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By Jordan Weissmann
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 13, 2008
By the time FirstPay Inc. shuttered its doors and declared bankruptcy in 2003, the Silver Spring company was managing payroll operations for about 1,500 businesses and organizations. What few, if any, knew was that owner Mark Rothman allegedly skimmed about $11 million of the taxes FirstPay was supposed to pay on its clients' behalf.
According to federal court documents, Rothman orchestrated the scheme for three years, using the money for a private yacht, houses and a company slush fund. By the end, he had defrauded approximately 250 companies, the government contends. FirstPay's former clients -- small businesses, nonprofits, churches and temples -- never saw the letters from the Internal Revenue Service alerting them that they owed back taxes because FirstPay had swapped their mailing addresses with its own.
Half a decade later, some of FirstPay's clients are still battling the IRS in a messy bankruptcy case to determine who gets the last of FirstPay's assets, and whether some of the businesses that fell victim to the scam will have to pay taxes a second time.
"We have one job and one job only. And that is either to stop the IRS from being able to collect from these people, or alternatively, to collect as much money as we can find . . . to pay everybody's claims," said Jeffrey Orenstein, a lawyer representing the bankruptcy trustee.
For most of the clients, the FirstPay saga began with a fax. For others, it was a phone call. A few were only clued in by newspaper reports. One by one, they learned in May 2003 that Rothman had been declared dead, and that his company was closing.
With their payroll company suddenly out of business, most of Rothman's customers scrambled to figure out the status of their accounts. It was only when some called the IRS to find out where their tax payments stood that they discovered they were in a deep hole.
As of last month, more than 150 companies had filed claims in FirstPay's bankruptcy case. The groups included nonprofits such as Christ Church Children's Center of Bethesda, which found itself holding a $72,000 back-tax bill, and small businesses such as Bernstein & Robinson Dermatology of Bel Air, Md., which owed $207,356. AIDS charities, radio stations and even the National Petroleum Council all claim to have been ensnared.
No lawyers came to court to represent FirstPay, even as allegations in the bankruptcy proceedings mounted against Rothman. He had allegedly used clients' money to pay for a 42-foot sailboat, a $184,000 vessel christened the "Get Too." He was also accused of misusing client funds to pay the mortgage on a home for his father-in-law, to buy property in Maryland, and to hand out performance bonuses to his employees. Lawyers presented evidence that Rothman had wired thousands of dollars to a pawnshop he owned.
Rothman was in the British Virgin Islands when he was declared dead in 2003 of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and his family purchased a grave for him at a cemetery in Olney. However, in 2007, a federal bankruptcy judge wrote that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had opened an inquiry into Rothman and the fraud allegations, including the question of whether he was still alive.
The FBI says Rothman's case is ongoing but declined further comment. Rothman's wife did not respond to a request for comment.
In fraud cases, the IRS generally requires businesses to cover any taxes that weren't delivered. Two FirstPay clients, the Washington nonprofits Bread for the City and the Family Place, had their debts forgiven under new IRS guidelines that make it possible in some rare circumstances. But many, if not most, of FirstPay's victims have settled with the IRS, paying their taxes after the government dropped late fees and penalties. Most have joined the bankruptcy case with hopes to recover some or all of the amount of their settlement.
Some, however, have refused to pay. Temple B'nai Shalom of Olney, recently featured in a Jewish Week article about its problems, owes $67,000 in taxes, and more than $100,000 with penalties. The IRS has placed a lien on its building.
"I might have seen the IRS's point if they had notified us in the beginning," said Shelley Engel, B'nai Shalom's executive director. "But three years of not paying? You don't think they could have found another way of letting us know? If you're late on a credit card, they don't just stop with those letters in the mail. They call you, they serve you if they have to."
B'nai Shalom has 429 members and maintains a balanced budget of about $2 million a year. Like many temples, it runs a nursery and religious school, as well as adult education programs. The temple initially planned to settle with the IRS and hired a lawyer to handle the process. But Orenstein stepped in last year and offered to take its case pro bono.
Orenstein, a B'nai Shalom congregant, already represented the bankruptcy trustee, meaning he was guiding the investigation of FirstPay's practices, as well as the liquidation and recovery of its assets. With his knowledge of that case -- B'nai Shalom's dealings with the IRS are part of a separate administrative process -- Orenstein said he thought he could prevent the IRS from collecting anything from the temple. Perhaps, he said, he could even get some money back.
Before folding, FirstPay had made a final, $28 million payment to the IRS. Orenstein thinks that money should rightfully go back to FirstPay's creditors. He also challenged the agency's right to collect any more back taxes, arguing that it broke its own rules by letting FirstPay change its clients' addresses.
Maryland's federal bankruptcy court agreed in part. In August 2007, it ordered the IRS to return the $28 million to FirstPay's creditors. In his opinion, District Judge Peter Messitte called the IRS's approach "surprisingly arrogant." Despite that, Messitte said there was little he could do to stop the IRS from demanding payment in the future.
"While the IRS' disregard for its own procedures is troublesome, the Court finds no authority for it to impose any particular remedy under the circumstances," he wrote.
The IRS, which said it does not comment on specific cases, is appealing the ruling.
The FirstPay debacle is far from an isolated incident. In recent years there have been at least 11 major criminal prosecutions against fraudulent payroll operators, according to one government tally. But legislative efforts in response to the schemes have stalled. Versions of a bill that would have put tighter controls on payroll operators passed both chambers of Congress, then died before differences between the measures could be resolved. And initiatives to have payroll operators bonded have also failed to gain traction after lobbying efforts from the industry.
The IRS does have an online system that allows companies to check whether vendors are keeping up with tax payments. However, the system is poorly promoted, said Nina Olson, the national taxpayer advocate. She said the agency has generally resisted adding new safeguards, such as sending notices to both the taxpayer's old and new addresses when a mailing address changes.
"The IRS so far has been somewhat unresponsive to those things, and I find that somewhat disturbing," Olson said.
Bruce Friedland, an IRS spokesman, said the agency is taking a serious look at how to improve scrutiny of third-party payroll operators and how to handle address changes.
"We are actively working on how to best carry out a duplicate change of address notice to all business taxpayers who use third parties," he said. "In addition, in early 2007, we retrained those who process employment tax submissions to tighten scrutiny on address changes coming from possible third-party payers."
In the meantime, the FirstPay case drags on. If the IRS is ultimately forced to return the $28 million to FirstPay's former customers, the government says it will simply add it to the amount they owe in back taxes.
Orenstein said he is ready to challenge the IRS on that front as well. He said the agency has lost the paperwork proving how it allocated the money among FirstPay's clients, and without it, the agency has no basis for determining what is still owed.
"Their position is: 'Trust us. We wouldn't lie to you,' " Orenstein said.
Tax law experts said Orenstein's argument may be a stretch. The IRS can still pursue claims if it can show how much it is owed, they said, even if it lost FirstPay's records.
It may seem unfair, but even if they are victims of payroll fraud, companies are still legally responsible for making sure their taxes get paid, said George Yin, who teaches tax law at the University of Virginia.
"It's an awful situation," Yin said, "because the culpable company is in some sense getting off."
View all comments that have been posted about this article.


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How to Track Your Body Fat Percentage
When losing weight many people focus on measuring their progress using a scale.
But when you lose weight you may be losing water weight, muscle, or fat. The scale simply can't tell you which one of these you're losing. This is why you should make it a point to measure your body fat instead of your body weight.
Why Track Your Body Fat Percentage?
When you are losing weight, your main goal is to lose fat, not muscle or water weight. This is because water weight loss is temporary, and losing muscle will slow down your metabolism in the long run.
What is The Normal Range of Body Fat?
The range of healthy body fat varies according to gender and age. Generally, women should have about 20%-30% of fat while men should have between 8%-25% of fat.
Anything less or more than this range is unhealthy and efforts should be made to gain or lose fat accordingly.
The only way to know if you are losing fat is by measuring your body fat. If you track your body fat and it remains the same, but you are losing weight, you may have to change your weight loss approach.
How to Measure Body Fat
There are a few methods of measuring body fat, though a majority involve expensive or large equipment, or are just plain inconvenient.
The two methods that are doable at home are the skinfold method, and the height and circumference method.
Skinfold Method
The skinfold method requires you to have a pair of body fat calipers, which you use to measure standardized areas of the body by pinching the area with the calipers.
These measurements are then applied to an equation which will give you your body fat percentage. However, if you don't want to use the equation, the measurements alone will give you a good estimate if you are losing fat.
Circumference Method
The height and circumference method involves measuring different parts of the body using a tape measure and comparing it to a table of standard values to get your body fat percentage.
There are many calculators on the internet that use this method to help you determine your body fat percentage, so feel free to try them out. Usually the neck, hip and waist are the areas measured.


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Advancing the Kingdom of God, by caring for members who are in need.
"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all."
Acts 4:32-33
The Care Ministry is a group of volunteers who serve members of C3 in need.
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text: You may realize it gradually or find out through a dreaded call in the middle of the night. Your mother or father is ill, no longer the healthy family member you and your children are accustomed to. With all the emotions you may experience and details you might need to attend to, you also have to consider how to help your child cope with the fact that Grandpa or Grandma is sick. Here are some things to keep in mind to help your child get accustomed to this unwelcome bit of news. Continue reading


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Maybe you're familiar with that new Mac smell. Maybe not. We personally love it, though we haven't upgraded our Retina MacBook Pros in nearly four years due to lack of significant updates. Light up Twelve South's New Mac Candle though and you can re-experience that scent a few hours at a time. The hand poured soy wax candle gives off hints of mint, peach, basil, lavender, and sage, but mostly new Mac. And with a burn time of about 50 hours you'll get to experience that new Mac smell far longer than most do, considering the unboxing process normally lasts but a few minutes.
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Marked in flesh : a novel of the Others / Anne Bishop.
Electronic resources
View other formats and editions
Record details
- Physical Description: 1 online resource (1 audio file (15 hr., 21 min., 44 sec.)) : digital
- Edition: Unabridged.
- Publisher: [New York] : Penguin Audio, 2016.
Content descriptions
|Participant or Performer Note:
| Read by Alexandra Harris.
|Summary, etc.:
| Fourth in the "flawless" (The Reading Café) New York Times bestselling series from the author of Vision in Silver. For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they're willing to tolerate--both within themselves and within their community... Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial--both personally and practically. But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don't realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others--and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs...
|Source of Description Note:
| Online resource; title from title details screen (OverDrive, viewed March 14, 2016).
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text: I see there are 2 different sets of adapters out right now SA10102 and SA50002?? SA10102 is supposed to be just for the skyfi2 but the other says its good for both?? Pretty big difference in price in the two as well.. Any suggestions?? save money with the older kit but would I be missing out on something??


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1/23/2012 | Bookmark This Page
Ten Ways to Reduce Stress
The following are some wonderful ways to reduce anxiety, agitation and stress and promote relaxation, calm and peace within yourself. Some techniques take practice, and most require some commitment on your part to achieve results. However, the results are well worth any effort, as a calm and relaxed body and mind are less prone to health issues than an agitated body and mind.
1) Breathing strongly influences mind, body and moods. By simply focusing your attention on your breathing, and without doing anything to change it, you move in the direction of relaxation. There are many worse places to have your attention - on your thoughts, for one, since thoughts are the source of much of our anxiety, guilt and unhappiness. Get in the habit of shifting your awareness to your breath whenever you find yourself dwelling on upsetting thoughts. Try these breathing exercises.
2) Progressive relaxation is a way of releasing tension in muscles. Often taught in yoga and exercise classes, on self-help tapes and by various instructors - from massage therapists to psychologists - there are many variations of progressive relaxation. A common technique is the following:
You can easily learn to do this on your own, but it is pleasant to follow spoken instructions from someone with a soothing voice. You can incorporate progressive relaxation into your daily routine and find ways to make it more portable. For instance, you can modify it for a sitting position and do it at your place of work.
3) Exercise. For many people, exercise is their main method of reducing stress and promoting relaxation. One of the benefits of regular aerobic exercise is its moderating effect on emotions. This is a long-term benefit, but aerobic and nonaerobic exercise can also work in acute situations as a symptomatic treatment. If you feel angry or upset, a brisk walk or run or a half hour of lifting weights will often put you back in a good mood. While exercise is a great way to burn up excess energy, it does not teach you how to process stress differently. For that reason it is not recommended as your sole method of relaxation, but as a complement to another technique, such as breathing, visualization or yoga, for instance. Yoga is an excellent promoter of relaxation as well as a good form of nonaerobic body conditioning. It perfectly complements aerobic exercise. It requires commitment to a formal practice and is best done with an instructor, at least at the start.
4) Massage and body work. For a wonderful, relaxing experience, get a massage or other form of body work. In order to gain full benefit, you need to be totally passive and surrender to the touch of a skilled therapist. There is a great deal of evidence that the state of the mind and nervous system is reflected in the state of the musculature - body work is one route into the unconscious mind. Some kinds of massage are more relaxing than others. Some of the best for this purpose are Trager work, a system that uses rocking and bouncing movements to lull the recipient into a very dreamy altered state, and watsu, done in warm water. Like exercise, massage is more a symptomatic treatment than a lasting change. It is also limited in its application, since few of us are able to go to a massage therapist on a daily basis, and most of us need to practice relaxation skills every day.
5) Visualization and guided imagery. While we all look at our internal images from time to time, especially when we daydream or fantasize, few of us have learned how to develop our imaging capacity and take advantage of its ability to affect our minds and bodies. Visualization and guided imagery have you concentrate on images held in the mind's eye and work with the connection between the visual brain and the involuntary nervous system. When this portion of the brain (the visual cortex at the back of the head) is not occupied with input from the eyes, it seems to be able to influence physical and emotional states.
You can learn the technique for visualization and guided imagery from books, self-help tapes or an instructor. For relaxation and stress reduction you may want to start with images you get from books or tapes, as long as they feel right for you. Or simply recall a scene from the past when you were supremely content, secure and centered. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and picture yourself back there. Try to make the image bright and clear and try to hear, feel and smell the surroundings. How long you focus on it is less important than how regularly you do it - a few minutes every day practicing your visualization will reap greater benefits than if you spend an hour at it every so often.
The best times for practice are the transition states between sleeping and waking. Just before falling asleep and just after waking up, try to concentrate on your peaceful image. At these times it passes more easily into your unconscious mind, where it can relax your nervous system and body. Of course, try it during the day, too, especially if external stress gets you down and you become aware of internal tension.
6) Biofeedback. The idea of biofeedback is clever and simple: by using technology to help you learn faster relaxation, you can develop sensory awareness of an involuntary function and learn to change it. In a common biofeedback setup, temperature sensors are connected to your fingers, and skin temperature is converted to an audible signal, perhaps a beep tone: the faster the beeps, the higher the temperature. Your job is to make the beeps go faster by raising your skin temperature. The tone gives your ears and brain feedback from a body function that is ordinarily unconscious and beyond the reach of your will. Skin temperature is a measure of blood flow into the hands, and that is determined by the size of little arteries. The autonomic nervous system regulates this flow by causing arteries to constrict (sympathetic influence) or dilate (parasympathetic influence). In order to raise your skin temperature you have to relax your sympathetic nervous system. Unless you do this on a regular basis, you will have wasted your time and money, because the point is to incorporate what you learn into daily life. Ideally you should spend 15 to 20 minutes a day at this practice, preferably after a few minutes of progressive relaxation, visualization or meditation to set the stage.
Biofeedback works best for people whose tension is expressed in bodily complaints such as migraines, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, ulcers, chronic intestinal problems,Raynaud's disease and bruxism. It may also benefit those who feel they need outside help in learning to reduce anxiety and internal stress, or who doubt they can do it on their own. A typical biofeedback training program consists of 10 hour-long sessions, often spaced a week apart.
7) Meditation is directed concentration. Meditators learn to focus their awareness and direct it onto an object: the breath, a phrase or word repeated silently, a memorized inspirational passage, or an image in the mind's eye. Researchers have documented immediate benefits in terms of lowered blood pressure, decreased heart and respiratory rate, increased blood flow, and other measurable signs of the relaxation response.
While the potentials of meditation are vast, not everyone should practice it as a way to relax: many people are not ready to meditate. The first step is to work to improve the diet, develop good exercise habits, and learn how to breathe properly. Some people may benefit from simpler techniques for relaxation, ones that give immediate results with less effort.
If you want to give meditation a try, shop around for a form of it that seems comfortable - one that suits you and does not conflict with your belief system. All forms of meditation require regular, daily practice over a long period of time before they deliver the big rewards. Try to meditate every day without fail, 20 to 30 minutes being a reasonable length of time.
Many newcomers to meditation think the goal is to stop all thoughts. That is not possible. What you want to learn is to withdraw attention from the endless chains of associated thoughts that stream through the mind, putting attention instead on the object of meditation. Whenever you become aware that your attention has strayed (to images, sensations, thoughts of dinner, etc.) gently bring it back to your chosen object. The work that meditation requires is just this constant running after your attention and bringing it back.
8) Mantram is the practice of repeating over and over in the mind certain syllables, words or phrases that help unify consciousness and counteract negative mental states. Repetition of a verbal formula is a way of focusing the thinking mind and counteracting the damage done to both mind and body by thoughts that produce anxiety, agitation and unhappiness.
Repetition of a mantram provides a comforting focus for the mind. It is a totally portable technique, requires no training or equipment, and can be used in any circumstance, so long as you don't practice it during something that otherwise requires your undivided attention. Mantram is especially helpful for people with restless minds, whose turbulent thoughts keep them from relaxing, concentrating and falling asleep. Try experimenting with it.
9) Hypnotherapy. Though hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, has fallen in and out of favor over the past few hundred years, it is currently accepted as a useful method of relaxation, pain control and management of habits like smoking and overeating. In fact, the use of trance and suggestion to affect the unconscious mind - and through it the regulatory systems of the body - has many more potential applications in the treatment of disease. However, few hypnotherapists are willing to tackle interesting physical ailments, and instead limit themselves to control of pain, stress and habits. Keep in mind that hypnotherapists do not put you into a trance - they just arrange circumstances to increase the likelihood of your shifting into a trance state, which is part of the normal repertory of human consciousness.
If you are interested in hypnotherapy, first sound out a hypnotherapist to make sure he or she does not have fears of loss of control that will get in the way of successful therapy. Also, do not enter into this work unless you feel totally comfortable with the therapist, and understand that you will have to implement the program by committing to regular practice on your own.
Hypnotherapy is a good choice for people who think they have no idea what it feels like to relax and for those with stress-related health problems. A few sessions of hypnotherapy can also teach you how to use visualization for self-improvement and can help you begin a meditation practice.
10) Drugs are used by many to relax, but are not as safe or effective as the methods described above. While tranquilizers seem to have become more common, there are natural substances that you may want to try. Spearmint and chamomile teas are both mildly relaxing, and you can drink as much of them as you want. A stronger remedy is passionflower, made from a plant (Passiflora incarnata) native to southeastern United States. Passionflower products are available at herb and health food stores. The dose is one dropperful of the tincture in a little water or two capsules of a standardized extract up to four times a day as needed. Passionflower is not sedating.
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None of my boys have been "officially" diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, but 3 of the 4 of them have had oppositional behavior and been defiant at times, some more than others. In my 21-and-a-half years of parenting, I thought I understood what consequences were, how and when to implement them, and the purposes behind different types of consequences, especially using natural consequences as teaching points. The ODD Lifeline is teaching me so much more about my children, the principles behind consequences and why they "work" or "don't work" and an awful lot about myself!
I have always provided consistent consequences for my children, something that is recommended in the program. Each of my own boys learned from the limits we set in their own time and way, so I thought I was doing an awesome job as a parent. Of course every child is different and I was able to see clearly their different learning styles. My oldest son learned mostly from natural consequences which had to be repeated several times before it would sink in. Eventually he would learn that he was only hurting himself. Don't like typing class? Okay, so get yourself kicked out and sent to the social worker each day. So, will they get that you hate the class and let you drop it if you get sent out enough? No — they will re-enroll you next semester and you will have to try again! Do you want to take typing 4 times? Go ahead, enjoy! Don't feel like carrying that heavy math book? Dump it in the bushes and nobody will know! Until your mom gets a bill for it and deducts it from your allowance! These may seem like minor infractions compared to kids with severe ODD, but I'll get into that.
So, along comes child number two. I discovered before he was 2 years old that he seemed to learn on a 3 month learning curve. Like clockwork, if I held my ground, by the third month the behavior was gone or the new rule was being followed. BUT if I gave in even one time, I negated the entire time I had already been implementing a consequence or a new rule and literally the 3 months started again. He was NOT a child where you could say, "Okay, just this once!"
Now enter my stepson. His mom sent him to live with us at age 9. I have not done anything different with him than with the other boys. He just does not seem to learn at all. He will repeat the same behaviors again and again even after having the same consequence for 3 years. At first we did switch it up a bit, thinking different consequences would work. We asked therapists, doctors, looked things up on line. We provided consequences and found a new therapist with more of a background in Reactive Attachment Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Still, we wondered, "What are we doing wrong? Why won't he learn? Why can't we teach him?!" It is hard not to take it personally and feel like we are failing him as parents. We were able to more consistent than his mom; that was why she sent him in the first place. She told us we were better suited to handle the discipline issues and were able to be more consistent than she could be. We started to feel like failures as parents. We wanted to "save" him. It was like watching a train wreck — we saw where he was headed, but we were determined to stop it.
What I have learned is that it is up to him. At first I thought, "Okay, so I stop giving consequences that don't work and give up." Of course that made no sense. Then I thought I should continue with the consequences as I had been, even though the behaviors continued. That made no sense to me at first either, because nothing was changing! But actually, over the years I have come to realize it makes perfect sense. My stepson knows he will have a consequence for the unacceptable behaviors. Just because he chooses to continue to do the same thing over and over, does not mean we have failed. It means he has decided the act of whatever thing he chooses to do (damage property, steal, etc.) is more important to him than the consequence he has to face.
His behaviors have moved from inside the home to outside and he has been involved in the juvenile justice system. He has poked holes in the wall, large & small; peeled paint from the walls; pulled up carpeting; scratched chairs and tables; pulled buttons off a new couch; stolen gum from the store; and scratched 6 neighborhood cars, and stolen from everyone in the house, even visitors. The damage to the cars was not the first time. He was sent here shortly after scratching his mom's car. Then we found out he keyed neighborhood cars. These neighbors reported the vandalism last summer; we did not think he did it because he is very rarely unsupervised. Lo and behold, it turned out to be him! His mother got him a new bike last year and the one day he rode it around the neighborhood without one of his brothers, he scratched the cars!
He ripped buttons off a new couch and chairs. In addition to his regular consequence, he was not permitted in the basement. After several months of this, an uncomfortable consequence for everyone (we had to literally be with him everywhere in the house and we did not allow him downstairs at all!) he was finally able to go in the basement, only under supervision. After a few days, I found buttons in the washing machine after doing his laundry. Then, under further inspection, under the couch were more buttons and string. So what did he learn?
He learned that he has to face a consequence yet again and is no longer allowed in the basement. We learned that it is up to him to decide when enough is enough!
Editor's Note: Children who exhibit signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder need a comprehensive psychiatric assessment and an individualized treatment plan. Because of that, if your child has either RAD or PTSD, we recommend that you work closely with a local counselor or therapist to coordinate your approach to challenging behaviors such as those Emmie has described here. Close and ongoing collaboration between your family and the treatment team will increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.
About Emmie
I am a mom of two boys, ages 16 and 22, both with ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. I have remarried and my husband has 2 boys, ages 13 and 16. The 13 year old lives with us, and has some behavioral problems and attachment issues. There is always something happening at our house!


text: I am receiving a low space message on my phone. I looked through the applications and I noticed e-mail is taking up 37mb. The clear cache button is greyed out. I deleted all inbox, outbox and trash. Powered off the phone and it is still using 37mb Any help or Ideas would be greatly appreciated. I am down to 7mb free and the phone wont even let me sent txt because it is too full Brandon


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Catalonia is a region in Spain, which represents a wide selection of unique activities. Please visit our selection of activities and get the best out of your stay!
Living local is a great chance to make a real difference using "Responsible Tourism" which are supporting the local Catalan farmers as it aids maintaining traditional ways of living. Renovating the beautiful country homes, with a high degree of respect, stops the areas of mass tourism to grow larger and preserve the stunning scenery, wildlife and glory in Catalonia's historic buildings and precious heritage.
We have a extensive selection of holiday homes in Catalonia, Spain for grand groups, which create a great opportunity for a unforgettable holiday in company with more generations or friends.
Geniuses of architecture
Modernisme developed inCataloniain the period spanning the closing decades of the 19th and opening decades of the 20th century, and was a broad cultural movement embracing all the arts: music, literature, painting, sculpture and architecture. Economic growth and the rise of a political and intellectual movement to revive the national Catalan identity co-existed during that period with the aim of creating a modern culture in keeping with the latest trends ineurope. Alongside the internationally highly regarded Antoni Gaudí are the other notable architects of the period, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Josep Maria Jujol. Their work recreates a wide range of influences -from Gothic revival to the modern style- in an original manner, and became the starting point of aCatalanSchoolof architecture that has survived to the present day.
·Casa Milà (La Pedrera) (1905 - 1910).Impressive undulating façade and wrought-iron balconies. Part of the building is used as a cultural centre with exhibition rooms and an auditorium. On display in the Espai Gaudí are drawings, models, photographs and audiovisuals on Gaudí and his times. The "Pis de la Pedrera" (The Apartment) contains a reconstruction of a period's interior.
·Park Güell (1900 - 1914).A garden city in which Gaudí managed to blend nature and architecture in supreme fashion.
·Palau Güell (1886 - 1888).The building that Gaudí designed for his patron, Eusebi Güell, just off La Rambla inBarcelona.
·Casa Batlló (1904 - 1906).This is one of Gaudí's mature buildings; radiating intense naturalism yet is, at the same time, abstract. The main floor (i.e. the first floor) was also decorated by Gaudí and is one of the best examples of his work as an interior designer. From 2004 to 2006, its centennial is being celebrated; therefore, in addition to the main floor, the attic and chimney areas have also been opened to the public.
·Sagrada Família. Gaudí's unfinished work. Particularly noteworthy are the Nativity Façade, the stylised towers and the remarkable pinnacles.
·Crypt at Colònia Güell (1898 - 1915) in Santa Coa de Garraf). One of the most important works of architecture of the 20th century.
Casa Vicens, inBarcelona, Gaudí's first building constructed in brick and coloured marble.
•Casa Calvet, Torre de Bellesguard and the pavilions at Finca Güell inBarcelona.
•Misteri de Glòria inMontserrat(Catalunya Central).
•Cellers Güell (winery) in Garraf (Costa de Garraf).
•Cooperativa La Obrera Mataronense in Mataró (Costa del Maresme).
•Jardins Artigues in La Pobla de Lillet (Pirineus).
If you want to breathe the 'air' of Antoni Gaudí, you should make sure you take a stroll through Reus and Riudoms (Costa Daurada), in particular Casa Gaudí and Mas de la Calderera (belonging to his mother's side of the family) in Riudoms, described as "the place he loved most in the world".
Domènech i Montaner
Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Barcelona, 1850 - 1923) was an architect, historian, interior designer, urban developer and politician. He designed major public buildings such as the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau inBarcelona, both declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
His works combine rationalism, a use of new materials and technologies and a passion for the applied arts, as can be seen in their mosaics, stained-glass windows, sculptures and wrought ironwork.
·Palau de la Música Catalana (1905 - 1908) This is one of the most emblematic of Modernista works. The auditorium and stage are an unusual, luminous and colourful space thanks to the use of large polychrome windows and the spectacular sculptures around the stage.
·Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (1902) A hospital set amidst gardens with detached pavilions and a monumental entrance built of brick and mosaics and incorporating sculptures by various artists including Pau Gargallo.
•Editorial Montaner i Simó, now home to the Fundació Antoni Tàpies.
•Castell dels Tres Dragons, now the Museu de Zoologia.
·Casa Lleó Morera.
One of the buildings of the so-called "Manzana de la Discordia" (Block of Discord due to the different styles of the buildings).
·Fonda Espanya just off La Rambla. The original decor of the restaurant still survives.
Elsewhere in Catalonia
CANET DE MAR (Costa del Maresme)
•Casa-Museu Lluís Domènech i Montaner, his architect's studio which contains drawings, models and the drawing board that he designed.
•The Ateneu Obrer, Castell de Santa Florentina, rebuilt by Domènech
•Casa Roura (Ca la Bianga)
REUS(Costa Daurada)
·Institut Pere Mata
Built between 1897 and 1912, which is still used as a psychiatric hospital
•Casa Navàs, with furnishing by Gaspar Homar
•Casa Gasull
•Casa Rull
OLOT (Pirineus)
Casa Solà-Morales.
TARRAGONA(Costa Daurada)
•Mausoleum of James I the Conqueror
L'ESPLUGA DE FRANCOLÍ (Costa Daurada)
•Bodega Cooperativa
Puig i Cadafalch
The name of Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Mataró, 1867 - Barcelona, 1956) is associated with some of the greatest cultural undertakings inCataloniain the 20th century, such as the urban development of the hill of Montjuïc, the refurbishment plans forBarcelonaand the excavations at Empúries. An architect and urban developer, a historian of art and a politician, Puig i Cadafalch designed emblematic buildings such as Casa de les Punxes, Casa Amatller and Cavas Codorniu. Works by him can be seen inBarcelona, Mataró, Argentona and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.
•Casa Amatller, now the Centre del Modernisme.
•Palau Macaya on Passeig de Sant Joan.
•Casa Terrades, otherwise known as Casa de les Punxes, on Diagonal.
•On Montjuïc are the Casaramona factory, now home to CaixaForum, and the pavilions in the exhibition centre grounds.
•Palau Baró de Quadras, to be occupied by Casa Asia.
•Casa Martí (Els Quatre Gats café), Casa Serra and Casa Company.
IN SANT SADURNÍ D'ANOIA (Costa de Garraf)
•The Cavas Codorniu wine cellars are neo-medieval in inspiration.
IN MATARÓ (Costa del Maresme)
•Casa Coll i Regàs, Can Sisternes, La Beneficència, the Council Chamber in the Town Hall, Casa Parera and El Rengle market.
IN ARGENTONA (Costa del Maresme)
•Can Garí, the Puig i Cadafalch family's summer residence.
For many years considered merely one of Gaudí's collaborators, Josep Maria Jujol i Gibert (Tarragona, 1879 - Barcelona, 1949) was himself the architect of a number of unusual buildings and made use of poor materials which he transformed into balconies, lamps and furnishings.
•The Mañac shop, Casa Planells and the Monumental Fountain in Plaça d'Espanya.
IN SANT JOAN DESPÍ (Barcelona)
•Can Negre and Torre de la Creu (also known as Torre dels Ous).
IN CAMP DETARRAGONA(Costa Daurada)
•The Church of the Sagrat Cor in Vistabella (La Secuita), bapisterio and presbiterio of the parochial church of constantino, the bell tower of Iglesiade Sant Jaume to Creixell, the Hermitage of Montserrat in Montferri, the Hermitage of Roser in Vallmoll, the refurbishment of Casa Bofarull in Els Pallaresos, and Casa Ximenis and Casa Abad and the Teatre Metropol in Tarragona.
Modernisme Routes
Modernisme was the style used inCataloniato build hospitals, convents, theatres, factories, private homes and summer residences. The architectural style was adapted to suit all these purposes, as can be seen in the factories in Terrassa, noble residences inReusand Cau Ferrat, a combined house and museum, in Sitges, where the bohemian Modernistas would gather.
A trip through Modernisme
This consists of a range of visits and tourist services in the three towns.
INREUS(Costa Daurada). Trade inReusin 1900 was an important factor in the spread of Modernisme. Gaudí began his training inReusbut it was Domènech i Montaner who left the greatest trace here: Casa Rull, Casa Navàs, Casa Gasull and the Institut Pere Mata.
IN SITGES (Costa de Garraf). Here one can appreciate the universality of Modernisme, as a large number of the intellectuals of the period would meet up in Sitges. The group of buildings comprising the Maricel, Casa-Museu Cau Ferrat, Casa Bonaventura Blai, the Mercat (Market), the Town Hall, Casa Pere Carreras iRobert and the Teatre Casino Prado.
IN TERRASSA (Catalunya Central). Modernisme was given added impetus here through numerous cultural and above all industrial buildings, including the Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya (formerly the Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover mill), the Sala Muncunill, Casa Alegre de Sagrera, Freixa farmhouse, the Teatre Principal, the Escola Industrial and the Town Hall
Modernista Tarragona.
The three architects route
This route centres around three of the most important Modernista works in the city ofTarragona: the altar in theChurchofJesúsi Maria by Gaudí; the Metropol Theatre by Jujol; and the mausoleum of James I by Domènech i Montaner.
Things to see. The Mercat Central, Casa Ripoll, La Salle school (now the Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Casa Sales, the monument to Roger de Llúria, Casa Ximenis, the convent of the Teresian nuns, the Quinta Sant Rafael, the Metropol Theatre, the convent of the Carmelite nuns and the Chapel of Sant Francesc.
European Modernista route.
There are five unique Modernista buildings inBarcelonawhich have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Things to see. Palau Güell, Palau de la Música Catalana, the "Manzana de la Discordia" - consisting of Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó Morera on Passeig de Gràcia - the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, La Pedrera, Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Museu Gaudí and the Museu d'Art Modern-MNAC.
Modernisme routes nearBarcelona:
•"Sitges in the time of Modernisme".
•"Industrial and Modernista Terrassa".
•"Modernista summer homes in Vallès Oriental".
•"Modernisme in Alt Penedès. A walk amongst the vines".
•"Modernisme in Maresme - The Legacy of Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch".
•"Alt Berguedà: Gaudí's Modernisme in natural surroundings".
•"Baix Llobregat: from Gaudí to popular Modernisme".
•"Manresa: Modernisme and Art Déco".
A century of Architecture
Catalan architecture of the second half of the 20th century is for many people a revelation.Cataloniahas become of point of reference for contemporary architecture and urban development.
The momentum of Modernisme continued in the work of Cèsar Martinell, Manuel J. Raspall i Mallol, Joan Rubió i Bellver, Francesc Morera, Rafael Masó and Enric Sagnier Villavechia. Noteworthy amongst their various works are the 40 wineries and agricultural constructions by Cèsar Martinell, mostly inTarragona, the Escorxador (Slaughterhouse) in Lleida (1912 - 1915) by Francesc Morera and the Farinera Teixidor (1910 - 1911) flourmill by Rafael Masó. The GATCPAC, a group of architects whose members included Josep Lluís Sert, who designed the Fundació Miró inBarcelona, put the postulates of Le Corbusier into practice and built a number of pioneering works inBarcelona.
Catalan architecture of the second half of the 20th century is for many people a revelation. The works of Josep Antoni Coderch, Oriol Bohigas, Carlos Ferrater, Oscar Tusquets, Ricardo Bofill and Enric Miralles make Catalan architecture one of the most fascinating inEurope.Cataloniahas become of point of reference for contemporary architecture and urban development through the construction of works by Richard Meier, Arata Isozaki, Rafael Moneo, Santiago Calatrava, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Richard Rogers and Dominique Perrault.
Please take contact to www.cataloniaholidaylettings.co.uk for further recommendations. email@example.com


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All You Can Do is All You Can Do
The title of a popular business book years ago was All You Can Do Is All You Can Do. And it's true, but sometimes choosing the right thing to do is all-important.
The dilemma for many CEOs is that they stay so busy running the business that they end up with too little time spent thinking about how to accelerate its growth. The old saying often applies: "It's hard to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp when you're up to your ass in alligators."
Speaking recently with a highly successful CEO who's grown and sold several companies, he speculated on what determines how open a CEO is to coaching. His experience and mine perfectly aligned: a serially successful CEO will seek input and help from friends far more often than a first-time CEO and founder. Highly successful people learn how to choose advisors they trust in order to achieve the success they desire.
The stumbling block for many a founder and CEO of an established small company is that he or she comes to believe in his/her own abilities so much that they're unable to accept the help that would take them to the next level. No matter how passionate they may be about accelerating growth, their complete reliance upon their own judgment closes their minds to innovative ideas, even if the source is someone they trust.
If you run an established business, test yourself with these questions:
- If an experienced CEO took a deep look at my company and told me I had to make big changes in order to grow, would I be open to changing?
- If a partnering expert offered to develop an alliance strategy that could double the growth rate of my company, would I listen to learn how?
If the answer to either of these questions is no, your company may already be decelerating or it's about to hit a bump in the road. Once that happens, it will become even harder to carve out time to consider innovative ways to grow.
Are you focused on maintaining your role as chief problem-solver in your company, or are you passionate enough about growing your company to seek help trusted friends? Sometimes all you can do, by yourself, is not enough.
Systematic Opportunity Discovery
The Oxford Dictionary defines opportunity as "a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something." Although opportunities are generally thought of as spontaneous, serendipitous, and not amenable to process, is it possible to find them systematically?
In general, an opportunity is a chance to move from state A to state B; a business opportunity requires an interaction with another person or organization to create a desired outcome. Since a business opportunity implies a relationship, a thorough understanding of how and why relationships are created is the foundation of systematic opportunity discovery. Although some opportunities arise through original creative thought, even those are based on an understanding of relationships.
The exchange of money for goods and services is one type of business interaction, but it represents a desired outcome, not an opportunity. While the ultimate measure of success is revenue generation and profitability, value creation must precede it. An opportunity is created by an exchange of resources that enhance value. What classes of value-enhancing resources are there?
Five of the most common are:
1. new products and technology,
2. brand recognition,
3. additional staffing,
4. customer relationships, and
5. new markets and industries.
A majority of business opportunities arise from the recognition that one or more of these resources can be leveraged to add value to existing offerings. How can we intentionally and systematically identify and define opportunities based on this principle?
The process that leverages this knowledge comprises 4 steps:
1. Define your company's value relative to others.
2. Define other companies' value relative to yours.
3. Leverage individuals gifted in identifying and defining new opportunities.
4. Discover opportunity in the gaps.
Valuing Your Company
A crystal clear picture of your company's value is a critical enabler of systematic opportunity discovery. What resources does your company have, and which ones does it need? Well-understood strategic positioning affects the bottom line positively. It minimizes investing in opportunities that deliver little or no return while enhancing the chance of finding richer opportunities.
Valuing Other Companies
The second step depends upon the first. Knowing clearly what your company offers, you can view other companies through this lens: if another company were to acquire mine, what would be the increase or decrease in the value of the combined companies? An exit strategy approach is a proven way to identify value in other companies, and you'll learn what resources you may have that they need.
Leveraging Gifted Individuals
Some individuals are naturally gifted in identifying and defining opportunities. Harnessing this strength by including the right individuals in your company. If your team lacks this strength, augment your team with advisors who possess vital insight into opportunity discovery.
Opportunity in the Gaps
Opportunity is driven by accurate perceptions of value, so clarifying your understanding of what others find valuable versus what you find valuable leads to discovery. The gaps between companies represent potential opportunities.
To systematically discover opportunities, the CEO must to set the right tone. Leading your company to an opportunistic frame of mind is less tangible but vitally important. Set the right example by staying curious and remaining open to new possibilities, then follow this four-step process!
Elegant Negotiables: Don't Freely Yield Hidden Value
A frequent and costly pitfall in dealmaking is unconsciously giving away an "elegant negotiable" i.e. something you don't value that could be of high value to the other party. Identifying and leveraging elegant negotiables will dramatically shift the outcome of dealmaking in your favor.
While recently discussing deal points with a client, I suggested using elegant negotiables to our advantage. The term wasn't familiar to him, even though he may employ it instinctively. I first encountered it 20 years ago in negotiation training that I'd arranged for my work team, and I'm continually surprised that such a useful concept is not more widely known and used.
Suppose you're engaged in a discussion with a potential partner to distribute your product with their product suite. Growing incremental revenue from a currently inaccessible set of customers is your goal. One issue is branding: should your product be "white labeled" as part of their suite, or should it clearly carry your logo and be represented as your product?
In this specific case, you don't care as long as the product gets distributed and generates incremental revenue, so you quickly agree to let your product be shipped without your logo. In doing so, you may have given away a significant bargaining chip that could be used to extract something of high value – for free.
Before defining the distribution agreement, you should have discussed the branding issue to understand how important it is to the other party. Discovering the other side's strong aversion to having your brand in their suite, you could then "reluctantly" trade your branding in exchange for something of high value to you, e.g., a stronger endorsement from them and online access to their CRM to enable your company to track sales in real time.
Uncovering the other side's interests is a key starting point. My favorite book on negotiation, 3D Negotiation by Lax and Sebenius, contains a complete treatment of the entire negotiation process. While it doesn't talk specifically about elegant negotiables, it will increase your understanding of all aspects of the process, and in particular, how to develop a clear picture of the interests of all parties..
Identifying and clarifying interests is critical in spotting elegant negotiables. Stop yielding valuable negotiating power!
Fight, Flight, or Unite? Three Responses to Business Challenges
"…the availability of information about a threat or opportunity has little influence on who wins and who loses. What makes the difference is what a company does with that information."
— Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony, Erik A. Roth in Seeing What's Next, 2004
Business challenges come dressed as high-impact threats and opportunities, and each demands a response. The strength of your ability to respond is the primary determinant of your next move, whether you opt to: 1. compete (fight), 2.alter direction (flight), or 3. develop an alliance (unite).
The authors of Seeing What's Next suggest that asymmetries of skills or motivation play a critical role in determining our next moves. "Asymmetries of motivation occur when one firm wants to do something that another firm specifically does not want to do. Asymmetries of skills occur when one firm's strength is another firm's weakness."
In focusing businesses on growth-accelerating strategies, our consistent guidance has been to adopt a three-phase approach: "clarify, comprehend, connect." Assuming that the CEO has aligned the company around a crisp, clear view of its own skills and weaknesses (i.e. clarify) as a foundation for effective execution, the second step is to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the competition (i.e. comprehend). When one firm demonstrates strengths in markets in which another firm's capabilities are weaknesses, and vice versa, a self-fueling partnership (i.e. connect) may be an alternative to fight or flight.
The choices of responding to a significant threat or opportunity are:
Fight (asymmetric analysis highlights your company's relative strength)
When your company's processes and offerings are much stronger than competitors, leverage your unique capabilities to increase market share at the expense of competition.
Flight (asymmetric analysis highlights your company's relative weakness)
When the cost is prohibitive of overcoming a competitor's strengths that far outweigh your own, refocus on other markets or submarkets where your company can be a dominant player.
Unite (asymmetric analysis identifies complementary strengths and weaknesses)
If it's clear that combining your resources with those of another company could make both stronger by compensating for weaknesses, the oft-overlooked third option is to create a symbiotic partnership.
The bottom line for any CEO? Develop an eye for asymmetries, then make a rational decision between fight, flight, or unite!
(A more detailed discussion of these alternatives are found in the excerpt "The Innovator's Battle Plan" that is drawn from the book.)
Four Factors That Increase Exit Odds
In the classic Steve Martin bit from early Saturday Night Live days, he's a pitch man with a compelling hook: "How to make a MILLION DOLLARS and NEVER PAY TAXES!" After dramatically repeating the offer several times, he pauses to reveal the answer: "First, get a million dollars. Then…"
This post might be called "How to BUILD A VALUABLE COMPANY and SELL IT FOR A FORTUNE!" The first easy step? "Build a valuable company." Assuming that you're already doing that and your exit strategy centers on being acquired, four factors will impact success:
- Strategic importance of your product/technology/service
- Intensity of the competitive environment
- Existence and visibility of urgent, unsolved customer problems
- Presence of an insider relationship
Strategic Importance
Gauging the strategic importance of your offerings to a potential acquirer's portfolio of capabilities is critical. Imagine all acquisitions resting along a value continuum. On the left end are low value (for the seller!) types of acquisitions like asset sales. Moving toward the right are transactions whose value is based strictly on financial parameters (e.g., discounted cash flow).
At the extreme other end of the continuum are companies whose value is so strategic to the acquirer that revenue and profitability are of little consequence. An example I've seen is a small software company with technology that uniquely solved an urgent problem for a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The valuation received was such a high multiple of the acquired company's revenue that its financials were almost irrelevant to its value.
A common mistake in identifying potential acquirers is casting too narrow a net. Try listing 20 potential acquirers. Listing the first half dozen will be easy, but most of those are likely more financially-driven than strategic. Building out the list of 20 can lead to a discovery of previously unrealized strategic value in adjacent spaces.
Competitive Environment
A company in a highly competitive environment is motivated to move quickly to close gaps in its offerings. The trick is connecting during the time when the potential acquirer begins to realize it has to act. Wait too long to engage, and they will solve their competitive challenges through internal efforts, or by partnering with or acquiring another company. Getting on their radar at the right time is critical.
Urgent Customer Problems
An acquirer with a strategic competitive need is caught in a situation characterized by two attributes:
- A high-impact opportunity or threat exists.
- The company has a weak ability to respond.
Nothing will drive the acquirer forward faster than demands from customers having problems solvable by the incorporation of your company's products, technology, or services. An effective way to validate value to the potential acquirer is to engage them in a proof of concept to solve a real problem.
Insider Relationship
The presence of an insider relationship is often the single most important success factor in getting and staying on the acquirer's radar. Developing an internal champion who is already convinced that the companies should be working together for mutual competitive reasons optimizes the odds of success.
If you have an insider relationship with a target acquirer, use it; if you don't, get one. Having already built a strong industry network will pay huge dividends at this point.
When to Prepare
Early in the life of a company, management has to focus on building a strong business. Deep analysis in preparation for an exit can be a distraction at this point.
Waiting too long to apply exit strategy thinking, however, is also a mistake. Once the business starts to prove itself, begin investing for the future by creating a valuation framework for your company. Build and maintain a list of 20 potential acquirers. Understand what clusters of acquirers need in order to grow. Fill gaps in your offerings to fill those needs and increase your value to potential acquirers.
Start building your exit strategy 12 to 24 months in advance of searching for an acquirer. By the time you decide to enlist an investment banker's help, you'll understand the universe of potential acquirers, you'll have moved into a strong position that maximizes your valuation, and you'll arm your investment banker with maximum ammunition and motivation.
Competing Too Hard Will Kill Your Business
Competing too hard will kill your business. If you see competition everywhere, you may be strangling your company's growth.
Working with CEOs and management teams to create growth strategies, I watch for existing practices and attitudes that may hinder growth. It's challenging enough to launch a new venture or a restart a faltering business without creating internal obstacles that weigh it down. An unrealistic view of competition can severely limit or slow the company's rate of growth.
A famous CEO mentor was fond of telling me, "If you don't have a competitor, you don't have a business." Competition is a great motivator. If you have a company in a market with no competitors, either the market you're pursuing isn't really viable, or you lack the constant competitive motivation needed to keep you at the top of your game, or both.
The diagram above illustrates how your perception of competition can affect your company's rate of growth. Perceiving no competitors suggests that you haven't yet identified a winnable market worth pursuing. In this situation, a company constantly chases one-off deals, is too inwardly focused, and may be in too weak a position to accelerate revenue by leveraging external assets through partnering.
The converse obstacle, defining competition too broadly and seeing it everywhere, leads to a lack of focus and an obsession with growing market share one percentage point at a time. A "quarter-inch deep, mile wide" market approach precludes finding a repeatable sales model that leads to higher margins and greater working capital. A better path is to pick one or two close competitors to focus all your competitive energy on.
The bottom line is that an unrealistic view of your company, its capabilities, and its relative strengths and weaknesses vis-a-vis other companies will impede growth. The reality deficit can come from many places, but it falls to the CEO to recognize and remove this obstacle whenever it exists, especially when the CEO is the source. Carefully consider whether you are encouraging your team to view the company through rose-colored glasses (no competition) or constantly raising the specter of competitive doom to motivate them (competition everywhere).
How then do top-performing management teams compete effectively?
- They realize that focusing on competing against too many others weakens their company by draining its resources, so they choose instead one or two closest competitors and focus on winning against them.
- They prioritize "growing the pie" over increasing the size of their slice.
- They stay outwardly focused to learn what the market is telling them about customer demand.
- "Know thyself." They understand their company's strengths and weaknesses so well that, when a high-impact threat or opportunity arises that can't be addressed organically, they create self-fueling partnerships that enable them to respond quickly.
Successful M&A Requires a Clear Vision
An astute CEO can often augment organic growth with acquisitions, but a majority of acquisitions fail to deliver expected returns. CEO Carol Koffinke of Beacon Associates says that "60 to 80 percent of all mergers and acquisitions fail to meet their merger goals." Why do they fail?
Much has been written about acquiring companies' failure to realize the value they envisioned for their acquisitions and the why's: a lack of proper due diligence, cultural mismatch, lack of integration planning, unforeseen market factors, etc. However, of all the possible reasons for failure, M&A experts put the lack of a clear vision at the top of the list.
Source: "Creating and Executing a Winning M&A Strategy," Merrill Data Site and The M&A Advisor, October 2013
While a clear vision can accelerate execution of any growth strategy, successful M&A demands a level of clarity most companies fail to achieve. Why do companies launch into an acquisition without sufficient vision and planning? Here are the most common reasons we've encountered in working with top executives:
- Some CEOs don't naturally think strategically. A CEO who's risen through the operational ranks can end up with a "make stuff, sell stuff" philosophy and a view that strategy is merely a set of slides for board and investors, while in fact, a clear strategy drives revenue and profitability.
- A CEO can be overwhelmed by the daily pressure of running the business. Periodically answering the question "are you working on or in your business?" can prevent the urgency of daily concerns that distract from the CEO's paramount responsibility – increasing shareholder value.
- Pressure to make quarterly goals can diffuse and erode the shared view of a company's purpose. A process called business entropy (e.g., repeatedly accepting non-core business) can eventually dilute the strength of a company's brand and slow its ability to generate new business.
How can a CEO be more intentional about growing the company through acquisition?
- Find a way to set aside time to think and discuss new directions. In this new social media world, it's easy to develop a chronic short attention span. Focused thought is required to create breakout strategies.
- Take an honest look to make sure you're not hanging onto more than you should. How to cross the second chasm, i.e. growing a company from small to big, is described in Doug Tatum's insightful book, No Man's Land. Pick up a copy and read it this weekend. (If you think you don't have time, you need to read it.)
- Discuss growth challenges with objective trusted advisors. Use CEO peers at Vistage and experienced consultants as soundingboards to call out any "elephants in the room." They will help you establish the clear vision needed to drive your acquisition initiatives.
What You Think You Know May Blind You To Growth Opportunities
TexasCEO magazine just published my latest thoughts about partnerships. In addition to correcting myths about partnerships in general, it describes major types of self-fueling partnerships and the series of steps you can employ to accelerate the growth of your business.
As always, let's hear your feedback, either below or the TexasCEO web site.
How Infoglide Enhanced Its Acquisition Options
How does a company get acquired? FICO's acquisition of Infoglide provides an excellent example of applying deliberate steps to increase the odds and accelerate the process.
CEO Mike Shultz graciously allowed us to describe the backstory in a short case study. Read it to discover what you can do to attract potential acquirers.
>> CASE STUDY: How Infoglide Enhanced Its Acquisition Options
Is Your Company Geared Up for Growth?
"Gear up" means "to prepare for something that you have to do" or "to prepare someone else for something" (source: Cambridge Dictionary). To assess whether your company is prepared to grow, ask whether your management team has clear answers to 4 questions:
1. Does the company offer something special enough to compel customers to spend money?
The instinctive answer is "of course it does." After all, a customer base exists and the company is stable, even if growth is slow. But can the management team relate a shared, crystal clear vision of the company, its category, and its primary benefit? The kinds of companies it sells to? The roles of people within those companies that are involved in purchasing? Other unique qualities that differentiate you from competitors? Answers to these questions comprise a company's strategic positioning, and a lack of team alignment on it leads to huge inefficiencies.
2. How does the company fit into the bigger picture of the market served?
Understanding which companies are competitors and which are potential allies is essential for sales success. Companies often assume competition exists when there may be a chance to partner effectively instead. Understanding the needs of other key companies leads to a clearer understanding of current opportunities, where value exists in your market space, and the potential to leverage the success of potential partners to provide better customer solutions.
3. What relationships with other companies can accelerate growth?
Most CEOs are skeptical about partnering with another company because it's perceived as too difficult to be successful. While most partnerships fail because of poor analysis, poor planning, and poor management, a well-planned partnership can enable a company to leapfrog its competitors.
4. How can the company operate more effectively to bring the CEO's vision to reality?
Having the right growth strategy is important, but execution ultimately determines success. Once a company reaches a certain size, growth can be limited by having outmoded or inappropriate processes in place. "We've always done it this way" is not an acceptable answer. Outside help may be required to drive the strategy into successful execution.
The chart below illustrates three levels of "gearing up" that a company can find itself in: stalled, moving, and accelerating.
Learning how to accelerate your vision and take your company from "stalled" to "accelerating" will be the topic of a subsequent post.


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The product has been added to yourWISHLIST
Take a screenshot, call/Whatsapp us at +92 321 1999902 or email at firstname.lastname@example.com
Bodice front embellished with crystals, beads, resham, dabka and badla. Back bodice brocade and crystal detailing on straps. Large kamdanichan on net body. Screen print lining. Thread fringe finishing.
Each of our products are designed with high quality standards and careful attention to detail.


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Rockport Men's TruWalkZero IV Sport Mudguard Wide Fit Shoe - Tan
Minimalist in design and construction while maintaining maximum lightness, this shoe is the perfect active casual addition to your wardrobe. The perfect footwear solution to a casual get-together or weekend errands, this pair will keep you looking good and comfortable all day long.
Available in men's US sizing - see size chart for correct fit!
MUST-SEE VIDEO: watch this product in action!
- Rockport footwear
- For men
- Style: TruWalkZero IV Sport Mudguard
- Shoe width: Wide
- Colour: Tan
- Materials:
- Full-grain leather upper
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- Rubber outsole
- ADIPRENE® & ADIPRENE®+ by Adidas provide shock absorption and cushioning
- Lightweight rubber outsole pads provide a durable grip on a variety of surfaces
- IMEVA midsole helps provide lightweight shock absorption
- Helps to reduce foot and leg fatigue
- Sponge EVA footbed conforms to the shape of your foot for a personalised fit
- Dewix anti-microbial lining helps to reduce foot odour & wick moisture
Rockport shoes feature an effortless combination of sporting technology and style. This collection of casual and dress footwear is engineered for performance walking, comfort and increased wearability, making sure you are able to get the most out of your shoes. Designed by renowned athletic shoe manufacturer adidas, ADIPRENE technology delivers unprecedented cushioning, movement, and flexibility for those looking for extra support.


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Black and White: A colorful profile of a GU professor
With a Ph.D., an MBA and work experience on three continents, Chris Stevens, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, is overqualified for just about everything. To his students and colleagues, though, he's just Chris. He has taken his extensive experience and put it to work helping Hogan students find their own paths to success. He teaches them that entrepreneurship is not a way to make lots of money, but a way to change the world.
In a world where successful tech companies seem to come out of nowhere, Stevens reminds his students that it took Thomas Edison a thousand tries to invent the lightbulb. "We act like successful entrepreneurs came out of nowhere," he said. "In
ctuality, they work their behinds off all the time."
Stevens does, too. Since his arrival at Gonzaga in 2009, he has taught 10 different courses and produced five articles for peer-reviewed publications and four conference presentations. Last spring he was named among Gonzaga's exemplary faculty. He is fascinated by failure and how people, especially entrepreneurs, can learn and move on from their failures. Stevens believes
that there is no single kind of person who makes a successful entrepreneur. All it takes is a good idea and a willingness to push for it, a lesson he strives to instill in his entrepreneurial leadership students.
"We spend too much time thinking about processes and business plans," he explained. "What we should be thinking about is how to get other people as passionate about our ideas as we are. It's all about relationships and good ideas."
A colleague, Peggy Sue Loroz, associate protessor in marketing, sees Steves this way: "Chris has a generous spirit. He is
always willing to set aside his work and dig out his resources. He'll always ask, 'How's that project coming? I'm here all afternoon if you need help,' and goes out of his way to make sure I know he's there for support. "He supports his students to the same degree, particularly their career development. He goes out of his way to find out who they are and where they are going with their lives professionally. Chris also understands, teaches and lives the idea that business can play a really important role in promoting
social justice."
Student Ryan Lojo ('13), describes his view of Professor Stevens: "Right away, Chris laid out his expectations and, due to the Hogan program, they were high. He said he would be blunt and honest with us. Then he said, 'We have the responsibility to get you to the point where you can either perform any job in the best possible way, or you can change the world.' That was our first day.
"Chris gave me great backing last year when I applied for a social entrepreneurship internship for part of the summer in South Africa. I came to see him about the project because I was concerned whether I would be a constructive team member. A lot of the other students in Capetown were from schools with these great, big business programs – Notre Dame, Connecticut, the University of Miami. In the end, I went, and I was a productive member of the team. It was Chris who made me see that I had the skills to do it."
Lojo of Casper, Wyo., is a business administration major, with concentrations in international business, economics and
entrepreneurial leadership.
Student Kate Catlin ('13), says, "The first day that we did 'creativity exercises' in our entrepreneurship class, I wondered if I had entered the wrong entrepreneurship program. Instead of learning pitching skills, we solved riddles. Yet by the end of the session, I had learned more about critical thinking in the entrepreneurial world than should be possible in one hour. Each riddle or "outside-the-box" question had a deeper lesson about mind-set and innovation. It was clear at that moment and increasingly so throughout the semester that Stevens was a creative and thoughtful professor who would teach me more than any other professor that year.
"Thanks to experiences that Dr. Stevens steered me toward and supported me through, I hope to devote my life's work to social enterprise and development. I know multiple students who have turned to him for advice on big projects, like international internships. He is always a listening ear with a wise tongue, for all class, career and life goal questions."
Seattle native Catlin served as a U.S. youth representative in 2011 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.


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Secret Weapon Trailer (2014)
01 April 2014
Secret weapon is a story of a young family whose happiness was truncated by a series of unfortunate events. Their baby is missing and all hell is let loose.
Watch the official Secret Weapon 2014 trailer in HD below or find more Secret Weapon videos on Vidimovie.


text: I went and test drove a 2006 Pontiac Vibe at Charles Gabus Ford today, when I test drove the car it pulled to the right. I had them pull up the Car Fax and it had been leased and through the auto auction twice. It also had one owner for a year. I told them I was considering trading in my truck for the car, so the manager checked it out, and I sit down with the salemen to discuss figures, when he told me the figures, I told him I would have to think about it, and he through a hissy fit, and told me I had wasted his time, and that I was never going to consider buying the car from them. That must be why four guys were standing around smoking cigs. What a jerk, that is the last time I will ever go to Charles Gabus Ford! I have heard that Charles Gabus also owns Toyota of Des Moines, it is funny that is where I have had my best offer so far, but I have a bitter taste in my mouth, if Gabus owns Toyota. I hate looking for vechiles, about as bad as looking for houses !


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During the months of May and June, high school and college graduates will receive a complimentary entree with a group reservation booked through the group sales office. To redeem the offer, graduates must present their 2017 valid school ID with class year, their picture in a cap & gown or their actual degree.
-Valid on parties of 10 or more with advance booking through Group Sales
-Must have a signed contract; not valid on walk-in parties or off-site catering
-Reservations must be held during the month of May or June
-One free entree (value up to $25) for the graduate student; limit one per every 10 guests
-Not valid with any other offers or discounts
Contact our Group Sales experts today:
Baltimore: 410.685.6600
Atlantic City: 609.348.2273
Ocean City: 410.289.6821


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Question: Mary from Oklahoma, writes:
Have you ever been scared? When people criticize your ideas, how do you remain courageous enough to keep your faith?
Answer: By Eric Alexander
Thanks for your question Mary! Early in my life I was pretty bold in sharing my ideas. Then as I got older and into high school and college, I found that it was much easier to be accepted by the tribe if my ideas were in harmony with theirs. I greatly regret falling into that trap, and I spent the better part of a decade trying to fit in and be who everyone else expected me to be. It was miserable to be honest.
When I hit my late 20's it was as if a fire alarm went off in my soul. I went to theology school and realized that the more I buried my truth, the more unhappy I became. Conforming to the tribe just made me sad and anxious, and it eventually came to a head. I made a commitment to myself of authenticity.
So absolutely I have been scared, I still am sometimes. But now in hindsight I know that burying my ideas and hiding who I am ultimately just makes me more miserable. We just have to be true to our own spirits in this short and fleeting life we are given. So it's ultimately pretty easy now to keep my faith, because I have experience to know that living by faithfulness is much healthier, even if in certain moments it is experienced as pure dread.
~Eric Alexander
Q and A originally published here – As a member of this online community, you'll receive insightful weekly essays, access to all of the essay archives, access to message boards which will connect you with other believers in exile, and answers to your questions in our free weekly Q and A.
About the Author
Eric Alexander is an author, speaker, and activist. He is a board member at ProgressiveChristianity.org, and is the founder of /9-guidelines-of-jesism/">Jesism, Christian Evolution, and the Progressive Christianity and Politics group on Facebook. Eric holds a Master of Theology from Saint Leo University and studied negotiations at Harvard Law School, and authored the popular children's emotional health book Teaching Kids Life IS Good.


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"special needs care."
About: Chorley & South Ribble Hospital Chorley & South Ribble Hospital Chorley PR7 1PP
Posted via NHS Choices
Anything else?
My daughter has recently had a short stay in this hospital, and was very anxious as she has autistic spectrum conditions, of which the worst is extreme sensitivity to noise. It was very important that she had her own room away from other peoples noise because of this. All the staff we encountered had respect and empathy towards her needs, and did their best to make sure she was kept as calm as possible. This is was due to keeping her well informed of what they had to do to aid her recovery, of which is vital she knows what is going to happen and when. All the staff and doctors did really well and had a great deal of patience, which you need to deal with her very challenging behaviour. Also because of her needs I (mum) always have to stay with her during her stay. They did their best to see that I was as comfortable as I could be under the circumstances. However, to sleep on the recliner chairs more than a couple of nights would be awfull, it may be worth considering the folding guest type beds to have in the hospital for these kind of events. Food choices need some reviewing, whilst what you had was tasty, We thought that the lunch and dinner menus should be swapped. Is there a reason why only a snack is offered of an evening? Most people to our knowledge have a light lunch, and a proper meal at dinner, to sustain you until breakfast.
Response from Chorley & South Ribble Hospital 3 years ago
Thanks for your comments. Hearing about positive experiences really motivates our staff, and helps us identify where we're getting things right so we can share good practice across all of our services. Thank you also for your suggestions about areas in which we can improve, they will now be considered and looked into further.
- {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
- Was this response helpful? Yes | No
Thank you for your feedback.
See more responses from Chorley & South Ribble Hospital


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This page was last edited at 02:40, on 8 April 2013 by Aleksandra. Based on work by Gold Membership Only, Peter Fitzgerald, Jim Nicholson, Nick Roux, Todd VerBeek, Ricardo, Evan Prodromou, JackRabbit Systems, Steffen Mokosch, Ravikiran Rao, Colin Jensen, Jani Patokallio and David Le Brun, Wikitravel users Globe-trotter, Sumone10154, Wrh2, H3O, Hiwhispees, ALT wikignome, Eric Bauman, Themanwhowouldbeking, Rex49, Episteme, Huttite, InterLangBot, Chris j wood, Nils and ArthurDent and Wikitravel anonymous users 18.104.22.168, 126.96.36.199, 184.108.40.206, 22.214.171.124, 22.214.171.124, 22.214.171.124, 126.96.36.199, 18.104.22.168, 126.96.36.199, 18.104.22.168, 18.104.22.168, 22.214.171.124, 184.108.40.206 and 22.214.171.124.


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Your statement's exactly the sort of rubbish we'd expect to hear from someone descended from a bunch of types of monkeys. /s
my watch must be slow, the post election of conservative anti-evolution/science thread is here already?
This is nothing. It is just the same old same old monkey trial hokum.


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Welcome to edition 350 of Insider Weekends. Insider buying decreased significantly with insiders buying $57.94 million of stock compared to $156.38 million in the week prior. We saw a larger group of insiders buying last week even though the total for the week was lower than the week prior, which was dominated by a single large purchase by Carl Icahn. Selling also declined with insiders selling $2.1 billion of stock last week compared to $2.45 billion in the week prior.
Sell/Buy Ratio: The insider Sell/Buy ratio is calculated by dividing the total insider sales in a given week by total insider purchases that week. The adjusted ratio for last week went up to 36.19. In other words, insiders sold more than 36 times as much stock as they purchased. The Sell/Buy ratio this week compares unfavorably with the prior week, when the ratio stood at 15.65.
Note: As mentioned in the first post in this series, certain industries have their preferred metrics such as same store sales for retailers, funds from operations (FFO) for REITs and revenue per available room (RevPAR) for hotels that provide a better basis for comparison than simple valuation metrics. However metrics like Price/Earnings, Price/Sales and Enterprise Value/EBITDA included below should provide a good starting point for analyzing the majority of stocks.
Notable Insider Buys:
1. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (FRGI): $19.8
Director Brian P. Friedman acquired 660,000 shares of this restaurant chain, paying $20.33 per share for a total amount of $13.42 million. These shares were purchased indirectly by Leucadia National Corporation.
Mr. Friedman was the Chair of the Execute Committee at Jefferies before its acquisition by Leucadia in March 2013 and became the President of Leucadia following the acquisition. Mr. Friedman also served as President of Jefferies Capital Partners, a private equity fund management company controlled by Mr. Friedman in which Jefferies has an ownership interest.
In mid-2013, Mr. Friedman sold over $33 million of Fiesta Restaurant Group stock indirectly through Jefferies Capital Partners at an average price of $35.34. It is interesting to see Mr. Friedman purchase shares of Fiesta at much lower prices during this downturn in the fast casual dining industry.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 15.47
|Industry P/E: 26.24
|Price/Book: 2.07
|Market Cap: $529.43M
|Avg. Daily Volume: 351,441
|52 Week Range: $19.4 – $38.54
2. American Homes 4 Rent (AMH): $23.44
Director Wayne B. Hughes acquired 485,232 shares of this real estate investment trust, paying $23.39 per share for a total amount of $11.35 million. These shares were purchased indirectly through a trust.
Various insiders of American Homes 4 Rent have been purchasing shares since 2013 and we have reported on several purchases by Mr. Hughes in the past. We wrote the following after his purchase in mid-2015 at much lower prices,
This is the third purchase (of) a million shares by Mr. Hughes we have reported on over the last six months. Following his purchase in December we mentioned,
"Mr. Hughes is the billionaire founder of Public Storage (PSA) and retired as the CEO of PSA in 2012. He founded the former manager of American Homes 4 Rent in 2011."
For a REIT, the company has an unusually low yield of just 1.2%, when compared to the average yield of 3.27% of all residential equity REITs (PDF). The value most likely lies in the single family homes that company holds on its balance sheet as their timing in buying single family homes after the great recession was impeccable. The company trades at 1.05 times tangible book value.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for American Homes 4 Rent here.
|Forward P/E: 156.27
|Industry P/E: N/A
|Price/Book: 1.36
|Market Cap: $6.99B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 2,158,250
|52 Week Range: $15.07 – $23.98
3. Asta Funding, Inc. (ASFI): $8.95
Senior Vice President Ricky Stern acquired 471,086 shares of this consumer receivable business, paying $10.35 per share for a total amount of $4.88 million. These shares were purchased indirectly through a trust.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Asta Funding, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: N/A
|Industry P/E: 25.83
|Price/Book: 0.59
|Market Cap: $106.29M
|Avg. Daily Volume: 20,254
|52 Week Range: $7.55 – $11.97
4. Landauer, Inc. (LDR): $53.6
Director Jeffrey A. Strong acquired 43,946 shares of this radiation measurement and medical physics services provider, paying $51.62 per share for a total amount of $2.27 million. These shares were purchased indirectly by Gilead Capital LP.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Landauer, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 27.49
|Industry P/E: 32.81
|Price/Book: 27.82
|Market Cap: $515.75M
|Avg. Daily Volume: 38,093
|52 Week Range: $29.21 – $55.8
5. Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (PAGP): $33.11
Chairman of the Board & CEO Greg L. Armstrong acquired 50,000 shares of this energy pipeline, storage and transportation company, paying $31.00 per share for a total amount of $1.55 million. Mr. Armstrong increased his stake by 11.10% to 500,625 shares with this purchase.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Plains GP Holdings, L.P. here.
|Forward P/E: 11.7
|Industry P/E: 24.25
|Price/Book: 1.91
|Market Cap: $16.63B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 1,312,120
|52 Week Range: $9.6 – $36.09
You can view the full list of purchases from this Insider Buying page.
Notable Insider Sales:
1. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT): $70.03
Director Robson S. Walton sold 8,209,704 shares of Wal-Mart for $71.19, generating $584.43 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly from the Walton Family Holdings Trust.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 15.43
|Industry P/E: 29.81
|Price/Book: 2.79
|Market Cap: $215.22B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 9,352,640
|52 Week Range: $62.72 – $75.19
2. Facebook, Inc. (FB): $137.17
Shares of Facebook were sold by 4 insiders:
- COB and CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 386,116 shares for $135.97, generating $52.49 million from the sale.
- Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg sold 327,000 shares for $135.88, generating $44.43 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly through a trust.
- Chief Financial Officer David M. Wehner sold 2,015 shares for $136.66, generating $275,370 from the sale.
- VP and General Counsel Colin Stretch sold 750 shares for $136.78, generating $102,582 from the sale.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Facebook, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 20.53
|Industry P/E: 35.42
|Price/Book: 6.67
|Market Cap: $396.42B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 18,749,200
|52 Week Range: $104.4 – $137.82
3. GMS Inc. (GMS): $32.54
Shares of this interior construction products company were sold by 2 insiders:
- Chairman of the Board Richard K. Mueller sold 1,000,000 shares for $27.93, generating $27.93 million from the sale. These shares were sold indirectly by Second Bite Investments, LLC.
- Director John J. Gavin sold 7,500 shares for $27.93, generating $209,503 from the sale.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for GMS Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 16.11
|Industry P/E: N/A
|Price/Book: 2.7
|Market Cap: $1.33B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 286,556
|52 Week Range: $19.28 – $33.52
4. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK): $128.04
Shares of this machine tools & accessories company were sold by 7 insiders:
- President, CEO James M. Loree sold 60,300 shares for $127.14, generating $7.67 million from the sale. 50,000 of these shares were sold as a result of exercising options immediately prior to the sale.
- V.P. Corporate Tax Michael A. Bartone sold 13,768 shares for $79.92, generating $1.1 million from the sale.
- SVP & Group Executive-GTS Jeffrey D. Ansell sold 12,254 shares for $86.05, generating $1.05 million from the sale. These shares were sold as a result of exercising options immediately prior to the sale.
- CFO,GT&S and Pres.,Ind Vert Lee B. McChesney sold 5,628 shares for $129.90, generating $731,077 from the sale. 3,750 of these shares were sold as a result of exercising options immediately prior to the sale.
- Sr. VP, General Counsel & Secretary Bruce H. Beatt sold 4,404 shares for $127.17, generating $560,043 from the sale.
- VP Ops, GTS & GEM (incl DTV) Steven J. Stafstrom sold 3,343 shares for $90.61, generating $302,923 from the sale.
- V.P. and Treasurer Craig A. Douglas sold 2,371 shares for $129.94, generating $308,087 from the sale.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. here.
|Forward P/E: 16.89
|Industry P/E: 25.03
|Price/Book: 3.07
|Market Cap: $19.54B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 901,290
|52 Week Range: $95.57 – $130.47
5. Nielsen Holdings plc (NLSN): $44.77
Director David L. Calhoun sold 230,000 shares of this information and measurement company for $44.93, generating $10.33 million from the sale.
You can view the list of recent insider transactions for Nielsen Holdings plc here.
|Forward P/E: 15.18
|Industry P/E: 28.51
|Price/Book: 3.93
|Market Cap: $16.01B
|Avg. Daily Volume: 2,936,050
|52 Week Range: $40.28 – $55.94
You can view the full list of sales from this Insider Sales page.
Disclaimer: Please do your own due diligence before buying or selling any securities mentioned in this article. We do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the content or data provided in this article.
Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/asifsuria or follow me on Twitter @asifsuria


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'The Noval pigs take the air twice a day, once in the morning around 8.30am and again at the end of the afternoon. Blissfully happy rooting around on this elevated balcony, with a glorious view across the valley, their snortling and drain like grunting reverberates on the still morning air. Treated with gentle respect they enjoy a splendid existence housed in their deluxe sty high in the Nacional vines. This form of compassionate farming is seldom seen and though their fate is predetermined, the thoughtfulness of their temporary guardians sets a fine example to piggy proprietors elsewhere.'
Quoted from the Quinta do Noval Harvest Diary by D. Eley


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Sorry, there are no upcoming events
Maurice Blackburn has the largest class actions practice in Australia and an unparalleled record in class actions. We are the only Australian law firm to have settled shareholder class actions in excess of $100 million – and we have done that five times now. We conducted the first successful shareholder class action in Australian legal history, and we are also the only Australian law firm to have run and won cartel class actions.


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Roma Termini Trailer (2014)
22 October 2014 79 mins
Roma Termini, Rome's central station: a urban crossroad where thousands of lives collide without touching each other. Four portraits of men who spend their day in the station, solitary unseen beings, trapped there by life.
Watch the official Roma Termini 2014 trailer in HD below or find more Roma Termini videos on Vidimovie.