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OTS 155: Referral Culture - Bill Cates 0
Today's guest understands the importance of referrals and networking.
His company, Referral Coach International, helps people and businesses who want to acquire more clients and customers through word of mouth, referrals, and personal introduction. His goal is to help people increase their revenue without having to increase their marketing expenses.
After building and selling two successful businesses, he has turned his attention to relationship marketing strategies and is a founding member of the Million Dollar Speakers Group. He is the author of three books, "Get More Referrals Now," "Don't Keep Me a Secret," and "Beyond Referrals," and he is working on his fourth book, called "Radical Relevance."
When he's not busy at work he enjoys adventure and has trekked through the Himalayas, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and has camped in the Arctic Circle.
Please join me in welcoming Bill Cates.
his thoughts on leadership: "True leadership comes from confidence, being controlling comes from a place of insecurity."
how he views leadership as a balance between giving and supporting, a term he calls leadership and followership.
his natural leading abilities and the realizations around ego and personal growth that has shaped his leadership capabilities.
limiting beliefs he overcame to find success.
his habits for staying connected and networking with others.
how he builds a culture of referrals, introductions, and connections.
OTS 154: Train Your Assassins - J. Kelly Hoey 0
Today's guest says if you had asked her former lawyer self if she imagined herself in the career she has today, the likely response would have been: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
Speaker and author of the "Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World," she has been lauded from Forbes to Fast Company for her networking skills and Twitter acumen.
Her entire career story is a networked one, from her first career as a lawyer to being invited to join non-profit and startup boards, to dine with Malala, and then to writing her book and so much more.
She believes success is not simply a question of what you know, how hard you work, or even who you have the good fortune of bumping into. Instead, she believes success in a hyper-connected world comes down to who knows what you know.
Please join me in welcoming J. Kelly Hoey.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is not being afraid of other people's success and helping others reach their potential."
her first mentor when she began practicing law, and how he lead in a way that ingrained in her a desire to excel, to be better, and created fierce loyalty.
how she has always been career focused but is finally in the career she loves now.
the benefit of handing out name tags at an event.
her emphasis on showing up and being engaged while also maintaining diverse networks.
how she shows people what she does instead of just telling them.
OTS 153: The Footprint to Follow – Desheen L. Evans 0
Today's guest is an Emergency Crisis & International Trauma Recovery Coach.
She has over three decades of experience in trauma-informed care working with families, institutions, and organizations in the aftermath of crisis situations and traumatic life events. She provides emergency crisis, international trauma recovery, behavioral management, and executive coaching.
She is the Founder and CEO of Eyes of Power, a certified minority and woman-owned company dedicated to creating visions that help others take leaps in their personal and professional lives.
Her personal history with trauma inspired her to create culturally-competent tools that meet her clients where they are. In addition to being a contributing author to several books, she is writing a book to share her story and make these tools available to more people.
Please join me in welcoming Desheen L. Evans.
her thoughts on leadership: "I look at leadership like it's a banana, you have to peel it back to eat it. There are actual steps you have to take to get to leadership."
her belief that there is no such thing as a one-person leader.
all of her work with trauma-informed care and meeting people exactly where they are.
her new training program, The Lens of Trauma, and how she is working to help people view trauma differently.
how she has a habit of purposely making one person smile every day.
her insights on connecting with others and the go-getter part of her personality that has helped her make significant professional advancements.
OTS 152: The Feedback Habit - Joe Hirsch 0
Today's guest is on a mission to fix the way we work at work. He specializes in helping organizations apply behavioral science to strengthen the way leaders train, support, and empower their teams for success.
An award-winning educational leader and researcher, he has earned accolades from Fortune 500 executives to NFL coaches for his forward-thinking approach to improving organizational culture and effectiveness.
The author of "The Feedback Fix," he offers a radical alternative to traditional feedback techniques and performance management practices. He distills vast bodies of research-based practice into actionable insights that make an immediate difference in how people work, learn, and lead. His work has caught the attention of Marshall Goldsmith and Adam Grant, the latter called him a "breath of fresh air."
Please join me in welcoming Joe Hirsch.
his thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is the ability to listen and learn. Those two qualities define the way leaders interact with everyone around them and they also define relationships and the tone of the organization as a whole."
how he learned the value of listening and learning when you are a leader.
the importance of leaders holding up mirrors and creating a space for people to learn who they are.
why he values being a learn-it-all over being a know-it-all.
his favorite role in his work, where he gets to see the light bulb click for people.
his method of networking and how he has incorporated a spreadsheet to help him keep in touch.
OTS 151: Extrovert Bias - Pamela Slim 0
Today's guest builds the leadership capacity of small business owners.
She started her career working as a consultant with large corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, and Cisco Systems. In 2009, she published "Escape from Cubicle Nation," which spearheaded the movement of people leaving corporate jobs to start their own business.
Building on that book's award-winning success, she published her second book "Body of Work" and founded Main Street Learning Lab, a community-based leadership development lab that supports and strengthens the work of diverse entrepreneurs – especially entrepreneurs of color and their allies.
She has been a business coach for over 20 years, helping entrepreneurs solve core business challenges and generate stories, research, and insight.
Please join me in welcoming Pamela Slim.
her thoughts on leadership: "It has always resonated with me to be the type of leader who is really recognizing the leadership capabilities in community and doing what I can to support that."
the leadership lessons she learned while training capoeira for 11 years.
how she and her husband landed in Mesa, Arizona, and how the foundation of their business was grown by listening first before deciding what to offer their community.
her experience being the only extrovert in a family of supportive introverts, and what she learned while working with Susan Cain.
her thoughts on planning events to accommodate both extroverts and introverts.
the importance of diversity and inclusion and what that looks like in her life, and how she views networking through the lens of ecosystems.
OTS 150: Investing in Relationships - Melissa Smith 0
Today's guest understands you can't do it all yourself. Her clients are at a tipping point, launching the next phase of their life and business while creating multiple business income streams - which is why she's their expert resource for finding the best virtual assistant for their needs.
Based on the positive response to her two books "Become a Successful Virtual Assistant" and "Hire the Right Virtual Assistant" she decided there was a need for an association to promote a high standard of excellence among VAs. Thus, she founded the Association of Virtual Assistants.
In 2017, she became location independent and traveled to 16 countries in 12 months while growing her business at a rapid rate. Since then, she has become a sought after Remote Work Consultant, helping individuals looking for remote work, as well as those in need of better hiring and managing their remote teams.
Please join me in welcoming Melissa Smith.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and making sure you have the ability to have people pull them out of you while you also do that for them."
how anonymous, random of acts of kindness with her dad and watching her mom as a soft-spoken but powerful "quiet" leader influenced who she is and how she operates today.
how she finds joy in seeing others get over the humps in their lives to achieve the greatness they are capable of.
the Association of Virtual Assistants she recently launched and what she loves about it.
how she knows when she needs to hire another Virtual Assistant.
her methods for networking and investing in relationships over the long haul.
OTS 149: Bridge the Gap - Thom Singer, CSP 0
Today's guest helps people get back to the basics of relationships that lead to better opportunities and sales.
Having worked as a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies for the last ten years, he is an advocate for creating strong experiences for conference attendees. He has authored twelve books on the power of business relationships, sales, networking, presentation skills, and entrepreneurship and has earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation conferred by the National Speakers Association.
He has interviewed over 400 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders as host of the Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do podcast, which Inc.com named one of eight business podcasts to listen to in 2018.
Please join me in welcoming Thom Singer, CSP.
his thoughts on leadership: "Leadership really means being present, having a vision, and helping the team get across whatever the gap is."
how he didn't necessarily feel like he had the confidence to be a leader as a kid but still found himself stepping up when it was needed.
his experience with game shows, starting in second grade.
how he has placed himself in the path of luck and been on many adventures because of it.
his hobby of speaking at open mic night at comedy clubs and how that has helped him in his professional speaking career.
his proactive method for connecting with people.
OTS 148: A Treasure Hunt - Pat Hedley 0
Today's guest believes everyone has the seeds of a great network within reach and that to establish genuine relationships we must proactively meet people in person.
She is an investor, advisor, speaker, author, and the founder of an advisory firm working with growth companies. She has invested in several innovative private companies which solve old problems in new ways.
Inspired by the experiences of thousands of people she has interacted with over her thirty-year career, she wrote "Meet 100 People: A How-to Guide to the Career and Life Edge Everyone's Missing." I know you're going to appreciate how she reframes networking to make it accessible, joyful, and life-affirming. Her work is especially relevant for young professionals looking to build valuable life-long relationships.
Please join me in welcoming Pat Hedley.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership means inspiring others to pursue a common and worthy objective."
how she was shy growing up but learned to push herself through helping her entrepreneur mom.
how she joined speech club in high school and how it was her first glimpse of her leadership potential.
her "meet 100 people" campaign, the impact it has had, and the opportunities it has presented.
the professor analogy.
how she networks by sending information to people when it reminds her of them, and by scheduling get-togethers with people.
OTS 147: Spirit of Service - Lenora Billings-Harris 0
Today's guest believes we are all connected and can achieve more significant results when we learn how to build relationships with all people, regardless of their packaging.
She is a diversity and inclusion strategist who specializes in helping organizations make diversity and inclusion a competitive advantage. She is the author of two books and was included among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)
She is a past president of the Global Speakers Federation and was recently inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.
She has presented to audiences on six continents and in thirty-seven countries, plus in the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Please join me in welcoming Lenora Billings-Harris.
her thoughts on leadership: "True leaders have a vision with clarity of outcomes. They inspire others by the way they carry themselves and have the ability to direct, guide, and listen."
how her leadership skills first showed up in elementary school when other students would go to her when something needed to be taken to a teacher or the principal.
how her grandparents and her dad helped develop her leadership skills.
the most rewarding part of her work today, when she sees people globally realizing that peace is the way.
her methods for helping businesses create a culture of inclusion and diversity.
the significance of her trips to Africa, and how that love started when she was in third grade.
OTS 146: Break Down the Walls - Ryan Paugh 0
Today's guest was called "a cult legend in the online community-building world" by Mashable.
He has been at the forefront of building highly curated, technology-enabled communities for ambitious professionals. He is focused on creating a strong membership experience and positive business outcomes for thousands of successful executives, thought leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs across the country.
He first co-founded Brazen Technologies, a career-management site for high-achieving young professionals and ambitious college students. After that, he went on to co-found Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization for leading entrepreneurs. In 2018, along with his business partner Scott Gerber, he authored Superconnector: Stop Networking & Start Building Business Relationships That Matter.
Today, he and his team are building the future of professional organizations with The Community Company, an organization which creates community programs for global brands and media companies.
Please join me in welcoming Ryan Paugh.
his thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is being a person who puts other people's needs in front of their own to focus on how they can help other people do their best work, sometimes at the sacrifice of what they are working on."
how his focus for business growth is on helping the people on his team break through barriers to be their best.
how his empathy and desire for everyone to feel connected has existed his whole life, and how connecting people began when he was young.
what being a superconnector looks like for him as an introverted and analytical person.
his thoughts on networking events and how he creates an oasis for people who want to connect with others away from the noise.
how he connects with people in his extended network, using a combination of strategy, intention, and serendipity.
OTS 145: Live the Life You Want - Samantha Riley 0
Today's guest helps her clients grow profitable businesses to create lives that they love.
She is a speaker, international business growth strategist, author of "The Heart of Entrepreneurship: It's Your Time to Shine", and the host of the Thought Leaders Business Lab podcast.
She has 25 years of personal experience in building and growing businesses and has spent the last 8 years helping people turn their expertise into a thriving business so they have more income, freedom, and impact. She uses 3 key principles of positioning, profile, and leverage to help people become the go-to authority in their industry.
Please join me in welcoming Samantha Riley.
her thoughts about leadership: "Leadership can be described by words but it's more than that, it's also a feeling. It's important for leaders to have great vision, a lot of courage to make the right decisions."
how her entrepreneur life began when she was around eight years old and started selling baked goods at school.
how she started in a government job, doing what was expected, and how that led to her starting her first two businesses within six months of each other when she was 20 years old.
her personal transition journey that also led to a career transition as well.
how she started learning to not just see what people were coming to her with but also what they were asking her for, and how that moved her into her role as a business coach.
the value she places on being a connector and what that looks like for her.
OTS 144: The Connector's Advantage – Michelle Tillis Lederman 0
I have a special treat for you this week. This will be the first time I've had someone back on the show and it's for a very good reason. My guest is a people expert who inspires organizations and individuals to build real relationships and get real results.
Named one of Forbes Top 25 Networking Experts, she is the author of several books including "The Connectors Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact," which was just released a couple of months ago.
For this book, she interviewed over two dozen networking experts, including Marshall Goldsmith, Dorie Clark, Ivan Misner, Susan RoAnn, and yours truly. I feel quite fortunate to be mentioned with this esteemed group – many of whom I've interviewed.
Connectors think and act a certain way that makes things happen faster, easier, and often with a better result. If you feel like your networking is not translating into results or everyone else seems to be getting ahead even though you are just as smart – then you'll appreciate the great advice from these connectors.
Please join me in welcoming back Michelle Tillis Lederman.
her new book about connectors, called "The Connector's Advantage."
how being a connector is on a spectrum that spans from emerging connectors to global super connectors.
abundance and scarcity mindsets and why it is important to come from a place of abundance, but also why it is important to not beat yourself up when you experience a moment of scarcity thinking.
her method for adding extra opportunity to connect with people by identifying "underutilized time" and using that to call or spend time with other people.
the right way to ask for favors.
how to be an inclusive connector.
OTS 143: It Comes Down To You - David Shriner-Cahn 0
Today's guest has a mission for helping solopreneur experts do what they love and get paid what they're worth.
He is a recognized authority on entrepreneurship and leadership development, having served as a CEO, COO, and CFO in the not-for-profit sector as well as a project manager in the private sector.
As the host of the business podcast Smashing the Plateau, he's released over 400 episodes that offer a wealth of personal experiences and practical advice about achieving business breakthroughs.
He is the Co-Founder of the BestNetwork, which guides expertise-driven solopreneur business owners to save time and make more money.
Please join me in welcoming David Shriner-Cahn.
his thoughts on leadership: "Leadership means communicating ideas that spur other people to take action. It's about inspiring others and it's not about authority or command."
how he has taken on leadership roles, especially as a volunteer, for a lot of his life.
how he launched his business in 2006 and then started business networking in 2007 and what he has learned from that.
some of his strengths and how he learned to decipher his strengths.
his networking habits including conferences, in-person get-togethers, and collaborating with other entrepreneurs to connect people.
his BestNetwork membership network.
OTS 142: Visualize to Actualize – Holly Duckworth 0
Today's guest unleashes human potential through mindfulness techniques. Known as the C-Suite Network Advisor on Mindfulness in the Workplace, she helps stressed-out leaders find and sustain greater focus, clarity, and inner peace, resulting in a more grounded and powerful presence and enhanced profits.
She began her career in the world of nonprofits and volunteer leadership, teaching thousands of association staff and volunteers how to reboot for success. Today, she takes the best of her strategic vision expertise, blends it with mindful leadership practices and her event background to curate experiential events that change hearts, minds, and companies.
She is the author of several books, her latest "Everyday Mindfulness: From Chaos to Calm in a Crazy Work" was an Amazon top new release in 2018. She has received numerous awards and is the producer and host of the Everyday Mindfulness Show.
Please join me in welcoming Holly Duckworth.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is the combination of skills, characteristics, and abilities that fit into the idea of the position. It's important to understand that everyone is a leader because everything we do begins with leading ourselves first."
how leadership came naturally to her but how she didn't consider herself a leader until other people pointed it out to her.
her journey from being a meteorology major to mindfulness coaching.
how she works for organizations to help them develop a practice around being present in the moment and mindful.
the seven components to being a mindful leader and how to implement them.
the specific mantra that she says every day to help manifest her desires into her life.
OTS 141: Imaginess – Randah Taher 0
Today's guest is made up of one part creativity, one part context, one part connections, and a sprinkle of playfulness. She is the founder and idea culturist behind sajory, an innovation consultancy that nurtures organization behavior and helps businesses transition its culture into a fertile space for innovation.
Some of her past accomplishments include designing a city-wide leadership program for Toronto's youth and creating a multi-faceted storytelling project in Montreal called My Arabic Story. After her master's degree in creativity, innovation, and change leadership from SUNY Buffalo in New York, she experimented with different methods to run innovation facilitation programs in government agencies in the United Arab Emirates.
She is a TEDx and keynote speaker, and a curator of the subscription box IMAGINESS by sajory – monthly inspiration to imagine happiness at work.
Please join me in welcoming Randah Taher.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is not a static thing. Sometimes people are following you, sometimes they are following a concept, and sometimes you are leading yourself."
the transformation she experienced going from a curious and rebellious-against-norms child into an adventurous and courageous adult.
the four different methods she uses in business: creative problem solving, cognitive, strategic planning, and biomimicry.
how networking, including connections and follow up created an amazing leadership opportunity for her.
how design thinking and creativity got her a position teaching architecture without having architect experience. She read books by day and taught by night.
her theme of being willing to take risks and reach out to people, and the amazing journey it has taken her on.
OTS 140: Care to Catch-Up – Matt Ward 0
Today's guest is passionate about helping employees, managers, and business owners move their business and personal life to the next level through word of mouth referrals.
He has experienced the same challenges that most employees and business owners face. He used his failures to craft a message as a speaker that resonates with his audiences and leaves them with actionable steps to improve their business.
He is the author of "MORE…Word of Mouth Referrals, Lifelong Customers & Raving Fans" and host of the small business podcast Square Peg Round Hole.
Please join me in welcoming Matt Ward.
his thoughts on leadership: "You need to develop your skills enough for other people to see you as a leader. My analogy is that you can't push a rope, you can only pull it."
how owning his own company taught him he was a leader.
his combination of networking and bootstrapping that has brought him significant success.
how he believes results come from building true, meaningful, and deep relationships with others.
his tools for networking, including using LinkedIn to set up "catch-up calls" and his old school handwritten notes "20-20-20" method.
his high-five effect idea and his goal for giving 1,000 high-five's in 2019.
OTS 139: Three Golden Questions - Judy Robinett 0
Today's guest is a business thought leader who is known as "the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex."
In her more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and corporate leader, she has served as the CEO of both public and private companies and in management positions at Fortune 500 companies.
She has been profiled in Inc., Forbes, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of "super connectors" who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.
She is the author of "Crack the Funding Code: How Investors Think and What They Need to Hear to Fund Your Startup" and "How to Be a Power Connector: the 5-50-150 Rule," which was #1 of The Top Ten Business Books of 2014 by Inc.com.
Please join me in welcoming Judy Robinett.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leaders are the visionary people who are empathetic. They build a team by caring about their people and getting that group to execute a vision together."
how leadership experiences in graduate school taught her how to be an empathetic leader.
her journey from being a shy and bullied kid to being a powerful connector and strong leader.
how she learned the importance of talking to strangers and where purposeful conversations have taken her.
her 5+50+100 rule for networking and making connections.
the three golden questions she follows to help crowd surf through other people's networks to find help when needed.
OTS 138: Seeing Their Greatness – Laura Gassner Otting 0
Today's guest helps innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts get "unstuck." She helps them push past the doubt and indecision that consign great ideas to limbo.
She is a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold a successful international executive search firm, built philanthropic and political action committees from scratch, and was a White House appointee on the team which created the national service project, AmeriCorps.
She is the author of multiple books including her latest, "Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life." Not a surprising topic for someone who describes herself as the lightweight champion of the get-the-hell-out-of-your-own-way world, a competitive rower, and professional badass.
Please join me in welcoming Laura Gassner Otting.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is looking at other people, seeing their greatness, and reflecting that back on them in a way they can see it, believe it, and do something with it."
how her time in politics taught her the difference between the person on stage and the people who are leaders.
her belief that success doesn't create happiness and that success and leadership look different to each person.
the four elements that remove limits and empower people to live their best lives.
her knowledge of networking and how she learned to respect other people's agendas.
how she maintains relationships with people by being conscious of where she's traveling and connecting friends from different walks in life.
OTS 137: Last Bad Day – Michael OBrien 0
Today's guest's last bad day was July 11th, 2001, a day that changed his life in a significant way.
Experiencing a harrowing cycling accident was the catalyst to the seminal shift that changed his perspective, mindset, and actions. Since then, he has been helping leaders make change stick at work and in their lives.
In addition to executive coaching and speaking, he is the best-selling author of "Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows," and the founder of a leadership academy that helps people become the wealthiest person they know, from the inside out.
Please join me in welcoming Michael O'Brien.
his thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is really about knowing your purpose, trying to paint a compelling vision of the future, connecting with others, and then making it about their success."
how baseball coaches shaped his views on leadership from a young age.
how his cycling accident changed his life and the significant mindset shifts he went through to start living his life on purpose.
the intention he puts into his leadership academy, and how he connects with each and every student.
his experience with being a minority at a conference and how that led to him becoming President of a chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association.
OTS 136: Stand In Your Power - Nicole Roberts Jones 0
Today's guest is uniquely gifted at drawing out what's best in others and helping them take their brilliance to the bank.
She is a nationally recognized transformational speaker, best-selling author, Purpose to Paycheck Expert, and the Founder & CEO of Fierce Factor Lab. She has over 20 years of experience working with entrepreneurs, corporate executives, heads of states, celebrities, and nonprofit directors in talent and program development.
She is the creator of the FIERCE Formula and works with entrepreneurs to create multiple streams of income from what they already know in order to build an empire from their expertise. Additionally, she works with corporations to assure their executives and middle managers align their purpose with their paycheck, push their internal edge, and step into the true power of their gifts and talents at work.
Please join me in welcoming Nicole Roberts Jones.
her thoughts on leadership: "A leader is someone who is unapologetically themselves, is transparent, and has more than one way they make money."
the creative way her husband chose to nurture the light he saw in the people he worked with.
her defining moment when she found her fierce.
how starting a program for teen girls in her church turned into a non-profit and directly relates to what she does not.
the fierce formula she lives by and how she uses that to help people find create multiple streams of income from the skills they already have.
her tricks for battling nervousness and being shy before speaking.
OTS 135: Unlock Potential – Diana Wu David 0
Today's guest helps global leaders enhance their ability to adapt, contribute, collaborate, and grow.
A former Financial Times executive, she started out her career working on strategy as a management consultant and as an assistant to Dr. Henry Kissinger at Kissinger Associates in New York.
She is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School Executive MBA Global Asia and the author of "Future Proof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration."
After a diverse global business career spanning over two decades and four continents, her priority now is to help others re-imagine a productive, profitable and exciting future of work for themselves and their companies via teaching, writing and consulting.
Please join me in welcoming Diana Wu David.
her thoughts on leadership: "Leadership is about stepping up and helping people unlock their potential and accelerate their dreams."
how her leadership journey started when she became a hall director in college.
her desire for identifying people's special talents and helping unleash them for the good of the company.
how most of her amazing positions have been the result of a productive accident.
how storytelling and active listening have helped her grow in each business endeavor.
her method for networking that involves connecting with others who share similar values and interests.
OTS 134: Step Into Your Worth - Suzy Carroll 0
Today's guest, like many ambitious women today, pushed herself to the limit and happily wore the busy badge of honor for decades.
Her suicide attempt as a young adult ignited a passion for personal development which led to her owning a nutrition business. Yet, while she made sure other women were taking care of themselves, stress, anxiety, worry, and fatigue were
her constant companions.
She sold her business and took a year-long sabbatical that she calls her "Year of No" and learned how to unwind from over-busy habits and determine why she was pushing herself at a great cost to her own well-being.
She then interviewed other ambitious women about busyness addiction and leadership which led to creating Alchemy of Feminine Leadership™, a framework that redefines ambition and success for lasting and sustainable impact without burnout - teaching women how to prioritize self for a deep enduring contribution to self and to society.
Please join me in welcoming Suzy Carroll.
her thoughts on leadership: "To me, leadership is about fostering the full potential of others, which also means fostering your own full potential first."
how being raised by a narcissistic mother shaped her belief that she was "not enough."
her transformation from being a people pleaser into a self-pleaser first.
the lessons Suzy learned during her sabbatical "year of no."
how she helps women reduce overwhelm in their lives and step into their worth.
her methods for connecting to others, continuing to keep connections strong, and join people together for a common goal.
OTS 133: Small Changes Big Difference – Ruchika Tulshyan 0
Today's guest helps workplaces build inclusive cultures by addressing barriers to equity and access.
She is a diversity and inclusion strategist, author of an award-winning book, "The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality In The Workplace," and Seattle University's Professional-in-Residence in Communication.
She was also recognized as one of 30 management thinkers to watch globally, as part of the Thinkers50 2019 Radar.
Please join me in welcoming Ruchika Tulshyan.
her thoughts on leadership: "To me, leadership is to inspire others to get uncomfortable and lead them to take action to make changes in the world."
how it took her a long time to think of herself as a leader because of messaging that says women, and especially women of color, don't get to be leaders.
her experience growing up in culturally-diverse Singapore, and how that has framed her passion for working with underserved people.
how she was always a storyteller but didn't realize there were careers where she could tell stories for a living.
her method for teaching her students about privilege by having them do a "privilege walk."
how she intentionally networks and has created intentional communities, especially for people who are considered a minority.
OTS 132: Hypnotic Communication – Jason Linett 0
Today's guest uses hypnosis and hypnotic communication to help his clients grow their businesses. He used the principles of rapport and modeling to track what top business performers do differently to build several six-figure businesses of his own.
Rather than just hypnotize his clients to become more successful, he helps them de-hypnotize the personal blocks that are holding back their business success.
He is the author of the best-selling book, "Work Smart Business: Lessons Learned from Hypnotizing 250,000 People and Building a Million-Dollar Brand." He speaks to business people around the world on how they can put his WORK SMART principles and strategies to use. He says, "The process isn't magic, but the results can be magical."
Please join me in welcoming Jason Linett.
his thoughts on leadership: "The biggest measure of a leader are those who are learning information, putting it to use to get a result, and making it their own. It's about the integration, customization, and creativity that goes into it."
how he came from a family of entrepreneurs and how that prepared him.
how stage hypnosis caught his attention because there were no props and it was all about communication and relationship building between the hypnotist, the volunteers, and the audience.
his thoughts on how easy it is to try to be everything to everyone in business but how important it is to niche and even super-niche for maximum impact.
how our language patterns can become conversational hypnosis.
his habits around networking that involve cross-pollination and sharing generously.
OTS 131: Cultivate Your Network – Erica Dhawan 0
Today's guest breaks silos, works smarter, and gets things done.
She is the Founder and CEO of Cotential, a global consultancy that helps organizations transform by delivering collaboration across teams, business units, customers, and other stakeholders.
She is one of today's most provocative business thinkers on the future of work. She advises business leaders and companies to lead markets through innovations that matter, create increasing value for customers and clients, deliver sustainable results, and ensuring future global competitiveness.
She is the co-author of the bestselling book: "Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence," ranked #1 on What Corporate America is Reading.
An in-demand speaker, she has spoken, worldwide, to organizations and enterprises that range from the World Economic Forum at Davos to U.S. and global Fortune 500 companies. She has been listed on the Thinkers50 RADAR list for the emerging management thinkers around the world most likely to shape the future of business, management, and strategy.
her thoughts on leadership: "I define leadership as the ability to enable others to achieve a shared purpose in the face of uncertainty."
how attending a Global Entrepreneurship program when she was 17 was the catalyst for her becoming a leader.
how her desire to self-reflect and continuously improve came from her failed attempts instead of her successes.
various research she has conducted about connection and how that led her to create the concept of Connectional Intelligence™.
the three types of connectors we all are and how we can use our connection type to better collaborate and network with others.
her habits around networking and connection that allow her to deeply connect with others for a purpose.
Please join me in welcoming Erica Dhawan.
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Chihei Hatakeyama talks about the intersection of ambient, jazz or improvisation Part 2: Exploring the context of improvisational music from Off Site to FTARRI
Intersection of ambient and jazz or improvisation
Author Narushi Hosoda
Chihei Hatakeyama, who released a new work "Late Spring" from Gearbox Records in London, talks about the improvisational music scene in Tokyo and the artists who captures his interest now.
Chihei Hatakeyama is a musician who released a new album "Late Spring" from Gearbox Records. He started working on ambient music in the early 2000s. Looking back on the situation surrounding music in those days, new improvisational music scenes emerged simultaneously in cities around the world such as Tokyo, Vienna, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and London from the 1990s to the 2000s. Hatakeyama was timely exposed to these trends which were often described as "a new paradigm of improvisational music" or "sound improvisation," in real time. And he became involved in the improvisational music scene himself in the late 2000s. In doing so, according to him, he came to incorporate improvisational techniques into the production process of ambient music.
In the second part of the interview, we will focus on the charm of the improvisational music scene in Tokyo in the early 2000s, which constituted one of his musical backgrounds, the utility of improvisational performance in music production, the relationship between live performances and recordings, and musicians he appreciates now.
"New attempts were coming out one after another." The appeal of the improvisational music scene in the early 2000s
——In the second part, I would like to ask you mainly about the relationship between improvisational music and you. At the end of the first part, you said: "I used to go to improvisational live performances in the early 2000s." It coincides with the time when Off Site in Yoyogi, one of the bases of the improvisational music scene in Tokyo was opened. Is there any event that left a strong impression on you?
Chihei Hatakeyama: I've been to the Off Site several times. Those were probably Sachiko M's event and the live performances of Atsushiro Ito and Tetuzi Akiyama. The most shocking improvisational live was the Amplify Festival hosted by John Abbey from ERSTWHILE Records. It was held at the Star Pines Cafe in Kichijoji in 2002, and it was insanely interesting. Moreover, despite the fact that it's an improvisational live, a lot of listeners came for some reason (laughs). But anyway, it was an event where domestic and foreign musicians gathered and performed in various combinations. I was particularly impressed by the duo of Thomas Lane and Marcus Schmicler. Thomas Lane was using an analog synth called EMS, which looked new to me.
——What kind of charm did you find in improvisational music at that time?
Hatakeyama: I like reading books, and I was struck by Atsushi Sasaki's book "Tech Noise Materialism" (Seidosha) published in 2001. There is a chapter entitled "Free Improvisation in the 21st Century" that mentions musicians like Yoshihide Otomo, Sachiko M, and Derek Bailey. In retrospect, it's unusual that Mika Vinio, Jeff Mills, and Satoshi Ashikawa appear in the same book (laugh). But at that time, It was quite common to talk about, say, Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) along with Taku Sugimoto. Anyway, using the book as a clue, I met music that I had never heard before, which was refreshing and interesting. Also, at that time, the technological development of equipments was visibly progressing, a lot of music that obviously did not exist in the previous era was appearing. I was attracted by improvisational music partly due to a lot of new attempts and equipments coming out one after another in this field.
—— At that time, haven't you worked on so-called sound improvisation characterized by the stoic performances mainly consist of muted sounds and the frequent use of silence?
Hatakeyama: I had tried a few recordings before releasing my first album ("Minima Moralia"), but it wasn't quite convincing. I liked listening to improvisational live performances, but when it comes to making my own work, I had to rely on my own taste and aesthetic . Otherwise I didn't have any mean to measure the value of my work. Thinking about what kind of music would suit me, I thought the beat would impose a limitation on the sound. As such, I decided to start off with a quiet music with no beats, that has a glimmer of melody appearing occasionally, which came to fruition in an album called "Minima Moralia" released in 2006. So I wasn't trying to do ambient or drone in the beginning.
——Did you get any clue for your own music production from the exposure to sound improvisation scene?
Hatakeyama: There may not be many people who think of it like this, but in terms of the influence from the improvisational scene at that time, the biggest thing would be "landscapes made with sound". For example, the music of Toshimaru Nakamura and Tetuzi Akiyama has imaginative aspects that would make listeners imagine that the scenery of the sound changes and the "visibility" of the scenery is generated as time goes on. I was inspired by this kind of spatial width of sounds. Though "Minima Moralia" is often categorized as ambient music, I think it actually shares similarities with that kind of improvised music, such as the way the sounds are used, composed, and mixed.
Utilization of improvisation as a method in "Late Spring"
——You sometimes use improvisation as a method. For example, in this "Late Spring", one of the concepts was "to find a good take from one-take improvisational recordings".
Hatakeyama: That's right. There are some songs that have been slightly modified, but basically all of them are recorded in one take. The concept for the seventh song, "Thunder Ringing in the Distance," which is a recording of improvisational performance of an acoustic guitar, was to avoid overdubbing and to add no supplemental sound so as to keep as much of the sound as it was recorded. To put it the other way around, I had a specific concept for each song that would determine the direction of performance beforehand, and I recorded several performances made under that concept and adopted the best take.
——What inspired you to come up with the idea of "one-take improvisation" like a jazz solo album?
Hatakeyama: There are several triggers, but one of them was a gathering with Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama, and electronics player Ken Ikeda, which happened before the coronavirus pandemic. What we talked in that gathering was: "Rather than constructing sounds through overdubbing, a recording of one performance leads to a good piece of work." Besides, I also work as a recording engineer. Now, DAW has become so convenient that we can easily replace just one part of song. So as part of my work, I was doing something like replacing only the ad-lib part in a jazz session with another take, which made me wonder if it is really okay to keep doing something like this (Laughs). With that kind of personal experience, I decided to record the entire performance as much as possible.
——It may be closer to the feeling that you prefer the unedited version of Miles Davis' On The Corner. Is the jumpiness-like glitch noise in the 7th song "Spica" also one-take recording of improvisation?
Hatakeyama: That's right. It's also part of one-take performance with a modular synth. In that sense, I think that traces of my play are scattered in the sound. If you look for them while listening to it, even people who usually listen to jazz may be able to enjoy it.
——I think it would be interesting to listen to it along with Masabumi Kikuchi's synth solo. For "Late Spring" you adopted a one-take recording of improvisation, but what do you think is the musical element unique to improvisation that cannot be obtained by constructing everything in a DAW in advance, for example?
Hatakeyama: It may be personal sense of time reflected in the sound after all. If you make everything with a DAW, the sound will be bound by the time signature. Of course, depending on the settings, you can create a tune in which its time changes, but it's very difficult to do that by inputting all the required data. However, with improvisation, for example, the player's sense of time that may slightly shifts on the spot is reflected even in a tune of a four-quarter time. With a sequencer of newest modular synth, the time of respective phrases match, but since it's analog, it feels a bit out of sync compared to the sound made with a laptop DAW. But that's not too bad.
"Even if the types of music seem totally different on the surface, you are able to trace their histories back to John Cage"
——By the way, I first learned about you not in the context of ambient music, but in the magazine "Improvised Music from Japan 2009". You were interviewed in the article about the series of events "AFTERWARDS" co-hosted by you and sound artist Makoto Oshiro. Why did you start planning an event in collaboration with Oshiro?
Hatakeyama: To put it simply, our houses were close (laugh). I used to live in Fujisawa, but I moved to Nishiogikubo, Tokyo around 2007. At that time, Taro Nijikama invited me to the cherry blossoms viewing, and about 40 people gathered, including Oshiro. When I talked to him, it turned out that Oshiro had just moved to Tokyo as well and that his house was within walking distance from my place. That's why I started going out with him for drinks and talking about planning an event together. After that, the first event was held in June 2008.
——According to the article, AFTERWARDS is derived from Natsume Soseki's novel "And Then", and one of the concepts was 'thinking about "Afterwards" of music through events'.
Hatakeyama: Yeah, that's right. I was hosting live shows where completely different types of musicians and artists were mixed. Until around 2010, such a different combinations were rather appreciated. So looking back now, the lineup seems quite chaotic (laugh). However, you will know that they actually share a common ground if you trace their roots. For example, if you trace back through the history of ambient music, you will first reach Brian Eno. And Eno was influenced by John Cage. In that sense, it can be said that sound art and live electronics have the same root. Even if the types of music seem totally different from one another on the surface, you may possibly be able to trace their histories back to John Cage. In other words, it also means you can't see their common ground unless you trace the process back to that point.
——Do you still like to listen to Cage's music?
Hatakeyama: What I often listen to lately is Arnold Schoenberg, under whom Cage was studying. While making audibly chaotic music using atonality and twelve-tone techniques, he sometimes added dark melodies or songs to his music. I really like such a balanced approach. Also, when I retraced Schoenberg's music, I could tell that it was a difficult time for music to develop properly, partly because of two world wars and the unstable social situation. After the war, Cage began to become active as a composer, and the well-known "4'33" came out in 1952. It feels like there was a leap, or Cage skipped the history that was supposed to be there. It was too radical, wasn't it? So, It makes me wonder what would happen if the history of music after Schoenberg had been built up appropriately.
——I see, the fact that Cage had such an impact makes us believe what you said about him: One will come upon Cage when he/she traces the history back.
Hatakeyama: Well, Derek Bailey began his quest for free improvisation in the mid-1960s, so it's later than Cage in chronological order, but some part of Bailey's music feels like a pre-Cage work. It may be partly because Bailey's melody was influenced by Schoenberg's disciple Anton Webern. But the biggest thing is that, in contrast to Cage who went too far ahead, Bailey traced the musical genealogy back to the point where Cage had not appeared yet, and reinterpreted the history leading up to Schoenberg.
"Reciprocal feedback between live performances and recordings"
——Compared to Schoenberg's time, the factor of recordings has been added to Bailey's activities as an important aspect of them. In 1970, Bailey launched his own label, Incas Records, together with Evan Parker and others. It is sometimes said that improvisation that put emphasis on one-time performance has poor compatibility with recordings that can be listened to repeatedly, but what is the relationship between live performances and recordings for you?
Hatakeyama: Personally speaking, live performances occupy an important part of my activities, although it's hard to do them now due to the coronavirus pandemic. I often be able to go to the next step by going back and forth between live and recorded material. I try out the playing style I practiced during a live performance with a recorded work, or put what I thought during the recording at home into practice in a live performance. It's a relationship where one factor provides another with feedback mutually. When I do a live performance by myself, it's impossible to reproduce the sound that was precisely constructed with a DAW like a recorded material. So I try to make different music every time, using improvisational method as clues.
——Why did you start using improvisation as a method for recordings?
Hatakeyama: When I first started doing ambient music, I used to construct music elaborately with DAW. However, the result created out of this process was nothing more than what I have just expected, which often made me stuck. In the first place, I was not good at making something in accordance with plans (laughs). However, it was really big thing for me that I became able to edit music on a laptop PC. With it, you can play something on the spot and edit the material later as many times as you like. After the release of "Minima Moralia", I started using improvisational techniques consciously to calm my mind and play without thinking in front of the equipment.
——You are also involved in label management and event planning, and sometimes plays the role of a producer in both live and recorded material. Are there any musicians who attract your attention now in relation to improvisational music?
Hatakeyama: There are a lot of musicians who capture my interest. Recently I was impressed by this musician called iwamaki who is making a tune by layering noise and drones with synthesizer in quite a geeky fashion. She sometimes appears in my events as well. Also, I think the following artists deserve attention: Leo Okagawa, a sound artist who often plays live at Suidobashi FTARRI and is very familiar with records, and Ayami Suzuki, an artist who uses her own voice for making/playing music and has released a duo work called "Undercurrent / Wanderlust" with Okagawa. Suzuki also sings with a guitar by herself, which is very good as well.
Chihei Hatakeyama
He released a solo album "Minima Moralia" from Chicago-based avant-garde music label Kranky under the name of Chihei Hatakeyama in 2006. Since then, he has released many works from independent labels in Japan and overseas, such as Rural Colors in the UK, Under The Spire, Room 40 in Australia, and Home Normal in Japan, and has also performed live tours overseas. He is well known abroad and was ranked in the top 10 of Spotify's 2017 "Most Played Japanese Artists Overseas". In April, the album "Late Spring" was released from Gearbox Records in the UK.
Photography Teppei Hoshida
Edit Jun Ashizawa(TOKION)
Translation Shinichiro Sato(TOKION)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Alana and Grant Williams are proof that when you work with your loved ones, doing what you love, the successes are multiplied.
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Q: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.IllegalStateException: The driver executable does not exist while running Selenium Test on Ubuntu I have tried this code in eclipse :
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;

public class auto {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "/root/Desktop/jarselenium/geckodriver.exe");
        WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();
        driver.manage().window().maximize();
        driver.get("https://www.easybooking.lk/login");
        //driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(25, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
    }
}

On execution I got this error :
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.IllegalStateException: The driver executable does not exist: /root/Desktop/jarselenium/geckodriver.exe

How can i set geckodriver location in ubuntu?

A: As you are using Linux based System while specifying the absolute path of the GeckoDriver you have to trim the extension part i.e. .exe part as follows :
System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "/root/Desktop/jarselenium/geckodriver");

Update
As you are still seeing the error ensure that :

*

*GeckoDriver is present in the specified location.

*GeckoDriver is having executable permission for non-root users. (chmod 777)

*Execute your @Test as a non-root user.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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HOTEL, APARTMENT, & GOLF PACKAGES available
The Caleia Mar Menor Golf & Spa Resort is located at the heart of Mar Menor Golf Resort. This intimate hotel is noted for its traditional cosy style and relaxed atmosphere. The hotel has 64 spacious luxury rooms including 7 suites, all with private balconies and large bathrooms that feature an independant shower and whirlpool bath. The hotel offers a full range of gastronomic options with 3 restaurants and 3 bars, including an Irish Pub !!. There is also a luxurious Thermal Spa. The hotel is surrounded by Mar Menor Golf Village, and an 18 hole Par 72, Nicklaus designed, golf course. There are both indoor and oudoor pools.
Alternative accommodation can be found at "The Residences". These are stunning apartments set in the Mar Menor Golf Resort. Guests here will have access to all the services provided by Mar Menor golf resort and the Intercontinental Mar Menor Hotel.
The "6 NICKALUS" IRM Golf Experience is a unique golf experience made up by six Nicklaus Design Golf Courses with the highest quality and design standards. The fantastic golf experience offered by the courses Mar Menor, La Torre, Saurines, Hacienda Riquelme, El Valle and Alhama, make this area one of the most important golf destinations of Europe; a sort of "European Arizona".
CALEIA MAR MENOR GOLF & SPA RESORT, Calle Ceiba, Torre-Pacheco, Murcia Map
PRINCIPE FELIPE HOTEL, LA MANGA CLUB
GOLF & HOTEL Packages
Incl. Group Discounts
The Principe Felipe 5* Hotel, one of the best hotels in the region of Murcia, is found at the heart of La Manga Club, in an unparalleled setting next to Calblanque Natural Park and the Mar Menor. This distinguished hotel with elegant decor offers its guests 192 cosy rooms, fully equipped and designed for maximum comfort and with guaranteed top-quality service. Both its magnificent facilities, and its huge selection of sports and leisure, make it the ideal place to enjoy a family holiday, golf trip or to celebrate conventions and business meetings.
In the Príncipe Felipe Hotel you can find the following bars and restaurants:
- The Amapola Restaurant, perfect for tasting delicious traditional Mediterranean cuisine, where locally and regionally sourced products are the main feature.
- Sol y Sombra Restaurant, located alongside the Hotel's outdoor pool, is the best choice for having a snack, or relaxing over lunch.
- The Hotel Lobby Bar, in the Hotel reception, provides a peaceful setting in which to relax and enjoy a drink.
- The Piano Lounge Bar offers a sophisticated ambience and is the ideal place for a drink before or after dinner with live music every night and an extensive cocktail menu.
La Manga Club is an exclusive holiday, sports and leisure resort located in a privileged setting bordered by natural parks and unspoilt beaches, offering luxury, leisure and sport with wonderful weather all year round. Covering an area of 1400 acres, the resort offers exclusive accommodation, first-class professional sports facilities and fine dining, ideal for those seeking exceptional tranquillity, security and privacy, coupled with superlative service. Ever since it opened in 1972, La Manga Club has attracted holidaymakers and sports teams to its outstanding facilities, all designed to the highest international standards.
PRINCIPE FELIPE HOTEL, Urb. La Manga Club, Cartagena, Murcia Map
LAS LOMAS VILLAGE, LA MANGA CLUB
Las Lomas Village 4* Apartments are designed for families or those who seek greater independence and peace of mind, whilst still enjoying all of La Manga Club's magnificent facilities. Located very close to La Manga Club's Wellness Centre, the Village offers exceptional views across the resort towards the Mar Menor and the Calblanque Natural Park. Despite being self catering, rates at the Los Lomas Village apartments include full buffet breakfasts served at the adjacent Luigi Restaurant.
LAS LOMAS VILLAGE, Urb. La Manga Club, Cartagena, Murcia Map
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Eberly Commentary: Does the Md. GOP have a deep bench?
by Len Lazarick | September 6, 2013 | News | 4 |
MarylandReporter.com welcomes Todd Eberly as a regular contributor. Eberly is associate professor of political science and Coordinator of Public Policy Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland. We will be publishing his columns simultaneously with his own blog, The FreeStater.
Professor Todd Eberly of St. Mary's College of Maryland.
By Todd Eberly
For MarylandReporter.com
In a recent interview about the open seat for attorney general, I was quoted as saying:
"It speaks to the sorry state of the Republican party in Maryland… You're not going to have Doug Gansler … you've got an open race, the potential for a divisive Democratic primary. If they want anyone to ever take them seriously, they've got to win some statewide offices every now and then, which means trying to build a bench instead of running these throwaway challenges."
Apparently this annoyed Red Maryland's Greg Kline. After taking the obligatory GOP talking point swipe against college professors (for the record, no one who knows me would ever think I read the Huffington Post) he suggested that the MD GOP has a significant and impressive bench of potential candidates.
Says Kline: "The good assistant professor [actually I'm an associate professor] is right that a lack of a candidate even being discussed does reflect poorly on the MDGOP but he is so wrong about the state party not having a bench or plenty of qualified, potential candidates…. Any potential AG candidate knows that they would be on their own running statewide. The state party is too much focused on creating a list of people to call and too little focused on what they are going to tell the person on the other end of the phone."
Kline then goes on to explain why the MD GOP cannot get potential candidates to agree to run for office in the state.
"Candidate recruitment, like recruiting for a college football team, is about selling the experience and making someone want to be a part of something. This is exactly what the party isn't doing."
Kline then rattles off a list of what the MD GOP must do if it wants to recruit candidates. And Kline is spot on. Where Kline and I actually disagree is on just what constitutes "a bench of candidates."
What makes a strong bench
To me, a strong bench consists of candidates preferably with some degree of name recognition and a clear willingness to run if asked. Even better are candidates already holding office. The party would be best served if they were able to tap candidates from among the swelling ranks of elected GOP officials at the county level.
Kline argues that the party has a deep bench simply because there are a lot of qualified potential candidates in the state – but these folks aren't willing to run. To me, that's not a bench. At best it's a two-legged stool.
In 2010 the state GOP let Doug Gansler run unopposed for AG. Nationwide, 2010 was a fantastic year for the GOP — Maryland was a glaring exception that didn't need to be. In the U.S. Senate race Queen Anne's County Commissioner Eric Wargotz scored the highest level of support against Sen. Barbara Mikulski in two decades. With very little money and no debates, Wargotz neared 40% of the vote.
As I have argued in prior posts, Maryland is not a 2-to-1 Democratic state. If you look at actual election results it's closer to a 60/40 state. Credible GOP candidates are able to hit that 40% mark, stronger candidates are able to exceed that share. But such strong candidates are rare in Maryland.
Michael Steele and Bob Ehrlich were each able to top that 40% mark. William Campbell and Anne McCarthy were quality comptroller candidates in 2010 and 2006. In 2014 the state GOP has the potential to have strong candidates for governor, and Campbell is likely to run again for comptroller.
Though I consider Harford County Executive David Craig to be the strongest gubernatorial candidate, Del. Ron George is a solid candidate as well and either could give the Democratic nominee a real fight. Assuming Craig or George actually campaign for the job (as opposed to Ehrlich's lazy mess of a campaign in 2010), they should have no problem topping Ehrlich's 42% from 2010 and could even achieve victory.
Quality candidates needed for all offices, but gerrymandering hurts
It's important that the state GOP have quality candidates running for all statewide offices. Yes, they'd all face an uphill battle to win but a strong top of the ticket can boost turnout and help candidates down ballot cross the finish line in races for the state Senate, House of Delegates, county commissioners, or other local offices.
These down ballot winners then become the MD GOP's real bench. Because of redistricting and Martin O'Malley's political gerrymandering of state legislative districts, the MD GOP is going to have a tough time holding onto its meager 12 seats in the 47-seat state Senate. Falling below 12 seats would be a devastating blow to the morale of any already suffering party. The GOP needs to reach 19 seats in the Senate to truly have an impact as that's the number needed to filibuster.
Gerrymandering makes that a tall order, improbable but not impossible — especially if the top of the ticket is strong. But at present, the state Republican party is just a mess. And so long as it is a mess the bench of candidates will be thin. Folks like Red Maryland's Greg Kline, Mark Newgent, and Brian Griffith have been offering the state GOP a lot a free and good advice, but I'm not sure the state party is organized enough to listen.
Breaking the one-party monopoly
Though Kline may think that I'm some left-wing Huffington Post reading academic, the reality is that I'm an unaffiliated voter who would very much like to see Maryland's one party monopoly broken. I may disagree with the GOP on a host of issues, but the same can be said of the Democrats. I have no preference for one party over the other.
What I do want is a vibrant and open debate of the issues, I want deliberation and not one-party hegemony. I want the 40% of Marylanders who consistently vote against the Democrats to have a voice equal to their numbers, instead of the gerrymandered mess that has effectively held the GOP to less than 30% of the seats in the General Assembly and only one seat among the state's congressional delegation. Republicans have figured out how to win and be relevant in states like New Jersey and Massachusetts.
There simply is no excuse for the party's continued problems in Maryland.
PreviousState Roundup, September 5, 2013
NextState Roundup, September 6, 2013
Len Lazarick
Len Lazarick was the founding editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and is currently the president of its nonprofit corporation and chairman of its board He was formerly the State House bureau chief of the daily Baltimore Examiner from its start in April 2006 to its demise in February 2009. He was a copy editor on the national desk of the Washington Post for eight years before that, and has spent decades covering Maryland politics and government.
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higgy01 on September 7, 2013 at 1:24 pm
The GOP party hierarchy seems to have no more interest in Maryland than the democrat party. The difference is the democrat party has brainwashed the central population to the point they think the democrats take care of them. I say central because the plantation mentality only has to exist in Baltimore City and two or three of the counties for the democrats to control the state. Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore don't count which is probably why they would like to secede. We need people like Bongino to help put the Md. GOP back in the race. Back Bongino over Delaney. Keep Harris in the House and put a known candidate against Ruppersberger. Both Md. senators are vulnerable for different reasons. Maybe, in ten years, the Md. GOP could become a force.
karolh on September 6, 2013 at 1:13 pm
I think the MD GOP does not truly accept anyone that is not within their idea and mold. I see that Dan Bongino is having problems getting the party behind him in a majority. That is really to bad, Dan is a wonderful choice of candidate. He would be a good choice for governor. What we really need is get Sarah Palin or someone with her insight and courage for the MDGOP. Sarah should be invited in to teach our GOP how to get behind a candidate properly and teach how the party members how to get the message out, create excitement for our candidates. She could certainly teach our candidates a few things about making their presentations and exciting the people to the point they like what they hear and are willing to get out and work for the votes. We could increase the Republican base by a large margin with the help of Sarah Palin.
joe on September 6, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Breaking Maryland's one-party Democratic monopoly in the legislature says it all!
boomlikethat on September 6, 2013 at 9:10 am
Part of the real problem the GOP (and especially the MD GOP) faces is the establishment idea that they are all seeing, all knowing, etc., and choose to support only candidates they deem worthy but saying it's their "turn". I wanted to run for a higher office, but was largely ignored because I didn't "fit their mold". The voters around me thought otherwise, but it would have been very difficult to get a populist message out.


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Food & Wine Why wine is the stand-out in the long list of bourbon-infused products
Why wine is the stand-out in the long list of bourbon-infused products
Aging wines in bourbon barrels leads to super easy-drinking results.
Tommy Lee Walker/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Published June 19, 2017 Updated June 26, 2017
If you're tired of bourbon, I wouldn't blame you. Like bacon and chipotle before it, the marketing-driven flavour trend has become inescapable, infiltrating not only burgers, coffee, desserts and barbecue sauce, but just about every other beverage, including coffee, beer, cider, even tequila. I want my tequila to taste like tequila, thanks, and my burgers to taste like beef.
That said, I'd recommend keeping an open mind toward wine aged in bourbon barrels – it's trendy, yes, but it's also a technique with legs.
There are already a half-dozen bourbon-barrel-aged wines on the market, and more being laid down as I type. The first reason is that aging wines in bourbon barrels leads to super easy-drinking results.
Take the rich and smoky Robert Mondavi Private Selection Bourbon Barrel-Aged Chardonnay, for example – a full-bodied wine that transcends butter and veers into butterscotch, yet still manages to retain a respectable finish.
Although that description will have people in the non-interventionist camp running in the opposite direction of this chardonnay, there's no question it's a serious crowd-pleaser, as is its sibling, the vanilla-heavy Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon. And even though there's a large camp of wine types declaring the heavy-oak trend over, paradoxically there are bound to be multiple copycats.
Here in Canada, for example, Niagara Region's Rosewood Estates just signed for the delivery of eight barrels from Kentucky last month and promptly filled them with honey wine, a nutty, lightly sweet hybrid of grape wine and mead that borders on a dessert wine. "We're really excited to use them, since they're so aromatic, but we really don't know what it's going to taste like yet," explains William Roman, Rosewood's general manager and head beekeeper. "What we're looking for is that smoky-sweet oak flavour, so that we can add these really unique bourbon-esque flavours across some of the honey wines."
To max out the smoked vanilla and caramel, Roman won't be seasoning or recharring the barrels, which is what makes this new bourbon-aging trend different from the standard practice of using bourbon casks to age new products. Spirits producers have been using second-hand American barrels for decades because they're plentiful and cheap, thanks to a Depression-era law mandating one-time use, to help give coopers a boost.
Traditional producers were just interested in the cheap wood, though, and would burn off old traces of bourbon. Today's barrels are being coveted specifically for their residual bourbon and the effect it imparts.
The technique can work well for beer – brewers such as B.C.'s 4 Mile and Central City have produced award-winning strong ales and dark porters aged in bourbon casks – but there is a danger of dulling certain flavour notes and homogenizing the taste with wood. That's the concern on the wine front, too, since the prevailing opinion among forward-thinking winemakers is that expressing the individuality of the terroir and grape is the highest calling.
But perhaps that's not of concern to drinkers. "My impression is that they're trying to get the taste of the residual bourbon into the wine for that feeling of heavy smoke," says Chris Lafleur, a sommelier at Toronto's E11even. "It probably adds a little more weight to the wine as well. And I think the average consumer prefers a heavy, strong, smooth wine, as opposed to one that's the most pure expression of a particular grape."
California has several options, including the Mondavis (seasonal releases here), Stave & Steel, Cooper & Thief and, available at the LCBO in Ontario and in Alberta, Fetzer's 1000 Stories, a zinfandel that takes the edge off its high alcohol content with a silky smoke finish.
Lafleur believes there may be others using that technique without explicitly advertising it on the label. "I actually don't think this trend will ever go away," he says. "I think there might come a time when they stop labelling it that way, though."
So, to paraphrase that old chestnut: Bourbon has peaked. Long live bourbon.
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July is fast approaching which means it's time to ditch the booze and take part in Dry July! By signing up for a booze free month and selecting us as your beneficiary you'll be helping to support thousands of West Aussies affected by cancer. Since 2013, Dry July has helped us raise an amazing $893,000!!
Thanks to funds raised through Dry July we have been able to allocate $100,000 towards a refurbishment of Crawford Lodge to convert a meeting room into accommodation, which will provide more space and availability for patients. This refurbishment is currently underway and will allow us to accommodate more country cancer patients while they undergo treatment in Perth.
Peel and Rockingham cancer patients can now get to treatment more easily via our free Transport to Treatment service. Operating from our Mandurah and Rockingham offices, the service provides safe, convenient and comfortable transport for patients undergoing radiotherapy at Fiona Stanley Hospital. The purchase of the vehicle was made possible thanks to funds raised by our supporters who took part in Dry July.
Last year's Dry July funds were used to replace the old and failing lock system at Crawford Lodge. The new card lock system provides security and ease of access for our Lodge guests.
Don't forget ditching booze benefits you too!
As you can see getting involved in Dry July is win, win! So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and help us make a difference!


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"We estimate saving at least three months of development time and $30,000 in costs using Iron Speed Designer."
The Preferred Portal application was developed by The Software Builders for Preferred Testing and Compliance, a one-stop source for Underground Storage Tank (UST) compliance needs.
Main operator dashboard. Displays status of different indicators that might need attention. Operator can click on one of the websites for additional information.
The Preferred Portal provides a management tool for Preferred Testing to track its customers, the equipment at their sites, the current status of the sites, and a history of testing. The Portal can also be used by owners and operators of the sites to view this information. They can also track their daily fuel inventories and total sales. The Portal does this by bringing together electronic information from several places (cash registers, automatic tank monitors, jobbers, etc.) into one single view, saving the owner/operator time and effort.
This application has two types of users. The employees of Preferred Testing and Compliance use the Portal on a daily basis to track their customers, add new sites, update inspection information, and help maintain compliance.
The other users are the owner / operators of the individual site. They can log in and see the status of their individual sites. They can see alarms indicating problems with their fuel systems that require immediate attention. They can also track daily sales information and different types of information, replacing paper logs at the site.
The Preferred Portal is a new application, using one Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database. The database is comprised of 35 tables and two views. There are approximately 100 Web pages, but this is growing. The application is so new we have few users, but we anticipate growth in the future.
The application was developed entirely with Iron Speed Designer and a small amount of custom coding. No third-party components were used. The Preferred Portal took one developer six months, working part-time — about the equivalent of three months of work.
Real-time data imports and exports to and from other systems that run in the background.
Complex, custom reports that couldn't be created in a reporting tool.
The code customization took a third of my development time.
Site Inspection page. Summary of information tracked throughout the website. Includes business information, emergency contact information, POS configuration, and all the information about the underground storage fuel tanks, island dispensers, and each dispenser hose and nozzle.
We used the standard Everest design theme in Iron Speed Designer. This saved us a significant amount of time.
Site Inspection report. This document can be printed, making the annual site inspection quick and easy.
We estimate we saved at least three months of development time and $30,000 to $40,000 in costs by using Iron Speed Designer. The project would have been feasible without Iron Speed Designer, but it would have taken at least six calendar months. In addition, the initial quality of the product would not have been as good as what we achieved using Iron Speed Designer.
Further, maintenance of the application will be easier with Iron Speed Designer than had we developed the application without it.
Doug Cottrell is the president of The Software Builders. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University, and more than 20 years experience in software development. See http://www.thesoftwarebuilders.com for more details.