The Wait Ends February 9th For Fireflight’s Anticipated Third Album “For Those Who Wait”

Dove-nominated “Artist of the Year”, Fireflight readies for the release of its third album this week, titled For Those Who Wait, on February 9th, as the dynamic first single “Desperate” hits no. 1 at Christian Rock radio, and moves up to no.14 on the CHR format. With its stunning new 10-song collection, Fireflight exceeds expectations, following its 2008 breakout sophomore album Unbreakable, which delivered two no.1 singles at Rock and launched Fireflight’s music into new realms, including the NBC network, ESPN’s Winter X Games and voted Taco Bell’s “Best of the Beat,” ultimately landing its prestigious Artist of the Year nomination at the Dove Awards in 2009.

With For Those Who Wait, Fireflight offers hard-rocking urgency and emotion, and unveils the band’s thickest groove yet, showcasing lead singer Dawn Michele’s powerful vocals. The album’s transparent lyrics continue a defining trait for Fireflight’s songwriting, issuing an awareness of God’s magnificence amidst personal weakness.

“This album is filled with even more personal stories of our own, our families, friends, and our fans,” relates Michele. “It’s our lives, our hearts, and our pain just poured out.” She adds, “For Those Who Wait is a maturation in understanding that sometimes you don’t appreciate why you’re on the path that you are. A lot of times, we get bogged down thinking about things that we’re waiting for. And when we do that, we totally miss out on what’s happening in-between now and our goal. God has times of waiting in our lives because He has something for us to learn. Hard things that happen, that throw us off of our plan, can become the most important things in our lives because God will take them and use them to shape our character and who we are.”

Musically, drummer Phee Shorb puts it, “For Those Who Wait sounds as good as I’ve always hoped we could sound.”

Orlando-based rock band Fireflight’s breakout sophomore album Unbreakable released in March 2008, at no. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, following NBC’s launch of the title track in network TV promos for “Bionic Woman”. Along with stellar five-star reviews, Unbreakable garnered two no.1 rock singles with “The Hunger”, and the blockbuster title track, which held the top spot at Christian rock radio for four weeks. The “Unbreakable” music video logged more than a million plays on YouTube, and the song itself confirmed as a download for the wildly popular Rock Band™ video game. Fireflight was named Gospel Music Channel’s first “Listen Up” Artist of the Month in April 2008. Fireflight’s music has been featured on E! Entertainment’s “Style Network” and in music-video reels at both American Eagle and Journey’s stores across the country. In 2009, Fireflight won Taco Bell’s inaugural fan-voted “Best of the Beat” contest and performed at ESPN’s “Winter X Games 13”.

Fireflight debuted nationally with 2006’s The Healing of Harms, producing two no. 1 rock singles with “You Decide” and “Waiting”. For nearly a decade, the band has remained tireless road warriors on the concert circuit averaging 140 shows a year. Fireflight is Dawn Michele, lead vocals; Justin Cox, guitar; Glenn Drennen, guitar; Wendy Drennen, bass; and Phee Shorb, drums.

For tour dates, and more on Fireflight, please visit www.fireflightrock.com, or http://www.myspace.com/fireflight

Hope this Catches on Boxed Water

Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious. Boxed Water Is Better, is a boxed water company.

About 85% of the Boxed Water container is made from a renewable resource, trees, that when harvested in a responsible, managed, and ethical way serve as an amazing renewable resource that benefits the environment even as it's renewed. We ship our boxes flat to our filler which is significantly more efficient compared to shipping empty plastic or glass bottles to be filled. The flat, unfilled boxes we can fit on 2 pallets, or roughly 5% of a truckload, would require about 5 truckloads for empty plastic or glass bottles. Our cartons can also be broken down to their original flat state, and are recyclable in some areas.

The Carton Council, http://www.recyclecartons.com/, is continuously adding new carton recycling facilities throughout the country. We're also giving 20% of our profits back to the resources our product is composed of - water and trees. Not only does it simply make sense, but we really enjoy supporting water and forestation organizations as it's part of our company's ethos and way of thinking to give back and participate. All that and an over-arching focus on simple and beautiful design that compliments our brand as well as the spaces it's sold and consumed in.

Michigan company Boxed Water is Better recently launched their product in their home state, and has since made a splash around the country. While most Americans buy bottled water (which are made with PET, a material that does contain recycled content), only fourteen percent of those bottles find themselves being recycled. Boxed water is not only more efficient to transport (two pallets of boxed water is equal to five truckloads of leftover plastic bottles to transport), but cuts down on carbon dioxide, which is emitted when destroying plastic bottles. While Boxed Water Is Better is only available in Michigan, the company is planning to expand, and with it will come an annual donation of twenty percent of their profits to water programs worldwide.

http://boxedwaterisbetter.com/

Other boxed water companies

http://www.aqua2go.com/

http://www.iceboxwater.com/

"Plant It Water" WHAT OUR WATER WEARS…TETRA PAK!

With increasing environmental concerns about petroleum usage, PIW debuts the greenest concept in natural spring water in the sustainable, aseptic Tetra Pak. This amazing Swedish invention caught environmentalist extraordinaire Al Gore’s eye, who awarded Tetra Pak the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development in 1996 when he was vice president. The Tetra Pak was the first and so far only food-packaging material to receive this special recognition and honor.

http://www.plantitwater.com/

http://www.tetrapak.com/

Plant It Water's PLANT ROOTS Partner - TREES FOR THE FUTURE! from Soul Speeker Media on Vimeo.

National Heart Failure Awareness Week February 14-20, 2010

Patients, Families, Caregivers and Individuals at risk are encouraged to learn about Heart Failure - how to prevent it and to successfully manage and live with it during Heart Failure Awareness Week February 14-20, 2010

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- National Heart Failure Awareness Week is set for February 14-20. This is a time for physicians and other health providers to remind patients with heart failure, those at risk and family members of patients how to best manage this syndrome, what heart failure means, to re-evaluate life style and consider changes to improve quality of life. Visit www.abouthf.org to learn more about following a low sodium diet, exercise do's and don'ts, managing medications, heart rhythm problems, and other factors commonly associated with heart failure. These modules are written in easy to read and understand language and can be downloaded free of charge.

While not intended to replace regular medical care, these modules can help patients and at risk individuals, family and friends communicate better with their health care provider.

Heart failure is very prominent in society as nearly five million Americans live with this condition and as many as 700,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

"Common signs of heart failure are often misdiagnosed and misunderstood," said Dr. Douglas Mann, HFSA President and Chief of Cardiology, Washington University School of Medicine. "It is the goal of HFSA to educate people about the common signs and symptoms of heart failure. National Heart Failure Awareness Week is a chance to highlight the facts, resources and opportunities that can help physicians, nurses, patients and their families, and at risk individuals better understand heart failure. Heart failure can be prevented and with proper care and diagnosis, can be effectively treated to allow many patients to live."

About Heart Failure

Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormal after damage from heart attack or high blood pressure and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs. Many people are not aware they have heart failure because the symptoms are often mistaken for signs of getting older. Heart failure affects from 4.6 to 4.8 million individuals in the United States. Demographic and clinical evidence strongly suggest the prevalence of heart failure will increase throughout the next decade. Ten to 15 years ago heart failure was considered a "death sentence;" however, recent advances in treatment have shown that early diagnosis and proper care in early stages of the condition are key to slowing, stopping or in some cases reversing progression, improving quality of life, and extending life expectancy.

About the Heart Failure Society of America

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is a nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1994 as the first organized society of heart failure experts in the Americas. Today HFSA has over 1,700 members and provides a forum for all those interested in heart function, heart failure research and patient care. The Society also serves as a resource for governmental agencies (FDA, NIH, NHLBI, CMS), private industry and health care providers.

To bring attention to this growing heath problem in the United States the US Senate passed a Resolution in 2000 declaring the week of Valentine's Day as National Heart Failure Awareness Week.

For more information on heart failure, please visit www.abouthf.org.

Half of our chocolate supply comes from child labor in West Africa

Buying Chocolate for Valentine's Day? Think Twice!!

It's Valentine's Day and you are looking across the table at your beloved who is opening the tasty box of chocolates you've bought as a token of your love. What should you be thinking? About the wild sex you are about to have? Of your undying devotion? Of your happy future? I'm going to ruin all that by saying you should think "brought to you by 6.3 million child laborers in Ivory Coast and Ghana."

Sorry to chill down your molten feelings, but more than half of the world's chocolate comes from these areas in Africa in which children under 14 do brutally heavy work, apply pesticides, are hurt by machetes, unfair labor practices, and many of them are actually slaves stolen from their families.

While it may be mean of me to ruin your Valentine's Day, it's much meaner to ignore the globalized route of the truffle. This holiday, the American Federation of Teachers is asking you to write to let the US government know that you are concerned. http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/ValentineToVilsack

And you can eat chocolate with a clear conscience, but to do that you have to buy Fair Trade chocolate or chocolate you know for sure has come from South America or areas other than Africa. And remember that the chocolate in your ice cream, cookies, and lovely hot chocolate all have a 50 percent chance of coming from the sweat and tears of these laboring children unless the ingredients state otherwise. Here's a list of slave-free chocolate: http://vision.ucsd.edu/~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/goodchocolateproducts.html

Copied From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lennard-davis/buying-chocolate-for-vale_b_452254.html

Today's Haiti News

• UN slams Haitian hospitals for charging patients
• Minn. bridge collapse widow adopts Haitian twins
• U.S. State Dept. official, Dominican President speak about Haiti
• Angelina Jolie to visit Haiti
• Haiti man pulled from rubble
• Biblica Brings the Hope of God's Word to Haiti
• U.S. missionary in Haiti says trusts God to free her
• Haitian distribution aid fake coupon scam
• Haiti seeks quake rebuild model
• U.S. firms want part in Haiti cleanup
• Medtronic Donates Medical Supplies To Haiti Relief Effort
• Canadian sailors get to work on Haiti's ruined shores
• Assembly green-lights 240 South Korean troops for Haiti
• Cyrus arranges Haiti star auction
• Turkey sets up mobile hospital in Haiti
• UAE aid convoy arrives in Haiti
• Officer: U.S. missionaries had tried to take other Haitian kids
• In Haiti, a rum everyone can agree on
• UNDP launches cash-for-work program in Haiti reconstruction
• Third batch of Chinese aid arrives in Haiti
• UN faces race against time and weather to obtain hazard-proof shelters for Haiti
• Haiti’s elderly struggling to rebuild their lives
• In Haiti, Many Buildings Left Standing Shouldn't Be

Zondervan to Release Next Book by Kate Gosselin

I Just Want You to Know scheduled to release April 2010

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, will release the next book by Kate Gosselin. I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on Love, Faith and Family continues Kate's story of faith and family, picking up where her first book and New York Times bestseller, Multiple Blessings, ended.

I Just Want You to Know will contain excerpts, prayers, and memories from Kate's journal, offering an intimate look at the heart of a mother during the three years her family transitioned from obscurity into the national spotlight.

The book will also include eight individual letters—one addressed to each one of her children. These cover a variety of topics, including the painful disappointment that comes when life does not go as planned, God's faithfulness during such times of change, and the uncompromising love she has for her children.

"We support Kate as she moves forward into a new chapter of her life," said Dudley Delffs, SVP and Publisher of Trade Books at Zondervan. "It is clear that her faith has been an integral part of her life and the lives of her children during the past year, and we are honored to give her the opportunity to share her heart."

Kate Gosselin has the joy, frustration and honor of raising eight children—twins and sextuplets—in central Pennsylvania. The daily lives of her family were previously chronicled for five seasons on TLC's hit show "Jon and Kate Plus 8." Kate is a sought-after speaker, author of the New York Times bestselling books, Multiple Blessings and Eight Little Faces, and is currently in production on a new show for TLC.

"Each day the thought crosses my mind that when they get older, my kids are going to look back and think about how they were raised," said Kate. "I know they will have a lot of questions about things that may not make sense because they were raised so unconventionally. I don't want them to grow up and wonder; I want them to know without a shadow of a doubt how much I love them and how much every sacrifice made was worth it for them."

I Just Want You to Know will release nationwide as a hardcover on April 13, 2010 with an announced first printing of 400,000.

www.kategosselinbook.com

About Zondervan

Zondervan is the world's leading Christian publisher of books whose authors are noted for their excellence in the craft of writing as well as their worthy contribution to the ongoing global evangelical conversation. The works published by Zondervan not only confirm readers' faith and understanding, they also challenge and stretch readers' thinking. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general, ministry, and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan resources are sold worldwide through retail stores, online, and by Zondervan ChurchSource, and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan Books on the Internet at www.zondervan.com/books.

Sonya Kitchell Signs With 429 Records

Celebrated Musician Returns With 'CONVICT OF CONVICTION' EP Available March 23

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonya Kitchell, the young singer songwriter who burst onto the musical stage with her highly acclaimed albums "Words Came Back To Me" and "This Storm" is back with an all new collection of songs on "CONVICT OF CONVICTION," her debut recording for 429 Records. In the winter of 2008, the multi-talented singer retreated to the isolated Massachusetts countryside to write her new songs. Collaborating with bassist/arranger Garth Stevenson and producer Stewart Lerman, Kitchell recorded the new EP in Hoboken, NJ at the legendary Water Music studios.

It was a welcome respite from the whirlwind activity of promotion and touring the world with the likes of Herbie Hancock in which the singer songwriter garnered countless accolades and fans. A 2006 review in Marie Claire raved: "With a voice that's equal parts smoke and honey, 16-year-old singer/songwriter Sonya Kitchell instantly transports you to her after-hours world of jazz and soul." The six songs on the EP reflect the continued artistic growth of the young musician resulting in a striking project that succinctly captures a particular mood and sound for the artist. "CONVICT OF CONVICTION" will be released March 23rd on 429 Records.

Says Kitchell: "The songs came from a stillness. This is music I could not have written in New York City. I am thankful that I had this time in between moving back to New York and getting off the road to contemplate...the songs are a culmination of that silence and the time spent around numerous and masterful musicians." Joining Kitchell on "CONVICT OF CONVICTION" is her ensemble which includes Sarah Parkington, Yoed Nir, Richie Barshay and Rebecca Cherry.
In addition, a spring tour is in the planning stages with confirmed dates forthcoming.

"CONVICT OF CONVICTION" track listing:

Convict of Conviction
Lighthouse
Mr. Suicidal
Sinks Just Like a Stone
Snowing
Gypsy Eyes

Sonya Kitchell is managed by Jeff Krasno for Velour Music Group. For more information visit: www.429records.com

429 Records is a unit of the Savoy Label Group (SLG). SLG is the North American unit of CME (Columbia Music Entertainment), the oldest music company in Japan. The Savoy Label Group has evolved into a leading independent company consistently outperforming competitors in key music categories as monitored by Billboard Magazine. SLG is lead by Steve Vining and CME is headed by Chairman Strauss Zelnick, founder of Zelnick Media which owns interests in and manages an array of media companies.

http://www.myspace.com/sonyakitchell
http://sonyakitchell.blogspot.com/

Columbia Records Proud to Release Congratulations, the New Studio Album From MGMT

Congratulations Available In The US and Canada, Tuesday, April 13

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Records proudly announces the North American release of Congratulations, the keenly awaited new studio album from MGMT, on Tuesday, April 13.

One of 2010's most eagerly anticipated new releases, Congratulations is the successor to MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, the 2008 debut album which established the band's potential as a visionary force in pop music.

Congratulations is a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence: "It's Working," "Song for Dan Treacy," "Someone's Missing," "Flash Delirium," "I Found a Whistle," "Siberian Breaks," "Brian Eno," "Lady Dada's Nightmare," and "Congratulations."

Produced by MGMT and Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum), Congratulations was recorded throughout 2009 in upstate New York, Malibu, and Brooklyn and features Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, MGMT's core duo, performing with Matt Asti (bass, backing vocals), Will Berman (drums, backing vocals), and James Richardson (guitar, backing vocals), the band's live line-up.

Congratulations offered MGMT the opportunity to work with a couple of their musical idols and influences including album co-producer Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) and Royal Trux front-woman Jennifer Herrema, who contributed guest vocals. "We've been lucky enough to meet and work with some of our all-time musical heroes," Andrew says, marveling at MGMT's good collaborative karma. "It's so great to be around such amazing and unusual musical minds."

Ben and Andrew first met the mythic Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum) at a Spectrum show in London in February 2009 and wound up onstage jamming with the band on "Suicide," a vintage Spacemen 3 track paying homage to another light in MGMT's musical pantheon.

MGMT has become an international festival favorite with performances at South By Southwest, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in the states and the Glastonbury extravaganza in the UK. The band has toured with Beck, Yeasayer and Of Montreal, among others, while becoming a headline concert attraction in its own right. MGMT is confirmed to appear at the 2010 Coachella and Bamboozle festivals.

With Congratulations, MGMT unlock a new musical world whirling in its own space/time grid infused with hints of music from the past five decades. Soulful and complex, Congratulations is a surprising and delightful quantum step forward in MGMT's ongoing pop revolution.

Congratulations is available for pre-order on the band's website: whoismgmt.com


http://www.columbiarecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/mgmt

Kix Brooks and Citadel Media Announce New Weekday Country Music Feature

American Country Countdown Tops 350 Affiliates As Host is Nominated for Academy of Country Music's National On-Air Personality Award

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning March 1, Country music fans looking for answers to their questions about the industry and its stars will have a new resource for behind-the-scenes knowledge. Legendary Country artist Kix Brooks, host of Citadel Media's American Country Countdown, is launching a new Monday – Friday feature, Just for Kix, that will take questions submitted by listeners and answer them on air. The 60-second feature kicks off as the weekly countdown show Brooks has hosted since 2006 reaches new levels of affiliate gains and advertising sales success. The program is now broadcast each weekend by more than 350 stations while Brooks has been recognized as one of the industry's top broadcasting talents. Recently added stations include WUSN in Chicago, WXTU in Philadelphia, WPOC in Baltimore, WGAR in Cleveland, and WMZQ in Washington, DC.

"Each weekend on the countdown we try to give our fans the latest news on the artists topping the charts as well as a fun, behind-the-scenes look at the world of Country music," said Brooks. "With our new weekday feature, I'll be answering questions taken directly from acctop40.com or the individual station sites. This will be a great way to provide our audience with even more background on what makes the business of Country music tick."

Initial features of Just for Kix will cover topics ranging from how opening acts are chosen for concert tours; how artists choose set lists for their shows; how musicians are paid for music downloads; and how Nashville became the capital for Country music.

"American Country Countdown consistently delivers a fantastic experience for its listeners," said Bill Gamble, Program Director for WUSN in Chicago, which recently added the show to its lineup. "We're looking forward to having Kix on the air each weekend at US99.5 providing insight and anecdotes from an artist's perspective as only he can."

Brooks was recently announced as a nominee for National On-Air Personality by the Academy of Country Music. He was named National Radio Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association on Nov. 11, 2009 – the first time the award has been won by a performing artist. He and Ronnie Dunn will take to the road in March for their Last Rodeo Tour, which is expected to draw record crowds as the duo wind down their 20-year partnership. In that time, Brooks & Dunn has produced a long list of chart-topping hits and been honored by the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

About Citadel Media

Citadel Media has 4,400 affiliate radio stations reaching more than 104 million listeners in the 12+ demographic each week. Programs and services include ABC News Radio, The Mark Levin Show, The Michael Baisden Show, The Huckabee Report, Radio Perez with Perez Hilton, The Joe Scarborough Show, Imus in the Morning, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, MoneyTalk with Bob Brinker, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, Tom Kent and American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks. Other Citadel Media services include advanced digital media platforms with online interactive advertising, streaming audio and podcasts, ABC Sports Radio, syndicated music and talk programs including Flashback, format-specific ePREP, production libraries, eight 24-hour formats, including Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel and ESPN Radio. Citadel Media en Espanol includes leading Spanish-language programming such as Conexion Thalia, Tu Vida Es Mi Vida con Maria Marin, and ESPN Deportes Radio. The network has digital partnerships with SustainLane, the nation's largest green ad network delivering more than 31 million unique visitors per month and Terra, a leader in Hispanic digital content.

http://www.abcradio.com

http://www.acctop40.com/Article.asp?id=613383

Lecrae - Far Away (Haiti Relief) available

Lecrae - Far Away (Haiti Relief) Available at itunes, Lala, Amazon, and

HolyCultureDownload.

Listen Then buy: