Sunbury Press Signs Prison Education Advocate Christopher Zoukis to Book Deal

Petersburg, VA (PRWEB) August 09, 2011

Christopher Zoukis, a two-time PEN American Center award winning writer (drama and fiction) and federal prisoner, is a candid advocate of prison education. Mr. Zoukis is the published author of a number of articles on prison education, the editor of the Education Behind Bars Newsletter, and an Adult Continuing Education instructor at FCI-Petersburg, a federal prison in Petersburg, Virginia. Mr. Zoukis is also the contributing editor of the Prison Education Blog at PrisonEducation.com.

Education Behind Bars is both a reference guide and a social policy title. Half of the impressive 650+ page text is dedicated to the need of prison education, its history, travails, current situation, and the refutation of arguments against it. The other half of the text is directed toward the incarcerated student. It contains detailed instructions on engaging in education behind bars and even includes program outlines about several hundred correspondence programs the world over. It is the most comprehensive document of its type.

Education Behind Bars is unique in a number of ways. While penned by Mr. Zoukis, a prisoner and prison education advocate, the text is not based upon his experience, but upon his extensive research which is verified by his personal experience. The text itself presents a very academic topic in a manner all can understand and even enjoy. The text provides a detailed assessment of prison education, connecting it to the best interest of the American public, and outlines a program to implement college-level learning in prisons across the nation in a very economical fashion. Hence, the text is of extensive use to policy makers, law makers, prison administrators and educators, researchers, and prisoners alike.

Mr. Zoukis notes, "From a scholarly perspective, prison education reduces recidivism, enhances life skills, and is a cost-effective method of crime reduction. He continues, "But from a humane and ethical perspective, prison education allows those who want to change their lifestyle the opportunity to do so. As with various immigrant populations, education holds the power to raise prisoners and their families out of the depths of poverty and all that ensues." He finishes, "The argument is a simple one: An education is an inherent right of all peoples, incarcerated or not. It is our duty as good Americans to foster educational opportunities for the less-fortunate. This means inside prisons as well as outside of prisons."

Mr. Zoukis may be reached for comment, collaboration, or interview at ChrisZoukis@Gmail.com. His prison education advocacy website can be found at PrisonEducation.com and his personal site at ChristopherZoukis.com. He may be followed on Twitter @Czoukis.

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Financial Literacy Expert Announces First Online, Multi-media Financial Education Course Designed Specifically for Young Adults

Huntington Beach, CA (PRWEB) October 4, 2007

Young adults want money; but few know how how to avoid financial pitfalls and grow their wealth. Financial illiteracy is condemning many Americans to a lifetime of financial hardship and until now there were limited resourses available for young adults to receive practical financial education. The first multi-media, online financial literacy course designed especially for high school and college age people --- 'Financially Free by 30' (http://www.FreeBy30.com)] -- takes the concept of financial advice to one that's never been seen. It gives, step-by-step detail, advice and lessons so young Americans have a solid understanding of money to safely build their wealth so they can enjoy a lifestyle free of financial worry.

As the leading young adult financial literacy advocate and expert Vince Shorb explains, "After hearing so many heartbreaking stories while working in the mortage business, I was apparent many people lacked practical financial knowledge as evident by record foreclosures and run away personal debt. My goal was to combat financial illiteracy by creating a course to teach the money basics that all financially-free people have mastered. It also teaches advanced principles that everyone needs to know - like how to invest safely in the stock market, real estate and how to start a business. By combining video, audio, interactive tools, and a detailed but easy-to-read workbook, this online university is not only comprehensive, but also fun and easy to use."

' Financially Free By 30 ' gives young adults step-by-step plans to achieve financial independence so they can live the lifestyle they desire. As Shorb says, "All the books I ever read left out important details. For example, they say, 'buy real estate.' That's a wonderful concept and one that I teach. But other programs never discuss the specific steps you need to take before buying real estate like what accounts to open, how to build credit, how to invest and save for a down payment, how to qualify for a home loan, how it fits in an overall investment plan, and when and how to buy. I teach them skills necessary to build a solid financial foundation."

Shorb's course includes five plans that are fully customizable. It shows them exactly what they need to do each year to reach the level of success they desire. He says many other sources don't put all the pieces together. "What makes this online university so different is that I walk them through step-by-step video instruction on how to achieve the lifestyle they want and give them more than just vague suggestions," Shorb says.

Shorb points out that 'Financially Free By 30' provides more than just financial education. The course takes a holistic approach to financial matters and shows young people how they can achieve mental success through setting goals, developing important life skills, living with passion and developing healthy relationships with money. "This course teaches young adults the skills necessary to live a fun, rewarding life while keeping the greater good in mind with everything they do," Shorb says.

Shorb admits he learned first-hand the steps to financial achievement, but many of these lessons were learned through the school of hard knocks. "At age 23, I was broke and deeply in debt," explains Shorb. "I bought my first rental property at age 18, had a business and stock investments, but didn't build a solid financial foundation and lost all my money. The stress of being broke motivated me to learn everything I could about money, investing and personal growth. At age 26, with close to zero net worth, I took the knowledge I gained and started my plan -- get a good paying job, aggressively save and buy assets. Six years later I hit the million dollar mark."

Shorb says what he lacked , and what no program provided, was important knowledge and instruction to make his dreams a reality. "After I earned my first million I decided to share my knowledge so young people could avoid the mistakes that I and many of my clients made. I wanted to catch them before they had huge debt or other financial problems. With 'Financially Free By 30' young people won't struggle like I did looking for answers or learning the hard way - they'll have them all right there at their fingertips."

So what can be found in Shorb's plan that can't be found elsewhere? The course itself for one. There's no other multi-media, online study program on the market that's specifically designed to give high school/college age people real world financial education.

"Young adults today want to be self supportive and not rely on mom and dad. Studies show that between 70%-87% of young people turn to parents as primary sources of financial advice. However, many of these parents don't know about finance. Furthermore, practical personal finance isn't part of most schools cirriculm and many teachers don't have the answers. But with this program young adults learn the steps to be financially free so they have monetary security and, perhaps most important, emotional security."

To learn more about Vince Shorb and his 'Financially Free By 30' program visit http://www.FreeBy30.com , http://www.VinceShorb.com.

About the Author: Vince Shorb, the leading young adult financial literacy expert, provides real world advice on how to be financially free. Broke at the age of 26, it took him just six years to make his first million. Vince has personally reviewed the finances of over 10,000 people and advised thousands on ways to better their financial future. A graduate from California State Fullerton with a BA in Advertising, he also earned a California real estate license and a Series 7 stockbroker license.

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Inkling Chooses Aptara to Help Transform Higher Education Learning

Falls Church, VA (PRWEB) May 18, 2011

Aptara, a digital publishing company and leader in college textbook production, is helping Inkling transform higher education learning with its unique combination of publishing and content technology expertise. Founded in 2009, Inkling is reinventing the textbook publishing industry with a platform for digital textbooks on mobile devices like the iPad.

Aptara has long-standing relationships with some of Inklings key clients, including McGraw-Hill and Pearson. Leveraging these relationships and its digital solutions capabilities, Aptara has been working with Inkling for the past year providing conversion, new media, and editorial services, as well as production consulting for optimizing digital textbook workflows.

Inkling is at the forefront of the most promising and exciting application of digital books yet.in the college education market, said Dev Ganesan, Aptaras President and CEO. In addition to converting textbooks, our subject-matter experts review the content and assess which elements are most appropriate to digitally transform for producing engaging and effective learning experiences. Its inspiring to support a technology platform that truly has the potential to improve students ability to learn, and retain.

Aptaras capability set is uniquely suited to our business model, said Inklings founder and CEO Matt MacInnis. Having an experienced, sophisticated partner that we can rely on to consistently deliver quality is invaluable particularly as we gear-up for the 2011 back-to-school season.

About Aptara

Aptara provides digital publishing solutions that deliver significant gains in cost, quality and time-to-market for content publishers. With comprehensive solutions across all delivery media, Aptaras expertise includes publishing services, content technology solutions, eBook and App creation, eLearning and content conversion, Founded in 1988 around its unique publishing technical expertise, Aptara is a US-based company with over 4,600 professionals deployed globally and serving leaders in Media and Publishing, Information Services, Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology, Engineering, Hospitality, Healthcare and Government. For more information visit http://www.aptaracorp.com.

About Inkling

Inkling is reinventing publishing in the era of the iPad, and we're starting with textbooks. We've redefined the medium by building richly interactive learning content from the ground up. But it's about more than the textbook. Look between the lines, and youll see a revolution in publishing: a new platform for creating, distributing and consuming truly engaging learning content. Based in San Francisco, Inkling is backed by Sequoia Capital and works closely with the world's leading publishers of learning content. For more information, visit http://www.inkling.com.

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Bills.com Suggests Families Can Pay for College Education

San Mateo, Calif. (PRWEB) September 19, 2007

While college costs increase every year, a college education is more important than ever, says Andrew Housser, co-CEO of online consumer portal Bills.com (http://www.bills.com) -- and he offers nine tips to help families fund college education.

"Today, two-thirds of American students will attend some type of post-secondary school. But 70 percent of those students emerge with some student loan debt," Housser said. "Parents want to help, but costs are skyrocketing. Here's how families can work together to evaluate the costs of education and make school work."

1. Plan ahead. Because of the benefits of compound interest and the tax benefits of government-sanctioned college savings accounts, time is the best friend of families planning to send children to college. "Often, parents-to-be can sign up for savings accounts when they register for nursery furniture and diapers at the baby superstore," said Housser. "The bottom line: The sooner you can start saving, the better."

2. Enlist relatives. Despite the benefits of saving early, the demand for savings comes just as most families are facing multiple expenses. Saving for retirement (which should be prioritized), paying hospital bills, paying for childcare, and perhaps buying or renting a larger home and a larger vehicle all take a toll on parents' ability to save. "Ask relatives to contribute to a college fund instead of buying more toys," Housser suggested. "Often, grandparents or single aunts and uncles would love to help."

3. Secure the family's future. Always place home payments, insurance and retirement savings before education savings. Housser reminded families, "It is most important to ensure you can survive. While it's best to avoid debt, one can repay education loans -- but we can not borrow to fund our golden years."

4. Look into 529 plans. Qualified tuition plans, known as 529 plans, are state- or college-sponsored plans that allow families to save for tuition expenses. Investment and interest earnings are free from federal income tax (and in many states, state income tax) as long as the proceeds are used to pay education expenses. Check your state's options and rules for specifics.

5. Seek out scholarships. Look into every scholarship the student qualifies for. Scholarships may include honors for projects, sports or essays, or gifts from colleges, parents' employers, religious organizations, teams or community groups. Many small scholarships can add up to a bundle of help.

6. Work it. Most students can work at least part-time while in school. Encourage the student to pay for his or her own living expenses -- leaving savings, parent contributions and loans to pay for tuition, fees, books and related costs.

7. Don't go anywhere. Students can save money by living in the family home while they attend school. "This arrangement might demand negotiation to keep everyone at peace, but it can save $ 7,000 to $ 8,000 in annual room and board," Housser said.

8. Transfer in. Tuition costs are more than twice as much at a four-year school as at a two-year institution. Save an average $ 7,000 by spending the first two years at a community college.2 If you can then transfer to, and graduate from, a four-year school, your diploma will look the same as everyone else's - at a significantly lower cost.

9. Pay it forward (and pay it back). If the student is entering a field with opportunities for public service, look into options that pay back all or part of a student loan in exchange for service. Some teaching, law and health care fields offer these opportunities.

"Whether you borrow or pay cash, an education is a good investment," Housser said. "Make the most of it by being careful with your spending, and you'll be off to a great start in life."

Based in San Mateo, Calif., Bills.com is a free one-stop online portal where consumers can educate themselves about complex personal finance issues and comparison shop for products and services including credit cards, debt relief assistance, insurance, mortgages and other loans. The company blogs about consumer finance issues at http://www.bills.com/blog. Since 2002, Bills.com has served more than 20,000 customers nationwide while managing more than $ 500 million in consumer debt. Bills.com is a division of Freedom Financial Network, LLC, whose co-founders and CEOs, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, have been named Northern California finalists in Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

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