The Toyota Prius v is the only midsize car out of 31 evaluated to earn a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s first-ever headlight ratings.
The best available headlights on 11 cars earn an acceptable rating, while nine only reach a marginal rating. Ten of the vehicles can’t be purchased with anything other than poor-rated headlights.
A vehicle’s price tag is no guarantee of decent headlights. Many of the poor-rated headlights belong to luxury vehicles.
The ability to see the road ahead, along with any pedestrians, bicyclists or obstacles, is an obvious essential for drivers. However, government standards for headlights, based on laboratory tests, allow huge variation in the amount of illumination that headlights provide in actual on-road driving. With about half of traffic deaths occurring either in the dark or in dawn or dusk conditions, improved headlights have the potential to bring about substantial reductions in fatalities.
As of this weekend, the City of Essen is officially the European Green Capital. The Lord Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen launched the title year together with the EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella during a creative orchestrated stage show. Other well-known guests included representatives from the EU, the Federal Government and the State of NRW, such as German Federal Minister for Environment Dr Barbara Hendricks and Minister for Environment for North Rhine-Westphalia Johannes Remmel. Many thousands of visitors came to the subsequent Culture and Families Festival in the Grugapark.
The Lord Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen emphasised: “Our motto for 2017 is to ‘experience your green miracle’. We would like to invite people from Europe and across the globe to visit us in 2017 and experience their own green miracle. Our city offers many surprises - the opening weekend proved this impressively.” The third greenest city in Germany showed what it was capable of during the Culture and Families Festival. The themes accompanying the City of Essen throughout the title year turned into life in the form of illuminations, dance, theatre, sound installation, light labyrinth, walking acts, exhibitions and much more.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8024151-european-green-capital-essen-2017-launched/
New research by Johnson Controls, the global leader in delivering solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings, shows energy efficiency interest rose 116 percent globally since 2010, with those who set goals making the greatest strides in reducing energy use. Momentum is also growing for green-building certification and green-tenant space leasing although many cite a lack of funding and uncertainty over government reform as obstacles to investment.
To view MultimediaNews Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/57694-johnson-controls-2013-energy-efficiency-indicator-global-survey/
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was held, bringing together more than 12,000 participants from 133 countries, including media representatives and business and government delegations. On June 16, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, and Chairman of the SPIEF Organizing Committee Sergei Prikhodko gave a welcome address at the official opening of the Forum. Heads of states, government officials, and executives from leading international companies and organizations gathered in St. Petersburg for one of the key global business events of the year.
Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov highlighted the Forum’s significance. “One of the key achievements of this year’s Forum is that it has once again confirmed its reputation as one of the largest, most reputable, and indispensable global platforms for direct and frank discussion between representatives of the state, the business community, academia, and experts from all over the world on the current challenges facing the global economy and financial sector. The number of Forum participants continues to grow year after year, which is another testament to Russia’s enduring role as an important global business and finance hub. We highly value the interest and, more importantly, the trust of Forum partners, guests, and participants.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7869551-outcomes-20th-spief-2016/
The current student loan debt crisis in the U.S. is real. Total student loan debt currently stands at more than $1.16 trillion. And, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, student loans represent the highest amount of delinquent debt compared to all other forms of household debt, including mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.
Gaining a college education has long been among the most important first steps towards obtaining a happy and prosperous life. The reality, however, is that most college graduates are starting their adult life deep in debt, and feeling stressed and completely unprepared to manage their financial lives. The good news is that the government has created programs to help borrowers reduce the burden caused by student loan debt. To learn more about these government programs, visit StudentAid.ed.gov.
Money Management International (MMI), along with other nonprofit organizations and consumer advocate groups, have taken additional steps to help struggling student loan borrowers understand their repayment plan options, find solutions for managing other debt obligations, and create realistic action plans for reaching overall financial success.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7406151-mmi-student-loan-debt/
As a national project for Korea to enhance its growth potential and nurture global talent, Incheon Global Campus (IGC), Korea’s first joint campus with foreign world-class universities, has the vision to create the best educational hub in Northeast Asia. The central government and the city of Incheon invested about KRW 1 trillion, aiming to attract 10 prestigious foreign universities ranked among the world’s top 100 universities.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8106351-incheon-global-campus-igc-korea/
Politicians, economists, media and researchers from around the world will gather in Tunis from May 14 to 17 to take part in the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy. As the forum's media partner, SWI swissinfo.ch will report live from the event, and officially launch its microsite dedicated to direct democracy and its partner site, people2power.info.
The aim of the microsite swissinfo.ch/directdemocracy - online in 10 languages since December 2014 - is to inform readers about political rights and democratic processes so they can form their own opinions in order to play a greater role in the decision-making process. Switzerland's unique form of participative democracy is the focus of the site whereas people2power.info offers a global view.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523351-swissinfo-direct-democracy-tunis/
Politicians, economists, media and researchers from around the world will gather in Tunis from May 14 to 17 to take part in the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy. As the forum's media partner, SWI swissinfo.ch will report live from the event, and officially launch its microsite dedicated to direct democracy and its partner site, people2power.info.
The aim of the microsite swissinfo.ch/directdemocracy - online in 10 languages since December 2014 - is to inform readers about political rights and democratic processes so they can form their own opinions in order to play a greater role in the decision-making process. Switzerland's unique form of participative democracy is the focus of the site whereas people2power.info offers a global view.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523351-swissinfo-direct-democracy-tunis/
Drivers of late-model pickup trucks are likely to find themselves squinting into the darkness or temporarily blinding other drivers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's latest headlight ratings show.
All four small pickups evaluated are available only with headlights that earn a poor rating. The same goes for 3 out of 7 large pickups. Only one large pickup, the Honda Ridgeline, is available with good-rated headlights, though all but the most expensive trim levels come with poor ones.
Pickups are the third vehicle category to be put through the IIHS headlight evaluations. Midsize cars were the first in March, followed by small SUVs in July.
IIHS launched its headlight ratings after finding that government standards based on laboratory tests allow for huge variation in the amount of illumination headlights provide in on-road driving. In the Institute's evaluations, engineers measure how far light is projected from a vehicle's low beams and high beams as the vehicle travels straight and on curves. Glare from low beams for oncoming drivers also is measured.
Abila, the leading provider of software and services to associations, nonprofits, and government entities, announced today findings from its 2016 Nonprofit Finance Study: Compliance, People, and Process Complexities. This study explores the challenges and opportunities associated with rules and regulations changes, compliance, managing multiple revenue sources, audits, fraud, and staff turnover in the nonprofit finance department.
“Any time there are rules and regulations changes, there are added costs – both in terms of time and money – for nonprofit organizations,” said Dan Murphy, senior manager of fund accounting strategy for Abila. “Maintaining compliance, mitigating fraud, and preparing for audits add even more layers of complexity for organizations. We found there are a number of areas where nonprofit organizations need to sharpen their focus, better equip their teams with specialized training and technology, and ensure they are mitigating the risk of losing essential finance personnel.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7858252-abila-2016-nonprofit-finance-study/
The Government’s draft Deregulation Bill first appeared in June last year. Clause 1 of that draft bill includes proposals to exempt certain self-employed people from health and safety law. This has caused some controversy among health and safety professionals, who believe that the exemption could lead to confusion, increasing the risk of injury, illness and death as a result.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400542-SHP-IOSH-deregulation-bill
Abila, the leading provider of software and services to associations, nonprofits, and government entities, announced today findings from its Member Engagement Study: Aligning Organization Strategy with What Matters Most to Members. The study explores member engagement and where alignments and disconnects exist between professional member organizations and the members they serve. The study also looks at engagement preferences across four generations: Matures (71 or older), Boomers (52-70), Generation Xers (36-51), and Millennials (19-35).
“In many ways, members and the professional organizations to which they belong are on the same page,” said Amanda Myers, director of member strategy for Abila and study co-author. “However, we’re seeing some areas of misalignment between members and professional organizations, especially surrounding what motivates members to join and engage with an organization versus what organization professionals think motivates their members.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7858251-abila-member-engagement-study/