Archive for the ‘Personal Performance’ Category
London 2012 Olympics: Soft UK law will allow athletes to import anabolic steroids if they are for 'personal use'
Posted: March 30, 2012 at 1:29 pm
We are making a clear pitch for tougher sentences and urging the need for a universal sentencing policy, said Hugh Robertson, the Olympics minister. We would like to see at least four years, if not rather longer than that.
The ministers view supports that of the British Olympic Association but is at odds with that of UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson, who has personally advocated a softening of some sanctions.
Robertson said: That difference of opinion happens in sport. It is not helpful just before the London 2012 Olympics but I am not asking him to resign.
The ministers spokesman said that athletes arriving for the London Olympics would be able to bring into the country a quantity of steroids as long as it was for their personal use.
It is not a criminal offence for personal consumption for athletes in this country, but they will be dealt with under anti-doping law if they get caught with the drugs in their system, the spokesman said.
UKAD also confirmed that it would expect border control officers to tip them off so that targeted drugs testing could be carried out.
UK Anti-Doping has a two-way exchange of information with the border agency to ensure that information about athletes and support personnel can be used to identify trends and patterns and build up anti-doping rule violations, UKAD head of intelligence Gabriella Re said.
The International Olympic Committee says it will conduct 5,000 drug tests, of which 1,000 will be blood tests, throughout the London Olympics.
Road cyclist David Millar, 35, has confirmed he will not compete at London even if Wadas appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the BOA life ban for drug cheats is successful.
Millar broke his collarbone last week but said the ongoing controversy of his EPO drugs record had taken away the joy of possibly competing at the Games.
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London 2012 Olympics: Soft UK law will allow athletes to import anabolic steroids if they are for 'personal use'
Personal best goals may help close achievement gaps for at-risk students
Posted: at 1:29 pm
Personal-best (PB) goals for at-risk children such as those with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) may be one way of closing the achievement gap in schools, according to new research by Professor Andrew Martin from the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney.
The study, involving more than 3400 Australian high school students, showed the positive role of PB goals in ADHD students' achievement, homework completion, planning, and persistence. It also found PB goals were associated with lower levels of academic disengagement.
"In fact, not only did PB goals benefit ADHD students in achievement and engagement, but in many cases the benefits of PB goals were greater for them than for non-ADHD students," Professor Martin said.
"This is a significant finding because if the benefits of PB goals is greater for at-risk students, then PB goals may be one way to help close achievement gaps."
PB goal-setting involves focusing on your own progress and your own achievements more than focusing on the progress and achievement of other students. It also involves trying to do a bit more or a bit better than your previous efforts each time you tackle important schoolwork.
Professor Martin's paper, published in the recent issue of the international journal Contemporary Educational Psychology, is the first empirical study on PB goal setting to include children with ADHD. Whereas previous research had demonstrated its benefits for general student populations, this study showed that its benefits powerfully extended to at-risk students such as those with ADHD.
In the competitive context of today's classroom, students who struggle academically may be at particular risk of giving up due to difficulties competing as effectively as other students. This can be very demoralising. On the other hand, when students compete against their own prior efforts, success becomes personally defined - and accessible.
According to Professor Martin, "In early days, it may not be realistic for kids with ADHD and other academically at-risk groups to focus too much on outperforming others. However, if they pursue PB goals, and aim to beat their prior performance, this is a solid footing for academic growth."
"In fact, the many cases where PB goals had stronger positive effects for the students with ADHD, suggest PB goals be used as part of a broad intervention approach to help ADHD students catch up and potentially move ahead," Professor Martin said.
More generally for all students, the study further confirmed the importance of recognising individual academic growth alongside the comparative feedback that students usually receive.
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Personal best goals may help close achievement gaps for at-risk students
Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work
Posted: at 1:29 pm
As a socially inept teenager, Olivia Fox Cabane realized that she had two choices. Either confine myself to a desert island, or learn how to make this human thing work, she says. Cabane opted for the latter. Good thing. By age 24, the French-born author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, published on March 29, had addressed the United Nations. The following year she was lecturing at Harvard and MIT, a precursor to her career as an executive coach and keynote speaker. A self-professed science nerd, Cabane came up with the idea for a book on charisma after realizing there was no single resource to help individuals cultivate it. We spoke with Cabane about why charisma is so critical to business and how Jedi mind tricks (not the hip-hop group) can help get you there.
FAST COMPANY: So what is the myth of charisma and where did it come from?
OLIVIA FOX CABANE: It came from the Greeks, who coined the word as gift of grace. They believed it was a divine gift. The myth is that charisma is not innate. What scientists have actually discovered--like many other myths they busted this one--is its actually a social skill, which like many others is learned. But this happens so early in life that by the time these charismatics get to adulthood, it all seems to be natural. And yet if, for example, you analyze the progression of Steve Jobs from 1984 to 2011 youll see he painstakingly learned it step by step.
So where did we get the idea that one needs to be outgoing and gregarious to be charismatic?
A few things. First, people dont realize that charisma is not monolithic. Theres no one form of charisma that is good or bad per se. Theres only the right form of charisma for the particular situation. Our Western culture glamorizes extroversion, and so the 50% of the population who are introverts feel defective and uncool. But you know what? Introversion is actually an asset for several forms of charisma.
For example?
For focus charisma, which creates a cocoon around people and gets them to share everything, introversion is actually a key, critical component because you need to completely focus your attention on a person and listen attentively.
What about the three other styles of charisma?
Theres authority charisma, which is the most powerful form of charisma. Its the one that will get people to listen and obey. However, authority charisma has several downsides, as do the others. With this one, though, it inhibits critical feedback and is a killer for brainstorming. Its not one Id recommend bringing into a company or to a team if you want them to be creative.
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Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work
Instant View: February personal spending posts largest gain in 7 months
Posted: at 1:29 pm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer spending in February increased by the most in seven months even as income rose modestly, which could prompt analysts to scale back expectations of a sharp pull back in economic growth this quarter.
COMMENTS:
BORIS SCHLOSSBERG, DIRECTOR OF FX RESEARCH, GFT, JERSEY CITY
"Personal spending was more robust than expected and that's very encouraging. The increase in spending ties in with better employment data. This data is positive for risk overall, with the euro, pound, and Australian dollar responding more."
WAYNE KAUFMAN, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST AT JOHN THOMAS FINANCIAL IN NEW YORK
"Personal spending was a little better than expected, which is good, but personal income was a little light. So long as the consumer is spending, that's the biggie everyone is watching as they drive the economy. The economy is on a decent trajectory, but maybe not as strong as some would like."
VIMOMBI NSHOM, ECONOMIST, IFR ECONOMICS, A UNIT OF THOMSON REUTERS
"Spending shot up by 0.8% in February, flying past income's growth of 0.2% and consensus. Market analysts understood that the general trend of spending growth outpacing income gains that took shape last year, but did not expect such an exaggerated difference as market forecasts averaged income to rise 0.4% with spending up 0.3%. February's numbers extend on January's performance where revisions show income rose 0.2% (had been 0.3%) and spending rose 0.4% (0.2%). Both the headline and the real figures (which show disposable income falling while spending rose by the largest amount since September) add concern over the extent to which the recent optimistic economic activity reported can continue without the basic building blocks to expand an economy -- income to support spending -- forming."
MARKET REACTION
STOCKS: U.S. stock index futures hold onto earlier gains.
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Instant View: February personal spending posts largest gain in 7 months
Elise Testone – "Whole Lotta Love" (BEST PERFORMANCE?) – American Idol Top 9 SHOW REVIEW! – Video
Posted: March 29, 2012 at 10:16 am
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Elise Testone - "Whole Lotta Love" (BEST PERFORMANCE?) - American Idol Top 9 SHOW REVIEW! - Video
Idaho Personal Income Increases In 2011
Posted: at 10:16 am
POSTED: 2:16 pm MDT March 28, 2012 UPDATED: 2:19 pm MDT March 28, 2012 BOISE, Idaho -- Idahos personal income grew faster than the nations in 2011, said the Idaho Department of Labor on Wednesday.Despite a comparatively sluggish fourth quarter, personal income in the Gem State jumped more than $2.7 billion to a record $52.8 billion.The 5.4 percent increase from 2010 was three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the personal income increase nationally and ranked 11th among the states, according to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.Personal income is the value of all wages, business profits, investment earnings and transfer payments like Social Security, unemployment benefits and pensions.The increase was driven by significant growth in net earnings, primarily in business profits, said the Labor Department. Wages, including employer contributions to pensions and Social Security, rose 2.5 percent, and business profits were up 15 percent. Idahos percentage wage increase ranked 46th among the states only Mississippi, Maine, Alabama and New Mexico were lower while the rise in business profits ranked third behind Iowa and Nebraska.Nearly every sector of the Idaho economy posted income increases, led by farming at more than 41 percent. The exceptions were construction, which continued the decline since its peak in 2007, recreation and the federal government.Idahos 2011 growth beyond the national average was built on performance during first three quarters of the year, although over half the annual gain in wages occurred during the last three months of the year. Overall, personal income, on an annualized basis, rose seven-tenths of a percent in the October-December quarter, two-tenths of a point below the national increase to rank midway among the states. View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by
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Idaho Personal Income Increases In 2011
Urbanspoon Revamps App to Go Beyond the Shake; Users Can Discover Restaurants Based On Personal Filters, Expert Content
Posted: March 28, 2012 at 1:48 pm
SEATTLE, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Urbanspoon, the leading mobile restaurant discovery application and reservation management system, today announced its newly designed iPhone app -- featuring a brand new user interface and filters that enable diners to discover great restaurants based on the elements most important to them, including awards recognition from the James Beard Foundation and content from both Eater and the Village Voice.
The new app provides a more comprehensive view of the restaurant experience based on likes, expert content, and visual elements, with an emphasis on user photos. Together, these inputs help Urbanspoon users get an immediate snapshot and find the right restaurant for their preferences, at the right time. Diners can now also filter restaurants by James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award winners and nominees, the essential 38 Restaurants in major cities as selected by Eater ("Eater 38"), and Critics' Top Picks from the Village Voice.
"People are faced with restaurant review overload, so our goal is to give users a quick expert snapshot allowing them to find the right place, based on both their history and what's trending nearby," said Kara Nortman, SVP of Consumer Businesses, CityGrid Media. "Combining valuable content from industry leaders like the James Beard Foundation, with our own food blogger reviews and diner feedback, gives Urbanspoon users a richer understanding of a restaurant's food or experience in just a few taps."
New features include:
The Urbanspoon app for iPhone can be downloaded for free in the iTunes store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/urbanspoon/id284708449
About Urbanspoon
Urbanspoon is a leading online local restaurant guide, aggregating restaurant content from across the Web including newspapers, professional food critics, bloggers and diners. Urbanspoon allows diners to make restaurant reservations through its online booking service, both on the Web and mobile. In addition, Urbanspoon offers restaurants Urbanspoon Rezbook - a complete reservation and table management system built to run on the Apple iPad. Urbanspoon is a subsidiary of CityGrid Media, LLC (www.citygridmedia.com), an IAC (NASDAQ: IACI - News) operating company, and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America's diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by offering a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain and foster a deeper understanding of our culinary culture. These programs include educational initiatives, food industry awards, an annual national food conference, Leadership Awards program, culinary scholarships, and publications. In addition to maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs, the Foundation has created a robust online community and hosts tastings, lectures, workshops, and food-related art exhibits in New York City and around the country. For more information, please visit http://www.jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation's blog Delights & Prejudices. Join the James Beard Foundation onFacebook. Follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter.
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Madonna's Manic, Personal 'MDNA'
Posted: March 27, 2012 at 7:55 pm
It's a surprisingly honest, if musically uneven, album from the Queen of Pop.
AP Images
Well, then. So much for the "World Peace" message she left us with at the end of her Super-Bowl halftime performance this year. Then again, it was never the right message for Madonna, pop music's most excellent conflict-causer for three decades now. When she reemerged into the spotlight at the beginning of 2012, she was in full provocateur mode, sniffing that Lady Gaga's music was a mere "reductive" knockoff of her own material, tossing antifeminist insults at Ricky Gervais during the Golden Globes, and releasing a track list replete with click bait titles like "Girl Gone Wild" and, well, "Gang Bang." She was reminding people not only that she was back, not only of her staggering rap sheet of hits, and not only that she started this whole game that Gaga, Rihanna, Perry, Ke$ha, Britney et. al. have been making so much money playing. She was reminding that more than any of those new-nice upstarts, Madonna's edge is that she has edge.
The music is huge, and some of it good. The factory-ordered club fizz of "Girl Gone Wild," though, opens things inauspiciously, making it appear as if MDNA will be entirely about chasing last year's chart trends. But then the Material Girl goes actually wild in her dancefloor aspirations with a one-two followup: the aforementioned robotic revenge tale "Gang Bang," and the spider-web synths and cascading choruses of "I'm Addicted," which takes the love-as-drug cliche and embodies the icky rush that the cliche suggests. It's not till the eighth track, though, that MDNA delivers its biggest jaw-dropper. Producer Martin Solveig opens "I Don't Give A" with some chintzy '80s FM funk guitaring, and then Madonna starts rapping: "Wake up, ex wife, this is your life." It's a narration of the her daily routine in the wake of her 2008 divorce with Guy Ritchiethe way she hustles about with her kids, meets with managers, forgets to say her prayers, and can't escape recurring guilt about her failed marriage. It's a fun, fun song that also, in its specificity, feels true. Rarely do pop stars as high gloss as this one so convincingly reveal their inner lives to be a mess.
Maybe this is why the lead single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'," has failed on the charts: It's peppy, but, lately, Madonna isn't. The song's speaking-and-spelling cheerleader choruses feel put-on and fakey. Ditto for "B-Day Song," a bonus track featuring M.I.A. that might just be ironic in its sunniness: "I'm a happy girl" Madonna insists over and over. But with an album title like MDNAa nod to club drugs and to the idea that here we have Madonna at her Madonna-esteven the dumbly smiling radio grabs feel like noble failures. Guilt's been with Madonna since before her "Like a Prayer" days, and so has the idea of pop music as escape from it. "World peace" was indeed the wrong slogan for her. The kind of serenity she's really after is personal.
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Madonna's Manic, Personal 'MDNA'
Kraton Performance Polymers Launches Kraton™ ST5100 – A New Compound for Slush Molding (Soft Skin Technology)
Posted: at 7:54 pm
HOUSTON, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA - News), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs," announces the first product of a series of new compounds for automotive interior applications that utilize slush molding technology. Kraton ST5100 provides the automotive industry with an environmentally-friendly alternative to PVC and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) in addition to superior features and benefits.
"We are engaging several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 (major part suppliers) throughout the automotive industry," said Christian Kafka, Global Market Development Manager, Kraton Performance Polymers. "They recognize that our new offering for interior surfaces fulfills properties for both the slush molding process and ongoing material qualifications while also addressing demands for environmentally-sustainable solutions that offer lighter-weight, higher-performance and low VOCs," he added.
Kraton Performance Polymers is committed to working with our customers to create new solutions for innovative products.For additional information regarding Kraton ST5100 products for soft skin technology, please contact Christian Kafka at Christian.kafka@kraton.com or call +1-800-4-KRATON (572866).
About Kraton Polymers Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and styrenic block copolymers ("SBCs"), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us almost fifty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Our polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. We currently offer approximately 800 products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and are the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, as well as plants in Germany, France and Brazil, and a joint venture plant operated in Japan.
Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements," which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, anticipated performance, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in "Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as subsequently updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We hereby make reference to all such filings for all purposes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.
Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, Cariflex, Nexar and the "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are all trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.
Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. 2012. All rights reserved.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100728/DA42514LOGO)
For Further Information: Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. Media: Marcie Coronado +1-281-504-4975 Investors: H. Gene Shiels +1-281-504-4886
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Kraton Performance Polymers Launches Kraton™ ST5100 - A New Compound for Slush Molding (Soft Skin Technology)
Kraton Performance Polymers Continues Asian Expansion Strategy
Posted: March 26, 2012 at 8:27 pm
SHANGHAI,Chinaand HOUSTON, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA - News), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs," is advancing its Asian expansion strategy to support the needs of new and existing customers. Kraton continues to offer a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region through its technology and investment in additional resources to support tremendous growth in the region.
"We are committed to our customers in China and the Asia Pacific region," said Kevin M. Fogarty, President & CEO, Kraton Performance Polymers. "Kraton will continue to expand its technology and service offerings as we work with our customers to meet their needs and help them grow," he added.
Kraton is fully engaged in the formation of a 50/50 joint venture with Formosa Petrochemical Corporation to construct and operate a 30-kiloton hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer ("HSBC") plant in Mailiao, Taiwan. The plant will employ state-of-the-art technology and support global demand for Kraton's differentiated HSBCs. It will also provide significant, additional supply capability, and will set a new global standard for efficiency and product quality for HSBCs. Plant operation is expected in the first half of 2014.
In 2011, Kraton expanded its Cariflex isoprene rubber (IR) latex capacity to support the continued growth in demand for Cariflex products. The company has also executed a contract with its manufacturing provider in Japan, which will result in a doubling of Cariflex latex manufacturing capacity in Japan by mid-2013.
To further support Kraton's customers and the expansions listed above, the company recently opened a new innovation center in Shanghai, China. The facility is three times larger than the previous facility and better accommodates its technical staff, which has doubled over the past eighteen months. The new, state-of-the-art laboratory builds upon Kraton's capabilities including wet chemistry, flame testing and rubber processing. These advances will enhance Kraton's ability to serve existing and new customers in all segments of SBCs as well as Cariflex IR and IR latex.
For additional information about Kraton's investments in Asia Pacific, please contact H. Gene Shiels at gene.shiels@kraton.com or 281-504-4886.
About Kraton Polymers
Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and styrenic block copolymers ("SBCs"), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us almost fifty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Our polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. We currently offer approximately 800 products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and are the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, as well as plants in Germany, France and Brazil, and a joint venture plant operated in Japan.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements," which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, anticipated performance, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in "Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as subsequently updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We hereby make reference to all such filings for all purposes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.
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Kraton Performance Polymers Continues Asian Expansion Strategy