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The fashionistas were out the other night Moca’s 30th Anniversary Party. Here are some of my favorite looks:

Rachel Zoe in Pucci

Chloë Sevigny in Miu Miu

Peaches Geldof -- looks like she's blonde again

Liz Goldwyn in Sonia Rykiel & Chloë Sevigny

Atlanta de Cadenet and Mark Hunter

Cory Kennedy

source: tfs, thecobrasnake, style.com

“Did you ever get the feeling that everything in America is completely fucked up. You know that feeling that the whole country is like one inch away from saying ‘That’s it, forget it.’ You think about it. Everything is polluted. The environment, the government, the schools you name it. Speaking of schools. I was walking the households the other day and I asked myself. Is there live after high school? Because I can’t face tomorrow, let alone a whole year of this shit. Yeah, you got it folks. It’s me again with a little attitude for all you out here and waiting for Atlanta. All you nice people living in the middle of America the beautiful….Okay, down to business. I got my wild cherry diet Pepsi and I got my Black Jack gum here and I got that feeling, mmm that familiar feeling that something rank is going down up there. Yeah, I can smell it. I can almost taste it. The rankness in the air. It’s everywhere. It’s running through that old pipeline out there, trickling along the dumb concrete river and coming up the drains of those lovely tracktones we all live in. I mean I don’t know. Everywhere I look it seems everything is sold out.” ~Mark Hunter

The uber cool and utterly gorgeous Cory Kennedy, the internet it girl, has added to the long list of magazines she’s now appeared in, by doing a shoot with Vogue for their November issue. Cory is wearing LNA zipper leggings which have become almost as trendy as she is!

Cory Kennedy, 19, shot to fame as the 15-year-old muse of photographer Mark Hunter and has been snapped by the coolest fashion magazines going, like Nylon, Vogue, and Paper. The young fashionista lives in between California and London and hangs around with the cool LA crowd and the London fash pack. She also designed a range of t-shirts with Mark and Australian brand Ksubi last year (can you see who the censored celeb is?)

image: cory kennedy for hypebeast.com

Cory is also a seasoned blogger, with the very popular blog, ‘it’s cory kennedy‘, were you can soak up some of her coolness!

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Why Customer Service Destroys Salespeople
by Mark Hunter

One position that has not been impacted by the economy is sales.  Ask any CEO and you will hear that one of their biggest issues is finding and retaining good salespeople. Something happened on the way to a sour economy: Too many companies learned the hard way that their salespeople didn’t know how to sell. Instead, their salespeople were good at taking orders and providing customer service.  There is nothing wrong with this approach, as long as the marketplace is always going to serve up new customers and keep current customers in business. Does that kind of marketplace always exist? Unfortunately, no.

As a sales consultant who works with a wide number of companies, I am not surprised with the current state of sales.  In the past 20 years, books and soothsayers have inundated us with advice saying that the best way to grow your company is through great customer service. (Think of companies like Disney, Marriott and Honda, just to name a few).  These are certainly great companies, and I’m personally an avid customer of each one.  However, if great customer service is all that is needed to win, then why is each of these companies struggling in today’s economy?

I don’t offer up this example to generate an in-depth discussion on economics and market share.  Rather, I put it out there to say that customer service alone is not going to help a company achieve its growth targets.  It is essential for salespeople to be focused on selling as their first priority and providing customer service as their second priority.

Selling is about digging in and working with customers to help them see needs they didn’t realize they had.  It’s about helping customers see how the solution for which they are looking can be found in what you are offering.  Selling is not about sitting back and taking orders based on what the customer wants.  If that’s selling, then there really is no need for a salesperson.  The entire process could be done on the internet or over the phone.  I know that observation just hit a sore spot to many of you reading this. Possibly, you’ve watched your industry be decimated by the power of the web. Nowadays, many customers can get what they want, when they want it and how they want it, all through their computer.

If your job was lost because of the internet, then let me share something that you may not like to hear, but is simply true: you weren’t selling; you were merely taking orders.  I am not putting myself on a pedestal, because one of my first sales jobs I thought I was a salesperson (at least, that’s what my business card said). In reality, I was doing nothing more than going around to grocery stores and taking orders from store managers.  I wasn’t selling. I was conveying information and providing customer service.

Today’s economy is crying out for salespeople. Are you someone who is willing to be assertive in making phone calls, meeting with customers, and spending time doing what I refer as the “deep-dive” with high-potential prospects to secure the really big business.  If a salesperson is not willing to go face-to -face with a customer, then they have absolutely no right to be in sales.  The only thing they are doing is hurting themselves and their employer.  The fastest test I know to measure a person’s aptitude towards selling is to ask them to explain in detail how they develop leads and handle cold calls.

When a company looks to outsource the lead generation process, or spend so heavily in advertising to try to create enough leads for everyone, then they are setting themselves up to fail.  Over time they will wind up with a sales team focused on capturing the easy sales. They do this by making everything a customer service moment.  This is akin to a pro-athlete thinking because they are a professional, they no longer need to stick to a physical workout program.   When a pro-athlete stops their conditioning program, they may not experience a falloff in performance immediately. Over time, however, the decline will be evident. The same is true for salespeople who are not routinely in the game of prospecting and developing new customers. They will lose their edge. The decline will be so slow that they won’t realize it is happening, let alone why it is happening.

Each client with whom I have the privilege to work hears this message:  The responsibility of finding and retaining new customers is the responsibility of every employee.  Salespeople by the very nature of their position must take the lead and be assigned weekly, monthly and quarterly goals of prospecting calls they must make.  Management owes them the tools that encompass an effective sales process. This process must include employees outside of sales whose primary responsibility it is to provide customer service. After all, salespeople should focus first on selling.  They need the time to achieve this realistic expectation.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability.  For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.

CHIMAIRA ANNOUNCES FALL/WINTER TOUR DATES WITH TRIVIUM!

Fresh off their summer tour with Hatebreed, CHIMAIRA are proud to announce fall and winter tour dates supporting Trivium! The brutal tour also features heavy hitters Whitechapel and Dirge Within. CHIMAIRA hits the road this fall, kicking off the tour October 29 in Atlanta, GA.

Guitarist Rob Arnold commented on the upcoming run with Trivium: “This tour has been a long time coming, the last time that we toured with these guys was years ago and it was only for a few shows. We are proud of all of the success that TRIVIUM has had and that they have grown into true Heavy Metal Heavyweights. We cannot wait to tear the United States apart with them, this Fall and Winter!”

Singer Mark Hunter added: “We’re stoked to be heading out with our old friends in Trivium this winter. We have a good history with these guys; we’ve known them since they were coming up. We haven’t been to some of the places we’re hitting in over a year and a half, so we know the fans are hungry and we plan on bringing it. Metal heads unite and get pumped, this is going to be a night you don’t want to miss!”

TRIVIUM + CHIMAIRA + Whitechapel + Dirge Within
10/29 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
10/30 Jacksonville, NC @ Hooligan’s Music Hall
10/31 Towson, MD @ Recher Theater
11/01 Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
11/03 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
11/05 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
11/06 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
11/07 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of the Living Arts
11/08 Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
11/09 Montreal, QC @ Le Medley
11/11 Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Imperial
11/12 Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
11/13 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo’s
11/14 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
11/15 Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
11/17 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
11/18 Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
11/19 Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid Cabaret
11/20 Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre
11/21 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
11/22 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
11/24 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
11/25 Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
11/27 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
11/28 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
11/30 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
12/01 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
12/02 Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theater
12/03 Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club
12/04 Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
12/05 Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
12/06 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
12/07 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
12/08 San Antonion, TX @ White Rabbit
12/10 St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theater
12/11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
12/12 Orlando, FL @ Club at Firestone

www.myspace.com/chimaira
www.chimaira.com
www.twitter.com/chimairaband

SHADOWS FALL PRE ORDER AT NEWBURY COMICS!

Our friends at Newbury Comics are offering FREE Limited Signed Booklets from Shadows Fall when you pre order the standard or deluxe version of the bands new record Retribution! Click HERE to get yours NOW!

POISON THE WELL VIDEO UPDATE!

TWO California shows in October!

Friday October 23
The Glasshouse (Pomona, CA)
7pm $13 adv/15 door
Get Tickets HERE

Saturday October 24
The Vault (Temecula, CA)
7pm $10
Get Tickets HERE

As with the Pittsburgh show earlier this year we’re trying to give a chance to local acts on these shows, so support for both shows will be by

The Ghost Inside
Dead In Existence
The Great Commission

MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF CHAOS!

MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER are the latest addition to the Rockstar Energy Drink TASTE OF CHAOS European Tour, which kicks off in Glasgow on November 27, 2009. The band joins a stellar bill headed up by Killswitch Engage, In Flames and Every Time I Die, and can currently be seen touring the US supporting All That Remains and Lacuna Coil!

Hard Drive Tour w/ All That Remains and Lacuna Coil
Sep 22 2009 Northern Lights Albany, New York
Sep 23 2009 Irving Plaza New York, New York
Sep 25 2009 The Trocadero Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 26 2009 The Lost Horizon Syracuse, New York
Sep 27 2009 Club Zoo Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sep 29 2009 House of Blues Cleveland, Ohio
Sep 30 2009 The Orbit Room Grand Rapids, Michigan
Oct 1 2009 Piere’s Ft Wayne, Indiana
Oct 2 2009 Clutch Cargo’s Pontiac, Michigan
Oct 3 2009 The Barrymore Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 5 2009 Pop’s Sauget, Illinois
Oct 6 2009 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Oct 7 2009 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Oct 9 2009 House of Blues Houston, Texas
Oct 10 2009 The Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Oct 12 2009 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 14 2009 House of Blues / Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct 15 2009 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 16 2009 House of Blues Los Angeles, California
Oct 17 2009 The Crest Fresno, California
Oct 18 2009 Grand Ballroom San Francisco, California
Oct 20 2009 The Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington
Oct 22 2009 Murray Theater Salt Lake City, Utah
Oct 23 2009 The Fillmore Denver, Colorado
Oct 24 2009 Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska w/ Lacuna Coil * no All That Remains
Oct 25 2009 The Venue @ Playmakers Fargo, North Dakota
Oct 27 2009 MacEwan Hall Calgary, Alberta
Oct 28 2009 Edmonton Events Centre Edmonton, Alberta
Oct 30 2009 Garrick Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba
Oct 31 2009 Epic Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 2 2009 The Village Little Rock, Arkansas
Nov 3 2009 Valarium Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 5 2009 Culture Room Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Nov 6 2009 The Venue Gainesville, Florida
Nov 7 2009 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 8 2009 House of Blues Orlando, Florida
Nov 9 2009 Music Farm Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 11 2009 Rams Heads Baltimore, Maryland
Nov 12 2009 Chameleon Club Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Nov 13 2009 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey
Nov 14 2009 Webster Theater Hartford, Connecticut
Nov 16 2009 Le Medley Montreal, Quebec
Nov 17 2009 Sound Academy Toronto, Ontario

Rockstar Energy Drink TASTE OF CHAOS European Tour!
w/ Killswitch Engage, In Flames, and Every Time I Die
Nov 27th (UK) GLASGOW – O2 Academy
Nov 28th (UK) BRISTOL – O2 Academy
Nov 30th (UK) NEWCASTLE – Academy
Dec 1st (UK) BIRMINGHAM – Academy
Dec 2nd (UK) MANCHESTER – Academy
Dec 3rd (UK) LONDON – Hammersmith Apollo
Dec 4th (B) BORGERHOUT – Trix Hall
Dec 6th (D) BERLIN – Columbia Halle
Dec 7th (D) WIESBADEN – Rhein Main Halle
Dec 8th (D) MUNICH – Zenith
Dec 9th (D) OBERHAUSEN – Turbin Halle
Dec 11th (S) STOCKHOLM – Hovet
Dec 12th (S) GOTHENBURG – Scandanavium
Dec 13th (N) OSLO – Spektrum
Dec 14th (S) MALMO – Arena
Dec 16th (FIN) HELSINKI – Ice Hall

HEAVY METAL HAPPY HOUR THIS FRIDAY!

Do you live in or around the NYC area? Like booze and heavy metal? Friday, September 11th – come to Arrow Bar for a special edition of Heavy Metal Happy Hour. We’ll be listening to the new album from Shadows Fall, with an added bonus – 2 for 1 drinks extended until 10:00 for the night!!

Bring your friends, bring your foes, but come out and have a good time no matter what!

Friday, September 11, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Arrow Bar
Street: 85 Ave. A
City/Town: New York, NY

Follow Heavy Metal Happy Hour and Arrow Bar on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/heavymetalhh
http://twitter.com/arrownyc

Position Yourself as a Leader
by Mark Hunter

It’s been said that to be a successful salesperson, not only do your listening skills have to be great, but your closing skills have to be even better.  However, I believe that while these skills are helpful, they are not essential.  In my opinion, to be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader.   It is a fundamental character trait.  Although we have all known salespeople who have had stellar years based on the luck of a few great clients, those with sustained, long-term success always exhibit great leadership skills.

What is a leader?  Leaders are people who empower others to do seemingly impossible things, whether individually or as part of a group.  They help people see issues and opportunities they would not normally see themselves.  Most importantly, they instill a level of confidence in people that make them pro-active in dealing with situations they otherwise would be hesitant to handle. 

These leadership traits are essential for top-performing salespeople to exhibit on a daily basis.  By demonstrating these qualities to your prospects and clients, you are communicating your value to them.  They will see that you have their best interest in mind and are not out to just “make a sale.”  You will create the confidence they need to desire to do business with you.  Salespeople who see themselves as leaders are far more likely to provide the client with the services necessary to help them achieve their long-term goals.  For example, a salesperson who is a leader will wisely show a 25-year-old the significance of buying life insurance both as an investment tool and a “peace of mind” policy.

Top-performing salespeople understand how positioning themselves as leaders can further their success.  You will increase your profits by selling more to an existing customer, so it only makes sense to display leadership to them.  In addition, because the best new clients often come from referrals, your existing customers will be much more apt to confidently recommend you.  In my experience, I have observed that salespeople who behave as leaders are less likely to need multiple closing techniques to make a sale.  I firmly believe that the higher the degree of leadership in a sales professional, the less time spent on closing the deal.  Similarly, the opposite holds true, and the result is a loss of valuable time.

Over the years, I have come to believe that “sales is leadership and leadership is sales.”  The more salespeople with whom I work, the more I confirm the validity of this statement.  Although it’s important to work on both your ability to listen and your closing techniques, fostering your leadership skills is far more essential.  Begin today to set yourself apart from the competition by positioning yourself as a leader to your employees, your clients and your prospects.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability.  For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.

Earlier this year, I wrote two blog posts about traveling to and returning from the Toastmasters District 59 International Speech Contest in Düsseldorf, Germany.  My run in the contest ended with a silver medal in the fourth round of six.  But last week, a world champion was selected from the ten contestants who made it to the final round.

The winner is Mark Hunter, a 58-year old primary school principle in Brisbane, Australia.  In front of 1,500 people in Mashantucket, Connecticut, he was awarded first prize in a contest which 30,000 people from around the world had entered at the beginning of the year.

Mark’s speech, entitled “A Sink Full of Green Tomatoes”, recounts an important lesson that he learned in his grandmother’s kitchen, and how it helped him approach life following a water-skiing accident that left him confined to a wheel chair at the age of 22. 

Mark Hunter - World Champion of Public Speaking, 2009

Winning the contest took commitment and tenacity, and not only because of the physical challenges that Mark faces.  Prior to this year, he had been a finalist twice in the World Championship, taking third place in 2007.  It takes special character to make it that far, come so close, and then commit to the arduous process of doing it all again.  Well done, Mark!  Congratulations on many levels.

We’ll let Mark have the last word in today’s post.  The text of his winning speech is set out below:

Literature is literally littered with lively legends. Amongst them rides Don Quixote the Man of La Mancha. An idealistic knight who fought for the rights of others and dared to dream the impossible dream.

Mr Contest chairman, ladies and gentlemen, while I dare not sing that song for fear it could be your nightmare, I like many of us here have dreamed impossible dreams. But to make one of my dreams even remotely attainable, I had to learn a lesson, perhaps a lesson for us all.

When I was 22 an accident changed my view of the world completely. Before the accident, I saw the world from an invincible 6 feet high, now I see it from the height of the consummate navel gazer.

In my new position, short and seated and recycled, I soon faced discrimination, so I became a modern day Don Quixote fighting for the rights of those with a disability. Many, many times, I would don the armor of righteousness; mount my trusty grey horse; Yeeeha! (Work with me here), raise my lance, and charge into hell for my heavenly cause, dreaming of a world where discrimination no longer existed.

But at other times, I would retreat, exhausted and just want to be invisible

For many years as I championed this cause, I faced this problem: Do I want to fit in, or do I want to stand up, stand out and stand fast for who and what I am; do I want to be same or different?

I became consumed by this dilemma and desperate for an answer. I turned to books, coaches, meditation, you name it I did it, I even searched in the bottom of a bottle of whiskey – I eventually found my answer where many of our life’s most important questions are answered.

My Grandmothers kitchen was filled with the aroma of freshly cooked bread, and the quiet rhythmic chopping of vegetables was the only sound to be heard. On the bench, gleaming upturned jars were begging to be filled with her world famous tomato relish well I thought it was world famous my grandfather, Poppy, always said it could be used as paint stripper. I too would laugh at his mischief

A splash was followed by her silent invitation to look in the water filled sink. A wildly bright red apple had accidentally tumbled in, and was bobbing amongst a dozen green tomatoes. Nana said, Mark, look in the sink. What do you want to be? I looked at my choice to be the one apple or one of many tomatoes- and I remembered thinking:

Who looks at fruit and veggies and becomes philosophical?

So how did I answer grandmother?

As I watched her, I finally understood her wisdom. Nana, I said. She stopped, turned, and waited. Nana, I want to be the water.

She turned back to her work, and I am sure I heard her smile.

She knew I had found my answer. That you can’t change the world by charging around like an idealistic knight. You change it from here, by being the water. You see water embraces everything completely. It does not differentiate young from old, black from white, tall from navel gazer. It simply encompasses all.

And what is this water if is not a unique definition of love. A definition reflected in Deepak Chopra’s work, where he writes for love to be real it has to flow out and around what is loved. This water is liquid love. When I am the water, when we are the water, the need to fight the good fight no longer exists. The need to work out whether we are the same or different no longer exists. When we love with the intimacy of water, difference doesn’t exist.

It’s what this liquid love does. What happened in the kitchen allowed me to replace the passion of youth with the wisdom of my grandmother (maybe cut) and so with my new understanding I began to change my world from in here

Ladies and Gentlemen: In an ordinary kitchen, I learnt an extra-ordinary lesson. One which enabled me to take off my armor and get off this horse, not literally. I learnt from my grandmother that it doesn’t matter how we are different. It’s how we love that matters. So this morning, I offer you her wisdom. In a sink full of green tomatoes and one wildly red apple, there is so much, so very much to be gained from being the water.

By Rory Reynolds

A PLUSH Edinburgh townhouse where the body of a man was found last week is to receive the go-ahead for renovation.

Three floors of the five-storey building at 57 North Castle Street – including the basement where the body was found – are to be modified into two separate luxury apartments.

It comes just one week after the body of Mark Hunter, 27, was found at the exclusive New Town address last week.

A passing member of the public made the grisly discovery at 7am last Tuesday which sparked a police investigation.

Mr Hunter’s body was found face down at “an awkward angle” in a basement garden 12 feet below ground level.

It was thought he may have fallen into the basement after having an epileptic fit.

Detectives have trawled through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to determine the route that Mr Hunter took the night before he died.

Mr Hunter was last seen in a pub three miles away in Northfield last Monday.

The scene of the incident is around the corner from the Oxford Bar, the famous drinking haunt of Ian Rankin’s Detective Inspector Rebus.

North Castle Street, is also home to several exclusive property developers, a prominent oil executive and the former residence of Sir Walter Scott.

A spokesman for the planning department confirmed that permission had been granted for the building.

By Michael MacLeod

FRESH clues have emerged in the mysterious death of Mark Hunter, who was found dead in Edinburgh city centre on Tuesday morning.

It has been revealed the 27 year-old was drinking at a pub almost three miles from where a passer-by found his lifeless body face down in a basement garden.

A team of detectives are now scouring CCTV footage from the city centre to trace his footsteps and establish what happened in the eight hours between his sighting at Scottie’s Bar in Portobello and his discovery in North Castle Street.

Mr Hunter’s family are helping police with their enquiry, but were said to be “distraught” at the news of his death.

Officers remain open minded about how Mr Hunter, who was single and lived alone in a flat in Musselburgh’s Moir Terrace, could have died.

But having completed forensic studies at the scene, they insist they now need friends or anyone who saw him on Monday night to come forward.

The early intelligence is “very important” according to Lothian and Borders Police’s detective inspector George Thomson, who is leading the inquiry.

He said: “We have confirmation that he was out for the evening having for a drink at the Scottie’s pub on Monday night and left after 11pm.

“We obviously are now trying to establish how he ended up some distance away in the city centre.

“This is a starting point for us and we now have a team of people trawling through the CCTV footage, of which Edinburgh has a lot, trying to trace his steps.

“We are not treating this in any way other than an unexplained death.”

A post mortem was expected to be carried out last night (Wednesday), but police ruled out local speculation that he had tumbled from the roof above the five-storey building.

The property, which lies empty and is up for sale, remains cordoned off with police protecting the scene.

It is not known how long his body lay undiscovered, but police now have CCTV footage from bars surrounding the area.

DI Thomson added: “We aren’t speaking to every single bar in the city, but we have CCTV from them and if we can pick Mark up on there, then we will be in touch with them.

“The family are all obviously distraught and coping how one would expect them to be coping.

“But at the same time they are trying to do their best to help us with our investigation, which we very much appreciate at this hard time.

“We are still awaiting a post mortem that will hopefully shed some light on this tragic incident.

“In the meantime we are appealing to anyone who was in or around the city centre on Monday night or early on Tuesday morning and may have seen Mr Hunter to contact police immediately.

“Similarly, anyone with information that can assist with our investigation is also asked to come forward.”

Mr Hunter is described as white, 6ft tall with a heavy build and short fair hair.

He was a wearing short-sleeved blue checked shirt, blue jeans and white trainers on Monday night

SO MUCH

photo : cobrasnake 

This is the meet I went to

Olympian Neil Versfeld continued with his bid for glory at the looming World Swimming Championships in Rome next month with a solid performance at the International Age Group Meet taking place at the Swimming Hall of Fame Complex in Ft Lauderdale, USA, this weekend.
Versfeld joined teammates from Seals Swimming Club on tour in Florida for the popular meet and opened his debut at the meet with a sound 2:14,49 in the heats. The NCAA Champion over 200 yards breaststroke then went on to clock up his fastest unrested time in the event of 2:12,14.

“I did not feel too good on the second 50m as I warmed up a bit early, but I am really pleased with my second half and particularly the last 50m,” said Versfeld.

Turning in 1:04,61 at the 100m mark, and then posting a second half 1:07,53 out on his own in the final to set a new meet record, but Versfeld was smiling as he also achieved this with a total of 9 000m of training during the day.

Before Versfeld took to the water, his clubmates had set the tone with some outstanding swims. John Ellis, now based at the Indian River Community College, also joined coach Wayne Riddin who has been a regular visitor at the meet since 1992. Ellis was in excellent form in the men’s 200m freestyle where he swam away from his opposition to win in 1:54,24. He followed this up with another encouraging gold medal performance in the 100m backstroke, clocking 1:00,87.

Two juniors who gained a lot of experience swimming alongside Versfeld and Ellis from Seals were Mickey Olivier and Mark Hunter. Olivier raced to three gold medals to shock the locals – opening his tally with a fast 27,36sec for the 50m butterfly in the boys 13-14 years age group. He then clocked up another personal best in the 100m backstroke in 1:04,61 before completing a successful day in the 50m freestyle with a 25,34sec dash.

Hunter swam into second place in the boys 13-14 years 200m breaststroke where, besides him being only 13 years old, he was the only swimmer in the field to wear a small conventional Speedo brief costume. Up against a field wearing the faster suits, Hunter smashed his personal best time before the meet by over seven seconds, clocking an amazing 2:35,54.

photos : cobrasnake

LA photoblogger Mark Hunter Cobrasnake and music label, Kitsune came together to collaborate on this video “I’ll Get You” by Classixx. In true Cobrasnake style, the video is revolved around this young beautiful girl on her bike and on the beach with the California sun shining on her. – via BPM

Classixx ft. Jeppe – I’ll Get You

Week 2 of the Boost Your Sales series focuses on Successful Networking.  Our first expert is Mark Hunter with “Networking is a ‘Con’ Game.”

Tomorrow we’ll hear from Andrea Sittig-Rolf

Wednesday brings in Jonathan Farrington

Thursday it’s time for Will Kintish

Friday is my take on networking

And stay tuned for next week when we’ll have Ian Brodie, Joanne Black, Bill Cates, Dr Martin Russell and I tackle using referrals and Word of Mouth to generate business.

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21 Tips to Use at a Networking Event
by Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter”

When you arrive at a networking event, avoid gravitating to people you know.  You should initially thank the host and then immediately find someone new to introduce yourself to.  This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you came.

Stop selling and start listening!  When you meet someone for the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them.  Don’t try to sell them anything.  Rather, begin to establish a relationship.

Keep your business cards in the breast pocket of your coat, a shirt pocket, or in an outside pocket of your purse so they are easy to access and in good condition.

When giving a person your card, personalize it by hand writing your cell number on it.  This will cause the recipient to feel that they are receiving something special. 

When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the US as many cultures treat them with very high regard.

When receiving a card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met.  If you do this while you’re still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection. 

During the course of a conversation, use the other person’s first name two or three times.  People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

Rather than telling a new contact all about yourself, spend your time asking them questions.  It’s amazing how much you’ll learn!

After you meet someone for the first time, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them.  Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them.

Connect with the person you’re talking to by tilting your head as you listen to them. It is an effective body language technique which communicates that you’re paying attention to what they’re saying.

When a person is talking to you, be sure to look directly at them.  Giving a person full attention with your eyes will encourage them to share more. 

Remember, however, that it’s not a “stare-down” contest.  Give the person 3 – 5 seconds of eye contact and then look away briefly before returning your focus to them again.

The best location to network is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the bar, or near the food.

Never approach people if they’re walking towards the restroom.  Wait until they have returned to the networking area.

After the person has shared something with you, ask them another question about what they just said.  This shows that you’re paying attention and that you care about what they’re telling you.

 Always keep one hand free to allow yourself to shake hands with people.  This means that you shouldn’t eat and drink at the same time.  Remember, this is a networking event, not a full-course meal.

 As a way of demonstrating your networking skills, introduce each new person you meet to at least one other person.

 Never try to barge into a group of 4 or more people.  Come along side of the group, but do not attempt to enter into the discussion until you’ve made eye contact with everyone.

 Do not approach two people who are talking, as you may be interrupting an important discussion.

 It is best to initiate conversation with someone who is standing by themselves.  They’ll be happy to have someone to talk to them and, as a result, will many times open up with valuable information.

When you meet someone for the first time, you have 48 hours to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.

A networking event is not a time to see how many business cards you can acquire.  Rather, it is a time to develop a few relationships that have potential.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter”, is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability.  For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.

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http://chimaira.com/

http://www.myspace.com/chimaira

http://www.youtube.com/user/chimairatube
http://twitter.com/Chimairaband

Name: Chimaira

Genre: Groove Metal/Metal Core/Nu Metal

Major/Indie/Unsigned: Major: Nuclear Blast (2006 – present) + Indie label: Ferret Music (2006 – present)

Albums: This Present Darkness (1998), Pass out of Existence (2001), The Impossibility of Reason (2003), Chimaira (2005), Resurrection (2007)

Album: The Infection

Released: April 2009

Overall Rating (out of 4): 3.5

Musicality – For the metal genre, they play amazingly tight musically as a band. The music can be described as visceral sonic madness….but under control.

Singing – “Growling” vocal style of Mark Hunter is fit, aggressive, and you can still surprisingly hear & understand  the lyrics (I find that unusual in most heavy bands).

Lyrics – I have to admit I looked at a website to take a full look at “The Infection” album’s lyrics on each song, and I came away impressed! The lyrics that were written are poetry, dark poetry, but poetry nonetheless (Talking about darkness, pain, suffering, and life’s trials). It is very good, and the lyrics themselves stand on their own. I would google Chimaira lyrics if you don’t believe me.

Flow/Rhythm – Insane metal rhythms, with the drums frenetic energy (Kick drum crazy!), they truly create something creative and powerfully high energy! The rhythm guitars are heavy and crunchy where they need to be, and subtle/quieter where that’s needed. As well, the melodic lead parts on guitar add complexity to each song. This is a band at the top of their game, they have matured, progressed, and taken their music to the next level!

Technicality/Recording – Amazing audio recording, able to mix all the different types of sound elements together into a cohesive whole.

Visuals – Myspace page is excellent with music, tour dates, you name it. Their Youtube channel takes a slightly different angle, as it is a more of a talk to the fans site. The band talks about what’s going on with the band, products and promotions (a nice way to see the band beyond the music). Their personal website is more of a blog style with pictures, tour dates, and everything else. Finally, they do a Twitter account to follow, which can link  at the top of this review. So, in my books they got things pretty well held down on the technologic side!

Top 2 Songs:

1. Frozen in Time (Crazy heavy rhythm guitars, insane pounding drums, relentless, powerful! Killer Chimaira breakdown rhythms)

2. The Disappearing Sun (Insane drum rhythms with crazy lead guitar riffs, nice into lead into the song, I like how the song doesn’t rush into the mega heavy parts – patience in a metal song?!)

~ Jason Chu

@Chodidees

http://www.myspace.com/chodidee

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.