Jon Caldwell asked:


The injury is painful at the least and even debilitating if extensive, whiplash is the result of sudden head movement when a car is hit from behind where the body moves forward and the places the neck under strain. Smaller compacts are designed to be safe mostly from frontal impacts leaving the rear vulnerable for drivers. airbags are standard on most vehicles but head restraints in the event of rear crashes say in a car crashing into a vehicle from behind is quite rare. Seats are to blame for the drive to get cheaper seats has reduced their protection properties. Better seat design and materials that absorb crash forces can be the key to safer cars as drivers go on their daily drives. It shows that as people want more compacts or smaller cars, they are also seeing rising injuries to the neck and upper back as a result to these accidents when a heavier vehicle is involved.

The move has started in the US and it is being implemented all across the world. The greener the car the less insurance you have to pay. In the US the initiative started to get more people to buy Green Cars or Hybrids but in the long run, greener cars will indeed save in costs due to less green house gasses. Greener cars have less polluting parts and are mostly recyclable making them cheaper to produce. The ability to recycle is greener and thus more environmentally friendly leaving less problems to deal with in terms of environmental impacts. Governments are beginning to do the same in the many countries of the world which are now feeling the crunch of rising gas prices. With Alaska starting to charge $4.00 per gallon, the supply problems are doing nothing but alleviating problems and prices would be sure to follow.

In the UK, young drivers who go get more lessons such as specialist training for bad weather driving, defensive driving and many more are entitled to get more discounts in their auto Insurance premiums according to lawmakers. New drivers are more often than not the majority of accident causing drivers due to utter inexperience at the skills and getting further training with the many driving schools allows them to learn more and thus drive safer that those who do not get additional lessons. With worsening weather and drivers, better skills are needed to negotiate the many congested streets of London and other major Cities. The more skilled a driver is, the better they cope with changing driving conditions thus the safer the roads.

Governor Sonny Perdue has singed a bill that would allow insurance carriers to establish rates without the consent of the State Insurance Commission which goes against current practice. The control that the state enforces on carriers is seen by many as a thorn in their sides for it disallows competition between companies who have to sell products within state determined rates. Giving the carrier the right to establish their rates allows the m to become more competitive towards other providers giving consumers more power in choosing the best ones for the best prices they see fit.

THIRD PARTY FIRE AND THEFT INSURANCE: This type of policy will pay for the damages caused by your car to other people’s property due to an accident. It also has limited cover for loss or damage to your car against theft or fire only.

However, most policies do not cover damages caused by mechanical, structural or electrical failure. Also damages by depreciation wear and tear and rust due to old age. Also, policies are meant to cover the repairs due to accidents, fire or theft and not to replace parts that have stopped working due to failure, old age, or some inherent fault.



Lester

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW asked:


Spyware, Keyloggers, Hackers, Cyber Terrorists, Cybercriminals, Cybergangs, etc. These threats are real and the fact is your computer is most likely infected already! Cybercrime is on the rise. You may not be the only one using your computer. Hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know it if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.

One of the latest hacking trends is called “Drive-by Hacking”. Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.

Today millions of businesses and homes have implemented wireless networks for their convenience, and, sadly, for the convenience of the cybercriminals. And they don’t even have to open your garage door to enter your home or business.

Now hackers can simply pull up outside, up to 600 feet away, and gain access to the network, the Internet, and every computer on the network. This kind of hacking has become so popular that you can even find public websites around the globe that sell maps to all the known “open” wireless networks.

Once your computer has been hijacked, the hacker claims ownership of your computer and there is little you can do unless you protect your computer in advance against this threat. In fact, in many cases when hackers have taken over a computer, they will even “heal” the computer by closing the security holes, so no other hacker can break into the computer and use it too. (Can you imagine? Criminals protect their hijacked computers from other criminals.)

Computers that have been hijacked and are under the control of a hacker are known as “zombies”. Some of the more popular uses for a zombie computer include using it to send spam emails, distribute pornography, download illegal copies of software, and to anonymously attack another computer, a business, a website, or even a government agency.

There have been many cases in the U.S. and around the world where a business or home computer has been hijacked and used for illegal purposes without the computer owner’s knowledge. These victims have had their computers used to distribute child pornography, deface websites, and even hack into government computers. In many cases, the owner of the hijacked computer (the business owner or the homeowner) has been arrested and hauled off to jail, only to be humiliated, demoralized and even convicted for crimes they didn’t commit.

See the ABC News’ 20/02 video about an unsuspected 16 year-old high schooler who was arrested as a child pornographer after his pc was hijacked and used to distribute child pornography. Click this link: ABC News’ 20/20 video.

Hackers are very good at hiding behind their slave or zombie computers. A hijacked computer is a hacker’s protection of anonymity. As unbelievable as it may seem, hijacked computers, zombie computers actually have a street market value in the hacker community. The better the computer and the faster the Internet connection of the slave machine, and the bigger the hard drive, the more it is worth on the market. Zombie computers are often leased out by hackers to other hackers, or even to organized crime groups, to be used for illegal purposes – without the computer owner’s knowledge. If a hacker or a cybergang can take over a hundred or a thousand computers, they have an army of computers at their disposal.

Here are some facts:

If your computer has become a “zombie” or a “slave” to a hacker, the use of your computer could be for sale somewhere on the Internet or an auction website. Your computer’s power is valuable to hackers.

Today, there are organizations that claim “ownership” of more than 450,000 zombie computers around the world that they use to anonymously send spam.

The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you’ll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you’ll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

Because hackers will likely always be one step ahead of the security industry itself, software-based protection alone is not enough. 85% of current anti-virus users have been infected with a virus or worm! Have you ever had a virus you couldn’t get rid of? Has your computer acted funny or has it slowed way down due to a massive spyware infestation? Does your computer have a virus, spyware, malware, or hacker hiding inside? Test it now to be sure. Go to www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com to take a free Internet security audit to determine which trojans and hacker spyware tools might be infecting your computers.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today’s rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose!



Darrell

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


In the past, the most rampant cause of traffic accidents is drunk driving but through years of awareness campaign, the number of drunk driving related accidents have gone down. Recently though, it seems that another serious threat to traffic safety is teen driving.

While there are responsible teen drivers, statistics shows that 14 percent of accidents resulting in death involved teenagers. In Chicago alone, more than ten teenagers have died this year as a result of traffic accidents. To address this threat, the auto industry and its players have been taking steps towards educating teens and parents alike on safe driving issues.

The Toyota Motor Corporation recently announced that they will be bringing their Toyota Driving Expectations program to the state of Illinois. The said program aims to educate teens and parents to help reduce the number of fatal accidents involving teens. The program will be held at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois from April 20 through 22.

The company known for their upward surge in the U.S. auto scene is using the Toyota Driving Expectations to teach teen drivers about defensive driving techniques. The program will be for free and interested participants would just need to register online by visiting the official website for this program which could be accessed through www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com.

Paul Holdridge, the Vice President and the General Manager of Toyota’s Chicago Region, have this to say about their program: “Toyota is committed to providing teens with the tools they need to be better prepared on the road and to become better drivers. Since its inception in 2004, more than 4,000 teens and parents have successfully completed the Toyota Driving Expectations program, which was developed after several pilots and valuable feedback from teens, parents and the National Safety Council.”

The program is a unique one since Toyota will be educating participants based on real-world situations. The program’s goal is for the teens and parents to understand the relationship between distraction and reaction in a real-world situation. Participants will be made to navigate a driving course while doing other things like drinking water or talking ion the phone. For teens, listening to loud music will be a part of the driving program.

These activities are seen as possible distractions to drivers which can seriously affect the driving response of a driver in cases of emergency. Activities such as those mentioned put the driver and the passengers at risk and even if a car is equipped with EBC brake rotors, it will be useless when the driver fails to react properly.

The Toyota Driving Expectations is also unique in the sense that teen participants need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The participants will then be split into the parent group and the teen group. While the teens take to the driving course, parents will be educated about vehicle safety technology, defensive driving, and what to expect from teen drivers. The program will be concluded via a safe driving contract that the parents and teens will hopefully fulfill.



Troy

Mervyn Rees asked:


(c) 2008 Mervyn Rees

Being involved in an accident is every motorist’s worst nightmare. Statistically speaking, the more you drive the more likely you are to have one. It doesn’t really take a rocket scientist to calculate that one out though, does it?

An accident can be anything from bending a bumper/fender to a serious collision causing injury, or worse. Simply because the statistics may predict it’ll happen to you sooner or later, that doesn’t surely mean it’s a foregone conclusion.

So as to help avoid these predictions, you do have to be proactive, and by taking some simple precautions, the risk can be reduced considerably.

The number one cause of all traffic accidents is speeding.

A motor vehicle travelling at high speed is an incredibly dangerous machine, which is precisely why speed limits are posted and enforced all over the world; and as much as we sometimes like to believe it, speed cops aren’t out there because they have nothing better to do. . .

They are protecting the public from themselves and the dangers of other reckless drivers.

By maintaining safe and controlled speeds, you can greatly minimize your risk of being involved in a serious car accident. . .

Apart from the fact that you may get to your destination a few minutes earlier, there are no good excuses for speeding, but there are many against.

It’s not just good driving practice to slow down, it will save ,money on fuel, the price of your insurance, or perhaps even worse, the loss of your precious Driving License; and if that’s not bad enough, it’s also better for the long-term maintenance of your vehicle as well as being better for the environment.

I’m not preaching, just laying out the facts, for there but for the grace of God go I!

Maintenance

Keeping your vehicle in good running order is another excellent means of reducing your risk of an accident. Every car’s maintenance manual includes the recommended time lapse between inspections. Regular maintenance and checkups will ensure your car is running at peak performance, and will certainly assist in the prevention of any general or specific breakdowns which could lead to a possible parts failure, which in turn may cause you to be involved in an accident.

Car safety is such an important aspect of driver awareness; it’s precisely why so many countries and insurance companies require new drivers to complete a safety course prior to authorising a license to operate a motor vehicle.

The more knowledge drivers have about the necessity for safe automobile practices; including the regular maintenance of the vehicle, the less likely they will be to allow their car to lapse into a poor state of service and repair, thus increasing the likelihood of either a breakdown or worse still, an accident.

By insisting on such knowledge being taught, as part of all new drivers’ driving tuition and experience, the better the chances that this vital information will stick throughout the whole span of the driver’s history.

Barring that, just stay the heck out of my way!

Defensive Driving

This essentially means staying highly aware of other drivers and vehicles in relation to your own, as well as diligently following the rules of the road and maintaining your own safe driving standards.

Often taught as part of a pre-licensed driving safety course, it is all designed to increase the ability of all drivers to be alert to possible driving hazards, such as road obstructions, bad driving habits of other motorists, and to maintain a regular routine of adherence to motor vehicle laws.

As I taught my own youngsters years ago, “Expect a lot of drivers to be idiots”; and they won’t let you down!

Thanks to the Internet, much of the information can now be gleaned online, thus offering more drivers than ever before a chance to familiarize themselves with these extremely important concepts.

Defensive driving is often taught through both in-class and on-road practice, with the idea being that the driver becomes more attuned to identifying potential driving problems, and so establishes safe driving habits.



Tim

Spencer Wood asked:


Why do some athletes consistently excel when the game is on the line or when the “pressures” of competition appear to be at their toughest, while under the same conditions, others perform inconsistently or are sometimes at their worst? Why do so many athletes often perform better in practice than they do in competition? And what is the one thing in sports that most often separates the winner from second place? For so many athletes, the answer to these questions is no mystery – the difference lies within the incredible 3 1/2 lbs of electrical energy, power, and potential between our ears – our mind. The goal of almost every mental training drill and peak performance skill is to strengthen and improve Composure, Concentration, and Confidence. These three ‘Cs’ of peak performance are supreme in their influence on sports related performance. Trace the root of almost every positive or negative sports performance experience and you will find one or more of these variables. But there is one other ‘C’ of peak performance that is just as important – and that is our Commitment or Drive. The great Bill Russell, one of the greatest winners in the history of all sports – winning 11 NBA Championships in 13 years – once said that “the heart of a champion has to do with the depth of our Commitment.”

Of all the accolades and sports writer’s superlatives used to describe Miami’s first NBA championship, most have focused on Dwayne Wade’s amazing will to win, drive and commitment throughout the series. He is certainly worthy of the praise. His 157 point total during the last 4 games, including his Final’s MVP clinching 36pt., 5 assist, 4 steal, 3 block championship winning performance makes him worthy. Yet, as we examine Dwayne’s career a little closer we find that the real reason behind Miami’s first NBA Championship has as much to do with his approach and commitment to his career than his NBA Final’s heroics. In just 3 short years Dwayne has increased his career scoring average from 16.1 to 27.2 pts. per game. His FT% has increased from 74.7% to 78.3%, his FG% from 46.5% to 49.5%, his steals from 1.4 to 2.0 per game, and his rebounds from 4.1 to 5.7 per game – all with only a minor increase in minutes per game played. These types of results and improvements are not the result of trips to the mall, fine dining and lazy afternoons playing X-Box. These types of improvements are the result of blood, sweat and tears in empty gyms with a serious commitment to athletic excellence and continuous improvement. As reporters, fans, NBA G.M.’s and Coaches discuss strategy, chemistry, and the development of their draft pick, this is the level of commitment that will ultimately determine the full impact that each player recently selected in the 2006 NBA Draft will have on their teams and the league.

Only winning Commitment and Motivation will bring out the best in any athlete

Without doubt, your level of commitment, often called motivation or drive, is the number #1 predictor of how far you will take your sport – from Grade School to State, National, and World Championships, Olympic Gold, or the Hall of Fame. Motivation predicts the lengths you will go to improve and excel – both physically (skills and athleticism) and mentally (mental training skills). You could be the most skilled athlete in the world, with the most gifted athleticism, possessing the most natural Peak Performance Composure, Concentration, and Confidence; and yet, without motivation, all of this means nothing. The talent would be wasted. If you do not have any desire to achieve excellence in your sport, you never will – it’s as simple as that. Motivation stems from a deep love and passion for the sport you play and a deep competitive drive. The passion is something that may develop over time or it may always have been there – from the first moment you picked up that ball, and the first time you ever stepped onto that court…there was a feeling of something deep inside you coming alive. For some athletes, it is purely the thrill of competition that makes them feel alive.

But any discussion on game time motivation levels should always involve two levels of responsibility – one level for coaches, and one for the athletes. Some coaches are world renowned for their ability to deliver the ultimate ‘pre-game talk,’ and enjoy watching their teams lock down opponents with four quarters of awe-inspiring intensity. However, the problem that many coaches face is consistency. That same set of ‘magic words’ that worked so well for one game, often will not work for another, and every coach has at times shrugged their shoulders during an extremely important game while asking, “where in the world is the intensity? I thought we prepared so well!” This is where the athletes must shoulder some responsibility.

Maintaining Commitment Levels

The following 3 ‘quick’ tips will help any coach or athlete maintain a fierce level of intensity and high motivation level regardless of whether the setting is a 6am practice, or the biggest game of the year.

1. Inspire the Athlete with a vision:

The great essayist Jean La Fontaine wrote “whenever the heart is captured, impossibilities vanish,” and in few arenas is this more true than in the athletic arena. Athletes want to know and need to know exactly what they should shoot for. As a coach, don’t just ask the athlete to lead – tell them exactly how you want them to lead (on-court? off-court? Vocally? By Action? By teaching? By guiding? By inspiring others?…..Be specific!). General and non-specific direction leads to ‘general and non-specific’ results. If you are an athlete, don’t just talk about the end of year championship… inspire and challenge yourself with very specific expectations and goals that relate to the very specific role you will play in the championship drive. In what way will you contribute offensively (what particular skills will you use to contribute?). What about defensively? What is your plan of action to develop these specific skills?

2. Set more ‘Performance’ based goals than ‘Outcome’ based goals:

Performance based goals only relate to controllable behaviors vs. outcome based goals that relate to actual stats. which are not always fully controllable. For example, if an athlete sets a goal of shooting 50% from the 3pt. Line in the next game, or holding a high scoring opponent to single digits for the game, these factors at times can be affected by a great defensive or offensive performance from an opponent. Failure with statistical goals can be demoralizing and can add emotional pressure to a game or playoff series. This is not to suggest that ‘keeping score’ and setting quantifiable goals are bad things to do. On the contrary; sometimes this type of goal setting and tracking is absolutely essential. However, the majority of goals should be ‘performance’ related in such a way that they are based more on fully controllable elements i.e. intensity of defensive effort, or the quality of the ‘look’ or concentration that the athlete gave the rim before every shot. Focusing on the variables that are responsible for the 3pt. shot actually going in (vs. the outcome of the actual shot itself), can often be so much more productive while also alleviating any additional ‘pressure’ related to statistics.

3. Inject more fun into practice and games without sacrificing intensity:

As is often said of many athletes and their relationship to their coach…. “if they fear you in your presence, they will **** you in your absence.” No player ever gave 100% intensity in every game of the season to a coach they hated. Coaches and players should find creative ways to inject some fun into a practice or game. Creativity and fun in practice also has an amazing way of counteracting pressure. Pressure begins and ends in the mind of any athlete, and the physiological reaction to pressure that the body feels through muscle tension, short/shallow breathing patterns and general nervousness are nothing more than the brain affecting the body. Fun can counteract stress and the body’s physical reaction to stress in remarkable ways.



Lynn

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Modern technology and society are not always people-friendly. Governments tell us what do to. Technology tells us what to think. Somewhere in the process, people have lost much of their ability to think independently and to think with their hearts.

Many of society’s rules hurt people by preventing personal growth and development in favor of consumerism and conformity. Modern technology is so useful and convenient that we have become completely dependent on it for getting through a normal day.

Modern life has also brought increased materialism and consumerism, driving us to buy more, have more, and do more without thinking about our inner lives and spiritual well-being. The one who has the most toys wins. Does that sound familiar?

Growing differences in wealth and social status encourage envy and violence. In countries with high immigration rates, clashes of culture bring mistrust, intolerance, and conflict. A review of the day’s news leads one to think that evil dominates the world, and there is little hope for better. But the news is bad because bad sells, not because evil dominates.

If you are among the growing number of people who’d like to see some basic changes in the way things are going, then maybe it’s time to work on your own spiritual and psychic self-defense.

It’s time to nurture strong positive energies and to eliminate negative energies and influences from our lives and our minds. Negative energies and thinking hamper our ability to grow and create despair. Despair leads to hopelessness and anger. Anger then leads to envy and hatred. The best way to protect your own well-being is to learn the process of self-defense on a very deep level, to learn psychic self-defense.

Every person’s body is surrounded by a halo of light and energy we call the “aura.” Our aura reflects the condition of our combined physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Strong healthy people have strong brightly-colored auras that expand with their energy. People who are ill or distressed have weak dark auras that can drain the energy of healthy people. Negative feelings and thoughts destroy psychic energy and make us vulnerable to disease and chaos in our lives.

But there are methods and techniques we can use to strengthen our spiritual energy and aura and build our psychic self-defense skills. Meditation and other natural practices can reduce and eliminate negative thinking and energy and replace them with strong positive, healthy energy.

Meditation helps us get in touch with our true inner voice and tune out the negative voices that surround us. It helps build that protective shield of energy that will deflect negative assaults and allow us to continue to grow as spiritual beings. Just a few weeks of daily meditation will give us greater self-knowledge, build our self-confidence, and help us cope with daily stress and anxiety. Through meditation and psychic self-defense, we can defend ourselves from the powerful negative forces in the world.

The first step in self-development and psychic self-defense is cleansing ourselves of negative thoughts and feelings so that we can identify and nurture our spiritual strengths. One must undertake introspection and self-evaluation, identify those areas of life dominated by envy or anger, and work to understand and eliminate them. One must also make an honest assessment of their positive attributes and learn how to cultivate them so they can be used for psychic self-defense.

In addition to daily meditation, other practices are proven to be useful in this process. Yoga and naturopathy are effective ways to build self-confidence and the ability to withstand life’s difficulties. Yoga fills the body with energy and improves one’s health. Good health encourages optimism and enthusiasm for life. One must also begin to repair and build strong and meaningful personal relationships that incorporate the new positive attitudes.

It is very important to nurture your positive nature as you work on the negative aspects of your personality. You must replace what you remove, or it will return with intensity. As you break bad habits and thought patterns, you must replace them with positive habits and thoughts. When a negative thought tries to enter your mind, you must consciously stop it and put a positive thought in its place. A moment of jealousy must be replaced with a moment of generosity or kindness. A moment of anger must be replaced with quiet calm and forgiveness.

As you grow and mature in psychic self-defense, you will be an example that others will want to follow. They’ll see that you’re healthier and happier, and they’ll want it for themselves. Then you’ll have the opportunity to share what you’ve learned and help others eliminate negativity from their lives. One person at a time, we’ll build a healthier, better society that encourages self-development and personal growth and values things that no one can see – the spirit.



Charlie

Alex Baumm asked:


From Mt. Highway, Mr. Police Officer would like to tell you the 10 Commandments of Defensive Driving:

1. Be attentive

Always pay attention. Always check your side mirrors and look far enough to see other cars not just the one in front of you. Be alert when you are near intersections and pay attention to road signals and signs. If the sign tells you it’s slippery when wet, don’t speed up or else… Pay attention to fast cars because you’ll never know if the person driving is drunk or not.

2. Yield and give way.

Yep, you are on the right way and what you are doing is just fine. But if you see one car which is running way too fast it’s wiser to give way. Because if you get hit, you may end up dead or injured, too. It pays to be forgiving and calm when you are on the road just to increase your chances of not getting hurt or killed.

3. Don’t trust the other driver.

The third rule is another cardinal rule – don’t trust the other driver. Because you’ll never really know whether the other driver is cautious or not, it’s better to pay attention and be alert at all times.

4. No alcohol, please!

Plain and simple don’t drive when you’re drunk! You need not ask the reason because that’s plain common sense and it will not take an Einstein to realize how dangerous it is to drive while one is drunk. Defensive driving is being clean from intoxicating substances.

5. Buckle up for safety.

Yeah, that’s right buckle up for safety. Use your seatbelt. Don’t worry about your pants or shirt being slightly folded when you wear seatbelt because at least you can do something to fix it because you are still alive. But if you are dead, you’ll never really know the difference between a well-pressed and a not so well-pressed shirt.

6. Wear helmet.

For motorists, always make sure that you wear your helmets on because experiences of many people will tell you how many lives were already saved by the mere act of wearing helmets. Defensive driving also means wearing your gears.

7. Never beat the red light.

Simply put, if you try beating the red light for sure you are going to give yourself a headache if are caught doing it. So, as a piece of advice don’t.

8. Be cool.

If someone overtakes or somebody honks… be cool. It’s not the end of the world anyway. Being defensive is always better.

9. Use signals.

Use your flashers and lights properly to relay your intentions. When you will be turning left it is not hard to turn on the left signal light to alert the other driver.

10. Never Play Chicken with a Train!

If you are in the Hamlet like “to be or not to be” situation, just don’t if the train is coming. A few minutes of waiting is better than not being able to experience the next minute anymore. Defensive driving is all about being patient.

Remember all these simple things on defensive driving. By following these defensive driving tips you are sure to enjoy your trips more.



Tara

Anthony F. Smith asked:


Over the past few months, amid the release of corporate proxies and income tax filing deadlines, national newspapers of note ran their annual “special reports” on executive pay.

Besides examining the annual compensation packages of CEOs of many high-profile public companies, the articles, for the most part, defined the new SEC-mandated compensation reporting and disclosure requirements, and gently took the position that it will take more than another decade for executive entitlement to regain balance.

In my more than twenty years as a leadership researcher, I’ve served as sounding board, bartender, and confessioner to many of these high-profile figures. Almost all have struggled with the perceptions and ethics surrounding their seemingly-obscene annual compensation packages. And almost all, after carefully weighing every aspect of their 24/7/365 jobs — which are carried out in isolation and can destroy health, families, and personal privacy — come to the conclusion that said packages are justified.

I’ve had these entitlement debates with the CEOs with whom I’ve counseled on all the leadership decisions they face. Over time, I’ve come to agree with them that many (not all) of these compensation packages are warranted. Here’s why.

The current outrage over executive compensation is largely a perception vs. reality issue. The perception is that a $5-10 million compensation package is out of balance because it’s either too large of a multiplier of an average employee’s salary or it’s greater than shareholders’ perceived rate of return on investment. Or both. This perception was a key factor in passage of an April House of Representatives bill requiring public companies to put executive pay packages up for an advisory vote by shareholders. Unfortunately, many of those “outraged” have failed to consider several important points.

Consideration #1: The reality is that the free market is alive and well, and is the true dictator of CEO pay. While what one’s peers are making is still a legitimate barometer, critics should look at the macro economics of “stars” in all fields (after all, CEOs are the “stars” of the business world), and not just the micro economics of CEO pay, if they are serious about understanding the calculus in determining compensation. Such valuation analysis must factor in the track record of the CEO; his or her potential; competing job offers; personal enticements; what he or she is leaving behind; their reputation on the “street”; and the team of other executives he or she is likely to bring or attract.

Consideration #2: few people can perform like Bono, write like Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling, or golf like Tiger Woods. They have unique talents the free market has decided are worth millions of dollars each year, even though Woods doesn’t win every Major and every album of U2’s isn’t double platinum. Yes, they drive product sales and ad revenue, and in many cases, spearhead major philanthropic initiatives. Yet, like CEO’s, their compensation is usually established long before the success (or failure) is obvious — Nike signed Woods years before he donned a green jacket.

Likewise, only a handful of people are capable of leading major multinational corporations with 100,000+ employees and $50+ billion in annual revenue. Bottom line: true stars are in short supply and high demand. It’s pure Economics 101.

Consideration #3: these unique people create more than just entertainment value. They create thousands of jobs, deliver a lifetime of wealth for legions of investors, and drive life-changing innovation. IBM’s Lou Gerstner saved an American institution. Harvey Golub at American Express increased shareholder value by record numbers. Herb Kelleher defied industry logic by consistently delivering profits in the toughest of times. Many of us became rich as lifetime investors in GE, or were saved by GE medical products — and yes, Jack Welch did have something to do with it.

(I make this point because I was recently asked during a television interview if GE’s success was solely driven by Welch. My answer was, Jack would be the first to say that it was a collective effort of great executives and talented employees. But let’s not forget who created a culture that attracted, developed, inspired, and retained those folks.)

Consideration #4: Unlike an artist with a distinctive talent, a CEO’s craft and contribution is highly subjective. Often, the fruits of their labors don’t show up in the short term — as Wall Street demands — and are apparent only long after they take the helm. Carly Fiorina’s leadership, for example, likely had something to do with Hewlett-Packard’s current success.

While most chief executives are in fact compensated at a far lower rate than the Rowlings and Woods, the criticisms lobbed at them are far more frequent and severe. To understand the blatant mistakes of the past, we need to find an objective means, in this highly subjective universe, of separating a CEO’s overall performance from the number attached to his or her compensation.

Why? Because historically, compensation was negotiated before one’s tenure, based on potential and probability (not unlike the aforementioned musicians and sports stars). In the future, however, we must move closer to a merit-based “pay for performance” model that will indeed drive greater differentiation. When this is established, however, shareholders must be prepared to award perhaps even larger payouts than we have seen thus far — unless, of course, those shareholders just want a ceiling and no floor.

Consideration #5: in large multinational corporations, $5-10 million is likely a budget line item amount for office supplies such as Post-It TM Notes and paper clips. Executive pay shouldn’t just be weighed against aggregate employee salaries or benchmarked with similarly-sized companies. It should be compared with, and judged against, all of a company’s expenditures and the rate of return they generate. Who creates more value in the company, the CEO or a bunch of paper clips? Institutional shareholders understand this dynamic. Individual investors, and the media, often do not.

To conclude, CEOs can’t lose sight of the major climate shift that has come to hover over the corner office. Since Sarbanes-Oxley passed in 2002, transparency and disclosure are the climatic bywords of our time — and shareholders will continue to demand (justifiably) even more openness, and a greater correlation between pay and performance, each passing fiscal year.

Copyright © 2007 Anthony F. Smith

Anthony Smith is Co-Founder and a Managing Director of Leadership Research Institute and author of The Taboos of Leadership: 10 Secrets No One Will Tell You about Leaders and What They Really Think (Jossey-Bass, May 2007).



Ray

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Edgar