BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --According to new research that captured data from more than 1,000 of the nation's most frequent business travelers, time on the road adds value to their lives beyond business and is a source of personal happiness. The first-of-its-kind study, conducted by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, explored the emotions of the nation's most experienced road warriors before, during and after a business trip.

"We feel the best way to help our guests succeed is to understand how they operate, so we can maximize their experience at our hotels," said Shruti Buckley, vice president and global brand manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites. "They demand an environment that allows them to be productive, yet one that is also inviting, upbeat and personal, so that's what we deliver."

Key Finding 1: Frequent Business Travel Enhances Your LifeAlong with its ability to boost one's professional development, the study found that frequent business travel has significant personal benefits.

"The overwhelming majority of travelers are satisfied or very satisfied with the amount they travel for business, which says a lot about the personal benefits to business travel," said Buckley. "Thirty percent would even like to travel more often."

Key Finding 2: Frequent Business Travel Leads to HappinessFrequent business travelers experience positive emotions, such as happiness and confidence, on the road.

Despite experiencing travel delays; missing their families, pets and home-cooked meals; losing their luggage; or even skipping a family event, the vast majority of frequent business travelers report positive emotions when preparing for (86%) and during (88%) a trip. The most common emotions reported include feeling confident, knowledgeable, interested, calm, excited, eager, well-connected and happy.

"While more than half of frequent business travelers say they work twice as much when on the road, they also experience a certain feeling of freedom," said Buckley. "Sixty percent report feeling free to do whatever they want, which is empowering, as is getting their job done."

Some frequent business travelers might be smiling because they often travel with a colleague. According to those who travel with others, there are both physical and psychological benefits to companion business travel, including:

Other frequent business travelers' happiness might stem from the aspects of travel they qualify as most enjoyable, such as experiencing new places, meeting new people, going out to eat, earning mileage or loyalty points, trying new foods, not going into the office, spending time alone and meeting up with friends. Twenty-one percent enjoy the fact that they can get more work done on the road. Fifty-nine percent say coming home from a trip is like a honeymoon with their spouse.

Key Finding 3: Frequent Business Travelers Can Teach Us a LotStudy participants provided insights into strategies for success on the road.

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First-Ever Fairfield Inn & Suites Research Reveals Business Travel Leads To Happiness And Personal Growth

EATONTOWN Women entrepreneurs and business professionals are invited to register for the kickoff of Act Like a Lady, Think Like the Boss, a 12-part personal development workshop series.

Led by experienced networkers and successful local netpreneurs Stacey Womble and Alonna Picket, Act Like a Lady, Think Like the Boss empowers entrepreneurialminded women to gain control of their careers and financial destiny by helping them learn and refine the skills necessary to thrive in business, according to a press release.

The kickoff will take place 7:30-10 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Sheraton in Eatontown.

Included in the cost of the workshop is access to an expansive online community that features guest interviews from accomplished women in business, a discussion forum, updates on live networking events, advice on business etiquette and tips for balancing career and personal life.

Both Monmouth County residents, Pickett and Womble developed the workshop to help other local women avoid the struggles they encountered as college graduates following the traditional career path.

When I lost my job in 2010, it forced me to reassess my life. So, I went online and began researching, connecting and building purposeful relationships with some of the most brilliant online entrepreneurs. It wasnt easy, but I learned so much about marketing my online business and becoming a well-rounded business woman, said Womble, in the press release.

In 2008, Pickett accepted a full scholarship to Northwestern University to pursue a doctoral degree in African American history but instead discovered that the traditional route of going to school and getting a good job is failing miserably.

Today, both women own profitable webbased businesses.

According to the press release, a portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to 180 Turning Lives Around, a nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The cost for the series is $97. For more information, call 732-984-3257 or email stacey@actlikealadythinkliketheboss.com.

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‘Act Like a Lady, Think Like the Boss’ begins Aug. 23 in Eatontown

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota has selected Bisk Education's University Alliance division to assist in developing and delivering online degree and certificate programs.

The university, which offers more than 90 undergraduate and 60 graduate degree programs on its campuses, plans to launch its first online degree program, a Master of Arts in public safety and law enforcement leadership, in March 2013. The program will be offered by the College of Education, Leadership and Counseling at St. Thomas.

Bisk Education is the leader in developing and delivering online degree and professional certificate programs for top-ranked regionally accredited universities. Bisk has helped nationally ranked universities expand their reach and advance their mission since 1996. Through the partnership with Bisk, St. Thomas, consistently ranked one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, will bring 127 years of academic excellence to adult learners everywhere.

"The University of St. Thomas selected Bisk Education as its online vendor of choice because of a mutual interest in offering rigorous academic programs online for graduate students," said Dr. Sue Huber, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at the university.

Online programs will follow the same comprehensive curriculum requirements in other St. Thomas programs, and online students will receive the same diplomas. The university plans to offer additional programs online from its Schools of Social Work and Engineering, and its Opus College of Business. Bisk's state-of-the-art, video-based e-learning platform will bring these programs to professionals across the country who need the convenience of online education.

Bisk's unique value proposition focuses on six areas -- or principles of excellence -- that ensure the development and execution of online programs that help universities increase enrollments while maintaining their academic standards and traditions. Bisk provides universities with a comprehensive suite of services based on these six principles of excellence and continuously develops and enhances each online program to meet best practices and support student retention.

St. Thomas faculty will provide all course content and will retain the sole right to hire and dismiss faculty. The university also will have complete control over admissions, tuition rates, academic records, copyrights and intellectual property rights in course content.

"We're proud to be selected by such a highly respected institution as the University of St. Thomas," said Nathan M. Bisk, Founder and Chairman of Bisk Education. "We are committed to delivering St. Thomas' rich tradition and unmatched academic excellence to students anytime, anywhere online, enabling them to reach their personal and professional goals. The addition of St. Thomas' degree programs to Bisk's University Alliance division brings diversity to the current graduate level offerings and provides that audience with new opportunities."

To learn more about Bisk's comprehensive services for creating scalable online learning programs, please visit http://www.Bisk.com.

About Bisk Education, Inc.

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University of St. Thomas in Minnesota Selects Bisk Education for New Online Degree Programs

VERMILLION The University of South Dakotas online masters in education programs received an A for affordability from GetEducated.com, a consumer watchdog group that reviews and ranks online universities for cost, quality and credibility.

USDs School of Education, in concert with the Graduate School and Division of Continuing and Distance Education, earned award badges in ranking as a top Best Buy among online education degrees for teachers and educators for Education Administration for Master of Arts in Educational Administration (13th overall); Educational Technology for Master of Science in Technology for Education & Training/ K-12 Education (23rd overall); and Best Affordable Online Masters of Education for Master of Arts in Educational Administration (44th overall) and Master of Science in Technology for Education & Training/ K-12 Education (65th overall) degrees.

The University of South Dakota is a nationally-ranked leader in the field of online learning. Its efforts to offer a high-quality college education to the public through the innovative use of technology are exemplary, says Vicky Phillips, founder of GetEducated.com. The four Best Buy awards earned by USD mark the university as one of the best online education programs in America for educators and teachers who seek trusted, affordable ways to get educated online.

The average overall cost for all masters degrees in the online learning survey was $16,731, putting some of USDs education programs in the top 20 percent of the most affordable online education masters. Lamar University ranked as the most affordable online education school at about $6,450 for an online education masters for Texas residents. A complete list of the rankings is available at http://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-and-rankings .

More information is available online about USDs Graduate School (www.usd.edu/graduate-school) and Division of Continuing and Distance Education (www.usd.edu/continuing-and-distance-education).

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of yankton.net.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

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Website Lauds USD’s Online Education Degrees

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Online learning has received a bad rapport when compared to traditional in-class instruction but according to a recent study from Ithaka S+R, the gossip has been unjust. An article by US News discusses the study and the advantages of interactive online learning. The study proved that students receiving online education or a combination of online and in-class instruction produced equivalent or better results than students participating in face-to-face education. While there is, undoubtedly, a strong difference between traditional class instruction and online learning, McGraw University believes online classes can be just as engaging as traditional lectures.

The study asked 605 college students taking the same introductory statistics course from six different public universities to complete a series of tests before and after the course. Researchers split study participants into two groups one that completed in-class education and the other that completed the course online in addition to a weekly in-class session. According to the report, students taking a combination of online hours and in-class instruction performed better than those taking strictly traditional classroom sessions.

Researchers agree that the study did not account for differences in teacher quality, which could have played a significant role in students' ability to learn material. Diane Johnson, assistant director of faculty services at the Center for Online Learning at Florida's St. Leo University says that students learn better with instructors who engage them in the material with active discussions. "Teacher quality is still a very important part of success in an online course, but so, too, is the course design," Johnson says.

In a press statement, McGraw University noted, "McGraw University concurs with the report and believes that delivering quality online education radically influences the lives of those who seek to pursue their education through the online format. The main components of quality education, i.e. the course curriculum and its delivery is optimized at each and every point of time and is continuously updated and revised so that students get premium education and a complete return on what they pay for."

ABOUT:

McGraw University offers challenging and relevant classes to a diverse student body. McGraw students receive lifelong learning opportunities and the ability to achieve diplomas, degrees and certificates through distance learning. McGraw University offers 71 majors and an innovative online learning platform that tailors to student's individual needs.

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McGraw University: Online Education is as Effective as Traditional Classroom Instruction

Enlarge Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images

Fitness advocate Richard Simmons, wearing his signature shorts and tank top, leads Capitol Hill staff and visitors through an exercise routine July 24, 2008, in Washington, D.C.

Fitness advocate Richard Simmons, wearing his signature shorts and tank top, leads Capitol Hill staff and visitors through an exercise routine July 24, 2008, in Washington, D.C.

NPR producer Sam Sanders headed to Beverly Hills, Calif., recently to see longtime fitness guru Richard Simmons in action and find out how he's been at it so long. He sent this reporter's notebook of his encounter with the man who's been helping people lose weight for nearly 40 years.

While working as a waiter, Richard Simmons saved up a year and a half of tips to open his first aerobics studio in Beverly Hills in 1974. Ever since then, he's been planting himself in America's pop-culture psyche with dozens of infomercials and best-selling books, almost endless parodies of his over-the-top persona, and seemingly endless TV and film appearances.

I have to do it till the day I die. If I don't move, I'm not happy.

- Richard Simmons

You could only imagine my excitement at a dinner party last spring, when a friend of a friend told me about Simmons' Beverly Hills aerobics classes. Turns out, whenever Simmons is in town, he leads the courses himself, in that same studio he moved into nearly two decades ago. The classes are open to the public, only cost $12 and they have a cult following in Los Angeles. I knew I had to go, and record it.

So, I convinced Simmons' team to let me shadow him one Saturday afternoon in May, traipsing behind the dynamo with a big fuzzy shotgun mic in hand.

When I walked into the studio, Simmons was in the middle of one of his iconic pep talks. Part AA meeting, part church testimony service, Simmons had on a handmade glittery shirt and tank-top ensemble (with two-toned tights, of course), and was circled up on the floor with a lot of people who really wanted to lose weight. As a larger, middle-aged woman started crying while telling Simmons about her weight-loss goals, Simmons broke up the tension in that earnestly wacky way only he can.

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Through Thick And Thin, Simmons Still 'Sweatin'

Location: 422 McIntire St., Eagle.

Date opened: 2008 (new ownership Aug. 1).

Owner: Yvonne Schwartz, MT-BC, RYT.

Contact info: yogaoffbroadway@gmail.com, 970-328-YOGA

What goods or services do you provide? We provide all levels of yoga classes to the community as well as yoga mats and clothing. We are proud to have nine different instructors at our studio each providing a different yoga style and experience. We host a range of classes from Yoga For Stiff People (perfect for athletes and people recovering from injuries) to Level II-II Prana Flow (a 75-minute practice full of inversions, arm balancing, and advanced postures).

What's new or exciting at your place? Wow, there is a lot exciting happening these days at YOB. Yoga Off Broadway is under new ownership. After managing the studio for previous owner Kelly Western, Yvonne Schwartz is proud to continue a tradition of providing yoga for every body. We have lots of exciting events coming up at the studio. On Aug. 17-19, Yoga Off Broadway is excited to host guest instructor Jim Keegan from Yoga Nirvana Studio in Tempe, Ariz., Aug. 25, the studio will celebrate its grand re-opening with free yoga classes all day, Jala Yoga Clothing Trunk Show, giveaways, a raffle for a Free Manduka Eko Mat, and we will be offering new students an eight-punch card for only $50! We will also have a beginner yoga forum with Yvonne from 1-1:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. This is your opportunity to ask questions about starting or continuing a yoga practice.

What strategy do you use to differentiate your business from your competition? We like to think of ourselves as the neighborhood yoga studio in Eagle. We are strictly a yoga studio and yoga retail store. Our studio hosts many community events and has a great sense of community. We regularly host guest instructors, open houses, service days, and other opportunities for the students and teachers to get together after class. Yoga Off Broadway also strives to be of service to others. We are involved in Yoga Aid (raising money for Off the Mat Into the World), Yoga Votes (campaign to increase voter registration), and we will continue to provide support for local charities and community members.

What philosophy do you follow in dealing with your customers? What can your customers expect from you? We have an open door policy with our students. They can call or email any time with questions or concerns. For many people as their bodies evolve and change their yoga practice changes. Students need to be able to express their concerns and ask questions. We love to talk to new students about yoga. One of my favorite things about teaching is watching students as they grow in their strength and flexibility. This change in energy begins to move off their mat and into their lives.

Tell us a little about your background, education and experience: Yvonne started her journey with yoga in 1999 while attending a college yoga class at Appalachian State University. She completed her teacher training with Yoga World reach and has been teaching in the valley for the last six years. She continues her education regularly through workshops, conferences, and continuing education courses. She hopes to complete a 500-hour certification in yoga in the next two years.

What is the most humorous thing that has happened at your business since you opened? I can't say we have had any humorous happenings in the last week since opening, but I can pretty much guarantee there will be a humorous happening soon. I am pretty sure if you come watch Yvonne practice one handed handstands next Sunday at the Arm Balance workshop it will be a humorous event.

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Vail Valley Bizwatch: Yoga Off Broadway

India's police detained popular Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev and thousands of his supporters for several hours after they tried to intensify an anticorruption protest. Ramdev and the others had occupied a New Delhi fairground for the past couple of days.

A popular yoga guru and thousands of his supporters were detained by police for several hours Monday after they tried to march to India's Parliament to intensify an anti-corruption protest and press for a change of government.

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As he was led away by police, Baba Ramdev shouted slogans urging his supporters to fight to end India's endemic corruption and seek the repatriation of billions of dollars in illegal money he says Indians have stashed in foreign banks.

Waving Indian flags and shouting slogans, the protesters climbed into police buses parked around the sprawling New Delhi fairground that Ramdev and his supporters had occupied for the past four days.

They were taken to a city stadium, and by evening, were free to leave, said Rajan Bhagat of New Delhi police.

However, Ramdev refused to leave and asked police to provide water and food for thousands of his supporters. He said he would end his five-day-old fast only after that.

Ramdev and his supporters are likely to spend the night at the stadium.

Before the march, the bearded, saffron-clad yogi urged his supporters to throw out the ruling Congress Party and bring in a "clean" government.

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Indian yoga guru arrested during anticorruption protest

By Harmeet Shah Singh, CNN

updated 12:23 PM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012

Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev smiles after climbing the roof of a car to address his followers before attempting a march to parliament in New Delhi on August 13, 2012.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

New Delhi (CNN) -- Police briefly detained famed Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Monday after he tried to lead an anti-corruption march toward the national parliament building, a police spokesman said.

"Remove Congress and save the country," the yoga guru said to thousands of supporters before officers took him into custody, referring to the ruling Congress Party.

The saffron-clad yoga teacher, whose televised breathing exercises are watched by millions, has been staging a demonstration since last week to demand repatriation of what he calls "black money," or illegal Indian wealth in foreign banks.

He also favors the creation of a strong anti-corruption watchdog agency to deal with endemic graft in the country, echoing a key demand raised by another veteran activist, Anna Hazare, whose hunger strikes last year galvanized huge public support.

Ramdev was released shortly after police took him into custody, New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said Monday. An unspecified number of Ramdev's supporters who had been taken into custody also were released, Bhagat said.

There were no reports of disorder during Monday's demonstration, Bhagat said.

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Yoga guru detained during protest

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjYZbvdDCKc

13-08-2012 17:22 I am a strict Buddhist, and my calling has led me down the path of 'Life Coaching.' I will chronicle my journey by letting you all in on "enlightenment." I will answer emails, voice messages, and take video calls from the lucky people that I choose to enlighten with my coaching. I hope you all can find a way to open up and receive what I am giving. Feel free to "mooch" from the sessions. Maybe you can indirectly learn something. (The song "Blessed" is by the artist SEB,

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Lindsey Life Coach ep2 - Video