PR Newswire Broadcast Minute for Friday, November 21, 2008

PR Newswire Broadcast Minute for Friday, November 21, 2008

New Study Finds Americans, Including Elected Officials, Earn a Failing Grade When Tested on American History and Economics

Are most people, including college graduates, civically illiterate? Do elected officials know even less than most citizens about civic topics such as history, government, and economics? The answer is yes on both counts according to a new study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took I-S-I's basic 33-question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an "F." Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent of all surveyed earned an "A." Even more startling is the fact that over twice as many people know Paula Abdul was a judge on American Idol than know that the phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" comes from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Full story at: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3870365

MasterCard Survey: With Bargain Hunting on the Rise, 'Tis the Season of the Smart Shopper

Nearly one third of Americans plan to seek out bargains more this year than they did last year when shopping for the holidays, according to a new survey released by MasterCard Worldwide. Findings show that Americans will shop smarter this year by using a variety of cost-saving strategies and shifting spend towards practical gifts, such as gift certificates or gift cards. The most popular way Americans plan to seek out bargains this year is by shopping at merchants offering special savings and discounts, such as free shipping or rebates (42% of all holiday shoppers). Additionally, over one quarter of holiday shoppers say they plan to take advantage of Black Friday to seek out holiday deals.

Full story at: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3870158

Volkswagen's 2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel Awarded Green Car of the Year

The 2009 Jetta T-D-I clean diesel has been awarded the 2009 Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. The editors at Green Car Journal nominated five vehicles that represented the year's best-of-the-best 2009 green vehicles, and announced that they have chosen Volkswagen's Jetta T-D-I clean diesel as the best-of-the-best and awarded it their 2009 Green Car of the Year.

Full story at: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3870551

Universal Studios Hollywood Salutes California Firefighters With Tribute Timed to Begin Week of Thanksgiving Holiday

Universal Studios Hollywood will observe the spirit of this year's Thanksgiving holiday by showing gratitude to the firefighters who helped save lives and homes during this month's tragic Southern California wildfires with the offer of a free one-day admission for firefighters beginning the week of Thanksgiving, Sunday, November 23, and continuing through Wednesday, December 24. The offer extends to all badged California firefighter personnel. In addition to the free admission offer for firefighters, six family members or friends accompanying a badged firefighter may receive 25-dollars off a one-day admission.

Full story at: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3870134

The PR Newswire Broadcast Minute is available by email at no charge to members of the media who sign up for PR Newswire for Journalists, http://www.prnewswire.com/media . For more information, contact Rob Fisher at 408-365-8793 or email rob.fisher@prnewswire.com

PRNewswire -- Nov. 21
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Source: PR Newswire

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Profile: International Entertainment