Press Releases

ATLANTA, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to rising suicide and divorce rates within the U.S. military, FamilyLife, a non-profit ministry dedicated to supporting marriages and families, will present its Weekend to Remember® marriage conference at a significant discount to military couples in Atlanta from Dec. 11 - 13 at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead (3300 Peachtree Road NE). Weekend to Remember is a marriage getaway aimed at strengthening healthy marriages and healing troubled ones in a fun, supportive and non-threatening environment.

While every couple is encouraged to attend, FamilyLife has invited local members of our armed forces and their spouses to attend the conference at a reduced rate in recognition of the sacrifices they make and the subsequent toll their jobs take on their marriages.

"We want to do whatever we can to support military marriages," said FamilyLife President, CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Dennis Rainey. "We recognize and revere the tremendous responsibility and stress placed on our servicemen and women, and that such a career can truly take a toll on one's marriage and family."

FamilyLife's military marriage initiative comes on the heels of reports of rising suicide rates within the United States military. One of the ways the military has chosen to combat this tragic trend is by encouraging soldiers and their spouses to participate in marriage enrichment programs offered by chaplains at military posts around the country. To provide resources to military marriages worldwide, FamilyLife has set up a dedicated website that offers resources specific to military marriages, as well as a downloadable sample of the HomeBuilders: Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready small group study, at www.FamilyLife.com/MilitaryMarriage.

"Making a marriage work is never easy, and it is difficult for any husband or wife to not 'bring the office home,'" said Major General (Retired) Robert Dees, executive director of Campus Crusade's Military Ministry, a FamilyLife partner ministry. "When 'the office' is a battlefield, and a couple isn't equipped with the necessary tools to deal with those experiences, such as separation and the fear of losing one's life or one's spouse, the results can be disastrous. In that spirit, FamilyLife and Military Ministry are committed to strengthening the bonds between the heroes who serve and the spouses they love."

Military couples can attend for a special military rate of $69 per person (a $120 savings per couple). To register, military couples may call 1-800-FL-TODAY or visit www.FamilyLife.com/MilitaryMarriage. Select "Donate" to give to the FamilyLife and Military Ministry partnership and thereby enable even more military couples to attend the Weekend to Remember conference on a scholarship basis.

For more than three decades FamilyLife®, a global, donor-supported, non-profit organization co-founded by Dr. Dennis and Barbara Rainey, has focused on the mission of using practical, biblical principles to build healthier marriages and families through conferences and media channels. FamilyLife, a 501c3, works in 100 countries around the world to help to transform lives and restore hope through its Weekend to Remember® marriage conferences, Homebuilders small group studies, FamilyLife Today(TM) radio broadcasts, Hope for Orphans® orphan care ministry, FamilyLife publications, and the internet. For more information, visit FamilyLife.com.

SOURCE FamilyLife

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vista Higher Learning has announced the winners of its 2009 Language Learning for Life video contest. Designed to support students studying modern languages, the contest was open to secondary and higher education students and focused on the "Communities" strand of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Student participants were asked to reflect on the importance and benefits of language study to their local and/or global community, and convey their message in a video format that effectively and engagingly conveyed their message. The winners are:

Secondary Schools - $1000 prize winners

Frenship High School, Wolfforth, Texas

Somerville High School, Somerville, Massachusetts

California High School, California, Missouri

Higher Education - $500 prize winners

Daniella Romero, Baylor University, Texas

Rachel Smith, Miami University, Ohio

Candice Miser, East Central University, Oklahoma

Zirra Banu, Wartburg College, Iowa

Paul Kuiken, Brigham Young University, Utah

Ross McDermott, Miami University, Ohio

Vista Higher Learning would like to congratulate the winners and all of the participants in the contest. The winning videos can be viewed at vistahigherlearning.com/supportlanguages.

About Vista Higher Learning

Since its beginning in 2000, Vista Higher Learning has been dedicated to developing innovative programs that elevate the teaching and learning of world languages to a new level. Vista's French, Italian, and Spanish materials offer an unprecedented integration of bold textbook design, leading-edge technology, and authentic media that support and enhance language learning and engage today's students.

For more information visit VistaHigherLearning.com.

    Source: Vista Higher Learning

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/462708/travel_and_tourism) has announced the addition of the "Travel and Tourism in Taiwan" report to their offering.

The Travel and Tourism in Taiwan report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest market size data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new legislative, technology or pricing issues. Background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits is also included. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Sector coverage: travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, retail travel and tourist attraction markets

Why buy this report?

    --  Get a detailed picture of the travel and tourism industry;
    --  Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
    --  Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and
        leading brands;
    --  Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to
        develop.

Key Topics Covered:

    --  Travel and Tourism in Taiwan
    --  Euromonitor International
    --  September 2009
    --  List of Contents and Tables
    --  Executive Summary
    --  Government Tourism Goals Fall Short of the Mark
    --  Price Hike During First Half of 2008 and Fuel Price Leads To High
        Inflation
    --  Opening Up To Chinese Tourists, Far From Expected Traffic
    --  High Speed Rail Changes Traveller Preferences; Takes A Heavy Toll on
        Rivals
    --  Travel Accommodation Suffers From Improvements in Transportation
    --  Tourism Slowdown To Continue
    --  Key Trends and Developments
    --  Economic Indicators
    --  Legislative Environment - Taiwan Opens Borders To Chinese Tourists
    --  Legislative Environment - Star Rating System To Be Implemented
    --  Sustainable Tourism
    --  Consumer Lifestyles
    --  Low Cost Carriers
    --  Emerging Niche Sectors
    --  Internet Developments
    --  Terrorism and Security
    --  Leave Entitlement
    --  Consumer Demographics
    --  Balance of Payments
    --  Market Indicators
    --  Table

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/462708/travel_and_tourism

Source: Euromonitor International

    Source: Research and Markets

BOSTON, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/02/09 -- David P. Boucher and Kendall Storch, senior vice presidents with Longfellow Benefits, a Boston employee benefits consultant and brokerage, were named to the list of the 300 Most Influential Advisors in Defined Contribution by The 401kWire.

401(k) industry insiders nationally cast more than 75,000 votes as part of the process used to create this inaugural list. The 401kWire.com, 401kExchange Inc., and the Boston Research Group will host a special dinner and awards ceremony to recognize the honorees.

"This peer recognition shows that Kendall and David are truly among the elite in their field," said Joseph M. Gray, REBC, CLU, LIA, managing partner of Longfellow Benefits.

A resident of North Attleboro, Mass., Boucher, CFP®, AIF®, has consulted on startup 401(k) plans all the way to complex multiple-employer large-market retirement plans.

Storch, CFP®, AIF®, was named one of "20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisors" by Institutional Investor magazine in 2007. He lives in Andover, Mass.

The 401kWire.com is the first place defined contribution industry insiders turn to learn what they need to know to make the right strategic decisions for their company and themselves.

Serving organizations in New England and nationally, Longfellow Benefits provides employee benefits, retirement plans and executive benefits. Its staff includes experts carrying top professional designations: Registered Employee Benefit Consultant (REBC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), Licensed Insurance Advisor (LIA), Master of Business Administration in Taxation (MBA), Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).

For more information, visit www.longfellowbenefits.com or call 617-351-6000.

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Contact:
Henry Stimpson
Stimpson Communications
508-647-0705
HStimpson@StimpsonCommunications.com

New Master Franchise in Panama City is Model for Growth in Central & South America

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Stratus Building Solutions, the St. Louis-based franchisor of branded building service and maintenance operations in the U.S., Canada and Europe, is expanding to Central America by awarding a new Master Franchise in the Republic of Panama.

CEO Dennis Jarrett said, "This new Master Franchise headquartered in Panama City is a business model for our company's expansion in Central and South America as we continue to grow franchise operations globally, and enhance Stratus Building Solutions' worldwide brand."

Pete Frese, President, said, "Mark and Jayson Bashforth will operate Stratus Building Solutions of Panama, offering building services and maintenance licenses under the Stratus Building Solutions brand. The Bashforth brothers currently operate Stratus Building Solutions of Houston, Texas, which opened earlier this year."

Mark Bashforth is a veteran marketing executive with over 20 years of international business experience. He is a member of the British American Business Council of Houston, the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce and earned a B.B.A. and Computer Science degrees from California Lutheran University. Jayson Bashforth served as a top sales executive in telecom and advertising industries in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles with a B.A. in Psychology. In addition to their business success, the Bashforths are experienced deep water sailors who have sailed in oceans around the world.

"We are very excited with the prospects of Stratus Building Solutions in the Republic of Panama," the brothers said in a statement. "Stratus Building Solutions is the fastest-growing international brand in the building services and maintenance franchise industry, with a track record of excellence."

Founded in 2004, Stratus Building Solutions today has U.S. operations in 22 states. In May 2009, Stratus Building Solutions of Canada was established to serve all 10 provinces in that nation. In September 2009, the company established a new Master Franchise in Lithuania as a model for European expansion. Stratus Building Solutions won four "top ten" spots in "Entrepreneur" magazine's 30th Annual Franchise 500(R) ranking, and received the prestigious "2009 St. Louis Award" in the franchising category from the U.S. Commerce Association.

For information, see www.stratusclean.com or call 314.731.2000 or toll-free 877.731.2020. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap @ 314.993 6925.

    Source: Stratus Building Solutions