RADIATION AND FULL-BODY SCANNERS

Illustration Credit:  U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

FROM: U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Very Low Health Risks from Full-Body X-ray Scanners

Be it in airports, court buildings, or other venues, Americans are increasingly encountering full-body imaging systems, the new wave in electronic security screening.

General-use X-ray security screening systems represent one of two full-body scanning technologies currently being put into widespread use to check people for concealed weapons, explosives, or other contraband without having to make physical contact.

Extensive use of full-body scanning technologies, including the general-use X-ray systems, is a relatively new development. Thus it's natural for people to have questions—including questions about whether these systems pose any health risks.

However, FDA Engineer Daniel Kassiday says, "The dose from one screening with a general-use X-ray security screening system is so low that it presents an extremely small risk to any individual."

 
Very Small Amounts of Energy
General-use X-ray security systems found in U.S. airports are also called "backscatter" systems. They use very small amounts of X-ray that are "bounced" off the person being screened. The reflected energy is received by an array of sensitive detectors and then processed by a computer to form an image.

Full-body scanners are large in size, and require individuals to step into the machine and remain still for a few seconds while the scan takes place.

Kassiday explains, "A person receives more radiation from naturally occurring sources in less than an hour of ordinary living than from one screening with any general-use X-ray security system."

The other type of advanced imaging technology being put in general use employs millimeter wave technology. It uses non-ionizing electromagnetic waves to generate an image based on the energy reflected from the body.

FDA scientist Abiy Desta says, "Millimeter wave security systems that comply with the limits set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in the applicable non-ionizing radiation safety standard cause no known adverse health effects."

 
Metal Detectors Still in Use
Meanwhile, people need to be aware that metal detectors are still being used for security screening at many facilities.

Metal detectors, which can be walk-thru portals or hand-held wands, have the potential to affect the function of certain medical devices such as implanted cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter/defibrillators, and spinal cord nerve stimulators.

Although the number of significant injuries due to this is very low, individuals who use an electronic medical device are advised not to stay near a metal detector longer than necessary or lean against the metal-detecting system.

If scanning with a hand-held metal detector is necessary, warn the security personnel that you have an electronic medical device and ask them not to hold the metal detector near the device longer than necessary. You may also ask for an alternate form of personal search.

JUSTICE AND COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINA SETTLE ADA CASE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Friday, August 24, 2012

Court Approves Comprehensive Agreement Between US and the Commonwealth of Virginia Regarding the Rights of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has approved a comprehensive settlement agreement between the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia, resolving the department’s findings that Virginia’s system for serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department had found that Virginia was violating the ADA requirement, as interpreted by the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., to provide people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to live and receive services in the community.

As the court noted in its order approving the settlement agreement, it "addresses pressing needs" and "dramatically changes the way Virginia provides services to" individuals with developmental disabilities. The settlement agreement will provide relief to more than 5,000 people by expanding community services and supports, including Medicaid-funded home and community-based waivers, crisis services, housing and employment supports and by establishing a comprehensive quality management system. The court further found that the agreement "is completely consonant with the principles set forth in the ADA, as interpreted . . . in Olmstead."

The agreement is court-enforceable, and an independent reviewer with decades of experience will monitor the commonwealth’s compliance with the agreement, meet with the parties and stakeholders, and issue regular reports.

The Justice Department and Virginia submitted the agreement for the court’s approval on Jan. 26, 2012. On March 6, 2012, the court provisionally approved the agreement and solicited public comment on it. After considering hundreds of submittals from a wide range of stakeholders and conducting a day-long hearing on June 8, 2012, the court determined that the agreement was "fair, reasonable, and adequate" with limited modifications. The department and the commonwealth then submitted modifications, and on August 23, 2012, the court formally approved the agreement as modified and entered it as a court order.

"We are pleased that the court, after hearing from thousands of very engaged stakeholders and examining the extensive record, gave final approval to the settlement agreement," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "We commend the commonwealth of Virginia, and particularly the leadership of Governor McDonnell and Secretary Hazel, on the commitment they are already demonstrating to fully implementing the agreement. We also appreciate the deep interest and involvement of stakeholders, including those who have long fought for these changes as well as those who raised concerns."

"We are committed to ensuring that the agreement is implemented fairly on behalf of all Virginians with intellectual and developmental disabilities." said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride.

Der fantastische Phobos

Der fantastische Phobos

THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EIGHT AIR FORCE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GRAFTON UNDERWOOD, United Kingdom – Councilor James Hakewill, the Mayor of Kettering Borough, greets Maj. Gen. Stephen Wilson, Eighth Air Force commander, as he enters Boughton House Aug. 17. The day marked the 70th anniversary of the first Eighth Air Force bombers, from the 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy), participating in World War II which launched from Grafton Underwood. Col. Frank Armstrong, 97th BG commander, and the 340th Bomb Squadron commander Maj. Paul Tibbets (who later flew the Enola Gay to Hiroshima, Japan, on the first atomic bomb mission) piloted the lead aircraft of the group, Butcher Shop. In the leading aircraft of the second flight, Yankee Doodle, flew Gen. Ira C. Eaker, the commanding general of the VIII Bomber Command. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Stives)
　

England ceremony marks 70th anniversary of Eighth Air Force

By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
8/23/2012 - GRAFTON UNDERWOOD, United Kingdom (AFNS) -- U.S. and Royal Air Force leadership; local community leaders from Kettering, United Kingdom; and veterans marked the 70th anniversary of the first 8th Air Force bombers participating in World War II with a ceremony at Boughton House and a memorial service at Grafton Underwood Aug. 17.

At Boughton House 70 years ago, the Duke of Buccleuch loaned part of his 10,000-acre estate to the United States Army Air Forces, who built up Grafton Underwood Airfield on the grounds.

Leadership in attendance included Maj. Gen. Stephen Wilson, 8th Air Force commander; RAF Air Commodore R.L. Atherton, representing the U.K. Ministry of Defence; Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dalton, RAF Chief of Air Staff; and Col. Brian Kelly, 501st Combat Support Wing commander;

"Our first heavy bomber air combat mission took place at this very spot 70 years ago today," said Wilson, during his remarks to more than 200 people in attendance. "Twelve B-17s departed Grafton Underwood, escorted by RAF Spitfires, to strike targets in occupied France. General Ira Eaker, my predecessor as the Commander of VIII Bomber Command, flew on the first mission himself. The bombing results were good and the formation only took minor damage. It was a solid start, and the press swooned at the story, but we knew we had a long way to go. That December, General Eaker told Fleet Street reporters in London, still hungry for good news, 'We won't do much talking until we've done more fighting. After we've gone, we hope you'll be glad we came.'"

Wilson talked about how RAF Bomber Command and VIII Bomber Command worked hand-in-hand striking at the heart of Germany's war-making capability with "around the clock - RAF Bomber Command at night, Eighth Air Force by day" bombings. They grew into the nickname "The Mighty Eighth" - with more than 350,000 Americans serving in England and flying more than 620,000 sorties from August 1942 to May 1945.

"Comprised of nearly 50 bomber groups and 20 fighter groups, the Eighth Air Force sent aloft the greatest air armada in history," said Wilson. "I doubt we'll ever see anything like it again. As many as 1,000 bomber and 1,000 fighter aircraft flew in a single maximum effort mission. A mission of this magnitude put more than 11,000 men in the air at one time. Unfortunately, not all of them made the return trip home."

Early on, aircrew losses were at a catastrophic 20 percent per mission. The chances of a crew making it to 25 missions were virtually nonexistent. Occasionally, one crew, or even just one person, would make it to the 25-mission mark.

"More than 26,000 Mighty Eighth Airmen made the ultimate sacrifice for our common cause. Another 28,000 became prisoners of war," said Wilson. 'Let me try to put this number in context. If we started the clock from 8th Air Force's inception in 1942 to the end of the war in Europe, we lost two Mighty Eighth Airmen every hour of every day, one killed and one became a prisoner of war, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for almost three years."

The partnership with the RAF has continued for 70 years and Wilson addressed the brotherhood that has formed.

"Eighth Air Force has continued the tradition of delivering strategic airpower for 70 years," he said. "Like our forefathers of World War II, Eighth Air Force aircrews have never been turned back from a target by the enemy. The weather has turned us back and we have been recalled, but enemy action -- fighters or flack -- never turned the Airmen of The Mighty Eighth away from our target. Not in any conflict since our inception, from world War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and most recently, Libya. And in almost every conflict, we have continued our remarkable relationship -- fighting shoulder-to-shoulder alongside our trusted wingmen from the RAF. Over the years, it has become hard to find an 8th Air Force bomber crew that hasn't shared a drink with their RAF brethren in some crowded bar on the far side of the world."

"Thank you for keeping our story alive -- Britain's and America's extraordinary story -- where two nations with a remarkable relationship stood shoulder-to-shoulder against tyranny and aggression, a story of epic resolve in the life-and-death struggle over the fate of the free world, an incredible story kept alive in the hearts and minds of our people," said Wilson.

The event at Boughton House was followed by a wreath-laying service near the 8th Air Force memorial at Grafton Underwood.

ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN 2012 AND 59TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN ARMISTICE

110819-N-XG305-208 BUSAN, Republic of Korea (Aug. 19, 2011) Gunner's Mate 1st Class Eduardo Soto explains the capabilities of the MK 38 25mm machine gun to Republic of Korea sailors during a tour aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19). Blue Ridge is in the Republic of Korea to participate in Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2011. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mel Orr/Released)

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,
Ulchi Freedom Guardian Promotes Stability on Korean Peninsula

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2012 - As the United States and South Korea observe the 59th anniversary of the armistice that brought an unofficial end to the Korean War, their forces are sharpening their defensive capabilities through the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise.

More than 30,000 U.S. and South Korean service members are participating in what Army Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of Combined Forces Command, called "a key exercise in strengthening the readiness" of the two militaries.

Named in honor of a Korean military leader who repelled an invasion by China's Sui dynasty in the 7th century, Ulchi Freedom Guardian 12 kicked off Aug. 20 and continues through next week.

Seven United Nations Command states also are participating: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Norway, officials said.

One of two annual Combined Forces Command peninsula-wide exercises, Ulchi Freedom Guardian is centered on readiness, deterrence and the ability to defend South Korea.

Driven by computer-assisted simulation, it is designed so senior leaders can exercise their decision-making capabilities, U.S. Forces Korea officials said, while also training commanders and staffs from both nations in combined planning, command and control operations, military intelligence, logistics and personnel procedures.

"It is based on realistic scenarios and enables us to train on our essential tasks with a 'whole of government' approach," Thurman said.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian is part of an ongoing focus on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance while preparing South Korea to assume wartime operational control of its forces from the United States in 2015, officials said.

Thurman told the House Appropriations Committee this spring the U.S.-South Korea alliance is "as solid as ever," and said it serves as the foundation for the combined readiness of the two militaries. The general said he and his South Korean military counterparts are guiding military leaders and units of both militaries "to work and train closely with one another on a daily basis, and that effort builds combined strength, faith, and trust -- qualities that are essential for us to successfully accomplish our mission in Korea."

Training exercises like Ulchi Freedom Guardian, carried out in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and in accordance with the armistice, advance those efforts, U.S. Forces Korea officials said.

"These exercises also highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between the two nations, help to ensure peace and security on the peninsula and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the Northeast Asia region," they said.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2012 comes at a time of transition on the peninsula, with the new and relatively untested North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, continuing Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told American Forces Press Service he considers North Korea the most pressing trouble spot in Pacom's vast area of responsibility.

"If there is anything that keeps me awake at night, it's that particular situation," the admiral said. "We have to ensure that we maintain as much of a stable environment on the Korean peninsula as we can."

Toward that end, Locklear relies heavily on Thurman's leadership to ensure that South Korean and U.S. forces remain strong. In March, he emphasized the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance in deterring aggression and maintaining security and stability and offered assurances of an "unwaverable" U.S. commitment to the alliance.

MARINE CORPS COMMANDANT SAYS MARINES ARE "CRISIS RESPONSE FORCE"

 

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos

Marines Remain America's Crisis Response Force, Amos Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2012 - The Marine Corps will remain America's crisis response force for the foreseeable future, the service's top officer said today.

This covers everything from humanitarian missions to military operations, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos told reporters during a roundtable discussion.

Amos also spoke about what the transition of U.S. strategy toward the Asia-Pacific region means to the Corps.

"The Marine Corps doesn't have a domain," he said. "The Navy has the water, the Army has ground and the Air Force has air and space. As I talk to my fellow service chiefs, I tell them, 'The Marine Corps is not interested in poaching in your domain, but we have a lane that appears as a result of a crisis."

The attributes the Marine Corps brings are a high-state of readiness, the ability to operate in austere environments and the ability to move quickly from the sea or via air, Amos said. "We appear, we do our nation's bidding, and then our lane disappears and we cooperate and operate well with our joint partners," he added.

Some issues that Amos said keep him awake at night are the drawdown in Afghanistan, the pending reduction of the Corps from 202,000 to 182,000 Marines, resetting and reconstituting the force, and the new defense strategy transition.

Part of that strategy calls for 22,000 Marines to be west of the International Date Line. "The agreement is a little over 10,000 Marines on Okinawa," Amos said. "We're comfortable with that."

The number of Marines in Iwakuni, Japan, will grow as C-130s, command and control assets and other units transfer. "Guam right now is looking at probably 4,500 Marines," he said. "Predominately, those forces will be rotational forces."

An agreement between the United States and Australia calls for a rotational force of about 2,500 Marines operating out of Darwin, he said. "Our two nations will set the pace on that," he added. "Right now, we have about 200 Marines, in Darwin and they will come out next month."

A significant portion of the Marine presence west of the date line will be on amphibious warfare ships, Amos said.

HISTORY OF UNDERSTANDING THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE

FROM: NASA

Astronomers determine properties of the universe by fitting the WMAP data with models. Values for when the first stars appear, the amount of dark matter, the age of the universe etc. are adjusted in the model until the resulting background matches the WMAP observations. The model that best fits the data gives an age for the universe of 13.7 ± 0.2 billion years.
　

Early estimates of the Age of the Universe

In the 1920's Edwin Hubble discovered the expansion of the universe. He found that galaxies which are further away are moving at a higher speed following the law, v=Hd, where v is the velocity in km/s, d is the distance in Mpc, and H is the Hubble constant in km/s/Mpc. By independently measuring the velocity and distances to galaxies, the value of H could be determined. Astronomers further determined that the age of the universe is related to Hubble's constant, and that it is between 1/H and 2/3H depending on cosmological models adopted. The velocity could be determined via the redshift in the spectrum. The distance to the galaxy can be determined using observations of certain types of pulsating stars, called Cepheids, whose instrinsic brightness is related to the period of their brightness variation. However, the accuracy of the distance measurement was hampered by how faint ground based telescopes could see. Up until the 1990's, the best estimates for H were between 50 km/s/Mpc and 90 km/s/Mpc, giving a range on the age of the universe between 7 and 20 billion years.

Enter the Hubble Space Telescope

So in 1993, the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope began a "key project" to obtain distances to the Cepheids in 18 galaxies. Astronomers were able to obtain for the first time more precise distances, and a more accurate value of H. In 1999 after several years of observations with HST astronomers were able to estimate H to be 71 km/s/Mpc within 10% uncertainty, one of the greatest achievements of modern astronomy. Extrapolating back to the Big Bang, that value of H implied an age between 9 and 14 billion years old.

A New Approach using WMAP

In February 2003, the WMAP project released an all-sky map of the radiation emitted before there were any stars. This cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is the remnant heat from the Big-Bang and was predicted already in 1946 by George Gamow and Robert Dicke. Since then, astronomers have tried to detect and interpret the CMB. The first detection of the CMB was found in 1965 by chance by Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson using a radiometer built to detect astronomical radio signals. They found an excess in their measurements which was later interpreted as the CMB, a 2.725 kelvin thermal spectrum of black body radiation that fills the universe. In 1992, the satellite Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) which was designed to map the CMB showed for the first time large scale fluctuations in the CMB. These fluctuations were interpreted as evidences of what later formed clusters of galaxies and voids. However, only WMAP had the resolution and sensitivity to detect tiny fluctuations and constrain the age of the universe with high precision. The WMAP team's results are based on the underlying model used to fit their data. This model assumes that 70% of the energy of the present universe is in the form of dark energy, 26% of the energy is in the form of cold (not thermalized) dark matter, and the remaining 4% of the energy is in the atoms and photons. According to their estimates the universe is 13.7 billion years old with an uncertainty of 200 million years. The WMAP value of H is 71 ± 4 km/s/Mpc which is in agreement with the HST key project.

Another approach

Another way of obtaining the age of the universe is by dating stars. Some of the oldest stars live inside globular clusters and their ages have been extensively estimated in the past decade. For a while, astronomers were puzzled by the fact that those stars seemed to be a few billion years older than the age of the universe estimated from the Hubble constant. Is there a problem with H
or with the cluster's age? It turned out that age dating of globular clusters stars is very tricky and inaccurate distances to the clusters, as well caveats in stellar evolution, can solve the mystery. The age of clusters is proportional to one over the luminosity of the RR Lyra stars which are used to determine the distances to globular clusters. Therefore, accurate distances were needed and could only be obtained after the European Hipparcos satellite in the mid-90s. By using the new distance estimates, the age of the clusters fell from 15 billion years to 11.5 billion years with an uncertainty of about 1 billion year. These results agree with the age of the universe from both the Hubble constant and WMAP.
 
_{Publication Date: May 2006
NOTE: ABOVE "H" SHOULD BE "Ho."}

NOAA's National Weather Service SPC Tornado/Severe Thunderstorm Watches Update

NOAA's National Weather Service SPC Tornado/Severe Thunderstorm Watches Update

DEFENDANTS FACES UP TO 20 YEARS IN FRUDULENT IMMIGRATION SCHEME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, August 24, 2012

Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Seeking Immigration Services

Manager of Missouri Scheme Faces up to 20 Years in Prison

A Missouri woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to defraud consumers seeking immigration-related services, the Justice Department announced.

Elizabeth Lindsey Meredith, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, six counts of mail fraud and seven counts of wire fraud in connection with Immigration Forms and Publications (IFP), a Sedalia, Mo., company that sold immigration forms generally available at no charge from the government. According to court documents, IFP sales representatives fraudulently told consumers that the company was affiliated with the government and that fees paid to IFP covered government processing charges. Meredith faces up to 20 years’ in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

"Over a year ago, the Department of Justice announced its commitment to combatting immigration services scams, which often prey upon individuals who are in this country legally and trying to abide by the rules," said Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West. "Today’s guilty pleas represent an important step in our continued fight to protect vulnerable individuals against fraud."

"Consumers trust that government services are what they claim. We will not tolerate those who exploit that trust," said Stuart Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.

According to court documents, Meredith was a manager of IFP, which operated in 2009 and 2010. In pleading guilty, Meredith admitted that IFP representatives falsely told consumers that the company employed paralegals who would help customers correctly fill out immigration forms, that IFP handled excess call volume for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), that fees paid to IFP included government processing fees, and that forms purchased through IFP would be processed more quickly than if consumers dealt directly with USCIS.

"Law-abiding immigrants sought help to complete government forms, but instead this company cheated hundreds of victims out of more than $400,000 and provided little or no help at all," said David M. Ketchmark, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. "This defendant managed the day-to-day operations of the Sedalia office; with her guilty plea today, all of the conspirators now will be held accountable for their fraud and deceit."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth presided over the change of plea hearing.

Thomas Joseph Strawbridge, 49, and Thomas Barret Laurence, 30, previously pleaded guilty for th eir conduct in the same scheme.

These cases are being prosecuted by Alan Phelps and Adrienne Fowler, Trial Attorneys for the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, and Tony Gonzalez, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The cases were investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri Secretary of State Corporate Division, the Missouri Secretary of State Securities Division and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. The Justice Department has also been working with the Federal Trade Commission on immigration services fraud cases and thanks the FTC for its assistance in this matter.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update. ULTRA FAST LASERS

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

PROFILE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

PROFILE Geography
Area: 141,978 sq. km.
Capital: Dushanbe.
Terrain: Pamir and Alay mountains dominate landscape; western Ferghana valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest.
Climate: Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir mountains.

People (data from CIA World Factbook unless otherwise noted)
Population (October 2011 estimate): 7,728,400.
Population growth rate (October 2011 estimate): 1.9%.
Ethnic groups: Tajik 80%, Uzbek 15%, Russian and others 5%.
Religion (2010 Embassy est.): Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10%.
Language: Tajik (the official state language as of 1994, with follow-up legislation in 2009); Russian is widely used in government and business; 74% (est. 2010) of the population lives in rural communities where mostly Tajik is spoken.
Education: Literacy--98.4%. The Tajik education system has been struggling through a period of decline since independence, and some evidence suggests functional literacy is much lower.
Health (2010 est.): Life expectancy--62.97 years men; 69.25 years women. Infant mortality rate--38.54 deaths/1,000 live births.

Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: September 9, 1991 (from Soviet Union).
Constitution: November 6, 1994.
Branches: Executive--chief of state: President Emomali RAHMON since November 6, 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly Chairman since November 19, 1992; head of government (appointed by the president): Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV since December 20, 1999; Oqilov has reached mandatory retirement age, but has not yet been replaced. Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly. Elections: president elected by popular vote for a 7-year term; election last held November 6, 2006. Election results: Emomali RAHMON 79.3%, Olimjon BOBOYEV 6.2%, Amir QAROQULOV 5.3%, Ismoil TALBAKOV 5.1%, Abduhalim GHAFFOROV 2.8%. Legislative--bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives or Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower chamber; 63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlisi Milli (upper chamber; 34 seats; members are indirectly elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president, plus former presidents of Tajikistan--currently there is one; all serve 5-year terms). Elections: last held February 28, 2010, for the Assembly of Representatives. Official election results: percent of vote by party--People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan 71.04%, Islamic Revival 8.20%, Communist Party 7.01%, other 13.75%. Judicial--Supreme Court; judges are appointed by the president.
Political parties and leaders: People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMON]; Islamic Revival Party or IRPT [Muhiddin KABIRI]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]; Democratic Party or DPT [Maqsud Sobirov heads government-recognized faction; Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, currently serving 23-year prison term, is chairman of original DPT; Iskandarov’s faction of DPT is headed by Rahmatullo VALIYEV]; National Social Democratic Party or NSDPT [Rahmatillo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party of Tajikistan or SPT [Abduhalim GHAFFOROV; Murhuseyn NARZIEV heads the original SPT party that is currently unrecognized by the government]; Agrarian Party or APT [Amir QAROQULOV]; Party of Economic Reform or PERT [Olimjon BOBOYEV].
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal.
Defense (2010 est.): Military manpower (availability) 1,980,000.

Economy (data from IMF unless otherwise noted)
Nominal GDP: $5.64 billion (2010); $6.3 billion (2011).
Nominal per capita GDP (2010): $822.
Per capita GDP (purchasing power parity, 2009): $2,104.
GDP real growth rate: 6.5% (2010); 7.4% (2011); 7% (2012 projection).
Headline CPI inflation rate (end-of-year): 9.8% (2010); 13.6% (2011 projection); 10.0% (2012 projection).
Natural resources: Hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, gold, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten.
Work force (2010, CIA World Factbook): The official work force is 2.1 million. The actual number of working age citizens is closer to 4 million. As many as half of all working age males, and an increasing number of females, seek jobs outside of the country, primarily in Russia.
Official unemployment rate (2009, CIA World Factbook): 2.2% (2.6% reported by the State Statistics Agency in August 2011). The official rate is estimated based on the number of registered unemployment benefit recipients; it does not take into account the significant number of people who seek work abroad. Underemployment also is very high--possibly as high as 40% of the work force; 46.7% live below the poverty line according to the World Bank.
Agriculture: Products--cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats.
Industry: Types--aluminum, gold, silver, antimony, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, textiles, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers.
Trade (State Statistics Agency data): Exports (2011)--$1.2 billion: aluminum, electricity, raw cotton, cotton fiber, gold, fruits and vegetables, vegetable oil, textiles. Main export partners include Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey. Imports (2011)--$3.2 billion: electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs. Import partners include Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Turkmenistan.
Total public and publicly guaranteed external debt: $1.941 billion (2010); $2.124 billion (2011).
Debt/GDP ratio: 33.4% (2010 est.); 33.4% (2011).

GEOGRAPHY
At 36'40' northern latitude and 41'14' eastern longitude, Tajikistan is located between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north and west, China to the east, and Afghanistan to the south. Tajikistan is home to some of the highest mountains in the world, including the Pamir and Alay ranges. Ninety-three percent of Tajikistan is mountainous with altitudes ranging from 984 feet to 24,589 feet, with nearly 50% of Tajikistan's territory above 10,000 feet. Earthquakes of varying degrees are frequent. The massive mountain ranges are cut by hundreds of canyons and gorges; at the bottom of these run streams which flow into larger river valleys where the majority of the country's population lives and works. The principal rivers of Central Asia, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, both flow through Tajikistan, fed by melting snow and glaciers in the mountains of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Flooding and landslides sometimes occur during the annual spring thaw.

PEOPLE
Contemporary Tajiks are the descendants of various ancient Iranian inhabitants of Central Asia, in particular the Soghdians and the Bactrians, and possibly other groups, with an admixture of Mongols and Turkic peoples. The largely Shi’a inhabitants of the Pamir mountains speak a number of mutually unintelligible eastern Iranian dialects quite distinct from the Tajik spoken in the rest of the country. Until the 20th century, people in the region tended to identify themselves more by way of life--nomadic versus sedentary--and place of residence than by ethnic group. The distinction between ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks was not always precise, and people in the region often used--and continue to use--each other's languages. The Soviets tended to reify ethnicity, and drew Central Asian republican boundaries so that they balanced ethnic representation in fertile areas such as the Ferghana Valley while also making large-scale ethnic mobilization difficult.

HISTORY
The current Tajik Republic hearkens back to the Samanid Empire (A.D. 875-999), which ruled what is now Tajikistan as well as territory to the south and west, as its role model and name for its currency. During their reign, the Samanids supported the revival of the written Persian language in the wake of the Arab Islamic conquest in the early 8th century and played an important role in preserving the culture of the pre-Islamic Persian-speaking world. They were the last Persian-speaking empire to rule Central Asia.

The expanding Russian Empire encompassed the territory that is now Tajikistan, along with most of the rest of Central Asia, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Russian rule collapsed briefly after the Russian Revolution of 1917, as the Bolsheviks consolidated their power and were embroiled in a civil war in other regions of the former Russian Empire. As the Bolsheviks attempted to regain Central Asia in the 1920s, an indigenous Central Asian resistance movement based in the Ferghana Valley, the "Basmachi movement," resisted but was largely eliminated by 1925. Tajikistan became fully established under Soviet control with the creation of Tajikistan as an autonomous Soviet socialist republic within Uzbekistan in 1924, and as an independent Soviet socialist republic in 1929. The northern Sughd region, previously part of the Uzbek republic, was added to the Tajik republic at this time.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The Republic of Tajikistan gained its independence during the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) on September 9, 1991 and soon fell into a civil war. From 1992 to 1997 internal fighting ensued between old-guard regionally based ruling elites and disenfranchised regions, democratic liberal reformists, and Islamists loosely organized in a United Tajik Opposition (UTO). Other combatants and armed bands that flourished in this civil chaos simply reflected the breakdown of central authority rather than loyalty to a political faction. The height of hostilities occurred between 1992 and 1993. By 1997, the predominantly Kulyabi-led Tajik Government and the UTO had negotiated a power-sharing peace accord and implemented it by 2000. Once guaranteed 30% of government positions, former oppositionists have almost entirely been removed from government as President Rahmon has consolidated power.

The last Russian border guards protecting Tajikistan's 1,344 km border with Afghanistan completed their withdrawal in July 2005. Russia maintains its military presence in Tajikistan with the basing of the Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division that never left Tajikistan when it became independent. Most of these Russian-led forces, however, are local Tajik noncommissioned officers and soldiers.

In June 2003, Tajikistan held a flawed referendum to enact a package of constitutional changes, including a provision to allow President Rahmon the possibility of re-election to up to two additional 7-year terms after his term expired in 2006. Tajikistan's 2006 presidential election and 2010 parliamentary elections were considered to be flawed and unfair but peaceful. President Rahmon secured a new 7-year term in the November 6, 2006 election. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) determined that democratic practices were not fully tested "due to the absence of genuine competition, which provided voters with only nominal choices." There were four other candidates on the ballot but no strong opposition candidate. The strongest opposition party, the IRPT, decided not to field a candidate and two other parties (the DPT and SDPT) boycotted the presidential election. The ruling party secured 55 of the 63 seats in the 2010 parliamentary elections, which failed to meet many key ODIHR standards on democratic elections. Some observers saw them as even worse than the flawed 2005 parliamentary elections.

Lack of transparency in the legislative process and significant concerns regarding due process demonstrate the weakness of civil society in the country. Corruption is pervasive, and numerous observers have noted that power has been consolidated into the hands of a relatively small number of individuals.

Principal Government Officials
President--Emomali Rahmon
Prime Minister--Oqil Oqilov
Foreign Minister--Hamrokhon Zarifi
Ambassador to the United States--Abdujabbor Shirinov
Permanent Representative to the United Nations--Sirojiddin Aslov

Tajikistan established an embassy in Washington, DC in temporary offices in February 2003, and formally opened its first permanent chancery building in March 2004. Tajikistan's embassy in the United States is at 1005 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037 (tel.: 202-223-6090; fax: 202-223-6091).

ECONOMY
Tajikistan is the poorest Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country and one of the poorest countries in the world. Foreign revenue is precariously dependent upon exports of cotton and aluminum and on remittances from Tajik migrant workers abroad, mainly in Russia. The economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks. Despite this, Tajikistan managed modest growth during the height of the recent economic crisis, and growth picked up again in 2010 (6.5%) and 2011 (7.4%).

Tajikistan has great hydropower potential and has focused on attracting investment for projects for internal use and electricity exports. Meanwhile, the country faces severe electricity shortages, particularly during the winter and beyond, when most of Tajikistan's inhabitants receive little or no electricity for weeks at a time. The government sees the construction of the massive Roghun hydroelectric dam as the solution to the country’s chronic energy woes, but the dam has been a source of increasing friction with Uzbekistan.

Tajikistan has followed a relatively strict fiscal and monetary policy, which has resulted in macroeconomic stability. However, government interference in the economy and massive corruption stifle economic growth and private investment. The government has attracted state-led investment for major infrastructure projects, particularly from China, rather than implementing the necessary economic reforms to attract private investors. Two-thirds of the workforce of Tajikistan is in agriculture, where wages are abysmally low and sometimes non-existent. Tajikistan struggles to implement agricultural reforms that would allow many farmers to grow the crop of their choice, rather than being forced to grow cotton, as has been the practice from Soviet times. Income from narcotics trafficking, while difficult to quantify, has an increasingly visible impact on the Tajik economy.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Afghanistan continues to represent the primary security concern in Tajikistan's immediate neighborhood, although 2010 violence in Kyrgyzstan caused concern. With the ouster of the former Taliban government from Afghanistan, Tajikistan now has much friendlier relations with its neighbor to the south. The Taliban-allied Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a U.S. Government-declared terrorist organization formerly active in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, has also been greatly diminished as a threat to Tajikistan's domestic stability. Rampant illicit trafficking of Afghan opium and heroin through Tajikistan remains a serious long-term threat to Tajikistan's stability and development, fostering corruption, violent crime, and economic distortions.

Tajikistan has a difficult relationship with Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is concerned about Tajikistan's plans to develop hydropower, which Uzbekistan views as a threat to downstream irrigation. Border disagreements arise sporadically between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. For the most part these are minor disagreements concerning people moving across mostly unmarked borders, but occasionally disputes develop into situations where gunfire is exchanged. For the most part relations are strained but peaceful.

U.S.-TAJIK RELATIONS
The United States remains committed to assisting Tajikistan in its economic and political development, as Tajikistan continues to recover from its civil war legacy. U.S. assistance efforts are evolving away from humanitarian aid and political reconciliation, as those needs increasingly have been met. Instead, U.S. efforts are targeted toward broader goals of democratic, social sector, and economic reform.

U.S.-Tajik relations have developed considerably since September 11, 2001. The two countries now have a broad-based relationship, cooperating in such areas as counter-narcotics, counterterrorism, non-proliferation, and regional growth and stability. In light of the Russian border forces' withdrawal from the Tajik-Afghan border, the U.S. Government leads an international donor effort to enhance Tajikistan's territorial integrity; prevent the transit of narcotics and material or technology related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD); and support a stable, peaceful Tajikistan in order to prevent the spread of influence and activities of radical groups and terrorists. In February 2010, the U.S. and Tajikistan launched an annual bilateral consultation process to enhance cooperation on a broad range of policy and assistance issues.

The U.S. continues to assist Tajikistan on economic reforms and integration into the broader global marketplace, for example in pursuing World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. U.S. assistance also supports health and education, as well as democracy, media, and local governance. Tajikistan has been a strong supporter of U.S. efforts on counterterrorism and in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

A U.S. Government-funded $36 million bridge over the Amu Darya River connecting Sher Khan, Afghanistan with Nizhniy Pyanzh, Tajikistan opened for commercial traffic in October 2007 and about 200 trucks cross daily. Since the opening, trade volume has more than tripled. The bridge and related customs facilities will continue to enhance economic and commercial opportunities on both sides of the river, allowing goods and people to move across more easily. On the Afghan side, the bridge road will connect to the Afghan Ring Road.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank and JP Morgan guaranteed and funded a $182 million purchase of Boeing 737-900ER airliners for the private Tajik airline company "Somon Air."

The United States recognized Tajikistan on December 25, 1991, the day the U.S.S.R. dissolved, and opened a temporary embassy in a hotel in the capital, Dushanbe, in March 1992. After the bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, Embassy Dushanbe American personnel were temporarily relocated to Almaty, Kazakhstan, due to heightened Embassy security standards. American Embassy Dushanbe has since returned to full operations and in July 2006 moved into a purpose-built embassy compound.

WATER IMPACT TESTING ON ORION SPACECRAFT

FROM: NASA
Orion Spacecraft Water Impact Testing

Water impact test of an 18,000-pound (8,165 kilogram) test version of the Orion spacecraft at NASA's Langley Research Center on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012.

Swing drop testing began last summer at Langley's Hydro Impact Basin to certify the Orion spacecraft for water landings. In this series of tests, Orion is being dropped vertically into the pool for the first time, which will help fine-tune the way NASA predicts Orion's landing loads.

The Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s next crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket, will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system.

Image Credit: NASA

$250 BILLION IN TRANSACTIONS WITH IRAN HIDDEN FROM U.S. REGULATORS BY BANK

FROM: WEBSITE U.S. SENATOR CARL LEVIN

Levin statement on Standard Chartered Bank settlement
Wednesday, August 15, 2012

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued the following statement today about the settlement between the New York Department of Financial Services and Standard Chartered Bank:

"The New York State Department of Financial Services appropriately held Standard Chartered Bank accountable for hiding $250 billion in transactions with Iran from U.S. regulators, for misrepresenting four days of Iranian transactions as the total from an entire year, and for getting an outside auditor to water down a supposedly independent report on the bank’s actions. The agency made it clear that foreign banks cannot hide OFAC-covered transactions and force our regulators to trust that the banks got it right. The agency was right to make it clear that concealing OFAC-covered transactions to prevent U.S. review of them is unacceptable and a violation of our laws. The agency also showed that holding a bank accountable for past misconduct doesn’t need to take years of negotiation over the size of the penalty; it simply requires a regulator with backbone to act. New York’s regulatory action sends a strong message that the United States will not tolerate foreign banks giving rogue nations like Iran hidden access to the U.S. financial system."

Teens’ healthy habits

Teens’ healthy habits

European Space Agency United Kingdom (EN) Update SPACE BUGS

European Space Agency United Kingdom (EN) Update

SEC. OF DEFENSE PANETTA SPEAKS ON PASSING OF NEIL ARMSTRONG

Photo Credit:  NASA
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Praises Neil Armstrong's Legacy
By John Valceanu
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said he was deeply saddened by death of Neil Armstrong today, calling the pioneering astronaut "one of America's greatest heroes and naval aviators."

Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission he commanded as a NASA civilian. He also had a distinguished career as a Navy combat aviator during the Korean War. He died from complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, according to a statement released by his family. He was 82.

"On behalf of the Department of Defense, I express my condolences to the Armstrong family during this difficult time," Panetta said in his statement. The defense secretary called Armstrong "one of our own," praising his service to the nation both in and out of military uniform.

"As a decorated Korean War veteran, as an astronaut for NASA, and as the first man to walk on the moon, Neil inspired generations of Americans to believe that as a nation we are capable of achieving greatness that only comes with determination, perseverance, and hard work," Panetta said.

"As a true pioneer, his one small step showed all mankind the great feats we can accomplish when we set ourselves to the task," the secretary said.

Panetta said Armstrong may be gone, but "his legacy of American achievement and national pride will live forever."

FEMA OUTLINES HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HURRICANE

Photo Credit:  NOAA
　
FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Before a Hurricane

To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:
To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.

Know your surroundings.
Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal flooding are forecasted.

Identify levees and dams in your area and determine whether they pose a hazard to you.
Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.
Make plans to secure your property:

Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8" marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.

Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.

Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.

Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.

Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.

Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.

Determine how and where to secure your boat.

Install a generator for emergencies.


If in a high-rise building, be prepared to take shelter on or below the 10th floor.
Consider building a safe room.
Hurricanes cause heavy rains that can cause extensive flood damage in coastal and inland areas. Everyone is at risk and should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage. To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (NFIP) Web site,www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419. .

NEIL A. ARMSTRONG BIOGRAPHY

FROM: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John H. Glenn Research Center
Lewis Field
Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Neil A. Armstrong
Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He began his NASA career in Ohio.

After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.

Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.

As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface.

Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters,

Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.

He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.

He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from a number of universities.

Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the International Astronautics Federation.

He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).

Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries. He was the recipient of many special honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award.


Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82. August 2012

U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK APPROVES $66 MILLION LOAN TO EXPORT POWER-GENERATION EQUIPMENT

Map:   Turkey.  Credit:  CIA
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

Ex-Im Approves more than $66 Million in Financing
for Export of Power-Generation Equipment to Turkey

Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized a a $66.3 million guarantee in favor of UPS Capital Business Credit’s loan to Bis Enerji Elektrik Uretim AS (Bis) of Turkey for the export of American power-generation equipment to the Republic of Turkey.

Ex-Im Bank’s financing will support more than 160 American jobs in Houston, Texas; Wellsville, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; and Lewiston, Maine.

"Ex-Im Bank’s loan guarantee affords the U.S. companies involved in the transaction an opportunity to export their American-made products to a Turkish market hungry for electricity," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "Equally important is the loan guarantee’s impact on American jobs, which will benefit from the increased business."

"We see UPS Capital Business Credit’s participation in this particular Ex-Im Bank financing opportunity as a reflection of our company’s commitment to helping customers grow their exports," added Bob Bernabucci, president of UPS Capital. "Export growth is critical not only to the U.S. economy but also to the creation of jobs."

This represents Ex-Im Bank’s second transaction involving Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS of Ankara, Turkey, which participated in support of BIS Energy, and will finance the export of a General Electric Packaged Power Inc. turbine and generator, a Dresser-Rand steam turbine generator, a World Control International Inc. heat recovery steam generator, a WahlcoMetroflex Inc. diverter damper unit, and associated installation services.


"Bis Enerji, now with its sixth installation of GE LM 6000 Gas Turbine Generator set since 1993, is a long time and repeat customer of GE Power & Water and Ex-Im Bank. Ex-Im Bank’s financing support in each of those transactions has been a key factor in GE’s success and a boon to GE’s jobs, and it has broadened exports from other US suppliers to Bis Enerji as well," stated Mohammad Kudia, the managing director of GE Sales & Project Finance, the financing advisor to Bis Enerji.

Bis will employ the new equipment at its power plant in Bursa, Turkey, to expand its current electricity-production capacity by 76 megawatts. The project will convert a pre-existing simple-cycle turbine into a combined-cycle operation that will rely upon a steam turbine heat recovery steam generator. Ex-Im Bank supported four previous expansions of the plant’s output.


Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Bursa, Bis supplies electricity to domestic markets and has worked with Ex-Im Bank since 1997. The company’s Bursa power plant is the largest private sector plant of its kind in the Bursa industrial zone of Turkey, and it generates electricity by way of natural gas.

Turkey accounted for approximately $3.8 billion of the Bank’s worldwide credit exposure as of the end of FY 2011, and in FY 2011 alone the Bank authorized $2.1 billion in export financing for American goods and services bound for Turkish markets.

Also in FY 2011, the Bank authorized $2.2 billion in power-generation transactions worldwide.

CO. & AFFILIATES TO PAY $16.5 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGED HEALTH CARE BENEFITS SCHEME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Friday, August 24, 2012
Pacific Health Corporation and Related Entities Agree to Pay $16.5 Million for Allegedly Engaging in an Illegal Kickback Scheme in Los Angeles

Affiliated Hospitals Paid Recruiters to Deliver Homeless Medicare/Medi-Cal Beneficiaries to the Facilities

WASHINGTON – The United States has entered into a settlement agreement with Pacific Health Corporation (PHC) and related entities in which they agreed to pay the government and the state of California $16.5 million for allegedly engaging in an illegal kickback scheme in Los Angeles, the Justice Department announced today. The civil settlement resolves a U.S. and state investigation of three PHC-affiliated hospitals for engaging in a scheme in which the hospitals paid recruiters to deliver homeless Medicare or Medi-Cal beneficiaries (homeless beneficiaries) by ambulance from the "Skid Row" area in Los Angeles to the hospitals for treatment that often was medically unnecessary.

The hospitals, Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center (LA Metro); Newport Specialty Hospital, formerly known as Tustin Hospital and Medical Center; and Anaheim General Hospital, then allegedly billed Medicare and Medi-Cal for these services, violating rules that permit payment only for necessary treatment. The governments contended that these services were induced by illegal remuneration in violation of the Anti-Kickback statute (AKS), and the resulting billings to Medicare and Medi-Cal violated the False Claims Act.

Also as part of the resolution of this matter, a subsidiary of PHC, Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Inc., has agreed to plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge arising out of the illegal kickback scheme. In addition, the three hospitals, a fourth related hospital (Bellflower Medical Center), and their related entities have entered into a corporate integrity agreement with the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intended to deter future misconduct. PHC’s parent corporation, Health Investment Corporation, also is a party to the civil settlement and the corporate integrity agreement.

This settlement arises out of the same investigation which in 2010 resulted in consent judgments against Intercare Health Systems Inc., formerly doing business as City of Angels Medical Center, and its former owners Robert Bourseau and Rudra Sabaratnam, for a similar illegal kickback scheme in Los Angeles. Several individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme, including Mr. Bourseau and Dr. Sabaratnam, who were sentenced to three years and one month, and two years in prison, respectively, for their part in the scheme.

Prohibitions against illegal kickbacks are important to insure that financial motives do not undermine the integrity of the medical judgment of physicians and other health care workers.

"The integrity of government health care programs is threatened when hospitals pay kickbacks to induce unnecessary or unwanted medical care," said Stuart Delery, the Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. "Kickbacks subvert medical decision making and cause government programs to pay much more for services than would otherwise be warranted."

The investigation was handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the Attorney General's Office of the State of California, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse and the Health and Law Enforcement Team (HALT), a multi-agency task force operated by the Los Angeles County Health Department.

APACHE HELICOPTER PILOT'S STORY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Laura Tanski and her Apache helicopter Aug. 16, 2012 at Marshall Army Airfield, Fort Riley, Kan. U.S. Army photo
Face of Defense: Apache Pilot Fulfills Lifelong Dream

By Mollie Miller
1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan., Aug. 22, 2012 - Although Chief Warrant Officer 2 Laura Tanski first "slipped the surly bonds of Earth" as an Army aviator two years ago, she has been living in the clouds for most of her life.

"For as long as I can remember, my room was filled with airplanes and helicopters," Tanski, an Apache helicopter pilot with the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, said recently. "I have always loved aviation, and I knew since I was a kid that I was going to fly."

Tanski's route to the skies began in her hometown of Dearborn Heights, Mich., long before she was even old enough to ride a bike, much less fly a helicopter.

"We were always attending air shows or visiting the air museum," said Patricia Tanski, the Apache pilot's mother. "Her passion for flying just grew and grew."

While in high school, Tanski got her first taste of flight during flying lessons at a local airport. That quick taste, which included a rather harrowing solo flight in a snowstorm, left the young pilot hooked.

"I am fascinated by the fact that a huge machine like a plane or a helicopter can actually fly," she said. "I wanted to be a part of that."

After a short tour with the Air Force and a deployment to Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division as an Army air traffic controller, Tanski decided that it was time that she stopped managing aircraft from the ground. She put in her paperwork to attend flight school and was selected in early 2008.

"The day I got selected for flight school was the best day of my life," she said. "I just kept looking at that selection list on the computer – I had to double and triple check it to make sure I was seeing things right."

Tanski spent two years learning how to fly at Fort Rucker, Ala. The young aviator said the flying part came easy in the early days of flight school – she was, in fact, one of the first students in her class to fly solo. When the time came to select her advanced aircraft, she said, she had her heart set on one, and only one, airframe: the AH-64 Apache, one of the Army's most lethal pieces of equipment.

"My intent has always been to get as close into the battle as possible, and I knew that the Apache was always right there in every mission."

Her mother was not surprised that Tanski selected the Apache; she said she would have been more surprised if her daughter hadn't selected the high-tech aircraft.

"Laura has always welcomed a challenge, so it was no surprise that she would choose the most challenging and complex helicopter," she said.

When she began the Apache helicopter block of instruction, Tanski was the only woman in her class. Today, she is one of just four Apache pilots in her battalion, and one of fewer than 20 female helicopter pilots who call the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade home.

Being a member of such a small group has never made much of a difference to her, Tanski said. There is no difference between the soldiers to her left and right and the big brother who tore up and down the roads of Dearborn playing street hockey with his little sister, she explained.

"Having an older brother really prepared me for life in this unit and in the Army," she said. "All the soldiers here are just like brothers to me. We play jokes on each other and have a good time, but we work hard, too. Our company is very close. It really is like a family down here."

Now edging toward 300 total flight hours, including 80 combat hours, Tanski said she is looking forward to her future in Army aviation.

"I want to become an instructor pilot I had some fantastic instructors while I was at Fort Rucker, and I want to be able to teach others just like those great IPs taught me."

She also has a few things to teach women who are blazing their own Army paths in fields typically dominated by men.

"Never give up, no matter who says you can't do it," she said. "If you want it, if this is your dream, go for it."

Her daughter's dedication to excellence and never ending pursuit of her dream has made the pilot's mother quite proud of a little girl who used to save her allowance so she could buy rocket kits and host launch parties in the backyard.

"I feel my daughter is not only a role model for her family, especially her nieces, but for every woman who has a goal that she is working to accomplish," she said. "Even I continue to be inspired by my daughter every day."

U.S.-FRANCE RELATIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT, FRANCE
The United States and France established diplomatic relations in 1778 following the United States' declaration of independence from Great Britain, and France provided key assistance to the United States as an ally during its war of independence. The Vichy Government of France severed diplomatic relations with the United States in 1942 during World War II; relations were normalized in 1944. The United States and France are among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5).

Relations between the United States and France are active and friendly. The two countries share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries.

The U.S. and France work closely on many issues, most notably in combating terrorism, efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and on regional problems, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central Asia. As one of the P5+1 powers and as a leader of the European Union, France is working to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France fully supports U.S. engagement in the peace process. France is one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) top five troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force.


U.S. Assistance to France
The United States provides no development assistance to France.


Bilateral Economic Relations


France is a member of the European Union and is the United States’ third-largest trading partner in Europe (after Germany and the U.K.). Trade and investment between the United States and France are strong. On average, over $1 billion in commercial transactions, including sales of U.S. and French foreign affiliates, take place every day. U.S. exports to France include industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and supplies, and broadcasting equipment. The United States is the top destination for French investment and the United States is the largest foreign investor in France. The United States and France have a bilateral convention on investment and a bilateral tax treaty addressing, among other things, double taxation and tax evasion.

France's Membership in International Organizations

France and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, G-20, G-8, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. France also is an observer to the Organization of American States.

COMMANDER OF U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONCERNED ABOUT POLITICISING THE MILITARY

Photo:  Raising Flag After Taking Enemy Base In Afghanistan.   Credit:  U.S. Marine Corps.
FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

McRaven Warns Special Ops Community about Disclosing Classified Information
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2012 - The commander of U.S. Special Operations is expressing concern about former members of the community who he said "are using their 'celebrity status' to advance their personal or professional agendas," and warned those who divulge classified information will be held accountable.

Navy Adm. William McRaven raised the issue in an email sent to the entire special operations community following several recent incidents involving former special operators. The latest was the announcement that a former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden will publish a first-person account of the operation without first getting the book reviewed by the Defense Department for clearance.

"While as retired or former service members, they are well within their rights to advocate for certain causes or write books about their adventures, it is disappointing when these actions either try to represent the broader S.O.F. community, or expose sensitive information that could threaten the lives of their fellow warriors," McRaven wrote.

At the Pentagon Friday, Spokesman George Little told reporters defense officials have not read the book, but do expect to "assess it for the potential that it contains classified information." Any possible prosecution over leaked material would be up to the Justice Department, he said.

Adm. McRaven acknowledged the benefit of reading other special operators' stories. He noted that his thesis while attending the Naval Postgraduate School was based on "a rigorous examination of available literature" and provided background for his own book, "the Theory of Special Operations."

"Most of these books were wonderful accounts of courage, leadership, tough decision making, and martial skill, all of which benefited me as I tried to understand our past and how it could affect missions in the future," he said in his email.

McRaven also recognized the value of movies that provide insight into the lives of special operations professionals, noting that seeing John Wayne's appearance in "The Green Berets" influenced his own decision to become a special operator. "Countless stories have been told through the medium of film that needed to be told and I am thankful that they were," he wrote.

But he drew a distinct line between what he called "recounting a story for the purposes of education or entertainment and telling a story that exposes sensitive activities just to garner greater readership and personal profit." It's a line he said must be respected – even after leaving the military.

"Every member of the special operations community with a security clearance signed a nondisclosure agreement that was binding during and after service in the military," he said in his email. "If the U.S. Special Operations Command finds that an active duty, retired or former service member violated that agreement and that exposure of information was detrimental to the safety of U.S. forces, then we will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate."

Current and former special operators have both a moral obligation and legal duty to submit their works for pre-publication security review. "We are fully prepared to work with any author who is looking to tell his story and wants a straightforward assessment of the potential security impacts of their work," he wrote.

Addressing a related issue, McRaven expressed concern over "the growing trend of using the special operations 'brand,' our seal, symbols and unit names, as part of any political or special interest campaign."

"Let me be completely clear on this issue: U.S.S.O.C.O.M. does not endorse any political viewpoint, opinion or special interest," he wrote.

McRaven said he strongly encourages active-duty special operators to participate in the political process, as appropriate under ethics rules, and for retired members to do the same. "However, when a group brands itself as special operations for the purpose of pushing a specific agenda, then they have misrepresented the entire nature of S.O.F. and life in the military," he said.

"Our promise to the American people is that we, the military, are nonpartisan, apolitical and will serve the president of the United States regardless of his political party," McRaven emphasized. "By attaching a special operation's moniker or a unit or service name to a political agenda, those individuals have now violated the most basic of our military principles."

McRaven encouraged former special operators to "voice their concerns from the highest hilltop" when acting as private citizens. However, by claiming to represent a broader SOF constituency as they do so, "they do a disservice to all of their S.O.F. teammates who serve quietly and respectfully in support of this great nation," he wrote.

"Our reputation with the American people is as high as it has ever been," McRaventold the special operations community. "The sacrifices of our men and women downrange have earned us that respect. Let us not diminish that respect by using our service in special operations to benefit a few at the expense of the many."

MILITARY CONTINUES TO PREPARE FOR ISAAC

 

Map Credit:  NOAA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Military Units in Southeast Prepare for Isaac's Impact

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2012 - Military units in the southeastern United States are preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is barreling past the Florida Keys and may grow to a hurricane by the time it makes landfall on the northern Gulf coast sometime Tuesday.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials say Isaac will probably strengthen to hurricane force once it gets over the Gulf of Mexico.

State and federal officials have notified military personnel in case they are needed to deal with the effects of the storm.

In Florida, Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency and has activated 30 National Guard personnel. About 5,800 personnel are available in Florida if needed.

In Alabama, there are eight National Guard personnel activated with another 70 soldiers and airmen set for a state mission on Monday. There are 5,114 Guardsmen available if needed in the state.

In Mississippi, National Guard forces are on alert, but there have been no activations yet.

In Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee officials have identified National Guard units that may be needed. Those soldiers and airmen are on a heightened state of awareness.

"The National Guard Bureau's Crisis Management Element has been alerted to work 24/7 to assist affected states in positioning people and equipment to facilitate the most effective response to the storm," National Guard officials said.

The Air Force Reserve is moving aircraft out of the way of Isaac. Aircraft from the 919th Special Operations Wing have relocated from Duke Field, Fla., to Fort Campbell, Ky.

The 325th Fighter Wing is sending its F-22 fighters from Tyndall Air Force base, Fla., to Sheppard Air Force Base, Kansas to ride out Hurricane Isaac.

Planes of the 482nd Fighter Wing have relocated from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. to Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas.

Aircraft from 927th Air Refueling Wing have relocated from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., to Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., and McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn.

On the other side of Florida, aircraft of the 920th Rescue Wing will shelter in place at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. The 403rd Wing will fly its WC-130Js for weather reconnaissance from Ellington Field, Texas.

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the largest military installation currently in the path of Isaac. Base officials have declared Hurricane Condition 3. Officials want base residents to monitor storm reports on local radio and television stations, and call for residents to secure lawn furniture, trash cans, potted plants and other loose objects. Those planning to evacuate should know the route they will take and consider leaving before an evacuation order is issued.