The Ad Council, the largest producer of public service campaigns in the U.S., in partnership with Viacom, home to premier global brands in media and entertainment, and non-profit leader Facing Addiction today launched the PSA campaign “LISTEN” to ignite a national conversation about drug and alcohol addiction as a public health epidemic, and empower those impacted by substance use disorders.
While past PSA campaigns have traditionally focused on the perspective of those at risk, urging them to eliminate all substance use, “LISTEN” addresses the support system of people who are also affected by this crisis. Using powerful stories that portray the modern faces of addiction and recovery, the campaign looks to remove the stigma attached to substance misuse through the act of informed, compassionate listening. The campaign’s website, heretolisten.com, and Facing Addiction's Resource Hub provides important tools and information to help people start a productive conversation with their friends and loved ones and to support the more than 45 million Americans directly impacted by addiction.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8029751-ad-council-listen-psa-addiction-drug-alcohol-substance-abuse/
Two all-electric vehicles fall short of meeting the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s awards criteria, but consumers who want to minimize gas consumption while also prioritizing safety can choose from two plug-in hybrids that earn the 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The two recently evaluated all-electric models are the 2017 Tesla Model S and the 2017 BMW i3. The plug-in hybrid models are the Chevrolet Volt, whose award was announced in December, and the Toyota Prius Prime.
To qualify for the 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in all five crashworthiness evaluations — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — and come with a front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating. The “plus” is awarded to vehicles that meet all those criteria and also come with good or acceptable headlights.
Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, has given two modular homes to Blazing Hope Ranch, a nonprofit organization in Dayton, Tenn. that aids victims of human trafficking.
Vanderbilt Mortgage donated two four-bedroom/two-bathroom modular homes to Blazing Hope Ranch. The homes will be used to house survivors and live-in mentors while they go through the organization’s program.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/77164510-vanderbilt-mortgage-donates-to-blazing-hope-ranch/
HMR Weight Management Services Corp. (HMR), a subsidiary of Merck, held its position as a No. 1 “Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet” in the 2017 Best Diets rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report. It’s the second year in a row HMR earned the top spot in the category, which was added to the annual rankings list last year.
“HMR’s highly structured diet and lifestyle change program is designed to help people lose weight quickly while learning the skills they need to keep it off,” said Carol Addy, M.D. MMSc, Chief Medical Officer at HMR. “Fast weight loss without lifestyle change isn’t sustainable. HMR gets fast weight loss, but our true expertise is helping people learn realistic ways to incorporate new healthy behaviors into their everyday lives.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8003751-hmr-best-fast-weight-loss-diet-2017/
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has announced that it will introduce Skype for Business, Microsoft’s leading collaborative productivity app, to its new 90 Series cars. Volvo Cars is the first carmaker to launch such an in-car productivity tool.
“We’ve all been there. Sitting in the car trying to join a conference call. You either fumble with or drop your phone while trying to connect or you forget the long pin code to join. It’s not the best way to start an important call in the car. On top of all that your attention is not where it should be – on the road. With the addition of Skype for Business all that goes away,” said Anders Tylman-Mikiewicz Vice President Consumer Connectivity Services at Volvo Car Group.
Skype for Business is actively used by millions of people at work around the globe. In Volvo’s 90 Series cars people will be able to view their upcoming meetings and participant details, and join meetings with one click via the large centre display.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8010151-volvo-cars-adds-skype-business-90-series/
Construction is complete at A/D/O, a new 23,000 square-foot creative space, which opens to the public in Greenpoint, Brooklyn following the holiday season. At the core of A/D/O is its Design Academy, which aims to inspire pioneering work and be a forum for interdisciplinary debate. A/D/O will provide unique opportunities for professional development while inviting the broader public to explore design through a range of installations, exhibitions and events.
The Design Academy at A/D/O will offer an ambitious seasonal program geared towards design professionals, which stimulates relevant dialogue and new work through talks and workshops, special exhibitions and commissions and designer residencies. Its first program, entitled “Utopia vs. Dystopia: Designing Our Imagined Futures,” investigates the role design plays in a world of rapid change. Partnerships with design firms MOS Architects, OLIN, Stephen Burks Man Made and Turner-prize winning collective Assemble, as well as talks from Yves Behar and Alice Rawsthorn among others, are important components of this inaugural season, which will kick off with a three-day festival January 27-29, 2017.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7978851-a-d-o-opens-design-academy-greenpoint-brooklyn/
In California where over one-third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown, businesses in the agricultural industry are looking for ways to reduce costs while continuing to deliver high quality products. In one of the nation’s sunniest states, farmers, food processers, beverage suppliers and more have used complete solar solutions from SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) to save on one of their largest operating expenses: electricity.
One grower-owned almond processor based in the 7-square-mile town of Buttonwillow, Calif., now offsets 90 percent of its electricity costs with a 1-megawatt SunPower® Helix™ system. Golden Empire Shelling can see up to 70 million pounds of almonds roll through its state-of-the-art facility each year. With limited land and water resources in the area, the company chose a solar solution that delivers 29 percent more energy per square foot compared to conventional systems, and can be robotically cleaned with 75 percent less water than manual methods.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7706154-sunpower-solar-solutions-for-agricultural-industry/
China's leading automobile manufacturer GAC Motor has released the first concept car EnLight on November 18 at the 14th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition, marking a new milestone in the company’s continuous path of innovation.
EnLight is an unprecedented smart electric supercar that applies the latest cutting-edge technologies, most futuristic design concepts and natural driving experience. The slim bodied supercar with butterfly wing doors has both the autonomous and manual driving modes while achieving four-wheel independent drive with the in-wheel motors.
“EnLight is a forward-thinking concept car representing the highest level of GAC Motor’s independent research and development as well as our unparalleled technological capabilities, which will also provide GAC Motor strong confidence and support to seek advanced development in the direction of reaching the top of the auto industry through innovation and creativity,” said Zeng Qinghong, president of GAC Motor.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7994651-gac-motor-smart-electric-concept-supercar/
It's been a month since I uploaded Supercar and so the time has come for my December song. The idea for this one came while I was waiting for the bus to bring me back home. Often when I write a song, most of it is composed in my head as I had the string line and percussion already laid out in my mind for this one. The trick is to actually create the exact sound that I'm hearing in my head. Once that it done, I have to write the words and then see if I can actually sing the song and decide then if my voice is right for it. I'm very happy with the results here and how this song turned out.
Lyrics
Trying to find my way back home. Crying, it's a long way to go.
I'm just staring at the world with nowhere to go. I'm just trying to find my way back home.
I've got to find my way home.
As Christmas is nearing, Hamburg is all dressed up for the occasion: during the Advent season, 16 different Christmas markets in the city centre will attract over 6 million visitors – making Hamburg the Christmas capital of the north. No other European Christmas destination offers such diversity, ranging from the elegant/nostalgic market on the Rathausmarkt and the cool/erotic Santa Pauli market in the legendary Reeperbahn entertainment district to the exclusive/maritime market on the Jungfernstieg and the gay/lesbian market with its DJ set in the hip St Georg quarter.
While there are countless ways of celebrating Christmas, Hamburg’s locals are well acquainted with traditional Christmas carols such as “Silent Night.” During the Advent season, this classic German song can be heard at Christmas markets across the city. The port city of Hamburg is Germany’s most international, cosmopolitan and multicultural city, and if you listen closely at one of the Christmas market’s mulled wine stands, you will find that this popular song is actually being sung in various different tongues. What results is a festive “Holy Hamburg Christmas Carol” – sending Hamburg’s seasonal greetings around the world. To experience the Hamburg Christmas feeling, visit www.hamburg-tourism.de/christmas and the social web using the #HolyHamburg hashtag.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7996251-hamburg-christmas-markets-silent-nights/
This holiday season will be particularly special for more than 1,000 families, many of whom will - for the first time - be able to create memories in their own homes. Throughout 2016, longtime partners Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity have worked toward a yearlong goal to build or repair 1,000 homes alongside families across the U.S. to help them realize their dreams of safe, affordable homeownership.
At a culminating event in Fort Worth, Habitat and Lowe’s will revitalize 58 homes and string holiday lighting with 19 families, while celebrating surpassing that goal and bringing the joy of experiencing holiday traditions in the comfort of their homes to families in more than 300 communities nationwide.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7906453-lowes-habitat-for-humanity-1000-homes-for-the-holidays/
While January 1 is the traditional day millions announce their New Year’s Resolutions, research shows only 8% of Americans achieve success. For the fifth year, Life Time, is aiming to help people rethink resolutions and instead make a true, internal commitment to themselves to living a healthy way of life by participating in the Commitment Day 5K Fun Run and Walk. Held at more than 40 Life Time destinations across the U.S. and Canada, Commitment Day empowers individuals, families and communities to start the year on the right foot by marking their pledge with action toward a year of better health. New for 2017, a Virtual 5K is available for anyone in North America to join in. All participants will receive a race bib and commemorative Commitment Day tee shirt. Registration, locations and pricing details are available at www.CommitmentDay.com.
Commitment Weekend kicks off on Friday, Dec. 30 and continues through Monday, Jan. 2, when Life Time will open its doors to everyone – whether a member or not. During each of the four days, Life Time’s 122 destinations will feature a variety of health and fitness experiences and activities for all ages. In addition to the 5K Fun Run and Walk on Jan. 1, people can take part in unique-to-Life Time group fitness, indoor cycle and yoga classes such as Strike, Amp Cycle and Warrior Sculpt, as well as Alpha Training. Life Time’s indoor aquatic centers, basketball courts, rock walls and tennis, racquetball and squash courts will all be open with club-specific programming to help men, women and kids make their commitment even easier by doing activities they love or trying new things that will inspire them in the coming year.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7991951-life-time-commitment-day-virtual-5k-fun-run-walk/
