Fantasy author, Wendy Raven McNair, prepares for another February book tour to share her writing experiences as an African American author. Black History Month, a federally recognized celebration of African American accomplishments has long acknowledged black authors for their contributions to literature. Asleep and Awake, books 1 and 2 of McNair's fantasy trilogy featuring African American teen super beings are available on amazon.com and at book stores on request. McNair is currently working on Ascend, the final title in her trilogy, and recently created a Youtube channel ...

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today announces the Blu-ray 3D playback ready ZBOX Blu-ray 3D ID36 and ID36 Plus mini-PCs. The ZBOX Blu-ray 3D ID36 series bridges the gap between cinema and the living room with stunning Blu-ray 3D playback capabilities in a slim form factor with superior energy-efficiency. Powered by a Next-Generation NVIDIA ION graphics processor with 512MB of video memory, the ZBOX Blu-ray ID36 series enable connectivity with HDMI 1.4-compliant 3DTV ...

An affluent Colleyville homeowner is making his house available for rent to businesses as a conference facility. Ron Sturgeon, owner of the 14,000 square-foot executive home had it custom built specifically for renting out to businesses and companies looking for a place to hold retreat-style events. "This $3-million luxury mansion...makes the ideal corporate home rental for any corporate retreat. Business retreats allow you to focus on the real work: team building, strategic planning, envisioning, priority setting, role clarification and decision-making," says Sturgeon. There ...

Chelsea's Agora Gallery will feature Canadian artist, John David Hart, in Elemental Realms. The exhibition is scheduled to run from January 11, 2011 through February 1, 2011 (opening reception: Thursday, January 13, 2011). Canadian artist John David Hart pushes the limits of painting in his bold, passionate explorations of color and form. His modernist translations bring together multiple subjects in unexpected configurations. The entire illusionary effect is blended with color, which works to fuse discordant elements into striking visions of harmony and balance. Although ...

Travellers keen to enjoy a spot of Latin culture during their stay in Sydney hotels next month should be sure not to miss out on the city's South American Festival. Set to take place at Bondi Beach on February 13th 2011, the occasion - described by Waverley Council as one of the biggest in Sydney's events calendar - features a mix of music, dance, food and colour. Among the acts set to wow the crowds, including people staying at cheap hotels in Sydney, are Mucho Mambo, who give big band, salsa and cha cha music a funky twist, as well as the Mexican, Argentine and ...

Children and the young at heart will be sure to enjoy the Chongqing Acrobatic Art Troupe of China's production of Mulan in Melbourne. The performers will tell the classic tale through acrobatics, dances and detailed set design in what promises to be an occasion that is perfect for all ages. As such, the shows - which take place from February 3rd to 5th 2011 - are likely to prove popular with families staying in Melbourne hotels. Some 35 performers will take to the stage each night, in front of last minute accommodation customers and other ticketholders, with the ...

Fortune Affiliates new mobile promotion is offering the opportunity to win an iPad and an iPhone for affiliates that bring in new active mobile casino players to Fortune Lounge's mobile casino sites. The promotion will be run from 1 January 2011 and will end on 28 February 2011. The winners and prizes will be announced at the end of March 2011. Two of the Fortune Lounge's flagship mobile casinos, Royal Vegas Mobile and Platinum Play Mobile are available on most mobile devices including iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices. Royal Vegas Casino and Platinum Play Casino ...

Travellers in the mood for enjoying some live reggae music while staying in Paris could go along to a concert by Jah Cure. The Jamaican singer and musician has a fascinating background which involved him being put in prison on a 15-year sentence for a crime he maintains he did not commit. While in jail, he began recording music and managed to release three albums from the confines of his cell before being released in the summer of 2007 after serving eight years behind bars. People with Paris hotel bookings can see the vocalist take to the stage at the Elysee Montmartre ...

The Six Nations tie of England v Italy is sure to inspire plenty of rugby fans to make the trip to the hotels London offers to cheer on the home side. Martin Johnson's men will take on the Azzuri on February 12th 2011 and fans will hope the England players are on top form to provide an entertaining display and emerge victorious. While the Italians have not traditionally been one of the strongest sides in the world, their reputation has been built up in recent times and the hosts will do well not to underestimate their ability. The six nations involved in the competition ...

The virtual mall of architects and home designers continue to grow in size. ShoppingForHousePlans.com has reached a major milestone with over 500 business listings of Building Designers and Residential Architects. This make the website that much more comprehensive in its collection of North American architectural firms. Home builders and homeowners have even more options in their search for house plans and home design services from across the United States and Canada. Listings are categorized by states and cities with direct access to the designer websites. Shopping ...

Organizations see improving their use of IT analytics as a way to drive better performance of individuals and business units, new benchmark research from Ventana Research indicates. But while more than half of organizations recognize that change is needed, only 28 percent are planning to change the way they generate and apply analytics in the next 12 to 18 months. The research makes clear that most organizations have room to mature in their use of IT analytics, with more than half ranking at the two lowest of the four maturity levels in the Ventana Research Maturity Index. ...

Super Bowl, the ultimate American football celebration, is just around the corner and Intertops Casino is adding to the excitement by giving away $85,000 in bonuses. In a special draw 12 players will be awarded $200 - $500 bonuses. Every week until then, 200 players will receive bonuses up to $250. To further feed the football frenzy Intertops Casino presents the classic computer game, Ultimate Football, which its players can play for free this month. "Tailgate parties are a great American football tradition," said the manager at Intertops Casino that's behind all the ...

Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast Girl Scout Council today announced that local Girl Scouts will be offering customers a premium selection of the six best-selling Girl Scout Cookies of all time during this year's Cookie Program starting January 15--March 20, 2011. Girl Scout Cookie Rallies and Bake-Off events will be held throughout the council in celebration this weekend. "The Girl Scout Cookie Sale is America's cookie sale," said Sherry Sybesma, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast. "For girls, the cookie sale is an opportunity ...

New statistics released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and reported by the Insurance Information Institute show that the average cost of car coverage for Massachusetts residents dropped significantly between 2004 and 2008. The Bay State coverage market saw the largest year-to-year decrease between 2007 and 2008, a drop that has been attributed to the transition from a "fix-and-establish" regulatory system to one of "managed competition." According to the NAIC, the average cost of coverage dropped 8 percent during 2008, the year that managed ...

Professional Business Bank and California General Bank, both commercial banks headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., jointly announce completion of their merger effective December 31, 2010. The merger was approved by each bank's respective shareholders and bank regulatory authorities. The combined bank will retain the name Professional Business Bank and continue its mandate of serving small to mid-sized business banking customers. The new Professional Business Bank now represents a community banking network with six locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Mary ...

DECRA Roofing Systems and Lakewood-based HomeSphere, Inc. announced today they have entered into a joint agreement to offer DECRA stone coated steel roofing products to HomeSphere's network of builders using HomeSphere's technology-driven solutions. DECRA joins more than 75 manufacturing brands currently using HomeSphere's BRI lead generation and marketing program to produce new builder leads and strengthen existing business, thus growing their market share through increased homebuilder sales. "This partnership provides a number of new opportunities for over 1,100 ...

Long-awaited funding came in for the G.W. Exotic Animal Park located in Wynnewood, Oklahoma and the park was able to purchase land to open the first ever lake resort with a zoo. Now not only can you come see the nation's largest collection of exotic animals, including over 150 large cats, you can now enjoy fishing, camping, hiking and ATV trails along with nature hikes for schools and education groups. Joe Schreibvogel says, "You must stay diverse in order to keep the people coming in." Mr. Schreibvogel used to tour doing magic and shows with the animals in order ...

The Nation's largest refuge for exotic animals, open to the public, is starting the New Year out rescuing record numbers of animals and 2011 is only one week underway. Starting the New Year with a sudden trip to Ohio to rescue 11 exotic cats including 2 Mountain Lions, 4 African Servals, 2 Caracals, 1 bobcat and 2 Canadian Lynx. "The owner had a sudden heart attack and was not expected to live," said Joe Schreibvogel, Director of the G.W. Exotic Animal Foundation in Wynnewood Oklahoma. "His wife called the park the day before New Years and pleaded for help to re-home ...

One More Thing...Before You Go, will open your eyes, ears, mind, and heart to the very personal journey that unlocks the ability to say the last words you were never able to say and maybe gain the closure you need to move forward in your own life, smile, be happy again, and leave a positive memory for you to carry with you. This project features spoken word, live music, dramatic expression, art and dance, all centering on our need for closure when losing someone or something close to us. Starting January 10, 2011, the production team will be seeking participants with ...

GraMedica has helped thousands of foot pain sufferers in the US with its innovative HyProCure titanium implant and out-patient procedure. Now, the company is pleased to announce that the product and surgical procedure has been adopted and performed in Germany. The HyProCure implant corrects a common foot and ankle ailment called talotarsal dislocation syndrome. This abnormal motion of the ankle on the heel bone can cause devastating effects for patients, ranging from flat feet, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis, to bunions and hammer toes, leg and knee pain, hip and back ...

taxmOuth, the largest tax site on the Internet, announced that the Third Annual National Tax Help Week will focus on ending Rapid Refund Ripoffs. taxmOuth is hosting a week-long series of free events January 10 through 15, 2011 at TaxHelpWeek.com to help taxpayers file their federal and state income tax returns for the 2010 tax year and get thousands of dollars in rapid refunds for free. "This year, we are focusing our efforts on the 8 million people who are most vunerable to being ripped off by Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL), Payday Loans and other qickie refunds schemes ...

SoloHealth (www.solohealth.com), a recognized leader in self-directed health care, announced today that Rick Voight, former National Sales Manager of Retail Publishing at Hewlett-Packard, has joined the company. Rick will be responsible for market penetration and distribution of the company's SoloHealth Station, an innovative new solution that allows consumers in high-traffic retail environments to test their vision, blood pressure, and body mass, obtain health and wellness information, and store a history of their results that can be accessed at the consumer's convenience. ...

Optex, Inc., a manufacturer of security infrared and laser technology solutions and systems, has signed a partnership agreement with manufacturer's representative firm Intelligent Marketing, Inc. (IMI), Haverhill, MA, to increase its east coast sales support for security integrators and distributors. In conjunction with Optex regional sales managers and technical personnel, IMI will also provide sales, design, and installation support of all Optex Redwall, Redscan and Rednet outdoor detectors for perimeter surveillance. "The partnership with IMI aligns well with Optex's ...

As the company keeps securing its firm footing in Western Europe, the Milan office will bring another dimension to the deVere Group. The office is due to start operating next month. Notably, Milan ranks as the EU's 10th most important centre for business and finance, with its economy being the world's 26th richest by purchasing power. Milan is also recognised as the world's fashion and design capital, with a major global influence in commerce, industry, music, sport, literature, art and media. Mike Coady, deVere Group's Regional Manager for Western Europe, stated, ...

For the second year in a row, Boston Home magazine recognized Didriks, a Cambridge, MA-based retailer of outdoor furniture and housewares, as the Best of Boston Home Outdoor Furniture store for 2011. Boston Home editors wrote: "For a city whose residents spend most of the year indoors, Boston is curiously blessed with an outstanding resource for outdoor living. Didriks stocks just a few lines of furniture, including U.K.-based Barlow Tyrie and California-based Modern Outdoor. Both are matchless in design and weather resilience. And to complete your outdoor-entertaining ...