WILSON, N.C., May 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kurtz Chiropractic Center in Wilson, NC is encouraging personal injury patients to incorporate massage therapy into their rehabilitation and chiropractic care treatment programs. According to the practice, massage treatments promote internal healing while relieving stress and muscle stiffness. The practice routinely recommends massage treatments as a natural complement to spinal adjustments, corrective exercise and other therapeutic treatments.

Wilson chiropractor Dr. Colin Kurtz announced that his practice has had significant success incorporating therapeutic massage therapy into rehabilitation programs for injury victims. Dr. Kurtz strongly recommends massage treatments for natural pain relief and internal healing.

"We are excited to offer massage treatments as a natural complement to traditional spinal adjustments and rehab treatments," said Dr. Kurtz. "Our comprehensive services are designed to provide immediate, effective back pain relief while helping the body heal. Massage does both: promoting internal healing while relieving pain."

According to Dr. Kurtz, therapeutic massage causes physiological changes in the body. During a massage treatment, a patient's heart rate and breathing rate decrease, promoting deep relaxation and stillness. At the same time, levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease while the level of endorphins, a natural pain reliever, increases.

"Many of our patients struggle with daily work stress, which can negatively impact the healing process," said Dr. Kurtz. "Our patients feel calm and centered after a treatment, as daily stress melts away. At the same time, the physical act of massaging sore or stiff muscles helps to ease back pain and release tension, restoring flexibility and movement to the body."

Dr. Kurtz says that many patients feel sore or stiff after sustaining a personal injury. The body naturally compensates for an injury by shifting weight bearing activities to other body parts. This can lead to additional injuries while also causing the injured muscles to become sore or stiff from disuse.

"Many people mistakenly believe that the best way to help the body heal after an injury is to immobilize the injured body part," said Dr. Kurtz. "While strained or sprained muscles do need time to recover, excess immobilization can actually do more harm and good. The act of massaging the muscles promotes blood flow, which is essential if a body part is injured and cannot handle daily weight-bearing activities."

The wellness center provides several types of massage, including trigger point massage, myofascial release, and deep tissue sports massage. Dr. Kurtz can recommend specific treatments for each patient's unique wellness needs, such as pain management for back pain or headaches.

Dr. Kurtz has nearly two decades of experience providing chiropractic treatments for personal injury patients. His practice, Kurtz Chiropractic Center, incorporates spinal adjustments, including the Palmer Technique and Activator Technique, with massage, corrective care exercises, acupuncture and Reiki. The practice serves the Stantonsburg, Bailey, Elm City, Middlesex, Black Creek, Kenly, Lucama, Pinetops, and Rocky Mount communities.

Prospective patients may learn more about therapeutic massage and injury treatments by visiting the practice's website, http://www.kurtzchiro.net.

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Massage Therapy Helps Wilson Patients Heal After Personal Injuries

LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Jackson Browne and Lizz Wright will perform a benefit concert at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles for Success Through The Arts Foundation and the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 27th through Ticketmaster. Premium benefit seating is available through http://www.sttaf.org.

Generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter will be presented the Dream Believe Achieve award at the benefit concert. Students from both Success Through The Arts and the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center will also perform.

Success Through The Arts Foundation provides a performing arts education to over 800 students in South Los Angeles through their After-School, Saturday, and Summer programs. They utilize performing arts such as band, dance, and theater as a catalyst to propel students forward and enable them to lead rich, productive lives. In an area where the graduation rate is well below 40%, 100% of the seniors who have participated in Success Through The Arts programs are graduating and attending college.

The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center provides superior arts instruction to under-served students in the heart of Leimert Park in South Los Angeles under the direction of Fernando Pullum. In an area where the surrounding schools offer little or no performing arts programs, the Center provides free, high quality after-school arts instruction in guitar, piano, drama, film, and recording. "Fernando's passion coupled with his incredible arts curriculum gives these kids a sense of self-esteem and invaluable personal growth. Arts education should be a part of every child's school experience. It's a well-documented fact that studying music aids in the development of all kinds of cognitive skills. Fernando's programs connect the students to the broader spectrum of their lives' possibilities, and that's what makes his work so vital," says Jackson Browne.

For tickets and information visit: http://www.sttaf.org

About the performers:

Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He was honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007.

Beyond his music, Browne is known for his advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights, and arts education. He's a co-founder of the groups Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), Nukefree.org, and Success Through The Arts Foundation, which provides education opportunities for students in South Los Angeles.

Lizz Wright

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Jackson Browne & Lizz Wright to Perform a Benefit Concert For Success Through The Arts Foundation And The Fernando ...

Published 22 May 2012 13:00

The 10k season is into full swing with Greenock Glenpark Harriers competing at Troon, Glasgow, Helensburgh and London.

For the ever-growing women's section, who have been well represented in all the races, even outnumbering the men at Helensburgh, it has been a tremendous start to the year.

They have been producing numerous personal bests in every race, just reward for the hard work being put in at training.

The first of the races was along the seafront at Troon, where seven women took part among 1,000 competitors.

Danny McLaughlin was top for the club in 26th place, and in a strong show from the women. Terry Wall finished 16th lady, Gillian Forrest well and truly back from injury improving her best by over a minute in 36th, and Fiona Cushnaghan 42nd.

Next up was the women's 10k race where 8,000 runners pounded their way around the streets of Glasgow.

There were great improvements all round, the biggest from Jane MacLean and Viki Wilkinson as the pair went 13 and 10 minutes quicker than last year as well as a personal best of over five minutes for Jacqueline O'Donoghue.

Also going quicker were Fiona Taylor, Emma O'Rourke, Grace Harrison and Liz McAuslan. Lorna Coyle and Terry Wall were the leading ladies as the veteran runners crossed the line together in 45 minutes.

The latest race was the first of the four-race Polaroid 10k series which kicked off at a rain-drenched Helensburgh, with another large turnout from Greenock of 10 women and nine men among the 1,000 runners.

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Harriers in 10k races success

BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire -05/22/12)- Pursuing a franchise concept can be attractive for a variety of reasons: proven business model, layers of support and resources in place to achieve success. Entrepreneurs were once after a consistent formula -- the cookie cutter franchise. However, today's franchisees want the satisfaction of integrating their personal opinion or style into the development and future of their business.

Flexibility in franchising isn't new, says Sue Hilger, vice president of franchise development for Kiddie Academy, an educational child care franchise organization. "Flexibility used to mean the opportunity to own a business and have a better work-life balance. That idea still exists, but now, the concept has expanded to mean that a franchisor is flexible in the structure of the business."

According to Hilger, this flexibility could mean anything from input on the layout of a building to what vendors to use for marketing implementation. And sometimes a franchisor's flexibility over a competitor is the decision maker.

Look for flexibility in the following areas:

- Real Estate: Can they adapt to a variety of buildings, including free-standing, two-story, office and retail to meet the demand of your core customers? The franchisor may offer the franchisee the flexibility to lease or purchase the real estate for their business. In this industry, flexibility with real estate can go a long way to helping the franchisee enjoy financial success. - Multi-unit Franchising: Some franchisors limit to just one location, but look for a franchisor that is flexible with multi-units and fees associated with multiple locations. - Hours: Most companies require franchisees to spend a certain amount of time in their business, but look for a franchisor that encourages their franchisees to determine what schedule best suits their lifestyle and business. - Background Requirements: Franchisees come from all walks of life with different expertise. Some franchisors, such as Kiddie Academy, don't require franchisees to have a background in any specific area -- education, child care, business, finance, etc. The drive to be an entrepreneur and an active member of the community are sure keys to prosperity. - Training: Support visits, staff trainings, and annual reviews can be coordinated with the franchisee's schedule. These are conducted with the goal of ensuring that your start-up becomes an efficient and profitable business.

"When looking into a franchise opportunity, determine how much input you want to have on the development and find out how flexible the franchisor is to implementing your suggestions," Hilger suggests.

For more information on franchising with Kiddie Academy or exploring how they are flexible, please visit http://www.kiddieacademyfranchising.com.

About Kiddie Academy For more than 30 years, Kiddie Academy has been a leader in education-based child care. The company serves families and their children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old, offering full time care, before- and after-school care and summer camp programs. Kiddie Academy's proprietary Life Essentials curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities and techniques help prepare children for school and for life. Kiddie Academy is using the globally recognized AdvancED accreditation system, signifying its commitment to quality education and the highest standards in child care. Kiddie Academy is an official partner of the nonprofit organization, First Book, and is dedicated to supporting children's literacy. For more information, visit http://www.kiddieacademy.com.

About Kiddie Academy FranchisingKiddie Academy Domestic Franchising is based in Maryland and has over 100 academies located in 24 states, including two company-owned locations. Approximately 70 additional academies are in development, with 15 to 20 new locations slated to open each year. For more information, visit http://www.kiddieacademyfranchising.com.

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New Trend in Franchising -- Flexibility, According to Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising

By Meena Krishnamsetty - May 21, 2012 | Tickers: JEF, MCY, SHLD, WFC | 0 Comments

Meena is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Bruce Berkowitz, who runs Fairholme, initiated a position in Mercury General(NYSE: MCY) and added to his holdings in Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), Jefferies (NYSE: JEF), and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC). Below we examine his picks.

Mercury General: MCY writes risk classifications for automobile insurance. We view MCY as a turnaround story given a tough last few years. In December 2011, the company implemented a change in its personal auto rating plan in California (its biggest market) and changed its business mix, resulting in a 16% y-o-y bump in new California personal auto business, which reflects better pricing and cost trends in the CA personal auto market. That type of growth number is not bad at all.

Further good news came from the cost side of the business. If MCY is able to continue to tightly control expenses, the combined ratio should improve and yield more profitable underwriting results. MCYs expense ratio improved 26.8% y-o-y, and management has noted that it expects a long-term 27% expense ratio. Effective expense management and thecompany's ~5.4% dividend yield are bright spots, but we remain wary of a decline in future rate increases and continued adverse reserve development (last quarter was MCY's seventh straight quarter of adversedevelopment). In our opinion the risk-reward skew is in the investors favor, but only slightly so.

Sears: SHLD is a troubling stock, namely because you need to factor in all of the corporate restructuring activities led by Eddie Lampert. Ostensibly, quarterly earnings indicated impressive improvements, but dig a little deeper and youll note that the performance was driven by favorable weather and store closings. The weather helped the apparel and home improvement sales, though non-apparel comps were still negative, and margins were up due to store clearouts, which we point out is non-recurring. Since we identify these two items as the main source of the quarters outperformance, we think that sustaining this will be a challenge moving forward.

That being said, we think that when looking at SHLD the focus should be on cash flow and asset value as opposed to quarter to quarter operating performance. The company is selling assetsSHLDs partial Canada spinoff occurred last quarter and a liquidity event for the Lands End brand seems on the horizon. However, in spite of these sales/spinoffs, we believe that cash flow will stay negative in the next couple of years. The question for investors is whether or not they believe that the fundamental asset values (i.e., liquidation value) warrants a higher stock price. We are not of that opinion.

Jefferies: JEF has been aggressively expanding the company. Last quarter, JEF acquired Hoare Govett, the U.K. corporate brokerage house, and bulked up its Bache platform. Management has its eyes on Europe for near-term expansion opportunities as new regulatory schemes in the US (e.g., Dodd-Frank) have propelled banks to turn their efforts toward home markets.

JEF has made significant strides in gaining market share in new product groups. Fixed income trading saw a nice rebound with increased customer order flow and favorable spreads. Importantly, leverage has been managed effectively, down from 9.9x in FY 2011 to 9.5x. We note that JEFs average total assets were 22% higher q-o-q; we think that it is reasonable to assume that management will continue to be aggressive in acquiring companies. At 13.5x forward earnings, JEF already trades at a premium to bulge bracket competitors like Goldman Sachs (consensus estimates of 9.5x) and Morgan Stanley (consensus estimates of 8.6x). Therefore, we think upside potential is limited.

Wells Fargo: We took away many positives from the quarterly results. For one, WFC is in a position to make strategic asset acquisitions. It acquired between $5 to $6 billion in loans in Q1 and the latter half of last year. WFC boats high liquidity and a strong balance sheet (credit metrics include an improving FICO score mix and the loan to value (LTV) mix), leaving it with what we think is ample capacity to buy more loans.

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I am not a very old-school Rubyist. My involvement dates from 2005 when I, along with many of my Extreme Programming (XP) colleagues, joined the Great Rails Bandwagon. It is telling that so many of the people who became involved around that time were from the Agile/XP community. We were sick of the mountains of glue code and XML configuration that stood in the way of us getting things done in Enterprise Java.

Those were heady days. The Metaprogrammability dynamic typing, and introduction of patterns such as Convention Over Configuration that was provided by the combination of Ruby and Rails gave us speedy, concise code. The test-driven discipline that was built into the language, framework, and the community gave us disciplined and verified code. Behaviour Driven Development, which had been struggling to survive in Java (JBehave anyone?) emerged and thrived in Ruby: Rspec was an early hit followed by Cucumber. To this day, the best Ruby Shops are also Agile/XP shops, while the others aspire to be so.

Fast forward to 2012 and the revolution is over. Ruby development has grown up and entered the mainstream, or at least the mainstream has shifted. While penetration of traditional enterprises such as banks is not great, Ruby startups such as LivingSocial and Groupon have grown into large corporations. The key moment that showed that Ruby had become mainstream was when Salesforce.com acquired Heroku in December 2010, and the message was reinforced the following July, when Ruby's designer, Matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) was hired as Heroku's chief architect, Ruby.

Anecdotally, Rails has become the de-facto web technology for web startups. This growing success has not changed the community a great deal: it is still one that cares about craftsmanship, loves trying different languages such as Clojure and Erlang, and is grass-roots driven with a wide number of regional conferences.

Most Ruby development these days is still Rails, but we are entering an era of Rails backlash. The simple opinionated Model View Controller architecture that was so attractive in 2005, is now criticised for its lack of a layered architecture with proper separation of concerns. Yehuda Katz, the driving force behind Rails 3, quipped on Twitter:

My hope and belief is that the Ruby on Rails community is mature and reflective enough to introduce just the right amount of architecture back into web development, without reinventing Enterprise Java Beans. The signs for this are good with the upcoming Hexagonal Rails talk at the Scottish Ruby Conference; Avdi Grimm's Objects on Rails and Steven Baker's Solid Rails.

While most Ruby programmers do the bulk of their work on Rails, it's important to remember that Rails is just a web framework. The language ecosystem has changed a lot too, in the last seven years. In 2005 there was effectively only one Ruby interpreter Matz's C-based implementation. In 2012 we have a wide choice:

Seventeen years since its first appearance, and eight years from the Rails revolution, the Ruby community is still an exciting place to be. With all the current activity, and innovations coming to fruition, I don't see that changing any time soon.

Originally posted here:
The future of Ruby

The public pension system has to be transformed into a structure based on the principle of accumulation in personal accounts, the money collected set to be used as a state development fund, on efficiency principles, not for covering black holes, Labor Minister Mariana Campeanu stated, Mediafax informs. Attending an insurance conference in Sinaia yesterday, she stated that the money accumulated in the participants accounts will be used as a state development fund. Campeanu pointed out that the private management of the process of contributions started well and has good results. Moreover, Cornelia Coman, President of the Association for Privately Managed Pensions in Romania (APAPR), stated yesterday that the development potential of the optional pensions market (Pillar III) is very high, approximately 3.5 million persons having the necessary funds to pay contributions to this system. At the end of April, the net assets of the 11 funds present on the optional pensions market totalled RON 495 M, while the number of participants reached 271,441, the Private Pension System Supervisory Commission (CSSPP) shows. Nine funds are present on the compulsory private pensions market (Pillar II), having 5.63 million participants and net assets of RON 7.5 bln.

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ss7vvg/analysis_of_the_pe) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "Analysis of the Personal Care Packaging Market: A positive scenario for a growing industry" to their offering.

This study analyzes the plastic, glass, and aluminum packaging segments of the personal care market in Argentina from base year 2011 to the end of the forecast period (2018). The market is growing along with demand for certain products. Factors stimulating growth include: stable economic conditions, growth in the gross domestic product rate, and government subsidies. However, some restraints include rising prices for raw materials, such as oil, and greater bargaining power for buyers.

Executive Summary Sample:

Some of the PC packaging market drivers are:

- A high level of consumer spending

- A high level of new product introduction

- A high exchange rate, which stimulates local production

Some of the PC packaging market's main restraints are:

- Rising costs for raw materials and energy

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Research and Markets: Analysis of the Personal Care Packaging Market: a Positive Scenario for a Growing Industry

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Synergy Systems recently contracted RealTime Marketing Group to design a website that offers better representation of their brand. Synergy Systems Delray Beach is a state-of-the art, private personal training studio that features medical grade MedX equipment. Synergy Systems incorporates VO2 metabolic testing and evaluation with a scientific approach to weight loss and athletic development that are individually developed and customized for each client's success.

The new website features information on the facility and equipment, as well as the ability to schedule a training session online. CEO of RealTime, Terra Spero, commented, "Synergy Systems uses advanced training methods to achieve the maximum results for their clients in the least amount of time. This is not your ordinary personal trainer, and they now have a digital presence that portrays that."

For more information on Synergy Systems Delray, visit their website at http://www.synergysystemsdelray.com/

To see what RealTime Marketing Group can do for your online presence visit http://realtimemg.com/

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Delray Beach Personal Training Studio Rebrands Digital Presence

SALT LAKE CITY, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (USNA), a global nutritional supplement company, today announced the promotion of Dr. John Cuomo to executive director of global research and development and Dr. Brian Dixon to executive director of new product and technological innovation. Additionally, Dr. Nancy Steely, a licensed naturopathic physician, Mark Levy, a Ph.D. in human nutrition, and John Bosse, a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and adjunct professor at the University of Utah, have joined USANA's growing staff of scientific experts.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110110/LA27593LOGO)

Dr. Cuomo will be heavily involved in the building of a USANA research and development laboratory in Singapore, and he will continue to work on the company's expansion into China. He holds more than 20 U.S. and European patents, is the author of numerous scientific papers, and brings decades of expertise to USANA's research and development team in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry, manufacturing, and analytical methods.

"Science is the foundation of our business, and as USANA continues to grow, we are expanding our scientific team to meet increasing demand for new products and research," says Dr. Cuomo. "Health and wellness is a $600-billion-dollar global industry that continues to trend toward prevention, and we are prepared for continued growth."

Dr. Dixon will be taking on additional responsibilities in new product development, clinical research, and technology innovation. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, where his research focused on the underlying biochemical and cellular mechanisms of aging.

"USANA is unlike other nutritional companies," says Dr. Dixon. "Few supplement companies make the kind of investment we do in scientific research, strategic partnerships, product development and technological innovation."

Licensed naturopathic physician, Dr. Nancy Steely, is a graduate of the world-renowned Bastyr University, and has been a holistic health care practitioner since 2000. She has joined USANA as a senior scientist who will be involved in all aspects of product development with a focus on formulations.

Dr. Mark Levy, a Ph.D. in human nutrition from Ohio State University, also holds a master's degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Guelph, and a bachelor's degree in food science and biology from Acadia University. Dr. Levy's role as a senior scientist is primarily to research, test, and innovate nutritional compounds for their efficacy in promoting long-term human health.

John Bosse is a registered dietitian and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer who specializes in sports nutrition. Bosse received his Master's Degree in Sports Dietetics from the University of Utah and a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from Colby-Sawyer College. He has taken on the role as senior scientist for product innovation and is involved in research and development of new products and technologies to help USANA stay at the forefront of the nutritional industry.

"The specialties of our new research and development staff are so diverse that we are certain they will bring new innovations and insights to our company as we surpass our 20 years in business," said Kevin Guest, USANA's president of the Americas and Europe.

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USANA Health Sciences Expands Award-Winning Research and Development Team