“My mission is to nourish body and soul with every bite. It seemed a natural fit to celebrate the launch of Nourish Network, which focuses on enjoying food that’s healthy for both our bodies and the earth, with a personal visit here to wine country,” says Huber. “This was where the seeds for Nourish Network were sown, and where it will flourish from.”

On the menu is a behind the scenes tasting and tour of Cakebread Cellars, a wine industry leader in sustainable practices; visits to local artisanal food producers and farms; and one-on-one cooking instruction from Lia, a veteran food writer and recipe developer for top national publications like Cooking Light and Prevention.

The new Nourish Network promotes sustainable change with bite-sized articles on sound nutrition, “eco-clean” eating and being mindful around meals along with tempting recipes (all professionally developed and tested and accompanied by gorgeous photography) that put the principles into practice. Nourish Network recipes are rooted in seasonal ingredients while drawing on flavors from around the globe, most are doable in a weeknight, and all fall below the 500 calorie mark.

Short Kitchen Tips Video Clips teach viewers time-saving techniques to help them get more comfortable in the kitchen, and a social media aspect – like Facebook for foodies – lets members connect, make friends, create profiles, and dig into deeper conversation. “A lot of sites feature user-generated content,” says Huber. “I wanted to create a site with professionally-produced content driving user-generated conversation. The idea is to foster deeper connections amongst community both online and off.”

Huber draws not only on her own journalistic and culinary skills for Nourish Network, but on those of her colleagues as well. Alison Ashton, Cheryl Sternman Rule, Kurt Friese and Jacqueline Church are the four initial core contributors for the site.

Another unique aspect of Nourish Network is Huber’s approach to advertising, where in order for a company to advertise they must be authentically advancing the principles of sound nutrition or eco-clean eating and living. “I didn’t want our principles to fly out the door once readers hit the margins of the page, so I developed an approach where we can connect viewers to goods and services that fit their values, interests and needs, and at the same time champion companies of all sizes that are making peoples’ lives a bit healthier, a bit calmer, a bit greener, a bit better.”

To nourish your body and soul with every bite, visit Nourish Network. To be automatically entered to win a trip to wine country, become a member before December 31, 2009.

About Nourish Network:
Veteran food writer and branding consultant, Lia Huber, founded Nourish Network (www.nourishnetwork.com) with the mission to nourish body and soul with every bite by helping people enjoy food that’s healthy for both their bodies and the earth. Laid out like an online magazine meets Facebook for foodies, Nourish Network promotes sustainable change with tempting recipes and bite-sized bits of rich content on sound nutrition, “eco-clean” eating and being mindful around meals while inviting members to dig deeper into the conversation and connect with others who share similar views and concerns.

On the surface, Nourish Network empowers people to maintain a healthy body, a comfortable weight and an eco-clean conscience while getting more pleasure from food. On a deeper level, it shows people how to feel fulfilled, content and connected with every meal, every bite.

In matters of the heart – especially a lonely heart – Peachey is an expert. During the 1990s, under the pen name Rochelle Morton, the London native who now lives in Orlando authored “Eat Your Lonely Heart Out,” a book based on 700 dates with men in England via the personal ads. The title was so successful that Crown, a Random House imprint, approached her to write “My 1,000 Americans: A Year-Long Odyssey Through the Personals.” Peachey’s experiences from those books led her to launch her newest venture, an international online dating Web site called I Love Your Accent (www.iloveyouraccent.com), which will debut in February.

“The bottom line is that you gotta get out there. You can’t come home from work, watch TV and wait for the man or woman of your dreams to knock on the door,” Peachey said. “It’s like the lottery. You can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket.”

“If you want to meet someone special, you’re not going to accomplish anything by being a hermit, sitting on your couch eating ice cream and watching Sex in the City reruns,” Peachey added. “Look at it like a business. Present yourself in the best way possible, and network with confidence.”

If you’re single for the holidays and want to meet someone, Peachey offers these tips:

1. Instead of foregoing holiday parties and events because you don’t have a date, give going by yourself a chance. After all, you might meet someone special when you least expect it. If you can’t bear to go by yourself, consider hiring a companion – a legal companion. There are legitimate escort services out there.

2. Instead of waiting for invitations to other parties, throw one of your own. Dress to the nines, invite other singles and ask your friends who are married or dating to bring single people they know.

3. If you are proactive and think outside the box, there is a better chance you will be with someone next holiday season. Online dating is ideal because you can learn more about the person before meeting them. I Love Your Accent encourages people to be unconventional. It’s alright if you meet someone in your area, but you are limiting your options if you only look for someone within a 25-mile radius. Why not consider someone in another state or another country? You can open yourself up to a world you never knew existed.

4. Try a different approach. Don’t be so picky. Step outside your comfort zone and don’t be so rigid about hair color or style preference, and also loosen up on the “I only date doctors” thing. If you’re still single and saying that, then maybe it’s time to move on from potential love interests in the medical field!

5. Women tend to go to parties and clubs with their friends and it’s tough for a man to approach if he’s alone. This is why it’s a good idea for a guy to have a few wing men. It’s even better if there are three of them and three of you.

6. If you’re single for the holidays, don’t let it get you down. Your life is full of possibilities and every day can be an adventure. Don’t give up hope, but expand your options.

Peachey’s site, I Love Your Accent, is a first-of-its-kind online venue for people of all ages, sizes and levels of attractiveness. No site has ever focused on the U.K. – U.S.A. connection. Members on www.ILoveYourAccent.com can choose to meet someone in their respective city, but the site opens the possibility for singles in the U.K. and the U.S. to find love across the Atlantic.

I Love Your Accent will allow users to post photos, video files and audio files (so prospective love interests can actually hear a person’s accent). Men and women interested in the site can sign up now for a free membership.

The “I Love Your Accent” name derives from the comments Peachey frequently receives when talking to someone here in America. “Almost every day, someone tells me that they love my accent,” she said with a laugh.

More information: www.iloveyouraccent.com.

But to a large degree, Web 2.0 tools have been used historically for rather trivial purposes such as games, gossip, silly videos, and inconsequential chatter.

The WMN wants to help people use these tools for grander purposes. Members can use these vastly expanded powers of networking to improve education, do research, build community across political divides, and utilize collaborative online mind-mapping to address common problems. Equally important, their tools allow an individual or small group to attract so much search engine traffic that they may become almost synonymous with their favorite cause.

The WMN Board of Trustees includes five Nobel Laureates.

The first project was helping a multimedia ICT Education center in Kenya receive funding through donation of unused cellphone minutes (SambazaGroup.com).

Joining the World Mind Network is like having a Facebook or Twitter account, but it assumes that one is interested in improving the world somehow. Participants can join a forum devoted to improving science education co-moderated by a Nobel Laureate (Peter Doherty), start a psychological research project, or contribute to an interactive blog on the world economic crisis co-hosted by another Nobelist (Edmund Phelps).

A new project, Twit Lit, invites users to create poems in classic forms short enough to become Twitter feeds (TwitLit.net).

Members are setting up live webcam links between secondary classrooms in South Africa, Macedonia and Japan.

In the works is a program using solar powered cell phones recently invented by Samsung to track the spread of the Aedes mosquito that carries the deadly Dengue fever in East Africa.

The new Institute for Digital Music (Institutefordigitalmusic.ning.com) invites visitors to compose, perform and collaborate with others in creating music through elements such as iPhone apps, Leaf Trombone and Ocarina.

One WMN member is starting a contest to award the best Keitai Shoushetsu, or cell phone novel, a cultural phenomenon that has taken Japan by storm.

A wiki devoted to the psychological effects of H1N1 influenza is at emotionalcontagionandswineflu.wetpaint.com.

For more information, including how to start or co-moderate a project, write to worldmindnetwork@gmail.com.

“We’ll use the campaign to spread an important message,” says Denise Gott, Chairman of the Board of LTCFP — http://www.ltcfp.com — one of the nation’s largest and most experienced long-term care insurance agencies. “Every family needs protection from longer-lasting illnesses or injuries that are all too likely to strike.”

“The ’3 in 4 Need More’ campaign will highlight that point,” Gott says, referring to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that at least 70 percent of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives (www.longtermcare.gov). “It’s official,” says Gott. “Our Government says three in every four of us are going to need more than ordinary health care, which focuses on acute, shorter-term care needs, not extended care.”

The need for long-term care is with us, but “90 percent of us who are susceptible have no LTC protection beyond Medicaid, which is intended for those without assets,” Gott says. “More of us lack long-term care insurance than lack regular health insurance.”

By broadcasting the “3 in 4 Need More” message, LTCFP seeks to (1) raise public awareness of the need for long-term care insurance, (2) mobilize support for new tax incentives to make the insurance more affordable, and (3) press for Medicaid reform to reserve public aid for the truly needy.

Among other things, LTCFP plans to integrate the logo and message into their Long Term Care Outreach and Education Program (LTCOEP(TM)). “This will help corporations, associations and other organizations educate their people on the critical importance of protecting themselves,” says Gott.

“With or without our direct help, we hope many other organizations mount their own ’3 in 4 Need More’ campaigns,” Gott adds. “It will take a groundswell of communication to make the significant difference we need.”

The “3 in 4 Need More” slogan is available without charge to LTC Guild members for uses that support getting this message out. Jonas Roeser, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Operations for LTCFP, came up with the basic idea for the campaign. He was also instrumental in founding the national LTC Guild, and his company contributed funds to create the “3 in 4 Need More” logo and other visuals.

“LTCFP is happy to support the LTC Guild as well as the American people in this important effort,” says Gott. She also encourages others in her industry to launch their own “3 in 4 Need More” campaigns. “Together we can make a huge difference.”

The “3 in 4 Need More” logo and other items are available free to all who belong to or join the LTC Guild, at www.ltcguild.com. Membership costs nothing.

The LTC Guild plans no direct advertising or promotional campaign of its own, but instead will make the “3 in 4 Need More” logo and other visuals available for use by its members. Membership is open to concerned citizens and all those who are professionally involved in long-term care, including LTC insurance agents; care providers; financial advisors; elder-law attorneys; and executives of insurance agencies, carriers, nursing homes, retirement communities, public health agencies, public-advocacy groups, and other organizations.

“Most of our health costs occur in the later years of life,” Roeser says, “so it would be a huge mistake to neglect the long-term care component. Today only about 10 percent of those who could benefit from LTC insurance have it.”

Driving the point home, he asks, “Do you plan to live beyond 65? If so, reflect on this: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ‘At least 70 percent of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives’ (www.longtermcare.gov). That’s about three in every four of us!”

What about the proposed public option for long-term care, now before Congress? Dick Samson, who manages the LTC Guild, says, “We’re officially agnostic about that. Most of our members, I believe, doubt it’s the best way to go, but applaud the desire to make extended care more widely available.”

If the public option passes, “it will most likely provide very basic coverage only,” Samson says. “To handle all their care needs, most Americans will still need private LTC insurance — instead of the public option or to supplement it. The ’3 in 4 Need More’ campaign will make that clear.”

“Companies wishing to protect the productivity and retirement savings of employees are also welcome,” says Samson. “If they join the Guild like anyone else, they can just download the materials.”

Any LTC Guild member may request the use of the logo or other visuals. It costs nothing to join the LTC Guild, at — www.ltcguild.com.

The “3 in 4 Need More” slogan is available without charge to LTC Guild members for uses that support getting this message out. Roeser, who came up with the basic idea, is Senior Vice President of Marketing & Operations of LTC Financial Partners, LLC (LTCFP), one of the nation’s leading long-term care insurance agencies. Roeser also worked with Samson to found the national LTC Guild, and his company contributed funds to create the “3 in 4 Need More” logo and other visuals.

“LTCFP is pleased to support the LTC Guild as well as the public in this important effort,” says Roeser. His company intends to use the “3 in 4 Need More” materials in company promotions, and to encourage others in the industry to follow suit. “Among other things, we plan to integrate the logo and message into our Long Term Care Outreach and Education Program (LTCOEP(TM)),” he adds. “This will help employers educate their people on the critical importance of protecting themselves.”

“We expect the industry-wide campaign to start small and then grow fast,” says Samson. “Our LTC Guild members are media-savvy, and I think we’ll soon see ’3 in 4 Need More’ all over the Net and on T-shirts, radio, TV.”

About the LTC Guild

The LTC Guild is a social network described as “The place where long term care and allied pros meet one another and the public, form local chapters, schedule meetings, and share information.” National in scope, the social network serves a growing number of local LTC Guilds. Each “local” is an independent entity established and run by individuals in a geographic or interest area. Members of the national LTC Guild need not belong to any “local,” however. The national site and social network are run by Dick Samson, Director of the EraNova Institute of Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. More information: www.ltcguild.com.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. Send2Press(R) is the originating wire service for this story, Copr. 2009.

One fully-convinced member says, “Michigan Fish Fanatic is a fisherman’s candy store. Where else can you interact with other fanatics and find the exact information you need on a given day to catch your limit?”

A dedicated gathering place for resident anglers, Michigan Fish Fanatic offers maps of more than 8,000 lakes, 550 rivers, and 90 harbors, including depth readings. Once inside the portal, visitors to the site are encouraged to enter their own personal knowledge of each of the thousands of locations, including access points, fishing reports, hot spots and tips, and other helpful information.

In addition to the maps, the Web site hosts community pages. Social networking similar to Facebook is part of the online environment, so visitors to the community can create profiles, share photo albums and keep running blogs of fishing trips and tips which can be made public or kept private depending on personal preferences.

MFF members are invited to submit articles, recipes, and fly-tying tips and tricks with step-by-step instructions. There are even classified ads of interest to the fishing and recreational communities. And there are forums galore.

In order to reel in additional fishermen who are willing to share their knowledge of the state’s waterways and the fish that inhabit them, the Web site is sponsoring a contest to year’s end and will give away four springtime guided steelhead fishing trips on the Manistee River to the MFF members who contribute to the Web site in significant ways for the rest of the year.

For more information about Michigan Fish Fanatic or the current contest visit www.MichiganFishFanatic.com .

TipDrop takes a fresh approach to how information is shared. People who participate in TipDrop do not want to read inane bits of information; they want credible tips. TipDrop also serves as a platform for people to showcase their personal areas of expertise.

So, how does it work? People post tips that relate to specific topics found in tip sheets. For instance, a user might create a tip sheet with the title, “How to save money in a down economy” and another user might add a tip that advises, “Pack your lunch instead of eating out when at work.”

As more users add more tips, the tip sheets become valuable sources of information. And, to keep the best tips on top, users can vote. This raises/lowers the credibility of tips, tip sheets and the users who created them.

The whole system is built around what Leger refers to as a “credibility engine.” A user’s credibility level determines his or her tips and tip sheet credibility in ranking order. And, as users improve their credibility and ranking, their votes become more powerful.

“All of this works to keep the best on top and the spam and junk out of the system,” Leger adds.

Another advantage of TipDrop is that many other micro blogging sites limit characters. For instance, Twitter is limited to 140. TipDrop allows for 255 characters which is typically enough space for a quality tip.

“Ultimately, I took the best of what many social media and informational sites had to offer and created TipDrop.com to build valuable, topic-driven content,” Leger explains.

To a large degree, Web 2.0 tools have been used historically for rather trivial purposes: games, gossip, silly videos, and inconsequential chatter. Recent events in Iran may indicate a turning point.

The WMN wants to help people use these tools for grander purposes. They use these vastly expanded powers of networking to improve education, do research, build community across political divides, and utilize collaborative online mind-mapping to address common problems. The Board of Trustees includes five Nobel Laureates.

Their first project was helping a multimedia ICT Education center in Kenya receive funding through donation of unused cellphone minutes.

Joining the World Mind Network (www.theworldmindnetwork.net) is like having a Facebook or Twitter account, but it assumes that one is interested in improving the world somehow. Participants can join a forum devoted to improving science education co-moderated by a Nobel Laureate (Peter Doherty), start a psychological research project, or contribute to an interactive blog on the world economic crisis co-hosted by another Nobelist (Edmund Phelps). Members are setting up live webcam links between secondary classrooms in South Africa, Macedonia, and Japan.

The fact that an average person can have an enormous effect on the world through free tools that are used every day for business and pleasure is becoming more and more evident.

According to the World Mind Network, in the last 15 years or so Humanity has traversed the anthropological scale from Homo Sapiens (Thinking Man) to Homo Connnectivus (Connected Man) to the current Homo Endunamonus (Empowered Man).

The possibilities are endless. See http://theworldmindnetwork.net . Anyone wishing to chair a committee can write to friendsbeyondborders@gmail.com.

“Chuck is a results-oriented leader with a diverse background in sales and marketing, he will strengthen our senior management team by focusing on mentoring sales associates and improving client relationships. He understands the challenging and unique opportunities that exist in today’s financial marketplace, and the role that Exponential Growth will fulfill for investors seeking a transparent and compliant solution for future investment opportunities.”

“Our mission is to empower investors to achieve ‘exponential growth’ through access, insight, and investor education,” stated Joel Craft, Jr.

“Having been involved in real estate development opportunities and working with investors over an 18 year period, I made the decision to join Exponential Growth because I believe that with today’s breakthrough technologies and the internet, investors can now have pure transparency on a compliant platform in real time,” said Chuck Morales. “I am very excited to be a part of this paradigm shift that will empower investors and re-ignite the entrepreneurial spirit that has built this great country.”

Chuck Morales has enjoyed a distinguished career spanning over 20 years in management and training for sales, marketing and business development. As a top trainer and manager in the financial services sector (EDC, EFT and POS platforms), Chuck had the privilege of starring in a nationwide instructional video program. As Vice President for Alexander Development, he implemented marketing strategies that increased total gross revenue from $20 million to $50 million and established the company as a leader in the design and building of Automotive Dealerships throughout Southern California.

About Exponential Growth(TM)

ExponentialGrowth .com was founded in 2008 and is a financial compliance internet platform for the private equity marketplace. Exponential Growth’s objective is to engage individual investors and to match their needs with interested alternative and private equity opportunities. The ExponentialGrowth .com subscription platform is intended to be approachable by everyday investors and to serve as an educational and research source. ExponentialGrowth .com has made a strategic investment in the private equity sector; a sector ExponentialGrowth.com believes represents considerable growth and investor value.

So, what does all this mean? It means that there are a staggering number of people who share the same disease, but may have trouble connecting with each other. In response, DiabeticSingles.com was launched.

The founder of the website wanted to create a niche platform for people with diabetes — a place where single people with diabetes could build relationships with other diabetics.

“Diabetes has always been a concern to me,” Christy Myatt, founder of DiabeticSingles, explains. “It runs in my family and I have witnessed, firsthand, how dating can often be difficult for people with diabetes due to specific needs and challenges. There are many hurdles to overcome.”

A personal desire to create a safe and happy dating environment for people with diabetes, combined with the opportunity to give back to and support the cause, were the catalysts for developing the website.

People with diabetes have unique needs that may seem foreign to others and diabetes plays a large role in their daily lives when it comes to diet, activities, exercise and more. Who better to understand these needs than another diabetic?

“DiabeticSingles is not just another dating site. We stand strongly behind the cause, and provide support within the diabetic community,” Myatt adds.

Membership is open to people 18 and older. Members create a profile, upload a photo, and begin building relationships with other members within the DiabeticSingles community.

After becoming a paid member, DiabeticSingles will donate 10 percent of the fee towards one of five diabetes charities that have been predetermined by DiabeticSingles; members choose from one of the five.

For more information, visit: www.diabeticsingles.com.