(Prudent Press Agency)--- A new website has launched to help those planning an outdoor event find quality entertainment which will amaze, amuse and make your job of planning easier from start to finish.

Visit the web site http://www.GeorgeGilbert.net to receive free information and pricing for George's entertainment services. Some of the acts include magic, escape, comedy and even fire eating.

Festival Entertainer George Gilbert has been touring the country since 2006 presenting his traditional street theatre style comedy magic show. Every festival that George has performed for has asked him to come back again and again from California to Florida. "Our guests loved you and your show and you brought smiles and memories to alot of people here.” – Dallas Saupe, Event Coordinator- Sunsets at Pier 60 Daily Festival, Clearwater Beach, Fl.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- The Dow is up and, in some sectors, so is hiring. According to the recent Manpower 2010 employment survey, the financial services industry reported a net employment increase of about 14 percent in the first quarter of 2010 and anticipates an additional 9 percent increase in the second quarter.

That's not the whole story. Despite the great strides women made in the financial sector in recent years, less than 18 percent of corporate officers and boards of directors at Fortune 500 financial services firms are female (PDF link). The post-recession hiring trends do not bode well for improving those numbers or for the future of equal pay for women.

In recent boom years, 28 percent of highly qualified and successful Wall Street women took time out for various reasons, including to care for young children or parents, trusting that they could resume their careers a few years later. Re-entry is proving harder than they thought. Recent data from the Center for Work-Life Policy (to be published in the June issue of Harvard Business Review) found that 89 percent of women who took "off-ramps" want to return to work. However, 60 percent of them don't succeed.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- An investigation on behalf of investors in XenoPort, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNPT) common stock, including those who purchased XNPT stock between May 5, 2009 and February 17, 2010, over possible violations of Federal Securities Laws was announced.

If you purchased XenoPort, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:XNPT) common stock, including those who purchased XNPT stock between May 5, 2009 and February 17, 2010, you have certain options and you should contact the Shareholders Foundation by email at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1 (858) 779 – 1554.

XenoPort, Inc., located in Santa Clara, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a portfolio of internally discovered product candidates, which utilizes the body’s natural nutrient transport mechanisms to improve the therapeutic benefits of existing drugs. XenoPort, Inc. reported in 2007 Total Revenue of $113.82million, in 2008 $42.00million, and in 2009 $34.27million. According to the investigation by a law firm the investigation focuses on potential violations of the federal securities laws by XenoPort, Inc. and others. The investigation concerns whether, among other things, a series of statements regarding XenoPort's experimental drug Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) were materially false and misleading at the time they were made. On February 17, 2010, after the market closed, XenoPort, Inc announced that it has received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for Horizant indicating that a preclinical finding of pancreatic acinar cell tumors in rats was of sufficient concern to preclude approval of Horizant for Restless Legs Syndrome at this time. On February 17, 2010, XNPT shares traded at $19.60 per share, and dropped after the announcement to $6.67 per share on February 18, 2010. Shares of XenoPort, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:XNPT) traded recently at $10.30 per share, down from its 52weekHigh of $25.42 per share, and over $60 per share in 2008.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- According to the AA car insurance, the average price of a comprehensive car insurance quote dropped by 3.2 percent to £968 at the end of March. UK motorists have been warned not to expect a continual decline in prices however, with the AA admitting the lull was only temporary and that prices are increase in double digits over the rest of the year.

The reason for the decline in UK car insurance quotes (http://www.compareinsurers.com/Car-Insurance.aspx) has been attributed to the fact that major insurers freeze their prices in order to compete for business – as most policies are renewed at the beginning of the year.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: “Insurers no longer have reserves on which to call in order to keep rises in check. “The same pressures as last year continue to force insurers to increase premiums: fraud and personal injury claims especially remain a significant concern.”

(Prudent Press Agency)--- The other day I was meeting with the leadership team of a startup company brimming with transformational potential. The team had made tremendous progress in a year, going from an idea on a piece of paper to a fully functioning business earning real revenue.

Of course, any new venture is fragile. While revenues are growing, the company hasn't yet hit breakeven. Its current projections suggest that point is still at least six months away. The company has some cash in the bank, but recently began looking for further external investment to help ensure it remains solvent.

Our discussion went something like this:
Me: "So, how important is it that you get external funding?"
Team: "It's important, but not critical because we have cash in the bank."
Scott: "How much?"
Team: "A few hundred thousand dollars"
Scott: "What are your current spending projections?"
(I hear a shuffling of paper...)
Team: "30 to 50 thousand a month."
Scott: "Well, that seems pretty urgent to me. You have about six months of life left."

(Prudent Press Agency)--- Coconut Grove, Fl.– Nomade Gallery is pleased to announce its May repertoire of exhibits and artists beginning Saturday May 1st, during Coconut Grove’s monthly gallery walk. This month Nomade Gallery debuts 4 artists that work across a range of mediums; photographer Wick Beavers kicks off the month as Art Walk’s keynote artist and entertainer; additional art collections are by local artist Danny Catania who is also May’s “Featured Artist”, Malayasian artist Long Looi Lee and femme photographer Charis Kirchheimer.

The monthly Coconut Grove Art Walk will take place Saturday May 12010, from 7-10pm. Nomade Gallery is Coconut Grove’s newest gallery on the block, opened just this past February by esteemed French art enthusiast Brigitte Serfaty. The first Saturday evening of every month, Coconut Grove’s galleries and shoppes put on a parade of local art, music and food open to the public. On May 1, Nomade Gallery and Wick Beavers invite patrons to experience a live photo-shoot inspired by the early 20th century sculpture masterpiece "Le Penseur" by artist Auguste Rodin.

After twenty years of sporting many work hats, Wick Beavers greets us now as photographer. He is skilled at compositing dynamic and metaphysical pictures. His works have been published in NY Magazine, the Daily Beast and Newsweek. Wick will deploy live models to capture his vision of "Le Penseur". The life-size photographs will be printed on-site at Nomade, allowing the signed museum quality prints to be available for purchase immediately following the shoot.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- Despite a global financial meltdown tied to reckless risk-taking and governments forced to ride to the rescue, ahead of this spring's annual shareholder meetings I'm hearing that most companies will continue paying executives in ways that foster short-termism at the expense of sustainability.

I recently spoke at a Financial Times conference in New York about how sustainability is a central corporate governance issue, but left there only partially encouraged. Major investors like John Wilson of TIAA-CREF and Brian Rice of the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) described the innovative ways they've made sustainability a part of their company engagement and proxy voting policies. But these were the exceptions — most companies are still not talking with investors and their boards about sustainability. I was also disillusioned when Merck's director of corporate responsibility, Maggie Kohn, expressed concern that most investors are not using information in corporate sustainability reports.

Let's be clear. Today's global realities — a changing climate, rapidly emerging economies, and the expected arrival of some two billion additional humans — demand new business models. If we fail to address the serious risks facing companies now, we will not only face another financial-sector meltdown, we'll encounter environmental and social upheaval on a scale never before seen.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- London(Shakespeare Finance ) : The accomplishment for every particular need is not guaranteed in life but, one can achieve maximum of them by getting their hands over a right kind of loan at a right point of time. There are times when a person mostly sees the need of higher amount of loan.

There are a lot of loan sources through which a bigger amount can be availed on easy terms but, what matters here is the interest rate. A long term loan disbursed on a higher interest rate is not of a much use for an individual as it snatches big money out of his pocket and also takes a longer tenure to be repaid.

Hence, the route of secured loans is preferred by the masses. Here the bigger amount of loan is disbursed with lower interest as the borrower signs the agreement for pledging a collateral in return of the hefty amount of loan.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- The megatrends in global health care selected by the Harvard Business Review highlight a stark reality: Health care is changing rapidly and — unless we do the right things and do them well, care will become entirely unaffordable.

In the United States, the new law to reform health insurance is a huge step forward in the struggle to improve the quality of care and bring its cost under control. But that universal coverage bill is just the first step. It opens the door to the next two levels of reform. We need to significantly improve care and we need to significantly moderate the increase in the cost of care. Frankly, we need three agendas to ensure that we keep moving down the path to better and more affordable care.

Agenda One: Provide Universal Coverage
We are the only industrialized country in the world that doesn't cover all of its citizens. The reform law doesn't get us all the way there, but it will go a long way toward fixing that problem.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- This summer, Antigua’s premier sailing holidays operator, Miramar Sailing is offering couples the chance to enjoy the very special feeling that they are truly alone, on its exclusive, but affordable, Just the Two of You yacht charter holiday in the Caribbean Sea.

The day will begin waking up to a romantic sunrise, with waves lapping against the hull of your very own professionally skippered, private 40ft yacht, before spending the rest of the morning sunbathing on the deck whilst ghosting into the secluded bays of an offshore island. The Just the Two of You cruise has been specifically designed for couples looking for romance and privacy.

Comments Pippa Turton, co-founder of Miramar Sailing: “For couples looking for complete privacy, your own yacht is a whole lot better than a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. A private yachting holiday with no fixed schedules provides absolute seclusion, with the ability to change location at the drop of a hat. We encourage guests to treat the Miramar as their very own yacht.”

(Prudent Press Agency)--- Getting behind an idea means imbuing it with our conviction and our passion. Such commitment is vital when pushing for an initiative or suggestion that you think is important to implement. This enthusiasm also helps you bring others to your cause. But it can also be your worst enemy when someone, such as your boss, pushes back.

Since you are so enamored of your idea, your instinct is to protect it as you might a child. (Just think of the common phrase, "This project is my baby.") Big mistake! This puts you on the defensive.

When you face criticism you need to defend yourself without being defensive. The latter opens you to additional criticism because very often defensive will provoke negative behaviors such as lashing out or shutting down. You become caught in the moment and the niceties of polite discourse go out the window. It is fine to be passionate but you want to avoid becoming overly passionate, that is, unwilling and unable to listen to others.

(Prudent Press Agency)--- New York, NY—Author and journalist SANDY LO had the opportunity to speak with the musical inspiration behind her latest novel, DREAM CATCHERS earlier this month. In an interview for StarShine Magazine, Lo spoke with Shannon Leto, founding member of the popular rock band, 30 SECONDS TO MARS. Upon discussing his latest tour, she was able to inform Leto of the impact his music has had on inspiring TORTURED, Lo’s band in the novel. Leto was grateful and thought it was “very cool”.


“I am so fortunate to be in the position I am in to speak with my musical muse for Dream Catchers”, explains Lo. “30 Seconds to Mars are really amazing.” Mars’ front man and actor, Jared Leto even inspired the main character, Jordan Walsh, a bit. “As a teenager, I was a fan of ‘My So-Called Life’ and fell in love with Jared’s character, Jordan Catalano, which is why I named my main character Jordan,” Lo shares.


Following her interview with Shannon Leto, Lo saw the band live for the first time on their “Into The Wild” tour to support their latest album This Is War. “I felt like my character, Haley, seeing Tortured perform for the first time,” she says with a smile. “30 Seconds to Mars really know how to put on a show.”

(Prudent Press Agency)--- As a matter of policy, we don't review our own books, but we hope you will. Keep an eye out for the following Press titles in May, and let us know what you think of them in the comments.

Coming out in May 2010:
The New Supply Chain Agenda: The 5 Steps That Drive Real Value by Reuben E. Slone, Paul J. Dittman, and John T. Mentzer
This book will teach you how to get the most from your supply chain — from the people to the technology — in order to boost your company's profit.

EffronOrt_115.jpgOne Page Talent Management: Eliminating Complexity, Adding Value by Marc Effron and Miriam Ort. One Page Talent Management (OPTM) is a revolutionary new approach to talent management that streamlines every critical talent-building process to both reduce work for managers as well as make these practices eminently usable. Grounded in behavioral science, the authors show how to re-design each core talent process — selection, talent review, succession planning, performance measurement, and others — in a way that remains true to the underpinning science but is also fast, effective, and simple.

Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder: Creating Value by Investing in Your Workforce by Jody Heymann

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(Prudent Press Agency)--- If companies paid the full costs of their externalities, the now de facto taxpayer-subsidized things they produce — from energy and consumer goods to food and everything else — along with the ways they manufacture them would quickly become cleaner, safer, healthier, and more efficient and sustainable. In short, all the things we desperately need our world to be. We would no longer have a world where the "good stuff" is more expensive than the "bad stuff."

It's easy to understand why the business community is forever working overtime to reject this full-cost accounting and create ever more imaginative arguments against paying for externalities. According to a recent United Nations study, if the world's biggest companies actually had to pay for the environmental harm they cause, the bill would come to $2.2 trillion a year and reduce profits by one-third.

That's real damage and real money the rest of us involuntarily end up paying in the form of higher taxes, additional health care needs, costly ecological clean-ups, and other expenses. That we pay it whether or not we patronize the companies responsible only adds insult to already appreciable injury.