California NEWS INDEX

HIGH RIDGE, Mo. -- On March 1st, Green Stuff Connection officially opened for online business, offering customers the best in high quality, fashionable clothing, home goods, personal care products and more. Once just a dream of founder Hilda Orosco-Frank, the site has become a reality! Green Stuff Connection is designed to be THE place for green-minded people to shop.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- In 2007, Metrolink's Board of Directors approved a three year program of annual system wide average fare adjustments of 3.5% that would take effect on July 1, 2007, 2008 and 2009 to keep pace with higher costs to operate commuter train service. Because of the escalating cost of diesel fuel, scheduled increases in costs for operating services contracts and new start-up costs related to the arrival of additional passenger cars in 2009, the Board is considering a fare increase of up to 7.5%.

MONTEREY, Calif. -- The Supreme Council of Datus Alimaong has reached agreement with Monterey, CA-based Abundant Biofuels Corporation to develop more than 1.2 million acres of ancestral domain for production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas in underused Lumad lands on the island of Mindanao.

MOUNTAIN LAKES, N.J. -- Frustrated by employees who surf the net on company time? Many social network sites are designed to create an addictive routine and people find it difficult to stay away. Chronos, a new software package developed by Visionsoft, allows employers to control what sites employees can use and when.

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Intellikey Labs, a recognized leader in optical disc quality assurance content testing, announced today the launch of Intellikey DVD Testing Matrix 7.0. The first ever Blu-ray AMP(TM) and along with the latest Standard Def matrix enables Intellikey to provide the most definitive AMP(TM) rating system available for DVD testing on domestic players. Matrix 7.0 is the most representative DVD testing matrix ever released.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- SecuGen is pleased to announce that Club Sentry, Inc. has chosen SecuGen's Hamster fingerprint readers for integration with Club Sentry's club management software. The Hamster readers will be used to scan fingerprints of members when they check-in and check-out through Club Sentry's Biometric ID software module.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- You diet... you exercise... you're taking the latest diet pill... and... you're even losing weight. But take a look in the mirror... you still have that unsightly belly bulge. Twenty pounds lighter and you still look... fat! How in the world can that be possible? As it turns out, the same diet that's helping you lose weight might actually be causing you to retain figure-destroying belly fat.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Superbowl quarterback, Tom Brady has agreed to be the face of Myo-Med, for the launch of their 2008 media campaign. BioForce, the makers of Myo-Med, recently appointed STG Media Corp. as their agency of record to assist them in creating brand awareness among athletes and arthritis sufferers nationwide.

LYNN, Mass. -- Independent laboratory testing of the formula that NevaSlip(TM) anti-slip floor service uses to make architectural stone and tile floors slip resistant shows it to be 100% environmentally safe, even as it gives those floors a Static Coefficient of Friction (SCOF) rating that meets or exceeds current federal ADA regulations.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Interim HealthCare, one of the nation's largest home care and health care staffing companies, proudly recognizes the important role Social Workers play in home care, hospice and hospitals throughout the year and during National Social Work Month.

DETROIT, Mich. -- Harper Arrington Publishing LLC today announced the release of The Creative Pack 1 upgrade for Digital Fashion Pro - Fashion Design System. The Digital Fashion Pro System is an innovative solution that gives fashion designers, students, and even ordinary people the tools they need to design their own cutting edge fashion collection using digital fabrics and garment templates.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- "Every February for the last 50 years, stock car enthusiasts across the country have packed their sunscreen and descended on Daytona," said Ethan Whitehill, CEO of Two West, Inc. "This year, unfortunately, the economy also decided to head south for vacation."

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Underground Mexican hip-hop artist/entrepreneur, SOLOW13, breaks the music game wide open by establishing his own label, TRUTH LOVES LA WFAMILIA, LLC or simply LAWFAMILIA, LLC. The new imprint is a collaborative partnership between SOLOW13 and famed West Coast label, Latin Thug Records - best known for being founded by Cypress Hill's Sen Dog and home to the Reyes Brothers, B Real's "Gunslinger" albums and many other notable releases.

TORRANCE, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Music Network's "LAMN Jam" heads for the Big Apple, and has added an additional event sponsor in Send2Press(R) Newswire, a unit of Neotrope(R). Launched three years ago in Los Angeles (where performances continue), LAMN Jams go beyond traditional showcases by featuring artists performing original songs, followed by instant professional critiques from a panel of industry experts. This year, independent music artists will perform for $20,000 in prizes.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Wildly popular among 30-somethings who don't want to look a single day older and just as popular with 50-somethings who'd like to look 40 again, StriVectin(R)-HS Hydro-Thermal Deep Wrinkle Serum(TM) from Klein-Becker has now been singled out as the only "great" beauty serum for older complexions by The Independent, a leading British newspaper, in a just published "beauty serum" ranking.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- KGA Inc., a human resources consulting firm based in Framingham, Mass., has hired Betsy Pratt as its account executive. According to KGA President Kathleen Greer, the newly created position involves overseeing approximately half of the company's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) accounts, as well as improving upon and building new client relationships.

BOSTON, Mass. -- LocaModa Inc. today introduced breakthrough social connectivity to its interactive Out-of-Home platform. LocaModa 3.0 enables mobile consumers to control and interact with social media around them using any mobile phone on any network, while also giving their friends online a window into what's happening via websites such as Facebook.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- STG Media Corp and STG Retail Direct are taking the beverage market to the next level by launching the Extenze Beverage, the first and largest male enhancement drink on the market. "We are very excited to bring this product to market. It's a one of a kind product, and while it's targeting the male consumer, it still brings something for the ladies," COO of STG Media, Kristen Orton said.

CARPINTERIA, Calif. -- Holland Scott Gallery today announces the debut of the Environmentally Responsible Green Energy Fine Art Lamps. These lamps combine energy-efficiency technology with fine-art design. Elegant photographic floral images and art-deco linoleum patterns from the 1930's are the result of energy efficient LED lamp technology and the Giclee fine-art printmaking process.

FLANDERS, N.J. -- AERC.com, Inc., the nation's leading full-service secure data management and recycling company, announces the expansion of its secure data destruction and disposal operations as a result of assets acquired Monday, January 7, from DynTek, a leading technology services provider.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- In a new documentary series on DVD, released by Gallery of Historical Figures(R), artist and raconteur George Stuart gives his take on the formative and often turbulent history of England. Murder, treachery, greed, love and hate punctuate the timeline, as the country evolves from Tudor absolutism into constitutional monarchy of Victoria.

DENVER, Colo. -- Can't get everyone together at the same time? Trying to juggle schedules to organize a family reunion? Help is on the way. Vacation Never Ends, LLC announces the launch of a new web site that brings together family and friends for easy trip and event planning.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- LocaModa Inc., a leading out-of-home social platform provider, announced today that Stephen W. King has joined the company as Vice President of Sales. Mr. King has over 10 years of experience selling interactive advertising and social media at Dotomi, Monster and Facebook.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Abacalab, Inc. releases Version 2.1 of the Chemistry Labacus(R) mobile laboratory assistant for chemists. Labacus(R) fills a key gap in laboratory information management between the notebook or desktop computer and the physical laboratory environment where chemistry actually happens.

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- You might get a great deal on a rental car on the island of Oahu. But if you stay in Waikiki, as almost all visitors to Oahu do, you may pay as much as $25 (plus tax) to park your car for the night, according to a survey of Waikiki hotels conducted by Travel Hawaii LLC in Honolulu, a leading Hawaii Internet booking service.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. and NORMAN, Okla. -- Last year, images of Britney Spears' shaved head were splayed all over the media. And, in celebration of Spears, Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman is exhibiting an appropriated image for public viewing through March 28. Los Angeles artist, known as XVALA, set out to define Spears' spiritual, emotional and economical value.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Dr. Mark Berkowitz, Medical Director of Accents Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa, is just in time to prepare pouty lips and transform thin lips for a special Valentine's Day. Berkowitz has just released a free, fact-filled report, entitled: "Lip Tips You'll Love" - an in-depth review of today's lip enhancing options sure to dispel common myths and leave Detroiter's smiling seductively.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- RenderX, a market leader in "XML to PDF" and "XML to PostScript" technology, officially released the Beta versions of two new software products - DataStyler and XML Report Generator (XMLRG). DataStyler is an application for quick creation of templates for variable data embedding.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- JSM Music (www.jsmmusic.com), the largest commercial music production company in America, scored a major touch down at the Super Bowl having provided music for one of the top ad-spots during the game. JSM's music was featured on Pepsi's "Magnetic Attraction" advertisement which showcased the musical and acting talents of superstar performer Justin Timberlake.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- SecuGen Corporation, a world leading fingerprint technology company, announced today that its well-known Hamster(TM) line of fingerprint readers is now available with Tutis Biometric Logon, an Active Directory compatible network authentication application.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- SecuGen Corporation, a world leading fingerprint technology company, today announced its collaboration with WCC Smart Search & Match, a leading provider of high-performance search and match software. WCC Smart Search & Match has developed ELISE ID, the Platform for Multi-Modal Fusion.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Author Quincella C. Geiger, announces the release of her new book, "Bringing Home the Baking," (ISBN: 978-0-615-14518-1) that reveals the secrets to setting up a successful home-based baking business. Starting a business can be expensive, but starting a home-based baking business is smart and cost-effective.

DUXBURY, Mass. -- One informs the other; the other informs the one. "As an abstract painter, I am very influenced by my life's work as a graphic designer. Alternatively, my approach to painting impacts my design work in a way that makes it richer and more interesting," explains artist Robert Cipriani, whose abstract painting, Red 2, received an honorable mention award at the Cambridge Art Association's "Red" show in November 2007.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Arclinea Boston, the area's premier contemporary custom kitchen design firm, has been voted best in the "Home Decor" category by visitors to Citysearch.com's Boston website for the second year in a row. "Arclinea's contemporary kitchen designs have been recognized worldwide as the standard for meticulous craftsmanship and technological innovation, and since opening in Boston, we've been honored to receive many prestigious design awards."

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Today, popular online jewelry merchant MyBargainJewels announced the launch of a new line of charm bracelets dubbed "The Guardian Eye." Each bracelet is handmade of Murano glass beads and fits any wrist size. At first glance, these trendy bracelets are simple enough, yet shrouded in thousands of years of superstition.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- 1st Pacific Bancorp (NASDAQ: FPBN) announced today that Frank J. Mercardante, a member of the board of directors of 1st Pacific Bancorp since July 2007, resigned from the Company's board. Prior to his appointment as a director of 1st Pacific Bancorp, Mr. Mercardante was Chairman and CEO of Placer Sierra Bank and previously was President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Community Bancorp since 1998.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- SolarReserve, the Los Angeles-based solar thermal power company that has licensed an innovative energy storage technology for on-demand utility-scale solar power, today announced the appointment of William R. Gould, Jr. to serve as Chief Technical Officer.

DENVER, Colo. -- Denver area homeowners break with the pack when it comes to remodeling, according to the Remodeling Sentiment Report, a semi-annual survey of 5,000 U.S. homeowners sponsored by Frontrangeremodeling.com. The most recent survey reveals that remodeling plans are of a similar scope and cost as in previous years, but now homeowners are taking additional steps to reduce costs.

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.

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.

ENCINO, Calif. -- In December 2007, MedSort.com, a premier online personal medication list management system, launched a comprehensive personal health records system - MedSort Health(TM) - which empowers consumers and patients to take control of their health records. Since January 2007, MedSort.com has been helping patients to create and manage their medication and allergy list online.

DANA POINT, Calif. -- Holistic Pet Expert, Susan Blake Davis from Ask Ariel Your Pet Nutritionist is urging pet owners to take their pets to the veterinarian BEFORE their pets act sick. Davis says that holistic and preventative veterinary care are the keys to pet health and longevity. Her statement comes as a result of hearing heart wrenching tales from pet owners over the holidays seeking miracle cures because their pets needed to be euthanized and they didn't even know they were sick.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dee Rule, "Baby Nurse and Nanny to the Stars," has been helping families for over 18 years. She is now making the media circuit and offering free advice to parents who need answers on sleep routines.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Metrolink is offering special service to the Tournament of Roses Parade on both the Antelope Valley and San Bernardino Lines on New Year's Day. Just take the train to Los Angeles Union Station and transfer for free with a valid Metrolink ticket onto the Metro Gold Line. The Gold Line will take you right to the parade route.

SAN MARINO, Calif. -- Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation announced today their appreciation of the accomplishments of their contemporaries in 2007, a truly remarkable year in terms of biomedical research, scholarship, and gonzo journalism. It was a year in which a definitive meeting entitled "In Vivo Barriers to Gene Delivery" was held at the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where Nobel laureate James Watson presides, or shall we say presided.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- On December 16, at the age of almost 40, Dr. Thienna, a leading skin care author who is conscious of health and fitness on all levels, broke the Guinness Book World Record for the most Sumo squats in one hour. The event was overseen by an official adjudicator from the U.K. at the San Francisco State University Basketball Gymnasium.

SAN MARINO, Calif. -- Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation announced today that the company has received a Certificate of Product Registration for Rexin-G(R) from the Philippine Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), enabling the commercialization of its lead product as a safe and effective treatment for a broad spectrum of intractable cancers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- SecuGen is pleased to announce that Bromba Biometrics BioIDENTICA SDK is now compatible with SecuGen Hamster III, Hamster Plus and Hamster IV fingerprint readers. The BioIDENTICA SDK allows a simple integration of fingerprint technology into any existing or new software application that can benefit from biometric authentication.

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Neotrope(R), a leading advertising, PR, and Internet Marketing firm established 1983, today announced it has been chosen by a leading New York Computer Consulting firm, S & R Network Consulting, to provide promotion and brand development for their company and Website.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- For the first-time ever, the folks who live in Santa Monica and surrounding areas, will get a taste of third-world culture at the International Handcrafted Gifts and Home Textile Expo to be held on January 20 and 21 at the Santa Monica Doubletree Hilton.