Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
An island off Ireland’s south west coast is wowing audiences at screenings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Unveiled in the film’s closing minutes, this closely guarded secret ending to Episode 7 was filmed in September 2014 on Skellig Michael Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Since 1977, the record-breaking movie franchise has travelled through many galaxies, and this time, director JJ Abrams along with cast and crew jetted into a little village called Portmagee, County Kerry, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. From here, they travelled eight miles (12 Km) by sea to a dream film location, Skellig Michael.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7718351-ireland-feels-the-force/
Blu® Homes, Inc. (“Blu”), America’s leading provider of premium prefab homes, today announced an elegant new home model. The spacious and luxurious 2014 Element offers architect-designed styling featuring sweeping, high ceilings, and a glorious indoor/outdoor living style sparked by walls of windows and glass doors.
The Element also boasts well designed storage space, a spacious open floor plan with seamlessly connected living, dining and kitchen spaces and a cook’s kitchen highlighted by generous counter space, luxury appliance upgrade options, and beautiful use of natural light.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/70432511-blu-homes-releases-updated-element-design
An island off Ireland’s south west coast is wowing audiences at screenings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Unveiled in the film’s closing minutes, this closely guarded secret ending to Episode 7 was filmed in September 2014 on Skellig Michael Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Since 1977, the record-breaking movie franchise has travelled through many galaxies, and this time, director JJ Abrams along with cast and crew jetted into a little village called Portmagee, County Kerry, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. From here, they travelled eight miles (12 Km) by sea to a dream film location, Skellig Michael.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7718351-ireland-feels-the-force/
In my last blog entry, I covered the announcement of the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge. The Watson Mobile Developer Challenge is designed to catalyze mobile developers to explore the opportunity around mobile cognitive computing - bringing the power of Watson to a smartphone or other mobile device. Entrants submit proposals for mobile apps, and the finalists - to be announced at IBM Impact 2014 - will receive access to IBM Interactive Studios experts and Watson APIs in order to bring their vision to reality.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7167051-ibm-watson-mobile-developer-challenge
The Mini Cooper Countryman is the only small car to earn a good rating among the latest group of 12 small cars subjected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test.
Two electric models and a hybrid are in the mix, with varied results. The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt (with a gasoline engine “range extender”) earns an acceptable rating, while its battery-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, earns a poor rating. The Ford C-Max Hybrid, a small four-door wagon, earns an acceptable rating. Another small four-door wagon, the gasoline-powered Mazda 5, is rated poor.
China’s fastest-growing automaker, GAC Motor, has released two new SUVs onto the market, the 5-seat GS7 and the entry SUV GS3 in watertown Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, China where tradition embraces innovation. These two next-generation SUVs, which have inherited the excellent genes of the GAC Motor family, are poised to bolster the company’s already astounding growth and drive its plans for global expansion.
GAC Motor chose Wuzhen as the place to begin its redefinition of SUVs for young consumers because of the water town’s rich history, its status as a hotbed for high-tech and innovation, and because of its youthful, fashionable and forward-thinking vibes, which is in line with the targeted young consumers of the two new models. Since 2014, Wuzhen has been the home for the World Internet Conference, which attracts prominent internet figures from 120 countries.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8166551-gac-motor-gs7-gs3-launch/
The 2014 model-year vehicles and brands (in both non-luxury and luxury categories) with the lowest projected ownership costs were announced today by Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. These awards are based on Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars for the initial five-year ownership period.
While depreciation (or loss of value) and fuel costs may be the greatest expense incurred in owning a vehicle, there are other factors that can have a significant impact on a consumer’s pocketbook. Available on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, 5-Year Cost to Own information takes into consideration depreciation, expected fuel costs, finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state fees for new models.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65344-kelley-blue-book-kbb-announces-2014-5-cost-to-own-award-winners
