Qorvis Wins Gold SABRE Award and Silver SABRE Certificate of Excellence for Mexico's Country Brand Digital Platform, MexicoToday.org

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Qorvis Communications announced today the company won a Gold SABRE award in the Search Engine Optimization category for Mexico's country brand digital platform, MexicoToday.org. In addition to the Gold SABRE, the firm won a Silver SABRE Certificate of Excellence in the Social Media Hub category.

"For the second consecutive year, Qorvis and MexicoToday.org continue earning praise for the digital platform's creativity, uniqueness, integrity and efficiency by the most recognized experts in the public relations and advertising industries," said Michael J. Petruzzello, managing partner at Qorvis. "We are honored to have received the SABRE recognitions which represent a validation of the quality of work we do at our firm."

In addition to the Gold SABRE award and the Silver SABRE Certificate of Excellence announced today, MexicoToday.org has previously earned other prestigious recognitions:

• Four DC ADDY Awards, including a Gold ADDY for Best Overall Online Campaign and three Silver ADDYs for Mobile App and Website
• SABRE Award finalist for Search Engine Optimization
• Official Honoree of the 16^th Annual Webby Awards in the Tourism category, and among top entries with "remarkable achievement"
• Official Honoree of the 17^th Annual Webby Awards in the News and Information category, and among  top entries with "remarkable achievement"

MexicoToday.org is an international digital portal created and developed by Qorvis Communications in support of Marca País – Imagen de México. MexicoToday.org is an initiative to help promote a positive image of Mexico and keep audiences from around the world informed about the latest news on Mexico's economy, tourism industry, culture, environment and current events.

The prestigious SABRE Awards attract 2,000 entries from across North America each year. Winners of SABRE Awards represent the best that public relations has to offer.

About Qorvis Communications, LLC
Qorvis Communications is one of the nation's largest independent, integrated communications firms. Formed in August 2000, Qorvis provides its clients with expertise in the areas of public and media relations, advertising, public affairs, investor relations and financial services communications, grassroots campaigns, Internet-based campaigns, digital media strategies, online reputation management, and research and opinion surveys. For more information, visit www.qorvis.com, contact info@qorvis.com or follow us on Twitter: @qorvis.

SOURCE Qorvis Communications

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Top GOP Donors Launch Push for Gay Marriage: ‘The Right Thing for the Country But Also Good Politics’

American Unity PAC

(Photo: American Unity PAC)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (TheBlaze/AP) -- In the wake of the 2012 election, many Republican strategists have concluded they simply cannot win as long as they seem so "polarizing."  One of the more contentious issues is gay marriage, with those on the left often accusing Republicans of being intolerant.  But now, a national group of prominent GOP donors is pouring new money into lobbying efforts to get Republican lawmakers to vote to make gay marriage legal.

American Unity PAC was formed last year to lend financial support to Republicans who bucked the party's longstanding opposition to gay marriage. Its founders are launching a new lobbying organization, American Unity Fund, and already have spent more than $250,000 in Minnesota, where the Legislature could vote on the issue as early as next week.

The group has spent $500,000 on lobbying since last month, including efforts in Rhode Island, Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia and Utah.

Billionaire hedge fund manager and Republican donor Paul Singer launched American Unity PAC. The lobbying effort is the next phase as the push for gay marriage spreads to more states, spokesman Jeff Cook-McCormac told The Associated Press.

"What you have is this network of influential Republicans who really want to see the party embrace the freedom to marry, and believe it's not only the right thing for the country but also good politics," Cook-McCormac said.

Gay Marriage

Gay marriage supporters march at the US Supreme Court on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

In Minnesota, the money has gone to state groups that are lobbying Republican lawmakers and for polling on gay marriage in a handful of suburban districts held by Republicans. So far, only one Minnesota Republican lawmaker has committed to voting to legalize gay marriage: Sen. Branden Petersen, of Andover.

"I think there will be some more. There are legislators out there that are struggling with this," said Carl Kuhl, a former political aide to former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Kuhl's public affairs firm is contracted by Minnesotans United, the lead lobby group for gay marriage in Minnesota and main recipient of American Unity's Minnesota spending.

House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said he has encouraged advocates of the marriage bill to round up Republican votes, if nothing else than to send a message to Minnesota residents that it's not a partisan proposition. But that will be politically risky; the main opposition group to same-sex marriage, Minnesota for Marriage, has said it will seek consequences for Republicans who stray on gay marriage.

Part of American Unity PAC's original mission was to spend money on behalf of Republican gay marriage supporters. Many GOP lawmakers have faced primary challenges funded in part by anti-gay marriage groups such as the National Organization for Marriage, which argue that the lawmakers had betrayed the party's core principles.

Gay Marriage

A pro Gay marriage protester called 'Queen' dances in front of the US Supreme Court on March 26, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Since forming the lobby group last month, American Unity also spent money to win over Republican lawmakers in Rhode Island, where last week all five Republicans in the state Senate jumped on the gay marriage bandwagon. Rhode Island is on track to legalize gay marriage by next week, which would make it the 11th U.S. state where gay marriage is legal.

There are also plans to lobby federal lawmakers on gay rights issues.

"We intend to work on this effort until every American citizen is treated equally under the law," Cook-McCormac said. Other wealthy, traditionally Republican donors giving money to the group include Seth Klarman, David Herro and Cliff Asness.

Though only one current GOP officeholder in Minnesota is on record supporting gay marriage, a handful of prominent Republicans have spoken out in favor of it. They include former state auditor Pat Anderson and Brian McClung, who was spokesman for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Prominent Republican donors including former politician Wheelock Whitney and businesswoman Marilyn Carlson Nelson have also lent support and donated money.

Since it first formed to campaign against last fall's gay marriage ban and then shifted to pushing for its legalization at the Capitol, Minnesotans United has been building Republican alliances, hiring multiple lobbyists with Republican ties.

What do you think of the group's efforts?  Should the GOP be supporting gay marriage?  Or will it further alienate conservative voters?

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12 Million Americans Believe Lizard People Run Our Country

About 90 million Americans believe aliens exist. Some 66 million of us think aliens landed at Roswell in 1948. These are the things you learn when there's a lull in political news and pollsters get to ask whatever questions they want.

RELATED: Why This Poll Finding Perry Beating Obama Isn't Making Headlines

Public Policy Polling has raised weird polls to an art form. During last year's presidential campaign, the firm earned a bit of a reputation for its unorthodox questions; for example, "If God exists, do you approve of its handling of natural disasters?"

RELATED: Obama Has a Big Lead in Virginia, Romney Ahead in Florida

Today PPP released the results of a national survey looking at common conspiracy theories. Broken down by topic and cross-referenced by political preference, the results will not inspire a lot of patriotism. If you need to defend your fellow countrymen, be sure to note that the margin of error is 2.8 percent.

RELATED: Media and Romney Campaign Tussle on the Campaign Trail

We took the findings and arranged them from most- to least-believed. And, just to inspire additional shame, figured out how many actual Americans that meant must believe in things like the danger of fluoride in water. (28 million, if you're wondering.)

RELATED: Rudy Giuliani Slips Up, Attacks Romney's Job Creation Record

View the full question asked for each conspiracy.

RELATED: Why Romney's Already Responding to Obama's Jobs Ads

Conspiracy	Percent believing	Number of Americans believing
JFK was killed by conspiracy	51 percent	160,096,160
Bush intentionally misled on Iraq WMDs	44 percent	138,122,178
Global warming is a hoax	37 percent	116,148,195
Aliens exist	29 percent	91,035,072
New World Order	28 percent	87,895,931
Hussein was involved in 9/11	28 percent	87,895,931
A UFO crashed at Roswell	21 percent	65,921,948
Vaccines are linked to autism	20 percent	62,782,808
The government controls minds with TV	15 percent	47,087,106
Medical industry invents diseases	15 percent	47,087,106
CIA developed crack	14 percent	43,947,966
Bigfoot exists	14 percent	43,947,966
Obama is the Antichrist	13 percent	40,808,825
The government allowed 9/11	11 percent	34,530,544
Fluoride is dangerous	9 percent	28,252,264
The moon landing was faked	7 percent	21,973,983
Bin Laden is alive	6 percent	18,834,842
Airplane contrails are sinister chemicals	5 percent	15,695,702
McCartney died in 1966	5 percent	15,695,702
Lizard people control politics	4 percent	12,556,562

Just to further inspire conversation, PPP broke down belief in each theory by whom the respondent supported in the 2012 election. This yielded some genuinely interesting results.

For example, only two conspiracies were more commonly believed by Obama supporters: that Bush intentionally misled America about Iraq's WMDs (a massive 69 percent of his supporters believe that one) and that the moon landing was faked. There two theories with equal support among Obama and Romney supporters: that aliens exist and theone about fluoridation. Everything else, from lizard people to vaccines and autism to global warming being a hoax? Believed by more Romney supporters.

No conspiracy was less commonly believed than one suggesting that the government is populated by lizard people. But that's mostly because only 2 percent of Obama supporters believe the theory while 5 percent of Romney supporters do.

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