The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center have provoked in-depth discussion and study of existing security measures, their deficiencies, and how to enhance security to prevent similar terrorist attacks from occurring in the future. Biometric technology has risen to the top of the list as a possible solution. The government is not the only entity exploring biometric security systems. The financial services industry see biometrics as a way to curb identity theft. Biometrics are intrinsic physical characteristics used to identify individuals. The most commonly used biometric is fingerprints but others include, handprints, facial features, iris & retinal scans, and voice recognition.

Soon after 9/11 there were calls for the issuance of national ID cards containing biometric information on an RFID chip implanted on the card. The argument is that national ID cards will increase security by identifying individuals with their unique fingerprints which are much more difficult to counterfeit than standard photo ID cards. There is also a movement toward biometric passports. It looks like biometric passports are coming soon. National ID cards may follow.

Biometric identification is nothing new. Humans have been identifying other humans biometrically since the beginning of time. You recognize people you know by their facial features, their voice, and other biometric features. What’s new is introducing technology into the mix that compares a given biometric with a stored database of biometrics to verify the identity of an individual. An individual place their finger on a fingerprint scanner and the image is compared with the database to verify the person’s identity. Promising as it is, biometric technology has not been without hiccups but biometrics are advancing quickly and becoming more and more prevalent in security systems.

Fingerprints are the most commonly used biometric identifiers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a study that showed single fingerprint biometric systems had a 98.6 percent accuracy rate. The accuracy rate rose to 99.6 percent when 2 fingerprints were used and an almost perfect 99.9 percent when 4 or more fingerprints were used. The study results show that biometric identification is nearly perfect which is not surprising given the uniqueness of human fingerprints.

The US-VISIT program, which is an acronym for United States Visitor & Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, currently requires foreign visitors to the US to present a biometric passport containing 2 fingerprints and a digital photo for identification purposes before being granted admission to the U.S. Of course the biometrics are compared against a vast network of government databases full of known and suspected terrorists and other criminals.

On the surface biometric technology may sound like a panacea but it’s use has raised significant privacy concerns that need to be addressed. Here are six major privacy concerns: storage, vulnerability, confidence, authenticity, linking, and ubiquity.

Critics wonder how the data will be stored and how vulnerable it will be to theft or abuse. Confidence issues center around the implications of false positives and false negatives. Can the biometric data be used to link to other information about the individual such as marital status, religion, employment status, etc.? And finally ubiquity. What are the implications of leaving electronic “bread crumbs” to mark a trail detailing every movement an individual makes?

Until these issues are addressed, privacy advocates will lead a charge to resist biometric technology claiming it as a way for the government to assume a “Big Brother” type of rule as described in George Orwell’s novel 1984. But protest as they may, it’s likely national security concerns and the ability of biometric systems to enhance the security of US border and possibly prevent another major terrorist attack will win out over privacy concerns.

Thomas Boggo is a freelance writer specializing in emerging technologies. You can read more articles on Biometric Technology & Biometric Security Systems at http://www.105biometrictechnology.com/

While planning to borrow a car through loan, the rate of interest becomes a matter of concern among the applicants. Applicants after much calculation find the interest rates much burdensome when they apply for a car loan. But applicants can overcome such worries easily if they consider low rate car loans.

The policies and advantages of low rate car loans are designed after much speculative orientations. It aims to aid financially the applicants to purchase a car with easy and affordable rate of interest. The rate of interest is cheap and formatted to suit ones financial status.

To make the deal low rate car loans more suitable do not rely on one lender. Always compare and differentiates the offers and look for the rate which you can rely and repay easily. Applicants should always look for the rate, which will slash down the repayment burden which is possible after following certain tips. Applicants should always estimate the value of the car and the amount that he is looking for. If you are unable to come up with suitable results, then take the help of financial experts rather than the salesman in the showroom.

Applicants can search low rate of interest by using the online medium. The online process will provide you quote of various lenders in instant. Applicants can collect and distinguish the rates and opt for the one which seems to be efficient to pay.

Every sorts of credit status person can derive the same privilege and offers under this low rate car loans scheme, if they furnish required credit details to the lenders. So, if you have any of the negative credit mark, just relax and apply for low rate car loans.

Low rate car loans have made it possible for everyone to have expensive new car or a used one with the low interest rate policies. Thus, with the low rate car loans you can go ahead and own the expensive car that has fascinated you for long.

Julia Russell works as an executive in financial department for Poor Credit Car Loans. She has a lot of experience in finance field. To gain more information about Low rate car loans, car loan UK, cheap car loan, personal car loans, used car loan visit http://www.poorcreditcarloan.net

THE 8 ASCENTS OF THE ULTIMATE LEADER (Continued from Part I) are the Psychological foundations of what makes a great Leader, they are…

1. Master Your Rules of Engagement

- In War, “Rules of Engagement” are what you do when you engage the enemy.

- The enemy in this case is experience of when your surroundings don’t match your perception of ‘what should be’

- Psychological “Rules of Engagement” exist as reaction responses to these surroundings and the experiences, if you become more aware of what they are, you will have a foundation to influence your actions and reactions, you will Master your Rules of Engagement

2. Increase Your Circle of Tolerance

- This is the measure of your ability to deal with things “intelligently” and without reaction. The more rules you have about the way things should be, the smaller your Circle of Tolerance

- If you have a large Circle of Tolerance, you can deal with more situations intelligently and make better decisions.

- Things that happen outside of your Circle of Tolerance usually trigger your Rules of Engagement

3. Remove Your Colored glasses

- There are 4 primary “Brain Processors” that interpret the world in very different ways. A “Colored Brain” perception is like looking though colored glasses. A leader who can remove his colored glasses, can see past his own perceptions and bring out the best in others who process differently.

- To discover what colored glasses you are wearing, take the complementary Colored Brain Communication Inventory (CBCI) at the Directive Communication website.

4. Stop Need Sucking

- When we are in charge of others (and sometimes when not), we unconsciously make decisions that leave others questioning our motives or are left unfulfilled in their jobs or tasks. This is because each person has specific emotional needs and gratifications that doing or completing a task provides. When someone takes those gratifications away (even accidently) this is “Need Sucking”

- To stop Need Sucking, leaders must take care not to take too much of the following emotional needs from a group:

i. Control or security (the less control one has, the less secure)

ii. Recognition or significance

iii. Diversity in tasks or job

iv. Sense of completion or achievement (let people finish)

- The more of these emotional gratifications a leader takes for themselves, the less there is for everyone else, translating to less fulfillment

5. Command your Leadership Postures

- Postures are the connection between Body and Mind that influence our moods. We are constantly using Postures without realizing it and they are affecting our emotions, our focus, and the type of influence we have over others.

- Controlling your primary postures: Warrior, Child, Lover, and Emperor, will allow you to command the suitable energy to affect others on an emotional level with greater effectiveness.

- Identifying postures on others will give you greater power to influence and inspire the best in them.

6. Map your world

- Each workplace has defined areas that create your “Work Process” these could be for example: Meetings, Working Alone, Working in Teams, Directing others or being Directed, Social Elements of Work

- By defining our motivations, frustrations, processes, and the importance we assign to these areas, we can clearly define our expectation and determine, by comparison to others, if they are realistic.

- When our “World of Work” is mapped, it becomes easier to navigate through the emotional turbulence of leadership to smoother sailing and greater effectiveness as an inspiring leader who is prepared for anything.

7. Align your Leadership Values to the Environment you would Create

- As an individual, you have specific values, these values are reflected in your leadership.

- Do you know what these values are? Are there any differences between your personal values and your leadership values?

- As a leader, your success will come from cultivating an environment conducive to your vision, and to inspire that environment to enthusiastically participate in that vision. To achieve this, your values as a leader MUST reflect the values of that the environment that will create the vision.

- The values aligned with the vision alone is NOT enough; identify what the diverse people in your organisation need to “FEEL” for inspiration to take place?

- What values do you need to change to make those feelings happen?

8. Cultivate your Leadership Identity

- Leaders are the greatest influence to an organization corporate culture. Leaders may not be aware of the psychology of why their “Leadership Identity” may often be an obstacle to an inspired and effective organization.

- The realizations and awareness gained through the first 7 Assents will influence decisions that affect culture. They are the essence that determines our ability to consciously decide and “Act” intelligently instead of “React” to our environment. A leader must act and create.

- To cultivate YOUR Leadership Identity. Reflect of the first 7 Assents and write a definition of Who You Need to Be as a Leader! Then live by this Leadership Identity and ascend to the level of Transformation

When a leader has mastered the 8 Assents, he can shape the structure of his/her leadership to cultivate a effective and fulfilled work environment. The next step in transforming the group’s or organisation’s culture is the development of the 5 Pillars of Transformation for his/her teams.

These are revealed in Part III of this article.

Arthur F Carmazzi is the principal founder of the Directive Communication Psychology and a renowned Speaker and Author in the Asian Region that was awarded as one of the Top 30 Leadeship Gurus in the world by Leadership Gurus International. For more on Directive Communication or Arthur visit: directivecommunication.com - Or Arthur Carmazzi’s personal web at: carmazzi.net

As the technology advances in the production of HDTV’s, one of the newest features is called Digital Light Projection or DLP, and Samsung 42 DLP HDTV is an industry leading model that uses the DLP technology.

While there may be other sets that come with the DLP technology, you can’t do any better than this Samsung 42 DLP HDTV. The set comes with such great features as 1280X720 resolution that has to be seen to be believed. The DLP chip was manufactured by Texas Instruments and is the cutting edge in technology when it comes to HDTV. A fantastic contrast ratio of 2500:1 can be found with this set. While not as high as some of the other sets on the market, noticeably the 10,000:1 Vizio plasma screen sets, it is still a razor sharp ratio that promises the best in sharpness and clarity.

Inside the DLP chip, the technology really has to be seen to be believed. Inside the DLP chip are thousands of itty bitty mirrors that turn on and off to project the light to the screen. This amazing technology provides a sharpness that has never been seen before, even in a HDTV set. The chip can move at incredible speeds. The mirrors can switch off 15,000 times per second to give the most accurate and true light imaginable.

The chip was chosen by Samsung and many other major TV manufacturers because of the speed of the chip. Since it can move so fast, it makes watching fast-moving television like sports and action films seem even more lifelike. Amazon.com is currently selling this model of TV for just a shade under $2,000, which is quite a bargain considering the revolutionary technology that is inside it.

Amazon has 48 unique reviews for this set and they are overwhelmingly positive. A current rating of four and a half stars out of five is awarded to this set, which is exceptionally high since there are always going to be unhappy customers.

The Samsung 42 DLP HDTV is a great choice if you’re looking for a wide screen HDTV unit. There might be others that are bigger or less expensive, but Samsung provides a great combination of affordability and quality.

Dean Iggo is the webmaster of a hdtv reviews website where you can find reviews of the most popular brands including the Samsung hdtv, Pioneer, Sony, LG and more.

Ford’s effort to protect the environment is clearly manifested in their production of environment friendly vehicles. This concern for the environment has led the company to produce hybrid cars and vehicles which run on alternative fuel as well as clean diesel engines for their larger vehicles.

Ford’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally recently made the company’s dedication towards protecting the environment his topic while talking at the Lied Center in Kansas City. He talked about the power of working together and the need for it. During the course of his speech, he also shared his experiences in life to those present during his speech.

The Chief Executive Officer of the United States’ second largest car manufacturer claimed that he loves the idea of working together. In fact, working together is the main topic of his talk. He talked about his tenure as the President and the Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Commercial Planes. Mulally said that it is of utmost importance that a leader should put people first and include everyone on the project as well. And to make it possible, Mulally said that communication is needed and is entirely very important for the whole process. “The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it occurs,” says Mulally. “The fact that you say something and expect them to know what it means; that’s arrogant,” says the Kansas University alumnus.

Mulally stressed out that there is a need for coworkers to be on the same page. They should be able to work on a single plan with everyone pitching in on the job at hand. Mulally said that when a problem surfaced in the workplace, he wants to be working with people who can find a way to address the situation and solve the problem. He also said that he saw that kind of people at the institution. “There is not an institution in the world that has more motivated, more skilled and neater students than the University of Kansas,” says Mulally.

During his speech, he recounted his experiences in life as a young man working odd jobs in Lawrence. He said that his career started delivering newspapers. After that, he became a bag boy for Dillon’s grocery store in the area. He left the job after he was inspired by then President John F. Kennedy to become an astronaut. He was at that time taking up liberal arts but then he switched to aeronautical and astronautical engineering at the University of Kansas. After he switched courses though, he was told that he is not fit to be an astronaut because he is slightly color blind.

After he graduated from the University of Kansas, he was told by a professor at the university to try to get a work at Boeing. The said professor has then recently left Boeing. After that, he was hired at Boeing and after some years joined Ford Motor Company as the new CEO. In connection with him being the current CEO of Ford, he also talked about their company’s effort to protect the environment. He talked about several alternative fuels which are aimed to reduce the amount of damage that vehicle emissions are doing to the environment. He also tackled and dissected his thoughts on the problems that are being faced by the auto industry pertaining to the use of alternative fuels.

For example, he cited the use of bio-ethanol, while using ethanol as substitute for gasoline; it will need a lot of raw materials to supply the country with its needed fuel.

That is why Ford, with Mulally at the helm, is developing technologies that will reduce the dependency of the auto industry on petroleum products. Several Ford models with Ford fenders and other Ford auto parts are already offered with a hybrid version to reduce the amount of gasoline that they have to consume.

While there are already environment friendly vehicles out in the market, Mulally thinks that it is not enough. “The auto industry only accounts for 15 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, so the whole country needs to work together,” says Ford’s CEO.

Katie Jones writes for a local newspaper and her beat involves the latest updates in the automotive industry. She is also working on her book on cars during her spare time. Please visit Ford fenders for more information.

The 2007 Dodge Magnum SRT8 is one sinister looking wagon and it’s not just about the color. Wagons may not be the first choice by most when it comes to a cool conveyance but if utility is high on the priority list then there are always SUVs, vans and wagons.

Wagons provide as much cargo room without sacrificing a car’s typically better ride, handling, braking, and acceleration. The Dodge Magnum SRT8 is like a Charger with a really big trunk which makes this wagon a match to SUVs and vans when it comes to loading cargoes.

These LX cars have proven quite a success for Chrysler and it’s because of some very good reasons. It’s based on the E-Class Mercedes platform, offer rear-drive, full-size comfort in a more refined package than what most American car buyers are used to. The price is also remarkable since it’s very affordable.

The Hemi versions in particular offer a lot of features plus extras for the buck. But with the additional of the SRT badge, expect to get things a little more devilish.

The Drivetrain
When it comes to vehicles it’s always about the engine. Instead of the 5.7 liter Hemi, the SRT will have a smokin’ 6.1 liter version with an additional 80 hp. The Street and Racing technology engineers worked with their black magic and created the classic Hemi orange block and black valve cover paint to remind customers of the powerful heritage of the SRT.

The hemispherical combustion chambers were viewed as the source of dominant power in the past. And that is also one of the reasons why the Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles can cost over $2 million at auction today. The “Street hemi” of the 60s and 70s produced 425 horsepower from its 426 cubic inches of displacement. The present Hemi gets a similar output from less than 90 percent of that displacement.

The SRT team begins with a run-of-the-mill 5.7 then bores the cylinders by 3.5 mm, increases the compression ratio from 9.6:1 to 10.3:1, redesigns the cylinder heads, exhaust and intake systems for increased flow and hit the redline from 5,000 to 6,000 rpm. There was nothing more left with the standard 5.7 once the SRT team gets through with it-valves, cams, rods, manifolds, rods, crank, oil pan, pistons…you name it they’ve changed it all….Every single part. The block is also given more reinforcement and the result is a seemingly endless grunt whenever you have a need for it.

The output is also rated at 425 bhp @ 6000 rpm and 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm. This power is routed through the A580 five-speed AutoStick that may prove to be a little reluctant to downshift on its own. Upshifts are smooth and may prove to be unremarkable but once under full throttle they seem a bit abrupt. The transmission may not be the smoothest in the world but it enough for most accomplished drivers.

A tap to the right or left once in drive mode will enable drivers to hold a gear which will be displayed on the dash. And the best thing about automatic is that it makes burnouts as simple as pressing both pedals for a second or two before letting the brakes out. Never forget to disengage the ESP traction control unless you want to change tires already.

The Suspension
Since the Dodge Magnum SRT8 is a large vehicle weighing 4,260 lbs it is best to start with the brakes. The SRT despite its size is capable of decelerating from 70 to 0 mph in approximately 170 feet. It can also do the quarter-mile in the mid 13s and can also do 0 to 100 to 0 mph in the mid 16-second range. That’s one serious stopping power courtesy of the 14.2 inch front and 13.8 inch rear vented Brembos.

These Brembos are strong and easily modulated even when it means reducing a triple-digit velocity by half in one emergency maneuver. It just did what it is asked to do without any problem. The brakes that reside within the large, 20-inch polished 5 spokes, wrapped in 245/45 Goodyear F1 summer tires provide excellent gripping performance.

The SRT’s special shocks, modified spring rates, different bushings, plus the big anti-sway bars create a huge change to the handling. The vehicles height is also lowered by just one-half inch but it feels like it’s lowered by a lot more. The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) has also been reprogrammed to provide a slightly more antisocial behavior before cutting in. The riding comfort that one gets from the SRT8 will make you wonder why all suspensions are not tuned in a similar manner.

The Exterior
The exterior appeal of the Magnum SRT8 is charming and compelling. No other wagon has been as successful as the Magnum SRT8 has been able to stir the soul so thoroughly. The Dodge Ram crosshair grille, tapering roofline, and raised beltline exudes power and muscle. The Dodge Magnum SRT8 is available in Brilliant Black, Bright Silver or Inferno Red Crystal Pearlcoat.

Chrysler’s Eagle
The Dodge Magnum SRT8 is not the first powerful vehicle that Chrysler has developed. The Eagle Talon which was one of the three model names given to a passenger car manufactured and sold by the then Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan in a joint venture known as the Diamond Star Motor, between 1990 and 1998.

The Talon was then sold under the Eagle brand developed by Chrysler to compete with Japanese imports in the late 1980s. The other siblings of the Talon were the Eclipse which was sold by Mitsubishi and the Laser which was sold by Plymouth another Chrysler brand. Both Plymouth and Eagle has been discontinued but despite this fact the production of Eagle parts like the Eagle exhaust continues. The Eagle exhaust is renowned for performance and power.

The Eagle Talon together with the Eclipse and the Laser were built on the same platform at the DSM manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. The three vehicles were mechanically identical including engine, transmission, and drivetrain. In terms of exterior features the three cars only differ in wheels, tail lights, availability of colors, front and rear bumpers, and spoilers.

And speaking of colors the Eagle Talon has a two-tone body color, which is called the ‘greenhouse’. Starting from its roof, pillars, door-mounted mirrors the color was always black regardless of the body color.

The other basic characteristics of the Eagle Talon include:

–Two doors

–Hatchback
–2+2 seating (2 front seats and 2 marginal, fold down rear seats)
–4 option levels (starting from lowest to highest): DL, ES, TSI, and TSi AWD
–Front-wheel drive (FWD) for all option levels except for the top option level which had all-wheel drive (AWD)

–5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions
–Two-tone color combination
–Hood bulge on the left-hand side of the car that provides it with adequate clearance for the camshaft sprockets/timing belt cover on the 4G63engine

One outstanding thing about the Talon is its success compared to the Eagle nameplate which was a huge flop for Chrysler. While the Eagle failed to gain any market share from Pontiac which was its main rival, the Talon on the other hand was a stellar success and the only Eagle model that was profitable. The Talon has received lots of awards and sold over 100,000 units in its lifetime and created a cult of followers.

For more about your Eagle exhaust, visit your trusted online source.

Jerick Brooks is a BS Computer Science graduate at Columbus State University. He has passion for anything car-related especially car racing. He loves writing and currently works as an IT consultant in a company based in Atlanta.

GM Daewoo has recently launched two new models on Jeju Island—the Lacetti Diesel and the Lacetti Sport Wagon. These two new vehicles will provide GM Daewoo with a more comprehensive diesel lineup beginning with the SUVs to compact and midsize sedans plus a range of body styles. The Lacetti Diesel Sedan Hatchback and Sport Wagon complement the much-admired diesel Winstorm SUV and the Tosca Diesel premium sedan which made its debut in last 2006.

GM Daewoo at present offers two variants of its top-of-the-line direct fuel injection common rail diesel engine in Korea. Both have 2.0 liter displacements and are tuned in accordance to the characteristics of their respective models. All of GM Daewoo eco-friendly diesel vehicles are equipped with maintenance free-free DFP short for Diesel Particulate Filter and EGR or Exhaust Gas Recirculation. These vehicles were built in accordance to the EURO IV standard, reducing emissions by almost 50 percent compared to the common Euro III compliant engines without sacrificing performance.

The Lacetti is also equipped with top-of-the-line GM parts starting from the big, complex parts such as its exhaust system which is similar to the quality of Chevrolet exhaust system and comparable in performance with the Dodge exhaust.

The 2.0 liter TCDi or Turbocharger Common-Rail Direct Injection engine produces 89 kW or 121 PS at 3,800 rpm and maximum torque of 28.6 kg m (280 Nm) at 2,000 rpm. The four-valve powerplant features a state-of-the-art Bosch common-rail system, which injects diesel fuel directly into the engine’s combustion chambers at a pressure of up to 1,600 bar.

To provide supreme performance ninety percent of the maximum torque is generated throughout a wide rpm zone between 1,800 and 3,400 rpm to deliver maximum performance. This provides the three-diesel-powered Lacettis with superior pulling and climbing power which is comparable to gasoline-powered models.

The Lacetti Diesel can reach peak speed of 188 km/h offered in both sedan and hatchback variants with an automatic transmission. Outstanding fuel efficiency is a hallmark of the Lacetti Diesel which is courtesy by the models advanced five-speed automatic transmission which is a first among Korean-built cars in its segment.

The Lacetti sedan and hatchback with a manual transmission obtains fuel efficiency of 18.4 km per liter exceeding the already marvelous Lacetti 1.6 -liter gasoline model by almost 30 percent. On the other hand the versions with an automatic transmission achieve fuel efficiency of 14.9 km per liter and in combination with its 60-liter fuel tank; the Lacetti Diesel can be driven by up to 1,100km or 900 km in versions with an automatic transmission.

The Lacetti Diesel Sport Wagon is the only Sport Wagon from the Korean automaker that offers a one-of-a-kind combination of sedan-like comfort plus driving performance courtesy of its low center of gravity. It also has a much spacious luggage room plus flexibility that can match those of compact SUVs while exceeding them greatly in terms of fuel economy. But the best thing about the Lacettis is their price since it’s much lower compared to a typical 2.0 liter minivans and compact SUVs.

The generous headroom for the driver and front-seat passenger measures 1,000mm while the legroom in the rear measures 932 mm. The Sport Wagon’s interior is second to none. The seatbacks can be folded in ration of 60:40, an aluminum-look roof rack is offered as a standard. There were also 25 trays and holders that are offered as additional storage that makes the Lacetti an ideal vehicle for leisure activities.

For more about your Dodge exhaust, visit your trusted online source.

Jerick Brooks is a BS Computer Science graduate at Columbus State University. He has passion for anything car-related especially car racing. He loves writing and currently works as an IT consultant in a company based in Atlanta.

Big changes are taking place over NASCAR and for this coming weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway another transformation will be taking place. While the Nextel Cup drivers are driving their old familiar cars which they have been driving for years after the first two races in the Car of Tomorrow, the rest of the Chevrolet entries are to be powered by a new engine.

Chevrolet has been developing an engine for nine years now and for the first time it will make its racing debut in Samsung 500. “This engine now called the R07 actually started out as R99 because we ran it the first time in 1999,” said Mark Cronquist, chief engine builder for Joe Gibbs Racing.

For this coming weekend it is expected that six teams will run the new engine. Gibbs Racing will place an R07 in the cars of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and J.J. Yeley Hendrick Motorsports’ Casey Mears and Kyle Busch, and Scott Wimmer, driving a fourth Richard Childress Racing entry.

General Motors world’s largest automaker and distributor of Chevrolet exhaust is hoping to have the engine ready for this season’s upcoming race but unfortunately a few technical difficulties slowed the progress of the project. Cronquist is very much excited to get the new engine into competition.

Chevrolet’s 5 of 6
The Chevrolet team has gotten to a great start this year in Cup winning five of the six races. The reigning champion Jimmie Johnson has won three of the five races while Hendrick with teammates Kyle Busch, and RCR’s Kevin Harvick have won the other two for GM. The victory of Matt Kenneth’s at California Speedway in a Ford is the only blemish on Chevrolet’s record for this season.

Out of the eight Chevy drivers that are currently in the top 10 in Cup points, two have won at Texas. Jeff Burton won the inaugural Cup race in Fort Worth in the year 1997 but he was a driver of Ford at that time. Stewart won on the 1.5 mile Texas track last fall. The different drivers winning each of the 12 Cup races at Texas only two others have been in Chevrolets namely Terry Labonte who won in 1999 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who won in 2000.

For more about your Chevrolet exhaust system, visit your trusted online source.

Jerick Brooks is a BS Computer Science graduate at Columbus State University. He has passion for anything car-related especially car racing. He loves writing and currently works as an IT consultant in a company based in Atlanta.

Manipulation is all about controlling others for your own advantage. As a professional you definitely don’t want people thinking you are manipulating them into buying your products and services. In fact, your fear of being perceived as being manipulative may be putting you off having some sales conversations.

So how do you ensure you are not being manipulative and that you are not being perceived as being manipulative? Here are 6 steps:

Step One - Work out the value of what you offer. Get really clear on the value you offer your clients and the results you deliver. The clearer you get the more passionate you will become and your confidence will naturally soar. People will notice your confidence, your passion and your authentic desire to help them and there will be no feeling - or presence - of manipulation in the conversation.

Step Two - Have a conversation with the intent of helping people get what they want. If you have a sales conversation with the intent of getting what you want - a sale - then your focus is on getting an outcome which is good for you and this is more than often perceived as manipulation. So forget about you and instead have a conversation solely to discover if the person you are talking to wants the results and value you can deliver. With this intent manipulation will be absent.

Step Three - Have a conversation with the intent of gaining a client versus making a sale. The difference is subtle but the long term ramifications on your business are enormous. Come from a place where you view the first sale as just the beginning of a long term relationship where they are now your client. I am sure you have had the experience with the “hit and run” salesman. They made the sale, got your money, which is all that they wanted and you never see them again. You were left feeling manipulated.

Step Four - Ask questions with the intent to understand if you can help the person get what they want. If you ask questions with this intent the person you are talking to will feel relaxed and will open up to you. Contrast this with people who zoom through asking you questions and you know they are not really interested in your answers. You feel that all they want to do is quickly get to the point of telling you what is good for you - their solution. Again, you feel the presence of manipulation. So it’s easy enough to change - just change your intent.

Step Five - Listen with the intent of understanding. When you do ask questions, listen without judgments or assumptions and with the intent to understand. Again contrast this with the manipulation you feel with those people who pretend to listen to you and are really only waiting to pounce as soon as they can so they can start telling you what is good for you.

Step Six - Be committed but not attached to the outcome. When you have a sales conversation, be passionately committed to helping them make the right decision for them. Do not be attached to them deciding to become your client. Give them the space and the respect to make their own decision. They will feel your commitment and your lack of attachment and they will translate this as your genuine desire to do what is right for them (as opposed to what is right for you.).

By following these six steps you will find it easy to avoid being manipulative or being perceived as manipulative in your sales conversations. Try out these six steps and not only will you be more relaxed but you will attract more people who will want to be your client.

(c) 2007, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line below.

Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners 10 simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign-up for the newsletter and the monthly Sales Secrets Revealed teleseminars at http://www.salesconversation.com
http://www.salesconversation.com

Not too many years ago the only way to get your book published was to send a manuscript to a large publishing house and hope they liked it enough to publish and distribute it. Even then, there was no guarantee of success because the publishing houses did little or nothing to promote a book unless it was written by a well known author or likely to garner some impressive sales. Whether it might have been in the best interest of the publishing house to promote a book did not seem to matter, advertising dollars were only pumped into those works most likely to return multifold returns for the publishing house.

Another drawback to having a large publishing house publish your book that is still true today is the distribution of revenues from sales of YOUR work. If you are “lucky” enough to have a major publisher “accept” your work and publish it, you are on your way to receiving pennies on the dollar for each copy they sell. Did you ever wonder why you are given such a small percentage of the sales revenues - maybe as little as 2 percent? Well, it boils down to corporate profits and shareholder dividends. Almost all of the large publishing houses are publicly held stocks, and like any other stock, shareholders expect double-digit growth on their investments. That, combined with huge CEO and executive salaries, corporate inefficiencies, and a need to show profits, means that they can only pay you - the author, the one that did all the real work - a few cents for each copy of YOUR book that they sell.

There is an alternative, Print on Demand, POD. Several POD printing firms have sprung up in the last decade, making it easier for an author to get their work published. With the Internet online bookselling marketplaces growing as they have, it is even possible to market your own book alongside those published by the biggest publishing houses out there. Other than a marketplace commission of about 15% on the sale of your book and the price of printing, you do not have to give anyone a penny to publish your book. On top of that, you do not give up any of your rights to your own work.

It no longer makes much sense to beg a big publishing house to publish your book. Of the hundreds of thousands of books they publish each year, few make the authors rich anyway. Why not take the entire matter on yourself. You will need to do most of the marketing yourself anyway, and setting up a website to promote your book, writing some articles to draw attention to it, and mailing it to customers that buy it will secure the profits for you instead of some corporation.

Michael E. Mould is the author of “Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips,” [Paperback ISBN 1427600708, CD-ROM ISBN 1599714876] and the developer of “Bookkeeping for Booksellers” [CD ISBN 1427600694], you can learn more about online bookselling at: http://www.online-bookselling.com, or by emailing mike@online-bookselling.com.