August 2011
M T W T F S S
« Jul   Sep »
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

Archive for August, 2011

New Zealand deer breeders are known throughout the world for their technically advanced deer farms. In the 1970s, agricultural pioneers in New Zealand began the first deer farming using with animals captured in the wild to build their herds. Today, New Zealand is home to more than 4,000 deer farms that collectively contain over a million hinds, or female deer, and about 600,000 stags, the male counterpart. New Zealand accounts for over one-half of the world’s production of farmed deer. While some breeders are content to raise a small number of animals on a small farm, the New Zealand deer production market is characterized by large commercial operations that cater to the export market.

Most New Zealand deer breeders raise red deer that originated from Europe. Red deer are not native to New Zealand; this species was imported from England and Scotland in the mid to late 1800s as a sporting animal for hunting. They were released in the Southern Alps of New Zealand which have a climate similar to the European Alps where red deer also live. They adapted well to their new home, and without native predators, they multiplied until a century later they achieved the status of pests.

As red deer increased in population and became pests, New Zealanders developed a new industry of capturing wild deer and selling deer meat, called venison, and antler velvet, which has proven therapeutic value, abroad as an export product. It wasn’t long before agricultural entrepreneurs began establishing deer farms that were stocked with wild deer. Farmers began cultivating stocks of domesticated deer that never spent any time in the wild. They then next began breeding red deer, selecting for desirable traits such as meat production and antler development in stags. Breeders do not focus just on the genetics of stags; studies show that stags receive 60% of the genetics that contribute to antler development from their mothers. Breeders are concerned about antler development because one of their products, the velvet, comes from antlers.

Western Europe, particularly Germany, Scandinavia and the United States are the main markets for New Zealand venison. New Zealand deer farmers derive about three-quarters of their export income from venison and nearly one-quarter from deer velvet. While most New Zealand deer farms raise red deer, a small number of farms raise European fallow deer species or North American elk. Deer breeders are concerned with enhancing the genetics of any breed of deer being farmed.

There are numerous reasons why your company should be employing some kind of cultural diversity training. There’s the fact that encouraging our workforce to interact respectfully with people of different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles is simply right, of course. Right and wrong aside, however, most businesses should give serious consideration to conducting sensitivity training in the workplace because failing to do so could affect the bottom line.

Today, the lofty concept of a melting pot has given way to the reality of a global marketplace, and a workforce which encompasses a variety of cultures, genders, ages, and any number of religious and personal beliefs. Any of these factors can potentially be divisive and could even lead to harassment in the workplace.

Unfortunately, it’s becoming easier for employees who have been harassed at work to file a formal complaint or sue their employers if hostile work conditions are not dealt with quickly and appropriately. More and more employers are finding it in their best interests to implement cultural diversity training before they are faced with governmental intervention or costly legal entanglements.

There is no changing the fact that people have opinions and that sometimes those opinions are going to put them into conflict with others. By clarifying the expectations regarding how everyone is to treat coworkers, customers and others who come from or embrace different cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs, businesses can create a healthy and productive work environment.

Most employers find that, with appropriate sensitivity training in the workplace, having a diverse work force actually benefits their company or organization. Building the kind of culture of respect where these benefits can be realized doesn’t happen by accident, however.

An important first step is to develop a cultural diversity training program within your organization. The goals of this program should include:

Identifying areas to improve. Many employers are shocked to discover that harassment is even occurring within their workforce. However, harassment occurs on some level in most workplaces, often because no standards have been set to prevent it or because employers are unaware of how hurtful (and often illegal) their actions are.

Teaching empathy. People tend to put aside their differences more readily when they realize that, beneath it all, we are all very much alike. For all of our differences, we have more in common than most people realize. By learning to put themselves in the other person’s shoes, workers develop understanding. Ultimately, this leads to better harmony in the workplace and often more production.

While modern car sales continue to fall, vintage cars are getting hotter these days. According to research, there is a huge demand for them all over the world. Hundreds and thousands of vintage cars are sold each year and each car is worth millions of dollars. Indeed, these classic cars are now soaring not just in the US but to other Eastern countries despite the reports of the economic downturn.

But why do people love these cars? Why are they are so popular? Following are some of the best reasons why these cars are still in demand today:

Passion For Collecting Excellent Finds
People are fond of collecting all sorts of stuff from jewelry to gold coins, silverwares, potteries, porcelain and even cars. By and large, people who collect cars are mostly men. Their passion is not limited to modern and brand new cars but vintage cars as well. Just like Jay Leno, the famous host of the Tonight Show in NBC. He now owns 300 vehicles excluding his 60 motorcycles. Included in his car collection are several Stanley Steamers from the early 1900s, muscle cars from the 1950s and ’60s, and a 1932 Packard Twin Six 12-cylinder coupe. It only shows that people will do anything just to add a good piece to their collection, even spending millions of dollars.

Vintage Cars As An Investment
Financial experts believe that people should start investing in order to protect their wealth against inflation. However, a lot of people did not know that selling these cars are very lucrative. Classic cars are considered as excellent investment mediums. Those that are for restoration are very cheap to buy but after a few modifications and repairs, they can be sold twice or thrice higher than the original value. Surely, this type of investment is profitable. However, aside from having a million dollar worth of bank account, interested investors need to be well verse with the car industry and the different types of vintage car in order to maximize the profit and not to be ripped off the car’s actual value.