Davenport, IA-This exciting new collaboration between the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Davenport Library, and the Davenport Public Schools demonstrates the illustrative power of music, with a little help from the musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. A string trio made of QCSO musicians will perform pieces from the classical repertoire to mirror the emotional impact of memorable moments in the classic book Bud, Not Buddy, similar to the way a movie score or cartoon might use classical music. Fourth Grade students from Jefferson-Edison Elementary in Davenport have been studying the book as part of their curriculum, but all are welcome to attend this fun and engaging presentation.

The programs are at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on February 8 at the Davenport Public Library in downtown Davenport, 321 N. Main Street. The event is free to the public and students of all ages are invited to attend. Press is also invited to cover the event.

Saturday, February 8

11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Davenport Public Library

321 N. Main Street, Davenport

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Most people today know antioxidants to be an effective method of fighting age, but few are aware of the biological process underlying for most skin damage - and what directly addresses the problem, says skin-care expert Ron Cummings.

"The word that has been on the minds of dermatologists and other skin-care researchers for many years is glycation, which is what happens on the cellular level to age our skin," says Cummings, founder and CEO of AminoGenesis Skin Care, (www.aminogenesis.com).

Glycation - damage to proteins caused by sugar molecules - has long been a focus of study in people with diabetes, because it results in severe complications, such as blindness and nerve damage. People with uncontrolled diabetes have excess blood sugar, so they experience a higher rate of systemic glycation, he says.

"Antioxidants fight inflammation caused by free radicals, which are largely created from external, environmental factors such as excessive sunlight or cigarette smoke. Glycation, though, damages from the inside out."

Using antioxidants and topical moisturizers are a good start to keeping the effects of aging at bay, but they only go so far, Cummings says. Even more important is reversing the damage to skin caused by glycation, which became possible only recently.

Cummings shares two points anyone interested in skin care should know about glycation:

• Glycation is the skin's No.1 aging factor. Sugar molecules in our body bombard our cells like a ferocious hail storm, bonding with fats and proteins. The proteins then become misshapen and excrete exotoxins that disrupt cellular metabolism. Collagen, which makes skin look smooth and plump, is a protein that's particularly vulnerable to glycation. The damage manifests as wrinkles, lines, discoloration and edema. Rather than attacking a cell from the outside, like a free radical, glycation occurs from within.

• Anti-glycation topical solutions have been clinically shown to be effective. Old lotions, from your favorite moisturizer to Grandma's secret facial solution to the new DIY recipe you found online act as a barrier to moisture evaporation. But their effect is temporary, and they don't prevent or reverse damage. New anti-glycation formulas, however, directly address aging by releasing the sugar molecule's bond with protein, allowing the cell to return to its natural shape and state.

"Just as antioxidants have revolutionized anti-aging efforts around the world, anti-glycation will be understood to be exponentially more effective," Cummings says.

About Ron Cummings

Ron Cummings is the founder and CEO of AminoGenesis Skin Care, which utilizes amino acids as the key ingredients to its age- and damage-reversing products. The formula for the solution features 17 plant-purified amino acids, which are necessary for healthy and radiant skin. The company's formulas include anti-glycation properties, which are very rare in today's skin-care products. Cummings donated one of his products, a protective agent, to support military forces in Afghanistan and received a hearty letter of gratitude from the Marines of Special Operations Company Bravo, which described the product's excellent performance, as well as a flag that was flown "in the face of the enemy, over Forward Operating Base Robinson in Sangin, Afghanistan."

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/05/2014)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Choir, from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, will tour the Midwest from February 21-March 1. The nine-day, nine-concert tour will take nearly 60 students from as far north as the Twin Cities to as far east as Cincinnati, Ohio. Admission to all concerts is free, and a freewill offering will be accepted.

The Augustana Choir was founded in 1931 and performed its first concert at Chicago's Orchestra Hall. Since then, the ensemble has been one of the most highly regarded collegiate choirs in the nation. Dr. Jon Hurty, Gassman Family Professor of Music, director of choral activities and co-chair of the Department of Music at Augustana, has been director of the ensemble since 1996. Since then he has led the choir on tours throughout the United States, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, China, Japan and Mexico. Last year the choir had the honor of performing at the Lincoln Academy of Illinois' Convocation and Investiture of Laureates Ceremony, held at Augustana, where the state's highest award for personal achievement was presented.

This year's tour program is a diverse mix of musical genres, ranging from traditional choral music by Brahms and Rachmaninoff, to a piece composed for the soundtrack of an Indian film, to a praise song written in Swahili.

The following students from the area will tour with the ensemble:

Rebecca Knapper of Davenport (52806)

Christine Harb of Davenport (52807)

Benjamin Knapper of Davenport (52806)

Jacob McManus of Reynolds (61279)

Anthony TouVelle of Bettendorf (52722)

Jens Hurty of Moline (61265)

Alex Haifa of Moline (61265)

Elyzia Powers of Silvis (61282)

2014 Tour of the Midwest

February 21, 7 p.m., Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake, Minnesota

February 22, 7:30 p.m., St. John's Lutheran Church, Des Moines, Iowa

February 23, 7:30 p.m., Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Fairfield, Iowa

February 24, 7:30 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Rockford, Illinois

February 25, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Illinois

February 26, 7:30 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Manchester, Missouri

February 27, 7 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church, Jeffersontown, Kentucky

February 28, 1:30 p.m., American Choral Directors Association Central Division Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio

March 1, 7:30 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois

March 14, 8 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa

Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. Augustana College is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 149 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 13 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.