LONDON (AP) -- What are they on? Or are they?

When Chinese swimmers started blowing rivals out of the water in London's Olympic pool, whispers quickly followed. Is China cheating the sport again, as it did in the 1990s, when drug-fueled, muscle-bound swimmers emerged from nowhere to beat the world? Alain Bernard, the 2008 Olympic freestyle champion from France, was among those who wondered.

"I'm for clean sport, without doping, and I truly hope the authorities in charge of this are doing their job in good conscience and really well," he said. "Unfortunately, I want to say that there is no smoke without fire. But today there is no proof to show that any Chinese has tested positive in this competition."

At a briefing Monday in London, reporters peppered Arne Ljungqvist, the International Olympic Committee's medical commission chairman, with questions about Ye Shiwen, China's 16-year-old swimming sensation. Ljungqvist said "it is very sad that an unexpected performance be surrounded by suspicions."

"Suspicion is halfway an accusation that something is wrong," Ljungqvist said. "I don't like that. I would rather have facts."

Unlike the 1990s, however, there are plausible explanations this time for why China is the swimming phenomenon of the 2012 Games.

For example, Ye's astounding world record in the 400 medley, when she swam the last 50 meters faster than American Ryan Lochte did in winning the equivalent men's race, isn't solely attributable to her large hands and feet. It also is at least partly because China, which has grown to become the world's second-largest economy, now throws big checks at some of swimming's sharpest minds. China has turned to foreign trainers to get their coaching programs, expertise and methods, not only to hone its swimming stars but to make them more rounded and relaxed, too. The idea is that happy swimmers are fast swimmers.

Ye has trained in Australia with two well-recognized coaches, Ken Wood and Denis Cotterell. Wood has had a contract with the Chinese Swimming Association since 2008, and 15 of China's swimmers in London, plus five of its relay swimmers, have trained at his academy north of Brisbane, rotating through in groups for a couple of months at a time, he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

"I get paid per month, per swimmer four times more than I do with my home swimmers," Wood said from Australia after Ye qualified comfortably fastest Monday in the 200 medley heats. China pays him bonuses for Olympic gold and for swimmers' personal bests, and he also got a bonus for Ye's 200 medley world championship win in 2011.

"China is putting a lot of money into its program and I am only too happy to work with them," he said. "The whole Chinese philosophy is that they want to be the best they can."

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Column: What's up with China's swimming success?

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, today announced that it has delivered its first round of 510(k) documentation to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since its 2006 inception, 23andMe largely created the direct-to-consumer market for genetic analysis. As a leader in personal genetics, the company is now the first in the industry to announce it is working towards FDA clearance. The FDA will review the filing over the next several months and the process of gaining clearance will take time as both the FDA and 23andMe attempt to apply current regulations to a new and growing industry.

"23andMe has pioneered the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry and we are committed to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through proven DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools," stated 23andMe CEO and Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki. "23andMe is working proactively with the FDA to ensure the industry delivers high quality information that consumers can trust."

23andMe's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to explore their own DNA and now provides more than 200 health and trait reports as well as genetic ancestry information. The extensive package of health and ancestry reports offered by 23andMe has grown dramatically as the body of research in the general scientific community has continued to make significant advances in assessing the role of genetics in health and diseases. That body of peer-reviewed, published research is regularly curated by the team of 23andMe scientists to determine which information meets the rigorous 23andMe criteria to be incorporated into its health and trait reporting as detailed in https://www.23andme.com/for/scientists/.

"23andMe has always valued the guidance of the FDA and, in fact, engaged the agency in conversations prior to launching the Personal Genome Service in 2007. Our ongoing conversations with the FDA in the last year, in particular, resulted in a focused approach that resulted in our ability to compile a comprehensive analysis of 23andMe's direct-to-consumer testing for FDA consideration," stated 23andMe VP Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer Ashley Gould.

In providing personalized health reports 23andMe believes that individuals have a fundamental right to their personal genetic data and that genetic data is an essential complement to family history for people to make informed decisions in conjunction with their healthcare provider.

The 23andMe platform is designed to be both fluid and transparent and the filing with the FDA is designed to accommodate this data-driven paradigm. The body of information provided by 23andMe grows over time, not only in adding more traits and health reports, but also in interpreting results based on the continued evolution of scientific literature.

23andMe uses a CLIA-certified laboratory to process customer DNA samples. The 510(k) documentation provided to the FDA builds upon the company's scientifically sound practices by demonstrating the clinical and analytical validity of its reporting.

"FDA clearance is an important step on the path towards getting genetic information integrated with routine medical care," explained Ms. Wojcicki. "As the knowledge around personalized medicine continues to grow, consumers should expect their healthcare providers to begin to incorporate genetic information into their treatments and preventative care."

"We believe our ongoing conversations with the FDA and ultimately securing clearance will be very important as we continue to serve our customers with genetic information that is an essential consideration in their personal health, and continue to grow our community, which is now more than 150,000 strong," concluded Ms. Wojcicki.

An ongoing service, 23andMe's Personal Genome Service provides a wealth of information about an individual's DNA and updates about new research. Customers can also choose to participate in the company's unique research programs. By completing online surveys, customers contribute directly to genetic research that can potentially lead to better understanding of and new treatments for a variety of health conditions.

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23andMe Takes First Step Toward FDA Clearance

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SACRE-COEUR MINERALS, LTD. (the Company) announced today that it has entered into a purchase and sale agreement (the Purchase Agreement) with Riverside Resources Inc. (RRI; TSXV: RRI.V) under which the Company sold to RRI one of its three core drills which is currently surplus to the needs of the Company and has been in storage. The Purchase Agreement provides that the Company can elect to repurchase the core drill from RRI or act as agent to sell the drill to a third party. In either case, the Company shall repay RRI its purchase price plus a premium of 15%. If after 120 days from the effective date of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has not repurchased the core drill or effected a sale to a third party, and if the Company and RRI have not reached other arrangements, RRI shall be entitled to put the drill back to the Company for the purchase price plus a 15% premium thereon. The Companys performance under the Purchase Agreement is secured by a subordinate interest in 51% of the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary company, Sacre-Coeur Guyana, Inc. subject to the standard provisions of rights of redemption under the Personal Property Security Act (British Columbia). The shares pledged in the subsidiary company will be deposited in escrow pending release upon the Companys performance under the terms of the Purchase Agreement. The proceeds from the sale of the drill will be used as working capital for general corporate purposes.

The Company has now completed a base case internal analysis of the potential development of its Million Mountain Zone 1 hard-rock resource, including an in-house update to its NI 43-101 resource. This in-house update and analysis, though not intended to be NI 43-101 compliant, has provided the Company with strong encouragement for proceeding with an update of the resource to NI 43-101 standards and initiation of all actions aimed at moving forward with the evaluation of production and the commercial potential of the deposit as soon as practicably possible. These activities shall include as appropriate, commissioning of environmental studies, application for necessary permits for production operations, metallurgical studies, commissioning of a third party feasibility study, and arrangement of financing for development if warranted.

We are excited about the progress marked by the encouraging results of our internal analysis of the prospect of near term development of the Million Mountain hard-rock.

About Sacre-Coeur

The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of properties for gold, metals and diamonds in South America, initially focussing on exploration and production of gold from its properties in Guyana. The Company presently holds 100% interest in approximately 850 sq. km of mineral properties in Guyana, including the Million Mountain Property which hosts an NI 43-101 compliant hard-rock resource of 12,119,285 tonnes grading 1.0 g/t Au Measured, and 2,175,278 tonnes grading 0.9 g/t Au Indicated for a total 451,000 tr oz Au combined. The Company has offices in Vancouver, Canada and Georgetown, Guyana. More information about the Company is available at .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SACRE-COEUR MINERALS, LTD.

Gregory B. Sparks Gregory B. Sparks, P. Eng. President & CEO

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which we will refer to as forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or believes or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements pertaining to development activities, commissioning of environmental studies, application for necessary permits for production operations, metallurgical studies, commissioning of a third party feasibility study, arrangement of financing for development, formal production decisions, business combinations.

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Sacre-Coeur Minerals Arranges Equipment Sale to Riverside Resources: Aims at Development of Million Mountain Zone 1 ...

MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Deborah Hightower is blazing the trail as an example in her quest to teach others about the concept of personal and professional expansion that has become a natural part of her everyday life. A veteran financial services professional, sought after speaker, accomplished singer, song writer, and author, Hightower is a high tower of energy that doesnt slow down, yet she is able to maintain a distinct balance in her professional and personal life. As a Vice President of Investments for a national financial services firm, she has also obtained the designations of Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and Registered Financial Gerontologist (RFG). When not guiding her clients through the myriad of challenges in investment and distribution strategies, she focuses her attention on speaking at corporate and non-profit organizational events as well as expanding her music career where four of her songs reached the top ten on the inspirational charts.

Hightowers passion to teach people how to experience expansion in their personal and professional lives was birthed from her own experiences as she has evolved to be accomplished in a diverse number of areas in her own life. Hightower is continuously invited by various organizations to speak. As a thought leader in the area of Expansion, she helps individuals find and develop a plan to pursue their passion and assists companies and organizations with expansion in the areas of employee work/life balance, client development, and team motivation.

In addition to her speaking schedule, Hightower will be releasing two CDs in October and November of this year. She has been a featured guest on over one-hundred radio and television programs and has been the featured speaker at numerous conferences. She is also a contributing author to Brian Tracys upcoming book, The Secret to Winning Big, to be released in December. She is also a contributing writer in Power Source Magazine as well as a contributing blogger to glassheel.com, a lifestyle and networking site for professional women. Because of her outstanding success and significant contributions as a financial services expert, public speaker, singer, song writer, and author, Hightower is being featured as one of America's PremierExperts Trendsetters in INC Magazine. Additional information about Hightower can be found at http://www.deborahhightower.com.

Read More: http://www.deborahhightower.com/uncategorized/thought-leader-in-expansio/

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Deborah Hightower – Thought Leader in Personal and Professional Expansion Leads by Example

The London games have begun. Does your favorite athlete have a leg up? Are they aware of the latest formula for speed? The newest way to win?

The development of bigger and stronger bodies brought many record-setting Olympic performances in the past. However, some feel the growth spurt is waning.

France's National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance examined track and field and swimming events from 1891 to 2008 and reported that record-breaking performances have declined sharply since 1988. They concluded, Our physiological evolution will remain limited in a majority of Olympic events."

With the decline in physiological evolutionary advancement and more consistent programs of nutrition and training, there has been a leveling of the playing field, so to speak. This has increased demand for the utilization of new ways to improve performances.

NPR recently aired the story Technology Could Give Athletes An Edge At Olympic Park. The piece included a discussion with Philippa Oldham of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Oldham explained how technologies such as spray-on clothing and 3D-printed shoes are assisting Olympians.

Greg Bishop in a New York Times piece Long Before London Games, James Bond Tactics explains that France even created an agency in its sports ministry to boost medal counts through athletic surveillance.

Bishop writes, France is not the only nation looking for an Olympic edge through stealth. Someone from the United States BMX cycling team surreptitiously rode the competition course in London for this summers Olympic Games with a three-dimensional mapping device, specifics of which officials declined to reveal, so the Americans could build and train on a replica of the Olympic track.

Aerodynamic bicycle helmet designs, hydrodynamic swimwear, carbon fiber blades used for prosthetic limbs, and running shoe spikes that grip the track more efficiently, will provide athletes an edge until each team employs them or they are banned from Olympic use.

Does it make you wonder who and what is more important, engineers, gear, or the athletes?

If competition were merely comprised of physical movements, mechanical engineers would hold all the cards when it comes to Olympic medal counts. Yet, there is a mental component to athletics. And many feel that sports psychology outweighs the mechanical manipulations of clothing and gear.

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KEITH WOMMACK: An Olympic edge

As always Peter Drakulich, President of Driving Up Sales is at the forefront of Solutions for Dealers and Salespeople trying to increase sales in tough times. Ask the Expert is an amazing format that gives everyone in the car business access to one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry to help them sort out their day to day questions and problems. If you have a question you would like to Ask the Expert please forward it to info@DrivingUpSales.com

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Sales Training Holding Gross In a Tough Market

Free classes from elite colleges like Princeton and Harvard have generated excitement, but they could actually widen the learning gap

Rooks' book is White Money Black Power: African American Studies and the Crisis of Race in Higher Education

You have probably heard some of the hoopla about elite universities offering free online courses through Coursera, a new Silicon Valley start-up founded by Stanford University computer-science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng. In just the past few weeks, Coursera has added has added 12 universitiesto its lineup, bringing its total to 16, including Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke and Johns Hopkins.

The companys website says its goal is to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few, and, accordingly, much of the news coverage has focused on how this will democratize learning.Two weeks after Coursera announced its initial round of partnerships, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a plan to invest $60 million in a similar course platform callededX, and then a third company,Udacity, announced that it too would join the fray.

Despite near universal enthusiasm for such projects, its important to take a few steps back. First, although the content is free now, its unlikely that it will remain that way for long. According to an analysis of one of Courseras contracts, both the company and the schools plan to make a profit they just havent figured out the best way to do that yet. But more important, I am concerned that computer-aided instruction will actually widen the gap between the financially and educationally privileged and everyone else, instead of close it.

(MORE: Can Computers Replace Teachers?)

This is what has been happening in K-12 public schools. Over the past 10 years, public school districts have invested millions of dollars in various types of online and computer-aided learning and instruction programs, yet few are able to show the educational benefit of their expenditures for a majority of students. Those who benefit most are already well organized and highly motivated. Other students struggle, and may even lose ground.

In terms of learning on the college level, the Department of Education looked at thousands of research studies from 1996 to 2008 and found that in higher education, students rarely learned as much from online courses as they did in traditional classes. In fact, the report found that the biggest benefit of online instruction came from a blended learning environment that combined technology with traditional methods, but warned that the uptick had more to do with the increased amount of individualized instruction students got in that environment, not the presence of technology. For all but the brightest, the more time students spend with traditional instruction, the better they seem to do.

(MORE: Born to Be Bright: Is There a Gene for Learning?)

Supporters of online learning say that all anyone needs to access a great education is a stable Internet connection. Butonly 35% of households earning less than $25,000 have broadband access to the Internet, compared with 94% of households with income in excess of $100,000.In addition, according to the 2010 Pew Report on Mobile Access, only half of black and Latino homes have Internet connections at all, compared with almost 65% of white households. Perhaps most significant, many blacks and Latinos primarily use their cell phones to access the Internet, a much more expensive and less-than-ideal method for taking part in online education. In short, the explosion of this type of educational instruction, though free now, may leave behind the students who need education the most.

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Online Education Will Leave Many Students Behind

RENO -- Yoga is being used as a tool for women inmates at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office to manage stress, anger and other emotions.

Around the world, yoga is used for everything from meditation to weight loss. Now, the Washoe County Sheriffs Office is using Asana yoga classes, taught by volunteers, to help women in the custody of the Detention Facility manage stress, anger and other emotions in the hopes that it will prevent actions that could lead them back to jail.

Twice a month, on Saturday afternoons, volunteers facilitate yoga classes for eligible women in custody at the Detention Facility. The classes focus on teaching skills such as breathing exercises and yoga positions known as asanas to help improve individual well-being through the interconnection of mind, body, emotions and spirit.

Recent studies show that women who participate in yoga classes showed significant improvement in emotional control and their ability to calm themselves, the Sheriffs Alternatives to Incarceration Unit Program Coordinator Brooke Howard said. Yoga can also provide a great amount of confidence building while helping women to rejuvenate their mind and body from the trauma of physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse.

Howard said the yoga classes are part of the Alternatives to Incarceration Units Womens Empowerment Program. The program focuses on empowering women with skills that they can use to meet the challenges of their daily lives after release from the Detention Facility.

The Womens Empowerment Program is all about giving women skills that can help them make more rational and levelheaded decisions when faced with stressful and emotional situations, decisions that could prevent them from going down a path that leads back to jail, Howard said.

Because the yoga classes are facilitated by volunteers, they are offered at no cost to the County or the taxpayer. Howard said she plans to monitor the participants recidivism rate over the next several years to help determine the programs success.

Womens yoga classes take place at the Washoe County Detention Facility from 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. The next scheduled class is this Saturday, July 28, 2012. Sheriffs Office Alternatives to Incarceration Unit Program Coordinator Brooke Howard will be available to speak with media about the program.

Womens Empowerment Workshops at the Washoe County Sheriffs Detention Facility are offered as part of the Sheriffs Alternatives to Incarceration Unit. These programs are aimed at diverting qualified offenders away from costly incarceration and provide a second chance to those who have committed less serious offenses.

The goal of the Sheriffs Office Alternatives to Incarceration Unit is to provide programs that help inmates take steps to make significant changes in their lives. That change is what will reduce recidivism, reduce the amount of money spent by tax payers to house an inmate, and reduce the cycle of criminal behavior for the next generation.

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Yoga classes offered in jail to women prisoners

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire -07/30/12)- Close your eyes and imagine taking in the elegant sounds of a harp while surrounded with like-minded individuals practicing karma yoga in the beautiful green field of Riley Park. Open your eyes. You can feel the love, beauty and energetic intention of this group helping to put an end to extreme poverty.

You will be one of many practicing yoga outside with our karma yoga teacher, Jamie Cameron, at the annual UEnd fundraiser One Yoga in the Park. With your entrance donations, 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to the projects. Not only will you practice yoga, but you will meet like-minded people while doing your part to change the world, one yoga pose at a time. There will be live music, food and beverages and, of course, yoga. Namaste.

Who: UEnd: Poverty

What: Giant, karma-filled yoga in the park

Where: Southwest corner of Riley Park, N.W. Calgary

When: Sunday, August 12, 2012 - Registration at 9 a.m., Yoga starts at 10:08 a.m.

Why: To create an incredible atmosphere while raising funds to help eradicate poverty

Entrance fee: By donation - a suggested $20 minimum will get you a free juice, a $25 donation will get you a tax receipt and a $40 donation will get you a free yoga mat (while supplies last)

Before the event:

1. RSVP on Facebook

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UEnd: Poverty- Ending Poverty Through Karma Yoga

When Georgia Demooy heard about a different kind of yoga class, she didn't just sit there and wait for it to come to her.

Or maybe she did.

The 67-year-old retired youth counselor is taking a 45-minute class in "chair yoga" on Wednesday mornings at the Nelson Hagnauer Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave., Granite City.

It's called "chair yoga" because students do their exercises while seated in chairs.

"To me, it stretches muscles that you don't normally stretch," Demooy said.

Although participant spent the July 18 class in chairs, other aspects of the class were close to typical yoga instruction. As calming music wafted from a boom box, certified yoga instructors Debbie Antognoli and Cheryl Mefford led pupils in the fine points of breathing, relaxing, stretching and meditating.

"Relax your neck and shoulders, your face and your jaw, relax your muscular energy," Mefford, 58, told students at the July 18 class. "Keep your attention and awareness on where you are right now."

The idea behind the class, Mefford said, is to introduce yoga to those who have difficulty getting to the ground.

"They can absorb the benefits of the practice from the chair," she said.

Laura Harris, a staff member at the senior center, said Bridget Brasfield, a chiropractor and owner of the Physical Medicine Clinic of Granite City, approached her about sponsoring the class.

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Chair yoga offers benefits of yoga