"Im wiser for being out of the game. I did find it frustrating. I only went to one game during the first year of the ban, and then in the next two years, almost every weekend was spent watching rugby. I love the game.

It is reasonable to assume, too, that just as Richardss love affair with the sport has not diminished, that he too will be held in the same degree of affection as he was before Harlequins wing, Tom Williams, was instructed to bite into a blood capsule to feign injury to get Harlequins kicker, Nick Evans, back on the field. Richards accepts, though, that some will not find it easy to forgive.

If people want to say something, then fine. Ive served my time, done my three years, and thats it, said Richards. If some feel it should have been longer, so be it. Some might feel it should have been less. Ive never been one for the public eye. Its just good to be back in rugby.

Richards intends to move his family to the North East from Surrey. He has no qualms about starting rugby life again in the Championship, a familiar start of affairs given that he took over at Harlequins in 2005 after they had been relegated.

The difference this time is that there is a top four play-off system in the Championship rather than the first-past-the-post system that was in place seven years ago and which saw Quins bounce straight back up.

Its not a set-back for me to be in the Championship, not at all, said Richards who won praise for the way the perceived one-time toffs of the professional game, Quins, conducted themselves in the lower league.

Newcastle were bottom of the pile when I signed. We could go through the season being disrespectful and thinking its a job to be done and thats it. Or the boys can go out and really enjoy the experience. I fell in love with the area when I came up here and I share the vision, too, of owner, Semore Kurdi.

The Falcons will be better equipped than most to tilt for promotion. They have kept a fair chunk of the squad intact and have been boosted by international signings such as Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson and Italy lock Carlo del Fava.

The RFU on Tuesday announced a four-year funding deal for the Championship, starting at 300,000 p.a for each of the 12 clubs dependent on them fielding 15 England-qualified players in a match-day squad, rising to 380,000 in 2015-16.

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Dean Richards has 'huge regrets' over Bloodgate as he prepares for coaching return with Newcastle

Published: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 8:45 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 8:45 p.m.

Rather than pop a pill to alleviate anxiety or spend thousands of dollars on therapies that might never heal a fractured soul, lesser-traveled paths exist that offer more affordable services to "lift the veil" and lead one to optimum mental and physical health.

Some of these alternative options are flourishing in Winter Haven.

The Center for Personal Growth, 151 Second St. SW, offers workshops and private consultations in endeavors in self-discovery, such as life coaching, hypnotherapy, meditation, law of attraction and breath work.

Owner Cara Hewett, a licensed mental health counselor, is trained in cognitive and behavioral therapy. As a psychotherapist, Hewett said she felt that talk therapy, based on a model of change-your-thoughts-and-your-behavior-will-change, was missing a spiritual component.

"By spiritual component, I don't necessarily mean religion," Hewett said. "I mean the soulfulness, the higher self."

Hewett said she wanted to create a conscious community and to connect with other like-minded people. Like a pebble dropped in a pond, Hewett's hope is that the center, which opened three years ago, has a rippling effect on individuals, families and businesses and that will ultimately change the local community as a whole.

"My goal is to create a place where people learn and have wisdom about themselves and their relationships their purpose in life," she said. "I think that if I can be that resource for that, we're going to have an incredible community."

Workshops, at a cost of $10 to $25 each, are facilitated by Hewett and a network of "healing facilitators," including Jai Maa, one of the center's teachers, whose qualifications include being a licensed hypnotherapist and life coach with a doctorate in metaphysics and spirituality.

Born and raised in Auburndale, Lacey Nagy, who goes by Jai Maa, now lives in Gainesville and travels to Winter Haven to teach the Enlightenment Series, which includes various workshops covering alternative topics, such as the law of attraction, EFT tapping and ho'oponopono.

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Winter Haven Practitioners Offer Metaphysical Services

Colt Ford (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

As of August 18th, Colt Fords new album Declaration of Independenceis the best selling Country Music album in the nation (Nielsen Soundscan). However,what a soundscan wont reveal, is how Colt Ford managed to get to the top without any radio airtime or support from Country music stations across the nation.

Posing this very question at Chuck Dauphin, editor at Music News Nashville during a #CMchat twitter discussion panel hosted by social blogger Jessica Northey from Finger Candy Media, I got the following response:

If youre new to Colt Ford and you happen to add Declaration of Independence to your digital music library youll quickly find out that he is independently signed with Average Joes Entertainment, his very own label. The genre assigned to this album is Country & Folk, while it probably should be Country & Rap due to the fact that Colt uses spoken word to express himself musically. In an interview held in April of 2010,Colt was asked about the cross-over genre Country-Rap. He was quite blunt about his answer and insisted that he doesnt really like the term country/rap. A lot of people think thats negative where I think theyre confused at, rap is not a genre. Hip-hop is a genre

Since then, rap has influenced many different country stars as well. In fact, Toby Keiths big hit Talk About Me, which includes a spoken word segment, was one of the audience favorites when Toby performed at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, CA last week. Some of artists close to Colt have actually gone ahead and cut his tracks on their own albums. The most successful example is Dirt Road Anthem currently one of Jason Aldeans biggest hits.

Colt Fords success cannot be traced back to Jasons support alone. Other artist on his fresh new album include Jake Owen, Darius Rucker, LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley-all of which not only collaborated with him musically, but also supported Colts marketing strategies most avidly. In a way that is the second reason that makes Colt such a smart guy (borrowing Chuck Daughins tweet once again.) Colt has always been a master in the art of social media marketing and getting fans hyped up about his upcoming releases, shows and exclusive content. Seeing it from one of his die-hard twitter followers perspective, theres hardly anything more exciting than @ColtFord tweeting a thank you note celebrating his No. 1 success.

Colt was not the first artist to fuse a formulaic music genre with hip hop. Many artist had done it before him. Kid Rock, for instance was one of the first pioneers of cross-over rock. In fact he has become so popular that just recently hes managed to make his mark in classical music as well. (Read about how he helped the Detroit Symphony out of a massive slump.) Other artists like Everlast (Whitney Ford) actually crossed over from hip hop to start a career in acoustic blues-rock, using rap as their musical form of expression. While not literally crossing-over Colt found his influences in hip-hop as well. In the same 2010 interview he states I grew up listening to country, so I knew about that. And then, like a lot of kids, I Iiked a lot of the hip-hop stuff. I liked Run-DMC and a lot of different genres, and for me to make a recored, I had to be honest.

In an interview with Detroits 99.5 WYCD, Colt discusses the authenticity of his music. Its just so personal for me, he says of Back. Really, that song is my life right there in front of you. Everything in that story is real. The honest representation of reality he refers to is easily found in his lyrics and the content of his songs, which constitutes the third reason behind his success. The lyrical flow speaks to his young audience, who have artists like LMFAO and Chris Brown on their mp3 playlists along with Colt Ford and Blake Shelton. However, inviting artists to collaborate with him isnt always easy. When asked about this new track Black featuring Jake Owen, Colt mentions that it took quite a bit of convincing Jakes label, that this was indeed the right move.

In spite of the fact that he remains unsupported by radio stations and airplay, he found his way to the top harvesting the genuine friendships with artists like Jake Owen and Jason Aldean. He was carried by the support of his fans using guerilla marketing strategies and the power of social media. Perhaps the story of his success is spinning a larger tale about the future of radio and the art of marketing music in general. Putting it plainly: Its always nice to hear country artists on the radio, but their exposure on Facebook and Twitter directly effects the measure of their success.

Find out when Colt Ford is coming to your city!

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The 3 Reasons Behind Colt Ford’s Success As New Album Becomes #1 Best Seller

SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NessComputing, a California-based startup that is making search personal, today announced the completion of a $15M round of Series B funding led by SingTel Innov8, and including participation from American Express Ventures. The investment supports Ness' continued development of its search technology, a "Likeness Engine" that curates personalized recommendations based on people's tastes and preferences.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120821/LA60500)

The company also announced an update with robust new features to their first product the Ness Dining Guide, a restaurant search and discovery iPhone app. Ness' personal "Likeness Score" predicts how much a customer will like a restaurant based on their unique preferences, making it easier to find a place they'll enjoy. The latest release adds restaurant reservations via OpenTable, as well as hundreds of thousands of menus including prices.

With this round of funding, Ness will incorporate additional user preference signals from new social platforms into its technology, and will expand to new verticals by applying its "Likeness Engine to personal search and discovery for nightlife, events, movies, shopping and more. The company will also continue to build its team of top engineers and computer scientists in systems and interface engineering and machine learning.

Ness' technology learns an individual's taste preferences and combines this with signals from their social networks -- including Facebook, Foursquare and Instagram -- to deliver personalized recommendations. Launched in August 2011 with $5M in funding, Ness users have already generated over 3 million ratings, and the app includes more than 5 million Instagram images for restaurants.

"We want to help people experience more of what they love by understanding why they love the things they do," said Corey Reese, Co-Founder and CEO of Ness. "By enhancing our core technology, we can improve our understanding of what customers are expressing about themselves, and turn that information into something truly valuable for making decisions."

"Ness Computing is developing a platform at the intersection of social, local, and mobile data and paving the way to transform mobile discovery with personalized recommendations," said Managing Director of SingTel Innov8, Jeff Karras. "We are thrilled to be working with the talented and passionate team at Ness."

"American Express is impressed by Ness' vision to create great products that better serve consumers," said Harshul Sanghi, Managing Partner, American Express Ventures. "As Ness evolves and the commerce landscape changes, we believe their preference-based search engine has the potential to deliver differentiated value to merchants and consumers alike."

In July 2011, Ness announced a $5M Series A round of financing led by Vinod Khosla and Ramy Adeeb of Khosla Ventures with participation from Alsop Louie Partners (the original seed investor in the company), TomorrowVentures, Bullpen Capital, a co-founder of Palantir Technologies, and several angel investors. An affiliate of the LeFrak Organization also participated in the most recent round.

About Ness Computing

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Ness Computing Announces $15M Round Of Series B Funding

The Irish Times - Wednesday, August 22, 2012

SEN FLYNN, Education Editor

THE LEAVING Cert exam and the CAO points system do not promote positive education values or personal development, university presidents have advised Minister for Education Ruair Quinn.

In a report presented to the Minister yesterday, they argue the selection process for higher education is having disproportionate and undesirable effects on student learning . . . at second level.

The presidents back a new ranking system for Leaving Cert scores, more common entry routes into college, a reduction in Leaving Cert grades and new efforts to incentivise strategically important subjects. However, they stress there is no perfect system and no perfect solution.

A taskforce chaired by NUI president Dr Philip Nolan will examine the proposals and report back before the end of the year.

We do not wish to be prescriptive in regard to the issues to be addressed by the task force, the report says. It backs away from awarding CAO points for absolute scores in the Leaving Cert and focusing on the relative performance in the subject. Essentially, it says, the highest points would be awarded to the students who perform best relative to their peers in the specific subject.

The most obvious way to convert merit ranking into points is to use percentiles, with those in the top 1 per cent getting 100 points, those in the next 1 per cent getting 99 points and so on, with those in the bottom 1 per cent getting one point, the report says.

An advantage of this option is that it is independent of subject workload, marking differences, grade distribution etc. It could therefore be considered a fairer system of rewarding student effort and performance. It could incentivise students to take what are currently regarded as the harder subjects.

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University heads back new points system

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5 Tech Tools Making Classrooms Better

Brad Jackson didn't report to anyone on the basketball court in almost three decades at Western Washington, but on the first day with the Washington Huskies, he double-checked the start of practice with his boss.

"Practice in 25 minutes, right?" he asked coach Lorenzo Romar.

Before walking away, Jackson chuckled and said: "Wouldn't want to be late."

It used to be that workouts began when Jackson arrived.

But now the 60-year-old Division II coaching legend is the rookie on UW's staff, beginning what he calls "a new chapter" in a decorated coaching career.

"There's not any question that it's going to be an adjustment for me," Jackson said. "I don't have any delusions of grandeur. Hopefully I can bring something that's maybe an addition and fits in well."

Monday was a day for changes at Montlake.

The Huskies introduced Jackson at about the same time his predecessor, Raphael Chillious, who spent the past three years at UW, was hired as an assistant at Villanova.

Washington also announced the addition of walk-on sophomore guard Quinn Sterling, a former Mercer Island High standout.

Media members got an up-close view of the new video scoreboard, which was lowered from the Alaska Airlines Arena rafters and suspended inches above the court.

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Brad Jackson begins new chapter in coaching career with Huskies

The following editorial appeared recently in the Los Angeles Times:

The world is awash in diet and weight-loss advice disseminated on the Internet and TV and in books, magazines and Weight Watchers meetings. So Steve Cooksey's website hardly seems out of the ordinary. The food plan helped Cooksey lose 78 pounds and, he says, control his diabetes without medication.

Yet, the North Carolina-based blogger was flagged by a regulatory board in that state for answering readers' specific queries in a Dear Abby-style column and offering life coaching for a fee. North Carolina, like many other states, does not allow anyone to dispense nutritional advice free or for pay without a license. In California, by comparison, a person who wants to call himself a dietitian needs to register as such and receive a credential from a professional board. But anyone is free to be a nutrition counselor, without a license, and offer advice.

Cooksey voluntarily removed the offending parts of his website and then filed a lawsuit, arguing that the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition had infringed his right to free speech. He said he altered the website only because he feared civil or criminal action by the state. Board officials, on the other hand, said they were only following state law.

Cooksey's case will be decided under North Carolina law, and won't have many ramifications outside the state. The issues surrounding it, however, may offer lawmakers some guidance. Smart oversight in this area requires balancing free speech and consumer protection. And resolving that tension means recognizing that there is a difference between casual and commercial advice, and that those who offer themselves as advisors may subject themselves to greater regulation than those who merely describe their own experiences.

In California, as long as Cooksey didn't call himself a registered dietitian a disclaimer on his website states that he is a layperson he could have legally done all the advising that got him in trouble in North Carolina. But with varying state laws and the proliferation of bloggers and chatters providing diet and health counsel, the best advice may be: Advice-seeker, beware.

Continued here:
Bloggers beware of state laws against unlicensed practices

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --WebMD reports that a new research study reveals a link between physical fitness and classroom performance. According to the study, kids who are in better shape score higher on classroom examinations. Nature's One, the leader in organic pediatric nutrition, encourages healthy lifestyles. The company understands that classroom performance is reliant upon many factors, and that physical fitness and nutrition play a key role in the ability of a child to keep up with academic expectations.

The study was presented at the American Psychological Association's annual conference. During the presentation, researchers highlighted the discovery that "the fitter the middle school students were, the better they did on reading and math tests."

To conduct the research, 1,211 students from five different middle schools in Texas were tested. Academic self-concept, socioeconomic status, social support, fitness, body composition, and other factors were considered throughout the study. Sudhish Srikanth, a researcher who worked on this initiative, asserts that cardiorespiratory fitness was the most influential regarding academic performance.

Although previous studies have looked at the link between fitness and academic performance, Srikanth asserts that "this new study also looked at several other potential influences." The hope is that this study will encourage parents and educational professionals to take the importance of physical activity more seriously.

Nature's One understands that overall health, including nutrition and regular exercise, plays a large role in academic success. As such, the organization supports the findings of the study and encourages parents and guardians to increase daily physical activity.

"Nutrition, exercise, and school performance all go hand in hand," states Nature's One CEO Jay Highman. "Quality nutrition, not junk food, is fuel for the body. A well-fueled body performs more efficiently, which increases the quality of any physical activity and success. There are tremendous benefits for children who exercise, for even a short amount of time, each day. But exercise isn't the only variable that impacts a child's performance in the classroom. A child with good overall nutritional health is more likely to perform better at school. Studies show that children who receive quality nutrition and regular exercise will sleep better, have improved memory and concentration, and develop higher self-esteem. These all significantly influence classroom performance."

By considering all of the factors associated with academic excellence, parents and educators can pinpoint new ways to assist students in achieving their goals. Although this study is far from conclusive, it upholds previous findings that underscore the importance of physical fitness in children.

ABOUT:

Nature's One, founded in 1997, is a pioneer in organic pediatric nutrition. Highly regarded for its Baby's Only Organic Formulas, Baby's Only Essentials, PediaSmart Organic Complete Nutrition Beverage, and PediaVance Electrolyte Solution brands, Nature's One has dedicated a decade and a half to developing, researching, and creating the highest quality products in an effort to offer nutritional solutions to parents.

Originally posted here:
Nature's One Encourages Healthy Lifestyles, Higher Classroom Performance

Wallingford. CT, Aug. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Club 24 Health and Fitness is proud to announce their placement on Inc. Magazine's and Inc.com's 2012 Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest growing companies in America. Club 24 was ranked number 1928 out of 5000 businesses that made the list.

Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list puts the company among an elite group that over the years has included Microsoft, Timberland, Jamba Juice, Oracle and UnderArmour. Many of today's most successful U.S. companies received their first public recognition when they appeared on the Inc. 5000 list. Inc. describes its list as "the most comprehensive look ever at the entrepreneurial engine driving the U.S. economy." The 2012 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2008 through 2011. To qualify, companies must be U.S. based and privately held, for-profit, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2011, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2008, and $2 million in 2011. More information can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/.

About Club 24:

Club 24 is a Connecticut based fitness chain specializing in personal training and small group training classes and programs. With a focus on bringing affordable fitness to the masses Club 24 has enhanced the lives of tens of thousands of Connecticut residents. Please direct all inquiries to info@club24gyms.com.

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Club 24 Health and Fitness makes the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America