Monthly Archives: November 2014

Software, Technology

BatchOutput PDF Now Supports Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite

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Zevrix Solutions releases BatchOutput PDF 2.2.9, a compatibility update to its solution to automate PDF printing with watched hot folders on Mac OS. Users only need to drop PDF files into hot folders and they will be printed automatically using the assigned output preset. BatchOutput PDF is a robust and affordable tool for users of any trade, whether it’s print, publishing, education or financial sector. The new version makes BatchOutput PDF compatible with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

Toronto (ON), Canada (November 13, 2014) — Zevrix Solutions announces the release of BatchOutput PDF 2.2.9, a maintenance update to its simple and powerful solution to automate PDF printing on Mac OS X. The software allows users to print PDF files from watched hot folders, saving the time and effort of opening and printing each document manually.

The new version makes BatchOutput PDF compatible with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite and is offered as a free update to licensed users. A number of user interface elements were updated to display properly across multiple OS X versions.

“This is one of those apps that you never knew you needed until you spend a day using it,” says Glen Saville of Glen Saville Design firm in Hornchurch, UK. “If you handle a large number of PDFs daily this will save you time, without a doubt.”

BatchOutput PDF offers reliable, robust and affordable solution for users of any trade, whether it’s print, publishing, legal offices, education or financial sector:

–Batch print PDF files automatically from watched hot folders
-Create presets for various print settings
-Work with other programs while BatchOutput PDF prints in the background
-Specify password for encrypted PDFs
-Save time and hassle of printing each PDF manually

In addition to the single-user version of the program, Zevrix also offers BatchOutput PDF Server that can serve unlimited users on a network.

Pricing and Availability:
BatchOutput PDF can be purchased from Zevrix website for US$24.95 (Server version $99.95), as well as from authorized resellers. The update is free for licensed users of version 2. Trial is also available for download. BatchOutput PDF supports Mac OS X 10.5-10.10.

About Zevrix Solutions

Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite software, PDF workflows, graphic file diagnostics, file delivery and Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix is dedicated to help professionals increase their profits through automating everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Sports

SAFE International™ Launches Self Defense For Real Estate Agents in Houston, Texas

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The owners of SAFE International™ have announced they are launching a self defense program which is tailored specifically to the needs of real estate agents.

Houston, TX, November 13, 2014 – The owners of SAFE International™ have announced they are launching a self defense program which is tailored specifically to the needs of real estate agents. The real estate profession carries with it many potential safety risks, from meeting new prospective clients to conducting open houses and showings.

SAFE International™, which has been in the forefront since 1994 empowering people to save their own lives through the use of self-defense concepts, believes its current focus on empowering people to protecting themselves is needed now more than ever with recent violent events in the real estate profession.

“Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly violent society, and we, here at SAFE International™, want to not only share our knowledge and experience with others, but while in the process of sharing we are also empowering people throughout Houston, Texas, and globally to defend themselves,” said Christopher Roberts, Managing Director of SAFE International™.

Even though their mission at SAFE International™ is to teach real self-defense skills to as many women, children, and men, from 12 years of age to 82 years of age, SAFE International™ does offer corporate self defense courses to those in working environments that are considered higher risk.

Some of the topics that are addressed during a 2 or 4 hour Houston Real Estate Safety seminar are distraction techniques used on real estate agents, car safety, safety in the home, dangers of letting income rule over intuition, how attackers choose their victims, importance of body language, the good and bad of cell phones, plus much more!

At SAFE International™, they are not offering a martial arts program. Rather, they are offering what they consider to be “a practical and realistic approach to personal safety.”

“What sets our approach to self-defense training apart from all other programs is how we present our courses with real-life simulated scenarios, with hands-on techniques and with humor, yes… humor,” added Roberts, who believes that while the subject matter is a very serious one, SAFE International™ knows that learning in a safe, fun, and enthusiastic environment is the best way to retain what is being presented.

For further information, please visit: http://safeinternationalhouston.biz/

Press Release Distributed by Straight Line PR

Contact:
David Clark
Managing Director
SAFE International Houston
10218 F Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77001
1-832-270-7638
davidclark@safeinternationalhouston.biz
http://www.safeinternationalhouston.biz

Technology

XebiaLabs and Diabol to Stage Events on Continuous Delivery

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Sweden shows pent up demand for systems development and Continuous Delivery.

Boston, MA (USA), November 13th, 2014 — XebiaLabs today announced it has partnered with Diabol of Sweden, a systems development consulting firm that has shown remarkable expertise working with clients on their software development and release strategies in their native markets. The plan is for the two companies to team up and sponsor local tech events that will showcase how Continuous Delivery can provide higher production values with respect to Agile software development and the release process.

“Continuous Delivery is a development strategy that optimizes your delivery process for high-quality software with the shortest possible delivery time,” said Peter Ferm, CEO of Diabol. “We’re looking forward to working with XebiaLabs to present our findings and to show how the CD approach enables organizations to validate their business ideas and then iterate new ideas and changes to users quickly. Continuous Delivery has consequences for the entire product delivery process, including front-end design and analysis functions.”

Supporters of Agile and Continuous Delivery need a way for distributed teams spanning business, development, testing, and operations, to create an end-to-end lifecycle value chain. XebiaLabs and Diabol will co-create seminars to educate DevOps teams looking to benefit from the use of lightweight, plug-and-play software delivery automation tools for deployment, on-demand environment provisioning, Agile test management, and release management.

“It’s no secret that Continuous Delivery can provide higher production rates that yield higher quality software. With Diabol’s help, companies in Sweden can realize the benefits of a true Continuous Delivery model, where the process of building, packaging and testing is completely automated,” said Jesper Scheuer-Larsen, who manages the Nordic operations for Xebialabs. The new Nordic Xebialabs office is based in Denmark.

XebiaLabs is the developer of XL Platform, a suite of applications comprising XL Deploy, for application release automation, XL Release, for enterprise release management for DevOps and Continuous Delivery, XL Test, the first dedicated Agile test management and analysis tool, and XL Scale, for on-demand provisioning and scaling of full environments.

For more details on the new XL Platform, please visit http://www.xebialabs.com/products/xl-platform/.

For more information on Diabol, please visit http://www.diabol.se/.

About Diabol:
Diabol is a Swedish company specialized in modern agile software development. Diabol is a consulting company that deliver value to large companies by helping their IT departments become truly agile and business oriented. Diabol frees the vision on how to develop software faster and with increased quality with the help of Culture, Processes and Tools.

About XebiaLabs:
With customers such as 3M, John Deere, Expedia, GE, and Société Générale, XebiaLabs is the fastest-growing, leading global provider of automation software for DevOps and Continuous Delivery helping companies to accelerate the delivery of new software. XebiaLabs’ products provide the automation, efficiency and insight organizations need to meet the demand for faster software deployment cycles. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Boston, XebiaLabs has a worldwide network of sales offices and partners. For more information, please visit http://www.xebialabs.com.

Press & Media Contact:
Victor Cruz, Principal
MediaPR.net, Inc
Marblehead, MA – USA
+1 (781) 990-3463
vcruz@mediapr.net
http://www.xebialabs.com

Technology

XebiaLabs Grows 8000%, Named to Deloitte Fast50

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2nd place finish validates both management leadership and DevOps industry growth.

Boston, MA (USA), November 12th, 2014 — Leading provider of Continuous Delivery and DevOps software XebiaLabs today announced it achieved a second place ranking in the Deloitte Fast50 for growing 8,609 percent over a five-year span. The technology award was presented at a gala reception held in The Netherlands.

The Deloitte Fast50 selection is based on a five-year revenue growth trajectory with first place going to smart home semi-conductor/systems company GreenPeak Technologies for growing 8,757 percent, a very nominal edge over XebiaLabs. In July XebiaLabs announced Q1 and Q2 revenue growth of 185 percent after doubling revenues in 2013.

The award follows a series of milestone achievements that include the opening of three sales offices, an infusion of $12 million equity funding, reseller partnerships, and a battery of new customer wins. Most recently it announced tighter integration with Puppet Labs to deliver one seamless out-of-the-box deployment automation for enterprises.

“We’re very honored to be recognized by the Deloitte Fast50,” said Coert Baart, XebiaLabs CEO. “All the credit belongs to our dedicated employees who believe in making the customer experience a priority, listening to customer feedback and implementing solutions that truly benefit our customers in being more agile, responsive, and profitable.”

International corporations such as General Electric, Expedia, Xerox, KLM, and Société Générale use XebiaLabs to accelerate software applications into the marketplace while reducing costly errors and downtime.

XebiaLabs products are used by CIOs, development managers and professionals in quality assurance, testing and operations (DevOps) who view the fast conversion of good ideas into marketable software as a critical business imperative that drives success.

About XebiaLabs:
XebiaLabs is the fastest-growing, leading global provider of automation software for DevOps and Continuous Delivery helping companies to accelerate the delivery of new software. XebiaLabs’ products provide the automation, efficiency and insight organizations need to meet the demand for faster software deployment cycles. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Boston, XebiaLabs has a worldwide network of sales offices and partners. For more information, please visit www.xebialabs.com.

Press & Media Contact:
Victor Cruz, Principal
MediaPR.net, Inc
Marblehead, MA – USA
+1 (781) 990-3463
vcruz@mediapr.net
http://www.xebialabs.com

Software, Technology

Output Factory Server for Adobe InDesign Now Supports Mac OS X Yosemite

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Zevrix Solutions announces Output Factory Server 1.0.21, a compatibility update to its output workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. Output Factory Server automates printing and exporting from InDesign by processing files from hot folders. The software offloads output tasks to a central system leaving operator workstations free from the output process. The new version makes Output Factory Server compatible with the recently released Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

Toronto (ON), Canada (November 11, 2014) — Zevrix Solutions today announces the release of Output Factory Server 1.0.21, a compatibility update to its solution to automate printing, exporting and post-processing from Adobe InDesign. Developed originally for a major magazine publisher in the United States to free up their operator computers from outputting InDesign files, the software automates InDesign workflow by processing files from watched hot folders.

The new version makes Output Factory Server compatible with the recently released Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite. A number of user interface elements were updated to display properly across multiple OS X versions.

“Output Factory Server is an extremely useful utility for a busy production facility or advertising agency”, writes David Creamer in Layers magazine, “It can save lots of time – which equates to money.”

Under Output Factory Server workflow, production artists, prepress operators and designers simply copy InDesign jobs to hot folders that reside on a network. Users can create hot folders for any type of output – for example hi-res PDF, large format printing, EPUB files and so on. Output Factory Server offers the following key features:

–Print and export InDesign files automatically from watched hot folders
-Support for print, PDF, PostScript, EPS, JPEG, Flash, EPUB and other formats
–Export InDesign files as single pages
–Layer versioning export layer combinations as single files
-Variable output file names
-Preflight files before output
-Automatic e-mail notifications on processing stages and errors
-Serves unlimited users on a network

Pricing and Availability:
Output Factory Server can be purchased from Zevrix web site for US$699.95, as well as from authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. BatchOutput Server users can upgrade for $350. Output Factory Server runs on Mac OS X 10.6-10.10 and works with Adobe InDesign CS3-CC 2014.

About Zevrix Solutions

Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite software, PDF and graphic file diagnostics, file delivery and Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix Solutions is dedicated to helping professionals achieve more while doing less through automating their everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com

Solutions for Adobe InDesign & the Graphics Industry

Music

Jerry Velona Releases New Album Entitled Love Radio

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Boston based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Velona has released his sixth album entitled Love Radio. The record contains 9 tracks ranging from rock to funk, soul, country and blues.

Boston, MA, USA (November 12, 2014) — Boston based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Velona has released his sixth album entitled Love Radio. The record contains 9 tracks ranging from rock to funk, soul, country and blues.

Love Radio features six original compositions by Velona as well as three covers including the lead track, Looking for Lewis and Clark composed by Sid Griffin and a hit for his band The Long Ryders in the mid 1980’s. Velona updated some of the song’s lyrics with Griffin’s permission and about Velona’s version he commented: “Jerry Velona once again proves his musical worth in a balls-to-the-wall cover version of the Long Ryders’ ‘Looking For Lewis & Clark’, a pounding yet melodic take which begs the question: where are the great and fearless leaders of the present day? Velona’s committed vocal and approach to the lyric may not provide a complete set of answers but oh Mercy, they frame the question so very, very well.” A video for the song can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmAAaMoalag&feature=youtu.be.

The record features an assortment of some of the finest musicians in the Boston area including several faculty members of Velona’s alma mater The Berklee College of Music. Local singer Debbie Pierre is featured on background vocals on many of the tracks as well as the lead vocal on The Ghetto (ain’t going back). Hip hop artist and spoken word poet J Ivy is also featured on the same track which was adapted from the Donny Hathaway tune Ghetto first recorded in the 1970’s.

“I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past couple of years composing, arranging and recording these songs,” said Velona, “I’m very proud of the record and I think some of the tracks represent my best work to date.”

Velona produced the record in addition to singing most of the tracks and playing drums and percussion on many of them. The songs were recorded at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, MA and Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA. Mastering was done by Bill Bromfield at Clockwise Records, Nashville.

In addition to Looking for Lewis and Clark, Love Radio features several straight-ahead rock tracks including the humorous When I Wake Up, the semi-biographical First to Last and the subtly political The Bureau of Whatever.

Other highlights include the deft funk of Our Own Devices which Velona playfully describes as, “our ode to analog fun.” The album also features the bluesy Just Don’t Feel Like Christmas about which Velona says, “I was trying to express the melancholy that often accompanies the Christmas season.” The record is balanced out by covers of the Robbie Robertson song Forbidden Fruit and the somewhat obscure soul chestnut Baby What’cha Got (for me) recorded by the late soul singer Darrell Banks in l967.

Love Radio is available for sale at CDBaby.com http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jerryvelona5. More information on Velona and the release can be obtained at http://www.jerryvelona.com.

Jerry Velona is a Boston area singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He’s played and sung in a number of Boston bands and has written songs which have appeared on HBO, MTV and elsewhere. His voice has been featured in commercials and the theme song for the independent film “Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown”. He can be reached through his website at jerry@jerryvelona.com.

Media Contact:
Jerry Velona
781-789-1444
jerry@jerryvelona.com
http://www.jerryvelona.com

Biotech

New Biotage® SNAP ULTRA C18 Cartridges – High Performance Reversed Phase Flash Purification

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Biotage announces the launch of Biotage® SNAP ULTRA C18 – a range of high performance, reversed phase flash purification cartridges and samplets.

Uppsala, Sweden (November 11, 2014) — Biotage (STO: BIOT), a leading global supplier of solutions and technology for analytical, medicinal and peptide chemistry, announces the launch of Biotage® SNAP ULTRA C18 – a range of high performance, reversed phase flash purification cartridges and samplets.

Biotage® SNAP ULTRA C18 reversed phase cartridges are optimized for use with Biotage ACI™ and Isolera™ flash systems and are available in 12 g, 30 g, 60 g, 120 g, 400 g, 950 g and 1850 g cartridge sizes. They enable chemists to confidently load 2-3% weight percentage of samples onto reversed phase columns, a marked improvement when compared to the currently typical 0.5 – 1% loads. The time taken for purification and solvent usage can therefore be reduced by 50% or a smaller cartridge can be used for the same purification, often with improved purification results.

The new reversed phase cartridges are packed with the new, Biotage® HP-Sphere C18 25 micron spherical silica particles that give a boost to resolution with higher purity peaks over standard reversed phase cartridges. The silica is chemically neutral with no adverse interactions, ensuring higher yields and better recoveries; a wide diversity of purifications are possible, including the use of both acidic or basic modifiers.

“It is no longer enough for suppliers to arbitrarily work on single aspects of the workflow and purification – today a more holistic approach is required, one that involves a combination of factors; with this product range we have further augmented the Biotage ACI™ and Isolera™ flash systems and have created a superior product for purification” says Dr. Sunil Rana, Global Product Manager, Biotage.

For further information, visit http://www.biotage.com or call:
In Europe: +46 18 56 57 10
In North America: (Toll Free) 1 800 446 4752
In Japan: +81 422 28 1233
Other areas, please call: +46 18 56 57 10

-Ends-

For further press information at Biotage, please contact:
James Churchill
Marketing Communications
Biotage GB Limited
Distribution Way
Dyffryn Business Park
Ystrad Mynach
Hengoed, Wales CF82 7TS
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1443 811 849
Mobile: +44(0)7875484778
Email: james.churchill@biotage.com

About Biotage
Biotage offers solutions, knowledge and experience in the areas of analytical and medicinal chemistry. Customers include the world’s top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as leading academic institutes. The company is headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, with offices in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and a worldwide network of distributors. Biotage has 290 employees with sales of 444.6 MSEK in 2013. Biotage is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Stock Exchange. Website: http://www.biotage.com.

Entertainment

Best-Selling Author John Mattone to Co-Author Forthcoming Book on Leadership

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The author of seven books on leadership, talent, executive coaching and succession planning, John Mattone is widely acknowledged as one the world’s leading authorities on leadership, talent and culture.

Harrisburg, PA, November 09, 2014 – One of the world’s leading authorities on leadership, talent and corporate culture is teaming with the Managing Editor of The CEO Magazine to co-author a forthcoming book, “Cultural Transformations: Lessons on Leadership & Corporate Reinvention from the C-Suite Elite” (Wiley & Sons, 2016).

John Mattone, a best-selling leadership author, leading C-Suite coach, speaker and top-ranked independent leadership consultant, and Nick Vaidya, Managing Editor of The CEO Magazine, will co-author the book.

By using engaging CEO “fireside” chats, this book will expose current leaders of all levels, emerging c-suite executives, and future leaders to the unique insights, thoughts, beliefs, values, character success stories, setbacks, failures, and lessons learned of some of the world’s most successful CEOs. The book will also show how these successful CEOs have leveraged what they’ve learned about themselves as the critical foundation to their creating and sustaining powerful and positive organizational cultures.

“It is our premise that creating and sustaining a winning culture in any organization starts at the top with CEOs and senior leaders who possess a strong and vibrant ‘inner-core’, which includes their character, values, beliefs, thinking patterns, and emotional make up,” says Mattone.

Having already received commitments from one of the world’s top female executives, Kathy Mazzarella, Chairman, President & CEO of Fortune 500 Graybar and Juan Carlos Archila , CEO of Claro Colombia, Mattone and Vaidya are currently lining up interviews other top international CEOs who have earned a reputation for being a leaders of character and leading positive transformation in their respective businesses.

“The 25 leaders who are selected for inclusion in the book will be the best-of-the-best CEOs who are leaders of character and who have proven to be positive leaders of transformation in their organization,” says Mattone.

The authors are donating 50 percent of their earned royalties on the book to breast cancer research, too. Mattone notes that his wife, Gayle, is a two-time breast cancer survivor and continues to be a tremendous inspiration to him and their four-adult children.

The author of seven books on leadership, talent, executive coaching and succession planning, John Mattone is widely acknowledged as one the world’s leading authorities on leadership, talent and culture. He advises Fortune 1000 CEO’s and senior leadership teams on how to create and sustain a “game-changing” leadership and talent culture that drives superior operating results. He is a powerfully engaging, internationally-acclaimed keynote speaker and top ranked CEO executive coach. He was nominated for the prestigious 2013 Thinkers50 Leadership Award, which recognizes the global thinker who has contributed most significantly to our understanding of leadership over the last two years. He appears on 2013 Thinkers50 “Guru Radar”, which recognizes the fastest rising stars in the field of leadership and he is currently recognized by HR.com and Leadership Excellence Magazine as one of the world’s top independent leadership consultants, executi ve coaches, and speakers. He is the co-author of one of the most respected studies of leadership and talent management in the world, “The Trends in Leadership Development and Talent Management, which is published bi-annually by Pearson. He was recently appointed Distinguished Senior Fellow of one of leading business schools in the world, the Hult International Business School.

In addition to his work at The CEO Magazine, Vaidya works with senior executives at large and smaller firms. After MBA and PhD research in Psychometrics, Nick has spent over 15 years helping firms like eBay, Dell, Microsoft, Trilogy, IBM, etc. as well as SMBs improve revenue & profitability. He conducts seminars on sales, marketing, and strategy. In past roles he served the Strategy Team with the Office of the Chairman at an F-50 firm as a Senior Advisor. Later he was responsible for leading the profitability & pricing team for almost half of the company. He headed the consulting team at Advertising Agency Avenue A / Razorfish in Seattle and worked for OC&C Strategy Consultants in Boston. Nick started his career in a sales and sales management role with a TATA company. He has been an entrepreneur since 2002 starting with Teleologies – a database marketing firm.

CEOs interested in being profiled in the book can contact Mr. Mattone at 321-279-4416 or john@johnmattone.com; or contact Nick Vaidya at 512-772-3701 or Nick@The-CEO-Magazine.com

Contact:
Steven Infanti
SMI Communications
6106 Terry Davis Court
Harrisburg, PA 17111
717-982-3772
SMICommunications@Earthlink.net
http://www.JohnMattone.com

Business

AuraPortal to Participate as Platinum Partner at the National Conference in Bucharest

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The conference, held on October 9 in Bucharest, Romania, will feature the most renowned representatives of the BPM community worldwide, including the IT research analysts from Gartner who will engage in talks, tutorials and scientific discussions.

Woburn, MA, November 09, 2014 – AURA (www.auraportal.com), a global provider of AuraPortal Business Process Management (BPM) software, has announced its participation in the BPM Eastern Europe Conference in Bucharest. This event, held annually, covers all aspects of BPM, including theory, models, techniques, architectures, systems and empirical studies.

AuraPortal has been distinguished with great advantage over its competitors by Ovum in its Decision Matrix report and by other renowned analyst firms.

Cristobal Toro, AuraPortal Executive Manager for Eastern Europe will actively participate in the training workshops, solution provider (real-life case studies), Success Stories (end-users and providers) and face-to-face consultation meetings in order to present the best about the Business Process Management concepts and about the technology that it supports.

Moreover, AuraPortal will sponsor the practical workshop about BPM conducted by ABPMP Romania (Association of Business Process Management Professionals) of which Cristobal Toro holds the rank of Vice President.

ABOUT AURA (http://www.auraportal.com)
AURA is a global BPM (Business Process Management) software provider delivering a solution that creates, without the need of IT programming, Business Process Workflow Execution Models. AuraPortal is 100% Web-based, and is complementary to existing ERP and CRM systems.

AURA has a presence in 40 countries with more than 300 customers including, among others: Walmart, Toyota, General Motors, Pemex (Petroleos Mexicanos), Carrefour, ArcelorMittal, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Danone, INCAE, Kimberly-Clark, Yamaha, Royal KPN, Bristol-Myers Squibb, etc., as well as many Government Agencies and Departments in several countries. All of these customers benefit from maintenance contracts.

It is headquartered in Europe and has an executive branch in North America (Florida). It also has offices in several countries and a vast network of partners who locally attend customers throughout the world.

Press Release Distributed by Straight Line PR (http://www.Straightlinepr.com)

Contact:
Cristina Siscar
Auraportal
400 Trade Center
Woburn, MA 01801-7472
978-808-6340
pr@straightlinepr.com
http://www.auraportal.com

Entertainment

Mother Entertains Children with Stories, Decides to Publish as Books

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Released by Halo Publishing International, “Shadow Tears” is the first of a 20-part series.

Grand Blanc, MI (USA), November 08th, 2014 — In the midst of adversity, AJ Tupps told her children stories. It started in 2003 when her husband, Chris, was diagnosed with cancer. She says she had to keep her children entertained during the long car rides, doctor appointments and hospital stays. Today these young-adult, science fiction stories have turned into books. Released by Halo Publishing International, “Shadow Tears” is the first of a 20-part series.

“One day after I had told a story, my son said, ‘Where is this book at I want to read it?’ It hit me so hard that I decided to write it down for my children,” says Tupps.

Tupps says she called the book “Shadow Tears” because when, Selena, the main character who is a Shadow and a Shadow Protector, gets emotional the environment rains. It’s a parallel to the times when Tupps would observe her children looking out a rainy hospital window, she felt the environment was crying for them. She hopes her readers will have fun with the story, but will also take something away from it as well.

“I want them to learn that they can endure anything with a smile on their face,” says Tupps. “You can handle struggles even when you don’t think you can. You are not alone.”

Tupps says her children did and so did she. In 2007, her husband went into remission. Unfortunately, this year he was diagnosed again with pre-cancer. Tupps remains encouraged that her husband will overcome this disease while looking forward to the future. She hopes to release a new book in this series each year.

“These fantasy books are a great outlet for teens to expand their imagination,” says Halo Publisher Lisa M. Umina. “This first book, ‘Shadow Tears,’ combines lessons in unity, overcoming adversity and learning you’re not alone. I really think readers will find this series engaging.”

You can purchase “Shadow Tears” through Halo Publishing for 16.95

Biography:
Currently a resident of Grand Blanc, Michigan, A.J. Tupps grew up in a small farm community in Indiana. In her spare time she enjoys daydreaming, traveling, sunsets, and the outdoors, but most of all spending time with her family. As a young girl, she entertained herself by living adventures from her imagination. Tupps looks at every day as a blessing and another day to make her dreams a reality. She is still in touch with her inner teenager and enjoys the mischief she can get into. She has a Degree in Medical Transcription from the Professional Career Development Institute, and works as an optical technician. She has one adoring husband who joins in her mischief, or is the recipient of it, along with her two loveable children and one hyper dog.

Press & Media Contact:
Lisa M. Umina, Publisher
Halo Publishing International
1100 NW Loop 410, Suite 700-176,
San Antonio, TX 78213 – USA
+1 877-705-9647
contact@halopublishing.com

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