LAMONT Jewelry, Beverly Hills, announced today that it has launched a new International diamond jewelry brand based around the direction and concepts of prominent jewelry designer Monty Abramov. LAMONT produces heirloom and unique diamond jewelry designs, and bridal jewelry around select, rare and exclusive polished diamonds under Abramov's direction.

LAMONT 10 Carat Pear Shape Diamond Ring

Monty Abramov is the son of late diamond industry veteran Raphael Abramov. "I learned so much working with my father in this incredible industry," said Monty Abramov. "Over time we have developed close relationships with some of the world's finest jewelers and industry professionals. LAMONT will continue to expand those relationships through the passion of my work," he added.

When author Steven Oliverez first started posting his short stories in his personal profile on the popular MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/oliverez), the response was little more than an occasional friend popping in to offer words of encouragement. Now that same web log has grown into an outlet with readership numbering in the thousands, and a vocal fan base that grows daily.

Until now, most promotion on MySpace, which has a membership approaching 80 million users, has been limited to musicians and bands trying to hit it big – MySpace has even started their own music label – but Oliverez is seen as the first author to attract such attention through the site. By offering his short stories for free to the internet community, he has made a name for himself and created widespread interest in his fantasy novel, 'The Elder Staves.' Every short story is met with almost instant feedback and discussion, something which Oliverez himself participates in.

John Warton actively works at reviewing and evaluating photography submissions for a photography association called photography laureates (www.photolaureates.org). He sometimes reads skeptical comments in Internet forums, some from professional photographers, which sometimes doubt his ability to judge photographs. Does photography only belong to professionals? Can professionals decide what is publishable or not on behalf of amateurs?

John says, “The answer is a resounding 'no!' Inflexible and rigid professional photographers have laid down certain 'rules' and then, being a certain sort that they are, call them 'guidelines' and see themselves as rule-makers of some sort. I say to them: Diversity is a source of creation. I embrace the diversity of the creations of my fellow amateur photographers, their passion and interpretation of the thousands of daily instances that make our lives memorable. They deserve the promotion and exposure that I work on getting for the most talented of them.”

Michael Dortch has been in the auto insurance industry for over 16 years and online since 1995. And what he sees now astounds him. As Dortch explains, "Push button, cookie cutter quotes often fail to deliver what's ultimately best for the auto insurance consumer. We end up fielding lots of calls from shoppers frustrated from the online form process, no question," http://www.InsureDirect.com/autoinsurance.

According to industry statistics, the total private passenger auto insurance market represents over $150 billion in written premiums. And on the surface, online car insurance shopping seems appealing. Consumers have a choice and can go direct to companies rather than deal with agents and brokers. And yet it's often what consumers can't control that impacts the process, the coverage and the online car insurance quotes they ultimately receive.

MadeForOne.com, the business news website focusing on personalization and mass customization, has announced a number of new developments and features.

MadeForOne.com is inviting anyone who wishes to tell the story of how they implemented personalization in their business to submit an article for publication. There is no better person to describe how a business developed than someone who has been directly involved. Other articles relating to personalization / mass customization will also be considered. More information is available at http://www.madeforone.com/Features/ReqForFeatures.html .

BusinessFinance.com announces a tool that allows business owners to know the approval requirements for obtaining vendor lines of credit before they apply.

Eighty percent (80%) of all financing in the United States is done business to business or by “vendor” financing. Vendor lines of credit are not for cash, but rather for products and services that every business needs.

What business owners don’t know is that there are over 500,000 vendors that extend credit in the United States, but only 6,100 the are reporting business credit payment histories to the three main business credit agencies. “Businesses must have vendor lines of credit not only for the things their business needs but also to help build good business credit scores” says Corey Pierce, Founder of BusinessFinance.com. ”To establish good business credit scores, businesses must have five vendor lines of credit that are all reporting” says Pierce.

California-based referral marketing distributor, The Landers Group, held its quarterly rally on March 11 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. On the heels of a record-breaking sales quarter, 150 local independent Distributors and Leaders gathered for a day of mentoring and skill-sharpening.

The rally covered important issues, such as training techniques, client service standards maintenance, as well as personal development and advancement opportunities. In addition to these items, the rally celebrated the advancements of both Meredith Shippam and Tommy Morrissey to Assistant Manager. The Landers Group continues to support local businesses in the California-area through targeted community outreach programs that drive sales while helping consumers get more out of life.

Each year, The Eric Hoffer Book Award (formerly The Writers' Notes Book Award) seeks excellence in independent publishing. Entries come from academic, small, and micro presses, as well as self-published authors.

"We are very excited about using our international award program to honor the memory of one of America's greatest freethinkers," Christopher Klim said from his New Jersey office. "The Hoffer estate gave us their full blessing."

Klim is the senior editor of Writers' Notes, the international free resource tool at www.WritersNotes.com that facilitates the annual Hoffer Award. He is also the praised author of several novels (Jesus Lives in Trenton, The Winners Circle, etc.). His upcoming novel, Idiot! (fall 2007), has garnered high praise and competitive interest in Hollywood.

Xentinel Digital Security announced today that the world’s largest fine jewelry e-retailer, ICE.com, selected its HACKER FREE Certification as the security landmark for their website. After measuring the results of similar solutions, ICE.com decided to use HACKER FREE Certification since it proved to have accurate security assessments, higher impact on online buyer’s purchasing decision, and best value over all Xentinel Digital Security’s competitors.

Ted Guglielmi, Vice President of IT at ICE.com, said, "The installation of HACKER FREE Certification provides our customers with the extra comfort that their information is safe and secure on the ICE.COM site. It has helped enhance the customer’s shopping experience while shopping on our site."

Rob Swanson Training Systems, a leader in real estate investor education announces the first Distressed Property Conference in Los Angeles, CA will be held on October 25 and 26, 2008.

Real estate investors seeking to capitalize on the opportunity in the distressed real estate and financial markets need to hone new buying, financing, management and selling skills in order to flourish in these seemingly tougher times.

Rob Swanson, Founder of the The Distressed Property Conference says, "There are new rules to follow as a real estate investor. Bank owned (REO), corporate owned and massively discounted real estate deals are available through wholesale market sources. Most investors just don't know who to break into that source of deals. To fully capitalize on the opportunity, real estate investors must learn exactly how to build a buying and selling machine, they need to find alternative sources of capital and they need to learn exactly how to read and adjust with the dynamically changing market."

Deliberate Living, a life coaching practice, is now offering Couples Coaching. This program will help couples grow closer and problem solve together in order to handle issues that accompany various marital stages. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, roughly 43% of marriages end in divorce. Jennifer Viemont, president of Deliberate Living explained, "People often think their marriage has to be in serious trouble in order for them to seek professional help. By then, it is often too late for the marriage to be saved. This program is about being proactive and formulating individualized strategies to prevent the marriage from getting to the point of being in danger of failing."

ERA has added several new computer donation depot locations in Calgary, making it easier for residents in Calgary's NW, NE, SW, and SE communities to donate their old laptops, computers, and networking equipment. Computer donations and recycling in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, help out local charities and non profits access computers they couldn't otherwise afford.

"Corporations and smaller companies can always call the ERA to schedule a pickup directly from their offices," says Boyan Paduh of ERA.

Matrix Solutions, the leading provider of sales strategy management software for the media sales industry, today announced new hires in the training, sales and software development groups and a promotion in the sales and training groups.

New Hires

Craig Biertempfel was recently hired to perform sales functions as an Inside Sales Representative. Prior to joining Matrix Solutions, he worked for ComponentOne as the Senior Product Consultant for Frontline and with SmartOps as a Business Development Consultant. Mr. Biertempfel attended St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and History.

The Human Capital Institute (HCI), a global professional association and educator that is advancing the science of strategic talent management, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business today announced that branding specialist, published author and Kellogg Adjunct Professor of Management, Dr. Lisa Fortini-Campbell, will speak at a B-School Network and Learn event for the greater Chicago-area business community on Thursday, June 26.

Longpela Expertise, a System z Mainframe technology company, today announced the launch of their new z/OS Systems Programmer training package.

Moving away from the traditional classroom course, this package provides one-on-one mentoring with a senior Systems Programmer. Each week, the student and teacher informally discuss issues and problems directly relating to the student's current workload.

"We're more interested in showing students how to find answers themselves, rather than simply feeding them information", Lead Systems Programmer David Stephens said. "We've found that our mentoring approach is a great way of achieving this."

California Women Lawyers announced today that its annual Affiliates and Members Conference "Maintaining Your Edge in a Changing Market," takes place Friday, June 5 at the luxurious Oceana Hotel and Spa in Half Moon Bay Harbor, a picturesque Northern California coastal resort. Cost for members attending the event is $135; nonmembers pay $225, which includes a six-month CWL membership. This early bird registration extends to May 24, 2009.

The all-day conference, which provides six hours of continuing education credit, is designed to be a relaxing and informative educational retreat combining the practicalities of MCLE credits with a mini-vacation. Attendees can take advantage of a discounted room rate of $259 a night for up to three nights, from Thursday June 4 to Saturday June 6. Spa amenities include four types of classic massage, private therapeutic baths, aromatherapy, steam showers, manicures and pedicures, and a variety of facials, scrubs, and wraps for an additional charge.

BridgeFront, a healthcare education firm, announces Oklahoma's largest not-for-profit health organization, INTEGRIS Health, has renewed its contract with BridgeFront. INTEGRIS Health's current Revenue Cycle staff and new hires will continue receiving BridgeFront's Revenue Cycle online training as part of its organization-wide education program.

"BridgeFront has provided INTEGRIS Health with the most comprehensive educational tool available on the market," says Brent Grimes, Administrative Director at INTEGRIS Health. "Over the last two years, we have taken our Revenue Integrity Team to a new level and have empowered the team with a foundation of knowledge and confidence. INTEGRIS Health has made a commitment to make education a top priority during these ever-changing times. We are very confident we can meet these challenges having BridgeFront as our education partner."

The traditional cell phone is in for an important transformation and Streamphone is the leading the way. Streamphone offers the ability to enjoy wireless video phone calls and web conferencing calls at six cents a minute in many parts of the world.

NJ TechNews

Streamphone is a smart software video client that allows anyone to make a simple more meaningful video call or web conference event with audio, video, and PowerPoint slides. Technologies like Streamphone are reinventing the experience of corporate and consumer communications, and in the process, recreating how corporate America communicates with customers, employees, governments, investors, and the media.

To help small business and medium sized business maximize their ROI from broadcast advertising, Mark of the Clark, Inc. (www.JingleStreet.com) is offering a free guide titled "Making the Most of Your Radio & TV Advertising". This guide stresses the importance of advertisers seeing their message through the eyes of their intended audience. It contains many helpful tips and suggestions including common mistakes to avoid and misconceptions. Worksheets and checklists are provided to help zero in on the main focus and objective.

MatchMaking Inc.com has launched an online dating website for matching single Entrepreneurs and Business Owners with like-minded people. The website www.MatchMakingInc.com offers the busy self-employed professional an opportunity to connect with others who understand and appreciate the unique challenges of self-employment.

The site currently offers a free 60-Day no-risk trial membership. Additional services offered by the site include informational dating newsletters and in person 'Speed Dating' events hosted in various locations around the country.