The Chicago law firm, Strom & Associates, Ltd., is pleased to announce today that it has met all BBB standards and is now an Accredited Business. "Accreditation in the BBB is by invitation only" says Steve J. Bernas, President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. "And only those businesses that meet our high standards, and pass the review process are approved by our Board of Directors." As with all businesses that are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, Strom & Associates, Ltd. has committed ...

Spyros A. Pappas, Managing Partner of Pappas & Associates sprl sc, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in law. Mr. Pappas has 37 years of professional experience, with nine years as a managing partner of Pappas & Associates sprl sc. There, he is known as an expert in administrative and constitutional law, as well as European law and EU policies namely competition, before the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union. On a daily basis, he is responsible for managing daily business operations, including ...

Sonia Crystella, Designer and Author of Sonia Crystella Ltd, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in health and wellness. Ms. Crystella has 42 years of professional experience as a designer, and more recently an author. On a daily basis, she is responsible for working with custom pieces of clothing for a select clientele, as well as performing alterations and promoting natural anti-aging techniques, workshops and training with health and natural wellness. Ms. Crystella spent 40 years as a clothing designer. During that time, she studied ...

A number of animals are abused and neglected everyday in this nation. Martin Sweeney of Dallas is trying to bring awareness to the growing problem. Martin Sweeney of Dallas works closely with the Dallas ASPCA. As an animal loving person, Martin Sweeney of Dallas finds nothing more important. "These animals are unable to help themselves," said Martin Sweeney of Dallas. "It is our responsibility to fight for them." The ASPCA was founded in 1866 to find and promote ways to prevent and stop animal cruelty. The ASPCA was the first humane organization ...

The United States Professional Tennis Association, or USPTA, has recently honored James Huneke with an Elite Tennis Professional Certification. James Huneke, who has been providing people with professional instruction for many years, is proud to have received his USPTA certification, and looks forward to continuing his career as a quality tennis instructor. As a USTPA professional, James Huneke promises to provide his students with expert tennis instruction that is supported by a well-recognized and highly-respected tennis organization. James long ago established himself ...

Jason Barker of New York has been in the finance industry for nearly two decades and has seen the demand for accountants as well as the evolving duties held by accountants and finance experts. Jason Baker of New York Fed graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with concentrations in accounting and finance in 1998. Like many professionals, Jason Barker of New York realized the key to continued success lay in attaining higher levels of education. "I returned to get my masters and in 2010, graduated with my MBA from Carnegie Mellon University ...

Kimberly Verbyla has the support she needs for her son. Kimberly Verbyla is a fiercely independent woman and a caring, nurturing mother. Kimberly Verbyla's entire universe revolves around her son. While not alone, the difference between Kimberly Verbyla and other mothers is the fact that her son has autism. The diagnoses of autism can be devastating for parents, but it is also an umbrella term with a range of severity and symptoms within the Autism Spectrum Disorders. As a child, there are a number of educational and health programs to provide children and parents with ...

Sam Holz is approaching his college graduation, an event he's been looking forward to from a very early age. Sam Holz wouldn't have been able to achieve such an accomplishment without years of hard work and dedication. His commitment to self-improvement is beyond comparison. Sam Holz is always looking for ways to make himself a better-rounded and more complete individual. Sam Holz was a success in high school both academically and athletically, and took advantage of opportunities to help young children succeed. He has developed a reputation as a driven and generous ...

The Foxtail Fest is a genre hopping music festival crossing between hip hop, electronica, indie and beyond. It attracts thousands of attendees from across the globe and offers an electrifying and positive experience for all who attend, but it still remains dedicated to its home town of Wilmington Delaware. The Foxtail Fest was developed by Brandon Potter and Geoff Vanover, both recent graduates of Saint Joseph's University (class of oh '12), both founders of What Scene? music and marketing management along Curtis Matthias. Clearly the young age of these men make this ...

Nobody can deny the continual popularity of social media. Sites like Facebook, twitter and foursquare dominate the digital landscape. Companies like Green Bay Tire of Thornhill have discovered how useful sites like these can be to an effective marketing campaign. Reaching customers through social media portals has become one of Green Bay Tire of Thornhill's top priorities. The first step to effective modern marketing is to recognize the power of the digital sphere. Most people now utilize the internet as a search, communications and transactional tool all wrapped up ...

Dura Medic has made known their intention to continue being a leading national provider of superior quality medical equipment. Since 2004, Dura Medic has done nothing but supply an array of hospitals, medical clinics and patients the best durable, longest-lasting medical equipment. Dura Medic is a well-established medical equipment supplier. They have earned the reputation of being one of the top durable medical equipment suppliers of crutches, braces, canes and post-op shoes in the entire United States. Established back in 2004, Dura Medic has experienced a quick ...

The Miami Herald Media Company (MHMC) announced that effective February 17, 2014, Erin Zilis will assume the role of President and Publisher of HCP / Aboard Publishing, MHMC's custom publishing subsidiary. Zilis brings over 20 years of experience in content marketing, publishing and business development to this new role. She most recently served as VP/Publisher at Freedom Communications in Orange County, CA, where she oversaw all specialty media products, including Coast Magazine, Coast Kids, OrangeCounty.com, two performing arts programs and all digital products for ...

"...this book is simply mad, crazy, hilarious!" Bill Ward, Author Revenge The ground-breaking, earth-shattering, belly-laughing, overly-hyphenated novel is finally here. The Deific Dozen is a madman's answer to The Da Vinci Code, a raucous romp of research and ridiculousness... and alliteration. It has long been suspected that aliens have watched over us, interacted with us, and even tinkered with our nether regions. But until now, no one was brave enough to bring forth the truth about the connection between modern religion and aliens from another galaxy! ...

"With Atlanta becoming the third most active film and television market in the country, the impact on the VO industry is indeed affected in a positive manner," says Jeffrey Umberger, a voice over industry expert and agent from Umberger Agency; a premier Atlanta voice over talent agency. "With more local production, I have noticed an up-tic in opportunities for our VO actors which would otherwise be isolated to other markets. It's a boon for everyone here, VO included," he adds. Umberger joins a host of voice over experts for the 2nd Annual VO Atlanta ...

Founded in 1954, MAP International, is celebrating its 60th year of providing medicines, preventing disease and promoting health to create real hope and lasting change. Based in Brunswick, GA and Globally Headquartered in Atlanta, MAP has provided nearly $5 billion in medicines to more than 2 billion people in need around the world. "It is a special honor to preside over the organization as it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year," stated Immanuel Thangaraj, Chairman of MAP's Board of Directors. "As we honor the past 60 years, we are looking to the ...

WASHINGTON - When it comes to chronic pain, psychological interventions often provide more relief than prescription drugs or surgery without the risk of side effects, but are used much less frequently than traditional medical treatments, according to a comprehensive review published by the American Psychological Association. "Chronic pain affects 116 million American adults, making it more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined, and traditional medical approaches are inadequate," said Mark P. Jensen, PhD, of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine ...

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Big Data is everywhere, and we are constantly told that it holds the answers to almost any problem we want to solve. Companies collect information on how we shop, doctors and insurance companies gather our medical test results, and governments compile logs of our phone calls and emails. In each instance, the hope is that critical insights are hidden deep within massive amounts of information, just waiting to be discovered. But simply having lots of data is not the same as understanding it. Increasingly, new mathematical tools are needed to extract ...

A new study published in the journal Science says that the total impact of switching to natural gas depends heavily on leakage of methane (CH4) during the natural gas life cycle, and suggests that more can be done to reduce methane emissions and to improve measurement tools which help inform policy choices. Published in the February 14 issue of Science, the study, "Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems," presents a first effort to systematically compare North American emissions estimates at scales ranging from device-level to continental atmospheric studies. ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm...even before they have blood to pump. "We have discovered that mechanical forces are important when making baby hearts," said Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin, a Vanderbilt graduate student working with a team of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists and clinicians attempting to grow replacement heart valves from a patient's own cells. In an article published last month in the journal Biomaterials the team reported that they have taken an important step toward this goal by determining that the mechanical forces ...

Stanford, CA— As every gardner knows, nitrogen is crucial for a plant's growth. But nitrogen absorption is inefficient. This means that on the scale of food crops, adding significant levels of nitrogen to the soil through fertilizer presents a number of problems, particularly river and groundwater pollution. As a result, finding a way to improve nitrogen uptake in agricultural products could improve yields and decrease risks to environmental and human health. Nitrogen is primarily taken up from the soil by the roots and assimilated by the plant to become part of DNA, ...

By combining a synthetic scaffolding material with gene delivery techniques, researchers at Duke University are getting closer to being able to generate replacement cartilage where it's needed in the body. Performing tissue repair with stem cells typically requires applying copious amounts of growth factor proteins -- a task that is very expensive and becomes challenging once the developing material is implanted within a body. In a new study, however, Duke researchers found a way around this limitation by genetically altering the stem cells to make the necessary growth ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The zebrafish, a tropical freshwater fish similar to a minnow and native to the southeastern Himalayan region, is well established as a key tool for researchers studying human diseases, including brain disorders. Using zebrafish, scientists can determine how individual neurons develop, mature and support basic functions like breathing, swallowing and jaw movement. Researchers at the University of Missouri say that learning about neuronal development and maturation in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of birth defects such as spina bifida in ...

State-level spending on prison education programs declined sharply during the economic downturn, with the sharpest drop occurring in states that incarcerate the most prisoners, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Large states cut spending by an average of 10 percent between the 2009 and 2012 fiscal years, while medium-sized states cut spending by 20 percent, according to the study. "There has been a dramatic contraction of the prison education system, particularly those programs focused on academic instruction versus vocational training," said Lois Davis, the ...

(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) -- Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that DietBet, a web-based commercial weight loss program that pairs financial incentives with social influence, delivers significant weight losses. The study and its findings have been published in the current issue of the open access publication JMIR Serious Games. Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., lead researcher at The Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, sought to examine weight losses associated with the social gaming website and contributing factors to gauge the success of such web-based ...

Imagine someone spent months researching new cities to call home using low-resolution images of unidentified skylines. The pictures were taken from several miles away with a camera intended for portraits, and at sunset. From these fuzzy snapshots, that person claims to know the city's air quality, the appearance of its buildings, and how often it rains. This technique is similar to how scientists often characterize the atmosphere — including the presence of water and oxygen — of planets outside of Earth's solar system, known as exoplanets, according to a review of exoplanet ...