NEW CONSULATE GENERAL COMPOUND IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
United States Dedicates New Consulate General Compound in Surabaya, Indonesia
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Scot Marciel dedicated the new Consulate General facility in Surabaya today, celebrating our deepening commitment to the comprehensive partnership between the United States and Indonesia. Governor of East Java, Dr. H. Soekarwo; Acting Director General of America and Europe Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. M.Wahid Supriyadi; Consul General, Kristen Bauer; and Director of the Office of Design and Engineering of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), William Miner participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Occupying a six-acre site in the Citra Raya development, the new facility serves as an important platform for U.S. diplomacy in Indonesia and throughout the region and creates a secure, state-of-the-art, environmentally-sustainable workplace for approximately 200 employees.

The Consulate General provides improved facilities to serve both U.S. and Indonesian citizens, such as a more comfortable consular area for visa services and American citizen services and an Information Resources Center where information and programs on the United States will be available.

The compound incorporates numerous sustainable features, most notably a storm water management system designed to capture downpours and slowly discharge the water to the city so that flooding is minimized; the use of drip irrigation and recycled wastewater; and a wastewater treatment plant.

Aurora, LLC of Rockville, MD constructed the new Consulate General and Sorg Architects of Washington, D.C. is the architect of record. The $64 million project generated hundreds of jobs in both the United States and Indonesia.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 89 new diplomatic facilities and has moved more than 27,000 people into safe, secure, and functional facilities. OBO has an additional 43 projects in design or construction.

SEC CHARGES MAN AND COHORTS WITH SELLING BOGUS STOCKS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., May 2, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Florida man and 10 cohorts involved in two separate schemes to illegally sell stock, including one that sought to capitalize on circumstances in Haiti following the earthquake that destroyed much of the country's infrastructure in January 2010.

The SEC alleges that Kevin Sepe of Miami masterminded the schemes involving two microcap companies — Recycle Tech and HydroGenetics — with the help of three licensed attorneys and several others who collectively reaped illegal profits of more than $3.5 million. Aventura, Fla.-based attorneyRonny Halperin assisted Sepe in both schemes. The Recycle Tech scheme involved a promotional campaign to pump the price and volume of the purported home container building company's stock in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. The HydroGenetics scheme took millions of unregistered shares of the company — purportedly in the business of acquiring emerging alternative energy companies — and improperly converted its debt into free-trading shares that were dumped on the investing public.

Six of the 11 individuals involved have agreed to settlements ordering them and companies they own to collectively pay more than $3.2 million.

"Sepe, Halperin, and others chose to ignore the laws governing stock sales and play by their own set of rules," said Eric I. Bustillo, Director of the SEC's Miami Regional Office. "Some of these individuals were attorneys and corporate officers who should have known better, and we will continue to crack down on any such gatekeepers who put investors at risk with their harmful activities to manipulate the markets."

According to the SEC's complaint filed in federal court in Miami, Sepe and Halperin evaded registration requirements by converting backdated and fabricated promissory notes into unrestricted stock of Recycle Tech, quoted on the Pink Sheets. With help from Recycle Tech's CEO and president Ryan Gonzalez, they conducted a pump-and-dump scheme from January to March 2010 by enlisting the help of two promoters — Anthony Thompson andJay Fung — who touted Recycle Tech in their newsletters. David Rees, a Utah-based attorney, became involved in the scheme when he drafted an improper legal opinion letter authorizing the issuance of unrestricted Recycle Tech shares.

The SEC alleges that the participants collectively made more than $1 million in illegal profits through the scheme, which touted that Recycle Tech signed a binding letter of intent to build up to 50 container homes in Haiti following the earthquake. However, Recycle Tech failed to disclose to investors that it had no funds, no finished container homes, and minimal operations. Sepe orchestrated, coordinated, and funded the scheme and sold Recycle Tech stock along with Halperin and Rees without any exemption from registering those securities with the SEC. Gonzalez, who lives in Miami, made the scheme possible by incorporating a sham private company, turning the public shell of that company into Recycle Tech through a reverse merger, and signing various fraudulent documents to authorize the issuance of Recycle Tech securities. Gonzalez also drafted and issued false press releases used to hype Recycle Tech stock. Thompson and Fung — through their firms OTC Solutions LLC and Pudong LLC — touted Recycle Tech in their newsletters without disclosing that they were selling shares or adequately disclosing the compensation they received for their touts.

According to the SEC's other complaint filed in Miami, Sepe and Halperin schemed with Miami-based attorney Melissa Rice and others to illegally issue and liquidate 90 million unregistered shares of HydroGenetics from April 2008 until at least June 2009. Sepe headed a group that purchased convertible debt of a South Florida publicly-held company. He then formed HydroGenetics and parsed out portions of the convertible debt to friends, family, and others who converted the debt to stock that they then sold publicly. Sepe sold HydroGenetics stock without any exemption from registration the securities with the SEC. Halperin was the HydroGenetics CEO and a director. He executed corporate resolutions to help issue millions of shares of HydroGenetics stock, including 11 million shares to his daughter who he told to sell it and funnel a portion of the illegal proceeds back to him. Rice assisted Sepe in converting convertible debt to unrestricted HydroGenetics shares, and wrote four opinion letters improperly opining that the Rule 144 safe harbor was applicable and the debt could be converted to unrestricted HydroGenetics shares. Rice also sold her shares of HydroGenetics stock.

The SEC alleges that three other Miami residents also received illegal profits in the HydroGenetics scheme: Luz Rodriguez, who worked as an office administrator and assistant to Sepe; Howard Ettelman, a provider of accounting services to various companies owned by Sepe and Rice; and Seth Eber, a self-employed jeweler who was on the list of individuals that Sepe provided Rice to assign shares.

The SEC further alleges that Charles Hansen III of Lighthouse Point, Fla., succeeded Halperin as HydroGenetics CEO in April 2009 and signed five corporate resolutions authorizing HydroGenetics to illegally issue stock that Rice then used along with her opinion letter to facilitate the scheme.

The individuals agreeing to settle the SEC's charges in the complaints without admitting or denying the allegations are Sepe, Halperin, Rees, Rice, Ettelman, and Hansen.

Sepe agreed to disgorgement of $1,416,466.16, prejudgment interest of $126,761.86, and penalties of $185,000 as well as a permanent bar from participating in an offer or sale of penny stocks.
Halperin agreed to disgorgement of $427,609.95, prejudgment interest of $33,595.33, and a penalty of $100,000 as well as a permanent penny stock bar and a five-year officer and director bar. He also agreed to surrender 1.97 million shares of HydroGenetics stock.

Rees agreed to disgorgement of $5,982, prejudgment interest of $406.25, and a penalty of $7,500 as well as a one-year prohibition from providing professional legal services connected to the offer or sale of securities.

Rice agreed to disgorgement of $422,445, prejudgment interest of $39,239.18, and a penalty of $60,000 as well as a five-year penny stock bar and three-year prohibition from providing professional legal services connected to the offer or sale of securities.

Ettelman agreed to disgorgement of $32,667, prejudgment interest of $3,093.27, and a penalty of $25,000 as well as a five-year penny stock bar and the surrender of 300,000 shares of HydroGenetics stock.
Hansen agreed to a $37,500 penalty.

Two companies — Charter Consulting Group (owned and controlled by Sepe) and West Coast Investments Enterprises (owned by Rice) — were named as relief defendants in the SEC's complaints because they received a portion of the illegal trading profits in the schemes. They each settled the case, with Charter agreeing to disgorgement of $150,000 and prejudgment interest of $9,125 and West Coast agreeing to disgorgement of $125,000 and prejudgment interest of $11,262.71.

Separately, the SEC issued orders to suspend trading in the securities of Recycle Tech and HydroGenetics and to institute administrative proceedings against each company to determine whether the registration of their securities should be revoked or suspended based on their failure to file required periodic reports.

The SEC also instituted separate settled administrative proceedings against HydroGenetics in which the company, without admitting or denying the findings, consented to an order requiring it to cease and desist from committing or causing violations of the registration provisions of the federal securities laws.

The SEC's investigations were conducted by staff in its Miami Regional Office. Accountant Kathleen Strandell was involved in the Recycle Tech investigation under the supervision of Thierry Olivier Desmet, and James Carlson is leading the litigation. Special Investigations Counsel Gary Miller and accountants Karaz Zaki and Timothy Galdencio were involved in the HydroGenetics investigation under the supervision of Elisha Frank, and Amie Riggle Berlin is leading the litigation.

The SEC acknowledges the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in these cases.

CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF PRAISES "HEROES OF MILITARY MEDICINE"

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Chairman Praises 'Heroes of Military Medicine'
By Karen Parrish
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2012 - The network of people, government and private organizations that tends to America's wounded, injured and ill service members has achieved results over the last decade that are "absolutely remarkable," the nation's top military officer told an audience here yesterday.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke last night at a "Heroes of Military Medicine" event hosted by the Center for Public-Private Partnerships at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.

"I do find heroes and military medicine to be a little redundant, actually. ... Every time we think they can't do more for us, they step up and find it," the general said.
Earlier this week, Dempsey noted, he attended the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo. The games, which continue through May 5, are a series of Olympic-style events in which wounded, ill and injured service members of all services, along with veterans, compete in archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field and wheelchair basketball.

The Warrior Games, created in 2010, are a combined effort of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Defense Department. The games are notable because of the courage of the competitors, who Dempsey said are "young men and women putting ability over disability."

The chairman said attending both the games and the "heroes of medicine" gathering in the same week highlighted for him the connection between today's service members, who survive combat injuries at rates never before seen, and the medical establishment that makes their survival possible.

"What I want you to know tonight is how much we, who wear the uniform today, appreciate what everyone is doing to pull together in the common cause of making sure that the young men and women who put themselves in harm's way are cared for," Dempsey said.

ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Photo:  Wikimedia
Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Rival Climate Change and Pollution
First comprehensive effort to compare biodiversity loss to other human-caused environmental changes
May 2, 2012
Loss of biodiversity appears to affect ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to results of a new study by an international research team.

The study is the first comprehensive effort to directly compare the effects of biological diversity loss to the anticipated effects of a host of other human-caused environmental changes.

The results, published in this week's issue of the journal Nature, highlight the need for stronger local, national and international efforts to protect biodiversity and the benefits it provides, according to the researchers, who are based at nine institutions in the United States, Canada and Sweden.

"This analysis establishes that reduced biodiversity affects ecosystems at levels comparable to those of global warming and air pollution," said Henry Gholz, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research directly and through the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

"Some people have assumed that biodiversity effects are relatively minor compared to other environmental stressors," said biologist David Hooper of Western Washington University, the lead author of the paper.

"Our results show that future loss of species has the potential to reduce plant production just as much as global warming and pollution."

Studies over the last two decades demonstrated that more biologically diverse ecosystems are more productive.

As a result, there has been growing concern that the very high rates of modern extinctions--due to habitat loss, overharvesting and other human-caused environmental changes--could reduce nature's ability to provide goods and services such as food, clean water and a stable climate.

Until now, it's been unclear how biodiversity losses stack up against other human-caused environmental changes that affect ecosystem health and productivity.
"Loss of biological diversity due to species extinctions is going to have major effects on our planet, and we need to prepare ourselves to deal with them," said ecologist Bradley Cardinale of the University of Michigan, one of the paper's co-authors. "These extinctions may well rank as one of the top five drivers of global change."

In the study, Hooper, Cardinale and colleagues combined data from a large number of published studies to compare how various global environmental stressors affect two processes important in ecosystems: plant growth and the decomposition of dead plants by bacteria and fungi.

The study involved the construction of a database drawn from 192 peer-reviewed publications about experiments that manipulated species richness and examined their effect on ecosystem processes.

This global synthesis found that in areas where local species loss during this century falls within the lower range of projections (losses of 1 to 20 percent of plant species), negligible effects on ecosystem plant growth will result, and changes in species richness will rank low relative to the effects projected for other environmental changes.
In ecosystems where species losses fall within intermediate projections of 21 to 40 percent of species, however, species loss is expected to reduce plant growth by 5 to 10 percent.
The effect is comparable to the expected effects of climate warming and increased ultraviolet radiation due to stratospheric ozone loss.

At higher levels of extinction (41 to 60 percent of species), the effects of species loss ranked with those of many other major drivers of environmental change, such as ozone pollution, acid deposition on forests and nutrient pollution.

"Within the range of expected species losses, we saw average declines in plant growth that were as large as changes in experiments simulating several other major environmental changes caused by humans," Hooper said.

"Several of us working on this study were surprised by the comparative strength of those effects."

The strength of the observed biodiversity effects suggests that policymakers searching for solutions to other pressing environmental problems should be aware of potential adverse effects on biodiversity as well.

Still to be determined is how diversity loss and other large-scale environmental changes will interact to alter ecosystems.

"The biggest challenge looking forward is to predict the combined effects of these environmental challenges to natural ecosystems and to society," said J. Emmett Duffy of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, a co-author of the paper.

JUSTICE AND MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROVIDER RESOLVE WOMEN ON MATERNITY LEAVE DISCRIMINATION ALLEGATIONS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, April 30, 2012
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Nation’s Largest Mortgage Insurance Provider to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination Against Women on Maternity Leave Settlement Provides Compensation to 70 Victims Identified by the Department of Justice and Establishes Fair Procedures for Treating Borrowers Taking Leave to Care for a New Child

The Department of Justice announced today that it has settled its lawsuit against the Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) for discriminating against women on maternity leave in violation of the Fair Housing Act.   This settlement is the department’s first involving discrimination against women and families in mortgage insurance.

The lawsuit, filed on July 5, 2011, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleged that MGIC required women on maternity leave to return to work before the company would insure their mortgages even for women who had a guaranteed right to return to work after the leave.   Most mortgage lenders require applicants seeking to borrow more than 80 percent of their home’s value to obtain mortgage insurance.

The settlement, which was approved by the  court today, establishes a $511,250 fund to compensate 70 individuals whom the United States identified as aggrieved by the alleged discriminatory treatment between 2007 and 2010.   The settlement also requires MGIC to pay a $38,750 civil penalty to the United States.   The Department of Justice identified the aggrieved individuals based on its extensive review of MGIC’s mortgage application records.   MGIC cooperated with the United States in turning over records during the course of settlement negotiations.

The settlement also requires MGIC to follow a number of detailed nondiscriminatory provisions in its future review of mortgage insurance applications involving women or men who are on, or have returned from, paid or unpaid leave related to the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child.   The settlement also requires MGIC to monitor its treatment of applicants on leave to care for a new child, to train its employees on the requirements of the fair housing laws, and to provide nondiscrimination notices to mortgage applicants.

“No company involved in lending should force a parent to give up her or his legal right to take time off from work to care for a new child in order to obtain a mortgage loan,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.   “Today’s settlement, coming at the close of fair housing month, protects that important right and clearly demonstrates the department will not hesitate to take action against companies who discriminate against women and families.”

“In bringing justice to these 70 victims, this office confirms our resolve to protect the civil rights of citizens of the Western District of Pennsylvania from illegal discriminatory practices,” said David J. Hickton, U.S. Attorney of the Western District of Pennsylvania.   “Discrimination in lending has profound and widespread consequences that will not be tolerated.”

“Mortgage insurance is essential in order for many people to buy a home,” said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Borrowers should not be denied mortgage insurance for the very reason they often buy a home: to provide a decent home for an expanding family. HUD will continue to work with the Justice Department to take appropriate action against insurers and lenders who violate the Fair Housing Act.”

This lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by a Wexford, Penn., loan applicant.   After investigating the complaint, HUD issued a charge of discrimination and referred the case to the Department of Justice after the parties were unable to settle their dispute and the complainant elected to have the case heard in federal court.   The Department of Justice also filed the case under the attorney general’s authority to seek redress for housing discrimination that raises an issue of general public importance.   The HUD complainant will receive $42,500 from the settlement fund, to address her specific pain and suffering and compensate her for leave that she forfeited in response to MGIC’s requirement that she return to work.

Individuals compensated as part of the settlement will remain eligible to receive compensation from the separate private class action lawsuit brought by the HUD complainant.   MGIC has entered into a preliminary settlement of the class action lawsuit, which remains subject to court approval, allowing victims of MGIC’s alleged maternity leave discrimination to submit claims for extraordinary damages above the amount covered by the compensation provided through MGIC’s settlement with the United States.

REACTIVE MATERIALS WARHEADS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARMED WITH SCIENCE
Photo:  U.S. Army
Written on MAY 1, 2012 AT 7:36 AM by JTOZER
Lethal Technology
Imagine a warhead with fragments that flare and burn when the warhead detonates.
Now imagine the potential destruction of anartillery shell made almost entirely of that stuff.

Such a theoretical weapon is one of the goals behind the research being conducted by Picatinny Arsenal engineers working at the Advanced Materials Lab.

In conventional artillery shells, the explosive force generated upon detonation causes the warhead to break apart. The resulting fragments flung out in all directions are great speed explains how these weapons cause their damage.

But the potential destructive force is increased dramatically with capabilities of reactive materials that can be formed and strengthened to replace the inert materials that make up the rest of the warhead.

The reactive materials form the structure of the warhead rather than simply being loaded into the warhead.

“Structured reactive materials, or SRM, will enhance the lethality of current and future weapons while maintaining or reducing the payload,” said Paul Redner, a materials engineer with the Advanced Materials Lab.

“Unlike with more traditional (reactive materials), SRM will be a direct one-to-one replacement of inert components.”

The engineers have already made progress in the research, yet challenges remain.
“Despite all of the positive results and lofty goals mentioned above, nothing is ever that simple,” said Redner. Among the challenges that researchers are working to overcome, the greatest is how to process components to form more complex shapes.

Through collaboration with other labs, including the Office of Naval Research, researchers are seeking solutions to these technical challenges.

Advances in structured reactive materials are made possible through the continued development of nanomaterials at Picatinny’s state-of-the-art lab, which was established to make viable technologies ready for transition to development programs.

“We wish that people would ask to see how we fabricate nanoscaled and nanostructured powders, and how we establish the pedigree for our materials,” Redner said.
“We have a wide variety of capabilities and we are open to talk to the ARDEC, PEO Ammunition and the project management communities any time.”

ATF's Top 10 Frequently Asked Firearms Questions and Answers

ATF's Top 10 Frequently Asked Firearms Questions and Answers

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT PRESS STATEMENT ON SOMALI TRANSITION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Somalia Political Process
Press Statement Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
Less than four months remain for Somali leaders to complete the steps they agreed to in the Roadmap to End the Transition, which lays out the steps for replacing Somalia’s transitional government with a more representative governance structure that will bring Somalia closer to the security and political stability for which Somalis have waited for too long. The United States is encouraged by the progress made so far, however, several steps remain to be completed: selection of delegates to a constituent assembly; approval of a new constitution, selection of a new and smaller parliament, and the indirect election of a new speaker and president.

Secretary Clinton made clear the position of the United States during her remarks at the London Conference on Somalia in February when she stated, "Attempts to obstruct progress and maintain the broken status quo will not be tolerated. We will encourage the international community to impose further sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on people inside and outside [Somalia’s] Transitional Federal Government who seek to undermine Somalia’s peace and security or to delay or even prevent the political transition."

The United States supports the open letter issued on May 1 by the special representatives of the United Nations, African Union, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development that puts on notice all individuals and entities who seek to undermine Somalia's political transition that the international community will not tolerate such action. The United States is following the lead of its African partners and working to help Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and other Somali leaders seize the current opportunity to make progress toward greater security and political stability.

THE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
The first of class littoral combat ships USS Freedom (LCS 1), left, and USS Independence (LCS 2), maneuver together during an exercise off the coast of Southern California. The littoral combat ship is a fast, agile, networked surface combatant designed to operate in the near-shore environment, while capable of open-ocean tasking, and win against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines, and swarming small craft. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Jan Shultis

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A MILITARY DOG HANDLER

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Face of Defense: Dog Handler Enjoys Responsibilities
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeffery Rodriguez stands with his dog, Dharma, April 26, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Timothy Lenzo
By Marine Corps Cpl. Timothy Lenzo
1st Marine Division Public Affairs

TREK NAWA, Afghanistan, May 2, 2012 - Many children beg their parents for a dog. The floppy ears and wagging tail seem to attract children to man's best friend. But many parents know that caring for a dog means a lot of responsibility, training and effort.
Dog handlers in the Marine Corps not only shoulder that same responsibility — they volunteer for it on top of the responsibilities of being deployed to Afghanistan.
For Marine Corps Cpl. Jeffery Rodriguez, a dog handler with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, those responsibilities are more like a privilege.
Rodriguez said he loves being a dog handler. He knows he's helping his squad, and the added responsibilities far outweigh the added attention of caring for a dog.
What sets Rodriguez apart from other dog handlers is the personal effort he puts into Dharma, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever.

"He's the best dog handler I've ever seen," said Marine Corps Sgt. Edward Welsh, Rodriguez's squad leader. "He's constantly taking care of the dog and working to make himself and Dharma better."

Rodriguez, a native of Fayetteville, Ga., knows that a dog handler's job is more than just patrolling with and feeding the dog. The most important job is ensuring the dog is well prepared for the deployment ahead.

Shortly after he arrived in Afghanistan he built Dharma a new kennel. The kennel, made from discarded pieces of Hesko wall, has a door and a crate for Dharma to sleep in. He used excess cargo netting to cover half of the kennel to shield Dharma from the harsh wind and heat of Afghanistan. Keeping the dogs in shape is vital in an area where temperatures will reach more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"If a dog gets out of breath in 20 to 30 minutes, they actually become a hindrance to the unit," explained Marine Corps 1st Lt. Joseph Hoeksema, Rodriguez's platoon commander. "Dharma is in shape, and [Rodriguez] works her out two to three times a day."
The bond between a dog handler and his dog is based on trust. If a dog doesn't trust the handler, it won't obey commands.

"He tells her to sit there and stay there, [and] she does it," said Hoeksema, a native of Davenport, Iowa. "It doesn't matter if we are getting shot at -- she's obeying [Rodriguez]."
Dharma helps Rodriguez to find improvised explosive devices and weapons caches. "I use Dharma to search compounds, or to verify potentially dangerous objects," Rodriguez said. "She's like my little guardian angel running around."

The Marines patrol with Dharma daily, clearing compounds and routes. "Just trusting [Dharma] helps the Marines," Hoeksema said. "When she goes into a compound and doesn't find an IED, the Marines are able to walk in confident that there aren't any IEDs."
Dharma confirmed two IEDs and some hidden-away weapons while deployed; but beyond her keen nose, she's made more of an impact on the Marines she protects. Dharma also helps with morale of Marines who are away from their families for several months.
After patrolling, the Marines regularly pet and play with Dharma. They also laugh as she interacts with the local animals; goats and turkeys make an interesting find for a curious dog. The sound of wings flapping and a loud gobble lets the squad know Dharma is up to some good-natured mischief. Rodriguez lets it go for a little bit before calling Dharma back.

"It has been a great experience being a dog handler," he said. "It's a great job to have with a lot of responsibility."

In a couple of weeks, Rodriguez and Dharma will return home from their deployment to Afghanistan. This is Dharma's first deployment, and it could be Rodriguez's last. They'll return on the same flight, but then will be separated. Dharma will be assigned a new dog handler, and Rodriguez will return to his squad.

Though the goodbye will be hard, Rodriguez said, he has loved every minute of being a dog handler. The bond he built with Dharma and the experience was well worth the extra responsibility, he added.

2012 WARRIOR GAMES ARE UNDERWAY

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 2, 2012) Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sonny Lemerande, right, races down the court during the wheelchair basketball competition between the Special Operations and the Navy/Coast Guard at the 2012 Warrior Games. More than 200 wounded, ill or injured service members from the U.S. and British armed forces are scheduled to compete in the Paralympics-style competition, May 1-5. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Danals/Released)

SEC CHARGES VOIP COMPANY AND ITS OWNERS WITH CONDUCTING A FRAUDULENT OFFERING TARGETING CHRISTIAN INVESTORS

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
April 30, 2012
On April 30, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed settled fraud charges against the owners of a Dallas-area Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) company, for running a fraudulent securities offering aimed at Christian investors, many of whom were affiliated with a Dallas-based private school. The Commission’s complaint, filed in Dallas federal court, alleges that Terry E. Wiese and Scott A. Wiese promised extreme returns – as much as 1,000% in a year – to entice investment in their company, Usee, Inc. Contrary to the Wieses’ claims, however, Usee had no business from which to generate any returns to investors. Instead, the Commission alleges that the Wieses wasted investor funds on poorly considered ventures or sent them to third parties about which they had little information. The Commission also alleges that the Wieses used investor funds for personal expenses and to make Ponzi payments to investors.

According to the complaint, the Wieses and Usee offered two forms of investment: stock and promissory notes. The Wieses promised returns to stock investors of up to 1,000% in the first year. Note investors were promised returns of up to 100% in 60 days. The Wieses also claimed that Usee would earn $26 billion in revenue by its fifth year of business, due to lucrative financing agreements it had arranged. According to the Commission, however, these claims were unfounded, since Usee had only nominal revenue and no financing arrangements.

The Commission alleges that the Wieses told investors that Usee was on the cusp of acquiring another VoIP company that owned valuable technology. In fact, Usee had contracted to acquire this company for $33 million, and sent the company $3 million of investor funds as a down payment. But, according the Commission, Usee and the Wieses never got close to securing funds to complete the acquisition and ultimately forfeited the funds to the other company, a fact never disclosed to investors.

Later, the Commission alleges, the Wieses released more than $1.5 million of investor funds to a company they knew nothing about, NFY Financial Consulting, PLLC. According to the SEC, NFY’s principals – Nail Yaldo and Jack Skrelja – told the Wieses the funds would be used as “proof of funds” to support unspecified “platform trading.” The Commission further alleges that, although they did little due diligence into NFY or its principals, the Wieses assured investors that the funds would be safeguarded in an escrow account and not released for any purpose. The Wieses, however, soon turned investor funds over to NFY without investors’ consent or knowledge.

The Commission has charged the Wieses and Usee with violations of Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Commission’s complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, civil penalties and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, with prejudgment interest. The Commission also seeks to bar the Wieses from serving as officers or directors of any public company.

To settle the Commission’s charges, the Wieses and Usee consented to permanent injunctions under Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Defendants further agreed to disgorge nearly $5.8 million in ill-gotten gains, with prejudgment interest, and the Wieses agreed to pay civil penalties totaling $300,000. Defendants are also permanently enjoined from offering or selling securities issued by any company they own or control and the Wieses are further barred from serving as officers or directors of any public company. The defendants did not admit or deny the SEC’s allegations.

The SEC’s action also names NFY, Yaldo and Skrelja as relief defendants for purposes of recovering the funds released to NFY. The SEC has sought an asset freeze against these parties.