Thursday, August 29, 2013

Are You Looking to Buy Small Farm Tractors?

If you have some outside work to finish around the house, then small farm tractors may be just what you need. These tractors are also known as compact tractors, and are built as miniaturized versions of full size agricultural vehicles. These tractors are mainly used for landscaping purposes on smaller estates. They are not recommended for a full scale harvesting operation.

What are the most popular manufacturers for small farm tractors? Consider some of the top names and their legacy. Yanmar is the leading manufacturer of diesel engines since 1933 and partnered with John Deere in the 1970s to release a line of compact tractors. Mitsubishi is Japan's largest general trading company, with an agricultural division that started in 1914. Iseki has a long history spanning 70 years and has worked with Massey Ferguson and Caterpillar.

Hinomoto was once called Toyosha, and is one of the divisions of Hitachi Construction Machinery, a long time manufacturer of drive trains and small farm tractors. Shibaura manufacturers superior diesel engines and has worked with Ford and New Holland. Finally, there's Zen-Noh, one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in Japan, established in 1890, and Jinma, headquartered in China and one of the best producers of agricultural tractors. Where can you find these tractors? Small tractors are usually available from authorized dealers who work directly with the manufacturing company.

If you are looking for small farm tractors then visit Josef Tractor online. This online company sells farming, industrial, and construction equipment to online customers all over the country. The website also includes product information, dealer support, financing options, and technical specifications. Josef Tractor offers low prices, product warranties, and free tractor delivery along with loaders. If you are looking for small agricultural tractors for minor landscaping activity, then contact the official website at JosefTractor.com

Monday, August 26, 2013

The Routes of the Legacy of Al-Andalus

For almost eight centuries, the Iberian Peninsula lived one of its most privileged moments, not only with regard to Spain, but also to Europe as a whole: the age of Moslem Spain, which the Arabs called al-Andalus.

The mixture of races, religions and cultures gave rise to a brilliant civilisation, where both the Arts and Science flourished. Silks, objects of art produced in ivory, bronze and marble, ceramic tiling, the creation of a subtle architectural style and luminous sensual poetry all made al-Andalus the cultural focal point of Europe; a bridge between East and West, the cradle of a splendid and refined civilisation.

The Foundation the legacy of al-Andalus aims to preserve the historical, artistic and architectural heritage of al-Andalus. But also, its wish is to promote the most outstanding values of that civilisation: the people's feeling for life, how they lived together in tolerance and harmony, their music, gastronomy, everyday life. The mark left by al-Andalus is reflected in the concept of art, in the character and in the attitude toward life of the present-day inhabitants, heirs to this legacy.

Today we can all delve into this living inheritance, thanks to projects such as the Routes of the legacy of al-Andalus, which will take us through beautiful spots, providing us with an overall vision of the culture, as well as with the chance to truly experience it. For the following routes car hire is essential. You will find many reputable car rental companies at all mayor airports like Malaga, Seville, Granada or Almeria.

Route of the Caliphate

This Route runs through lands of Cordoba, Jaen and Granada, along the N-432 and N-331 main road and covering approximately 180 km. It links two large geological depressions; that of the river Guadalquivir and that of Granada, traversing passes in the Sub-Betic mountain ranges opened by basins and river valleys. Both depressions are closed in by the Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada massifs. This journey follows one of Andalusia's main communications routes.

The Route is a true adventure for the spirit: from Cordoba to Granada, also crossing ancient borderlands of Jaen. It shows the two extremes of the region, revealing the magnificent cultural, religious, political and social heritage left by the Moslems on the Iberian Peninsula. Cordoba, considered the binding brilliance that made all the other western cities pale by comparison. Granada on the contrary is the refined terminal mannerism of a civilisation under threat. And, between the two, a succession of walled towns and castles perched atop strategic vantage-points. Places that were witness to the occasionally agitated military exchanges and then formed the camps and bases from which to besiege Granada.

This journey is not just a lesson in history. It is also an aesthetic delight, a joy for the senses. Refined palates will discover products and tastes with echoes of the past. Those same echoes also seem to be palpable in any of the celebrations and traditions of the towns and villages along the Route. An itinerary by car which will undoubtedly make us that little bit wiser, thanks to all that we will experience along either of its two branches: northern and southern. History, celebrations and crafts, gastronomy, all taking place in a landscape with a vegetation, agriculture and climate that are unique to these provinces of the Region of Andalucia.

Friday, August 23, 2013

7 Coaching Predictions and What To Do About Them

To prepare for our segments, Milana asked us to reveal in no-holds barred fashion, a mindstream of the 3 most important trends, opportunities and landmines we could foresee for professional coaches in 2007, including how each is likely to impact a coach's business (that's you!), and what I'm doing about the predictions myself.

Here are the promised notes from the predictions I made, for those who missed the call or prefer reading over listening...

Coaching Prediction #1: Expect to see lots more coaching jobs.

By that I don't mean jobs that involve coaching skills, but jobs where coaching is the core deliverable. This will happen at three levels:

(1) the Executive level - this is already happening and there will be many more of these.

(2) the non-Executive level - these coaching jobs are becoming part of the woodwork in fitness and wellness industries, in the academic world, etc.

(3) AND - coaches who are reaching a certain degree of success are now hiring associate coaches themselves, creating a demand for coaches with the skill set and experience set who don't want to build businesses.

How to prepare for this trend?

- Collect testimonials of the hard-core type

- Use before and after progress worksheets

- Be prepared to provide examples of your coaching abilities in a resume...

Tip: As a natural benefit to your 1-1 or group coaching clients, you can already be offering to record their sessions, confidentially for their use, of course. It's a great value add and costs you little if you use an easy recording service like this.

When the time comes you then also have the option of approaching them for permission to use audio clips you record for the purpose of your coaching portfolio. This bolsters your application immeasurably as you are helping prospective employers understand how to recognize great coaching.

It's early yet in the days of coaching jobs, and people aren't altogether clear how to hire the best coaches. This is great news: you can help them hire you.

What I personally hope to do in light of the increasing number of coaching jobs is help build connections between those who want the jobs and those who are in a position to hire. I've already spent several years developing my business as a place that helps with business management and infrastructure so as to facilitate coaches hiring other coaches. Love that.

Coaching Prediction #2: Watch for a great deal more coaching in the mainstream media.

There will continue to be coaching in reality television, as a part of the bigger premise of the show. But you'll see in 2007 a couple of shows where coaching is the focus. Many of us have hoped that this would happen in a way that can showcase the real power of coaching - well, isn't it awesome that it's now coming?

As I explain on the audio clip from the Coaching Predictions call - I cheat a little with the word 'predictions' here because some of these things I know to be a forgone conclusion. Plus, I think you'll agree that we create our own future so if I have anything to do with the predictions, let's just say I like to think they'll be a little more than predictions when the year is through. ;-)

So, how to prepare for this one? It may sound silly, but stay flexible. Be prepared to nimbly take advantage of this trend in your marketing collateral. Now may not be the time to print 1000 business cards. Hedge your bets and be ready to take advantage of trends, language and ideas as they sweep through.

What I hope to do is support the coaches who are even now preparing for big launches in radio, video games and yes, TV, as well as help coaches who want to make the most of the halo effect of all this.

Coaching Prediction #3: I also predict an increase in mainstream criticism of coaching and the self help industry as a whole.

Some of you who are following along know this has begun already in the form of recently-published books painting self-help as a whole with a very dark shade of black. And of course, there is the backlash to the very successful movie 'The Secret.'

So how can you prepare for this? Isn't it hard enough to market your coaching business?

More details to this worthy question in another post, but in general terms, my best suggestion is that each of us embrace the criticism as an opportunity. Don't run from the criticism, take it as a vitamin and let it strengthen you.

Because here's the thing, when I take a close look at some of what's being said - there is real truth to it. And hearing that truth at a deep level can only make us better at what we do, and how we talk about it.

And although Milana only asked us for three, here are four more quickie predictions I slipped in. Note: Because I had to leave the call early, I wasn't able to cover each in detail on the record so the notes will be where you get the most detail.

Coaching Prediction #4: We will see a handful or so coaches emerging as leaders in definitive (and perhaps unexpected) new niche markets.

Again, I say this more from a factual standpoint than a crystal-ball or tea-leaf standpoint. There may be more than a handful but I can stand by at least a handful at this moment. Hint: This means more coaches hiring coaches as the new niche market embraces coaching results and demand increases.

Coaching Prediction #5: There will be a steady increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions taking place. That is, the buying and selling of successful coaching businesses by people in and outside the industry.

Whether it's because veteran coaches are moving out of the market going onto other things, selling, thinking about their legacy as a coach or just simply planning exit strategies...or.... just the fact that the coaching landscape is coalescing and consolidating ...this is also already happening.

Unfortunately, this type of meta-activity also means it becomes much more important to have your grown-up business 'ducks in a row'. As business goals of varying coaching organizations overlap and sometimes even clash, there will be lawsuits and other 'vigorous' negotiations. Yes even among coaches.

How can you prepare? Think bigger about how to reach your goals. If one of your goals is to build a list of 10,000, how can you leapfrog the organic process of doing that? Ask, who's getting out of the biz? Who's going on sabbatical? How can you step in, acquire or buy a business asset?

Also, be prepared to invest in infrastructure - accountants, lawyers, business managers etc.

As for myself, there are a couple of businesses I'm looking at acquiring and/or merging with now - and that's something I haven't done before in the coaching industry, for myself, only for clients. So this will be an exciting time of growth - one that I aim to navigate without adding too more hours in front of the computer. Fun.

Coaching Prediction #6: We will see increased numbers of companion coaching programs - where coaches create programs based on existing best selling material.

For example Coach Carol Ross' work based on Dan Pink's book 'A Whole New Mind' called "Leading with a Whole New Mind." If you're curious about this, I've posted my online interview with Carol in a separate post here.

Coaching Prediction #7: We will see significant bodies of proof come to light that coaches are earning great livings.

Ah, perhaps my favorite prediction. By this I mean Real Proof - no more 'Survey says we all stink.' (Can I just say I can't wait???)

As an adjuct to this, as more coaches begin earning well, the pendulum will begin swinging back towards the 'meaning' side of the Money--Meaning spectrum. We'll start hearing more conversation about the social value of our businesses. How can we best give back? How do we manage our legacies or build charitable organizations that reflect our values? How can we infuse our business successes with greater meaning?

We'll see more innovative creations along the social venture line, for example the book 'The BIG MOO' by Seth Godin where 100% of author royalties went to charity.

----end predictions----

Needless to say, it's truly the most wonderful of times, isn't it? Great evolutionary tension, as it were.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

ERP Manufacturing Systems

ERP manufacturing systems have been a fixture of the business technology landscape in the high budget manufacturing sector for more than two decades. But recently, ERP manufacturing systems and integrated software applications have undergone a rapid series of product evolutions that are bringing them increasingly into the hands of smaller and mid-sized businesses. If you own or manage a small process or product manufacturing firm in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, or apparel industry, there's never been a better time to begin investigating ERP manufacturing systems to find out how they can help you move your business forward.

Product and process modules, as well as back office software for accounting, human resource management, customer relationship management and payroll have never been more affordable and reliable. These products are also rapidly expanding in capability as they become more cost-effective. There are several factors that can help explain this recent shift in the market landscape, and may help to understand the capabilities of modern ERP software systems in a broader context. Before you begin your investigation, which may include research of product reviews, white papers, online demonstrations and a thorough needs analysis and diagnostic review of your existing software system, consider the growth of ERP manufacturing systems during the past several years.

The first early ERP manufacturing systems, called MRPs or manufacturing resource planning systems, were implemented in the manufacturing sector in the late 1980s. These systems were developed in response to specific demand from operations managers, who needed to find ways to control complex scheduling, billing, ordering and other activities on shop floors. At that point, most large firms were running their separate departments on individual software platforms that were unable to intersect. This caused productivity slowdowns, especially when task management required the input of more than one department. Once the first ERP manufacturing systems were in place, employees from across the organization could run standardized applications from a shared server infrastructure that was typically owned and maintained by the company.

They could also use the server to house databases that could be accessed by any authorized user and updated in real time. This revolutionized operations, and even though these early systems were cumbersome and expensive, they quickly became very popular among the large firms that could afford them, both within and beyond the manufacturing sector. As the new millennium approached, businesses rushed to replace their legacy software systems with integrated platforms. Implementation demand peaked at this time, even among hospitals, university systems and government offices. Shortly after the year 2000, however, demand at the high budget level began to cool, partly as a result of market saturation.

As the market landscape began to shift, developers and providers turned their attention downstream to find new sources of market share. They began an ongoing effort to shape and customize their product and service offerings to appeal to smaller clients that they had previously been able to ignore. Since about 2005, products for small business markets have been rapidly improving in functionality, reliability, and affordability, and have now become essential tools for small business managers.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Journey to Everest Base Camp: Meet the Sherpas

Exhilarating, challenging and enthralling: a trek to Everest Base Camp is everything that people say it will be - and more. To follow the route towards the legendary base camp of the world's tallest and most famous mountain is an experience in a league of its own, not just for the magnificent landscape and the journey's incredible legacy, but also because it is a chance to meet the Sherpa people in their own homeland, and learn directly from them about their history and culture. Passing through Sherpa villages and enjoying their hospitality in the tea houses along the route, trekkers will have ample opportunity to talk to those who live here, and share in their traditions. Those who have learned something of the region before travelling are likely to appreciate it all the better, so read on for some background and local context.

History

For those making the journey to Everest Base Camp, it can be a humbling thought that this region has been travelled through and settled in for hundreds of years before today's trekking routes were established. The origins of the Sherpa people and how they came to live in the region are recorded in local oral history, with stories telling how four groups of nomads - who would eventually become the four most prominent Sherpa clans - travelled into the region from the East, probably originating in Eastern Tibet. There are a number of reasons suggested for the migration, including following salt trade routes, and searching for a legendary Beyul, or mystical hidden valley. Establishing themselves in the Khumbu region, they became known for their expert knowledge of the mountains, and this expertise was greatly valued by visitors who dreamed of climbing Everest. It was a Sherpa man, Tenzing Norgay, who first summited the great mountain alongside Sir Edmund Hillary; many of the Sherpas that trekkers may meet on the way to Everest Base Camp are rightfully proud of this legacy.

Religion

Sharing many cultural and linguistic roots with Tibet, Nepal's Sherpas practise a form of Tibetan Buddhism known as Nyingmapa, or the Red Hat sect. This branch of the religion was founded by a religious leader called Padmasambhava in the 8th century, with many stories telling of how he journeyed into the mountains and fought with resident demons, quelling them so that they became helpful spirits. Before the arrival of Buddhism, people in this area were adherents of the Bon religion, and worshipped a pantheon of local deities; today, Nyingmapa incorporates ancient traditions that may be adapted from the Bon religion, including shamanistic practices and belief in spirits. With religious beliefs and customs initially spreading by oral tradition, they are now taught and studied in mountain monasteries, some of which can be visited en route to Everest Base Camp.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

This Isn't Living, This Is Dying!

Invisible Cages

Any free society should be based on the concept of voluntary action but voluntary action alone does not lead to a free society. Volunteerism has been popularized by the concept that you own yourself. If you own yourself then you should be able to sell your time body and hence your liberty. The problem with this argument is that you don't own yourself, you are yourself! To say that you own something implies that there is an owner and the thing that is owned. You can't sell your labor because you are your labor. Otherwise people would go back to sleep when their alarm clock goes off, while their labor goes off to work. While the argument of self-ownership sounds interesting and even implies the concept of liberty, the reality is the opposite. The very idea of self-ownership turns people into commodities. It strips the humanity out of humans. People can now be bought and sold in the market place. On a larger scale the commodification of human beings has striped the humanity out of society, leaving a landscape devoid of human qualities and a people completely alienated from each other, a society in which we exist inside invisible cages.

Thank Freddie

The commodification exploitation of people has always existed but it was capitalized by Frederick Taylor in his theory of scientific management. In the late 1800's, Taylor complained that workers were lazy and could produce exponentially more by tough management. He studied the motions of workers to find out how to increase their productivity. It turns out that if an employee performs the same task over and over, then he could manufacture more product. Anyone who refused to conform to Taylor's methods were fired and had their wages reduced. Soon a new class of managers emerged while the highly experienced labor force was transformed into unskilled workers. It was Taylor's belief that all would be benefited by his methodology. To his surprise with the increase in productivity and profits the workers' wages were stagnant and even decreased. Scientific management along with a new class of managers quickly spread to all sectors of the economy. All of society, the schools, the workplace, the government, could be turned into large assembly lines. The fast food industry today epitomizes Taylor's legacy. Behind the counter kitchens are geared so that workers don't have to move or even think. Each person performs the same repetitive task endlessly like robots.

Cubicle Hell

The factory of yesterday has been transformed into the high-rise and the cubicle. The factory foreman has been replaced by the suit and tie. Almost every job including office work has been reduced to a monotonous task, typing, printing, going to meetings and generating reports that nobody reads. It's all the same every day, these dungeons dressed in fluorescent lights, phony smiles and mundane tasks. We were told that if we went to college we would become marine biologists, physiologists and writers. With the exception of a few, nothing could be further from the truth. The average student debt today is over $23,000. All those wannabe artists, sociologists and investigative journalists have been prepped for the reality of the cubicle. Not for their choosing but because they must pay back their loans. These people will be herded into sterile offices like animals because the world doesn't want truly creative people. The private sector needs people who can write memos, push paper and calculate profits and losses. The managers will impose work tempos, production quotas, you punch in, you punch out, surf the internet, you'll stay late. You'll day dream about what life could have been because this isn't living, this is dying.

Power(less)

While the government is usually blamed for limiting individual freedom, nothing attacks human liberty and sovereignty more than the work place. A person can buy you and extract your labor, an entire system of ultra-surveillance ensures your obedience to your superiors, regulations are all prevailing. You are told when to show up to work, when you can leave and what you must do in the meantime. They watch over you, inspect you, spy on you. They punish, forbid, correct, assess, number and abuse. Your told what to wear, trained how to talk and you are forced to compete with other workers. When you talk back or make a mistake you can be disciplined or scolded as if you were an infant. To paraphrase Bob Black, discipline is what the factory and the office and the store share with the prison and the school and the mental hospital. It is something historically original and horrible. It was beyond the capacity of demonic dictators such a Nero, Genghis Khan and Ivan the terrible. For all their bad intentions they just didn't have the machinery to control their subjects as thoroughly as modern despots do. This is the complete annihilation of human dignity, transforming people into prisoners. Even the most totalitarian states never had this much dominion over their subjects.

Decay of Human Potential

We used to get injured on the playground, now we get occupational overuse syndrome, muscular skeletal disorder, repetitive strain, tendonitis, cervical radiculopathy. We have problems with our eyes and our spine that even the best doctors can't figure out. The sedentary lifestyle is the new trend along with its legion of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Performing the same tasks day after day, week after week, year after year is an assault on the human psyche. Nothing can be more detrimental to human growth, creativity, personal progress than the tedium of the workplace. When a person carries out the same monotonous job they're naturally drained of energy at the end of each day. It's no wonder then that the average person spends over 4 hours per day watching television, consider that. We spend 8 hours at work, 8 hours sleeping and after preparing for work, commuting to work and eating at home we only have 5 hours to ourselves and 4 of those are spent in front of the television. We actually live in a society that nurtures and maximizes stupidity and stunts human potentiality.

The 1%

Repetition is the enemy of every worker, the chains of humanity. Yet it is the liberator of the business executives and managers. Instead of using technology to free individuals, as it could be, the private sector has turned people into gears and commodities while they are the beneficiaries. These people make a living off of our lives, stripping us of our dignity, stealing our meaningfulness and seizing our essence.

New Religion

Frederick Taylor's legacy has become ubiquitous; in the last 100 years his methods have been studied, improved and refined with immense precision. Scientific management is today's god; its technique has saturated everything. Our schools, our workplace, our government and even our lives are regimented with this insanity. We can see it all around us in the cars we drive, in the advertisements we see, in the government that doesn't work and in the homes we live. When something is so pervasive we become entangled in its net. Every day is the same, a repetition with no end, dulling the person until they feel like they are living in a dark haze under water.

The American Dream is Dead

We were told if we worked hard enough we could experience the American dream. What we weren't told is that there isn't one and there never was one. A new reality awaits our young where wealth and equality has been celebrated and deified, yet inequality has created the separation of power and power, more than anything else, limits liberty.

Transformation

The workplace needs to be transformed not by deskilling laborers as Taylor did. Instead we need to liberate workers. Every employee should have the opportunity to participate in a variety of jobs from manual to intelligent labor. Workers should have equity in the workplace so they can call it their own. They should not be perceived as mere automata or commodities on a factory line but as living beings. We should be building technology to liberate not to enslave. All tedious and unwanted jobs should be reduced or automated. Most of all we should be producing not for the market but for people.

The Time is Now

It is important not to completely dismiss Taylor and his method, productivity is important. After all both the US and the soviets under Lennon used Taylor's methods to pull themselves out of the dark ages. However there comes a time in every society to transform such barbaric and childish techniques with moderation and compassion. That time is now. We cannot talk about liberty if we can't even mention the place we spend a third of our life.

The Return

"But its voluntary" you say. That is always the answer you hear repeated and repeated. "It's voluntary, we live in freedom". No we don't live in freedom, we live in invisible cages, we live in slavery. While it is true that every free society should be voluntary, volunteerism is not enough. Labor should be humanities highest aspiration, the basis of ones dignity. Until the day comes when the thinker works and the worker thinks. Free intelligent labor can emerge and humanity can once again be instituted.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Western History: The Black Hills and Badlands

The surreal beauty and natural wonder of the Black Hills belie the upheavals that created the mystical hills. Stunning natural formations, sculpted over eons of time by the forces of nature provide inspiration for local residents and visitors alike.

For thousands of years the Black Hills and Badlands have been a haven for wildlife, eagles, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, mountain cats and a few thousand bison, all that remains of the millions who once roamed the plains. Interwoven with the diversified landscape is the dense tapestry of Native American tribal culture, rich in art and spiritual traditions that provide the region with a living monument to the past and insights into present day life.

With westward expansion the history of the United States changed dramatically. Settlers came in ever increasing numbers. Prospectors, hearing the rumors of gold in the Black Hills came seeking their fortune. The government, determined to link the oceans with a railroad and move the Indians onto reservations, hired the buffalo hunters to destroy the herds of bison that numbered in the millions. These were turbulent times that culminated at the Battle of Little Big Horn, a battle that ushered in a new way of life for both the Native Americans and the newly arrived settlers and adventurers who made the west their home.

The people associated with the Western region are as legendary as the landscape. Sitting Bull, General Custer, Crazy Horse, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok are just a few of the characters whose lives and legacies have added to the rich history of the area.

A large land and rugged landscape make men dream on a monumental scale. In 1849, Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton proposed that a gigantic statue of Christopher Columbus be carved into the Rocky Mountains. That never happened, but in 1925 when South Dakota State Historian, Doane Robinson, dreamed of a massive sculpture in the Black Hills, sculptor Gutzon Borglum brought the idea to life. The carving began in August, 1927 when President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the mountain site and Borglum drilled the first holes. It continued until Borglum's death in 1941 when our "Shrine of Democracy" was considered complete. Today, Mt. Rushmore is world renowned for both its patriotic symbolism and its artistry.

Sculptor Korzak Ziolkowski, responding to a plea from Chief Henry Standing Bear, who told him, "My people must also know we had heroes", came to the Black Hills in 1947 and began carving his tribute to Crazy Horse just 20 miles from Mt. Rushmore. The massive carving of the warrior on his horse has already taken over 50 years and could take another fifty to finish, but Korzak's family has sworn to complete it no matter how many lifetimes it takes.

The great west brings to life many cultural aspects of the past and presents a new beginning by combining modern culture integrated with sacred symbolism, history and culture.