THE GOAL IS SET: AN AIDS-FREE GENERATION BY 2015

While we are all getting ready to celebrate the upcoming holiday with our friends and family, we need to remain cognizant of one very important fact that is both frightening and heartbreaking to our very core: LAST YEAR NEARLY HALF A MILLION BABIES WERE BORN WITH HIV. By 2015, that number could be zero.

This WORLD AIDS DAY – DECEMBER 1st – (RED) www.joinred.com is launching a new campaign that brings light to the important fact that by 2015 we can have a world where virtually no child is born with HIV. With continued funding to organizations like the GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA, we have a chance to work towards a world where the number of babies born with HIV could be zero in 2015 – creating the first AIDS Free Generation in 30 years.

FASHIONPLAYTES UNVEILS TRENDY, FESTIVE HOLIDAY CLOTHING LINE THAT LETS TWEENS SPARKLE AND SHINE

NEW LINE OF SKIRTS, TOPS, DRESSES AND OUTERWEAR READY FOR TWEEN DESIGNERS TO MAKE A FASHION STATEMENT

FASHIONPLAYTES (www.fashionplaytes.com), the first girl-driven fashion and style destination, has announced its fresh and fabulous Holiday Line of designs, fabrics, color and embellishments especially for FPgirls (www.fpgirl.com). The HOLIDAY LINE will empower fashion-forward tweens to create their own signature look for the holidays. The upcoming season presents plenty of opportunities for FPgirls to shine, including school events, cookie decorating parties, piano recitals, and celebrations with family and friends. FPgirls can mix and match tops, skirts, a wrap, dresses, outerwear and accessories for the perfect look for any occasion.

FashionPlaytes’s Holiday Line. (PRNewsFoto/FashionPlaytes)

FPgirl has a wide variety of fun and festive holiday clothing for girls, including skirts, tops, dresses, leggings and outerwear to choose as base garments that can be customized with everything from a shimmering star, a red sequined heart and even an FP wish for holiday peace. From sparkles to plush fabrics with a few animal prints sprinkled in, FPgirls are sure to have the right look for every holiday party and event.

RING IN THE HOLIDAY SEASON WITH ROOTS

NEW COOKBOOK FROM AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR DIANE MORGAN SERVES UP NEW POTATO AND OTHER ROOT VEGETABLE RECIPE IDEAS

ROOTS: THE DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM WITH MORE THAN 225 RECIPES by award-winning cookbook author DIANE MORGAN is available now, just in time for the holiday season. Roots is dedicated to Morgan’s love of root vegetables and features a chapter focusing entirely on America’s favorite root vegetable: potatoes.

Roots: The Definitive Compendium with More than 225 Recipes

“When you combine the amazing variety of potatoes available at the market, with how versatile and easy they are to prepare, and then add how nutrient-dense and low in calories potatoes are, you have a real winner in the vegetable family,” Morgan explains.

Nutrient-dense they are: a single, skin-on medium-sized (5.3 ounce) potato has just 110 calories, more potassium than a banana and almost half your daily value of vitamin C (45 percent) and zero fat, sodium or cholesterol.

The United States potato industry was delighted to learn Morgan is a big fan of the spud and asked her to be one of their ambassadors for “Real Moms, Real Meals,” a Facebook community where moms are encouraged to share real dinnertime solutions.

“As a mom of two myself, I am honored to have been selected as a ‘Real Mom’ and look forward to helping many moms become inspired to put a twist on their traditional holiday menus this season,” said Morgan.

As part of the partnership, Morgan shared one of her favorite potato recipes from the new cookbook, SUNEETA’S POTATO CHAAT WITH CILANTRO-MINT CHUTNEY.  Chaat is a traditional Indian dish and perfect for bringing to a holiday gathering or even for serving as a pre-holiday meal appetizer, according to Morgan.

To chat with Morgan live, visit the Potatoes, Taters and Spuds Facebook page on Monday, November 26 at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST. Morgan will make a guest appearance on the U.S. POTATO BOARD’S FACEBOOK PAGE to share some of her new recipes along with make-ahead appetizer ideas and classic holiday fare for those upcoming family gatherings and tree-trimming parties. To join the chat, simply “like” the Potatoes, Taters & Spuds Facebook page and begin posting your questions and comments on the page wall at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST on November 26.

Also live on the POTATOES, TATERS AND SPUDS FACEBOOK PAGE is a “HIP HOLIDAY HOSTESS” sweepstakes in which users are invited to solve puzzles for the chance to win one of three holiday entertaining prize packs.

Visit www.potatogoodness.com for hundreds of healthy and creative potato recipes and to sign-up to receive our weekly recipe email to receive a new recipe in your email in-box each week.

The UNITED STATES POTATO BOARD (USPB) is the nation’s potato marketing and research organization.  Based in Denver, Colorado, the USPB represents more than 2,500 potato growers and handlers across the country and was established in 1971 by a group of potato growers to promote the benefits of eating potatoes. Today, as the largest vegetable commodity board, the USPB is proud to be recognized as an innovator in the produce industry and dedicated to positioning potatoes as a nutrition powerhouse—truly, goodness unearthed.

BRITANNICA LAUNCHES ONLINE INFORMATION SOLUTION FOR CLASSROOMS

BRITANNICA SCHOOL, FOR PREK-12, PROVIDES CURRICULUM SUPPORT, LESSONS, HOMEWORK HELP

BRITANNICA DIGITAL LEARNING today announced a comprehensive new online information solution designed for classrooms in grades preK-12. Entitled BRITANNICA SCHOOL, it provides rich multimedia resources for lessons and lesson planning, curriculum support, student and teacher research and homework help.

The Web-based service supersedes BRITANNICA‘s previous school Web site, providing a host of features and benefits the company says make it ideal for the digital classroom and for access by parents and teachers at home.  It includes a wide range of resources such as encyclopedias, journals and periodicals, atlases, primary sources and multimedia linked to Common Core state standards and tailored to the needs of teachers and students.

With content for all grades, BRITANNICA SCHOOL is specially designed to enable students to move to higher or lower reading levels easily and whenever necessary, helping teachers conduct individualized instruction.  It works superbly on any digital device, be it a computer, smartphone or tablet. This is a benefit to schools as they use more mobile devices and students bring their own devices to school.

“We’re right in the middle of today’s digital classroom, with a product that’s sorely needed: a digital knowledge and information solution,” said JORGE CAUZ, PRESIDENT OF ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, INC. “This new product exemplifies what Britannica is today: focused on the classroom, with innovative digital solutions that make teaching and learning easier and more successful.”

The product also provides an extensive array of high-quality, up-to-date, texts on all subjects needed to fulfill the new COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD TESTS, which enables teachers to build lessons around those standards. More about Britannica School is available on the Britannica Blog.

Free trials are available to schools, districts and consortiums. Interested educators can call 1-800-621-3900 or go to http://info.eb.com/products/britannica-school/ for more information.

BRITANNICA DIGITAL LEARNING (BDL) provides reliable, high-quality classroom products and solutions for educators. BDL is a division of ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, INC. and is headquartered in Chicago. BDL experts produce curriculum-aligned resources for all ages from preschool to college that make creative and purposeful use of technologies widely used in schools today—such as interactive whiteboards, tablets, smart phones and learner-response devices—making it easier for teachers to teach and for students to learn. Products include BRITANNICA SCHOOL, SMARTMATH, PATHWAYS: SCIENCE, and IMAGE QUEST.

SOURCE: ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, INC.

http://www.britannica.com

ANNE GEDDES AND UMB CARDPARTNER HAVE JOINED FORCES TO LAUNCH THE ANNE GEDDES VISA® PLATINUM REWARDS CREDIT CARD

ANNE GEDDES and UMB CARDPARTNER have joined forces to launch the ANNE GEDDES VISA® PLATINUM REWARDS CREDIT CARD combining her iconic and beloved imagery on a trusted credit card allowing the consumer to choose a card design that best represents them.

Anne Geddes and UMB CardPartner have joined forces to launch the Anne Geddes Visa(R) Platinum Rewards credit card combining Anne’s iconic and beloved imagery on a trusted credit card allowing the consumer to choose a card design that best represents them. (PRNewsFoto/Anne Geddes)

“Using the Anne Geddes Visa® Platinum Rewards credit card for everyday purchases is an easy way to make a personal statement“, said GARY BROWN COO OF THE GEDDES GROUP.

“We believe the many fans of Anne will be excited to integrate the brands philosophy of ‘Protect. Nurture. Love’ into their daily lives; with five different Anne Geddes images available at launch there is sure to be a card to suit everyone. You can even upload a photograph of your own child onto a custom Anne Geddes card.”

The PLATINUM VISA REWARDS CARD will offer qualified cardholders exceptional benefits including no annual fee*, a low APR* and a powerful rewards program. Cardholders will earn 1 point per dollar on purchases and balance transfers and will earn 2 points for every dollar of billed interest. Rewards points can be redeemed for airline ticket, gift cards, merchandise and more.**

Find out more about the Anne Geddes Visa® Platinum Rewards card at www.annegeddes.com/creditcards.

**  See Rewards Program Rules for more details.

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS RELEASES FIRST INTERACTIVE COLORING & ACTIVITY BARBIE(TM) APP, BARBIE™ COLOR, SPARKLE AND STYLE

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS (www.randomhouse.com/kids) announces that BARBIE™ COLOR, SPARKLE AND STYLE FOR IPAD®, its first original coloring and activity app with MATTEL, is now available in the APP STORE™ (www.itunes.com/appstore). The app retails for $4.99, and is on sale now for a special introductory launch price of $1.99.

Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com/kids) announces that Barbie(TM) Color, Sparkle and Style for iPad(R), its first original coloring

HOLIDAY 2012 GIFT IDEA: GIVE THE GIFT OF PEACE OF MIND FOR THE HOLIDAYS BY PREPARING LOVED ONES WITH STORABLE MEALS FROM EFOODSDIRECT

PAMPER A FAMILY MEMBER YOU LOVE WITH EFOODSDIRECT STORABLE MEAL FAVORITES LIKE BEEF STROGANOFF, CHEESY CHICKEN RICE CASSEROLE, WHITE CHEDDAR PASTA, AND MANY OTHER MOUTH-WATERING CHOICES.

THE GIFT OF EFOODSDIRECT STORABLE MEALS OFFERS DELICIOUS PEACE OF MIND FOR UP TO 25 YEARS.

STEVE SHENK, co-founder of eFoodsDirect, has announced EFOODSDIRECT STORABLE MEALS, a peace-of-mind solution for families that extends beyond the holidays for up to 25 years. eFoodsDirect offers affordable gifts for families including the HOLIDAY SAMPLER GIFT PACK which includes 65 delicious servings of eFoodsDirect‘s most popular meals that are packed in Mylar pouches and shipped in a heavy duty storage bucket. eFoodsDirect offers family meal favorites like Beef Stroganoff, Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole, White Cheddar Pasta, and many other mouth-watering choices and are very affordable to be eaten now at only $0.79 per serving in the HOLIDAY SAMPLER GIFT PACK.

eFoodsDirect. (PRNewsFoto/eFoodsDirect)

Founded by nationally known food-reserve and storable food experts STEVE SHENK and BARBARA ROSSBERG, each with over thirty years of food experience, the company’s goal is to help all American families have delicious, affordable, healthy, storable food insurance from eFoodsDirect. eFoodsDirect is the only company to offer “SERVE TODAY AND STORE FOR TOMORROW” FAMILY FOOD SECURITY PACKS available in a delicious meal assortment of affordable one-month, three-month, six-month and one-year FAMILY FOOD SECURITY PACKS on the eFoodsDirect Website at http://www.efoodsdirect.com.

BUFFETS, INC. GIFT CARD PROGRAM IS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING: FREE MEALS WITH $25 GIFT CARD PURCHASES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

BUFFETS, INC.^® and its portfolio of brands is making sure it feels good to give this holiday season.  From Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, guests who purchase a gift card of $25 of value or greater will receive a FREE VIP CARD for a free meal to use for themselves good any time during the month of January 2013.  This special holiday deal positions Buffets portfolio of brands – operating primarily under RYAN’S^®, OLD COUNTRY BUFFET^® and HOMETOWN BUFFET^® – as offering one of the best values for individuals and companies seeking great holiday gift cards for colleagues and family. The special offer is only available for purchase at the company’s 340 family-style buffet restaurants between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve 2012.

BUFFETS, INC. VIP CARD: Purchase a $25 gift card or book a holiday party for 20 or more guests at any of the Buffets, Inc. brands of restaurants, between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and receive a complimentary VIP Card for a free meal. (PRNewsFoto/Buffets, Inc.)

BUFFETS, INC., the nation’s largest steak-buffet restaurant company, currently operates 350 restaurants in 35 states, comprised of 340 steak-buffet restaurants and 10 TAHOE JOE’S FAMOUS STEAKHOUSE® restaurants.  The restaurants are principally operated under the OLD COUNTRY BUFFET®, HOMETOWN® BUFFET, RYAN’S® and FIRE MOUNTAIN® brands. Buffets employs approximately 18,000 team members and serves approximately 100 million customers annually.

“Our restaurants are known for offering great-tasting food we are all proud to serve to our families, so during the holidays we wanted to make sure everyone shared in the gift,” SAID ALICE CROWDER, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR BUFFETS, INC.  “This way, you can give a gift card to a friend or family member, and come back in January to enjoy a great dinner yourself!”