LITTLE ROCK, June 28, 2010 — High school graduations are commencing and many students have high hopes for college. But national statistics show approximately one in four students will drop out of college their first year (1).

National speaker and college ministry veteran John Bryson believes with strategic preparation this trend can be reversed. Bryson has teamed up with Men’s Fraternity Founder Robert Lewis to develop College Ready©, a six-week study aimed at helping high school seniors and college freshmen make the most of their college experience.

“Part of the reason is that they’re totally unprepared for the college experience,” said Bryson, who has spent more than 11 years working with college students.

Bryson is not the only one questioning college readiness of high school graduates. Media coverage nationwide tells the same story.

“It’s a nationwide problem . . . We probably have right now in this state a lot of people in college who are not prepared for college,” University of Georgia President Michael Adams told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (June 3, 2010).

On May 21, The Dallas Morning News reported “churning out high school graduates unprepared for college is a national issue.”

“Going to college can be an overwhelming experience,” said Bryson. “That first year is hard on everybody. I want to equip students to have a much different experience—one that empowers them to make the most of college and enjoy it, too . . . prepared to thrive in this new season of their life.”

The College Ready study videos and student guide are based on six key principles:

• Acquiring vision
• Empowering friendships
• Excelling academically
• Dating right
• Having fun
• Growing spiritually

Adaptable to a variety of group settings, College Ready is ideal for RAs (residents assistants), college freshman group leaders and teachers. For more information or to purchase College Ready, visit CollegeReady.com.

College Ready is part of a greater initiative of FamilyLife called Life Ready, a biblical strategy for churches to provide proactive marriage and family training through video resources.

For more than three decades FamilyLife has focused on the mission of using biblical principles to build healthier marriages and families. FamilyLife works in 100 countries around the world to help to transform lives and restore hope through its Weekend to Remember marriage conferences, Homebuilders Bible studies, FamilyLife Today radio broadcasts, Hope for Orphans orphan care ministry, FamilyLife publications and the internet. For more information visit FamilyLife.com.

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(1) National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), 2008

REDMOND, Wash. — June 8, 2010 — Students from around the world will gather in Warsaw, Poland, next month to showcase innovative ideas that could change the world. They are competing in the eighth annual Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp. Starting today and running through July 7, the public is invited to view videos created by the students and vote for their favorite projects at www.imaginecup.com. The team with the most votes will be crowned the People’s Choice champion and will be recognized July 8 at an awards ceremony at the Imagine Cup World Festival at the Warsaw opera house.

“We believe that, now more than ever, young people have the ability to make a positive impact on the world,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “These students will be the global leaders of tomorrow, and we want to provide opportunities to demonstrate their creativity and innovation on the world stage. I’m in awe of the quality and sophistication of the Imagine Cup projects. It illustrates the promise of technology to positively transform education and change the way people live, think, work and communicate.”

This year’s competition started with more than 325,000 high school and university students registering from more than 100 countries and regions, and it will culminate at the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals from July 3–8. Only the top 400 students have made it to the Worldwide Finals for their original solutions, which range from a multitouch tutoring system for physically challenged students to a mobile phone application that can test for hearing loss. The quality of this year’s projects proves that students truly are capable of doing anything to which they set their minds.

During the past three months, local Imagine Cup competitions have taken place around the world to determine the finalists for the Software Design competition. The People’s Choice award celebrates the entries in the Software Design competition by providing an opportunity for fans to see all of the projects in a fun and interactive way. By voting for their favorite projects, the public can help raise awareness for critical social issues in education, healthcare and environmental sustainability.

Along with the Software Design competition, finalists have been selected for the Embedded Development, Game Design, Digital Media and IT Challenge competitions. The winners of three worldwide online awards also will be announced today. These awards and winners are the following:
• Windows® Phone 7 “Rockstar” Award. Students submitted a Windows Phone 7 application created in Silverlight or XNA Framework that was original, visually compelling, appealing to the average consumer and used mobile-oriented features.
- Team Beastware from the Advanced Technology Academy in the United States was selected as the winner. This team of two built a “droid” XNA game that leveraged the use of the accelerometer on the device unlike any other app. Through the Microsoft DreamSpark student program, which provides professional-level developer and design tools to students and educators around the world at no charge, Team Beastware will head to Poland to showcase its application during the Worldwide Finals and will have the opportunity to register its app for free on the Windows Phone Marketplace.*

• Windows Internet Explorer 8 Award. The Windows Internet Explorer 8 Award competition is designed to recognize software applications that create enhanced user experience by leveraging Web Slices, Accelerators and search providers in Internet Explorer.
- Team Rhea from Poland was chosen as the winner for its project, Kite Surfer. This project helps advance education by improving search and providing improved access to information sources. It is a visual search, which breaks the standards of typical Web searches. It seeks information using Microsoft Bing and visualizes it in Silverlight using 3-D space. It allows a person to browse through text data, graphics and videos in a new, innovative way.

• Next Generation Web Award. Teams wrote open source Web applications using modern technologies such as Silverlight or ASP.NET on the Microsoft Web Platform.
- Team Wanna Be Alice from Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, will head to Poland to showcase its original Web page that connects people seeking to spread kindness to others as a method of “paying it forward.”

More information about the Imagine Cup and the full list of worldwide finalist teams are available at www.imaginecup.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* More information on Windows Phone Marketplace policies and supported countries can be found at www.developer.windowsphone.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Every penny from coffee sales on Camp Day, June 2nd will help send thousands of kids to camp!

Wednesday, June 2 is Tim Hortons Camp Day! Camp Day is the one day each year when every penny from coffee sales at Tim Hortons stores across Canada and the United States will be donated to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation.

On Camp Day, customers can buy a coffee and help send more than 14,000 kids on the camping adventure of a lifetime. Campers aged nine to 12 years attend a 10-day summer camp session or a seven-day winter camp session, at one of the Foundation’s six camps in Canada and the United States. All the children are selected by Tim Hortons Store Owners who work closely with local youth organizations and schools to identify kids who would most benefit from an experience at camp.

“The support that we receive from Tim Hortons customers every year is overwhelming,” says Bill Moir, President, Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. “They’re helping make a huge difference in the life of so many children. For many, a camp experience is their first time away from home and it’s life changing. Shy kids become confident, scared kids become brave. The experience inspires them for years to come.”

During their stay at camp, kids participate in a wide range of first-class programs and activities designed to build self-confidence, self esteem and leadership skills. The Foundation is committed to providing an enriched and memorable experience for campers, giving them confidence in their abilities, pride in their accomplishments and a more positive view of the world and their place in it.

Following a camp session, Sandra from Burton, MI had this to say about her son’s camping experience:

“I would like to say thank you to all of you who take the time to make sure that kids get a chance to go to camp. My son was chosen through Big Brothers and the Tim Hortons in Burton, Michigan. His father died when he was just nine years old, and this gave him a chance to see what good people do in life. He needs positive role models in his life and Tim Horton Children’s Foundation gave him great things to strive for in life. We are very appreciative of all that you do for children. And I am here to tell you that you have a great effect on our children and families. My son would not have a chance to experience such thing in his life without all of you. Thank you.

About the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation
The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1974. Funding for the Foundation comes from Camp Day, fundraising activities, special events, year-round public donations collected through counter and drive-thru coin boxes and other donations. Since 1975 more than 130,000 children have attended a Foundation camp at no cost to them or their families. For more information about The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation please visit www.timhortonchildrensfoundation.com. You can also donate online at www.sendakidtocamp.com.

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For more information, please contact:

David Morelli: Director, Public Affairs, Tim Hortons. (905) 339-6277

Jeffrey Hoffman: Senior Manager, Community Relations, Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. (519) 448-1248

Discounts on top Windows 7-based PCs for students now available.

SEATTLE — May 13, 2010 — With summer internships and travel right around the corner, this season is a popular PC-buying time for students. This week, Microsoft Corp., along with several retailers and partners, unveiled new offers for Windows 7-based PCs that will give students the tools they need to manage their work, stay in touch with friends and have fun.

“These deals will help students get the PC with Windows 7 they want at a great price,” said Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows consumer marketing and product management at Microsoft. “We know that every dollar counts, so we’re partnering with companies, such as Sony, Amazon and Dell, to offer great PCs with the features and sizes that students want.”

Students who want to stream TV, music and videos but don’t want dorm-room clutter should check out Sony Corp.’s offer for a free Blu-ray disc drive upgrade and $90 credit for movies with the purchase of a Sony VAIO E Series notebook powered by Windows 7 Professional. The VAIO E series has a bright 15.5-inch HD screen that makes it easy to watch TV and movies, weighs less than 6 pounds and is available in an array of colors so students can stand out from the crowd. This offer is available in the United States through May 29, 2010.

Also available this week is $50 off the purchase of select Windows 7-based notebooks and netbooks from Amazon.com. This deal is perfect for students who want the flexibility of a full-size notebook to power through homework and stream media, and a lightweight, ready-to-travel netbook for study groups and summer trips. Available in the United States through May 29, 2010, this offer includes an array of PCs to choose from — Dell Inc., HP, Acer Inc. and ASUS are all participating — so students can choose the right setup for them.

Students who want a PC with Windows 7 and Microsoft Office should check out a new deal from the online Microsoft Store — a Dell Studio XPS 13-inch with Windows 7 Home Premium and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (which includes a free upgrade to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 once it is available) for a special price of $989, plus free shipping. With this offer, students can create great-looking PowerPoint presentations, take notes on Microsoft OneNote, and stay connected with friends and the latest TV shows, songs and movies. This offer is available in the United States until June 25, or while supplies last.

For the latest information on all Windows 7-based PC offers, students should visit www.windows.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information, press only:
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Phone: (503) 443-7070

Email: rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at www.microsoft.com/news.

Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed.

For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Giving Online Daters the Virtual Wingman They Need

LOS ANGELES – May 13, 2010 – Ever been on date that was so tragic, so awkward, and so criminally awful that you wish you had a wingman to help get you through it, to laugh about it with in real time? Well now, at BadOnlineDates – there’s an app for that!

The BadOnlineDates iPhone app has got your back because they understand there are some moments that are so special – you need to share them in real time with someone who’s in the online dating trenches with you.

BadOnlineDates.com is a fresh and innovative social networking site that combines the best of social networking with online dating. The site gives an ever-growing, ever-frustrated community an opportunity to connect, vent, tell the truth and ultimately laugh about their online dating misadventures and mishaps.

CEO and Founder of BadOnlineDates.com, Jennifer Kelton, understands that anybody who has ever delved into the world of online dating (and at this point, who hasn’t?) knows that the dating pool can get a bit murky. “While other online dating sites tell you it’s okay to look – at BadOnlineDates.com we’re changing the game and letting you know “IT’S OKAY TO LAUGH!”

With the introduction of BadOnlinedates.com’s latest tool, the iPhone App, online daters have a chance to tell their story in real time and interact with other members as well as get immediate advice and comic relief. iPhone users can post their bad date experience as it’s happening from their phone so they’re never alone. Now, when daters find themselves at coffee with the ‘freaky fetish guy’ or having cocktails with a girl they’ve just met who has their wedding tux on hold, they can just push a button and connect with others who understand what they’re going through. This as Kelton states: “is a new kind of virtual dating wingman.” And who doesn’t want an app for that?

Technology
The BadOnlineDate.com’s iPhone application is the site’s companion for taking BadOnlineDate.com on the go is available for free in the Apple Store. This Twitter-like communication tool allows users to engage with their community while mobile, and send out real-time updates from a date – helping users tap their communities when they need it most.

About BadOnlineDates.com
On BadOnlineDates.com, users can post stories, pictures and videos about their real life dating experiences and also comment on others’ experiences. Video, blogs, Chat Rooms, Twitter integration and and the iPhone application will allow users to message others “live in the trenches”, offering the opportunity to laugh with others whether it’s before, after, or during a bizarre date live. The administrative and editorial staff ensures the site is a supportive and interactive place by moderating communications within the community while providing expert commentary and advice for specific stories.
About Jennifer Kelton, The Face Behind BadOnlineDates.com
BadOnlineDates.com was created by Jennifer Kelton, an indelicate and uncensored voice in the dating world. Jennifer built a league of dedicated followers with her biting truths and down-to-earth takes on the modern singles scene. She rose to popularity with her humorously candid book, Don’t Use my Sweater Like a Towel, which chronicled a year of bad dates, missed connections and frankly-described sexcapades. An avid believer in the convergence of technology and online/offline communications, Jennifer created BadOnlineDates.com in the fall of 2007 with her sights on creating a revolutionary new space that would rise above the cliché’s of online dating. By combining a social networking and online dating, BadOnlineDates.com connects people through the good, bad and hilarious of their shared dating experiences. Jennifer created BadOnlineDates to be a cyberspace that is more human, honest and organic; a site to help heal the wounds of anyone who has been rejected by a computer, gone to dinner with their worst nightmare or been bamboozled by the profile-liar. There’s not better to bond or make lasting relationships than laughter. Jennifer believes that when it comes to online dating, not only is it okay to laugh – it’s necessary!

Contact Information

BadOnlineDates.com is located in Los Angeles, CA.

Just in time for the end of the semester, customers can now choose from over one million books to trade in for high prices at Amazon.com

SEATTLE– May 10, 2010— Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that over 1 million books are now eligible for the Textbook Buyback program, which allows customers to quickly and easily exchange used textbooks in return for an Amazon.com Gift Card. Available year-round, the Textbook Buyback program offers students the ability to trade in textbooks they no longer need for a high price. For more information about the Textbook Buyback program, visit: www.amazon.com/buyback.

Textbook Buyback offers great prices on over 1 million eligible titles. Not only is it easy to use, but students can avoid long lines at the bookstore and trade in their textbooks from their dorm rooms or from home without facing buyback deadlines. Students just visit www.amazon.com/buyback, and search for the books they want to trade. Then students can print a pre-paid shipping label and drop the package in the mail. Once the book is received and verified by the third-party merchant that purchases the titles, an Amazon.com Gift Card will be deposited into the student’s Amazon.com account. This gift card can be used toward the purchase of next semester’s books, or the millions of other items on Amazon.com.

“With a great selection of titles, low textbook costs and high prices for Textbook Buyback, we continue to make the Textbook Store an easy and economical option for our student customers,” said Julie Todaro, director of Books at Amazon.com. “Buying textbooks is no longer the financial burden it once was for students, and we’re happy that we’ve been able to make Textbook Buyback even more convenient with over 1 million books now available to trade in for high prices. Students are crazy if they’re still selling their books back on campus.”

The Amazon.com Textbooks Store (www.amazon.com/textbooks) helps students manage the high cost of textbooks by offering savings of up to 30 percent off the list price of more than 100,000 new textbooks and up to 90 percent off the list price of millions of used textbooks.

About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that w irelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10- K and subsequent filings.

Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
www.amazon.com/pr

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Akron, OH (May 6, 2010)— The Invent Now Collegiate Inventors Competition, now in its 19th year, is inviting inventive students to enter its 2010 competition.

The Collegiate Inventors Competition is designed to recognize and honor student innovators at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Since 1990, the Competition has honored numerous individuals and teams for their outstanding inventive contributions and innovative research. This year, nearly $80,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the winning undergraduate and graduate students and advisers at a special awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in the fall. The Competition is sponsored by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Abbott Fund.

The deadline for entering this year’s Competition is June 25, 2010. Entries are judged on originality of the idea, process or technology, and their potential value and usefulness to society.

Collegiate Inventors Competition winners from 2009 included a team from Dartmouth who developed a device to filter arsenic from drinking water in third world nations, Geoffrey von Maltzahn from MIT who created nanoparticles that communicate with each other to more effectively target therapy to tumors, Stephen Diebold from U. Illinois Urbana-Champaign who invented a tool to facilitate independence for quadriplegics, and Harris Wang from Harvard U. whose Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering, or MAGE, is an efficient way for faster cell programming, perhaps resulting in manufactured microorganisms.

Competition judges select 10-12 finalists who receive an all-expense paid trip to the final judging round and awards ceremony. National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees participate in the final round of judging, and past judges have included individuals such as Don Keck, inventor of optical fiber for communications; George Smith, 2009 Nobel Prize recipient and inventor of the charge-coupled device; and James West, inventor of the electret microphone.

Entry forms and more information on the program are available at www.invent.org/collegiate.

Contact
Rini Paiva
Invent Now, Inc.
330-388-6160
rpaiva@invent.org

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National competition inspires students to realize their potential in science and technology fields.

WASHINGTON — April 26, 2010 — Over the past three days, students across the country came together in Washington, D.C., to celebrate their creativity and passion for solving the world’s toughest problems using technology. These students were part of the eighth annual U.S. Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp.

“Imagine Cup is more than a software competition; it’s about inspiring students to become tomorrow’s technology and business leaders,” said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. “The technology industry not only is a key driver of economic growth and job creation, but also offers vast potential to solve some of the world’s toughest societal problems. The creativity and passion of these students speaks volumes about the impact they will have on the world.”

More than 22,000 students registered for this year’s U.S. competition; only 80 were selected by a panel of judges to compete in the U.S. finals. The participants were tasked to use technology to make a difference in the lives of people in their local communities and around the world, addressing issues in education, healthcare and environmental sustainability. Projects ranged from a mobile safety alert system for women to a social-networking application that connects entrepreneurs to investors in the micro-banking industry.

“Studying computer science doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll work for a computer company, but it does mean that you’ll have the education, resources and understanding to basically do anything in a future career,” said John R. White, executive director and CEO of Association for Computer Machinery. “It’s a fundamental skill and knowledge set for the 21st century.”

Team Mobilife from the University of California, Davis, took home the grand prize in the software design category. The team’s project helps field doctors use mobile technology for early detection of some vascular diseases among children in developing regions. Although these disorders are normally easy to diagnose in modern hospitals, the lack of tools readily available to doctors who work in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania make new solutions necessary.

The team will travel to Warsaw, Poland, in July to represent the United States in the worldwide finals and showcase their innovation alongside hundreds of other student teams from around the world. In addition to cash and prizes awarded to the top teams in the competition, students gain real-life experience, make new friends and attend several training sessions to help them turn their ideas into reality.

2010 U.S. Imagine Cup Winners
Software Design
The Software Design invitational is Imagine Cup’s largest competition. The winner of the U.S. competition is the only team that will receive an automatic bid to compete at the worldwide finals in Poland among students from over 100 countries and regions. Students create real-world software and services applications that use Microsoft tools and technology.

Grand Prize: Mobilife, University of California, Davis
- Kayvon Ghaffari, Audrey Lee, Helena Xu and Wilson To
- A mobile diagnostic tool for vascular diseases.

First Prize: MangoBunnies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, DePauw University
- Malisa Vongskul and Ashley Myers
- A mobile and Web message alert system to inform users of unsafe areas for women.

Third Prize: Extraplaid, Utah State University
- Josh Light, Susanna Beck, Yiding Han and Cal Coopmans
- A social-networking application called Aidventure to connect entrepreneurs with investors in the micro-banking industry.

Second Prize: Team Blob, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Jaelle Scheuerman, Lori Rebenitsch and Robyn Krage
- A multitouch design tool to help teachers create interactive presentations.

Game Design
The Game Design competition is a chance for students to create their own video game and at the same time help change the global community. Students are asked to create a new game that has been developed either using Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 or later, Microsoft Visual Studio, or Microsoft Silverlight technologies.

Grand Prize: University of North Carolina, Central Piedmont Community College
- Will Isenhour, Nic Colley, Jonathan Mead and Danny Helms
- An educational video game called Sixth that involves a series of quest challenges related to ending poverty around the world.

First Prize: Coffee Powered Altruism, Yale University
- Henry Corrigan Gibbs and Christopher Riederer
- A strategy game called Alterra that tasks participants with tackling development issues of a country or region.

Second Prize: Ifrit Salsa, University of Houston
- Alaa Gharandoq, Jesus Hernandez, Daniel Biediger and Arifur Sabeth
- A video game called RoboRecycler that promotes a cleaner environment by collecting, sorting and recycling different items.

Third Prize: LeveL13, University of Houston
- Paul Diaz, Reggie Tye, Syung You and Yu Chao Chen
- A video game called Antitoxin Squad that lets participants combat pollution through cultivating plants around the world.

Achievement Awards
The Achievement Awards represent additional opportunities for students to be recognized for their excellence and creativity. The four awards highlight teams that had public appeal through an open voting process, the best solution accessed through a mobile phone, the top project that utilizes cloud computing, and a Web design competition.

People’s Choice Award: Coders Inc, Illinois Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Krishna Rao Vijayanagar, Yamini Girey and Shayok Mukhopadhyay
- An online forum where nongovernmental organizations, volunteers, donors and vendors can interact and share resources.

Windows Azure Award: MedRx, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Jenish Pahari, Mohammed Akheel Ahmed, Mujeeb M Abdul and Travis Bennett
- A platform to make medical data available to researchers around the world.

Mobile Award: LifeCode, Wayne State University
- Melissa Hui, Steve Markovitch, Fahima Bhuyan and Kun Wang
- A tele-health data capture and analysis platform.

Microsoft bliink Web Design Award: Technology Center of DuPage, Glenbard East High School
- Andrey Danilkovich and German Fomin

The Imagine Cup is a worldwide student competition that helps young people apply their imagination, passion and creativity to make a difference in the world through technology. The event is one of the largest annual investments that Microsoft makes to inspire students.

More information about the Imagine Cup is available at http://www.imaginecup.com and the official Imagine Cup blog.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information, press only:
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx

Photo caption: 04/26/10 Hun Wang of team LifeCode from Wayne State University demonstrates his team’s product to director James Cameron his wife Suzy and Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie at the 2010 Imagine Cup competition held in the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on Monday.  Click here to download a high-resolution version of this photo

CONTACT: Monica Zimmer

301 987 4461

monica.zimmer@sodexo.com

Fair-trade brew pours out green scheme with bio-degradable cups, wraps, and ink

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 21, 2010 — If you’re looking for a cuppa Joe with a conscience on Earth Day, stop by one of Sodexo’s 241 cafés that serves Aspretto, the new Sodexo, a leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions, fair trade-based hot beverage that is 100% sustainable from grower to grounds.

The sustainable coffee line sources from local markets accredited by the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade Foundation or the Soil Association and internationally-recognized fair trade certification organizations. Aspretto uses recyclable and bio-degradable materials in packaging and utensils. Equipment wraps are made from 100% post-consumer recycled resin and all printed materials are created with vegetable inks.

Coffee is a universal beverage of choice and Sodexo is proud to demonstrate its values and ethical principles through this fair trade product that has the potential to reach millions of people each day. Aspretto is served in nearly 250 sites in the U.S., including 177 on college campuses, 50 in corporate cafes, government buildings and hospitals. Some of the cafes where it’s most popular include Babson College and Merrimack College in Mass., Denison University in Ohio, California State – Monterey Bay, Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa., and Saint Michael Medical Center in Newark.

As a company that buys an average of 8,000 tons of coffee and serves more than one billion cups per year, the launch of Aspretto is sure to make its mark in the global coffee industry.  In the U.S. alone, Sodexo purchases 10 million pounds and serve 100 million cups of coffee each year.

The company recently announced broad and detailed commitments for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The Better Tomorrow Plan adds a global approach to Sodexo’s continuing commitment to improving the quality of daily life for customers in three key areas of the environment, health and wellness, and community development.

Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo, Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $12.7 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions
Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations.  Based on this conviction, Sodexo is the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo’s 380,000 employees, in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled range of On-site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates and to the fulfillment of its employees.

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Weehawken, New Jersey (April 20, 2010) – The Company Store, a home brand known for its comfort, design and value since 1911, announced today the launch of their “Ultimate Slumber Party” video contest. Geared towards college students, ages 17 to 22, the contest requires participants to write, perform and upload a video of an original, rockin’ lullaby for a chance to win a bevy of prizes including scholarships and dorm room makeovers with bedding from the company’s new campus collection, launching April 20, 2010.

College students account for more than $50 billion in spending annually, and when it comes to decorating their first living space, the dorm room, they are making most of the purchasing decisions. “Our goal with this campaign is to bring awareness of our brand to this audience while providing these hardworking students with a fun, engaging outlet to express themselves through music and dorm room decor,” says Francie Nguyen, President of The Company Store.

The Company Store’s “Ultimate Slumber Party” micro site, www.ultimateslumberparty.com, will launch April 20, 2010, and participants can submit videos through June 31, 2010. All entries will be reviewed by a panel of executives from The Company Store and will be judged on set criteria including cleverness, humor, and most importantly, originality.

Five winners will be selected. Two runners-up will receive a room makeover kit; the second prize winner will receive a room makeover kit plus $500 to apply towards course books; and the first prize winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and room makeover kit. One grand prize winner and three of their closest friends will celebrate with the ultimate slumber party in Panama City Beach, Florida.

The Grand Prize package includes air and hotel suite for 5 days/4 nights*, food and back-to-school care packages. The hotel suite will be re-outfitted with The Company Store’s new campus collection and the winner and their friends will have a front row seat, or bed, for a private musical performance of the winning rockin’ lullaby. Additionally, the winner’s video will be prominently displayed on the The Company Store’s main web site, which receives 600,000 unique visitors monthly.

To enter, log on to www.ultimateslumberparty.com. To schedule an interview with a representative from The Company Store, please contact Lance Buckley at 212.243.1431 or lance@piercemattie.com.

* Winner to select dates before May 31, 2011.

About The Company Store
The Company Store, known for its comfort, design and value since 1911, offers top quality, down comforters and pillows, sheets, towels, and home accessories. The best-selling, American-made LaCrosse Comforter offers unique craftsmanship ensuring the ultimate in sleeping comfort, a lifetime guarantee and is available in a full palette of fashion colors. Other top collections include wrinkle-free bedding, fashion quilts, and a bamboo collection that features sheets, towels, blankets and loungewear. The Company Store offers extensive monogramming, and other custom services in their LaCrosse, Wisconsin factory. The Company Store sells its merchandise through catalogs and online at www.thecompanystore.com.