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This is where we'll announce the most recent changes and additions to our web site, as well as capture the latest news about our company and about the industry.  If you've visited us before and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.

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PRESS RELEASE: LegalWills.co.uk Launches DIY Online Legal Will Service
The new, online service from Legalwills.co.uk allows individuals to prepare their will, in the convenience of their own home, for a fraction of the cost of hiring a lawyer.

A Last Will and Testament - The Worst Excuses For Not Having One
What should every adult have, but nearly three quarters do not? An up-to-date Last Will and Testament. Most people do not have a legal Will because of these top 10 excuses.

PRESS RELEASE: A Legal Will Does not Last a Lifetime
Most Canadians do not have a legal Will, but of those that do, most are not kept current. The process of maintaining one's Will is extremely important, but with a lawyer it can be inconvenient and expensive. A new online service by LegalWills.ca allows people to maintain their legal Will conveniently and cost effectively.

Where There's A Will...
The one thing in life that is guaranteed is death, and it is never too early to start thinking about your last wishes.

Living Wills
Death and dying-it's something that many people avoid talking about. But refusing to talk about it and make your end of life decisions can cause you--and your family--more grief and money than you may know.

Everybody's going to die, so we all need Wills
It may not be a pleasant thought to think about, but it happens. Everyone will die, and not all of us will die peacefully on our deathbed. It is vital that everyone, including teens, have a will.

Poll: More planning ahead for death, living wills
People are more likely these days to plan for their own death or talk to close relatives about the subject that many have long been inclined to avoid, a poll found.

The Web of Grief
Mrs. Strom is one of countless bereaved individuals who have turned to the Internet in their time of grief, using it not only to plan a funeral or contact relatives, but to pay tribute to a life lost.

Promoting Advance Directives
Society has paid a price for not recognizing the value of advance directives.

End of Life Care
There are a great many care options for the last days of life. Emotional and philosophical concerns, deciding where to receive care, and legal documents (such as advance directives, a health care proxy, and a living will) need to be discussed, decided, and legally secured to ensure you receive the treatment you want.

Gay Wills: Giving You The Choice
Under current legislation, if you don't make a Will your gay partner has no automatic right to your estate.

Wills Protect Children's Interests
Your will may be the most important document you ever create for your children.

Remains of Star Trek's 'Scotty' headed for space
Evidently Star Trek actor James "Scotty" Doohan took the catchphrase "beam me up" very seriously - his cremated remains will be launched into space in accord with his last wishes.

Clearing Up Estate Document Confusion
Few topics confuse investors more than figuring out what estate-related documents they need. Living Wills, Living Trusts, and Powers of Attorney are just a few of the terms that most find hard to define, let alone understand.

Be specific about your final wishes
What is the difference between advance directives and DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)? What should I do?

Legal Issues of Elderhood
There are four crucial documents each senior citizen should have: 1. An updated and valid will; 2. A durable power of attorney; 3. A living will; 4. A durable power of attorney for health care.

Living Wills Can Help In Hard Times
Q: My family and my doctor have been pushing me to sign a living will. I'm not comfortable signing a living will at this time. Do I really need one, or is this something I can do without?

Think About Your Estate Planning Checklist
You may think it's too soon to do estate planning. Yet, none of us can predict the future - so you'll want to be prepared for anything.

Digital Inheritance Raises Legal Questions
As more of our personal lives go digital, family members, estate attorneys and online service providers are increasingly grappling with what happens to those information bits when their owners die.

Families Need To Communicate End-of-Life Wishes
What do "quality of life," "heroic measures" and "dying with dignity" mean to you? What kind of care would you want if you were unable to speak for yourself? What are your hopes and fears about the medical treatments you might or might not receive? What makes life worth living or, conversely, not worth living?

What Next?
So, you've planned carefully, consulted the professionals and have your estate plan in order. Have you considered, however, what would happen if you became incapacitated or died suddenly? Would your spouse, family, attorney-in-fact or successor trustee know what to do?

Young, Single and in Need of an Estate Plan
Remember that hilarious episode of "Friends" where Ross convinces Rachel, Phoebe and the others to sit down and write their wills and designate durable power of attorney to each other in the event something should happen to them?

Little Things Cause Big Problems After Death
Death and taxes. We can't avoid them. And though we talk about taxes, death is a subject most of us avoid. We know it's out there and coming this way. Yet, we don't discuss it.

End-of-life Issues
Few things are more unnatural than talking about the end of one's life. It is a very uncomfortable topic to discuss with your partner, children, family and sometimes even your health-care provider.

As a Life Ebbs, the Ultimate Family Quarrel
Many people will put off the writing of a Living Will thinking that their family will be able to agree on the most appropriate care. Countless press articles suggest that the 30 minutes or so that it will take to prepare a Living Will is time very well spent.

Loved ones' ashes can give back to nature
As if shooting them into space or pressing them into artificial diamonds were not sufficiently offbeat, the deceased can now have their ashes mixed into concrete to help form ocean fish habitats.

Florida Supreme Court Decision on Schiavo Legal Case Highlights Importance of Getting Health Care Wishes in Writing
Elder Law Attorneys Offer Nine Tips to a Living Will, Health Care Proxy and Health Care Power of Attorney.

The Desperate Case of Terri Schiavo
The lengthy legal battle over the fate of Terri Schiavo in Florida has heightened people's interest in Living Wills and the Healthcare Power of Attorney.

Get Cracking On Will
People, in general, are often hesitant to prepare wills. There's a number of reasons for this.

Internet Can Help Send Loved One On
Sure, you can buy a car, order flowers, download music, purchase videos, fill prescriptions and even order pizza and grocery deliveries via the Internet. But when a loved one passes away, would you log on to a web site such as PartingWishes.com to send her on the way to the hereafter?

Digital Wills Concept Tested in Australia
People have been known to hide their wills in some pretty unusual locations, but concealing one in digital form inside a watch may take some beating.

Member wins Six Feet Under DVD set during "Make A Will Month"
Affiliate websites of PartingWishes.com (www.USLegalWills.com and www.LegalWills.ca) ran a "Six Feet Under" contest. This contest was to promote the October "Make A Will Month" at these web sites.

Online memorial adds second site for pets
A Canadian dot-com firm has expanded its business beyond online memorials for friends and family members to create a site exclusively for honouring the lives of pets.

PRESS RELEASE: ILovedMyPet.com Online Pet Memorial Service helps grieving pet owners
The loss of a pet can be one of the most stressful moments of a person's life. When a faithful companion of 10 years or more passes away, the feeling of loss can be more profound than the loss of a family member.

Official Launch of the ILovedMyPet.com Web Site
The web site is dedicated to assisting in the grieving process that follows the loss of a loved family pet.  Visitors can step through a simple question-and-answer wizard to create a personalized memorial web page as a tribute and commemoration to the life of their pet.

MyLife™ and MyMemorials™ services now Available
Have you ever wished you knew more about a relative who has now passed away, their philosophies on life, their experiences, their achievements? Would you like people to know the real you, after you are gone?

Out there: Remembering the dead
The price of immortality? How's 10 bucks sound? That's how much it costs to create an online memorial to yourself that family and friends can visit when you've left this mortal coil.

Create Funeral Plans, Wills at Unique Web Site
No one wants to think about dying, but failure to do so can leave loved ones in a bind. A unique Web site, PartingWishes.com, offers a variety of services to help consumers deal with this difficult topic.

PRESS RELEASE: PartingWishes.com Launches Unique Internet Estate Planning Services
PartingWishes.com has launched a unique portfolio of services that allows consumers to communicate their final wishes to loved ones after they have passed away. The interactive web site includes services for describing funeral wishes, drafting a legal Will, preparing multimedia messages and creating online memorials.

PRESS RELEASE: PartingWishes.com Introduces New Online U.S. Legal Will Service
PartingWishes.com announces a revolutionary new service, enabling consumers to create and update their Wills over the Internet. Now, from the comfort and privacy of their own home, all that a consumer needs is an Internet connection and about 30 minutes to create a custom Will that is legal in their local jurisdiction.

U.S. MyWill™ Service is now Available
PartingWishes.com is pleased to announce that the MyWill™ service is now available for our U.S. members. (This service was made available to our Canadian members earlier this year.)

A Death In The Family Brings Financial Issues
Here's a list of my top financial issues to consider when your spouse or common-law partner (CLP) dies.

Death Becomes You
Say goodbye to stodgy funerals. Boomers want more colourful sendoffs, something with flair and personality. Flashy coffins and turning your loved one's ashes into wearable gemstones are part of a whole new death experience.

Canadian MyWill™ Service is now Available
Who will care for your children? Who inherits your house, your money, or your prized baseball card collection? At PartingWishes.com we have removed the obstacles to writing a Will. It is convenient, low cost, and simple.

PRESS RELEASE: PartingWishes.com Launches Unique Internet Estate Planning Services
PartingWishes.com has launched a unique portfolio of services that allows consumers to communicate their final wishes to loved ones after they have passed away. The interactive web site includes services for describing funeral wishes, drafting a legal Will and preparing multimedia messages.

Divas Divine on Stairway to Heaven
When the coffin lid closes, would you really like the sound of Black Sabbath to accompany you to your heavenly reward?

Elders' 'Day-At-A-Time' Approach Neglects Planning
Senior citizens must ensure that their Will, Living Will, Power of Attorney, funeral plans and healthcare directives are in order.

Family Feud Over Ted Williams Body
The family feud over Ted Williams' body deepened when his Will showed that he wanted to be cremated, but the executor of his estate said the slugger later decided to be frozen.

Wills Can Leave a Bitter Legacy
Poor planning, vague bequests may lead to family feuds, lawyers warn.

Stuart Adamson of Big Country dies without a Will
A number of high profile cases have made headlines in North America which demonstrate the importance of writing a Will and keeping it up to date.

Same-sex Partners Should Each Write a Legal Will
News articles highlight the importance of writing a will in same-sex relationships.

PartingWishes.com secures additional funding
PartingWishes.com has secured additional funding from private investors. The undisclosed amount assures the viability of PartingWishes.com and its legal, funeral and estate planning services for the foreseeable future.

Estella Warren tries to communicate her final messages
On a commercial flight in June, Planet of the Apes movie star Estella Warren was so convinced that the plane was about to go down, that she felt compelled to document her final messages.

More Than Half of Americans Don't Have a Will, Says New Survey by FindLaw
According to a recent survey, 59% of American adults don't have a will, giving them little control or input into issues, such as what will happen to their assets and any minor children, after they die.

MyMessages™ service goes live
PartingWishes.com unveils the MyMessages™ service, which allows members to prepare multimedia messages to be delivered to designated friends and family members after they have passed away.

CBC's Market Place attacks the Canadian Legal Will Kit (also known as the Canadian National Will Kit, the Canadian National Will Guide, and the Complete Canadian Will Guide)
Consumer affairs TV show 'Market Place' attacks a product called the Canadian Legal Will Kit, and questions the use of all Do-It-Yourself Will kits.

Complete Strangers May Get a Share of Your Estate
Another case demonstrating the consequences of dying without a Will has been reported in California. This time the California Supreme Court reluctantly decided that a widow whose husband died without a Will must share his property with his half siblings, even though he never knew of their existence.

PRESS RELEASE: PartingWishes.com Launches Online Funeral and Estate Planning Services
PartingWishes.com has launched their online funeral and estate planning services web site.  This innovative Internet site allows members to create and maintain their Funeral wishes, Last Will and Testament, Living Will, Power of Attorney, and other advanced directives securely online from the convenience of their web browser.

PartingWishes.com is now online!
The initial launch of the web site includes services such as the "MyFuneral", "MyKeyholders", and "MyWalletCards" services.
 

News Headlines - March 11, 2010

Reduce Estate Tax By Making Gifts
You can do a lot to minimize your estate taxes before you die. One way is to make some gifts.

Nightmare On Elm Street
Declining home prices and higher adjustable rate mortgage payments spell big trouble for some borrowers.

Choosing The Right Financial Adviser
Like hiring a personal trainer, finding the right financial adviser can help whip your finances into shape.

Pay Death To Go Away
Five ways to turn your wealth into health.

Insuring The Future
Newlyweds need protection now more than ever.

Taxes: Estate Planning
You can't take it with you, but you don't have to give it all to the government either.

Estate Planning
Here are ten things you need to know about estate planning.

Estate Planning In The Digital Age
If you died, could anyone access your online accounts? Here's how to protect and pass on your digital assets.

You're Dead, Now What?
An estate plan will help your loved ones avoid delays, legal problems and uncertainty.

Grandma's Got A Boyfriend, Now What?
The older you are, the more complicated your finances, especially if you're combining households.

Mission Hills Senior Living to raffle discounted apartments (The Desert Sun)
Mission Hills Senior Living will raffle off three senior apartments at a 90 percent discount.

Ex-manager of Santa Cruz sober living house to serve a year in jail on drug charges (San Jose Mercury News)
SANTA CRUZ - The manager of a Santa Cruz sober living environment arrested by drug detectives last year on suspicion he was selling methamphetamine from the drug-free house will spend a year in County Jail, the District Attorney's Office reported Wednesday.

Hawks star will help Vandy recruit's family (The Tennessean)
Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith will assist over the next six months with living expenses for the family of Rajaan Bennett, a Vanderbilt football signee who was shot and killed last month, the team announced in a news release.

Focus to be on Moroccans living abroad (MENAFN)
Focus to be on Moroccans living abroad

Oxbow Living Center holds open house (The Ashland Gazette)
ASHLAND – For those who have still not had a chance to see the new Oxbow Living Center, the opportunity arrives Sunday, March 14, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Green Briefs Better Living Show encores (Portland Tribune)
The Northwest’s largest sustainability-oriented trade show returns to Portland March 26 to 28 – the third-annual Better Living Show at Portland Expo Center. The free three-day show features exhibits on sustainable homes, gardens and lifestyle, including renewable energy systems and ...

March is Living Well Month; Get back on track (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
Sharon Kuhns, University of Illinois We are well into the New Year, and you’ve slacked off on your exercise and your diet. If your New Year’s plan was to get in better shape, get back on track during Living Well Month.

How high will they go? Legal fees spiral in LMSD (Main Line Times)
Anyone interested in playing games might have fun with “When Will Lower Merion’s Legal Bills in the Doe Case Hit the $1-Million Mark?” but taxpayers might find it an expensive pastime.

3-D Is Coming To Your Living Room (CBS 2 Chicago)
3-D is coming to your living room. Panasonic and Samsung have rolled out their 3-D capable TVs, and more manufacturers will follow. CBS 2's Ed Curran reports.

Some residents will receive visit from Census (Douglas Dispatch)
In just a few weeks. county residents will be receiving the 2010 Census forms in the mail at their residences.

SAGE to host program on advance medical directives (MyCentralJersey.com)
SUMMIT — “The Importance of Using and Understanding Advance Medical Directives and Health Care Proxies” is the topic to be addressed at a free presentation to be offered at SAGE Eldercare, 290 Broad St. on Tuesday, March 9 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Veterans being surveyed in advance of VA clinic opening (Cadillac News)
CADILLAC - The Veterans Administration has confirmed it is still on track to open a clinic in Cadillac by the end of the year.

Education Update (York News-Times)
To register, please call (402) 362-6700 or email dschnell@yorkpublic.org at least two days prior to the scheduled class. (Key) YHS: York High School; YMS: York Middle School; HHS: Henderson High School

Think of the future for elderly parents (Centre Daily Times)
Do you worry that your parents lack estate plans? If something happens to one parent, can you help t

Hospital deal stirs emotions (The Sierra Vista Herald)
By Bill Hess Herald/Review SIERRA VISTA — With a partnership pending between the local hospital and a Catholic-based health care network, some in the community are seeking a dialogue. In a Tuesday letter to the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center board of trustees, a local physician, a vice president of the National Women’s Law Center and the director of a group called MergerWatch addressed a ...

BRMALLS Announces Adjusted EBITDA of R$ 110.0 Million in 4Q09, Growth of 36.6% Over 4Q08, With an Adjusted EBITDA ... (Marketwire)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL--(Marketwire - March 10, 2010) - BRMALLS Participações S.A. (BOVESPA: BRML3), the largest integrated shopping mall company in Brazil, announces today its results for the fourth quarter of 2009 (4Q09). BRMALLS has a portfolio of 35 malls, comprising 1,035.6 thousand m² of gross leasable area (GLA) and 467.2 thousand m² of owned GLA. The Company currently has five greenfield ...

BRMALLS Announces Adjusted EBITDA of R$ 110.0 Million in 4Q09, Growth of 36.6% Over 4Q08, With an Adjusted EBITDA ... (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL--(Marketwire - 03/10/10) - BRMALLS Participacoes S.A. (BOVESPA: BRML3), the largest integrated shopping mall company in Brazil, announces today its results for the fourth quarter of 2009 (4Q09). BRMALLS has a portfolio of 35 malls, comprising 1,035.6 thousand m^2 of gross leasable area (GLA) and 467.2 thousand m^2 of owned GLA. The Company currently has five greenfield ...

Should schools use seclusion rooms, restraints for difficult kids? (The Capital Times)
By age 2 Donovan Richards was kicked out of day care for hitting. At age 3, he was obsessed with dinosaurs and utterly uninterested in other children. At 4, he was hospitalized for mania after he threatened to kill himself with his toy sword. And by 5, he was on medicine for bipolar and autism spectrum disorders. One doctor told Paula Buege her son would end up in an institution. Buege vowed to ...

Parents, care providers dislike kindergarten change (Owen Sound Sun Times)
Parents and child-care providers up in arms about changes to the public school board's kindergarten schedule for next school year hope there's time to change the board's mind. But they say the Bluewater District School Board should have consulted them first.[...]

Health & Safety Fair offers free testing, exhibits (Eastern Arizona Courier)
The annual Gila Valley Health & Safety Fair will feature health and safety information from more than 40 organizations, including presentations about a new incisionless procedure to treat gastric reflux.

Elder Law: Used carefully, durable powers of attorney often prove useful (Naples Daily News)
Last week, I began to answer a reader’s question about the liability of a person acting under the authority of a durable power of attorney.Specifically, the reader was concerned about the liability of the agent (also called the “attorney-in-fact”) when acting for an elder who resides in a nursing home and who no longer has private funds to pay for care. The reader was concerned that the agent’s ...

Mont. city told to release power plant documents (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
An exasperated District Court judge has ordered the city of Great Falls to make public nearly all the documents detailing the financial relationship between the city and a power plant developer.

Court Rules A-G TroyKing has the Power (WSFA 12 Montgomery)
Who has the power to prosecute illegal gambling cases in Alabama - the Governor or the Attorney General? A court could make that decision. Monday, a Circuit Judge in Birmingham intervened ordering a response from the Attorney General on the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling's raid of the White Hall Gaming Center.

North Dakota attorney general brings energy concerns to St. Paul (Minnesota Public Radio)
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem visited the Minnesota State Capitol on Wednesday to try to persuade lawmakers to change an energy law that he says treats his state unfairly.

New Great Falls City Attorney Dealing With Several Ongoing, Complex Issues (KFBB Great Falls)
After serving in the private and public sector as an attorney in Montana and Washington for almost 16 years, James Santoro is the new Great Falls city attorney. Just three weeks into the job, he is already dealing with several ongoing, complex issues.

Shad Plank: As Attorney General, McDonnell weighed in on protections for gays at CNU (Daily Press)
Gov. Bob McDonnell pledged to the folks at the Washington Post that he would not tolerate any form of discrimination in his administration, hoping to quell the controversy surrounding Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's advice to state supported colleges and universities that they don't have the power to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. McDonnell said this week that he agrees with ...

N.J. attorney general pushes to open troopers' hearing (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The state attorney general is pushing again to make public the disciplinary hearings of seven New Jersey state troopers accused in the alleged 2007 gang-rape of a Rider University student, saying there was "at least the appearance" they exploited the woman.

Prosecutors: Judge didn’t have power to acquit Joseph Allen (The Chronicle-Telegram)
ELYRIA — Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge didn’t have the power to acquit Joseph Allen of child molestation charges last year, Assistant County Prosecutor Billie Jo Belcher told a panel of three appeals court judges Tuesday. Burge cleared Allen and Nancy Smith of charges they had molested 4- and 5-year-old children on Smith’s Head [...]

Manhattanite gets 3-9 years in Little Neck mortgage scam (New York Post)
A 35-year-old Manhattan man has been sentenced to prison for having used a forged power of attorney to unlawfully obtain a mortgage on his mother-in-law’s Little Neck condominium and steal more than $300,000, the Queens district attorney said.Shih Siang Shawn Liao, of 300 W. 110th St. in...

L.A. Toyota dealer settles lawsuit (CBS 47 Fresno)
CERRITOS, Calif. (AP) — A suburban Los Angeles Toyota dealer has settled a civil lawsuit over statements allegedly made to convince customers to lease rather than buy vehicles. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office said Wednesday that Power Toyota Cerritos agreed to pay $172,000 in penalties and costs without admitting liability. An investigation by the California Department of Motor ...

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