MIAMI & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As part of its long-standing commitment to improving the quality of life of its members, AvMed Health Plans has agreed to a two-year extension through 2014 of its current contract offering Healthways (HWAY) award-winning SilverSneakers Fitness Program to eligible members. SilverSneakers, the nations leading exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthy, is offered to more than 31,000 AvMed Medicare Advantage members in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Our members are extremely enthusiastic about SilverSneakers, said Winston Lonsdale, AvMeds Chief Medicare Executive. We are encouraged by their many success stories about how exercise and increased activity have improved their quality of life. At the end of the day, our mission is to improve the quality of life of our members. This is a good partnership for us. We encourage our members to make use of this unique opportunity to get fit, have fun and boost their overall health.

Using proven methodologies based upon more than 16 years of science and outcomes, the SilverSneakers Fitness Program increases physical activity in older adults, resulting in higher well-being and lower healthcare costs. The program engages participants in active behavior change through access to a variety of physical activity venues and senior-specific programming that incorporates physical fitness and social experiences.

The enduring success of the program is evidenced through the SilverSneakers Fitness Program 2011 AvMed Annual Member Survey. According to the results, AvMed SilverSneakers members report a reduced incidence of chronic conditions, such as arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes, when compared to the national averages for older adults. Participants also rate their health status significantly higher than the national averages, with 59 percent of AvMed SilverSneakers enrollees reporting their health in 2011 as either excellent or very good, compared to 30 percent of older adults in the US.

By continuing to offer SilverSneakers to Medicare Advantage enrollees, AvMed has confirmed its long-standing commitment to the health and well-being of its older adult members in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer. The AvMed member survey findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of SilverSneakers and its unique combination of exercise and social support, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with AvMed in leading their members to optimal health.

The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 9 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center network offers convenient access to more than 15,000 participating fitness and wellness facilities nationwide. AvMed has provided SilverSneakers access to eligible members since 2010.

About AvMed Health Plans

AvMed has been providing health care coverage to Florida citizens and businesses for over 40 years. AvMed offers health coverage options to large and small employers in most major markets around the state; Medicare Advantage products in Broward and MiamiDade counties, and Individual coverage in Broward, MiamiDade and Palm Beach counties. For more information about AvMed, visit http://www.avmed.org.

About Healthways

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AvMed Health Plans to Offer Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program Through 2014

Developers are working with city officials to bring a large retirement community to Altoona.

Scenic Development LLC plans to build a facility that would serve more than 100 senior citizens in the area, realizing a community effort that began 10 years ago to create a retirement center in Altoona.

The facility will offer temporary and long-term facilities with three levels of care: Independent living (38 units), assisted living (34 units) and skilled nursing (38 beds).

This is whats known as a continuing care retirement community, Scenic Development Partner Gib Wood said before Altoona City Council last week. Really it will fill all the senior housing needs that Altoona has right now.

With anonymous approval, City Council held the first of three readings to rezone nearly 40 acres of land directly east of Clay Elementary School, southeast corner of the intersection of First Avenue South and 24th Street Southeast.

Cheryl Laird Humphrey currently owns the property up for rezoning 23 acres from agricultural to multi-family residential use and about 14 acres from low-density residential to commercial land use.

Humphreys attorney Ed Skinner said the land owners anticipate retail and small commercial development on the additional land that Scenic Development does not purchase for the assisted living facility.

We anticipate with the advent of the assisted living community being established, there will be types of business that will relate to that, such as dentistry and health, Skinner said, adding that he began efforts to create a retirement community in the area in 2002.

Officials say the facility will create about 48 jobs in Altoona.

The second, and likely third, rezoning reading for the property will take place at City Councils Sept. 17 meeting. After that, the projects advancement will depend on a certificate of need that the state will issue or deny Scenic Development on Oct. 5.

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Retirement community headed for Altoona, pending certificate of need

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - There are many definitions of retirement based on the premise that it marks the end of your full-time career. One dictionary even defines retirement as "a withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from active working life." However, for many Canadians today, retiring is about much more than just leaving the workforce. People are living longer, working later into their lives, and are spending a larger portion of their lives in retirement than previous generations. If the reality of retirement is changing for many people, isn't it time the definition of retirement changed with it?

"Slowing down and enjoying your golden years means different things to different people," says Cynthia Caskey, Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Sales Manager, TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice. "You can choose to continue working part-time, consult, volunteer, go back to school, open your own business - the sky is the limit. So with all these choices, we can see that retirement is changing. Shouldn't the definition change too?"

With this in mind, TD is asking Canadians to submit their own definition of retirement. Just visit http://www.redefineretirement.ca from September 10 until September 26, 2012, and provide your contact information and your own new definition of retirement in one sentence. For submitting your definition, you'll be entered into a draw to win $1,000, which could be used to help top up your retirement savings. The contest winner will be announced in a press release that will be issued the week of October 22, 2012, and on TD's Facebook and Twitter pages.

"In general, we're remaining healthier and more active longer in life, which means that many are spending more years in retirement. We're inviting Canadians to really think about what their 'ideal retirement' will be like, and consider how they want to spend their time, who they want to spend it with, and whether or not they will stop working completely," says Caskey.

"It's important for Canadians of all ages, not just those approaching retirement, to think about the lifestyle and activities they'll want to be involved in - and then consider the finances that will be needed to support this," adds Caskey. "The earlier you start thinking about your retirement dream, the sooner you can start saving to make sure it comes true."

About TD Bank Group The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group (TD). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves approximately 22 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; Wealth and Insurance, including TD Waterhouse, an investment in TD Ameritrade, and TD Insurance; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, and TD Auto Finance U.S.; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with approximately 8.5 million online customers. TD had CDN$806 billion in assets on July 31, 2012.The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

About TD Waterhouse TD Waterhouse represents the products and services offered by TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. (Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund), TD Waterhouse Private Investment Counsel Inc., TD Waterhouse Insurance Services Inc., TD Waterhouse Private Banking (offered by The Toronto-Dominion Bank) and TD Waterhouse Private Trust (offered by The Canada Trust Company). TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.

Excerpt from:
TD asks Canadians to Redefine Retirement

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 10, 2012) - MMRGlobal, Inc. ( OTCBB : MMRF ) ("MMR") today announced stronger than expected sales of its MMRPro document management and imaging system for healthcare professionals (www.mmrprovideos.com). The increase is based on agreements for third quarter sales and fourth quarter deliveries projecting installations and licensing agreements for more than 100 MMRPro systems in the last four months of this year. The demand was triggered by the release of the final rules for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) over the past few weeks. Despite significant pushback from hospitals and doctors, the rules require that patients have online access to their Personal Health Information within 36 hours after a hospital discharge and four days from seeing a physician, which is exactly what MMRPro with MMRPatientView was designed to facilitate (www.mmrpatientvideos.com). This means that starting in 2014, medical information must be available to patients online in as little as 36 hours. The government is sending a message to medical professionals that patient engagement is a top priority and to get it done.

The MMRPro system, which integrates with MMR's patient portal MMRPatientView, is one of the few solutions already responding to physicians' needs today by providing the necessary tools for patient engagement, facilitating the four day requirement for doctors and 36 hour time frame for hospitals. This has created higher than anticipated interest and demand for the Company's MMRPro systems from urgent care facilities and ambulatory surgical centers in addition to senior living centers. MMRPro represents the most cost-effective and easy way for healthcare professionals to move away from paper and begin the path to more streamlined and efficient operations in advance of delivering PHRs through patient portals and paving the way for the implementation of fully-functional EMRs.

"Healthcare professionals are realizing now is the time to buy, and we are in the right place at the right time when you consider that as late as 2011, only 10% of hospitals had a patient portal of any kind," said Robert H. Lorsch, MMRGlobal CEO. "We believe we are seeing greater interest in deployment of our professional products and services as a result of the final Stage 2 Meaningful Use rules issued last month. Moreover, physicians understand that because of healthcare reform they are about to be paid for services previously provided for free in emergency rooms and urgent care centers."

It is estimated that as many as 32 million Americans use emergency rooms and urgent care facilities in place of the family doctor. This means that smaller and medium size providers will need to begin eliminating paper by converting to digitized medical records as an entry-level strategy to deployment of EMRs. The increased patient loads are expected to also create consolidation in providers and many new urgent care facilities.

"MMRPro is the only low cost system of its kind that digitizes a medical office while offering a Personal Health Record complete with all the documents and images in a patient chart for an entire family's health history, meeting the new requirements in near real time. Additionally, the Company's MyMedicalRecords PHR connects seamlessly to the back end of any EMR system, including large scale hospital installations when integrated with our Interbit Connected Hospital module and MMRPatientView," Lorsch added.

Media interested in setting up a demonstration account can sign up at http://www.MyMedicalRecords.com and follow instructions to open a trial account using Registration Code: PRESSCREDENTIAL.

About MMRGlobal, Inc.

MMRGlobal, Inc., through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc., provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records ("PHRs") and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and professional organizations and affinity groups. The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet. MyMedicalRecords is built on proprietary, patented technologies to allow documents, images and voicemail messages to be transmitted and stored in the system using a variety of methods, including fax, phone, or file upload without relying on any specific electronic medical record platform to populate a user's account. The Company's professional offering, MMRPro, is designed to give physicians' offices an easy and cost-effective solution to digitizing paper-based medical records and sharing them with patients in real time through an integrated patient portal. MMR is an Independent Software Vendor Partner with Kodak to deliver an integrated turnkey EMR solution for healthcare professionals. Through its merger with Favrille, Inc. in January 2009, the Company acquired intellectual property biotech assets that include anti-CD20 antibodies and data and samples from its FavId/Specifid vaccine clinical trials for the treatment of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. To learn more about MMRGlobal, Inc. visit http://www.mmrglobal.com. View demos and video tutorials of the Company's products and services at http://www.mmrtheater.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature, including statements about Meaningful Use, and future performance, expectations, beliefs, intentions, estimates or projections, constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MMRGlobal, Inc.'s actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some can be identified by the use of words (and their derivations) such as "need," "possibility," "offer," "development," "if," "negotiate," "when," "begun," "believe," "achieve," "will," "estimate," "expect," "maintain," "plan," and "continue," or the negative of these words. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risk our products and services are not adopted or viewed favorably by the healthcare community and retail market, both in the U.S. and internationally; risks related to the current uncertainty and instability in financial and lending markets, including global economic uncertainties; product integration in physician practices and hospitals; timing and volume of sales and installations; length of sales cycles and the installation process; market acceptance of new product introductions; scheduling; ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships; ability to identify and integrate acquisitions; relationships with licensees; competitive product offerings and promotions; changes in government laws and regulations and future changes in tax legislation and initiatives in the healthcare industry; undetected errors in our products; possibility of interruption at our data centers; risks related to third party vendors; risks related to obtaining and integrating third-party licensed technology; acceptance of the Company's marketing and promotional campaigns; risks related to a security breach by third parties; maintaining, developing, exploiting and defending our intellectual property rights including those pertaining to our biotechnology assets; uncertainties associated with doing business internationally across borders and territories; and additional risks discussed in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. MMRGlobal, Inc. is providing this information as of the date of this release and, except as required by law, does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Government Requires 36-Hour Delivery of Medical Records From Hospitals to Patients Supporting Personal Health Record ...

Samantha Fritz takes readers through the gyms, fitness events, studios and boot camps of New Orleans to discover the best ways to exhaust yourself, lose weight or just plain feel better. Don't be afraid to try something new! This week she demoed a personal training session and talked professional bodybuilding with Ivan Blazquez at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, Uptown, nojcc.org.

When I walk up to Ivan Blazquez to meet for our personal training demo and a chat about exercise and nutrition, he is eating what looks to me like rhubarb pie. It is pink and gooey, in a plastic container.

"This is not one of my best," says the 33-year-old Health Fitness Specialist and personal trainer at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center (AKA the JCC), referring to his homemade lunch. He eats a vegetable or fruit at every meal and recommends to all his clients to increase their vegetable consumption, even if it's just throwing a carrot on your plate next to the etouffee. He tells me that the brightly colored lunch I interrupt for our interview is actually a mash-up of beets, cucumber, mushrooms and sesame seeds.

I first met Blazquez at Harrah's New Orleans Casino for an event called the American Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation 2012 Pro-Louisiana Bodybuilding, Figure, Men's Physique and Bikini Championships. Very tanned, very muscular men and women posed and performed choreographed routines to show off their incredible physiques. I attended with my friend Nicole, who credits her enviably flat stomach to weekly training sessions with Blazquez.

Blazquez was at the UNO gym in 2005 when he saw another member's picture from a natural (meaning no performance-enhancing drugs) bodybuilding show. He was intrigued and says the guy told him, "You can do it."

Thirty minutes later Blazquez signed up online for his first National Gym Association show.

With a Master degree in Exercise Physiology and years of experience in training and bodybuilding, Blazquez comes with a lot of expertise. This is good, since personal training packages can be pricey; the JCC charges $65 per session or $420 for 10. But that doesn't stop Blazquez's roster of writers, doctors, attorneys, students and more from seeing him at least once a week.

After witnessing Blazquez win the Men's Lightweight Division in the ABFF Pro-Louisiana, he nearly sold me on a personal training package with his sheer enthusiasm, but I settled on a 10-minute "demo" session instead.

During this 10-minute session, I worked out harder than I ever would have in my own 60-minute workout. We "warmed up" with a machine called Jacob's Ladder that looks like a vertical treadmill with a wooden ladder strapped to it. Blazquez asked me to crawl up it for 30 seconds. After he saw I could do that, he told me to go for a minute.

I kept going for a total of three minutes, which Blazquez said put me in the top percentile of his clients. He added that he recently trained a 20-something male who couldn't even finish two minutes. Does this guy know how to hook someone or what? I wanted more challenges! There is a good reason the Jacob's Ladder machine is safely tucked away in the personal training room, out of reach of people like me.

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Don't Be Afraid of Personal Training (or Bodybuilding Perhaps?)

Public release date: 10-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Beverly Clark beverly.clark@emory.edu 404-712-8780 Emory University

The fearless dominance associated with psychopathy may be an important predictor of U.S. presidential performance, suggests an analysis published this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

"Certain psychopathic traits may be like a double-edged sword," says lead author Scott Lilienfeld, a psychologist at Emory University. "Fearless dominance, for example, may contribute to reckless criminality and violence, or to skillful leadership in the face of a crisis."

In fact, fearless dominance, linked to diminished social and physical apprehensiveness, appears to correlate with better-rated presidential performance for leadership, persuasiveness, crisis management and Congressional relations, the analysis showed.

Theodore Roosevelt ranked highest in fearless dominance, followed by John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Rutherford Hayes, Zachary Taylor, Bill Clinton, Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson and George W. Bush.

The analysis drew upon personality assessments of 42 presidents, up to George W. Bush, compiled by Steven Rubenzer and Thomas Faschingbauer for their book "Personality, Character and Leadership in the White House." More than 100 experts, including biographers, journalists and scholars who are established authorities on one or more U.S. presidents, evaluated their target presidents using standardized psychological measures of personality, intelligence and behavior.

For rankings on various aspects of job performance, the analysis relied primarily on data from two large surveys of presidential historians: One conducted by C-SPAN in 2009 and a second conducted by Siena College in 2010.

The rich historical data on presidents, combined with detailed expert rankings, provided a window into an emerging theory that some aspects of psychopathy may actually be positive adaptations in certain social situations.

"The way many people think about mental illness is too cut-and-dried," Lilienfeld says. "Certainly, full-blown psychopathy is maladaptive and undesirable. But what makes the psychopathic personality so interesting is that it's not defined by a single trait, but a constellation of traits."

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Psychopathic boldness tied to US presidential success

TELLURIDE, Colo., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Saturday was an exciting one for NYC-based Concierge Auctions, as the firm announced the successful auction of two ski condominiums in the upscale community See Forever Village. 18 bidders participated as they vied for the best purchasing opportunities in Telluride's Mountain Village. The properties raise Concierge's tally of successful transactions in the Telluride, Colorado area to four properties in only three months. The auctions were conducted in cooperation with T.D. Smith of Telluride Real Estate Corp, an exclusive affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate.

"We began interviewing auction companies over two years ago and at first were unsure about the absolute platform. Selling absolute is certainly a risk; however, if done in a calculated manner with the right company, it is much more powerful than selling with reserve. The process brought forth buyers from all over the world, including dozens of CEOs, entrepreneurs and investors, many of whom were not even familiar with Telluride," stated the seller, John Abrams. "The Concierge team was professional and fulfilled its commitments. We were the first to test the auction platform for multiple condominium residences in this market, and Concierge's sophistication was the right choice."

The Concierge Auctions advertising and sales campaigns generated 1,354 inquiries and 3,401 website visitors from all US states and 34 international countries. 18 bidders participated in the sale. The winning buyers are from Connecticut and Maryland and are represented by Garrett Simon and Marty Stetina, both of Telluride Real Estate Corp.

"The response to the auction exposure was tremendous. We received 107 inquiries in the first day alone," stated Smith. "My sales team worked in close concert with the Concierge Auctions project managers and directors to ensure every prospect received a prompt answer to their inquiry, was familiarized with the properties and understood the auction terms. We view the Concierge process as a stronghold tactic for our agents to offer their clients and look forward to working together again soon."

Condo units 127 and 128 at 117 Sunny Ridge Place each include three bedrooms and four bathrooms. They were sold fully furnished and are ideal for either personal use or as vacation rentals. The condominium building is adjacent to the Peaks Resort & Spa and is a short, heated cobblestone walk from the ski slopes.

"Following our closings last month of the Pa Gomo estate, which was the highest sale in Telluride in the past five years, and another ski-in/ski-out luxury cabin in Mountain Village, we are thrilled to continue our momentum in the Telluride market," stated Laura Brady, Vice President of Marketing for Concierge Auctions. "The area has officially joined our repertoire of premier target mountain resorts that have benefitted time and again from our process to the likes of Aspen, Colorado, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Big Sky, Montana, among others."

If you or someone you know is interested in selling a remarkable luxury property through Concierge Auctions, call 888.966.4759 or visit ConciergeAuctions.com.

About Concierge Auctions: Concierge Auctions is the preeminent luxury real estate auction marketing firm serving high-end sellers nationwide through an accelerated marketing process that obtains fair market value for high-end properties in a 60-day timeframe. As a preferred auction partner to luxury brokerage firms nationwide, the company has executed auctions from New York to Hawaii and hosts a database that includes more than 100,000 luxury real estate buyers and agents from all 50 states and 38 countries and territories. The principals of Concierge Auctions have been involved in the transfer of more than $2 billion in luxury real estate sales over the past 10 years. For more information, call 888-966-4759 or visit ConciergeAuctions.com.

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Auction Of Luxury Ski Properties In Telluride, Colorado A Success

BEAVERTON, OR--(Marketwire - Sep 10, 2012) - Only a standardized approach to the cloud-delivered service environment will enable a breakthrough in interoperable seamless service integration into devices, warns global networking standards group, the UPnP Forum. This announcement comes during the IBC in Amsterdam, where a focus is being placed on the pioneering applications and technologies that are driving the future of device interoperability.

"Currently there is a real lack of standards for cloud service delivery and combined with the proliferation of next-generation services, many users are left flipping between a multitude of applications or frustrated at the lack of support on their platforms. The lack of certified standards makes it difficult, if not impossible, for manufacturers to innovate the user experience and provide seamless services to the end consumer," says UPnP Forum President and Chairman, Dr. Alan Messer.

The concept of connected devices is fast evolving with cloud-devices currently a hot topic. The recent developments in cloud services delivered to apps and the implementation of other types of home networks (utility provider's Smart Grids for example), as well as the changes witnessed in over-the-top content delivery, are expected to further impact the dynamics of the market.

"With the shift to a service plus device-based world, it is critical that there are standards in place to ensure the easy discovery of cloud services for seamless integration into cloud-attached devices. Standards have therefore never been more paramount -- they will allow end experience innovation and integration while ensuring compatibility and interoperability."

"The industry as a whole needs to work together to ensure levels of interoperability as never before and events like the IBC provide the perfect platform to explore a host of new technologies, applications and innovations. Connectedness everywhere is closer than ever to becoming a reality and the IBC demonstrates the industry is finally starting to come together."

"UPnP Forum has taken a key role in the technologies and standards market for device interoperability and more recently we've expanded our efforts with the creation of our UPnP+ initiative, which is focused on delivering new technical capabilities to enhance functionality and meet the need for always-on services," concluded Dr. Messer.

UPnP Forum is the global standards body that has paved the way for seamless connectivity between more than a billion home devices, and for more than a dozen years, UPnP technology has offered unique capabilities for consumer electronics and computing devices. The Forum continues to make major advancements and has recently widened its scope into Device Management Protocols as it continues its work in standardizing and managing the operation of LAN IP devices within the home network.

Last year, the Forum formed its E-Health and Sensors (EHS) Working Committee, which is addressing consumer-electronic industry opportunities in the areas of home personal health and wellness, as well as the increasing availability of sensor applications to monitor and control devices within the home. UPnP Forum has also made significant progress with its Home Energy Management and SmartGrid Working Committee and its Audio / Video Working Committee, further strengthening its commitment to device-to-device interoperability and simplifying network implementation.

For further information about UPnP Forum please go to http://www.upnp.org. For general questions, please e-mail upnpfeedback@forum.upnp.org.

About UPnP Forum UPnP Forum, established in 1999, is a global alliance of more than 985 industry-leading organizations working to enable device-to-device interoperability and facilitate easier and better home networking. The Forum promotes the adoption of uniform technical device interconnectivity standards and certifies devices conforming to these standards. UPnP Forum is an impartial group enabling member companies to participate and develop extensions to the UPnP Device Architecture, which defines how to use the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate between devices, and Device Control Protocols (DCPs), which are services between devices. Members of UPnP Forum include market leaders in computing, printing and networking, consumer electronics, home appliances, automation, control and security, and mobile products.

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Standardization Critical to the Success of Cloud and Connected Devices, Says UPnP Forum

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Puffs brand has partnered with the Dress for Success organization to provide beauty and wardrobe makeovers for deserving women across the country. Kicking off in the heart of San Franciscos Lower Haight District, professional makeup artists and stylists were on hand at the Wak Shack Salon today to help women look and feel their best as they begin new chapters of their personal and professional lives.

Puffs believes every woman deserves to look in the mirror with confidence and feel beautiful. To show support for that belief, Puffs is hosting a community on their Facebook page where people can share their inspiring words on how they put their best face forward every day. Participation in the conversation will give fans the opportunity to donate to Dress for Success and make them eligible to win prizes.

Like Puffs, Dress for Success aims to help women get a fresh new start in both work and in life, said Laura Dressman, Puffs communications manager. Were proud to partner with such an uplifting organization and are happy to offer a day of beauty to deserving women here in San Francisco. We also hope that fans everywhere will visit our Facebook page to help us honor the beauty in all women.

Puffs tissues have always been what people reach for when suffering from cold and allergy symptoms, but Puffs are designed with your entire face in mind. Whether caring for a cold, applying makeup, or blotting away perspiration, Puffs looks to tackle all of the things your face has to face throughout the day. This is the brands first makeover event for this program, with two additional events taking place in Chicago and New York City.

Dress for Success helps provide women with the confidence and tools they need to transform their lives both personally and professionally, said Gia Barsi, Program Coordinator of Dress for Success, San Francisco. By partnering with Puffs, we know our clients are leaving Wak Shack Salon with the confidence they need to put their best face forward as they re-enter the workforce.

Now through October 12th, a tab on the Puffs Facebook page will allow people to upload their inspirational quotes, tips and stories on how they put their best face forward every day. As fans submit their tip, Puffs will donate a minimum of $100,000 to Dress for Success Worldwide to help promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women. Also, with every entry, fans will be entered into a sweepstakes to win one of 60 Procter & Gamble beauty baskets as well as a grand prize trip to New York City for a beauty makeover.

Each submission will be hosted on a gallery within the tab where Puffs fans can gain confidence through the inspiring words of others in their community. The brand will post weekly themes to spark ideas, but fans are encouraged to post their own quotes, tips or stories that show support of the Puffs Facebook community and the women of Dress for Success.

Visit http://www.Facebook.com/Puffs for more information.

About Puffs

Continued here:
Puffs® Partners with Dress for Success’ San Francisco Affiliate to Help Local Women Put Their Best Face Forward

By Joshua Bondy - September 10, 2012 | Tickers: CVX, XOM, MRO, RDS-A | 0 Comments

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

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A)with its' partnersMarathon Oil(NYSE: MRO)andChevron (NYSE: CVX)recently announcedthe construction of a major carbon capture and storage project in Alberta, Canada.The facility will be used to remove more than 1 million tonnes of C02 per year from an upgrader facility.The Alberta oil sands will become one of the biggest domestic supplies of crude oil in North America. This large resource base is commonly criticized for its' damage to the environment. Among other factors it produces a large amount of CO2. One of the objections to the Keystone XL pipeline by environmentalists was the amount of C02 produced by the oil sands. As opposed to regular oil wells the extraction process for the oil sands is much more energy intensive. Traditional oil sands production requires that a layer of top soil be removed and then large amounts of oily sand are transported for processing. The Athabasca Oil sands are still a major part of the America's energy mix. They produce 1.3 million barrels of oil per day and there are plans to significantly increase production.

The development of this carbon capture project is important for the long term development of the oil sands. With global warming becoming evident throughout the globe nations are slowly starting to work towards reducing climate change. With the oil sands labeled as one of the worst energy sources on a pollution basis there is a risk that fines or extra surcharges could be placed upon its' oil. These challenges come in addition to lower prices which heavy oil receives. The development of this carbon capture project is more than just a fancy PR play but a significant investment which will help to ensure the acceptance of the oil sands within the public psyche.

ExxonMobil Corp (NYSE: XOM) is another company which is developing environmentally sound solutions in the oil sands. They have decided to focus on reducing the number of steps necessary in the production process. By using paraffinic froth treatment they will be able to remove the need for an upgrader facility. By cutting out this part of the production process they will be able to reduce not only C02 emissions but also general energy use. C02 emissions may be the most popular metric used to judge the degree of environmental population but the overall energy intensity is also important.

The EU has alreadyconsidered banning crude oildeveloped from the oil sands. The Canadian government, Alberta government, and private corporations need to take environmental concerns serious if they wish to ensure the long term development of the oil sands. The Canadian Oil sands have one of the largest amounts of proven reserves in the world. This resource is not a small side project which aims to produces a few thousand barrels per day but a significant part of the world's energy portfolio. The expected oil sands production is expected to be around 3.5 million barrels per day by 2020. Through new technologies Exxon, Shell, Chevron, and others are ensuring that the oil sands will remain socially and environmentally acceptable. These recent develop should encourage investors that the Canadian oil sands are a sustainable long term investment and are taking concrete steps to overcome environmentally based objections.

Joshua Bondy is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network

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The Alberta Oil Sands Continue to Grow with Carbon Capture Technology