To coincide with Independence Day, the Ad Council, R/GA and an unprecedented group of brands launched “We Are America,” an extension of the iconic Love Has No Labels campaign, explaining that love for country is love for the people who make up this country. The new PSAs, featuring WWE Superstar John Cena, continue to further the campaign message of acceptance of all communities regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability. Love Has No Labels encourages audiences to recognize their implicit bias – biases that live in our subconscious – in order to promote inclusion. “We Are America” invites everyone to submit their photos to demonstrate the true diversity that makes up America. Upworthy, a 2015 campaign launch partner, shared “We Are America” on its social platforms and will be creating a series of videos launching in the coming months to help further the campaign message.
In a two-part video series from EisnerAmper, one of the nation's leading providers of employee benefit plan audits, leading benefit plan expert, Denise Finney, highlights two new accounting standards related to employee benefit plans and addresses the impact they have on plan sponsors.
Finney, who has extensive experience directing employee benefit plan audits, including 401(k), 11-K, profit sharing, defined benefit, 403(b) and Employee Stock Option Plans (“ESOPs”), begins her video series by addressing ASU 2015-12, Part 1, which applies to fully benefit-responsive investment contracts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7856731-eisneramper-employee-benefit-plan/
Connections Academy, a leading provider of online K-12 schools, released results today from its annual parent satisfaction survey measuring families’ satisfaction with their Connections Academy virtual school experience. The survey also reveals reasons why families are choosing Connections Academy for their children. In the 2015-16 school year, 30 Connections Academy-supported schools in 26 states served students with a top-tier, personalized education.
Now in its 14th year, the third-party Connections Academy Parent Satisfaction Survey provides valuable feedback to help tailor and improve the online school program. Thirty-six percent of enrolled families participated in the survey.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7654352-connections-academy-online-school/
Millennials are now the largest living generation in the country. One of the most studied and analyzed generations, millennials are now becoming parents. According to a Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research report published in 2015, 43 percent of children age 0-17 had millennial parents in 2014, and this figure is expected to exceed 50 percent in 2016. A new independent survey of U.S. households, supported by Connections Education, found that millennials are supportive of alternative approaches to education, with three-fourths of millennial parents (77 percent) saying a DIY approach to education, in which learners craft a path to graduation that best fits their needs, is a good idea.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7654353-connections-education-diy-approach-to-education/
http://www.book-marketing-expert.com
Stories of Music by Holly E. Tripp ( https://storiesofmusic.com ) is an award-winning, interactive anthology which brings together over 40 authors and artists from 11 countries who tell their personal stories of how music has affected – and changed – their lives. It’s used to heal emotions, lullaby babies, mourn losses, transform criminals, bond differences, and celebrate culture. Music is the all-powerful, non-excluding force that makes this book difficult to put down, and it is emotionally impactful.
Stories of Music (ISBN-10: 0996932704, ISBN-13: 978-0996932707, 2015, Timbre Press, Interactive paperback $29.00, 176 pages) includes URLs and QR codes throughout to direct readers to a free companion web edition with the audio and video pieces. The book is available on the author’s website: https://storiesofmusic.com on iTunes, and on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.
Media Contact: Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090 http://www.book-marketing-expert.com
Co-Authors Roger Arsht and Caitlin Hawker team together to tackle the horrors of dog fighting in She Bites, a page-turning noir thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
She Bites, (ISBN 978-1-48082-221-4, 2015, Archway Publishing, paperback $15.99 and Kindle $3.99, 224 pages, available on Amazon or http://www.shebitesthenovel.com
For a review copy of She Bites or to arrange an interview with Roger Arsht and Caitlin Hawker, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090 or http://www.book-marketing-expert.com
Buckling precious cargo into a late-model vehicle has gotten a bit easier in the past year, the Institute’s LATCH ease-of-use ratings show.
IIHS launched its ratings of child seat installation hardware in vehicles in June 2015. Out of 102 vehicles rated at that time, the majority were poor or marginal. Today, a total of 170 current models have been evaluated, and most are good or acceptable. Three models — the Audi Q7, Lexus RX and Toyota Prius — earn the top rating of good+, a distinction that no vehicle achieved last year.
A properly installed, age-appropriate child restraint can protect a child much better in a crash than a safety belt alone. LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, is intended to make it easier for caregivers to install child restraints properly. Child restraints installed with LATCH are more likely to be put in correctly than restraints installed using the vehicle safety belt, IIHS research has shown.
Even with LATCH, installation errors are common. The Institute’s ratings are based on key ease-of-use criteria that have been shown to minimize mistakes.
Federally funded research continues to spur progress against cancer; however, accelerating the pace of progress will require robust, sustained, and predictable annual funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, strong financial support for the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative is required, according to the sixth annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Cancer Progress Report, released today.
One of the most exciting new approaches to cancer treatment is cancer immunotherapy. As detailed in the report, the utility of immunotherapy is expanding rapidly. For example, on Aug. 1, 2015, one class of immunotherapeutics, checkpoint inhibitors, was initially approved for just two types of cancer—melanoma and lung cancer. As of Sept. 1, 2016, checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for treating six types of cancer—bladder cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7911951-aacr-2016-cancer-progress-report/
The health of babies in the United States has taken a step backward as the nation’s preterm birth rate worsened for the first time in eight years, the March of Dimes said today. The U.S. earned a “C” grade on the latest March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card amidst widening differences in prematurity rates across different races and ethnicities.
“The 2016 March of Dimes Report Card demonstrates that there is an unfair burden of premature birth among specific racial and ethnic groups as well as geographic areas,” says Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “The March of Dimes strives for a world where every baby has a fair chance, yet we see this is not the reality for many mothers and babies. Babies in this country have different chances of surviving and thriving simply based on the circumstances of their birth.”
The U.S. preterm birth rate went up from 9.57 to 9.63 in 2015, according to final data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Across the country, preterm birth rates were nearly 48 percent higher among black women and more than 15 percent higher among American Indian/Alaska Native women compared to white women.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7945951-march-of-dimes-premature-birth-report/
Consumers who choose a 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award winner shouldn’t have trouble seeing the road on nighttime drives. Good or acceptable ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s new headlight evaluations set the latest crop of qualifiers apart. Thirty-eight models earn the “plus” accolade, and 44 earn TOP SAFETY PICK.
IIHS toughened the criteria for TOP SAFETY PICK+ to reflect new headlight evaluations launched in 2016. The recognition program is meant to encourage manufacturers to offer state-of-the-art protection for people in crashes, along with features that help drivers avoid crashes in the first place. In addition to good or acceptable headlights, the latter includes automatic braking technology, which has been part of the criteria since 2015.
For both awards, models must earn good ratings in the Institute’s small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention with standard or optional autobrake. Headlights are factored in only for the top award.
Last December, nearly one-third of all car crash fatalities involved a drunk driver, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Today, to help make our roads safer during the holiday season, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) launched the 13th annual “Project Roadblock” initiative, in which local broadcast TV stations donate airtime to support NHTSA and the Ad Council’s “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA (public service advertising) campaign.
To help the campaign’s message reach those who could benefit most, the Ad Council is conducting a special push to TV stations in the 10 states that accounted for 53% of all alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2015: Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Illinois, and South Carolina.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8003951-nhtsa-ad-council-tvb-anti-drunk-driving-psa/
Primrose Schools, a national preschool franchise company, is on a positive growth track that now spans six years. In 2016, the company saw year-over-year revenue growth of 13 percent from 2015, strengthening its brand leadership position in the highly competitive early childhood education franchise industry.
Primrose has 342 locations around the country that provide high-quality early education and care to children and families in 27 states. Schools had an average occupancy rate of 87.7 percent, as measured in May 2016. Primrose opened 30 new schools and awarded 46 franchise agreements in 2016, and the company anticipates opening 34 new schools in 2017.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7727754-primrose-schools-available-franchise-locations/