The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage.
That’s the current estimate from Copart, a company that works on behalf of insurers to handle the vehicles damaged in catastrophes. About 2,500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles have already been towed to one of Copart’s locations, a 200-acre processing facility in Houston.
After a disaster, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with its member companies, law enforcement and companies like Copart to identify the vehicles that have had an insurance claim filed and to process them for sale. All of the cars will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the new title will indicate the fact that the vehicle has been flood damaged. Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who will dismantle them and re-sell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523152-nicb-texas-floods/
The California Fig industry is excited to announce the excellent quality of the 2015 fresh crop across all varieties – Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Calimyrna, Kadota, Sierra and Tiger Figs. Natural, good-for-you, and tasty California Fresh Figs are available now thru December.
To celebrate the start of the season, award-winning Chef Robert Del Grande of Houston’s highly-acclaied RDG + Bar Annie created five new simple and delicious recipes that highlight the incredible flavor and versatility of California Fresh Figs.
“I really think figs are the perfect fruit. They have texture, flavor, and nutrition,” says Del Grande. “There’s also a sophistication that fresh figs bring to any dish. Elevate a cheese plate or include them as a key ingredient in salads and salsas. Just remember: When you think delicious, think figs. When you think figs, think California!”
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7587551-chef-del-grande-california-fig-2015/
International research led by University College London (UCL) as part of the ‘Cities Changing Diabetes’ partnership programme challenges current scientific understanding of the rapid rise of diabetes in cities. The findings suggest that in cities around the world, social and cultural factors play a far more important role in the spread of the epidemic than previously thought.
More than two thirds of the world’s 400 million people with diabetes live in urban areas.1,2 The year-long study for Cities Changing Diabetes, a unique public-private-academic partnership, sought to better understand what makes people vulnerable to type 2 diabetes in cities in order to inform solutions for one of the most pressing modern-day public health challenges. To explore this complex issue, more than 550 interviews were undertaken with at-risk and diagnosed people in five major cities – Copenhagen, Houston, Mexico City, Shanghai and Tianjin.
“By largely focusing on biomedical risk factors for diabetes, traditional research has not adequately accounted for the impact of social and cultural drivers of disease,” says David Napier, Professor of Medical Anthropology, UCL. “Our pioneering research will enable cities worldwide to help populations adapt to lifestyles that make them less vulnerable to diabetes.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7690951-study-rethink-rise-diabetes-in-cities/
The holidays are quickly approaching and this time of year we are all looking for inspiration to make our dishes extra special. According to award-winning Chef Robert Del Grande of Houston’s highly-acclaimed RDG + Bar Annie Restaurant, California Dried Figs should be a pantry staple to create simple and delicious recipes to spice up the holidays and all year long.
“Great cooking is easy with the right ingredients on hand,” says Del Grande. “That’s why I always have California Dried Figs in my pantry to add a twist to holiday dishes and recipes year-round. Figs truly elevate simple dishes to extraordinary. So the next time you are in the market be sure to pick up California Dried Figs for your pantry. And, remember: When you think delicious, think figs. And, when you think figs, think California!”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7695851-california-figs-holiday-recipes/
The creature known as Frankenstein, created by a madman of the same name, lives on, re-imagined throughout time. Follow these four stories, each in a different time, a different place.
Mary Shelley's League of Supernatural Hunters: Origins of Adam
Mary Shelley learns of supernatural creatures and real meaning of the word monster as she encounters a man unlike any other. A creature not born of woman, but created from the body of a circus strongman killed while trying to save a lion tamer. She must decide who to trust, the vampire, the witch, the mad scientist or the creature. Either way, Mary's seen enough to know she will need an army to fight those things not easily killed.
Frankenstein's Companion
19th century England, friendless and alone in the world, Adam Frankenstein, the creation of a mad scientist and his witch lover, becomes an assassin for hire. When a powerful mage hires him to find his kidnapped daughter and kill the man who took her, Adam strikes a bargain of his own. The mage has an immortal dog and Adam will do anything to own it.
The Therapist and the Dead
Brooklyn, New York in the 1980's was a place where monsters could blend in. Life has been long and cruel, so Adam keeps his appointment with Dr. Stein, the most expensive and sought after psychologist in the city, to talk of immortality and murder.
Adam Frankenstein, U.S. Marshal
Adam joins the 21st Century, and takes up residence in Houston, Texas. While waiting for his next mission from the League of Supernatural Hunters, he becomes Adam Frank, U.S. Marshal. His new partner is Marshal Rebecca Hughes, a by-the-book woman with a non-nonsense approach to life, with no idea who he really is, but that’s all about to change. When he wakes up dead and learns someone has stolen his dog, Texas may not be big enough to hold his wrath.
Find out more at http://www.SheilaEnglish.com or on Twitter at @SheilaEnglish67 Thriller/Suspense/Horror/Time Travel
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has committed $40.3 million in new research investments to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical centers around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Fondazione Centro San Raffaele in Milan; and South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute in Adelaide.
This $40.3 million investment, comprised of 75 new research grants in LLS’s portfolio of 300 projects, will fund a diverse array of research to find better treatments and cures for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554855-lls-invests-millions-new-research-treatment-cures/
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
In just five hours overnight on October 18, Times Square was transformed from a concrete jungle into a woodland paradise by LightStream, the national online lending division of SunTrust Bank. Nearly 200 live trees, shrubs and plants -- oak, maple, and purple plum trees, as well as rhododendron, mountain laurels and more – provided a magical setting for thousands of visitors to enjoy and have their photo taken and shared on a Times Square billboard. The Forest of Dreams event kicked off LightStream’s effort to plant 10,000 trees in October, one for each person who participated in Times Square or who signs up at LightStreamForests.com before November 1.
The Forest of Dreams will benefit wilderness areas and green spaces across the U.S., including areas decimated by wildfires and hurricanes in Houston, Miami and California.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7740051-lightstream-forest-of-dreams/
An international coalition of cities is calling for an ambitious global goal to prevent more than 100 million new cases of diabetes by 2045. The target is set out alongside new research in a report launched today by the Cities Changing Diabetes partnership at a global summit in Houston, Texas. The report comes with the stark warning that achieving the goal requires cutting rates of obesity by a quarter.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8202451-cities-changing-diabetes-global-obesity-rates/
The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund (“Relief Fund”) today announced that it worked with Houston-area school officials to donate prepaid $1,000 American Express® cash cards to the 5,000 families most severely affected by Hurricane Harvey, distributing total of approximately $5 million.
The donation is made possible by the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund as well as by a grant from the firms and partners of Cantor Fitzgerald, Newmark Knight Frank and BGC Partners. With a combined presence of more than 500 employees throughout Texas, the combined companies have 180 employees who volunteered to effectively distribute direct financial aid to deserving families at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center on Sunday, February 11 and Monday, February 12.
To make this event a reality, the Relief Fund worked with the office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, along with officials and administrators from 15 Houston-area school districts, covering 200 schools, whose efforts were critical to identifying the 5,000 of the most affected families. In addition to Mayor Turner, Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Representative for Texas's 18th congressional district, participated in the event, along with many other local officials and notables.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8262751-cantor-fitzgerald-hurricane-relief-fund/
