Short on time and tempers, House and Senate candidates in tight races are turning snarky and personal in their attacks on their opponents.

The stakes, and the unpleasantness, are highest in the race for control of the Senate, where Republicans need to gain four seats to win the majority only three if Republican Paul Ryan becomes vice president and, in his role as Senate president, breaks any tie votes.

In Massachusetts, GOP Sen. Scott Brown witheringly mocks Democrat Elizabeth Warren's claims of Native American heritage. In Montana, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester pummels Rep. Denny Rehberg for suing a local fire department. Nevada's Sen. Dean Heller calls his opponent, Democratic Rep. Shelly Berkley, "the most corrupt" person he's ever met.

Across the land, candidates are launching incendiary attacks on each other in the final, fretful days of an election year colored by margin-of-error races that have refused to budge.

In the battle for control of the Senate, neither Republicans nor Democrats have put away enough seats to tip the balance of power. Republicans are favored to hold onto the House, where Democrats need to net 25 seats to regain control, but both parties want to win as many seats as possible.

Many candidates have maximized the support they can get by selling their own records and accomplishments and are now going negative, seeking to damage an opponent's credentials and depress his or her support. That point arrived long ago in the presidential contest. Down-ballot, things seem to just now be coming to a boil.

The closer the contest, the harsher the attacks.

Take Montana, home to one of the nation's closest and most bitter Senate races.

Sniping between Tester and Rehberg over who's the real Montanan and who's beholden to lobbyists turned harsher in the past week after Democrats launched a trio of ads searing Rehberg for suing a local fire company for damage on his land during a blaze. Tester personally took the matter to Rehberg in a face-to-face debate this week.

Firefighters "put their butt on the line. You don't turn around and respond by filing a lawsuit with monetary damages," Tester told Rehberg. "That is what you did."

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Tight Senate, House Races Turn Snarky and Personal

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Farren Drury MBE, one of the UKs foremost transformational leadership and high performance coaches, has launched the unique Make it Yours Visual Success Map (VSM), a web and iPad-based goal mapping App designed to help people achieve their individual and joint goals and reach their maximum potential.

The Make It Yours App, is available through the Apple App store, was inspired by the wealth of experience Farren has built both in his distinguished military career and as a transformational leadership coach working with elite athletes, government departments and blue chip businesses globally.

The App can be adapted to achieving any kind of goal - from increasing business turnover to helping students pass exams, and from helping sportsmen achieve their goals to helping people lose weight - works by helping people to map out their routes to success. It promotes a high level of self-belief and enables people to gain support by sharing their goals with others.

The App allows the user to completely personalise their maps, incorporating pictures, music, videos and photographs that helps to inspire them in achieving their goal. The maps can be shared with friends and colleagues via social media platforms such as Facebook. A range of templates are provided which can help to get people started. Make it Yours is unique amongst goal setting software, and its being widely acknowledged as an exciting powerful and leading tool in the goal mapping arena.

Farren Drury, creator of the Make It Yours App, commented:

Often people with huge ambition cant see the wood for the trees - we all have so much everyday pressure it is easy for our big plans to be overshadowed by the plethora of other activities in our lives. When it comes to achieving excellence in a clearly defined task, success depends on the ability to put these distractions aside and focus on the clear steps you need to take to achieve what you want.

In 2012, we saw the nation going for gold. This innovative new App is part of that Olympic legacy which can help anyone to achieve their full potential. Harnessing visual, practical and action elements, the software will appeal to virtually anyone who wants to achieve anything and improve their life for the better, be it on a personal, group or corporate level.

-ends-

Notes to Editors

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Unique Visual Success Mapping Software Launched by Farren Drury MBE

WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Despite the rising cost of tuition, more than 80 percent of emerging adults ages 18 to 29 agree that one of the most important keys to success in life is a college education, according to the Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults.

Regardless of the potential debt awaiting them after graduating and the dire news about the job market for their generation, emerging adults insist that college costs are well spent. Nearly 90 percent are confident that eventually they will get what they want out of life. In addition, 16 percent of those surveyed believe that finishing college is the most important factor for becoming an adult.

"Today's emerging adults are optimistic. They know they're entering an economy that rewards the ability to use information to solve problems, and that's something a college education provides," said Clark Psychology Professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, who directed the study. "Emerging adults also know that employers select candidates who have a college degree over those who don't. Most emerging adults are willing to invest time, effort, and money into pursuing a degree."

"The Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults helps us identify the values, beliefs and expectations of 18- to 29-year-olds, including college students and graduates," said Clark University President David Angel. "Clark launched the Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP) model for liberal education to give emerging adults the opportunity to develop the skills and capabilities that are crucial to success while helping them prepare for a productive, fulfilling life after college."

Clark's pioneering LEEP program better prepares today's students for the complex challenges of a rapidly changing world by fully integrating life-changing global, workplace and personal experiences with an innovative liberal arts curriculum, partnerships with leading employers and Clark alumni, and the signature Clark outcome of effective practice.

The Clark poll also shows that 37 percent of emerging adults have not been able to find enough financial support to get the education they need. Responding to this issue, Clark focuses on cutting costs without compromising the value of its education. "As a university, we stress being responsible to our students by ensuring a valuable return on investment. This is the essence of LEEP," said Angel.

The Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults is based on 1,029 interviews of 18- to 29-year-olds nationwide. The margin of error is +/- 3.06 percent. A mixed-mode methodology was used for this project. Visit http://www.clarku.edu/clarkpoll.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a small, liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark's pioneering model of education combining a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences. http://www.clarku.edu

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Survey: College Education Is Key To Success In Life For 18- To 29-Year-Olds

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - The new book "Act. Adapt. Achieve." (Bionic Publishing, October 2012, ISBN: 1478286830: $12.95 paperback, $3.99 Kindle) reveals what is missing in the pursuit of most goals: the periodic analysis of the results of one's actions and the subsequent adaptations and course corrections that can lead to success. In this book, author Dean Erickson shares the process he developed while achieving success in academics, athletics, entertainment and the business world, as an Ivy League college graduate, honored athlete, former working actor and Wall Street trader, and current CEO of Bionic Capital LLC. "Act. Adapt. Achieve." introduces Erickson's newly-created "Idea Circle," which can be used by individuals who seek greater success in business, athletics, weight loss or almost any endeavor, and by larger organizations for project management, product development and other purposes.

The book explains how to:

Packed with motivation and information, including Success Worksheets to help readers stay on track, "Act. Adapt. Achieve." is meant for anyone who wants to live their best life and attain their goals.

"Too many people hope for success more than they plan and work for it," says Erickson. "Rather than simply hoping that 'the universe will provide,' know that you already have everything you need to achieve success. You just have to accept responsibility and use what you already possess."

Erickson wrote "Act. Adapt. Achieve." as a follow-up to his first personal development book, "Choose Your Story, Choose Your Life," in which he wrote about the challenges he faced growing up in a home with an alcoholic father, and how he transformed his life by choosing to focus on and tell the best version of his personal story.

Ten percent of net proceeds from the sale of both books will benefit charities that help children achieve their dreams as well as The V. Foundation for Cancer Research.

To view the Idea Circle or for more information, visit http://www.ActAdaptAchieve.com.

Excerpt from:
Author Dean Erickson's New Book: "Act. Adapt. Achieve." Reveals Missing Step to Success and Introduces Idea Circle

Dismal market returns haven't exactly created a tailwind for 401(k) and IRA portfolios over the last decade or so, but an equally pernicious -- and more entrenched -- problem is that our brains are messing with our retirement plans.

"We are wired for financial defeat," says Rapid City, South Dakota, certified financial planner Rick Kahler. "Whatever has the most emotional juice right now is what gets our attention. Invest $5,000 in your IRA for a retirement that is 10, 20, 30 years away? Or spend the $5,000 for a vacation to the Bahamas?" All too often, the Bahamas wins out.

William Meyer, founder of Social Security Solutions, notes that our thirst for immediate gratification can easily take a six-figure toll.More than two-thirds of folks opt to claim a lower Social Security benefit starting as early as age 62. For a married couple, than can mean leaving as much as $100,000 on the table. "If you wait to claim until age 70, you're locking in a benefit that is 76 percent larger," says Meyer.

More productive planning

Forever tweaking your asset allocation probably won't get you near the retirement payoff that tweaking your brain will achieve. Consider these strategies for engaging your brain in more productive retirement planning:

Get Thee to a Calculator, Pronto: OK, you know you probably should be saving more for retirement. And when life keeps intervening -- that Bahamas vacation you and yours really really need, or the realization that the kid's orthodontia isn't covered by insurance -- you tell yourself that next year, you'll ramp up your savings rate. You've got plenty of time, right?

What you may not realize is how expensive that time is. Research conducted by Craig McKenzie, a psychology professor at the University of California, San Diego, shows that we have a tendency to "massively underestimate the cost of waiting to save. It's difficult to appreciate the difference between giving yourself 20 years to save and 40 years."

For example, a 30-year-old who is saving $10,000 a year and earning an annualized 6 percent will have $1.2 million at age 65. Care to guess what someone starting at 45 will have? About $390,000. The younger saver invests $150,000 more than the 45-year-old does, and in return has an ending balance that's $800,000 larger. Even if you're already past your 20s and 30s, you might find it eye-opening to see how extending your investment timeline by delaying retirement on the back end of the calculation can help matters. Your company retirement plan probably has an online calculator you can play with; or try this one.

Make it Personal: How you frame retirement savings decisions can help boost your ability to delay gratification. When individuals were asked if they'd prefer to have $3,400 in one month or $3,800 in two months, 57 percent chose the latter. When the same scenario was framed in terms of one's personal age -- "when you are 2 months older" -- 83 percent chose to wait for the bigger payoff.

How does that translate to better retirement planning? Yale School of Management marketing professor Shane Frederick, one of the study's authors, says a 50-year-old who frames a savings goal as "when I am 65" will likely be more patient to focus on that delayed gratification, than someone who frames it as a more generic "in 15 years."

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Retirement Planning 2.0: Retrain Your Brain for Financial Success

By Meena Krishnamsetty - October 10, 2012 | Tickers: ALEX, ASEI, GY, GEOY | 0 Comments

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

Marcato Capital Management is a two-year old firm managing $750 million that focuses on value investments across various sectors. The firms sweet spot is $1 billion $5 billion market cap companies. Last Monday Mick McGuire, founder of Marcato and former analyst for Bill Ackman and Pershing Square Capital, gave a presentation at the Value Investing Congress that focused on three hidden real estate value plays.

Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE: ALEX) is a real estate and agricultural company that focuses on real estate development and commercial housing in Hawaii. McGuire believes that the land on Alexanders books is held at a value much lower than its potential market value. Most of the plots are farmland, but Alexander believes the value could be unlocked through residential or industrial development.

Alexander represented over 20% of Marcatos 2Q portfolio, and was the firms second largest holding. This included a 33% increase from the first quarter. However, McGuire was topped by mentor Bill Ackman in share ownership amongst the funds we track, with Marcato owning 1.3 million shares and Ackman 3.6 million.

McGuire noted in his presentation that the net asset value on Alexanders commercial real estate should total just over $900 million, versus the book value of around $800 million. Marcato also completed a DCF on each of Alexanders development properties, calculating the aggregate of all properties to be around $300 million. Including a net asset value on joint-venture assets with the other values puts the net asset value around $30 a share, while the company currently trades around $29.

McGuire then took his analysis a step further by accounting for Alexanders current cash flow from operations, adding another $17 to the valuation. This puts the fair value of Alexanders shares at $47, compared to the companys current sub-$30 trading price.

Gencorp (NYSE: GY) is McGuires second pick. The company is a manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems, but also focuses on re-zoning, entitlement, sale and leasing of excess real estate assets. McGuire believes the key to GenCorps land value is in a California region that once acted as a buffer between residential areas and test sites for devices. GenCorp has permits to develop around 6,000 acres, with most estimates putting the land value at $50,000-$60,000 per acre. In addition to its California assets, McGuire also places the value of the companys excess office space at a $66 million based on net operating income of $5 million.

For 2Q, the company reported that cash from operating activities was $29.3 million, compared to $14.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Also worth noting is the companys trailing P/E of 101 and its forward P/E of 25. However, McGuire believes that earnings are understated due to non-cash accounting treatments, and so he believes the company trades at P/E of 8x true economic earnings.

This is probably the most hidden real estate playhaving less evident ties to the real estate market when compared to McGuires other two picks. GenCorp competes with a couple other key defense product manufacturers that trade above the company on a P/S basis. GenCorp trades at a 0.6, while American Science & Engineering (NASDAQ: ASEI) trades at 2.9x and GeoEye (NASDAQ: GEOY) 1.9x.

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3 Hidden Real Estate Value Plays for Strong Long-Term Gains

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - OwnYourInfo, the premier online life management service, announces the release of Version 2.Since its launch in September 2011, OwnYourInfo has undergone a series of structural and interface design updates that make for a significantly improved user experience.

As corporate investment grows in the personal data space, OwnYourInfo promises to be steadfast in its goals of making the access and sharing of personal information more organized, safe, efficient and universally accessible.The release of Version 2 marks major improvements in usability, integration, and user verification.Company founder, Mark L. Black, said, "We have learned a lot since we launched our online web service in September 2011.We are adapting our service to the feedback that our growing user base is providing, as well as the emerging standards and innovations of the industry.Our team has reaped many benefits from the increasingly organized and collaborative community of individuals and companies working to promote individual control over personal information."

Version 2 of OwnYourInfo comes with major usability improvements."Many of the changes are to enable more granular -- but still simple -- control over data we share all the time; for example, its easy to figure out how to enter and share sensitive account numbers or credit card information.V2 is all about convenience without losing security," said William McCusker, Product Manager for OwnYourInfo.

With the release of V2, OwnYourInfo will begin to focus on interoperability and exporting capabilities.Recently, OwnYourInfo became a development partner in the Respect Trust Framework and a member of the Personal Data Ecosystem Consortium (PDEC).Participation within these organizations begins a new chapter for OwnYourInfo; now, a company that is beginning to interact and coordinate with a growing group of companies which operate in the personal data space and drive the concept of the 'personal cloud.'

Individuals interested in OwnYourInfo's services can now try a basic version of the site for free. A subscription service for a nominal fee ($5/monthly) is offered for individuals seeking more advanced features.

Visitownyourinfo.com and start taking control of your information today.

About OwnYourInfo OwnYourInfo is an online and mobile portal based on four principals: organization, efficiency, safety and accessibility. OwnYourInfo was founded on the premise that people should be able to securely and efficiently store and share their personal information and documents. For more information, visitwww.ownyourinfo.com.

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OwnYourInfo Introduces V2 and Freemium Model

BetterNetworker announced that they are promoting Ray Higdons new personal development course, The Power Mind. A BetterNetworker Instructor and member since 2010, Higdon is widely known and respected throughout the network and Internet marketing industry and is one of the top leaders and earners. Higdon and BetterNetworker previously teamed up in June 2012 to promote Higdons ProBlog Academy blogging course, which met with much success.

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) October 10, 2012

This course, which will be broken down into separate modules and released over a six week time span, focuses on teaching people how to change their mindset and use the power of attraction to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. The law of attraction, which is essentially the idea that a person has the ability to attract success through positive thinking, had a profound effect on Higdon when he first began in network and Internet marketing, and he credits it with much of his success.

Years ago I was sent a book on how to use the law of attraction and it changed my life, says Higdon. I started experiencing major success with real estate, speaking and many other areas of my life. Looking back, it is breaking away from that training that attributed to my disastrous fall in that career.

Its time to divorce the negative emotions that run so many peoples lives. My goal with this course is to change the lives of thousands of people all over the world [] and to make investing in this course a very easy decision, he continues. My goal is not just to make money from this but to impact as many people as possible.

BetterNetworker plans to promote the course via two separate mailings to their list during the week of October 8-12, 2012.

Were always delighted to work with Ray, says CEO Jesse Jameson. Hes such an inspiration to so many people. The way he was able to break through in this industry and experience the incredible success he has is truly amazing, and on top of it all hes just such a genuine person with so much integrity and class. Hes a shining example of a true leader who honestly cares about helping others, so were always proud to stand behind him and help promote his training, because we know just how valuable it will be for our members.

Im really excited to do something cool with BetterNetworker, says Higdon. I love those guys.

A BetterNetworker member since 2010, Higdon has worked closely with the company in the past and is a very frequent contributor to their site. In June 2012, BetterNetworker partnered with Higdon to promote his ProBlog Academy blogging course, which was extremely popular within the BetterNetworker community.

More details about The Power Mind can be found by clicking on the following link:

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BetterNetworker Announces Support of Ray Higdon’s “The Power Mind”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - Respect Network, the world's first open network for the trusted exchange of personal data, today announced that Allfiled and OwnYourInfo have joined as Development Partners, and Edentiti has joined as a Verification Partner. Each of these companies offers new technologies or services that empower individuals to control the sharing of their personal information online.

"The Respect Network is a decentralized multi-provider network that enables individuals to choose a trusted service provider to enable them to more easily, safely, and profitably share their personal data online, just like they can choose a bank to exchange money," said Respect Network Managing Director Drummond Reed. "Allfiled and OwnYourInfo are pioneers in creating these new personal data services in the U.K. and the U.S., and Edentiti's online identity verification service is already used by over 80 companies across Australia."

Allfiled is a personal data services provider, building tools that help people get stuff done in a secure, empowering, privacy-enabled way. "We fully recognize and endorse that this new industry will necessarily be built out as a network of providers architecting themselves around individuals and their needs," said Product Director Iain Henderson. "We are delighted to join the Respect Network, who is helping to make this vision real."

OwnYourInfo is a personal data store for safe, organized and efficient access and distribution of sensitive and routine personal information. "Convincing customers to keep their personal data online is all about trust; OwnYourInfo joined the Respect Network to demonstrate to our customers that their trust in our service is paramount," said founder and CEO Mark L. Black. "We are convinced that initiatives like the Respect Network are foundational to our emerging industry."

Edentiti's Australian-based online identity verification service recently won the Novay Digital Identity Award for the best new concept or product in the field of digital identity. "Edentiti provides legal entities with the services to be their own identity providers," said Kevin Cox, Founder of Edentiti. "Since this enables both users and businesses to control their own digital identity, Edentiti services fit easily within the Respect Network framework."

Respect Network launched the Founding Partner Program in the spring of 2012 to enlist companies committed to the strong personal data control protections of the award-winning Respect Trust Framework. Neustar, one of the world's leading trusted neutral network service providers, and Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecom provider and one of the most trusted brands in Europe, are the first two Commercial Partners. Other Founding Partners include Kynetx, The Customer's Voice, Project Danube, Gluu, Planetwork, Bitworld, Miicard, BioID, Virtrue, TrustCloud, Ctrl-Shift and The Searls Group.

The Founding Partners will be meeting and giving demonstrations of interoperable digital identity and personal data technologies at the Internet Identity Workshop being held October 23-25 in Mountain View, CA.

Respect Network will soon begin inviting select global brands to participate in this new consortium, enabling them to empower and connect directly with customers in a way that has never been possible.For more information, visit http://www.respectnetwork.com.

About Respect Network Corporation Respect Network is the world's first trusted personal data network.All members subscribe to the Respect Trust Framework; the new model for personal data sharing that is listed with the Open Identity Exchange and won the Privacy Award at the 2011 European Identity Conference.Individuals can join the Respect Network today through the Connect.Me social relationship manager available at http://connect.me/.

About Allfiled Allfiled, founded in 2007, provides a personal data service to individuals, and white label personal data services to large organisations and entrepreneurs wishing to enter the personal data ecosystem either as service providers or application developers. Our strong belief is that the individual will become the optimal point of integration and origination for data about themselves, and that this will enable step change improvements in how customer-supplier relationships are managed and run. For more information see http://www.allfiledsolutions.com.

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Respect Network Announces New Development and Verification Partners

SCRANTON, Pa., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Penn Foster, Inc., a global leader in online education, offering programs in high school, career school and college, today announced that after an extensive review it has selected the Vsnap video messaging platform to help faculty and staff better engage and support Penn Foster's more than 150,000 students. With Vsnap, Penn Foster employees can easily record short video messages for students, as a more personal alternative to email or other text communication. This is part of Penn Foster's commitment to creating more personal connections within its community as a path to increasing students' success.

In addition to offering apps that make it easy to record and send short video messages, or "vsnaps," from Apple and Android smartphones and tablets, Vsnap also hosts the videos and provides a simple system for measuring their effectiveness. Each vsnap is 60 seconds or less, and can be shared to a recipient's Twitter handle, LinkedIn account, or email address.

By using Vsnap, Penn Foster has the ability to send and store an unlimited number of video messages, and access rich measurement tools to guide the school's usage. In addition, students will be able to send vsnaps to one another and to faculty, further deepening the cohesion of the Penn Foster community. Close to 90 percent of all college students have a smartphone, and according to eMarketer are seen as a necessity by undergraduates. With the rise of social networks, consumers have become more comfortable with communicating via video, and with Vsnap, students can more easily connect with faculty and school administrators.

"We have been testing the Vsnap software with strong results both internally and in academic learning situations," said Joe Gagnon, president of Penn Foster. "The tool aligns perfectly with our commitment to making sure that students feel supported as they use education to advance their goals. This enterprise agreement will give us access to richer analytics, as well as the opportunity to customize the branding on the video messages."

"At Vsnap, we admire Penn Foster's deep commitment to making their students feel special," said Dave McLaughlin, co-founder and CEO of Vsnap. "We are very pleased to be helping their team create that personal and emotional connection as a way to better serve their students and to drive the growth of the company. It's exciting for us because we share the values of the Penn Foster team, and because their student population of more than 150,000 gives our young company an amazing opportunity to have enormous impact."

"With Vsnap we are adding a layer of collaboration and a personal touch on top of our classes, making it easier for our student body to embrace learning and succeed," continued Gagnon. "That's our mission, and it's our growth strategy. The more successful students are, the more successful we are as a company."

The benefits to online learning are known from scalability, flexibility, and affordability to greater student achievement. However, with a debt-free model like Penn Foster, it is also proving to be a viable, low-cost strategy that could substantially help overcome the huge, recession-driven deficits in education budgets across the country.

About Penn FosterPenn Foster is a global leader in online education, providing high school diplomas, career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education, and select trades. Penn Foster has a rich history in distance learning, tracing back to their roots as the International Correspondence School in 1890. The institution today, comprised of Penn Foster High School, the largest high school in the United States; Penn Foster College and Penn Foster Career School, graduates 25,000 annually, and has always been dedicated to educating and training America's working population.

About VsnapVsnap is a tool that businesses use to make their customers feel valued. It's a simple system that makes it easy to record, share and measure short video messages, not more than 60 seconds, as a more personal alternative to email or other text communications. The benefit is that recipients take action about 40% more than email recipients, and that they tend to be more evangelical on online social networks. Vsnap is a free product with premium features for businesses becoming publicly available in the coming months. Vsnap is privately held. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, and recently closed a $750,000 investment round.

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Penn Foster College Chooses Vsnap To Integrate Video Messaging For Faculty And Students