chretien dammit: June 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Make Each Moment Of Your Picnic An Unforgettable, At The Greek ...

The GOD has gifted this life and made this beautiful world for the people. So, it is the duty of the people to look around them and should notice the beauty of the world and thanks to The GOD and accept that HE is really the One and only Creator of this world, who is Great and very Large from our mentality. How beautiful is this world! It has huge Mountains, Peaks, sceneries of beautiful greenery, and most of that it has 70% of its part containing water; including rivers, seas and islands and to watch the beauty of this world; people used to travel in different destinations and other popular places. Since, there are many places where people like to travel for their entertainment and one of those areas where people love to travel is the Sea Area or popular beaches and islands. Yes, Indeed! Water is the best source of entertainment and no one would be in this world, which does not enjoy boating and sailing at the beach and if it would be across the great islands of the world then it will be great.

One of those great islands is the island of Greece and Yacht charter Greece is providing a dream opportunity to the people to make an unforgettable picnic. Anyone having some program to make some picnic and not only a picnic but an unforgettable picnic, so it is a superb sailings offer at the Greece island.] Greece Yacht charter is not a very big multinational type of company which earns lots of money, but it is just a company started by two friends. Therefore if one would be thinking that it would cost a very high amount for making a dream to be true, so he is really wrong. Infect, this combined company is giving a chance to every customer with facilitating boats and a Luxury yacht charter and a legal permission to freely move and stay at the beautiful Greek island in very much reasonable charges.

Greece yacht charter is providing a true personal customer experience; the company is always present for any help and guidance at the island and providing skippered and bare boats with a dream chance to have a unique sailing experience. The Greek charter always treats their clients as their friends and after spending the nights in between the islands and sailing with Luxury yacht charter, every clients likeness convert into love with sailing. One can enjoy his all wish to ride in the boats and can sail among the winds at the Greek islands. Yacht charters luxuries having all the new and better types of boats, does not matter if one wants to make a picnic with his whole family or just married and wants to make a picnic with his wife, so Greece yacht charter is ready to provide any size and different capacity boats to its clients.

The types of boats including Cyclades, Bavaria 47, 44, 46 and 41, Jean Neau 45.1, Oceanic 440 and 400 and Sun Odyssey 37.1. Means there are almost all types of boats are available with respect to the family size and the hiring price is also very suitable and all the boats are in tip top condition. So, do not wait and do not think enough!

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Make-Each-Moment-Of-Your-Picnic-An-Unforgettable--At-The-Greek-Island-/4006432

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Supreme Court upholds health care law, and, according to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 'has abandoned us'

Thursday, Jun 28, 2012, 01:20PM CST

By Mark Lisheron

Stunning partisans on the left and the right, the Supreme Court this morning upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a vote of 5 to 4.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision for the majority comprised of Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were in the minority.

The Supreme Court majority came to its conclusion by deciding that the individual mandate in the 2,000-page Affordable Care Act, requiring citizens who chose not to buy health insurance to pay a penalty was, instead, a tax.

The court also ruled unconstitutional the authority of the federal government in the so-called ObamaCare bill to withhold federal funds from states refusing to cooperate in the expansion of the Medicaid program.

Gov. Rick Perry today said the ?Court utterly failed in its duty to uphold the Constitutional limits placed on Washington,? in a statement issued to the press. ?Now that the Supreme Court has abandoned us, we citizens must take action at every level of government and demand real reform, done with respect for our Constitution and our liberty.

?Freedom was frontally attacked by passage of this monstrosity. Obamacare is bad for the economy, bad for health care, bad for freedom. Americans have made clear their overwhelming opposition to its convoluted, burdensome and overreaching mandates.?

The reasoning for upholding the Affordable Care Act as a tax rather than a mandate is certain to be the subject of furious legal argument.

The court?s decision refers to the mandate as a ?shared responsibility payment? to the federal government. Failure to make such a payment results in a penalty collected by the Internal Revenue Service in the same way as a tax, the ruling says.

The majority made clear that an individual mandate as outlined in the Affordable Care Act would illegitimately force individuals to engage in commerce by buying health insurance.

?Construing the Commerce Clause to permit Congress to regulate individuals precisely because they are doing nothing would open a new and potentially vast domain to congressional authority,? the Roberts decision says. ?Congress already possesses expansive power to regulate what people do. Upholding the Affordable Care Act under the Commerce Clause would give Congress the same license to regulate what people do not do. The Framers knew the difference between doing something and doing nothing. They gave Congress the power to regulate commerce, not to compel it. Ignoring that distinction would undermine the principle.?

Instead, the decision does what Congress failed to do in drafting the bill: find the reasoning for its health insurance requirement on the grounds that Congress possesses the power to ?lay and collect taxes.?

Texas? Greg Abbott, one of the 12 original attorneys general to sign on to the ObamaCare lawsuit, took note of what he called ?a novel application of the facts? in a statement he issued today from Washington, D.C.

?The Court did what Congress was afraid to do--called ObamaCare a tax on all Americans,? Abbott wrote. ?This is particularly ironic since President Obama, himself, insisted this was not a tax.?

In addition to its clearest delineation of the Commerce Clause in more than 15 years, the Court said the federal government would be in violation of the Constitution if it cut off funding to states that refused to expand Medicaid in the ways outlined in the Affordable Care Act.

Justices Breyer and Kagan joined Roberts in the opinion that Congress has no constitutional power to withhold existing federal grants as a way of compelling participation in expanding a program.

Along with the individual mandate, the forced expansion of Medicaid was the impetus for the lawsuit filed March 23, 2010, by the state of Florida against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Eventually, 26 states?would sign onto the suit decided by the court today.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled with the states and against the individual mandate and against the state and Congress? right to force the states to expand Medicaid.

?The threatened loss of over 10 percent of a State?s overall budget is economic dragooning that leaves the States with no real option but to acquiesce in the Medicaid expansion,? today?s ruling says.

The ruling goes on to repudiate the government?s claim ?that the expansion is properly viewed as only a modification of the existing program, and that this modification is permissible because Congress reserved the ?right to alter, amend, or repeal any provision? of Medicaid.?

"This is an historic victory for individual liberty, states? rights, and limited government,? Abbott said. ?Today the Supreme Court made crystal clear that the federal government is more restrained than yesterday. The Court also agreed that States are individual sovereigns that cannot be commandeered by the federal government. In this instance, by forcing States to expand Medicaid, the federal government tried to hold States hostage.?

Brooke Rollins, president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation called the Medicaid portion of the ruling a silver lining. ?This,? she said in a statement, ?at least protects, to some extent, the prerogatives of the states under the Tenth Amendment.?

To say that those following ObamaCare to the nation?s highest court were surprised by the decision would be a Grand Canyon-sized understatement.

Liberal legal experts and pundits were all but throwing themselves off of metaphorical bridges on Wednesday. Politico?s Roger Simon concluded before today?s decision that the High Court has lost its honor, that it was accountable to no one in America.

Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation had already laid the groundwork for market based reforms, assuming the court would invalidate at least the individual mandate.

After the ruling, roles were reversed. Peter Suderman, senior editor for the libertarian Reason magazine and website, noted how different the outcome was in comparison to expectations.

?Although the overall ruling is a victory for supporters of ObamaCare, the particulars of the Supreme Court?s decision today are almost exactly the opposite of what most observers expected. It?s like a ruling from Bizarro World.?

Patrick Gaspard, executive director of the Democratic National Committee was more succinct when he tweeted, ?it?s constitutional. Bitches.?

A short time later he followed with, ?I let my scotus (Supreme Court of the United States) excitement get the better of me. In all seriousness this is an important moment in improving the lives of all Americans.?

However surprised, the ruling today changed few minds. President Obama praised the court and reiterated the justness of the Affordable Care Act in spite of it political divisiveness.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who hoped for a repeal by the court, said the responsibility for the repeal falls now to the people.

?As you might imagine I disagree with the Supreme Court decision, and I agree with the dissent,? Politico reports Mitt Romney saying just after the ruling. "Obamacare was bad policy yesterday, it's bad policy today. If we want to replace Obamacare, we have to replace Obama.?

Arlene Wohlgemuth, health care specialist for the Public Policy Foundation, said today renaming the health care mandate a tax does not legitimize it.

?Congress now needs to act quickly to repeal this law and take a new approach to health care reform,? Wohlgemuth said. ??But this time, we need to fix health care the right way ? with patient-centered reforms that emphasize the patient-doctor relationship and allow them to make more effective and economical health care choices with less interference from insurance companies or government.?

Trevor Burrus, co-author of important amicus briefs filed in the case for the Cato Institute?s Center for Constitutional Studies, warned of irrational exuberance on the day before the ruling.

Burrus, who wrote passionately for the repeal of ObamaCare, cautioned that the Supreme Court was deciding on a single case, neither rolling back nor pushing forward the role of the federal government in the lives of individuals.

Either decision, he said, would continue to be fought in the court of public opinion.

?It?s a big decision, we all know that,? Burrus said. ?But contrary to what some have said or written, there is no sky is falling here. What we?ve seen is the expansion of constitutional interpretation to the point that it now matters so much to people who is going to control their health care choices and the choices of their kids.

?That?s the importance of this case.?

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 1:40 p.m. with comments from Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, and Arlene Wohlgemuth, a health care specialist for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.?

***
Contact Mark Lisheron at 512-299-2318 or mark@texaswatchdog.org or on Twitter at @marktxwatchdog.

Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feeds in your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr.

Follow Texas Health Care Report on Twitter, and fan us on Facebook. Texas Health Care Report is a project of Texas Watchdog.

Photo of Supreme Court building by flickr user methTICALman, used via a Creative Commons license.

If you have decided to start working on improving your home |

Many companies now seal their new tools to keep them looking sleek for months on a display shelf. As a result, tools like hammers can be very slippery the first time you use them. To make a new hammer less slippery, sand the head before using it. Give any new tool better traction by rubbing the work surfaces with sandpaper or steel wool.

If you?d like to update your home but can?t afford a remodel consider replacing your light fixtures. You?ve probably noticed areas that need better lighting, so, now is the time to address that problem. There are many designs to choose from. Be creative and go for a brand new look. Lighten up those dark areas in your home and switch out those dated styles by adding new lighting fixtures.

If you have decided to start working on improving your home, but you want to do this alone, you should be sure to start with an easy project. Many people jump straight into something like adding on another room, and then they quickly find themselves overwhelmed and confused about what they are doing.

It is not a good idea to make any major home renovations when you are about to sell your home. The best thing to work on is the way that the house looks from the outside since a lot of potential buyers will look at the curb appeal as the first sign of whether they like a house or not.

Do you now understand what makes home improvement, well, home improvement? Do you know about the different kinds of jobs and equipment now? If you now have an idea of how to answer these questions, then you have read and understand what it takes to create the home of your dreams.

Learn more on http://www.sheffieldremoval.co.uk/ or Click Here.

Source: http://www.clickmyarticle.com/?p=36412

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Drake/Chris Brown Brawl Club Loses Liquor License

New York State Liquor Authority charges W.i.P. with 17 violations, saying the club poses a 'threat to public health and safety.'
By Rob Markman

W.i.P. nightclub
Photo:

The fall-out from June 14's bottle-bashing brawl reportedly between Drake's and Chris Brown's camps continues.

On Tuesday, The New York State Liquor Authority ordered an emergency suspension of W.i.P.'s liquor license, the club where the incident took place. W.i.P., with its adjacent (and affiliated) club Greenhouse, were both slapped with 17 separate violations.

The New York Daily News is reporting that R. Kelly, New York Knicks basketball star Iman Shumpert and the cast of the upcoming film "Savages" all had scheduled parties at the clubs, but now will have to look for new venues.

"The SLA will not tolerate violent bars that break the law," SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen said in a press release obtained by MTV News. "This should serve as a message that this agency will not hesitate to take immediate action when licensees pose a threat to public health and safety."

The release cites 10 separate assaults and altercations at the two clubs, the earliest occurring on March 11 and the latest being the bottle-throwing incident which left quite a few patrons injured, including NBA star Tony Parker, who is now suing the club for $20 million after he suffered a cut in his left eye.

While both Drake and Chris Brown and their respective entourages have been implicated in the brawl, police have yet to charge any of the men with a crime. Meek Mill, whose has also seen his name circulate in the brawl rumors, will appear on Wednesday's "RapFix Live" and address the drama starting at 4 p.m.

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North Dakota Tourism : News Releases

Local outdoor writer places in prominent competition

Posted on 6/28/2012

MISSOULA, Mont. ? Amenia, N.D. resident Dawn Faught earned prestigious Excellence in Craft awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, with recognition at OWAA's annual conference in Fairbanks, Alaska, Sept. 6, 2012.

Faught was awarded first place in the Outdoor Fun and Adventure category of the Magazine Contest, which recognizes excellence in communicating the best outdoor recreation story from the various non-consumptive sports. This includes, but is not limited to, outdoor sports such as camping/backpacking, boating, hiking, birding, snow skiing, orienteering, mountain biking and general outdoor activities. Her first place submission, "Beautiful Badlands," was published June 2011 in Cowboys & Indians magazine. The Outdoor Fun and Adventure category is sponsored by the Coleman Company.

Faught was also awarded first place in the Action category of the Photo Contest for her submission "Splash Down." The Photo Contest recognizes excellence in black-and-white and color photos published or sold as fine art (gallery, website or other public display) in the contest year. The Action category includes any outdoor subject and must show or imply movement.

Faught is a freelance writer with credits in Today's Horse Magazine, Cowboys & Indians, Western Horseman, AAA Living, Persimmon Hill and Range Magazine.

The Outdoor Writers Association of America is the oldest and largest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. It was organized in 1927 by members of the Izaak Walton League of America and includes professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. OWAA's professionals include writers, photographers, outdoors radio and television show hosts, book authors, videographers, lecturers and artists. The association is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. Visit www.owaa.org for more info.

For more information on this award, contact Dawn Faught, 2581 149th Ave. SE, Amenia, ND 58804, dfaught@rushridge.com.

Source: http://www.ndtourism.com/smartmail/news-releases/detail.asp?newsID=500

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Read This Post - Minyanville

I used to tell my son that hitting a baseball correctly is all about balance. The same is true in investing; to invest correctly, you need to balance risk and return.

When I worked at Texaco, "protect the balance sheet" was our rallying cry. The goal was to never over-lever the balance sheet with debt, because a strong balance sheet would get you through the business cycles.

Now, when I teach, I harangue my graduate students over and over: Finance is a function of balancing risk and return. (Hopefully they can hold that thought after the semester ends!)

Kidding aside, I never cease to be amazed at how seldom people focus on the downside risk to their investments. Mesmerized by the allure of greater financial gains, people believe they can achieve high returns combined with low risk. In all my years in the business, I have yet to see that financial phenomenon occur.

In particular, investors time and time again fail to give ample weighting to "financial" or default risk arising from increasing leverage. Indeed, if you don't believe in credit risk, just look across the Atlantic at Europe, or remember Long-Term Capital Management or the housing collapse of 2008.

Leveraging your investment may magnify your returns as long as the investment heads north. However, if it turns sour, the higher interest expense will be harder to cover, and default may be knocking at your door. Excessive debt-whether public, company or individual-eventually reduces growth, and if left unchecked, will lead to bankruptcy.

In their recent seminal work, Professors Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff warn of the danger of excessive public debt in two papers, "This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" and "Decade of Debt."

Essentially, both papers warn that public debt in advanced economies has risen to levels not seen since the end of World War II. They point out that high debt leverage levels have historically been associated with slower economic growth and higher rates of default or restructuring.

To avoid that fate, your investment portfolio should be filled with companies that have strong balance sheets and positive free cash flow to enable them to invest through the downturns. Conservative balance sheets insulate companies from economic slowdowns and reduce their financial risk, which in turn improves your investment portfolio risk-reward profile.

I recently took a look at the energy sector to find companies with strong balance sheets and positive cash flow after debt leverage service costs, and most importantly, strong production growth profiles. Companies I identified include:

Suncor Energy (SU)
Chart Industries (GTLS)
National Oilwell Varco (NOV)
Apache (APA)
Energy Partners (EPL)
Energy XXI (EXXI).

Leverage is and should always be a financing decision, not an investment decision.

So how do you use this information to improve your investment? First, ask yourself whether the investment has more upside gain potential than downside loss potential.

If it does, and you decide to make the investment, then decide how to finance it. If you believe financing makes a bad investment better, then you probably believe in a free lunch.

Editor's Note: This article was written by Lou Gagliardi of Cabot Wealth Advisory.

Below, find some more great investing and trading content from MoneyShow:

Making B2B Commerce Sexy
By Michael Cintolo

Pumping Its Way to Profits
By Benjamin Shepherd

More Gains in the Cards for ADS
By Igor Greenwald

Kinder Morgan Critics Running in Circles?
By Elliott Gue

Twitter: @TopProsTopPicks

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 at 10:05 am and is filed under MV News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Why Personal Training? - Enquire Today

?Use a Personal Trainer and ensure results.

Personal Training has long been thought of as the workout for the stars. Having received so much publicity in the past relating to the rich and famous its not hard to see why so many people today believe that Personal Training is not suited to their needs and financial constraints.

Personal Training is thought to be the easy way to train. The trainer prepares your workout, sets up the equipment, puts away the weights, tells you how to perform each exercise, makes sure your heart rate is in the training zone, teaches you new skills, corrects technique, and monitors your progress each and every day you train with them. What the trainer doesn?t do is lift the weights, run the hills, finish the abdominal exercises or ride the bike. The exercise you have to do your self. For those of you who train now without the guidance or instruction are the ones who train the easy way.

Training with a Personal Trainer ensures you do the training and in the correct way. No more cheating on exercises or stopping short in your run or risking the chance of injuring yourself due to poor technique. The trainer is there to make sure you train in the way that will give you the best results in the shortest time and in the most efficient manner.

How many people train for years wondering if they are training correctly, are the exercises appropriate, is their technique correct, are they overloading and progressing, is it safe and are they getting results?? The most frustrating thing about any form of training is why do it if it doesn?t work. Why get up each morning before light, put your body through a heavy workout, spend countless hours preparing your ?special diets? cut short your social life and give up on your favourite foods if you are not seeing any results.

Personal Training is all about getting results. When you have someone who is qualified and experienced in the areas of health and fitness working with you on a weekly basis, checking your training program and training techniques and adjusting as necessary, you will see results.?

Personal Training has become popular for this reason. Imagine training under the normal situation by your self or with a friend. Chances are you will start out okay and gradually ease of and end of dropping out. Motivation for a start is the main reason why we all start training because we have some idea or some goal we would like to achieve. When the results don?t happen overnight more often then not we make excuses and tend to give it up for something a little more rewarding. Training can achieve results and can be rewarding if it is done correctly and under the right guidance.

The benefits of Personal training are many. More motivation and better training commitment, faster results from a more time efficient program and better quality training, less risk of injury or over training, improved knowledge of exercise and health issues, and progressive and personalised programs that work for you. These are the main benefits from Personal Training.

When you have someone working with you on an individual basis each week the opportunity for you to succeed in reaching or achieving your training goals is vastly improved. Ask anyone who is currently using a Personal Trainer and you will find that most people are with a Personal trainer because they want to see something happen from the time they invest in their training, they want to spend less time for a better result and they want to ensure the training they are doing is right for them.

Personal training may involve training in a one on one situation for fat loss, toning, fitness, body shaping, body building, rehabilitation, aerobic skills for aerobic classes and sports specific conditioning. The training situation can be set up from a fitness centre or your own home. Training from home can be set up with your own equipment or with modified forms of resistance for strength work and aerobic work can be done in with a trainer in your own lounge. The popularity of Personal Trainers has seen people get together in groups of? 2 to 4? and between them employing a trainer to work from their home for the benefit of the group, whilst making it better value for each person.? Personal Training is worth considering if you feel you deserve that little bit of specialised care and attention for your training.

How do you ensure you find a good Personal Trainer??? Choose a college that commands success from its graduates.?

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

College Students to Recieve Less Financial Aid

June 28, 2012, 12:37 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Starting this fall, college students will be getting less financial aid from California.

?? Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday that he vetoed $195 million from the final budget he signed - more than $22 million of that by speeding up reductions to the Cal Grants program, which provides grants to qualified college students.

?? The Legislature had approved a 6 percent cut starting next fall but the governor cited the state's financial problems for moving up 5 percent of the cut to the 2012-13 academic year. Students who qualify for the top award will see a drop of about $500 to $9,223, another roughly $150 cut in 2013-14 and then a dramatic decrease to $8,000 in 2014-15.

?? Students attending qualified private, for-profit schools will be cut to $4,000 starting next year.

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01385: Writing Is More Tiring Than You Think | RockySunico.com

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Making Relocating Day A Lot More Interesting - AB Panama Real ...

Leaving a house, local community, close friends, and loved ones, is never easy, and in most cases, relocating day might be a horrible occasion. Nevertheless, it does not necessarily need to be terrible. In many cases, it can actually become a much expected journey, particularly if the family is ready. Regardless of the reason for the transfer, kids and adults alike will adjust better if they find out what to count on.

One of the greatest chores, obviously, is the packing, organizing and preparation, and consequently, one of the best moving hints the pros have is that this should become a family activity. Even the smallest of kids can help pack their individual boxes with their own particular items. By marking every single box, family members will know instantly where their own belongings are situated once they get to the new house. Becoming acquainted with the new community is also essential. If at all feasible, the whole family should spend some time at the new house, getting acquainted with the home itself, the property, the neighbors, and the entire neighborhood. Knowing where the shops, schools, and points of interest are situated is the best way to begin the adjustment. Every community has certain points of interest, and these should be researched before making the move. Visiting a nearby park, museum, church, or other region will make the whole family more comfortable about their new surroundings.

Obviously, it is important that the family maintain some sort of normalcy throughout this attempting time, and spend as much time together as you possibly can. This is where moving companies can become extremely essential. These professionals not only take a great deal of the physical burden from the family, they allow the family more time for some very essential duties, such as getting together with old neighbors and buddies, and meeting new ones.

A dependable and responsible moving company, such as one you find through a trustworthy web site like http://www.movingcompanies.us, can help alleviate a great deal of the confusion involved with packing, transporting, and unpacking. They?re well conscious of the selection of household possessions, appliances, and treasures that need to be moved, and they know the best methods to pack them safely. House owners that choose to hire moving companies should choose one according to their reputation in the community and through referrals. They should be conscious of their responsibilities in the move, and what the moving company will probably be supplying. And, they should be clear on the total price, and the insurance provided. When all of this is achieved, households can focus on the advantages of moving rather of the tension, and they just may find that there is a great deal to look forward too after all.

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jiayuan-expands-purchase-options-with-launch-of-tmall-online-store

Released on June 27th, 2012

BEIJING, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ ? Jiayuan.com International Ltd. (?Jiayuan? or the ?Company?) (NASDAQ: DATE), operator of the largest online dating platform in China, today announced that it has launched an online store on TMall.com (?TMall?), one of China?s most popular B2C online retail platforms, which expands the purchasing options available to Jiayuan users nationwide.

From today, Jiayuan?s users will be able to shop for Jiayuan?s online dating products and services on the TMall store at http://jiayuanshop.tmall.com in addition to purchasing directly from Jiayuan.com. The TMall store will sell a selection of Jiayuan?s ?virtual stamp? products as well as one-month, three-month, six-month and one year subscription packages. Products purchased on the store will be automatically credited to users? accounts and can be used immediately.

TMall is one of the most popular B2C online retail platforms in China. It is owned by the Alibaba Group and grew out of Taobao, Alibaba?s C2C platform.

?The Jiayuan TMall store is another important step forward in our constant effort to ensure that the Jiayuan user experience is the most enjoyable and user-friendly in the market,? said Jiayuan?s founder and co-CEO, Ms. Rose Gong. ?China?s singles are increasingly relying on online retail as one of their preferred shopping channels. So this new store on China?s most popular B2C online retail platform not only provides another convenient purchasing option for current and potential Jiayuan users, but also builds the Jiayuan brand among users of the TMall platform.?

About Jiayuan

Jiayuan.com International Ltd. (?Jiayuan?) (NASDAQ: DATE) operates the largest online dating platform in China. Jiayuan is committed to providing a trusted, effective, and user-focused online dating platform that addresses the dating and marriage needs of China?s rapidly growing urban singles population. According to iResearch, Jiayuan.com ranked first in terms of number of unique visitors and time spent among all online dating websites in China in 2011. Every two of Jiayuan?s American Depositary Shares represent three ordinary shares.

For more information, please visit http://ir.jiayuan.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the ?safe harbor? provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as ?will,? ?expects,? ?anticipates,? ?future,? ?intends,? ?plans,? ?believes,? ?estimates,? ?confident? and similar statements. Jiayuan may also make written or verbal forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in verbal statements made by its officers, directors or employees to fourth parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: our growth strategies; our future business development, including development of new products and services; our ability to attract and retain users; competition in the Chinese online dating markets; changes in our revenues and certain cost or expense items as a percentage of our revenues; the outcome of any litigation or arbitration; the expected growth of the number of Internet and broadband users in China; Chinese governmental policies relating to the Internet and online dating websites and general economic conditions in China and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in our documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Jiayuan does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of the press release, and Jiayuan undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Beijing

Melody Liu
Jiayuan.com International Ltd.
+86 (10) 6442-2321
ir@jiayuan.com

Martin Reidy
Brunswick Group LLP
+86 (10) 5960-8600
jiayuan@brunswickgroup.com

New York

Cindy Zheng
Brunswick Group LLP
+1 (212) 333-3810
jiayuan@brunswickgroup.com

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Not all Thais are Gaga about America

BANGKOK, Thailand ? She?s an unlikely national ambassador, but to understand the complexities of U.S. relations with the emerging economies of Southeast Asia, it can be revealing to ask what people think of Lady Gaga.

Last month, the American superstar's world tour brought her through Thailand and other countries in the region, which has long held huge geopolitical significance for U.S. policymakers and is now the focus of intense diplomatic and economic rivalry as the U.S. faces a rising China determined to stake its place as a global superpower.

While Thailand is a place that seems ? on the surface at least ? to have an anything-goes attitude ideally suited to the outrageous and controversial Gaga, appearances can be deceptive. Despite its notorious nightlife and sex shows, Thailand is very conservative in many ways, and the concept of "saving face" is important. Even if embarrassing issues are obvious, discussing them openly is frowned upon.?

'Inappropriate' behavior
For instance, two days ahead of her sold-out Bangkok concert, Gaga fell afoul of many Thais when she sent a light-hearted tweet saying: "I just landed in Bangkok baby! Ready for 50,000 screaming Thai monsters. I wanna get lost in a lady market and buy a fake Rolex."

It?s no secret that fake Rolexes are openly displayed and sold in Bangkok's infamous Patpong area, where sex is also for sale in dozens of go-go bars. But Thais don't like foreigners talking about such activities, and Gaga's comment caused a storm of protest.

"We are more civilized than you think," tweeted Thai DJ Surahit Siamwalla in response, announcing that he planned to boycott the concert.

Some Thais also took offense when Gaga appeared on stage during one of her concerts scantily dressed and sitting on a motorcycle with a Thai flag trailing behind her. The Culture Ministry made an official complaint that this use of the flag was "inappropriate and hurt Thai people's sentiment.?

The spat is indicative of a growing unease among traditional Thais over what they see as foreign influences corrupting the country. It is somewhat surprising, because for decades the country's conservative elite was strongly pro-American, in part because the Thai ruling class was desperate to prevent the spread of Communism, and embraced America's assistance.

Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

Thai fans of Lady Gaga pose for a photograph prior to a concert of U.S. pop star Lady Gaga at Rajamangala stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, May 25, 2012.

Recently, however, the conservative Thai establishment has grown increasingly hostile to the "Western" values symbolized by America, partly in response to growing pressure from ordinary people for greater democracy and freedom of speech.

One flashpoint in this debate was the treatment of a U.S. citizen arrested last year for circulating a partial translation of a book by an American author that took a critical look at the Thai royal family. Joe Gordon, who was born in Thailand but emigrated and became a car salesman in Colorado, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail last December for breaking the ?l?se majest?? law that forbids criticism of the monarchy.?

The United States found itself dragged into the debate, with hundreds of royalists protesting outside the U.S. embassy in Bangkok after American diplomats criticized the jailing of Gordon and called for greater freedom of speech.

One of them was?Tul Sitthisomwong, a leader of the royalist United Siam group.

NBC News

Jiraporn Prasert, an office employee in Bangkok who attended the Lady Gaga concert.

?We feel annoyed,? he said during a recent interview. ?We know that America focuses on human rights and freedom of people, but ?l?se majest?? in Thailand ... is not about human rights, it's about breaking the law.?

Tul said that the U.S. is meddling in other countries to try to maintain its waning influence. "They are like big brother, but right now they're weaker and getting sick but they try to be strong."?

He also said that there might be a hidden agenda in the U.S. request to use Thailand?s U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield for its humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

?After the mission in the Middle East, they are coming back to this region, Southeast Asia. It likes confronting China ? so I think America would like to have a powerful [base] again in this region. So they pick up Thailand,? he said.

It doesn't help that America is also widely seen as arrogant. ?They are the best, that's what they always think, that they are the best,? Juthamas Carranco, who works in a Bangkok hotel, said.

'A good example' for Thailand
But to many younger Southeast Asians, modernity is nothing to fear, and tolerance is a virtue. America produces movies and music that they love, and represents freedom from religious and cultural restrictions.

?America is a good example for Thailand ? especially the education system, work ethic and the freedom,? said Amorn Wanichwiwatana, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

NBC News speaks with citizens from around the globe, asking the question, 'What Does America Mean to You?'

?Lady Gaga is an artist, and I want Thais to look at her like that,? he added. ?When she performed in the concert with Thai flag, I don't think she had a bad intention. I feel she even respected our culture.?

Jiraporn Prasert, an office worker who attended the Gaga concert in Bangkok, also didn?t believe the singer was being deliberately offensive to Thais.

?I like Lady Gaga very much,? said Jiraporn. ?About the problem that we are having with her, I want people to look at her from different angles. I would like them to look at what cause the issue. Is it really from Gaga or because of things surround her??

When Lady Gaga performed in Bangkok, I was also one of the 50,000 people who watched her perform, and whatever controversies she may have caused around the region, there was no doubt about one thing: she rocked the arena and the audience loved it.

This story is part of a series by msnbc.com and NBC News "What the World Thinks of US". The series aims to check the pulse on current perceptions of America's global stature during the election year and ahead of our annual Independence Day.

Share your thoughts about this story and our series on Twitter using #AmericaMeans?

Special series: What the World Thinks of US?

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The Supreme Court rules on Arizona's immigration law: Leave it to ...

Jun 25th 2012, 20:18 by E.M. | WASHINGTON, DC

TO HEAR the two sides of the immigration debate react to today?s Supreme Court ruling, you would think that proponents of much tougher enforcement had won an only slightly tempered victory. Indeed, Kris Kobach, Kansas?s secretary of state, who helped draft the Arizona law being vetted by the court, and Jan Brewer, Arizona?s governor, who signed it, both used the word victory in response to the decision. Meanwhile, Barack Obama, whose administration had challenged the law in the first place, fretted about the ruling?s possible adverse consequences, although welcoming some parts of it.

This being a matter of disingenuous election-year posturing, the truth is precisely the opposite. The win was about as sweeping as the administration could have hoped. Mr Kobach?s acolytes will have to go back to the drawing board. The states, it turns out, cannot step in to enforce immigration laws in areas where they consider the federal government lacking.

The Supreme Court agreed with the administration?s contention that federal law trumps state law on immigration, and that Arizona was in effect trying to set its own immigration policy, in opposition to the federal one. Arizona claimed only to be trying to help the feds enforce laws already on the books (by making it a state crime to be in violation of federal immigration laws, among other things), but the court demurred. For a state to punish someone for violating federal immigration law would constitute an unwarranted intrusion into the federal government?s discretion in such matters, it concluded.

The only controversial part of the law the court let stand was the requirement that law-enforcement officers check the immigration status of those they had stopped for some other reason, provided they had grounds to believe they might be present illegally. The hitch, for the doughty policemen of Arizona, is that once they have determined, with the federal government?s help, that someone is present illegally, there is nothing more they can do. The feds might ask that the suspect be detained, or they might not. Arizona can only draw attention to an illegal immigrant?s presence; it cannot act on that information.

What is more, the justices suggested that even this part of the law might need to be thrown out, if it led to harassment of minorities or frequent and unwarranted detentions of law-abiding citizens. But the law should be considered innocent on that score until proven guilty, the justices argued, rather than condemned on the basis of mere suspicions. Further lawsuits on such grounds seem inevitable, as soon as the law goes into effect.

All in all, this is a bonanza for the largely Democratic, easy-on-the-undocumented side of the debate. Not only has the Supreme Court handed them a big victory on the substance of the dispute; it has also left it something to rail against. Activists can continue to denounce racist laws, safe in the knowledge that their practical implications are negligible. Naturally, they can?t acknowledge this state of affairs?hence the president?s reticence. And Mr Kobach and Mrs Brewer, as politicians, can hardly be expected to admit defeat if there is any chance the electorate might not notice it.?

(Photo credit: AFP)

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The Best Ways You Can Invest In Real Estate | South Jersey Real ...

Whenever you watch all the Tv shows dedicated to property flips and investment properties, it tends to make you wish to jump into the real estate investment industry. They make it appear so simple and profitable all the time. Investing in real estate is regrettably not for everybody. Just before becoming a real estate entrepreneur, you will need to take into consideration the next components.

The first thing you need to do is discover all that you can about the area you will be contemplating. Location is very important when reselling your house but it is really a crucial element when purchasing investment buildings. Make sure you find out every little thing it is possible to when considering a brand new location. Even if you choose an investment within the area exactly where you reside, be diligent and examine it honestly, from an investment point of view.

No matter your experience in real estate, employ a real estate professional to assist you. To obtain the most of the realtor, make sure that he has knowledge in investment properties. Don?t hesitate to look around for the best realtor. You may be knowledgeable in real estate nonetheless a real estate specialist will know how to locate deals and can have current marketplace details.

Contemplate next your monetary situation. It is not probable that you?ll make loads of money in a few short months without any money in advance as the Television shows would have you believe. To start making an investment in real estate, the fact is you?ll need great credit or money of your own. You will need money for up-dates and renovations regardless in case you choose to invest in a rehab property to sell or possibly a rental building. As a first time investor, you may be a lot more limited in your financing choices so possessing funds of your own or an excellant credit score will allow you to get started.

The type of investment property that you wish to acquire will be the final aspect you need to take into account. You are going to have to select in between a leasing property or possibly a home to flip. You?ll need to choose if you?re more thinking about a short-term project that is the case of a fixer upper or possibly a long-term investment which would imply a rental property.

Just before you start any real estate venture, be diligent first. Understand your marketplace, have your financing in position and employ a crew of specialists to help you through the whole process. You could even find yourself becoming the next real estate mogul!

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Online Video Platform Provider Kaltura Nabs Groupon Deal, Also Announces European Expansion

Image1 for post Kaltura Releases Revamped MediaWiki Extension

Video platform provider Kaltura might pitch itself as providing an open-source video distribution offering, which would allow anyone to build their own enterprise video site for free. But increasingly, it's winning the business of big paying customers, who are choosing its software and using additional paid features -- which is how Kaltura makes its money. The latest to do so is Groupon, which has chosen Kaltura for an enterprise video portal. Surprisingly enough, Groupon isn't using Kaltura for customer-facing marketing videos: Instead it's decided to build an internal video platform to be used for communications with its employees. That includes more than 12,000 workers throughout various field offices, which is kind of a monumental task for an organization. Instead of relying on company-wide emails, Groupon has decided to handle internal communications with video.

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3 Easy List Building Tips for Your Internet Business ...

Do you know exactly what to do if you want to grow or enhance your e-mail list? Given below are a few tips to help you grow your subscribers.

A simple tip that can help you help you with your list building venture is to do ad swaps with other ezine publishers. The number of people who will exchange ad space with you and publish your info to their lists would amaze you; they do this because it allows them to build their business as you work at building yours. This is a joint venture that can take you far. All you need to do to get the ball rolling is contact the other newsletter publishers in your niche. Let them know that you're willing to swap ads and promote their ezine. Most publishers will say yes but if someone doesn't then you simply move on to the next name on your list. Add your own touch to these marketing tactics will make them more effective.

The people who are already on your list are great for bringing in new subscribers. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising so you need to encourage the people on your list to bring in new subscribers. Give them the means to email their friends or colleagues and make it easy for them. You can create a simple "refer a friend" form on your website and give your subscribers the link to it.

In addition to those things, make sure your work is top-notch so that your subscribers will send it along simply because they enjoy it. Take advantage of this major tactic if you really want to see a long term profits. Now you know much more about Exit Plan Profits review and what it can bring to your business table.

Get in the habit of learning as much as possible on any marketing method because that will make your actions more effective. Your complete business strategy will contain a variety of elements that do not necessarily have to be related to each other. You always want to limit risk with your web business, and here is what we mean. Stop and think about doing a campaign that is more along the lines of a test ad. Of course it is your decision, but we like to err on the side of caution especially when we are making recommendations like this. Do not let those will lead to believing that shortcuts and cheats are the way to do business; they most certainly are not.

If you are trying to get people to subscribe to an e-zine or newsletter, having a sample available for them to look through can increase opt-in rates because people will be able to see what they are subscribing to. It doesn't take much to put up a small sample, and can actually boost the sign up rate. Also, if you have been publishing your newsletter for a long time, you can even post an archive of older issues for people to look through to sweeten the deal even further.

Basically--it is easy to raise your subscription numbers if you know what you are doing. Use these tips to get better results.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

What to Look for in a Nonprofit D&O Liability Insurance Policy ...

June 25, 2012 ? 11:00 AM

Nonprofit leadership and management need-to-know.? If you believe you do not need this insurance, perhaps you should read this article.

Excerpt: Nonprofit clients often ask us whether they really need to purchase Directors and Officers Liability Insurance (?D&O Insurance?). Our answer is always an emphatic YES! D&O Insurance is an important safeguard for any nonprofit organization. D&O Insurance protects the directors, officers, and often even the employees and volunteers from personal liability that arises in connection with the organization?s activities

Read full article via What to Look for in a Nonprofit D&O Liability Insurance Policy.? From Charity Lawyer Blog

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The challenge of change initiatives | Ric Willmot Blog

Those in your organisation who are complaining the loudest about your change initiative without regard for the benefits, value and outcomes for everyone might possibly be the ones who are afraid of being ?found out?.

Those in your organisation who are silent and non-commital may not yet be convinced about what you?re telling them in regards to how things will be improved.

This is why change is a challenge. This is why change is difficult.

Change is a process not an event and the change is made by individuals. It?s a highly personal experience for those involved within the organisation and can evoke a multitude of feelings and emotional responses. Because of this more than 70% of change initiatives fail because there wasn?t satisfactory focus on people issues.

The challenge of change initiatives is to create confidence in the hearts and minds of your people.

______________________

Click the icon below to go to the Resources page of the Executive Wisdom Website and download the Change Management Learning Module written by Ric Willmot for CEO Online.

Click this image to go to the Resources Section and download Change Management 601

Ric Willmot is a Gold Author for CEO Online

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APNewsBreak: Few Iowa felons pursue voting rights

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) ? Republican Gov. Terry Branstad has made Iowa one of the most difficult states in the nation for felons to vote, with an executive order he issued last year already having disenfranchised thousands of people, a review by The Associated Press shows.

On the day he took office, Branstad signed an order reversing a six-year policy started under Democrat Tom Vilsack in which felons automatically regained their voting rights once they were discharged from state supervision. The move flew in the face of a nationwide trend to make voting easier for felons, making Iowa one of four states where felons must apply to the governor to have voting rights restored. Branstad's new process requires applicants to submit a credit report, a provision critics call inappropriate and unique among states.

Since then, 8,000 felons in Iowa have finished their prison sentences or been released from community supervision, but less than a dozen have successfully navigated the process of applying to get their citizenship rights back, according to public records obtained by the AP. Branstad's office has denied a handful of others because of incomplete paperwork or unpaid court costs.

"Wow ? that seems pretty low," said Rita Bettis, lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which was posting a how-to guide online Sunday to help felons through a process that has confused some seasoned elections officials. Bettis said felons struggling to re-enter society may be less interested in voting than the general population because they have other concerns, but making it easier for them to do so is good public policy.

Henry Straight, who wants to serve on the town council in the tiny western Iowa community of Arthur, is among those whose paperwork wasn't complete. Straight can't vote or hold office because as a teenager in Wisconsin in the 1980s, he was convicted of stealing a pop machine and fleeing while on bond.

Straight spent a year on the effort and hired a lawyer for $500 to help. Yet he was notified by the governor's office last month that he hadn't submitted a full credit report, only a summary, or documentation showing he had paid off decades-old court costs.

"They make the process just about impossible," said Straight, 40, a truck driver. "I hired a lawyer to navigate it for me and I still got rejected. Isn't that amazing?"

Iowa's process also includes a 31-question application that asks for information such as the address of the judge who handled the conviction. Felons also must supply a criminal history report, which takes weeks and costs $15. Then the review can take up to six months.

Critics say the process is too onerous and that allowing felons to vote helps them reintegrate into society. They say Iowa's process disenfranchises the poor, who don't have money to pay off debts, and blacks, who make up a disproportionate number of felons. They also point out that requiring a credit report is likely scaring off felons with financial problems.

"Iowa is in a dwindling minority of extremely restrictive states," said Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a national group that advocates for policies to make it easier for felons to vote. For felons, Branstad is "making your right to vote contingent on your financial abilities."

The trend in the U.S. since 1996 has been to expand felon voting rights and make it easier to have them restored, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Kentucky, Florida and Virginia are the other states that require felons to apply to the governor, but they don't require a credit report. Thirty-eight states allow most felons to automatically regain their voting rights once they complete their sentences, according to the report. Maine and Vermont never take away voting rights. Others require felons to wait a certain amount of time before becoming eligible.

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht said Iowa's policy helps ensure felons pay restitution to victims and that he expected more to apply over time. He said the credit report helps officials verify those debts are paid. He noted the application is two pages long and available online with a "frequently asked questions" document.

Still, some felons have given up. Henry Straight's cousin, Richard Straight, 65, said he has struggled with addiction to drugs and crime. He said he would like to vote in the upcoming presidential election, but it's not worth the fight.

"I've only got a few years left of living. I might as well kick back and relax and live my life instead of fighting the system like that," he said.

Iowa had long been one of the most restrictive states for felons' voting rights. When Branstad served as governor from 1982 to 1998, he has said he restored thousands of felons' rights through a similar application process.

Branstad's successor, Vilsack, continued that policy until his 2005 executive order that automatically restored voting rights for felons once they left prison or parole. Republicans, including Branstad, criticized the move as politically motivated. Up to 100,000 felons had their rights restored under the policy, which was in effect until after Branstad won election to a fifth term in November 2010.

The state's new top elections official, Republican Secretary of State Matt Schultz, urged Branstad to reinstate the application process to "send a message to Iowa's voters that their voting privilege is sacred and will not be compromised."

In rescinding Vilsack's policy, Branstad said applying for citizenship rights "is an important and necessary aspect of an offender's process of reintegration."

Henry Straight said he would try to obtain the missing documentation and resubmit his application.

Ironically, he said he would like to be able to vote for Branstad, calling the governor a proven leader.

"But if you can't vote," he said, "you are nobody."

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Jewish Federation of LA Pulls the Plug on Pamela Geller Hatefest (Little green footballs)

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Monday, June 25, 2012

Couple humbled by community support

When Melissa Costa-Lac learned that she and her husband had won a contest for free fertility treatment, she was overjoyed.

But her joy was also tempered by the knowledge that 42 other couples who had entered the contest were once again faced with the disappointment that anyone who has been down the infertility road knows all too well.

?We are humbled by the support we have received and by the generosity of this community that we only moved to five years ago,? said Costa-Lac, 33. ?At the same time, we feel such sadness for the other couples who were not selected.?

The I Believe Video Journal Contest, sponsored by the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Las Vegas, invited infertile couples to submit a video telling their story in any way they wished as to why they deserved to win the $12,000 full cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Three couples were chosen to receive treatment.

?It wasn?t hard to tell my story because it?s a pretty good story and we didn?t have to add anything to it,? said Costa-Lac who with her husband, Hong Lac, has endured four miscarriages, three failed adoptions and the devastating still-birth of their full-term son, Xakai Van Lac July 22, 2010.

Assisted by their good friend, local photographer and father of two young children, Kyle Perison, the couple made the video and submitted it.

?It?s one of those things where you either participate or you roll your eyes at it,? said Costa-Lac, a dental hygienist who was with a patient when she got the call that she and her husband had won. ?When we won, it was awesome, but the elation was followed by the sadness of? the people who did not win, and I wonder how they?re feeling.?

Costa-Lac said the response from family, friends and even strangers on the street has been overwhelmingly positive. But there have been a few negative comments, ranging from people wondering why a Canadian couple had the chance to win, to those wondering why anyone would share their story in such a public way.

Living with infertility is lonely and those who have never experienced the heartbreak of longing for a baby simply can?t begin to understand the despair that accompanies another negative pregnancy test.

In sharing their story, Costa-Lac and her husband hope they have shown other couples that they are not alone.

?People have told us to just walk away and it will happen, but I can?t just hope, I have to be proactive and at least give this a shot.?

Now that the couple?s medical records have been sent to the clinic, their next step is a consultation of up to three hours, via Skype, with Dr. Geoffrey Sher.

And, while the treatment is free, the couple will still be paying for the medications, as well as flights and two weeks of accommodation in Las Vegas.

?Less than five per cent of infertile couples get help because of the cost of treatment, so I just keep relating back to the people who didn?t win because this is another loss for them.?

Working full-time as a dental hygienist as well as working in the child care at Excel Fitness, as a nanny several evenings a week and hosting international students as a home stay family, Costa-Lac and her husband also run a health food restaurant in Penticton.

?With this opportunity, we have a year to use the treatment, so we?ll work as hard as we can to save money.?

After the death of? Xakai, Costa-Lac discovered that she has an auto-immune disorder which could interfere with a healthy pregnancy. Several friends have offered themselves as surrogates, but for now, the couple has yet to decide if they?ll take that route.

Once in Vegas, they will stay in an apartment hotel located close to the clinic that is also the temporary home for couples from around the world, seeking fertility treatment.

The couple?s Buddhist faith has been a source of support in getting them through the grief they have experienced on their journey towards parenthood.

?The hardest thing is enlightenment, but you don?t get enlightenment when things are perfect, but through the tough things that bring you to your knees.

?I feel really hopeful and I?m absolutely humbled by the people of Vernon. And if this doesn?t work, we just continue to live our lives, but I want to thank everyone for their support.?

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05-30-2012	Texas Rep. Silvestre Reyes booted by voters in Democratic primary targeted by Houston super PAC EL PASO, Texas - U. S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes was ousted from office Tuesday in what by all accounts was one of the hardest fought and acrimonious primaries in recent Texas history. Reyes, an eight-term incumbent Democrat, fell to...
05-30-2012	Ciro Rodriguez, Pete Gallego poised for runoff in Democratic primary for Texas? congressional District 23 EAGLE PASS, Texas - After a round of high fives for what would have been a primary night triumph, someone let Victor Perry know the numbers were wrong. Very wrong. Perry, who had in 2010 taken over a Democratic Party in...
05-28-2012	In new District 35, Austin?s Lloyd Doggett aims to hold back San Antonio challengers For the past decade, Republicans have not allowed U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett to take anything for granted. The arcane and complicated legal battle over congressional redistricting in 2003 forced Doggett to move into another...
05-28-2012	El Paso Democratic primary race looks to be a photo finish El Paso, Texas ? U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, a political upstart who had never served in a state office, took his office 16 years ago after an entrenched Democratic opponent retired rather than fight a newcomer in a runoff...