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After Hours: A professor and her therapy dog

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In this latest installment of “After Hours” — a series about faculty and staff who balance their work lives with fascinating hobbies or side jobs — meet UCLA history professor Margaret Jacob and her beloved dog, Blizzard. Both volunteer their time to bring comfort to patients through the People Animal Connection (PAC) program.

Name: Margaret Jacob

Day job: UCLA professor of history

Jacob-and-Blizzard.cropped
History professor Margaret Jacob and her collie, Blizzard.
But after hours: PAC volunteer with her dog, Blizzard

What is PAC?: The UCLA People-Animal Connection (PAC) is one of the most comprehensive Animal-Assisted Therapy and Activity programs in the nation. PAC volunteer teams — consisting of canines and their human partners — offer companionship and emotional support to more than 900 critically ill children and adults per month. Since its inception in 1994, PAC teams have recorded more than 100,000 in-patient visits, as well as hundreds of thousands of unrecorded visits to families and guests at UCLA medical centers and community events.

Why PAC?: Jacob first heard about the PAC program “since coming to UCLA or from another dog lover in the park or something,” she said, laughing. Jacob knew immediately that it was something she wanted to be a part of. She did not hesitate getting her now 4-year-old collie, Blizzard, involved because her “previous collie, Riley, was involved, and that went really well ... Collies have a wonderful temperament, and I really wanted to share that.”

Becoming a PAC dog: The PAC program requires that all of its canine volunteers be at least 18 months old to qualify. Each dog must pass a three-hour test conducted by the Pet Partners organization. Test-givers make sure the dogs know how to obey basic commands, with or without their owners present. They also play out different scenarios — such as a patient falling — to see how the dogs will respond. “I brought in a trainer to train him and also to train me to train him. I tried to train him when he was a pup for half an hour every day,” Jacob said. “You really have to keep after it so he knows you’re in charge.” Blizzard passed the test and is now a full-fledged volunteer of the program. “He is so obedient in the hospital. Somehow the animals know they are in a formal setting.”

Blizzard.cropped'A walking Clark Gable': The program requires that all dogs be groomed before going on their visits. Since it is not healthy for dogs’ skin to be groomed too often, Jacob takes Blizzard to the hospital twice a month. She accompanies Blizzard on all his visits and stays with him the whole time. At the hospital, Blizzard is “inherently friendly. I help him on the bed,” she said. “Sometimes he will lick hands and toes.” She brings treats for Blizzard and allows the children to give him the treats as well. According to Jacob, “Blizzard feels like the center of attention, a walking Clark Gable” when he is at the hospital, since everyone from doctors, nurses, orderlies, patients and visiting families are constantly petting him and wanting to take pictures with him.

Soothing away stress: Aside from the lobby’s slippery marble floor, which Blizzard hates, he is incredibly comfortable in the hospital. When it comes to patients, Jacob said their reactions vary. “Some people don’t want to see the dog. Some children go completely nuts.” Jacob chaperones Blizzard all over the hospital. “I always make a point to visit the waiting room, because people are stressed out or bored or anxious, and seeing a dog makes a difference,” she said. “Up on the psych wards, he is terrific. They talk about their own animals, and people smile a lot.”

videopic.cropped
With her mother by her side, Riley Holland takes a good long look at Blizzard as he makes the rounds at the Ronald ReaganUCLA Medical Center.
A special memory: “There was this little boy who had his head cut open for some kind of brain operation. He was lying there, out of it, and he looked vaguely at the dog. Blizzard got up on the bed and all of a sudden, the little boy became very animated. He leaned over and put his head on the dog’s head and just lay there. It was very sweet.”

Blizzard’s future: Jacob plans to keep Blizzard in the PAC program until he is 10 years old. Afterwards, she plans to take him to a different setting, such as a hospice. “Dogs tend to get stiff with age,” she said. She will evaluate how Blizzard is doing once he is older to see what will be best for him.

Fitting it all in: For Jacob, being a PAC volunteer allows her to enjoy something outside of her professorial duties. “Most of the time I am teaching, writing books or going to committee meetings. So it’s a real treat to get to do something different,” she said. The PAC program gives Jacob and Blizzard an opportunity to help ailing children and to lighten up a place that can seem very dismal to some. “The program is superb,” Jacob said. “It’s actually a lot of fun.”

Next UC staff advisor-designate selected

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Donna Coyne of UC Santa Barbara has been selected as the 2013-2015 Staff Advisor-designate to the University of California regents, UC President Mark Yudof announced Tuesday.
 
Donna Coyne  MG 6828 smallCoyne, associate director of admissions for application services at UC Santa Barbara, joins Kathy Barton, of UC Riverside, 2012-2014 staff advisor, after a months-long, systemwide search. She is the first UC Santa Barbara staff member to be appointed as Staff Advisor to the Regents.

“Donna’s energy and commitment to staff issues ensures she will well represent their concerns,” Yudof said.  “In addition, her perspective as a staff member working with students will be valuable in her new role.”

Yudof, in consultation with Chair of the regents Sherry Lansing, selected Coyne from finalists recommended by a selection committee that included current and former staff advisors, campus leaders and other staff from the Office of the President.
 
Coyne replaces Kevin Smith of UCLA whose two-year appointment ends June 30.

"I am excited to engage with staff across the system on issues that matter to them,” Coyne said.  “I will strive to represent well the concerns, views and hopes of my colleagues, and work to find the compromises that will help to move us forward.”
 
Coyne says she has a personal interest in professional development and sees it as a retention issue. “Our young hires have very different expectations for their careers than those who have been here for 20 and 30 years,” she said. “They expect to have three or four careers, so we have to help them see how they can build a career within UC or they will move on.”

Coyne brings extensive experience working with staff organizations and systemwide and university committees to the position. She formerly served as chair of the Chancellor’s Staff Advisory Council and as a member of the UC Santa Barbara Staff Assembly Executive Board.

As associate director of admissions, Coyne oversees several units that support the evaluation and selection of undergraduate applicants as well as services to current undergraduates. She joined UC Santa Barbara in 1997 as an admission counselor and has served as comprehensive review coordinator, and business officer prior to her current position. She holds a B.A. in history, M.A. in educational leadership and organizations and a Ph.D. in education, all from UC Santa Barbara.

2013 Chinese-Canadian Consumers Car Choice Top 10 Awards

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VANCOUVER, BC (May 22, 2013) – The first and only automotive publication in the Chinese language across Canada, AutoNerveMagazine, announced the winners of the magazine’s Annual Chinese-Canadian Consumers Car Choice Top 10 AwardsTM.
 
Readers were invited to vote for the 2013 Top 10 models via ballot form published in Mar/Apr issue of AutoNerveMagazine, on-site entries at the 2013 Vancouver International Auto Show and published on the Inside Back-Cover of the Official Auto Show Program Guide (Chinese Edition).
 
The 2013 Chinese-Canadian Consumers Car Choice AwardsTM winners, as featured in May/Jun issue of AutoNerveMagazine, are as follows:
 
BMW 3-Series
Lexus GS
Cadillac ATS
Mercedes Benz SL-Class
Fiat 500 Abarth
Prosche Boxter
Honda Accord
Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
Volkswagen Golf R
 
About AutoNerve
 
Founded in 2001, AutoNerve is the first and only professional Automotive Publication in the Chinese language across Canada, serving the growing 1.5 million Chinese-speaking population in the country. AutoNerve is a registered trademark.
 
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Costs to treat stroke in America may double by 2030

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Statement Highlights:
  • Stroke costs are predicted to more than double in the next 20 years.
  • Americans 45-64 years old are expected to have the highest increase in stroke incidence.
EMBARGOED UNTIL 11 a.m. CT/12 noon ET, Wednesday, May 22, 2013
DALLAS, May 22, 2013 — Costs to treat stroke are projected to more than double and the number of people having strokes may increase 20 percent by 2030, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
In a statement published in Stroke, an American Heart Association journal, the association cites the aging U.S. population as the main reason for the increases and predicts that by 2030:
  • Almost 4 percent of U.S. adults — nearly one in 25 — will have a stroke. This translates into an additional 3.4 million people with stroke in 2030.
  • Costs to treat stroke may increase from $71.55 billion in 2010 to $183.13 billion.
  • Annual costs due to lost productivity could rise from $33.65 billion to $56.54 billion.
  • Americans currently 45-64 years old are expected to have the highest increase in stroke at 5.1 percent.
  • Stroke prevalence is projected to increase the most among Hispanic men between now and 2030, and the cost of treating stroke in Hispanic women is expected to triple.
“Strokes will absolutely strain the healthcare system,” said Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
 
Caring for survivors is expensive because stroke can cause long-term disability, he said.
 
“Ninety percent of stroke patients have residual disability and only 10 percent recover completely after a stroke,” Ovbiagele said. “Policy makers at all levels of governance should be aware of this looming crisis so that we can consider practical ways to avert it.”
 
The fourth leading cause of death and one of the top causes of preventable disability in the United States, stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blood clot or a bleeding vessel. Without oxygen-rich blood, brain cells die.
 
“Getting patients specialized acute stroke care as soon as possible is critical. During every minute of delayed treatment, brain cells are dying. EMS systems nationwide should take patients directly to a designated stroke center equipped to quickly diagnose and administer drugs to restore blood flow to the brain,” Ovbiagele said.
 
Hispanics and blacks have a higher rate of stroke incidences and worse outcomes, and individuals without insurance have a 24 percent to 56 percent higher risk of death from stroke than those with insurance coverage, the statement said.
 
Stroke rates are particularly high among people 45-64, who are too young to receive Medicare, less able to afford medications and more likely to have diabetes and obesity, compared to older stroke survivors, Ovbiagele said.
 
The Affordable Care Act is expected to expand insurance coverage to an additional 32 million Americans and to increase emphasis on prevention and wellness. These types of policy changes should help reduce the number of strokes, deaths and related costs when the law is fully implemented in 2014.
 
For example:
  • 86 million Americans have already gained access to free preventive screenings and services, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol screening and tobacco cessation services, through Medicare and most private health plans.
  • Expanding access to insurance coverage should improve access to primary care and the medications needed to control risk factors and help prevent stroke and to improve access to acute stroke treatment for those who were previously uninsured.
Statement co-writers are Larry B. Goldstein, M.D.; Randall T. Higashida, M.D.; Virginia J. Howard, Ph.D.; S. Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D.; Olga A. Khavjou, M.A.; Daniel T. Lackland, Dr.P.H., M.S.P.H.; Judith H. Lichtman, Ph.D.; Stephanie Mohl, B.A.; Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.Sc.; Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D.; and Justin G. Trogdon, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
For the latest heart and stroke news, follow us on Twitter: @HeartNews.
 
###
 
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding mostly from individuals. Foundations and corporations donate as well, and fund specific programs and events. Strict policies are enforced to prevent these relationships from influencing the association’s science content. Financial information for the American Heart Association, including a list of contributions from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, is available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
For Media Inquiries: (214) 706-1173
Darcy Spitz: (212) 878-5940; darcy.spitz@heart.org
Julie Del Barto (broadcast): (214) 706-1330; julie.delbarto@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: (800) AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

Toyota is the world’s most valuable automotive brand

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Toronto, ON., (May 22, 2013)– Toyotareclaimed the top spot as the most valuable automotive brand in the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands for 2013. Toyota’s brand value surged by 12% to $24.5 billion USD over the past year, one of the biggest movers in the automotive sector.

In the eight years since the BrandZ™ report was first published in 2006, Toyota was crowned brand value leader in the automotive sector six times, and second on two separate occasions.

According to the report, although automotive sales improved in some regions, they remained below pre-recession levels in others, adversely impacting overall brand values. In contrast, global sales for Toyota Motor Corporation (1) in 2012 increased by 22.6% to 9.75 million units which positively contributed towards the company’s brand valuation in this year’s report.

BrandZ™ also suggests that brand value developments in the sector were shaped in part by the growth of customer affinity towards hybrid vehicles.

Since Toyota pioneered the world’s first mass produced full hybrid vehicle in 1997 – Toyota Prius – sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid models have exceeded 5 million globally. Customers in Canada can choose between 11 Toyota and Lexus hybrid models, including: Toyota Prius, Prius c, Prius PHV, Prius v, Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, and Lexus CT 200h, ES 300h, GS 450h, RX 450h, LS 600h L.

Lexus retains its 10th position in the Top 10 list for the most valuable automotive brands with a brand value of $3.5 billion USD.

The BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, surveys some two million consumers in over 30 countries.

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More information about BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013:
(1) Sales result for Toyota Motor Corporation includes Toyota, Lexus Hino and Daihatsu.
 
About the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands Ranking
Developed for WPP’s operating companies by Millward Brown Optimor, the BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking is now in its eighth year. It is the only study to combine measures of brand equity based on interviews with over two million consumers globally about thousands of global ‘consumer facing’ and business-to-business brands with a rigorous analysis of the financial and business performance of each company (using data from Bloomberg and Kantar Worldpanel) to separate the value that brand plays in driving business revenue and market capitalization. Consumer perception of a brand is a key input in determining brand value because brands are a combination of business performance, product delivery, clarity of positioning, and leadership. The ranking takes into account regional variations since, even for truly global brands, measures of brand contribution might differ substantially across countries. Access additional useful materials here.
 

Memorial Day city service schedule

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In observance of Memorial Day, city offices will be closed Monday, May 27.  A full holiday schedule for city services is listed below:
 
City offices: Closed
 
Emergency services: Regular service
 
Trash pickup: Pickup one day later
 
Monroe Street Pool: Open 8 – 10:15 a.m., 12 – 3 p.m.
 
Libraries: Closed
 
Community centers: Closed
 
Senior Center: Closed
 
Leo Carrillo Ranch: Closed (normal schedule, always closed Mondays)
 
Transit: For the holiday transit schedule, please visit http://www.gonctd.com or call 5-1-1
 
 
For more information
Please call the City of Carlsbad at 760-434-2820
 
Media contact information
Kristina Ray, 760-434-2957, kristina.ray@carlsbadca.gov

City Council tracking pension costs

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The California Public Employees’ Retirement System will require cities to increase contributions to their pension funds to address funding shortages, and the City of Carlsbad is no exception.
 
That was the message that City of Carlsbad Administrative Services Director Chuck McBride gave the Council during a workshop on Tuesday, May 21.
 
The City of Carlsbad’s pension plan for general employees is funded at 71.3 percent of the outstanding pension liability, and the public safety employees’ plan is funded at 72.4 percent. Based on the plans’ market values, the city faces an unfunded liability of $71.7 million for miscellaneous employees, and $54.4 million for public safety employees.
 
However, McBride said, the city foresaw a dark pension cloud looming several years ago.
 
“We’ve already taken steps to address this,” McBride said, and detailed those measures for the Council:
  • The city set aside $3.2 million over the past two fiscal years to contribute to CalPERS, the pension plan administrator, which will reduce obligations over the long term.
  • City of Carlsbad voters passed a ballot measure that reduced pensions for city firefighters and police officers hired after Oct. 4, 2010, and passed a second ballot measure that did the same for non-public safety employees and managers hired after Nov. 27, 2011.
  • City employees pay their full share of their pension contribution, whereas in the past the city paid most of the employees’ share.
 
And last year the state Legislature passed AB 340, which further reduces pension benefits for new employees. 
 
These and other measures will move the pensions toward being fully funded, McBride said, but their effects will be felt in the long term.
 
“CalPERS realized that pensions are underfunded and this is not being addressed, and this new plan attempts to bring the pensions to fully funded status in 30 years, beginning in fiscal year 2015-16,” McBride said.
 
“To get to fully funded status immediately would be painful for cities,” he said, so CalPERS’ plan will allow cities to ramp up the rates to healthier levels over a five-year period beginning in fiscal year 2015-16, and after those five years the rates will stabilize. In this way agencies will reach full funding status over 30 years.
 
McBride told the Council that Carlsbad has historically tried to stay in front of the curve, rather than wait for CalPERS to take action. City pension plans were fully funded for both public safety and miscellaneous employees as recently as 2001-02.
 
The issue has come to a head because in April the CalPERS Pension & Health Benefits Committee approved new actuarial policies to address pension plan problems for public agencies participating in the system. The problem was caused largely because assets in CalPERS pension accounts shrank while obligations for future pensioners continued to grow. That left most participating agencies with funding levels between 65 and 80 percent.
 
Instead of requiring participating agencies to fully meet their pension obligations, CalPERS has allowed them to use techniques like “smoothing,” which allow them to remain substantially underfunded and avoid large, sudden increases in pension contributions to bring the plans closer to full funding.
 
However, CalPERS is now requiring cities to take steps to bring the pension funds up to acceptable levels, and its new plan will require agencies to reach full funding over 30 years by increasing their contributions.
 
McBride said the city still can stay proactive by setting aside funds to address these increases in the future, which would lessen the long-term blow.
 
For more information
Chuck McBride, 760-602-2430, chuck.mcbride@carlsbadca.gov
 
City media contact
Kristina Ray, City of Carlsbad, 760-434-2957, Kristina.ray@carlsbadca.gov
 

Beach Fest coming June 15

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Celebrate the natural beauty of Carlsbad beaches while enjoying free and fun activities for the whole family during Carlsbad Beach Fest, Saturday, June 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the one mile of Frazee State Beach from Pine Avenue to Tamarack State Beach.   Beach Fest will be filled with competitive sporting events, free beach activities, live music and entertainment on multiple stages, a beach cleanup, interactive booths, exhibitors, sand castles, food, and fun.   
 
Carlsbad Beach Fest is an annual community event and a project of the Carlsbad Beach Fest Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with the Carlsbad community to promote beach and ocean stewardship through education and provide funding to the State of California for local coastal improvement projects. Many local individuals, businesses and corporations, along with California State Parks and the City of Carlsbad, help support the festival.
 
The day’s activities include competitive sporting events, live entertainment, a volunteer beach clean up, interactive booth displays, sand castle building, hands across the beach and more.  Highlights include:
 
Beach & Ocean Stewardship: Interactive educational booths encourage and teach environmental stewardship.  More than 30 organizations provide fun, hands-on activities and information for children and adults.
 
“Hands Across the Beach”:  Come show your environmental support in a linking of hands across one mile of Carlsbad shoreline at noon.
 
Beach Cleanup:  Two cleanup shifts (10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m.) organized and supported by San Diego CoastKeeper and New Ocean Blue provides anyone the opportunity to be of service to the community.  Check-In at Tamarack Beach.
 
Free Organized Beach Activities:  Sand sculpting, kite flying, face painting, and hula hoops,  surf clinics, exhibitors:   U.S. Open Champion Archisand continues to be the event’s featured artisan group, returning to create another gigantic sand sculpture to reflect the day’s theme.  Find them and other artists at Frazee Beach.
 
Live Entertainment: Performance stages between Lifeguard Stations 36 & 37 provide live entertainment all day, headlined by notable local artists such as jazz & blues musicians Jerome Dawson & Wazabe Blue and Verua Tahiti e’, a 35+ member Polynesian Drum & Dance Group.  Up top on the green lawn at Pine Avenue watch electric performances by drum and percussion group Naruwan Taiko.  Near the Lifeguard Station 35 on the sand enjoy the indie rock sounds of the Praetors.
 
A full list of activities is available on the Beach Fest website, http://carlsbadbeachfest.com.
 
Media contact information
Call 760-529-2479 or visit http://carlsbadbeachfest.com
 

Bruins honor veterans with Memorial Wall

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Second-year student Patrick Yew joined fellow Bruins today in writing the names of military service members on a Memorial Wall at the Court of Sciences. The project, tied in with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, was organized by UCLA’s Military Veterans Organization, the KIA WIA Foundation, UCLA Red Cross, the Community Emergency Response Team, UCLA Army ROTC and Operation Mend's undergraduate student support group. The wall moves to Bruin Plaza on Thursday, May 23, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more here.

Private water association picks Christopher Parker as among the best in the business

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CH2M HILL’s Christopher Parker has been selected by his peers to receive a National Association of Water Companies Living Water Award.
The NAWC Living Water Awards were established to recognize the private water industry professionals who are “living water” through their extraordinary commitment to quality, service and community.

“Since launching the program at the NAWC Water Summit in October 2012, the NAWC Living Water awards have put a well-deserved spotlight on the outstanding men and women who work as private water professionals in this country,” says Michael Deane, executive director, NAWC. “In this most recent round we were surprised and pleased to see both of our finalists from CH2M HILL, a true testament to their employees. I congratulate Chris Parker on this achievement as well as his colleague, Lynn Kronowit, who was also named an NAWC Living Awards finalist.”

Chris, CH2M HILL’s project manager in Temple, Texas, is “living water” through his deep commitment to protecting and improving the quality of the environment. He has dedicated himself to assisting surrounding communities by volunteering in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality “EnvironMentor” program. In this role, he puts his professional experience to work helping local organizations that lack the necessary resources or expertise to comply with state environmental regulations, improve their efficiency and protect the environment.

“CH2M HILL is thrilled to see two of our employees recognized through the NAWC Living Awards program for working tirelessly to provide safe drinking water and to protect our environment,” says Elisa M. Speranza, CH2M HILL’s Operations Management Business Group President. “They are both winners in our book, and not just for the contest but for how they serve their communities every day. Congratulations to Chris for pulling off the win. He has been in the water industry for close to 30 years, and we’re fortunate 18 of them have been with CH2M HILL.”
The NAWC Living Water Awards program is an ongoing initiative and any employee of an NAWC member company can participate by nominating a colleague online at any time. The voting process takes place on the NAWC Facebook page and we encourage you to “like” us to receive regular program updates.
Visit www.nawc.org for more information.
About CH2M HILL:
Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources. With US$7 billion in revenue and 28,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering and environmental services by Verdantix. The firm has been named a FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For six times. Visit us at ch2mhill.com, twitter.com/ch2mhill and facebook.com/ch2mhill.Search for jobs at ch2mhill.jobs.
About NAWC:
The National Association of Water Companies is comprised of members that look for solutions to water-related challenges, including aging water infrastructure, limited water supply and budget deficits that are preventing much-needed investment in the people, technology and facilities required to help ensure reliable water and wastewater services across the country. Through its state and regional chapters, NAWC works with legislators at every level of government and supports public policies that increase public and private investment in water infrastructure. NAWC is dedicated to helping close the information gap by serving as a credible resource for anyone seeking information about the water issues facing our nation today and in the foreseeable future, and the powerful and practical solutions that are available by way of the private water sector.

Top Gift Guide Editors Reveal How to Publicize Your Consumer Product in 2013 Holiday Editions

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Bulldog Reporter's PR University Presents a New Master Class Webinar

 Oakland, CA— PR professionals looking to learn the criteria and secrets for successfully placing products with top editors in the 2013 Holiday Gift Guides should attend this new 90-minute webinar from PR University.

PR pros who attend Top Gift Guide Editors Reveal How to Publicize Your Consumer Product in 2013 Holiday Editions will also hear firsthand from gatekeepers what they're looking for now, this year's hottest items and the latest consumer buying behaviors and trends.

 This exclusive PR University webinar takes place on Thursday, May 23, at 1PM EST (noon CST; 11AM MST; 10AM PST).

 Featuring Trainers:

Caren Oppenheim Assistant Editor, Family Circle

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, Senior Editor, Ebony magazine

Tara Bradley, Senior Honeymoons Editor at Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine, 

Amy Bates Stumpf, President and CEO, Gifted Communications

 

What PR pros will learn:

• 2013 Editorial Hot Buttons: The gadgets, goods, gear and top shopping trends editors will be covering this holiday season as the economy gathers steam—and how to emphasize these pegs in media outreach

• How top holiday gift guides differ in scope and mission—and how to use these insights to get products reviewed

• Early-Bird Techniques: Best ways to pitch embargoed products, negotiate exclusive first looks and manage beta runs months in advance

• Freebie Update: What journalists can (and can't) receive and how they prefer to receive mailed items and seasonal gifts

• Social Media Tips: How these media outlets use social media to source and seek product to cover—plus how to use tools like Twitter to build relationships with them and even pitch items for them to cover

• How smaller concerns can earn more holiday coverage than corporate giants with deeper pockets (and resources)

• Faux Pas to Avoid: The most common missteps brands and PR reps make when trying to score gift guide ink and how to avoid them

• Best Practices: How to get images and graphics in the hands of ultra-busy editors and dozens more inside media relations tips

For more details, go to the conference home page.

Bulldog Reporter’s PR University produces over 60 high-level professional development conferences per year with extraordinary speakers on media relations skills, PR measurement, crisis communications, advanced PR technology, social media, and the nation's most influential media—a complete professional development program to meet all your training and updating needs.

Attendance at this Bulldog Reporter PR University webinar costs just $299 per login. Participants in this 90-minute webinar will be able to pose specific questions for the presenter at several junctures during the discussion.

 Attendees of PR University conferences receive one credit toward PRSA accreditation maintenance. Registration also includes an up-to-the-minute conference manual. For more information on taking part in the event, go to the conference home page or for personalized service and special offers please contact one of our sales consultants toll free at: 1-800-959-1059.








Exclusive Video Interviews With CEOs Available on Equities.com

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Exclusive Video Interviews With CEOs Available on Equities.com
 
SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equities.com, Inc., the Global Financial Network and the world's premiere social community for self-directed investors and public companies, has made available on its website exclusive video interviews conducted at the New York Metals and Minerals Conference with key executives of publicly-traded emerging-growth companies. Hosted by the Equities.com editorial staff, the video interviews cover relevant topics across a wide range of industries.
Focused on increasing awareness of developments occurring across diverse industries, Equities.com aims to empower investors with real-time news, data, and resources for smart, successful investing. Featured companies from this project were:
 
About Equities.com, Inc.
Equities.com is an online financial resource platform that provides global financial news, data, research, education and interactive networking capability. The site covers a broad spectrum of market sectors and investment types. Through its proprietary platform, equities.com enables publicly listed companies and the investment community to connect and network directly. Equities.com provides an interactive dimension that makes it possible for companies to access their online corporate profile to keep current and updated. Issuer companies will also be able to communicate directly with current and prospective investors by actively sharing and disseminating news releases, videos, blogs and more on the platform.
 
Disclaimer
This press release may include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. To read our full disclosure, please go to:http://www.equities.com/disclaimer
 
CONTACT: Equities.com, Inc.
         info@equities.com
         www.equities.com
 

Exclusive Video Interviews With CEOs Now Available on Equities.com

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Exclusive Video Interviews With CEOs Now Available on Equities.com
 
SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equities.com, Inc., the Global Financial Network and the world's premiere social community for self-directed investors and public companies, has made available on its website exclusive video interviews conducted at the New York Metals and Minerals Conference with key executives of publicly-traded emerging-growth companies. Hosted by the Equities.com editorial staff, the video interviews cover relevant topics across a wide range of industries.
Focused on increasing awareness of developments occurring across diverse industries, Equities.com aims to empower investors with real-time news, data, and resources for smart, successful investing. Featured companies from this project were:
 
About Equities.com, Inc.
Equities.com is an online financial resource platform that provides global financial news, data, research, education and interactive networking capability. The site covers a broad spectrum of market sectors and investment types. Through its proprietary platform, equities.com enables publicly listed companies and the investment community to connect and network directly. Equities.com provides an interactive dimension that makes it possible for companies to access their online corporate profile to keep current and updated. Issuer companies will also be able to communicate directly with current and prospective investors by actively sharing and disseminating news releases, videos, blogs and more on the platform.
 
Disclaimer
This press release may include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. To read our full disclosure, please go to:http://www.equities.com/disclaimer
 
CONTACT: Equities.com, Inc.
         info@equities.com
         www.equities.com
 

Death rates decline for advanced heart failure patients, but outcomes are still not ideal

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UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden cardiac death, caused by the rapid onset of severe abnormal heart rhythms, has declined.
 
However, the team found that even today, with these significant improvements, one-third of patients don't survive more than three years after being diagnosed with advanced disease. Heart failure is increasingly common, affecting close to 6 million individuals in the United States alone.
 
"We are doing a good job of ensuring that patients receive the latest therapies for heart failure, but we still have a lot more work to do," said senior author Dr. Tamara Horwich, an assistant professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "It is very sobering that despite recent improvements, a third of advanced heart-failure patients aren't surviving past three years."
 
The findings are published in the May issue of the journal Circulation–Heart Failure.
 
The study focused on heart failure patients referred to UCLA, a major center for advanced heart failure management and heart transplants. The researchers examined outcomes in 2,507 adults who had "heart failure with reduced ejection fraction," which is characterized by a weak heart muscle. 
 
Patients were divided into three six-year eras, based on when they received care: (1) 1993–98, (2) 1999–2004 and (3) 2005–10. Researchers looked at patient outcomes for each of the groups at one-, two- and three-year follow-up points after diagnosis.
 
Significant differences emerged between the eras. In the second and third eras, the team found greater use of therapies that help prolong life, including medications such as beta-blockers and aldosterone antagonists and devices that help control and stabilize irregular heart rhythms, including implantable cardioverter defibrillators and biventricular pacemakers. For example, beta-blocker usage in the first era was only 15.5 percent, but by the third era, a full 87.1 percent of patients received the medication.
 
Researchers believe the increased use of these therapies in later eras is due to the completion of clinical trials — and the publication of results — that demonstrated their benefit, as well as the inclusion of these therapies in national treatment guidelines developed by organizations like the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.
 
The team also found that sudden cardiac death occurred significantly less often in the later eras. At the three-year follow-up point for patients, sudden death declined from 10.1 percent in the first era to 6.4 percent in the second era and 4.6 percent in the third.
 
"The decline in sudden cardiac death is most likely due to increased use of medications and devices like defibrillators," said first author John Loh, a medical student at the Geffen School of Medicine.
 
There was also a decrease in overall mortality rates in the later eras, Loh noted. Specifically, after adjusting for multiple risk factors like age and gender, researchers found that second-era patients were 13 percent less likely to die from any cause than first-era patients. Third-era patients were 42 percent less likely than those in the first era to die from any cause.
 
Although there was a reduction in overall mortality, there was a shift in the mode of death seen over time. The study found that patient mortality from progressive heart failure had increased from 11.6 percent in the first era to 19.9 percent in the third. The need for urgent heart transplants was also up in later years. According to the researchers, this shift in mode of death may result from a modest increase in progressive heart-failure death or the need for trannsplants in patients who might have died suddenly in earlier eras, before the widespread use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
 
"For patients with the most advanced heart failure, treatment options used to be limited to heart transplantation — or face early death," said study author Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, UCLA's Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science and director of the Ahmanson–UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. "This study demonstrates that with improvements in medical therapy and availability of implanted devices, survival for these patients has improved considerably. What was once considered an end-stage, terminal disease state has, through implementation of innovative treatments, evolved into a manageable, but still challenging, condition."  
 
In addition, although the overall mortality rate for all patients at the three-year follow-up point fell from 36.4 percent in the first era to 31.5 percent in the third era — a statistically significant reduction that represents thousands of patients — the researchers note that this is still too high.
 
"Despite a dramatic improvement in some outcomes, we still need to gear up and continue to investigate new modalities of treatment for heart failure patients," Fonarow added.
 
According to the researchers, the study provides a "real-world" view of advanced heart failure patients and the impact of implementing the latest treatments and devices.
 
The study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grant 1K23HL085097). Disclosures are included in the manuscript.
 
Other authors included Julie Creaser, Darlene A. Rourke, Nancy Livingston, Tamara K. Harrison, Elizabeth Vandenbogaart, Jaime Moriguchi, Michele A. Hamilton and Chi-Hong Tseng.
 
For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

Halcrow-Fairhurst Joint Venture appointed by Transport Scotland to review upgrade of the A82

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Halcrow, a CH2M HILL company, a global full service consulting, design, construction and operations firm and Fairhurst, one of the largest multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental partnerships in the UK, are pleased to announce that the Halcrow Fairhurst Joint Venture has been appointed by Transport Scotland in a £2m single supplier framework agreement to carry out investigations, appraisal, design, and reporting of options for an upgrade of a 16km section of the A82.

Halcrow and Fairhurst will deliver a full service solution reviewing the A82 between Tarbet and a point north of Inverarnan as part of Transport Scotland’s ongoing commitment to improve access to one of Scotland’s most visited areas. Improving the A82 will provide a significant boost to local businesses and tourism in the area by improving access to areas such as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

The Halcrow Fairhurst Joint Venture will deliver the project with a pragmatic approach to design, a sensitive consideration of the environment and an inclusive view of stakeholder feedback as essential prerequisites for success. The team will apply the ‘Fitting Roads’ approach they developed together with Transport Scotland, which focuses on working with the natural landscape, tailoring their design development to reduce environmental impact as much as possible.

A further essential success factor will be ensuring that all future improvements to the road are carried out in a cost effective manner, ensuring value to the taxpayers and the road users over the long term.

Commenting on the appointment, Halcrow’s Donald Bell said: “This win marks the beginning of a positive partnership between Halcrow and Fairhurst. The joint capabilities of Halcrow and Fairhurst provide the right mix of skills to help deliver this challenging and exciting project.”

Ian McKay, a Partner from Fairhurst said: “We are delighted to secure the opportunity to delivery scheme development services to Transport Scotland. Together, Halcrow and Fairhurst present a strong partnership focussed on exceeding our client’s expectations.”

About CH2M HILL
Employee-owned CH2M HILL is one of the world’s leading consulting, design, design-build, operations, and programme management companies serving government, civil, industrial and energy clients, employing 28,000 people worldwide. Its work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources.

Having operated in the UK for over 20 years, CH2M HILL acquired Halcrow in 2011 and continue to base its European headquarters in London, now employing more than 3,300 people in the UK. CH2M HILL is working on some of the most iconic infrastructure programmes including High Speed 2, Thames Tideway Tunnels, the decommissioning of Dounreay and was one of the leading partners in CLM, Delivery Partner to the ODA for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. CH2M HILL is an active member of Business in the Community and the Employee Ownership Association.

About Fairhurst
Fairhurst is one of the largest multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental partnerships in the UK, providing a core service of Civil and Structural Engineering and additional specialist services in Planning and Development ,Transportation, Geotechnical Engineering, Water Services and Ports & Harbours.

With over 100 years of experience our aim has remained the same – to provide the highest quality of service to our clients using the integrated skills and strengths of our people. Membership of Professional Bodies exists at all levels in the Partnership and involvement in innovative design techniques is positively encouraged. Fairhurst’s committed and enthusiastic staff help to drive projects forward delivering results, on time and within budget.
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Introducing New BEHR DECKOVER Solid Color Coating, the Revolutionary Solution to Resurface and Revitalize Worn Wood, Composites and Concrete

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Just in time for spring and summer outdoor renovations, new BEHR DECKOVER® Solid Color Coating is an innovative makeover solution for your old, weathered wood or concrete.  The advanced formula creates a durable smooth coating to revitalize tired decks, patios, porches and even pool decks, and provides a budget-friendly unique solution that was previously unavailable to consumers.  Even decks, patios and porches with previous stains can be rejuvenated with BEHR DECKOVER; a product so advanced it’s created a new category of smooth finish resurfacing coatings.
 
“Using years of research and the latest technology, we have developed BEHR DECKOVER Solid Color Coating - a superior smooth finish resurfacing product,” said Scott Richards, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Behr Process Corporation.  “BEHR DECKOVER provides easy application and durable protection against the elements, while refreshing the appearance of wood and concrete, allowing consumers to rejuvenate instead of replacing their decks or concrete surfaces.”
 
BEHR DECKOVER Solid Color Coating offers a substantial layer that dries four times thicker than conventional stains.  It covers splinters and fills cracks up to ¼” and spreads as evenly as paint.  The easy, splatter resistant application creates a smooth, slip-resistant finish.  The result for sound wood and concrete surfaces is a rejuvenated, low maintenance deck that resists the elements, repels water and creates a smooth, slip-resistant finish that is comfortable for bare feet.
 
With just two coats and no primer needed, BEHR DECKOVER repairs weathered or cracked horizontal and vertical wood, composite and concrete surfaces.  One gallon fully covers fifty square feet in 2 coats, and the revived surface is dry to the touch in just four hours.
 
The new product is currently available exclusively at The Home Depot stores nationwide and homedepot.com/behr in 54 unique colors, including 48 from Behr Premium Exterior Wood Stains and Finishes palette and six of Behr’s most popular Floor Coatings hues at a suggested retail price of $34.98 per gallon.
 
Do-it-yourselfers can visit behr.com/deckover to access robust how-to information and explore design inspiration.  Fans can also follow BEHR Paints on Twitter at twitter.com/behrpaint, like BEHR Paints on Facebook at facebook.com/behrpaint, and browse How-To videos at youtube.com/user/BehrPaints.  The ColorSmart by BEHR® Mobile application, available as a free download for iPhone, iPad and Android compatible devices, helps users find the perfect BEHR hue at the touch of a finger.  Plus, at colorfullybehr.com, Erika Woelfel, Director of Color Marketing, shares her perspective and expertise on all things color.

University Students Showcase Canada's Automotive Innovation Success

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TORONTO, ON., May 23, 2013 - Wondering what the next automotive technology will be? What materials will make your car safer? Student researchers with the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence are working on this and more as they help to advance Canada's automotive landscape. A University of Toronto team was nationally recognized at the annual AUTO21 Conference in Toronto, Ontario for their contribution to Canadian automotive research and development.
 
The team was awarded first place in the Toyota Canada-AUTO21 HQP Poster Competition, taking home a $4,500 prize. The competition is open to student researchers within the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence program. Nearly 60 teams took part in the competition.
 
"Toyota is pleased to support the HQP Poster Competition as it recognizes the next generation of leaders in automotive engineering," said Sandy Di Felice, Director of External Affairs, Toyota Canada Inc.  "Working with AUTO21 allows Toyota insight into the collaborative research project opportunities that advance Canada's contribution to the domestic and global auto industry."
 
The University of Toronto team contributes to the Mitigating GDI Particulate Emissions Through Ethanol Blends project, under the supervision of Dr. James Wallace. Team members include Phillip Mireault and Manuel Ramos.
 
"Our Highly Qualified People (HQP) or student researchers are among some of Canada's top minds and future leaders," said Dr. Peter Frise, AUTO21 Scientific Director and CEO. "Working on collaborative projects with industry, each student demonstrates cutting-edge knowledge and expertise as they contribute to a sustainable automotive industry for Canada."
 
The annual HQP Poster Competition boasts a total prize purse of approximately $15,000. Sixteen semi-finalist teams are selected from the initial pool of entrants, with each team member receiving a $50 bookstore voucher. The semi-finalists provide an oral defence of their research poster. Final winners are selected upon this evaluation. The winners receive a cash prize to be divided amongst the team members. Judges include senior industry, government and R&D experts.
 
Final ranking of the top student teams:
 
Project name
University
Ranking/prize
Mitigating GDI Particulate Emissions Through Ethanol Blends
University of Toronto
First/$4,500
Safe Driving in Older Adults
Lakehead University
Second/$3,500
Injury Prevention Through Adaptive Seat Design (team 1)
University of British Columbia
Third/$2,500
Safety Ambulance Driver Monitoring Unit
Universite Laval
University of Windsor
Fourth/$1,500
Injury Prevention Through Adaptive Seat Design (team 2)
University of British Columbia
Honourable Mention/$1,000
 
AUTO21 supports nearly 200 researchers and 350 student researchers at 47 universities across the country. More than 120 public and private sector organizations partner with AUTO21. With an annual research budget of approximately $11 million, AUTO21 and its partners support projects in six key areas: health, safety and injury prevention; societal issues; materials and manufacturing; design processes; powertrains, fuels and emissions; and intelligent systems and sensors. AUTO21 is supported by the Government of Canada through a Networks of Centres of Excellence program, and its administrative centre is hosted by the University of Windsor.
 
For further information:
 
Stephanie Campeau
Director of Public Affairs and Communications
AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence
Tel: 519.253.3000, ext. 4129
Cell: 519.890.6830
 
Sandy Di Felice
Director, External Affairs
Toyota Canada Inc.
Tel: 416.453.6505
 
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Bike-powered 'Ecochella' concert rolls onto campus Friday

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ecochellaBicycle generators will run the sound system at Ecochella, UCLA's first bike-powered concert, on Friday, May 24.
 
For a truly green concert experience, volunteers will use pedal power to amplify bands including The Dustbowl Revival, Blind Willies, India Carney, Jason Pittes, Kid Sheik, Manzanita, The Primaries, Free Food, Tahl Klainman and Juliet Piper. Student volunteers had a chance to sign up for shifts on one of the eight bikes. The free concert runs from 6-10 p.m. at UCLA's Sunset Canyon Recreation Amphitheater.
 
Several UCLA groups are getting in on the action, which is organized by E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity; The Green Initiative Fund; The Student Commitee for the Arts; and The Student Food Collective.
 
There will also be a bike-powered lighted tree installation featuring an acrobat, films from the UCLA Bicycle Coalition’s short film competition, and a bike-powered blender making free smoothies for the volunteer cyclists.

Poly Shield Technologies Inc. Launches Newly Developed DSOX-15 Sulfur Treatment System to Meet Upcoming 2015 IMO Worldwide Emission Regulations for the Maritime Industry.

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Poly Shield Technologies Inc. OTC:BB SHPR
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2013
 
Poly Shield Technologies Inc. Launches Newly Developed DSOX-15 Sulfur Treatment System to Meet Upcoming 2015 IMO Worldwide Emission Regulations for the Maritime Industry. 
 
Boca Raton, Florida May 24, 2013 – Poly Shield Technologies Inc. (“Poly Shield”) (OTCBB:SHPR): announces the upcoming launch of its DSOX-15 system. The system, with its new approach to sulfur removal, is expected to enable ship operators to efficiently and economically comply with the new 2015 emission regulations set to take effect in January 2015.
 
Poly Shield's CEO, Rasmus Norling, commented: "We believe that our new DSOX-15 system will not only remove the sulfur but will  also reduce the financial burden associated with  current exhaust scrubber technology.” Norling further added, “For the Maritime Industry, the Poly Shield DSOX-15 exhaust emission technology is a quantum leap forward in environmental compliance." 
 
Poly Shield intends to enter into a limited number of certification installation agreements with well-known operating companies to showcase its technology in three specific maritime sectors: Cruiselines, Freight/Cargo and Tankers. Poly Shield is currently engaged in negotiations and will update the public upon the solidification of any agreements. 
 
About Poly Shield Technologies Inc.:
Poly Shield markets environmental, pollution emissions, energy saving, corrosion and durability solutions to a worldwide market.
Poly Shield's desalination bio-scrubber is a patent pending (in US and Europe), cost-effective technology designed to remove alkali metals from fuel in an effort to protect gas turbines from high temperature corrosion. The technology has proven significant cost savings and extended operational life results in the cruise line industry. The technology has a worldwide application that is not limited to the maritime industry and can be installed during normal vessel operation without the need to use expensive dry dock time.
Poly Shield's fluoropolymer coatings are formulated specifically for extreme durability reduced maintenance and enhanced aesthetics. They were tested and are in use in a number of different industries including marine, aerospace, oil field, industrial, commercial, and residential applications. In addition to its anti-corrosion products, Poly Shield offers a superior state-of-the-art line of antimicrobial coatings for use in hospital, school, and food industries.
For further information about Poly Shield Technologies Inc. please visit the company's website at http://www.Polyshieldtechnologies.com.
 
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Rasmus Norling, Director and CEO
 
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as "expects", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "anticipates", "believes", "could", and other similar words. All statements addressing product performance, events, or developments that Poly Shield Technologies Inc. expects or anticipates will occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Because the statements are forward-looking, they should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties, some of which are described in Poly Shield Technologies Inc.'s Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Poly Shield Technologies Inc.'s underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those currently anticipated. In addition, undue reliance should not be placed on Poly Shield Technologies Inc.'s forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Poly Shield Technologies Inc. disclaims any obligation to update or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory body has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Investors are advised to carefully review the reports and documents that Poly Shield Technologies Inc. files from time to time with the SEC, including its Annual, Quarterly and Current Reports.
 
SOURCE Poly Shield Technologies Inc.
 
Contacts:
 
Poly Shield Technologies Inc.
 

Help identify bank robbery suspect

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The City of Carlsbad Police Department is asking the public for assistance identifying a bank robbery suspect. 
 
On Thursday, May 16, at 11 a.m., a white male suspect (pictured) described as 5’9”, 180 pounds, wearing a gray button shirt, dark shorts, a black hat and white socks, entered the Mission Federal Credit Union at 710 Carlsbad Village Drive.  He approached the teller, told her he had a gun, and asked for cash.  He was carrying a black zipper bank bag.  He was last seen leaving the north east end of the bank.
 
Anyone who can identify this suspect should contact Detective Jeff Smith.
 
Police contact
Jeff Smith, Detective, 760-931-2146 or Jeffery.Smith@carlsbadca.gov  
 
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