The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security to launch a new PSA campaign in October to educate the American public in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month. An extension of the national cybersecurity education and awareness effort, STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the new PSAs provide helpful advice about being more vigilant and practicing safe online habits.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7312051-stop-think-connect-online-safety-psa-s/
In an effort to inform children and their families about the importance of food safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ad Council are joining 20th Century Fox to launch a series of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring footage from the upcoming film Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
An estimated 1 in 6 (48 million) Americans get sick from foodborne illness each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children are among the most vulnerable to food poisoning because their immune systems are still developing, so parents and caregivers need to take extra precautions when preparing food for children under five.
The new PSAs, featuring everyone’s favorite Chipmunks – Alvin, Simon, and Theodore – highlight the four food safety steps consumers can use to prevent foodborne illness. The Chipmunks’ antics and hilarious situations in which they find themselves provide a perfect platform to illustrate these four steps: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. The PSAs help explain actions anyone can take to safely prepare their food, using the Chipmunks as the tool to bring fun and relevancy to a serious topic. The partnership includes TV, radio, out-of-home and web advertising, and parents and children can also find kid-friendly activities that further reinforce the food safety steps by visiting FoodSafety.gov.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7652251-ad-council-food-safety/
The Los Angeles Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) are warning motorists of a growing problem with unauthorized tow truck operators in the LA area.
These “bandit” tow truck operators monitor police radios and respond to accidents seeking to hook up vehicles and tow them to body shops or storage facilities where they are held hostage until the motorists and their insurance companies pay inflated towing, storage and possibly repair charges to get the vehicle back.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506514-nicb-lapd-bandit-tow-truck-scams/
The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage.
That’s the current estimate from Copart, a company that works on behalf of insurers to handle the vehicles damaged in catastrophes. About 2,500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles have already been towed to one of Copart’s locations, a 200-acre processing facility in Houston.
After a disaster, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with its member companies, law enforcement and companies like Copart to identify the vehicles that have had an insurance claim filed and to process them for sale. All of the cars will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the new title will indicate the fact that the vehicle has been flood damaged. Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who will dismantle them and re-sell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523152-nicb-texas-floods/
The Ad Council and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the launch of a new public service advertisement (PSA) to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. While the PSA targets all communities, We Prepare Every Day is the first in a series of videos that aim to deliver a strong preparedness message by showing people with disabilities taking charge to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies.
The PSA provides equal access to all viewers and includes open captioning, a certified deaf interpreter, and audio description for viewers who are blind or have low vision.
The launch of the PSA coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 2015. The ADA prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. The ADA guarantees the civil rights of more than 56 million Americans.
To view the multimedia news release visit http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7576951-fema-ad-council-emergency-preparedness/
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Ad Council and Project Yellow Light announced the winners of the fifth annual Project Yellow Light scholarship competition. The contest calls on students to develop and produce a short video educating their peers on the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel of a vehicle. For the first time, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas has joined longstanding partners Mazda Motorsports, the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and U-Haul to launch the first Project Yellow Light out-of-home media design contest. The winners of both the video and out-of-home design contests will be unveiled this afternoon on a digital billboard in New York’s Times Square that was donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.
Brothers Sam and Wrenn Senser from Louisville, Nebr. scooped the two grand prizes of $5,000 for the video contest, with Sam winning the college category, and Wrenn winning the high school category. The winners of the out-of-home media design contest were college student Bethany Wheeler from Snellville, Ga., and high school student Emily McDonald from Anaheim, Calif., with both receiving $2,000 scholarships. The winning videos can be viewed here.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7854051-ad-council-project-yellow-light-winners/
A vastly changing landscape would certainly capture one’s attention. The nation’s trees face an immediate threat from the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), a devastating invasive pest with no natural predators. With up to 70 percent of the U.S. tree canopy at risk of being lost to this pest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spreading the word about the beetle this summer with a series of TV, radio and print public service announcements (PSAs).
The adult Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is active throughout the summer months and into the fall. This invasive pest was first discovered in the U.S. in 1996, likely arriving here unknowingly inside wood packing material from Asia. The insect threatens recreational areas, forests, and suburban and urban shade trees. The beetle attacks 12 genera of trees, including birch, maple and elm. It is truly a landscape-altering invasive pest. And all states are at risk.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7569951-usda-psa-asian-longhorned-beetle/
Abbott and the United States Department of Defense today announced a collaboration with the intent to develop portable blood tests to help evaluate potential concussions, also called mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). As part of a multi–phased approach, the tests would be developed for Abbott’s i–STAT® System, a handheld, diagnostic analyzer that is currently used for other point-of-care testing, including among military service members. Concussions are a significant health concern for military service members.1 With the development of new tests, physicians could use the information to positively impact the care of people with a suspected concussion.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7293951-abbott-u-s-department-of-defense-develop-portable-blood-tests-concussions/
In an effort to increase awareness of the Making Home Affordable® (MHA) Program’s free resources and assistance for struggling homeowners, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Ad Council today launched a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) as a part of their Foreclosure Prevention Assistance campaign.
MHA launched in 2009 and is a critical part of the Administration's strategy to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, stabilize the country’s housing market, and improve the nation's economy. The program offers a range of solutions, including lower monthly mortgage payments for struggling homeowners, as well as options for unemployed or underemployed homeowners and those who owe more than their homes are worth. To date, MHA has helped more than 1.5 million families nationwide.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7324251-ad-council-treasury-hud-new-public-service-ads-making-home-affordable/
Researchers at global public health organization NSF International, Harvard Medical School, the United States Department of Defense and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands (RIVM) recently identified four unapproved, DMAA-like stimulants in six over-the-counter weight-loss and pre-workout products currently available online. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Toxicology.
The potentially harmful compounds – including banned stimulants 1,3-DMAA and 1,3-DMBA as well as octodrine and a newly identified DMAA analog – were not listed as ingredients in the products and may have been disguised as “2-aminoisoheptane” or extract of Aconitum kusnezoffii. These stimulants may cause adverse cardiac events, hemorrhagic strokes or sudden death, especially if taken prior to strenuous exercise or combined with caffeine. Extreme heat and dehydration may also increase the health risks.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8216951-nsf-international-banned-stimulants-2-aminoisoheptane/
As Child Passenger Safety Week wraps up, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a new Car Seat Finder Tool, adding the ability to look up car seat recalls on its mobile app, and reminding parents and caregivers to register their child's car seat through its new campaign – “Don't Delay. Register Your Car Seat Today.” Every 34 seconds, a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash and more than a third of children killed in crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. NHTSA's new Car Seat Finder Tool is aimed at helping parents select the right car seat or booster seat for their child, while the campaign reminds everyone of the importance of registering car seats to receive important safety recall notifications.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7310151-ad-council-nhtsa-child-passenger-safety-2014/
Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
