolina [http://www.buyersadvantagegroup.net/moving_to_apex_north_carolina.php].

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell Guest Appearance on A&E

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of the music group,"America", make a guest appearance on A&E's "Private Sessions."

Chicago - Beginnings

Filmed at the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo (June 1972).

Homeland Security Jobs

After 9/11 homeland security business increased significantly to the point that now it's annual income is greater than many traditional enterprises like the music and movie-making businesses.

The United States Department of Homeland Security's mission is to protect against, prevent and respond to terrorism acts on the soil of the United States. Recently Congress increased their authority to allow Homeland Security to quickly and efficiently install extra physical barriers and roads at the borders of the United States. This extension of their activities has boosted the number of these types of Jobs to over 20,000 available jobs published on the internet and the number is increasing.

A different challenge which will necessitate greater numbers of homeland Jobs and investments is climate change. March 22, 2008, Joshua W. Busby of the University of Texas at Austin published an article in the Washington Post stating that the United States government should take action related to adaptation, risk reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from worldwide climatic disruptions.

Generally one of the requirements for Homeland Security Jobs is a degree in criminal justice although there are many other ways to enter the field and work one's way to the top. After completion of their education agents are assigned to any one of many Jobs with the primary duty being to secure the United States' airports, borders, and other waterways. These jobs differ from jobs of other security guards because they also involves researching, analyzing, and developing technology related to security attacks and disasters as well as examining reports and using the information therein to prevent penetration of U.S. security systems.

These Security Jobs are found in many government services and bureaus including the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration and Park Services, the Federal Protective Service, and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is important to remember that most of these Jobs demand that the candidate have quite a bit of experience after completing the required education.

The market for Security Jobs is booming and the trend is expected to continue for another five to ten years. According to the vice president of HS Research, Tomer Amit, most of this decade's growth will be the result of building what Homeland Security Research calls "a homeland defense infrastructure." If this thinking is correct the infrastructure described will undoubtedly result in a gigantic increase in the need for Homeland Security Jobs.

Chicago Blizzard 2011 - Lake Shore Drive

The aftermath of the Chicago Blizzard of 2011, seen as I walk from Oak Street north to Addison along Lake Shore Drive

How Leaders Gain Respect

Just turned off the television again. One leader of our Country was talking about how our military has the best. Well,for a fact, it is not their shoes. Dress military shoes are shiny but as for comfort, who can say? Seriously, we need to respect authority. We place our leaders in office. Have you ever heard that readers are leaders? They are human beings and need prayer and support to do what is right, just and good. Not all persons can be a leader. Would you want just any of your family members to lead a country? In my opinion, many leaders today are influenced by special interest groups that lie to them. In their own best interest of course. Kings and queens of old would call upon a wise man. These were people who had much knowledge and wisdom. When was the last time you contacted your leaders or representative?

Stamps do not cost much and each opinion counts. Do you even know how or care to? Their addresses may be found in the local newspapers. Why do we just complain about the past and remain ignorant as to how to change anything, like our ecomony, for the better? What works and what does not? Our factories made some inferior products and workers expected good pay for less quality work. So the companies sold out and moved them elsewhere. Would you not do the same? Yes, many of our elders are neglected and our youth are still looking to gangs and criminal activity for love and possessions.Most are going through peer influence and what they have lived with over many years.

The media shows violence and romances that are unrealistic. Video games are loaded with ignorance and things that impress innocent children in the wrong way. Parents who did not take time with them and blamed teachers are at fault. So what if your son or daughter is a poor example of a citizen? Blame your lazy, uncaring ignorant self.

Mothers who place innocent babies in trash cans need to be placed in there too. Where are the good fathers? Let the punishment fit the crime. The death penality is not too good for people who murder innocent persons for their possessions. We know criminals are less than perfect. Many lack the capacity to respect authority or education. So they become like a monkey in a cage to be looked at with no privacy or rights.Their criminal record follows them in the job market. Most criminals blame everyone for what they did except themselves. Give me a decent break. Our leaders will come through for us.

This generation of children will be our future leaders. Invest some time in a child for teaching good. Qualities of a good leader are honesty, truth, compassion, humility, faithfulness,temperance, mercy, fairness, strictness and a good communicator just to name a few. If you want respect, you cannot be above the laws of the land. People vote and they trusted particular ones to do as they promised. Corruption stinks. Truth will come out. It always does. There are some things we the people do not need to know.

Brenda Kay Winters

E-Track Should Outfit Any Enclosed Trailer

E-Track is a product commonly used by companies within the transportation industry. E-Track is also referred to as eTrack and e-Track, although it's hard to tell just which is the "right" use. Fleet management and small owner/operator companies alike have found that E-Track is a versatile, indispensible product that's most often used as a means to anchor cargo and prevent it from shifting during transport.

E-Track is a long, flat piece of metal (with a galvanized finish or a painted finish) with grooves or slots. Once the E-Track has been fastened to a trailer using the trailer wall studs as secure anchor points, various types of fittings and straps can be used to contain and control the load.

Another use of E-Track more accessible to the average homeowner or hobbyist is a floor-mounted installation. When placed along the floor, E-Track can ensure wheeled vehicles including motorcycles, ATV's and cars stay safe and secure while being transported.

One important piece of information to know prior to installing E-Track on the floor of your trailer is to know the stance of the vehicle (if four-wheeled) you'll commonly carry in the trailer. Depending on the distance from wheel to wheel, you'll want to space the E-Track accordingly to allow for use of a wheel net or other accessory to capture and house the wheels. While some people may simply load their vehicle within the trailer and use the parking break, that isn't the safest method to try. Additionally, something could happen to cause the brake to fail and damage could be cause to the vehicle and the trailer.

E-Track is a much smarter option for keeping cargo and vehicles safe when moving.

Todd Barnes has served the transportation industry for ten years and has become an authority on many products including tow straps, moving supplies and E Track. For a complete line of products Todd recommends US Cargo Control.

Campaña online CTA, nuevo portal web institucional y balance redes sociales

La Consejería de Turismo, Comercio y Deporte ha puesto en marcha un ambicioso plan para potenciar la relación entre los usuarios y los empresarios en la Comunidad Turística de Andalucía, así como impulsar la comercialización online de la oferta andaluza como un aspecto clave en la competitividad de nuestra región. Asimismo, el Consejero, Luciano Alonso, ha presentado el nuevo portal institucional cargado de novedades para adaptarlo a las exigencias de los usuarios y mejorar el aspecto participativo en las redes sociales, de las que se ofrece un balance desde su creación, hace ahora un año

Chilling Machine [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

Song : Chilling Machine / Album : Thaitanium Compilation vol.2 " Back at it " / Song written by : Chillin & Evablazin / Song Produced by : Gong / Co-produced & Arranged by : Chillin / Mixed & Mastered by : Aoub / Music Video Directed by : Pakwan Nonna ( Meen ) /

Ama No Hashidate Trip Sunday 7th August Part 25

Lighting the first fire.

Transportation Issues Facing The Disabled

For any disabled individual, there are obviously many challenges they face. Some are able to overcome those challenges using technology, while others have to learn to adapt to the world around them. Others have to rely on others in order to achieve any level of functionality.

Because each individual is unique, and therefore faces unique circumstances, it can be difficult to create services that are guaranteed to help everyone. And since each individual is different, there are very few services that are needed by everyone. But one issue which affects nearly all disabled individuals - whether they're physically, mentally, or otherwise disabled - is not having available transportation.

For disabled individuals, a simple trip to the grocery store or trips to the doctor's office can take hours of coordination, waiting, and travel time, only to go through it all again when they head home. What's even worse is that many disabled people aren't able to visit the various organization designed to help them - local charities and clinics - or access their services because they have no way of getting there.

Some city buses or other public transportation don't have wheelchair access, and some people aren't even able to make it to the bus stop or subway station or wherever else they need to go in the first place. Many individuals don't have family or friends who can take them where they need to go.

However, as technology and public funding has advanced, more and more cities have been able to develop and provide free services that disabled individuals so desperately need. Some provide regular transportation along predetermined routes, while others can provide home pickup and drop them off wherever they need to go.

And for those who are able to afford it, there are several investments they can make to provide their own transportation. While there are various private and public organizations for hire to help the disabled get to where they need to go, disabled individuals or their families can purchase or alter a vehicle (new or used) so it can handle a wheelchair, scooter, or other needs. While some of these services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance, some must pay for these services out of pocket.

Something the rest of us may take for granted - being able to pick up and drive wherever we want whenever we want - can be a tremendous challenge for those with disabilities. So if you feel so inclined, do what you can to support your local organizations dedicated to helping.

Scott Spjut is a writer and editor who has been featured in various magazines, newspapers and websites, including Newsweek, the Washington Post, CBS News and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With a B.A. in Communications, he continues to write on a wealth of topics - politics, health and fitness, business, marketing and more. Scott currently works with Professional Marketing International helping people change their lives.

Halton Region - The Greater Toronto Area

The Halton Region covers over 230,000 acres including about 25km of the shore of Lake Ontario. With the population forecast to exceed 420,000 by 2006 (5 year increase of about 15%) the Halton Region is becoming one of the fastest growing regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Though renowned across Canada for having the highest density of population, the rural areas in the GTA are dedicated to agriculture which is an impressive $1 Billion industry employing thousands of people. Other major employers include the Ford and Liberty car manufacturers, Aerospace manufacturers Goodrich, Oil and Gas exploration, utilities and other Manufacturing. This diverse business environment is further supported by a skilled workforce, large domestic market, excellent transportation and easy access to export markets.

Over half of the population is currently under the age of 40 to give the region a dynamic workforce.
There are two school boards that administer the educational programs in the region - Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board. These are complemented by the many post secondary institutions and libraries that are located either in or within an hour drive of the region.
Healthcare is provided by 4 main hospitals which are administered by the regional health service. A full public health service is available for those who qualify under the Ontario Provincial rules.

Halton's Municipalities

The Halton Region of the GTA is predominantly made up of 4 main municipalities. The Town of Oakville and the City of Burlington make up the urban area to the south, and the Towns of Halton Hills and Milton make up the largely rural area to the north.

The City Of Burlington - Burlington is situated in the south of Halton region, on the shore of Lake Ontario, and is a vibrant and beautiful city close to Toronto. With a population of around 160,000 people, Burlington covers approximately 187sq km and has grown considerably since its beginnings in 1784.

As a part of the 740km lakefront trail there are plenty of parks and recreational opportunities for the inhabitants. With many festivals, museums, sports and activities available there is something for everyone. For added convenience there is a comprehensive public transport system that links up with the GTA transit "GO Transit".

There are many large employers in the area covering a wide range of specialties. These vary from Financial Services, Advanced Manufacturing, Health Care and Software Development to Business Services and Automation & Robotics. The full list of businesses can be found at the Burlington Economic Development website.
Town of Halton Hills - Halton Hills has a population of just over 51,000 with a forecasted growth rate of around 2.5%. Situated in the northern section of the Halton Region, Halton Hills has many community events, parks and recreational opportunities for its residents. Part of the Niagara Escarpment is in the area along with the Bruce Trail which gives excellent camping, hiking and biking trails.

The two main populations in the municipality are centred in Georgetown and Acton. Schooling and Healthcare are administered by the Halton Region School Boards and Health Authority. Despite being the most rural area of the Region, Halton Hills has the GoTransit system links to the GTA. With good transportation and low unemployment the Town has a thriving Business community with excellent employment prospects.

The Town Of Milton - The town of Milton is conveniently located on Highway 401 about 20 minutes drive from Pearson international airport. Though further north in the Halton Region than Burlington and Oakville, Milton is still relatively close to Lake Ontario. Also, both national railway lines run through the town giving it excellent access to all the major cities in the region and beyond.
With nearly 50,000 residents, (and growing rapidly) Milton has all the amenities associated with a large town. These include a full hospital, large leisure centre and plenty of Golf courses. The 85 acre Kelso conservation area gives ample outdoor recreation opportunities like skiing, hiking, swimming and boating.

There are good employment opportunities with major manufacturing employers like Karmax, Modatek Systems and several aerospace and automotive technology companies. Though the Halton Region School Board is the highest single employer, health services and Sobey's food distribution centre give Milton a diverse range of employers.

The Town Of Oakville - Oakville was founded in 1827 and is well renowned as a beautiful city situated on the shore of Lake Ontario. With a population of around 145,000, Oakville is a 30 minute drive from downtown Toronto and is rapidly becoming a sought after place to live and do business.
The City's heritage is proudly preserved with many of the businesses in the centre converted 19th century buildings. Being so close to the Lake and Toronto, Oakville offers a multitude of recreational opportunities from outdoor pursuits to shopping, restaurants and nightlife of the big city. Also abundant are championship quality golf courses, performing arts festivals, parks and harbours.

The booming business community boasts some international company headquarters and all manner of manufacturing industry. Tourism is also a major player with over $88 million per year being generated by visitors. The proximity to both Toronto and the USA with all the major types of transportation available will continue to give Oakville strong growth as a business friendly city.
Overall, Oakville is a great place to live with good schools, recreation and employment. The local transport system gives good access to the downtown core of Toronto and the GTA making it easily commutable.

Dave Lympany emigrated to Canada with his family in 2003 and has developed http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com - the free information resource for Canada and Canadian Immigration. With over 150 pages of great content, the site is continually expanding and regularly updated and is an excellent resource for Immigration, Relocation, Research and Travel.

Joe Jonas's 1•DAY story, Part 3: Going solo

Joe reached super stardom with his brothers, but now he's following his dream of going solo.

Medical Transport Procedure For Patients Confined to a Wheelchair - Going Down a Staircase

When you find yourself needing to transport a wheelchair bound patient down a flight of stairs to your medical transportation service vehicle and do not have a stretcher or stair chair on hand then you will need to improvise.

The first thing that must be accomplished is to secure your wheelchair bound patient to their wheelchair with a stretcher strap or even a seat belt from your medical transport unit.

When securing your patient for medical transport down the stairs be sure they are sitting upright and that the straps are tight. Patients will tend to try to grab the railing on the stairs so have your patient cross their arms. You may nave to also strap in the arms in the case of a combative patient or a stroke patient.

Lean your patient backwards in the wheelchair and have your EMT spotter in front of the patient. Slowly go down the stairs with your patient facing forward and leaning backwards.

The medic in the spotting position should both stabilize the wheelchair from the front and slow down the forward motion of the wheelchair.

The EMT in the back should hold on to the handles on the wheelchair with his knees bent and shoulders over his or her bottom. take one stair at a time and before long you will be loading your patient into the medical transport unit.

This procedure is dangerous and should only be performed by professionals familiar with the procedure.

See http://long-distance-medical-transport.com/long-distance-medical-transportation-services.html for more long distance medical transportation information.

I am an emt working at http://www.EasternRoyalMedical.com we have used this procedure many times safely in the field. I have about five years experience with it. I enjoy both learning new procedures and sharing the ones I know with other medical transportation providers.

Organizaciones sociales se movilizaron para reclamar por el desalojo de tierras en Jujuy

Organizaciones sociales se movilizaron para reclamar por el desalojo de tierras en Jujuy Militantes de organizaciones sociales y gremiales se concentraron en las inmediaciones de la Casa de Jujuy en Buenos Aires, ubicada en Santa Fe al 900 y luego en las oficinas de la empresa Ledesma, ubicada en Corrientes al 400, para reclamar por el esclarecimiento de las cuatro muertes registradas durante el desalojo de tierras en la localidad jujeña de Libertador General San Martín. La concentración derivó en el corte total de tránsito en la Avenida Santa Fe, lo que produjo serios inconvenientes en el desplazamiento del vehicular en el centro porteño. Los manifestantes se movilizaron primero a las cercanías de la Casa de Jujuy, ubicada en Santa Fe 967, donde realizaron un acto con corte de tránsito y discursos a cargo de los titulares de la organización Tierras y Viviendas, Luís D´Elía, y de la CTA, Hugo Yasky, entre otros. Un vallado policial custodiaba la entrada de la casa provincial, no obstante lo cual los manifestantes estacionaron en la puerta un camión con acoplado y desde allí reclamaron "justicia por las muertes y el derecho de todos a la tierra". En la movilización participaron integrantes de la CTA, de la agrupación HIJOS, la Federación de Tierras y Viviendas, el Movimiento Territorial de Liberación y el Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Educación de Buenos Aires (SUTEBA). "Es inadmisible que tres trabajadores y un policía pierdan la vida en un reclamo social solo por ...

Odtoi Avarga

2008 onii zunii 29-r olimpoos altan medal eh orondoo avchirsan Enhbatiin Badar-Uugand zoriulan gargasan duu bulguu. Duuchin Ardiin jujigchin A.Dolgor, Mongol ulsiin Gaviyat Jujigchin B.Sarantuya, CTA D.Hishigbayar, duuchin D.Munhbat nar duuljee.

How To Close A Sales Deal

In the field of direct sales, much ado is made about having the right personality, building a relationship, and negotiating fiercely. Each of these things certainly has their place in the process but I would like to point out some of the critical but perhaps lesser chanted components of closing a deal.

Chase deals that are a good fit: Develop prospect screening criteria based on your company's core strengths. Alternatively, you can analyze what type of customers you already have to determine which types of companies are most likely to become customers. Then vet your leads so that you are pursuing companies that have the very best chance of becoming customers. This leads to sales EFFICIENCY or what we call a HIGHER CLOSE RATIO.

Call the decision maker: True decision makers are difficult to reach and even more difficult to meet. Hence, an all-too-common mistake of novice salespeople is speaking with contacts in the target company that lack true decision making authority. However, if you call persistently call decision makers during strategic times of the day (early and late) with a compelling value proposition, you can earn face time with them.

Ask probing questions: To learn what makes someone buy, you need only ask them. Ask your prospective customer about their company, goals, satisfaction level with their current vendor, and any other questions that will help you understand their biases, wants, and needs.

Pre-close: Early in the sales process, ask the prospective customer if they will indeed move forward with your company if you can satisfy their stated needs. This will ensure that you will both proceed down the sales path with fair expectations.

Book a meeting from a meeting: Never leave a meeting without the next meeting booked. This will save you time and phone calls as well as help you maintain momentum, one of the most important ingredients in an effective sales process.

Close the deal: When you reach the point in the sale when you have uncovered and addressed all important issues, either ask for the business or move forward with the assumption that the business is already yours.

Overcome objections: If there is hesitation or explicit objections when you ask for the business, probe to ensure you understand each and every source of resistance. Then repeat the objections back to the prospect to validate their feelings and concerns. Explain how your program will address each of these issues and then gently move forward again by asking for the business.

Hand hold the on-boarding process: Start your customer in the proper manner with reasonable expectations to ensure that the relationship starts on the right foot.

Check in regularly to ensure you have a happy customer: Checking in regularly by stopping by or calling your customer will allow you to uncover any issues before they become major problems. Avoid waiting until a customer calls you with a major heartache.

http://salesthinkusa.com/

Sanjit Singh is the CEO and Founder of SalesThink, an executive leadership and sales coaching company, and President of USS Logistics, a transportation company. Sanjit draws from his 18 years of award-winning sales performance in the software, medical device, and transportation industries to drive sales teams to reach a higher level of achievement. He has helmed a number of successful sales teams and is considered a turnaround expert for poorly performing sales teams.

In addition to speaking and consulting for private clients, Sanjit has lectured at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Pasadena City College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and UC Santa Barbara. Sanjit holds a BA in Biology and Psychology from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Illinois Railway Museum - Sept. 1985

This film shows the operations at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. for the 1985 Association of Railway Museums Convention. In operation are the Red Arrow Lines Libertyliner while under restoration as North Shore Line Electroliner 801-802, CTA PCC "L" Cars 6126 & 6127, Aurora, Elgin & Fox River lightweight car 306, Illinois Terminal lightweight car 415, CTA PCC Car 4391, CTA Trackless Trolley 9631 and many more cars. IRM is the finest membership based railway museum in the United States preserving hundreds of railway vehicles. The Museum started collecting rail cars in 1953 and located at its present site in the mid-1960s.

Definition of Responsibility, Authority, and Accountability for Each Executive Position

Provision must be made for the clear written definition of responsibility, authority, and accountability for each executive position at a minimum. This is not automatically understood or properly implemented in many companies. Not all managers know whom they report to or are sure who reports to them. The manager report to its three bosses. This cannot possibly promote organizational harmony and a strong esprit de corps.

Some managers forget there is an organization structure in dealing with subordinates. While this can be justifiable in rare situations of expediency or emergency, it is an undesirable habit to get into because it undermines the authority and reduces the effectiveness of subordinate managers. In one such situation, the chief union representative made it a point to visit the company president with a grievance. The president promptly resolved the grievance in the union favor without checking first with the foreman, superintendent, or industrial relations manager. That company ended up with more than a thousand formal, written, unresolved grievances because the chief executive bypassed the formal lines of authority. And this single act virtually destroyed the morale of the first-line supervisors. Top executives must exercise control through attention to policy matters and problems of exceptional importance rather than through review of or interference with routine matters.

Defining and measuring organizational climate can be an elusive exercise. If management recognizes that there is competition between companies at the level of creative innovation in all business functions, it will program for and properly manage change in order to stay on top. Organizations must create changes in their environment and not merely adapt to them under pressure.

The very first requirement in overcoming obstacles to successful management of change is a determination to grow. Given this determination, management will recognize the price that must be paid and will willingly commit funds for growth. If top management establishes a climate of growth and encourages lower-level managers to develop, innovate, and expand their thinking, the company will grow instead of being content with routine day-to-day administration and improvements in operating efficiency. To translate thinking into action requires planning and may require a full-time business planner. The organization must constantly reshape its objectives and work at building a favorable attitudinal climate for growth and change.

The organization attention to its external environment must be strong and systematic. Too often organizations devote a disproportionate amount of time to an analysis of what goes on inside the company. Organizational climate is not built entirely on internal factors, but is significantly affected by the external environment-competition, growth opportunities, distribution patterns, transportation costs, legislation, technological trends, changing customer requirements, socioeconomic changes. Paying close attention to these factors poises an organization for movement when the time becomes ripe. It stimulates internal climate improvement and pride in a forward-thinking company.

Once plans are devised to deal with major issues and major opportunities in the external environment they must be implemented. This may require pooling of talent and providing for necessary checks and balances. Information organization and flow must be developed. It may be necessary for tomorrow's business manager to completely restructure and reshape his organization to cope with modern society. This takes a great deal of courage and capacity. It takes superior people who must be developed over a period of years. Good organizational climate does not come about by accident; it is the result of good planning and careful implementation.