Tabitha Berg

HOUSTON, Texas -- This year's holiday "Cyber-Monday" showed an unprecedented 26% increase over the same day last year as internet shoppers handed over $608 million to internet sellers. The modern shopping boom is accompanied by interest in modern products, at least in one area where a brand new diamond shape is receiving what we should call "X-plosive" attention over its traditional counterparts, say the folks at Whiteflash.com.

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- So, you want to be a P.I.? Florida Private Investigator, John Krause, has re-released "The Private Investigator's Guide," (ISBN: 0-615-13411-4, printed version; and ISBN: 0-615-12404-6; CD-ROM version) previously published in 1997. "The Private Investigator's Guide" is the most comprehensive guide on the market; it teaches the novice P.I. the tricks of the trade and provides basic information for business start-up.

KANAGAWAKEN, Japan -- KAYAC Co.Ltd. CEO Daisuke Yanagisawa announced that the company has launched a new blog widget "THANKS" from their blog widgets site "BlogDeco." According to Yanagisawa: "This blog widget 'THANKS,' is our fist release targeted abroad, in both Japanese and English versions."

CHICAGO, Ill. -- The LJR Group today announced publication of a revised edition of the book "Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family's Perspective" (ISBN: 1-4120-6498-8, www.ourunclesam.com). Written by Cooke's great-nephew Erik Greene, Our Uncle Sam not only emphasizes Cooke's accomplishments in music history, but gives the reader an inside look on the childhood influences that drove him to excel.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Buying and servicing a boat has become a much easier task for consumers around the country, thanks to Boating Industry magazine's second annual Top 100 Dealers, a ranking of an incredibly powerful group of marine dealers that generated more than $2.88 billion in retail sales, or nearly 8 percent of the entire $37 billion marine market.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The psychological thriller "TO THE BONE" (ISBN: 0-9769688-3-5) by Mark Vann is based on an astonishing medical case history and offers readers a villain like no other in the annals of crime fiction. The strands of the plot are darkly and deftly intertwined like the DNA helix of the killer. In addition, this groundbreaking novel brings to the forefront a subject that has always been considered taboo.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- Looking for the perfect wine for your holiday gifts or dinner parties? Then you shouldn't miss the special episode of W the women's show "Holiday Greetings." Winemaker, Daniel Baron, of Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars will be taking viewers on a tour of the vineyards, tasting rooms, and cellars in both Napa and Sonoma counties that produce award-winning California wines.

KOH KTEAH, Cambodia -- GoldenPalace.com, the Internet casino famous for their unusual and often outrageous advertising campaigns, has done it again by sponsoring Canadian director Matt Frame's record-breaking feat for the world's longest handcuffed swim. Matt made the brutal 5.8 kilometer (3.1 nautical miles) swim from Koh Kteah to Serendipity beach without the benefit of a wetsuit or any help. The Guinness people have officially confirmed this to be a record-breaking swim.

DENVER, Colo. -- Denver-area public companies and their audit committee members are invited to participate in "Governance Update: SOX compliance...and what's next with the SEC," a free seminar offered by RSM McGladrey, one of the top accounting, tax and business consulting organizations in the country. The seminar will be held at the Wyndham Hotel Denver Tech Center on Dec. 6, 2006, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- This holiday season, W the women's show will help women learn how to make the most of their printer purchases on its "Holiday Greetings" special. The hit Quorum Productions television program will feature an expert from Dell Computers who will explain how to make buying, owning, and operating a printer an easy task.