ARMED FORCES NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN

Photo:  Flying Over Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Combined Force Kills 2 Insurgents in Firefight
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2012 - A combined force killed two insurgents and seized several AK-47 rifles and some ammunition magazines during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Gomal district of Afghanistan's Paktika province today, military officials reported.

The sought-after insurgent leader conducts roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Sarobi district, officials said. He also coordinates the movement of insurgents and weapons throughout the region.

Two armed insurgents fired on the Afghan and coalition troops as they approached the insurgents' suspected location. The security force returned fire, killing the insurgents. A post-incident assessment confirmed that no civilians were harmed during the operation.

Also today, a combined force detained one suspect and seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with rockets, several grenades, sniper ammunition and illegal narcotics during a search for a Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Nangarhar province. The Taliban leader plans and coordinates roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition troops. He also provides other insurgents with weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- Two International Security Assistance Force service members died following a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.

-- An ISAF aircraft crashed during routine operations in eastern Afghanistan. There were no fatalities reported. The aircrew and passengers were safely transported to a nearby ISAF installation for evaluation. ISAF is investigating the cause of the crash. Initial reporting indicates that there was no enemy activity in the area.

-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained a Taliban leader and two other suspected insurgents in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. The leader coordinated suicide bombings and attacks against Afghan forces and civilians and coalition troops. He also supervised the construction of suicide vests and other explosive devices and distributed them to insurgents under his control.

-- In the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Baghlan province, a combined force searched for a Taliban leader. The leader plans and conducts roadside bombings, indirect-fire attacks and other operations against Afghan and coalition troops. He also builds IEDs.

-- A combined force called in an airstrike that killed one insurgent during a search for an al-Qaida leader in the Dangam district of Kunar province. The leader facilitates the movement of weapons, equipment and insurgents. He also procures and transports supplies for insurgents throughout the province.

-- A combined force detained a Haqqani leader and two other insurgents in the Jaji district of Paktiya province. The insurgent leader planned and directed roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

In May 27 operations:
-- A combined force called in an airstrike that killed Sakhr al-Taifi, an al-Qaida leader, and one additional al-Qaida terrorist in the Watahpur district of Kunar province. Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Musthaq and Nasim, was al-Qaida's second-highest leader in Afghanistan, responsible for commanding foreign insurgents, in addition to directing attacks against coalition and Afghan forces. He frequently traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al-Qaida leadership. He also supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents operating in eastern Afghanistan and managed the illegal transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan. No civilians or property were harmed in the operation.

-- A combined force killed one insurgent during a firefight in the Tagab district of Kapisa province.

-- A combined force discovered IED-making materials in the Ab Band district of Ghazni province.

-- A combined force killed 16 insurgents and detained one suspect in the Musa Khel district of Khowst province.

-- A combined force detained several suspects during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. The sought-after insurgent is the senior Taliban leader in the Marjeh district and manages multiple insurgent cells in the area. He directs suicide bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the Marjeh and Nahr-e Saraj districts. He also coordinates with Taliban leaders to move suicide bombers and explosives into Afghanistan.

-- A combined force killed several insurgents during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Aliabad district of Kunduz province. The leader is the senior Taliban insurgent in the district and controls multiple insurgent cells. He plans, coordinates, and conducts roadside bombings and other attacks against district government officials and Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In the Khwajah Sabz Posh district of Faryab province, a combined force detained several suspects while searching for an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator. The facilitator distributes funds, weapons and other equipment between IMU cells and manages the recruitment and movement of insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops.

-- In the Arghistan district of Kandahar province, a combined force detained several insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader. The insurgent leader conducts roadside bombings and indirect-fire attacks against Afghan and coalition troops in the Tarnek wa Jaldak district of Zabul province. He also provides weapons, ammunition and roadside bombs to insurgents.

-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained several suspects during a search for a Taliban leader in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province. The leader conducts roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Daman and Shah Wali Kot districts. He also builds IEDs and distributes them to insurgents.

-- In the Sherzad district of Nangarhar province, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained two suspects and seized one pistol during a search for a Taliban leader. The leader conducts roadside bombings and ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces in the Sherzad and Khugyani districts.

-- A combined force detained two suspects and seized one pistol and two grenades during a search for a Taliban leader in the Charkh district of Logar province. The leader conducts roadside bombings and ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the district.

In May 26 operations:
-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained one suspect and confiscated 10 rocket-propelled grenades, eight fuel cells, 50 machine gun rounds and a rifle in the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan province.

-- A combined force killed two insurgents and detained two suspects during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. The sought-after insurgent leader controls several Taliban commanders and coordinates their attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He is responsible for several roadside bombings along highways between Kandahar and Zabul provinces and for attacks against Afghan police forces.

-- In the Kandahar district of Kandahar province, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained several suspects during a search for a Taliban facilitator. The facilitator operates in Kandahar and Farah provinces providing weapons, explosives and vehicles to insurgents.

-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained several suspects and seized multiple weapons while searching for a Haqqani leader in the Sabari district of Khost province. The leader conducts attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the district. He also provides weapons, ammunition and equipment to insurgents.
-- In the Jalrayz district of Wardak province, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained two suspects and seized multiple mortar rounds and one shotgun during a search for a Taliban leader. The leader conducts attacks against Afghan and coalition convoys traveling throughout the Maidan Shahr district in Wardak province. He also distributes weapons, ammunition and funds to insurgents.

In May 25 operations:
-- Combined forces found and destroyed 20 IEDs consisting of 365 pounds of homemade explosives, 16 pressure plates and 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate in the Zharay and Maiwand districts of Kandahar province.

In May 23 operations:
-- A combined force detained a bomb maker and several other insurgents and seized explosives, IED-making components and weapons in the Tarin Kowt district of Uruzgan province.

C-37A TWIN-ENGINE, TURBOFAN AIRCRAFT FOR WORLDWIDE AIR MISSIONS

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE.
The C-37A is a twin-engine, turbofan aircraft acquired to fill the worldwide special air missions for high-ranking government and Defense Department officials. There are nine C-37s in the Air Force inventory, of which one is assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing, 309th Airlift Squadron, at Chievres Air Base, Belgium, to support the U.S. Air Forces in Europe mission.

SENIOR AL-QAIDA LEADER KILLED IN KUNAR PROVINCE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little conducts a press briefing at the Pentagon, May 29, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

ANSF, ISAF Counterparts Kill Senior al-Qaida Leader
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2012 - Afghan National Security Forces and their International Security Assistance Force partners killed a senior al-Qaida leader in Kunar province May 27, a senior Defense Department spokesman told reporters at the Pentagon today.

"As a result of their efforts, alongside their coalition counterparts, they achieved a significant operational success in Kunar province ... with the death of Sakhr al-Taifi," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters.

Sakhr al-Taifi, al-Qaida's second-highest leader in Afghanistan, had commanded foreign insurgents and directed attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces, Little said.
"He frequently traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al-Qaida leadership," the press secretary said. "He also supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents in the east and managed transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan."

Little said security forces identified Sakhr al-Taifi and another al-Qaida terrorist in Kunar province's Watahpur district, and took careful steps to ensure no civilians were in the area before conducting a precision airstrike.

A follow-on assessment determined no civilians were harmed in this operation, he added.
"This operation is another example of our ongoing efforts to degrade and weaken al-Qaida's leadership," Little said, "and a reminder of the mission we are pursuing -- to ensure that Afghanistan, never again, becomes a safe haven for al-Qaida or its militant allies."

However, "despite the unprecedented pressure we have applied, al-Qaida remains a threat to our forces and to our homeland," he said. "And we will continue to pursue our goal of dismantling and ultimately defeating them."

THE NEW 3-D SCANNER AT ELGIN AIR FORCE BASE

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy Communication Specialist Seaman George M. Bell
FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
New 3-D scanner makes impact at Eglin
by Minty Knighton
Eglin Air Force Base Public Affairs

5/25/2012 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- When the 46th Test Wing's Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office purchased a 3-D laser scanner system six months ago, they had no idea how much of an impact this system would make.

"This is state of the art," said Mark Hillman, lead engineer at the SEEK EAGLE. "We are breaking ground for the military."

The approximately $150,000 Leica HDS 7000 3-D laser scanner and Rapidform reverse engineering software program was purchased to quickly build accurate digital models of Air Force aircraft and weapons for use in aircraft-weapon compatibility analyses.

"Before, we had to implement the real tests to determine how capable a system would be," said Paul Collins, lead contract engineer for SEEK EAGLE. "Now we build models for use in simulated test environments for a good indication of the outcome, before we go into actual testing, which can save hundreds of thousands of dollars."

After one month of trial scans, they were able to use it to quickly scan an entire aircraft.
"Four years ago, it took six people two weeks to manually collect 3-D data for the A-10 aircraft," said Collins. "With the laser scanner, two people can collect the same amount of data in two days, a 93 percent reduction."

Additionally, the accuracy of the laser is +/- 0.01. Using the manual method, the accuracy was at best +/- 0.03, according to Collins.

The data collection process involves positioning the scanner at various positions around the airplane. The scanner automatically sweeps a laser beam across the aircraft to generate a 3-D point cloud.

"Any areas where good data is not collected, such as shadows, are depicted as black holes in the scanner software requiring the scanner to be re-positioned for optimal results", said Collins.

After scanning an aircraft, SEEK EAGLE engineers use Rapidform reverse engineering software and the 3-D point clouds to construct solid digital models.

"Improvements in using Rapidform to construct the solid models from the scanned data have been significant", said Collins.

The SEEK EAGLE engineering team didn't go into this venture lightly. They started with requirements from the entire Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office and did an in-depth comparative analysis of the viable systems before choosing their current combination of hardware and software. Overall, the scanner and software has reduced their costs by about 75 percent.

Word of the success and benefits of the system spread to others.

"Other military services have started contacting us to use the system," said Collins. "Two weeks ago, we scanned 13 Navy aircraft in eight days."

TECHNOLOGY VS PIRATES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Written on MAY 29, 2012 AT 7:56 AM by JTOZER
Got A Pirate Problem?  There’s Even an App For That
Arr, matey.
The Department of Defense will begin funding an Office of Naval Research (ONR) – sponsored project aimed at developing Web applications to help multinational navies police the world’s oceans, officials announced.
Pirates, ye be warned!

The International Collaborative Development for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (ICODE MDA) was one of 14 projects selected by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to receive $1 million awards beginning this fall through the Coalition Warfare Program, which funds international collaborative research efforts.

The ICODE MDA project is a research alliance between ONR and Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific). ONR is partnering with scientists in Chile to build widgets, or Web-based applications, for use by sailors and maritime operators to analyze data and other information to combat pirates, drug smugglers, arms traffickers, illegal fishermen and other nefarious groups.

“A lot of maritime threats occur in developing parts of the world,” said Dr. Augustus Vogel,associate director for Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa in ONR-Global’s Chile office. “Our goal is to develop partnerships with countries that have maritime threats to help solve those problems.”

ONR will tap researchers at the Technical University of Federico Santa Maria, one of Chile’s top engineering schools, to create Web-based tools in an open source environment. The work will focus on producing software to improve automation, small-target detection and intent detection.

Oy!  Avast!  Or is that only said during sword fights…
Ultimately, the software will be compatible with multiple maritime network systems so that navies around the world can use the tools and share information for global operations.

“We’ll take those tools and integrate them into a widget framework that can be part of a coalition-accessible Web portal,” said John Stastny, an engineer in the advanced analysis systems branch at SSC Pacific, who is helping to lead the ICODE MDA project.

The effort in Chile is part of a larger collaborative project that encompasses nations in Africa, where ICODE MDA has been underway with researchers at the University of Ghana, University of Pretoria, University of Mauritius and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.

That’s right you scurvy dogs, it’s a new techno-generation.  So watch out all ye who sail under the black flag, we’ve got our (metaphorical) cannons trained on you.
For more information about ICODE MDA, click here!
Information for this article provided by the Office of Naval Research
Jessica L. Tozer is a blogger for DoDLive and Armed With Science.  She is an Army veteran an avid science fiction fan, both of which contribute to her enthusiasm for technology in the military.

Junge Visionen für die europäische Raumfahrt und neue Trägersysteme

Junge Visionen für die europäische Raumfahrt und neue Trägersysteme

THE USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Pearl Harbor survivors, military and civilian leaders gather together May 27, 2012, for the USS Arizona Memorial 50th anniversary commemoration ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. The memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth (Released) 120527-F-MQ656-282

"I SAW THREE SHIPS COME SAILING ..."

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), bottom, the Military Sealift Command Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE-10) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) conduct a replenishment at sea. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amanda L. Kilpatrick (Released) 120524-N-XO959-121

MODERNIZING THE LONG RANGE STRIKE B-52 STRATOFORTRESS

The B-52 Stratofortress crew from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., provide tours to the visitors during the ILA 2010 Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition and Conferences June 10. The Berlin Air Show features 1,153 exhibitors from 47 countries, including the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes) 


FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARMED WITH SCIENCE
Written on MAY 28, 2012 AT 7:08 AM by JTOZER
Upgrades for the B-52’s

During a recent visit to Edwards AFB, Calif., the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command spent time with B-52 Combined Test Force officials to preview the combat capability enhancements made to the B-52H Stratofortress.

Lt.Gen. Jim Kowalski operates the Combat Network Communications Technology program on board a B-52H Stratofortress test bomber May 2, 2012, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jet Fabara) 

Modernizing and sustaining the nation’s long range strike aviation capability is a top priority for the command, Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski said, who recently noted the B-52 has served and delivered decisive effects in many recent U.S. conflicts to include Operation Iraqi Freedom.

We’re celebrating this year as the Year of the B-52, marking both the 50th anniversary of the last delivery of a B-52H to Minot AFB, N.D., and the 60th anniversary of the first test flight of the YB-52, he said.

He attributed the reliability and combat capability of the dual-role bomber to the talented maintenance personnel, outstanding depot support and the Air Force’s continued investment in the airframe.

The B-52H is a dual-capable aircraft designed to carry a variety of weapons in support of a range of military operations. It has been projected for a number of upgrades that have already been made to the two B-52H test aircraft at Edwards AFB.

These upgrades are integral to ensuring the B-52H is both effective and able to fully integrate with other services, as envisioned in the Air Sea Battle concept, according to command officials.

Among the upgrades is a guided “smart weapon” capability in the B-52H’s internal weapons bay, which provides a 66 percent increase in guided weapons payload. Another current program is an upgrade to the latest Advanced Targeting Pod, which will increase the B-52H effectiveness when performing close air support and other missions.

One of the test aircraft at Edwards AFB also featured an improved on-board communications upgrade called Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT).

The CONECT program brings the B-52H from the analog into the digital age, according to command officials, providing an invaluable data link over which to pass mission and threat data.
With the new defense strategy placing a greater emphasis on the Pacific, it’s really important that our bombers are fully networked and integrated with the joint force, Kowalski said.

The command provides a fleet of B-52Hs and a cadre of Airmen from Minot AFB and Barksdale AFB year-round in support of the continuous bomber presence mission in the Pacific, which ensures stability and peace in the region.

“Long-range, payload, persistence … these three attributes underlie key capabilities provided by Global Strike Command’s B-2 and B-52H fleet,” said Col. Rick Mitchell, the Bomber Requirements Division chief. “These attributes become increasingly important to combat the ‘tyranny of distance‘ posed by the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

“Integrating a beyond line-of-sight data link and installing new controls and color displays on the aircraft decreases the crew workload significantly,” Mitchell said “A controlling agency can now send mission updates to the B-52 via the data link without having to rely on voice communications.

“Because the data link is integrated with the aircraft offensive avionics system, the aircrew simply has to accept the mission change which is then automatically loaded into the avionics and weapons,” he continued. “Our current and temporary datalink solution does not provide us with this capability. The ability of CONECT to accomplish this retargeting allows for standoff weapons survivability and shorten the close air support kill chain.”

These digital enhancements will ensure the viability of the B-52H well into the 21st century, Mitchell said.
Courtesy of the Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress based out of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., participates at the Royal International Air Tattoo July 17, 2010, at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom. RIAT is held annually and boast itself as "the world's largest military airshow." (U.S. Air Force photo/Chief Master Sgt. Greg Wade) 

THE PINWHEEL GALAXY

This image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, or also known as M101, combines data in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and X-rays from four of NASA's space-based telescopes.This multi-spectral view shows that both young and old stars are evenly distributed along M101's tightly-wound spiral arms. Such composite images allow astronomers to see how features in one part of the spectrum match up with those seen in other parts. It is like seeing with a regular camera, an ultraviolet camera, night-vision goggles and X-ray vision, all at the same time.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is in the constellation of Ursa Major (also known as the Big Dipper). It is about 70% larger than our own Milky Way Galaxy, with a diameter of about 170,000 light years, and sits at a distance of 21 million light years from Earth. This means that the light we're seeing in this image left the Pinwheel Galaxy about 21 million years ago - many millions of years before humans ever walked the Earth.

The hottest and most energetic areas in this composite image are shown in purple, where the Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the X-ray emission from exploded stars, million-degree gas, and material colliding around black holes.

Credit	X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR & UV: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI
Scale	Image is 16.8 arcmin across
Category	Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies
Coordinates (J2000)	RA 14h 03m 12.59s | Dec +54° 20’ 56.70''
Constellation	Ursa Major
Observation Dates	03/26/2000 - 01/01/2005 with 26 pointings
Observation Time	274 hours (11 days 10 hours)
Obs. IDs	934, 2065, 4731-4737, 5296-5297, 5300, 5309, 5322-5323, 5337-5340, 6114-6115, 6118, 6152, 6169-6170, 6175
Color Code	X-ray (Purple); Infrared (Red); Optical (Yellow); Ultraviolet (Blue)
Instrument	ACIS
Also Known As	NGC 5457,  The Pinwheel Galaxy
Distance Estimate	About 21 million light years
Release Date	May 24, 2012

MAN ACCUSED OF OPERATING A $60 MILLION INVESTMENT FUND FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., May 24, 2012 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged an investment adviser in Scotts Valley, Calif., with running a $60 million investment fund like a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors by touting imaginary trading profits instead of reporting the actual trading losses he incurred.

The SEC alleges that John A. Geringer, who managed the GLR Growth Fund, used false and misleading marketing materials to lure investors into believing that the fund was earning double-digit annual returns by investing 75 percent of its assets in investments tied to major stock indices. In reality, Geringer’s trading generated consistent losses and he eventually stopped trading entirely. To mask his fraud, Geringer paid millions of dollars in “returns” to investors largely by using money received from newer investors. He also sent investors periodic account statements showing fictitious growth in their investments.

“Geringer painted the picture of a successful fund weathering America’s financial crisis through a diversified, conservative investment strategy,” said Marc Fagel, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “The reality, however, was the complete opposite. Geringer lost millions of dollars in the market, tied up remaining investor funds in a pair of illiquid private companies, and lied about it in phony account statements.”

According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, Geringer raised more than $60 million since 2005, mostly from investors in the Santa Cruz area. Geringer used fraudulent marketing materials claiming that the fund had between 17 and 25 percent annual returns in every year of the fund’s operation through investments tied to well-known stock indices like the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Jones. Although the fund was started in 2003, marketing materials claimed 25 percent returns in 2001 and 2002 – before the fund even existed. The marketing materials also falsely indicated a nearly 24 percent return in 2008 from investing mainly in publicly-traded securities, options, and commodities, while the S&P 500 Index lost 38.5 percent.

The SEC alleges that Geringer’s actual securities trading was unsuccessful, and by mid-2009 the fund did not invest in publicly-traded securities at all. Instead, the fund invested heavily in illiquid investments in two private startup technology companies. The rest of the money was paid to investors in Ponzi-like fashion and to three entities Geringer controlled that also are charged in the SEC’s complaint.

According to the SEC’s complaint, Geringer further lied to investors on account statements that falsely claimed “MEMBER NASD AND SEC APPROVED.” The SEC does not “approve” funds or investments in funds, nor was the fund (or any related entity) a member of the NASD (now called the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority – FINRA). Geringer also falsely claimed that the fund’s financial statements were audited annually by an independent accountant. No such audits were performed.

The SEC’s complaint alleges Geringer and three related entities violated or aided and abetted violations of the antifraud provisions of the securities laws as well as a statute barring people from claiming that the SEC has passed on the merits of a particular investment. The SEC seeks financial penalties, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, preliminary and permanent injunctions, and other relief. Geringer, the fund, and two of the related entities consented to the entry of a preliminary injunction and a freeze on the fund’s bank account.

The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by Robert J. Durham and Robert S. Leach of the San Francisco Regional Office. The SEC’s litigation will be led by Sheila O’Callaghan of the San Francisco Regional Office.

The SEC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and FINRA for their assistance in this matter.

FUND MANAGER AND HIS TWO FIRMS CHARGED BY SEC WITH MISHANDLING FUNDS

Photo:  New York Stock Exchange.  Credit:  U.S. Government.
FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., May 25, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against a New York-based fund manager and his two firms for luring investors into a trading program that would purportedly maximize their profits but instead spent their money in unauthorized ways.

The SEC alleges that since at least November 2011, Jason J. Konior and his firms raised approximately $11 million by selling investors limited partnership interests in Absolute Fund LP, an investment vehicle that Konior claimed had $220 million in trading capital. Konior and his firms falsely claimed that Absolute Fund would allocate millions of dollars in matching investment funds, place the combined funds in brokerage accounts through which investors could trade securities, and operate a “first loss” trading program that would allow investors to dramatically increase their potential profits.

However, the SEC alleges that instead of using investor funds for trading purposes, Konior and his firms Absolute Fund Advisors (AFA) and Absolute Fund Management (AFM) siphoned off approximately $2 million of the proceeds to pay redemptions from earlier investors and to pay their personal and business expenses.

The SEC obtained an asset freeze against Konior and his companies late yesterday in federal court in Manhattan.

“Konior falsely portrayed Absolute Fund as a legitimate investment vehicle designed to maximize investors’ access to trading capital in order to grow their hedge fund businesses,” said Bruce Karpati, Co-Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Asset Management Unit. “In reality, Konior’s operation became a way for Konior to funnel cash to his firms and himself for unauthorized purposes.”

According to the SEC’s complaint, Konior falsely represented to several investors that upon receipt of their investments, Absolute Fund would:
Allocate capital of up to nine times the amount of the investor’s capital contribution.

Place the combined funds in a sub-account at a broker-dealer through which the investor could trade securities.

Allocate any trading losses first to the investor’s contribution amount, and then any trading profits would be shared between Absolute Fund and the investor.

The SEC alleges that Absolute Fund did not actually operate the first loss trading program as promised for these investors. Absolute Fund also did not provide these investors with any matching funds or satisfy investor demands for returns of their capital contribution.

The SEC’s complaint charges Konior, AFA, and AFM with violating the antifraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and seeks, among other things, permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and financial penalties. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, Konior, AFA, and AFM have consented to the entry of an order freezing their assets, imposing a preliminary injunction against further violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and providing other relief. The Honorable Judge Louis L. Stanton issued the court order granting such relief.

The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Catherine Lifeso, Lara Mehraban, Kerri Palen, and Ken C. Joseph of the New York Regional Office. Ms. Lifeso, Ms. Mehraban, and Mr. Joseph are members of the Enforcement Division’s Asset Management Unit. Aaron Arnzen is leading the SEC’s litigation.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia. 
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Race to the Top District Competition Draft
Thank you for your interest in the Race to the Top – District (RTT-D) Program. Like the Race to the Top State program, the Race to the Top – District Program is designed to encourage unprecedented innovation and bold comprehensive reform in elementary and secondary education.

In order to run a rigorous competition and obligate funds to grantees before the December 31, 2012 statutory deadline, the Department of Education (Department) will waive rulemaking for this new program, pursuant to its authority in the General Education Provisions Act.

However, because the Department is very interested in your input, we are posting this draft executive summary of the draft requirements, priorities, selection criteria, and definitions for the Race to the Top District competition on this Web site. We encourage all interested parties to submit opinions, ideas, suggestions, and comments pertaining to the Race to the Top District program. This document will be posted for public input until 5:00 PM EDT on Friday, June 8, 2012, at which time the input section will be closed and we will begin considering input received as we develop final requirements, priorities, selection criteria, and definitions. Though the Department will not respond to comments, the Department will read and consider all comments in finalizing the Race to the Top District competition design. Later this summer we will publish a notice of final requirements, priorities, selection criteria, and definitions in the Federal Register along with a notice inviting applications.

The Race to the Top District competition will build on the lessons learned from the State-level competitions and support bold, locally directed improvements in teaching and learning that will directly improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness. More specifically, Race to the Top District will reward those LEAs that have the leadership and vision to implement the strategies, structures and systems of support to move beyond one-size–fits-all models of schooling, which have struggled to produce excellence and equity for all children, to personalized, student-focused approaches to teaching and learning that will use collaborative, data-based strategies and 21st century tools to deliver instruction and supports tailored to the needs and goals of each student, with the goal of enabling all students to graduate college- and career-ready.

Successful LEAs will provide the information, tools, and supports that enable teachers to truly differentiate instruction and meet the needs of each child. These LEAs will have the policy and systems infrastructure, capacity, and culture to enable teachers, teacher teams and school leaders to continuously focus on improving individual student achievement. They will organize around the goal of each child demonstrating content and skills mastery and credentialing required for college and career and will allow students significantly more freedom to study and advance at their own pace - both in and out of school. As importantly, they will create opportunities for students to identify and pursue areas of personal passion-- all of this occurring in the context of ensuring that each student demonstrates mastery in critical areas identified in college- and career ready standards. LEAs successfully implementing this approach to teaching and learning will lay the modern blueprint for raising student achievement, decreasing the achievement gap across student groups, and increasing the rates at which students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers.

The Race to the Top State competition incentivized bold and comprehensive reform in elementary and secondary education and laid the foundation for unprecedented innovation. A total of 46 States and the District of Columbia put together comprehensive plans to implement college- and career-ready standards, use data systems to guide teaching and learning, evaluate and support teachers and school leaders, and turn around their lowest-performing schools. The Race to the Top District competition (RTT-D) will build on the lessons learned from the State-level competitions and support bold, locally directed improvements in teaching and learning that will directly improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness.

More specifically, RTT-D will reward those LEAs that have the leadership and vision to implement the strategies, structures and systems of support to move beyond one-size–fits-all models of schooling, which have struggled to produce excellence and equity for all children, to personalized, student-focused approaches to teaching and learning that will use collaborative, data-based strategies and 21st century tools to deliver instruction and supports tailored to the needs and goals of each student, with the goal of enabling all students to graduate college- and career-ready.

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CALLS STATION FOLLOWING SPACEX HISTORIC FEAT

FROM:  NASA
Photo:  SpacX  Prepares For Launch. Credit: NASA  
WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden offered his
congratulations to the International Space Station Expedition 31 crew
and mission flight control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Houston and SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., following
Friday's successful first-time berthing of a commercial company
spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon, to the space station.

Bolden talked with NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Joe Acaba, and
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers during a call to the
space station Friday afternoon live on NASA Television. Bolden told
the crew, "You made history today and have firmly locked into place
the future direction of America's space program."

To view the call between Bolden and the Expedition 31 astronauts,
visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Smw7rz1FU

At 9:56 a.m. EDT Friday, Pettit used the station's robotic arm to
grapple Dragon. Kuipers then used the arm to attach the capsule to
the station's Harmony node at 11:52 a.m. Acaba completed berthing
operations by remotely bolting the Dragon to Harmony at 12:02 p.m.
The crew members spent the rest of their day preparing to open the
hatches between the two spacecraft on Saturday morning.

The SpaceX demonstration mission to the space station is the second
under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program,
which provides investments intended to lead to regular resupply
missions to the station and stimulate the commercial space industry
in the United States.

MAN CONVICTED FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO CERTIFYING SHIPS FOR SEA

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Friday, May 25, 2012
Miami Man Convicted for Obstruction of Justice and False Statements for Certifying Ships Safe for Sea

WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Miami yesterday convicted a Miami-based ship surveyor for lying to the Coast Guard and for falsely certifying the safety of ships at sea, announced Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice; Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Rear Admiral William D. Baumgartner, Commander, 7th Coast Guard District; and Jonathan Sall, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Alejandro Gonzalez, 60, of Miami-Dade County, Fla., was convicted by a federal jury in Miami of three counts of making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard and one count of obstruction of an agency proceeding. The defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison on each count.

The jury found Gonzalez guilty of lying to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors and a criminal investigator during an interview in April 2009 about the dry-docking of the M/V Cala Galdana, a 68-meter cargo vessel, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Gonzalez repeatedly claimed the vessel was dry-docked in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 2006, while evidence at the trial proved conclusively that the vessel was never in Colombia during 2006.
U.S. Coast Guard inspectors in San Juan discovered the vessel taking on water in August 2008 and requested information concerning the last dry-docking of the vessel.  Gonzalez concocted a false story about the vessel being dry-docked in Colombia in 2006 when he knew it was not.

Gonzales was also convicted of falsifying documents in December 2009 for the M/V Cosette, a 92-meter cargo vessel.  As the surveyor on behalf of Bolivia, Gonzalez certified the ship as safe for sea while the vessel was docked in Fort Pierce, Fla., in November 2009.  When the vessel shortly thereafter arrived in New York City harbor, U.S. Coast Guard inspectors discovered exhaust and fuel pouring into the ship’s engine room, endangering the crew and the ship.  For his action, Gonzalez was convicted of making a false statement and obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard Port State Control examination.

Assistant Attorney General Moreno and U.S. Attorney Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Raich and Trial Attorney Kenneth Nelson, of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Sentencing is currently scheduled for Aug. 2, 2012, in Miami.

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AT WEST POINT GRADUATION 2012

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with cadet First Captain Charles Phelps during graduation at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., May 26, 2012. U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade

Biden Details Challenges for New West Point Grads
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2012 - West Point is even more important to the country today than when Gen. George Washington called it "the key to the continent," Vice President Joe Biden said during graduation exercises at the U.S. Military Academy today.

In 1777, West Point was a fortified area along the Hudson River that stopped the British from splitting the colonies. Today, the home of the military academy produces leaders who shape America and answer every call to duty the country makes, the vice president said.

Biden spoke to the 1,032 cadets who received their diplomas and were commissioned into service. He also spoke to their families and friends gathered under a hot sun at Michie Stadium.

The class represents the best of the 9/11 generation, the vice president said, adding that the cadets "are more than worthy of the proud legacy you inherit today."

The cadets, like all men and women who joined the military after 9/11, knew they would be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Biden said. "Hundreds of thousands of you have laced up those combat boots and walked across those barren deserts or snow-capped mountains, where 24 members of this graduating class have already served," he said.

The graduates will be commissioned officers, but they will also be much more, the vice president said. They will learn the intricacies of tribal politics, they will learn how to run a school system, put in irrigation, train indigenous forces and much more.

These young officers must learn counterinsurgency doctrine and apply it, but they must be ready for changes in the world, too, Biden said. The United States is working to strengthen NATO so it can continue being the most successful alliance in history, he said. And as the war in Iraq has ended and the war in Afghanistan ends, the military can spend time on other priorities including the Asia-Pacific region.

"The United States has long been and will remain a Pacific power, and a critical provider of peace, prosperity and security in this vital region," Biden told the cadets. "The most critical relationship to get right is that between the United States and China. Every day the affairs of our nations and the livelihoods of our citizens grow more connected. How we manage this relationship between the world's two largest economies ... will help shape the 21st century."

The United States also is working with other emerging powers like India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa. "All these efforts are helping advance America's interests at home and around the world," he said.

The new strategic defense strategy will affect these new officers. The strategy provides "a more agile, flexible force prepared for future challenges, better able to confront the aggressors and project power with strong partners to share the burden and smart investments in cutting edge capabilities," he said.
America's unique position in the world requires the finest fighting force, Biden said. "And that's exactly what this strategy does," he said.

The U.S. Military Academy has prepared the new officers to face new challenges and lead. They have "the minds to adapt to tomorrow's horizons, from cyberspace to outer space," he said.

"West Point is in the business of producing great leaders," Biden said. "Class of 2012, this is your destiny – to lead your country."

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA'S COMMENTS ON JAILING OF DR. SHAKIL AFRIDI

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Panetta: Pakistan's Jailing of Doctor 'Unhelpful' to U.S. Relations

By Nick Simeone

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2012 - Pakistan's jailing of a doctor who helped the United States find and kill Osama bin Laden a year ago is undermining efforts by both countries to improve relations, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in an interview that aired today.

"It is so difficult to understand and so disturbing that they would sentence this doctor to 33 years for helping in the search for the most notorious terrorist in our times," Panetta said in a May 25 taping of ABC's "This Week" program. "This doctor was not working against Pakistan. He was working against al-Qaeda and I hope that, ultimately, Pakistan understands that because what they have done here, I think, does not help in the effort to try to re-establish a relationship between the United States and Pakistan."

Last week, a court in northwestern Pakistan convicted Dr. Shakil Afridi of treason and sentenced him to 33 years in prison. In January, Panetta confirmed publically that Afridi helped the U.S gain access to bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by providing "very helpful" information. In the interview that aired today, he made clear the Pakistani court's decision could undermine months of efforts to get relations back on track.

"What they did with this doctor doesn't help in the effort to try to do that," he said.

Several key events, including the secret U.S mission to kill bin Laden last May as well as NATO's accidental killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan/Pakistan border in November, have severely tested U.S.-Pakistani relations. Six months after Pakistan closed overland NATO supply lines in response to the border incident, Panetta confirmed both countries are still working on terms for re-opening the ground routes. There have been multiple reports that Pakistan is demanding a steep increase in the fees it will collect from vehicles crossing the border.

"They're negotiating what that price ought to be," the secretary said. "We're not about to get gouged in the price. We want a fair price."

Panetta said the United States and Pakistan remain allies in the fight against terrorism but acknowledged the relationship has strengths and weaknesses. "This has been one of the most complicated relationships that we've had working with Pakistan. We have to continue to work at it. It is important. This is a country that has nuclear weapons. This is a country that still is critical in that region of the world. It's an up and down relationship."

Panetta's interview with ABC came just days after nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers aimed at freezing Tehran's uranium enrichment program ended without apparent progress. Panetta was asked whether the U.S. has a plan ready to strike Iran's nuclear sites if diplomacy fails to curb what the West suspects is an Iranian covert nuclear weapons program.

"We are prepared for any contingency in that part of the world," he said. "But our hope is that these matters can be resolved diplomatically."

WWII FLYING B-17 FORTRESS "THE YANKEE LADY"

Active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard Airmen at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., get a close up look at a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress on Oct. 12, 2006. The "Yankee Lady" is kept at the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville, Mich., and was at Andrews AFB for a flyover during the Air Force Memorial Dedication weekend at the Pentagon Oct. 14-15. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Amaani Lyle)

A .50-calibur machinegun sits in the narrow tunneled fuselage of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Retired Maj. Gen. Richard Bodycombe, a former commander of the Air Force Reserve, and a crew flew the World War II aircraft from Detroit to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Oct. 12, 2006. The plane holds 12 machine guns and can carry up to 6,000 pounds of ordnance. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Amaani Lyle)

BLUE ANGEL PERFORMANCES EARLIER THIS YEAR

(Left)
120519-N-MG658-604 JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (May 19, 2012) The U.S. Navy fight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, demonstrate choreographed flight skills during the annual Joint Service Open House. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Todd Frantom/Released)







(Right)
120330-N-BA418-044 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (March 30, 2012) Capt. Greg McWherter, commanding officer and flight leader for the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, leads a formation of F/A-18 Hornets during a looping maneuver at the Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show 2012. The Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show was the fourth show site of the squadron's 2012 season. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Johnson/Released) 

PRESIDENT OBAMA URGES AMERICANS TO REMEMBER SACRIFICES ON MEMORIAL DAY

Photo:  Marine Plays Taps At Arlington National Cemetery.  Credit:  U.S. Marine Corps.  

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Obama: Remember Veterans Past, Present on Memorial Day

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2012 - President Barack Obama today urged all Americans to remember those who sacrificed for the country and to help service members still feeling the effects of war.

In his Saturday address, the president reminded Americans that Memorial Day is more than just a well-earned three-day weekend. "In town squares and national cemeteries, in public services and moments of quiet reflection, we will honor those who loved their country enough to sacrifice their own lives for it," he said.

On Monday, Obama will place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony honors all Americans who died in war from those at Concord and Lexington to Baghdad and Kandahar.

Later in the day, he will participate in a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here marking the 50th anniversary of the war that claimed 58,000 Americans. "It's another chance to honor those we lost at places like Hue, Khe Sanh, Danang and Hamburger Hill," he said. "And we'll be calling on you — the American people — to join us in thanking our Vietnam veterans in your communities."

But even as Americans remember those who died, they need to remember the veterans who also sacrificed, the president said. Hundreds of thousands of service members have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, tens of thousands of them have been wounded.

"We have to serve them and their families as well as they have served us: By making sure that they get the healthcare and benefits they need; by caring for our wounded warriors and supporting our military families; and by giving veterans the chance to go to college, find a good job, and enjoy the freedom that they risked everything to protect," he said.

The country owes these Americans for their service, Obama said. "Our men and women in uniform took an oath to defend our country at all costs, and today, as members of the finest military the world has ever known, they uphold that oath with dignity and courage," he said.

Americans need to let these veterans and their families know they are appreciated and cherished. "On Memorial Day, we come together as Americans to let these families and veterans know that they are not alone," the president said. "We give thanks for those who sacrificed everything so that we could be free. And we commit ourselves to upholding the ideals for which so many patriots have fought and died."

MEMORIAL DAY, A DAY OF REFLECTION

Photo:  Annapolis National Cemetery.  Credit:  U.S. Department of Defense.
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Memorial Day – When America Remembers
Reflecting on the Sacrifice of America’s Fallen Warriors
Memorial Day is a time for somber remembrance of the loved ones who died in the service of their nation.

Memorial Day is the Federal holiday celebrated the last Monday of each May to honor the men and women who died while serving in the military.

Unlike Veterans Day, which is held each November 11 to honor all Veterans, Memorial Day represents a time for the nation to pause, remember and honor the service of deceased Veterans and military members who died on active duty.

Memorial Day is a time when people visit cemeteries and memorials. Many cemeteries will host ceremonies of remembrance, which are usually coordinated on the local level by officials at those cemeteries.
                                                                            Photo:  Corinth National Cemetery.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
The holiday was originally called Decoration Day, when the tradition of decorating the graves of Union and Confederate Veterans began. It still brings loved ones to the graves of the deceased, often with flowers.

“I call on all Americans to come together to honor the men and women who gave their lives so that we may live free, and to strive for a just and lasting peace in our world.”
— President Barack Obama

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend activities at VA’s national cemeteries with color guards, readings, bands, and choir performances. Events will honor about one million men and women who died in the military during wartime, including about 655,000 battle deaths.

National cemetery staff and volunteers typically place American flags on each grave.
At Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment based at Fort Myer, Va. — the famed “Old Guard” — traditionally decorate each grave with a small American flag.

Remembering Fallen Warriors
On Memorial Day at 3 p.m., local time around the nation, Americans will pause for the annual Moment of Remembrance to pause and reflect on the sacrifice of America’s fallen warriors and the freedoms that unite Americans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains approximately three million gravesites at its 131 national cemeteries and has the potential to provide six million graves on more than 19,000 acres in 39 states and Puerto Rico, as well as 33 soldier’s lots and monument sites.

NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Justice Department Commemorates National Missing Children’s Day May 25th, 2012
 Posted by Tracy Russo
The following post appears courtesy of Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs, Mary Lou Leary

The disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz on May 25, 1979, of Adam Walsh in 1981, and the murders of 29 children in Atlanta during those same years forced our nation to realize we had no national response system in place to coordinate the efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement when children went missing. We had no central resource to help families searching for their children. The momentum generated by a concerned public following these disappearances led to photographs of missing children on milk cartons — and ultimately a nationwide movement.

Each president since Ronald Reagan has commemorated May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day to remind the nation to make child protection a national priority.

At a moving ceremony this Wednesday, I listened as Deputy Attorney General James Cole paid tribute to four individuals — a special agent, a detective, a 30-year veteran of the postal service, and a prosecutor– for their extraordinary efforts to recover missing children, rescue children from abuse, and prosecute sexual predators.  These jobs are among the toughest in law enforcement, as Deputy Attorney General Colesaid:

Your jobs are among the most intellectually challenging and emotionally wrenching.   You uncover crimes of depravity and cold calculation.   Most people would cower from the prospect but you rise to meet the challenge, knowing that these kids and their communities are depending on you.   We commend you for your servic

Yvonne Pointer, a mother who experienced this pain and loss firsthand, also spoke passionately and poignantly during the ceremony about her daughter Gloria, who was abducted, raped, and murdered when she was 14 years old. Since then Yvonne has become a passionate advocate, working to stop crimes against children and to give a voice to families who have lost a loved one.

I’m proud that the Office of Justice Programs plays such a central role in the Justice Department’s efforts on behalf of children.  We fund programs, we train practitioners, and we support research to make these efforts increasingly more successful and effective.  Our work with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program has made a difference in neighborhoods across the country in the lives of many children and their families. As the AMBER AlertProgram National Coordinator, I’m gratified to report the program has led to the successful recovery of 584 abducted children since its creation in 1996.

Attorney General Holder has long been committed to children’s safety and well-being.  His Defending Childhood initiative, has created a national task force of experts who have heard about children’s exposure to violence from practitioners, policymakers, academics, community members, and survivors at four public hearings in the past six months. The task force will synthesize its recommendations in a final report to the Attorney General later this year.

We know that the powerful voices of those most affected by violence will spur the task force to find new tools for preventing and reducing the effects of children’s exposure to violence, just as our annual National Missing Children’s Day event reminds us of the importance of working together to recover missing children and rescue them from harm’s way.  

As Yvonne Pointer said so eloquently:

“Today we are reminded why we commemorate this day and why we must continue to speak for children who have lost their voices and those that are still missing.  We must be the strength of our communities and the keeper of our children.  We must never give up this mission.  Never give up hope.”

U.S. SECRETARY OF HHS KATHLEEN SEBELIUS SPEECH AT WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
World Medical Association
May 22, 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
Every country in the world recognizes the huge benefits of investing in health. Healthy children are better students. Healthy adults are more productive workers. Healthy families can make greater contributions to their communities. And when we live longer, healthier lives, we have more time to do our jobs, play with our children, and watch our grandchildren grow up.

And yet, in too many countries, including my own, we fall short when it comes to the health of women.

One reason for this is that women are more likely to depend on a male partner to access health care. And they’re often less likely to have the resources they need to get care on their own.

Another obstacle is health systems that too often fail to consider the unique health needs of women.

In the United States, it wasn’t until the 1980s that women were even included in clinical trials. As a result, we had no idea what treatments or medicines were particularly effective for women. We didn’t know what might happen when a drug that had been tested on a 180-pound man, was given to a 110-pound woman.

Despite the progress we’ve made since then, disparities persist to this day. Women in America often pay more for health insurance, just because they’re women. And to add insult to injury, these plans often don’t even cover the basic care they need. In my country, just one out of 8 plans for those who buy their own insurance cover maternity care -- as if getting pregnant were some very rare condition.

The result is that far too many women, who often serve as the health care gatekeepers for their families, go without care themselves.

Of course, we see the same thing around the world. Every two minutes, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. The risks are even greater if you live in the developing world -- where three out of every four women needing care for complications from pregnancy do not receive it.

Even in places where care is available, the demand is so great that it often stretches resources to their limits.

Last year I visited the maternity ward of the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania. There were so few beds and nurses that some women had to share beds in the post-natal room. And others were discharged just hours after giving birth. The hospital was doing heroic work. And the women who were able to deliver there, were among the lucky ones. Yet, so much need still went unmet.

We know that when we under-invest in women’s health, whole families pay the price. When a mother dies the chance of her child dying within 12 months, increases seven fold.
So under President Obama, we’re putting a new focus on women’s health – at home and abroad.

In the United States, the key to those efforts is the Affordable Care Act, our most important women’s health legislation in years.
The health care law starts by ending discrimination against pre-existing conditions. Insurers are already prohibited from denying coverage to children because they have asthma or diabetes. And beginning in 2014, all women will be protected from being locked out of the market because they’re a breast cancer survivor, or gave birth by c-section, or were a victim of domestic violence.

In the past -- because they were worried about losing their health coverage -- too many women didn’t have the freedom to make important decisions like changing jobs, starting a new company, even leaving a bad marriage. Now that women know they can’t be turned away because of their health status, we’re taking those choices back from the insurance companies and returning them to the women where they belong.

Next, the law prohibits insurers from charging women more just because they’re women. To put it another way: this means that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition.

And the law helps women get the preventive care they need to stay healthy, from mammograms to contraception to an annual check-up where you get to sit down and talk with your doctor, as a basic part of any insurance plan.
These improvements are happening across the lifespan. Young girls now have access to the vaccinations they need stay healthy without their parents worrying about additional costs. And seniors are getting better care to help manage their chronic conditions.
Put all these changes together and they represent the most important and comprehensive American law affecting women’s health in decades.

Now, we’ve also made women and girls a priority for our Global Health Initiative -- a new approach to coordinating the US government’s global health work around the world.
With a focus on collaboration, and innovation, this initiative -- launched by President Obama -- allows us to maximize America’s own strengths and support other nations as they work to improve their people’s health.

We are integrating our programs across the U.S. Government so they can work together more effectively. And we are looking for new and better ways to work with international partners, multilateral organizations, NGOs and foundations to meet our common goals
Through it all, we’ve made women’s health a key priority – and that includes family planning. We know that access to contraception allows women to space their pregnancies and have children during their healthiest years. And delaying pregnancy beyond adolescence can reduce infant mortality and dramatically improve a child’s long-term health. Providing a woman the tools to plan how many children she has, and when she has them, is essential to her health and her family’s health.

Now, just as important is making sure that, when women are pregnant, they get the care and support they need to have a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery.
The Global Health Initiative’s ‘Saving Mothers Giving Life’ campaign is a great example of these efforts. We know that for mothers and children at risk, the first 24 hours postpartum are the most dangerous. That’s when two out of every three maternal deaths, and almost half of newborn deaths occur.

So we’re working together with groups like Merck for Mothers, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Every Mother Counts, and the Government of Norway, to make sure mothers get the essential care they need during labor, delivery, and those crucial first 24 hours, so they can survive and thrive.
We’re focusing on countries with the political will to bring about change. And with more than $90 million in generous support from our non-governmental partners, we have begun selecting pilot sites in the regions of Uganda and Zambia where women are facing some of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world.

‘Saving Mothers Giving Life’ is just one example. But it illustrates an approach that runs throughout the Global Health Initiative. It starts by identifying the most urgent health challenges affecting some of the world’s poorest nations. Next, we identify the best people in the world with the specific expertise to solve these problems. Then we bring them together, and make sure they have the tools, resources and flexibility to take action.
For too long, too many women and girls have had their lives marred by illness or disability, just because they didn’t have access to health services. When we deprive women of the care and support they need to stay healthy or get well, we’re also robbing them of hope for the future.

That’s the moral argument for making women’s health a priority. But there’s a strategic argument too.

Women are gateways to their communities. Around the world, women are primarily responsible for managing water, nutrition, and household resources. They’re responsible for accessing health services for their families. Many of them are closely involved in actually providing health care for those around them.So by improving the health of women, we can improve the health of communities too.

Consider the story of Jemima, a woman living with HIV in rural western Kenya. At one point, the effects of her HIV got so bad she had wasted to 77 pounds. That’s when a volunteer brought Jemima, her husband, and her sick grandchild to a U.S. government-supported health clinic.

They went home with what is called a “Basic Care Package” – a bundle of low-cost health interventions, developed by public health researchers from our CDC Global AIDS Program to prevent the most debilitating, opportunistic infections among people living with HIV.

Jemima bounced back. She regained a healthy weight. And today she is a health leader in her community. She founded a group that offers emotional support and small loans to families touched by HIV. She sells health products to help support the eight sick and orphaned children she has adopted. And she has referred more than 100 HIV-infected men, women, and children to receive care at the same facility where she got help.
In Jemima, our investment saved not only a life, but a mother, a community leader, an entrepreneur and a health advocate.

What we know from our work with partners around the world is that improving the health of women and girls, unleashes powerful new opportunities – not just for them or their families – but for their communities and countries.

If we want to improve education, we should be giving our young women the healthy start they need to succeed in school. If we want to boost productivity, we can make sure women have access to health care, including family planning and other reproductive health services. If we want to build stronger communities, let’s enable women to teach their neighbors how to prevent disease and stay healthy.

Around the globe, our nations face many challenges. And investing in women’s health is one of the best ways we can address them together.
Thank you.

FALLEN SOLDIER RETURNS HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
5/22/2012 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Airmen and civilians line Peterson Boulevard May 21 to pay respect to Army 1st Lt. Alejo Thompson. Thompson was based at Fort Carson's 4th Infantry Division and was killed May 11 while serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Parwan Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Howk)

BOMBER AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT IN THE EARLY 1940S

U.S. AIR FORCE FACT SHEET
One of the first North American B-25s built. (U.S. Air Force photo) 
The pace of U.S. bomber development accelerated through the 1930s into the World War II years. Projects on the drawing board in the late 1930s were built and flying by the early 1940s. These projects could be grouped into three broad development categories: medium bombers, very heavy bombers and special projects.

The two most famous medium bombers were the North American B-25, which was developed using knowledge gained in the unsuccessful XB-21 project, and the B-26, the first successful Martin bomber since the ground breaking B-10.

At dawn on April 18, 1942, a U.S. Navy task force was heading through rough Pacific seas toward Japan. One of the ships in the flotilla was the aircraft carrier Hornet with 16 AAF B-25s on deck. Plans called for the B-25s to take off from the carrier within 450 to 650 miles of Japan, bomb selected targets at such locations as Yokohama and Tokyo, and then fly another 1,200 miles to friendly airfields on mainland China.

AAF B-26 medium bombers in England became operational in the spring of 1943. Not having the long range of the B-17 and B-24, B-26s were used almost exclusively for missions to Holland, Belgium and northwestern France, where they bombed airfields, transportation and lines of communication.

Very heavy bomber development can be traced back to the Boeing XB-15 and Douglas XB-19. Although neither design was successful, the data gathered led to the development of the B-29 -- one of the best bombers of WWII.

Development of the Boeing Superfortress, "very heavy bomber," began late in 1939 and the first XB-29 made its initial flight on Sept. 21, 1942; however, in a bold wartime gamble, the AAF ordered the plane into quantity production months before this first flight. Among the B-29's new features were pressurized crew compartments and a central fire-control system with remotely controlled gun turrets. Flying combat missions first from India and China and later from the Marianas Islands, the Superfortress repeatedly demonstrated its capability for carrying bomb loads of up to 20,000 pounds against targets as far away as 1,500 miles from its base.

Even larger bombers were in development during the war. The prototypes for the Northrop B-35 flying wing and the massive Consolidated B-36 Peacemaker were both ordered in 1942.

Finally, some bombers series were modified to test the feasibility of the escort bomber concept. Because of the limited range of escort fighters early in the war, bombers with greatly increased armament were built. The plan failed mainly because the increased weight of the escort bomber made it too slow to keep pace with the regular bomber formation and it had no maneuverability to avoid enemy fighter attacks.

PRESIDENT OBAMA PROCLAIMS 50 ANNIVERSARY OF VIETNAM WAR

Vietnam War Memorial Aerial View.  Credit: U.S. Government
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
President Proclaims 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012 - In a proclamation issued today, President Barack Obama urged Americans to remember the courage and sacrifice of U.S. military members who served during the Vietnam War, and he declared May 28, 2012, through November 11, 2025, as the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

In his proclamation, Obama called upon federal, state, and local officials "to honor our Vietnam veterans, our fallen, our wounded, those unaccounted for, our former prisoners of war, their families, and all who served with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities" during the 13-year commemoration.

"As we observe the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, we reflect with solemn reverence upon the valor of a generation that served with honor," Obama said in his proclamation. "We pay tribute to the more than 3 million servicemen and women who left their families to serve bravely, a world away from everything they knew and everyone they loved.

"From Ia Drang to Khe Sanh, from Hue to Saigon and countless villages in between, they pushed through jungles and rice paddies, heat and monsoon, fighting heroically to protect the ideals we hold dear as Americans," the president continued. "Through more than a decade of combat, over air, land, and sea, these proud Americans upheld the highest traditions of our armed forces."

Today, grateful Americans "honor more than 58,000 patriots -- their names etched in black granite -- who sacrificed all they had and all they would ever know," Obama said. "We draw inspiration from the heroes who suffered unspeakably as prisoners of war, yet who returned home with their heads held high. We pledge to keep faith with those who were wounded and still carry the scars of war, seen and unseen. With more than 1,600 of our service members still among the missing, we pledge as a nation to do everything in our power to bring these patriots home.

"In the reflection of The Wall," he continued, "we see the military family members and veterans who carry a pain that may never fade. May they find peace in knowing their loved ones endure, not only in medals and memories, but in the hearts of all Americans, who are forever grateful for their service, valor, and sacrifice."
Obama urged citizens to "renew our sacred commitment to those who answered our country's call in Vietnam and those who awaited their safe return."

Beginning on Memorial Day, May 28, 2012, he said, the federal government will partner with local governments, private organizations, and communities across America to participate in the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

The 13-year commemoration, he added, will "honor and give thanks to a generation of proud Americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced."

No amount of words will ever be enough or fully worthy in praising military members for their service in the Vietnam War, nor any honor truly befitting their sacrifice, Obama said.

However, "it is never too late to pay tribute to the men and women who answered the call of duty with courage and valor," he said, adding it's also important to "renew our commitment to the fullest possible accounting for those who have not returned."

Obama urged all Americans to provide "our Vietnam veterans, their families, and all who have served the fullest respect and support of a grateful nation."