February 24,2012 – PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota hunters have taken 11 mountain lions since Monday, and are now near the harvest limit for the 2012 season.

Mountain lion number 60 was taken on Thursday. The harvest limit for the season is 70. In addition, there is a sub-limit of 50 female mountain lions and so far 37 have been taken.

“It is very important for hunters to pay close attention to updated reports on the lion take as we approach the harvest limit,” Game, Fish and Parks Chief of Terrestrial Services Tom Kirschenmann said. “Conditions in the Black Hills are very good for hunting right now, and quite a few mountain lion hunters are taking advantage of that. It is not unreasonable to expect hunters to reach the harvest limit soon if these conditions persist.”

Updates on mountain lion harvest are posted to the GFP website athttp://www.gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/mountain-lion-season-harvest-status.aspx

February 9 2012 – The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) announced today the 29 films selected for the American Film Showcase, an international cultural diplomacy initiative that brings people together worldwide through film. The Showcase, a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, brings award-winning American films, including documentaries, feature films and animated shorts, to foreign audiences through events worldwide. Filmmakers and film experts will discuss the films and conduct workshops and master classes on a variety of issues related to filmmaking and film scholarship.

The American Film Showcase builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy,” which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools – in this case film – to bring people together and foster greater understanding.

Comprised of 29 American films, the Showcase represents work of high artistic quality, illustrates diverse viewpoints, and reflects contemporary American society and culture. In addition to presenting the films to overseas audiences, the filmmakers and film experts will also conduct lectures, workshops, master classes on a variety of topics including filmmaking, storytelling, cinematography, marketing, distribution and funding, animation, digital technology, and emergent media, among others.

The 2012 American Film Showcase includes the following films:

Documentary Films:

1. CALAVERA HIGHWAY - Director: Renee Tajima-Peña

Website: http://www.calaverahighway.org/Calavera_Highway/Home.html

2. CATFISH - Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Website: http://www.iamrogue.com/catfish

3. CONNECTED - Director: Tiffany Shlain

Website: http://connectedthefilm.com/

4. ELEVATE - Director: Anne Buford

Website and Trailer: http://elevatethemovie.com/

5. FOOD INC. - Director: Robert Kenner

Website: http://www.foodincmovie.com/

6. FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE - Director: Jim Bigham

Website: http://4onceinmylife.com/proyecto/

7. GASLAND - Director: Josh Fox

Website: http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/

8. THE INTERRUPTERS - Director: Steve James

Website: http://interrupters.kartemquin.com/

9. MAD HOT BALLROOM - Director: Marilyn Agrelo

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5wEb_3S2VM

10. REBIRTH - Director: Jim Whitaker

Website: http://www.projectrebirth.org/

11. REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR - Director: Chris Paine

Website and Trailer: http://www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com/

12. SHAKESPEARE HIGH - Director: Alex Rotaru

Website and Trailer: http://shakespearehigh.org/

13. SPELLBOUND - Director: Jeffrey Blitz

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkbJWZvBVvk

14. SWEETGRASS - Director: Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Ilisa Barbash

Website: http://sweetgrassthemovie.com/

15. TO BE HEARD - Directors: Amy Sultan, Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Deborah Shaffer

Website: http://www.tobeheard.org/

16. UNDEFEATED - Director: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin

Website and Trailer: http://weinsteinco.com/sites/undefeated/

17. WE STILL LIVE HERE - Director: Anne Makepeace

Website: http://www.makepeaceproductions.com/wampfilm.html

18. WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR - Director: Chris Paine

Website: http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/

19. WO AI NI MOMMY - Director: Stephanie Wang-Breal

Website: http://www.woainimommy.com

Documentary Shorts:

1. LIBRARY OF DUST - Director: Ondi Timoner

Website: http://libraryofdustmovie.com/Welcome.html

2. PHANTOM LIMB - Director: Jay Rosenblatt

Website and Trailer: http://www.jayrosenblattfilms.com/phantom_limb.php

3. PILGRIMAGE - Director: Tadashi Nakamura

Website: http://tadashinakamura.com/Tadashi_Nakamura/Pilgrimage.html

4. A POET’S ALZHEIMER’S (aka Translating Edwin Honig: A Poet’s Alzheimer’s) - Director: Alan Berliner

Website: http://www.alanberliner.com/index.html

Narrative Feature Films:

1. REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES - Director: Patricia Cardoso

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpDifyDIp0

2. THE STRAIGHT STORY - Writer/Producer/Editor: Mary Sweeney

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OnsVDKjhpc

Animated Shorts:

1. GUARD DOG - Director: Bill Plympton

Website: http://www.plymptoons.com/gallery/gallery.html

2. STILL LIFE WITH ANIMATED DOGS - Director: Paul Fierlinger

Full film: http://www.hulu.com/watch/66691/pbs-indies-still-life-with-animated-dogs

3. THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION - Director: John Canemaker

Full film: http://video.baomihua.com/whw1113/4884622

4. BOTTLE - Director: Kirsten Lepore

Website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680060/

Film Experts:

Claire Aguilar – Claire Aguilar Vice President of Programming at the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

Kate Amend – Award-winning documentary film editor whose credits include THE LONG WAY HOME and INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT.

Alan Berliner – His award-winning documentary films, THE SWEETEST SOUND, NOBODY’S BUSINESS, INTIMATE STRANGER, and THE FAMILY ALBUM (all featured on POV) have been broadcast all over the world and have been honored at top international film festivals.

Les Blank – Considered to be one of the pre-eminent documentary filmmakers of the past 50 years, according to the New York Times, “Blank is a documentarian of folk cultures who transforms anthropology into art.” His films have been a series of intimate glimpses into the lives of passionate people who live at the periphery of American society, including such titles as GARLIC IS AS GOOD AS TEN MOTHERS, SPEND IT ALL, A WELL SPENT LIFE, and GAP-TOOTHED WOMEN

Ted Braun – USC School of Cinematic Arts associate professor who teaches courses in screenwriting and motion picture script analysis. His first feature film, the documentary, DARFUR NOW, won the NAACP Image Award for best documentary of 2007, and was named one of 2007’s top five documentaries by the National Board of Review.

Patricia Cardoso – Director of the HBO feature REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES which received two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, and will be one of the AMERICAN FILM SHOWCASE feature film recommendations.

Mary Ann Doane - UC Berkeley Class of 1937 Professor of Film and Media. The author of several books, including The Desire to Desire: The Woman’s Film of the 1940s, Femmes Fatales: Feminism, Film Theory, Psychoanalysis, and The Emergence of Cinematic Time: Modernity, Contingency, the Archive.

Harrison Engle – With more than 80 films to his credit, Engle has produced specials and documentaries for nearly every broadcast network and cable company. Amongst his credits are THE LOST KENNEDY HOME MOVIES, THE INDOMITABLE TEDDY ROOSEVELT, THEY CAME TO PLAY, FUTURE FLIGHT, and many others.

Jane Gaines – Professor in the Film Program, School of the Arts at Columbia University, Jane Gaines is award-winning author of two books: Contested Culture: The Image, the Voice and the Law and Fire and Desire: Mixed Race Movies in the Silent Era.

Lynn Goldfarb – Lynn Goldfarb has produced, written and directed television specials for PBS and numerous cable networks for the past 25 years. She has also been an instructor, including teaching classes at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and in 2010, at the American Center, U.S. Embassy, Yangon, Myanmar.

Mark Harris – Co-Principal Investigator of the AMERICAN FILM SHOWCASE, he is also a Distinguished Professor and Head of Advanced Documentary Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts where he has taught since 1983. Mark’s films have won three Academy Awards, including for Best Short Documentary for THE REDWOODS, and Best Feature Length Documentary for INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT, and THE LONG WAY HOME.

Judith Helfand – Documentary filmmaker whose films explore the areas of chemical exposure, corporate behavior, home, class and relationships. She is also a full-time faculty member at New York University’s Kanbar Institute of Film & Television.

Jeremy Kagan – Professor of Production in the USC Cinematic Arts program, he is a motion picture and television director whose productions have received Emmy, Cable ACE and Humanitas awards as well as nominations for a Golden Globe, Directors Guild and the NAACP.

Marsha Kinder – An SCA University Professor in Critical Studies, Kinder is a film scholar whose works on Spanish cinema, children’s media and multimedia installations have been particularly influential, as well as her books entitled Blood Cinema and Playing with Power.

Lisa Leeman – A documentary filmmaker whose film, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT is part of the 2011 American Film Showcase package, she also teaches Documentary Producing, Writing non-fiction, Editing and Visual Communication at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Doe Mayer – Professor and Co-Head, Documentary Production Program in USC Cinematic Arts, and since 2005, she has held the endowed Mary Pickford Chair. Doe also holds a joint appointment with the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Bill Nichols – Professor in San Francisco State University’s Department of Cinema, whose areas of expertise include documentary and ethnographic film, film history and theory, Postwar American Cinema, film style, and issues of social and historical representation.

Amanda Pope – USC Cinematic Arts Production professor whose most recent film that she co-directed and produced, THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART (shot entirely in Uzbekistan), has already received several international awards including the CINE Golden Eagle, and was an Official Selection at the United National Association Festival, and has been shown on PBS.

Anayansi Prado – An experienced filmmaker with numerous credits, she has also served as a film expert for the American Documentary Showcase in Angola this year, and as a filmmaker in Singapore and Burma in 2009.

Michael Renov – Professor of Critical Studies and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at SCA, Renov is a documentary scholar and co-founder of Visible Evidence, an international and highly interdisciplinary documentary studies conference begun in 1993. He is the author or editor of seven books including The Subject of Documentary and Theorizing Documentary.

B. Ruby Rich – Professor, Social Documentation at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she specializes in Latin American and Latino/a cinema. U.S. Independent film and video, and feminist film history.

Jay Rosenblatt – An independent documentary filmmaker with more than 25 films to his credit, and more than 100 awards, they have been shown on HBO, Sundance Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art.

Mary Sweeney – A feature film director, writer, producer and editor whose credits include MULHOLLAND DRIVE, THE STRAIGHT STORY, BARABOO and TWIN PEAKS, she is also an associate professor in the Cinematic Division of Screenwriting

Tyger Williams – Writer and producer of the feature film, MENACE II Society, he has written over 30 screenplays for major film and television studios. He is also an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Debra Zimmerman – Debra Zimmerman has been the Executive Director of Women Make Movies, a non-profit NY based film organization that supports women filmmakers, since 1983.

Patricia Zimmermann – Professor of Cinema, Photography and Media Arts at Ithaca College, she is also the co-director of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, and has previously held tenured positions at the University of Iowa and at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

February 8, 2012 - As part of NASA’s ongoing efforts to foster development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability to and from low Earth orbit and the International Space Station, NASA has issued a call for industry to submit proposals for the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Initiative.

It’s expected that proposals will lead to Space Act Agreements that will help NASA and the U.S. achieve safe, reliable, and cost effective human access to space. NASA expects to make multiple awards this summer, with values ranging from $300 – $500 million.

To provide industry a better understanding of this initiative so that they may provide more comprehensive proposals, NASA plans a pre-proposal conference on Feb. 14, at the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Proposals are due March 23.

“President Obama is working hard to create an American economy built to last,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “NASA’s support of commercial innovation to reach low Earth orbit is helping to support these efforts by spurring new technological development and creating jobs and economic benefits for years to come.”

NASA’s announcement asks industry to propose a base period of approximately 21 months, running from award through May 2014. The goals of the base period include completing the design of a fully integrated commercial crew transportation system, which consists of the spacecraft, launch vehicle, ground operations, and mission control. In addition, NASA is asking for the proposals to contain optional milestones beyond the base period leading to and culminating in a crewed orbital demonstration flight.

For more information on the announcement and pre-proposal conference, visit: http://commercialcrew.nasa.gov/index.cfm

]]> http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/08/nasa-calls-for-new-commercial-crew-proposals/feed/ 0 wrangler08 solar array http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/07/nine-in-10-u-s-adults-get-too-much-sodium-every-day/ http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/07/nine-in-10-u-s-adults-get-too-much-sodium-every-day/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:09:06 +0000 Wrangler http://realsimplesolutions.com/?p=329 ]]> February 7,2012 - Nearly all Americans consume much more sodium than they should, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Most of the sodium comes from common restaurant or grocery store items.

The latest Vital Signs report finds that 10 types of foods are responsible for more than 40 percent of people’s sodium intake. The most common sources are breads and rolls, luncheon meat such as deli ham or turkey, pizza, poultry, soups, cheeseburgers and other sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes such as meat loaf, and snack foods such as potato chips, pretzels and popcorn.  Some foods that are consumed several times a day, such as bread, add up to a lot of sodium even though each serving is not high in sodium.

“Too much sodium raises blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “These diseases kill more than 800,000 Americans each year and contribute an estimated $273 billion in health care costs.”

The report notes that the average person consumes about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, not including any salt added at the table, which is more than twice the recommended limit for about half of Americans and 6 of every 10 adults.  The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day.  The recommendation is 1,500 milligrams per day for people aged 51 and older, and anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, and African Americans.

Key points in the Vital Signs Report:

• Ten types of foods account for 44 percent of dietary sodium consumed each day.
• 65 percent of sodium comes from food sold in stores.
• 25 percent of sodium comes from meals purchased in restaurants.
• Reducing the sodium content of the 10 leading sodium sources by 25 percent would lower total dietary sodium by more than 10 percent and could play a role in preventing up to an estimated 28,000 deaths per year.

Reducing daily sodium consumption is difficult since it is in so many of the foods we eat.  People can lower their sodium intake by eating a diet rich in fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables without sauce, while limiting the amount of processed foods with added sodium.  Individuals can also check grocery food labels and choose the products lowest in sodium.  CDC supports recommendations for food manufacturers and restaurants to reduce the amount of sodium added to foods.

“We’re encouraged that some food manufacturers are already taking steps to reduce sodium,” said Dr. Frieden. “Kraft Foods has committed to an average 10 percent reduction of sodium in their products over a two year period, and dozens of companies have joined a national initiative to reduce sodium.  The leading supplier of cheese for pizza, Leprino Foods, is actively working on providing customers and consumers with healthier options.  We are confident that more manufacturers will do the same.”

To learn more about ways to reduce sodium, visit www.cdc.gov/salt.   For more information on heart disease and stroke, visit http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/.  Reducing sodium is also a key component of the Million Hearts™ initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.  To learn how to reduce sodium using the DASH eating plan, visithttp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash/

 February 7, 2012 – NASA’s Spinoff 2011 publication, now available online, reveals how the space agency’s ingenuity and partnerships have saved thousands of lives, generated billions of dollars, and created thousands of American jobs.

The latest edition of Spinoff records 44 journeys of NASA’s most innovative technologies. It chronicles their origins in NASA missions and programs and their transfer to the public in the form of practical commercial products and benefits to society.

“This year’s Spinoff demonstrates once again how through productive and innovative partnerships, NASA’s aerospace research brings real returns to the American people in the form of tangible products, services and new jobs,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “For 35 years, Spinoff has been the definitive resource for those who want to learn how space exploration benefits life on Earth.”

NASA spinoffs have proven benefits in health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and the environment, information technology, and industrial productivity, stimulating the economy and creating new jobs and businesses.

In Spinoff 2011, readers can discover:
-     A new firefighting system, influenced by a NASA-derived rocket design that extinguishes fires more quickly than traditional systems, saving lives and property.
-    Software employing NASA-invented tools to help commercial airlines fly shorter routes and help save millions of gallons of fuel each year, reducing costs to airlines while benefiting the environment.
-     A fitness monitoring technology developed with the help of NASA expertise that, when fitted in a strap or shirt, can be used to measure and record vital signs. The technology is now in use to monitor the health of professional athletes and members of the armed services.
-    An emergency response software tool that can capture, analyze and combine data into maps, charts and other information essential to disaster managers responding to events such as wildfires, floods or Earthquakes. This technology can save millions of dollars in losses from disasters and, more importantly, can help save lives when tragedy strikes.

This year’s Spinoff includes a special section to celebrate the commercial technologies that resulted from NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle Program. Also featured are spinoffs that have come from the construction of the International Space Station and work aboard the orbiting outpost. An additional section discusses the potential benefits of NASA’s future technology investments.

“NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist has more than a thousand projects underway that will create new knowledge and capabilities, enabling NASA’s future missions,” NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck said. “As these investments mature, we can expect new, exciting spinoff technologies transferring from NASA to the marketplace, providing real returns on our investments in innovation.”

Spinoff 2011 includes features about NASA’s aeronautics and space research; award-winning technologies; diverse partnerships; and support for science, technology, engineering, and math education. The publication also provides reference and resource information about NASA.

Spinoff 2011 is available online at:   http://spinoff.nasa.gov

]]> http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/07/nasa-spinoff-2011-unveils-benefits-of-nasa-technologies-on-earth/feed/ 0 wrangler08 cover_slider http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/07/u-s-support-to-regional-efforts-to-counter-the-lords-resistance-army/ http://realsimplesolutions.com/2012/02/07/u-s-support-to-regional-efforts-to-counter-the-lords-resistance-army/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:38:21 +0000 Wrangler http://realsimplesolutions.com/?p=321 ]]>

February 7, 2012 – Washington -In May 2010, President Obama signed into law the Lord’s Resistance (LRA) Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, which reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to support regional partners’ efforts to end the atrocities of the LRA in central Africa. For more than two decades, the LRA has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. In 2011, the LRA reportedly committed over 250 attacks. As of August 2011, the United Nations estimates that approximately 440,000 people are displaced across Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan as a result of LRA activity.

The United States’ comprehensive, multi-year strategy seeks to help the Governments of Uganda, CAR, the DRC, and South Sudan as well as the African Union and United Nations to mitigate and end the threat posed to civilians and regional stability by the LRA. The strategy outlines four key objectives for U.S. support: (1) the increased protection of civilians, (2) the apprehension or removal of Joseph Kony and senior LRA commanders from the battlefield, (3) the promotion of defections and support of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of remaining LRA fighters, and (4) the provision of continued humanitarian relief to affected communities. To advance this strategy, the United States has sent a small number of military advisers to the LRA-affected region to enhance the capacity of the national militaries to pursue senior LRA commanders and to protect civilians. The U.S. Embassies in the region are also working closely with bilateral and multilateral partners to advance the strategy, and the Department of State has deployed a field representative to augment this engagement.

The lines of effort in which the United States is engaged include:

Increasing Civilian Protection: The protection of civilians is a priority for the U.S. strategy. National governments bear responsibility for civilian protection, and the United States is working to enhance their capacity to fulfill this responsibility. The United States also strongly supports the United Nations peacekeeping missions in the DRC and South Sudan and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the CAR. We continue to work with the United Nations to help augment its efforts in the LRA-affected region. At the same time, we are working with other partners on projects to help reduce the vulnerability of LRA-affected communities and increase their capacity to make decisions related to their own safety. To promote the protection of civilians, the Department of State and USAID are funding communication networks, including high-frequency radios and cell phone towers to enhance community-based protection in Bas- and Haut-Uele districts in the DRC.

Enhancing Regional Efforts to Apprehend LRA Top Commanders: On November 14, 2011, the United Nations Security Council commended ongoing efforts by national militaries in the region to address the threat posed by the LRA, and welcomed international efforts to enhance their capacity in this respect. The Council noted the efforts of the United States, which, since 2008, has provided over $40 million in critical logistical support, equipment and training to enhance counter-LRA operations by regional militaries. On October 14, 2011, President Obama reported to Congress that he had authorized a small number of U.S. advisors to deploy to the LRA-affected region, in consultation with national governments, to act as advisors to the militaries that are pursuing the LRA. The U.S. military advisors are working to help strengthen cooperation and information-sharing among regional forces, and to enhance the capacity of the militaries to fuse intelligence with effective operational planning.

Encouraging and Facilitating LRA Defections: Over the course of this conflict, more than 12,000 former LRA fighters and abductees have been reintegrated and reunited with their families through Uganda’s Amnesty Commission. The United States continues to support efforts across the affected countries to demobilize and reintegrate former LRA fighters and all those victimized by this conflict back into normal life. In Fiscal Year 2011, USAID provided nearly $2 million to support the rehabilitation of former abducted youth in CAR and the DRC and their reunification with their families. The United States is working with the United Nations, the African Union, and national governments in the region to enhance processes across the region to facilitate the safe return, repatriation, and reintegration of those who defect or escape from the LRA’s ranks.

Providing Humanitarian Assistance: The United States is the largest bilateral donor of humanitarian assistance to LRA-affected populations in CAR, the DRC, and South Sudan. In Fiscal Year 2011, the United States provided more than $18 million to support the provision of food assistance and implementation of food security, humanitarian protection, health, livelihoods initiatives, and other relief activities for internally displaced persons, host community members, and other populations affected by the LRA. The United States also continues to provide assistance to support the return of displaced people, reconstruction, and recovery in northern Uganda, where the LRA carried out its brutal campaign for nearly two decades until it fled Uganda in 2006. With the LRA’s departure and Ugandan and international recovery and development efforts, northern Uganda has undergone a significant post-conflict reconstruction and recovery in just a few years.

February 6,2012 – Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State ,” Today we mark the ninth annual International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). It is estimated that 100 to 140 million women around the world have undergone this brutal procedure and three million girls are at risk every year. We must continue to act to end this affront to women’s equality and the rights and dignity of women and girls.”

“No religion mandates this procedure, though it occurs across cultures, religions, and continents. It is performed on girls in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Even in the United States we are fighting this practice. FGM/C became a federal crime in the United States in 1997, but the procedure persists in some communities. The U.S. Government is working with practitioners in the health and legal community to educate groups about the negative consequences of FGM/C.”

“Over the years, community advocates have found that when men come to understand the physical and psychological trauma FGM/C causes, they often become effective activists for eradication, including fathers who refuse to allow their daughters to be subject to the procedure. Communities must act collectively to abandon the practice, so that girls and their families who opt out do not become social outcasts. This approach has led around 6,000 communities across Africa to abandon the practice, usually through a public declaration. Communities working together can ensure stronger, healthier futures for girls and young women.”

“Every government has an obligation to protect its citizens from such abuse. As we commemorate International Day of Zero Tolerance and remember those who have been harmed, we reaffirm our commitment to overturning deeply entrenched social norms and abolishing this practice. All women and girls, no matter where they are born or what culture they are raised in, deserve the opportunity to realize their potential.”

February 3, 2012 — Nest Collective ™ announced today that it is voluntarily recalling 8150 selling units of its Jammy Sammy™ – Strawberry Jam & Peanut Butter Flavor Snack Size Sandwich Bars due to a mislabeled inner wrapper. The cartons contain the best by date June 28, 2012 and are marked with the following universal product code (UPC) #89676600116 6 located on the bottom of the package. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts (or peanut butter) run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these individual bars.

These cartons are sold online and at retail stores nationwide.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product and no other Revolution Foods products are affected.

The recall was undertaken because, while the cartons of this lot of product are correctly labeled, some of the individual bars are incorrectly labeled as Grammy Sammy – Honey Graham and Strawberry Yogurt™, and show the ingredient statement of that product. Both the selling unit and individually wrapped bars include information that the product was produced in a facility that processes peanuts as well as other allergens. The Jammy Sammy™ product contains organic peanut flour and organic peanut extract, but the inner wrappers are mislabeled with the Grammy Sammy information. Consumers who are allergic to peanut products should not use these products. People experiencing any health issue should seek immediate medical attention.

Specific UPC codes for these products are below:

Consumers who purchased this product should return it to the store where it was purchased for a full refund or contact Nest Collective at info@nest-collective.com.

The recall is being undertaken with the knowledge of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Consumers with any questions are asked to call 1-866-362-1562 between the hours of 8am – 8pm EST Monday – Friday and 8am – 5pm EST Saturday & Sunday.

“The Jammy Sammy™ product meets Nest Collective’s high standard for quality, however due to a labeling error during production, we are proactively removing this product from the market” said Neil Grimmer, Founder & CEO of Nest Collective.

“As a father, the safety and satisfaction of our consumers and their children is my highest concern,” said Neil Grimmer. “Nest Collective was founded on the vision of superior quality and nutritious food; we are committed to these values and our consumers.”

February 3, 2012 – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Carter’s Watch the Wear Bodysuits and Sleep ‘n Play Garments, Imported by Weeplay Kids LLC of New York, N.Y. has recalled about 128,000 units manufactured in Bangladesh. The snaps can detach from the fabric of the garment, posing a choking hazard to infants and young children.

The firm has received approximately 30 reports of snaps detaching from the garments. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves H.W. Carter & Sons/Carter’s Watch the Wear bodysuits and sleep ‘n play one-piece garments. “Carter’s Watch the Wear” is printed on the front of the package and on the inside neckline. The garments are pastel blue, pink and yellow, and packaged as solids, stripes and patterns. They are sold in packages of two, three or five. The style numbers are located on the rear of the packaging, with the following style numbers affected:

Watch the Wear Bodysuit
N8963LB
N8963LG
N8963LN
N8964B1
N8964B2
N8964G1
N8964G2
N8964LB
N8964LG
N8964LN
N8964N1
N8991LW

Watch the Wear Sleep ‘n Play
N8965LB
N8965LG
N8965LN

Sold by: Big Lots, Century 21, Conway, Cookies, Cost Mart, DD’s Discount, Edison Childrenswear, Gabriel Bros., Kiddy Time, Kids Place, Kidstown, National Stores, Pamida Stores, Real Value, Regine’s, R.H. Reny, Ross, Shoppers World, Valley Wholesale, Variety Wholesalers and Youngland stores nationwide. Recalled garments sold from November 2010 through August 2011 for about $4 to $9.

Consumers should immediately discontinue use of garments and contact Weeplay to receive free replacement garments.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, consumers should contact Weeplay toll-free at (888) 226-2200 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by e-mail at info@weeplaykids.com