A healthy dose of competition helped the Porter family, members of the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County, Stevens Point, WI, win the second annual Triple Play Fit Family Challenge. This year’s Challenge helped five families from across the country incorporate principles of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) Triple Play program into their lives over a period of six weeks. Mario Lopez, BGCA alum and host of the nationally syndicated daily show EXTRA, crowned the Porter family as the winners based on their ability to increase their physical activity, make healthier nutrition choices and spend more quality time together.
To view Multimedis\a News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53294-boys-girls-clubs-of-america-bgca-mario-lopez-fit-family-challenge
Six girls remain and they finally start bonding! But can it last for long? Tune in Wednesday at 11pm ET on FUSE to see what happens next on FUSE Rock Bottom.
Sixty-six vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOP SAFETY PICK award for 2011, including 40 cars, 25 SUVs, and a minivan. TOP SAFETY PICK recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners also must have available electronic stability control, a crash avoidance feature that significantly reduces crash risk. The ratings help consumers pick vehicles that offer a higher level of protection than federal safety standards require.
Over the past six months UK small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have grown on average by six per cent despite the broader UK economy struggling, according to the latest SMB Index from HP.
HP’s survey of 1,000 SMBs, with between 1 and 50 employees shows that, compared to that of the previous six months, growth for UK SMBs has slowed slightly but optimism is still strong, with SMBs expecting to grow by up to 13 per cent over the next year. Optimism in the economy is also strong, with 66 per cent of SMBs optimistic about the year ahead. SMBs in Financial Services have grown the most (13 per cent), followed by Manufacturing (10 per cent). SMBs in Retail (4 per cent) and Professional Services (1 per cent) have seen the least growth. Nearly half of UK SMBs (48 per cent) are turning to social media to help grow their business and reach new audiences, with 56 per cent of sole traders recognising its value the most. However, although SMBs are finding social media beneficial for networking purposes (83 per cent), and as a mechanism for advertising (57 per cent), many SMBs are underestimating its true potential for business growth and lead generation.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/hp/48901/
Six of 13 small cars recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, and none earn a poor rating in any of 4 tests. This is a turnaround from a few years ago when small cars struggled to earn top safety ratings. The new tests include hybrids and gasoline-only models that are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles available in the U.S. market.
The ratings are based on performance in front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations. Cars that earn the top rating of good in each test and have available electronic stability control (ESC) qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK. Winners are the 2012 Ford Focus and Honda Civic, along with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, Lexus CT 200h hybrid, Nissan Juke, and Toyota Prius hybrid. The Civic, CT 200h, Elantra, Focus, and Prius have at least one version with a government fuel economy rating of at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The Dodge Caliber, Honda CR-Z and Insight hybrids, Nissan Sentra and Versa, Scion xD, and Suzuki SX4 also were rated but didn’t earn TOP SAFETY PICK.
In Becoming Fearless, readers will discover Aguilars motivation not only for winning the show, but facing her deep seated fears. They will discover they have a lot to lose as well, whether it�s fear, weight, or insecurities that keep them from living a full life. Learn about the book here http://bit.ly/BecomingFearless Learn about the author here http://bit.ly/MichelleAguilar Non fiction, self help
Six Flags St. Louis debuted the new Bonzai Pipeline water slide today with the help of four couples who took the Xtreme plunge by riding the park’s first looping body slide to feature dual launching capsules, while exchanging their wedding vows. The Bonzai Pipeline water slide is located in Hurricane Harbor, Missouri’s only free water park with theme park admission.
The four couples who took their wedding vows were winners of a local contest. Each couple exchanged vows at the top of the structure and was pronounced husband and wife as they splashed down at the end of the slide.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56372-six-flags-st-louis-new-ride-bonzai-pipeline-water-slide
Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast was introduced at Six Flags St. Louis today with St. Louis Cardinal and World Series MVP David Freese on-hand for the first official ride. Eighteen members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Louis joined Freese for the inaugural launch-ride on the park’s newest twist to one of its most popular thrill rides. Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast sends riders backwards through a 190-foot tunnel, into a 180-degree inversion, then climbs more than 200-feet in the air where they will find themselves suspended, dangling in the air, before repeating the entire chilling experience.
“I have been coming to Six Flags since I was a kid and the roller coasters have always been my favorite,” said Freese. “I was really excited to ride Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast. The backwards launch and experience of going up the tower facing straight down is a real rush.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55951-mr-freeze-reverse-blast-launches-at-six-flags-st-louis
Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announced that it will grow its New York City portfolio by 50% this year and open more hotels in New York in 2010 than any other city in the world. Today, Starwood operates 12 hotels in the Big Apple across six of its nine distinct and compelling brands. The company's NYC boom will result in 18 high-caliber Starwood hotels including the debut of Starwood's two newest brands in Manhattan — Aloft and Element. The company's bullish focus on NYC is illustrative of its meaningful global growth strategy — Starwood is on track to open more than 80 hotels in key markets around the world this year.
To view Multimedia Newsw Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/starwood/45288/
Thirty Elvis impersonators clad in white and red jumpsuits were the first riders to take to the skies this morning on Six Flags Great Adventure’s new, extreme swing ride, the 24-story SkyScreamer.
SkyScreamer is the cornerstone of the park’s newly-themed Adventure Alley, which offers guests a retro vibe and classic thrill attractions including Déjà Vu, a music-themed scrambler and Air Jumbo featuring whimsical flying elephants. New bumper cars, Fender Benders, will open in Adventure Alley in June.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55636-six-flags-great-adventure-skyscreamer-new-swing-ride-in-adventure-alley
CASIO launched an “extreme” campaign today to demonstrate the ultimate toughness of its newest G’zOne wireless phone, the CASIO G’zOne Commando™ (http://www.casiogzone.com/). Launched in April and available exclusively at Verizon Wireless (http://verizonwireless.com), the military spec Android-powered smartphone can withstand severe conditions and is being put to the test in six extreme scenarios. The campaign was developed by CASIO to show the world the impressive durability of the G’zOne line of devices and the Commando in particular.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51201-casio-launches-tougher-is-smarter-campaign
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported today that 2011 is on track (final numbers will be published in the fall) as yet another consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts. Four of the top 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) reported more thefts in 2011 (+925 collectively) while the remaining six posted fewer (-2,017 collectively).
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53840-nicb-national-insurance-crime-bureau-vehicle-theft-annual-report-hot-spots
