Start a Restaurant

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Start Your own Restaurant and Five Other Food Businesses

New York, NY, United States (NewsBahn) – On Nov. 29, Emperial Americas announced Tequila Distinguido will launch a marketing partnership with VH1 “Basketball Wives” cast member Ashley Walker. Tequila Distinguido has already won high marks at the San Francisco World Spirits competition among critics and the public. The tequila is positioned as “authentic and all natural.”

Walker might not be known to the public quite yet as a “Basketball” wife – she joins the show in its second season, which will premiere December 13 on VH1. She also isn’t technically a wife – while she is a mother of two, she is just the girlfriend of Houston Rockets’ point guard Rafer Alston.

However, despite her fame as a new reality personality, the tequila company chose Walker to be a brand ambassador because she is philanthropic and demonstrates responsibility in addition to her glamorous life; she has her own organization, The Mission of Love, that helps students in Kenya, and also finds time to mentor teenage girls.

“The partnership between Tequila Distinguido and Ashley Walker creates the perfect synergy to market Tequila Distinguido’s luxury product,” Alonzo Pierce, National Brand Manager for Tequila Distinguido, said in a statement.

“Ashley Walker is distinguished and epitomizes positivity, confidence, originality and exudes class, making her the ideal choice to partner with Tequila Distinguido – a brand that emulates these characteristics. Ashley is philanthropic, responsible and beautiful, a lifestyle that Tequila Distinguido represents, and is sure to resonate with our consumers.”

Walker told Vibe magazine she was nervous to join the “Basketball Wives” cast, but does not get involved in drama.

“I talk about my foundation and I try to stay out of all the drama going on. There wasn’t a point where I had to fight back at all because nothing was really said to me to my face. So I didn’t have to go there at all. I’m not confrontational but I’m not going to let anybody disrespect me either.”

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Los Angeles, CA, United States (CNS) – Mirror reading is nothing new. Leonardo Da Vinci and “Alice in Wonderland” scribe Lewis Carroll were among the famous names who used to write in mirror image. But it is the first time the brain-training activity is available as an iTunes app.

Mirror reading, which is said to stimulate regions of the brain not regularly used with reading, is officially hitting the next generation with the release of the Mirror Read RSS Headlines app. The app is set to hit the iTunes store later this year.

The app, which will run for $1.99, will feature breaking news content, including Entertainment, World, Sports, Technology, and Financial news, all in reverse. It’ll also include an upcoming Mirror Read book preview, instant mirror-read messaging, and more.

According to Mirror Read and its founder, leading professor and psychologist Dr. Shelagh Robinson, mirror reading leads to gray-matter growth in the right hemisphere and key areas used problem-solving and creative thinking.

“I built and designed Mirror Read RSS Headlines, because I wanted to indulge in my guilty pleasures with justification,” said Dr. Shelagh Robinson. “I wanted to read my entertainment news at the same time that I was doing my neurons some good.”

“Individuals who mirror read and regularly practice are part of a cutting edge field of research of brain transformation,” Robinson continued. “Which is secondary to the fact that it is just plain fun.”

Along with the Mirror Read RSS Headlines app, the Mirror Read Scramble app is set to be released, which includes backward word scrambles and word puzzles in reverse.

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Nashville, TN, United States (AHN) – The party continues in Nashville where the Gaylord Opryland Resort has returned after months of repair and renovation. Celebrations lasting all weekend continue as the Music City welcomes the grand reopening of one of its signature destinations.

Gaylord has been working non-stop to reopen the resort, which was only closed for an astonishing 195 days. Using an overwhelmingly local workforce (95% of subcontractors came from the Volunteer State), an average of 500 to 800 people were working each day to install a total of 21,400 sheets of drywall, 2,200 doors, and around 45,000 sq. ft. of tile, marble, granite and decorative glass.

“It’s still difficult to describe the emotions I felt at sunrise on May 3rd, when the first light revealed the water completely surrounding and breaching this magnificent hotel,” Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed explained during the grand reopening ceremony. “But despite the devastation we witnessed, I never had any doubt that our company, with the support of our [employees] and our community, would prove ourselves to be equal to this challenge.”

“The road to recovery certainly hasn’t been an easy one, but we’re proud to be here today celebrating what is not only a special day for the Gaylord brand, but also the city of Nashville,” Reed added.

Grammy Award-winning Country music star Keith Urban kicked off an emotional grand reopening ceremony on Friday night. Urban, who lives in Nashville with his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, played an emotional set for invited guests, many of which worked for companies involved in the reconstruction. Even Guy Fieri got emotional during his lunch and cooking demonstration on Saturday. Fieri, host of the Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,’ admitted that he endured a red-eye flight from California in order to be a part of what he called the “historic” return of the Gaylord Opryland Resort.

Saturday night, Grammy Award-winning Country music star Sheryl Crow performed several of her hit songs during an exclusive concert. Crow, who lives on an 154-acre ranch near Nashville, only lost a small bridge in the May flood – but says the list of those who lost everything is endless. But just like thousands of other tourists, Crow is one of the stars glad to see the hotel’s return. While Crow was entertaining fans in a packed ballroom, her two adopted sons Wyatt Steven and Levi James toured the resort’s ‘ICE!’ attraction after spending a day at the Nashville Zoo.

‘ICE!’ is just one of the attractions the Gaylord Opryland has been reintroducing to the public. Gaylord spent millions to renovate much of the resort, including revamping guest rooms and putting in new restaurants. Guests during the grand reopening weekend filled the new Conservatory Bar, which sits between two new restaurants; the Italian-themed Ravello and the Mexican-themed Solario. Ravello’s menu Twin-sister bartenders (and Nashville-natives) Dana and Tara say the Conservatory Bar’s newly mixed “Lemoncello Collins” has been as popular with guests as it is strong.

The rebirth of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel comes pointedly at the start of the holiday/Christmas season. The hotel pushed hard to reopen in time to continue their annual ‘Country Christmas’ attraction. Each year, the Gaylord Opryland hangs over 2 million lights across the resort, lighting up 461 trees, 500 shrubs and hanging 15 miles of green garland and 10 miles of red ribbons. There’s a 40 ft. indoor Christmas tree and a 141-foot-tall ‘Southern Lights’ outdoor tree with more than 38,000 lights.

‘The Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ with the Rockettes is also making its return to the restored Grand Ole Opry House. The show brings Santa Claus and a cast and crew of more than 100 members, including the high-kicking Rockettes and live animals for the ‘Living Nativity.’ After the show, families have been lining up to walk-through ‘ICE!’ which pays tribute to the film ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’ as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. The attraction boasts 2 million lbs of hand-carved ice and is kept at a bone-chilling 9 degrees. Guests walk-through scenes from the movie and can enjoy a slide made entirely of ice.

Beyond fun and games, the Opryland Resort and Convention Center and the Grand Old Opry is one of Nashville’s economic cornerstones. Each year millions of locals, visitors and conventioneers visit the Gaylord Opryland Resort, which is the largest non-casino hotel in the United States. The Gaylord Opryland is also a major part of Nashville’s transition from a historic Country music town to an international convention destination that can handle serious business.

This week, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced that after fierce competition, the National Rifle Association (NRA) decided to bring its 144th annual convention to the Music City. The three-day convention will bring an estimated 50,000 guests and $25 million to Nashville.

“We’re coming out of a difficult economy and the flood and now there’s pent-up demand for the hospitality industry,” Loews Vanderbilt Hotel General Manager Tom Negri told the Tennessean newspaper. “Having that large of a group means so much for the city. And association business like this tends to follow one another.”

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Los Angeles, CA, United States (CNS) – Dora the Explorer and friends are now doing some good with their complete mind control over America’s children. Nickelodeon and 2K Play have teamed up for “Nickelodeon Fit,” a new fitness game starring their favorite Nick Jr. characters.

“Nickelodeon Fit” is an exercise game for kids, which utilizes the Wii Balance Board and remote. The fitness game, the first designed for preschoolers, features different exercises and challenges to give kids a jump-start to a healthy lifestyle, all developed with the help of physical education expert Dr. Jacqueline Goodway.

Kids will be able to go biking Dora, river rafting with Diego, running with Kai-lan, jump rope with the Backyardigans, and relay race with all the characters.

“We know from research that in their early years, children learn the exercise patterns that will carry over to their adult lives,” said Dr. Goodway. “We hope that regular participation with ‘Nickelodeon Fit’ will empower children to start on the road to an active and healthy lifestyle.”

The game also allows parents to get involved, by monitoring their exercises through fitness stats and more. They can even create custom workouts for their kids based on their child’s needs. It might not be long before parents are doing cardio with Kai-Lan themselves.

“Partnering with 2K Play and Dr. Goodway on this project is giving us the amazing opportunity to present the first Wii fitness games for preschoolers,” said Shaan Kandawalla VP of Digital Retail Games for Nickelodeon. “This innovative product is truly a family experience, encouraging our young viewers to stay active with their favorite Nickelodeon characters and enabling parents to get involved with their children’s exercises.”

“Nickelodeon Fit” is in stores now and retails for about $39.99. The Wii Balance Board, needed for use in the game, is sold separately.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Higher prices for turkeys will make Thanksgiving dinner more expensive and means some people who rely on food banks will have to do without a traditional holiday dinner.

The culprit is higher feed prices that have caused an approximate 2 percent drop in production, leading to a 28 percent jump in the wholesale price of turkey over a year ago. Frozen turkeys rose to $1.09 a pound on average Thursday, which was the highest price ever recorded.

Corn is the main ingredient in turkey feed, accounting for 70 percent of the ingredients. Therefore, the fact that corn prices rose by 47 percent in the past year had a huge impact on the cost of raising turkeys.

Look for prices to rise further as competition for corn is heating up because corn is not only used in food for human consumption and in animal feed, but also in the manufacturing of ethanol fuel for vehicles.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials expect turkey production to fall 1.3 percent this year to 5.514 billion pounds.

Although retailers usually discount turkey prices around holiday time, analysts do not expect to see deep discounts this season because there is not much wiggle room for retailers to sell birds at a steep discount without taking severe losses.

Agriculture Department officials estimate wholesale turkey prices for eastern markets will run about $1 to $1.04 during the fourth quarter of this year compared to 84 cents per pound for Q4 2009. Retail prices for frozen turkeys were $157 per pound in September, the highest prices since 1980 and 7.7 percent higher than a year ago.

Food banks around the country, including some in California and Texas, are already saying they do not expect to have enough turkeys to hand out to poor families this year.

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San Diego, CA, United States (AHN) – Thousands of passengers stranded on a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of San Diego will safely disembark on Wednesday, three days after a blaze left the vessel without power.

The Coast Guard said Tuesday the ship will be towed to Ensenada, a city in Baja California about 70 miles south of San Diego. Tugboats were to begin pulling the 952-foot vessel at midday Tuesday, with arrival expected the next day.

The plan aims to get the 3,299 passengers home as quickly as possible, according to Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines.

A fire ignited in the engine room of the ship on Monday without injuring guests or any of the more than 1,000 crew members. Since then, the vessel has been using auxiliary generators and services such as air conditioning and telephones remain unavailable. Cold running water was restored the night after the blaze.

The ship was on a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise when it was stranded 200 miles south of San Diego.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Cirque du Soleil has revealed the first details of the upcoming Michael Jackson show since it was first announced earlier this year. “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour” will launch its national tour in October 2011.

“Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour” will begin October 2nd, 2011 in Montreal. It’ll hit 27 cities across North America, including stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Houston. It’s currently scheduled to perform thru June 29th in Atlanta.

“Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour” will combine the music and choreography of the King of Pop with the performance and visual effects Cirque du Soleil is known for. The first sketches from the show were unveiled from the show Wednesday, which features imagery inspired by “Smooth Criminal,” “Scream,” and “They Don’t Care About Us,” among others.

Also seen in the sketches is the show’s centerpiece, Michael’s inspirational Giving Tree, described as “the wellspring of his creativity.” “The secrets of Michael’s inner world are unlocked—his love of music and dance, fairy tale and magic, and the fragile beauty of nature,” the press release reads. “Earth Song,” anyone?

The show is written and directed by Jamie King, who also worked on Britney Spears’ “Circus” tour and Madonna’s “Confessions” outing. It’s his first show with Cirque du Soleil.

In late 2012, the Michael Jackson show will receive a permanent home in one of the twelve MGM Mirage properties in Las Vegas. Along with its permanent home in Las Vegas, a Michael Jackson-themed nightclub is expected to open alongside the production.

Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour

2011 Tour Dates

• October 2-3 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

• October 7 Ottawa, ON – Scotiabank Place

• October 12 Hamilton, ON – Copps Coliseum

• October 15 Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena

• October 18 London, ON – John Labatt Centre

• October 21 Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre

• October 26 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre

• October 29 Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre

• November 1 Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place

• November 4 Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

• November 9 Seattle, WA – KeyArena

• November 18 Portland, OR – Rose Garden

• November 29 Salt Lake City, UT – EnergySolutions Arena

• December 3-11 Las Vegas, NV – Mandalay Bay Events Center

2012 Tour Dates

• January 6 Denver, CO – Pepsi Center

• January 10 Sacramento, CA – ARCO Arena

• January 13 San Jose, CA – HP Pavillion at San Jose

• January 18 Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena

• January 21 San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center

• January 24 Anaheim, CA – Honda Center

• January 27 Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center

• February 10 Houston, TX – Toyota Center

• March 2 Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena

• March 24 Quebec City, QC – Colisee Pepsi

• April 3 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

• April 10 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

• June 29 Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena

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Tampa, FL, United States (AHN) – AAA officials are reminding motorists and parents to be diligent about safety as children go about seeking treats during the traditional trick-or-treat hours of 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Halloween evening.

There are four times as many deaths among children aged 5 to 14 on Halloween compared to the same time period on other evenings during the year, according to AAA. Officials urge parents to discuss safe pedestrian rules with children before Halloween. They added that motorists should exercise more caution and observe speed limits while driving on Halloween.

“For pedestrians, the risk of being in a fatal crash almost doubles if they are hit by a car going 30 mph compared to a car going 25 mph,” said Leticia Messam, AAA traffic safety manager. “Though it seems insignificant, just a difference of 5 mph can be the difference between life and death.”

Approximately 25 percent of drivers said they drove 15 mph over the speed limit in a residential area within the past 30 days, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s Traffic Safety Culture Index.

AAA recommends that motorists:

• Avoid cutting through residential areas where trick-or-treaters are likely to be present
• Obey all traffic signs and signals
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs especially because they are harder to see in dark costumes at night
• If you must travel through residential areas, scan far ahead, watch for children and cautiously monitor their actions
• Turn on your headlights on Halloween to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.

AAA recommends that parents:

• Accompany young trick-or-treaters at least until they can safely and confidently navigate the streets on their own
• Make sure your child’s Halloween costume is highly visible with retro-reflective material if trick-or-treating past dusk
• Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules
• Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow
• Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never enter a stranger’s home or garage
• Avoid face masks that obstruct vision, use nontoxic face paint
• Avoid costumes that are long enough to cause tripping
• Parents and children should cross streets only at corners
• Make eye contact with motorists and wait for them to come to a complete stop before starting to cross the street.

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As we lead up to these mid-term elections in the United States, no one can deny the noise level, the clamor, the angst and the anger of the people. We also see this abroad, where changes in social contracts have exploded into protests and dramatic governmental ‘take-backs’. Consider the UK and France.

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