50 YEARS AFTER SURGEON GENERALS REPORT ON HEALTH RISKS OF SMOKING

FROM:  HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
50th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health
A statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Fifty years ago today, Dr. Luther Terry released the landmark Surgeon General’s Report – the first of its kind on smoking and health – concluding that smoking causes lung cancer. In the five decades since, we’ve learned: that smoking damages nearly every organ in the body; it is responsible for an enormous burden of disease, death and economic cost in the United States; and, exposure to secondhand smoke can have devastating health consequences. Yet, since this first report was released, we’ve also shifted the perception of smoking from an accepted national pastime to a discouraged threat to health – and more than halved smoking rates in this country.

Later this month, we will release a new Surgeon General’s Report that will highlight 50 years of progress in tobacco control and prevention, present new data on the health consequences of tobacco use, and detail initiatives that can end the tobacco epidemic in the United States.

While significant progress has been made over the last 50 years, the battle is not yet won. I am extremely proud of the Obama Administration’s tobacco control record – from expanding access to cessation services without cost-sharing through the Affordable Care Act, to giving the Food and Drug Administration comprehensive authority to regulate tobacco products through the Tobacco Control Act. But ending the devastation of tobacco-related illness and death is not in the jurisdiction of any one entity. To end the tobacco epidemic, we must enlist all sectors of society to share in this responsibility. Together we can make the next generation tobacco-free.

ISS CELEBRATES 15 YEARS IN SPACE

Image Credit: NASA

FROM:  NASA
Celebrating Fifteen Years of the International Space Station

Astronaut James H. Newman waves during a spacewalk preparing for release of the first combined elements of the International Space Station. The Russian-built Zarya module, with its solar array panel visible here, was launched into orbit fifteen years ago on Nov. 20, 1998. Two weeks later, on Dec. 4, 1998, NASA's space shuttle Endeavour launched Unity, the first U.S. piece of the complex. Endeavour's forward section is reflected in Newman's helmet visor in this image. During three spacewalks on the STS-88 mission, the two space modules built on opposite sides of the planet were joined together in space, making the space station truly international.

Since that first meeting of Zarya and Unity, the space station grew piece by piece with additions from each of the international partners built across three continents and leading to the largest and most complex spacecraft ever constructed. The space station, now four times larger than Mir and five times larger than Skylab, represents a collaboration between NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, representing 15 countries in all.

In support of station assembly and maintenance, station and shuttle crews have conducted 174 spacewalks totaling almost 1,100 hours – the equivalent to nearly 46 days of spacewalks to build and maintain the complex. The station, with a mass of almost a million pounds and the size of a football field, is second only to the moon as the brightest object in the night sky.

Over the years, a great deal of research has been done on the space laboratory, which has already yielded tremendous results toward various fields. The science of the space station has provided benefits to humankind in areas such as human health, Earth observation and education. Many more results and benefits for both space exploration and life on Earth are expected in the coming years.
> Celebrating 15 Years Since the Sunrise

DOJ ON OCCASION OF 23RD ANNIVERSARY OF ADA, CELEBRATES OPENING GATEWAY TO EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 
Celebrating 23 Years of the ADA – ADA Anniversary Week at the Department of Justice
July 23rd, 2013 Posted by The Department Of Justice
TUESDAY: Gateway to Emerging Technology

 This week, in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the ADA, we recognize and celebrate the different gateways that the ADA is opening up to people with disabilities.  Today we highlight the ADA as a gateway to emerging technology.

 The explosion of new technology has dramatically changed the way America communicates, learns and does business.  For many people with disabilities the benefits of this technology revolution remain beyond their reach.  Many businesses websites and government entities are inaccessible to people with vision or hearing disabilities.  Because websites are a primary means of accessing all kinds of goods, entertainment  and government services, this lack of access excludes people with disabilities from modern society.  Similarly, devices like electronic book (e-book) readers, whether used as textbooks in a classroom or to take out books from a local library, can be completely unusable by someone who is blind because accessible features they need, such as text-to-speech functions or menus and controls accessible by audio or tactile means, are not provided.

 Websites and digital technologies can be made accessible, much like adding ramps to building entrances, but few entities are including available accessibility features in their technology. The Civil Rights Division is working to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as new technology continues to emerge.

 Increasing Technological Accessibility for Students with Disabilities at Louisiana Tech: Today, the Civil Rights Division announced a settlement agreement with Louisiana Tech University and the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System to address the use of inaccessible technology in the university setting.  The settlement resolves claims that the university violated the ADA by using an online learning product that was allegedly inaccessible to a blind student.  The student’s lack of access to the online course materials and homework lasted nearly a month into the university quarter, at which point the student was so far behind in his coursework that he had to withdraw from the course.  The settlement also resolves allegations that in a later class, the same student was not provided accessible course materials for in-class discussion or exam preparation on time.

 Under the settlement agreement, the university will adopt a number of accessibility policies, including the requirement to use only learning technology, web pages and course content that are accessible in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standard.  The university will also make existing web pages and materials created since 2010 accessible.  The agreement also requires the university and the Board to pay a total of $23,543 in damages to the student.

Making Accessible e-book Readers Available to Patrons with Disabilities at the Sacramento Public Library:  In August 2012, the Civil Rights Division and the National Federation of the Blind entered into a settlement agreement with the Sacramento Public Library to resolve a complaint that the library’s use of certain e-readers in its e-reader lending program discriminated against people who are blind or have other vision disabilities because the e-readers did not have accessible features such as text-to-speech functions or the ability to access menus through audio or tactile means.  Under the terms of the settlement, the library will no longer purchase inaccessible e-book readers for patron use.  The library also agreed to buy several additional accessible e-readers and to train its staff about the ADA.  As a result of this settlement, the library’s e-book lending program is accessible to patrons who are blind or have other vision disabilities.

AIR FORCE JAG CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Air Force JAG turns 20
by Rebecca Burylo
Air University Public Affairs


7/2/2013 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- Celebrating 20 years of providing the Air Force with trained and qualified judge advocates, civilian attorneys and paralegals, the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School recently commemorated the historic occasion.

"The 20th anniversary of the JAG School building dedication is a momentous day in the JAG School's history," said Col. Kenneth Theurer, commandant of AFJAGS.

The school offers opportunities for attorneys and paralegals to enhance their legal education.

"The in-resident courses, distance education and publications provided by the JAG School give our students the legal training needed to properly advise commanders on many of the Air Force's day-to-day operations around the world," he said.

Events to celebrate the anniversary included a dinner inviting leaders, donors and military retirees who took part in the planning and development of AFJAGS. Army retired Brig. Gen. Malinda Dunn was the guest lecturer at the fourth annual Maj. Gen. David C. Morehouse distinguished lecture series June 20.

Twenty years ago in May, Morehouse, the 10th judge advocate general of the Air Force, held the official dedication ceremony for the William L. Dickenson Law Center housing AFJAGS. Thus began the school's legacy of education at Maxwell as the educational home of the Air Force JAG Corps.

The Morehouse lectures honors his memory.

Dunn served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps for 28 years and is currently the executive director of the American Inns of Court Foundation.

Speaking on the relationship among the rule of law, professionalism and leadership, Dunn provided insight, inspiration and personal experiences from her time deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her examples showcased the essential characteristics law has on economic growth, foreign investments, citizens' confidence in government and "for everything else to function in a governing country," said Dunn.

She told the attorneys present that as leaders and "torch-bearers of the rule of law," they are given the utmost responsibility to protect liberties essential to a free society.

"It is the highest honor to lead in any context. It's not about us, it's about the difference we can make," said Dunn. "As lawyers our ultimate responsibility is to protect the principles of the rule of law."

"It is our responsibility," she added, "To uphold the profession of law and to ensure by our actions that the public respects the rule of law. We owe it to the profession, we owe it to the country and if we don't do it, who will do it? If we aren't keepers of the torch, who is?"

Dunn served as the first female staff judge advocate of the 82nd Airborne Division, the first female chief of personnel for the Army JAG Corps, the first female staff judge advocate for the 18th Airborne Corps and the first woman to become an active-duty general officer in the Army JAG Corps.

Originally established in 1950 as the Judge Advocate General Division of the Air Command and Staff School, the program began as a small 12-week course teaching 70 judge advocates, three times a year. Five years later it was moved to the United States Air Force Chaplain's School where it taught introductory training in military law.

Later, the school was moved under Air University's Institute for Professional Development, where its legal curriculum broadened into several different courses offered for judge advocates and paralegals. It was not until 1993 that the AFJAGS began its permanent residence on Maxwell's Academic Circle.

The school transferred from Air Education and Training Command to the Air Force Legal Operations Agency in 2006 and continues to add new courses to its curriculum, which now encompasses paralegal, deployed fiscal law and contingency contracting, area defense counsel and distance learning courses.

Today, AFJAGS instructs more than 3,000 students during 30 resident courses taught each year. Faculty also provides instruction to students attending the Air University schools.

THE 4OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Top Service Members Mark All-volunteer Force's Anniversary

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - In a letter issued yesterday to the men and women of the armed forces, the nation's top two military officers and senior enlisted member marked the 40th anniversary of the all-volunteer force.


The letter -- signed by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman -- reads as follows:

Since the Nation's founding, our sons and daughters have volunteered to leave the everyday comforts of their homes, their neighborhoods, and their families to join and serve a cause greater than themselves. They have joined a profession bound by honor, sacrifice, bravery, and -- in many cases -- danger. They serve a greater purpose -- protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.

On 1 July 1973, the United States instituted the All-Volunteer Force. Those who choose to wear the cloth of our Nation do so with a great sense of pride and allegiance. To volunteer speaks volumes to the character, patriotism, and commitment of America's most precious resource -- our men and women who serve.

As we commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force, we would like to pass our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces. You are America's strength -- you honor our past, and you preserve our future.

Well done, Warriors -- thank you for your service!

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY REMEMBERS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EMBASSY BOMBING IN BEIRUT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
30th Anniversary of the Embassy Beirut Bombing
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 17, 2013

Today, on the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, the United States celebrates close cooperation with the people of Lebanon that proves the enemies of democracy failed.

On April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with 2,000 pounds of explosives in front of Embassy Beirut, in what was then the single largest attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility.

This act of terrorism killed 52 American diplomats, military personnel, and Lebanese Embassy colleagues. It also wounded more than 100 Americans and Lebanese.

As we reflect on that day, we also remember another terrorist attack later that year against the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, as well as a third attack on the Beirut Embassy a year later.

All the Americans lost in these acts of terror had come in peace. They and our cherished Lebanese colleagues made the ultimate sacrifice through their service.

Hizballah and other terrorist organizations like it hoped through these violent attacks to deter the United States from maintaining our strong relationship with the Lebanese people, and from working with all elements of Lebanese society to insure the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon.

Yet the last 30 years of close cooperation between the United States and Lebanon - especially at the people-to-people level - proves the terrorists' goals were not achieved.

They underestimated the resolve of the United States to fight terrorism and to bring terrorists to justice wherever they may lurk, resolve renewed this week following the cowardly bombings in my hometown of Boston.

The recent loss of State Department colleagues in Zabul, Ankara, and Benghazi remind us of the sacrifices made by our colleagues around the world who work at U.S. diplomatic missions to promote and protect democracy, enhance freedom and justice, and facilitate development.

Just as we did 30 years ago, the United States today steadfastly supports the Lebanese people and their continued advance toward a sovereign, stable, independent, and prosperous nation.