Cars That Will Make You Cool- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

Let's get something straight. Italian cars are cool--but not just any Italian car. It's got to be something special.

"There's something about the design language of Italian supercars and sports cars that just exudes coolness," says Ray Wert, editor-in-chief of the car blog Jalopnik. "An Alfa Romeo 8C? Sex on wheels. Maserati? Gorgeous. Basically any Italian car will make you cool--with the exception of a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Those brands are so overplayed."

The $1,500,000 Pagani Huayra offers a cool 700 horsepower.

Wert contends that those two most iconic of Italian brands are too stereotypical to actually raise their drivers' coolness quotient--though he admits that Ferrari's new FF, due out next year, may be different, at least for a while.

"It's one of those situations where, for the first couple of months, when you're the first guy who people have seen in that car, you're cool," Wert says. "But when you're the second guy, you're not." (Ferrari declined to comment on the record for this story. Seems it prefers to let its product speak for itself.)

Tough crowd. Apparently if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, cool has got to be obvious to everyone.

The Rules of Cool
Fortunately for drivers less intuitively cool than others, there are some general guidelines that determine whether a car is cool.

For instance: The car must not be awkward to get into or out of. The extremely low-riding Lotus is disqualified here, while the slightly higher Audi R8, for instance, is not.

Also: A truly cool car must have two doors rather than four, and it must not have undue amounts of chrome or unnecessary design accents on the exterior (this disqualifies any blinged-out Bentleys,BMW's admittedly great but four-door M-line sedans, and the aggressive Aston Martin Vantage, which has huge vents carved on its hood and chrome throughout the interior (though the Aston Martin Virage or Aston Martin Rapide would qualify for consideration).

Above all, a cool car must look effortless.

"Cool is self-fulfilling," says Tim Philippo, product manager for Jaguar North America. "Cool is really satisfying only yourself: You are complete within your coolness."

Philippo says stars like Clark Gable and Steve McQueen embodied that nonchalance--they both also happened to drive Jaguars. New Jags, like the XKR-S, pull from that same heritage, Philippo says.

"We're not the obvious choice when you hit the lottery, but people still buy the new cars because they appreciate the design and the luxury," he says. "There's something that stands out about a Jaguar."

A vaunted history makes for another rule of thumb: Vintage cars are almost always cool, but you've got to do them right. An old car paired with an old driver will only look cheesy, Wert says.

"Absolutely vintage is cooler, except if you go too far back," Wert says. "Pick a target age: If you're a 25-year-old and you're driving a 20-year-old Lamborghini, that's fine because that adds 20 years to your age, so you'll be 45. That's fine. If you're a 30-year-old driving that 20-year-old-car, you're now 50. So you have to even them out. "

And if you're 70?

"An Alfa Romeo 8C, because it shows that you're hip and with the kiddies," Wert says.

The $272,000 Spyker C8 Aileron's body is all aluminum.

Simple enough. But what about that fine line between something amazing and something amusing? The Spyker C8 Aileron is pretty flashy, but its authentic aviation-inspired engineering and design elements keep it in the cool column. And at 1,200 horsepower, the Veyron Super Sport may seem too outrageous to make this list, but it's tough to argue with the fact that anyone who drives one will be swarmed with gawkers ogling the $2 million machine--and talking about how cool it is.

Rarefied Air
The final component of coolness has to be exclusivity. Many of the cars on our list are indeed extremely rare--most people haven't heard of the GTA Spano or the Gumpert Tornante, which only adds to their aura.

"There definitely must be an element of mystique with a cool car, something that eludes definition," says Sarah Durose, a spokeswoman for Aston Martin. "People want something special; they want something unique." Aston makes only 5,000 cars a year worldwide.

All that said, there is probably only one absolute rule when it comes to cool cars, and it should go without saying: No minivans allowed.

Top Five Cars That Will Make You Cool

Alfa Romeo 4C (and its predecessor, the 8C)

Claim to fame: Admittedly this is currently a concept, but it's not likely to change much when it comes to market next year. It follows the 8C Competizione as a smaller, more compact model. It's shorter than 8 feet long and, made of carbon fiber and aluminum construction, weighs just 1,873 pounds. That's good for a top speed of 250 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km in less than 5 seconds.
Price: $300,000 (est.)

Aston Martin Virage

Claim to fame: The hand-assembled 6.0-litre V12 is combined with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shifters. It gives 490 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mounted far back in the chassis (though it's still a front-mid-engined configuration), which gives it an advantage in both ride and handling. Zero to 50 mph in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 186 mph.
Price: $210,000

Audi R8 5.2

Claim to fame: It has a 5.2-liter, 525-horsepower V10 engine that goes zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 196 mph. It comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission (automatic transmission available), with full LED headlights and taillights, heated leather sport seats and carbon fiber inlays. A carbon-fiber exterior package is available.
Price: $149,000

Ferrari FF

Claim to fame: This is the first Ferrari with all-wheel drive--it also has four seats, hence the "FF" moniker. The 12-cylinder concept was designed by Pininfarina and is expected to hit production next year. Early estimates place it at 660 horsepower with zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph.
Price: $300,000 (est.)

Jaguar XKR-S

Claim to fame: The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 can deliver 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. It'll go zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 186 mph--numbers good enough to make it the fastest production XK to date. It'll hit dealers this fall as a 2012 model.
Price: $132,000

Cars That Will Make You Cool- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

Phoenix medical marijuana locations reflect restrictive zoning

The first five medical marijuana dispensaries approved in Phoenix are confined to office and industrial parks, an early indication that Phoenix's new zoning rules for the dispensaries are so restrictive that few, if any, outlets will be located anywhere near the people who need them.

Because of distance requirements from homes, churches, schools and parks, some real-estate attorneys believe there is virtually no retail site throughout the city that would meet the requirements.

Indeed, the first item on a zoning adjustment hearing agenda last week was withdrawn because the site was too close, by a matter of a few feet, to a day-care center.


The potential operators of medical marijuana dispensaries must go through a zoning adjustment hearing to get a use permit, as required by the city's zoning ordinance. Besides the spacing requirements, the ordinance lists numerous other restrictions, from limiting the size of the buildings to setting hours.

But the spacing requirements pose the most serious problem for those wishing to get into the business.

The withdrawn item was for a dispensary at 3217 E. Shea Blvd., in a northeast Phoenix strip mall east of Uncle Sam's restaurant. It is isolated from homes - the nearest are on the other side of the Arizona 51 freeway, beyond a second strip shopping center. The nearest school property is Shadow Mountain High School, just outside the quarter-mile limit. The nearest church, Christ the King Lutheran on 32nd Street, is outside the 500-foot limit. The closest parks are a mile away.

It all looked good until city officials determined Little Treasures Learning Center, 10220 N. 32nd St., was barely inside the quarter-mile limit.

An adult probation office and at least a dozen liquor licensees are closer to the day-care center.

"When the maps were developed, planners did not realize how restrictive they would be," said Andrew Myers, executive director of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association. "Almost all in-line retail space (strip malls) violates the spacing requirements."

Phoenix City Councilman Bill Gates represents the district where the withdrawn location is situated. He said it was never the council's intent to be so restrictive. If it had been, he said, it would have used its zoning categories, not spacing requirements.

Larry Tom, a city planner who has been focused on medical marijuana zoning, doubts the rules are so restrictive. If they are, he said, the council asked for a review after a year, and they could be adjusted.

Only 10 medical marijuana permit requests have been scheduled for hearings. Seven of the first nine sailed through the approval process, with two that were withdrawn.

The 10th is scheduled to be heard Thursday morning.

At least three of the sites approved a week ago are within a single community health analysis area - areas set up by the Arizona Department of Health Services that are restricted to a single medical marijuana use.

Such siting rules could limit the number of medical marijuana providers overall. In addition, some of the urban community health areas may not have any sites that work.

Myers said he is not surprised about the location problems. Because medical marijuana is a new phenomenon, such rules were expected.

"These restrictions may not be permanent," he said. "Once medical marijuana has become an established business, it could become better."

by Michael Clancy The Arizona Republic Mar. 22, 2011 10:30 AM

Phoenix medical marijuana locations reflect restrictive zoning

Paradise Valley asked to OK permit for marijuana dispensary

Paradise Valley has received its first permit request to dispense medical marijuana in the town.

Mountain View Medical Center recently submitted a special-use permit application to operate a dispensary at the medical complex at the southeastern corner of Tatum and Shea boulevards.

The 2,736 square-foot dispensary would be located in Building A, on the southern side of the complex.


Attorney Jordan Rose, of the Rose Law Group, said the applicants are Reggie Winssinger and John Bozzo, owners of Mountain View Medical Center.

Rose, who represents Winssinger and Bozzo, said they will not operate the facility, but act as landlords. They want to put stipulations on the facility to ensure it remains medically professional, including that patients be seen by appointment only and that only two patients be seen at a time, she said.

"It is a good location, with low traffic," Rose said. "(My clients) want to attract a responsible tenant who is only interested in providing marijuana for medical purposes, and not recreation."

The town will not allow a dispensary without an approved special-use permit, and the Planning Commission has drafted a Statement of Direction that the Town Council approved 4-2 Thursday.

Council members Vernon Parker and Pam Kirby voted against the Statement of Direction. Councilman Paul Dembow recused himself from voting.

The document is among the first steps in the process and is not a final decision, but it allows the Planning Commission to begin its vetting process.

It includes a number of guidelines that could be included in the final permit, such as prohibiting drive-through services, free samples, home deliveries and cultivation of marijuana.

Proposition 203, legalizing medical-marijuana use, was narrowly passed by voters in November.

Mayor Scott LeMarr said the town wanted to be as restrictive as possible and that allowing a dispensary to operate in a medical complex was the only option for the town. Mountain View Medical Center is the only property in Paradise Valley that has proper zoning for a dispensary.

The location is in a very unobtrusive spot and it must act like a pharmacy, LeMarr said.

"Although I don't condone medical marijuana, the people voted for it," he said. "People are not going to know it's there unless they are a patron of the dispensary or a patient of a doctor in that complex."

Rose said Paradise Valley's overall development character creates challenges for a dispensary looking to locate there.

"Their ordinance is not necessarily more restrictive, it's just that they don't have many buildings that fall into a zoning classification for this use," Jordan said.

Under the new law, individual municipalities are required to set the zoning rules for medical-marijuana dispensaries.

Northeast Valley municipalities that have approved amendments to their zoning ordinances include Scottsdale, Carefree and Fountain Hills. Paradise Valley and Cave Creek are in the process of drafting their ordinances.

At least six permit requests have been submitted to dispense medical marijuana in the Northeast Valley - one in Paradise Valley and five in Scottsdale.

Paradise Valley has its own Community Health Analysis Area, which is among 126 districts drawn by the Arizona Department of Health Services to allow a dispensary. Municipalities approve permits for locations based on proper zoning, but DHS will decide which operators are certified by the state to operate.

by Philip Haldiman The Arizona Republic Mar. 25, 2011 10:33 AM





Paradise Valley asked to OK permit for marijuana dispensary

Scottsdale panel recommends first marijuana dispensary site

The first conditional-use permit for a medical-marijuana dispensary in Scottsdale gained the Planning Commission's support Wednesday, but some members said approval "puts the cart before the horse."

By a 3-2 vote, the commission recommended City Council approval of a permit for the Virtue Center, at 7301 E. Evans Road, in the Scottsdale Airpark.

Paradise Valley asked to OK permit for marijuana dispensary


This is the first of numerous permit applications for medical-marijuana dispensaries the commission will consider through April and May.

The dissenters, commission Chairman Michael D'Andrea and Vice Chairman Ed Grant said approving a city permit before the state issues medical-marijuana dispensary licenses doesn't make sense.

Commission members Matthew Cody, Michael Edwards and Michael Schmitt voted to recommend the permit. Members Jay Petkunas and Erik Filsinger were absent.

The council is expected to consider the conditional-use permit at its April 26 meeting.

The Virtue Center applicants are Drs. Richard Strand, Frank Tindall and Joel Colley, and businessman Norman March, operating under a non-profit entity known as OF&C Corp., based in the Scottsdale. All are longtime residents of Scottsdale.

"These guys really are the dream team," said Court Rich, a Rose Law Group attorney representing the applicants. "If you're going to have a dispensary in Scottsdale, what better than three doctors with such extensive experience in pain management, anesthesia and dealing with cancer patients. This is real medicine and this is what I think the people would want."

The Arizona Department of Health Services will not award medical-marijuana dispensary licenses until this summer. Applications are due May 1-31, and then licenses will be issued within 90 days.

Rich told the commission the Virtue Center would include numerous cameras and other security devices, the front door would be locked at all times and key cards would be required to enter the area where the medical marijuana is stored. Visits would be by appointment only.

Grant said the state hasn't provided cities with any clear guidance, so the commission isn't in a position to recommend conditional-use permits.

The city's text amendment requires that no medical-marijuana facilities be located within 1,320 feet of each other.

"There's no way for us to make a representation that that is, in fact, the case until the state has issued these licenses," Grant said. "We don't have that information yet, and thus can't make the recommendation to our council."

Grant said his decision had nothing to do with the Virtue Center because the application "looks fantastic, very credible and professional."

D'Andrea agreed the commission doesn't have enough information from the state to recommend conditional use permits for dispensaries.

"It's all speculative, no one knows if they're going to get a license, no one knows any of that," he said. "I think for us to get 20-30 applications and then give people the right to do something on their property that they don't even know if they're going to have a license for, I don't feel comfortable making that recommendation to our council."

Schmitt said he doesn't understand how recommending a conditional-use permit for a medical-marijuana dispensary now is any different than when the commission recommends a conditional-use permit for a business to serve alcohol before the owner has obtained a state liquor license.

Next week, the department of health services will release its regulations for implementing the ballot measure that legalized growing, manufacturing and dispensing medical marijuana.

The regulations may provide more guidance for the city, D'Andrea said. However, he still insists that licenses should be granted before conditional-use permits.

"Come to us once you have a license to get the conditional-use permit," he said. "It's all muddy. It's backwards."

The Scottsdale Waterfront also was on the commission's agenda on Wednesday. Members recommended council approval of an amended site plan and modified development standards for a portion of the final phases of the project. Those involve the western portion of the property, known as the Goldwater parcel, which has not drawn any opposition because the developer, Scottsdale Waterfront LLC, has agreed to keep it in accordance with 2003 development standards.

by Edward Gately The Arizona Republic Mar. 25, 2011 06:50 AM




Scottsdale panel recommends first marijuana dispensary site

VOGUE HOMMES JAPAN #6 / MUGLER SPECIAL | Ink Butter™ | Tattoo Culture and Art Daily

VOGUE HOMMES JAPAN #6 / MUGLER SPECIAL | Ink Butter™ | Tattoo Culture and Art Daily

Mackay: Customers need positive staff vibe

Quick, name three people at your workplace whom you look forward to seeing every day. Now, name three who rain on your parade every time you see them.

Which list was easier to generate?

I believe it was Lucy of "Peanuts" fame who said, "I love mankind. It's people I can't stand!"


But Lucy would have had an argument from former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, who said, "Anyone who doesn't get along with people has earned the kiss of death, because that's all we've got around here are people."

Whether you like them, you need to learn to get along with others. Having a co-worker who is difficult to deal with can destroy an office dynamic, which can be very bad for business. Customers wonder, "If they can't get along with each other, how will they treat us?"

On the flipside, a staff that has learned how to cooperate regardless of personal differences will project a positive vibe to customers. People, not specs, in many cases will be the key in determining who gets the sale.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett was once asked by a seventh-grader: "How can you tell a good country from a bad one?"

The secretary replied, "I apply the gate test. When the gates of a country are open, watch which way the people run. Do they run into the country or out of the country?"

Bennett's answer can easily be translated to business settings. If a company is good, people want to work there and customers know they are valued. The doors don't spin fast enough at a bad company.

Never underestimate the importance of people in your life. And always look for opportunities to improve your relationships, no matter how good they already are.

Successful work relationships depend on several factors. Perhaps the most important is you. What can you do to become a better co-worker?

- Maintain a positive attitude. Managers and co-workers alike appreciate the support of someone with an upbeat outlook. Show some enthusiasm about your job and the organization you work for. Look for opportunities, not problems, and find the bright side of the challenges you face.

- Always demonstrate integrity. Be honest with people. When you don't have an answer, say so. Admit your mistakes (and concentrate on not repeating them). Keep your promises, and meet your deadlines. All this shows your respect for other people and demonstrates your reliability.

- Show a willingness to try. Don't be afraid to stretch out of your comfort zone. Volunteer for new tasks and extra responsibility. Take risks - be realistic about what you can and can't do, of course, but don't back away from a challenge because of the possibility of failure. Ask the right questions so you know what's really going on, regardless of whether you fear you may appear "ignorant."

- Cooperate. Be a team player - help your colleagues with their priorities, and share information instead of hoarding it. Know what your manager wants, and support him or her to the best of your abilities. Offer your support when people need it, so they know you're not just out to get ahead for your own benefit.

- Manage conflict. The ability to resolve conflicts among different groups of workers is a coveted skill in most organizations. Companies are looking for employees who can build positive relationships between people, yet don't shy away from controversy.

- Focus on other people. Ask questions that let other people talk, and encourage them to open up and share their thoughts. You'll be less worried about saying something wrong, and you'll probably find enough common ground on which to build a real conversation.

- Set a great example. Show others that they can count on you to be fair, friendly and even-tempered. Keep your cool. Remember that you are dealing with people who also have feelings, opinions and ideas. You can't learn anything if you are doing all the talking.

- Then, take these suggestions and apply them to your customer service. Your customers are people, too. If there's one complaint I hear over and over again from customers, it is that some companies they deal with treat them like account numbers rather than flesh and blood. Deliver your customer service with a human touch. Your customers should feel like the technology you use is an enhancement of your personal service, not a replacement.

Mackay's Moral: If you want to get ahead, learn how to get along.

by Harvey Mackay March 21, 2011




Mackay: Customers need positive staff vibe

Boxing Cat

Mike Luckovich on oil prices | Mike Luckovich cartoons

Mike Luckovich on oil prices | Mike Luckovich cartoons

Mackay: Hard work plus ambition equals success

The game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is a suspenseful half-hour that offers contestants the opportunity to dramatically improve their financial picture. Answer a dozen or so questions correctly, with help on a few, if necessary, and watch the bank account mushroom.

If it were that simple, anyone could become wealthy overnight. But it doesn't work that way. Achieving financial success isn't a game - it's a way of life.

Some will object to the notion that making a lot of money is the same as achieving success. I understand that, and I agree that success comes in many ways apart from just a bigger payday.


But I will submit that most of us expect our financial situation to improve as we become ever more successful at what we do. There is no shame in being rewarded appropriately for our hard work. Ambition combined with our best efforts should have positive results.

As Oprah Winfrey so eloquently put it, "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." If anyone would know what it takes to be a self-made billionaire, Oprah would.

Here are some secrets shared by self-made millionaires:

- Educate yourself about money. Even if you don't have your sights set on becoming the next Warren Buffett, a good understanding of finance will help you set priorities and make decisions about spending, investments and savings. Knowledge is power.

- Set some clear goals. You have to dream big if you want to succeed on a large scale. Don't be afraid of your ambitions. Start with a list of what you want to achieve this year, and then select the one goal that would have the greatest positive impact on your life. Then get busy.

- Serve other people. Structure your goals so they're not just about you. You'll earn support from the people whose help you need by showing them how your achievements will benefit them - and you'll feel better about yourself than you would if you concentrate only on what's in it for you.

- Learn to sell yourself. Whatever you create, you have to sell to someone else. You'll need to understand sales and marketing no matter what industry you're in. But at the same time, you have to sell others on your abilities. Be honest and reliable so employers, customers, investors or other important stakeholders know they can trust you to take care of them.

- Think of yourself as your own CEO. Whether you work for a boss or for yourself, view your career and success as your own. That means taking full responsibility for what happens to you - your decisions, failures and triumphs. Put all your energy into your goals. Motivational guru Brian Tracy advises taking the "40-plus" approach: You work 40 hours a week for survival. Every minute you devote past that 40 hours is devoted to your success.

Consider the story of the couple who retired to a cottage with a lovely view of some rugged and rocky terrain. Early one morning, the wife watched from her window as a young man dressed in work clothes walked down the lane nearby. He was carrying a shovel and a small case. He disappeared from view behind a grove of trees.

The scene repeated itself daily for a week. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she persuaded her husband to follow him one morning to see what he was doing.

So, the couple took a walk early the next day. Just beyond the trees, they found a long and deep trench, rough and uneven at one end but neat and straight at the other. The young man arrived during their inspection, and the couple peppered him with questions. "Why dig here, in this rocky ground? Why dig at all? And what is in that case?"

The young man smiled and explained, "I'm digging a trench. I'm actually learning how to dig a good trench, because the job I'm being interviewed for later today says that experience in doing that is essential - so I'm getting the experience. And the case has my lunch in it."

There's no secret to success. It's just ambition plus hard work plus dedication.

Mackay's Moral: We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do.

by Harvey Mackay March 3, 2011



Mackay: Hard work plus ambition equals success

Benson Cartoons - Political Cartoons - The Arizona Republic

Benson Cartoons - Political Cartoons - The Arizona Republic

Sometimes the Stars on Vimeo

Sometimes the Stars on Vimeo

Benson Cartoons - Political Cartoons

Benson Cartoons - Political Cartoons

Lasik Eye Surgery!?

Mackay: Put focus on next success

Don Shula is a legendary professional football coach. Some years ago, I negotiated a contract for a first-round National Football League draft choice with Shula, and I've been closely following his career since.

He holds the NFL record for most career wins, 347 over 32 seasons. He led the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories, including the one that capped the only perfect season in NFL history.

How did he do it? By not dwelling on the past. Shula had a "24-hour rule," a policy of looking forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling on the previous victory or failure. The coach allowed himself, his coaching staff and his players a maximum of 24 hours to celebrate a victory or brood over a defeat. During those 24 hours, Shula encouraged them to feel their emotions of success or failure as deeply as they could.


But the next day, it was time to put it all behind them and start concentrating their energy on preparing for their next game.

What a difference a day makes! I absolutely agree with Shula's philosophy. Let me explain why.

Let's start with a colossal failure. How often have you been tempted to throw in the towel after losing a big sale or watching a million-dollar deal fall through, only to have your luck turn a day or two later?

Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities. Instead of seeing the possibilities for success, you hesitate, concentrating on the dark clouds rather than the silver lining.

Next step in the downer process is the vibes you send out to your customers. Your usual enthusiasm is seriously compromised because you are waiting for rejection. And that's exactly what you'll deserve.

Snap out of it! You've had plenty of success before. This episode was just a bump in the road. Don't turn it into a detour.

Buck Rogers, former vice president of marketing at IBM and author of "Getting the Best Out of Yourself and Others," has this advice to stay motivated: "To be successful, you have to believe you can change the conditions in your life. You have to get out of the back seat of someone else's car and get behind your own steering wheel. You can't wish away the things in your life that make you unhappy, and you can't daydream your hopes into reality. Make things happen."

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the spectacular victory - the referral that turned into your biggest account, the employee-of-the-month award, the amazing idea that turned your company around. Do you think now is a good time to coast or to rest on your laurels?

Absolutely not! Celebrate with your co-workers, go home and take the night off, and then come back to work in the morning ready to do an even better job the next day. You are on a roll. Don't waste the momentum.

Your bragging rights expire after 24 hours. It's fine if others want to congratulate you. Be gracious, thank them and get back to work. A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next grand destination. Success breeds success.

My friend Zig Ziglar says he is often challenged by people who want to know what motivation is. He relates a great example: "There are those who say that when someone goes to a motivational session they get all charged up, but a week later they're back where they were before they attended the session. In short, motivation isn't permanent, right?

"Of course motivation isn't permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis."

Make that "regular basis" every 24 hours. The 24-hour rule allows you to look at each new day as a blank slate. Take along lessons from the past. You can learn as much - or more - from failure as from success. But don't live in the past. Build on what you know so that you don't repeat mistakes. Resolve to learn something new every day. Because every 24 hours, you have the opportunity to have the best day of your life.

Mackay's Moral: If you live in the past, you won't have much of a future.

by Harvey Mackay March 7, 2011



Mackay: Put focus on next success

Cave Creek to discuss regulating medical marijuana

The Cave Creek Town Council will discuss the drafting of a medical-marijuana ordinance at Monday's meeting.

Town Clerk Carrie Dyrek said no decisions will be made about the ordinance, but the council will focus on how to regulate medical marijuana in Cave Creek.

Under a new state law, municipalities are allowed to set zoning rules for medical marijuana. This includes where dispensaries can be located and where marijuana can be grown.


"We can't forbid pot, but the council can choose to encourage it or discourage it," Dyrek said.

The council will have two model ordinances from which to get direction, one with strict and one other with loose regulations. Officials say Cave Creek's ordinance will probably fall somewhere between the two examples.

Action will be taken at a future meeting, which has not been set.

In November, voters narrowly approved Proposition 203, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, legalizing marijuana for medical use.

Action items on Monday's agenda include a grant to fund the construction, operation and maintenance of the Cave Creek Flood Hazard Reduction Project; and funding for the design, project management, paving and drainage along a portion of Morning Star Road, in north Cave Creek.

Town Engineer Wayne Anderson said Morning Star Road is one of the most traveled dirt roads in Cave Creek.

Monday's meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Cave Creek Town Hall, 37622 N. Cave Creek Road.

by Philip Haldiman The Arizona Republic Mar. 5, 2011 05:03 AM




Cave Creek to discuss regulating medical marijuana

Michael Ramirez Editorial Cartoon, March 02, 2011 on GoComics.com

Michael Ramirez Editorial Cartoon, March 02, 2011 on GoComics.com

Michael Ramirez Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

Michael Ramirez Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

Explore, identify and evaluate those unrealistic expectations

"He doesn't get it. He believes his business is worth $50 million when it's highly unlikely any buyer will pay more than $25 million based on his financials. How can I help him reset his expectations without seeming too negative regarding the sale of a business he built from scratch?"

All of us have dealt with people with unrealistic expectations, whether it's clients, counterparts or even business partners. So how do we help them, especially if their unrealistic expectations might destroy possibly good deals?

- Explore the basis for their expectations.


Why does the seller believe her house is worth $1 million? Perhaps her neighbor sold a similar house in 2007 for $1 million. Or perhaps her work colleague - who has dabbled in real estate - told her she had a million-dollar house. Or perhaps she has an inexperienced agent who didn't comprehensively analyze the recent sales of comparable properties in her neighborhood. Or perhaps it's just her gut feeling.

Whatever the reason, find it out.

- Evaluate how to address their expectations.

Just because your client, colleague or counterpart has unrealistic expectations doesn't mean you must immediately burst their bubble. Instead, analyze the short-term impact of their unrealistic expectations in deciding what to do.

If it's a potential client and you just met them, spend sufficient time rapport-building and developing the relationship before you address their expectations.

This is especially true if their expectations will have no short-term impact on the deal (perhaps they believe their business is worth $50 million, but you will be soliciting bids from potential buyers and won't be making the initial move.)

Of course, this is a balance. You don't want your silence perceived as assent. But you also don't want to challenge them before you have sufficient information and credibility to have an impact.

- Identify objective standards to reset their expectations.

If and when it's time to reset their expectations, share independent objective standards such as market value, precedent, expert opinions, costs and industry standards that support a more reasonable conclusion.

Point to a market-value analysis by a well-respected and independent business valuation expert that concludes the business is worth $25 million and not $50 million. Or point out the lack of precedent for his opinion as no businesses in his sector have sold for that multiple of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) since the dot-com bubble.

Or tell the house seller that two similar houses nearby are for sale at $750,000 and each has been on the market for three months.

- Test the market and their leverage.

Finally, don't discount the possibility that their expectations may not be totally unreasonable even if you're an expert. We can't always predict the future or what someone might be willing to get in any deal.

If this is even a remote possibility and it doesn't cost much in time, money or downside risk, suggest they test the market and their leverage. That will tell them if they're being unreasonable - or not.

by Marty Latz The Arizona Republic Mar. 3, 2011 12:00 AM





Explore, identify and evaluate those unrealistic expectations