Despite sluggish recovery by the nation’s economy, the restaurant industry is projected to expand in 2012, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast released today. Total restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record high of $632 billion in 2012 – a 3.5 percent increase over 2011, marking the second consecutive year that industry sales have topped $600 billion.
In addition, the restaurant industry will continue to fuel U.S. employment in the year ahead as the nation’s second largest private sector employer. Overall restaurant industry employment will reach 12.9 million in 2012, representing 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52982-national-restaurant-association-2012-restaurant-industry-forecast
In value terms, gold demand in 2012 was US$236.4bn – an all-time high. Gold demand in value terms for the final quarter of the year was 6% higher year-on-year at US$66.2bn, marking the highest ever Q4 total.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60350-world-gold-council-q4-full-year-2012-gold-demand-trends
Abbott has selected 40 undergraduate and graduate students living with cystic fibrosis (CF) to each receive a $2,500 CFCareForward Scholarship for use during the 2012-2013 academic year. Recipients were chosen based on their impressive academic merits, community involvement and creativity, and will now compete for two additional scholarships for a total award of $20,000 each – in honor of the 20th anniversary of the program. From now until Sept. 11, 2012, the public is invited to vote at www.CFCareForwardScholarship.com to help determine this year’s Thriving Undergraduate and Graduate Student winners.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56750-2012-cfcareforward-scholarships-announced-voting-open
Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used vehicle information, today announced its inaugural Total Cost of Ownership Award winners. The all-new 2012 awards honor current model-year vehicles and brands (in both the luxury and non-luxury categories) with the lowest projected ownership costs, based on Kelley Blue Book Total Cost of Ownership data for the initial five-year ownership period.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54199-kelley-blue-book-kbb-inaugural-total-cost-of-ownership-award-winners
Beginning in mid-March, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour will once again travel the country, embarking on a ten-month tour to provide an expected $14 million worth of free health tests. The national mobile tour will conduct free health-testing events in communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The free tests—which include total cholesterol levels, blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels, waist circumference and body mass index—are valued at $100 per person and may help provide adults with a critical foundation for early disease detection and prevention.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/walgreens/48029/
Thirteen out of 16 new booster seats for 2017 earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest rating of BEST BET, bringing the total number of boosters on the market with that designation to 118.
The BEST BET rating means a booster provides good safety belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV. Boosters that are rated GOOD BETs provide acceptable belt fit in almost any vehicle, while those rated Check Fit could work for some children in some vehicles. Seats designated "Not Recommended" don’t provide good belt fit and should be avoided.
Ten leading electronics manufacturers have settled lawsuits involving an illegal conspiracy to raise prices for the LCD flat panel screens used in televisions, monitors, and laptop computers. The class action Settlements total approximately $1.1 billion and provide cash back to consumers and businesses that bought widely used LCD (thin-film transistor liquid crystal display) screens.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/58577-lcd-price-fixing-class-action-settlement/
General Mills announced today that by the end of 2020, oat farms that supply oats for Honey Nut Cheerios will host approximately 3,300 total acres of dedicated flower-rich pollinator habitat. It takes about 60,000 acres of oats to make Honey Nut Cheerios products each year. More than two thirds of the crops used to feed people, accounting for 90 percent of the world’s nutrition, are pollinated by bees.1 Flower-rich habitat is critical in helping maintain the nutritional health of bees and the continued supply of crops that we depend on for food. Without bees and other pollinators, food as we know it would be forever changed.
Bees have experienced an unprecedented scale of habitat loss with more than 9 million acres of grass and prairie land converted to crop land since 2008.2 Although Honey Nut Cheerios famous spokesbee, Buzz Bee, and his honey bee friends may not be in danger of extinction like some other pollinators, in the interest of protecting our food supply, Honey Nut Cheerios is committed to helping all pollinators thrive through the planting of these habitats.
“Pollinator habitats are one of the most effective solutions in ensuring bees get the daily nutrition they need,” said Dr. Marla Spivak, a world-renowned bee scholar at the University of Minnesota who has been collaborating with General Mills on this initiative. “Every day, 4,000 species of North American bees are traveling from flower to flower, shopping for the variety of good nutrition they need in order to thrive. My hope is this partnership between farmers, the Xerces Society and General Mills will not only beautify the North American countryside with vibrant wildflowers, but also help the bees we all rely on so much get back on their own six feet!”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7803951-honey-nut-cheerios-pollinators/
Penfolds, Australia’s leading winemaker, is delighted to once again partner with GQ Magazine, the premier men’s magazine for style and culture, and launch the second annual joint search for the “Best Dressed Somm” of 2015. Until September 30, 2015, wine professionals employed in the U.S. and Canada as sommeliers, also referred to as “somms,” are encouraged to submit their most dapper photos on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #BestDressedSomm for a chance to win the coveted title of Penfolds and GQ’s Best Dressed Somm 2015.
“In top restaurants across North America, modern day sommeliers challenge traditional wine attitudes and rules and set new trends in wine and style,” said DLynn Proctor, Penfolds U.S. Winemaking Ambassador. “A somm’s personal style is about exploring and knowing how to choose, and as a fellow somm I’m excited to be part of Penfolds’ and GQ’s celebration of style as a component of the total wine experience.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7614451-penfolds-gq-best-dressed-somm/
