Wine connoisseurs and novices alike can experience the art of winemaking at BLEND aboard Holland America Line’s new ms Koningsdam when the ship debuts in April 2016. In collaboration with Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington State’s oldest and most acclaimed winery, the intimate venue will enable guests to blend their own wine and enjoy it at dinner or in the privacy of their stateroom.
BLEND — the first of its kind for Holland America Line and the only purpose-built wine-blending venue at sea — will have a tasting table that accommodates 10 guests who can create their own blend from a selection of five barrels of single-vineyard red wine. In addition to participating in the blending process, guests also will learn about wine from the ship’s wine expert, who leads the blending session.
“At the core of every Holland America Line cruise is our desire to offer unique, immersive and innovative experiences, and BLEND by Chateau Ste. Michelle is all of those things and more,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “The BLEND experience on Koningsdam is designed to appeal to everyone, and it will be exciting for our guests to create an exclusive wine tailored to their personal taste that they can enjoy onboard with our exceptional cuisine.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7363852-holland-america-line-ms-koningsdam/
Black & Decker’s® new 20 Volt Max* Cordless Lithium Ion String Trimmer and Edger (LST220) gives consumers what they want: more power, long battery life and great results without the mess and hassles of gas. The exclusive PowerDrive Transmission enables users to cut more in less time** and the Lithium Ion battery holds its charge five times longer than Black & Decker HPB18 batteries, providing long battery life year after year.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/blackanddecker/48265/
The aluminum-body 2015 Ford F-150 crew cab swept the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s full slate of crashworthiness evaluations to qualify for a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK award. The F-150 extended cab turned in a good performance in 4 of 5 assessments but stumbled in the small overlap front test. The results are the first ratings for large pickups in a group the Institute is evaluating this year.
The F-150 crew cab, which Ford calls the SuperCrew, earns good ratings for occupant protection in all five IIHS crashworthiness evaluations — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations. The extended cab, or SuperCab, earns good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations but just a marginal rating for occupant protection in a small overlap front crash.
Honda will launch the new Civic at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in September. In the build-up to the reveal of the new Civic, Honda is releasing a series of short form films detailing its development. Developed specifically for the European market, the new Civic will be offered exclusively as a five-door hatchback and will compete in the C-segment. It will reach European showrooms in early 2012.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51356-honda-motor-europe/
Five teams of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association athletes hit the water and scaled walls as part of their training in April at the U.S. Navy SEALs’ Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach, Va.
Chowan University, St. Paul’s College, Bowie State University, St. Augustine’s College and Virginia State University players all got a taste of the rigors of training with the SEALs in a 12-foot-deep, Olympic-size pool and on the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 Confidence Course, a 17-station land obstacle course.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/lubearcorp/50063/
“A broad river is in waves, the rice flowers are sweet smelling over the banks…” On August 1, Chinese Army Day, an eye-catching ‘Flash Mob’ took place at Ginza Square, Tokyo, three Chinese young men, with deep affection, performing a ‘Red Song’ My Motherland, one of the classic songs written in praise of the Communist Party of China.
As they said, to fulfill their shared promise made five years ago, these three youngsters travelled a long distance from Nanchang, ‘the City of Heroes’ of China, gathering in Japan to express their patriotism and affection for their home country in the form of singing red song chorus. Accompanying their singing was an official promo of Nanchang displayed on the huge screen at the back of them. As images of Nanchang’s unique landmarks like the Monument of Nanchang Uprising, Tengwang Pavilion and the Twin Tower flittered one by one, their melody brought passersby, especially overseas Chinese back to that heroic city which, 90 years ago, once gave birth to the first authentic people’ army led by the Communist Party of China.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8155151-nanchang-tourism-chinese-army-day/
Think “muscle car” performance, and images of speed and power are more likely to come to mind than crash tests and safety ratings. Because no one buys a sports car to drive in the slow lane, the best all-¬ around occupant crash protection is crucial. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put a trio of iconic sports coupes through their paces, and unlike more sedate sedans, none earns the scores needed to clinch a TOP SAFETY PICK award.
IIHS evaluated 2016 models of the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in the full battery of crashworthiness evaluations. The Mustang comes closest to earning TOP SAFETY PICK, while the Camaro falls shortin one category and lacks an available front crash prevention system. The Challenger is most in need of improvement.
To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, vehicles must earn good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations and have a basic-¬rated front crash prevention system. To qualify for the Institute’s highest award, TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
Child restraint manufacturers continue to roll out new booster seats that do a good job of improving the way an adult safety belt fits a typical booster-age child. This year, 19 of 31 new models evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earn the top rating of BEST BET, and one model is a GOOD BET.
The Institute began rating boosters five years ago because research indicated that most seats weren’t doing a good job of fitting safety belts correctly and consistently on children in a variety of vehicles. Boosters earn a rating of BEST BET, GOOD BET, Check Fit or Not Recommended, based on a protocol that involves measuring how three-point lap and shoulder belts fit a child-size test dummy seated in the booster on a stationary test fixture under four conditions that span the range of safety belt configurations in passenger vehicles. The evaluations focus on safety belt fit and don’t involve crash tests.
Understood.org, a comprehensive, free nonprofit resource, is launching today to help parents of children with learning and attention issues. One in five children struggles with issues related to reading, math, writing, focus and organization. Understood’s mission is to help parents understand these issues and support them with strategies that can enable their children to go from simply coping to truly thriving in school and in life.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7352451-ad-council-understood-org-learning-and-attention-issues/
MINI TAKES THE STATES 2018 (MTTS), the eagerly anticipated road rally for MINI owners hosted by MINI USA, kicked off this weekend from two separate locations on opposite sides of the country. Over the next five days, thousands of MINI owners will #DriveForMore to help raise money for charity partner Feeding America.
The two rally routes, each with more than 800 participants, started in Orlando, Fla., and Portland, Ore., on Saturday, July 14, and will meet in the middle at Keystone Report in Keystone, Colo., on July 20 for a weekend celebration of everything MINI. The bi-annual trek will cover more than 5,000 miles in total, traveling across America on state and county roads, stopping in 15 cities along the way.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8329551-mini-takes-the-states-feeding-america-2018/
A new crash test program from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety aims to ensure that manufacturers pay attention to the safety of front passengers as well as drivers.
The test was developed after it became clear that some manufacturers were giving short shrift to the right side of the vehicle when it comes to small overlap front crash protection. A good or acceptable passenger-side rating will be required to qualify for the Institute’s 2018 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The first test group in the passenger-side small overlap front test program did better overall than vehicles IIHS previously evaluated for research. Ten out of 13 midsize cars tested earn a good rating, while one is acceptable and two earn a marginal rating.
In contrast with a group of 2014-16 model small SUVs tested for research, none of the 2017-18 midsize cars had a poor or marginal structural rating. Instead, the biggest problem in the new group was inconsistent airbag protection in five cars, which would put passengers’ heads at risk.
The National Pork Board (NPB) has extended its integrated “El Sabor de Hoy”, or The Taste of Now, campaign in an effort to feature pork cuts that deliver great flavor and value, making it the ideal protein for Latino consumers in the U.S.
The campaign will run from October, which is National Pork Month, through December, when pork is a staple during the holidays. To bring the campaign to life, NPB has once again teamed up with Puerto Rican-born and Miami-based Chef José Mendín. Mendín is a five-time James Beard Award nominee and restaurateur behind the Pubbelly Restaurant Group, including Pubbelly Noodle Bar, an Asian-inspired gastropub in Miami.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8199651-national-pork-board-el-sabor-de-hoy/