Friday, May 4, 2012

IPS: Interesting articles on food supply, and other issues.



 
New Projects Dispel Myths and Spread the Truth About Vaccines
Stephen Leahy
UXBRIDGE, Canada, May 3 - In northern Pakistan, one in ten children dies before the age of five from diseases such as polio, measles or hepatitis, despite the availability of vaccines. And while health workers feared visiting this region, which includes the mountainous Swat district controlled by the Taliban until 2009, local people also fear the potentially life-saving vaccines.
MORE >>

Epidemic of Premature Births in Rich and Poor Nations Alike
Charundi Panagoda and Stephanie Parker*
WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS, May 3 - Fifteen million babies, or more than one in 10 infants, are born prematurely each year. Over one million die soon after birth, or survive to face a lifetime of health complications, says a new report by the World Health Organisation and co- sponsors.
MORE >>

Urban Farming Takes Root in Brazil’s Favelas
Fabiana Frayssinet
NOVA IGUAƧU, Brazil, May 2 - Women in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of this city 40 km north of Rio de Janeiro no longer have to spend money on vegetables, because they have learned to grow their own, as organic urban gardening takes off in Brazil.
MORE >>

Chinese Miners Dig Deep for Death
Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore
BEIJING, May 2 - China is notorious for containing some of the world’s deadliest mines - a reputation that has been corroborated in recent months by a series of fatal accidents. China is the world’s largest consumer and producer of coal. But the mining industry is beset by illegal operations, dangerous working conditions, local corruption and cover-ups of fatalities.
MORE >>

Q&A: Restructuring the Planet's Food System
Charundi Panagoda interviews DANIELLE NIERENBERG of Worldwatch Institute
WASHINGTON, May 1 - Thirty percent of food is wasted globally, while one billion people go hungry and another billion are obese.
MORE >>

Q&A: Ghana's Youth Are "The Future of the Nation"
Aline Jenckel interviews SAMUEL KISSI, executive coordinator of Curious Minds, a youth advocacy organisation in Ghana
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 - With a whopping 40 percent of Ghana's population under the age of 24, the government's ability to foster their development and include them in the country's development are critical to the country's future.
MORE >>

Q&A: How to Empower Youths to Take Charge of Their Health and Sexuality
Mathilde Bagneres interviews ORIANA LOPEZ URIBE, youth activist for sexual and reproductive health services and information
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 - Young people aged 15-24 make up a quarter of sexually active individuals, yet they comprise half of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) infections each year.
MORE >>

AGRICULTURE: Farm Animals Join Rio+20 Agenda
Johanna Treblin
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 - Human development and biodiversity will not be the only focus of the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June, for which representatives of hundreds of states and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) will gather to discuss sustainable development.
MORE >>

India Serves Up Costly Cocktail of Vaccines
Ranjit Devraj
NEW DELHI, Apr 27 - Ignoring widespread concern over the safety, efficacy and cost of pentavalent vaccines, India’s central health ministry has, this month, approved inclusion of the prophylactic cocktail in the universal immunisation programme in seven of its provinces.
MORE >>

Malaria Adds to Myanmar’s Woes
Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Apr 27 - Political reforms unfolding in Myanmar (or Burma) are giving health workers a chance to address a resurgence of drug-resistant falciparum malaria in the war-torn ethnic minority enclaves along the country’s eastern borders.
MORE >>

Wiping the Iron Dust Off Their Feet in Small Brazilian Town
FabĆ­ola Ortiz
RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 26 - The 380 families living in PiquiĆ” de Baixo, a small town in the northeastern Brazilian state of MaranhĆ£o, are fed up with having to endure high levels of pollution from nearby steelworks in their water, air and soil.
MORE >>


USDA Food Safety


How Far Has Food Safety Come in 150 years?

Throughout the year, and this month in particular, USDA celebrates 150 years of existence. The legislation that established USDA was signed on May 15, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln. At that point, food safety wasn’t a major concern for the People’s Department.
The turning point for domestic meat inspection really came in 1905 and 1906, after Upton Sinclair published The Jungle. The details of the book described unsanitary working conditions in a Chicago meatpacking house, putting meat consumers at risk for disease. This led to the passing of legislation providing for meat inspection. Over the years, Congress passed the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Egg Products Inspection Act, which the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) enforces.
Inspection changed from a sight, smell, and touch approach to a more science-based method when Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) was implemented between January 1997 and January 2000. And science and technology improvements have allowed our inspection to evolve as well, with the implementation of new policies like testing ready to eat meat and poultry products forListeria monocytogenes, applying stricter Salmonella and new Campylobacter performance standards to raw poultry products, and declaring that six additional serogroups of pathogenic E. coli (in addition to E. coli O157:H7) are adulterants in non-intact raw beef.
FSIS is in the process of fully implementing a dynamic, comprehensive data analysis system called the Public Health Information System, or PHIS. This system will allow the agency to collect, consolidate and analyze data in a more efficient and effective way, ultimately leading to better protection of the public’s health and a more preventative approach toward inspection.
For more information about FSIS’ history over the years, visithttp://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/Agency_History/index.asp.

DOL: Grant Funding for Veterans Training


US Department of Labor announces availability of approximately $12 million in grants to provide job training services for more than 6,000 veterans

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of approximately $12 million in grants through the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program to provide job training and skills development services that will help approximately 6,000 veterans succeed in civilian careers.

"These men and women served our country, and now it is our turn to serve them and to support them. The grants announced today will help ensure our nation's veterans receive the assistance they need as they make the transition to civilian life," Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said.

Through funds provided by this program, veterans will receive skills assessments, individual job counseling, labor market information, classroom or on-the-job training, skills upgrades, placement assistance and crucial follow-up services. Veterans also may be eligible for services through other Workforce Investment Act programs for economically disadvantaged or dislocated workers.

The department will award at least 10 grants in 10 states on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards, local public agencies and nonprofit — including faith-based and community —organizations. Grantees must be familiar with the areas and populations to be served, and have demonstrated that they can administer effective programs.

More information about the Department of Labor's unemployment and re-employment programs for veterans can be found at http://www.dol.gov/vets/.


Thursday, May 3, 2012

USA.GOV Social Media Will. Just in case!


http://blog.usa.gov/post/22261234875/how-and-why-you-should-write-a-social-media-will


How and Why You Should Write a Social Media Will

Social media is a part of daily life, but what happens to the online content that you created once you die?
If you have social media profiles set up online, you should create a statement of how you would like your online identity to be handled. Just like a traditional will helps your survivors handle your physical belongings, a social media will spells out how you want your online identity to be handled.
Like with a traditional will, you’ll need to appoint someone you trust as an online executor. This person will be responsible for closing your email addresses, social media profiles, and blogs after you are deceased. Take these steps to help you write a social media will:
  • Review the privacy policies and the terms and conditions of each website where you have a presence.
  • State how you would like your profiles to be handled. You may want to completely cancel your profile or keep it up for friends and family to visit. Some sites allow users to create a memorial profile where other users can still see your profile but can’t post anything new.
  • Give the social media executor a document that lists all the websites where you have a profile, along with your usernames and passwords.
  • Stipulate in your will that the online executor should have a copy of your death certificate. The online executor may need this as proof in order for websites to take any actions on your behalf.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

USDA & USAID. 14th annual International Food Aid and Development Conference. Kansas City, Mo., May 7-9, 2012.




Media Advisory No. 5094.12

Contact:
Linda Habenstreit (202) 720-9442

Media Advisory: International Food Aid and Development Conference Scheduled for May 7-9, 2012, in Kansas City, Mo.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2012–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that the 14th annual International Food Aid and Development Conference will be held in Kansas City, Mo., May 7-9, 2012. The theme of this year’s conference is “From Harvest to Basket: Weaving Together Agricultural Markets and Food Security.”

Special guest speakers include the Republic of Congo’s Minister of Education Rosalie Kama-Niamayoua, Angola’s Ministry of Education National School Feeding Coordinator Domingos Torres, USDA’s Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse, USAID’s Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg, Pioneer Hi-Bred President Paul Schickler, and Chicago Council on Global Affairs Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dr. Robert Thompson.

The International Food Aid and Development Conference provides a forum to address policy and operational issues related to food aid and development, as well as ways to improve communication and cooperation among government, non-profit charitable and non-governmental organizations, and agricultural and transportation industry representatives. The conference also gives participants an opportunity to network with one another and discuss food security, nutrition, public-private partnerships, sustainable school feeding, commodity management, storage, and quality control, and food aid operations, programming, collaboration, monitoring, and evaluation.

May 7-9, 2012

WHAT:          International Food Aid and Development Conference

WHO:             U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Agency for International Development

WHERE:       Westin Crown Center Hotel
                        1 East Pershing Road
                        Kansas City, Mo.


For more information about the conference, including details on registration, visit FSA’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/ifac. People with disabilities who need accommodations to attend or participate should contact Lance Simson at (816) 823-3202 or Lance.Simson@kcc.usda.gov.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Rescheduled: Ten Best Practices for Communication & Continuity During Mega-Disasters. Thursday, May 10, 2012. 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.EST


Risk and Crisis Capability Header
Ten Best Practices for Communication & Continuity
 During Mega-Disasters

By Tim Tinker and Tony Dorsey
Sponsored by the Mission Assurance TFG and the RCCC 


Thursday, May 10, 2012

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.EST

901 15th St. 10th Fl. 10005A

and Lync Online Meeting w/ Audio Conference

 To Register, email Una Hrnjak at hrnjak_una@bah.com



Urgent and catastrophic events, whether man-made or naturally occurring, dramatically change the rules of communication for Booz Allen's government, commercial, and not-for-profit clients. Anything less than full anticipation, preparation, and practice can jeopardize their credibility with employees, the media, and the general public. Worse, it can result in disrupted operations, harm strategic relationships, and cause irreparable damage to reputations.

Equipped with basic tools and techniques, however, Booz Allen helps clients across all markets effectively anticipate potential crises, and prepare and practice their system-wide communication responses. Attend this event to hear about a three-part strategy for assessing the threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences of high-stress, high-concern events and their implications for communications and continuity. This strategy can address public concerns, establish trust, and mitigate concern. 

Session Agenda
  • Communicating scientific & technical information
  • Understanding the media's needs & frustrations
  • Delivering messages that matter
  • Scenario-based simulation
Tim Tinker is located in Rockville, MD and can be reached at

Email Una Hrnjak at hrnjak_una@bah.com with any registration questions.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Young Pilots. Start with the disadvantaged youth


Compton kids learn to fly after school

CNN|Added on April 28, 2012

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports on one-of-a-kind program in Compton, California where kids learn to fly after school.

RECOMMENDED READING LIST

Search This Blog

ARCHIVE List 2011 - Present