In spite of the recession, women today spend more money on skin care--creams, lotions, injections, fillers, peels, lasers--than ever before. In fact, research conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that women would rather invest in products that make them look 10 years younger than products that make them look 10 pounds thinner. They're spending a lot of time and money to get rid of their lines, wrinkles and age spots, "and that's unfortunate," says Zein Obagi, MD, an internationally known dermatologist and the leading expert on skin health. "The fact is that many of these products don't work, and in fact they can accelerate the signs of aging," he says.

Riding on the wave of the launch of Naked Brothers Band TV series and Disney's Hannah Montana, members of the Black Out Band, three 12-year-olds from McLean, Va., have turned their obsession with playing video games into a recording that has landed on iTunes, with a companion music video that can be seen at http://www.blackoutband.com

Gaming

Lead singer and guitarist Hunter Watson, bassist Tug Hunter, and drummer Matthew Salutillo, formed The Black Out Band in 2005, and, according to their music coach and producer, Dennis Decreny, the boys played video games, "whenever I turned my head." At his suggestion, the boys composed Video Games, words and music that tell their story. Lyrics to Video Games are on the band's web site, http://www.blackoutband.com

With Internet sales booming and more and more retailers getting online to get in on the profits, the need for website design and Internet marketing services continues to grow steadily. However, a website or online store is not just a throwing together of pictures and text in a haphazard attempt at gaining the consumers attention and interest but is instead a fully thought out, time-consuming process, geared toward ensuring that the visitor/soon-to-be customer can easily maneuver the website and even more easily find the product/s shes seeking.

Third Brigade (www.thirdbrigade.com) today unveiled Deep Security 4.5, the newest release of its advanced intrusion prevention system (IPS) that protects mission-critical hosts, applications and data from malicious attacks. Product enhancements have been driven by key customers that use Third Brigade Deep Security to protect critical web applications, internet-facing servers, high-availability systems such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) servers, as well as enterprise desktops and laptops.

TAPCO Credit Union, www.tapcocu.org, of Tacoma, WA has been honored as one of the nation’s top credit unions in financial stability. TAPCO Credit Union’s “5-Star Superior rating” – the highest award for healthy credit unions – was presented by BauerFinancial, Inc.

TAPCO’s award marks the 35th consecutive quarter that it’s been honored for excellence from BauerFinancial, the nation’s leading independent credit union rating and research firm.

“This means residents of Tacoma and throughout Pierce County can join TAPCO as new members with full confidence regarding their finances,” said John Bechtholt, CEO of TAPCO. “TAPCO is proud to offer affordable loan programs and other valuable financial services at six convenient locations, along with secure online banking at www.tapcocu.org."

Kelleher & Associates Matchmaking has been selected for the 2008 Best of Beverly Hills Award in the Dating Services category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA). The mother- daughter matchmakers, featured on NBC's Today Show have been in business for over 23 years and have offices in Beverly Hills, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Arizona, Scottsdale and New York. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24709408#24255985

The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

HaveBlue LLC will have a court ordered sale of 61% of company equity on Wednesday, February 28, 2007.

The auction will take place at 10:00 am, Los Angeles Superior Court, 111 North Hill Street, Department 13, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (BC322152 Los Angeles Superior Court)

The LLC has a US Patent (6,610,193) and patents issued in South Africa, New Zealand and China. The technology solves the hydrogen fuel infrastructure challenge for all marine vessels.

Prior to a legal dispute between members of the HaveBlue LLC, the firm began a private placement with a pre-money valuation of $3,000,000 in 2004.

The U.S. House of Representatives just recently approved a $3.5 trillion budget - the largest budget in U.S. history. The new budget also establishes the largest deficit in the nation's history, at $1.2 trillion, according to an April 30 Wall Street Journal report.

Dennis Tubbergen reviews and analyzes our nation's latest deficit mark on his financial services blog, http://www.dennistubbergen.com, and specifically focuses on its impact on investors. "We're in a hole and trying to get out by digging deeper," according to Tubbergen.

Lore International Institute is introducing today a new Web-based talent development system to provide clients a better option to manage and develop their talent. The empPower system leverages Lores vast professional development resources to provide an alternative to todays costly and time-consuming systems.

The empPower tools allow companies to easily put their HR forms online; a competency 5a8 library provides a central repository for core competencies; a data mine allows powerful search capability to help fill positions quickly; and an integrated Assessment Center allows delivery and management of 360 surveys and Leadership Talent Reviews.

With the advent of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS), companies have greatly improved operating efficiency and reduced the cost of bringing goods to market. Many times, however, these systems dont fully address the needs of local pickup and delivery operations -- the critical last mile in the supply chain. A.MAZE Enterprise bridges this gap, helping organizations better align distribution processes with overall corporate strategy:

Analyze existing distribution networks using real world business constraints and what if" scenarios

Evaluate the impact on distribution costs of operating a private fleet, contracting with dedicated owner-operators, or outsourcing to a third-party logistics provider

Design territory plans and route structures that align customer needs and the needs of the business

Optimize sequencing, scheduling, and routing of customer orders using only the resources that are required and no more

Create tactical pickup and delivery plans that can be executed in the field

Monitor key performance indicators to ensure that daily activities are in synch with strategic objectives

Traditionally, organizations with complex pickup and delivery networks have lacked appropriate tools for optimizing distribution operations," said Michael Nark, President & CEO of GEOCOMtms. As a result, theyve had to go on their best judgement when making decisions about consolidating distribution centers, relocating depots, or assigning customers. At the same time, theyve lacked performance management tools to ensure that pickup and delivery operations are in synch with corporate objectives. GEOCOMtms is addressing the need in the marketplace for these solutions."

One of the leading law firms in Northern Ireland, Tughans, has installed the latest BigHand3 workflow technology. The market leading digital dictation software is now being used by 70 staff across Tughans’ Belfast, Derry and Lurgan offices and has made an instant impact.

David Marley, IT Manager at Tughans, commented:

“We constantly monitor the way in which technology can provide us with a competitive advantage, and there is no doubt that BigHand3 has given our lawyers an edge. They can now work off site at whatever time of the day or night and their dictations are instantly available for transcription. If a secretary is off sick, work can be immediately redistributed. Our legal service can only improve as a result of this process efficiency.”

Platinum Guild International, the worldwide marketing arm for Platinum jewelry, and GroomGroove.com, the leading engagement and wedding web site for men, have partnered together to launch a marriage proposal story contest. Men are invited to share the creative way of how they popped the question online at the marriage proposal contest page at Groom Groove. Contest entries will be featured in the Groom Groove Marriage Proposal Story Archive, with the best story entrant awarded a pair of platinum wedding bands courtesy of Novell Design Studio.

Rubicon, a leading provider of competitive market intelligence to the global hospitality and travel industries, will unveil its latest product, IndustryIntel, at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference May 31 - June 2, 2009 at the Waldorf~Astoria in New York City.

Rubicon Logo

IndustryIntel, Rubicon's new publishing unit, offers detailed insights into industry performance for the coming twelve months. These insights are based upon future demand collected directly from major hotel companies and on pricing gathered from distribution channels. IndustryIntel's publications analyze demand and pricing by market, customer segment and distribution channel. The reports are the only forward-looking analysis of the hospitality industry that is based on robust, factual, advance demand and pricing data.

As of Tuesday 25, 2006, CTRIBAT Youth Development will be canceling some of its future events and workshops scheduled for the 2006 Leadership Program. Founder and Executive Director Shafiq Abdussabur sighted that the reason was due to a lack of funding. CTRIBAT currently has 56 young males ages 9 years old to 17 years old registered for its summer program. That number is up by 15 since June 30th of 2006. The cost for each student was estimated at approximately $1,000 per student with a total projected operational budget of $43,900 for a nine week program.

Victoria, BC (PRWEB) October 24, 2006 – The average American exits his car four times a day. For the millions of elderly, injured or incapacitated, a helping hand may be vital. A simple invention called Handybar® provides that critical security to anyone getting in and out of today's lower cars and higher SUVs.

Handybar® works by inserting its engineered tip end into a car's striker (the U-shaped hardware on the door pillar). When placed in the striker, Handybar serves as a support handle right where it's needed. A remarkable disability product, Handybar fits in nearly every make and model of vehicle. No special installation is required. Nor is striker strength a problem: federal regulations require that they be able to hold 2,500 pounds.

The brand leader in the pretzel category, Snyder's of Hanover, announces the rollout of their new line of MultiGrain Snacks, the first and only full line of whole grain snacks to enter the snack food category. The MultiGrain line is the first assortment of snacks to combine the great taste that Snyder's of Hanover is known for with the natural health benefits of whole grains.

The MultiGrain Snack line includes a variety of thirteen different flavored and natural Tortilla Chips, Tortilla Strips, Sunflower Chips, Pretzels, Cheese Puffs and Cheese Crunchies. Each product in the new MultiGrain line offers between 8 and 20 grams of whole grains per serving and 25 to 80 percent less fat than comparable salted snacks like potato chips.

J. Knipper and Company, an innovator in healthcare marketing solutions, has announced the release of MyPharmaRep.com, a suite of sales-productivity tools that helps pharmaceutical companies boost script coverage and deliver samples to physicians in an innovative manner.

The MyPharmaRep.com suite of online tools plays the role of a virtual, vacant-territory, or white-space sales representative. Practitioners can order samples and download product literature, while managers can track campaign performance to ensure efficiency and success. The suite can be used online in real time, or offline, depending on the user's preferences.

In nearly every state, lawyers are required to earn roughly 10-15 hours of CLE credits annually. Historically, CLE courses are offered off-site, often involving significant travel time, and during key income-producing hours. Since their income is based on the number of hours they bill, obtaining CLE credits in the traditional way can be very costly for attorneys.

For the first time, beginning regionally in December and nationwide in January, attorneys can access high quality interactive CLE wherever and whenever it is most convenient for them; at home, while waiting for their case to be called at the courthouse, or even on vacation. Because of this patented technology, lawyers don't have to cut into peak billable hours to earn CLE or even rely on access to a desktop or laptop computer.

The ways in which companies link and share information and technology may be complex, but with Network Operations Security Coverage from Stuckey & Company, it is easier than ever for small and mid-size business to protect themselves from lawsuits related to network breaches. The Managing General Agent of niche insurance programs is offering a free webinar to commercial lines insurance agents at 1:00pm CST on March 13 to discuss the importance of this specialized liability insurance. Insurance agents can register for the webinar on Friday, March 13, 2009 at 1:00 CST at www.stuckey.com.

Today, the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina announced it will offer hotel rooms at the cost of two "Linkins"- $5.01/night (a $5 bill and a penny, both of which President Lincoln's face graces) to encourage people to take a working vacation and conduct business by day from its waterfront property. The initiative is being held in celebration of the first-ever Global Out-Of-Office Day (G.O.O.D.), which is being sponsored by Sheraton Hotels and its parent company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Thousands around the world will work "out of the office" today to showcase the brand's new "Link@Sheraton(sm) experienced with Microsoft®," a unique lobby lounge that creates a sense of community and offers travelers a convenient on-line experience and instant access to information for work, leisure and social networking.