Newsmakers
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August 2010
Cover story: Making move easier for kids
John Heithaus knows firsthand how stressful moving can be; he has moved eight times in his career, five of those times with children in tow. As a relocation expert and chief marketing officer of MRIS, Mr. Heithaus says moving into a new home should be a family affair.
August 2010
N Street Village helps women knit a lifeline to others
Most of the women -- 70 percent -- who come to N Street Village are between 41 and 65, mothers and grandmothers who raised families, then were left without health care, benefits or housing…Inside the center, there are case workers and a medical staff, a computer lab, and job and resume coaches. And there's a spa menu of alternative therapies: art classes, Afro-Brazilian dance, reiki, yoga.
August 2010
Obama calls for movement on small-business bill
Gelberg Signs is a small business in the District of Columbia that is hiring new workers, the White House said. It is expanding and making new investments in equipment and technology thanks to two Small Business Administration loans. It also has taken advantage of the HIRE Act, signed by Obama in March, which provides employers with a refund on payroll taxes paid on any unemployed worker they hire.
They're aerodynamic, they're snappy, and, best of all, they're efficient. The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize has announced the finalists in its competition to develop a new breed of energy efficient vehicles.
MSNBCIt’s down to the wire for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize, or PIAXP, a competition announced in April 2008 as a way to spur the development of clean, high-mileage vehicles. Funded to the tune of $10 million — which will eventually be divided among three separate categories — the event seems unexpectedly well-timed considering the way the BP Gulf oil spill has raised anew questions about America’s dependence on foreign oil.
July 2010
As quest for 100 mpg resumes at Michigan International Speedway, a few elite competitors emerge
"Since the final round of the Progressive Automotive X Prize started on Monday, a pair of teams that created unconventional cars with traditional racing technology have made bold moves to win their individual classes and pocket much of the competition’s tantalizing $10 million in prize money."
July 2010
Automotive X Prize hits high gear
The Automotive X Prize is nearing the finish line. The $10 million contest to produce a highly fuel-efficient car has moved to the validation stage,
where the competitors will be tested on a dynamometer
Washington PostX Prize deadline looms for makers of lightweight, high-efficiency Very Light Car
"The vehicle is called the Very Light Car, and two of them are the finalists in a category of the Progressive Automotive X Prize, an international competition to build the first car that can go 100 miles on a gallon of gas and at least 200 miles without refueling."
July 2010
Jason Wright
Artist and pro skydiver Jason Wright featured in the top spot on DailyCandy DC the week of his new gallery show, Take You Home, opening at Gallery Plan B. Aerial experiences helped Wright create hauntingly stark landscape oil paintings.
June 2010
Automotive X Prize Competition Heats Up
"The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, which was formally started at the 2008 New York auto show, is finally getting down to business."
June 2010
We Love Music: N Street Village Night Sessions
“Parker is one voice amongst a company of female vocalists making up Bethany’s Women of Praise. This particular assembly of music lovers and melody chanters came together at the same place. N Street Village is what they have in common and The Holster Project is what made their “live on stage” moment become a reality.”
"Contestants not appearing on stage will receive: a $325 gift certificate. Gift giving made easy. Give a vivabox: it's two gifts in one. There is one gift inside immediately, and a second gift to be redeemed with an enclosed gift card."
Father’s Day Gift Segment
"This is the vivabox. It's actually a gift inside of a gift. You would send the gift, they would get a wine enthusiast book and then inside they have a gift card and they go online and they pick and choose six bottles of wine that would be delivered to them."
"'They are dumping randomly everywhere,' says Dan Strode, operations manger of rubble removal for the Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF), a project funded by USAID to clear streets and collapsed homes."
June 2010
Bill Clinton returns to Haiti on recovery mission
"Clinton visited a trio of small, house-shaped shelters built by CHF International with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Aid workers plan to build 125,000 of the shelters at a cost of $1,300 each. "
June 2010
Still Littered With Rubble, Haiti Stirs Slowly To Life
"In April, CHF demolished 30 schools in Leogane in less than three weeks. Lawson has trained Haitians to run the excavators, bulldozers and dump trucks. And he says he'd clear even more buildings if he could just get more heavy equipment."
Washington Post
May 2010
Housing inventory down, prices up in D.C. area
"In April, as a result of the shrinking supply, the county's median home price rose 37 percent from a year earlier, to $240,000, the highest since May 2008, according to the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, the local Multiple Listing Service."
MSNBC: Cosmic Log
April 2010
Supercars Are On Track
"After months of technologizing and tinkering, dozens of next-generation automobiles are converging on a Michigan speedway for the first round of on-track tests leading to $10 million in prizes. 'It's certainly possible that some teams may not make it all the way through shakedown,' Eric Cahill, senior director of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, told me today from the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich."
the Scene BISNOW
April 2010
N Street!
"We also went to the Mandarin Oriental last night for the N Street Village Gala, raising funds to help homeless and low-income women move to stable housing and self-sufficiency."
WeLoveDC
April 2010
Capital Chefs: Alain Roussel of La Ferme Restaurant (Part I)
"As the souffles come out of the oven, puffy, hot, I marvel at this gem of a restaurant tucked away in the suburbs of DC. You can't buy happiness, but you can buy warm croissants to dip in coffee, and I'd encourage you to rush out to La Ferme and do just that. "
The DC Express
April 2010
Sap Stress Out of Tax Time: Relaxation Tips and Techniques
"Sit in a chair with a back and place a tennis or golf ball where you feel the pain, says Winston Moore, regional operations manager for Massage Envy's 19 D.C.-area clubs. Lean your back against the ball and push to loosen the knot or roll the ball around by moving your body."
CNN
March 2010
HDNet
Dan Rather Reports
February 2010
CHF's Kristie Van De Wetering discusses the Haiti earthquake one month later
"They are a resilient people and they have this hope and they know that this will change and that this will change for the better."
PBS MotorWeek
February 2010
Over the Edge: X-Prize
"Progressive Insurance, along with the United States Department of Energy, launched the X PRIZE to find the everyday car of the future…one that will be super efficient—getting at least 100 miles per equivalent gallon of gasoline—and practical. Fifty-three cars were selected for the finals of the X PRIZE. We caught up with five of them in New York City at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan."
The View
February 2010
Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
"Everybody likes a gift certificate, but vivabox takes gift certificates to a whole new level...It's like a gift that gives twice. You get the box and then your redeem what's in the box for the actual gift. It's quite fabulous."
eSchool News
February 2010
Viewpoint: Failure is not an option in our schools
"On Jan. 28, a group of inspiring educators from four diverse school districts across the country came together to take part in a live webcast panel discussion—the first in a 12-part series—to share their views and experiences on how they have turned their underperforming schools around, and the tools they used to succeed. It's what I've coined as "Failure Is Not an Option," and for the past several years I've been working with these schools and others like them from coast to coast to focus on student success at every level. The program outlines six principles to guide student achievement."
News Channel 8 (Washington, DC)
February 2010
Author Alan Blankstein on the No Child Left Behind legislation
C-SPAN
January 2010
Haiti Relief Efforts
"Here's a video of a team from the group CHF International who is working to clear streets in [Haiti's] neighborhoods."
CNN Money
January 2010
U.S. companies rally for Haiti
"We just decided this was the right thing to do," said Lowe's "We hope corporate America won't just give generously in the first week but on a long-term, sustainable basis," said David Humphries, communications manager at CHF International, a Silver Spring, MD-based nonprofit with about 170 employees on the ground in Haiti."
The Observer
February 2010
"Kristie van de Wetering falls asleep each night in her makeshift bed listening to the sound of gunfire in the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood where she works…Currently, she is with CHF International, an organization that specializes in transitional housing where Haitians will live during reconstruction. The CHF's role will be key to the country's recovery in the weeks ahead, said van de Wetering."
Bloomberg
January 2010
Latest on Haiti
"Let's speak to somebody very much on the ground there, Randy Lyness is just outside Port au Prince leading the response for the development organization CHF."
Washington Business Journal
January 2010
Local humanitarian groups, companies respond to Haiti disaster
"CHF International, which has spent the past few years undertaking one of the largest U.S.-funded infrastructure and employment creation programs in Haiti, is now redirecting funds toward the earthquake relief efforts… "No doubt it's a blow. We will know how much of a blow it is in the next couple of weeks," said David Humphries, communications manager. "We did a lot of school rehabilitations in rural areas. They are likely to be fine. In November we completed a major road to the center of the city. ... All I can do is hope that road is still standing."
BBC January 2010
Detroit reaches out to auto innovators
"With the Detroit auto show suffering from a drought of groundbreaking model launches by the city's incumbent carmakers, the focus has shifted towards an alternative motoring future based on innovation and inventions"
Detroit News
January 2010
Michigan host race to make 100 mpg car
"The Progressive Automotive X Prize competition -- 41 international teams trying to build a vehicle that gets 100 miles per gallon -- will be held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, starting April 26"
News Channel 8 (Washington, DC)
January 2010
Massage therapist Winston Moore shows how you can help yourself relax with simple household items
Bethesda Magazine
January 2010
Best of Bethesda 2010
"The whole experience, from the time I e-mail or call [to make an appointment] until I leave relieves my stress and maximizes my enjoyment. It has a really nice vibe."
Washington Informer
December 2009
Dance Institute of Washington Brings Culture to the Community
"DIW gave me individual attention, helped with opinions on schools and helped me get ready for college. It made me a really focused individual because there was someone telling me that I can do it if I could stay with it and be disciplined."
Real Simple
December 2009
6 Surprising Gift Cards
"For a Best Friend: With the Vivabox Spa Massage Box she'll receive three organic EO bath products and a gift card redeemable for a massage or a facial (plus tip) at one of the more than 4,000 national spas on Spafinder."
Fox Business News
December 2009
The Final Gift Countdown
Vivabox was featured as a top gift idea on Fox Business News.
Monday Developments
December 2009
Integrating Green Practices Into Best Practices
"We have to ask hard questions of our green practices to make sure they are not just marketing, but actually beneficial to the communities we help."
KATU-TV and over 25 stations nationwide
November 2009
Savvy Cyber Monday Shopping
Vivabox was featured on 25 stations nationwide for a savvy cyber Monday shopping segment.
ABC Baltimore
November 2009
Massage Therapy: Good For Your Health
"I think that's such a good point because we do tend to look at massage like it's a luxury, but for a lot of people it's actually a necessity."
Philadelphia Daily News
November 2009
City high-school kids best MIT in $10M car contest
"If you learned that MIT and West Philly had entered a $10 million, international contest to produce a car that gets 100 mpg, which school would you expect to make it through the first qualifying round of the competition? Answer: Not MIT."
Redbook
November 2009
Unforgettable Christmas Gifts
"Vivabox Photo Art combines traditional gift giving with experimentation."
TechCrunch
November 2009
How to Profit off the Poor… and Keep Your Soul
"With a grant from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CHF International, an international NGO addressing urban poverty in India, is providing technical and financial support to help LabourNet become a self-sustaining enterprise."
GOOD Magazine
November 2009
Bringing the Business of IT to the Nonprofit World
"At CHF International, we communicate daily with thousands of people all over the globe who are providing emergency relief, delivering economic support and implementing crucial health programs to some of the poorest areas of the world."
Washington Post
November 2009
Fighting illness isn't just a one-shot deal
"Up until recently, massage was though of as a luxury, but it's a part of health and wellness, and when you get massages regularly, that's when the benefits come into play."
November 2009
Best Kept Secrets in Hostess Gifts
Vivabox was featured as a gift idea for hostesses.
TODAY Show
October 2009
Students build green cars for $7.5M in prizes
"On Tuesday, the school's 15-member EVX team unveiled on Rockefeller Plaza its entry in a $10-million competition sponsored by Progressive Insurance. With TODAY's Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Al Roker and Jenna Bush Hager looking on, the car, a hyper-modified Ford Focus, successfully completed its first test run."
New York Times
October 2009
X Prize Sets First-Round Cuts
"The welter of entrants may be worthy of a modern-day "Around the World in 80 Days" saga, but the contest is serious business. For the X Prize Foundation, creator of the competition, the goal is to encourage radical technology breakthroughs that benefit humanity."
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
October 2009
Five Questions for Craig Newmark
"Currently I'm involved in a few modest microfinance efforts, for example working with Kiva.org and CHF International. Kiva collects small amounts of money and works with people who have boots on the ground, like CHF International."
Fox DC
September 2009
Holly Morris: Massage For the Cure
"We're live talking about a special event [Massage Envy] has coming up next week, we're also talking about the health benefits for massage in general."
American Way
September 2009
Class Act: Fueled by a hybrid-powered dream, a bunch of Philly high schoolers are taking on the car world
"Do all this and write a business plan -- the supply chain, the marketing plan, the bucks behind it -- detailing your strategy to build 10,000 cars per year by 2014, and you've got a shot at the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize."
New York Times
August 2009
Gallons of Electricity: Calculating Plug-in Mileage
"What's a gallon of electricity?' asks John Shore, an X Prize senior advisor, about measuring battery cars. ‘For a plug-in hybrid, miles per gallon is even more misleading. At best, it tells just part of the story."
BusinessWeek
July 2009
Bill Gates' Fix for India's Ills: Technology
"These workers have nothing consistent and long-lasting,' says Brian English, CHF's India director. LabourNet, or the network CHF plans to build, ‘is a bridge to giving them rights and jobs using cellular technology to facilitate it,' says English, who says the service allows the workers to get better jobs because it shows them all the available work in specific markets."
TODAY
July 2009
Kathy Lee and Hoda Celebrate their Favorite Things
Kathy Lee and Hoda Kotb have the scoop on vivabox as a great gift idea.
Roll Call
May 2009
Putting a New Face on ADHD
"As National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day approaches, we are preparing to visit with our Members of Congress on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of providing incentives that will increase the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists so more children will be identified and treated earlier in life."
Wall Street Journal
June 2009
Teams Race to Build Super-Fuel-Efficient Car
"The Progressive Automotive X-Prize contest, with its underlying premise that the legacy auto industry needs a shot of innovation to escape its current woes, coincides with the wrenching restructuring of Detroit's big automakers and heated debates about energy policy in Washington."
Gazette
June 2009
Nonprofit gets a boost from sister of billionaire investor
"People open their hearts and their wallets when they know there's a good return on their investments," Connelly said of Hearts and Homes' longstanding reputation for helping youth.
Washington Post
February 2009
Value Added: The "Move Management" Industry
"'When you say moving and downsizing to anybody, their stomach probably goes south,' said co-owner Joel Danick. ‘What we do for our elderly clients is to make something in a smaller version while maintaining the features of the original. We are the wedding planners of the moving industry.'"
Gazette
January 2009
Stone Ridge students cut it for a cause
"The students took part in [Bella Bethesda's] Cut for a Cause, a week-long campaign to collect hair for the Locks of Love organization."
The Detroit News
January 2009
Detroit Automakers Urged to Enter X PRIZE Race
"The $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize wants Detroit's Big Three automakers and other major companies to take part in its road race next year to see who can build a vehicle that gets 100 miles per gallon."
Bethesda Magazine
January 2009
Best Hair Salon in Bethesda
"Opened in September 2007 by two Kensington sisters, second-floor salon Bella Bethesda has quickly become a popular spot for hair, makeup and waxing services."
Salon Today
December 2009
Party with a Purpose
"What do natural curls have in common with a Chevy Malibu? In a creative pairing, the stylists from Bella Bethesda demonstrated their automotive interpretations when the salon partnered with a local car dealership for a unique hair show."
