Leadership Principle #21: Happiness is wisely enjoying life right now, not securing a financial future you may never see. For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors with under the sun? Ec 2:22

On an icy morning in January, a young driver lost control and careened toward me. After the echoes of crashing metal and glass subsided, the airbag dust hung like fog.

The girl in the other car threw open her door and stumbled onto the pavement. I learned later she had fractured her spine. She turned hysterical when the emergency crews arrived. We rode to the hospital together, both collared and strapped to boards.

Bouncing around in the ambulance, I marveled at how life had just changed. One moment I was heading toward a breakfast meeting and contemplating the days task list. A blink later, I sat stunned in a crumpled car.

There was a man who worked at a bank for 25 years. He built a great reputation, worked hard and received many awards. When he retired, life was good. After his death, his wife gathered all his awards and shiny memorabilia into a box. She took them to a jeweler, had them melted down, and made a ring for herself!

Why do we work so hard, if it doesnt really matter in the end? King Solomon asked the same question. With no wars to occupy him, Solomon spent his time studying philosophy and testing whether worldly pleasures could truly satisfy the deepest cravings of life.

He concluded that when he was gone, none of his riches would matter. He would just pass it on to the next generation, and new kingdoms would rise and fall. Here are a few more of Solomons conclusions found in the book of Ecclesiastes:

1. Mans envy causes him to overwork. I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a mans jealousy of his friend. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind (Ec 4:4).

2. Wealth has a personality. Solomon said money never sleeps because its so full of self-concern, and never stops worrying about where it will be spent or how it might be lost.

3. Enjoying our work is part of a right attitude toward life. Here is what I have seen to be good: it is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun. A couple verses later, Solomon describes the man who enjoys his labor: [He] does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

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Fight the futility of personal financial success

Chesterfield Fire crews respond to alarm at retirement complex Chesterfield Fire crews respond to alarm at retirement complex

Updated: Thursday, July 12 2012 7:12 PM EDT2012-07-12 23:12:48 GMT

Updated: Thursday, July 12 2012 6:39 PM EDT2012-07-12 22:39:36 GMT

Updated: Thursday, July 12 2012 6:15 PM EDT2012-07-12 22:15:22 GMT

Updated: Thursday, July 12 2012 6:09 PM EDT2012-07-12 22:09:02 GMT

Updated: Thursday, July 12 2012 5:51 PM EDT2012-07-12 21:51:04 GMT

Several hundred people waited anxiously Wednesday for their exclusive ticket to see President Obama up close and personal.

Annette Suarez waited 6 hours but was the first to get a ticket. "Oh, I am sweaty. We've been here since 11 a.m.," said Suarez.

"We've seen him every time he's come to Richmond because we've been able to see him, from afar, not up close, every time he comes into town. We make sure we do get a chance to see him," said Charlotte Patterson.

Obama's campaign visit won't be like the last, where thousands of people crowded into the Siegel Center. That's why even with just 300 people in line at the Richmond location, not everyone got a ticket. The same goes for hundreds of people who lined up at the campaign office in Henrico.

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Obama tickets released in Richmond and Henrico

NEW YORK, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Personal & Professional Service Robotics Market Global Forecast & Assessment by Applications & Geography (2012 2017)

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0932986/Personal--Professional-Service-Robotics-Market--Global-Forecast--Assessment-by-Applications--Geography-2012--2017.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Industrial_Equipment

During early 2010s, service robotics evolved with advanced interaction capabilities, in addition to mobility. Entertainment products for exhibitions and products were introduced in Japan to amuse residents- which followed next. Robots were able to respond to vocal commands or gestures and move independently around a living space, watering plants, letting the cat out, operating kitchen appliances, even making toast (as well as serving it), and feeding pets. As the elderly will represent the largest market segment in the years to come, the industry anticipates a huge demand for servant robots.

In the coming ten years, service robotics evolution is expected to continue with its application in Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) or self-driving cars, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or self-piloting airplanes, and autonomous wheelchairs, as well as C3PO-like anthropomorphic robots and less complex simple cleaning robots. The more sophisticated service robots applications include robot snipers, minding children, caring for the elderly, acting as tour guides, and giving people baths or doses of medicine. As with all the digital technologies, the prices of robots are expected to fall, while, at the same time, their capabilities are expected to grow rapidly.

The service robotics market report forecasts and assesses the professional and personal service robotics by applications, and geography from 2012 to 2017. The report analyses the service robotics application market, both qualitatively and quantitatively, giving in-depth insights about each sub segment of all application as well. Industrial service robots can be used to carry out simple tasks, such as examining welding, as well as more complex, harsh-environment tasks, such as aiding in the dismantling of nuclear powers stations. Autonomous scientific robots perform tasks which humans would find difficult or impossible, from the deep sea to outer space. The Woods Hole Sentry can descend to 4,500 meters and allows a higher payload as it does not need a support ship or the oxygen and other facilities demanded by human piloted vessels.

The service robotics market research report aims to capture the market roadmap with market sizes, revenue forecasts, value chain, competitive landscape, leading players and their key developments, strategies, and profiles. Market is split into five regions; namely Americas, Europe, Japan, APAC, and ROW for the geographic analysis of the market.

The global service robotics market in 2011 was worth $18.39 billion. This market is valued at $20.73 billion in 2012 and expected to reach $46.18 billion by 2017 at an estimated CAGR of 17.4% from 2012 to 2017. The market is driven by factors like ageing population, value enhancement by robots, increasing grants and funds by governments, increasing venture capital investments in service robotics companies, enhancements in complementary technologies and integration of robotics with mobile technologies, other smart products, and appliances.

The key market players in service robotics industry are Honda Motors (Japan), iRobot (U.S.), AB Electrolux (Sweden), Sony (Japan), Fujitsu (Japan), Toyota (Japan), GeckoSystems (U.S.), and Yujin Robot (South Korea).

Scope of the report

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Personal & Professional Service Robotics Market - Global Forecast & Assessment by Applications & Geography (2012 - 2017)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Math 104: Calculus, a free online math course offered by Silicon Valley start-up Education-Portal.com, has drawn over 11,000 students since it launched in March 2012. The course is comprised of 103 bite-sized video lessons that are fewer than 10 minutes long. The video lessons make complex concepts like derivatives and integrals simple and easy to learn. Online learners self-navigate through the course, learning just the topics they need to know and skipping the ones they've already mastered.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120607/SF21048LOGO)

Students are praising the math course's "understandable and easy-to-remember analogies" and instructor Erin Lennon's relatable and clear teaching style. Dr. Alvin Bayliss, professor of applied mathematics at Northwestern University, says, "These lessons are most definitely a useful supplemental resource for calculus students as well as for students who want to study independently."

Math 104 is the second complete course in Education Portal Academy, which is currently building 11 other free courses in math, science, history, English, psychology, and business. Unlike sites such as Khan Academy, Udacity and Coursera, Education Portal Academy's courses and quizzes are designed to lead to real college credit by preparing students to test out of general education requirements. They are also 100% free - no login needed.

"Skyrocketing student debt is crushing today's college students," says Education-Portal.com CEO and co-founder Adrian Ridner. "Education Portal Academy's free college courses make education accessible to students all over the world."

Students have responded in droves. "I've been wanting to expand my college credits in order to get into a different field, but financially that is simply not possible," says one student. "Seeing your site...has given me a new glimmer of hope."

In addition to taking Education Portal Academy's free courses, students can apply for the site's several scholarships and college credit reimbursement program.

Education-Portal.com is a self-funded venture by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Ben Wilson and Adrian Ridner. Their mission for the last ten years has been to make education accessible through technology and innovation.

To learn more about Education Portal Academy's free courses, visit: http://education-portal.com/academy/index.html.

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Over 11,000 Students Take Free Online Calculus Course

The Irish Times - Thursday, July 12, 2012

SEN FLYNN, Education Editor

IN A significant development, online education provider Hibernia College is to offer degree courses in computing and business in association with the University of London which is one of the worlds top-ranked universities.

Students will pay 4,980 for the undergraduate degree courses which will be awarded by the University of London. The university has several constituent colleges, including the London School of Economic and University College London.

The Hibernia initiative which has already trained 4,000 primary teachers will test the growing market for private third-level education in the Republic.

Hibernia director Sen Rowland says the chief benefit for students is that they can gain a valuable degree from a top-ranked college without incurring accommodation, travel and other costs.

While the college hopes to enrol about 250 students in the first year of the programme, some observers believe that student demand for the courses could increase dramatically over the next five years.

More students could opt for more flexible, online courses as the student contribution fee for third-level colleges is set to rise to 3,000 by 2015.

There is also concern in some university circles that students here might see degree courses offered by top-ranked international colleges as more attractive than those from underfunded Irish institutes.

The three-year degree programmes on offer include: a B.Sc in Creative Computing; a B.Sc in Computing and Information Systems; a B.Sc in Management and a B.Sc in Business. A one-year diploma course in management for graduates is also available.

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Online college in link-up with top London university

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Career Education Corporation (CEC) (CECO) served on an expert panel focused on online learning during the inaugural meeting of the bipartisan Congressional E-Learning Caucus Wednesday. Judy Komar, CECs Vice President of Educational Technology, shared the early leadership and significant advances by private sector education institutions, notably CEC, in delivering state-of-the-art online learning programs to its students.

Staff for Caucus Co-chairs U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) invited Komar to appear as a panelist to represent private sector higher education institutions and to offer insights into Career Educations substantial investment and leadership in developing an award-winning Virtual Campus and other educational technologies for students of its two flagship universities Colorado Technical University (CTU) and American InterContinental University (AIU).

We have worked to bring together the technological side with the human side to give our students the best possible educational experience, Komar told the caucus during the panel discussion at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. E-Learning is becoming so incredibly popular. The more we have students learning online and the more institutions offer online courses, the more valuable e-Learning becomes.

At Career Education, Komar is responsible for providing innovative technology solutions for students, helping develop content for more than 500 new courses annually and facilitating and integrating educational technologies. Along with CECs Virtual Campus, Komar was the chief architect in developing M.U.S.E. (My Unique Student Experience), which allows students to engage with course content in ways that best suit their preferred learning style. The M.U.S.E. platform recognizes that reading a textbook and traditional linear learning are not the ideal or most effective learning style for every student. Some students best absorb material by watching or hearing it, while others learn best through problem-solving using real-world examples or by practicing an activity until theyve mastered it. M.U.S.E. adapts to and facilitates students distinct and diverse learning styles.

In addition to the Online Virtual Campuses at CTU and AIU, the company is deploying its innovative education technology at its international institutions as well. CECs International University of Monaco recently began offering an online Executive MBA program leveraging the companys technology.

With 20 years of experience in instruction, training, and consulting, Komar is a pioneer in the field of Educational Technology and has applied her Masters in Education and post-graduate work in Instructional Technology to benefit students with flexible, technology-enabled learning platforms. She has presented about online education to audiences around the world, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International.

Komar is proud to have been included in the inaugural Congressional E-Learning Caucus meeting representing private sector higher education institutions as well as CEC.

The Caucus will serve as a resource in Congress on using technology to enable all learners from preschool to high school, from college to the workplace to have access to the highest quality instructional materials and best-in-class instructors regardless of location or income level, Noem and Polis wrote in a letter to Congressional colleagues when announcing formation of the Congressional E-Learning Caucus last fall. Our goals in forming the E-Learning Caucus are to promote increased understanding on Capitol Hill about the pivotal role E-Learning plays in our education system, to promote research on successes and failures in E-Learning so that federal education funds are used prudently, and to ensure that policy is aligned with practice.

Komar was joined on the panel by: Michael Kowalski, Administrator, Online Campus, Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools; Scott Jenkins, Director of External Relations, Western Governors University; and Becky Takeda-Tinker, President of Colorado State University Global Campus.

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Career Education Corporation Joins Congressional E-Learning Caucus Inaugural Meeting

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune Published: July 11, 2012 Updated: July 11, 2012 - 8:43 AM

When yoga studio owner Francine Messano first organized "Yoga in the Park," a free one-hour class Sundays in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the event drew about 10 people.

That was about two years ago, and momentum has been building gradually through word of mouth. Now, roughly 150 people show up rain or shine well, unless there's a tropical storm.

Classes begin at 6 p.m. Sundays. Attendees stretch their hamstrings and quadriceps, rotating hips out, relaxing necks, rotating upper bodies.

Their view: Tampa's signature park, the Hillsborough River and the minarets atop Plant Hall. Everyone loves the location, Messano said.

"Looking up at the sky, there's something powerful with just moving with the energy of nature," she said.

Added Melissa Carroll, who typically teaches the class: "It takes yoga out of its typical realm in the studio and certainly makes it more accessible to people."

The class is open to people of all ages and skill levels. Sometimes children participate in poses. Sometimes people in their 80s will give yoga a shot.

"People don't feel intimidated," said Messano, who runs Yoga Downtown Tampa at 206 E. Cass St.

Ellen Dominic of Riverside Heights and her husband came for a recent class. Dominic said it was her sixth yoga class in the park.

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Yoga takes over Curtis Hixon Park

Hiking is a magnificent way to get a workout while viewing nature. Rather than just walking or jogging on an excursion, why not incorporate yoga into your journey? Standing poses can easily be incorporated into your hike. So, next time you are ready for an outdoor adventure, take yoga with you on your hike for the following four reasons.

#1 Your muscles get stretched

During a hike your legs may get tired from long periods of walking. By taking breaks to perform yoga, you give your legs a chance to stretch in between periods of hiking. Stretching is important to prevent injuries, so it is a superb idea to perform several asanas before your walk that provide a wonderful warmup. The following poses are ideal for warming up:

Big Toe Pose (Padangusthasana)

This pose provides a superior stretch to both the thighs and calves, two muscle groups that are important to flex before a hike.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

The chair pose provides a marvelous method of stretching the shoulders and chest. In addition, it decreases flat feet, making it a supreme stretch before a backpacking journey.

#2 You get two workouts

Getting two workouts in one allows you to work different muscle groups, and you receive the benefits of hiking and yoga during one exercise session. Both hiking and many yoga poses prevent osteoporosis, making them a great combination. Hiking allows you to get a great cardiovascular workout, and standing asanas allow for relaxation, rejuvenation and stretching. Yoga also gives the heart beat a chance to slow down, making this an interval workout, and this type of workout is known to burn more fat and calories than other ones.

#3 You get the company of others hikers

Original post:
Four Reasons to Incorporate Yoga into Your Hike

A Bay Area yoga instructor has been fired from her job after a student she was teaching at the Facebook headquarters complained about the instructor's reaction to her in-class cell phone use.

Alice Van Ness, 35, has been teaching yoga since 2006. As a courtesy, as class begins she says she politely asks students to turn off their phones. But while teaching at the Facebook Fitness Center last month, the northern California native said one student -- who she says had been texting at the beginning of class began using her phone while she was demonstrating the difficult half moon pose.

"When she picked up her phone, I was surprised," Van Ness told ABC News. "I didn't know what to say. I just looked at her with this look of utter disbelief. Like, 'Really? You're going to do that right now?'"

That look of disapproval cost Van Ness her job with Plus One Health Management, the company that operates the gym out of Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., offices. Two weeks after the incident, Van Ness was dismissed by the company.

Van Ness says that the Facebook employee -- who she would only identify as "not [Facebook COO] Sheryl Sandberg" -- was in the middle of the front row of the class of about 10. When the class stopped as she typed on her phone, she quickly left the room. The woman then went to complain -- possibly directly to the Van Ness' manager -- that she felt humiliated by the incident.

Van Ness says that she didn't say anything to the woman, who shortly after making her complaint known, rejoined the class.

"I did not know what to say. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it. It's the first time that someone did it, at such a time right in the middle of class," she says.

According to Van Ness, who has over 500 hours of training in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Seattle, there was no discussion with her supervisors as to what happened the day in question. She says that when she came in two weeks later, they had her final paycheck and termination papers ready.

Calls placed by ABC News to Plus One Health Management regarding the incident were not immediately returned. Slater Tow, a Facebook spokesman, told the Mercury News that since Van Ness is not its employee the company has no comment.

Van Ness told the Mercury News that her termination letter noted that the employee said Van Ness had "made a spectacle of her" during class by stopping instruction and glaring at her.

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Yoga Teacher at Facebook Fired Over Texting Student

SAN FRANCISCO -- The head coach of the defending national champs doesn't have one of those offices bigger than the local Kinko's. His office doesn't have a wide picture window that looks out over his 100,000-seat stadium or a handy remote control for the double doors to enter the place. Heck, there aren't double doors.

The place is the size of most college head coach's office bathrooms. Aside from its cramped dimensions, the thing you immediately notice are all of the photos of his former players framed on the walls. George Rush is proud of his guys, not just what they did for him at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), but what they became.

In less than a month, Rush's team will begin fall training camp. It's his 37th season as the Rams' head coach. They are a powerhouse in the junior college ranks as much as any program is at the Division I level. Rush annually sends more than a dozen of his starters into major college football, meaning he has to reload every season, yet he almost always does.

Over the past 13 seasons, Rush has led the Rams to seven national titles. This fall, the Rams are looking to repeat as national champs for the first time since they wrapped up a three-peat in 2001.

Rush arrived at CCSF 46 seasons ago. Like many of his players, Rush was a "bounce-back." His college career began someplace else. Rush admits he had a little too much fun in his freshman year at Santa Clara University, so he ended up enrolling at CCSF where he played at the school in the mid 1960s and was a teammate of O.J. Simpson.

The 64-year-old has seen more than his share of heart-breaking stories. He's also seen a lot of change, not just in the lives of the guys he coaches and hopes to develop, but also in the world in which they live.

What frustrates and angers Rush more than anything these days is the changes in the system that he says is squeezing his players in a way he says is appalling and unfair.

"Whenever I see those NCAA commercials when I watch March Madness, where they say 'these are our athletes, these are the leaders of America,' I wanna throw up," Rush says. He calls the NCAA "a monstrous monopoly," run by a bunch of "hypocrites."

In April, 2011, seven of Rush's CCSF players sued the NCAA and all of California's Division I public universities for unconstitutional discrimination regarding NCAA rules controlling junior college transfers. The case was prompted by the NCAA adding a requirement for junior college non-qualifiers to have passed two college English courses and one math course, something that didn't apply to any other student-athletes.

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For juco coaching legend Rush, fight against NCAA is all about playing fair