French’s Foods announces the launch of its first-ever LIVE National Cook-Off -celebrating home chefs who bring smiles to their families with time-saving, great tasting recipes. Revive the ritual of the family meal this autumn and submit your favorite family recipe featuring at least one-French’s product. 5 finalists will receive a trip to NYC to compete in the live cook-off for the chance to win $25,000!

 

Just in time for the holiday season, The Manischewitz Company announces the launch of the 4^th Annual Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off, a cooking contest designed to encourage home cooks to challenge themselves in preparing a meal that is kosher, simple and delicious. The contest encourages people to experiment with ethnic cooking similarly to the way people enjoy preparing Chinese, Mexican and Italian cuisine. Entrants will compete for a chance to win the $25,000 grand prize package including GE Profile kitchen appliances. Featured celebrity guest judge and MC- legendary acclaimed chef, Jacques Pépin.

 

Witches, spiders, and bats, oh my! With Halloween just around the corner, you might already be thinking about creative projects to help make your house the best on the block for trick-or-treaters this year.

The premium Artisan® 810 all-in-one is designed to handle all creative Halloween projects, such as printing spine-tingling Ultra Hi-Definition photos of your little critters in costumes, turning those photos into coloring book pages or personalized note paper, designing custom Halloween Mix CDs, or creating scary party invitations. You can even print photos of the coolest trick-or-treaters directly from a digital camera, mobile phone, USB Flash drive, or an Apple® iPhone.

With built-in Wi-Fi® and Ethernet networking, the Artisan 810 allows multiple users to print their Halloween projects and photos from anywhere in the house. In addition, its high-quality scanning and copying capabilities, full-featured fax, and 30-page Automatic Document Feeder increase productivity to allow you to spend more time planning your Halloween festivities.

You can also find several free templates for one-of-a-kind Halloween projects on Epson’s CreativeZone Web site, such as door decorations, luminarias and pennants. In addition, complete product information and images can be found on Epson’s online newsroom.

Walmart Announces 100 Toys For Just $10 to Kickoff Holiday Shopping

Retailer launches early savings on more licensed toys, favorite games, and active play items

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 30, 2009) – Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is making a stronger commitment to creating more smiles for moms and children this holiday season, bringing back its $10 toys section in all stores today and expanding its $10 holiday assortment this year to more than 100 toys. The retailer has included among its $10 prices and Rollbacks a strong assortment of newly released toys, top brands and classic toys that shoppers seek out each holiday season.  

The $10 toys assortment is the first of several programs Walmart will announce this holiday season to bring 12 weeks of added savings in a year that has been increasingly tough on consumer wallets.

Moms are getting ready and so is Walmart.  According to Walmart customer research, by the month of August 55 percent of shoppers report having started budgeting for their holiday toy shopping, and 39 percent say they have started watching for deals. In fact, 70 percent of consumers report planning to start their holiday toy shopping before Halloween, and 2 out of 10 will have finished by that time.

“With the popularity of our ‘10 for $10’ toy program last October, we knew it was important for customers that we bring it back and offer an even greater amount of $10 toys this year,” said Laura Phillips, chief toy officer and vice president of Toys, Walmart.  “We began working months ago to ensure we could also introduce many toys at just $10 for this holiday program, as well as roll back prices at a time when our customers were ready to make purchases.”

The $10 toys are not limited time offers, but last through the Christmas holiday.  In addition, Walmart’s price guarantee will match any local competitor’s advertised offer on the same toy product if it falls below $10.

Walmart $10 Toy Highlights:

Following are a few examples of the breadth of toys in Walmart’s $10 assortment, some of which are being newly introduced at $10 and others reduced 20-50% off Walmart’s every day low price:

• New Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Action Figures
• Barbie Cut and Style Rapunzel doll
• Games such as Connect 4, Battleship, Monopoly, Trouble and Jenga
• Vtech Explore and Learn Helicopter
• Tonka Light and Sound vehicle assortment (firetruck, dumptruck, etc.)
• New Littlest Pet Shop Online Animals (virtual pet) or Littlest Pet Shop Playpack sets
• Clean-Up Pup Barbie Play Set and Mermaid Splash & Style Barbie
• New Play-Doh Burger Builder Set
• New Garanimals line Bath Boat (with squirter) and ABC 50 wood blocks kit
• Hot Wheels Trick Track
• LEGO Bionicle Legends set
• New Nerf-N-Force Sword
• My Little Pony So Soft Newborn
• Little Dreams Interactive Baby Doll

With its $10 price selection for the 2009 holidays, Walmart has added more offerings for a wider variety of age groups, as well as toys that support role play, imagination, active play and family engagement – areas of interest to parents and caregivers today.  “Toys and board games bring families together through play. With a variety of toys offered today, budget conscious families can still find many ways to be engaged together,” said Reyne Rice, Toy Trend Analyst for the Toy Industry Association. 

 

 

 

 

Discover The Forest is a PSA campaign launched by the US Forest Service and Ad Council aimed raising awareness about the benefits of kids and tweens spending time in nature.  As proud parents, we love showing off all the pictures and paintings that our children create. Now these works of art can also win you a fantastic prize.

The Discover the Forest sweepstakes is an interactive photo/art sweepstakes that encourages kids to head into the forest and return with a photo or piece of artwork that somehow represents their journey. Simply upload the picture on our website and we’ll post the pictures on the gallery so your friends and family can check them out and even vote on the ones they like best.

All those that submit artwork are eligible to win a $100 or $1000 The North Face Gift Certificate! Also, anyone who votes is eligible to win a $50 The North Face Gift Certificate! It’s a great incentive to get your families and friends to check out your child’s masterpiece online. Enter your child’s artwork for a chance to win at http://sweeps.discovertheforest.org/.

1-800-DENTIST is giving away $30,000 worth of free dental care!

Times are tough and many people can’t afford dental care. Yet a new smile could help someone get healthy and feel confident. It could literally change someone’s life, and it wouldn’t cost anything.

To enter, contestants simply need to upload a 1- or 2-minute video explaining their dental problems and how it affects their lives. Entries must be received by November 10. Details can be found online at http://www.1800dentist.com/my-smile-bites.

The United Nations has designated the first Monday each October as World Habitat Day.

This year on Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C. and around the world, please join Habitat for Humanity in support of this global observance as we come together and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless. Millions more face a severe housing problem living without adequate sanitation, with irregular or no electricity supply and without adequate security.

Worldwide, more than 2 million housing units per year are needed for the next 50 years to solve the present worldwide housing crisis. With our global population expanding, however, at the end of those 50 years, there would still be a need for another 1 billion houses. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)

Raising awareness and advocating for change are the first steps toward transforming systems that perpetuate the global plague of poverty housing. World Habitat Day serves as an important reminder that everyone must unite to ensure that everyone has a safe, decent place to call home.

The U.N. further states that both developed and developing countries, cities and towns are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability.

Rapid rates of urbanization cause serious negative consequences – overcrowding, poverty, slums with many poorly equipped to meet the service demands of ever growing urban populations.

With over half of the world’s population currently living in urban areas the U.N. believes there is no doubt that the “urban agenda” will increasingly become a priority for governments, local authorities and their non-governmental partners everywhere.

U.S. Housing Facts

* About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004)

* One in three American households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and one in seven spends more than 50 percent. (Joint Center for Housing Studies: 2006)

* The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al: 1999)

Global poverty facts

*By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)

* One out of every three city dwellers – nearly a billion people – lives in a slum. (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.) (UN-HABITAT: 2006)

* UN-Habitat has reported that because of poor living conditions, women living in slums are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than their rural counterparts, and children in slums are more likely to die from water-borne and respiratory illness. (UN-HABITAT: 2006)

* Housing formation generates non-housing related expenditures that help drive the economy. (Kissick, et al: 2006)

* Investing in housing expands the local tax base. (Kissick, et al: 2006)

The theme for World Habitat Day 2009 is “Planning our Urban Future”

Celebrations of World Habitat Day in Washington, D.C. will be an excellent opportunity to foster global discussion and raise the profile of shelter and urban issues at the national and international level. Events in the United States and around the world include policy forums, award presentations, luncheons, dinners, house-building and exhibitions.

UBISOFT KICKS OFF “IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE” SWEEPSTAKES OFFERING MORE THAN $100,000 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS AND PRIZES

Winners Will Be Selected Each Week in October to Celebrate Imagine Video Game Launches

SAN FRANCISCO – September 28, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced that its “Imagine Your Future Sweepstakes,” a month-long online sweepstakes that awards more than $100,000 in prizes including four $25,000 college scholarships to aspiring students, launched at www.imaginetown.com/sweepstakes. The online sweepstakes has already begun and will continue through October 25, 2009 to commemorate October as Imagine Month, during which four brand new video games from the wildly popular Imagine series will be available at retail.

Winners will be chosen at random in four different drawings, to be held every Monday in October, for the weekly grand prize of a $25,000 529 Educational Fund. The lucky winners will be able to use the scholarship prize toward the school or college of their choice after graduating high school. Parents or legal guardians of students planning to attend post-high school or higher education, or adults 18 years or older are welcome to register for the sweepstakes.

“Every kid has big dreams and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Imagine Month in October than with a sweepstakes for aspiring young students,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft.

In addition, the following second and third place prizes will be granted each week throughout “Imagine Month”:

Five (5) Second Place Prizes: Imagine Nintendo DSi™ Pack

• One Nintendo DSi™ system ($169.99)

• One Imagine Fashion Designer World Tour for Nintendo DSi ($29.99)

• One Imagine Babyz Fashion for Nintendo DSi ($29.99)

• One Imagine Artist for Nintendo DSi ($29.99)

• One Imagine Zookeeper for the Nintendo DS™ system ($29.99)

Approximate retail value $289.95 each prize pack.

Fifty (50) Third Place Prizes: One Pink Imagine T-Shirt

For four weeks in October, a new Imagine game will be available at retail stores starting with Imagine Salon Stylist which will release on October 1st, Imagine Zoo Keeper which will release on October 6th, Imagine Fashion Designer on October 20th and Imagine Artist on October 27th. All games are available for both Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS.

No purchase is necessary to register for the sweepstakes. For complete rules and details, please visit www.imaginetown.com/sweepstakes. Limit one prize per household.

Ubisoft’s successful Imagine series, the first-ever dedicated brand of video games for girls ages 6 to 14, has sold more than 14 million units worldwide making it the No. 1 girls brand on Nintendo DS (Source: NPD 2008).

For more information, please visit www.imaginetown.com/sweepstakes.

Delayed First Visit to Dentist Can Affect Children’s Lifelong Oral Health

– Caregivers don’t clearly understand importance of primary teeth –

OAK BROOK, IL (September 24, 2009) – Most American children don’t see their family dentist until they are well over 2 years old, far later than is recommended by both dental and medical professionals.

That’s one of the key findings from a survey[1] of American children’s oral health, conducted on behalf of Delta Dental Plans Association, the nation’s leading dental benefits provider. Delta Dental commissioned the survey to gain greater knowledge about the state of children’s oral health.

The survey of primary caregivers revealed that, for those children who had seen a dentist – and 34 percent had not – the average age at the initial visit was 2.6 years. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that a child go to the dentist by age 1 or within six months after the first tooth erupts.

Importance of Primary Teeth Not Recognized

Among children who have never visited the dentist or who have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months, the most mentioned reason (62 percent) was that “the child is too young” or “doesn’t have enough teeth yet.” Lack of insurance coverage was cited by 12 percent of the caregivers.

According to the AAPD, it is very important to keep primary teeth in place until they are lost naturally. “Baby” teeth:

· Help children chew properly to maintain good nutrition.

· Are involved in speech development.

· Help save space for permanent teeth.

· Promote a healthy smile that helps children feel good about the way they look.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that care for a child’s gums should begin at birth. According to the Delta Dental survey, 35 percent of caregivers clean their baby’s gums just a few times a week, or less.

Caregivers should gently wipe the baby’s gums with a soft, wet cloth after each feeding. When primary teeth begin to appear, they should be cleaned with a soft, child-sized toothbrush and a pea-sized dab of children’s toothpaste, twice a day.

“Many Americans don’t understand how important their children’s baby teeth are to lifelong oral health,” said Jed J. Jacobson, DDS, MS, MPH, chief science officer and senior V.P. at Delta Dental. “There’s a continuing need for more education to teach practices that will ensure lifelong oral health. And, since people overwhelmingly prefer the dentist and dental hygienist as their primary oral health information sources, dental benefits that encourage visits to the dentist are crucial.”

The not-for-profit Delta Dental Plans Association (www.deltadental.com) based in Oak Brook, Ill., is the leading national network of independent dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to more than 54 million Americans in more than 89,000 employee groups throughout the country. In 2007, Delta Dental formed a partnership with the National Head Start Association to help improve the oral health of the nation’s children at a critical time in their development.

This October “Boo at the Zoo” at the Bronx Zoo is the place to be for Halloween in New York City! October 10-12, 17-18, 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Family and friends can enjoy all of the spooky fun, including the first-ever Haunted Safari Adventure. Embark on an incredible journey as you walk, crawl and slide through huge fantastical environments, designed to delight.  Take your family on a wondrous adventure through a bat cave, the belly of a snake, a rainforest swamp and much more, as you are challenged to find the whereabouts of a lost species.

There’s a lot more fun to be had at this spook-tastic event! Go batty for special wildlife magic performances and pumpkin carving demonstrations. Don’t miss live musical performances with Annie and the Natural Wonderband, and sing along to some of your favorite animal-inspired tunes. Let yourself get lost at the Bronx Zoo’s Halloween Hay Maze, or take a spin on an eerie hay ride through Creepy Hollows. Learn about amazing bats as our fabulous Wildlife Theater Players perform of It’s a Wonderful Niche. You can also join Scrap Kins and turn trash into treasure as you create an animal mask from recycled materials. Best of all, come visit with our bats, cats, reptiles and creepiest critters!

Kids in wildlife costumes get in free to enjoy this hauntingly good time!

To help get everyone bat crazy excited, we are hosting a photo contest for the zoo with early entry prizes and a Grand Prize worth the weight of an elephant. Photo contest details below. Please get into contact with me if you have questions or send me a link if you post a placement on your site!

Photo Contest Details:

October 7^th – November 2^nd (12:01am)

The Theme: Upload a photo taken of you, your child or your family in a wildlife costume on Facebook or Flickr! There are 100 entry-first prizes that will be awarded, one grand prize and one runner-up prize. The Grand Prize is complimentary entry to a group of 25 to the Bronx Zoo redeemable up to six months from being awarded! The runner-up prize is a digital camera. There are also entry-first prizes of a free Boo at the Zoo t-shirt for the first 100 entries.

A panel of judges will choose from the entries the best photo they feel best represents the following:

· Best fits the theme

· Shows inspiration and creativity

1 Grand Prize winner receives the following:

· Free entry to the zoo, good for usage from six months from winning date for a group of 25 that includes free food and private tour.

1 Runner-Up winner receives the following:

· Digital Camera

100 of the first entries into the contest will receive the following:

· Bronx Zoo “Boo at the Zoo” t-shirt

Rules of Entry: There are two points of entry for this contest…

· Via Facebook – Become a fan of the Bronx Zoo fan page and upload your photo to the “Fan Photos” section. Use the Caption: “Boo At The Bronx Zoo” Check out the Bronx Zoo Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/bronxzoo

· Via Flickr – Post your photo onto Flickr photo group for The Bronx Zoo. Make sure to tag your photo with “Boo At The Bronx Zoo” Check out the Bronx Zoo Flickr Group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/1222821@N20/

Contest begins on Wednesday, October 7^th and runs until Monday, November 2nd.