Press Releases

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Jean Rah Fya Records recording artist Bobby Tinsley won the award for Best R&B/Soul Artist at the 2009 HMMA awards alongside some of Hollywood's music industry greats. Also taking home awards were legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason and Oscar-nominated film composer John Debney with Outstanding Career Achievement honors; Steve Rushton, BEST MUSIC VIDEO, for his song "Ready to Rock"; Alex Patsavas for OUTSTANDING MUSIC SUPERVISION in Film for "Twilight"; and PJ Bloom for OUTSTANDING MUSIC SUPERVISION in TV for "Glee" and "Nip/Tuck," to name a few. Hollywood Music in Media Awards chooses only a handful of nominees from thousands of submissions worldwide. With a sold-out crowd in attendance at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards event, Tinsley edged out some of the hottest recording artists on the scene.

"It is such an honor to have won such a prestigious award and to be recognized by the judging professionals and music community of the HMMA's," says Tinsley. "Music is my life. And my current single titled 'Colored Girl' means the world to me and has touched women of all nationalities, cultures and backgrounds all over the world."

The Hollywood Music in Media Awards recognizes and honors the music in visual mediums, the talented individuals responsible for it, and the music of both mainstream and independent artists from around the globe for their compositions and recordings in all forms of media, including film, TV, video games, commercial advertisements, movie trailers and music videos; they have become one of the most sought after new events in Hollywood. The HMMA's will be televised in post around the globe to 17 countries including the UK.

About Bobby Tinsley:

Bobby Tinsley recently signed to the hot new record label Jean Rah Fya Records owned by NBA great Doug Christie and his author/ fashion designer CEO wife Jackie Christie. Tinsley is riding on the huge success of his latest album "What About Bob?" His new hit single "Colored Girl" is the title song to record label co-owner Jackie Christie's bestselling book "Proud to Be A Colored Girl," www.coloredgirl.com, which unites women of every nationality and removes the stigma of the words 'colored girl' to show all women that they are beautiful. Bobby, an amazing artist who entered the music world in 2004, has also enjoyed a considerable buzz and following, with almost 1.5 million page views and more than 3.6 million plays of his music on MySpace. He has some of the most loyal fans in the world who adore his music to the extent that they have made more than 280 different YouTube videos with their own versions of his songs. The total plays of these videos -- driven completely by his fans -- are more than 5 million. In May of 2008, he inked a deal with the newly formed Jean Rah Fya Records and has had continuous success ever since.

About Jean Rah Fya Records:

Established in Dec. 2007, the label owned by NBA Star Doug Christie and his business savvy wife Jackie Christie is the home to some of the hottest young talents in the business. Jean Rah Fya Records' goal is to promote positive artists with unique vocals and electrifying sounds. This new label, the pioneer of "The Positive Youth Movement," is quickly making headlines in the music industry. The label has an array of talented artists on their roster, including Chani, Small Change, "Alexis" and Bobby Tinsley.

For more information, visit:

www.whataboutbjt.com

www.hmmawards.com

www.jeanrahfyarecords.com

SOURCE Jean Rah Fya Records

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21: ELLA FITZGERALD'S CAREER START

Profile America -- Saturday, November 21st. Just about every jazz critic's short list of top singers includes Ella Fitzgerald. It was 75 years ago this evening that her career got its start. Appearing at one of the Apollo Theater's famous amateur nights. She fumbled her first song, but starting over, impressed the audience and won first prize. This led to her first professional gigs, and one of the most astonishing careers in jazz history was on its way. Her recording career lasted 53 years, and she won 13 Grammies, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jazz accounts for about 3 percent of recordings sold each year -- among them some of the hundreds of songs Ella Fitzgerald recorded, which are still in print. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 558

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1102

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a result of a major election victory today, more than 1,700 school bus workers employed at the Baumann transportation companies on Long Island will become members of Teamsters Local 1205, headquartered in Farmingdale, New York. The workers voted 906-644 in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.

The drivers, driver assistants and mechanics employed by Baumann & Sons Bus, Alert Coach, Acme Bus and Brookset Bus work at nine locations throughout Long Island. They prevailed in gaining Teamster representation by standing strong against an aggressive anti-union campaign waged by the private company. The workers are now looking forward to negotiating a Teamster contract that will improve their working conditions, including gaining fair pay, affordable and decent health care and respect on the job.

"These workers stood up for what is right and came together to fight for justice and dignity. They are an example of what workers can do when they stick together and we're honored to represent them," said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President.

"This is great! The owners spent a lot of money trying to have us not vote for the union -- that's a fact. For corporate America, we workers don't matter -- it's all about the bottom line. But now, with our having union representation, the owners have to listen to our concerns!" said Doug Rogers, a driver at the Northport yard.

There's been so much harassment and no respect. The company tries to punish you whenever you question what they do. I thank God we won! I'm crying, I'm so happy. Power is now is our hands! " said Maria Romero, a driver's assistant.

"I told that union buster he was wasting his time. I said, 'If you were trapped in a coal mine for 15 years and you saw light at the end of the tunnel, wouldn't you go for it? Well, that's what the workers here feel.' And we went for the light -- Teamsters Local 1205 -- and we won!" said Julie Assabi, a driver in Bohemia.

"These hardworking Long Islanders showed great courage in the face of illegal threats, bully tactics, and massive lies put forward by their employer, as Baumann tried to scare them away from voting for their best interest," said Timothy Lynch, President of Local 1205. "Now, with the workers' growing unity and sense of the economic justice they deserve as human beings, I have no doubt that together we'll be able to negotiate a union contract that will greatly improve their lives."

The Baumann workers had the support of a broad range of prominent political, community and faith leaders in their efforts to join Teamsters Local 1205, including Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), and New York Governor David Paterson. The Baumann Monitoring Commission, a volunteer commission made up of community leaders throughout Long Island, stood up for the workers' right to organize free of interference and intimidation from their employer, whose anti-union campaign included high-priced "union avoidance consultants." More than 40 prominent political and community leaders also signed an "Appeal for Justice" to Baumann, urging the company to respect the workers' right to organize.

This victory is the latest in an effort to organize private school bus and transit workers across the country. Drive Up Standards is a national campaign by the Teamsters to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus and transit industry. Since the campaign began in 2006, more than 23,900 drivers, monitors, aides, mechanics and attendants have become Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Bonny Doon Vineyard Founder Pleasantly Surprised to be so Honored in Napa Valley

ST. HELENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Culinary Institute of America, Greystone announced today that Randall Grahm, founder and President-for-Life of Bonny Doon Vineyard, will be among the 2010 inductees for the annual Vintners Hall of Fame. The C.I.A. Hall of Fame, established in 2007, honors California vintners, past and present, who have made significant contributions to the wine industry. Grahm, an iconoclastic and at times contrarian vintner based in Santa Cruz, was taken aback by this honor. "It is more than a bit surreal to find myself here in Napa Valley acknowledged for my vinous achievements. While deeply moved by this unexpected honor, I do feel a bit out of place, not unlike a cru bourgeois amongst the first growths," said Grahm.

At a luncheon held to announce the class of 2010 in the historic Barrel Room at the C.I.A. campus, Grahm and his fellow inductees Andy Beckstoffer, Zelma Long and posthumous recipients Al Brounstein and Leon Adams, were toasted and acknowledged for their many contributions to the world of wine. W. Blake Gray, journalist and chair of the Hall of Fame nominating committee, noted "Randall Grahm's contributions to the California wine industry go well beyond what any one person could hope to accomplish in a lifetime." The official 2010 induction ceremony will take place March 13th 2010 as part of the Culinary Institute of America's Celebration of California Wine & Food.

Mr. Grahm has accomplished a significant amount in his nearly 30 years at Bonny Doon Vineyard. These firsts include: his flagship red Le Cigare Volant the original California Rhone blend, Vin de Glaciere the first freezer (frozen grape) dessert wine, Le Sophiste the first white Rhone blend and more recently his small Demeter certified Biodynamic(R) estate grown wines especially the award winning Ca del Solo Albarino. Since 2001 all Bonny Doon Vineyard wines use screw cap closures exclusively; additionally, since 2007, all wines feature full disclosure ingredient labeling. Grahm owns two vineyard estates, the Ca del Solo Vineyard in Monterey and a newly purchased property under development in San Juan Bautista, both farmed using Demeter certified Biodynamic(R) methodologies. Bonny Doon Vineyard's Cellar Door Tasting Room and Cafe has quickly become Santa Cruz's premiere culinary destination since its opening at the winery in 2008. Fall of 2009 saw the release of Grahm's first book Been Doon so Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology a witty and compelling collection of his writings on wine, life, literature, and philosophy, published by University of California Press.

About Bonny Doon Vineyard

Bonny Doon Vineyard, based in Santa Cruz, California, was founded by Randall Grahm in 1983. Its goal is to produce wines reflective of terroir whether on a regional macro level or a single vineyard micro level. Since the adaptation of Demeter certified Biodynamic(R) vineyard practices in 2003, Bonny Doon wines evidence a deeper sense of place, more complex varietal character and a noticeable note of minerality--reflective of greater life-force and enhanced ageing potential. Bonny Doon is a moderately sized 30,000 case winery producing select ultra-premium wines, notably the Rhone-influenced Le Cigare Volant, Le Cigare Blanc, Vin Gris de Cigare & Le Vol des Anges, as well as monopole wines from Ca' del Solo. Visit Bonny Doon's Cellar Door Tasting Room and Cafe in Santa Cruz, California [831-425-4518]. Learn more about us at www.bonnydoonvineyard.com

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6106025&lang=en

    Source: Bonny Doon Vineyard

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by Ariana-Leilani Children's Foundation International:

I will never forget that the only reason I'm standing here today is because somebody, somewhere stood up for me when it was risky. Stood up when it was hard. Stood up when it wasn't popular. And because that somebody stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand stood up. And then a few million stood up. And standing up, with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world. Obama, speech, January 2008

Today is 20th Anniversary of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, (UNCRC) , adopted by all the countries of the world (193) except the USA and Somalia. The CRC sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children adopted on 20 November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of the Child), adopted by 193 countries, except the United States of America and Somalia. President Obama has described the failure of the USA to adopt children's human rights thought the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as 'embarrassing' and has committed to change it. (Walden University Presidential Youth Debate, October 2008).

You can't let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. Obama, National Address to America's Schoolchildren, September 2009

The United States has had many challenges of human rights and people have stood up for the equal human rights for all people. Our commitment to human rights continuously leads us to change. In the US people owned other people as property through slavery until we stood up and demanded a change. Slavery ended in 1865 with the 13th Amendment of the Constitution that declared, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States." Today, the federal anti-slavery statutes were updated in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, P.L. 106-386, which expanded the federal statutes' coverage to cases in which victims are enslaved through psychological, as well as physical, coercion.

Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. Obama, speech, January 2008

The CRC acknowledges that every child has certain basic human rights. It requires that member states act in the best interests of the child, instead of the common law approach that treats children as possessions, ownership of which is often argued over in family disputes and separation. The CRC recognizes certain basic human rights, including the right to life, to be protected from abuse or exploitation, to be raised by his or her parents within a family or cultural grouping and have a relationship with both parents, even if they are separated.

Life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better world. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Obama, speech, June 2008

President Obama will join his predecessors in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway in December 2008. "Very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," (the Nobel committee citation, Oslo October 2009). President Obama's vision for a better world, his determination to allow it to be a "call to action" and to lead the American people and the world to embrace truth, forge common ground and reconciliation. He is in the company of other great humanitarians, including Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, who stood up for the human rights of people during apartheid and then lead truth and reconciliation, is actively still committed to human rights.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Obama, speech, Feb. 5, 2008

The Little Ambassador, Ariana-Leilani, the six-year old German-American African Jewish optimist who represents all children asks "please President Obama, lead the American people to adopt children's human rights through the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings. Obama, speech, June 2009

The Ariana-Leilani Children's Foundation International (www.Ariana-LeilaniFoundation.org)

SOURCE Ariana-Leilani Children's Foundation International