Rescue pets can reach their full potential if just given the opportunity. Four rescue pets have been selected as finalists in the “Tales of Greatness” Purina® Pro Plan® 2012 Rally to Rescue® Story Contest, proving that even in the face of challenging beginnings all pets can make a positive difference. Purina® Pro Plan® is now inviting pet lovers to share in the celebration of these remarkable stories of achievement by voting in the nationwide contest.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/58333-purina-pro-plan-rally-to-rescue-tales-of-greatness-pet-story-contest
The top 10 videos have been chosen in Bridgestone America’s Teens Drive Smart Video Contest. Now it’s time for the public to decide who the top three finalists will be.
Voting is underway now through July 23 at www.teensdrivesmart.com. The top three vote-getters will get all-expense paid trips to New York City. Bridgestone Americas will choose the first place winner, which will receive a $25,000 scholarship and his/her video will air on the MTV Jumbotron in Times Square in New York during the month of August. Second place will receive a $15,000 scholarship and third place will win $10,000 for college.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/54833-bridgestone-teens-drive-smart-2012/
His search to understand the Lord of the Arctic, Ursus maritimus, the polar bear, has taken him to one of the harshest environments in the world – a frozen seascape where temperatures plummet below zero and the sun isn’t seen for months on end. Dr. Steven C. Amstrup, the most influential person working on polar bear conservation today, has been selected from among a group of six outstanding finalists to receive the 2012 Indianapolis Prize – the world’s leading award for animal conservation.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56166-steven-amstrup-polar-bear-champion-awarded-2012-indianapolis-prize
Sydney Fialkow, 10, and her mother Stacy, 41, of Atlanta were named the grand prize winners of the Ben’s Beginners™ Cooking Contest. The playful nationwide competition, sponsored by the UNCLE BEN’S® Brand, the number-one selling brand of rice in the United States, was designed to empower and encourage parents to connect with their kids one meal at a time.
Sydney Fialkow was selected from a field of more than 700 contestants (ages 5-12) who videotaped themselves preparing a kid-friendly rice dish and discussing the experience of cooking with their parents. The contestants were narrowed to four finalists, from which the Fialkows were selected as the grand prize winners. The Fialkow family has won a $20,000 cash prize and a $50,000 cafeteria makeover for The Epstein School, located in Sandy Springs, Ga., where Sydney attends as a fourth grade student.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55947-uncle-ben-s-awards-cash-prize-in-ben-s-beginners-cooking-contest
Food Network’s long-running hit primetime series Food Network Star returns to New York City this May with fifteen talented hopefuls and completely new twists for season eight – this year, returning stars Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis move from behind the judge’s table to square off with culinary favorite Alton Brown for a three-way team competition to find the next Food Network Star, beginning with a special two-hour premiere episode on Sunday, May 13th at 9pm ET/PT. Bobby, Giada and Alton, all television producers in addition to being culinary superstars, lead the charge to find and develop the new talent by each hand-selecting a team of five finalists, who they will produce and mentor through the ‘Star’ experience to find one winner who possesses personality and kitchen chops. Viewers can also glance into the ‘Star’ finalist selection process, with a casting special airing on May 12th and in another turn to the series plot, viewers will vote online before the July 22nd finale to determine who will receive the ultimate prize: their own Food Network show, to be produced by their ‘Star’ team leader.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51725-food-network-star-season-eight-2012/
Even the panel of “odor specialists” resisted the urge to cover their noses as pungent smells emanated from the smelliest sneakers in this year’s Annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest. Ready to be judged, seven kids, ages seven to sixteen, from across the country have arrived in Montpelier today, selected as national finalists, wearing the decrepit and odorous rubber-soles that won them regional recognition.
In its 37th year, the National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest is the ultimate test of just how dirty and stinky sneakers can get when they’re part of an active kid’s life, going where they go, through puddles, mud and all. Sneakers are judged on the conditions of the sole, tongue, heel, toe, laces or velcro, eyelets/grommets, overall condition and most important ODOR, by a panel that includes NASA “Master Sniffer” George Aldrich, Chemical Specialist for NASA space missions, and Rachel Herz, Ph.D., a professor at Brown University and author of The Scent of Desire and That’s Disgusting.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55027-37-th-annual-odor-eaters-rotten-sneaker-contest
Food Network’s top-rated hit Chopped All-Stars returns for a second season filled with fan-favorite chefs, unexpected ingredients, and fierce competition for a $50,000 prize for charity on Sunday, April 8th at 9pm ET/PT. In each of the five themed episodes, hosted by Ted Allen, four specially selected chefs are challenged to create three masterful courses from ingredients in the mystery basket, ranging from beef tendon and crawfish, to black beans with queso fresco and chicken feet. Chopped All-Stars kicks off with Iron Chefs battling in the Chopped kitchen, followed by competitions between Food Network/Cooking Channel show hosts, Food Network Star finalists and Chopped judges. A rotating roster of top-notch judges will decide who gets “chopped” each week, leading up to a final showdown between the four episode winners on Sunday, May 6th at 9pm ET/PT, where the $50,000 grand prize to the winner’s charity of choice will be awarded.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51723-food-network-chopped-all-stars/
A dropped bottle or slipped martini olive can jeopardize a bartender’s chance of being crowned the world’s best. It’s all on the line at the 21st annual World Bartender Championship (WBC) taking place on February 26, 2012, where the top T.G.I. Friday’s® bartenders from across the globe have more reason than ever to step up their game. Mixology authors, TV personalities and internationally-renowned bartenders will judge the skill and showmanship of each of the nine finalists as they take center stage at the Glass Cactus in Dallas. Among the celebrity guest judges are Kim Haasarud, Charlotte Voisey and Phil Wills
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54650-tgi-fridays-masters-of-mixology-world-bartender-championship
A Squared Entertainment and By Kids For Kids Co. team up with CreditReport.com to launch Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club “Learn and Earn” financial literacy promotion. An expansion of the Secret Millionaires Club animated series that features Warren Buffett mentoring a group of kids through their own business adventures, key aspects of the campaign include: the “Learn and Earn” promotion, which offers educational materials for kids in grades 3 – 6; the “Grow Your Own Business” Challenge — based on Mr. Buffett’s financial lessons — which invites kids to submit ideas for their own entrepreneurial endeavors for the chance to win $5,000 with finalists given the opportunity to present their business ideas to Mr. Buffett himself in his hometown of Omaha; and the premiere of the first Secret Millionaires Club television special debuting October 23 (1 p.m. ET) on The Hub TV network.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51713-creditreport-com-learn-and-earn-secret-millionaires-club-warren-buffet
Carol Platt was caught in the middle of the economic downturn with no backup plan. Searching for a stable job in an unstable economy proved to be difficult without a college degree. Her work history and past successes were overlooked. It had always been a dream of hers to complete her degree; after a failed first attempt, she was unsure of her ability to follow through. She began researching online education options and felt that Kaplan University stood out; she decided to complete her college degree online. Carol enrolled in Kaplan University’s School of Business and Management and earned her bachelor’s degree online, focusing on business with an emphasis in human resources.
The adult continuing education program at Kaplan University is designed for working professionals who seek to further their career or, like Carol, want to earn their university degree online.* Students can complete assignments on a schedule that fits their lives. It’s this type of flexibility that helps prepare Kaplan University online students for success. Even if you already have an established career, it’s never too late to consider online business school to further your knowledge and update your skills. Increase your marketability with one of Kaplan University’s online bachelor degree programs without taking time off of work to attend class.
* Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.
“I grew up in Graham, North Carolina. My parents both worked for the textile mills, both had fourth grade educations and my mom always wanted me to get an education. When I graduated from high school it was my dream to go to college. I failed the first class of my life which was my chemistry class. I was just overwhelmed so I left after about a year and half, got a job and kept trying to go back to school. For me it was personally devastating. It really bothered me. I felt like I was failing. I had one shot and I blew it.
When Jenna left for boarding school I couldn’t even open the door and go in the room and I was almost 52. All of that coincided with the downturn of the market. I had almost $6 million dollars in contracts waiting to close and they all fell through—every single one of them. I thought, ‘now what? I don’t have a degree, there are no jobs.’ It doesn’t matter what I had done or how much success I had, the requirements are to have a degree. Not only that, I had to walk back in the door competing with people half my age and many of them had MBAs.
It was just a matter of figuring out how to do it—so that’s when I started to check into what were the institutions, what was the cost, how were they respected. Kaplan [University] had a degree in business with a specialty in human resources. As I started narrowing the options down, it made it into about the final three. I took those three finalists to my traditional education friends and I said, ‘I want to know what the most respected online degree would be if someone was coming into your office looking for a job.’
The IT Dean, the Computer Science Dean, felt like Kaplan [University] had the best online delivery program that was out there. The Academic Dean’s advice was that this is a respected degree that you’re not going to have people questioning whether you were competent when you came out. Everything that you take there will be accepted if you go on to a master’s [program] anywhere so that was a very good recommendation. When I sat down at graduation, 31 years later, and I’m looking up at the podium and it says, ‘Kaplan University: a Different School of Thought’ that was probably more me because I do think a little differently. I’m willing to work on things that innovate and I think that’s more of an opportunity for me and many students like me.~N
Season 10 American Idol contestant Casey Abrams, fresh off the summer tour, is once again asking America to vote; but this time it’s for the finalists in the national disease awareness campaign IBD Icons. Casey helped launch IBD Icons to raise awareness for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to celebrate the courage and persistence of those living with IBD who pursue their dreams despite the challenges of their disease.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51547-ibd-icons/
With the addition of a star-studded panel of guest judges, including designers Thom Filicia, Robert and Cortney Novogratz, Nate Berkus and Kathy Ireland, as well as Food Network’s Paula Deen and Dina Manzo, event planner and former cast member of Real Housewives of New Jersey, HGTV Design Star returns for a sixth season on Monday, July 11, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The series’ celebrated line-up of stars includes HGTV’s own returning judges Genevieve Gorder, Candice Olson and Vern Yip, as well as a guest appearance on the panel by John Gidding. David Bromstad, the first HGTV Design Star champion, will mentor the finalists as they compete for a chance to win their own show on HGTV. Hosted by Tanika Ray, HGTV Design Star will air on Mondays through September 12.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/49691-hgtv-design-star/
