America’s traffic congestion recession is over. Just as the U.S. economy has regained nearly all of the 9 million jobs lost during the downturn, a new report produced by INRIX and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) shows that traffic congestion has returned to pre-recession levels.
According to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard, travel delays due to traffic congestion caused drivers to waste more than 3 billion gallons of fuel and kept travelers stuck in their cars for nearly 7 billion extra hours – 42 hours per rush-hour commuter. The total nationwide price tag: $160 billion, or $960 per commuter.
Washington, D.C. tops the list of gridlock-plagued cities, with 82 hours of delay per commuter, followed by Los Angeles (80 hours), San Francisco (78 hours), New York (74 hours), and San Jose (67 hours).
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7430751-inrix-2015-urban-mobility-scorecard/
Call it a homecoming.
When Toyota introduced Lexus to the U.S. market in 1989, the Georgetown, Ky., plant – its first stand-alone vehicle manufacturing facility in America – was just in its second year of producing the Camry.
Fast forward 26 years and that same plant is celebrating the start of U.S. Lexus production. Today at a ceremony fit for a luxury brand king, the first-ever U.S.-produced ES 350 was unveiled before several thousand proud team members in Georgetown. And, just like a newborn foal at the nearby horse farms in Central Kentucky, the newcomer was brought into the world with plenty of TLC and hope for a bright future.
“This is really a proud moment for us and brings us full circle,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “To be the first wholly owned plant, building the number one best-selling car in America, the Camry, for 13 years in a row, and then to be selected to build the first Lexus is truly a tribute to our team members.”
For the past two and a half years, the Kentucky plant – Toyota’s largest in North America – has been gearing up to make the ES 350, Lexus’ best-selling sedan in the U.S. In all, $360 million was invested toward a new dedicated assembly line, adding 750 new jobs. Total capacity for the new line will be 50,000 vehicles.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655351-lexus-kentucky-plant-es-350/
As an addition to the social responsibility project it started for sheltering street animals, the lucky address for shopping, n11.com, has now redesigned its delivery boxes, turning them into portable "homes" that can protect animals living on the streets from the harsh conditions of winter.
Contributing to the e-trade sector with its innovative activities, n11.com has completed the design work that it has been conducting in the last period, turning its delivery boxes into portable "homes" for street animals.
The special boxes were designed to especially endure cold weather conditions and were produced after approximately a year of Research and Development efforts. From now on, shoppers who order pet food on n11.com will be contributing to providing street dogs and cats with a warm home.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7664151-n11-com-boxes-homes-animals/
The Swiss watch world is about to be joined by an exciting new addition with a venerable name. Czapek, a watch brand that achieved considerable success in the nineteenth century, has been revived and is launching with a distinctive timepiece and an innovative sharing strategy to attract watch lovers.
Czapek & Cie was re-established by three entrepreneurs with a passion for fine watches and outstanding mechanics. The original founder, François Czapek was a Czech-born, Polish watchmaker, who arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1832. In 1839 he founded Patek, Czapek & Cie with fellow pole Antoni Patek. For six years they produced exceptional watches.
At the end of their partnership, in 1845, he founded Czapek & Cie and became Purveyor to the French Emperor Napoleon the Third. At its height, the company had boutiques in Geneva, Warsaw and Paris, Place Vendôme.
“Czapek deserves to be revived, he was one of the great watchmakers of the nineteenth century, who brilliantly combined precision mechanics with extremely refined aesthetics”, says Xavier de Roquemaurel, spokesman for the team. Czapek’s timepieces, which are still coveted at auctions, reveal a quest for beauty through a poetic display of time.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7684451-czapek-cie-19th-century-swiss-watch/
Consumers seeking locally sourced products can easily find one in an everyday pantry staple – vegetable oil, which is primarily 100 percent soybean oil made from soybeans grown in the U.S. Sales of vegetable oil support more than 550,000 U.S. soybean farmers who strive to leave the land in better shape than they found it for America’s next generation of farmers. “I work hard to help produce an ingredient that I am proud to serve to my own family, as well as families across the U.S.,” said United Soybean Board (USB) Chairman Bob Haselwood. “Every time you purchase vegetable oil, or soybean oil, you’re supporting local farmers.” Haselwood produces soybeans on his farm in Berryton, Kansas. Many retailers sell soybean oil primarily produced with U.S.-grown soybeans. This past summer, USB partnered with a large Midwest grocery retail chain with 200+ stores to emphasize the importance of knowing where food comes from and educate about the benefits of soybean oil. During this promotion, unit sales of the store brand vegetable oil rose more than 27 percent over the same time last year, and shoppers commented that they were more likely to purchase soybean oil knowing it’s a U.S.-grown product. To view the multimedia release go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7689851-united-soybean-board-eat-local/
Florida residents previewed Honey Nut Cheerios' one-of-a-kind living billboard, just outside of Orlando, to celebrate the classic cereal’s key ingredient –real honey. Much more than just a billboard installation, the three-story free-standing structure was home to more than 100,000 honeybees. The honey produced from the working hives was used to spell out “Made with Real Honey” on the exterior of the installation. The local Florida honey was used to produce a limited number of exclusive boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios.
Constructed in the farm fields at Diamond P Farm and Ranch, the honey-bees used in the creation of the billboard were supplied in partnership with Brent Dickson and his family, who are local Orlando bee-keepers. True to standards, most of the beekeepers who make the honey for Honey Nut Cheerios run family businesses and depend on their bees to make a living.
“Honey is more than just an ingredient – it’s the flavor at the heart of Honey Nut Cheerios. And that’s why we thought there was no better way to explain just how real the honey is that goes into Honey Nut Cheerios than by physically showing it,” said Jared Pippin, senior associate marketing manager at General Mills. “We wanted to honor the honeybees and show our support for the dedicated beekeepers who love honey just as much as we do.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7672051-honey-nut-cheerios-bee-to-bowl/
Goody®, the leader in hair accessories and styling tools, today announces the launch of Clean Radiance®, a sophisticated new line of copper bristled hair brushes, which reduces buildup in all hair types and restores natural moisture balance for a healthier shine.
The copper bristles in the new Clean Radiance brushes massage the scalp and work through the hair to reduce buildup that is produced over time, which in turn leads to beautiful and radiant locks. By incorporating the Clean Radiance brush into their daily routine, beauty enthusiasts everywhere will be thrilled to notice healthier looking hair with added shine in a matter of weeks.
“Healthier looking, radiant hair can now be achieved by anyone, with the help of our Goody Clean Radiance brushes,” says Monica Tyler, Director of Marketing for Goody. “The strong copper bristles sweep easily through hair to leave behind beautiful and lustrous tresses.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655051-clean-radiance-brushes/
Approximately one year after leading roof window manufacturer VELUX Group joined forces with social business Little Sun and NGO Plan International, launching a design competition to bring clean, sustainable light to Africa, the first solar lamps have now arrived on African soil.
The VELUX Natural Light International Design Competition received 172 proposals from 65 countries. A high-level jury of experts in the fields of architecture, art and design subsequently selected the winning design, by Mariana Arando and Luca Fondello of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their solar lamp design was inspired by the way light can bring people together.
The VELUX Group has so far produced and donated 14,500 of the solar-powered lamps, and 150 local sales agents are now being trained in how to sell the lamps in off-grid communities in Senegal, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The training combines workshops, roleplay, demonstrations, and group work.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7724551-velux-natural-light-solar-lamps-in-africa/
Crowdfunding single for French Boutik's 1st Album! Support it here:
http://igg.me/at/frenchboutikalbum
Clip directed and produced by Firenze Wyoming. Song recorded by Antoine Demantké at Studio Cargo Montreuil, mixed by Dennis Rux of Yeah!Yeah!Yeah! Studios Hambourg.
MERCI à eux, et à Guillaume et toute l'équipe de Au Pied de Fouet 7e où ce clip a été tourné pour leur gentillesse et patience :-)
Launched in January, Flatbed Cider Co. (www.flatbedcider.com) offers consumers an all-new craft cider made from the apples that made the Northwest famous around the world. The company’s two offerings, a Crisp Apple Cider and a Pear Cider are now available at restaurants and retailers throughout Washington State and Oregon.
While various hard ciders have been produced in the U.S. since the repeal of prohibition, the Northwest has recently become the epicenter of a craft cider revolution. Since 2012, cider’s popularity has grown more than 60 percent each year, with the strongest growth happening in Washington State and Oregon¹. Flatbed ferments its hard ciders from local, whole-pressed apples—rather than the apple juice concentrate used by many brands—and limits the time from branch to bottle to minimize oxidation and maximize Flatbed’s bright, rustic apple character.
Flatbed’s Crisp Apple Cider has a drier taste profile than most widely-available ciders in the U.S. Flatbed Crisp Apple Cider is all-natural, with no added sugar or artificial ingredients and is naturally gluten-free. Jonagold apples picked at their peak deliver the balance and acidity behind Flatbed’s exceptionally bright taste while Red Delicious apples provide tannin structure. Golden Delicious apples add a rustic apple character with a twist of subtle sweetness. And, heirloom varietals like Newtown Pippins and Gravensteins—which are hand-selected from batch-to-batch—add bucolic Northwest charm to the blend. Thanks to its bright acidity and drier flavor profile, Flatbed’s Crisp Apple Cider pairs with nearly anything that comes from the sea, farm or food cart. The Crisp Apple Cider is currently available in a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles with an SRP of $10.99.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7409455-flatbed-cider-northwest-launch/
Recent reports of fraudulent extra virgin olive oil in the marketplace have made finding truly authentic EVOO more important than ever. Consumers are seeking ways to identify the real from the fake. Bellucci and its parent company Certified Origins, headquartered in Grosseto, Italy, is offering a solution in the form of the Bellucci App, which traces any bottle of Bellucci EVOO back to the mill where it was produced and the area in which the olives for it were grown.
As EVOO consumption increases worldwide and many new competitors are entering the market to meet demand, Bellucci is committed to offering precise, detailed information to ensure the authenticity of their product at all levels of production and to empower customers in selecting truly authentic EVOO.
66% of Bellucci is owned by cooperatives of Italian growers, who work with agronomists to identify when their olives are at their peak flavor for oil production. Within hours of harvest, they press their olives in cooperative mills local to their groves. The oil is tested to confirm that it is without defects and that the standards for EVOO are not only met but also exceeded.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7716351-bellucci-olive-oil-trace-to-source-app/
NBC UNIVERSO, the modern entertainment and sports cable channel for Latinos, announced today the premiere “El Vato,” the network’s first original scripted series created for the U.S. Hispanic market starring Mexican regional star El Dasa on Sunday, April 17 at 10pm/9c. This 10 episode-long series produced by Endemol Shine Latino and Boomdog, marks the acting debut for the talented and charismatic singer from Hermosillo, Sonora who takes on a new challenge to expand his artistic career.
“Dreams do come true and to be honest I never imagined I would be acting on a TV series inspired on my real life experiences. I’ve always had huge dreams, envisioned myself singing on the most important stages around the world and I still can’t believe it. I am honored to work alongside renowned actors and colleagues. This challenge is a great blessing and hope audiences tune in to watch NBC UNIVERSO because we poured our hearts and souls into this production,” stated El Dasa.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7609252-nbc-universo-el-vato/
