Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's oldest children's literacy organization, and US Airways (NYSE: LCC) announced they have teamed up to kick-off the third year of "Fly with US. Read with Kids.®," a program designed to demonstrate the importance of reading with young children. A key component of the program will include the Read with Kids Challenge, where participants can log the amount of minutes they spend reading to children. The nationwide goal is to achieve 10 million minutes between September 1 and October 31. Readers can register to participate and log the number of minutes they read to children on an ongoing basis at www.rif.org/readwithkids.

"Reading, much like flying, takes you on journeys to new places and helps you discover new worlds. By partnering with RIF, US Airways is honored to help children in the communities where our employees live and work discover the joy of reading and provide them with a better foundation for academic and economic success. Because of our past successful Read with Kids Challenges, we've increased our goal, but I know we can reach it by working together," said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways.

Since the partnership first launched in 2008, US Airways and RIF have helped log a combined total of 14 million minutes read with children as part of the Read with Kids Challenge.  

RIF encourages children to experience reading as a fun daily activity to help foster early childhood literacy development. The launch of this year's RIF-US Airways partnership coincides with the beginning of the new school year and is a timely reminder that September is National Literacy Month. The Read with Kids Challenge helps promote recreational reading habits that prepare students to achieve more in school and life.  

"Motivating children to read at an early age is critical to developing successful students, and RIF is pleased to partner with US Airways to get more communities reading," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "Each year, RIF sets a high goal to achieve during the Read with Kids Challenge, and I'm excited to see our nation strive to reach 10 million minutes of reading with children this year."

As part of the Read with Kids Challenge, participants will be entered to win a grand prize drawing of a Walt Disney World® Resort vacation package from US Airways Vacations, US Airways gift cards, and other weekly giveaways. US Airways, the official airline of RIF, will also reward individuals who join them in supporting RIF. For gifts of $50 or more made through the campaign, US Airways will award the donor up to 5,000 Dividend Miles. Donors can also receive Maisy Takes a Trip, a special edition book by best-selling author Lucy Cousins with a donation of at least $25. To sign up for the challenge or to make a donation, visit www.rif.org/readwithkids. More information will be available on Twitter via @RIFWEB or @USAirways, or RIF's Facebook fan page.

Throughout the duration of the campaign, RIF and US Airways will host reading celebrations in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Phoenix. The events will feature a RIF book distribution where children get to choose a book for their own home libraries, family-friendly activities, and read-alouds where US Airways employees will interact with students and families.

About US Airways

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 31,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. And for the eleventh consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Charlotte hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit www.usairways.com . (LCCG)

About RIF

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provided 4.4 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources last year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF's website at www.rif.org.

Discover the Joy!

SOURCE Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.

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http://www.usairways.com/

TriMark Publications, LLC (http://www.trimarkpublications.com), a global leader in the biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences publishing, cites in its newly published Regenerative Medicine Markets report that the global market for regenerative medicine products will exceed $3 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach $4.5 billion by 2014. Regenerative medicine is a technique to treat injuries and diseases with specially-grown tissues by way of several different methods, including stem cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Before scientific advances such as stem cells, remedies for damaged tissue or organ functions due to congenital deformities, injuries, diseases or simple wear-and-tear relied upon either the body's ability to repair itself (or not) or a surgeon's skilled hands. Now, the area of regenerative medicine promises to revolutionize humanity's ability to remedy countless physical maladies that have afflicted humans and other animals through techniques like stem cells and tissue engineering.

In this study, TriMark Publications reviews the market for regenerative medicine solutions. The areas covered in this study include: available and emerging technologies in the field, the U.S. and global market size for regenerative medicine products, and profiles of companies that are focusing on the regenerative medicine sector.

Reasons to Buy TriMark Content

• Data is updated regularly in accordance with changes in the industries our reports cover.
• Information is specifically designed to help individuals who work in the industries the content covers remain competitive in the marketplace.
• Content contains detailed sales data, market share information and emerging trends, all of which impact the sectors companies focused on biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and medical devices operate in.
• Your competitors are buying TriMark content!

About TriMark Publications, LLC

TriMark Publications is a global leader in the biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences publishing. For more information, please visit http://www.trimarkpublications.com.

Important Notice

The statements contained in this news release that are forward-looking are based on current expectations that are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially.

SOURCE TriMark Publications, LLC

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OCM Paperbacks, a subsidiary of Occam Capital Management, today announced the release of "Hummel's Cross" by Brad Schaeffer, available in hardcopy and Kindle formats at Amazon.com. "Hummel's Cross" is a Word War II thriller, with a twist – the story is told from a German fighter pilot's perspective, a breakthrough in the American fiction market. "Hummel's Cross" is the riveting story of a German fighter pilot, Captain Erich Hummel, who risks everything to help a Jewish family escape the Nazis during the height of the air war over Europe.

Brad self-published "Hummel's Cross" through OCM Paperbacks, and through Amazon.com is rapidly gaining a worldwide audience for his work – without any affiliation with a traditional publishing imprint.

A compassionate war story – about a German pilot

"My inspiration to write 'Hummel's Cross' came when I helped an 87-year-old World War II veteran with his memoirs," says author Brad Schaeffer, himself a German-American. "He was a navigator in a B-17 whose plane was shot down over Bremen. When telling me his war stories, he often commented on the skill and daring of the Luftwaffe fighters that swooped down on them.

"I noticed that no movie or work of fiction had been created with a German fighter pilot as the central figure," Schaeffer continues. "I wanted to tell the story of some of the greatest warriors ever known, while always reminding the reader that it was for a terrible cause that they flew. But how?" Thus was born the character of Captain Erich Hummel, who in the course of "Hummel's Cross" morphs from a war hero into a skeptic, then crusader, and eventually savior on behalf of those he can help escape the death camps.

"'Hummel's Cross' blows away everything you thought you knew about the German psyche in World War II," says John Nolte, editor of the high-profile blog Big Hollywood, which explores the intersection of politics and the entertainment industry. "Reading it gave me renewed respect for everyone who challenged Hitler's regime of hate – including the German people. Brad Schaeffer has crafted a terrific work of historical fiction, a must-read."

"The new democracy of publishing"

Catalyzed by the success of Amazon's Kindle reader, the old model of getting a book published – essentially an exercise in collecting rejection letters from publishers – is becoming obsolete. Any author with a story worth telling can publish their work on Amazon electronically, practically for free, and let the marketplace decide. 

"What we are seeing across the media is a power shift to smaller, more entrepreneurial players," Schaeffer says. "My publishing company, OCM Paperbacks, is one of those new players. For a small investment OCM has been able to enter and generate revenues in a business arena that was simply closed less than a decade ago. 'Hummel's Cross' may or may not have made it to print before. But thanks to the Kindle, it definitely has. Is this a great country, or what?"

About Brad Schaeffer

Brad Schaeffer is a political and social commentator whose first military history lessons were learned on the knee of his father, a US Marine who was wounded in the Korean War. A successful entrepreneur, Brad is the CEO and co-founder of INFA Energy Brokers, LLC, an interdealer broker in the energy derivatives markets. A frequent commentator in the media, he is an articulate, outspoken voice in today's increasingly politicized debate on sustainable energy production and consumption. Brad lives with his family outside of New York City.

Related Links

"Hummel's Cross" is available on Amazon.com

SOURCE OCM Paperbacks

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Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's oldest children's literacy organization, and US Airways (NYSE: LCC) announced they have teamed up to kick-off the third year of "Fly with US. Read with Kids.®," a program designed to demonstrate the importance of reading with young children. A key component of the program will include the Read with Kids Challenge, where participants can log the amount of minutes they spend reading to children. The nationwide goal is to achieve 10 million minutes between September 1 and October 31. Readers can register to participate and log the number of minutes they read to children on an ongoing basis at www.rif.org/readwithkids.

"Reading, much like flying, takes you on journeys to new places and helps you discover new worlds. By partnering with RIF, US Airways is honored to help children in the communities where our employees live and work discover the joy of reading and provide them with a better foundation for academic and economic success. Because of our past successful Read with Kids Challenges, we've increased our goal, but I know we can reach it by working together," said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways.

Since the partnership first launched in 2008, US Airways and RIF have helped log a combined total of 14 million minutes read with children as part of the Read with Kids Challenge.  

RIF encourages children to experience reading as a fun daily activity to help foster early childhood literacy development. The launch of this year's RIF-US Airways partnership coincides with the beginning of the new school year and is a timely reminder that September is National Literacy Month. The Read with Kids Challenge helps promote recreational reading habits that prepare students to achieve more in school and life.  

"Motivating children to read at an early age is critical to developing successful students, and RIF is pleased to partner with US Airways to get more communities reading," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "Each year, RIF sets a high goal to achieve during the Read with Kids Challenge, and I'm excited to see our nation strive to reach 10 million minutes of reading with children this year."

As part of the Read with Kids Challenge, participants will be entered to win a grand prize drawing of a Walt Disney World® Resort vacation package from US Airways Vacations, US Airways gift cards, and other weekly giveaways. US Airways, the official airline of RIF, will also reward individuals who join them in supporting RIF. For gifts of $50 or more made through the campaign, US Airways will award the donor up to 5,000 Dividend Miles. Donors can also receive Maisy Takes a Trip, a special edition book by best-selling author Lucy Cousins with a donation of at least $25. To sign up for the challenge or to make a donation, visit www.rif.org/readwithkids. More information will be available on Twitter via @RIFWEB or @USAirways, or RIF's Facebook fan page.

Throughout the duration of the campaign, RIF and US Airways will host reading celebrations in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Phoenix. The events will feature a RIF book distribution where children get to choose a book for their own home libraries, family-friendly activities, and read-alouds where US Airways employees will interact with students and families.

About US Airways

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 31,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. And for the eleventh consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Charlotte hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit www.usairways.com . (LCCG)

About RIF

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provided 4.4 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources last year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF's website at www.rif.org.

Discover the Joy!

SOURCE Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.

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http://www.usairways.com/

Texas Children's Hospital has adapted its medically acclaimed book, "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story" into a Spanish-language version featuring real-life stories about the impact of five diseases that are vaccine-preventable, yet prevalent in the Hispanic and Latino communities. Copies of the book are available for purchase at http://bit.ly/vaccinebookspanish.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100831/DC57543)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100831/DC57543)

The book recently was distributed to more than 1,200 pediatricians attending the II International Pediatric Updates Symposium, a three-day conference co-sponsored by Texas Children's and held in Cartagena, Colombia. In addition, the book has received praise from the National Hispanic Medical Association who recognized it as a helpful tool to discuss the consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases with concerned parents.

"The National Hispanic Medical Association applauds the making of the book, "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story," said Dr. Ciro V. Sumaya, board chairman of the National Hispanic Medical Association and author of the book's forward. "The powerful message in these personal stories is the genuine petition to the public—including the poor and vulnerable, young and old—to get immunized."

The families featured in the stories give an intimate view of just how infectious and fatal vaccine-preventable diseases can be. As advocates for vaccines, these families share the longstanding impact the diseases had on their lives and tell why it is so important to adhere to recommended vaccine schedules.  

The Sotos, one of the families in the book, sat anxiously at daughter Sydney's side as she battled pandemic H1N1 influenza for 28 days in the hospital. Twelve-year-old Sydney had symptoms of nausea, fatigue and a fever above 100 degrees. The worsening of her ailments eventually led to the diagnosis of H1N1 influenza. Soto was then placed on a ventilator, experienced respiratory failure and even had double pneumonia. Fortunately, after intensive medical treatment, her health improved and she continues to recover.

The H1N1 influenza vaccine became available for Sydney's age group a week after she contracted the disease. Sydney and her family shared their story with the hope that another child doesn't have to suffer from a disease that can be prevented.

"I shudder to think how much guilt I would feel if I had refused the vaccine and then watched her go through this experience," said Linda Soto, Sydney's mom. "Sydney almost died."

Dr. Carol J. Baker, executive director of the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital and one of the book's co-authors, says that Sydney is just one example of a child who endured insurmountable pain due to a vaccine-preventable disease. She believes that there are many more children who suffer through similar and sometimes worse pain because they were not vaccinated.

"Through impactful real-life stories of children suffering because they were not protected by vaccines, this book helps to educate and inform parents in a way that mere statistics cannot," said Baker who recently served as chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're telling parents that scientific studies have proven that these vaccines are indeed safe and save lives."

Along with pandemic H1N1 influenza, the other diseases that are a focus in the book are human papillomavirus, meningococcal meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough) and seasonal influenza.    

In addition to Baker, co-authors of "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story" include Dr. Julie A. Boom and Rachel M. Cunningham. Boom is director of infant and childhood immunization for the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital. Cunningham is the immunization registry and educational specialist at Texas Children's.

More than 3,000 copies of the Spanish book and 80,000 copies of the English book have been distributed to pediatricians and school nurses across the country and internationally. Copies of the book are available for purchase at vaccine.texaschildrens.org, with an educational poster series also offered. Additional information about vaccines can also be found on the Web site. All proceeds from the sale of vaccine books and posters go directly toward the cost of producing future editions. The Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital does not profit monetarily from this project.

About the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research

The Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital promotes healthier children and families by providing parents and health care professionals with the latest information and recommendations on vaccines for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women and adults and by conducting research that contributes to effective vaccine delivery models. Information is available on its Web site, www.vaccine.texaschildrens.org. An ongoing program, the center is the creation of four Texas Children's Hospital physicians who are experts in the fields of vaccine education and research, pediatrics, infectious diseases and adolescent medicine.

About Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children's is nationally ranked in all ten subspecialties in U.S.News & World Report's list of America's Best Children's Hospitals. Texas Children's also operates the nation's largest primary pediatric care network, with more than 40 offices throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children's has embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute™, a comprehensive obstetrics facility focusing on high-risk births and a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's Hospital, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's Hospital by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Available Topic Experts: For information on the listed experts, click appropriate link.

C. Mary Healy

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=96972

Carol Baker

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=96971

Julie Boom

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=96973

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital

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http://www.texaschildrens.org