By Christopher French - February 19, 2012 | Tickers: CTXS, VMW | Comments

Christopher is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) believes that it can see the future, and it’s in the clouds. Or at least the virtual space that we are all being urged to put our trust in, for it is here that Citrix is making a play. It believes that the concept of the ‘personal cloud’ for businesses, where each employee has a cluster of applications, data, and friends, will see it be a market leader in a multi-billion market by 2015.

In its efforts to gain a foothold in this space, Citrix has acquired ShareFile for an undisclosed sum. The company has 2 million business users from 14,000 corporate customers and counts Pepsi, MetLife, and T-Mobile amongst them. It also bought AppDNA, an application management and compatibility specialist amongst other smaller acquisitions. It also has a new partnership with Cisco, aimed at the large-scale desktop virtualization market.

Fourth quarter earnings were better than expected, with revenues up 17% from the same period last time round and earnings per share of $0.58, beating market estimates of $0.50. It gave guidance for 2012 of $2.72 per share on the bottom line, though it did pull back its first quarter earnings forecast to around $0.50 per share against market expectations of $0.56. It was this reticence on earnings growth that caused the shares to slide on the day of the announcement, falling around 4% to $65. This reticence was caused by management conceding that acquisitions made are unlikely to add to the bottom line until the second half of the year. The company is concentrating on building its capacity for increased offerings to potential customers.

Since then, in a little more than two weeks, shares have moved up to $75, bouyed by a positive technology market and increasing customer favor toward the cloud solution. Shares of Citrix competitor VMware (NYSE: VMW) are trading at $99 on a price to earnings ratio of 59. Citrix shares trade on a price to earnings ratio of 40, with a forward price to earnings ratio of 24 (VMware’s forward price to earnings ratio is 32.5).

Operating margins at both companies stand around 19%, though VMware has a far bigger bagful of cash -- $4.51 billion against Citrix’s $740 million. Citrix has no debt, while VMware has $450 million of debt.

While VMware’s business model may be a little more advanced than Citrix’s, and evidenced by the market’s higher rating, both face incredible challenges. Citrix’s ability to acquire more capacity without moving into debt is now limited. However, perhaps the biggest challenge will be to live up to market expectations in the face of increasing competition in the marketplace. While there are new, small companies looking to make it big in the cloud on almost a daily basis, the competition from Microsoft (and its Sharepoint ad Office 365 offering) and Google (and its Google Docs) should not be underestimated.

Citrix shares have reached what was a strong level of resistance in November. With analysts’ median 12-month price target at $80.33 in sight, and management softening of earnings expectations, I think the recent run-up in share price could be part of a last hoorah before the price falls away again. For me, there is more downside risk than upside potential.

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Christopher French

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Is Citrix Finding Success in the Cloud?

21 February 2012 Last updated at 19:01 ET By Katia Moskvitch Technology reporter, BBC News

As she takes off her shorts, multiple Olympic medallist and Slovenian athletic sprinter Merlene Ottey carefully checks her leg.

The object of her close attention is a tiny patch stuck to the skin.

Inside it, there is a miniature biosensor that monitors her muscle fatigue levels during training and competitions.

The data is then transmitted wirelessly and in real time to a team of scientists and coaches, who analyse it and come up with ideas to help her prevent injury and improve performance.

To help get rid of those extra seconds, vital in athletics. To win.

Ms Ottey trains hard, and regularly - but as the 2012 London Olympics come into focus, the time athletes have left for training is inevitably slipping away.

Muscle issues

The 52-year-old has been on the track for several decades, and although she hopes to qualify to take part and do her best in the upcoming Olympics, her body is understandably different from what it used to be.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

Biosensors are a new frontier in sports - now we can get the data from performing athletes wirelessly, continuously and in real time”

End Quote Dr Leslie Saxon USC Center for Body Computing

"I cannot train like 15 years ago - I have been training for more than 30 years, and my muscles have gradually become less balanced," says the athlete, who has previously represented Jamaica at the Olympic Games.

That is why monitoring her body's response during extreme effort is important - and this is where technology comes into play.

Sports and technology have long been merging to help athletes, with engineers developing the most aerodynamic bobsleigh shapes, or using the best materials to create the fastest bicycle.

But recently, one more factor has emerged - bioscience.

It allows researchers to get really up close and personal with an athlete's body reactions, providing a much better understanding of physiology and biomechanics.

And although sensors measuring, say, heart rate, have existed for some time, and are even available commercially from sports companies such as Nike, the most recent developments are really cutting edge, says Dr Leslie Saxon from the University of Southern California's Center for Body Computing.

"Biosensors are a new frontier in sports - now we can get the data from performing athletes wirelessly, continuously and in real time," she says.

"We can record things like acceleration and position, heart rate, respiration and fatigue, combine the measurements, and mash them up using sophisticated statistics and analytics, to get a complete picture of an athlete's fitness, and more insight into what his or her body metrics look like during a performance.

"This provides a complete view of what factors influence the performance - and that has to do with what you'd eaten and how much you'd slept the night before."

The data is then used to develop a more personalised approach to training, enhancing performance, as well as to predict what might put an athlete at risk, facilitating the very early diagnosis of, for instance, cardiac arrest.

And biosensors also help prevent injury and extend an athlete's career, adds Dr Saxon.

Tech and talent?

One of the companies developing biosensors in Europe is a Slovenian firm TMG.

Its head of R&D Srdjan Djordjevic says that although talent is still vital, it is simply not sufficient anymore.

"Technology, such as better diagnostic tools, is important - not just to improve performance directly, but also to find less destructive ways for adaptation, which means less injuries and other problems such as overtraining," he says.

In the past few years, TMG's sensors in the areas of muscle diagnostics, training optimisation and injury prevention have helped athletes of different levels - from local clubs to national teams and Olympic Committees - in football, athletics, cycling, basketball, alpine and cross country skiing.

Merlene Ottey, being a Slovenian athlete, uses their sensors regularly, but TMG also has international partners - for example, UK Sport.

This public body that directs the development of sport in the United Kingdom has teamed up with a number of organisations on a project called ESPRIT - the Elite Sport Performance Research in Training with Pervasive Sensing.

"Sensor technologies are becoming smaller and more sophisticated, allowing us to better understand how an athlete is responding to training over time and thus giving us a better insight into what it is important for them to maximise their development," says Scott Drawer from UK Sport.

"Sensors can measure forces, speeds and angles, and now we are beginning to understand how the physiology also impacts on some of these outcome measures.

"The real edge will be how all the data is pulled together in an integrated way to understand the individual.

"Projects with rowing, skeleton, hockey, cycling, rugby, wheelchair racing, shooting have had an impact."

'Continuous readout'

Queen Mary, University of London, has decided to take part in the ESPRIT project.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

An athlete under duress is more like a patient undergoing shock state, therefore the body is in extreme conditions”

End Quote Pankaj Vadgama Queen Mary, University of London

Professor Pankaj Vadgama, one of the leading researchers, develops tiny needle-based biosensors for detection and monitoring of oxygen, glucose and lactate - to make sure that the levels, and therefore the athletes, are all right.

Just recently, in December 2011, his research reached an important milestone - the group started first-ever human trials.

"An athlete under duress is more like a patient undergoing shock state, therefore the body is in extreme conditions," he says.

"We've learned over the last twenty years that physiological parameters such as oxygen in the breath and heart rate, give very valuable feedback on the performance status of an athlete.

"But what we haven't been able to get until now is continuous readout information - that's the novelty value and the unusualness of want we do."

There have been a number of serious challenges in developing the biosensors, explains Prof Vadgama.

Continue reading the main story London 2012 - One extraordinary year

For instance, the team has found that glucose and lactic acid can best be measured invasively - by sticking a needle with special enzymes on its tip under the skin.

These needles have to be as non-disturbing as possible, explains the researcher, as running with a needle stuck in your body could be understandably unpleasant, to say the least.

So the scientists made them very tiny, only a couple of millimetres long.

And to ensure that the body does not reject the needle as it would a splinter, the team uses special biocompatible and communicative materials.

Fan experience

But besides helping athletes, the data from biosensors can also be used for something completely different.

For instance, says Dr Saxon, her department has already started experimenting with getting the sensors' readings… to fans.

"You can use that same data that you're collecting to measure athletic performance, health, wellness and prevention, to create an immersive fans' experience," she says.

"What if I record my own heart rate while watching my favourite football player play, looked at my response and compare it to his response on the field?

"You can do a lot of fun things with this data."

And it is happening elsewhere, too - Formula 1 fans, for instance, can watch video clips on YouTube of F1 drivers during a race, and see their heart rate readings.

"As this technology matures, there will be more and more biosensors out there," says Dr Saxon.

"It is truly the next frontier in sports and technology."

Continued here:
Biosensors measure sporting success

Erin Kiernan & Sonya Heitshusen Reporters

4:10 p.m. CST, February 21, 2012

When you see Shirley and Craig Phinney working out at the gym today, you’d never guess they used to be couch potatoes.  A few years ago, Craig was weighing in at more than 300 pounds.  Shirley hated what she saw in the mirror and she’s the one who decided they needed to make a change.

“I got fed up,” she says with a shrug.  “I told him, ‘here’s your ultimatum:  you can do a fitness program or a personal trainer’ – that was it.  There wasn’t a third choice and I wasn’t going to give him one because this was our life!” 

Shirley wasn’t the only one trying to give Craig a wakeup call, so was his doctor.  He remembers the conversation well.  “He said, ‘Craig, you’re killing yourself and you’ve gotta do something.’  It was the second time he told me I was near death.” 

The first time was February of 2009.  Craig was diagnosed with colon cancer.  He eventually received a clean bill of health and returned to his job as an Ankeny police officer.  He and Shirley also started “Cops Against Cancer”.

“With our organization we’re helping families where insurance doesn’t,” Craig explains, “we’re helping them with things like lodging and gas and meals.  We approach those families and say – we can help, let us help.” 

Shirley and Craig knew they needed help getting fit so they started training with Daniel Wright and Rebecca Meyer of “Biggest Loser” fame and life started to change.  Craig can’t keep the smile of his face when he talks about it.  “I was 53-years-old, a non-athlete and I was able to do stuff I’ve never been able to do before in my life!” 

Even a serious knee injury didn’t derail the workouts.  Craig and Shirley kept at it, dropped a ton of weight together, and want others to know they can do the same thing. “No matter the obstacle or what you’re going through, there’s a way, you just have to make it in your mind that you’re going to do it.” 

You can help the “Cops Against Cancer” help other families by participating in a fitness challenge on March 3rd.  For details: http://www.copsagainstcancer.org/

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SUCCESS STORY: A central Iowa couple takes the road to healthier lives together

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18-07-2011 07:35 MITA 3 Park Villas The Green Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE28 7NW +44 (0) 191 645 1539 mindinternational.co.uk Matt Hudson demonstrates the use of gaining rapport with the unconscious mind and aligning self sabotage to create more effective change. Matt is an NLP coach in Newcastle (North East of England). This is an exercise from his upcoming book "The Saboteur Within"

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Adam Lynch

Attorney General Jim Hood warns Mississippians that a recent email scam, claiming to come from the Ford Foundation, may target them.

by Jacob Fuller
Feb. 21, 2012

Hood Warns of Email Scam

Attorney General Jim Hood has warned that Mississippians may be the target of a email scam claiming to come from the Ford Foundation.

The email claims people are "final recipients" of a cash grant or donation for their personal business development or education. Recipients are instructed to send their "full data and contacts" to an included email address to claim their grant or donation.

"This is clearly not an email from the Ford Foundation, and anyone receiving this email should delete it," Hood said in a statement. "The Ford Foundation does not award random or unsolicited funds, nor do they ask for donations or membership dues."

Hood warned that scam artists often use the names of respected organizations to get personal information of potential victims. A few safeguards, he said, include never responding to emails or popups that ask for personal information, always contacting organizations with phone numbers known to be correct, and being cautious about opening email attachments.

Patty Peck Honda Donates Civic for Raffle

Patty Peck Honda and Friends of Children's Hospital will raffle off a brand-new Honda Civic at this year's Zippity Doo Dah Weekend. The raffle will raise money to benefit the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.

Tickets are on sale now through Zippity Doo Dah Weekend, March 22-24, at a cost of $25. Patty Peck will draw a finalist each week and choose the last finalist Saturday, March 24. So the earlier you purchase your ticket, the better your chances of winning.

Finalists will each receive a key. Immediately following the BankPlus Zippity Doo Dah Parade, finalists will get a chance to see whose key will unlock the Civic, and the winner will drive away in the car.

Business Professionals Roundtable to be Held Wednesday

Jackson business owners and development professionals are invited to attend the Jackson Business Development Professionals Roundtable at the Mississippi e-Center at Jackson State University at 1230 Raymond Road in Jackson from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

According to a press release, the roundtable's goal is to "improve exchange of information and mutual support" among local businesses, as well as "build consensus for a community-based strategy for small business development in Jackson."

Space is limited, so those planning to attend should confirm their attendance with Michael Harris at 601-540-5415 or by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Duling Hosts Meeting for "Arts, Eats & Beats Festival" Merchants

Fondren business owners and merchants who wish to be included in the "Arts, Eats and Beats Festival" will need to attend one of two meetings the Fondren Association of Businesses is holding at Duling Hall on Feb. 28. The first meeting is at 8:30 a.m. The second-chance meeting will be at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting will help businesses and merchants work collectively to draw crowds to their shops' vicinity. Participating merchants will be listed on the Zippity Doo Dah master calendar and official map. The deadline for inclusion in the calendar and map is Feb. 28.

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Biz Roundup

One of the UK’s largest colleges, City of Bristol College is recognised as a leading educator providing high quality teaching and promoting overall personal development. The institute, renowned for its work with adults, young people and employers, has a mission of “achieving potential and creating prosperity” among students and the community. It offers a range of tailored courses that train students to successfully enter either further higher education or the jobs market equipped with industry-specific skills. These approaches have made it a popular choice among employers.

City of Bristol College hosts 8 faculties that offer more than 1,000 full-time, part-time and evening courses across four campuses – College Green Centre, Ashley Down Centre, Soundwell Centre, and South Bristol Skills Academy. This makes it the educator with the widest choice of programmes in England’s South West. Home to 30,000 students, City of Bristol College also provides a popular foundation degree programme in partnership with leading institutes across the country, such as University of West England (UWE), University of Plymouth, Bath Spa University and University of Bristol. This is an attractive option for international students who receive the necessary academic, English language and soft skills training to help them secure seats at some of Britain’s finest universities.

Pic: City of Bristol College

Head of International Business at City of Bristol College, Kath Tudor, tells Asian Correspondent: “All our lecturers are professionally trained with expertise and links to their relevant industries. This increases our students’ employability as they develop contacts that they receive during their training.”

Employers find that graduates from the College are industry-trained and add value to their business. Providing a vast array of bespoke programmes designed to meet employer needs, the City of Bristol College is educated students in professional knowledge and development for career success. High profile training contracts with top companies such as Airbus, NHS, HSBC, DAF Trucks and Porsche cars, and an 84% satisfaction rate among employers (2007 Employer Satisfaction Survey), have secured the College a spot as one of the best-value colleges in the country with a high return on investment.

“Our students choose us because we have a very good reputation in employability,” Kath says. “We not only prepare students in academics but also train them in soft skills. We understand the market and with 20 years experience in teaching international students, we know how to create a supportive environment, with a classroom-based personal interaction among students and teachers. We train students to be more analytical, encouraging independent participation and presentation skills. These are essential skills to securing a seat in university.”

Academics
The College offers a range of full-time, part-time, and evening courses, along with the availability of training packages for employers. A selection of programmes on offer is outlined below:

Business and Management: These courses include specialisations in Business Management and Business Studies, offered at Ashley Down centre campus and the College Green Centre campus. Students can choose their qualification level from HNC, Foundation Degree, BTEC Diploma and BTEC Extended Diploma to suit their requirements.

Computing and Information Technology: Courses include Computing & IT, General Computing, Networking & PC Maintenance, and Programming.  Specialisations are available in IT (Software Development), Forensic Computing (leading to BTEC Extended Diploma); IT (leading to Diploma); and Computing and Information Technology (Foundation Degree) among others. These courses are spread across the College’s 4 campuses.

Creative Arts & Media: Students interested in Art & Design, Fashion & Clothing, Graphic Design and Media Production can study at one of the College’s many programmes to gain industry-specific skills. Several courses in Music (Music; Music Production; Music Technology), Performance (Dance Theatre Performance; Performing Arts – Acting; Theatre Media Performance) and Photography (including Professional Photography) are also available to offer a choice to students.

Ashley Down campus, City of Bristol College

Life in Bristol
“There is always something to do in Bristol,” says Kath. “There is always a lot going on for every interest. The city has a proud heritage with beautiful architecture and cultural programmes and draws in national and international theatre groups. Boasting some of Britain’s best nightlife, Bristol is also home to some of the country’s biggest shopping centres. In spite of all this activity, Bristol still remains a safe city, making it a popular choice among international students.”

City of Bristol College is home to a diverse community of students who participate in a range of activities to maximise their UK experience. Student support teams are available to help international students adapt to a foreign environment, with advice on a range of topics from choosing the right course, finding suitable accommodation to help on personal matters. This helps Asian students integrate into the British culture and find their footing to get the most from student life.

Student Event Teams are integral to campus life at the College, organising parties, trips, road shows and other activities to create truly memorable student days.

You can connect with City of Bristol College on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

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City of Bristol College

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04-11-2011 03:09 Sunday, September 18, 2:00 pm Panel discussion with Drs. PZ Myers, William Hurlbut, and Loren Frank PhD Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) and the author of the science blog Pharyngula. Dr. Myers works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology and also cultivates an interest in cephalopods. He has published numerous research papers in Nature and other notable scientific journals. He is a public critic of intelligent design and of the creationist movement in general and is an activist in the American creation-evolution controversy. He is widely regarded as a confrontationalist. In 2006, the journal Nature listed his blog, Pharyngula, as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. Myers was named Humanist of the Year in 2009, and was honored with the International Humanist Award in 2011. Asteroid 153298 Paulmyers is named in his honor. William B. Hurlbut is a physician and Consulting Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. After receiving his undergraduate and medical training at Stanford, he completed postdoctoral studies in theology and medical ethics, studying with Robert Hamerton-Kelly, the Dean of the Chapel at Stanford, and subsequently with the Rev. Louis Bouyer of the Institut Catholique de Paris. His primary areas of interest involve the ethical issues associated with advancing biomedical technology, the ...

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Lecture Series: Religion and Science Part 1: Beliefs and the Brain - Video

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02-12-2011 08:50 info.wheelock.edu Wheelock College students and alumni have been improving the lives of children and families since 1888 when the College was in Boston by education pioneer Lucy Wheelock. This video describes the Wheelock story and illustrates some of the many ways that members of the Wheelock community have inspired a world of good across the globe and across generations. Now, we want you to tell us your story! Tell us what have you done -- large or small -- to improve your school, your town, your local community, or the world beyond. Your story will be added to My Story, a new page on the Wheelock website that we hope will inspire even more people to make a difference. We believe that together, we can change the world! Go to info.wheelock.edu to submit your own story and help Wheelock continue to inspire a world of good!

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05-01-2012 13:05 http://www.atitesting.com Nurse's Touch is an exclusive online nurse-development product line designed to help students sharpen the social and personal skills they'll need to face the emotional and physical demands that come with being a nurse. Students will gain knowledge on how to stay healthy and manage work-related stress, convey professional behaviors and attitudes, use nursing informatics and technology, as well as how to be a leader of the healthcare team and a client advocate. Nurse's Touch features a variety of online products such as: interactive simulators, tutorials, case studies, practice and proctored assessments and a faculty support package. For more information or to pre-order, contact your Healthcare Education Consultant.

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Nurse's Touch™ - Full Overview - Video

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07-02-2012 12:09 Visit http://www.nta.motorcarriertraining.com to enter the NTA Online Institute

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NTA Online Safety