With a determination to raise the awareness levels on Ovarian Cancer, Debbie Stevens has set about using her love for writing as her tool to drive the message further. Since losing her own mother to this disease almost 6 years ago this year, Debbie found writing her own method of coping with grief, and this is what led to her 1st book of poetry being published.

"A Piece of My Mind" was released January, 2001 and although made it into many homes, shops & libraries across her home state, Debbie never felt this was enough so continued pursiung her dream to publish more.

Her latest book, 'Precious Cache-poetry in our lives' has captured the person Debbie is today. Her poems have 'grown', as she feels she has since her loss, and in this time has taken a bigger step outside her own writing boundaries, allowing her creative mind to be free to write from a deeper level of thought.Having been compared to the likes of Emily Dickinson, Debbie has a vast range of poems and has recently had a short story accepted for publication."My writing is what keeps me sane in such an insane world"-

- Ticketsolutions.com has a new interface for its ticket finder that helps customers find tickets to sporting events, concerts or theater performances by choosing seating or quantity of tickets. The new application gives customers the ability to easily find the tickets they prefer.

Unlike other online ticket brokers, ticketsolutions.com allows customers to choose the criteria for finding tickets without having to scroll through hundreds of tickets for each event. Buying tickets is easier for the customer, giving the customer more control, a better understanding of the inventory and a better user experience.

Rich Altman's Hollywood Collectibles announces an exclusive memorabilia agreement with Def Jam recording artist Rick Ross. The exclusive collection will include; framed photos, custom sports jerseys, caps and concert-used memorabilia all hand autographed by "The Boss" Rick Ross

Fans interested in purchasing Rick Ross collectibles can visit Hollywood Collectibles or Rick Ross Collectibles Our goal is to provide fans who are unable to meet their favorite hip hop artists a chance to have their choice of memorabilia items hand signed at an affordable price. Custom framed 8x10 photos are starting at $149, pricing for additional hip hop collectibles will be released as items become available. Fans interested in purchasing can visit the websites above or call toll free 800-844-7735 (Outside FL) or 954-986-0707 (Inside FL).

Hamrick Software, the developer of VueScan, the world's most widely used scanning software, has released a Universal Binary (Intel and PowerPC) version for Apple's Mac OS X. This is up to three times faster for many operations.

"Many customers asked me for a Universal Binary version of VueScan,and this latest release runs really well on both Intel and PowerPCMacs" noted Ed Hamrick, President of Hamrick Software.

"VueScan 8.3.75 is much faster with CPU-intensive scanning tasks, such as removing dust from slides, descreening, and restoring colors. Modern film scanners can produce hundreds of GBytes of scan data, so any speed improvements are very noticeable."

Photo enthusiasts now have a website to learn the business of making money in photography. With Z58 Inc.'s launch of GetPhotosTraining.com, photographers get on-demand, entertaining video tutorials to help turn their passion into a photo business. Most photo education websites cover the fundamentals of shooting photographs. With a paid subscription to GetPhotosTraining.com consumers gain access to more than 50 exclusive interviews featuring top-earning, self-made professional photographers. The experts share photography marketing and how they made the transition from 9 to 5 to being their own boss and living the American Dream.

American Elements announced plans today to consolidate sales and marketing of its organo-metallic materials production into a single product group under its tradename AE Organo-Metallics™. American Elements manufactures organo-metallic materials for the following elements:

Aluminum, Beryllium, Cadmium, Calcium, Cerium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Erbium, Europium, Gadolinium, Gallium, Hafnium, Holmium, Indium, Iridium, Iron, Lanthanum, Lead, Lithium, Lutetium, Magnesium, Manganese, Neodymium, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum, Praseodymium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Samarium, Sodium, Strontium, Terbium, Thallium, Thulium, Tin, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, Zirconium

Lakes Communication Services, a developer and marketer of prepaid debit products, has announced the formation of The Ultimate GiftCard™ Network. Small, independent merchants in some of the most competitive sectors of retail are now able to exploit the marketing power of gift card, while also gaining a more meaningful presence in the online ecommerce space.

"This marketing solution is ideally suited to the many small to mid-sized retail merchants that continue to exist without selling gift cards or promoting their business online", said Jeffery Lakes, founder and CEO of Lakes Communication Services. "One example is the cost effective way we help each merchant partner develop and launch their own gift card program." Also, with membership including prominent positioning in The Ultimate GiftCard™ Marketplace, merchant partners will become exposed to online shoppers in numerous compelling ways. And, in these challenging economic times, retailers and direct marketers not offering gift cards are simply missing out on opportunities to gauge their customer service effectiveness as well as grow their sales."

A recent survey carried out by the morefocus group indicates that ATM use continues to increase as a function of consumer demand and the lure of commercial profit. With the Bank of America's September 18 announcement that it will raise fees to $3.00 per transaction, installing ATMs as an independent is attracting more eyes than ever.

Although consumers continue to complain about the level of fees, it is clear from the research that even at $3.00, transaction costs are still below the pain threshold. At this level, the profits available to small businesses and entrepreneurs become significant, with an increasing number entering the fray. According to one interviewee, the ATM placemen 1139 t bonanza was likened to the new 'wild west', given the significant number of new entrants staking their claims.

"It's the reason why many individuals have taken on the installation, placement and leasing of ATM machines as their new business," said Dr. Regan Carey, head of consumer behavior research at morefocus. "You have this environment where usage and fee per usage are increasing together over extended periods of time. As such, the laws of supply and demand remain in balance, while the cash flow and margin opportunities create an electric business environment."

John and Peggy Westfall have been selected to launch the exclusive DIGIKIDS® child ID franchise for the Bossier City/Shreveport Area, and surrounding NW Louisiana parishes, announced Michael J. Childs, DIGIKIDS® president.

DIGIKIDS® offers a child safety CD that allows parents to quickly provide law enforcement officials, the media, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and other agencies with two high-resolution digital photos along with medical and identifying information to aid in recovery efforts.

Voltaix, Inc., www.voltaix.com, a leading manufacturer of chemicals and gases for the semiconductor and photovoltaics industries, today announced the appointment of Mark Wilkinson, Ph.D. as Executive Vice President.

Dr. Wilkinson possesses more than 16 years experience managing operations, engineering, and R&D in various capacities at several public and private companies, including Cabot Corporation, Molten Metal Technology, and Pelias Therapeutics, where he served on the board of directors. He is the Founder of Impact Technology Consultants, which has helped over 50 companies achieve rapid growth through technology commercialization in the last seven years. Mark holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B. Eng. (chemical) from McGill University. He is an inventor of nine patented technologies.

Reston, VA (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 30, 2008 –- Approva® Corporation (www.approva.net), the leading provider of controls intelligence software, announced today the company’s CEO, Prashanth 'PV' Boccasam, will present at this year’s Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International conference, taking place July 6th-9th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This annual event is the world's largest gathering of internal auditors, risk and control specialists. The 2008 conference is expected to draw a high-powered audience of at least 1,500 professionals from more than 45 countries.

Freight & Shipping, Inc is now offering customers the ability to receive instant freight rates online 24/7 free of charge.

In an industry where technology has been relatively slow to break in, Freight & Shipping Inc takes advantage of the Internet revolution. Recently completed software, a program that took a team of software developers three years to complete, enables customers to submit a quote request over the Internet with no strings attached. Instantly receive multiple quotes from over 60 different shipping companies. In today's competitive marketplace, speed can mean all the difference.

Despite the exhaustive efforts of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American Academy of Pediatrics and various SIDS organizations to warn the public to it's dangers, soft bedding is still regularly used in cribs. According to the CPSC, parents across the country continue to unwittingly endanger their childs safety, resulting in an estimated 900 infant deaths per year, by failing to recognize the potential hazards associated with loose blankets, overstuffed bumper pads, crib comforters, and other soft bedding items.

After accomplishing some of the most talked-about light design and engineering projects in Italy - including the famed Vittorio Emanuele II Monument in Rome - Michael-Bruno, LLC, has "spun-off its team of fiber optic specialists in a new division called, simply, "LIGHT by MB."

"We've established superb techniques in state-of-the-art lighting for monuments, churches, historical buildings, gardens, arenas, shopping malls, and other major structures," said Michael Sedge, president of Michael-Bruno, which operates seven offices in the United States and one in Europe. "We've recently completed a second project in Italy, this time the cloisters of a 13th century monastery in Naples. The project, funded by the region of Campania, was a spectacular success using over 20 kilometers of fiber optics."

One of the firms more unique projects, according to division head, Giuseppe Bruno, is a multiplex cinema (13 screen rooms), for which they incorporated fiber optic light designs on the external facade of the structure with moving light.

"The illumination moves, while changing color and speed based on the music of the film in the main viewing room. This weekend, for instance, with THE DA VINCI CODE playing, the light flowed white-to-blue-to-red, depending on the drama. It moved faster or slower through fiber optic tubing, based on the music rhythm. Thus, from the outside of the theater one would, in a sense, get a feel for the movie inside," Bruno explained.

Michael-Bruno is hoping to take its "LIGHT by MB" to commercial clients throughout the United States, including construction and design firms.

The ability to provide on-demand fulfillment of merchandise tailored to meet orders by store and SKU looms as a critical requirement for many manufacturers. This ability to direct ship from centralized manufacturing and packaging facilities can eliminate the need for retailers to inventory and re-handle merchandise at regional distribution centers. The savings and efficiencies of doing so could make the difference in profitability, competitive advantages and customer satisfaction.

Timex Corp. (Middlebury, CT), the powerhouse brand in wristwatches, is taking the lead among global marketers of consumer products, in the direct distribution of Timex products to its clients worldwide, especially to its vast US and European markets. Timex now will have the ability to directly ship product from the new Global Distribution Center located in Cebu, Philippines.

Local real estate website launches, with an eye on Green Living. Woolley Design announces the launch of jonwoolley.com, a Vancouver, WA, Real Estate Web site.

Green is the color of envy, and with green living one of today's hottest home trends, how "green" do people feel after visiting your home? Let's find out by learning more about green living.

What makes a home green?

Decorating a home in shades of green might make a home appear green but as we all know, appearances can be deceiving. A home needs more than a paint job to be considered a green home.

Les Stettner, CEO of Longevity Benefits, released his analyses today on the health care stance of Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on his blog at: http://lesstettner.blogspot.com/

Governor Mitt Romney: There is no substance here ... only disaster.

Senator John McCain: Lost on this issue.

Senator Sam Brownback: Thanks for nothing.

Senator Mike Huckabee: Mike, you do not have a clue.

Mr. Rudy Giuliani: ... proposed the most innovative Republican position on health care reform.

IDFdesign, proprietor of the main on-line furniture marketplace for professionals, reveals the numbers and the trends behind the furniture industry.The most selling manufacturers in the Italian furniture sector are present with their catalogs at the chairs.ws website.

The website is a sort of permanent exhibition, available the whole year through the Internet, with the participation of more than 150 Italian companies (with Calligaris in first place) showing their main furnishing and furniture catalogs, always updated and covering almost all the targets of the contract furniture and house-holding products. The result is a very wide choice of tables, chairs, barstools, kitchens, patio furniture, bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, office furniture, to mention just some of them.

Meet Minneapolis, the Official Convention + Visitors Association offers travelers ideas to ease into the holidays. We have information on all the hot seasonal happenings, along with stress-reducing tips and cost-saving ideas that will help balance the celebrations and traditions with the things that "must get done" of the holiday season.

Ease on Down the Road to Minneapolis

Getting here is half the fun. Meet Minneapolis teamed up with area hotels and restaurants to create holiday hotel packages. Visit minneapolis.org/holidays to enter to win a free weekend stay, chock-full of holiday perks, including:

2 nights in a great hotel, like the Crowne Plaza Northstar or The Depot Minneapolis

$50 gas card to get you here

$100 American Express gift card to shop and find fabulous deals

$25 gift certificates to one of the best restaurants in town, like: Saffron, a hot name in Mediterranean cuisine recently rated one of "America's Top Restaurants of 2009" by Zagat, or Vic's, a classic American "surf" and "turf" where patrons savor fresh seafood, steaks and a view of the Mississippi Riverfront

Mall of America gift bag to store all your finds and a coupon book to make your cash last.

Ease into Good Cheer, Celebration and Eats

Walk through 8 miles of climate-controlled skyway or along the heated sidewalk of Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis to find shopping, entertainment, arts and culture. Travelers will be within steps of holiday happenings. Check out:

Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" at the famed Guthrie Theater.

Target's Holidazzle Parade, appearing nightly on Nicollet Mall.

Minneapolis's LRT (light rail transit). Ride to the Mall of America, where Santa awaits your requests while you peruse the 3-story shoppers' mecca offering 520 stores, including the new American Girl, Burberry's and Nordstrom's.

Culinary options in Minneapolis mix Midwestern sensibility - macaroni & cheese anyone? - with sophisticated cuisine, found at restaurants like La Belle Vie. For a culinary adventure on the culture side, explore mouth watering, and budget-friendly delectables at:

Eat Street, a mile and half stretch of restaurants featuring everything from schnitzel to pho

The Midtown Global Market, offering delights from around the world under one roof

Uptown's Café Barbette, a place that will please the Francophile with its wine list, cheese plates and entrees

Ease into Hot Hotel Deals

Does the suite life beckon? Minneapolis has more than 6,000 hotel rooms to answer the call. Varying in price, atmosphere, location and amenities, the options cater to families, urban hipsters and couples.

Rowell Auctions Inc., a licensed real estate broker and land auction company, has been commissioned to sell at public auction 121 acres of prime farmland and acreage in Tifton, Ga. The property is located at 852 Tifton-Eldorodo Road just minutes from downtown Tifton. This Georgia land auction will take place on October 3 at 2:00 p.m. on the property under the Rowell Auctions tent.

“The real estate will be sold and offered divided, high bidder’s choice, and the sellers will be on hand to confirm the bids of the highest and best bidders," explains Myers Jackson, CAI, AARE, CES, e-PRO and auction coordinator. "We fully expect to write contracts on every tract of land that will be offered.”