A rite of passage for many families is packing up the car and heading to a relative’s house to celebrate the holidays. Whether you’re flying part of the way or driving the entire distance, keeping the kids quiet and entertained is paramount to a stress-free trip. Just as important as going over your safety check list is packing your children’s favorite snacks, as well as activity bag chock full of mini board games, coloring books and puzzles. Wearing comfy clothes and bringing cozy blankets can also make a long (and sometimes COLD!) trip much more comfortable.
Travel expert and self-defined “über-busy working mom,” Amy E. Goodman is a pro when it comes to traveling with her family. She is available for live interviews to share with your viewers how to put together a stress-free, relaxing winter getaway – whether to the relative’s or a much needed winter escape!
The average walker takes about 10,000 steps per day, which can put tremendous stress on the 26 bones and 33 joints in your feet. The Look for the “O” campaign from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) encourages consumers to take charge of their foot and ankle health and choose a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon when medical care is needed.
“Most people don’t give much thought to their foot health – that is, until something goes wrong,” stated J. Chris Coetzee, MD, president of the AOFAS Board of Directors. “But 75% of all people experience foot pain at some point in their lives, and it’s important to know how to find the best medical care before a problem arises.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8164351-aofas-what-is-a-foot-and-ankle-orthopaedic-surgeon/
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced its first-ever, national advertising campaign aimed at parents of children ages 8-14 to make sure their kids are consistently and properly wearing their seat belt every time the car is moving.
“Buckling up is an important habit to instill in children at a young age. As parents, we need to lead by example and reinforce the message to make sure it sticks,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This campaign urges parents to never give up until their kids buckle up.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7467951-psa-kids-seat-belt-safety-ad-council/
Toys“R”Us® today announced the launch of its annual nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Now through Sunday, December 6, customers can spread holiday joy to some of the 15.5 million U.S. children living in poverty by donating new, unwrapped toys at any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us® store across the country and online at http://www.Toysrus.com/ToysforTots. The company will also collect monetary donations in-store and online through Christmas Eve.
NBA Legend, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Shaquille O’Neal once again joins the company’s campaign as his alter ego Shaq-A-Claus, to encourage shoppers to donate to Toys for Tots. Throughout the campaign, Shaquille will also invite social media users to #PlayItForward, an initiative designed to further spread awareness of the millions of children living in poverty and to inspire families to donate to the cause.
“Making wishes come true around the holidays is especially important to me, as I know how much one toy and one act of kindness can matter. When I was a kid, I was given my very own Dr. J autographed basketball, inspiring me to believe I could grow up to be a basketball star,” said Shaquille O’Neal. “For years, I would shop for presents at Toys“R”Us and distribute them to underprivileged children on Christmas morning. Now, in partnership with Toys“R”Us and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, I’m making it my mission as Shaq-A-Claus to give back and spread holiday cheer to the millions of needy kids in the U.S. I encourage everyone to join me this year and remember – every toy counts!”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7476351-toys-r-us-toys-for-tots-playitforward/
In an agreement announced today at Chicagoland Speedway, Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) has extended its partnership with Danica Patrick and Stewart Haas Racing (SHR), doubling the number of races in which Aspen Dental serves as primary sponsor. The deal means that Patrick will be behind the wheel of the blue-and-white No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS for four races annually beginning with the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, with associate sponsorship status for Patrick in all other Sprint Cup races.
“Working with Aspen Dental dentists has been a real pleasure,” Patrick said. “I love partnering with organizations that care about people, and teaming up with an organization that has such an important mission – breaking down barriers and helping patients get the dental care they need – is very rewarding. Aspen Dental dentists raise awareness about the importance of oral health every day, and I look forward to shining a spotlight on the great work they do.”
Aspen Dental practices are one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of independent dental care providers in the United States, with more than 500 locations across 32 states. In the past two years, Patrick has served as an ambassador for Aspen Dental practices across a multitude of channels, from launching Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement, a community-giving initiative to deliver free dental care and oral health education to people in need, to appearing in A Taste of the Future, a hidden camera video designed to raise awareness about the long-term consequences of delaying dental care.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7629351-aspen-dental-shr-partnership/
QROPS - Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes were introduced in 2006 as part of a major overhaul of Britain\'s pension framework, aimed at simplifying pension transfers to another country. New legislation was passed by the UK tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in order to comply with an EU directive that pensions be free to move across Europe\'s borders. This ruling means that individuals, wishing to retire to countries such as France, Spain and Portugal can effectively take their UK pension funds with them: http://www.axis-finance.com/what-are-qrops.php
Who can apply for a QROPS?
A QROPS is specifically designed to allow anyone, not intending to retire in the UK, to transfer existing and frozen UK pension plans into a more appropriate retirement vehicle.
Individuals who are, or have been members of a UK registered pension fund and are currently living outside of the UK, or intending to leave the UK on a permanent basis, can consider transferring their retirement fund into a QROPS: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-living-in-France
Transfers to QROPS
The UK Government allows transfers to QROPS to be made free of UK tax. Their aim is to simplify the affairs of individuals leaving the UK on a permanent basis and to encourage them to continue saving in order to provide an income when they retire. There is no official limit to the amount of funds that may be transferred to a QROPS: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-France-pension-transfers
QROPS - HMRC Rules
What makes a scheme a QROPS?
In order to transfer your UK pension into a QROPS, it is necessary for the overseas pension scheme to be accepted by HMRC. The criteria outlined by HMRC for an overseas scheme to qualify as a QROPS include:
- The pension scheme must be established outside of the UK
- It must be recognised for tax purposes in the country where it is located
- It must be regulated in the country in which it is established
Age that benefits can be taken from a QROPS
The QROPS regime mirrors that of a regulated pension scheme in the UK. Benefits, including lump sum payments, from the transferred funds may not be distributed earlier than the normal retirement age of 55, if an individual has been a non-UK resident for less than five complete tax years: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-living-in-France-HMRC-Rules
QROPS Reporting requirements
HMRC should be notified if a payment is made within the first five tax years of a member becoming non-UK tax resident. Any benefits paid before five complete tax years of non-UK residency and not in accordance with UK Pension rules will be deemed an unauthorised payment.
The scheme manager does not have to notify HMRC if the payment is made 10 or more years after the day of the transfer that created the QROPS fund for the \'relevant member\', provided that the person is non UK resident for the duration of this period. This 10 year \'bracket\' for reporting payments took effect as of 6 April 2012.
QROPS List
When transferring your UK pension to a scheme overseas, it is important to check that the scheme meets the conditions to be a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS). Not all transfers to overseas or offshore schemes are QROPS transfers; it is therefore essential to verify that the scheme receiving your UK benefits is on the QROPS list published by HMRC, otherwise a transfer will be treated as a transfer to a non-qualifying overseas scheme and substantial penalties may be applied by HMRC at the time of transfer: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-list-living-in-France
How do I know if it is a legitimate QROPS scheme?
QROPS approved plans that agree to have their details published are listed on the HMRC website. A UK Pension administrator will confirm a QROPS listing before agreeing to a transfer. If not listed, the administrator will contact HMRC
Vitamin Bee, LLC today announced a new collaboration with the Bayer Bee Care Program through its “Vitamin Bee®” character to help promote the Feed a Bee initiative, bee advocacy and healthy nutrition awareness for children.
Created by veteran director and animator Geoffrey Kater, Vitamin Bee is the central character in a nutrition education program that encourages kids to eat nutritious foods and empowers them to make healthy lifestyle choices. Their approach is to teach children and have fun while doing it, with the help of a dynamic animated character, as well as an entire curriculum that entertains and educates through the use of videos, quizzes, activity sheets, games and hands-on lessons.
“Vitamin Bee is a great role model that teaches kids about the value of the honey bee to our planet, our food supply and our daily lives,” said Geoffrey Kater, creator of Vitamin Bee. “We hope that getting kids to appreciate the role of the honey bee at an early age will encourage them to be great bee advocates for their entire lives. Vitamin Bee speaks a language that kids understand and uses humor to teach them these important lessons. I think we’ve created a great thing here and I’m so happy to be working with the Feed a Bee program and to be part of the Bayer Bee Care Center to help educate schools, kids and families alike.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452952-bayer-vitamin-bee-feed-a-bee/
Esurance caused a bit of a scene. The home and auto insurer staged a fender bender to encourage safe driving, an important message to address the recent series of car accidents caused by people playing mobile games while driving.
The scene on Chicago’s popular Magnificent Mile featured a car’s run-in with a hot dog cart, all caused by a fictional distracted driver and Esurance mobile game-inspired creature that causes fender benders, the Fenderbendix. As visitors walked past the jarring scene, they discovered that nobody was hurt. And they learned an important message about safe driving, smart people #DontCatchAndDrive.
“We’re always looking for unexpected, relatable ways to connect with people. Staging this scene allowed us to capture people’s attention and send an important message about safe driving,” said Alan Gellman, chief marketing officer at Esurance. “We understand the appeal of exciting modern technology like augmented reality gaming, but we want people to be smart about how they use it.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7910451-esurance-don%E2%80%99t-catch-and-drive/
From school lunches to family picnics to team practices, America’s iconic sandwich – the peanut butter and jelly - has played an important role in the lives of many Team USA athletes. It’s why Smucker’s®, a proud sponsor of Team USA, is turning America’s passion for a PB&J into a way to support our Team USA athletes. Beginning today, for every tweet using #PBJ4TeamUSA, Smucker’s will donate $1 to the United States Olympic Committee (up to $200,000).
Smucker’s is teaming up with U.S. Olympic gold medalist gymnast Shawn Johnson, U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Conor Dwyer, and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist gymnast Aly Raisman to rally America to show their Olympic support.
“Every single donation makes a difference in an athlete’s training and the ability to work toward achieving our dreams, so I’m humbled and excited to partner with Smucker’s on #PBJ4TeamUSA,” said Aly Raisman. "I grew up eating PB&J, so being part of an effort to help fuel Team USA is so exciting for me!”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7815051-smuckers-pbj4teamusa-olympics/
Seeking to support men and their loved ones facing the challenges that come with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, USA Rugby, the Australian Rugby Union and Astellas Pharma have partnered to launch the #pass4prostate challenge, a social media campaign designed to generate awareness of prostate cancer and support a donation of up to $125,000 from Astellas to four research and advocacy organizations: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australia Prostate Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and Prostate Cancer Canada.
From August 5 through the end of September – Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – social media users are encouraged to record a video of themselves catching an inanimate object, mentioning why prostate cancer awareness is important to them, and then passing that object, rugby-style, symbolically to a friend or family member. Astellas will donate $5 to prostate cancer advocacy organizations for every qualifying submission with the #pass4prostate hashtag posted to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, up to a maximum contribution of $125,000.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7579051-pass4prostate-challenge-rugby-astellas/
As Child Passenger Safety Week wraps up, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a new Car Seat Finder Tool, adding the ability to look up car seat recalls on its mobile app, and reminding parents and caregivers to register their child's car seat through its new campaign – “Don't Delay. Register Your Car Seat Today.” Every 34 seconds, a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash and more than a third of children killed in crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. NHTSA's new Car Seat Finder Tool is aimed at helping parents select the right car seat or booster seat for their child, while the campaign reminds everyone of the importance of registering car seats to receive important safety recall notifications.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7310151-ad-council-nhtsa-child-passenger-safety-2014/
