'We Call for the Immediate Release of All Who Were Detained...'

NSC's Vietor on the Detention of Members of Damas de Blanco

National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Tommy Vietor has issued the following statement in response to the detention of members of the Cuban activist group Las Damas de Blanco:

The detention of members of the Damas de Blanco this weekend in Havana in the lead up to Pope Benedict's visit underscores the disdain of Cuban authorities for the universal rights of the Cuban people.  The quiet dignity of the Damas stands in stark contrast with the acts of those who are standing in the way of the basic aspirations of the Cuban people.  We call for the immediate release of all who were detained and for Cuban authorities to abandon their tactics of intimidation and harassment to stifle peaceful dissent.

President Obama and the American people remain steadfast in standing with the Damas and other courageous voices in Cuban civil society who demonstrate the Cuban people's desire to freely determine their country's future.

U.S. and Mexico Sign Landmark Agreement

Paves the Way for Development of Common Safety and Environmental Standards

Los Cabos, Mexico – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa, and Mexican Minister of Energy Jordy Herrera in Los Cabos, Mexico at the signing of an agreement on the exploration and development of oil and natural gas reservoirs along the United States’ and Mexico’s maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico.

This Transboundary Agreement removes uncertainties regarding development of transboundary resources in the resource-rich Gulf of Mexico.

As a result of this Agreement, nearly 1.5 million acres of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf will now be made more accessible for exploration and production activities. 

Estimates by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) indicate this area contains as much as 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

The Transboundary Agreement establishes a framework for U.S. offshore oil and gas companies and Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) to jointly develop transboundary reservoirs.

The agreement also opens up resources in the Western Gap that were off limits to both countries under a previous treaty that imposed a moratorium along the boundary through 2014.

  

“The Obama Administration is committed to the responsible expansion of domestic energy production,” Secretary Salazar said.

“This agreement makes available promising areas in the resource-rich Gulf of Mexico and establishes a clear process by which both governments can provide the necessary oversight to ensure exploration and development activities are conducted safely.”

In May 2010, Presidents Obama and Calderon committed to reaching an agreement to jointly develop reservoirs that were determined to be transboundary. Since that time, representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Mexico’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Energy worked to negotiate an agreement that can be implemented while respecting each nation’s legal framework.

The Transboundary Agreement sets clear guidelines for the development of oil and natural gas reservoirs that cross the maritime boundary.

Under the Agreement U.S. companies and PEMEX will be able to voluntarily enter into agreements to jointly develop those reservoirs.

In the event that consensus cannot be reached, the Transboundary Agreement establishes the process through which U.S. companies and PEMEX can individually develop the resources on each side of the border while protecting each nation’s interests and resources.

The Transboundary Agreement also provides for joint inspection teams from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Mexican Government to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Relevant agencies on both sides of the boundary will review all plans for the development of transboundary reservoirs, and additional requirements may be set before development activities are allowed to begin.

After signing both countries will work through their domestic systems to bring the Agreement into force.

Image courtesy of http://www.clker.com/

First Lady, Goya Team Up for "MiPlato"

Joint Effort Part of "Let's Move" Initiative

Tampa, Florida - In support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, Goya Foods, the largest, Hispanic-owned U.S. food company, is committing resources to promote the USDA's MyPlate, or MiPlato, a new food group symbol to remind families about making healthy meal choices with easy “how-tos” about proper portions.

The First Lady joined Bob Unanue, President of Goya Foods, and leading Latino organizations to promote their nationwide effort to encourage health and wellness in communities across the country. 

Goya Foods is rolling out numerous steps to help communities enjoy healthy, tasty and affordable meals including creating brochures, posters, coupons and cookbooks for consumers; developing educational tools for 4th through 6th grade students across the country; and imprinting the MiPlato icon on some of their products.

“Today’s announcement is what Let’s Move! is really all about – folks from every sector of our society stepping up and coming together on behalf of our kids. One of the pillars of Let’s Move! is empowering parents with the information they need to make healthy choices.  MiPlato is a tool to help support families in that effort.  Today, Goya is utilizing their incredible reach into communities across the country to get this helpful information to the hand of parents,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.

“Everything that Goya is doing – from the MiPlato posters and pamphlets to cookbooks and recipes – center around the idea that we parents can make simple changes to help their children lead healthier lives.”

“For Goya, MiPlato is an ideal reflection of our product line; quality, flavor, healthy and nutritious; while offering guidance to the public to easily identify the basic food groups of vegetables, grains, fruits, proteins, and dairy,” added Bob Unanue, president of Goya Food.

Community organizations from Florida to California have shown their support of Let’s Move! with commitments to promote MiPlato and distribute the Goya-produced materials through local churches, food pantries, promotores (community health workers) networks, registered dietitians, and schools.

Organizations include the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, which will distribute materials at its Nuestro Futuro rallies across the country, and the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, which is working with New Mexico’s state social services and statewide food bank to ensure New Mexico’s families receive materials.

The booklets will also be distributed through food bank members of Feeding America in Texas, Florida, Arizona, New York, and California. 

In Tampa, the Girl Scouts of the USA has committed to promote MiPlato to Tampa-area Girl Scouts through the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. Several organizations have also joined USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion’s Nutrition Communicators Network as a Community Partner.

Goya Foods will collaborate with Let's Move! and USDA by producing a brochure featuring a series of recipes that meet the Dietary Guidelines that support MiPlato and ten tips for healthy eating.  The Goya sales force will offer these brochures to 32,000 supermarkets to distribute in their communities.

Goya will also print MiPlato posters for distribution in various supermarkets and grocery stores and produce brochures with a Goya savings coupon that will be distributed to a variety of national Hispanic associations and organizations at the various festivals and events that Goya sponsors throughout the year.

In the spring, Goya will launch the official MiPlato cookbook and distribute copies to their consumers.

Goya developed comprehensive lesson plans for grade students using beans as education characters, and will distribute these to elementary schools in six major cities including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami and Tampa.

The MiPlato icon will be printed on six different Goya products including black beans, pinto beans, white beans, chick peas, red kidney beans and the sazón Goya natural and complete.

The following Latino organizations have joined this effort:

ACTIVE Life

American Cancer Society

California Food Policy Advocates

Catholic Charities Philadelphia

Cuban American National Council (CNC)

Feeding America

San Antonio Food Bank (Feeding America)

Treasure Coast Food Bank (Feeding America)

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance (Feeding America)

Island Harvest (Feeding America)

FIND Food Bank (Feeding America)

Florida Dietetic Association

Ferias (para Aprender/Fitness)

Girls Scouts of the USA

Help4Kidz Foundation

Hispanic Access Foundation

Hispanic Federation

La Clinica del Pueblo

LULAC and their 850 councils

National Caucus of State Elected Legislators

National Council of La Raza (NCLR) - 300 affiliates

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC)

New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger

New York City Coalition Against Hunger

Pacific Southwest Conference for the Evangelical Church

Cancer Preventorium

Seventh Day Adventist Church

South Florida Center for Reducing Cancer Disparities

St. Cajetan Catholic Church/Hispanic Access

St. Camillus Catholic Church

Texas Hunger Initiative

Texas Impact

Urban Strategies

Vision y Compromiso

First Lady photo source:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/ 

Author:  Joyce N. Boghosian, White House photographer 

Permission: Public Domian

Goya image courtesy of http://www.goya.com

President Obama at Forum on American Latino Heritage

The White House hosts an event to celebrate Latino culture and honor the contributions that so many Latinos have made to our nation.

Open for Questions with President Obama

President Obama participates in an "Open for Questions" roundtable responding to questions from readers of Yahoo!, MSN Latino, AOL Latino and HuffPost LatinoVoices on issues that matter most to the Hispanic community and all Americans.

President Obama Addresses Council of La Raza

In an address to the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization, President Obama reiterates his vision for an immigration system that holds true to our values and meets our economic and security needs.

President Obama Arrives in Puerto Rico

The President speaks about his Administration's commitment to the people of Puerto Rico as he arrives in San Juan.