Over 50 PR agencies and in-house PR departments came together to witness the first PR Pressure conference, which took place on Wednesday, 25 May 2016, at the Dusit Thani, Dubai. The event, organised by Secret PR, marks the first of an annual series of conferences that address the struggles faced by PR professionals in the Middle East. Leading up to the next conference, Secret PR will be taking proactive steps towards providing pragmatic solutions for the issues raised at the event.
One of the highlights from the conference was a series of open discussions surrounding opinions on the media and the PR industry. Inspired by a popular hashtag, #UAEPR, the event offered an open and professional approach to the shortcomings of both industries in order to encourage better practice amongst journalists and PR professionals. These sessions were headed by speakers from PR agencies and media, including Nick Rego, Senior Editor at tbreak.com, Sudeshna Ghosh, a consulting editor and freelance writer, Shereen Shabnam, Consultant Head of PR for octOpus and MTE Studios, and Louay Al-Sammarai, Joint Managing Director and Co-Founder of Active (Digital. Marketing. Communications).
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7852351-pr-pressure-conference/
A new survey from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) finds many Americans with gout may be placing too much emphasis on diet when it comes to managing the disease and controlling painful flares. Of all the steps taken to manage gout, respondents cited changing their diet by eliminating or reducing consumption of certain foods as their top step taken (50 percent)—even ahead of taking medications to lower their uric acid levels (40 percent) and maintaining an overall healthy fitness level (33 percent). Furthermore, nearly one in three with gout incorrectly believes that the disease can be completely avoided by eliminating certain foods; and more than one in four said they would not take medications if they were making dietary changes.
“Physicians all too often see patients who believe they can successfully manage their gout with diet alone,” said N. Lawrence Edwards, M.D., a rheumatologist and GUAES chairman. “But even with extremely rigid diet restrictions, most gout patients will only be able to lower their uric acid levels slightly—not nearly enough to achieve a healthy level to control flares and reduce risk for long-term damage.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7835451-guaes-diet-survey/
The Space Potatoes rocketry team from Bellevue, Washington, bested 100 of the top student rocketry teams in the country to claim first place at the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) National Finals.
The five-student team outscored nearly 5,000 students on 789 teams that participated in this year’s competition from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Space Potatoes, comprised of Mikaela Ikeda (12), Larry Jing (13), Karl Deerkop (14), Srivatshan (Sri) Sakthinarayanan (13) and Stephanie Han (13), were awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships and funds for their school.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7615351-team-america-rocketry-challenge/
Motherhood is a lifelong promise to love, protect and fight for your child. For some mothers, the greatest fight isn’t their own – it’s helping their child battle cancer.
Beginning today and throughout May, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is honoring heroic moms of childhood cancer patients by sharing their inspiring stories of strength. Additionally, the foundation is making a $50,000 grant in support of these moms to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to help find a cure.
Northwestern Mutual will share the personal stories of eight mothers and their children from across the country through a Facebook campaign.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7730651-northwestern-mutual-mothers-day/
With the help of President George H.W. Bush, Bass Pro Shops and representatives of the States of Texas and Florida, RBFF and the George H.W. Bush Vamos a Pescar™ Education Fund has announced the very first grant donations to organizations bringing conservation, education and fishing and boating experiences to Hispanic families. A total of $50,000 in grants were awarded last week during a ceremony at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, TX.
The George H.W. Bush Vamos a Pescar™ Education Fund was founded by RBFF in 2014, with an initial $125,000 donation by Bass Pro Shops Founder and CEO Johnny Morris, in honor of President George H.W. Bush’s milestone 90th birthday. The mission of the Education Fund is to bring hands-on fishing and boating experiences, along with conservation activities, to Hispanic families across the United States. This event announces the first grants made in furtherance of this mission.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7806451-vamos-a-pescar-ghwb-fund/
INRIX®, Inc., a global leader for transportation analytics, today released its 2015 Traffic Scorecard, a benchmark for governments and agencies in the U.S. and Europe to measure progress in improving urban mobility.
The report reveals the U.S. faces large challenges to solve congestion issues, fueled by continued economic and population growth, higher employment rates and declining gas prices. Cities that have experienced the most economic improvement during the past year are at highest risk for consequences related to worsened traffic conditions, including reduced productivity, higher emissions and increased stress levels. For example, Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Boston all saw reduced unemployment rates bringing them below the national average of 5.3 percent for 2015.1 However, according to the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, congestion in those cities alone combined to waste 1.5 billion hours for daily car commuters last year. Nationwide, commuters spent a total of more than eight billion extra hours stuck in traffic, representing almost 50 hours per driver.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7775551-inrix-2015-traffic-scorecard/
Rowenta, maker of the revolutionary new air purifier the Intense Pure Air, is collaborating with renowned Environmental Toxicologist Dr. Noreen Khan-Mayberry (aka “The Tox Doc”), to help allergy sufferers better manage their symptoms. An estimated 50 million Americans are allergic to dust, dander, mold and mites, which can cause trouble breathing, excessive sneezing, eye irritation and coughing, amongst other ailments.
Seasonal allergies affect approximately 30% of U.S. residents and are worsening due to climate change, which is not only causing an increase in pollen levels, but also extending the length of pollen season. As such, allergy sufferers and people with asthma and other respiratory issues are at an even greater risk for heightened symptoms both indoors and outdoors.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7779051-rowenta-intense-allergen-air-purifier/
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), the nation’s largest pharmacy innovation company, today announced Be The First, a five-year $50 million initiative to help deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation. Through this initiative, which is funded through CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation, the company is extending its commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives. Recognizing that tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States and that youth use of some tobacco products is on the rise, Be The First comprises comprehensive education, advocacy, tobacco control and healthy behavior programming in partnership with organizations uniquely positioned to tackle this public health challenge.
“We are at a critical moment in our nation’s efforts to end the epidemic of tobacco use that continues to kill more people than any other preventable cause of death, and threatens the health and well-being of our next generation,” said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Health. “Ensuring our youth stay tobacco-free requires increased education and awareness of healthy behaviors. We’re partnering with experts across the public health community who have established best practices to help prevent tobacco use. And, by establishing more public-private partnerships to implement these strategies more aggressively, we can help increase the number of people leading tobacco-free lives and move us one step closer to delivering the first tobacco-free generation.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7775151-cvs-health-be-the-first/
Cuba was witness once again to the largest annual international event celebrating the Habano culture. The festival has come to an end with the celebration of the Gala Evening that paid tribute to the Cohiba brand on its 50th Anniversary, with exclusive tastings of its new releases. The gala hosted 1,200 guests that enjoyed live performances by Cuban pianist and composer, Chucho Valdes; the Spanish flamenco singer, Estrella Morente; and the Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler.
This year the traditional humidor auction of seven collector items reached a total of 865.000€ that will be entirely donated to the Cuban Public Health System. This edition has been especially unique thanks to the auction of the first humidor (01/50) of the exclusive special series “Cohiba 50 Aniversario”, which raised 320.000 euros. This humidor is an authentic work of art and a unique collector's item, and heralds a true innovation in terms of traditional craftsmanship and technical design and development.
During the evening, the “Maestro de Maestros” was chosen in the XV International Habanosommelier Contest. The winner was Juan Jesús Machín from Cuba. Luis Manuel García Urrea (United Arab Emirates) and Pedro Tejeda (Cuba) were runners-up in second and third place respectively.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7779251-international-stars-xviii-habanos-festival/
Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the company the prime contract for Phase 2 of the Agency’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) program.
VTOL X-Plane seeks to develop a technology demonstrator that could:
• Achieve a top sustained flight speed of 300 kt-400 kt
• Raise aircraft hover efficiency from 60 percent to at least 75 percent
• Present a more favorable cruise lift-to-drag ratio of at least 10, up from 5-6
• Carry a useful load of at least 40 percent of the vehicle’s projected gross weight of 10,000-12,000 pounds
The Aurora team’s design for its unmanned aircraft, named LightningStrike, seeks to provide an approximately 50-percent increase in speed over existing VTOL aircraft designed for comparable mission applications.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7617851-aurora-flight-sciences-vtol-xplane-darpa/
The new edition of the Habanos Festival will feature an outstanding international musical line-up. For five whole days, from the 29th of February to the 4th of March, this annual event dedicated to Habano cigars will gather more than 1,500 attendees from over 50 countries that will discover this year’s major launches in an exclusive and inspiring setting.
The Welcome Event, dedicated to the Hoyo de Monterrey Reserva Cosecha 2012, will have Alexander Abreu, renowned trumpet player, composer and winner of a Latin Grammy, and his group Havana D’Primera to close the evening. On the other hand, the Gala Evening, in tribute to Cohiba on its 50th Anniversary, will feature performances by such distinguished artists as Chucho Valdés, the Cuban pianist and composer, winner of five Grammys and three Latin Grammys; Estrella Morente, the Spanish Flamenco singer; or Jorge Drexler, the Uruguayan singer and songwriter, winner of an Oscar and two Latin Grammys. They will share the stage with rising popular international names in Cuban music such as Alain Pérez, Geidi Chapman and Cucu Diamantes.
Talent will also be enjoyed at the International Habanosommelier contest, that this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, and will bring together the world’s best “Habanosommeliers”, the winners of all the previous editions, with the challenge of finding the “Maestro de Maestros” of Habanos pairings with the most famous drinks and cocktails.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7767951-top-music-artists-to-play-habanos-festival/
Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has named Hershel “Woody” Williams of Ona, West Virginia, as the Grand Prize winner of the 2016 Rare Life Award. Eagle Rare will donate $50,000 to Williams’ charity, the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, and host an awards ceremony in Lexington, Kentucky on February 27, 2016.
The Rare Life Award is an annual recognition program created to honor individuals who exhibit courage, leadership, survival, devotion, character and heroism. Candidates are nominated by friends, family and colleagues. Their stories and photos are posted online at www.eaglerarelife.com.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7761951-2016-rare-life-award/
