After some time off it's still a light week for launches, as the majority of things launched recently have been holiday parties. We do have a few things for you, though, from reading, to a monster on the gridiron, to what to do with those gifts you got that you don't care for.

The Office of the Secretary for Education unveiled READ California - the state's new advertising campaign designed to encourage children to read on a daily basis and to remind all Californians to promote reading achievement among youth. The campaign includes English and Spanish language television commercials, billboards and a radio campaign developed by advertising agency Lawrence & Ponder IdeaWorks in Newport Beach, Calif. The agency has won numerous awards for its television commercials and public service announcements for the READ California campaign over the last two years.

Speaking of literacy and reading, the title characters of Walt Disney Pictures' "Beauty and the Beast" are the latest stars of the Newspaper Association of America's literacy ad campaign. Under an image of Beauty and the Beast reading a newspaper together, the ad reads, "Reading a newspaper every day is a thing of beauty." The body copy continues, "Believe it or not, some of the most amazing stories unfold every day in a newspaper. Some have happy endings and others don't. But they all do so much to help us learn about the world we live in." The ad closes with the tagline, "It all starts with newspapers." The literacy ad was timed to coincide with Disney's 10th anniversary release of "Beauty and the Beast" in IMAX and other Giant Screen Theatres on Jan. 1st.

Moving from giant screens to giant games, Monster.com's new "Never Settle" ad campaign debuted during the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) on January 1, 2002 and will continue during the Olympic Winter Games in support of Monster's sponsorship of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. The BCS marks the culmination of Monster's multi-tiered partnership with ESPN/ABC Sports, which is highlighted by a co-branded careers site on ESPN.com and numerous promotions and events, including blimp coverage of the Orange Bowl. During the BCS, Monster will have prominent advertising spots on ABC Sports during the Nokia Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, and the Rose Bowl (National Championship Game) The Monster 2002 marketing blitz (pun fully intended) then shifts into high gear for Super Bowl XXXVI, with Monster returning to the game for the fourth straight year with a 30 second spot. Super Bowl XXXVI will air February 3rd, 2002 on FOX Television from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The expansive global audience of the Super Bowl will provide the perfect launching pad for Monster's campaign and extensive presence during the Olympic Winter Games.

In an advertising battle, Pennsylvania Blue Shield will launch a major ad campaign to let consumers know they will be able to buy complete health care coverage from the insurer in April. About a week later, Capital Blue Cross will follow with advertisements telling consumers that they can turn to Blue Cross as well for comprehensive health plans. The opposing advertising campaigns follow the September announcement that Pennsylvania Blue Shield, which covered doctor bills, and Capital Blue Cross, a separate company that covered hospital bills, will end their joint operating agreement in central Pennsylvania effective April 1. The move will affect 1.4 million customers in 21 counties, including 280,216 in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

In website launches, just in time to unload those unwanted gifts and shop the sales rack, the new Yahoo! Shopping network launched the Unwanted Gifts showcase, accessible from the front page of Yahoo! Auctions, and the Post-Holiday sale center on Yahoo! Shopping, enabling consumers to auction off their undesirable gifts and shop for products they really want among the best online post-holiday sales from popular retailers. The Post-Holiday sales site on Yahoo! Shopping features online bargains with consumers being able to find everything from exclusive online specials, to major winter clearance sales offering 50% to 70% off merchandise from major brand name retailers including Eddie Bauer, Eluxury.com, Godiva, Old Navy and SonyStyle.

Last, but not least, the teens at ClickZen.com have launched a new website designed to promote world unity and to encourage discussion of current events in an uncensored, online forum. The central concept behind is a symbolic electronic treaty, which anyone can sign to show their support for the fight against terrorism and the protection of our freedoms. You can also find a news page at the site, which is uncensored news on the topics of civil liberties, terrorism and current events. The news page is complemented with an editorial section, as well as a message boards section through which users can interact and discuss the collective impact of these events. The site will also point visitors to charity organization sites where they can make online donations.

This newsletter is compiled weekly by MediaPost staff writer Adam Bernard. Past issues are archived at the MediaPost website. Your comments, questions and submissions are always welcome and appreciated.