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Published: December 2015
Editorial: Evidence into policy: are we any closer?
The journey that research takes before it is noticed and converted into policy and practice always seems to be long and difficult; for higher education focussed research it seems even more tortuous. If for example, we take a concept like active learning, on which there are countless publications demonstrating its successful application and beneficial outcomes on learning, we could not help but be struck by the extent to which this concept and practice has failed to penetrate higher education policy and practice. We still for instance, build most of our classrooms as temples to didactic teaching.
This edition of BeJLT contains a range of articles representing contributions to the 2014 UK and Ireland Higher Education Institutional Research network conference held at Oxford Brookes. These articles characterise much of current institutional research. It spans from work describing methodologies to work challenging institutional research to move on. The articles range from those that showcase small-scale studies of classroom practice to those examining how subjects exist.
The work of van der Sluis and May, which examines whether an institution-wide policy has had an impact on pedagogic practice and student engagement, is important, particularly to help determine contextual constraints on the application of pedagogic theory.
At the other end of the scale, Ridley looks at teaching practice and the impact on student learning when practice is changed. Small scale studies such have this have proliferated, particularly since the advent of postgraduate certificates in HE learning and teaching which have encouraged more rigorous examination of what tutors do. We should take care that such studies do not divert research attention into the continuous testing of what we already know. Yet such studies do have a part to play, particularly as we start to consider applying the methodology of systematic review to collections of such studies, thus it is important that they are published.
In Pavlechko et al's study we can see a particular and specific intervention being tested across a range of subjects and tutors. This study also highlights the emergence of standardised testing tools, in relation to the learning environment and its influence on both staff and learners.
Currant's research represents an example of an in-depth descriptive study, providing insight into the complex and diverse experiences of Black Minority and Ethnic students. Such studies remind us that institutional context is vital in trying to unravel how the environments we help create generate particular learning behaviours and emotions within our student bodies. The question of course is how do institutions use these data to generate effective policy?
Brown and Jones challenge policy makers, HE researchers and institutional researchers to become better informed by each other. Their call suggests that HE researchers should work to foresee the needs of policy makers more, and that policy makers should need to use the evidence base better. Certainly the fact that recently the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) feels the need to launch its own research projects when it is formulating policy indicates that there is credibility in Brown and Jones's argument. There are however signs that institutional research is maturing: Freeman et al. (2014) recently published a systematic review of active learning; their study based on the many small studies that have gone before them. The systematic review is seen as highly credible evidence by policy makers in many areas and this approach should give greater traction on policy than hitherto.
Institutional research should also look to the national approach to enhancement used in Scottish Higher Education. Whilst imperfect, the Scottish Equality Enhancement Framework (SEEF) has a clear emphasis on evidence and its use to enhance and develop policy.
Freeman, S. Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M. Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H. and Wenderoth, M.P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America111 (23) 8410–8415, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111.
Background During the second semester of the academic year 2013/2014) at Coventry University I was given the opportunity to design half a second-year undergraduate module, called Democracy and the Media, which is currently a core module on the English and
Introduction 'We must have a new generation of bright physiologists able to pick up from where the molecular approach runs out'. (Peter Newmark, Nature, 2012) 'rising student numbers……..loss of physiology departments as a result of their merging with schools of
Introduction Institutional research (IR) forms a very important part of the evidence base for decision-making in universities. Yet we suggest that often it is isolated research that neither draws upon existing educational research nor opens itself up for use by
The Learning & Teaching Development Unit (LTDU) within Cardiff Metropolitan University consists of a number of different aspects, working jointly to enhance the student experience and to provide exceptional learning and teaching. One area within the department is the Quality
Much recent international attention has been placed on the educational attainment gap of minority ethnic students in higher education, yet universities have struggled to reduce the gap and understand the complexities of the issue. Student engagement and sense of belonging have been identified as crucial element of success in higher education (Kuh et al., 2005; Thomas, 2012).
This paper draws on in depth interviews with Black students to identify the challenges faced in belonging to a largely white academic community. The paper uses the critical race theory concept of counterstories to express 'composite' narratives (Solorzano and Yosso, 2002) of Black students situated within the prevailing whiteness of many higher education institutions. Three different strategies for belonging in higher education were identified in the interviews and are presented in the narrative: post racial, academic and advocacy. The paper highlights the varying and complex nature of belonging for Black students and argues that a 'one size fits all' approach to engagement and belonging is insufficient to address the attainment gap.
Analytics, or the utilisation of user data to enhance education, derives from business intelligence and has received considerable attention over the last few years (Cooper, 2012; Goldstein and Katz 2005). In the context of institutional research, it is argued that data can aid the decision making, implementation and analysis of policy and change (e.g. Saupe, 1990), and that new forms of online data collection make the incorporation of educational data more accessible and analysable for this purpose (e.g. Campbell and Oblinger, 2007).
An academic analytics approach has been used to evaluate the impact of two recently introduced educational policies designed to enhance the student experience at a London based university. These are a revised academic framework, which resulted in the redesign of most courses; and an online submission, marking and feedback policy. Each has had significant implications for the use and uptake of technologies to support learning, teaching and assessment.
The virtual learning environment of the institution has been used to collect longitudinal user data, including through customized page tagging, to enable the impact of the policies to be visualised and assessed. This paper discusses the findings.
Previously, it was shown that undergraduate student experience is enhanced by collaborations in teaching between institutions across the 1992 divide (Freestone et al., 2012) and thus postgraduate research experiences were hypothesised to be similarly enhanced. This study investigates the views of Ph.D students regarding collaboration between institutions. Ph.D students from a UK pre-1992 institution, the University of Oxford and from a UK post-1992 institution, Kingston University were randomly selected and semi-structured interviews, questionnaire responses and field notes were used. The opinions with regard to attending two collaborative research institutions were positive and optimistic from both groups, however, the reasoning and opinions differed. Kingston University, being a modern university was perceived by its students to have a more relaxed attitude in its research community. Collaborative institutions were favoured due to the more specialised laboratories however the travel between institutions may be a burden. Ph.D students from the University of Oxford are keen to establish international collaborations to enable more exposure to other laboratories abroad. They consider disadvantages to be about the intellectual property that comes with collaborative ventures. Both the pre- and post-1992 institutions studied mutually agreed that the expanded opportunity to learn additional novel research methods is an asset for the research graduate.


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2 miles from Missouri River between Helena and Great Falls.
(Part of the ranch where famous actor, Gary Cooper, grew up!)
$35,900 (reduced from $49,900)
(see satellite photos at bottom of this page)
Sugarloaf Mountain Lane is our road in:
Upper Building Area:
View From Building Area:
Road Through Property (needs trees cleared):
From Upper Building Area:
From Upper Building Area:
Looking NW toward the steepest view (from road):
East Entrance to land (that's my new Honda Civic):
This is our exit (Cooper Drive bridge):
Scroll down below to: "Comments" for more info
Current Owners: Clark and LeeAnn Callear
PO Box 843
Orofino, Idaho 83544
Main Website: www.GETAWAYLAND.com
Phone: 208-476-3186
Email: email@example.com
Legal Description:
Lot 4, Sugar Loaf, Gary Cooper Seven-Bar-Nine Ranch Subdivision, Cascade County, Montana, more particularly described as:
A tract of land in the N1/2, Section 7, T 16 N., R 2 W, M.P.M., Cascade County, Montana; More fully described as follows:
Beginning at a point which lies west 1584.21 feet and north 257.60 feet from the East 1/4 corner, Section 7; thence N 75°39' W, 1119.36 feet; thence N 6°37' E, 544.31 feet; thence N 2°40' E, 513.83 feet; thence S 77°13' E, 967.26 feet; thence S 42°59' E, 280.24 feet; thence S 32°42' W, 496.50 feet; thence S 14°55' E, 511.59 feet to the point of beginning, containing 25.31 acres.
Price: $35,900 (Reduced from $49,900), Cash or Trade
The 25.3 acres is south of Sugarloaf Mountain (elevation 4500 feet), in the NW Quarter of Section 7.
Following is a computer enhanced 3 dimensional ariel photo... not to be confused with an actual photo. This shows the property from a southern view. You can see Cooper Drive as it leaves the freeway. It turns into Sugarloaf Drive and goes up to our 25.3 acres (White area in upper left-hand corner is a very rough sketch of the land. It should be drawn a little farther to the left. See accurate photos below)
This is an Accurate 3D View (closeup):
(The 2 acre building area is on the right side of green line):
This is an Accurate Satellite Photo:
Close Up Satellite Photo:
Comments: The land slopes to the southeast (of Sugarloaf Mountain) with nice building sites just above where the access road meets the northeasterly portion of the property. With a few hours of dozer work, a very nice building site could be leveled off (with a short driveway). The property is surveyed and marked off with steel survey monuments. Fantastic views. These house sites are at 4400 feet altitude (the Missouri River below is at 3400'). Locally this area is known as Dearborn and is half-way between Helena and Great Falls. From the freeway (Missouri River) you turn onto Cooper Drive which is a gravel road, you fork onto Sugarloaf Drive which leads to our place. We are 2 miles from the Missouri River with a spectacular view looking out over the top of the river basin. If some of the trees were removed we would easily have a river view.
The price I have given is not based on any extra value that should be added because of the historical value of the land. In fact it is far less than a price comparison with comparable properties.
For sporting, recreation, and for those who are enthusiastic about the beauties of nature, it would be difficult to find a nicer location.
Contact me at the above numbers if I can be of further assistance.
Below you will find links for helpful information about this land including ariel photos, topographical maps, and historical information.
Clark Callear
Some History of our Montana Land...
"...he [Gary Cooper as a youth] spent much time at the Cooper's ranch north of town. The Seven-Bar-Nine Ranch near Craig, Montana was his haven - where he learned to ride, do ranch work, and form a natural bond with the Western landscape." (Myrna Loy Center. All rights reserved)
Here's an awesome pamphlet I found reproduced on the Internet:
"Enjoy The Gary Cooper Guest Ranch As It Was In 1930!" http://cooplover.com/ranches.htm Click the above link for a visit to our land: Gary Cooper's Dearborn Ranch.The 25.31 acres I'm selling is part of this ranch. Apparently a "dude-ranch" was set up on the original Cooper "Seven-Bar-Nine" Ranch (Some of these 75-year-old black-and-white photos show the same scenery as it appears today!): Cooper's Ranch-house circa 1930(Near Callear's 25.6 acres)Read more about the history of this land as it pertains to Gary Cooper's young years... I've provided a few Gary Cooper links for your enjoyment:
links to photos of the area around this 25.31 acres:
http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/Photos/MTTownGalleries/CraigGallery/InternetFiles/index.htm http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/Photos/MTTownGalleries/CascadeGallery/InternetFiles/index.htm http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/Photos/MTTownGalleries/UlmGallery/InternetFiles/index.htm
This is a live webcam at Gary Cooper Bridge (about 2 miles from property
The Montana Department of Transportation has set up a live webcam at the "Gary Cooper
Bridge". This is at milepost 242 on I-15 as it crosses the
Missouri River. What's really cool is that this live camera is pointing at
our land! Our 25.3 acre tract is 2.1 miles away (and slightly to the
right) of the houses that are seen in this view. Have a look, in
real time... you are looking at the original Gary Cooper Ranch:
Click Here for Live WebCam
P.S. Perhaps you are interested in other western properties... LeeAnn and I also have land to sell in Idaho, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. Click Here and let me know what area interests you and I'll send you a link showing you our specific properties in that area. We are also interested in trading for real or personal property.
Email us at email@example.com
or call us at 208-476-3186

subset: commoncrawl


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|» Products
|» Anti Cancer Drugs
|» Aromasin (Brand) Exemestane Tablets
Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane) is an aromatase inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat:
Women stop taking tamoxifen when they start taking Aromasin.
Aromasin won't work on hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.
Aromasin is a pill taken once a day. Most doctors recommend taking Aromasin at the same time each day.
3S CORPORATION All Rights Reserved.(Terms of Use)
Developed and Managed by Infocom Network Ltd.


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This stunning 4000/sf + farm home has everything! It sits on 148 acres, waterfront on The Frying Pan, and 31.5 acres of farm land. The home has an attention to detail that has to be seen to truly appreciate. It features Australian cypress hardwood floors, stone tile, knotty pine cabinets, a professional Viking oven/stove, juniper tongue and groove walls, and exposed juniper beams in the cathedral ceilings.
Conveniences include a three car garage with openers and outside key code, a walk in attic, a tank-less propane water heater, and an expansive game room. The wrap around front porch is perfect for enjoying the nature and wildlife available at every angle, and the back sundeck and gazebo area offer expansive views across the farmland and timberland. This home is perfect for a private country home, hunting lodge, or even a corporate retreat with room for everyone. The farm has all options covered for the discerning buyer with shopping and restaurants in nearby Columbia, or only 1 hour from the beaches and amenities of the NC Outer Banks.
Refrigerator w/Ice Maker
Heat Pump
Beamed Ceiling(s)
Cathedral Ceiling(s)
Gas Fireplace
Master Bath
Walk in Closet
Garage Door Opener
Sun Deck
Water Softener
3 + Car
Off Street


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Device Technology of Si-based tunnel FETs
Partners: CEA, FZJ, IUNET, EPFL
Accomplished Results
- We have fabricated and characterized SOI Trigate (with Wmin~12nm, H~12nm) planar tunnel FETs (cointegrated with CMOS), showing the interest of i) narrow device width (for electrostatic tunneling enhancement), ii) SiGe:B Raised Source-Drain (for strain-based tunneling increase).
- SiGe nanowire (NW) homojunction and SiGe/Si NW herterojunction TFETs (with Wmin~30nm) have been obtained and analyzed, highlighting the tunneling efficiency of low band gap material (FZJ).
- Strained Si NW p- and n-channel TFETs have been realized (by using tilted ion implantation into the silicide and subsequent thermally induced dopant segregation; FZJ). We also demonstrate that the impact of TAT is reduced by improving the electrostatics, for example by using gate-all around (GAA) TFETs with scaled NWs (diameter 10nm). sSi NW TFET inverters have been demonstrated for the first time with functional voltage transfer characteristics (combined by simulation analysis, cf. Modelling & simulation)
- NW Tunnel FETs cointegrated with CMOS transistors have been successfully fabricated (CEA) on SOI and compressively strained SiGe-On-Insulator 300mm wafers (xGe~20, 25%). Aggressive patterning process have enabled to obtain nanowire TFETs and CMOS with NW size below 5-6nm.
- Record performance, Ion=488µA/µm, is obtained for p mode TFET at Ioff=0.13nA/µm at Vds=-0.9V with ON & OFF Vg shift equal to 1.5V. Moreover SS as low as 70mV/dec, and even 30mV/dec have been demonstrated.
- Low temperature measurements (IUNET-Udine, FZJ) performed on different TFETs both suggest that traps could be responsible for unoptimized performance (TAT vs. BTBT processes).
Hover over the slide to pause the slideshow
Fig. 1.a) SEM picture of GAA TFET [1]
Fig. 1.b) ID-VGS for 20nm and 10nm NW GAA TFETs, indicating smaller SS in narrower NW TFETs due to better electrostatics [1]
Fig. 1.c) SS-ID for 20nm and 10nm NW GAA TFETs, indicating smaller SS in narrower NW TFETs due to better electrostatics [1]
Fig. 1.d) Voltage transfer characteristics of a sSi NW TFET inverter [1]
Fig. 2.a) ID(VG) characteristics of two SiGe based FD TFETs with different body thicknesses. Thinner body leads to increased ION and higher IOFF, with a slight SS slopes improvement (120 vs. 150mV/dec) [2]
Fig. 2.b) TFET benchmark (p mode) for FD, MuG and NW tunnel FETs structures (including lot 3 NW results: not published)
Fig. 2.c) SEM picture of a SiGe based NW TFET with 7 size (after NW patterning)
Reference publications
- L. Knoll, Q.T. Zhao, A. Nichau, S. Richter, G.V. Luong, S. Trellenkamp, A. Schäfer, L. Selmi, K. K. Bourdelle, S. Mantl, "Demonstration of Improved Transient Response of Inverters with Steep Slope Strained Si NW TFETs by Reduction of TAT with Pulsed I-V and NW Scaling", Proc. of IEEE IEDM 2013.
- A. Villalon, C. Le Royer, M. Cassé, D. Cooper, J.-M. Hartmann, F. Allain, C. Tabone, F. Andrieu, and S. Cristoloveanu, "Experimental Investigation of the Tunneling Injection Boosters for Enhanced Ion ETSOI Tunnel FET", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 60, N° 12, December 2013, pp. 4079-4084.


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Wisteria is a beautiful climbing vine native to the eastern side of the United States. It grows beautiful flowers and hangs wonderfully off woody vines that can climb anything. They are a member of the family of peas, and wisteria seed pods are where the seeds come from.
Wisteria seed pods contain seeds. The seeds and even other parts of the wisteria vine are poisonous with a glycoside that causes intestinal and stomach trouble in humans if ingested. Therefore, don't plant wisterias where children play or where adults could accidentally ingest the seeds.
How to Grow Wisteria Seeds
If you know how to grow wisteria, you know how to grow wisteria seeds. All you need to know when thinking about how to grow wisteria seeds is that if you have established wisteria plants, you will have seed pods in no time. These seed pods carry lots of seeds inside them, and so long as you have established wisteria vines, you will get plenty of seed pods.
Once you have your seed pods, you can open them like peas and harvest the seeds, using them to plant more wisteria in your garden. Remember, though, that the plants that come up fresh from seed are going to take 15 years before they flower or produce seed pods. This might be a disappointment to you, but it is a plant that is worth the wait.
When Should I Plant Wisteria Seeds?
Wisteria seed pods have a lot of seeds in them. Harvest them and then you can use the seeds to grow wisteria from seed. Wisterias are fast growing vines that will climb all over everything in their path if you allow it. You just need to train the wisteria to grow where you want it to grow.
If you want to know how to grow wisteria from seed pods, you just harvest the pods and pull the seeds out of them as if you are shucking peas. The seeds can be dried, and then planted wherever you want them. You can plant them in the spring and the vines will take off as soon as they come through the ground.


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Please read the directions that accompany your supplements. Each month in your Vitamin Packs shipment you will receive directions on how and when to take your supplements.
If you have any additional questions, please call us at 800-983-3887
If you have any further questions, concerns, or need additional help, please feel free to reach out. Our knowledgeable support team is happy to assist you. To get in touch, please use one of the contact options below:
- You can open a ticket
- Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
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The criminal justice system both incorporates and reflects our beliefs about the kind of beings that we are. However, increasingly this system has appeared to think of people in contradictory ways. On the one hand – as in desert based sentencing and the rhetoric of "prison works"- we are choosing beings who are normally responsible for our actions and, because responsible, deserve the good or bad consequences that follow from those actions. On the other – as in sex offender registers and crime prevention orders – we are threats to ourselves or others who have to be monitored, controlled, and incapacitated.
The tension between these pictures of human agency is not restricted to criminal justice. The rise of the language of desert and responsibility has been accompanied by findings in neuroscience that purport to explain human action in ways that seem to bypass responsibility and desert. In psychiatry, similarly, the move is away from categorical diagnoses (disordered or not disordered) towards a dimensional approach (to degrees of disorder).
If we are to understand, and critically evaluate, these developments we have to have an account of the relationship between justice, responsibility, and desert. This project seeks to reconsider that relationship. In particular, the orthodox view is that responsibility in the law is one thing and is insulated from moral and medical ideas, which are quite another. This not only leaves contemporary legal theorists without the resources to do anything other than to condemn recent preventive justice measures, it threatens to introduce an untenable gap between the law and ordinary moral experience. I argue that by tracking the contours of responsibility and desert in our social and legal practices, we can reconstruct the relationship between justice and responsibility in the light of a revised understanding of desert.
The Research Idea
The orthodox view is that institutions of justice exist to ensure that people get what they deserve. That is, desert is established first and our practices of justice "work" if they ensure that desert is translated into outcomes. My view is that desert claims follow the creation of institutions of justice. That is, once we have just institutions that rest on some non-desert basis, then what the system announces it will reward and penalise is what people "deserve". This approach has been taken in the distributive justice literature, but not in criminal (retributive) justice. It profoundly changes the understanding of the place of responsibility in this sphere. Rather than translating pre-justicial desert claims grounded in responsibility into post-justicial outcomes, desert is irrelevant and the place of responsibility is a construction of the scheme of justice itself. This account of responsible agency, in turn, is a normative commitment of our principles and institutions of justice; a reflection of how we think of one another as persons and citizens.
Once we have this framework, the investigation of how we think of ourselves and others must of necessity have an interdisciplinary focus. It is only by taking seriously the ways in which neuroscience, "neurolaw", and psychiatry have seeped into our social practices and understandings that we can properly come to terms with those practices.
There are thus two innovative aspects to the project: the conceptual framework and the interdisciplinary approach that comes with that framework.
The Focus
This project reaches across a number of disciplines. The limitations of the research in each lies mainly in the lack of interdisciplinarity.
In philosophy, there is extensive research in free will and responsibility. However, this research is mainly focussed on the metaphysical question of the possibility of free will. My approach locates responsibility in our social practices. Who is responsible, for what, and to whom, is not only a political and social issue, but on my account is the proper way to understand responsibility given the rejection of pre-justicial desert.
Turning to the criminal law literature, there is an increasing body of current research that is trying to respond to both the rise of preventive justice and the impact of neuroscience. However, this literature is mainly confined to the legal categories of excuse and justification. That is, it mainly works within the orthodox account of legal responsibility.
In psychiatry, the literature on "dangerousness" has developed quickly with the UK Government's DSPD programme, but mainly in ways that deal with the role of psychiatry and psychiatrists in social control and with the relationship of dangerousness to existing psychiatric diagnoses such as Anti Social Personality Disorder. A separate literature on categorical versus dimensional diagnoses of mental disorders has been stimulated by proposed revisions to fifth iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
All of this current research is important and will inform the project, but none of it has the interdisciplinary focus that I am proposing to take.
The real life problems motivating the project are often grouped together under the heading "preventive justice". That is, Governments of all political persuasions have proposed or enacted legislation designed not to punish those who have committed a completed crime, but to prevent crimes occurring. These policies include Preventive Orders, sex offender registers, and preparatory offences. However, although these are the most obvious of the real life issues, the project begins not only from them, but also from other, equally serious, issues that reveal uncertainty about responsibility. To give two very different examples: first, a series of recent cases has revealed deep uncertainty about the responsibility of so-called "battered women". On the one hand, a person who deliberately and seemingly voluntarily stabs her sleeping partner, is guilty of murder. On the other, we worry that given certain background circumstances, such a person is not "really" responsible. Second, society has been rocked by offences committed by people with known personality disorders who are neither treatable and so suitable for hospitalisation nor punishable given that they have not (yet) committed an offence. Thus, when Michael Stone murdered Lin and Megan Russell, having been identified as dangerous but falling between the stools of the mental health and prison services, the outraged UK Government launched the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disordered programme.
Orthodox criminal law theory has struggled to respond to these initiatives and cases precisely because – or so I claim – they do not fit the orthodox account of responsibility.
Theory & Evidence Base
The challenge to, and improvement on, existing theory and evidence is implicit in the account of the limitations of existing research.
In empirical terms, there is a great deal of existing research on, for example, risk assessments for dangerousness, the incapacitative effectiveness of preparatory offences, and on public policy interventions such as the ASBO. However, this research has been done within the constraints of existing disciplines (forensic psychiatry, law, criminology, and so on). The evidence it supplies is thus important but limited. To take one example, there is a great deal of research on the predictive accuracy of the Psychopathy Check List. This research helps us to understand whether this tool succeeds in identifying people who belong to a class amongst whom there is an increased risk of violence. Some researchers have gone further and taken this research and asked the interdisciplinary question of whether, given its predictive accuracy, it is a legitimate tool for a liberal state to use in, say, deciding whether or not to allow the early release of a prisoner. My research goes beyond this in asking what it is that we are doing when we even consider that issue and how what we are doing both reflects and informs how we understand ourselves and others. Thus, the innovative challenge is to incorporate existing evidence in a new theory not only of responsibility and desert, but of how we should go about thinking about responsibility and desert.
This is, in the main, a theoretical project concerning responsibility and desert. However, the claim that is essential to the project is that understanding these theoretical terms is only possible if we understand the work that they do for us in our moral, social, and political lives. Put crudely, the philosophical conclusion is that if we want to understand responsibility and desert, we have to look at our practices of holding responsible and the ways in which those practices reflect, and are threatened by, real world developments (for example, in politics, psychiatry and the law). Thus, the link between theory and the empirical field is non-contingent; to theorise in this area simply is to engage critically with empirical findings.
The final outcome of the project will be a monograph, which I hope will be published by Oxford University Press's Studies in Penal Theory and Philosophy series (I have had initial, positive, discussions with the series editors). In addition, my plan is to disseminate findings at conferences in the UK and the USA. I am also planning to spend time, co-funded by this application and my own department, at the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the University of Minnesota. This will allow me to discuss the substantive issues with leading experts in the field, to add an important comparative dimension to the research, and to disseminate the early findings of my research to a distinguished group of US law academics and practitioners. Finally, I have a track record of publishing across disciplines – in politics, law, philosophy and psychiatry – and of "public engagement", which I plan to continue with this research to ensure that its results gain as wide an audience as possible.
Funding this research will advance the aims of the Independent Social Research Foundation in the following ways:
The project is to support an independent-minded researcher engaged in a revisionist project that challenges the orthodoxies of three disciplines (philosophy, law, and psychiatry);
The project is interdisciplinary at its core. Moreover, this interdisciplinarity is not a contingent feature of the project, but is integral to it;
The interdisciplinary and unorthodox nature of the project makes it unlikely that it will be funded by existing bodies. In the UK, in particular, the drive of successive research assessment exercises and of the Research Councils towards the concentration of funding, has increasingly squeezed out work that does not fit neatly into existing paradigms and disciplinary boundaries;
Finally, the project advances an original research thesis motivated by, and in direct response to, real world social problems.


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Sometimes, you just need some guidance and direction
to determine your priorities before
jumping into a full blown design project.
If you're feeling stuck, looking for clarity, advice, and some solid action-steps for your biz that takes into account who you are, where you want to go, and how you can get there, a Website & Digital Strategy Rescue is made for you.
During this Website Rescue, I'll look at your current brand, positioning, design and strategy and make specific recommendations that'll set you up for digital success so you can stop spinning your wheels and have an action plan to move forward with.


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Our services include:
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The Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance is currently seeking a marketing manager. The job description and application information is provided below.
Marketing Manager
Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance Location: Holland, Michigan
Full-time / Exempt position
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Responsible for development, execution and measurement of all of the Diversity Alliance's marketing, communication, and public relations activities to enhance the organization's image and position in Michigan. Takes the lead in maintaining website information, utilizing social media, developing our monthly e-newsletter, creating brochures and print media, marketing special events and coordinating overall public relations efforts. Reports to the Executive Director.
Marketing, communications and public relations
● Provide technical assistance and develop resource materials to successfully market Diversity Alliance programs, special events and fund development opportunities in West Michigan and beyond.
● Write and edit engaging copy, select powerful graphics and design formats for all of the Diversity Alliance's marketing materials and communication initiatives. Publish and distribute final products.
● Maintain consistent branding in all of the Diversity Alliance's print and electronic materials, internally and externally.
● Regularly update all marketing materials and make sure marketing materials are organized and accessible.
● Develop, manage and execute a vibrant content plan for monthly e-newsletters and regular e- blasts.
● Update Diversity Alliance websites regularly with relevant and inspiring material.
● Ensure the Diversity Alliance has an active and compelling social media presence.
● Establish and maintain working relationships with local media. Reach out and interact with media
as necessary. Respond to media requests.
● Oversee online registrations for programs and special events. ● Assist with, or lead, special projects as assigned.
Organizational strategy
● Execute the marketing/communication strategy as established by the Diversity Alliance's Marketing Strategy Committee.
Planning and budgeting
● Prepare an annual budget request to fund the resources needed to achieve marketing, communications and public relations goals and objectives.
● Ensure that evaluation systems are in place to measure the effectiveness of strategies, marketing materials and communications initiatives.
● Monitor trends and developments in marketing, communications and public relations fields. Management
● Maintain a climate that attracts, retains and motivates top quality personnel – paid and volunteer.
● Previous experience in a marketing/communications role, demonstrated track record of supporting high-impact communications and marketing strategies.
● Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively.
● Excellent writing skills, including strong copy editing and proofreading skills.
● Solutions-oriented; the ability to effectively problem solve and rebound from setbacks.
● Experience designing and producing print materials and publications as well as maintaining web content.
● Up-to-date knowledge of social media marketing and the ability and willingness to stay current with trends.
● Computer literacy in Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google platforms, desktop publishing, website design, photo editing, event management and donor management software.
● Ability to execute multiple projects simultaneously.
● Experience developing and managing budgets.
- 5 – 7 years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, or public relations,
including at least one year in marketing in the nonprofit sector. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree in marketing, journalism, or public relations. Position will be open until filled.
Please send resume with a compelling cover letter to: email@example.com For more information on the Diversity Alliance, please visit http://www.ethnicdiversity.org


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'I would die for you. But I won't live for you'
It is easy for me to sit here and write a list of people that I would sacrifice everything for. To give it all up to ensure that they were kept safe and happy. But sometimes it's not as easy to live for them. When life is fighting against you, when you're swimming against the current, it's hard to keep going for them. To see the light that they are seeing. Regardless of how much you care for them.
I've just finished reading 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' and there is this bit when Charlie mentions the line ''I would die for you. But I won't live for you'' and what it means to him, which has completely changed my perspective.
It made me realise that life isn't about living for other people or fighting against your own demons for them. It's about defeating them for yourself.
We all have our purpose and something to offer to this world, even if we can't to see that at the moment. We just have to find. Each and every day we make decisions about what we should and shouldn't do. But these decisions shouldn't be made to suit other people at the expense of ourselves.
This revelation may seem obvious to some people but for me it was the reminder I needed. I'm very much a people pleaser and often put other people's happiness before my own. I desperately avoid doing or saying the wrong thing because I don't want to 'get it wrong' or upset someone. I've let people hurt and avoided sticking up for myself just to keep the peace.
Maybe this is just another way my anxiety has got its grip around my life, which makes these things all the more difficult. But this shouldn't be how I live the rest of my life. For exactly that reason: it's my life.
It can be difficult to see and value our own worth. Especially if you are constantly putting other people first and trying to make sure that they are happy. I'm not say we should stop caring about one another. But maybe sometimes we should put ourselves first.
I know that this is difficult. I find it near impossible to see what other people see in me, I just don't understand it. I know that I should live for myself more but sometimes it's not as easy to take your own advice. But reading it from another person's perspective sometimes makes it that little bit easier to believe.
So I want you to know that your life holds just as much value as other people's. We just need to find that thing that's rooted deep inside ourselves. And when find it, whatever it is, we need to hold on to it and fight for it.
We shouldn't live our lives for other people. It's our life and we should live it for ourselves.
Sometimes a fresh perspective is needed, as a reminder of what we already know.
Until next time


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~Sustainability In Action~
At KM Herbals, we are committed to inspiring action and embodying holistic business practices by serving our community and prioritizing sustainability at every stage of our manufacturing process. We seek to revive, rebuild, and reinvest in a flourishing and vibrant planet for all...and for our future!
From ethically sourcing the finest organic and wild-crafted ingredients to using recycled paper made of cane sugar, carpooling to the office, reducing emissions, and on-site manufacturing, we seek to build sustainable practices through actions large and small.


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|» Products
|» Aluminium Sliding Window
|» Aluminium Section
For our years of experience in this industry, we are renowned as the trusted manufacturer and supplier of an excellent range of Aluminum Section. These sections are made of premium quality aluminum alloy sourced from reputed vendors of market. Great for both interior and exterior applications, this Aluminum Section is high in demand for commercial and residential architectural works. Before the final delivery in market, these sections are stringently tested on various standard quality parameters.
REGAL ENTERPRISES All Rights Reserved.(Terms of Use)
Developed and Managed by Infocom Network Ltd.


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Homecoming week begins Monday, September 22, 2014. HMS will be participating in many of the homecoming activities. The theme is HHS Studios presents: RAMSFORMERS: Age of Extinction. Each day will have a different "dress-up" theme. They are as follows:
MONDAY: Animated movies –
Disney/Animated Character Day
TUESDAY: Action/Adventure movies – Super Hero/Villain Day
WEDNESDAY: Musical movies –
Grease/Rock of Ages Day
THURSDAY : Romance movies –
Vampire Day
FRIDAY: Horror movies –
Scream your Spirit Day
Please remember only appropriate "dress-up" clothing is acceptable. Your costumes must still follow our dress code in regards to length, leggings, shirts, etc. Make sure not to bring any weapons (fake or otherwise) even if they are part of your costume.
The homecoming parade will be held Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and the game will be Friday night. We hope to see everyone participate in the HHS homecoming activities. We look forward to having a fun week of school spirit!
Copyright © 2020 Headland Middle School


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The Alliance Board maintains the following committees to discuss issues and help the Board make decisions.
The Executive Committee consists of elected officers:
The Training Management Committee is responsible for all Rater training activities. This committee issues RFPs and selects trainers for future trainings.
The Membership/Communications Committee develops and implements strategies for outreach to potential Alliance members, expands Alliance services and is responsible for all internal and external communications including the NEHERS website, emails, publications, etc.
The Standards Committee helps Providers & Raters interpret and implement RESNET's standards for home energy ratings and provides a forum for Quality Assurance Designees and QAD Delegates to network and discuss issues relating to the quality and consistency of HERS ratings in our region.
The Nominating Committee is charged with selecting a slate of Director candidates representing the expiring Director terms and any vacancies. The Committee term is one year.
The Manual Committee maintains and updates the NEHERS Alliance Training & Reference Manual and other publications.
The Professional Development Committee determines topics for monthly member calls and develops initiatives for other Professional Development activities.
The Energy Codes Committee is responsible for reviewing Residential Energy Code with respect to HERS Raters concerns, and taking actions where appropriate to attempt to improve the clarity and implementation of Residential Energy Code.
Search our Member Database for a Rater serving your area. Click Here to Search Now.
For more information Click Here.
(Held the second Wednesday of every month, 3:30 - 5:00 PM)
For webinar information, slides, recordings, access to professional development quizzes, and to suggest topics, visit our Monthly Webinars page. (Slides and recordings are available to members only).


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This ZEISS Sunlens' shop proposes a wide assortement of articles available for online purchase: over 80 sun lens colours, 4 types of material and several shape designs.
The purpose of such a online service? Give sunglasses frame manufacturers worldwide an easy access to a large selection of quality sun lenses, even for small orders. In fact the online selection offers low minimum order quantities: 100 pairs for CR-39 lenses, 120 pairs for polycarbonate lenses, polarized lenses etc.
The wide selection of lenses will also satisfy those designers who want to take a glance at sun lenses styles and colours while creating their models. The lens choice is very easy and all technical information regarding the lens, such as the lens category, light transmission, suggested wrap angle for the frame, etc, are available straight away.
Enter the online shop: www.sunlens.zeiss.com


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Dodge announced it will be reviving an old nameplate — Dart — an all-new four-door sedan set to enter the compact-car segment for the 2013 model year. The Dart was a popular Dodge built in North America from 1960-1976.
The all-new Dart will be the first Chrysler Group vehicle based upon a Fiat architecture — adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Dodge says it will deliver "class-leading" aerodynamics.
"The Giulietta is renowned for satisfying the most demanding customers in terms of road-holding, agility and safety, with exceptional driving dynamics," Dodge reports. "The Dart leverages all of these attributes within a lengthened and widened platform delivering segment-leading levels of interior roominess.
"The all-new Compact U.S. Wide architecture underpinning the Dart is a state-of-the-art architecture with an industry-leading 68 percent of the body composed of high-strength steel, resulting in a very strong and rigid structure. Combined with responsive steering, four-wheel independent suspension, and available 18-inch wheels, the Dart brings fun back to driving in the compact-car segment."
Dodge reports its 2013 Dart will be powered by three "fuel-efficient, powerful" four-cylinder engines: Tigershark, a new 16-valve 2.0-liter engine; a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine; and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder engine.
The all-new Dodge Dart will be made in America, at Chrysler Group's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill.
Your thoughts on this Fiat-based 2013 Dodge Dart? Do you think reviving the Dart name is a good idea? Have you ever owned a Dart?


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Tiffany Shlain's film The Tribe asks how the daughter of Polish-Jewish immigrants, a woman named Ruth Handler, came to invent the Barbie doll in 1959. It answers this question by sifting through thousands of years of Jewish history in 15 image- and fact-filled minutes.
The film falls somewhere between avant-garde video and public service announcement, drawing on 1960s archival footage, spoken-word poetry, and dry but clever narration from actor Peter Coyote. The Tribe will be in competition next month at Sundance.


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Learn about the Newest Trend for Job Hunters
Creating a virtual resume or portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills to a potential employer. Like traditional resumes, you are still including your experience, education, and achievements; however, virtual resumes prove that you are aware of new trends and tools available online – making you stand out from the crowd!
Students or recent graduates are huge benefactors of online resumes due to their ability to link to relevant work and designs. This can highlight one's ability while taking the focus away from work experience, which is often little for recent grads or students.
How to get started
There are many resources and tools available online to help you create a virtual resume. First off, it is important that you have a traditional resume that you can build upon or extract from (Each tool online will have different requirements). Next step is to compile any relevant work you wish to share online and make sure they are saved in web-friendly file formats – .jpg, .png, .gif, .pdf, .mp3, .mov, .avi etc.
If you are uploading videos consider using Vimeo or YouTube; this way you can use the embed code to upload it to your virtual resume page. Make sure not to use any account that is linked to your personal videos or social media; instead create a new account that only contains professional information. If you have any presentations that you wish to share consider using Slideshare; this easy tool allows you to upload your presentations and share.
Next step is selecting the platform you wish to use for displaying your content. There are free resources available and paid ones too – but we're only going to share with you the free ones here:
This is an excellent online portfolio tool for students or recent graduates that wish to share their learning achievements, skills, and work examples in an interactive fashion. Pathbrite's features allow you to customize your portfolio for a more personalized touch and highlight work through image boxes. Hint: Pathbrite is gaining traction in the educational community and is one of the best (free) online tools for academic portfolios.
This free online tool can be used for posting tradition resumes online but has the added functionality to create digital portfolios for displaying work samples in audio, and video file formats. This is a great online service that allows you to share your resume with potential employers but has added security to make sure only the people you want see your resume do. Check out VisualCV's website for more information on how you can get started.
This design forward online portfolio generator is geared towards visual artists and designers. With slick features that present your work this online tool stands out amongst the rest and it's free. For those interactive media enthusiast this is a great way to showcase your talent.


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Signal Pollution
Discovering invisible signals that surround us
Daniel Dessinger · Feb 14, 2019 · Leave a Comment
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Pitstop recently had the pleasure of interviewing our newest author Joel Wakely. We enjoyed hearing about his new best-selling book, The Legends of the 48-215. Joel also tells us about his passion for early model Holden's, and recounts for us what it was like to own a successful race car in the 50's - an exciting time in Australia's motosport history.
"Legends of the 48-215" is a book about the history of these unique Holden cars, what motivated you to write this book?
I have always had a passion for early model Holden's, because I grew up with them and I was lucky enough to be the owner of one of the best ones that raced in the 60's in the Appendix J touring car series. That car did a lot for me personally and for my Service Station workshop business. This gave us accreditation as mechanics and it built my business, my life and helped others on our team in their career. In particular both drivers Spencer Martin and Barry Seton are recognized as true legends of the sport. So using this as a thread, and not wanting to say, "look at me, look at us and look at my car", I then selected ten early model Holden's to feature in my book that had prominence in the motor industry- like the first Holden to represent Australia internationally, in the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally, 60 years later a replica car repeated the event, it is also featured. The Peter Brock, purpose built FX Holden he raced at Goodwood in 2006 I considered worthy. Unfortunately it was the last car Brock drove on a race track. Another aspect of my book is the several Legend drivers featured who all started out racing in a 48-215 Holden. So we have the three Geoghegan's, father Tom sons Leo and Ian [Pete]. Spencer Martin Drove a few other cars before my car but my Holden bought him prominence. Barry also started out racing in a 48-215.Among others Brian Muir and Des West, all my choice. So we have a combination of early model Holden's and Legend drivers. One exception is the FJ model Holden featured because I west getting too much stick from my mates who are FJ freaks. The FJ Holden was an upgrade model so I selected a fully restored example to feature in my book. I have photos with the car taken a few weeks ago when we drove it to Tweed Heads and back.
That's a good point for the second question – one of the things we've noticed since the books has been out, is that we are getting feedback from people saying "there was no FX". There seems to be a bit of controversy about the FX. What is the background to that?
Early days – first the significance is the "48 "the first of manufacture; the "215" was derived from the motor capacity 2150cc = 48-215 .Initially they did not have a name or a series letter chosen. As for the name they considered four including "boomerang "but finally settled on "HOLDEN" in honour of Sir Edward Holden the company's Chairman. The letters FX denote the series – FX / FJ / FB then EJ/ EH etc.
Now you had a car yourself, and you actually raced with a team of people. You were telling me a fascinating story earlier about how you actually started with that, and how the team of three got together. I'd love to hear that recounted again, because I think that is a fascinating story.
Well we were all mates. It really goes back to my MGTC days. I used to work at a Caltex service station when I was 18, and I had a black MGTC. You're talking about a 5 year old car that every kid wanted; it was a dream to own a MGTC. Spencer Martin used to ride his bike down to the garage where I worked and just look at this car, and tell himself "I am going to buy one of these one day". We became mates, and he did buy one of those cars one day. Then I went and opened my own garage and he came and worked for me part time as a bowser boy. So we grew up as kids, and mates, and work mates. I opened the garage, and of course, I needed a mechanic, so I put an advertisement in the paper and this guy turned up, a guy called Bob Gray. He had impeccable recommendations. Back in the 50's, he was the NSW apprentice mechanic of the year, two years running, out of five years. I mean, that is a pretty good accreditation! He worked for the NRMA at the smash repair section at Pyrmont and was mainly repairing smashed cars and the mechanics of them. But that is not what Bob wanted, he wanted more. Anyway, he came out and I interviewed him and all the rest of it, and I employed him. He was a brilliant mechanic. He was what you would refer to as an engineer, developer, a thinker. He didn't go and replace anything, he fixed it. He knew how to fix things! He was an innovating engineer. Spencer Martin was an innovative pre fabricator for Clive Adams. Clive had a very good reputation as a body prefabricator. Back then people would get a chassis and they would build a sports car body like aluminium and they'd pre-fabricate it. Spencer worked for him, and he had a car called the Prad Holden, which Spencer pre-fabricated the body for to look identical to the 300S Maserati. So Spencer had really good skills. Bob had good skills. I probably had a cash register and I was funding it! (laughs) I was funding a passion that three guys developed together. Now if you look at the history of the early model Holden racing, the thing that happened back in the 50's, like you had Tom Geoghegan, Leo Geoghegan, you had Repco with cross flow heads. Now, they were putting out 150 horsepower back then, but it wasn't legal under the new regulations that they introduced in 1959. It was all getting out of hand. The Geoghegan's Holden, that looked like a Holden, had a Repco cross flow head on it. It had disc breaks, and MGTC gear box, all the things that would make the car go faster. But when the new regulations came in, you had to run the standard block, the standard cylinder head, the standard gear box, the standard diff, and you could only modify breaks in the interest of safety, you couldn't put disc breaks on.
So you had this dream team! What happened next?
We bought a car, and as I say in the book, we purpose-built a race car. Now a lot of the guys we were racing against, they'd stick a number on the door on Saturday, go and race Sunday, and then drive it to work on Monday. So we were the serious guys, we had purpose-built race car. And that is one of the reasons we blew everyone away – well, not everyone, but we were serious and there were a lot of kids out there that weren't. People like Max Stahl and Warren Weldon, they were serious. They had mechanical engineers that were doing what we were doing. You know, they were up there with us. We were winning all the races, but not always by that much. The hardest thing was to stay in front. Once you get on top, in any sport that is competitive, to stay in front of the opposition is the thing, and that is what I talk about in the book. Spencer's ability, he could feel a car. He knew what a car was doing and what it should be doing. The things we did, you got to read the book, were quite unique and they were very well advanced. We took the whole suspension out of the car, and we took the big, heavy cast iron shock absorbers that were mounted on the diff housing and that represents weight. So the idea is that the less unsprung weights you've got, the better the car will sit on the road. So we've taken that cast iron shocks, we've turned them upside down, we've plated and mounted them on the body, and we've reversed the pistons inside the shocks so they work backwards or upside down, and we then developed how they dropped. We were very, very closely aligned with Lovells Springs (Bobby Lovell and his father), they were around the corner and we were in and out of there all the time with springs and everything. They'd make up special springs for us…heavier springs. Most guys wanted to lower their Holden, which you did when you raced it, just cut the spring down whereas we had purpose built special tension springs made by Lovells.
So Joel, how did you decide who was going to be the driver? There were three guys there, I am sure you all wanted to drive – how did that work out?
Well we purpose built the car and we took it out to Warwick farm on the short circuit. Of course, Spencer had a licence, but you didn't have to have a licence to have a drive on the short circuit as it was closed off. Spencer went around, and we timed it. And he sorted the car out a little bit and changed a few minor things. Plan A was that Bob drove, the mechanic, and then I'd drive. If you went to race meetings that were three races, we'd all drive a lap. Anyway, Spencer has gone around on the clock, and we knew how good he was. Then Bob and I went around, and as Spencer described it "Bob and Joel were having a leisurely drive". There was quite a significant amount of time laps in our laps compared to his, so we decided then and there that Spencer would be the driver.
You really were serious about creating a winning car, you had great mechanics, you had everything together and you seemed like you were a leap ahead. Would you say you were a leap ahead of everyone?
Not necessarily ahead. People like Max Stahl, Bruce McPhee, Des West, were all probably ahead of us. They'd been racing in the other series, and they'd been developing their car suspension wise probably over 4 or 5 years. They had a reputation and they were winning races. They were excellent drivers and good sportsmen. We were the new boys on the block. When we turned up at Katoomba, the first race meeting we ever entered, on the fifth lap of official practice on the Saturday, Spencer broke the lap record for Appendix J cars on his fifth lap of driving of driving that car on a competitive circuit and blew Bruce McPhee's record away. No one could believe it. We couldn't believe how good it was! And the other upside of that was, when you got pole position in a race meeting, you're up and away if you're lucky and you're not back with the flock. So that was a big advantage to get pole. So it was a foregone conclusion.
When you looked around at all the racing drivers that you were competing with in those days, you do mention a couple of people in the book, and the book has sold extremely well, you mention Warren Weldon, Spencer Martin, Barry Seeton, if you thought of all of the people who were in the race, other than those in your own team, which drivers really stood out?
In the book I name what I think. I am not being biased. But I think with all the accolades that Spencer got; all the write ups – and there are a lot of quotes in the book by journalists about Spencer's ability, Barry Seeton's ability and the other prominent driver, and gentleman driver in my books, was Des West. I think they were the three. Now I don't take anything away from Bruce McPhee or Max Stahl or even, Norm Beechey. Beechey was the king of Holden racing, recognised in Australia. Beechey never beat us in a road circuit. We raced him at Katoomba, we raced him at Warwick Farm and we raced him on his home ground at Sandown Park and we beat him every time. It was marginal, but we beat him. One race down at Warwick Farm, Spencer and Beechey passed each other about 6 or 7 times in the one race. At Sandown the same scenario. But we had the track record, and we had the track record at every circuit we raced at with that car, except Lowood in Queensland. So the facts were there. The prize money that we achieved was more than anyone else did. It was hard to win money racing cars back then. There were three significant meetings – the Neptune Series in Katoomba which was run over four race meetings every year, so that was 8 races. We won seven of them, and we failed to finish in one as we blew a clutch. Spencer won 3 out of 4, Barry won 4 out of 4 the following year. The biggest race – and it was like the Armstrong 500 – it was a 25 lap race in Sandown in 1963. There was 500 pounds prize money for the 25 lap winner, and there was 25 pounds paid for the leader of each lap. Bruce McPhee jumped the start and led for four laps. He was penalised a minute, we scooped the pool. We got the 25 pounds for 25 laps and the 500 pound prize money. That race was by invitation only, to the best 25 Holden's around Australia. The last race that did anything significant with, was at Lakeside in late 1964. It was the Australian Touring car championship race at Lakeside. It was won by Ian Geoghegan in a GT Cortina followed by Brian Muir in a S4 Holden with Bob Jane third in a Jaguar. Barry Seton In my Holden finished 9th in this 25 lap championship race. This was the last time an early model Holden would finish in the top 10 in a championship race in Australia. This was a game change time the Cooper S mines, Lotus Cortina's together with the S4 Holden's, Mustangs and others had arrived. The Appendix J series was replaced with the group E series for touring cars.
There is a tremendous amount of nostalgia for these cars, and the price is going up all the time. I think a Ford GTO Phase III has sold for over a million. What do you think would be the most valuable Holden out there now?
I talk about the values of Holden in the book. Unique Cars did a survey in about 2012, and that was a survey of not necessarily race cars, but general Holden's – restored cars. The FX holden came in at 25,000 dollars. The FC's came in about 3000 or 4000 under that. The EH's were around about the same. The FB's and some of those other models just didn't appear. So it is still significant, what those early models are worth. The most expensive Holdens that were ever sold are in the National Museum in Canberra. There is a protype 1 car that was built in Detroit in 1946 which sold to the National Museum, it's on show now, for $650, 000. The car that Peter Briggs had in his museum was also an Australian prototype car, one of two that were built in Australia in 1947, went at auction for $635,000. So keep your old Holden's in your garage and give them to your grandchildren!
This is the vegemite vs marmite, Liberal vs Labour question – have you ever owned a Ford?
Yes! I used to tame a Holden race car with a bloody star model Ford and a Mainline Ute. I was fortunate to own an XG GT Falcon brand new, zircon green in 1969. I traded that for a 350 Monaro – so I went back to Holden. In my career I have owned a lot of cars. You know, you go through periods! I did the Alfa Romeo thing. I actually owned an Alfa Montreal, which I still think I should have owned today. And I pole between Holden's. I have had 4 Mustangs. The last one I owned was a 2001 Cobra, which was a gas of a motorcar. Cars are my passion I had too many to list but currently I drive A Ford Fairlane - XR8 - 5.4- V8.
Read more about Joel Wakely's book, "The Legends of the 48-215" here


text: PDT manufactures 100% made in the USA hygiene instruments and created the original Montana Jack®. PDT leads by innovating superior quality products for a lower price. Amazing Gracey™, Wingrove™ Titanium Implant Instruments, ACE™ Furcation probes, the Gleason™ Guide sharpening system, FlipTop™ cassettes, the Queen of Hearts™ perio curette and the Jack B. Nimble® scaler. Check out our new Restorative, Bone grafting, Endodontic and Surgical Line.


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Low Thyroid Symptoms – What Are The Dangers of This Condition?
There are many dangers to low thyroid symptoms, or hypothyroidism. In fact, according to the information found on WebMD.com, if you suffer from low thyroid symptoms, your chances of developing cardiovascular problems increase greatly. Unfortunately, low thyroid symptoms can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint, especially since the most common include lethargy and weakness. Many can mistake low thyroid symptoms for simply being over-worked or stressed.
Underactive thyroid and pregnancy can also be a deadly combination because the condition not only affects the mother, but also the unborn child. This can lead to problems during the development stage of the fetus. You must see a physician immediately to receive a proper diagnosis. Once you have a clear understanding of the problem, your doctor can prescribe the correct course of treatment; the first and most simple will be to start an underactive thyroid diet.
Some dangers that accompany symptoms of low thyroid are:
- Elevated cholesterol levels – Hypothyroidism interferes with the way the body controls energy and if there is an imbalance, this can affect the distribution of fat within the cells. This leads to higher LDL cholesterol levels which can cause heart disease or stroke.
- Goiter development – The pituitary glands will begin to work harder to stimulate the release of the thyroid hormone if the levels are too low. This results in an enlargement of the thyroid gland, or goiter. Goiters can be extremely painful and if left untreated, will continue to grow. Because goiters can ultimately interfere with swallowing and breathing, surgery is performed to have them removed.
- Weakness in muscles – Your muscles will begin to weaken over time if the hypothyroidism is not monitored carefully. This is because as you feel more tired, you will do less physical labor. Your legs, shoulders and thighs will feel it the most since they carry and distribute weight around your body.
- Angina – Low thyroid levels can compromise the cardiovascular system and cause chest pains and shortness of breath.
Having low thyroid symptoms does not have to mean you cannot live an active and productive life, you just need to make smart choices. Be proactive and make small changes because hypothyroidism is completely reversible.
If you want to find a great list of natural remedies for low thyroid symptoms, read other articles about thyroid function on this website.


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1917 Stanley Cup Finals
|1917 Stanley Cup Finals
|* – Denotes overtime period(s)
|Seattle: Seattle Ice Arena
|Seattle: Pete Muldoon
Montreal: George Kennedy
|March 17 – 26
|Series-winning goal
|Bernie Morris (7:55, first, G4)
The 1917 Stanley Cup Finals was contested by the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champion Seattle Metropolitans and the National Hockey Association (NHA) and Stanley Cup defending champion Montreal Canadiens. Seattle defeated Montreal three games to one in a best-of-five game series to become the first United States-based team to win the Cup. The inspiring story of the Mets' 1917 championship was chronicled in the 2019 book, When It Mattered Most. The series was also the first Stanley Cup Final to be played in the United States,[citation needed] as all games were played in Seattle, and the last Stanley Cup final to not feature a National Hockey League team as the NHA rebranded as the NHL in November of 1917.[1]
Paths to the Finals[edit]
Seattle won the PCHA title after finishing the 1916–17 regular season in first place with a 16–8 record. Meanwhile, Montreal advanced to the final series after narrowly defeating the Ottawa Senators, 7–6, in a two-game total-goals playoff series to end the 1916–17 NHA season.
Game summaries[edit]
The games of the Final were played at the Seattle Ice Arena. Games one and three were played under PCHA seven-man rules; games two and four were played under NHA six-man rules. Bernie Morris scored 14 of Seattle's 23 total goals for the series, including six in their 9–1 victory in game four.[2] Future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Hap Holmes recorded a 2.90 goals-against average for the Mets.
Montreal Canadiens NHA champion roster - George Vezina goalie, Bert Corbeau defence, Harry Mummery defence, Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde (Captain) Center-Rover Tommy Smith center, Didier Pitre right wing, Reginald "Reg" Noble left wing, Jack Laviolette left wing, Louis Berlinguette left wing, Wilfred "Billy" Coutu defence spares - Sarsfield "Steve" Malone center, George "Skinner" Poulin center, Jules Rochon - defence Harold "Hal" McNamara defence Dave Majors defence, Arthur Brooks defence, Joe Maltais right wing, U.P. Boulder (President), George "Kennedy" Kendall (Owner/Manager-Coach),
Seattle Metropolitans PCHA champion roster - Harry "Happy" Holmes goalie, Roy Rickey defence, Everers "Ed" Carpenter defence, Jack Walker rover-right wing, Bernie Morris center, Frank Foyston (Captain) left wings, Jim Riley left wing, Bobby "Stubby" Rowe defence, Carol "Cully" Wilson right wing, Pete Muldoon (Owner/Manager-Coach).
- Game one
In game one, Didier Pitre scored four goals as he led the Canadiens to an 8–4 victory. Pitre opened the scoring in the third minute before Morris tied it four minutes later. Jack Laviolette scored twenty seconds later to put the Canadiens ahead, followed by Pitre to put the Canadiens ahead 3–1 after one period. Con Corbeau and Newsy Lalonde scored in the second to put the Canadiens ahead 5–1 after two periods. In the third, Morris and Frank Foyston scored to bring Seattle within two goals, before Pitre scored again. Morris scored to make it 6–4 before Pitre and Corbeau scored to make the final score 8–4.[3]
- Game two
Seattle tied the series with a convincing win played under NHA hockey rules. Morris opened the scoring at nine minutes of the first period. Wilson scored to make it 2–0 for Seattle after the first period. Morris and Foyston scored in the second to put Seattle up 4–0 after two periods. Frank Foyston then scored twice in the third period to complete his hat trick and give Seattle a lead of 6–0. Seattle then played defensively but Tommy Smith scored in the final minutes for the Canadiens to spoil the shutout. Frustration boiled over at the start of the third period with a fight between Roy Rickey and Billy Coutu before Harry Mummery jumped into the fray.[4]
- Game three
The game was played at a fast clip with no goals before Morris scored after ten minutes. Montreal's goaltender Georges Vézina made several big saves in the second to hold Seattle off from scoring. Coutu and Rickey had their third fight of the series and Coutu was given a twenty-minute penalty and Rickey a ten-minute period. The Canadiens held off Seattle in an ensuing power play to end the second with Seattle holding a one-goal lead. In the third, Foyston scored after five minutes and Morris scored a quick pair of goals to give Seattle a 4–0 lead.[5]
- Game four
In an individual rush, Morris put the Mets ahead early in the first period. The Canadiens tried to fight back, but were stymied by the defences of Seattle. Seattle scored three times in the second period to put the game out of reach. In the third, the onslaught continued, as the Mets led 7–0 before Laviolette scored to break the shut out.[6]
|Winning team
|Losing team
|Rules used
|March 17
|Montreal Canadiens
|Seattle Metropolitans
|Seattle Ice Arena
|March 20
|Seattle Metropolitans
|Montreal Canadiens
|March 23
|Seattle Metropolitans
|Montreal Canadiens
|March 26
|Seattle Metropolitans
|Montreal Canadiens
|Metropolitans win best-of-five series 3 games to 1
Seattle Metropolitans 1917 Stanley Cup champions[edit]
Several of the Metropolitans had won the Stanley Cup together on the 1914 Toronto Blueshirts: Jack Walker had been playing coach of Toronto, with Eddie Carpenter (a substitute with Toronto), Frank Foyston, Hap Holmes and Cully Wilson.[7]
- 4 Frank Foyston
- Jim Riley
- Carol Cully Wilson
- Bobby Rowe (Captain)
- Roy Rickey
- Everard Eddie Carpenter
- 1 Harry Hap Holmes
Coaching and administrative staff
- Pete Muldoon (President-Owner/Manager-Coach)
‡ Played rover, a position between both defences and behind the centre.
Stanley Cup engraving
After the finals, "Seattle/World's Champions/Defeated Canadians/1917" was added to the Cup (Note that the anglicized form of "Canadiens" was engraved).
- Pete Muldoon was twenty-nine years and nine months old and is still youngest coach or manager to win the Stanley Cup.[8]
See also[edit]
- "1916–17 Stanley Cup Winner: Seattle Metropolitans". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-07-02.
- "hockeyleaguehistory.com – Pacific Coast Hockey Association". Archived from the original on 3 July 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-02.
- Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books. pp. 12, 49. ISBN 1-55168-261-3.
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (1992). The Official National Hockey League Stanley Cup Centennial Book. Firefly Books. pp. 48–49. ISBN 1-895565-15-4.
- Notes
- ^ Holzman 2002, p. 159
- ^ Ticen, Kevin (April 2019). When It Mattered Most. Seattle, WA: Clyde Hill Publishing. ISBN 978-1798208496.
- ^ "Canadiens Won By Good Margin From Seattle". Montreal Gazette. March 19, 1917. p. 16.
- ^ "Seattle Outplayed the Canadiens in Game Last Night". Montreal Daily Mail. March 21, 1917. p. 8.
- ^ "Mets Take Lead In Struggle for Old Stanley Cup". Montreal Daily Mail. March 21, 1917. p. 8.
- ^ "Seattle Wrest the Stanley Cup from Flying Frenchmen". Montreal Daily Mail. March 27, 1917. p. 8.
- ^ Harper 2013, p. 272.
- ^ Ticen, Kevin (April 2019). When It Mattered Most. Seattle, WA: Clyde Hill Publishing. ISBN 978-1798208496.
|Preceded by
Montreal Canadiens
| Seattle Metropolitans
Stanley Cup Champions
|Succeeded by


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If you prefer to bid by phone, the Hermitage Fine Art team can bid on your behalf during the sale. Telephone bidding can be conducted in three languages: English, Russian and French. To implement this service, we ask you to send a preliminary application to the e-mail of the auction house with the lot data of your choice, your personal details, address, bank details and a copy of your passport. If you are arranging a telephone bid, please clearly specify the number on which you can be reached at the time of the sale, including the country code. Alternatively, you can register your participation to bid by phone with one of the Hermitage Fine Art employees during the pre-auction exhibition.
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text: 07.10.14 Gesture control for virtual reality AUTHOR: Inavate Tomáš "Frooxius" Mariancík has a history of working on projects related to virtual reality. His latest efforts focus on making use of the Oculus Rift development kit and Leap Motion controller to increase the level of immersion offered by VR headsets. Targeted at the education sector for now, Mariancík's prototype aims to deliver an intuitive virtual reality user-interface that allows you to reach into the VR world and control the environment with your hands. The prototype works using a combination of Oculus Rift DK2 and its positional head tracking fused with a Rift-mounted Leap Motion controller. The Leap Motion Controller is responsible for detecting the user's hands as well as fingers and then translating their gestures and movements into similar actions in virtual reality. Mariancík has come up with a series of gesture based controls to utilize the new features of his prototype.At present the prototype presents a human skeleton that can be interacted with. The video above shows how objects in virtual reality can be manipulation using real life hand gestures. The positional tracking made available with the Oculus Rift DK2 makes the interactions possible.Virtual reality has always been an important segment of professional AV, with a number of applications demanding intense immersion. For industries such as oil and gas as well as research and development, CAVES and video-walls have been the chosen options for immersive displays. VR headsets have usually been less desired due to their exclusionary nature. But if VR headsets are able to increase their immersive features, AV professionals and end-users will undoubtedly have to take them into consideration.


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Population and GNI data source
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS, Freedom House, and Front Line Defenders condemn yesterday's conviction of four human rights defenders from the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and a National Election Committee (NEC) official, in what we see as a clear attack against their legitimate human rights work.
The ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen is dismantling Cambodia's democracy, a process it is accelerating with the forced closure of Cambodia's main opposition party and the silencing of critical voices.
Aided by Chinese support and U.S. indifference, the government has moved to ensure complete dominance ahead of the 2018 elections.
Cambodia's prime minister must release garment workers who were detained during demonstrations and ensure the right to peaceful assembly, association and expression, urges Freedom House and key human rights groups.
Sarah Cook is a Senior Research Analyst for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Freedom House.
In Southeast Asia, Freedom House programs enable citizens to assert their rights and supports their efforts to gain a greater say in how they are governed.
Freedom House helps LGBTI rights groups in Southeast Asia to push back against the tide of intolerance.


text:
Mav-tastic Start
there's not another posse with more points scored...
The Nuggets went down to Dallas in what promised to be a hectic NBA season and took it to the NBA Champs.
--You can tell who kept active during the lockout and played overseas or worked on their game. Exhibit A: one Ty Lawson, who was the best player on the court. Not only was he the quickest player, but the best shooter, and best slasher to the hoop. Jason Kidd had no chance to keep up with him, and while Andre Miller isn't the quickest guy, he still has a step on most veteran guards.
--The Nuggets are deep like the end of a swimming pool. The #1 pick Kenneth Faried couldn't even crack the rotation in a blowout. More telling is not just the depth, but the type of player that George Karl can bring off the bench. Crey Brewer and athleticism, Al Hrrington with size and veteran craftiness, Rudy Fernandez and his sharpshooting, Bridman for energy and defense.
--For the first time in many years, there was a season opener without one Carmelo or K-Mart. Looks like Birdman picked up the tattoo deficiency with some fresh ink.
--Ten years ago did anyone think Vince Carter would essentially be a journeyman?
--Gallo defintely has the chance to be the top option on this team. He is athletic and fast, and can hit from anywhere on the court. Right now he's just way too loose in his game; making sloppy and out of control mistakes. A season with Karl might tighten up his game.
--This NBA season is going to be crazy. The number of games in as many nights and back to backs is just baffling. Analysts say young teams will benefit, but we should question that. Young players constantly hit "walls" sometime 2/3 the way through the season. Remember in college they play two games a week and play a max of 35 games. However, couple young and deep, like your Powder Blue Patrol, and you might have something.
RELATED: Black Moon - "Whirlwind"
Labels: Nuggets


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If you thought that potty training was difficult, wait until you need to prepare your toddler for preschool. Even if you have the most social child, as soon as you reach the chosen facility, you will not succeed to come back at home alone, at least not in the first day. You will become a tree and your bundle of joy will transform into a little monkey clinging to you with all her strength while begging you not to leave her there. All your love as a parent will surface and you will not resist the temptation of listening to your child's request. Sooner than you know, you will find yourself facing a dilemma: should you start taking your toddler to pre-school now or should you wait longer? Do not fool yourself, if your precious child has the right age, then waiting will not do anything good. In fact, it will just worsen the situation because you will never manage to teach him about independency.
You do not have to convince yourself or your child about the necessity of going to pre-school. What you need is a tactic or a plan that will help him embrace this normal stage. Tell your toddler about the great side of pre-kindergarten while engaging in playful activities. The most important thing is for you to get comfortable with the idea because otherwise, you will transmit all the negativity to him. Once you both manage to accept the process, you should start looking a suitable Zug childcare for his needs. Make sure that you examine the facility personally and you inquire about the implemented development programs. Moreover, take your toddler with you so that you introduce him to the new environment properly and spend a few hours there together. This will help him become familiar with the surrounding and the staff.
Next, you have to make sure that your child understands his own schedule. Discuss with him about outdoor play, meals, sleeping time and more. You can also create a special moment just between two of you each time you have to say goodbye. You can ask for a kiss on each cheek before entering the facility or a hug for every hour spent away from each other. Do not attempt making a disappearing act because you could scare your already nervous toddler. He wants to know that you will always be there for him, not see you disappearing when he most needs your presence. You can tell him that you must go to work and he must stay at Zug pre-kindergarten, but you will reunite again after several hours.
You can let him keep his favorite toy or other special items that bring him comfort and help him experience the unique home atmosphere. During your goodbye moment, you can tell him that his precious blanket or toy will keep him company until you return. If your toddler has certain allergies, you have to inform the staff at the facility so that they can offer him the proper environment. Since the first day, you must give your contact details, just in case. Do not leave your child there without providing him with everything he needs during the stay.
For acquiring more information about Zug childcare or Zug pre-kindergarten, please click on these links!
Copyright 2018 Economic News Articles


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Maurice Chabale's track of the week: J. Volkova Breaking me
Here's my favorite new track (actually a demo teaser) for the new season. Summer is already saying "adios, amigos", so it's time to upgrade your iPod tracklists to keep your mood upgrated. Julia Volkova's (ex T.A.T.U) new song has its vibe. Enjoy!
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Today the EastBayDaily interviews Attorney Antonio Valla, founder of Valla & Associates.
Valla & Associates provides legal and business services to foreign companies entering the US market.
Valla & Associates has offices in the following cities:
- Walnut Creek, California
- New York, New York
Attorney Antonio Valla
East Bay Daily: Can you tell me a little bit more about yourself? I hear that you were born in Italy.
Antonio Valla: I was. I was born and grew up there. I moved to California in 1983, 30 years ago. Went to college here, law school here and I've been living here ever since.
East Bay Daily: And so you actually came here to go to law school?
Antonio Valla: My whole family moved but I came here to go to college and then law school after that.
East Bay Daily: And have you always wanted to be an attorney?
Antonio Valla: Yes. Since grade school.
East Bay Daily: And which law school did you attend?
Antonio Valla: I went to USF (University of San Francisco).
East Bay Daily: And did you start Valla and Associates directly after graduating from USF?
Antonio Valla: No, I spent six years with Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft which was a mid-sized firm in San Francisco, absolutely great experience, clerked for them here in law school, joined them after law school, spent five to six years with them, left them in 1994 to start my own firm.
East Bay Daily: And was it similar? Was it something that kind of prepared you for what you do now?
Antonio Valla: It was because at the time, I worked with the corporate and transactional group which was headed by John Hancock and John, very, very much American but had lived in France and Switzerland for many years, was really an international lawyer and so he and his partners really taught me the ropes.
East Bay Daily: And about Valla and Associates, can you talk a little bit about your practice areas?
Antonio Valla: Sure. We're a boutique firm. We're small, very small in the American context. What we do is chiefly represent foreign companies that do business or would like to do business in the United States and that means companies that are exporting into the US products or services, companies that are manufacturing in the US and that's becoming more and more the trend and sometimes the ownership groups behind those companies. So it's a 360-degree service firm to a particular slice of the industry.
East Bay Daily: And what about local companies that want to take their products internationally?
Antonio Valla: We've represented and we do represent a number of local companies, meaning California companies or West Coast companies. That is not our core business. It's probably less than 20 percent of our practice but it is something we do.
East Bay Daily: And how has your law firm grown or changed since inception?
Antonio Valla: I think it has changed largely as a result of technology. I mean most of what we do is done across time zones and requires a large amount of travel and all of that used to be extremely complicated and extraordinarily expensive and now it's far easier and a lot less expensive. So that has been the big change the last 10, 15 years.
East Bay Daily: So video conferencing, conference calls.
Antonio Valla: Video conferencing, conference calls, the ability to get a lot of people on the phone at the same time. All of that has helped us develop, has sped up the business for better or for worse.
East Bay Daily: And then what about your recent expansion to New York?
Antonio Valla: New York for us has always been a tempting market, particularly for European companies. It's considered to be America and we know it's not really America but it's certainly a landing point. So it was important for us to be there and we explored that market for a couple of years. We worked with a number of well-positioned clients in the New York and tri-state area, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, as far south as Philadelphia and that has worked very well for us and our clients have been encouraging us to take that step. So we did.
East Bay Daily: So you're responding to your clients' requests to grow in that direction?
Antonio Valla: We're responding to the client's request and we're also responding to a perceived market there for small boutique firms to compete with the larger firms.
East Bay Daily: Right, and it's closer to Europe.
Antonio Valla: It's closer to Europe as well. It's only six hours away from continental Europe and five hours time difference to London.
East Bay Daily: So about your clients, we know about small businesses. We know about larger multinationals. But you mentioned earlier something about midmarket firms and that being maybe a target for you.
Antonio Valla: Those are our targets. Midmarket firms by my definition which is simply a matter of experience, it's not an industry definition, are companies that have revenues in the 20 to 200 million dollar range. They're typically companies that outsource a lot of legal services.
They may have an in-house legal department but that department may be of a size that really does not handle everything in-house and it does rely on outside legal counsel.
East Bay Daily: So you're bringing the expertise?
Antonio Valla: That has been our target. They're small enough where you can have a relational approach. Meet people and work with them and develop trust and confidence in each other as opposed to very, very large companies.
East Bay Daily: And who would you say would be your perfect client? You mentioned earlier that it's foreign corporations.
Antonio Valla: My perfect client is a foreign company. It doesn't need to be European, that is forward looking, that identifies the United States as a core market for itself and its products in the midterm five to ten years and is willing to invest and do business here. It's unique enough that it can succeed here and yet it's flexible enough that it can be American about it.
East Bay Daily: And unique is the keyword. And with your business, how would you say you're different from some of the other law firms that provide international business services?
Antonio Valla: We're very small. We're a boutique. I don't quite know any other firm like us and that may be good or bad. I'm not quite sure what that says about our business model. But we certainly don't claim to compete with the mega firms. We don't have the expertise and we don't have the manpower to do it. At the same time, we find that we function extremely well in an international environment. So something must be right. We must be doing something right.
East Bay Daily: Who would you say is your greatest influence personally?
Antonio Valla: Certainly my father.
East Bay Daily: What's your father's name?
Antonio Valla: My father's name was John and he was a lifelong entrepreneur. He built a manufacturing company essentially from scratch and unfortunately he passed away eight years ago. But he was a tremendous inspiration to me growing up and in my career.
East Bay Daily: And is that what led you towards the law or business?
Antonio Valla: Certainly towards business. He had a healthy disrespect for lawyers and I think to some extent he was right. But he was also a very, very practical man and he taught me the value of hard work and focus and concentration and honesty and respect for those who work with you. And that's something I've been trying to live up to.
East Bay Daily: And earlier you mentioned something about industry consolidation as a trend. Could you explain or elaborate on how that relates to Valla and Associates?
Antonio Valla: The legal industry has been consolidating for the past, I don't know, 20, 25, 30 years. The trend has been towards larger and larger firms, essentially global brands that span across the United States and England, and from there to the rest of the world. That I believe creates an opportunity for those who don't consolidate because there is a whole range of clients that are either unable to afford mega firms or do not wish to work with them and those are the clients who end up working with us.
East Bay Daily: So there's no real connection between the latest economic downturn that's fueling the consolidation?
Antonio Valla: I don't know. I don't have enough data to answer that question. My gut feeling is that the consolidation is happening and will continue to happen regardless of economic circumstances. It may be accelerated by a downturn but the downturn is not the cause of it.
East Bay Daily: What types of marketing strategies do you employ?
Antonio Valla: Mostly referrals from existing clients and contacts. We do have a website. We have a brochure. We have a very modest SEO and social media strategy and that's sort of the extent of our marketing.
East Bay Daily: You also have some strategic alliances, some international strategic alliances.
Antonio Valla: We do. We have partner firms in Rome, Italy and in London, England as well as Mexico City.
East Bay Daily: How have those benefited Valla and Associates?
Antonio Valla: Cross-referrals but also a friendly voice and somebody who has got their feet on the ground and understands the local environment. So that's the big benefit.
East Bay Daily: What advice would you give to entrepreneurs that want to start a business or attorneys that want to have a successful law firm like Valla and Associates?
Antonio Valla: I will take those in reverse. I think attorneys need to focus heavily on business development early in their career. They really can't think that it's something that will come and somehow fall out of the sky 10 or 15 years into their career. They need to be at it their second, third, fourth year and keep going at it. In terms of starting your own business or your own law firm, the sooner the better. The older you get, the more you get tied into financial commitments, mortgages, family, et cetera, and I think the less inclined you are to take risk.
Contact Valla & Associates in Walnut Creek:
Valla & Associates
Walnut Creek, CA
+1 925 705 7623
Interviewed by:
San Ramon, CA