First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Ask Americans To Support Military Families In New Public Service Announcement

We Will Never Forget Those We Lost on 9/11


September 11, 2009 (Los Angeles, CA) - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden ask Americans to support military families in PSA for EIF's new volunteer initiative called "I Participate." PSA developed with support from Major League Baseball and its Welcome Back Veterans Program. Photo Credit: PHOTOGRAPHED BY JESSE DYLAN. (PRNewsFoto/Entertainment Industry Foundation, Jesse Dylan) LOS ANGELES, CA UNITED STATES 20090910T00:00:00-04:00 0-04:00


11 Sep 2009 11:00 Africa/Lagos

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Ask Americans To Support Military Families In New Public Service Announcement

PSA Developed With Support From Major League Baseball and its Welcome Back Veterans Program Part of A New Volunteer Initiative Called "I Participate" Led By The Entertainment Industry Foundation

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden appear in a new Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) public service announcement that praises the contributions of military servicemen and women while asking Americans to assist veterans and military families who need help. The PSA is scheduled to premiere in Major League Baseball stadiums across the country today as part of its Welcome Back Veterans initiative, and will air on major broadcast networks starting this fall.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090911/NY74158 )


The PSA featuring the First Lady and Dr. Biden is the first in a series created by EIF as part of its newly launched "I Participate" initiative designed to inspire a new era of volunteerism and community work in America. As a centerpiece of this multiyear campaign, the major broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC -- and others will include the theme of service in programming in more than 60 shows for the full week of October 19 -25.


"I've made it a personal priority to ask all Americans to join me in the cause of supporting our military families," said Mrs. Obama. "We must all remember that when our troops are deployed, their families are left behind with a completely different set of duties. Let us make a pledge to honor their service and their sacrifice by doing more to serve them in our own communities. Whether it's just being a good neighbor or it's volunteering at a local organization that supports military families, please join us in taking the time to honor those who sacrifice for all of us."


"As the mother of a National Guardsman who is serving in Iraq, this is personal," said Dr. Biden. "I share the concerns, the anxieties, and the pride that come with being a member of a military family, and I have also seen first-hand what a difference it makes when people reach out to show support, whether in school, in the neighborhood, or in the workplace. Each of us has the power to make a difference in the life of a service member or his or her family."


In April, President Obama signed the bi-partisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which recognizes September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance and reauthorizes the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the Federal agency that oversees the Administration's call to service. The bill also represents the largest expansion of federal support for service in history, bringing critical new resources to national service programs, volunteer management efforts and social innovation.


Each of EIF's PSAs will highlight one of five key areas where volunteers are needed most: support for military families; wellness; community health; financial security; and environmental conservation; all were directed by Jesse Dylan. The PSAs include information about http://www.iparticipate.org/ which is designed to make it easy for people to search for volunteer opportunities in their communities and discover new ways to give back. The website features include calendars of events, maps, digital tool kits and uses the power of social networking vehicles like Facebook, making it easy for people to join the movement and recruit friends. Information about the programs can also be found at welcomebackveterans.org and serve.gov.


"With the collective impact of the parties involved in I Participate, we are confident this important initiative will make a significant impact," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Welcome Back Veterans has been an important program for Major League Baseball over the past two seasons and, by becoming a major part of I Participate, we expect the program to significantly address the post traumatic stress needs of veterans and their families."


The number of Americans who volunteer regularly has not increased in 40 years and has generally remained around 26%, according to an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While volunteerism usually declines during periods of economic distress, volunteerism is currently on the rise in America, particularly among young people, according to the CNCS.


"As an industry of storytellers who shape popular culture through film, television and music, we have a unique opportunity to bring service to the fore of American consciousness," said Lisa Paulsen, President and CEO of EIF. "We are so honored to have Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden appear in this important PSA about how we can assist our military men and women and their families."


About CNCS and Serve.gov


The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation engages four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs. Serve.gov is managed by the Corporation for National and Community Service and is an online resource for finding volunteer opportunities and creating new ones in communities around the country.


About Major League Baseball / Welcome Back Veterans


Launched by Major League Baseball and envisioned by New York Mets Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Wilpon, Welcome Back Veterans was designed to support veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families with mental health treatment and job opportunities. Major League Baseball, in partnership with the McCormick Foundation, has raised money through auctions on MLB.com, sales of special stars and stripes logoed caps that have been worn by all 30 clubs, and other fund raising activities. Welcome Back Veterans has awarded $5.8 million in grants to 24 non-profit agencies providing service and assistance to returning veterans. Visit www.welcomebackveterans.org.


About the Entertainment Industry Foundation


The Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the leading charitable organization of entertainment industry, and has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. Visit www.eifoundation.org.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090911/NY74158
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Entertainment Industry Foundation

CONTACT: Judi Ketcik, Entertainment Industry Foundation,
+1-213-240-3920, jketcik@eifoundation.org


Web Site: http://www.eifoundation.org/




Startup Weekend Nigeria Rocks!

Americans Spend More Time Looking in the Mirror as Unemployment Rate Soars

19 Mar 2009 10:20 Africa/Lagos

Americans Spend More Time Looking in the Mirror as Unemployment Rate Soars

Perfectly pressed pleats, shiny shoes, neatly manicured nails; Americans focus on being well suited for the interview process

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The footage and photos are compelling. Over 3,700 job hungry Americans in their finest "interview suits" queue around hotel corridors and spill into Manhattan streets anxiously waiting to enter a job fair two weeks ago. With employment losses exceeding 600,000 a month for three straight months for the first time since 1939, interviewing for a job has taken on an entire new level of importance for most of the country.


In a nation where casual Friday in the workplace has trickled into a five-day-a-week norm at many companies, a plethora of unemployed Americans are being forced to make a paradigm shift and give their approach to interviews a "fresh coat of paint." A well-pressed suit, polished shoes and a new haircut are suddenly "musts" when scores of other applicants are competing for the same position and so much is at stake.


Oliso, a high-performance iron manufacturer headquartered in San Francisco, makes it its business to ensure that Americans look their best. "An appropriate moniker for this era is 'The Iron Age' - as in, Americans are breaking out their irons, many for the first time, in record numbers to ensure they look their absolute best before heading off to an interview," reports Ehsan Alipour, president of Oliso Irons. "As the saying goes, 'you only have one chance to make a good first impression,' and perhaps this has never been more important to Americans than right now," Alipour continued.


In addition to the focus on fastidiousness, another result of the current economic state is that Americans are forgoing trips to the dry cleaner in exchange for the cost-free exercise of pressing their pleats at home. Dry cleaning costs combined with the gas required to get to the dry cleaner, are pushing this cash-strapped nation to dust off their old iron or invest in a new high tech, high-performance one.


Oliso Smart Irons offer the following tips to those in search of the immaculate image when heading out for a job interview. If there are problems with the outfit you plan to wear, the time to fix them is not when the interview confirmation finally lands in your Inbox.


-- Plan ahead!
-- Shop in your closet: Most don't have the resources to purchase a new
suit. Take a hard look in your closet at what you already own. Rather
than buy something new, dress up or stylize your old suit with a
different shirt, tie or scarf. This can bring an entire new look to
an old outfit.
-- Wrinkles are wrong. Showing up for an interview in the "perfect"
outfit that is wrinkled tells your perspective boss that either you
don't care or that you are too lazy to iron it. Use the vertical
steam feature on your iron to steam out your suit jacket while it's on
the hanger. Wrinkles will fall out in tough-to-fix areas such as the
arms, shoulder and back of the jacket. There is no need to pay for
the cleaning of a suit at the dry cleaner when all it needs is a quick
freshening up with steam.
-- If your closet is cramped, chances are you are going to need to steam
out or iron your outfit before wearing it, even if it's still in the
bag from the dry cleaner.
-- Polish your shoes. Even if you think they don't need it, a good polish
to an old pair of shoes makes them shine and appear brand new.
-- Make sure your socks match your shoes and suit, and are thigh high.
You don't want an interviewer to be distracted by your bare leg when
you cross your leg during an interview and your pants leg rides up.
-- Short skirts (above the knee) have no place in the interview process
even if it's part of a suit.
-- Remove your nose ring and/or tongue ring if you have them. If you have
tattoos that are visible, do your best to cover them. Right or wrong,
why take the chance that the person interviewing you may not be a fan
of such things. You can always reveal these once you get hired, if
it's appropriate.



For these and other tips for looking your best for a job interview, visit www.oliso.com


Source: Oliso Smart Irons

CONTACT: Jennifer Gear of Cogent Public Relations, +1-781-937-3489,
jennifer@cogentpr.com, for Oliso Smart Irons


Web Site: http://www.oliso.com/