Along with his father, Douglas Battista devotedly watched the Pirates during their strong run of the late 80s and early 1990s. This time, also known as the Leyland Era since they were managed by Jim Leyland starting in 1986, saw the Pirates advanced to three consecutive playoffs with major names like Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla leading the way, recalls Douglas Battista. There were down times during this era too, admits Douglas Battista, as multiple players were injured during the 1989 season. And after a few decent years, things took a terrible turn for Douglas Battista’s beloved team. After a heartbreaking loss in game seven on the 1992 playoff series, the Pittsburgh Pirates set a course for what is today a nearly 20 year-long losing streak, says Douglas Battista.

Douglas Battista remembers that in 2001, the Pirates opened their season in an extraordinary new baseball park on the North Shore of Pittsburgh. PNC Park is often touted as the most well planned design in stadium history, notes Douglas Battista, because of its simplistic design and ingenious positioning, which showcases Pittsburgh’s downtown skyline. The park, which has a capacity of 38,362 baseball fans, cost $216 million and was built over the course of two years, says Douglas Battista. PNC Park is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Douglas Battista hasn’t missed an opening day with his father since he was a teenager, and has no plans to break the streak anytime soon. He has proven his devotion to this family tradition time and again despite moving to Connecticut, Texas, and now California. According to Douglas Battista, regardless of the team’s performance, they have always offered something more valuable than even watching them win the World Series. They have given Douglas Battista and his father a time to bond and a time to connect, and have given the Battista men memories that will last a lifetime.

Incredible Discoveries on Lifetime Television Guest: Bill Bronchick

Incredible Discoveries on Lifetime Television: Attention Home Sellers! Do NOT attempt to sell your home until you hear this important message from Incredible Discoveries. Do you have a house you can’t sell? Are you worried a bad market means you’re stuck in a house you don’t want? Then stay right where you are and do NOT put your house on the market until you’ve read this from Incredible Discoveries. You’re about to find out how you can sell your house in just 30 days AND make more money! Thirty days – more money! Stop the financial bleeding. Get buyers in the door and making offers you can’t refuse. As seen on Incredible Discoveries, learn how to unlock the secrets real estate agents won’t show you so you can prepare and price your property to sell it fast, not cheap! Learn how a quick trip to your local discount store can put an extra ten thousand dollars in your pocket at closing!

Learn how to sell your house in 30 days and make more money with American real estate sensation Bill Bronchick’s brand new learn-at-home program: The SOLD System. He has been featured in a variety of news outlets including Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CMBC, Money Magazine and USA Today. What does 30 days mean to you?  More time in a house you can’t sell? How about another mortgage payment? If you’re feeling stuck in today’s real estate market, then today is the day you get unstuck. Here he is with Incredible Discoveries to answer your burning questions about Real Estate and, in a nationwide television first, give you a sneak preview of The SOLD System: How to Sell Your House Quickly In Any Market: a brand new release soon to be one of America’s number one real estate home training program.

Incredible Discoveries: People all over the country line up to hear you speak about real estate. You’re the real estate attorney that millionaires depend on for their high-value property transactions. Obviously, you know what you’re talking about. But when you tell Incredible Discoveries viewers they can sell their house in just 30 days, you must get an earful.

Bronchick: I do! And I love winning people over with my SOLD System.

Incredible Discoveries: Your brand new SOLD System gives you everything you need to help sell your house that fast, no matter what’s going on in the market?

Bronchick: You know, it kills me every time I read the newspaper and see that the average time on the market for houses is increasing, and so is the number of houses on the market. It doesn’t have to be this way! Instead of listening to all the doom-sayers out there, I’ve put together a program that tells you how you can sell your property before you get hit with another mortgage payment, before another month of financial bleeding without giving up potential profits.

Incredible Discoveries: The fact is – you show us step-by-step in The SOLD System how to do it quickly and still make plenty of money on the sale.

Bronchick: Absolutely. When Incredible Discoveries viewers use my SOLD System to sell their house quickly, that does not necessarily mean selling it cheap.  You don’t want to lose money selling your house do you? Of course not. The SOLD System will help you sell your house faster, and for more money. The SOLD System came from years of personal experience and interviews with hundreds of successful investors and real estate brokers who, despite the odds, were able to sell and rent houses in a slow market within 30 days or less without necessarily dropping the price and without spending tens of thousands of dollars on refurbishing, either.

Incredible Discoveries: Wow, and using The SOLD System will get you more traffic through your house, more top dollar offers and more cash in your bank account? What about when people say, “It’s a bad market. There’s nothing I can do!”?

Bronchick: Even in a weak market, there are people who are moving and people who are buying homes. My SOLD System will show you how to find these people and sell your home fast.

ABOUT INCREDIBLE DISCOVERIES
A division of O2 Media, Inc., Incredible Discoveries is a marketing firm unlike any other. By streamlining the creative, production and postproduction processes, Incredible Discoveries is able to quickly and efficiently create a successful campaign, even on a product still in preproduction. Incredible Discoveries utilizes not only television, but also the Internet and multimedia venues to bring attention to the intended product or service. After two decades in the industry, Incredible Discoveries has created partnerships with some of the world’s leading agencies and manufacturers, giving them a leg up over the competition.

Making your product a success is Incredible Discoveries’ top priority. Incredible Discoveries boasts a team of over 100 producers, scriptwriters, directors and various on-air talents, all working out of the firm’s top-notch 43,000+ square foot facility. By utilizing an award-winning staff of employees whose expertise spans a variety of genres, Incredible Discoveries is uniquely positioned to make your marketing campaign a success. After the set has cleared, Incredible Discoveries can tweak your ad using their modern postproduction facilities. The firm goes above and beyond traditional sets by offering a full kitchen, perfect for showcasing your revolutionary kitchen gadget or food product.

Incredible Discoveries Reveals New Search for Kitchen Products and Household Items

A Division of O2 Media, Inc., Incredible Discoveries is one of the top producers of infomercials and direct response television marketing in the US. They recently announced their search for the next best kitchen product or household item. By offering unique market strategies and lucrative partnership opportunities, Incredible Discoveries is able to catapult the products highlighted on the show to success. For the upcoming television season, Incredible Discoveries is hoping to showcase their marketing strategies and present numerous new products to their viewers.

Incredible Discoveries offers manufacturers affordable and professional direct response television, consumer direct digital communication, and Internet marketing. Additionally, utilizing television programs such as QVC and the Home Shopping Network, Incredible Discoveries can capture a large share of ready, willing and able to purchase consumers.

As a division of O2 Media Inc., Incredible Discoveries is again uniquely positioned to offer only the best and most professional production staff in the industry. O2 Media, the parent firm of Incredible Discoveries, produces television shows for lifetime including The Balancing Act and Designing Spaces. Both shows are geared toward Middle America, a group that is increasingly apt to spend money. Incredible Discoveries can utilize either show as a value added service to their clients to help brand and increase public awareness of the product.

Incredible Discoveries Senior Director of Direct Response Marketing, Lee Kaplan, says of their 2012 initiative, “With our (Incredible Discoveries) past successes in the kitchen and household products category, we are excited to conduct this search for products.” Incredible Discoveries is looking for products that are easy to demonstrate and have real value to the public. Kaplan points out that one of Incredible Discoveries’ biggest successes was the Infrawave Speed Over by Black & Decker.

Incredible Discoveries is continually looking for the next big idea. If you believe that you have a phenomenal product that consumers want to purchase but don’t know how to get it in front of them, and would like to find out if you qualify according to Incredible Discoveries’ criteria, contact Lee through email Lee@IncredibleDiscoveries.com or via phone 954.935.3162, ext. 230.

ABOUT INCREDIBLE DISCOVERIES
Incredible Discoveries is a marketing firm focusing on direct response infomercial production and online presence development. Incredible Discoveries is a division of O2 Media, Inc., and produces The Balancing Act, one of O2’s most successful shows, airing daily on Lifetime. In addition to Incredible Discoveries’ 43,000 sq.ft. production facility, the firm offers full post production capabilities to tweak and refine their high quality television marketing campaigns. Incredible Discoveries offers a unique and fresh approach to the industry and through its 20 years of experience has created partnerships with some of the world’s leading manufacturers.

One of the main reasons home sales are slow right now is fear, foreclosure expert Timothy Powers of Alamo theorizes. With the economy so shaky, Alamo’s Timothy Powers explains, Americans are afraid to make any bold moves. They wait, putting off selling and buying homes until things get better, but as Timothy Powers of Alamo points out, the evening news keeps predicting doom and gloom, perpetuating the problem.

While the unemployment rate recently dropped slightly, according to Labor Department reports cited by Timothy Powers, Alamo citizens are still uncertain. Despite these reports, for the average resident in Alamo and around the county job security is still an individual concern, Timothy Powers of Alamo reports. Until the economy stabilizes, Alamo’s Timothy Powers believes many Americans will still be concerned about the sudden loss of employment.  We are now facing the lowest national home ownership rate since the 1940’s.  says Tim Powers of Alamo.

Alamo resident and businessman Timothy Powers points to Fannie Mae’s maximum limit of $625,500 in northern California. Unfortunately, for northern Californians, the average home price is still above $500,000, leaving many homebuyers unable to secure the loan money they need, Timothy Powers of Alamo explains. Still, California’s houses seem to be holding their value better than some other states. According to Timothy Powers of Alamo, a 2011 report by CBS ranked Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois as the five states with the highest home depreciation.

With more than twenty years of experience in real estate, Timothy Powers of Alamo often encounters the question, ‘Why buy now if prices could come down?’ To that, Alamo’s Timothy Powers answers that the market could just as easily go up. Most experts agree that now is a great time to buy, Timothy Powers of Alamo says, with prices likely to increase in the next few years. Plus, as Alamo’s Timothy Powers points out, now is a great time to get an unprecedented deal on a house, as well as help the U.S. economy.

Alamo’s Timothy Powers runs East Bay Foreclosure Support, a company that provides free foreclosure advice to individuals going through illness or military deployment. Assistance can be provided by telephone or in person. For more information, call 925 855-1810 or go online to www.timothypowersalamo.com

Aicube.com: Welcome to our readership Nancy Alcorn.  We know you are very busy, so we appreciate your time.

Nancy Alcorn: I am thankful for your time and the time of your readers.

Aicube.com: Tell our readers, Nancy Alcorn, how did Mercy Ministries come about?

Nancy Alcorn: I spent several years, when I was younger, working for the Tennessee Department of Corrections.  I wanted to impact the lives of young women.  Yet what I witnessed was many young women falling through the cracks.  I would see female juvenile delinquents go through our programs only to become incarcerated adult offenders.

Aicube.com: And through that experience Mercy Ministries was birthed?

Nancy Alcorn: Yes.  Little did I know that God was showing me one major thing was missing when it came to impacting the lives of women:  Him!

Aicube.com: So secular counseling wasn’t working?

Nancy Alcorn: It’s not that counseling wasn’t working.  It was that the secular programs were missing the life change component of Jesus Christ.  He alone holds the power to radically and permanently change the lives and paths of people.

Aicube.com: And you know that personally.

Nancy Alcorn: I do.  He dramatically changed my path.  In my youth, I never imagined stepping out on faith, with nothing, and launching what would become Mercy Ministries International.

Aicube.com: Nancy Alcorn, you mentioned the word International.

Nancy Alcorn: Yes.

Aicube.com: Let’s talk about the role of Nancy Alcorn in the amazing growth, now international, of Mercy Ministries.

Nancy Alcorn: My role has been to do my best to listen to God’s leading and vision for Mercy Ministries.  The rest, the growth, the life change in women’s lives has been totally God.  My role today is serving as Founder and President of Mercy Ministries.

Aicube.com: Yet under the leadership of Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries has experienced phenomenal growth in just under 30 years.

Nancy Alcorn: But this has never been about Nancy Alcorn.  I have worked to follow God closely, allowing His power and dream for Mercy Ministries to take hold.

Aicube.com: And Mercy Ministries has seen dynamic growth, let’s talk about that.

Nancy Alcorn: The growth is simply a testimony to the power of Christ in the lives of girls, including this Tennessee girl.  We opened our first West Coast home for women in October of 2009.  In addition, Mercy Ministries has residential homes in Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri.  We are now working at an international level as well with global affiliates.

Aicube.com: We read somewhere that Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries had worked with over 2000 women.

Nancy Alcorn: Actually the number is over 3000 women.

Aicube.com: And out of a recent survey, a large percentage responded that Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries had changed their lives.

Nancy Alcorn: 93% said that the Mercy Ministries six-month residential program had indeed transformed their lives.  Even more so, had restored their hope.  Praise God.

Aicube.com: Nancy Alcorn, thank you for the update.  What exciting news about growth and life change.  I know our readers join Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries in prayer and support as they continue to bring life change and light into the lives of young women.

Nancy Alcorn: Thank you.

Nancy Alcorn began her career working with female juvenile delinquents in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.  Nancy Alcorn is now the Founder and President of Mercy Ministries.  Mercy Ministries utilizes nutritionists, licensed Christian counselors and a biblically-based curriculum with the emphasis that true freedom from addition and life-controlling issues is possible.  All of this is free of charge for the women.  Nancy Alcorn is the author of several books and a sought after convention and conference speaker.

—
About Nancy Alcorn

During her five years working for the state of Tennessee, at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls, Nancy Alcorn developed a passion to impact the lives of hurting young women.  Time and time again, Nancy Alcorn watched as the young women she worked with at the juvenile facility passed the age of eighteen and ended up in the women’s prison system because they never got the real help they needed.

During the next three years, as Nancy Alcorn investigated child abuse cases for the state of Tennessee, she saw firsthand why so many of these young women were angry and hurting.  Working with juvenile delinquent girls and investigating alleged cases of child abuse gave Nancy Alcorn the opportunity to interact directly with secular rehabilitation programs and the girls impacted by those programs. It was during this time that Nancy Alcorn realized that these programs were not producing permanent results that exemplified changed lives.

Following her tenure with the state, Nancy Alcorn accepted an appointment as Director of Women for the Nashville Teen Challenge.  Through all of these experiences, Nancy Alcorn began to realize that true transformation would never come as the result of any government system.  Nancy Alcorn understood that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts.

Nancy Alcorn began to sense that God was unfolding a plan prompting her to step out in faith.  God called Nancy Alcorn to help hurting young women find freedom and have their lives transformed.  With her experience to assist her and God to guide her, Nancy Alcorn would prayerfully make a giant step of faith to help hurting young women.

In January of 1983, Nancy Alcorn relocated to Monroe, Louisiana and established Mercy Ministries of America.  Nancy Alcorn was determined that the Mercy Ministries program would bring about true-life change in the lives of young women.  With that in mind, Nancy Alcorn knew there were three guiding principles to which she must always remain faithful.  First, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would accept girls free of charge.  Second, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would donate ten percent of all donations to other organizations and ministries.  Third, Nancy Alcorn made the decision that Mercy Ministries would never accept any state or federal funding.  In no way did Nancy Alcorn want any money that might interfere with the freedom to share Christ.

Since 1983, Mercy Ministries, under the leadership of Nancy Alcorn, has seen exponential growth and impact.  Establishing locations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri and California, Nancy Alcorn has seen her God-sized dream impact numerous women ages 13 to 28.  Nancy Alcorn has seen Mercy Ministries grow beyond the borders of the United States with home in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.

Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries help young women seeking freedom from physical and sexual abuse (including sex trafficking), eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addiction, depression and unplanned pregnancy.  Mercy Ministries, with Nancy Alcorn serving as Founder and President, assists young women through a non-conventional approach to healing that allows them to stop and break destructive cycles of behavior.  Nancy Alcorn continues her commitment to helping young women recognize their self-worth and reach their full potential.

For more information about the services offered by Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries, visit the Mercy website online at http://www.mercyministries.com.

Many people find apparent relief from stress, says Yochanan Berkowitz, when they indulge in vices or bad habits. Yochanan Berkowitz points out that some clients report turning to alcohol, tobacco and caffeine to relax or clear their heads. Yochanan Berkowitz explains that these methods for reducing stress do not actually work. Those who use alcohol to calm down or “take the edge off” of their problems, notes Yochanan Berkowitz, will find those problems waiting for them when the alcohol wears off. Using alcohol excessively as an escape mechanism, continues Yochanan Berkowitz, can actually lead to rebound behavior. Yochanan Berkowitz explains that this means that once the alcohol wears off, problems will seem bigger than before.

Yochanan Berkowitz says tobacco is another myth of stress management. Yochanan Berkowitz notes that smokers often report using tobacco to calm their nerves. In reality, tobacco is a stimulant drug, says Yochanan Berkowitz, causing increases in heart rate and blood pressure. The illusion of relaxation, reports Yochanan Berkowitz, comes from the relief a smoker feels at feeding their nicotine craving. However, according to Yochanan Berkowitz, the nicotine craving causes more stress in a smoker than the smoking itself. For this reason, smokers are under the illusion that they are being calmed when they consume nicotine, says Yochanan Berkowitz, but they are actually feeding an addiction and stimulating their body, not relaxing it. In overall health terms, says Yochanan Berkowitz, a non-smoker is usually less stressed than a smoker. A person battling with stress, concludes Yochanan Berkowitz, should be encouraged to quit smoking rather than use smoking for false relaxation.

About the Author

Yochanan Berkowitz began his professional studies in Psychology at Queens College in Flushing, New York. In 1994, Yochanan Berkowitz earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and following further studies Yochanan Berkowitz was awarded a Masters of Clinical Social Work. Later Yochanan Berkowitz received the designation of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

During his studies at Queens College, Yochanan Berkowitz had the opportunity to employ his passion for helping others in the New York City Public Schools as a special Education Instructor in Brooklyn from 1993-1994. Yochanan Berkowitz also served for several years as a school Psychologist and Social Worker with the Brooklyn Board of Education. Several years were also spent doing an internship in social work at Maimonides Psychiatric Outpatient in Brooklyn.

In 1997, Yochanan Berkowitz became a certified school social worker and school Psychologist following studies at the Long Island University. Yochanan Berkowitz received his Masters of Clinical Social Work two years later from New York University. Completing additional studies in his chosen field, Yochanan Berkowitz obtained a Post Masters certification in Early Childhood and Adolescence Psychotherapy in 2000 and Gestalt Therapy certification from the Gestalt Association of Psychotherapy in New York City in 2002.

Yochanan Berkowitz used his experience to serve in Brooklyn as an outpatient social worker, MSW, CSW at the New Hope Guild from 1999-2000. Yochanan Berkowitz added breadth to his vocational opportunities while serving as Administrative Assistant, MSW, and LMSW at Fordham Tremont Center in Bronx, New York during the years of 2003-2004. While there, Yochanan Berkowitz began offering his skills as a Clinical Social Worker, MSW, and CSW at the Jewish Board of Family & Children Services in Brooklyn New York.

The years 2004 and 2005 found Yochanan Berkowitz at the Bikur Cholim Department of Clinical Services in Rockland, New York where he was the Administrative Director, MSW, and LMSW. Currently Yochanan Berkowitz maintains a private practice in Teaneck, New Jersey that primarily serves children, adolescents, couples, and families.

To contact Yochanan Berkowitz by telephone, call 646-338-5424. Yochanan Berkowitz can also be reached via email at berkj1517@yahoo.com. For more information about his private practice visit www.familiesheal.com.

Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz encourages daylong hikes, exploring pathways and identifying plants and animals. Such simple and pleasant activities can be very therapeutic. When going for a hike, Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz suggests getting an early start. Hiking in the morning, says Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz, is the coolest time of day. A good early start on a nature hike, adds Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz, offers an opportunity to beat the afternoon heat when the sun is high and hot.

Be sure to wear comfortable hiking shoes that support the ankles and give good traction over variable terrain, says Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz. Hiking terrain can be unpredictable, notes Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz, sometimes rocky, dusty and dry, and at other times wet, dirty and slippery. Because of this, dependable, broken-in hiking shoes are a must.

Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz also suggests that it is important to travel light when hiking. If hiking an established path, says Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz, a little water, some dried fruits and nuts, and a small lunch will often provide enough energy for the day. Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz points out that many people also find it rewarding to bring a camera along to capture lovely or uncommon sights. Finally, if you are a beginning hiker, Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz suggests starting out with short hikes that are no longer than half-day loops. Build up a pace and distance over time, says Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz, until you can hike for several miles and require a backpack for supplies.

Certain cooking oils have very distinctive flavors and must be paired accordingly. Before choosing cooking oil, Chef Ben Vaughn encourages people to familiarize themselves with the available oils. Some of the most common oils on the market are olive oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, and macadamia nut oil.

Olive oil is a popular favorite, says Chef Ben Vaughn, and comes in four major varieties. In order of their smoke points, from lowest to highest, the four olive oils are extra virgin, virgin, pomace, and extra light. Olive oils contain high levels of monounsaturated fat, informs Chef Ben Vaughn, qualifying them as a heart healthy oils. Extra virgin olive oil has a rather low smoke point, says Chef Ben Vaughn, and is best utilized uncooked.

Coconut oil has a very low melting point, says Chef Ben Vaughn, congealing to a solid state at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Coconut oil can withstand higher temperatures, notes Chef Ben Vaughn, and consequently makes a good pan cooking oil. Chef Ben Vaughn says that walnut oil has the lowest smoke point of all the aforementioned cooking oils, burning after 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Walnut oil also has a distinct nutty flavor, notes Chef Ben Vaughn, making it best suited to salads and dressings. Macadamia nut oil has one of the highest smoke points, says Chef Ben Vaughn. Because of this characteristic, says Chef Ben Vaughn, macadamia nut oil is a great frying and baking oil.

JS Properties, LLC, maintains that the primary difference between leasing to commercial clients as opposed to residential tenants is the lease terms and conditions. Commercial lease terms are generally longer and have more legal connotations than residential. The importance of carefully screening prospective tenants, points out JS Properties LLC, is vital to the process. A responsible, reliable tenant can make all the difference when leasing a property. Joyce Smotherman, owner and manager of JS Properties, LLC, also notes that professional property management for commercial leases has many benefits in addition to tenant screening.

Marketing and showing the properties, negotiating lease terms, changing the locks from previous lessees, ensuring prompt payment of rents due and handling any maintenance issues, says JS Properties, LLC, are just some of the responsibilities that a professional management firm will handle.

JS Properties, LLC says there are also the legal aspects involved with zoning and codes restrictions, in putting up signs and other considerations when leasing commercial real estate. All signs must meet the requirements for dimensions, height and other criteria before they can be erected. According to JS Properties, LLC there are also different zoning rules and codes requirements for different types of businesses and those rules must be researched and adhered to before a lease agreement can be implemented.

Joyce Smotherman of JS Properties, LLC, with over twenty-five years experience in the real estate business and complete dedication to her customers and clients, insures that every aspect of the commercial leasing process is handled professionally, in a timely manner and in the best interests of all parties involved.

First of all, according to the team at Homes by Vanderbuilt, modular homebuilders, including Homes by Vanderbuilt, build thousands of homes at one factory. The materials used by the builder, whether it