Thursday, March 31, 2005

Solar generated hydrogen fuel and electricity has become a reality; Enough to supply cities the size of Los Angeles and Houston. Will Cutting-Edge Televison-Education and Breakthrough Energy Technology join forces to save the Earth? "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages" represent the very best alternative energy generation for the immediate and foreseeable future."

Solar generated hydrogen fuel and electricity has become a reality; Enough to supply cities the size of Los Angeles and Houston. Will Cutting-Edge Televison-Education and Breakthrough Energy Technology join forces to save the Earth? "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages" represent the very best alternative energy generation for the immediate and foreseeable future."

Solar based energy technology is now capable of generating enough hydrogen fuel and electricity to supply cities the size of Los Angeles and Houston. “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” has recommended that the "Get Charged! " program, launched in February 2003 in middle schools throughout America, be expanded to include exploratory documentaries about the future of "Solar Tower Turbine Clusters™" and the many benefits associated with "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages." The programs envisioned would be designed to answer basic questions about hydrogen fuel generated from "green" solar generated electricity – and why "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages" represent the very best alternative to energy generation for the immediate and forseeable future.

(PRWEB) November 30, 2003

TOKYO-(PRWEB) November 27, 2003-[Enviromission EarthNews Online (C) All rights reserved.] “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” a 3.6 billion dollar global energy and agricultural cooperative initiative, has recommended that cooperation between TOUCHSTONE ENERGY® COOPERATIVES and it's PARTNER, DISCOVERY CHANNEL SCHOOL and the “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” be implemented TO HELP LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, their teachers and the PTA, learn more about the expanding development of Solar Tower™ technology throughout the world.

Middle school students all across America and around the world are energized about phrases like "sustainable future", "solar power" and "hydrogen economy" and thanks to the educational initiative sponsored by Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, in partnership with Discovery Channel School, provider of educational materials to schools nationwide, they may be able to apply these terms in real life instances in the near future.

"Solar Tower™ Renewable Energy Alliance of America" (aka The STREAM Coop http://solartower. coop (http://solartower. coop)) has recommended that the "Get Charged! " program, launched in February 2003 in middle schools throughout America, be expanded to include exploratory documentaries about the future of "Solar Tower Turbine Clusters™" and the many benefits associated with "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages." The programs envisioned would be designed to answer basic questions about hydrogen fuel generated from "green" solar powered electricity – and why "Solar Tower™ Turbine Cluster Villages" represent the very best alternative to energy generation for the immediate and foreseeable future.

Middle school teachers in local communities served by Touchstone Energy cooperatives could be provided with educational tools, including videos, CD-ROMs, a Teachers Resource Guides, student activity books and other collateral materials – all at no charge –being subsidized by the “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” Under the Get Charged! program, to enhance the existing curriculum.

Touchstone Energy launched the Get Charged! program, " ...to give students a real-world understanding of electric power, and the important role electric cooperatives play in delivering the “juice” that runs their everyday lives."

As almost every professional in education knows, Discovery Channel School products are developed by the world’s most respected individuals in television and multimedia and they are recognized by most leading educational groups for excellence. One of the reasons “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” has approached directors and associates of Discovery’s award-winning programming is that much of its content, the curriculum and materials used in the Get Charged! program were developed specifically by Discovery Channel School for classroom use. All curriculum and materials comply with National Science Education Standards. The Get Charged! program represents a first-time partnership for Discovery with a non-educational entity to provide content directly to schools and “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” hopes to lend it's support and knowhow to the ongoing initiative.

“Lots of kids (and most adults) are still in the dark about sustainable and alternative energy,” says H. Alfred Goolsbee, founder of the AEldwood™ Global Group of Companies and the "Solar Tower™ Renewable Energy Alliance of America" (aka-The STREAM Coop http://www. solartower. coop (http://www. solartower. coop)); “We would be delighted to partner with Touchstone Energy Cooperatives and Discovery Channel School to help get kids energized about sustainable futures and non-polluting sources of electric and hydrogen power.”

About Touchstone Energy Cooperatives:

The Touchstone Energy Cooperative is a nationwide alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives in the USA. More than 600 Touchstone Energy cooperatives in 44 states are delivering energy and energy solutions to more than 16 million customers every day. Touchstone Energy cooperatives have a reputation of serving their members with integrity, accountability, innovation and a longstanding commitment to communities.

About Discovery Channel School:

Discovery Channel School provides teachers with an evolving line of educational multi-media & cross-platform resources spanning the curriculum. Drawing much of its content from Discovery programming, the product line includes over 600 videos, CD-ROMs and print resources tailor-made for use in todayÂ’s classrooms. DiscoverySchool. com, a top-10 traveled education Web site, offers free resources for teachers, students and parents. Discovery Channel School products reach 1.5 million teachers and benefit 35 million students each year.

About the STREAM Coop:

AmericaÂ’s waste, and the worldÂ’s waste, can be converted into 100% Clean Green Electricity and Hydrogen Fuel for use in fuelcells.

“Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” a 3.6 billion dollar global energy and agricultural cooperative initiative, is set to expand development of Solar Tower technology throughout the world. Solar Tower technology is not patented, and this large-scale renewable solar based energy technology is capable of generating enough hydrogen fuel and electricity to supply cities the size of Los Angeles and Houston. Development of this technology is currently underway in Australia, however, it is important to note that anyone can and should research, design and build Solar Towers™. You can "Save the Earth and Make some money while you're at it!™"

Today, even as you read these words, the large majority of AmericaÂ’s household waste is being hauled to landfills and dumped into old rock quarries and other rural and desert areas. This waste, for decades, has been leaching into the water tables and poisoning the Earth; poisoning the fauna and flora, and in many cases it poisons human children, their parents and grandparents.

Average householders and business owners, believing that they have no other option, continue to pay a monthly fee and support this contemptible behavior. Every day they say goodbye to valuable recyclable waste and they say goodbye to their money, never knowing what happened to that money (or waste). What exactly does happen to that money? You will be shocked at the truth.

Hundreds of Millions (billions) of dollars of profits "disappear" every year; meanwhile the waste piles higher and higher. Where does it go? Who will bring these environmental criminals to justice? It may never happen; but The STREAM COOP can do something to prevent it from happening in the future. Pay attention: Your life literally depends upon your ability to understand what youÂ’re about to read here and your eagerness to take action.

The new STREAM COOP Recycling system designed by H. Alfred Goolsbee, founder of the “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance LLC” will redirect over 85% of that waste into recycling centers and promises to reduce dramatically (by 80~95%) the waste that is usually bound for landfill, and alternatively, will convert that waste into money.

Over time these funds will be returned to those who produced the waste, proportionately, depending upon their active participation in the STREAM Cooperative.

It is the first time in history that a system promises to return cash for waste on a National Scale while at the same time reducing the mountains of waste being injected into Mother Earth.

This is made possible through two new simple systems of sorting waste; first at source, where the waste is generated, next at the STREAM Cooperative Recycling centers, where the waste should be hauled to instead of landfills.

The annual projected profits based on national averages should exceed US$20-billion. Even if only 15% of the US population will voluntarily select the STREAM Coop to handle their waste, annual projected profits based on national averages should exceed US$4-billion.

STREAM Recycling units pay for themselves within two years and will employ hundreds of thousands of people, while returning a profit to the members of the cooperative over a period of several years.

In addition to these astounding benefits, the STREAM Coop Initiative promises to accelerate dramatically the Global transition to a Distributed Fuel Cell Economy (http://www. dfce. com (http://www. dfce. com)) based on eventual (next 5 years) production of Hydrogen Fuel (and other sustainable fuels) produced as a direct and indirect result of this recycling procedure.

The STREAM Coop, through itÂ’s unique and innovative recycling methods will generate memberÂ’s equity over a period of 3-4 years, as well as large quantities of powdered glass, aluminum, iron as well as non-toxic biomass (for reforestation). These assets will in turn be used to build The STREAM Agricultural Glasshouse Cooperative.

The STREAM Agricultural Glasshouse Cooperative in alliance with The STREAM Recycling Cooperative will build The STREAM Energy Cooperative. (Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™ Villages)

AmericaÂ’s waste will be converted into 100% Clean Green Electricity, Hydrogen Fuel, methanol and desiccated compost for use in reforestation projects.

The byproducts include forests, oxygen, distilled ionized water (negative charged, converted from ocean water), medicinal and aromatic herbs, tinctures and extracts, fruits and vegetables, and will generate hundreds of thousands, if not millions of employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labor at many levels.

If you wish to become a member of The STREAM Recycling Co-op today, and contribute your fair share of household waste as soon as possible you should contact us at mailto:stream@solartower. net. Become a local or regional co-op leader today and help us all to protect all our childrenÂ’s (and the Earth's) right to a clean green sustainable future.

About the Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance:

US-Japan based “Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance,” Solar Tower Renewable Energy Alliance of America LLC, (aka The STREAM Coop) and Solar Tower Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong), Solar Tower Pty Ltd. (Australia), and other members of the Solar Tower Global Group of Companies have been promoting development of Solar Tower™ technology into the US, China and all other suitable geographical locations globally.

Solar Tower technology is not patented, and this large-scale renewable solar based energy technology is capable of generating enough hydrogen fuel and electricity to supply cities the size of Los Angeles and Houston. Development of this technology is currently underway in Australia by EnviroMission Limited, however it is important to NOTE* that anyone can and should research, design and build solar towers.

There is no exclusive license required to develop Solar Tower renewable energy technology in Australia or any other place in the world. No patent was ever granted to EnviroMission Limited or to SolarMission Technologies regardless of their relationship with Schlaich, Bergerman und Partners in Germany. Nor was a patent ever granted to Schlaich, Bergerman und Partners in Germany, the original “inventor” of the “Solar Chimney” as they called it. (Re: http://www. sbp. de (http://www. sbp. de))

There is no Government approved owner of a Solar Tower™ patent in the US, China, Mexico, Jordan, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand, or any other place in the world; therefore SolarMission Technologies’ plans to build on EnviroMission Ltd’s progress through commercialization of the technology outside Australia, should be complimented by several cooperatively owned and operated groups of Solar Tower Turbine Clusters™ situated around the world.

A search for a suitable location in the US has already been conducted and enthusiasm for the implementation of Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™ technology in Arizona is evident. The Phoenix Rotary, (http://clean-air. org/ (http://clean-air. org/)) among others, has already expressed their support for the project when they sent a letter of encouragement (see below*) to the founding members of The STREAM Cooperative and other members of the NASA Ames research center on June 20th 2003 when The First Exploratory Meeting of The STREAM Cooperative at NASA Ames Research Park occurred. (view image at:[Enviromission EarthNews Online] http://www. enviromission. com (http://www. enviromission. com))

Along with: Professor Daniel Kammen of the Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory “RAEL” (see - [http://socrates. berkeley. edu/%7erael/testimonies. html (http://socrates. berkeley. edu/%7erael/testimonies. html)]) of the University of California Berkeley several key figures of the NASA team were in attendance:

Mark Beskind-Legal Dept. NASA Ames;

William Berry-Director UC Silicon Valley Center;

Dr. Burney Le Boeuf - Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research UC Santa Cruz;

Dr. Stephanie Langhoff-NASA Ames Chief Scientist;

Azrrik Tawaweseoma Hahn-Youth Education Coordinator for Solar Tower Renewable Energy Alliance of America LLC;

Michael Marlaire Assistant Director for Development, Office of the Director;

Dr. Peter Friedland, NASA Ames Chief Technology Officer;

"TJ" Reardon-Recycling Engineer

William Lloyd-Enterprise Engineer, APPLE Computers.

“Worldwide enthusiasm for Solar Tower Turbine Clusters™ might save us from extinction,” says Solar Tower Renewable Energy Alliance of America LLC founder, H. Alfred Goolsbee, “if enquiries worldwide increased substantially within the next year or two; Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™ technology could power the States the size of Texas, Arizona, California, New York and all future NASA missions not to mention the world at large!”

Solar Tower Renewable Energy Alliance of America LLC, (aka The STREAM Coop) and itÂ’s work to date, worldwide, has provided the project with the groundwork to effectively thwart attempts to monopolize this critical new source of energy and to insure clean green energy for future generations at affordable costs in any global energy market.

A Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™ power station is expected to abate over 7,000,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually, providing an important solution to the renewable energy challenge in the US.

(The STREAM Co-op™)

"Save the Earth and

Make some money while you're at it!™"

"Solar Tower™"

"Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™"

"Enviromission™"

"AEldwood™"

Are all pending trademarks

And service marks of the

AEldwood Global Group of Companies

And the

Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance STCIA.

(http://www. AEldwood. com (http://www. AEldwood. com))

##################

*The Letter of Encouragement from Phoenix Rotary:

"Alfred,

Thank you for contacting us.

The Pollution-Free Planet Foundation has been working closely with the American Hydrogen Association for more than 7 years to promote Hydrogen and other forms of renewable energy as replacements for fossil fuels. We have made presentations to nearly 100 Rotary Clubs and other organizations around the United States.

We have also corresponded with many Rotary members from 40 or 50 other countries that we have met at International Rotary Conventions in Indianapolis, Indiana and San Antonio, Texas.

One of our next goals is to provide training for public school teachers to instruct elementary and secondary school students about renewable energy. They are the ones who will make the leap to a better life for all on earth.

We would be delighted to participate in your program. One of our original concepts was that public opinion is a very powerful force in a free market society. When there is a need for a product or service, a source for that product or service will appear. In order to generate a market for renewable energy, the general public must be made aware of its advantages. The market and the supply must grow up together. Without one, the other will not exist for long.

One of the best ways to maximize the effectiveness of this effort is for organizations such as ours to cooperate with each other. We can have a far greater result when we work together. Therefore, I look forward with enthusiasm to keeping in touch with your group. There can be no greater task than saving the world's environment.

Hope to talk with you again soon.

Regards,

Bill (William) Chase

President

Pollution-Free Planet Foundation

Phoenix, Arizona, U. S.A."

Http://clean-air. org/ (http://clean-air. org/)

###

Ends. 

Media Enquiries

Solar Tower Global Group of Companies

Mr. H. Alfred Goolsbee

Founder

Alfred@solartower. net

For By and On Behalf of

Mystical Forest Foundation Inc. (USA)

A Not-For-Profit Educational & Scholarship Foundation

The AEldwood Foundation Inc (BVI)

(DBA) The Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance

Solar Tower Co. Ltd. (HK)

Solar Tower Global Holdings LLC (USA)

Solar Tower Pty Ltd (Australia)

The Solar Tower Renewable Energy Alliance of America (The STREAM Co-op™)

"Save the Earth and

Make some money while you're at it!™"

"Solar Tower™"

"Solar Tower Turbine Cluster™"

"Enviromission™"

"AEldwood™"

Are all pending trademarks

And service marks of the

AEldwood Global Group of Companies

And the

Solar Tower Cooperative Investment Alliance STCIA.

(http://www. AEldwood. com (http://www. AEldwood. com))

INTERNATIONAL HEAD OFFICE:

Solar Tower Global Holdings LLC

Japan Global Communications

Telephone: +81 45 593 8090

Fax: +81 45 593 8091

Mobile:  +81 90 4221-7511

General Inquiries: stream@solartower. net

The STREAM Coop

Direct:  +81 45 593 1991

(http://www. solartower. com/ (http://www. solartower. com/))

(http://www. solartower. coop/ (http://www. solartower. coop/))

######################################

ENVIROMISSION. COM Alternative and Sustainable

Lifestyle e-zine and magazine for concerned parents and adults.

(http://www. enviromission. com (http://www. enviromission. com))

######################################

(http://www. mysticalforest. org (http://www. mysticalforest. org)) a not-for-profit

(http://www. dfce. com (http://www. dfce. com)) Distributed Fuel Cell Economies and other alternative energy solutions

(http://www. rnadna. com (http://www. rnadna. com)) Exploring the HumanITARIAN genome

GradPAC Endorses West Point Graduate, Former Army Infantry Officer and Successful Businessman Sandy Lyons to Represent North Carolina's 10th Congressional District

GradPAC Endorses West Point Graduate, Former Army Infantry Officer and Successful Businessman Sandy Lyons to Represent North Carolina's 10th Congressional District

West Point graduate, former Army Infantry Officer and successful businessman Sandy Lyons has received GradPAC's endorsement to represent North Carolina's 10th Congressional District.

(PRWEB) July 13, 2004

Washington, DC – GradPAC Chairman Shawn N. Olds announced the endorsement of West Point graduate and successful businessman Sandy Lyons to represent North Carolina's 10th Congressional District today.

Recently, GradPAC’s executive board voted unanimously to endorse Mr. Lyons’ candidacy for the upcoming July 20th primary election in North Carolina.

“Sandy is the embodiment of 'Leaders of the Nation' which West Point and our other service academies seek to produce,” said Chairman Olds. “Sandy's distinguished military service was marked with tactical aplomb and achievement at the very top of his peer group. He found the same success in business thereafter, leading two billion dollar companies and exhibiting tremendous business acumen and vision.”

Olds continued, "Now, rather than continuing his stellar career in the private sector, Sandy has once again answered the call to duty to serve in the United States Congress. His selfless willingness to forego personal gain and ambition to best serve his community and country is something to be venerated and emulated by veterans across the nation. Simply put, Sandy is uniquely qualified to represent the citizens of North Carolina's 10th Congressional District and has devoted his entire adult life to making a difference in the lives of others.”

“Not only does Sandy understand the educational, economic and other communal needs of his district, he also has a keen understanding of the paramount issues of national defense and national security having honorably served his nation in uniform. Clearly, Sandy Lyons is the best choice to represent western North Carolina in the U. S. House of Representatives,” said Olds.

Lyons graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1979. After graduation, he served as a United States Army Infantry Officer after intensive training at Ft. Benning, Georgia and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Subsequently, Lyons served in the elite Artic/Mountain Brigade in Alaska, helping to craft new Army warfare doctrine for such terrain and receiving the Impact Army Commendation Medal for his efforts, among other awards and decorations during his military service.

After his accomplished Army career, Lyons continued his education through executive programs at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Harvard University’s School of Business. Later, he founded two manufacturing businesses, the Elite Technologies Group and Omega One Communications. He also led two billion dollar telecommunications companies as President and CEO of both Siecor Corporation and Corning Cable Systems.

Lyons has served on the boards of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association (NCEITA), Siecor Corporation, easyfurnish. com and Corning Cable Systems. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE).

In his North Carolina community, Lyons has served as a member of the SALT Block Board as well as a Chairman of the United Arts Fund. Additionally, he is a member of the Foresight Group Steering Committee and the Chairman of the Regional Task Force on Job Creation and Economic Development.

Lyons also supports numerous civic and educational organizations including the Catawba County Council for the Arts; the United Arts Fund; The Acoustic Stage; the Western Piedmont Symphony; the West Point Fund; Thayer Circle; Sipe’s Orchard Home; the Culver Educational Foundation; and the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of the Smithsonian, James Smithson Society; the Culver Legion; National Geographic Society, Grosvenor Council; and the National Rifle Association.

Lyons, his wife Catherine and their three children reside in Hickory, North Carolina.

# # #

GradPAC is a national non-partisan political action committee comprised of graduates of West Point, Annapolis, the U. S. Air Force Academy, U. S. Coast Guard Academy and the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy. GradPAC holds as its mission the support of fellow service academy graduates who have served their nation with honor and distinction in uniform and now seek election to the U. S. House, U. S. Senate or the Presidency of the United States. For more information, log onto www. GradPAC. org or contact Thomas J. Ratcliff, GradPAC Press Secretary, at (866) GRADPAC.

Equinoxe AIS Implements SunGard’s Asset Arena Investment Accounting Solution

Equinoxe AIS Implements SunGard’s Asset Arena Investment Accounting Solution

Equinoxe AIS Limited has implemented Asset Arena Investment Accounting, SunGard’s global investment accounting and reporting technology platform. Equinoxe is a full-service alternative investment fund administration company headquartered in Bermuda with subsidiaries licensed and regulated in Ireland and Mauritius.

(Vocus) January 21, 2010

Equinoxe AIS Limited has implemented Asset Arena Investment Accounting, SunGard’s global investment accounting and reporting technology platform. Equinoxe is a full-service alternative investment fund administration company headquartered in Bermuda with subsidiaries licensed and regulated in Ireland and Mauritius.

Equinoxe needed a flexible and scalable system to support its rapidly growing hedge fund administration business. Asset Arena will help Equinoxe to automate its portfolio accounting processes, enabling the fund administrator to focus on core capabilities and provide value-added services to its clients.

Stephen Castree, chief executive officer of Equinoxe, said, “We have ambitious growth plans, so we were not willing to compromise in choosing our technology partner. After a highly competitive selection process, we chose SunGard’s Asset Arena because we believe it provides the most comprehensive set of capabilities to support our business model and expansion. Our choice underscores our commitment to investing in technology to help create the most efficient operations infrastructure for the benefit of our clients.”

Doug Morgan, president of SunGard’s institutional asset management business, commented: “Asset Arena’s ability to handle both traditional and alternative portfolios has made it an attractive solution for customers such as Equinoxe with sophisticated investment accounting needs. We look forward to working with Equinoxe’s highly regarded management team and supporting the company’s growth worldwide.”

About Equinoxe AIS Limited
Equinoxe was founded in 2007 by hedge fund professionals with experience in the set up of over 200 funds, the servicing of over $50 billion in assets and the management of company growth from inception to more than 250 people.

About Asset Arena
Asset Arena is SunGard’s global suite of products and services for asset managers, institutional investors, and traditional and alternative fund administrators. Asset Arena supports the core functions of the asset management industry including investment management, investment operations and investor servicing. By leveraging technologies such as business process management and software-as-a-service, Asset Arena helps investment firms manage complexity, increase efficiency, and reduce costs and operational risk, while maintaining agility to respond to changing business and regulatory requirements. For more information visit http://www. sungard. com/assetarena.

About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world’s leading software and IT services companies. SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries.

SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software.

With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 435 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and services company on the Forbes list of private businesses. Based on information compiled by Datamonitor*, SunGard is the third largest provider of business applications software after Oracle and SAP. Continuity, Insurance & Risk has recognized SunGard as service provider of the year an unprecedented six times. For more information, please visit SunGard at http://www. sungard. com.

*January 2009 Technology Vendors Financial Database Tracker http://www. datamonitor. com

Trademark Information: SunGard, the SunGard logo and Asset Arena are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U. S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

###

Growing Numbers Of Students Graduating Outside Of High School System – Homeschooling Makes ‘GED’ Unnecessary

Growing Numbers Of Students Graduating Outside Of High School System – Homeschooling Makes ‘GED’ Unnecessary

Students cite safety, curriculum restrictions and social cliques as justification for shifting to Homeschooling study, coursework, and even graduation.

Orange Park, Florida (PRWEB) July 6, 2006 –-

Vesta Minnesota is not a large town. There’s one high school, 300 or so people, and everyone knows everyone. So when Karla Paskewitz realized she was ‘out of the clique’, and had no chance of breaking into the dominant social circle at her small public school, she decided to concentrate on her studies. When that turned out to be similarly difficult, by virtue of the government school tendency to move through coursework at pace, without making certain the student is keeping up, Karla wondered if there might be a better option. She found that better option home schooling.

Taking a chance on the unknown, she registered for Citizens’ High School, a home schooling program that would allow her to study what subjects she wanted to study, at her own pace, and graduate with a fully accredited high school diploma, as opposed to a GED, all from the comfort of her own living room. Given the freedom to study at her own pace and in her own time, Karla didn’t just do well, she did outstanding. She managed to finish three years worth of coursework in just two years; allowing her to be eligible for college a year sooner than most, and with a fantastic GPA.

“Karla is one of those students who, if given the freedom to control her own destiny, really excels,” said Citizens’ High School Director Onna L. East. “She clearly wasn’t happy juggling the usual government school issues of navigating social cliques and who’s friends with who, and who is popular and who is not – she just wanted to be given the chance to learn without all the associated rubbish that all too often comes with the education system, and at her own speed. We’re really happy she chose Citizens’ High School, and very proud to see her graduate so fast.”

In appreciation of Karla’s success, Citizens’ High School dubbed Paskewitz their Graduate of the Month. She intends to get a full-time job, for now, while she decides what area she would like to study in college.

About Citizens’ High School:

Citizens’ High School is an online learning organization that provides high quality coursework for people to earn a REAL high school diploma (as opposed to the lesser GED) from an accredited high school program. The school was founded in 1981 and is located in Orange Park Florida, and is one of the few home schooling high school programs that offers genuine ‘study at your own pace’ accelerated learning options, and a bona fide high school diploma at the end of the course. Potential students and family members of people seeking better high school options are encouraged to explore the Citizen’s High School website at http://www. citizenschool. com (http://www. citizenschool. com)

Contact:

Onna L. East (Director)

P. O. Box 66089

Orange Park, FL 32065-6089

# # #

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Small Business Loans with Bad Credit – Lenders Offer at Allworldprivatefunding. com

Small Business Loans with Bad Credit – Lenders Offer at Allworldprivatefunding. com

Allworldprivatefunding. com, a leading website working as a middleman for lenders and borrowers, can help you meet the lenders all over the world who will give you small business loans bad credit.

Seville, FL (PRWEB) April 23, 2006

Many lenders are ready to provide you small business loans bad credit despite of the risk in getting the money back from a small business which is having bad credit score.

Allworldprivatefunding. com, a leading website working as a middleman for lenders and borrowers, can help you meet the lenders all over the world who will give you small business loans bad credit.

What you have to do is, fill up a form at the site for the loan request. Your loan request will be forwarded to lenders. You will be contacted

By the lenders if they find you worthy. Then you will also have to see the rate of interest and other payment process. Lenders are providing small business loans bad credit with competitive interest rates.

The website is unique as it brings together individuals who are interested to lend and who are in need to take loan. Lenders can display their offer at the site and the portal facilitates borrowers to display the loan request at its site.

Famous people, celebrities, can anonymously read through the listings, consider them, and lend money under a pseudonym or their real name if they like. Who knows, you can get a loan from the big guys or some celebrities. You may get the attention of people like Bill Gates or George W Bush.

Besides the small business loan bad credit, the company helps you get personal loans, other business loans, venture capital, education loans – both secured and unsecured - in the United States, UK, Canada, Australia, South America, France, Germany, Italy, all of Europe, Mexico, Asia, and other parts of the world.

The portal maintains secrecy of your personal information. It will never reveal to any one. Your email address or name is never shown in the listings. The lender contacts the website with your unique code number, and the portal forwards the lender's contact information to you. Then you decide if, and when, to contact them about the details of the offer. It never gets involved in the negotiations.

The portal is in the top 1% out of all websites in the world as per Alexa ranking. According to Google, there are 1,346,966,000 websites and according to Reuters News Wire, there are 550,000,000,000 web sites world-wide. Log on to

Www. allworldprivatefunding. com for more information on small business loans bad credit and read the mail sent by people from many parts of the world who been benefited by the portal.

###

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

WellSpring | MTTI Announces the Opening of Its New Fitness Center and Classroom

WellSpring | MTTI Announces the Opening of Its New Fitness Center and Classroom

An open house will be held from 3 p. m. to 6 p. m. on Thursday, May 13, at the Kansas City campus to celebrate the new space. Free personal training sessions, massage and gift certificates will all be raffled off to attendees!

Kansas City (PRWEB) May 6, 2010

WellSpring’s Kansas City campus is expanding! The health and wellness school (http://wellspring. edu (http://wellspring. edu)) that has programs in massage therapy and personal training recently added a new classroom and fitness center filled with cutting-edge strength and cardiovascular equipment.

The school will hold an open house to showcase the new space from 3 p. m. to 6 p. m. on Thursday, May 13. Free bottled water will be given at the event, and four prizes will be raffled off to attendees:
Free personal training session with Kansas City, MO, fitness program manager Jim Heatherman Free personal training session with Lawrence, KS, fitness program manager Cody Shaffer Free 90-minute massage in the Kansas City Student Clinic (http://wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/GetaMassage (http://wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/GetaMassage)) $50 credit to a community education class (http://wellspring. edu/classes (http://wellspring. edu/classes))

“The event is open to the public, and we’re encouraging everyone in the community to come out and help us celebrate,” says Don Farquharson, WellSpring Executive Director. “This is truly a milestone for our school and for our pursuits in promoting wellness in the community.”

The new hybrid space both accommodates the school’s increased need for space for increasing enrollment numbers and it gives current Fitness Training and Wellness students top-of-the-line fitness equipment to use in an educational setting.

“The new space gives our instructors the ability to teach a concept intellectually and then demonstrate it real equipment in real-time so that students are really getting that hands-on experience,” says Jennipher Walters, WellSpring Fitness Program Director. “It’s the ideal environment to learn in.”

The new space features two treadmills, free weights, cable-crossover machine, and a variety of functional fitness pieces such as stability balls, weight bars, Bosu Balls, resistance bands and more.

If you’d like to attend the open house at Kansas City campus as media or would like photos from the event, please contact Jennipher Walters at 816-523-9140 ext. 109 or Jennipher. w@mtti. net. Directions to the Kansas City campus can be found here: http://wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/KansasCityCampus (http://wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/KansasCityCampus).

About WellSpring | MTTI
Health and wellness has been the total focus of WellSpring | MTTI since the school’s founding in 1988. Massage therapy (http://www. wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/MassageTherapyProgram (http://www. wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/MassageTherapyProgram)) is a core specialty of the school. The school also offers a state of the art Fitness Training & Wellness program (http://www. wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/FitnessTrainingWellnessProgram (http://www. wellspring. edu/index. msp/page/FitnessTrainingWellnessProgram)) to prepare graduates for successful careers as NASM-certified Personal Trainers. WellSpring’s specialty in training students for massage therapy and fitness and wellness careers sets the school apart from other all-purpose technical schools and provides a very unique and different learning environment. Learn more about WellSpring at http://wellspring. edu/ (http://wellspring. edu/).

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Monday, March 28, 2005

Operational Assessment for U. S. Air Force Supports Benefits of Expanding Access to Therapy through Behavior Imaging® -- a New Tele-health Technology

Operational Assessment for U. S. Air Force Supports Benefits of Expanding Access to Therapy through Behavior Imaging® -- a New Tele-health Technology

Online Consultation Platform for Applied Behavior Analysis Demonstrates Tangible Value as Affordable and Effective Clinical Supervision Tool

(PRWEB) December 16, 2010

Behavior Imaging Solutions, a leader in tele-health technology, today announced the results of its recently completed Operational Assessment, conducted on behalf of the U. S. Air Force Medical Service. The study, involving 33 military families with at least one child with autism, assessed the effectiveness of the company’s online consultation platform to facilitate remote access to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services through a proprietary video capture system connected to a HIPAA-compliant web server.

During the 3-month assessment, families and caregivers used Behavior Imaging® technology in the home to record, annotate and share ABA therapy sessions or the child’s behavior on video, which were then reviewed and annotated remotely by certified ABA therapy supervisors at four autism service agencies. Pre - and post-assessment surveys were administered to families and therapists to evaluate the technology’s effectiveness.

Those assessment surveys demonstrated that, when the therapist and families are both actively engaged in the treatment process, the benefits of Behavior Imaging® technology include:
Significant time and expense savings for therapist and family More relevant information communicated to caregiver and therapist Better understanding of complex behaviors by therapist supervisor More accurate assessments of behavioral trends and progress More effective supervision and training of therapists in the field

According to retired U. S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Timothy Lacy M. D., who served as Chief of Telehealth for USAF Medical Service from 2005 to 2010, “The results of this Operational Assessment are encouraging. They suggest that Behavior Imaging® technology can help military families and providers who must understand and treat children with complex neuro-behavioral disorders such as autism. Unfortunately, many families have limited access to certified behavioral healthcare providers and therapists. This technology partially addresses that problem by providing remote access to expert professional supervision and therapy.” An interview with Dr. Lacy, discussing the Operational Assessment, is currently available at http://www. behaviorimaging. com/html/lacy. htm.

Ron Oberleitner, CEO of Behavior Imaging Solutions, said, “We’re very encouraged by the findings of the Operational Assessment for these military families with a child with autism. We are also excited to see Behavior Imaging® being used by the military to support Virtual Reality care for soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and we believe our technology may help improve access to care for patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, ALS, stroke and anxiety. Further, the potential scope of this technology includes primary care treatment and referral, special education, medication management and a range of supervision and training applications.”

Oberleitner noted: “Similar to echocardiograms, CT and MRI scans, and other traditional tools used for internal body imaging, Behavior Imaging® has the potential to become the standard imaging modality for behavioral and mental health conditions.” In fact, the company is already involved in a number of tele-health projects related to a broad range of market needs, and in addition to the U. S. Department of Defense, clients include public and private schools and universities, state-wide school systems, and behavioral healthcare facilities located in 30 states and 6 countries overseas.

Behavior Imaging Solutions, Inc. (Boise, Idaho) is a privately owned healthcare technology company dedicated to advancing Behavior Imaging® as a means of more effectively assessing, treating, and training professionals working with autism, brain disorders, PTSD, and other behavioral conditions. For more information, visit http://www. BehaviorImaging. com. Founded in 2005, the company was formerly called Caring Technologies, Inc.

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Sunday, March 27, 2005

Timely Topics Take the Podium at ASA's 2007 Joint Statistical Meetings

Timely Topics Take the Podium at ASA's 2007 Joint Statistical Meetings

Many topics of timely interest will be featured among the more than 2,500 presentations and other sessions at the 2007 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) at Salt Lake City's Salt Palace Convention Center July 29 to August 2. JSM is the world's largest annual gathering of statisticians, attended by more than 5,000 people from the government, industry and academic sectors.

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) July 18, 2007

Many topics of timely interest will be featured among the more than 2,500 presentations and other sessions at the 2007 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) at Salt Lake City's Salt Palace Convention Center July 29 to August 2. JSM is the world's largest annual gathering of statisticians, attended by more than 5,000 people from the government, industry and academic sectors.

"The conference will address issues of national and international concern, such as global warming and medical advances, as well as activities that address political processes, physical and social sciences, and manufacturing processes and quality," said William Smith, ASA executive director. "In our data-driven society, the statistics discipline has a proud heritage of helping make sensible decisions in the face of uncertainty."

The "timely topics" include sessions in the subject areas of law, medicine, national defense, government and politics, weather, search engines, sports and consumer safety. A representative sample of sessions follows; a complete list can be accessed at http://www. amstat. org/meetings/jsm/2007/pdfs/TimelyTopics. doc (http://www. amstat. org/meetings/jsm/2007/pdfs/TimelyTopics. doc).
 What Happened In Florida-13's Election Last Year -- What Can We Do To Improve Electoral Integrity? Presenter: Arlene Ash, Boston University
The statistical evidence that poor electronic ballot design altered the outcome of the election for U. S. House of Representatives in Florida's 13th Congressional district last year seems compelling. Ash will discuss evidence from this election, reasons for the persistent failure to eliminate errors in U. S. elections (no CQI), the disconnect between statistical knowledge and political/judicial realities, and potential roles for statisticians (and the ASA) in helping to improve electoral processes and outcomes.

 Is Tiger A Winner, or Is He Just So Much Better Than Everyone? Presenter: Scott Berry, Berry Consultants
When commentators and the sporting public talk about Tiger Woods, they inevitably say he has a tremendous will to win and is mentally better than everyone else. Sports are notorious for attaching "reasons" to randomness -- there has to be a reason he wins so darn much. The sports world also loves "winners." Is Tiger Woods a winner, or is he so much better than everyone else that he just wins a lot?

 Alzheimer's Disease Research in Utah: Analysis Methods for Early Detection, Epidemiology and Clinical Trials Presenters: Gordon J. Chelune, The University of Utah; Chris Corcoran, Utah State University; Carl F. Pieper, Duke University; Peter Zandi, Johns Hopkins University; Kenton Zavitz, Myriad Pharmaceuticals; Mark Laughlin, Myriad Pharmaceuticals; Edward Swabb, Myriad Pharmaceuticals. The session is chaired by C. Shane Reese, Brigham Young University

 Statistics and Search Engines Presenter: Daryl Pregibon, Google
Search engines (SEs) are ubiquitous, yet the role that statistics and data mining play in their care and feeding is not well known. The presenter introduces several examples to illustrate the scale and scope of statistical applications used in modern search engines.

 Media Coverage Regarding Data on Mortality in Iraq Presenters: Leslie Roberts, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health; Gilbert Burnham and Shannon Doocy, Johns Hopkins University
Discussion will focus on media coverage (pro and con) that emphasized the controversial nature of a recent national mortality survey in Iraq, in spite of the conventional methods employed, and has continued to focus on lower surveillance estimates based on morgue and hospital records. This is because of the difficulties of communicating sample results, the extremely incomplete nature of vital record-keeping in settings of extreme violence and successful spinning of the story by parties with nonscientific agendas.

 Risk and the Early Detection of Disease Presenters: Marvin Zelen, Harvard School of Public Health; Sandra Lee, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Currently there are many recommendations for individuals to seek special exams to detect chronic diseases even though an individual has no signs or symptoms. In nearly all adult cancers, the disease risk increases with age. This talk will discuss a method for scheduling screening exams according to risk status.

 Verdict on Verdicts: Statistical Measurement of the Accuracy of Jury Verdicts Presenter: Bruce D. Spencer, Northwestern University
Accuracy of jury verdicts is a societal concern, but aside from exceptional cases, little is known about how often juries as a whole get it wrong.

 Safety First -- Managing Patient's Safety and Mitigating Product's Risks Presenter: Christy Chuang-Stein, Pfizer
Protecting patients' safety and ensuring that benefit outweighs risk are the guiding principles in selecting treatments for patients and conducting medical experimentation. The presenter will review the role safety evaluation plays in product assessment and the role such assessment occupies in various Prescription Drug User Fee Acts.

About JSM
JSM is held jointly with the American Statistical Association (ASA), the International Biometric Society (ENAR and WNAR), the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) and the Statistical Society of Canada. The theme for this year's conference is Statistics: Harnessing the Power of Information. A brief history of the JSM can be found at http://www. amstat. org/meetings/JSM/2007/pdfs/ABriefHistoryoftheASAAnnualMeetings. doc (http://www. amstat. org/meetings/JSM/2007/pdfs/ABriefHistoryoftheASAAnnualMeetings. doc)

About the American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association (ASA), a scientific and educational society founded in Boston in 1839, is the second oldest continuously operating professional society in the United States. For more than 160 years, ASA has been providing its 18,000 members serving in academia, government, and industry and the public with up-to-date, useful information about statistics. The ASA has a proud tradition of service to statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across a wealth of academic areas and applications. For additional information about the American Statistical Association, please visit the association's web site at http://www. amstat. org (http://www. amstat. org) or call 703.684.1221.

Note to editors: ASA will be pleased to try to set up interviews with any of the presenters; contact rosanne @ amstat. org

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Saturday, March 26, 2005

Chicago-Area First Time Home Buyers Webinar

Chicago-Area First Time Home Buyers Webinar

Peter Thompson, senior loan officer with the PT Mortgage Group at Wintrust Mortgage (www. ptmortgage. com), will be presenting a free, educational webinar: How to Buy Your First Home with a Low Down Payment - in Today’s Market for Chicago-area first time home buyers on February 18th at 6:00 pm CST. This webinar will highlight ways first time home buyers can take advantage of limited-time opportunities such as historically-low interest rates, competitive pricing, and large inventory of today’s buyer’s market.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) February 7, 2010

Peter Thompson, senior loan officer with the PT Mortgage Group at Wintrust Mortgage (www. ptmortgage. com), will be presenting a free, educational webinar: How to Buy Your First Home with a Low Down Payment - in Today’s Market for Chicago-area first time home buyers on February 18th at 6:00 pm CST. This webinar will highlight ways first time home buyers can take advantage of limited-time opportunities such as historically-low interest rates, competitive pricing, and large inventory of today’s buyer’s market.

During the webinar, participants will learn about the first time home buyers $8,000 tax credit, FHA loan program details, and how to improve their chances of qualifying for an affordable mortgage loan, in addition to learning helpful tips on the entire home-buying process from start to finish. The presentation will be followed by a live question and answers session.

Advanced registration for the 1 hour webinar is required.

To register, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting. com/register/303507864 (https://www1.gotomeeting. com/register/303507864)
Or http://www. ptmortgage. com/Mortgage-Webinars. html (http://www. ptmortgage. com/Mortgage-Webinars. html)

About Peter Thompson:
Peter Thompson, a senior loan officer with PT Mortgage Group at Wintrust Mortgage, is first time home buyer specialist with over 19 years experience in the mortgage industry. He has been cited as an industry expert by The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, CNN and newspapers across the country and regularly educates first time home buyers on his blog Illinois Mortgage Rates and News: http://www. ptmortgage. com/blog (http://www. ptmortgage. com/blog)

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Friday, March 25, 2005

Attendance on Demand, Inc. to Exhibit at American Payroll Association's Annual Congress

Attendance on Demand, Inc. to Exhibit at American Payroll Association's Annual Congress

Ttendance on Demand, Inc. web-hosted employee time and attendance system is exhibiting at booth 429 at the American Payroll Association's (APA) 25th Annual Congress held in Las Vegas, NV, May 22-26, 2007

Farmington Hills, Michigan (PRWEB) May 8, 2007

Attendance on Demand, Inc. web-hosted employee time and attendance system is exhibiting at booth 429 at the American Payroll Association's (APA) 25th Annual Congress held in Las Vegas, NV, May 22-26, 2007.

The APA Annual Congress is the payroll industry's premier event, offering educational workshops, presentations by top government officials and industry experts, and the world's largest payroll-related exhibit hall

Visitors to the Attendance on Demand booth 429 can experience the advantages of Web-hosted Attendance on Demand --an advanced time and attendance service for secure, cost-effective employee labor management.

Congress participants can schedule a custom demo ; consult with a time and attendance solutions expert; and see how Attendance on Demand integrates seamlessly with payroll.

Attendance on Demand is a web-hosted time and attendance system with full capabilities for labor management, including employee scheduling, time keeping, accruals, incidents, budgets, and more. Organizations use Attendance on Demand as a service, with monthly per-employee billing, exporting labor data into virtually any payroll system.

About InfoTronics, Inc. For nearly 30 years, InfoTronics, Inc. (Farmington Hills, MI) has maintained a singular vision -- to provide businesses of all sizes cost-effective, easily deployed employee time and attendance solutions. Attendance on Demand web-hosted service meets the scalability, reliability and security requirements of large organizations. InfoTronics has helped more than 18,000 organizations use InfoTronics products to reduce labor expenses and improve decision making. www. attendanceondemand. com

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Thursday, March 24, 2005

Break the Bottle Habit: Water Filters are Better for Your Health, Your Wallet and the Planet

Break the Bottle Habit: Water Filters are Better for Your Health, Your Wallet and the Planet

Recent revelations that many designer bottled waters are nothing more than plain tap water underscore the fact that water filters are a smart choice for pure, contaminant-free, economical water.

South Daytona, FL (PRWEB) August 26, 2007

A recent study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund found that many brands of bottled water marketed their products as being healthier than tap water. However, revelations that many of the designer water brands coveted by millions worldwide are, in actuality, nothing more than tap water have shaken the bottled water industry to its core. At the heart of this shake-up is the question: Which is really better, bottled water or water filters?

Approximately one out of five people drink only bottled water and two out of five drink only filtered water. Both of these groups state concerns about the safety of public water supplies as the compelling reason for their water choices. And with good reason.

According to the Ralph Nader Research Group, following an exhaustive search through thousands of pages of Environmental Protection Agency documents, more than 2,100 toxic chemicals have been found to currently exist in our nation's public water supplies. These chemicals include chloride, which was used in World War II as a highly effective form of chemical warfare. Other toxins detected include poisonous elements such as lead and arsenic, as well as a number of potential carcinogens.

With bottled water giants, including Aquafina™, admitting that their "pure" water is actually nothing more than tap water, it stands to reason that these carcinogens are also found in many brands of bottled water. Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, was quoted by The New York Times as stating, "There is no reason to believe that bottled water is safer than tap water." It is no wonder that millions of consumers are scrambling to find more reliable sources of pure, clean water.

As this mountain of evidence continues to accumulate, it has become increasingly clear that water filtration stands alone as the most effective way to ensure that the water we drink is free of contaminants and harmful bacteria. For example, studies show that Aquasana water filters are capable of producing chemical-free water even at levels of contamination ten to fifteen times legal limits.

Aquasana, one of the nation's top water filter providers, is leading a wave of consumer education regarding the importance of good water and how it dramatically impacts the nation's health.

But how does the cost of a water filter compare to that of bottled water? Consider the fact that most bottled water costs around $1.50 for a 16-ounce bottle. If one drinks the recommended eight 16-ounce servings every day, seven days a week, that adds up to $84 per week or around $365 per month. Compare that recurring expense to the purchase of a water filter at an average price of just $99 for an Aquasana countertop water filter, and it is clear that filtering your home's water supply is a much more economical choice.

But water quality and price are not the only important factors when considering bottled water versus water filters.

Our planet's fragile eco-system is being increasingly polluted with non-biodegradable refuse. More than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away every day in the United States. This presents an ecological disaster in the making, as it takes up to 1,000 years for these disposable water bottles to decompose.

Also at stake is the world's dwindling oil supply. In 2006, over 50 billion plastic water bottles were purchased in the United States alone. The one and a half million barrels of oil required to produce those 50 billion plastic bottles could fuel at least 100,000 vehicles for a full year.

Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living, states that "refilling our own personal water bottle with filtered water from the tap requires far less energy and wastes almost no resources relative to bottled water -- an easy thing to accomplish with potentially big results."

About Aquasana U. S.A.
Unlike like other water filtration products, Aquasana products are not designed to simply meet minimum government or industry standards that allow trace levels of toxic chemicals in tap water and bottled water. Science has proven that there are no safe levels for toxic synthetic chemicals in drinking water.

While it is permitted and accepted that bottled water and tap water commonly contain traces of many unhealthy contaminants, Aquasana products are designed to produce truly healthy, chemical-free water.

With over 15 years in the water filtration industry, 17 patents and nearly ten million products sold, Aquasana is the number one rated home water filtration system in America.

For more information, contact:
Ron Stanley
(386) 760-0990

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PRIUM and Pharmaceutical Technologies Establish Next Generation PBM Strategic Partnership

PRIUM and Pharmaceutical Technologies Establish Next Generation PBM Strategic Partnership

PRIUM (www. prium. net) is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Pharmaceutical Technologies, Inc. (PTI) for the administration and network management of prescriptions for injured workers that will create the Next Generation of PBM.

Duluth, GA (PRWEB) January 8, 2010

PRIUM (www. prium. net) is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Pharmaceutical Technologies, Inc. (PTI) for the administration and network management of prescriptions for injured workers that will create the Next Generation of PBM.

Based in the Atlanta GA area and founded in 1987, PRIUM provides objective, peer-to-peer clinical consulting and medical services surrounding medical necessity, causality and appropriateness of care for injured workers. PRIUM is active in Workers’ Compensation, auto, general liability and personal injury protection (PIP) lines of insurance, offering clinical consulting and continuing education services throughout the United States.

PTI is an established company with significant experience since 1992 in the Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) processing arena. PTI has integrated itself into the POS of over 64,000 pharmacies nationwide, offers a 24x7 Call Center for support of those pharmacies, provides an overlay of services that ensure compliance with jurisdictional and best practice for medications, integrates a strong Mail Order process, and provides real-time access to transaction and insured data through their web portal.

Adding in PRIUM’s extensive Utilization Review/Management experience for a clinical overlay, the partnership of PRIUM and PTI creates the next generation PBM with a distinct advantage in the Workers’ Compensation marketplace.

According to Jim Pritchard, CEO of PRIUM, “This partnership with PTI allows us to leverage their extensive network and PBM experience while directly integrating our clinical overlay. The least expensive pill is the one you don’t pay for, and so our focus on ensuring the most appropriate medication regimen combined with economies of scale and process offered by PTI puts us ahead of the competition. These enhanced features and efficiencies, along with our extensive experience in Texas, positions us very well to handle the proposed Texas Closed Formulary (134.500) that will likely be rolled out in 2010.”

The transition by PRIUM to PTI has been underway over the past few months and is scheduled to be completed in January 2010. The transition process has been well planned and implemented in order to reduce any issues to PRIUM’s customers and injured workers and make the transition as seamless as possible.

In addition, a new Referral process and form (manual and electronic) will be rolled out in January 2010 to accelerate the process for moving injured workers into PRIUM’s PBM oversight.

Overall, this strategic partnership allows PRIUM a better method by which to support the anticipated growth in its PBM products and services in 2010. Better service, better access, better reports, better processing – all are direct benefits to PRIUM’s customers.

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YouCastr Partners with The Kraft Group and the New England Patriots to Expand High School Sports Broadcasting

YouCastr Partners with The Kraft Group and the New England Patriots to Expand High School Sports Broadcasting

YouCastr, the sports broadcasting service for high schools and youth sports, announced its partnership with The Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots, today. Together, they will provide high schools throughout New England an opportunity broadcast their football games and other sports over the Internet.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 26, 2009

YouCastr, the sports broadcasting service (http://www. youcastr. com) for high schools and youth sports, announced its partnership with The Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots, today. Together, they will provide high schools throughout New England an opportunity broadcast their football games and other sports over the Internet.

The Kraft Group will be leveraging its website, http://www. newenglandfootball. com (http://www. newenglandfootball. com) as a central locator and promoter of high school football video. YouCastr will provide their easy to use platform to schools to broadcast live, delayed and on-demand video to families, boosters, alumni and the general public. Also, YouCastr also provides schools and athletic programs an ability to earn money by charging their viewers and inserting advertising.

Each school's content will be available on both newenglandfootball. com, where every high school football team in New England has its own team information page, and the school's own website if it so chooses. Further, all the team information pages on newenglandfootball. com feed kiosks in The Hall at Patriot Place, the New England Patriots hall of fame and interactive museum. The kiosks are part of The Hall's "New England Football" exhibit, where visitors can find information not only on high school football, but also the complete history of football in the six-state region.

"The Krafts have always been supportive of youth sports in New England, particularly football," said New England Patriots publisher Fred Kirsch. "Hosting the MIAA Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium every December is just one part of that involvement. Creating newenglandfootball. com and the New England football exhibit at The Hall at Patriot Place was yet another step. Now, partnering with YouCastr takes what we can provide schools to a whole new level. With schools everywhere forced to tighten their financial belts, YouCastr's solution is a terrific opportunity for high schools throughout New England."

"YouCastr is delighted to be partnering with The Kraft Group to support broadcasting of high school sports across New England," said YouCastr Co-Founder Brad Johnson. "Together, we can help raise the profile of school's athletic programs, enable schools to earn money during these challenging times, provide a great way for family and alumni to watch their favorite teams and provide students an excellent educational opportunity in digital media."

There are already hundreds of high schools throughout the country using the YouCastr platform to broadcast sporting events (http://www. youcastr. com) over the Internet. YouCastr is in the process of signing up more high schools to broadcast spring sports to get them prepared for the fall football season. The process for schools is incredibly simple and once signed up, schools can leverage the YouCastr services for all their sports and school events.

About The Kraft Group
The Kraft Group is the holding company for the Kraft family's various businesses, which have concentrated interests in five specific areas: the distribution of forest products, paper and packaging manufacturing, sports and entertainment, real estate development and private equity investing. Together, the Rand-Whitney Group and International Forest Products conduct business in more than 80 countries annually and form one of the largest privately-owned paper packaging and distribution companies in the world. The Kraft Group's sports and entertainment division features Gillette Stadium, New England's premier concert and entertainment venue and home to the National Football League's three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and Major League Soccer's New England Revolution. The Kraft Group's real estate development team oversaw the construction of Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place, a 1.3 million square foot lifestyle and entertainment destination adjacent to Gillette Stadium. For more information, please visit http://www. thekraftgroup. com (http://www. thekraftgroup. com).

About YouCastr
YouCastr is a sports broadcasting service (http://www. youcastr. com) for schools, club teams, and tournaments that makes it easy to broadcast live, delayed, and on-demand video of sporting events. YouCastr enables students, athletes, family members, alumni, and fans to follow their favorite local sports over the Internet. YouCastr also gives schools and teams the ability to earn money by charging their viewers and inserting advertising, providing new revenue source for schools and athletic programs. For more information, visit http://www. youcastr. com (http://www. youcastr. com).

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Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Plastic Surgery Website Design Firm Rosemont Media Heads to Miami for the 44th Annual Baker Gordon Symposium

Plastic Surgery Website Design Firm Rosemont Media Heads to Miami for the 44th Annual Baker Gordon Symposium

Rosemont Media™, a plastic surgery marketing and website design firm based in San Diego, will be meeting with leaders from across the globe at one of the largest annual meetings of plastic surgeons in the U. S. The Baker Gordon Educational Symposium invites plastic surgeons and medical professionals from around the world to spend a few days presenting and learning about the latest advances in cosmetic enhancement.

San Diego, CA (Vocus) February 4, 2010

Each year, some of the most respected plastic surgeons and professionals in the fields of aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery gather together in an annual forum to speak and learn about the latest advances in cosmetic enhancement. Sponsored by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, the Baker Gordon Educational Symposium is now in its 44th year. Held from February 11th through February 13th, 2010, this year’s symposium will be presented at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Miami, Florida. And Rosemont Media™, a medical website design firm based in San Diego, will be attending the event to speak with doctors who are continuing to try and find new ways of reaching out to their communities. The Baker Gordon Educational Symposium is one of four large medical conferences that Rosemont will attend in the coming months.

(http://www. rosemontmedia. com/about#keith]) Keith Humes, CEO of Rosemont Media™, says the reason he attends events like the Baker Gordon Symposium is to meet and talk with some of the best plastic surgeons in the world and discuss how they can use their presence on the internet in a more useful way. And, Humes says, one of those methods is by having a plastic surgery website design uniquely tailored to the doctor’s individual practice, built from the ground up – just for them. “The Internet is in a continuous state of evolution. New trends, new technologies, new capabilities pop up just about every day. Our company embraces and harnesses these new capabilities, utilizing them to our clients’ advantage. We want to establish a solid foundation for plastic surgery websites, with a state-of-the-art design and the best chance for our clients to soar to the top of the search engines. We put a lot of love into it, we custom-build it by hand. There’s nothing automated about building custom websites.”

But, Humes says, that’s just the beginning. He says most doctors want to have control over their own content, so they can update and revise as they see fit without the hassle of going through an outside web administrator. And, in addition to customized websites, Humes says that’s exactly what Rosemont Media™ gives them. “We offer the best of both worlds – a custom look with the benefits of a content management system.” He says Rosemont Media™ offers doctors numerous methods of spreading their message and standing out from the pack, including unbiased consulting from experts in the web design field; original content; search engine marketing strategies designed to help their visibility in both real and virtual communities; advanced graphic design; personalized blogs; and internet video capabilities. Specializing in medical and dental website design, Humes says Rosemont Media™ concentrates on giving its clients exclusivity in their markets, and his goal at the Baker Gordon Educational Symposium is to discuss the company’s philosophy with doctors so they can know how Rosemont can help them grow their practices.

In addition to the Baker Gordon Symposium in Miami, Rosemont Media™ will also be attending the upcoming 27th Annual Dallas Rhinoplasty Symposium; the 26th Annual AACD Scientific Session for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in Grapevine, Texas; and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting 2010 in Washington, D. C. Humes says “The doctors who attend these conferences are known as some of the best and most innovative physicians and dentists in the world. And it’s important that they are able to meet with companies like Rosemont Media™ so they know the unique and effective tools available for them to reach out to their communities and truly be heard.”

The 44th Annual Baker Gordon Symposium, endorsed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, will be held in the Ashe Auditorium of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Miami, Florida from February 11th to February 13th, 2010.

For more information on Rosemont Media™ and the services they provide, the company can be reached at (800) 491-8623. http://www. rosemontmedia. com.

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Monday, March 21, 2005

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel to Host Special Restaurant Event for James Beard Foundation

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel to Host Special Restaurant Event for James Beard Foundation

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel will host the Celebrity Chef Tour on October 21st. The proceeds of this Baltimore restaurant special event will benefit The James Beard Foundation.

Baltimore, MA (PRWEB) September 26, 2010

The James Beard Foundation's Celebrity Chef Tour arrives at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel restaurant on October 21, 2010 where some of the nation's top culinary talents will create a fantastic multi-course dinner to be paired with premium wines, beers and spirits.

This not-to-be-missed Baltimore harbor dining experience for food lovers will take place in the Baltimore harbor hotel's restaurant, WATERTABLE, at 7:00 p. m. Tickets, priced at $140 per person inclusive, go on sale September 23, 2010 (or $120 for Visa Signature® card members, on sale September 20, 2010). All proceeds from this Baltimore dining special will benefit The James Beard Foundation’s programming and educational initiatives.

The Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace's Executive Chef Sean Curry plays host to a roster of star chefs to present a stellar Baltimore dining experience. The celebrity chefs for the evening will be:
 Marc Murphy, Executive Chef and Owner of BenchMarc Restaurants in NYC, who also frequently appears as a guest judge on the Food Network's hit shows "Chopped" and "Iron Chef America"  Jennifer Carroll, the celebrated chef de cuisine of 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge by Eric Ripert in Philadelphia, and season six "Top Chef" finalist  Marc Anthony Bynum, Executive Chef of Venue 56 in Hauppauge, NY, and a "Chopped" winner who is now competing on "Chopped Champions" and,  Amanda Cook, who was nominated this past year for both a James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in the US and a Rammy from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. A native of the Washington, D. C., area, Amanda has worked for some of the most esteemed chefs in the nation's capital including Roberto Donna at Galileo, Michel Richard at Citronelle and Eric Ziebold at Cityzen.

The Celebrity Chef Tour began in 2004 as a way to bring the unique experience of dining at New York City’s historic James Beard House to cities around the country, and offers diners the opportunity to interact with the participating chefs while enjoying their innovative cuisine.

For additional information and to purchase tickets for this Baltimore restaurant special, go to: http://www. celebritycheftour. com/events/baltimore. html (http://www. celebritycheftour. com/events/baltimore. html)

The Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel is delighted to showcase a new distinctive design featuring modern urban sophistication. The hotel's recently renovated 586 guestrooms and 34 suites have been revived with unprecedented comfort and include new amenities including flat panel televisions, iPod docking stations and improved high-speed Internet connectivity. Discover a four-diamond jewel among downtown Baltimore hotels, situated just steps from the area's most unique sights and attractions. Enjoy premier access to the world-famous Inner Harbor, home to the Baltimore Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and 120 dining and shopping options. This Baltimore Inner Harbor hotel's WATERTABLE restaurant/lounge and Ground Floor Cafe have become local favorites, boasting award-winning culinary talent and offering an all-natural menu bringing stylish twists to each season's finest ingredients. Experience the rich culture of Charm City in a vibrant location at this waterfront hotel in Baltimore. For more information on the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, please visit: www. renaissanceharborplace. com.

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Gibuddies. com Reunites Veterans

Gibuddies. com Reunites Veterans

(PRWEB) April 24, 2000

[April 21, 2000, CLEMSON, S. C.] America's veterans now have their own home of the Internet designed to reunite service personell with long-friends and military buddies. This unique and powerful website is located at http://www. gibuddies. com (http://www. gibuddies. com) announces the opening of a new, unique, and powerful website to reunite Americans who have served their country in our Armed Forces. The site provides a instant opportunity for American servicemen and women to reunite with their long lost friends and military buddies.

The gibuddies. com website is the product of a collaboration between James Haltiwanger, Clemson undergraduate student and founder of highschoolalumni. com, Mark Malmgren, a Clemson businessman, Bobby McCormick, Professor of Economics at Clemson, LTG. Mick Kicklighter, USA (Ret.), and Caron St. John, Director of the Spiro Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership of Clemson University's College of Business and Public Affairs.

The gibuddies. com website allows men and women of the military to enter their names, current addresses, and former military units in order to find and to be found by others with whom they have served. Moreover, family and friends of deceased military veterans may find colleagues of their lost loved ones. There is no charge to veterans, their families, friends, or any visitor for use of the site.

Gibuddies. com hopes to repay in some small way the profound sacrifices made by millions of American gi's by bringing them together via the internet. We believe that reunion, while but a small payback, can provide gi's with the warm glow of glory past. This is a great opportunity for the information age to serve those who made it all possible. gibuddies is proud to recognize the contributions of these deserving patriots. It is the least we can do.

Ultimately the site will be a clearinghouse for unit reunions, information, and activities. The site expects extensive input and support from the Department of Defense and a large number of veterans organizations, and we will provide them space for news, announcements, calendars, and links to their own websites.

The collaboration demonstrates the commitment of Clemson University, the College of Business, and the Spiro Center to making education for today's students as nimble as the volatile world of the new internet economy.

For its role in the development of this entrepreneurial venture, the Spiro Center has an equity position in gibuddies. com. gibuddies. com has established a strong security system to prevent malicious and errant introduction of data and to prevent unauthorized use of the veteran's information.

Clemson, SC: April 7, 2000

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Local Concussion Expert Receives National Recognition for Making the Playing Field Safer for Kids

Local Concussion Expert Receives National Recognition for Making the Playing Field Safer for Kids

Gerard Gioia, PhD, of Children’s National Medical Center, receives Children’s Miracle Achievement Award

Washington, DC (Vocus) November 17, 2010

Children's Miracle Network, a charity that raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, honored concussion expert Gerard Gioia, PhD, as one of three caregivers of the year at its annual Celebration event Nov. 13 in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Gioia is a pediatric neuropsychologist and chief of the division of pediatric neuropsychology at Children’s National Medical Center, the local Children’s Miracle Network hospital for the metropolitan Washington, D. C., area.

NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young and Pam King Sams, executive vice president for development at Children’s National, presented Dr. Gioia with the award. Young then visited Dr. Gioia and other physicians at Children’s National on Monday, while in town for the Monday Night Football broadcast, to learn more about Dr. Gioia’s Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education (SCORE) program..

“I am both honored and humbled to receive this award from the Children’s Miracle Network,” Dr. Gioia said. “It is critical that we all work together to better understand and treat brain injuries in our youth.”

Dr. Gioia’s mission is to improve the way concussions in youth are treated and help change the mindset among young athletes, parents, coaches, teachers, and physicians to define when it is safe to return to the field – and the classroom.

Roger Packer, MD, senior vice president of the Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine at Children’s National, said, “We are proud to have Dr. Gioia as a member of our Children’s National team. He is a relentless advocate for children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The energy and enthusiasm he brings gives real hope to families of children with TBI.”

Recently recognized for Dr. Gioia’s national and international expertise, Children’s National Medical Center was named the national lead center on mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) by the Sarah Jane Brain Project (SJBP), a national organization focusing on the prevention and treatment of all acquired brain injuries in children, the leading cause of death and disability among children, adolescents, and young adults. Concussions also make up between 80 and 90 percent of all brain injuries in the United States and account for more than 1,000,000 emergency room visits each year.

Contact Stacy Williams, 301-565-8523

*Photos & Video Available Upon Request*

About Children’s National Medical Center
Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, has been serving the nation’s children since 1870. Home to Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is consistently ranked among the top pediatric hospitals by U. S.News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. With 283 beds, more than 1,330 nurses, 550 physicians, and seven regional outpatient centers, Children’s National is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington metropolitan area. Children’s National has been recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet® designated hospital, the highest level of recognition for nursing excellence that a medical center can achieve. For more information, visit http://www. ChildrensNational. org], receive the latest news from the Children's National press room, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, Massachusetts Medical Society Announce Patient Safety Initiative to Prevent Medication Errors

Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, Massachusetts Medical Society Announce Patient Safety Initiative to Prevent Medication Errors

2 statewide medical groups collaborate in trying to reduce medication errors.

Burlington/Waltham, MA (PRWEB) October 14, 2006

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Medical Society, today jointly announced a health safety initiative for both patients and health care providers to reduce the growing incidence of medication errors. The new statewide initiative includes the promotion of a medication list (Med List) and tips for using medications wisely to patients and their families as well as promotion of a process known as reconciling medications by providers during medical visits. Reconciliation in the physician office setting involves, 1) comparing the patient’s current medication list with the list in the medical record, 2) making appropriate adjustments, and 3) ensuring the updated list is shared with the patient and the physician coordinating care.

Injuries from medications, known as adverse drug events (ADE), are far too common and costly in today's health care system, and most are preventable, according to experts. The Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 1.5 million preventable ADEs occur in the U. S. every year and cost in excess of $3.5 billion in additional hospital and medical costs.

Med List is a form that promotes patient health and safety through three steps: (1) by helping patients track their use of medications, herbs, vitamins, other dietary supplements and additionally helps track medication start and stop dates, when the medication should be taken, purpose of taking it, if any monitoring is required, and possible danger signs; (2) by assisting patients in discussing their medication history with physicians; (3) by giving physicians more complete and accurate information about a patient's medications to help provide a safer level of care. Med List and the helpful tips for using medications wisely may be downloaded free of charge from http://www. macoalition. org/consumerDirectory. shtml (http://www. macoalition. org/consumerDirectory. shtml).

Paula Griswold, M. S., Executive Director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, said "Poor communication between patients and physicians during office visits is a significant contributor to medication errors. The physician or nurse practitioner may not be aware of all the medications the patient is taking, or may not know that the patient has stopped taking a medication because he’s experienced side effects. The patient may not know the purpose of her medications, or side effects to watch for that might indicate trouble. The medication list we’ve developed includes reminders that improve communication in order to make care safer.”

As physicians see patients for medical appointments, the Med List is reviewed and decisions made whether to continue, discontinue, or change medications listed. The purpose of the reconciliation process is to avoid medication errors associated with omission, duplication of therapy, drug-drug, and drug-disease interactions. According to the IOM, physicians should educate their patients about the medications they are taking, why they are taking them, what the medication looks like, what time they should take them, potential side effects, and what to do if they experience side effects. Physicians should also remind patients about appropriate medication self-management.

Kenneth R. Peelle, M. D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said "The distinguishing characteristic of Med List is that it can be an important tool for both patient and provider in reducing errors. It allows the patient to be more involved and more of a partner in his or her health care, and it can facilitate and improve communication between patient and provider - a critical element in improving health care and patient safety."

To help transition consumers to completing and carrying a medication list, Brooks Pharmacy is participating in this initiative by providing patient medication profiles as well as making the Med List available to its pharmacy customers throughout 165 Massachusetts stores. The patient profile includes medications filled for the customer and can be used to complete the Med List. Patients may check with other Massachusetts chain or independent pharmacies as they may be willing to do the same.

"Actions for Prescribers," a checklist for inpatient and outpatient providers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities with IOM recommendations for improving medication safety is available to providers at http://www. macoalition. org/initiatives. shtml (http://www. macoalition. org/initiatives. shtml). Pharmacists may also access the checklist, “Actions for Pharmacists” from the same web site.

Med List was developed with the support of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction. According to Nancy Ridley, Director of the Betsy Lehman Center, “This is an important initiative that will help make the use of a medication list and reconciling medications a common practice at medical visits for patients and providers across Massachusetts.”

About the Massachusetts Coalition

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors was established in 1998 as a statewide collaborative effort to improve patient safety and minimize medical errors in Massachusetts. The Coalition has been in the forefront of national activities to promote a systems-oriented approach to improving patient safety, creating mechanisms to identify causes of medical errors, and developing and disseminating strategies for prevention. Members include consumer organizations, professional associations for physicians, nurses, hospitals, and other health care professionals, state and federal health agencies, policymakers, health plans, and employers. For more information, go to http://www. macoalition. org (http://www. macoalition. org).

About the Massachusetts Medical Society

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 18,500 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical journals; the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters covering 11 specialties; and AIDS Clinical Care. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more information, go to http://www. massmed. org (http://www. massmed. org).

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Saturday, March 19, 2005

Ripple Effects Interactive Launches Corporate Web Site for Partners Consulting Services

Ripple Effects Interactive Launches Corporate Web Site for Partners Consulting Services

Partners Consulting Services, a full-service professional Information Technology (IT) staffing and consulting firm, recently launched their newly enhanced Web site and IT employment center with the help of Ripple Effects Interactive, one of the nationÂ’s top interactive marketing agencies.

PITTSBURGH, PA (PRWEB) November 2, 2004 -

– Partners Consulting Services, a full-service professional Information Technology (IT) staffing and consulting firm, recently launched their newly enhanced Web site and IT employment center (www. partnersconsulting. com) with the help of Ripple Effects Interactive, one of the nation’s top interactive marketing agencies.

Site improvements included enhanced content defining PartnersÂ’ traditional IT staffing capabilities and services, new content describing PartnersÂ’ full range of professional IT consulting services, new office locations and contact information, improved site navigation and organization, and full integration with PartnersÂ’ new Applicant and Recruiting Tracking System.

“Over the past several years our firm has grown significantly in our scope of skills and capabilities, number and diversity of clients, organization and management team, addition of new offices, and in many other ways. Our new Web site was launched to better represent the growth and profile of the company,” said Scott Bonta, Partners’ president and chief executive officer.

In addition to visual design, Ripple Effects Interactive provided rich media design, content development, copywriting, and user experience consulting services. The Web site was also built with scalability in mind, enabling Partners to easily incorporate new features and integrate new functionality, such as the newly released IT staffing vendor management program.

Ripple Effects Interactive is a premier digital marketing agency ranked among the nation’s Top 50 interactive firms by Ad Age and MEDIA magazines. Offering a full range of services – from strategic communications planning, Web site design to online marketing and Web application development, the agency has built a solid reputation for creating highly sophisticated, imaginative and innovative communication strategies and Web experiences. From offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and with over 40 interactive marketing specialists, the agency serves a prestigious client roster of consumer & lifestyle, tourism and travel, higher education, and cultural & non-profit organizations – including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola and Carnegie Mellon University. For more information, visit www. RippleEffectsInteractive. com.

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Friday, March 18, 2005

ACG/Thomson 2006 DealMaker’s Survey records highest ever confidence level by M&A professionals: 2005 was best year for M&A since 2000, according to survey

ACG/Thomson 2006 DealMaker’s Survey records highest ever confidence level by M&A professionals: 2005 was best year for M&A since 2000, according to survey

On the heels of strong M&A transaction levels in 2005, a record number – 97% -- of Denver-area investment bankers, private equity professionals, and corporate executives surveyed in the ACG/Thomson DealMaker’s Survey say the current environment for mergers and acquisitions and corporate growth is good or excellent. This is a 17% jump from the June 2005 survey results.

DENVER, CO (PRWEB) January 10, 2006

On the heels of strong M&A transaction levels in 2005, a record number – 97% -- of Denver-area investment bankers, private equity professionals, and corporate executives surveyed in the ACG/Thomson DealMaker’s Survey say the current environment for mergers and acquisitions and corporate growth is good or excellent. This is a 17% jump from the June 2005 survey results.

According to Thomson Financial, 2005 was the best year for global M&A activity since 2000. Worldwide, $2.70 trillion of mergers and acquisitions were announced. In the United States, $1.13 trillion of deals were announced.

“It has been a good year for many Denver merger and acquisition professionals. Many private equity firms have made and exited good investments, and are having success raising their next funds, while investment bankers are helping broker many deals. It’s a hot and competitive market right now.” said David Mead, President of ACG Denver (www. acg. org/denver (http://www. acg. org/denver)), and President and CEO of The Mead Consulting Group. “Additionally, the first baby boomers turned age sixty in 2005. We are beginning the early stages of what is projected to be the greatest wave of business transition in U. S. history over the next decade,” Mead added.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Area dealmakers see the following sectors experiencing the most merger activity in 2006:

1. Technology (32%)

2. Manufacturing and distribution (21%)

3. Healthcare and life sciences (16%)

4. Business services (9%)

5. Consumer products and services (9%)

6. Financial services (7%)

7. Retail (2%)

Cross-Border M&A

More than one third (35%) of area dealmakers expect to be involved in an international cross-border deal in 2006. Geographically, they anticipate these deals will be with:

1. Western Europe (36%)

2. China (39%)

3. Canada (33%)

4. Latin America (27%)

5. Eastern Europe (21%)

Survey respondents say the primary objective of mergers and acquisitions today is to:

1. Increase revenues and profitability (50%)

2. Grow market share (36%)

3. Acquire competitor (3%)

4. Gain technology (2%)

5. Gain talent (2%)

6. Enter new industry (2%)

7. Diversify geographically (2%)

Organic Growth

Survey respondents say the sectors that will experience the most organic growth are:

1. Healthcare, life sciences (33%)

2. Technology (18%)

3. Business services (15%)

4. Manufacturing and distribution (13%)

5. Financial services (8%)

6. Consumer products and services (8%)

Executives are also bullish on organic growth based on these elements serving as primary factors fueling organic growth in 2006:

1. An improved domestic economy (80%)

2. Ability to charge higher prices (10%)

3. Historically low interest rates (8%)

Executives caution, however, that rising interest rates (24%), energy costs (29%), high cost of labor (14%), and inflation (10%) are potential impediments to further organic growth.

Private Equity

The private equity deal size and type that hold the most promise are:

1. Middle market buyouts and recapitalizations (56%)

2. Small buyouts (38%)

3. Early stage venture capital (6%)

Geographically, the areas with the greatest potential for private equity investments are:

1. United States (81%)

2. China (6%)

3. Western Europe (6%)

In an increasingly competitive environment, the primary reason area private equity professionals won their most recent deals is:

1. Reputation or brand of their firm (60%)

2. Lack of competition (33%)

3. Industry sector knowledge (27%)

4. Pre-existing relationship with company management (20%)

5. Paid highest price (13%)

Survey Methodology

The survey, conducted in December 2005, was completed by 1,977 ACG members and Thomson Financial customers, including 61 Denver-area dealmakers. State respondents were comprised of private equity, venture capital and buyout firm members (13%); investment bankers, intermediaries, brokers (25%); lenders, finance providers (5%); corporate professionals, entrepreneurs (18%); and service providers, such as lawyers, workout specialists, accountants and consultants (38%).

About Thomson Financial

Thomson Financial is a US$1.73 billion provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community. Through the widest range of products and services in the industry, Thomson Financial helps clients in more than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve superior results. Thomson Financial is part of The Thomson Corporation(www. thomson. com), a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to more than 20 million business and professional customers in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With revenues of US$8.10 billion, The Thomson Corporation lists its common shares on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

About ACG Denver

The Association for Corporate Growth (www. acg. org/denver (http://www. acg. org/denver)) is the premier global association for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions for mid to large companies. Leaders in corporations, private equity, finance, and professional service firms focused on building value in their organizations belong to ACG. They recognize the multiple benefits of networking within an influential community of executives growing public and private companies worldwide.

Contact:

Betsy Martin

Decibel Communications 

303-680-7004 

Cell 303 818 3114 

Betsy @ decibelcommunications. com 

-OR-

Michele Gebhart

Executive Director, ACG Denver

303-907-3757

Acgdenver @ acg. org

Additional Contacts:

Bill Haynes

President

BackBay Communications

617-372-4314

Bill. haynes @ backbaycommunications. com

Kerri Shepherd

Manager, Public Relations

Thomson Financial

646-822-2077

Kerri. shepherd @ thomson. com 

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