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

# # #

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.

CONTACT: Monica Zimmer

301 987 4461

monica.zimmer@sodexo.com

Chefs create peanut-butter and jelly cuisine to reduce carbon, water and land use

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 19, 2010 — Choosing just one all plant-based meal on April 22 could make a big difference to the planet. So says Sodexo Inc., a leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions, who is asking its 10 million U.S. customers to eat low on the food chain this Earth Day. To inspire the change, Sodexo chefs are cooking up new ways to serve the classic peanut butter and jelly combination.

Environmental advocates estimate that Sodexo’s PB&J For A Day campaign could save 1.3 billion gallons of water, 12,400 tons of carbon emissions and about 5,500 acres of land if all of the 10 million served daily by Sodexo choose one plant-based meal.

Customers at Sodexo-served college campuses, corporate cafés, hospitals, and senior residences will be given the option to choose a plant-based protein meal on Earth Day in the fun form of creative peanut-butter and jelly cuisine. Sodexo’s Earth Day menu choices will include: Fluffer Nutter Club Sandwich, Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana with Chocolate Chips, Toasted Peanut Butter Baguettes with Jelly Dipping Sauce, Peanut Butter Pancakes with Jelly Syrup, and for dessert customers can try the PB&J Sweet Shot or a PB&J Muffin. You can find the recipes and cooking demonstration videos online.

For this campaign, Sodexo is partnering with the PB&J Campaign, a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). The PB&J Campaign approaches positive change one meal at a time by illuminating the differences one single dining decision can make. Eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of a hamburger for a simple reason: one sandwich can save 133 gallons of water and 24 square feet of land over a burger, and each one served will save 2.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the same benefit as driving a hybrid car for half a day.

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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Winning Team to Be Announced May 10th

NEW YORK – April 19, 2010 – Across the U.S., entries have been created and posted for “Pearson Presents the (RED) Challenge,” through which Principles of Marketing students have the opportunity to help fight AIDS in Africa. Starting today, the voting is now open to the public to help select the top ten entries.

Sponsored by Pearson, the authors of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices – Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, Elnora W. Stuart – and (RED), the contest asked Principles of Marketing students to create their own marketing plans for a product targeted to college students that would fit into the (RED) product line and that would help raise awareness of and drive contributions to (RED)’s mission to help fight AIDS in Africa. Participating students pitched their proposed products in short videos, submitted to and now viewable on the contest’s Facebook site, apps.facebook.com/redcontest/contests/19255.

The public can now view and vote on the video entries through April 25th, to select the top ten submissions, which will then be reviewed by (RED) representatives. The Grand Prize winning team will be announced on May 10th, and the winning students and their professor will be flown to New York to present their submission to the (RED) team.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education, teacher training, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry.

About (RED)™and (PRODUCT) RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) (U.K. only), Hallmark (US only), Dell, Nike, and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED) partners and events for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana, and Lesotho and supports programs that have reached more than 5 million people. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion in 144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 4.9 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, TB treatment for 6 million people, and by the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria. (RED)™ is the Global Fund’s largest private sector contributor. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

Contact:
Susan Aspey
Pearson
susan.aspey@pearson.com
800.745.8489

LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2010 – Ever since the advent of the Choose Your Own Adventure books, Interactive Cinema has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Hollywood has yet to discover what to do with it or how to even create it.

One of the most unique pictures of the year, The Weathered Underground did not come from a major studio, but instead a small team of guys working on a budget of $70,000 in the basements of Los Angeles and a half vacant stem cell research lab in Pasadena to create the most ambitious interactive feature film to date.

The live action film features literally hundreds of choices, dozens of endings and can be played for more than 4 & 1/2 hours without getting the same plotline. With its eye popping comic book aesthetic, the film stars Michael Ciriaco and Brea Grant (Daphne from NBC’s Heroes) and features a live performance by indie rock underground superstars, The Lashes.

In a time where it is a rarity for films made on budgets of less than one million dollars to ever see the light of day, The Weathered Underground’s interactive format, scathing sense of humor and aggressive voice was able to break through. The film is now available on DVD at Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Netflix, Blockbuster, FYE, Hastings and will be available as an iphone / itouch app in May.

Included in the press kit is Mr. Donihue’s hilarious production journal. It chronicles the making of an interactive picture and demonstrates how a small group of underground filmmakers took a micro-budget project from concept to completion, finally earning themselves a nationwide commercial release.

Official website – www.theweatheredunderground.com/

Download press kit (includes photos and Donihue’s own production journal and behind the scenes story) here: www.theweatheredunderground.com/presskit/weatheredundergroundpresskit.zip

TO REQUEST A COPY OF THE FILM PLEASE EMAIL largerthanlifeprfeed@publicist.com WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS.

Writer / Director David N. Donihue and actor Michael Ciriaco are available for interviews.

Contact

Jennifer Greene
Larger Than Life PR Feed
largerthanlifeprfeed@publicist.com