Newsdesk

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.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- FAREPORTAL is a technology solutions provider to the travel industry. Strategically located in "Silicon Alley," in the heart of New York City, their group of consultants is dedicated to harnessing the future of online travel technology for FAREPORTAL customers and partners. Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.

DETROIT, Mich. -- Though we were all born with smooth, baby-soft skin the effects of time and heredity begin to show on the faces of Detroiter's of all ages. Dr. Mark Berkowitz of Accents Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa has reintroduced many people to more vibrant, youthful, and healthy-looking skin with a single, 30-minute in-office treatment using the newest fractional laser technology imported just last month from Italy.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Implementation Solutions LLC, a technology consulting firm that services global investment management customers, announced today that it has formulated a subsidiary organization in Australia named Implementation Solutions PTY LTD. Simultaneously it also announced the opening of its seventh office, this time on Kent Street in Sydney, Australia.

LANDOVER, Md. -- SecurWireless, Inc., provider of wireless video surveillance solutions for government, state and local, and commercial applications, has named NWStealth, a division of Full Blast Technologies Inc, to its newly launched SecurVAR program. As the program's first Value Added Reseller, NWStealth is the first to receive marketing and sales advantages that enable them to offer best of breed wireless surveillance products for force protection, physical security, and other surveillance solutions to their premier clients.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Backbone Security, the market leader in advanced digital steganalysis tools, announced the newest version of their industry leading steganography application detection tool, Steganography Analyzer Artifact Scanner (StegAlyzerAS) today at the DoD Cyber Crime Conference 2008.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Latin Thug Records presents the debut album from ground-breaking artist SOLOW13. The album will be available in stores and online February 26, 2008. Produced by SOLOW13 and Aaron (T-Bone) Boatright, the project represents a lifetime of work and experiences from this breaking talent. Legendary mastering engineer Brian "Big Bass" Gardner (Eminem, Linkin Park) mastered the project to create what will surely become a classic, iconic album.

AUSTIN, Texas -- deverus, the leader in background screening technology, has recently released one of the latest must-haves in the industry, I-9 verification automation. For those companies that want to stay in compliance with ever-changing laws and regulations, I-9 data verification automation is essential.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- After 39 years of working as an insurance professional, Bob Johnson of the Bob Johnson Project, decided it was time for a change. Upon retiring, he traded in his ties for t-shirts and has worked with a designer to create a t-shirt line with a positive message.

BRIGHTON, Mich. -- ROIonline LLC, an Internet Marketing company serving the industrial and business-to-business marketplace, has been awarded new client contracts with EUROPAGES and Kompass - business-to-business search engine companies - to represent them for sales in the U.S.

WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- NoblePeak Vision announced this week that Mike Decelle has joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer. Decelle takes the reins from co-founder Cliff King, bringing 25 years of experience to NoblePeak with demonstrated leadership capabilities and success in both startup and large public companies. King moves into the Chief Operating Officer role to focus on new product development and manufacturing as NoblePeak rapidly approaches market introduction of its revolutionary night vision TriWave(R) camera cores.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Relios Jewelry, a company nationally recognized for its customer focus, merchandising teamwork, innovation, and operational excellence, now has more accolades to boast - this time in the arena of "Good Environmental Practices." The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Department's Pollution Prevention Staff has awarded America's largest manufacturer of authentic American-made jewelry with not one but two prestigious honors.

WASILLA, Alaska -- "The Human Pack" (ISBN 978-1-4196-7578-2) serves to educate readers about the intricate language of canines as well as how best to use this knowledge in order to create a harmonious "Human Pack." Clinician Jenn Lewis also explains how to deal with canine behavioral problems in a way consistent with her gentle approach to training and bonding with dogs.

BOONTON, N.J. -- The global market for operations support systems (OSS) - the computing and software IT infrastructure that performs engineering, provisioning, and management functions in telecommunications networks - will exceed $46 billion in 2008, explains a new report by Insight Research.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A master bathroom designed and built by Charlie Allen Restorations for an 1853 Greek Revival home in Cambridge has been named "Bathroom of the Year" in Boston Globe Magazine's "Dream Home 2007" competition. The new bathroom was praised for its "imaginative use of space and light," and a "classically styled yet high tech" design.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- ComplianceEase(R), a leading provider of mortgage industry automated compliance and risk management solutions, announced today that its automated compliance system, ComplianceAnalyzer(R), will be available on Calyx Point's WebConnect(TM) platform on January 10th, 2008.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Whosarat.com is running a contest with a prize of $500 for the "Most Interesting" new informant profile. The contest will begin on January 8th and all new informant profiles posted between January 8th and February 8th will be considered for the prize. In order to be considered for the contest, all entries must contain documentation of their co-operation with the government.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- McKerin Software today announced that Luverne Alumni News, a publication providing Luverne Minnesota High School graduates with hometown news and stories, has licensed McKerin Software Outreach to improve member address maintenance and mailing operations.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- gus is pleased to introduce their premier line of higher end leather wallets and accessories designed exclusively for men and featuring beautifully hand-sewn craftsmanship as well as their unique "splitshot perforation" styling.