The International Society for Sephardic Progress has awarded Edwin Black the 2004 Doa Gracia Medal for Best Book of The Year for his book Banking on Baghdad. The Doa Gracia Medal is awarded annually in January for the most significant book published during the preceding year that impacts the Sephardic community. The book awarded is one which the ISFSP feels would be strongly recommend for members of both the Jewish and non-Jewish public to read.

Edwin Black's book Banking on Baghdad has become a catalyst for change, bringing about a more accurate and inclusive educational curriculum on Holocaust studies. When Holocaust educators teach about the years 1933-1945, they aim to present a comprehensive overview. But sadly, a major event that took place during this period, known as the Farhud-the 1941 Nazi-allied pogrom against Iraqi Jewry, has been all but forgotten about by historians. The subsequent events culminating in the expulsion of 120,000 Iraqi Jews-a community with a precious 2,600 year legacy-has also been forgotten. Edwin Black's work has made a difference, evoking widespread discussion, by both Jews and non-Jews, about the events that unfolded in Iraq between the Arabs and their partnership with Hitler.

The economy may be depressed, but holiday gift giving doesn't have to be with these new gifts for book lovers. Novelaction.com, a leading online book exchange store with an extensive centralized inventory of used books, has unveiled a new line of gifts for book lovers, including book gift baskets, book gift boxes, specialty book baskets, and gift membership subscriptions, just in time for the 2008 holiday season.

NovelAction.com - Large Book Basket

While traditional holiday gift baskets of food and flowers are both expensive and perishable, when paired with a membership gift subscription, the books from Novelaction.com can be recycled and enjoyed year-round through the online exchange service. Novel Action members select any books from Novelaction.com, and send in an equal number of their own books in exchange, enjoying flat rate shipping and no transaction fees.

For only $25, the Novelaction.com membership gift subscription certificate (shipped free via USPS first class mail) provides the avid reader on any Christmas or Hanukkah list a full 12 months of reading enjoyment. "The book gift baskets and gift boxes from Novelaction.com provide a unique holiday gift for retirees, frequent travelers and vacationers, new moms, those recovering from surgery or illness, - or anyone who loves to read," says Dianne Denton, founder and owner of Novel Action, Inc.

Tomorrow, Codeblack, America’s premiere source for urban entertainment, will release the highly anticipated comedy showcase “Jamie Foxx Presents America’s Funniest Comics Vol. 1” DVD.

Filmed in 2006 at Atlanta’s prestigious annual Urban International Comedy Arts Festival, this comedic work will be delivered to audiences nationally by Oscar winning, Golden Globe and Grammy nominated performer Jamie Foxx and Cedric the Entertainer.

The first of four in a comedy series presented by Jamie Foxx, this DVD not only features the flair of two of today’s most established comedic talents, but has enabled them to exercise their credibility to bestow recognition upon the emerging comedic talent of tomorrow, bringing four of the hottest up and coming stand-up comedians into the spotlight. It features NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” finalist Roz G, funny man De Ray Davis from MTV’s “Wild N’ Out with Nick Cannon”, veteran Chicago comedian Damon Williams and hilarious Atlanta comedian Nard. Subsequent volumes are slated for release in June, October, and December of 2007.

The Business Intelligence Network, announces the launch of BEYESearch.com, a new industry specific search engine and directory. BEYESearch is designed for professionals and edited by professionals. Unlike the robot/spider controlled consumer search engines, BEYESearch utilizes a rigorous editorial selection process to identify all relevant sources from vendors, magazines, associations and industry portal sites. This guarantees the highest quality search results for the visitors of the site.

"This new addition to the Network allows us to more fully serve our visitors as well as provide a more cost effective marketing platform for our customers," said Shawn Rogers, Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of the Business Intelligence Network. "BEYESearch is designed to deliver focused search and quality results to business intelligence professionals."

David M. Bresnahan says he is always looking for ways to make his dollars go farther, and now he has come up with a very innovative way to save himself and others quite a bit on phone services.

"It seems like every time I turn on the TV I see another ad about Vonage, the broadband Internet VoIP service. A quick search of the Internet showed me that there are plenty of competitors, so I knew I should shop around for VoIP before buying," explained Bresnahan.

Simply stated, VoIP phones use the Internet for communication instead of traditional phone lines. Anyone with a high speed Internet connection can take advantage of the service. Any normal phone can be used, and the total monthly cost for the phone connection and long-distance charges can be anywhere from $10 to $29 a month for residential service.

The Apex Services Group began in response to the growing need for small business planning, consulting, and financing. Located in Dublin, Georgia, the group not only can provide the resources to present a well-defined strategic plan, but also assist in securing funding for the business venture.

According to the U. S. Small Business Administration, small and growing firms with annual sales of less than $5 million comprise 97 percent of all U.S. business firms. Thomas Boles, MBA, MFA, and managing director of the Boles Financial Group, says " whether starting a small business or taking your current one to the next level, a sound business plan is critical to securing the capital funding for your company's future success."

Rhino Marketing is devoted to giving back to the community. This year, the local e-marketing specialists are proud to announce their status as Platinum Sponsors for the Annual Alpha Golf Tournament. This charitable event held its inaugural competition on May 31, 2007, at the Northview Golf Club in Surrey, BC -- a course that boasts a layout designed by golf great Arnold Palmer and is considered to be one of the most exciting and challenging golf courses in BC.

Organized by Alpha Ministries Canada and hosted by MC Ryan Walter, the tournament was a great success and welcomed such celebrity guests as beloved Canuck Trevor Linden and BC Lion teammates Lyle Green and Mark Washington, in addition to Ben Walter of the Boston Bruins. Some of the prizes available to lucky winners were: a Wake Board outboard motor boat with trailer, a Cadillac automobile, a Panasonic 32" LCD TV, a Golf & dinner for four package at Northview Golf Course, and a Spa Utopia package.

For over 30 years Vintage Aircraft Company has wowed passengers of all ages with thrilling WWII adventure flights over the beautiful California Wine Country and majestic Pacific Coastline. Now with that history of success and a perfect safety record, Vintage Aircraft is excited to present 'Wings Over the West,' a turn-key marketing and sponsorship program to help companies dominate in their markets.

Wings Over the West provides companies an unmatchable combination of elements that bear sponsor's corporate identity.

Authentic WWII aircraft: the Boeing Stearman biplane, the North American AT6 "Texan" and the legendary P51 Mustang

Spectacular presence and performance of those planes at six Major Air Show events including the world renowned Reno Air Races

Adventure flights that can take the sponsor's customers for a ride at our home airfield and at air shows

Rare roadside billboard exposure on the gateway to one of the most desired destinations in the world, the Sonoma / Napa Wine Country

Plus an existing "favorite son" relationship with the national and local media

"This program goes beyond the exhilaration of air show participation," says Eric Stevens, Sr. Program Manager for Vintage Aircraft Company. "It's a winning combination that works for our sponsor all year long, because we can do what our competitor's can't, take passengers, from all over the world, up for a ride of a lifetime in those very same planes that bear the sponsor's corporate identity -- and that's just the beginning."

Shapes/Arch Holdings, LLC and its businesses Aluminum Shapes LLC, Delair LLC, Ultra Hardware LLC and Accu-Weld LLC (collectively, the "Company"), a leading supplier of a range of industrial and building products based in Pennsauken, New Jersey, exited from Chapter 11 protection on Friday, August 8. An affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity firm, is the owner of the Company and had provided debtor-in possession financing to and been the plan sponsor for the Company since May 8, 2008. Wells Fargo Foothill, part of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), has provided the company with a $65 million senior secured facility.

Sheevaun Moran, a Consulting Energy Healing Expert with over 14 certifications in Energy Medicine and non-therapeutic aspects of Paramitas Prana Psychotherapy and owner of Energetic Solutions (www.EnergeticSolutions.net), will host her new radio show, "Master Your Energy, Master Your Life" beginning Friday, October 12, 2008 at 8 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica's 7th Wave channel (http://www.modavox.com/7thwavenetwork). The show is re-broadcast 12 hours later, available through a 24/7 archive on the computer, and through web-enabled cell phones, nationally and internationally, away from the computer.

MSS Enterprise Solutions kicks-off its Western PLAN Affiliate Conference with participation from over 20 national and regional partners.

The PLAN is a unique "partnership of partners" whose affiliates combine the strengths of their areas of expertise as resellers, systems integrators, service providers, or specialists in specific vertical markets. The alliance program was organized by IFS master distributors brij®, Corning Data Services, and MSS Enterprise Solutions. Since its inception in January 2005, the Partner Leveraged Affiliate Network (PLAN) has grown to include over a dozen affiliates across the US.

Michael Smith, President of T & K Forex Inc. and a 13 veteran of the currency markets, expects problems with the US Dollar may mean good news for the Euro Currency in 2007.

A huge US deficit, the war in Iraq and the highest consumer debt level per capita in US history may take away some of the safe haven aura surrounding the US Dollar this year. Loose lending practices by US banks to finance the recent personal home ownership boom has led to one of the largest bank foreclosure forecasts in decades. Many major foreign banks are reducing their reserves of US Dollars in favor of the Euro Currency. Higher rates at major foreign central banks are attracting capital investments at the expense of the US Dollar. "The US Dollar may retreat to its lows and beyond this year creating new highs for the Euro Currency," said Smith.

Sober College proudly announced the addition of Dr. Gabrielle Pelicci, as Academic Director. Coming from a diverse background, Dr. Pelicci’s experience, insight, and commitment truly compliment Sober College’s unique philosophy.

Dr. Pelicci received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Masters degree in Education, from Teachers College Columbia University, and a Doctoral Degree in the Humanities, with a focus on Integrative Medicine. With a background in distance education and e-learning, Dr. Pelicci brings a modern approach to Sober College’s Current Educational Model. Buzzing with ideas and plans for the New Year, Dr. Pelicci explains how she plans to strengthen Sober College’s academic center.

New York, New York (PRWEB) July 12, 2006 –- Annemarie Segaric, President of Segaric Coaching, Inc., a life and career transition company based in NYC, announces a brand new monthly telephone seminar, "How to Pay the Bills (and Then Some!) and Change Careers", starting this July. This telephone seminar is the second in a planned series of career change support classes Segaric Coaching offers over the phone.

If they didn't have money concerns, unsatisfied workers often say they'd switch careers in a heartbeat. A local survey conducted by Segaric Coaching found that of the people asked who would like to make a career change, 30% stay put in jobs they don't like because of worries about money.

Avangate BV provides full service e-commerce solutions for its online software sales partners. With SoftPressRelease.com, it has enjoyed the best press release distribution in 2006 and brought new marketing opportunities for Avangate clients. Now software vendors using the Avangate platform can enjoy a 20% discount while making press release promotion easier and more effective.

An expert in the software industry, SoftPressRelease.com has the right approach and tools to support its clients in building a strong reputation. During an independent poll in March 2006 at www.SoftwareMarketingResource.com, it was recognized as the Best Press Release Distribution Service.

Factiva®, a Dow Jones and Reuters Company, and salesforce.com, the market and technology leader in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM), today announced Factiva SalesWorks for salesforce.com’s AppExchange. Built on the AppExchange on-demand platform, Factiva SalesWorks for AppExchange is immediately available for test drive and deployment at www.appexchange.com, in conjunction with the Salesforce Winter ’06 release.

Factiva SalesWorks for AppExchange provides sales professionals with timely and critical company and executive information and news about prospects and customers, directly within their salesforce.com implementation. Salesforce.com subscribers can view a snapshot of a particular company or executive, allowing them quickly to identify and qualify prospects with in-depth company information, executive details, relevant competitor analysis, and highly targeted news coverage.

London Nutritionist and author Yvonne Bishop-Weston strongly criticised the vegetarian food manufacturing industry and caterers last year for producing vegetarian and vegan foods that could do more harm than good.

At a series of meetings such as The Food and Drink Federation's Vegetarian and Vegan meat free manufacturers group she told the industry that the hydrogenated trans fats had to go.

"The public perception of vegetarian food was that it was far healthier than the meat dishes but often vegetarian options were laden with cheese and hydrogenated fat and healthiness just wasn't the reality" says Yvonne.

Oxonica plc, a leading International nanomaterials group, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded ISO9001 certification for its UK based activities in the research and development, manufacture and supply of innovative commercial solutions in nanomaterials and associated consultative services. Oxonica were accredited by Moody International.

“Nanotechnology is a fast growing, fledgling industry,” said Dr Kevin Matthews, Oxonica’s CEO. “It is therefore very reassuring for our customers and investors to know that Oxonica has rigorous quality control procedures in place meeting the globally recognized and respected ISO9001 standards at all stages from consultation through research and development to final products.”

PASYL Communications (http://www.pasyl.com) provides technical writing services for the aerospace industry. Products include but are not limited to: Component Maintenance Manuals (CMMs), Service Bulletins (SBs), Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs) , and revisions of airline operations manuals (FAR 121/135). PASYL communications has recently added web hosting and other related internet services to its list of products. PASYL Communications' staff has technical publications experience with several Canadian and US aerospace corporations.

Big It Up, the hot hatter of the urban fashion crowd, is now taking its signature style and coolness global with a new web site www.bigitup.com.

The launch of a Canadian Fashion Hat Brand into the global market place is a first for Canadian Hatters and follows a steady growth from one modest boutique 9 years ago at the Humber College bookstore, to 5 company stores in Toronto and a distribution network of over 150 retail stores across North America.

The new website is a reflection of the philosophy of Big it Ups distinctive name: to show respect by giving quality at all levels. The site is set up not only as an e-commerce store but also as a hub for Urban Style with tips on hat care, and breezy commentary and photos of hip celebs sporting Big it Up crowns.