NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A new web site, Cruising From New York, providing all the information travelers need to plan a cruise from the three New York area ports, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty (Bayonne), N.J. was launched today by Anne Campbell, a veteran cruise industry journalist.

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- According to Travel Hawaii LLC (http://Travel-Hawaii.com), a leading Hawaii Internet booking service, Hawaii's largest hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki has finally completed its long-awaited lagoon revitalization project. The project has transformed the once murky, uninviting pond into a delightful 5 acre swimming and recreation center, open not only to guests of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but to the general public as well.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Not a day goes by without the media reporting on the national mortgage meltdown and tightening guidelines for home loans. But one local mortgage company committed to affordable home ownership for North Carolinians found a way to help rural areas residents become homeowners. Veritas Mortgage Funding, a Raleigh based mortgage firm now offers a great alternative to traditional, more costly mortgages.

ELY, Minn. -- Preparations are underway for the ten-day Ely Winter Festival being held February 1-10, 2008 in Ely, Minnesota. The cornerstone of the festival is the International Snow Sculpting Symposium in Whiteside Park with 20 "amateur" blocks and 20 large "expert" blocks each carved by a three-person team.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- SolarReserve, the Los Angeles-based solar thermal company that has recently commercialized an innovative heat storage technology that provides utility-scale solar power on demand, today announced that Kevin Smith has been hired to serve as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Development.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Pirate Island Press, an independent publisher of historical, medical and military fiction, announces the release of "The Jihad Germ," a novel of bioterrorism and national security (ISBN: 978-0-9799326). The Jihad Germ questions what will happen tomorrow and illuminates the risks of advanced bioengineering and gene manipulation in the hands of religious extremists.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Health Magazine says the LifeSpan VP1000 Whole Body Vibration Plate gives "...the best workout for the better price." The PCE Fitness LifeSpan VP1000 Vibration Plate was the clear favorite in a review of vibration trainers in Health's Jan/Feb 2008 issue. "With three-way vibration and handles, the LifeSpan VP1000 delivered."

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The latest honor for "Peege" may be its greatest ever: The 1972 production, distributed by St. Louis' Phoenix Learning Group, was named in December to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, alongside such better-known classics as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "12 Angry Men." Randal Kleiser planned to get his start in filmmaking with something edgy and avant-garde.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- In 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) declared 63 major U.S. disasters. Almost every state in the country was affected, including Hawaii. In response to such emergency situations, Disaster Recovery America has formulated a Web-based emergency plan to help families and communities quickly get back on their feet.

GREENWICH, Conn. -- For some companies, it is not a question of if one of their computers will be used as evidence in a legal matter, it is a question of when. The inaugural Computer Forensics Show will fill the Washington Convention Center from February 4-6, 2008. This year's event features keynote addresses by high-powered Washington insiders.