New Live Nation-Operated Venue In Nashville To Be Named Ascend Amphitheater In Multi-Year Partnership

April 23, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Live Nation Entertainment and the City of Nashville today announced details behind the opening of Ascend Amphitheater – the city’s new Live Nation-operated amphitheater. The state of the art venue will feature its first concert with GRAMMY Award®-winner Eric Church on July 30, 2015. The venue also revealed its inaugural summer season line-up with some of the biggest names in music including Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson’s End Times Tour, Idina Menzel, Widespread Panic, Phish, Steely Dan and more. A full line-up is below.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/201248LOGO

Live Nation has entered a multi-year partnership with Ascend Federal Credit Union to have the naming rights of the newly designed venue located on Nashville’s beautiful West Riverfront Park. With their multi-year naming rights partnership for the amphitheater, Ascend Federal Credit Union is aligning their brand with the power of live music in one of the greatest cities for music in the U.S.

“We pursue partnerships that lend stability and trust to our brand,” said Caren Gabriel, Ascend president and CEO. “Nashville residents are familiar with Ascend through our television and radio advertisements and the construction of two new financial centers here last year. But, this amphitheater will make the Ascend brand synonymous with Music City USA.”

Through the promotional products and services, and advertising benefits that this marketing partnership is providing, Ascend will extend the knowledge of their services and brand as a whole to music fans and potential members. The opportunity with the venue benefits Ascend’s members as well with the ability for them to purchase tickets for events at the venue.

“We look forward to working closely with Ascend over the span of this long-term marketing alliance,” said Andy Peikon, senior vice president of sales at Live Nation. “The naming rights platform at this beautiful new venue features an array of assets that will bring exciting visibility to the Ascend brand, enhance member benefits and drive member acquisition.”

Stretching across a 1.5 acre event lawn called “The Green,” Ascend Amphitheater has a capacity of 6,800, including 2,300 reserve and 4,500 lawn seating. Live Nation’s management agreement with the city extends until 2025 with the ability for the company to host 30 events per year with an additional six symphony events and 10 civic events including 4th of July, New Year’s Eve, CMA Fest and more.

ASCEND AMPHITHEATER INAUGURAL SUMMER SEASON 2015 LINE-UP
All dates and artists listed below subject to change.

DATE	SHOW
7.30.15	Eric Church
8.1.15	Chicago & Earth Wind and Fire
8.4.15	Phish
8.5.15	Jill Scott
8.7.15	Counting Crows with Citizen Cope and Hollis Brown
8.8.15	Steely Dan with special guest Elvis Costello
8.9.15	The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson
8.18.15	Sublime with Rome, Rebelution, Pepper and Mickey Avalon
8.14.15	NEEDTOBREATHE, Switchfoot, Drew Holcomb, and Colony House
8.15.15	Idina Menzel
8.16.15	Peter Frampton & Cheap Trick
8.22.15	Australian Pink Floyd with LedZeppelin2
8.28.15	Old Crow Medicine Show
8.29.15	Under The Sun Tour
9.1.15	ZZ Top with Blackberry Smoke
9.5.15	Widespread Panic
9.6.15	Widespread Panic
9.14.15	Daryl Hall and John Oates
10.2.15	Lynyrd Skynyrd
10.8.15	Chris Tomlin (in partnership with Awakening Events)
10.10.15	Grace Potter and the Nocturnals with Lake Street Dive(in partnership with NS2)

Ascend Federal Credit Union
With $1.7 billion in assets and more than 150,000 members, Ascend is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest federally chartered credit unions in the United States. The Nashville Business Journal consistently lists Ascend as the top credit union in Middle Tennessee. Ascend is federally insured by the NCUA. Membership is limited.

Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

One-Of-A-Kind “King James Edition” Kia K900 Goes Up For Auction Today To Benefit The LeBron James Family Foundation

April 23, 2015

One-Of-A-Kind “King James Edition” Kia K900 Goes Up For Auction Today To Benefit The LeBron James Family Foundation

Kia’s Luxury Ambassador and Star of the Fit for a King™ Campaign Auctions Customized K900

at Charitybuzz.com Beginning Today

– Custom Pearl Red Metallic K900 has been driven by LeBron James and displayed inside Madison Square for the NBA All-Star Game in New York City

– Celebrity Auto Group lowered the ride height of Kia’s award-winning flagship and added 22″ Custom Monoblock Wheels and Pirelli^® Tires, Alcantara suede headliner, customized Lexicon^® Logic 7^® audio system, King James logos inside and out, and more

IRVINE, Calif., April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Kia Motors and its Luxury Ambassador, LeBron James, have teamed up with Charitybuzz to auction his customized Kia K900 sedan, with proceeds benefitting the LeBron James Family Foundation. Working with Celebrity Auto Group, the philanthropist and star of Kia’s Fit for a King™ ad campaign personalized the one-of-a-kind K900 that is now available for fans to bid on at Charitybuzz.com through 3 p.m. ET on May 7, 2015.

"King James Edition" Kia K900 goes up for auction today to benefit the LeBron James Family Foundation

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/201326

“I’m excited to share this custom car with the winning bidder and even more proud that all of the proceeds are going to help my Foundation continue its amazing work,” said LeBron James. “All of the proceeds raised will help us keep kids in school and give them an education that is extremely important for their futures.”

First unveiled at the 2015 NBA All-Star game at Madison Square Garden, the King James Edition K900 also made auto show appearances in Cleveland and New York in April. Select customization elements include Alcantara Suede interior and headliner, color-matched diamond contrast stitching throughout, Llumar^®Ceramic window tint, customized Lexicon^® Logic 7^® audio system, personalized King James Limited Edition Plaque #01 and LBJ icons in the headrests.

“The K900 challenges everything people think they know about Kia, and the King James Edition takes on a new personality by showcasing LeBron James’ unique style,” said Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing communications, Kia Motors America. “We are proud that LeBron chose to drive a Kia, and to provide fans the opportunity to bid on the K900 and have the proceeds go to the LeBron James Family Foundation.”

About the LeBron James Family Foundation
Founded in 2004, the LeBron James Family Foundation’s mission is to positively affect the lives of children and young adults through education and co-curricular educational initiatives. With its fundamental belief that an education and living an active, healthy lifestyle are pivotal to the development of children and young adults, the Foundation is aggressively implementing initiatives that have a real, meaningful impact in the lives of children across the United States. Staffed entirely by volunteers, including LeBron’s mother Gloria, wife Savannah James, and business partner Maverick Carter, the LJFF staff is dedicated to carrying out this mission. In 2011, in partnership with the Akron Public Schools, the LeBron James Family Foundation began working on the high school dropout crisis facing our community and launched its “Wheels for Education” program. This groundbreaking initiative targets third graders and provides them with the programs, support and mentors they need for success in school.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea, and in 2014 was the #1 ranked mainstream brand according to Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Index. KMA proudly serves as the “Official Automotive Partner” of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2014, surpassing the 500,000 unit mark for the third consecutive year. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900[1] flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle[2], Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.

Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.

* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

[1] 2015 K900 V8 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.

[2] 2015 Soul EV in select markets with limited availability.

8th Annual Hard Summer Music Festival Reveals Line-Up

April 23, 2015

8th Annual Hard Summer Music Festival Reveals Line-Up

– Headlined on Saturday, August 1: The Weeknd, The Chemical Brothers, Dillon Francis, Porter Robinson (Live), Schoolboy Q, Odesza, The Glitch Mob, Tchami, Young Thug and Gorgon City (Live) –

– Headlined on Sunday, August 2: Jack U, Ratatat, Chromeo, Die Antwoord, RL Grime, Zeds Dead, Boys Noize, DJ Mustard & Friends, Caribou, Robin Schulz, Maya Jane Coles, Jamie XX and Hudson Mohawke, Alongside Over 70 Other Artists –

– Get ‘Spooned’ with Dillon Francis in the HARD SUMMER Trailer –

– Set for August 1 & 2 at New Location at Fairplex/Southern California –

– Tickets On Sale Now at www.hardsummer.com –

LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — For those who are purely about the best in future music, HARD SUMMER returns for its eighth year this August with its most impressive line-up to date. HARD Events — the promoters behind such major electronic music events as HARD Day of the Dead, HOLY SHIP! and the five-date goHARD festival tour — have today (April 22) announced the line-up for the HARD SUMMER music festival, set for Saturday, August 1 & Sunday, August 2 in Southern California at Fairplex in the Los Angeles area. Headlining on Saturday, August 1 is The Weeknd, The Chemical Brothers, Dillon Francis, Porter Robinson (Live), Schoolboy Q, Odesza, The Glitch Mob, Tchami, Young Thug and Gorgon City (Live). On Sunday, August 2 the headliners are Jack U, Ratatat, Chromeo, Die Antwoord, RL Grime, Zeds Dead, Boys Noize, DJ Mustard & Friends, Caribou, Robin Schulz, Maya Jane Coles, Jamie XX and Hudson Mohawke.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/201094-INFO

HARD SUMMER will feature more than 90 acts over five stages of its two days. The uniquely curated line-up ranges from the hottest names on the festival circuit such as ODESZA, Griz and Jamie XX to emerging acts making their first HARD festival debut like Rae Sremmurd, Bakermat, Jauz and Lido. Expect live acts like Die Antwoord, Caribou, Gorgon City, Years and Years and Ten Walls and DJ sets from a variety of genres encompassing deep house with Hot Since ’82 and MK, hip-hop with Schoolboy Q, DJ Mustard & Friends, Young Thug, Fetty Wap, ILoveMakonnen and Leikeli47, g-house with DESTRUCTO, Shiba San, Sharam Jey and Vanilla Ace, and future house with sets from Valentino Kahn, Anna Lunoe and Hunter Siegel. The only special branded area this year celebrates the 10 year anniversary of Boys Noize Records with the BNR10YR stage on Sunday, August 2 featuring Boys Noize, Tiga, Mr. Oizo, Jimmy Edgar, Spank Rock, Djedjotronic b2b Scntst and more special guests TBA. The full line-up follows below.

Along with the line-up announcement comes this year’s HARD SUMMER trailer which pokes fun of all the drama that tends to surround electronic musicians and DJs. Written and directed by Agata Alexander, the story follows Dillon Francis who wants to become a “real musician” since HARD SUMMER is a music festival….not a rave. His instrument of choice is the spoons, and after splitting up Chromeo* and going solo, his career blows up in a matter of days — along with his ego. The trailer is star-packed with artists Dillon Francis, Porter Robinson, Skrillex, Chromeo, Destructo and Mija, and also includes a very special and intimate spooning session between Dillon and Porter Robinson.

*Our sources tell us Dillon was never in Chromeo to begin with and the band is still together.

View the HARD SUMMER trailer now at: http://youtu.be/cUSOPAZ6di8

HARD Day of the Dead, HARD‘s last major event at Fairplex, was a major success, drawing more than 80,000 fans over the weekend. Located east from downtown Los Angeles, Fairplex is a full-service venue featuring multiple outdoor and indoor areas for music, ample parking, food concessions and much more.
Tickets are on sale now at www.hardsummer.com.

The full line-up for HARD SUMMER 2015 is:

HARD SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015
AUG 1+2 | 5 STAGES

SATURDAY AUGUST 1

SUNDAY AUGUST 2

www.hardfest.com
www.facebook.com/hardfest
www.twitter.com/HARDFEST
www.youtube.com/Hardfest
www.soundcloud.com/hardfest

MSO Press Releases & Assets:
www.msopr.com/n/client-roster/hard-festivals/

About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

Sabre and Movida Rent a Car expand global e-commerce to agents and corporations booking trips to Brazil

April 23, 2015

Sabre and Movida Rent a Car expand global e-commerce to agents and corporations booking trips to Brazil

Sabre’s subscribers in 144 countries can provide travelers with a wide range of vehicles and personalization at 100 branches and major airports in 24 Brazilian states

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading technology provider to the global travel industry, today announced the implementation of its leading distribution technology for Movida Rent a Car, the latest travel supplier in Brazil to benefit from Sabre’s real-time connectivity to more than 425,000 agents worldwide.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131216/DA33636LOGO-b

The technology and digital commerce agreement between Sabre and Movida Rent a Car also makes the Sabre travel marketplace one of the leading B2B travel platforms with broadest offering of car rental suppliers covering destinations across Brazil. Movida will also benefit from unprecedented mobile reach to consumers through the TripCase app, powered by Sabre mobile technology. The app integrates and displays car pick-up and drop-off dates within all travel itineraries, viewable in mobile devices and smart watches.

“We are pleased to continue partnering with major industry suppliers in Brazil including Movida Rent a Car, which is known for providing high-end vehicles and a customized driving experience to connect business and leisure destinations,” said Luiz Ambar, vice president of Sabre in Brazil and southern Latin America. “Sabre has a consistent track record in developing innovative software solutions for agents to access a seamless shopping and booking platform, and for suppliers like Movida we have also integrated direct billing capabilities to meet our agency customers’ needs in Brazil.”

Agents around the world subscribed to Sabre can now offer personalized services on behalf of Movida including, GPS devices, child safety seats, and chauffeurs. While for travel agents in Brazil enrolled in Movida’s incentive program, this new and enhanced car rental offering also provides additional opportunities to earn commissions from each booking.

“We are confident Sabre’s technology and their base of global travel agencies represents a highly influential community to connect our company’s 19,000 vehicles to travelers seeking a personalized car service,” said Jamyl Jarrus, commercial director for Movida Rent a Car. “After the initial connectivity to the Sabre travel marketplace we got immediate bookings, providing us with a fast lead generation platform for our business.”

In addition to boosting bookings, Brazil’s Movida Rent a Car will see their entire fleet, pricing and full inventory listed across Sabre’s leading shopping platform for travel services, including, Sabre Red Workspace and Sabre Red Mobile in tablets for agents. Travel agents connected to Sabre will count on 24×7 access to Movida’s help desk for support on bookings made via global distribution systems.

MEDIA CONTACT
Daniel Duarte
Sabre, Corporate Public Relations
[email protected]
+1 214 2369473

Biggest Names In Music To Perform At The 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards Thursday April 30 At 7pm/6c On Telemundo

April 23, 2015

Biggest Names In Music To Perform At The 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards Thursday April 30 At 7pm/6c On Telemundo

Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Gerardo Ortiz, Pedro Fernandez, Gente de Zona and Ne-Yo make-up the final line-up of stars that will perform at the coveted event

MIAMI, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards presented by State Farm® will feature performances by internationally renowned singer Marc Anthony, Pop music icon Luis Fonsi, Urban Latin music sensation Nicky Jam, Mexican music phenomenon Gerardo Ortiz, Cuban rhythmic music duo Gente de Zona, prominent Mexican singer and actor Pedro Fernandez, and R&B singer Ne-Yo, who join previously announced performances by Jennifer Lopez, Romeo Santos, Juanes, Natalia Jimenez, Afrojack, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Carlos Santana, J Balvin, Carlos Vives, Julion Alvarez y Su Norteno Banda, Ana Gabriel, Lucero, Alejandro Sanz, and Roberto Carlos. The longest-running and most prestigious awards show in the Latin music world will be produced and broadcast live by TELEMUNDO on Thursday, April 30 at 7pm/6c from BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Florida. Fans can follow the excitement of the star-studded event on Twitter and Instagram @LatinBillboards and Facebook.com/LatinBillboards, and join the conversation using #Billboards2015.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/Spanish/7504551-premios-billboard-de-la-musica-latina/

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/201200

Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, and the biggest-selling salsa artist of all time, Marc Anthony is a 7-time finalist this year. He holds the record for most No. 1s on the Tropical Songs chart, having reached the top 25 times. He earned his most recent No. 1 last year as a feature on Carlos Vives’ “Cuando Nos Volvamos A Encontrar.” Also hailing from Puerto Rico, Pop singer Luis Fonsi has enjoyed a career atop the charts that began in 1998, with his first album “Comenzare.” Fonsi launched his eighth album last year, titled “8,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart on 2014. Urban artist Nicky Jam has taken over the charts with “El Perdon” featuring Enrique Iglesias. The song has been No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs for six weeks, where it remains.

Specializing in Corridos, Gerardo Ortiz is a regional Mexican singer/songwriter who broke through to mainstream success in 2010 with the album “Ni Hoy Ni Manana” and its numerous hit singles. Ortiz has five No. 1s on the Top Latin Albums chart, most recently with “Archivos De Mi Vida.” He also holds five No. 1s on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart. “Eres Una Nina” spent five weeks at No. 1, first peaking in January 2015. With a career spanning more than four decades, Mexican-born Pedro Fernandez has recorded 38 albums, and 21 of his songs have charted on the Hot Latin Songs chart, with five reaching the top 10. Fernandez has appeared in numerous telenovelas, 25 films and won countless awards. He most recently released the self-penned new single “Si Tuviera Que Decirlo,” from his latest album “Hasta el Fin del Mundo.” Pedro Fernandez is currently a Coach on TELEMUNDO’s highly successful reality music competition “La Voz Kids,” now in its third season; and he’ll be hosting the Billboard Latin Music Awards alongside beautiful actress and TV host Gaby Espino.

Cuban sensation duo Gente de Zona continue their smashing success in the US that started in early 2014. On the Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, they spent 41 weeks at No. 1 as a featured act on “Bailando”. The song holds the record for most weeks at No. 1 in the chart’s 28-year history. Recently, their single “Yo Quiero” featuring Pitbull reached No. 15 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor Ne-Yo has placed 29 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two No. 1s. He last reached the top in 2011 as a feature on Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything,” also featuring Afrojack and Nayer. His most recent album “Non-Fiction” debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards presented by State Farm will be preceded by the red carpet special “La Alfombra de los Premios Billboard” featuring a constellation of music and TV stars, hosted this year by Telemundo personalities Rashel Diaz, and Boris Izaguirre, with Telemundo influencer Caeli, and fashion commentary by Guest “Fashionista” Christian Ramirez, and Special Guest Kika Rocha.

The awards show will also feature the participation of numerous celebrities as award presenters, including finalists Alexis & Fido, Kevin Ortiz, Luis Coronel and Plan B; TELEMUNDO personalities: Ana Maria Polo of “Caso Cerrado;” Maria Celeste from “Al Rojo Vivo;” and Jorge Bernal from “La Voz Kids” and “Suelta La Sopa”; actors Rafael Amaya and Carmen Villalobos from “EL Senor de los Cielos;” Fabian Rios and Kimberly Dos Ramos from “Tierra de Reyes;” Gabriel Porras from the upcoming telenovela “Bajo el Mismo Cielo”; NBC Universo TV personality Yarel Ramos; NBC’s Today Show host Natalie Morales, singers Mariana Vega, Martha Sanchez, Pedro Capo and Fifth Harmony; musician Arthur Hanlon; and Hollywood actors Eduardo Verastegui, Natalie Martinez and Roselyn Sanchez. Other finalist attending this year’s award ceremony include: Alejandro “Sky” Ramirez, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga, Banda Tierra Sagrada, Calibre 50, Carlos Paucar, Cartel De Santa, Don Perignon y La Orquesta Puertorriquena, El Komander, Enrique Iglesias, Horacio Palencia Cisneros, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho, Pirulo y La Tribu, Tercer Cielo and Zion & Lennox.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Multimedia assets are available at: http://hispanicprwire.com/en/multimedia/

Honda Donates New Odyssey to Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington D.C.

April 23, 2015

American Honda Motor Co Inc - NHL — Honda has donated a new 2015 Odyssey minivan to the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington D.C.

Honda Donates New Odyssey to Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington D.C.

Donation a part of the National Hockey League’s ‘Biggest Assist Happens Off the Ice’ Program

TORRANCE, California, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Hoping to make a difference in the lives of families with medical needs, Honda today announced the donation of a new 2015 Honda Odyssey minivan to the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington D.C. (www.rmhcdc.org) in partnership with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) ‘The Biggest Assist Happens Off the Ice’ program. The ‘Biggest Assist Happens Off the Ice’ is the NHL’s ongoing social responsibility program that builds on hockey’s long-standing tradition of addressing important social issues in North America and around the world.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100923/HONDALOGO
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150422/200693

The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic took place on Jan. 1, 2015 in Washington, D.C., where the local NHL Club Washington Capitals hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. In a thrilling outdoor game, the Capitals defeated the Blackhawks in front of their home crowd. As part of Honda’s partnership with the NHL, the winning team of the outdoor game donates a brand new vehicle to the local Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). Additionally, as part of an on-going initiative to support the local RMHC, the League donated $200 for every shot on goal during the outdoor game, totaling $14,000.

The Honda Odyssey was delivered to the Ronald McDonald House by Ourisman Honda of Bethesda, MD. The Odyssey will be used by the charity to aid in transporting families to and from the hospital.

Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington D.C. (RMHCDC) addresses one of the most urgent community needs – children’s health.

For the past six years, Honda has been the official vehicle of the NHL and is a proud supporter of the league’s ongoing community initiatives. In February, at the request of Washington Capitals’ star, Alex Ovechkin, the company donated a new Honda Accord to the American Special Hockey Association, which provides opportunities for those with disabilities to play hockey.

About Honda

Honda established operations in America in 1959 and now employs more than 39,000 associates in its North American sales, R&D and manufacturing operations with total capital investment in North America exceeding $22 billion. Based on its longstanding commitment to “build products close to the customer,” Honda operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America producing a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general purpose engines, and the HondaJet advanced light jet.

(Español) No se olvide de cuidar la piel sensible

April 22, 2015

Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.

Estrella TV’s Hit Comedy #LocosYContentos To Air Specials On Fridays At 7 p.m.

April 22, 2015

Estrella TV’s Hit Comedy #LocosYContentos To Air Specials On Fridays At 7 p.m.

HOLLYWOOD, California, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Estrella TV Network announced it will air specials of comedian Kiki Melendez’ breakthrough comedy #LocosYContentos, on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Central). The specials of #LocosYContentos will prove more irreverent and cutting edge than ever, featuring celebrity hosts on each show.

Popular stand-up comic and actor Paul Rodriguez will host the upcoming special this Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. For more information visit www.estrellatv.com

“In the tradition of SNL, Mad TV and In Living Color, #LocosYContentos is the culmination of many years of trying to create a national platform for Latino comics,” said writer and producer, Estela Sainz. “We are building an empire with Spanish stand-up; a first for television in America.”

“This is the cutting edge of Spanish-language stand-up. This is the place where Latino comics converge with a common purpose: to make people laugh,” said Kiki Melendez, Executive Producer and CEO of Latin Hollywood Films.

#LocosYContentos is produced by Estrella TV, the leader in original Latino content produced in the U.S. in association with Latin Hollywood Films whose credits include Showtime Networks’ Hot Tamales Live!, Kiki Desde Hollywood, and the ground-breaking film, Journey of A Female Comic.

The shows will include popular segments like “Kiki on the Street,” as well as cleverly written sketch comedy exploring trends and culture for Latinos and non-Latinos across America. The one-hour format is taped in front of a live studio audience. Sketches are filmed on location.

More information on Kiki Melendez at www.kikikiss.com

Press release generated by Elif Cercel at www.rribit.com

Noted Educator Discusses Evaluating the Quality of Accountability Systems

April 22, 2015

Noted Educator Discusses Evaluating the Quality of Accountability Systems

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — As Congress updates the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, Brian Gong, Executive Director of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, yesterday outlined the challenges facing policymakers and others charged with creating accountability systems based on realistic and reachable goals. His remarks came during Educational Testing Service’s 15th Angoff Memorial Lecture at the National Press Club.

The lecture, “Evaluating the Quality of Accountability Systems: Beyond Reliability and Validity” explored the policy debate surrounding the appropriate way to hold schools, districts and teachers accountable for student achievement.

“The essential question I am interested in,” Gong said, “is, how can we tell whether an accountability system is good? Or more generally, how should we evaluate the quality of accountability systems? Evaluating them is inextricably tied to the questions we ask about the accountability systems, and the procedures and evidence we use to answer those questions.”

Gong noted that it is becoming increasingly common for student assessment results to be applied in the process of evaluating schools, districts and teachers. This raises the question that even with reliable and valid student assessments, is this method of evaluation truly valid?

According to Gong, the logic underlying accountability systems is straightforward in its basic form:

Decide what you want students to learn and how you want students, schools, teachers to perform
Determine how students/schools/teachers have performed
Decide whether that performance is “good enough”
Decide what to do if it is or is not “good enough” (i.e., what should happen)
Implement and monitor the accountability system

“We need to evaluate the quality of each accountability system part, and the whole together, to know we can trust the results and to improve the system” he said. “There are some sound, practical things we can and should do to guide our efforts to evaluate the quality of accountability systems.”

“Many people assume that the same means of evaluating the quality of assessment instruments apply to accountability systems. I believe that valid and reliable assessments do not guarantee high-quality accountability systems. Evaluation of the quality of accountability systems should go beyond checking whether the assessments are valid and reliable.”

He explained that accountability scores and decisions have their own characteristics regarding reliability and validity, and do not automatically inherit attributes of reliability or validity from the assessments upon which they are based. For example, he said, it is possible to have accountability decisions that are quite unreliable, even though the assessments out of which they are constructed are quite reliable. Similarly, he added, it is possible to have highly invalid accountability scores and decisions built upon valid assessments.

“Second, accountability systems incorporate action,” Gong said. “Accordingly, accountability systems’ prescribed actions and their consequences should be evaluated. For these, program and policy evaluation frameworks are often useful and more appropriate for evaluating the quality of this component of accountability systems than the construct validation frameworks that have been developed for assessments.”

Other factors to study include:

the effect on reliability of combining individual student test scores to become a group score
making accountability decisions based on subgroups — especially subgroups with few students — may lead to less-than-desired reliabilities especially between schools with different subgroup make-ups
attending to aspects of validation proactively, in the design, development and improvement of assessments through evidence-centered design
the operational feasibility, cost/quality trade-offs, compliance with security and other legal requirements

“Education is vitally important to students, parents, teachers and the nation at large,” said Ida Lawrence, ETS Senior Vice President of Research and Development. “A large part of that is designing accountability systems to inform everyone how we’re doing and guiding improvement. This presentation reinforces that education systems can be improved but it takes quality assessments, good data and solid research to inform our actions.”

Gong concluded, “Accountability systems may be a particularly American educational policy tool. We have student accountability, teacher evaluation, higher education accountability and a new federal consideration of what Congress will require of states in terms of school accountability. I hope that we can — also fueled by traditional American ingenuity, humility and persistence — evaluate our accountability systems more effectively so that 20 years from now we will say our schools, our accountability systems, and the lives of our children and grandchildren are better than they are today.”

The 15th William H. Angoff Memorial Lecture will be published later this year and available for downloading free of charge at http://www.ets.org/research/policy_research_reports/angoff/

About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

Concealed And Open Carry Exposes Commercial And Residential Building Owners To Massive Financial Risk–Top Law Firm

April 22, 2015

Concealed And Open Carry Exposes Commercial And Residential Building Owners To Massive Financial Risk–Top Law Firm

To Eliminate Risk “No Guns Allowed” Signs Should Be Posted, Reports National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC)

CHICAGO, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — When liquid spills on a supermarket’s floor, employees rush at warp speed to mop it up. And, no entity serves coffee that is too hot to drink anymore, most providing “sleeves” to keep hands from burning. Why? No specific statutory laws require businesses to do these things.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/65360-ngvac-national-gun-victims-tell-and-compel-we-re-done-asking

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150421/200141

The reason is there is a common-law standard of care that requires property owners–and the entities that lease their properties–to provide a safe environment for employees, visitors and customers. Failure to satisfy the common-law standard of care has resulted in massive financial awards against property owners.

Now, a top-ranked international real estate, finance and litigation law firm has prepared a research memorandum on gun-related risk management at the request of Elliot Fineman, CEO of National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC). Mayer Brown LLP, named “Firm of the Year” in the Appellate Law category by U.S. News & World Report for the second consecutive year, advises that “a property owner who did not put up the [no guns allowed] signs…will face the argument that it was entirely foreseeable” that gun violence, injury or death “would occur, since he or she failed to prohibit concealed carry.” Mishaps that could legally expose property owners include faulty holsters, someone bumping a carrier, a carrier bumping someone else, a carrier falling or a carrier “mistaking a situation for one in which he is legally entitled to use a gun for self-defense or to save others.” (Click Link for Illinois Property Owners Research Memorandum).

While the memorandum centers on Illinois in response to the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, implemented in 2014, the principles are the same in every state including states that have passed laws immunizing property owners from gun violence injury or death on their property. Property owners who fail to put up signs banning guns may well be found guilty of not maintaining a “common-law standard of care” and face significant financial risks, says Mayer Brown LLP. Even defending such a suit would prove extremely costly.

The Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act offers little guidance for property owners, and many of the questions raised in this memorandum will be resolved through litigation. The statute will also likely be amended by the legislature. In the interim, the optimal way for property owners to avoid exposure including the significant financial risk imposed by litigation is to put up signs banning guns on their properties cautions the Mayer Brown memorandum. Property owners in every state would be well advised to speak with their insurance and legal counsel regarding best practices going forward, says the law firm.

National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC) is a non-profit network of 14 million gun victims, survivors, the faith community and ordinary people leveraging their buying power to change America’s gun laws. NGVAC initiated the successful action that caused Starbucks to change its gun policy. NGVAC pursues novel legal strategies to reduce gun violence and encourages corporations to be proactively involved in advocating for sane gun laws. NGVAC can be found at www.gunvictimsaction.org.

Mayer Brown LLP
Mayer Brown is one of the largest global law firms both by number of lawyers and revenue and has lawyers in key business centers across the Americas, Asia and Europe. Mayer Brown provides legal services in areas such as Supreme Court and appellate; litigation; corporate and securities; finance; real estate; tax; intellectual property; government and global trade; restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency.

1...2,8852,8862,887...3,052 Page 2,886 of 3,052