Fargo, ND (PRWEB) May 25, 2012

For the fifth consecutive year, Swanson Health Products was the headline sponsor of the Health and Fitness Expo held in conjunction with the 2012 Fargo Marathon in Fargo, North Dakota. The expo was open to the public on May 17 18, 2012, on the floor of the FARGODOME where over eighty health and wellness-focused vendors were interacting with runners, spectators and fans.

At the Swanson Health Products (SHP) booth, expo attendees received complimentary bags filled with samples of health and wellness products, registered for prizes and purchased last-minute necessities for race day. The SHP sample bags included a new, stimulant free energy supplement: vegetarian formula Swanson Ultra ZIP EX2 Enzymatic Energizer. ZIP EX2 features digestive enzymes, natural herbs and vitamins to provide long lasting stamina without jitters or crash.

Other popular fitness and energy samples included GU Energy, Vita Coco Coconut Water, Sundesa Blender Bottles and BioFreeze Pain Relieving Gel. To view the complete list of featured brands, products and an exclusive expo offer, visit the Swanson Health & Fitness Expo Virtual Booth.

Swanson Health Products is an industry leader in bringing vitamins directly to consumers at the lowest prices possible. Swanson Health Products, headquartered in Fargo, ND, offers the highest quality vitamins, supplements and natural health care products and is Good Manufacturing Practices certified. Swanson Health Products goes a step beyond its competitors by offering powerful guarantees. All products are backed by a 100% Satisfaction, Money-Back Guarantee. For more information, please visit http://www.swansonvitamins.com.

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Swanson Health Products Headlines Health and Fitness Expo Held in Conjunction with 2012 Fargo Marathon

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and DALLAS, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --U.S. Preventive Medicine's Macaw, enabled by Qualcomm Life Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, was named the winner in the Mobile Applications: Health, Wellness and Fitness category of CTIA's Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Awards. In its seventh year, the CTIA E-Tech Awards honor the industry's most innovative wireless products and services in the areas of mobile apps, consumer electronics, enterprise and vertical markets and infrastructure. Winners were announced at International CTIA WIRELESS 2012 taking place earlier this month in New Orleans.

Unlike other available health and fitness apps, Macaw is based on the clinical science of preventive medicine and is universally designed for people who exercise regularly as well as those who are novices when it comes to physical activity. By leveraging Qualcomm Life's expertise in wireless technology, Macaw will transform a smartphone into the ultimate personal health monitor, connecting an individual's health apps and wireless devices for tracking weight, fitness, overall activity and biometrics including pedometers, glucose meters, activity armbands, scales, labs, sleep managers, mobile weight loss apps and blood pressure cuffs into a single app for complete tracking.

Macaw currently allows integration with the Fitlinxx Actiped+ all-day activity monitor, WorkSmart Labs' weight loss and fitness app Noom Weight Loss and Withings WiFi Body Scale. Macaw users are able to track their physical activity, nutrition, progress and health knowledge while engaging in games that unlock prizes.

Macaw is available for download on the iPhone App Store and Android Market. You can also stay up-to-date by following Macaw on Facebook (Facebook.com/ThePreventionPlan), Twitter (@MacawApp) and YouTube (YouTube.com/MacawApp). View the video at http://www.youtube.com/macawapp.

"CTIA is pleased to congratulate U.S. Preventive Medicine and Qualcomm Life on winning the CTIA E-Tech Award for representing the best in wireless innovation for mobile applications in health, wellness and fitness," said Robert Mesirow, vice president and show director for CTIA.

Nearly 250 entries across 15 awards categories were judged by a panel of media and industry analysts and scored on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall "wow" factor.

"This award helps to validate our mission of utilizing technology to transform the way people think about and manage their health," said Christopher Fey, founder, CEO and chairman of U.S. Preventive Medicine. "Through Macaw, U.S. Preventive Medicine is making it easier for people to engage in actions to improve their health while on the go. Macaw enables people to take control, improve their own health status, and possibly reduce their health care costs along the way."

For more information on the CTIA E-Tech Awards, visit http://www.ctiashows.com/awards.

To learn more about International CTIA WIRELESS 2012, visit http://www.ctiawireless.com.

Follow CTIA Shows:Facebook: http://www.ctiashows.com/facebook LinkedIn: http://www.ctiashows.com/linkedin Twitter: http://www.ctiashows.com/twitter(#CTIAW12)

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Macaw Health and Fitness App from U.S. Preventive Medicine Wins CTIA E-Tech Award

Coming up, Cape Town puts mobile health technologies on the table with the Mobile Health Summit, while World No Tobacco Day aims to snuff out smoking around the globe.

Mobile Health Summit May 29 - June 1 Cape Town, South Africa

The second edition of the GSMA-mHealth Alliance Mobile Health Summit, kicking off May 29, is designed for senior executives from the mHealth sector, with the event focusing on hot topics and issues in the industry while providing an opportunity for networking and deal-making. http://www.mobilehealthsummit.com

World No Tobacco Day May 31 Worldwide

World No Tobacco Day is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and this year's focus is on the need to expose and counter the tobacco industry's attempts to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) because of the serious danger they pose to public health. The WHO reports one billion people could die during this century because of tobacco use. http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2012/announcement/en/index.html

Evolution Asia Yoga Conference June 7-10 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

Evolution Asia brings together yoga enthusiasts and masters worldwide to explore the world of yoga through practice with a range of beginning and intense classes, and a yoga bazaar offers discounts on cutting-edge yoga wear and gear. There are also educational sessions on spiritual cleansing, body balance, Thai yoga therapy, and much more. http://www.asiayogaconference.com

Hanuman Festival June 8-10 Boulder, Colorada, USA

Hanuman Festival is a community-oriented yoga and music festival set at the foot of Colorado's Rocky Mountains, drawing top-notch teachers and musical artists who aim to inspire and transform. http://hanumanfestival.com

Bliss Beat Festival Piedmont, Italy July 19-22

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Health and fitness agenda: Mobile Health Summit

Retirement security seems to be an issue that the candidates running for president are running away from. But they shouldn't, according to growing number of executives in the financial services industry.

In fact, executives and others are demanding that President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate, lay out their respective positions on various retirement security issues, such as Social Security, automatic IRAs and the like.

Earlier this month, for instance, Robert Reynolds, the chief executive officer of Putnam Investments, asked in no uncertain terms that Obama and Romney endorse the tax incentives now in place for retirement saving programs such as the 401(k) and start debating how to make Social Security solvent.

In short, Reynolds called on the candidates from both political parties to recognize retirement security as not only a vital national challenge, but a key element in solving our nation's debt and deficit crisis over the long term. "If we solve the retirement challenge it would have a huge benefit for all Americans," Reynolds said in an interview. "If someone's future is secure, it allows them to do so much more with their lives."

Weeks later, we're still waiting.

Obama and Romney have not responded to Reynolds' call. So, we set out to learn what each of the candidate's positions are on some of the major retirement security issues, and to echo Reynolds' plea for action as well.

Social Security

When it comes to making Social Security solvent, a spokesperson for Romney referred us to the campaign's website. And here's what Romney wants to do to fix Social Security:

First, for future generations of seniors, the retirement age should be slowly increased to account for increases in longevity. And two, for future generations of seniors, benefits should continue to grow but that the growth rate should be lower for those with higher incomes.

"With just those two simple steps, and no change in benefits for those at or near retirement, America can guarantee the preservation of the Social Security system for the foreseeable future," according to Romney's website.

Continued here:
How Both Obama and Romney Threaten Your Retirement

"The Boomer is a column written for adults nearing retirement age and those already in their golden years. It will also promote reader interaction by posting e-mail responses and answering reader questions. E-mail your questions or topic ideas to thefoxboomer@gmail.com.

Heres a scary statistic: About 49% of Americans say they aren't contributing to any retirement fund.

A new survey conducted by LIMRA, a trade association for the financial services industry, shows less than a third of Americans over age 50 worked with a financial professional to plan for retirement.

"The findings from this survey were disturbing, given that people will increasingly need to rely on their personal savings to make ends meet in retirement," says Matthew Drinkwater, associate managing director at LIMRA's retirement research division, in a statement.

Boomers need to take a more proactive role when it comes to their retirement and making sure they have adequate savings to cover their needs. Saving systematically can have a dramatic impact on boomers lifestyles after they leave the workforce.

The survey asked consumers what investment vehicles they were using to save for their retirement (when they were) and according to Drinkwater, only 45% of respondents in their 50s were contributing to a defined contribution plan, while 16% were contributing to a ROTH and 20% to a traditional IRA. Heres the more-troubling stat: Drinkwater says a survey conducted earlier this year showed 29% of those 55 or older reported being confident they were saving enough money to last through retirement.

So what gives? If boomers arent saving for retirement because they dont have enough funds leftover after covering daily expenses like food, housing, gas and putting kids through college, how do they feel like they will have enough savings for retirement? Well, many dont plan to ever retire fully or will delay leaving the workforce.

Although it may make sense to at least plan to work as long as you can, says Drinkwater, I don't think many people are going to be able to do that into their 70s and 80s. That is not really the solution. If you look at current retirees, a lot of them say that they retired earlier than expected.

He cited a two-year old survey that showed 38% of respondents retired when they planned to, with 56% saying they retired earlier than anticipated. Of that 56%, close to half had to leave involuntarily. The mindset of I dont have to save as much because I plan to work longer is risky.

You may need to think again because you may be jeopardizing your retirement security because you may have to make those dollars last longer than you had planned for.

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Why Boomers Aren't Saving for Retirement

The retirement income needs for women are similar to those that apply to men; however, there are some factors that make it more challenging for some women to achieve their retirement planning goals and objectives, particularly in the area of finance.

SEE: Retirement Planning

Longer Life ExpectanciesWhile living longer is definitely a plus for many individuals, it adds to the risk of outliving one's retirement savings. This is of a greater concern for women, who statistically live longer than men. According to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics, the life expectancy at birth for a man is 75 years, whereas it is 80.9 years for women. The same report indicates that the life expectancy for men at age 65, which is a generally accepted retirement age, is 17.6 years for men and 20.3 for women.

A three to four year difference in life expectancy may not seem like much, but when the cost of medical expenses during retirement is considered, along with other living expenses, the cost of living for a few years can be relatively high. According to a recent Fidelity report, "A 65-year-old couple retiring in 2012 is estimated to need $240,000 to cover medical expenses throughout retirement," if they are not covered by an employer medical coverage plan.

Women can manage these and other retirement living expenses by planning ahead and implementing practical solutions to saving for retirement.

Determine How Much Is Needed to Finance Your RetirementWhile there are no guarantees on how long you will live. Your health status and the lifestyle that you will actually live during retirement can be used to make reasonable assumptions about how much you will need to finance your retirement years. Ideally, you should work with a financial advisor who is able to prepare a comprehensive analysis, which takes into consideration factors such as:

These and other factors that affect the financial aspect of your planned retirement will help determine how much you will need to save.

Determine How Much You Can SaveIdeally, you want to save the amount needed to ensure that you meet your retirement savings goal. However, from a practical perspective, the amount that you can afford to add to your retirement nest egg should be limited to what you can afford.

For example Assume that you are 30 years old, you plan to retire at age 65 and your financial advisor projects that you will need $1 million, in addition to what you have already saved, to finance your retirement. Assuming a rate of return of 4% and an inflation rate of 3.1%, you will need to save about $1,100 per month in order to reach your goal.

However, the question becomes whether you can afford to save $1,100 per month. If you find that saving $1,100 per month causes financial challenges, including causing you to increase your amount of debt, it may be practical to reduce your savings amount and/or revise your retirement goals and objectives.

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Retirement Planning Tips For Women

Between inflation and consistently pitiful yields, retirement planning has become a Herculean task. Investment is tough when working with low returns. But there's a bigger problem on the horizon -- a large majority of baby boomers on the cusp of retirement won't have enough assets to last them for the duration.

In order to get a better understanding of retirement planning in a weak economy, we asked John Moore, associate professor of finance and economics at Walsh College, to provide us with some insight. As a frequent radio and television guest, he has served as an expert on Detroit Public Television as well as at the Economic and Business Historical Society annual conference.

Has the current economic situation changed retirement planning for baby boomers?

I believe the answer is yes. Returns from equities over the past dozen years have been disappointing by historical standards. Unfortunately, the near-term future of capital markets remains unclear due to the slow growth of the American economy and uncertainties in Europe.

The consequence is that many boomers are underfunded for their retirement. Many of them will need to work longer in order to accumulate the funds necessary to retire in comfort. An alternative will be to scale back lifestyle choices during the retirement years. The reality is that the average boomer will likely live their retirement years more comfortably than their grandparents, but perhaps not as well as their parents.

For retirees already on a fixed income, what effects has the recession caused?

The problem for fixed-income retirees is that the cost of "ordinary goods," such as groceries, gas and utilities, is currently increasing at a faster rate than the official (Consumer Price Index). This can seriously damage the real purchasing power that retirees have at their disposal. Although we are by no means in the same situation yet, the last time that retiree purchasing power was badly damaged was in the 1970s, when high inflation hurt retirees and the poor harder than any other segment of society.

How can an individual plan for retirement and determine the total amount he or she needs once retired?

Each individual's plan is unique. It depends on when they want to retire, what sort of lifestyle they want to live during retirement, the amount of savings they accumulate, and their investment styles. Everyone serious about retirement should work with some sort of qualified financial adviser to answer those questions.

In light of the currently volatile financial world, individuals should be prepared to save more and assemble a well-diversified portfolio in order to ensure they reach their investment goals. Although this may seem counterintuitive right now, a well-constructed portfolio should include some real assets such as real estate.

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Should Baby Boomers Say 'Bye' to Retirement?

BOSTON (MarketWatch)Retirement security doesnt seem to be an issue that the candidates running for president want to discuss. But they should, according to growing number of executives in the financial services industry.

In fact, executives and others are demanding that President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate, lay out their respective positions on various retirement security issues, such as Social Security, automatic IRAs and the like.

Earlier this month, for instance, Robert Reynolds, the chief executive officer of Putnam Investments, asked in no uncertain terms that Obama and Romney endorse the tax incentives now in place for retirement saving programs such as the 401(k) and start debating how to make Social Security solvent.

In short, Reynolds called on the candidates from both political parties to recognize retirement security as not only a vital national challenge, but a key element in solving our nations debt and deficit crisis over the long term. If we solve the retirement challenge it would have a huge benefit for all Americans, Reynolds said in an interview. If someones future is secure, it allows them to do so much more with their lives.

Weeks later, were still waiting.

Obama and Romney have not responded to Reynolds call. So, we set out to learn what each of the candidates positions are on some of the major retirement security issues, and to echo Reynolds plea for action as well.

Social Security

When it comes to making Social Security solvent, a spokesperson for Romney referred us to the campaigns website. And heres what Romney wants to do to fix Social Security:

First, for future generations of seniors, the retirement age should be slowly increased to account for increases in longevity. And two, for future generations of seniors, benefits should continue to grow but that the growth rate should be lower for those with higher incomes.

With just those two simple steps, and no change in benefits for those at or near retirement, America can guarantee the preservation of the Social Security system for the foreseeable future, according to Romneys website.

Originally posted here:
Why Obama, Romney Threaten Your Retirement

Former Major League player David Segui testified in Washington on Thursday that Roger Clemens' personal trainer told him he had saved needles he said he had used to inject Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, Reuters reported. Segui was testifying on behalf of the prosecution in Clemens' perjury trial, and he said Brian McNamee, Clemens trainer, told him in a telephone conversation in 2001 that McNamee had saved the needles as evidence to satisfy his wife, who was leery of McNamee's relationship with Clemens. "He mentioned that the relationship between Brian and Roger had put stress on (his) married life," Segui said, according to Reuters. "He said she had raised the idea of keeping evidence ... he mentioned that he kept darts (needles) to get his wife off his back." Segui has admitted he used steroids obtained from Kirk Radomski, who had testified earlier that he mailed human growth hormone to Clemens' home. Testimony from Segui is an attempt to boost the credibility of McNamee, who is being painted as a liar by defense attorneys. Clemens, 49, is being tried on federal charges that he lied in 2008 to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform when he said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs. Also Thursday, FBI forensics expert Pamela Reynolds testified she had found evidence of steroids on medical waste from the 2001 injection McNamee had turned over to authorities.

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Segui testifies McNamee said he kept needles as evidence

May 25, 2012 - 18:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - In New York, where audiences are treated to regular performances by star musicians, there is excellent music-making in abundance. Yet for all the virtuoso playing - however enjoyable it may be - it is still rare to hear an artist communicate with the level of searing intensity that Sergey Khachatryan achieved in his sublime interpretation of Bachs Partita for Solo Violin No. 2 at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, May 23 evening, Vivien Schweitzer says in a music review on the New York Times.

A performance of a Bach partita or sonata for unaccompanied violin also presents a rare opportunity to see a violinist completely alone onstage, in this case without even a piano or music stand in the background, Ms. Schweitzer says.

Khachatryan has recently recorded the sonatas and partitas; the cover of the disc features him shrouded in darkness, eyes raised piously and hands pressed together above his instrument. This was certainly a deeply spiritual performance, personal and soaringly expressive. As soon as Khachatryan began the opening Allemande, you could sense how intently the audience began listening, as he achieved the all-too-uncommon feat of seducing a rustling, coughing crowd into silence.

The concluding Chaconne - the approximately 15-minute movement that consists of a series of 64 variations on a stately four-bar, triple-meter dance theme - has entranced listeners for centuries.

Ms. Schweitzer reminds that in a letter to Clara Schumann, Brahms wrote: On one staff, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind.

There were moments of plaintive beauty when Mr. Khachatryan played the monumental Chaconne, and equally heart-wrenching moments during the Sarabande. His sweet-toned approach is not the Baroque purists aesthetic, but not a note or phrase seemed ill advised, she says.

The performance after intermission proved equally intense. Khachatryan was joined by his sister Lusine Khachatryan, a gifted pianist, for an exciting rendition of Beethovens Kreutzer Sonata, whose tumultuous dialogue and seething drama inspired Tolstoys novella of the same name. Such a sense of danger pervaded this fiery interpretation that you could easily imagine the jealous husband of Tolstoys story reacting in fury after hearing his wife performing this passionate music with another man. The drama continued with the encore, the soulful, turbulent Introduction and for violin and piano (1957) by the Armenian composer Edvard Mirzoyan.

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NYT about Sergey Khachatryan: personal and soaringly expressive