Coming off a performance in which the offensive line gave up six sacks, senior left guard Chris Jacobson didn't pull any punches about his unit's motivation heading into Pitt's game Saturday against Virginia Tech.

"It's definitely personal," he said. "We're 0-2, we're coming in against a good defensive front, good defense. We're going to be as good as our front five are going to be."

Jacobson, and the rest of the offensive line, are looking to bounce back against the Hokies after a disappointing performance in a 34-10 loss Thursday to Cincinnati.

The Bearcats got pressure on quarterback Tino Sunseri early and often, with three sacks coming on Pitt's first three offensive drives.

While the offensive line is usually the unit blamed for poor pass protection, coach Paul Chryst said the responsibility flows throughout the offense. The quarterback needs to get rid of the ball quickly, receivers need to run precise routes, and backs and tight ends need to help when called upon.

"That's one of the neat things about football is that it takes all 11 guys, and that's a great example of it," Chryst said. "We all know that certain areas are lightning rods and everyone can take ownership of it. That's the great thing about football."

Still, Jacobson admitted there's plenty of room for the offensive line to improve after the first two games. Coming into the season, experience at the position was a major concern. Jacobson and center Ryan Turnley had plenty of experience, but the other three starters -- left tackle Cory King, right guard Ryan Schlieper and right tackle Matt Rotheram -- had only 15 career starts between them.

"There's no excuses," Jacobson said. "A couple of times we all missed calls, myself included. I mean, there's stuff I need to work on. The crowd noise played an effect for those guys, but they're fine. They're the hardest-working guys on the team."

Despite the disappointing result, Jacobson and Turnley said that there were some positives to take away from the Cincinnati game. Notably, Pitt's running backs ran the ball for an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

"We had some nice run plays, we had some bad ones," Turnley said. "Same thing in the passing game. We picked up some blitzes and we got beat a couple of times and we've just got to fix that."

More here:
Pitt's line is taking the 'personal' approach

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-dq6HCWAN0

10-09-2012 21:12 Discover what I do first thing in the morning to start off my day with unstoppable momentum and set myself up to win and achieve. If you create a morning ritual, also known as hour of power, similar to this - I can guarantee that you'll be on fire for the rest of the days and live a more happy, healthy, successful life.

Link:
Tony Robbins Having a Personal Success Ritual - Video

Opportunities exist to get the mentorship and financial support you need: Submit your idea now

KIRKLAND, QC, Sept. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - As a generation of ambitious thinkers, research has shown that over two-thirds of young Canadians would like to start something of their own, but a lack of financial support is preventing the majority from initiating a project they are passionate about.i

Budding entrepreneurs are looking for ways to make a career out of doing something they truly love.i According to the recent Start Something with Alesse survey of Canadians 18 to 34, the majority (86%) of young adults define personal success as doing something they are passionate about, and almost three-quarters (72%) ultimately want to be their own boss as opposed to working for someone else.i Many young Canadians say that financial support may prevent them from starting a project that they love, and almost half feel that not having guidance may be a barrier (67% and 45%, respectively): important statistics given that 92 per cent would like to make a career from doing something they love.i

Today's young Canadians have a unique set of values and an interest in doing something for themselves which is leading to larger, social change. It is their approach to entrepreneurship and interest in start-up initiatives, so vastly different than previous generations, that will result in profound effects on the economy, as well as the small-business landscape.ii

And this is exactly why the Start Something with Alesse contest exists.

Jesse Robson and Alyssa Reid, winners of last year's Start Something with Alesse contest, are two young Canadians that embody this entrepreneurial spirit. These ambitious young women took a different approach to personal success and created projects that truly reflect their education and personal passions.

Alyssa recognized an opportunity to help address a problem she acknowledged both in her community, and world-wide: obesity and malnutrition. With education in nutrition, she wanted to create something of her own.

"I was excited about my idea to create Planet Pounds, but was unsure of how to get it started," said Alyssa. "The mentorship and guidance I received from Start Something with Alesse is helping me get my project off the ground and bring my passion to life."

Jesse also had a clear idea of what she wanted to start, and has found the contest's support instrumental in her success story.

"Being a part of Start Something with Alesse has been an amazing opportunity and I have been able to extend my project, Centre for the Arts Exchange, further than I would have thought possible," said Jesse. "I encourage other young Canadians with a dream to submit their idea for something they want to start in order to help make their dream a reality."

Visit link:
Step forward with your future today and Start Something

A quick trip to fame and fortune seems to be a prevailing story these days: Post a video on YouTube and win a recording contract. Appear on a reality show and become a cookbook author.

Fund-raising is no different. With dozens of "crowd-funding" sites out there, three-year-old Kickstarter.com being the largest, anyone with an artistic endeavor can raise millions in capital in a minute. Right?

Artists wish. Certainly, there are some amazing success stories, like in February, when designer Casey Hopkins asked for $75,000 to make a luxury iPhone dock out of aluminum and got $1.4 million (the first Kickstarter project to break $1 million pledged) or when this year Philadelphia artist Rich Burlew asked for $57,750 to put his comic books back in print, and ended up with $1.3 million.

But for most people, it's a panic-inducing slog as they make a case for their cause while a clock winds down. Even as they collect seemingly tons of pledges, if the goal isn't reached by the deadline - which fund-raisers choose themselves - no money changes hands and the project is canceled. Donors can cancel their pledges up until the end, as well.

"That's nerve-wracking," said Lynette Shelley, whose Philly-based band Red Masque raised $2,222 in 2012 to make an album. But if the goal is reached - or better, surpassed - "donor credit cards are charged at deadline . . . and given to our Amazon payments site."

So, is there a secret to Kickstarter success? Philadelphians, with 488 funded projects and more than $4 million in pledges, have had their share of success. But there are many locals with tales of woe, too. All reveal lessons learned.

When choreographer Megan Mazarick and director Mason Rosenthal met in 2011, they immediately began collaborating on a performance, Mining the Mine of the Mind for Minderals. Once their participation in the three-week Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe was confirmed, their next step was fund-raising, which Mazarick loathes.

"It's time-consuming and feels like groveling," Mazarick said. "But I felt passionately about wanting to do this work, and if we did not make our goal, I would have found another way to make the piece."

Kickstarter pages list all the cause's information, including a video, an explanation of the project, and a list of what donation levels earn what rewards - for $500 pledged, a signed print from a hope-to-be-published photography book, for instance - but sitting back and waiting will not earn pledges.

In Mazarick and Rosenthal's case, the pair estimated their stage, marketing, and Fringe fees at $3,500 - Amazon and Kickstarter take about 5 percent each of funds raised - then recorded YouTube requests (which they credit as key to their success) and wrote personal "ask letters" - detailed e-mails about the show's content and style and why the show was important. Mazarick's letters to her 200-plus mailing list also apologized for having to ask for money.

Read the rest here:
Crowd-funding sites such as Kickstarter yield a mixed record of success

CALABASAS, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 12, 2012) - Nova Development, a consumer unit of leading global software developer and publisher Avanquest Software ( EURONEXT PARIS : AVQ ), is proud to announce the release of their new Fall 2012 PC SuperBundle software suite.

Saving PC users over 87%, the seven exciting software titles included in the PC SuperBundle are valued at over $370 if purchased separately but are now available in one versatile and powerful package for just $49! Featuring Serif's top-rated desktop publishing software, PagePlus X6 (a $107+ value alone), this outstanding software bundle includes essential titles that will help both the professional and personal PC user to work in even more creative, productive and organized ways. The Fall 2012 PC SuperBundle launches on September 12th, 2012 and will only be available for 14 days.

"Our Fall PC SuperBundle offers an incredible value and includes 7 versatile titles ranging from award-winning utilities to powerful creative tools," said Barry Evleth, Product Marketing Director at Avanquest Software. "We are excited to offer Serif PagePlus X6 along with 6 other innovative programs."

The Fall 2012 PC SuperBundle Software Suite Includes:

PagePlus X6 -- the top-ranked desktop publishing software that lets you easily create, edit and produce professional looking newsletters, posters, flyers, presentations, stationery, PDFs, e-books, interactive multimedia brochures and more -- with no design experience required.

Photo Commander -- the fast and fun way to organize, edit and share photos through a user friendly interface that makes consolidating your photo collection as easy as child's play.

Video Editor -- the easy-to-use editing software with all the tools needed to create professional-style movies from your home videos, audio and photos, just like a Hollywood pro.

Video Converter Pro -- the powerful yet easy-to-use video and DVD converter that lets you rip DVDs, convert videos and extract audio into the formats you want for enjoyment wherever you go.

Marine Aquarium Deluxe 3.0 -- With over 30 fish species to choose from, this software offers a true-to-life, high-definition, customizable aquarium screensaver that will take your breath away.

GetBack Photo -- the complete way to quickly and easily recover deleted digital photos -- no matter where they've been stored.

View post:
Nova Development Launches the Fall 2012 PC SuperBundle(TM)

Sept. 12, 2012, midnight

A SPORTSPERSONS' night featuring AFL champion Jonathan Brown will help send a Warrnambool aerobics team to the world titles.

Brown, former Olympic cyclist Michael Lynch and four-time world aerobics competitor Emma Bellman will speak at the event at the Whalers Hotel on Friday.

The event will raise money to send an EKB Fitness and Aerobics team to contest Federation of International Sport Aerobics and Fitness titles in the Netherlands. Bellman said the athletes had to fund-raise to offset the $4000 per competitor cost to compete overseas.

She said the team was about "halfway" to its goal of raising $12,000 ahead of the sportspersons' night.

"The parents are paying their own way over. If we can cover as much as possible for the girls, it does make it easier on the families," she said.

"Without sponsorship, the team wouldn't be going."

About 100 tickets remain for the sportspersons' night, which also includes a goods and services auction.

Tickets are available through the Whalers Hotel or by emailing emmabellman@hotmail.com.

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World title fund-raiser for Warrnambool aerobics team

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But the institution, now a landmark in Kota, a city in Rajasthan, is neither a school nor a college. It is the jewel in the crown of India's private coaching industry, a $6.4 billion business that exacerbates the social divide.

Cram schools have become a magnet for tens of thousands of mostly middle class families in a country where two decades of rapid economic growth have failed to improve a dysfunctional state education system and a shortage of good universities.

Such cram schools coach students for fiercely competitive entrance tests to a handful of premier technical and medical colleges. Their modus operandi is rote learning. At Bansal's, hundreds of teenagers are trained intensively to solve complex multiple-choice questions on physics, chemistry or mathematics.

Yash Raj Mishra, a Kota cram student, lives in a tiny room with no television or laptop and spends almost 16 hours a day attending classes, revising or tackling question papers.

"Physics is my first and last girlfriend," said Mishra, leaning against a wall plastered with notes on Kinematics.

"I feel bad and frustrated when my friends score even slightly better than I do," added the 17-year-old, who calls his friends only to ask about their academic progress.

Two-year coaching programmes in Kota cost $3,000-$4,000, in addition to which students have to pay for their regular schools and spend at least $2,000 a year on accommodation. That makes the total expenditure a small fortune for most in a nation where the annual per capita income is around $1,250.

"A child is a stack of thousand-rupee notes," said Manoj Chauhan, a mathematics tutor in his late 20s who could have joined a software company or multinational but chose instead to teach in Kota, where many teachers' salaries top $6,000 a month.

Original post:
How coaching classes are widening the class divide in India

GREAT FALLS - Olympic soccer star Abby Wambach has been in Great Falls for several days, doing what sports stars enjoy doing - making public appearances, promoting health and fitness, helping young soccer players improve their game and so on. But Wambach also found time to stop by the Bowser Brewing Company to try a very special beer that was created just for her.

Bowser Brewing Company owner Evan Bowser brewed the unique beer for Abby's visit, and he called it Abby's Urbock.

Bowser says it's perfect for Wambach because it looks harmless and is smooth, but it has quite a kick with 7 percent alcohol content.

When he unveiled the brew last week, Bowser said,"We wanted to do this for Abby. I really think Great Falls is a great town and a great community and I want people to feel over-the-top welcome so they will come back and bring their friends back."

And now comes word that Wambach did indeed stop by the brewery and enjoyed a glass of her namesake brew, telling Bowser that it is an honor to have a beer made just for her.

Bowser said that meeting Wambach was great, adding that she is "real down to earth" and he really enjoyed having her visit the brewery.

Sports columnist Larry Brown picked up on the story, stating that, "You haven't truly made it as an athlete until you've had a beer named after you. With that in mind, we can safely say that Abby Wambach has officially arrived."

More:
Soccer star Wambach samples "Abby's Urbock" beer in Great Falls

JACKSONVILLE, FL/DALLAS, TX (PRWEB) September 11, 2012

U.S. Preventive Medicine, Inc. announced today that Macaw from The Prevention Plan, its mobile health and fitness app, has integrated with RunKeeper to provide Macaw users with the ability to track statistics for a variety of fitness activities on their smartphones.

Macaw is a full-featured app that assesses an individuals health risks and will serve as a hub to track health metrics and activity, as well as integrate information from other health and fitness apps, lab results and wireless devices.

With more than 11 million users, RunKeeper utilizes the GPS on a smart phone to track measurements related to physical activity. The app will log details about pace, distance and time and makes it easy to evaluate changes in performance over time. The RunKeeper platform is accessible through their Health Graph API, which integrates health data from 80+ apps, sensors and services.

For members of U.S. Preventive Medicines The Prevention Plan, Macaw will integrate data between the mobile app and the Plans online health management platform using technology and services provided by Qualcomm Life Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Macaw can be downloaded for free on the iPhone and Android devices.

U.S. Preventive Medicine is dedicated to developing new technology to make tracking exercise and activity easier, and our partnership with RunKeeper allows us to do just that, said Jason Fey, director of mobile solutions at U.S. Preventive Medicine. With this type of health data at their fingertips, users are empowered to take control of their health.

Were excited about the opportunity to partner with U.S. Preventative Medicine and Qualcomm Lifeto seamlessly sync RunKeeper data with the Macaw app, removing the need to log data twice. said Jake Cacciapaglia, Head of Business Development at RunKeeper. "This is a great example of what is possible through partnerships in the broader health ecosystem and we look forward to future collaboration to improve the experience for our collective users."

About U.S. Preventive Medicine U.S. Preventive Medicine is leading a global preventive health movement focused on saving lives and money by keeping people healthy and better managing chronic conditions before they progress. Innovative productsThe Prevention Plan web-based health management platform and Macaw mobile health & fitness appare based on the clinical science of preventive medicine: primary (wellness and health promotion to keep healthy people healthy), secondary (screening for earlier detection/diagnosis) and tertiary (early evidence-based treatment to reduce complications and disability). The company is accredited in wellness and health promotion by NCQA (the National Committee for Quality Assurance) and disease management by URAC. More information can be found on Facebook, Twitter (@USPM) and YouTube.

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U.S. Preventive Medicine Health & Fitness App Integrates With Runkeeper

From its showcase botanic gardens, public parks, and nature reserves to community vegetable plots, school planting projects, and well-kept private grounds, Christchurch deserves its status as a garden city. The gardens give the city its breathing space, provide a backdrop to its numerous festivals and public entertainment, and present an opportunity for residents to escape all that a bustling city has to offer.

With a population of about 375,000, Christchurch is a small city by world standards, but it is New Zealand's second-largest and the gateway to the scenic delights of the South Island. Lakes, rivers, wine country, beaches, ski fields, mountains, and thermal springs are all on the doorstep while the city offers all you would expect in urban shopping, dining, education, entertainment, health care, and recreational facilities.

Situated in the South Pacific, New Zealand is a safe and separate haven. It's a clean and green oasis with a stable Western democratic government that's far away from many of the world's trouble spots but well-connected and engaged in world affairs. In 2010, the United Nation's human development report ranked New Zealand as the world's third best country to live in, and in 2011 it was ranked as the world's least corrupt country. Christchurch personifies all that makes New Zealand such a great destination and is one of the country's most vibrant cities.

Christchurch is located a third of the way down the east coast of the South Island, in the province of Canterbury. Lying between Pacific Ocean beaches and the ancient volcanic Port Hills, the city is flat and crossed by the rivers Avon and Heathcote. It is surrounded by the Canterbury Plains, an area of productive farmland running from the coast to the Southern Alps, the mountain range running the length of the South Island.

The beauty of Christchurch lies in its gardens (740 parks and reserves) and its natural environment. The city founders, with much-appreciated foresight, reserved a huge park and botanical gardens in the center of the city for public use. The 161-hectare Hagley Park is now very much the heart of city life.

For all these reasons, Christchurch qualifies as a top retirement option. The small population means Christchurch can offer a slower pace of life and a community feel. Visitors and expats alike marvel at the lack of crowds and traffic even though Christchurch is the major urban center for the South Island and offers all the services and entertainment you could desire.

Recreational opportunities abound. Within 30 minutes to a three-hour drive you can be bungee jumping, skiing, hot air ballooning, white water rafting, tasting wine at the cellar door, whale watching, and hiking. In the city you could be surfing, swimming, playing golf, boating, or shopping. Entertainment options include attending live theatre, a concert, watching a film, and visiting museums. And, of course, you can always relax by the river or beach. The city has a full festival program celebrating jazz, Chinese New Year, drama, and flowers.

All types of community groups are active, and, as the local language is English, it's easy for foreign retirees to connect and become part of the active local scene. The local university, many secondary schools, and retiree education groups offer adult education courses including crafts, photography, history, cooking, philosophy, languages, science, and do-it-yourself. All this is on offer within a safe and clean city with a pleasant climate.

Once known as a Pavlova Paradise, Christchurch is not the perfect escape for everyone, and there are two downsides in particular. First is the earthquake risk. The risk of another large quake has receded significantly, but there is still a lot of damage in the city. Some areas will be construction zones for years to come. However, if you are living in a damage-free area you can go about your day-to-day life without being affected much beyond some traffic delays and detours.

The second downside of note is the distance. New Zealand is a long way from the rest of the world (except Australia and the Pacific Islands), meaning travel can be expensive and time consuming. With flight connections, it can take more than 24 hours to reach a destination in Europe or North America. This remoteness, though, is seen as an attraction by many would-be retirees looking for an escape from world crises.

Read more:
Retirement in New Zealand's Garden City