West Music and D'Addario Strings to Host Food Drive and Guitar Restring Event to benefit the River Bend Food Bank

Moline, IL - January 30, 2013 - West Music Quad Cities in partnership with D'Addario Strings and the River Bend Food Bank will be offering a one day food drive and free restring event for acoustic and electric guitars at its Moline location on Wednesday, January 30, 2013. D'Addario will be providing strings at no charge to participants. Participants only need to bring in four canned goods or non-perishable food items, or a $5 donation. Contributions will be donated to the River Bend Food Bank in Moline.

The event will take place during store hours 10am - 8pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at West Music Quad Cities in Moline, IL, 4305 44th Avenue. This offer is limited to one 6-string acoustic steel-string guitar or one 6-string electric guitar per customer, while supplies last. No locking tremolo systems please. Guitars will be restrung with appropriate gauge D'Addario guitar strings; special gauges will not be available. Customers are limited to a free restring of one of these instruments. During the event, West Music will also offer a 10% discount on all in-stock Planet Waves products, made and distributed by D'Addario. Participants will also be able to register to win a free guitar set-up from West Music's extraordinary repair staff. For more information on this event, please contact Kyle Ware, West Music Combo Merchandise Manager at 319-351-2000 or at kware@westmusic.com.

About the River Bend Food Bank

The River Bend Food Bank, located at 309 12th Street in Moline was established in 1982. It is non-profit organization that collects, stores, and redistributes surplus food to other charities that have feeding programs. Last year the food bank distributed over 7 million pounds of surplus food to 300 charitable feeding programs throughout Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa. For more information on the River Bend Food Bank, please visit www.riverbendfoodbank.org.

About D'Addario & Company

D'Addario & Company, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets complete lines of strings for fretted and bowed musical  instruments, drumheads, drumsticks, drum practice pads, and guitar and woodwind accessories under the proprietary brand names D'Addario, Planet Waves, Rico, Evans Drumheads, Pro-Mark Drumsticks, and PureSound Percussion. The company also runs theLessonroom.com and Guitar.com. D'Addario products are marketed in approximately 120 countries.

About West Music Company

Founded in 1941, West Music's mission to "Enrich peoples' lives through participation in music" is at the root of its success and continued growth. West Music specializes in pianos, guitars, drums and percussion, band and orchestra instruments, and print music as well as offers music instruction, repair and music therapy services. West Music has six retail locations in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. For more information, visit West Music's comprehensive online website at www.westmusic.com or call 1-800-373-2000.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today joined Dwolla founder Ben Milne to announce a new partnership to provide Iowa taxpayers with an innovative electronic payment option.

Dwolla is a cash-based payment network that provides real-time, low cost, online and mobile payments. Instead of charging a floating percentage and fixed fee per transaction for goods and services or the administrative headaches of checks, Dwolla's easy-to-use network costs a flat 25-cent fee on any payment over $10.

Branstad said he was pleased to announce another step for innovation in state government, saying, "Iowa is always looking for better ways to do business, and this is a step in the right direction."

"Dwolla is a safe, secure payment method, and we are proud as a state to be partnering with such a great Iowa company," said Branstad. "This new method is an efficient, effective means of payment for Iowa taxpayers, and I look forward to expanding this service into additional areas within state government."

From collecting property taxes to issuing refunds, from renewing vehicle registrations to paying government contractors, Branstad and Reynolds say the state will be identifying the potential impact Dwolla's open, social, online and mobile payment technologies could have on every level of state government.

Today's first integration will focus on the Iowa Department of Revenue, allowing businesses, who already pay more than $100 million in cigarette stamp taxes, the option of paying via Dwolla. The option is cheaper and safer than mailing and processing a paper check. The speed and efficiency of the system also allows participating businesses to receive their tax stamps quicker.

"Our announcement today shows there is no geographic monopoly on innovation," said Reynolds. "Dwolla is a fantastic Iowa company that is providing dynamic solutions for consumers, businesses and now the state of Iowa."

"The number of state and federal payments are in the billions with transactions totaling in the trillions, meaning even a fraction of savings could have a profound effect on the economy," said Ben Milne, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Dwolla. "This partnership is about creating a more sustainable, responsive, and convenient business climate for the state and its taxpayers, both today and tomorrow."

Eligible vendors and retailers interested in participating in today's announcement may go to www.dwolla.com/government to learn more.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement after Barack Obama was sworn in for the second time as the President of the United States.

"As we look forward to the next four years, we have many issues that must be addressed, and none is more important than boosting the economy and setting our country on a sustainable path.  It is days like today where one sees such bipartisan camaraderie that always helps to restore our faith that we can tackle the big issues and move past the partisan politics that have for too long paralyzed Congress.  I will continue to reach beyond party lines, as I always have, to move policies that help middle class Iowans who have been struggling.  It is critical for our nation's future that we rebuild our economy from the middle out.

"The peaceful reaffirmation of power that was again displayed today highlights the truly exceptional nature of our country. I believe that our best days are in front of us and with hard work and commonsense, we will be able to move our great country forward."

What is a hero? Webster's dictionary defines a hero as someone who's admired for his achievements and noble qualities, and one who shows great courage. Fortunately, today we have many examples of  real heroes. Look no further than the U.S. military, police and firefighters -- men and women who put their lives at risk for others.

A real hero also is the person who is fighting cancer or some other chronic illness, and does so with great dignity and grace. Though they may be in pain or discomfort, they somehow make those around them feel better, do better, and be better.

Which brings me to Lance Armstrong.

I was a supporter of his since his first Tour de France win. Coming back from cancer the way he did, and racing the way he did drug-free (supposedly), inspired me to no end. When others questioned how he was able to do the things he did without any help from performance-enhancing drugs, I defended him as if he were a personal friend.

As a cancer survivor myself, and someone who continues to battle the disease daily, he inspired me. He gave me strength when I felt like I had none. He even motivated me to challenge myself by attempting demanding physical feats, like hiking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail beginning to end. When I got tired and wanted to quit, I'd think to myself, "If Lance can do the things he does, I can do this, too."

So, his recent revelations to Oprah Winfrey hit me like a 50-pound sledgehammer to the chest. When he admitted to lying about taking performance enhancing drugs, I felt like he had personally lied to me. And that's when I knew that he is nothing more than a fake hero.

Fake heroes have none of the qualities of a real hero. Rather, they lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to make themselves look good and heroic. Winning, to them, is the most important thing, and who they hurt in the process really doesn't matter. All of which, sadly, describes Lance Armstrong.

I know he still will have his defenders. I've already heard from people who have basically said, "Well, what about all the good he's done for cancer research?" While that is true, and I certainly hope that Livestrong is not negatively affected by Armstrong's admission, the fact is that the whole organization was started based on a lie.

He never would have had the millions of dollars, the fame, and the incredible story if it had not been for the lie that he told for so long. And, although it is uncomfortable to say so, how do we know that he did not get cancer because of his taking performance enhancing drugs? Would that have changed his story? I'm sure, for many, it would have.

And what of his admission now? Surely, that took courage? It was heroic, right? Hardly! First of all, look at to whom he chose to tell all of the details. Oprah Winfrey. I have no doubt that was a well-thought-out strategy on his part. He, undoubtedly, was advised to go where he would most likely garner sympathy and do it before an audience that probably knows little about cycling, and that is most likely to give him a pass on his transgressions.

Even with all that though, he still could have done the heroic thing. But he did not. He could have looked into the camera and said in the sincerest way he could muster that steroids are not the way. That he, in all likelihood, gave himself cancer in his quest for fame. Think of the kids who could have benefited from hearing such a thing. Instead, however, he defiantly said that since everyone else was supposedly doing it, he felt justified in doing it, too. Very hero like, huh?

About Jay Platt: Jay Platt was medically retired from the Marine Corps in 1998 after suffering complications from the cancer von Hippel Lindau (VHL), a genetic disease that resulted in brain and spinal tumors, kidney cancer, and the loss of his left eye. Told his future would be considerably dimmer than his past, Platt set out to rebuild himself physically, mentally and spiritually, and to challenge himself by setting demanding physical goals. He is one of fewer than 300 people to have hiked the 2,100-mile southbound Appalachian Trail; one of three to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco with hands and feet tied; and the only person to swim across the Mississippi while blindfolded, handcuffed and shackled. Proceeds from his adventures and sales of his documentary benefit non-profits, including the VHL Family Alliance. For more information, visit: www.livingunstoppable.com.