Q: I am having trouble sticking with an exercise routine, mainly because I am bored with what I do and I can't seem to figure out what else to try. Would hiring a trainer be beneficial? How do I know who to hire?

Sam Mendoza, Denver, Colo. A: Fortunately, the perception that trainers are only for Hollywood stars with bodacious amounts of time and money is fading. There is some expense in hiring a trainer. But most fitness facilities offer a free introductory session with a trainer to familiarize new members with what is available.

To find out if you need or could benefit from the services provided by a personal trainer ask yourself these questions:

Is my current program effectively helping me reach my goals?

Am I bored with it or still challenged?

Am I familiar and comfortable with the equipment and other fitness tools required by my program?

Do I feel safe when exercising, secure that my form is good?

If you answered yes to these questions, then this may not be the right time to hire a trainer at least not yet. Treat yourself to a massage instead. If you answered no, then it would be advantageous to consider some professional help.

Once you have made the decision, take a little time and do some interviewing. Personal compatibility is crucial. If you like to chat during your workout but the trainer seems to be more of a "drill sergeant," keep shopping.

And there is much more to trainer/client satisfaction than compatible personalities. Here are more important issues to discuss according to Provida Life Sciences (www.provida.com):

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Hiring personal trainer?

9/28/2012 9:19 AM ET (RTTNews) - While the Commerce Department released a report Friday morning showing that U.S. personal income was nearly flat in the month of August, personal spending still showed a notable increase amid the recent jump in gas prices.

The report said personal income inched up by 0.1 percent in August, matching the downwardly revised increase reported for July. Economists had expected income to edge up by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.3 percent growth originally reported for the previous month.

Disposable personal income, or personal income less personal current taxes, also edged up by 0.1 percent, in August following a matching increase in the previous month.

When adjusted to remove price changes, disposable personal income actually fell 0.3 percent in August compared to a 0.1 percent increase of in July.

At the same time, the Commerce Department said personal spending increased by 0.5 percent in August compared to a 0.4 percent increase in July. The spending growth matched economist estimates.

The increase in spending was largely due to the higher gas prices, however, and spending edged up by just 0.1 percent when adjusted to remove price changes.

Paul Dales, Senior U.S. Economist at Capital Economics, said, "The U.S. personal income and spending data for August are worse than the headline figures suggest and indicate that subdued jobs growth is hitting incomes."

"As long as real spending is flat in September, annualized real consumption growth in the third quarter will match the second quarter's 1.5 percent," he added. "A 0.4% m/m increase in September would be needed to get up to 2.0%."

Dales said the weaker performance of income was even more worrying, noting that it casts some doubt over the outlook for consumption.

With spending rising at a faster pace than income, the report also showed personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income was 3.7 percent in August compared with 4.1 percent in July.

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U.S. Personal Spending Rises 0.5% Amid Higher Gas Prices

NFL commissioner apologized for the performance of the replacement officials in the first three weeks of the season. "We're sorry to have to put our fans through that," Goodell said on a Thursday afternoon conference call with reporters . Goodell believed a deal would be reached with regular officials before the negativity of questionable calls Sunday night and Monday night spurred greater urgency. "It doesn't always happen at the speed we all would like it to happen," Goodell said. "They were very anxious to get back on the field. I believe we would've reached an agreement this week. "I think there was pressure on all of us to get an agreement done," Goodell said. Goodell said he was sorry to put fans through the lockout and recognized Packers fans feel they were robbed of a victory at Seattle on Monday. "Anytime you have these controversies, they stay with us," Goodell said. "There are a lot of calls that are looked back in history. That's a part of sports. That's a part of history. ... I know the great Packer fans -- as frustrating and disappointed as they are in the outcome -- they also understand that's something that's happened for decades." Goodell said it was a personal priority for Week 4 to have all games covered by regular officials. The crew of Gene Steratore stepped forward to work Thursday's game at Baltimore. The result of marathon negotiations Tuesday and Wednesday was an eight-year agreement that Goodell said believes was important to the future of the game. --Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Warren Sapp and offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and late quarterback Steve McNair lead the first-year modern-era candidates nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Contributors include team owners Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Bud Adams and Jack Kent Cooke. Provided contributors are not currently playing or coaching, they can be considered for nomination. The Hall of Fame released its full list of 127 nominees -- 89 players, 14 coaches and 24 contributors -- on Thursday, which will be narrowed to 25 candidates who are named semifinalists in November. That list is reduced to 15 modern-era finalists announced in the month leading up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Class of 2013 is announced in a live press conference on Feb. 2, 2013. ---Kellen Winslow was released by the Patriots. Winslow reportedly asked for his released and the Patriots granted his request prior to Thursday's practice. Winslow made just over $48,000 and logged four offensive snaps with one reception in his only game with the team Sunday night at Baltimore. --The Dallas Cowboys signed punter Brian Moorman, who was released by the Bills with a net of 32.7 yards per punt in three games. Moorman was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and steps in for injured Cowboys punter Chris Jones. Jones will miss at least two weeks with a sprained knee. Moorman has allowed an NFL-worst 172 return yards and coach Chan Gailey said he was missing directional punts he'd normally nail. ---You know it's a big deal to have the NFL referees back on the field when the naming of the officiating crew for Thursday night's Baltimore-Cleveland game becomes news. The NFL announced Thursday the names of the crew members who will work the first game since a contract agreement was reached with the league late Wednesday, ending a dispute that had forced replacements to work the entire preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season. Gene Steratore, entering his 10th season, was named the referee. Joining him will be umpire Bill Schuster, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line Judge Jeff Seeman, field judge Bob Waggoner, side judge Jimmy DeBell, back judge Greg Steed, replay official Larry Nemmers and replay assistant Ken Dollar. ---Kansas City has lost starting center Rodney Hudson for the remainder of the season and Ryan Lilja is expected to step into his spot for the Chiefs. Hudson, a second-round draft pick in 2011, suffered a broken leg in the Chiefs' win over New Orleans on Sunday and was placed on injured reserve. Lilja will slide over from left guard and Jeff Allen will take Lilja's place. ---One day after missing practice with a sore right hip, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was back on the field Thursday. The Detroit News also reported that tight end Tony Scheffler returned to practice after sitting out last Sunday's loss to Tennessee because of a calf injury. The Lions are preparing for a division game Sunday against Minnesota. ---St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson did not practice for the second straight day Thursday because of a groin injury. It's uncertain whether he will play this week.

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NFL roundup: Goodell apologizes for replacement refs' performance

If there were any doubts the state auditor's race is this election's ugliest matchup, they were dissolved Thursday after a tense and animated Seattle Times editorial-board endorsement interview.

Republican James Watkins and Democrat Troy Kelley took turns portraying each other as unethical and unfit to serve occasionally relying on props like a copy of the United States tax code during the hourlong session, which barely delved into substantive issues related to the state watchdog agency's work.

When they weren't bickering, the hopefuls spelled out somewhat different visions for the office. Watkins, a Redmond business-development consultant with performance-review experience, said he would prioritize working closely with the governor and putting more money into assisting audits in smaller counties.

Kelley, owner of an escrow-services company and three-term state representative from University Place, said he would focus on auditing data security issues, interstate compacts and the implementation of President Obama's signature health-care law.

Both candidates repeatedly praised current Auditor Brian Sonntag, who is retiring after two decades on the job. He has not endorsed a successor.

They were far less kind about each other.

The fireworks began about 15 minutes in, when Watkins was asked about a website he recently put up to attack Kelley.

The website, factchecktroykelley.com, contains hundreds of pages of court documents primarily from two lawsuits.

One was a 2010 case in which Kelley paid an undisclosed settlement with a business customer, Old Republic National Title, which accused him of "fraudulently transferring funds, intentional spoliation of evidence, shady business schemes, tax evasion, and hiding from creditors" $3.8 million in newly formed accounts.

The other was an earlier case in which Kelley said he received an undisclosed settlement against his employer, First American Financial, after claiming he was fired for refusing to help cover up illegal activity. The company denied that, saying his exit was tied to a reorganization.

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Watkins, Kelley trade personal attacks in animated endorsement interview

Audi is presenting the new top model of its recently revised Q5 model series the Audi SQ5 TDI.

The powerful TDI, which displaces 2,967 cc, uses a twin-turbo design in which the two turbochargers are connected in series via a flap. Cylinder head cooling, the timing and lift of the intake cam shafts, the pistons, their oil-jet cooling and the piston pins have been specially designed for the high-performance concept. The common rail system develops as much as 2,000 bar of pressure and injects as many as eight shots of fuel into the cylinders per cycle. The 3.0 TDI biturbo has a great sound. This sound is further modulated by a sound actuator in the exhaust system a loudspeaker in short side channel.

The Audi SQ5 TDI sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 5.1 seconds; top speed is 250 km/h (155.34 mph). Fuel consumption is on average just 7.2 liters per 100 km (32.67 US mpg). Innovative thermal management, the start-stop system and the regulated oil pump all contribute to this top figure. A fast and smooth-shifting eight-speed tiptronic and quattro permanent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring transfer the power of the brawny V6 diesel to the road.

The electromechanical power steering in the Audi SQ5 TDI is sensitive and highly efficient. The sport suspension lowers the vehicle body by 30 millimeters (1.18 in). The standard 20-inch wheels feature a five parallel-spoke design and are fitted with 255/45 tires. Audi offers optional wheels measuring 21 inches in diameter. The black brake calipers on the front axle sport S badges. The optional Audi drive select system can be expanded upon request to include the dynamic steering system with its steplessly variable steering ratio.

The most eye-catching design cues are the platinum gray single-frame grille with its galvanized double bars in an aluminum-look finish, the roof spoiler and the modified bumpers. The high-gloss package and the aluminum-look exterior mirrors accentuate the area around the windows. Audi offers the new top model in the crystal effect paint finishes Estoril Blue or Panther Black. The body includes a high proportion of ultra-high-strength steels, making it very light, safe and rigid.

As is typical for an S model, the interior has black trim and exudes a sporty elegance. The headlining is optionally available in lunar silver. The power-adjustable sport seats come standard in Pearl Nappa leather/Alcantara. Leather upholstery in a choice of four colors is available as an option. Brushed aluminum inlays are standard. Options include Carbon Atlas, Piano finish and the new Aluminum/Beaufort wood black trim panels.

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PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Up Close And Personal With The Audi SQ5 Performance Diesel Crossover

HOUSTON, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: "KRA"), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs," plans to discuss its new slush molding product technology for Automotive Instrument Panel soft skin applications during a presentation at the Society of Plastics Engineers' Automotive TPO Engineered Polyolefins Global Conference in Troy, Michigan, on October 1, 2012.

Dr. Troy Wiegand, a staff scientist at Kraton Polymers, is scheduled to present findings in a paper, entitled "New Slush Molding Technology for Soft Skin Applications," and will highlight Kraton ST5100, a new proprietary compound series positioned for use in next generation TPEs in the slush molding process. The features and benefits of the Kraton ST5100 series solution will be discussed, including opportunities for customers to address unmet needs including significant weight reduction, improved haptics, recyclability, and sustainability. The paper represents the technical introduction of a new alternative to PVC and TPU solutions traditionally used in this application space.

Dr. Wiegand is scheduled to speak during the Automotive Interiors Trims and Skins session from 11:00-11:30 a.m. in Salon A at the Detroit Marriott Troy on October 1, 2012. To register for the event, please visit the conference website. For further information about Kraton's slush molding technology using Kraton ST5100, or to schedule a personal interview, please contact Marcie Coronado, Marketing Communications Manager, at 281-504-4975, or Marcie.coronado@kraton.com.

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, including statements of anticipated product performance. 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.

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 Discusses New Slush Molding Product Technology

A research report conducted over the summer into major Canadian Web sites find that 11 out of 25 are leaking personal information to third parties. 9/25/2012 12:01:00 PM By: Brian Jackson

Some of Canada's most-visited Web sites operated by large corporations are giving away user information without their consent or knowledge to third party advertisers, the Privacy Commissioner reports.

Jennifer Stoddart and her federal office have concluded an investigation spurred by other international studies that found similar results and selected 25 popular Canadian Web sites. It found six sites that raised significant privacy concerns, and five sites that raised questions about Web site practices, according to the commissioner's office. But Canadians won't be learning the names of those leaking their personal details. There were 14 sites that did not appear to be leaking personal information.

The Privacy Commissioner has not exercised her discretion to publicly name the specific tested organizations at this time, a press release states. The research was designed to offer a snapshot of the Canadian context and it is likely that a significant number of other Canadian sites may also be leaking personal information.

Sites selected as research targets by the commissioner had a high volume of Canadian traffic and either targeted Canadians or generated revenue from interactions with Canadians. The sites collected personal information from users for the creation of accounts and other uses.

Researchers worked over the summer with Charles Web proxy software. It captures and analyzes data being sent between a user's Web browser and a Web site, and data sent between the user's browser and third-party sites.

It found privacy leaks from organizations in several sectors, including media, retail, shopping, and a classified ads site. Sites were sending personal information to third parties that included organizations involved in online marketing, online advertising, analytics, and Web site performance monitoring.

Personal details exposed to third parties included e-mail address, name, username, postal code, city location, and search strings.

Stoddart has sent letters to the 11 organizations found to be leaking personal information, asking them to provide information about their practices and explain how they will correct the problems.

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Popular Canadian Web sites leaking personal information, Privacy Commissioner says

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (SPB), a diversified and global consumer products company with market-leading brands, announced today that its Remington personal care division has entered the U.S. womens hair accessories market with a full line of basic-to-trend hair accessories, accessory storage items and brushes for both the adult and teenage girl segments.

Remington already has secured sizeable placements at several major retailers in the U.S. womens hair accessory category, a consumables market estimated at more than $1 billion annually. Remington also is leveraging its strong global footprint in hair care, shaving and grooming to enter growing womens hair accessories markets in Europe and Latin America.

Our successful launch in the womens hair accessory market is among a number of global categories Remington is entering to advance our strategy of rapid organic growth in higher margin and faster growing consumables markets over the next several years, said Dave Lumley, Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Brands Holdings. We are investing in resources to capitalize on this significant growth platform, leveraging our Spectrum Value Model approach of same performance/less price to gain distribution in both stores and online, and working hard to help our retail partners grow their category shares.

Extending the Remington brand to the consumable hair accessory category further enhances Remingtons position as one-stop shopping for hair styling for all ages. According to Drew Fiorenza, Remington Global Vice President, Our hair accessory product development has a strong emphasis on executing fashion and trend and always with a focus on winning the value position. With our brand positioning of How the World Gets Ready, we have a unique opportunity for cross promoting our hair accessories with complementary segments of our business, such as hair care appliances, and even with other adjacent beauty categories by co-merchandising in stores and offering in-pack trial samples or coupons for discounts with purchase.

Our approach is to create a fun, engaging experience for the consumer, making the product the hero of the proposition and exciting the female consumer with the most trend-forward fabrications, colors and materials at a compelling consumer value, he added. For the female consumer, feeling confident and beautiful is a 360-degree experience, and Remington is committed to making hair accessories an important part of that.

As Remington expands its global market position in womens hair accessories, Fiorenza said, Remington is excited to be able to offer consumers and our retail partners a total hair care solution. We will continue our focus on innovation that matters to the consumer and on bringing exciting, fashion-forward items to this category at a value price position, which has proven to be a successful formula for Remington and its retail partners worldwide.

About Remington

Remington is How the World Gets Ready. A global leader and manufacturer of mens and womens grooming and styling products, Remington is an innovator of affordable hair care, electric shavers, wet shavers, wet shave products and body groomers and trimmers, and a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands Holdings. For more information about Remington, visit http://www.remingtonproducts.com.

About Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.

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Spectrum Brands Holdings’ Remington® Personal Care Division Announces Entry into Large U.S. Women’s Hair Accessories ...

BEIJING--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2012) - HP ( NYSE : HPQ ) today unveiled two new HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) four-socket servers that facilitate customers' move to cloud while delivering increased compute power in less space anda return on investment within three months.(1)

The industry's first four-socket servers to incorporate HP ProActive Insight Architecture, the HP ProLiant BL660c and DL560 Gen8 servers significantly reduce the time spent on maintenance tasks through high levels of automation and continuous monitoring of system health, saving IT staff more than 30 days of administration time a year.(2)

Clients are continuously virtualizing their compute-intensive applications in order to achieve greater utilization and efficiency, and to facilitate the move to private and hybrid clouds. Many clients have virtualized the basic infrastructure and smaller workloads, but a challenge still remains with more complex and higher-end workloads. Clients often face performance bottlenecks, data-center footprint and power limitations, and inadequate memory capacity from traditional two-socket servers.

As building blocks for HP Converged Infrastructure, these multiprocessor servers satisfy the need for high-end compute power that enables clients to extend end-to-end virtualization and provide a foundation for creating private and hybrid clouds.

With a three-to-one server-consolidation rate(3) and reduced server footprint in the data center, the HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 server offers four-socket density in half the size of the previous generation(4), and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 30 percent.(5)

Additionally, the HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 server provides a space-minimizing four-socket server in a 2U form factor without compromising performance, scalability or expansion requirements.

New server capabilities in a powerful, compact footprint The HP ProLiant BL660c and HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 servers were designed to drive better performance for complex, virtualized environments so clients can access their data faster, optimize their system to achieve higher-performing workloads and add more virtual machines (VMs) per server. The new servers deliver:

The new servers drive a balance of economics and density for customers, while optimizing application performance to help speed innovation and business growth. For example, ZTE Corporation, one of the world's largest smartphone vendors, needed to break through its capacity limitation and enhance the adaptability of the traditional data center in order to be able to keep up the business rapid growth.

"We needed to modernize our data centers in order to keep up with rapid growth and to ensure continued service to our customers across 140 countries," said Yu Yuan, product manager, ZTE Corporation -- Guangdong NewStart Technology Service Ltd. "We chose the HP ProLiant DL 560 Gen8 server over the competition because it offered increased virtual machine densities to reduce space and cost, while improving performance, which enabled us to develop a platform to build private clouds."

Built on HP Proactive Insight Architecture HP ProLiant Gen8 servers redefine expectations and economics in the data center by leveraging HP ProActive Insight Architecture to offer the new four-socket servers unprecedented lifecycle automation. A direct connection to the HP Insight Online portal accelerates problem resolution and reduced unplanned downtime. Through self monitoring, self diagnosing and proactive support, clients can resolve problems up to 66 percent faster.(12)

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HP Introduces ProLiant Gen8 Servers That Enhance Virtualized Performance, Facilitate Move to Cloud

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune Published: September 24, 2012 Updated: September 25, 2012 - 1:15 AM

He's the Tallahassee Kid.

University of South Florida senior quarterback B.J. Daniels once dressed in garnet and gold. He did the Tomahawk Chop. He dreamed of becoming the next Charlie Ward. He actually lived for seven years on Florida State University's campus, where his father was a dormitory director.

In time, he grew into one of Tallahassee's greatest high-school athletes.

He was the city's favorite son.

And now he's the enemy?

"It's got a little circus aspect to it, doesn't it?'' Daniels said. "It won't have anything to do with what happens between the white lines.''

When slumping USF (2-2) faces No. 4-ranked FSU (4-0) on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium, Daniels' presence makes it part-soap opera, part-grudge match. And in some cases, it compromises the loyalties.

"We hear it 10 times a day,'' said Daniels' father, Bruce. "So many people say, 'I'm a Seminole, but I'm pulling for B.J.' "

Daniels, trying to right USF's ship after a horrific 31-27 loss at Ball State last weekend, said he won't be nervous. He has been here before. On Sept. 26, 2009, the Bulls weren't given much of a chance, particularly because a season-ending injury to Matt Grothe forced USF to start Daniels, a redshirt freshman. How crazy was it? Before the game, Daniels remembers staring up at the seats where he once cheered for FSU.

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For Bulls' Daniels, FSU game nothing personal