FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
MRI Diagnostic Testing Company, Imagimed LLC, and Its Former Owners and Chief Radiologist to Pay $3.57 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations
New York-based Imagimed LLC, the company’s former owners, William B. Wolf III and Dr. Timothy J. Greenan, and the company’s former chief radiologist, Dr. Steven Winter, will pay $3.57 million to resolve allegations that they submitted to federal healthcare programs false claims for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services, the Justice Department announced today. Imagimed owns and operates fifteen MRI facilities, located primarily in New York state, under the name “Open MRI.”
Allegedly, from July 1, 2001, through April 23, 2008, Imagimed, Greenan, Wolf and Winter submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE for MRI scans performed with a contrast dye without the direct supervision of a qualified physician. Since a potential adverse side effect of contrast dye is anaphylactic shock, federal regulations require that a physician supervise the administration of contrast dye when it is used for an MRI. Also, allegedly, from July 1, 2005, to April 23, 2008, Imagimed, Greenan, Wolf and Winter submitted claims for services referred to Imagimed by physicians with whom Imagimed had improper financial relationships. In exchange for these referrals, Imagimed entered into sham on-call arrangements, provided pre-authorization services without charge and provided various gifts to certain referring physicians, in violation of the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
“The Department of Justice is committed to guarding against abuse of federal healthcare programs,” said Stuart F. Delery, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. “We will help protect patients’ health by ensuring doctors who submit claims to federal healthcare programs follow proper safety precautions at all times.”
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Richard S. Hartunian said: “This case is an example of our commitment to using all of the remedies available, including civil actions under the False Claims Act, to ensure patient safety and combat health care fraud. Stripping away the profit motive for circumventing physician supervision requirements has both a remedial and a deterrent effect. The settlement announced today advances our critical interest in both the integrity of our health care system and the safe delivery of medical services.”
The allegations resolved by the settlement were brought in a lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act’s whistleblower provisions, which permit private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The whistleblower in this case, Dr. Patrick Lynch, was a local radiologist and will receive $565,500.
This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $14.8 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $10.8 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
The investigation and settlement were the result of a coordinated effort among the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York; the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
The case is United States of America ex rel. Lynch v. Imagimed LLC, et al. (N.D. N.Y.). The claims released by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Friday, August 30, 2013
DOD ANNOUNCES RECRUIT AND RETENTION NUMBERS FOR FISCAL 2013, THROUGH JULY
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for Fiscal 2013, Through July 2013
The Department of Defense announced today recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for fiscal 2013, through July.
Active Component.
Recruiting. All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal 2013, through July.
Army – 56,437 accessions, with a goal of 55,760; 101 percent
Navy – 32,692 accessions, with a goal of 32,692; 100 percent
Marine Corps – 24,785 accessions, with a goal of 24,743; 100 percent
Air Force – 21,969 accessions, with a goal of 21,969; 100 percent
Retention. The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the 10th month of fiscal 2013. The Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories. However, the Navy's achievement of 87 percent in the initial category is a result of reduced accessions from four to six years ago.
Reserve Component.
Recruiting. Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their fiscal-year-to-date 2013 numerical accession goals. While the Army Reserve met its July goals, it remains 3,241 accessions short of its fiscal goal.
Army National Guard – 41,539 accessions, with a goal of 41,236; 101 percent
Army Reserve – 21,681 accessions, with a goal of 24,922; 87 percent
Navy Reserve – 4,667 accessions, with a goal of 4,656; 100 percent
Marine Corps Reserve – 8,050 accessions, with a goal of 7,950; 101 percent
Air National Guard – 8,605 accessions, with a goal of 8,605; 100 percent
Air Force Reserve – 6,307 accessions, with a goal of 5,201; 121 percent
Attrition – All reserve components have met their attrition goals. Current trends are expected to continue. (This indicator lags due to data availability.)
DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for Fiscal 2013, Through July 2013
The Department of Defense announced today recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for fiscal 2013, through July.
Active Component.
Recruiting. All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal 2013, through July.
Army – 56,437 accessions, with a goal of 55,760; 101 percent
Navy – 32,692 accessions, with a goal of 32,692; 100 percent
Marine Corps – 24,785 accessions, with a goal of 24,743; 100 percent
Air Force – 21,969 accessions, with a goal of 21,969; 100 percent
Retention. The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the 10th month of fiscal 2013. The Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories. However, the Navy's achievement of 87 percent in the initial category is a result of reduced accessions from four to six years ago.
Reserve Component.
Recruiting. Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their fiscal-year-to-date 2013 numerical accession goals. While the Army Reserve met its July goals, it remains 3,241 accessions short of its fiscal goal.
Army National Guard – 41,539 accessions, with a goal of 41,236; 101 percent
Army Reserve – 21,681 accessions, with a goal of 24,922; 87 percent
Navy Reserve – 4,667 accessions, with a goal of 4,656; 100 percent
Marine Corps Reserve – 8,050 accessions, with a goal of 7,950; 101 percent
Air National Guard – 8,605 accessions, with a goal of 8,605; 100 percent
Air Force Reserve – 6,307 accessions, with a goal of 5,201; 121 percent
Attrition – All reserve components have met their attrition goals. Current trends are expected to continue. (This indicator lags due to data availability.)
PACIFIC REGION DEFENSE MINISTERS END JOINT MEETING IN BRUNEI
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Defense Ministers End Brunei Meeting with Joint Declaration
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Aug. 29, 2013 - Eighteen defense ministers from nations throughout the Asia-Pacific region sat together after their meeting here today, each in turn signing a joint declaration that reaffirms their commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to working together peacefully and cooperatively for a better future.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was among them, having traveled here as part of an Asian trip -- his second in three months -- that also includes stops in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Yesterday, Hagel attended a meeting here of defense ministers from the 10 ASEAN member states of Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. He also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from several other nations.
This morning, he attended the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, made up of the 10 ASEAN defense ministers and eight dialogue partners: defense ministers from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia.
This year, Russia's deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov, participated in the ADMM-Plus meeting.
"I see this second ministerial of the ADMM-Plus as a landmark event," Hagel said in remarks prepared for delivery during the meeting.
"In 2010, when then-Secretary [Robert M.] Gates joined you, our countries committed to making the ADMM-Plus action-oriented," Hagel said. "Under ASEAN leadership, we are well on our way, with three multinational field exercises this year -– a major accomplishment. I am proud that the United States has been a partner and participant all along the way."
After the signing of the Bandar Seri Begawan Joint Declaration, Mohammad Yasmin Bin Umar, chairman of this second meeting of the ADMM-Plus, discussed key outcomes. He said the group was pleased with its substantial achievement this year, especially the five ADMM-Plus expert working groups that have forged political cooperation among defense forces.
"This is evident with the first-of-its-kind ADMM-Plus humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and military medicine exercise held in Brunei Darussalam last June," he said. An upcoming exercise will be held on maritime security, counterterrorism and peacekeeping operations, he added, and the group decided last year that ADMM-Plus would begin meeting every two years rather than every three years.
Yasmin said the group reaffirmed the principle of ASEAN centrality, where ASEAN is the primary driving force in the ADMM-Plus processes.
"We also reaffirmed our relation to be guided by the fundamental principle enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation," he said, "especially reunification of the threat of the use of force and exercise of self-restraint."
The group recommitted to strengthen defense cooperation in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, he added, based on the enduring principle of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit, and respect for international law.
"In doing so," Yasmin said, "we agreed to promote capacity building through greater engagement and interaction, enhance interoperability through training and joint exercises, and establish mechanisms for effective response."
He said the defense ministers also agreed to establish practical measures for reducing vulnerability to miscalculation and avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea.
"We also agreed on the establishment of the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action and on the transition process of the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Co-chairmanship," Yasmin said. "Our senior official will develop a work plan and key milestones for the next cycle that begins in April 2014."
A new ADMM-Plus initiative will promote capacity building through a humanitarian aid/disaster relief tabletop exercise and mine action workshop, he said. And the group will reaffirm the direction of the ASEAN leader during the association's summit in May to promote synergy among regional mechanisms, including those of ADMM-Plus and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
The group also extensively discussed international and regional security and defense issues, and plans to meet again in Malaysia in 2015, he said.
In his remarks, Hagel said the ADMM-Plus is setting the right example with coordinated approaches to transnational and nontraditional threats.
"Pirates and terrorists, proliferators, diseases, natural disasters, and cyber criminals are not contained by national borders, and they will jeopardize all of our futures if we fail to act together," the secretary said.
"Working together develops regional capacity and the habits of cooperation we need to solve today's complex problems," he said. "Exercising together builds trust and understanding, and reduces the risk of conflict when disputes arise."
Defense Ministers End Brunei Meeting with Joint Declaration
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Aug. 29, 2013 - Eighteen defense ministers from nations throughout the Asia-Pacific region sat together after their meeting here today, each in turn signing a joint declaration that reaffirms their commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to working together peacefully and cooperatively for a better future.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was among them, having traveled here as part of an Asian trip -- his second in three months -- that also includes stops in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Yesterday, Hagel attended a meeting here of defense ministers from the 10 ASEAN member states of Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. He also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from several other nations.
This morning, he attended the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, made up of the 10 ASEAN defense ministers and eight dialogue partners: defense ministers from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia.
This year, Russia's deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov, participated in the ADMM-Plus meeting.
"I see this second ministerial of the ADMM-Plus as a landmark event," Hagel said in remarks prepared for delivery during the meeting.
"In 2010, when then-Secretary [Robert M.] Gates joined you, our countries committed to making the ADMM-Plus action-oriented," Hagel said. "Under ASEAN leadership, we are well on our way, with three multinational field exercises this year -– a major accomplishment. I am proud that the United States has been a partner and participant all along the way."
After the signing of the Bandar Seri Begawan Joint Declaration, Mohammad Yasmin Bin Umar, chairman of this second meeting of the ADMM-Plus, discussed key outcomes. He said the group was pleased with its substantial achievement this year, especially the five ADMM-Plus expert working groups that have forged political cooperation among defense forces.
"This is evident with the first-of-its-kind ADMM-Plus humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and military medicine exercise held in Brunei Darussalam last June," he said. An upcoming exercise will be held on maritime security, counterterrorism and peacekeeping operations, he added, and the group decided last year that ADMM-Plus would begin meeting every two years rather than every three years.
Yasmin said the group reaffirmed the principle of ASEAN centrality, where ASEAN is the primary driving force in the ADMM-Plus processes.
"We also reaffirmed our relation to be guided by the fundamental principle enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation," he said, "especially reunification of the threat of the use of force and exercise of self-restraint."
The group recommitted to strengthen defense cooperation in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, he added, based on the enduring principle of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit, and respect for international law.
"In doing so," Yasmin said, "we agreed to promote capacity building through greater engagement and interaction, enhance interoperability through training and joint exercises, and establish mechanisms for effective response."
He said the defense ministers also agreed to establish practical measures for reducing vulnerability to miscalculation and avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea.
"We also agreed on the establishment of the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action and on the transition process of the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Co-chairmanship," Yasmin said. "Our senior official will develop a work plan and key milestones for the next cycle that begins in April 2014."
A new ADMM-Plus initiative will promote capacity building through a humanitarian aid/disaster relief tabletop exercise and mine action workshop, he said. And the group will reaffirm the direction of the ASEAN leader during the association's summit in May to promote synergy among regional mechanisms, including those of ADMM-Plus and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
The group also extensively discussed international and regional security and defense issues, and plans to meet again in Malaysia in 2015, he said.
In his remarks, Hagel said the ADMM-Plus is setting the right example with coordinated approaches to transnational and nontraditional threats.
"Pirates and terrorists, proliferators, diseases, natural disasters, and cyber criminals are not contained by national borders, and they will jeopardize all of our futures if we fail to act together," the secretary said.
"Working together develops regional capacity and the habits of cooperation we need to solve today's complex problems," he said. "Exercising together builds trust and understanding, and reduces the risk of conflict when disputes arise."
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK APPROVES $1.5 BILLION FINANCING FOR ENERGY EQUIPMENT TO MEXICO'S PEMEX
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank Approves $1.5 Billion to Finance Energy Equipment and Services to Mexico
Financing Supports 6,800 U.S. Jobs
Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized $1.5 billion of export financing in a pair of transactions to support the export of U.S. goods and services to Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico's national oil and gas company.
For the second time, Pemex will issue Ex-Im Bank-guaranteed bonds in the capital markets to fund the transactions. In the event the funding cost is prohibitive, Pemex may exercise an option to seek Ex-Im Bank direct loans priced at Commercial Interest Reference Rates.
Ex-Im Bank’s financing will support approximately 6,800 U.S. jobs spread across about 10 states, according to bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology. The procurement includes oil and gas field drilling services, drilling platforms, equipment rentals, pumps, well-completion services, associated spare parts and chemicals, geophysical services and safety equipment.
“These two transactions will increase the flow of American exports to one of our neighbors and in the process support large- and small-business jobs across America,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “It is clear that the ‘Made in America’ brand is valued now more than ever.”
Detcon Inc., a small-business that will benefit from the transaction, designs and manufactures a wide range of industrial grade fixed gas detectors, control systems, pipeline analyzers, and wireless technology. The company, which is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, employs about 90 people.
“Detcon is proud of its association with Pemex,” said Adam Markin, Detcon’s CEO. “Ex-Im Bank’s support of Pemex in this transaction is a large help to smaller U.S.-based companies like Detcon and to their jobs.”
Since 1998, Ex-Im Bank has approved approximately $13.5 billion in financing to support Pemex’s activities.
Ex-Im Bank Approves $1.5 Billion to Finance Energy Equipment and Services to Mexico
Financing Supports 6,800 U.S. Jobs
Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized $1.5 billion of export financing in a pair of transactions to support the export of U.S. goods and services to Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico's national oil and gas company.
For the second time, Pemex will issue Ex-Im Bank-guaranteed bonds in the capital markets to fund the transactions. In the event the funding cost is prohibitive, Pemex may exercise an option to seek Ex-Im Bank direct loans priced at Commercial Interest Reference Rates.
Ex-Im Bank’s financing will support approximately 6,800 U.S. jobs spread across about 10 states, according to bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology. The procurement includes oil and gas field drilling services, drilling platforms, equipment rentals, pumps, well-completion services, associated spare parts and chemicals, geophysical services and safety equipment.
“These two transactions will increase the flow of American exports to one of our neighbors and in the process support large- and small-business jobs across America,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “It is clear that the ‘Made in America’ brand is valued now more than ever.”
Detcon Inc., a small-business that will benefit from the transaction, designs and manufactures a wide range of industrial grade fixed gas detectors, control systems, pipeline analyzers, and wireless technology. The company, which is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, employs about 90 people.
“Detcon is proud of its association with Pemex,” said Adam Markin, Detcon’s CEO. “Ex-Im Bank’s support of Pemex in this transaction is a large help to smaller U.S.-based companies like Detcon and to their jobs.”
Since 1998, Ex-Im Bank has approved approximately $13.5 billion in financing to support Pemex’s activities.
THE ARTIFICIAL SPIN GIVES A LOOK AT MAGNETIC CHARGED CRYSTALS
FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Magnetic charge crystals imaged in artificial spin ice
Potential data storage and computational advances could follow
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., August 28, 2013—A team of scientists has reported direct visualization of magnetic charge crystallization in an artificial spin ice material, a first in the study of a relatively new class of frustrated artificial magnetic materials-by-design known as “Artificial Spin Ice.” These charges are analogs to electrical charges with possible applications in magnetic memories and devices; in describing this class of materials, the new work demonstrates their utility.
Los Alamos National Laboratory staff scientist Cristiano Nisoli explained, “Magnetic technology generally concerns itself with manipulation of localized dipolar degrees of freedom,” he said. “The ability of building materials containing delocalized monopolar charges is very exciting with possible technological implications in data storage and computation.”
Honeycomb configuration helps disassemble magnetic islands
“The emergence of magnetic monopoles in spin ice systems is a particular case of what physicists call fractionalization, or deconfinement of quasi-particles that together are seen as comprising the fundamental unit of the system, in this case the north and south poles of a nanomagnet,” Nisoli said. “We have seen how arranging magnets in a honeycomb configuration allows for these charges to be sort of ‘stripped’ from the magnetic islands to which they belong and become relevant degrees of freedom.”
Nanoscale magnets prevent freezing
The unique properties of spin ice materials have fascinated scientists since they were first discovered in the late 1990s in naturally occurring rare earth titanites. The material is aptly named: the highly complex ordering of nanoscale magnets in spin ice obey the same rules that determine the positional ordering of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in frozen water ice. Both have “spin”—degrees of freedom—with frustrated interactions that prevent complete freezing, even at absolute zero.
In 2006, an interdisciplinary team of physicists and materials scientists designed the first artificial spin ice, a two-dimensional array of magnetic nanoislands that are fabricated to interact in complex ways, depending on the chosen design of the array. The islands were lithographically printed onto a substrate, arranged in a square-lattice pattern, with the north and south poles of each nanomagnet meeting and interacting at their four-pronged vertices.
New annealing process allows polarity flip
Now the same research team has developed a new annealing protocol that allows the artificial material’s full potential for highly complex magnetic interactions to be realized. The new protocol was applied to two artificial spin ice materials, one configured in a square-lattice pattern, the other in a hexagonal-honeycomb pattern with three-pronged vertices.
In the honeycomb pattern, where three magnetic poles intersect, a net charge of north or south is forced at each vertex. The magnetic “monopole charge” at each vertex influences the magnetic “charge” of the surrounding vertices. The team was able to image the crystalline structure of the magnetic charges using magnetic force microscopy.
University of Illinois physicist Peter Schiffer, who led the team, explained, “Nanomagnets are so small that their behavior becomes relatively simple. We can arrange the magnets in a particular lattice pattern—square or honeycomb—and they interact in a way that we can predict and control.”
Schiffer added, “The challenge—you have to get the nanomagnets to flip their north and south poles to show how they interact. It’s hard to force them to show the effects of interaction, since they get stuck in one particular arrangement.”
The research team’s new annealing protocol—heating the material to a high temperature where their magnetic polarity is suppressed (here, about 550 degrees Celsius) —allows the nanomagnets to flip their polarity and freely interact. As the material cools, the nanomagnets are ordered according to the interactions of their poles at the vertices.
Engineered material allows study that’s impossible in natural crystals
The collective thermal behavior of the arrays is studied through statistical mechanics, a branch of fundamental physics. As theorized, the monopole charge of each vertex was found to contribute to the order of the entire system in a manner analogous to the interactions of electric charges at the atomic scale during water ice crystal growth.
An advantage of artificial spin ice is that it can be designed in different topologies, and examined subsequently to see the effects of those topologies. That allows physicists to explore a wide range of possible behaviors that are not accessible in natural crystals.
“This work demonstrates a direction in condensed matter physics that is quite opposite to what has been done in the last six decades or so,” said Nisoli. “Instead of imagining an emergent theoretical description to model the behavior of a nature-given material and validating it indirectly, we engineer materials of desired emergent properties that can be visualized directly.”
The team’s research, led by Schiffer, also of the University of Illinois’ Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, has published its findings in the Aug. 29 issue of the journal Nature. The theoretical work for this research was performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory under Nisoli and LANL Oppenheimer Fellow Gia-Wei Chern, and at Penn State University under Vincent Crespi and Paul Lammert. The synthesis of the magnetic materials and the high temperature treatment was performed at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science under Chris Leighton. The magnetic measurements and lithography were performed at Penn State University and the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory by graduate students Sheng Zhang and Ian Gilbert under the direction of Schiffer.
This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
Magnetic charge crystals imaged in artificial spin ice
Potential data storage and computational advances could follow
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., August 28, 2013—A team of scientists has reported direct visualization of magnetic charge crystallization in an artificial spin ice material, a first in the study of a relatively new class of frustrated artificial magnetic materials-by-design known as “Artificial Spin Ice.” These charges are analogs to electrical charges with possible applications in magnetic memories and devices; in describing this class of materials, the new work demonstrates their utility.
Los Alamos National Laboratory staff scientist Cristiano Nisoli explained, “Magnetic technology generally concerns itself with manipulation of localized dipolar degrees of freedom,” he said. “The ability of building materials containing delocalized monopolar charges is very exciting with possible technological implications in data storage and computation.”
Honeycomb configuration helps disassemble magnetic islands
“The emergence of magnetic monopoles in spin ice systems is a particular case of what physicists call fractionalization, or deconfinement of quasi-particles that together are seen as comprising the fundamental unit of the system, in this case the north and south poles of a nanomagnet,” Nisoli said. “We have seen how arranging magnets in a honeycomb configuration allows for these charges to be sort of ‘stripped’ from the magnetic islands to which they belong and become relevant degrees of freedom.”
Nanoscale magnets prevent freezing
The unique properties of spin ice materials have fascinated scientists since they were first discovered in the late 1990s in naturally occurring rare earth titanites. The material is aptly named: the highly complex ordering of nanoscale magnets in spin ice obey the same rules that determine the positional ordering of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in frozen water ice. Both have “spin”—degrees of freedom—with frustrated interactions that prevent complete freezing, even at absolute zero.
In 2006, an interdisciplinary team of physicists and materials scientists designed the first artificial spin ice, a two-dimensional array of magnetic nanoislands that are fabricated to interact in complex ways, depending on the chosen design of the array. The islands were lithographically printed onto a substrate, arranged in a square-lattice pattern, with the north and south poles of each nanomagnet meeting and interacting at their four-pronged vertices.
New annealing process allows polarity flip
Now the same research team has developed a new annealing protocol that allows the artificial material’s full potential for highly complex magnetic interactions to be realized. The new protocol was applied to two artificial spin ice materials, one configured in a square-lattice pattern, the other in a hexagonal-honeycomb pattern with three-pronged vertices.
In the honeycomb pattern, where three magnetic poles intersect, a net charge of north or south is forced at each vertex. The magnetic “monopole charge” at each vertex influences the magnetic “charge” of the surrounding vertices. The team was able to image the crystalline structure of the magnetic charges using magnetic force microscopy.
University of Illinois physicist Peter Schiffer, who led the team, explained, “Nanomagnets are so small that their behavior becomes relatively simple. We can arrange the magnets in a particular lattice pattern—square or honeycomb—and they interact in a way that we can predict and control.”
Schiffer added, “The challenge—you have to get the nanomagnets to flip their north and south poles to show how they interact. It’s hard to force them to show the effects of interaction, since they get stuck in one particular arrangement.”
The research team’s new annealing protocol—heating the material to a high temperature where their magnetic polarity is suppressed (here, about 550 degrees Celsius) —allows the nanomagnets to flip their polarity and freely interact. As the material cools, the nanomagnets are ordered according to the interactions of their poles at the vertices.
Engineered material allows study that’s impossible in natural crystals
The collective thermal behavior of the arrays is studied through statistical mechanics, a branch of fundamental physics. As theorized, the monopole charge of each vertex was found to contribute to the order of the entire system in a manner analogous to the interactions of electric charges at the atomic scale during water ice crystal growth.
An advantage of artificial spin ice is that it can be designed in different topologies, and examined subsequently to see the effects of those topologies. That allows physicists to explore a wide range of possible behaviors that are not accessible in natural crystals.
“This work demonstrates a direction in condensed matter physics that is quite opposite to what has been done in the last six decades or so,” said Nisoli. “Instead of imagining an emergent theoretical description to model the behavior of a nature-given material and validating it indirectly, we engineer materials of desired emergent properties that can be visualized directly.”
The team’s research, led by Schiffer, also of the University of Illinois’ Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, has published its findings in the Aug. 29 issue of the journal Nature. The theoretical work for this research was performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory under Nisoli and LANL Oppenheimer Fellow Gia-Wei Chern, and at Penn State University under Vincent Crespi and Paul Lammert. The synthesis of the magnetic materials and the high temperature treatment was performed at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science under Chris Leighton. The magnetic measurements and lithography were performed at Penn State University and the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory by graduate students Sheng Zhang and Ian Gilbert under the direction of Schiffer.
This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 24, 2013
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 331,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 337,000. The 4-week moving average was 331,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 330,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 17 was 2,989,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,003,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,996,250, an increase of 9,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,986,750.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 277,359 in the week ending August 24, a decrease of 2,959 from the previous week. There were 312,542 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,821,658, a decrease of 58,419 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,880,077. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,117,558.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 10 was 4,467,574, an increase of 28,918 from the previous week. There were 5,530,828 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 10.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,104 in the week ending August 17, a decrease of 333 from the prior week. There were 2,164 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 197 from the preceding week.
There were 21,083 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 10, a decrease of 125 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,778, an increase of 543 from the prior week.
States reported 1,511,619 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 10, an increase of 10,551 from the prior week. There were 2,273,317 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 17 were in Puerto Rico (4.7), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), California (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.2), New Mexico (3.1), Virgin Islands (3.1), Nevada (2.8), and Rhode Island (2.8).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 17 were in California (+5,867), Missouri (+1,757), New Jersey (+677), Kansas (+460), and New York (+445), while the largest decreases were in North Carolina (-1,017), Pennsylvania (-899), Maryland (-722), Washington (-720), and Florida (-601).
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 331,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 337,000. The 4-week moving average was 331,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 330,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 17 was 2,989,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,003,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,996,250, an increase of 9,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,986,750.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 277,359 in the week ending August 24, a decrease of 2,959 from the previous week. There were 312,542 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,821,658, a decrease of 58,419 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,880,077. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,117,558.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 10 was 4,467,574, an increase of 28,918 from the previous week. There were 5,530,828 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 10.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,104 in the week ending August 17, a decrease of 333 from the prior week. There were 2,164 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 197 from the preceding week.
There were 21,083 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 10, a decrease of 125 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,778, an increase of 543 from the prior week.
States reported 1,511,619 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 10, an increase of 10,551 from the prior week. There were 2,273,317 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 17 were in Puerto Rico (4.7), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), California (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.2), New Mexico (3.1), Virgin Islands (3.1), Nevada (2.8), and Rhode Island (2.8).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 17 were in California (+5,867), Missouri (+1,757), New Jersey (+677), Kansas (+460), and New York (+445), while the largest decreases were in North Carolina (-1,017), Pennsylvania (-899), Maryland (-722), Washington (-720), and Florida (-601).
SECRETARY HAGEL DISCUSSES SYRIA WITH GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Discusses Syria With German Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere to discuss the ongoing violence in Syria, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
Hagel is in Brunei, where he is attending a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers.
In a statement summarizing the call, Little said Hagel pledged to continue consultations with de Maiziere on the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
"They discussed the need for the international community to consider responses to this tragic development in Syria," the press secretary said, "and noted that the use of chemical weapons violates core tenets of international law."
In an interview yesterday with "BBC World News," Hagel said most U.S. allies, most U.S. partners and most of the international community have little doubt that the most basic international humanitarian standard was violated by the Syrian regime in using chemical weapons against its own people.
"The deeper we get into this, it seems to me it's clearer and clearer that the government of Syria was responsible," he added.
The secretary also said the Defense Department has complied with President Barack Obama's request for options.
"We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take," he said. "We are ready to go."
(Cheryl Pellerin of American Forces Press Service contributed to this report.)
Hagel Discusses Syria With German Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere to discuss the ongoing violence in Syria, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
Hagel is in Brunei, where he is attending a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers.
In a statement summarizing the call, Little said Hagel pledged to continue consultations with de Maiziere on the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
"They discussed the need for the international community to consider responses to this tragic development in Syria," the press secretary said, "and noted that the use of chemical weapons violates core tenets of international law."
In an interview yesterday with "BBC World News," Hagel said most U.S. allies, most U.S. partners and most of the international community have little doubt that the most basic international humanitarian standard was violated by the Syrian regime in using chemical weapons against its own people.
"The deeper we get into this, it seems to me it's clearer and clearer that the government of Syria was responsible," he added.
The secretary also said the Defense Department has complied with President Barack Obama's request for options.
"We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take," he said. "We are ready to go."
(Cheryl Pellerin of American Forces Press Service contributed to this report.)
THIS IS NATIONAL LABOR RIGHTS WEEK
FROM: U.S. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
NLRB and National Labor Rights Week: Working to Fulfill the Promise of the National Labor Relations Act
August 25 through August 31 is National Labor Rights Week. Throughout the country, staff members working in regional offices of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are meeting with immigrant workers, community groups, employees and employers to discuss the rights guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act.
“We are placing a particular emphasis on educating Mexican workers employed in the United States by partnering with Mexican consulates in many communities,” said NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce. “Along with other federal labor agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, we are participating in events designed to ensure that Mexican employers and workers in the United States understand their rights and obligations under American law.”
“Since its passage in 1935, the National Labor Relations Act has promised generations of workers the right to join together, with or without a union, to seek improvements and a voice in their working lives,” notes Acting NLRB General Counsel Lafe Solomon. “But that promise can only be fulfilled if individuals understand and are able to exercise their rights under the law.”
Among the events taking place this week:
In California, NLRB Regional Directors will attend the Los Angeles and San Francisco Mexican Consulates’ opening celebration for Labor Rights Week, representatives will hold briefings on the NLRB for the Los Angeles consulate’s professional staff, and attorneys will participate in a telethon designed to provide callers with information on their rights and the agencies best suited for assisting them; in San Francisco, staff will participate in outreach programs hosted by the consulate.
In Illinois, the Regional Director signed a Local Agreement with the Consul General of Mexico in Chicago as part of the opening ceremonies for Labor Rights Week, while Regional staff will participate in numerous events throughout the week at the consulate and throughout the community;
In New Jersey, the Regional office is participating in the Mexican Consulate’s New Brunswick Labor Week events, scheduled for August 27 and 29;
In Raleigh, North Carolina, attorneys from the Regional office will participate in a presentation at the Mexican Consulate, including an overview of the rights of employers and employees under the NLRA;
In Oregon, NLRB staff will pass out literature and meet with the public at booths in The Dalles, Portland and Woodburn;
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attorneys from the Regional office will participate in a briefing sponsored by the Mexican Consulate, highlighting the work of the NLRB and responding to questions;
In Texas, Regional staff are participating in events planned in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio;
In Washington State, representatives from the NLRB Seattle office will discuss employee and employer rights and obligations at a booth located in Centro de la Raza.
“These activities around the country build on the letter of agreement I signed last month with Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza,” Acting General Counsel Solomon said. “We are committed to working together to provide outreach, education, and training on the rights of workers under the National Labor Relations Act.”
“All of this week’s activities will help to guarantee the right of workers to engage in protected-concerted activity to improve their working conditions without fear of discrimination, harassment or retaliation,” Chairman Pearce said.
NLRB and National Labor Rights Week: Working to Fulfill the Promise of the National Labor Relations Act
August 25 through August 31 is National Labor Rights Week. Throughout the country, staff members working in regional offices of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are meeting with immigrant workers, community groups, employees and employers to discuss the rights guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act.
“We are placing a particular emphasis on educating Mexican workers employed in the United States by partnering with Mexican consulates in many communities,” said NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce. “Along with other federal labor agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, we are participating in events designed to ensure that Mexican employers and workers in the United States understand their rights and obligations under American law.”
“Since its passage in 1935, the National Labor Relations Act has promised generations of workers the right to join together, with or without a union, to seek improvements and a voice in their working lives,” notes Acting NLRB General Counsel Lafe Solomon. “But that promise can only be fulfilled if individuals understand and are able to exercise their rights under the law.”
Among the events taking place this week:
In California, NLRB Regional Directors will attend the Los Angeles and San Francisco Mexican Consulates’ opening celebration for Labor Rights Week, representatives will hold briefings on the NLRB for the Los Angeles consulate’s professional staff, and attorneys will participate in a telethon designed to provide callers with information on their rights and the agencies best suited for assisting them; in San Francisco, staff will participate in outreach programs hosted by the consulate.
In Illinois, the Regional Director signed a Local Agreement with the Consul General of Mexico in Chicago as part of the opening ceremonies for Labor Rights Week, while Regional staff will participate in numerous events throughout the week at the consulate and throughout the community;
In New Jersey, the Regional office is participating in the Mexican Consulate’s New Brunswick Labor Week events, scheduled for August 27 and 29;
In Raleigh, North Carolina, attorneys from the Regional office will participate in a presentation at the Mexican Consulate, including an overview of the rights of employers and employees under the NLRA;
In Oregon, NLRB staff will pass out literature and meet with the public at booths in The Dalles, Portland and Woodburn;
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attorneys from the Regional office will participate in a briefing sponsored by the Mexican Consulate, highlighting the work of the NLRB and responding to questions;
In Texas, Regional staff are participating in events planned in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio;
In Washington State, representatives from the NLRB Seattle office will discuss employee and employer rights and obligations at a booth located in Centro de la Raza.
“These activities around the country build on the letter of agreement I signed last month with Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza,” Acting General Counsel Solomon said. “We are committed to working together to provide outreach, education, and training on the rights of workers under the National Labor Relations Act.”
“All of this week’s activities will help to guarantee the right of workers to engage in protected-concerted activity to improve their working conditions without fear of discrimination, harassment or retaliation,” Chairman Pearce said.
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S STATEMENT ON U.S. CITIZENS DETAINED OR MISSING IN IRAN
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Citizens Detained or Missing in Iran
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 28, 2013
The United States respectfully asks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us in our efforts to help U.S. citizens Robert Levinson, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini to return to their families after lengthy detentions.
Mr. Levinson went missing from Kish Island, Iran, in March 2007. Mr. Levinson is not only a husband, but a caring father to seven children. His family has endured with courage and quiet dignity the pain of spending so many important family milestones without him there. They shouldn’t have to endure additional worry about his whereabouts and well being. We call again on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold its offer to help find Mr. Levinson and return him safely to his family.
The United States is also deeply concerned about the fate of dual U.S. citizens Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini. Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of Mr. Hekmati’s detention in Iran on false espionage charges. On September 26, Mr. Abedini will have spent a year in detention in Iran. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges related to his religious beliefs.
President Rouhani has shared in his speeches and interviews over the past few months his hope and vision to improve the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relationship with the world.
We urge the Iranian Government to release Mr. Hekmati and Mr. Abedini and to help us locate Mr. Levinson so that they may be reunited with their families as safely and as soon as possible.
These men belong at home with those who love them and miss them.
U.S. Citizens Detained or Missing in Iran
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 28, 2013
The United States respectfully asks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us in our efforts to help U.S. citizens Robert Levinson, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini to return to their families after lengthy detentions.
Mr. Levinson went missing from Kish Island, Iran, in March 2007. Mr. Levinson is not only a husband, but a caring father to seven children. His family has endured with courage and quiet dignity the pain of spending so many important family milestones without him there. They shouldn’t have to endure additional worry about his whereabouts and well being. We call again on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold its offer to help find Mr. Levinson and return him safely to his family.
The United States is also deeply concerned about the fate of dual U.S. citizens Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini. Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of Mr. Hekmati’s detention in Iran on false espionage charges. On September 26, Mr. Abedini will have spent a year in detention in Iran. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges related to his religious beliefs.
President Rouhani has shared in his speeches and interviews over the past few months his hope and vision to improve the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relationship with the world.
We urge the Iranian Government to release Mr. Hekmati and Mr. Abedini and to help us locate Mr. Levinson so that they may be reunited with their families as safely and as soon as possible.
These men belong at home with those who love them and miss them.
INTERNATIONAL SENIOR MILITARY GATHER TO LEARN USE OF NONLETHAL WEAPONS TO PUT DOWN CIVIL UNREST
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2013 - Senior military leaders from 22 nations, most in the Asia-Pacific region, are gathered in Mongolia this week to learn about nonlethal weapons and how their forces can more effectively use them, when circumstances require, such as to maintain order during low-intensity conflict or civil unrest.
The two-day leadership seminar, sponsored by U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, began yesterday with demonstrations of nonlethal tactics, techniques and procedures at a training area about 30 miles west of Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, Marine Corps Col. Brad Bartelt, the senior U.S. seminar representative, told American Forces Press Service.
The session continues through tomorrow in the capital city, with participants discussing how they might apply the principles demonstrated.
The leadership seminar is the second phase of a two-part program conducted to promote awareness of nonlethal weapons and increase interoperability among those that use them, Bartelt said.
The training kicked off Aug. 17 with a bilateral field training exercise between U.S. and Mongolian forces at Mongolia's Five Hills Training Area. Fifteen 15 nonlethal weapons instructors from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force's 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion conducted hands-on training for more than 150 members of the Mongolian armed forces and general police, Bartelt reported.
Together, they rehearsed nonlethal tactics and procedures such as control holds and pressure-point techniques. They also got hands-on training with various nonlethal weapons systems, including oleoresin capsicum, or "pepper spray," the X26 Taser, 40-millimeter sponge and "stingball" grenades and nonlethal shotgun rounds.
"The extensive, tactical-level training that took place during the FTX greatly increased the nonlethal proficiency of both the U.S. Marines who led the training, as well as the Mongolian personnel who might have been exposed to these nonlethal procedures for the first time," Bartelt said.
Marine Corps Sgt. Ben Eberle, a combat correspondent who witnessed the training, said he was impressed how quickly the Mongolians absorbed on the information covered. "Show them once, and they had it," he said. "And it's all even more impressive since everyone communicated with each other through interpreters."
Each experienced firsthand how it feels to be hit with a nonlethal weapon, designed to intimidate or inflict pain or discomfort rather than to kill. "No matter what language we speak, everyone runs through the [observer-controller] course in pain, and everyone takes a stun from a Taser the same way," Eberle said. "Just because it's nonlethal doesn't mean it's pain-free. I think whoever said friends are made through hardship hit the nail right on the head."
The training could prove valuable for the Mongolian armed forces, a major contributor to peacekeeping operations around the world, Bartelt said. The Mongolians have deployed in support of U.N. peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Sierra Leon and the Balkans, and continue to augment the coalition in Afghanistan, he noted.
In many instances during these missions, nonlethal weapons can be valuable additions to ground commanders, he said.
"There are times when lethal force is not the best option," Bartelt said. "For example, the effective use of nonlethal weapons can prove extremely valuable during rescue missions, situations in which civilians are used to mask a military attack, as well as riots and cases of civil disturbance during humanitarian assistance-disaster relief operations."
Nonlethal weapons are designed to incapacitate equipment and people, minimizing fatalities and permanent injury and collateral property damage, Bartelt said. "Being able to use them effectively greatly increases the options a commander has while operating in the full spectrum of conflict," he said.
As the Defense Department's executive agent for nonlethal weapons and devices, the Marine Corps frequently leads related training, not only within the U.S. military, but also with partner nations.
Since 2002, Marine Corps Forces Pacific has sponsored the executive seminar series 12 times with partners throughout the region. This year's exercise is the third to be hosted by Mongolia, and New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia have hosted previous sessions.
The training, Bartelt said, promotes closer partnership across the region, a pillar of the U.S. military rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific as nations work together to confront common challenges.
Recognizing that nonlethal capabilities and procedures vary significantly across nations, Bartelt called the exercise an opportunity to increase interoperability with partners "in the event we ever find ourselves side by side in a situation where we need to put this training to use."
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2013 - Senior military leaders from 22 nations, most in the Asia-Pacific region, are gathered in Mongolia this week to learn about nonlethal weapons and how their forces can more effectively use them, when circumstances require, such as to maintain order during low-intensity conflict or civil unrest.
The two-day leadership seminar, sponsored by U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, began yesterday with demonstrations of nonlethal tactics, techniques and procedures at a training area about 30 miles west of Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, Marine Corps Col. Brad Bartelt, the senior U.S. seminar representative, told American Forces Press Service.
The session continues through tomorrow in the capital city, with participants discussing how they might apply the principles demonstrated.
The leadership seminar is the second phase of a two-part program conducted to promote awareness of nonlethal weapons and increase interoperability among those that use them, Bartelt said.
The training kicked off Aug. 17 with a bilateral field training exercise between U.S. and Mongolian forces at Mongolia's Five Hills Training Area. Fifteen 15 nonlethal weapons instructors from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force's 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion conducted hands-on training for more than 150 members of the Mongolian armed forces and general police, Bartelt reported.
Together, they rehearsed nonlethal tactics and procedures such as control holds and pressure-point techniques. They also got hands-on training with various nonlethal weapons systems, including oleoresin capsicum, or "pepper spray," the X26 Taser, 40-millimeter sponge and "stingball" grenades and nonlethal shotgun rounds.
"The extensive, tactical-level training that took place during the FTX greatly increased the nonlethal proficiency of both the U.S. Marines who led the training, as well as the Mongolian personnel who might have been exposed to these nonlethal procedures for the first time," Bartelt said.
Marine Corps Sgt. Ben Eberle, a combat correspondent who witnessed the training, said he was impressed how quickly the Mongolians absorbed on the information covered. "Show them once, and they had it," he said. "And it's all even more impressive since everyone communicated with each other through interpreters."
Each experienced firsthand how it feels to be hit with a nonlethal weapon, designed to intimidate or inflict pain or discomfort rather than to kill. "No matter what language we speak, everyone runs through the [observer-controller] course in pain, and everyone takes a stun from a Taser the same way," Eberle said. "Just because it's nonlethal doesn't mean it's pain-free. I think whoever said friends are made through hardship hit the nail right on the head."
The training could prove valuable for the Mongolian armed forces, a major contributor to peacekeeping operations around the world, Bartelt said. The Mongolians have deployed in support of U.N. peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Sierra Leon and the Balkans, and continue to augment the coalition in Afghanistan, he noted.
In many instances during these missions, nonlethal weapons can be valuable additions to ground commanders, he said.
"There are times when lethal force is not the best option," Bartelt said. "For example, the effective use of nonlethal weapons can prove extremely valuable during rescue missions, situations in which civilians are used to mask a military attack, as well as riots and cases of civil disturbance during humanitarian assistance-disaster relief operations."
Nonlethal weapons are designed to incapacitate equipment and people, minimizing fatalities and permanent injury and collateral property damage, Bartelt said. "Being able to use them effectively greatly increases the options a commander has while operating in the full spectrum of conflict," he said.
As the Defense Department's executive agent for nonlethal weapons and devices, the Marine Corps frequently leads related training, not only within the U.S. military, but also with partner nations.
Since 2002, Marine Corps Forces Pacific has sponsored the executive seminar series 12 times with partners throughout the region. This year's exercise is the third to be hosted by Mongolia, and New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia have hosted previous sessions.
The training, Bartelt said, promotes closer partnership across the region, a pillar of the U.S. military rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific as nations work together to confront common challenges.
Recognizing that nonlethal capabilities and procedures vary significantly across nations, Bartelt called the exercise an opportunity to increase interoperability with partners "in the event we ever find ourselves side by side in a situation where we need to put this training to use."
MAN THREATENS SYNAGOGUE CHARGED WITH CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, August 26, 2013
Man Who Threatened Synagogue in Fargo, North Dakota, Charged with Civil Rights Violation
Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels and U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota Timothy Q. Purdon announced that Dominique Jason Flanigan was arraigned today on civil rights and threats charges.
Flanigan was indicted under seal by a grand jury on Dec. 12, 2012, for threatening a synagogue in Fargo, N.D. The two-count indictment charges Flanigan with issuing a threatening interstate communication and with interfering with a federally protected activity. The indictment was unsealed prior to his arraignment.
The indictment alleges that, on Jan. 4, 2011, Flanigan called Temple Beth El in Fargo, and left a voice mail message threatening the employees of the synagogue. The indictment charges that this threat intimidated and interfered with Temple Beth El employees because of their religion.
An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn C. Jordheim and Megan A. Healy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota and Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division
Monday, August 26, 2013
Man Who Threatened Synagogue in Fargo, North Dakota, Charged with Civil Rights Violation
Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels and U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota Timothy Q. Purdon announced that Dominique Jason Flanigan was arraigned today on civil rights and threats charges.
Flanigan was indicted under seal by a grand jury on Dec. 12, 2012, for threatening a synagogue in Fargo, N.D. The two-count indictment charges Flanigan with issuing a threatening interstate communication and with interfering with a federally protected activity. The indictment was unsealed prior to his arraignment.
The indictment alleges that, on Jan. 4, 2011, Flanigan called Temple Beth El in Fargo, and left a voice mail message threatening the employees of the synagogue. The indictment charges that this threat intimidated and interfered with Temple Beth El employees because of their religion.
An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn C. Jordheim and Megan A. Healy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota and Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division
RED SKY AT NIGHT
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Is it a bird, a plane, a UFO? It's a...red sprite
Strange lights in the sky studied by atmospheric scientists
Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a UFO? Strange lights in the sky are being closely watched by atmospheric scientists.
Dubbed red sprites by researchers, these dancing fairies-of-the-clouds are sometimes glimpsed as blood-red bursts of light in the shape of jellyfish.
At other times, they appear as trumpet-shaped blue emissions, called blue jets. Like the most elusive of nymphs, however, red sprites and blue jets come out on only one occasion: during severe thunderstorms.
Although sporadically reported for years by airline pilots, only in the past decade or two has there been enough evidence to convince atmospheric scientists to investigate the phenomenon.
What's that in the skies?
Now baffled researchers asking "What in the world is this?" may have found answers.
Above a thunderstorm's black clouds, sprites appear as bursts of red light flashing far into Earth's atmosphere, according to scientist Hans Nielsen of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.
The brief flashes look like glowing jellyfish, with red bells and purple tentacles. In a single night, a large thunderstorm system can emit up to one hundred sprites.
Into the wild blue--or red--yonder
Nielsen, Jason Ahrns, also of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Matthew McHarg of the U.S. Air Force Academy and researchers from Fort Lewis College teamed up this summer to study sprites.
They used the National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Center for Atmospheric Research Gulfstream-V aircraft, a high-flying plane capable of reaching altitudes of 50,000 feet, to conduct their research. Their project is funded by NSF.
Sprites are similar to lightning, say Nielsen and McHarg, in that they are electrical discharges from the atmosphere.
But while sprites mimic lightning "in some ways," says McHarg, "they're different in others. Lightning happens below and within clouds, at altitudes of two to five miles. Sprites occur far above the clouds, at about 50 miles up--10 times higher than lightning."
They're also huge, he says, reaching 30 miles high.
"Red sprites don't last very long, though, about one-one thousandth of a second. That's 300 times quicker than the time it takes us to blink!"
Blue jets, which weren't directly part of the scientists' study, stick around longer than red sprites, originate at the tops of storm clouds, and shoot up to an altitude less than half that of red sprites. Blue jets are narrower than red sprites, and fan out like trumpet-shaped flowers in blue or purple hues.
"This field of research is fast evolving, and is important for understanding the global electric circuit," says Anne-Marie Schmoltner, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which supports the research. "The red sprite airborne field campaign this summer provided observations at unprecedented time resolutions."
What makes thunderstorms' celestial lights
Atmospheric researchers have developed theories to try to explain these celestial lights.
Red sprites may happen at the time of positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, which make up about ten percent of all lightning and are many times more powerful than more common, negatively charged lightning.
The flashes may be akin to giant electric sparks.
After a powerful ground strike, the electric field above a thunderstorm may become strengthened to the point that it causes an "electrical breakdown," an overload that weakens the atmosphere's resistance to electric current flow. The result is an immense red spark, or sprite, in the atmosphere.
Although still something of a mystery, red sprites have helped solve other long-standing questions.
Scientists have found that red sprites create some of the low-frequency radio bursts picked up for years by instruments around the world, but whose source was unknown.
Large bursts of gamma rays, emanating from Earth rather than space, originate during thunderstorms, although their exact relationship to red sprites remains unclear.
Researchers now wonder whether red sprites (and blue jets) might affect the atmosphere in important ways.
For example, sprites and jets might alter the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere. Though brief, they could set off lasting charges.
Sprites' deep red color is caused by the light emitted from nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, says McHarg. Red sprites may turn out to be important to atmospheric chemistry and global climate by changing concentrations of nitric oxides high in the atmosphere.
The researchers are using a technique called high-speed spectroscopy to study sprites' different colors to determine the amount of energy the sprites carry, and to find out more about their chemical composition.
How to see a sprite
Can thunderstorm-watchers on the ground glimpse red sprites and blue jets with the naked eye? Yes, if they know where to look.
Viewers must be able to see a distant thunderstorm with no clouds in the way, in an area without city lights. Then they must look above the storm, not at the lightning within the clouds.
It's likely, say the scientists, that if watchers wait long enough, they'll see a red sprite. Blue jets are more elusive. The best viewing would probably come from a plane flying very high, and located miles and miles away from a thunderstorm.
With its rubber tires, a car may be the safest vehicle from which to hunt for ephemeral sprites of the thunderclouds.
Is it a bird, a plane, a UFO? It's a...red sprite
Strange lights in the sky studied by atmospheric scientists
Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a UFO? Strange lights in the sky are being closely watched by atmospheric scientists.
Dubbed red sprites by researchers, these dancing fairies-of-the-clouds are sometimes glimpsed as blood-red bursts of light in the shape of jellyfish.
At other times, they appear as trumpet-shaped blue emissions, called blue jets. Like the most elusive of nymphs, however, red sprites and blue jets come out on only one occasion: during severe thunderstorms.
Although sporadically reported for years by airline pilots, only in the past decade or two has there been enough evidence to convince atmospheric scientists to investigate the phenomenon.
What's that in the skies?
Now baffled researchers asking "What in the world is this?" may have found answers.
Above a thunderstorm's black clouds, sprites appear as bursts of red light flashing far into Earth's atmosphere, according to scientist Hans Nielsen of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.
The brief flashes look like glowing jellyfish, with red bells and purple tentacles. In a single night, a large thunderstorm system can emit up to one hundred sprites.
Into the wild blue--or red--yonder
Nielsen, Jason Ahrns, also of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Matthew McHarg of the U.S. Air Force Academy and researchers from Fort Lewis College teamed up this summer to study sprites.
They used the National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Center for Atmospheric Research Gulfstream-V aircraft, a high-flying plane capable of reaching altitudes of 50,000 feet, to conduct their research. Their project is funded by NSF.
Sprites are similar to lightning, say Nielsen and McHarg, in that they are electrical discharges from the atmosphere.
But while sprites mimic lightning "in some ways," says McHarg, "they're different in others. Lightning happens below and within clouds, at altitudes of two to five miles. Sprites occur far above the clouds, at about 50 miles up--10 times higher than lightning."
They're also huge, he says, reaching 30 miles high.
"Red sprites don't last very long, though, about one-one thousandth of a second. That's 300 times quicker than the time it takes us to blink!"
Blue jets, which weren't directly part of the scientists' study, stick around longer than red sprites, originate at the tops of storm clouds, and shoot up to an altitude less than half that of red sprites. Blue jets are narrower than red sprites, and fan out like trumpet-shaped flowers in blue or purple hues.
"This field of research is fast evolving, and is important for understanding the global electric circuit," says Anne-Marie Schmoltner, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which supports the research. "The red sprite airborne field campaign this summer provided observations at unprecedented time resolutions."
What makes thunderstorms' celestial lights
Atmospheric researchers have developed theories to try to explain these celestial lights.
Red sprites may happen at the time of positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, which make up about ten percent of all lightning and are many times more powerful than more common, negatively charged lightning.
The flashes may be akin to giant electric sparks.
After a powerful ground strike, the electric field above a thunderstorm may become strengthened to the point that it causes an "electrical breakdown," an overload that weakens the atmosphere's resistance to electric current flow. The result is an immense red spark, or sprite, in the atmosphere.
Although still something of a mystery, red sprites have helped solve other long-standing questions.
Scientists have found that red sprites create some of the low-frequency radio bursts picked up for years by instruments around the world, but whose source was unknown.
Large bursts of gamma rays, emanating from Earth rather than space, originate during thunderstorms, although their exact relationship to red sprites remains unclear.
Researchers now wonder whether red sprites (and blue jets) might affect the atmosphere in important ways.
For example, sprites and jets might alter the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere. Though brief, they could set off lasting charges.
Sprites' deep red color is caused by the light emitted from nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, says McHarg. Red sprites may turn out to be important to atmospheric chemistry and global climate by changing concentrations of nitric oxides high in the atmosphere.
The researchers are using a technique called high-speed spectroscopy to study sprites' different colors to determine the amount of energy the sprites carry, and to find out more about their chemical composition.
How to see a sprite
Can thunderstorm-watchers on the ground glimpse red sprites and blue jets with the naked eye? Yes, if they know where to look.
Viewers must be able to see a distant thunderstorm with no clouds in the way, in an area without city lights. Then they must look above the storm, not at the lightning within the clouds.
It's likely, say the scientists, that if watchers wait long enough, they'll see a red sprite. Blue jets are more elusive. The best viewing would probably come from a plane flying very high, and located miles and miles away from a thunderstorm.
With its rubber tires, a car may be the safest vehicle from which to hunt for ephemeral sprites of the thunderclouds.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGEL MEETS WITH ASEAN DEFENSE MINISTER
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting with ASEAN Defense Ministers in Brunei
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Today in Brunei, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with his counterparts from the 10 ASEAN nations and the ASEAN secretary general. The group discussed the need to advance practical cooperation to build trust and lower tensions throughout the region.
The ASEAN defense ministers accepted Secretary Hagel's invitation for a first-ever meeting in the U.S. with all ten ASEAN defense ministers in Hawaii next year. The meeting provides an additional opportunity to deepen regional cooperation.
Secretary Hagel noted the need to continue progress toward peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, and committed to continued U.S. support for ASEAN, including its defense ministers' meeting, as a strong organization for achieving shared goals and upholding common good."
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting with ASEAN Defense Ministers in Brunei
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Today in Brunei, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with his counterparts from the 10 ASEAN nations and the ASEAN secretary general. The group discussed the need to advance practical cooperation to build trust and lower tensions throughout the region.
The ASEAN defense ministers accepted Secretary Hagel's invitation for a first-ever meeting in the U.S. with all ten ASEAN defense ministers in Hawaii next year. The meeting provides an additional opportunity to deepen regional cooperation.
Secretary Hagel noted the need to continue progress toward peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, and committed to continued U.S. support for ASEAN, including its defense ministers' meeting, as a strong organization for achieving shared goals and upholding common good."
LANL GIVES RELIABILITY TECHNOLOGY AWARD
FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Reliability Technology earns prestigious Los Alamos award
Technology transferred to Procter & Gamble basis for first-ever Feynman Prize
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 27, 2013—Los Alamos National Laboratory has honored Michael Hamada, Harold Martz and a team of LANL researchers with its first Richard Feynman Prize for Innovation Achievement for the team’s long and successful collaboration with Procter & Gamble.
Hamada, Martz and their colleagues worked with Procter & Gamble for years developing a concept known as Reliability Technology—a statistical method that P&G has used to streamline its manufacturing processes and save more than a billion dollars a year in costs by increasing uptime in their plants worldwide.
“Now that the Reliability Technology system has been fully developed by Procter & Gamble, they are bringing the system back to Los Alamos to help us improve our manufacturing operations related to our national security mission,” said Terry Wallace, Principal Associate Director for Global Security at Los Alamos, who awarded the Feynman Prize to Martz and Hamada. “This is an example of ‘full-cycle’ innovation: We bring mission-essential tools to bear on an important complementary problem for industry; it helps us perform our primary mission job, and the innovation comes back to help the Laboratory in another area.”
The team was honored last week during the Laboratory’s 15th-annual outStanding innOvation Awards Reception—an event honoring Laboratory staff members who contribute to the development and transfer of LANL technology for commercialization. Other Los Alamos members of the Reliability Technology team are: Joanne Wendelberger, Ben Sims, Dave Higdon, Brian Williams, Christine Anderson-Cook, Earl Lawrence, Brian Weaver, Leslie Moore, and Richard Picard.
“Los Alamos has a long history of providing solutions to some of our nation's most challenging problems,” said Wallace. “Turning science and engineering into solutions is ‘innovation’ in the truest sense of the word, and the Technology Transfer awards are a celebration of our scientists' and engineers' creativity and success in making a difference, not only to our national security mission, but to society as well.”
The Feynman Prize is named after the iconic physicist who came to Los Alamos during the Manhattan project. Feynman was one of the Laboratory’s first patent holders and Wallace noted that Feynman is also regarded as one of the greatest science communicators of the 20th Century.
“Once a scientific concept is successfully translated into something that can be widely used, understood and accepted, it suddenly becomes something extraordinary,” Wallace said. “Therefore, the Feynman connection is highly relevant to the concept of true innovation.”
“Harry and I are deeply honored to have received the first Richard Feynman Prize for Innovation Achievement,” Hamada said. “We are delighted that LANL provides a work environment that encourages innovation and collaboration. We especially wish to thank our LANL and Procter & Gamble colleagues and management who made this work possible.”
This year’s outStanding innOvation Awards Reception included a keynote speech by Pete Tseronis, Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Department of Energy. Tseronis was introduced by Duncan McBranch, who is Los Alamos’ CTO. McBranch spoke about the role that innovation and technology transfer play in improving the quality and security of the outside world.
Los Alamos National Security LLC, sponsored the celebration, which was held at the Pajarito Mountain ski lodge.
Reliability Technology earns prestigious Los Alamos award
Technology transferred to Procter & Gamble basis for first-ever Feynman Prize
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 27, 2013—Los Alamos National Laboratory has honored Michael Hamada, Harold Martz and a team of LANL researchers with its first Richard Feynman Prize for Innovation Achievement for the team’s long and successful collaboration with Procter & Gamble.
Hamada, Martz and their colleagues worked with Procter & Gamble for years developing a concept known as Reliability Technology—a statistical method that P&G has used to streamline its manufacturing processes and save more than a billion dollars a year in costs by increasing uptime in their plants worldwide.
“Now that the Reliability Technology system has been fully developed by Procter & Gamble, they are bringing the system back to Los Alamos to help us improve our manufacturing operations related to our national security mission,” said Terry Wallace, Principal Associate Director for Global Security at Los Alamos, who awarded the Feynman Prize to Martz and Hamada. “This is an example of ‘full-cycle’ innovation: We bring mission-essential tools to bear on an important complementary problem for industry; it helps us perform our primary mission job, and the innovation comes back to help the Laboratory in another area.”
The team was honored last week during the Laboratory’s 15th-annual outStanding innOvation Awards Reception—an event honoring Laboratory staff members who contribute to the development and transfer of LANL technology for commercialization. Other Los Alamos members of the Reliability Technology team are: Joanne Wendelberger, Ben Sims, Dave Higdon, Brian Williams, Christine Anderson-Cook, Earl Lawrence, Brian Weaver, Leslie Moore, and Richard Picard.
“Los Alamos has a long history of providing solutions to some of our nation's most challenging problems,” said Wallace. “Turning science and engineering into solutions is ‘innovation’ in the truest sense of the word, and the Technology Transfer awards are a celebration of our scientists' and engineers' creativity and success in making a difference, not only to our national security mission, but to society as well.”
The Feynman Prize is named after the iconic physicist who came to Los Alamos during the Manhattan project. Feynman was one of the Laboratory’s first patent holders and Wallace noted that Feynman is also regarded as one of the greatest science communicators of the 20th Century.
“Once a scientific concept is successfully translated into something that can be widely used, understood and accepted, it suddenly becomes something extraordinary,” Wallace said. “Therefore, the Feynman connection is highly relevant to the concept of true innovation.”
“Harry and I are deeply honored to have received the first Richard Feynman Prize for Innovation Achievement,” Hamada said. “We are delighted that LANL provides a work environment that encourages innovation and collaboration. We especially wish to thank our LANL and Procter & Gamble colleagues and management who made this work possible.”
This year’s outStanding innOvation Awards Reception included a keynote speech by Pete Tseronis, Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Department of Energy. Tseronis was introduced by Duncan McBranch, who is Los Alamos’ CTO. McBranch spoke about the role that innovation and technology transfer play in improving the quality and security of the outside world.
Los Alamos National Security LLC, sponsored the celebration, which was held at the Pajarito Mountain ski lodge.
LA COMPANY PLEAD GUILTY IN POWER WHEELCHAIR FRAUD
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, August 26, 2013
Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Pleads Guilty to $2.6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A former owner of a Los Angeles-area medical equipment supply company pleaded guilty today to a $2.6 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California; Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Akinola Afolabi, 54, of Long Beach, Calif., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez in the Central District of California to one count of health care fraud.
According to court documents, Afolabi was the owner and president of Emmanuel Medical Supply, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company located in Long Beach. Afolabi admitted that from approximately June 2006 through September 2009, he engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud through the operation of Emmanuel by providing medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries and by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Afolabi admitted that he obtained Medicare beneficiary information through various means, including “marketers,” whom he paid to refer Medicare beneficiaries to Emmanuel for the purpose of using that information to submit, and cause the submission of, false and fraudulent claims to Medicare on behalf of Emmanuel. Afolabi admitted knowing that the prescriptions and medical documents were fraudulent and that some of the beneficiaries did not receive the DME, yet he certified to Medicare with the submission of each claim that the DME was received and was medically necessary.
From approximately June 7, 2006, through Sept. 28, 2009, Afolabi, through Emmanuel, submitted approximately $2,668,384 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for power wheelchairs and related services, and Medicare paid Emmanuel approximately $1,490,532 on those claims.
At sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 25, 2013, Afolabi faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Fred Medick of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers
Monday, August 26, 2013
Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Pleads Guilty to $2.6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A former owner of a Los Angeles-area medical equipment supply company pleaded guilty today to a $2.6 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California; Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Akinola Afolabi, 54, of Long Beach, Calif., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez in the Central District of California to one count of health care fraud.
According to court documents, Afolabi was the owner and president of Emmanuel Medical Supply, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company located in Long Beach. Afolabi admitted that from approximately June 2006 through September 2009, he engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud through the operation of Emmanuel by providing medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries and by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Afolabi admitted that he obtained Medicare beneficiary information through various means, including “marketers,” whom he paid to refer Medicare beneficiaries to Emmanuel for the purpose of using that information to submit, and cause the submission of, false and fraudulent claims to Medicare on behalf of Emmanuel. Afolabi admitted knowing that the prescriptions and medical documents were fraudulent and that some of the beneficiaries did not receive the DME, yet he certified to Medicare with the submission of each claim that the DME was received and was medically necessary.
From approximately June 7, 2006, through Sept. 28, 2009, Afolabi, through Emmanuel, submitted approximately $2,668,384 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for power wheelchairs and related services, and Medicare paid Emmanuel approximately $1,490,532 on those claims.
At sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 25, 2013, Afolabi faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Fred Medick of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers
STUDY SAYS LATE WORKERS EAT MORE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Some of us are morning people; some of us are evening people. A lot of us, in addition, don’t get enough sleep and weigh more than we should. And a study indicates people who stay up late, sleep too little and are obese also have signs that raise concern about potential heart attack risk.
At the National Institutes of Health, Giovanni Cizza looked at data on 119 people who fit those categories. He says they had higher resting heart rates and higher stress hormone levels. And he says:
“If you are an evening person, you tend to eat more, you tend to eat more fat than carbohydrate, and eat more often after 8 p.m.”
The study is in the journal PLOS One.
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Some of us are morning people; some of us are evening people. A lot of us, in addition, don’t get enough sleep and weigh more than we should. And a study indicates people who stay up late, sleep too little and are obese also have signs that raise concern about potential heart attack risk.
At the National Institutes of Health, Giovanni Cizza looked at data on 119 people who fit those categories. He says they had higher resting heart rates and higher stress hormone levels. And he says:
“If you are an evening person, you tend to eat more, you tend to eat more fat than carbohydrate, and eat more often after 8 p.m.”
The study is in the journal PLOS One.
U.S. TREASURY DESIGNATES FORMER CAPTAIN IN VENEZUELA'S NATIONAL GUARD AS A DRUG KINGPIN
FROM: U.S. TREASURY
Action Designates Former Venezuelan Military Official, Previously Indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, Who Aided Mexican Drug Cartels
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Venezuelan national, Vassyly Kotosky Villarroel Ramirez, as a drug kingpin pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Villarroel Ramirez, a former Captain in Venezuela’s National Guard (Guardia Nacional), was designated for the significant role he plays in international narcotics trafficking in both Colombia and Venezuela. While serving as a Captain in Venezuela’s National Guard, Villarroel Ramirez arranged for the transportation of loads of cocaine as well as the U.S. dollar proceeds from the sale of the cocaine, using various airports, seaports, and official government vehicles in Venezuela. Today’s action complements a 2011 indictment against Villarroel Ramirez by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on multiple cocaine trafficking charges.
“Villarroel Ramirez is a prime example of a narcotics trafficker who exploited his former military position and connections to facilitate the transport of cocaine to Mexico and profit from the sales that followed,” said Treasury’s Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Adam J. Szubin. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement colleagues to target this type of abusive behavior which perpetuates the criminal violence linked to the narcotics trade.”
Villarroel Ramirez provided security and protection when cocaine loads and the proceeds from Mexico were smuggled from or into Venezuela’s Maiquetía International Airport via commercial or private aircraft. He facilitated the cocaine loads from Colombia through Venezuela in partnership with known drug traffickers such as Daniel Barrera Barrera (alias “El Loco Barrera”), Javier Antonio Calle Serna (alias “Comba”), and Jose Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez (alias “El Indio”) – all of whom have been designated as foreign narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act. The cocaine shipments benefited Mexican drug trafficking organizations, specifically the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Beltran Leyva Organization – all of which have been identified by the President as significant foreign narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act.
On March 30, 2011, Villarroel Ramirez and a co-conspirator were indicted in the EDNY on six counts of cocaine trafficking-related charges. According to the indictment, between January 2004 and December 2009 Villarroel Ramirez and the co-conspirator imported thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Venezuela to Mexico, for transportation to and distribution within the United States. Also, Villarroel Ramirez is reportedly charged with narcotics trafficking and money laundering in Venezuela since 2008.
Today’s action, taken pursuant to the Kingpin Act, generally prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with Villarroel Ramirez and freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
This action would not have been possible without the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Since June 2000, the President has identified 103 drug kingpins, and OFAC has designated more than 1,300 businesses and individuals, pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
Action Designates Former Venezuelan Military Official, Previously Indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, Who Aided Mexican Drug Cartels
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Venezuelan national, Vassyly Kotosky Villarroel Ramirez, as a drug kingpin pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Villarroel Ramirez, a former Captain in Venezuela’s National Guard (Guardia Nacional), was designated for the significant role he plays in international narcotics trafficking in both Colombia and Venezuela. While serving as a Captain in Venezuela’s National Guard, Villarroel Ramirez arranged for the transportation of loads of cocaine as well as the U.S. dollar proceeds from the sale of the cocaine, using various airports, seaports, and official government vehicles in Venezuela. Today’s action complements a 2011 indictment against Villarroel Ramirez by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on multiple cocaine trafficking charges.
“Villarroel Ramirez is a prime example of a narcotics trafficker who exploited his former military position and connections to facilitate the transport of cocaine to Mexico and profit from the sales that followed,” said Treasury’s Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Adam J. Szubin. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement colleagues to target this type of abusive behavior which perpetuates the criminal violence linked to the narcotics trade.”
Villarroel Ramirez provided security and protection when cocaine loads and the proceeds from Mexico were smuggled from or into Venezuela’s Maiquetía International Airport via commercial or private aircraft. He facilitated the cocaine loads from Colombia through Venezuela in partnership with known drug traffickers such as Daniel Barrera Barrera (alias “El Loco Barrera”), Javier Antonio Calle Serna (alias “Comba”), and Jose Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez (alias “El Indio”) – all of whom have been designated as foreign narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act. The cocaine shipments benefited Mexican drug trafficking organizations, specifically the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Beltran Leyva Organization – all of which have been identified by the President as significant foreign narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act.
On March 30, 2011, Villarroel Ramirez and a co-conspirator were indicted in the EDNY on six counts of cocaine trafficking-related charges. According to the indictment, between January 2004 and December 2009 Villarroel Ramirez and the co-conspirator imported thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Venezuela to Mexico, for transportation to and distribution within the United States. Also, Villarroel Ramirez is reportedly charged with narcotics trafficking and money laundering in Venezuela since 2008.
Today’s action, taken pursuant to the Kingpin Act, generally prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with Villarroel Ramirez and freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
This action would not have been possible without the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Since June 2000, the President has identified 103 drug kingpins, and OFAC has designated more than 1,300 businesses and individuals, pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
CDC RELEASES ON 2012 SCHOOL HEALTH POLICIES AND PRACTICES STUDY
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
CDC releases 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study results
School districts show positive trends
School districts nationwide are showing improvements in measures related to nutritional policies, physical education and tobacco policies, according to the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS). SHPPS is the largest and most comprehensive survey to assess school health policies.
"Schools play a critical role in the health and well-being of our youth," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Good news for students and parents – more students have access to healthy food, better physical fitness activities through initiatives such as ‘Let’s Move,’ and campuses that are completely tobacco free."
Key findings include:
Nutrition:
The percentage of school districts that allowed soft drink companies to advertise soft drinks on school grounds decreased from 46.6 percent in 2006 to 33.5 percent in 2012.
Between 2006 and 2012, the percentage of districts that required schools to prohibit offering junk food in vending machines increased from 29.8 percent to 43.4 percent.
Between 2006 and 2012, the percentage of districts with food procurement contracts that addressed nutritional standards for foods that can be purchased separately from the school breakfast or lunch increased from 55.1 percent to 73.5 percent.
Between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of districts that made information available to families on the nutrition and caloric content of foods available to students increased from 35.3 percent to 52.7 percent.
Physical education/physical activity:
The percentage of school districts that required elementary schools to teach physical education increased from 82.6 percent in 2000 to 93.6 percent in 2012.
More than half of school districts (61.6 percent) had a formal agreement, such as a memorandum of agreement or understanding, between the school district and another public or private entity for shared use of school or community property. Among those districts, more than half had agreements with a local youth organization (e.g., the YMCA, Boys or Girls Clubs, or the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts) or a local parks or recreation department.
Tobacco:
The percentage of districts with policies that prohibited all tobacco use during any school-related activity increased from 46.7 percent in 2000 to 67.5 percent in 2012.
SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS assesses the characteristics of eight components of school health: health education, physical education and activity, health services, mental health and social services, nutrition services, healthy and safe school environment, faculty and staff health promotion, and family and community involvement.
SHPPS was conducted at all levels in 1994, 2000, and 2006. The 2012 study collected data at the state and district levels only. The school- and classroom-level data from SHPPS will be collected in 2014 and released in 2015.
CDC releases 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study results
School districts show positive trends
School districts nationwide are showing improvements in measures related to nutritional policies, physical education and tobacco policies, according to the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS). SHPPS is the largest and most comprehensive survey to assess school health policies.
"Schools play a critical role in the health and well-being of our youth," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Good news for students and parents – more students have access to healthy food, better physical fitness activities through initiatives such as ‘Let’s Move,’ and campuses that are completely tobacco free."
Key findings include:
Nutrition:
The percentage of school districts that allowed soft drink companies to advertise soft drinks on school grounds decreased from 46.6 percent in 2006 to 33.5 percent in 2012.
Between 2006 and 2012, the percentage of districts that required schools to prohibit offering junk food in vending machines increased from 29.8 percent to 43.4 percent.
Between 2006 and 2012, the percentage of districts with food procurement contracts that addressed nutritional standards for foods that can be purchased separately from the school breakfast or lunch increased from 55.1 percent to 73.5 percent.
Between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of districts that made information available to families on the nutrition and caloric content of foods available to students increased from 35.3 percent to 52.7 percent.
Physical education/physical activity:
The percentage of school districts that required elementary schools to teach physical education increased from 82.6 percent in 2000 to 93.6 percent in 2012.
More than half of school districts (61.6 percent) had a formal agreement, such as a memorandum of agreement or understanding, between the school district and another public or private entity for shared use of school or community property. Among those districts, more than half had agreements with a local youth organization (e.g., the YMCA, Boys or Girls Clubs, or the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts) or a local parks or recreation department.
Tobacco:
The percentage of districts with policies that prohibited all tobacco use during any school-related activity increased from 46.7 percent in 2000 to 67.5 percent in 2012.
SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS assesses the characteristics of eight components of school health: health education, physical education and activity, health services, mental health and social services, nutrition services, healthy and safe school environment, faculty and staff health promotion, and family and community involvement.
SHPPS was conducted at all levels in 1994, 2000, and 2006. The 2012 study collected data at the state and district levels only. The school- and classroom-level data from SHPPS will be collected in 2014 and released in 2015.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
THE RIM FIRES
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| The Rim Fires. Credit: NASA |
The Rim Fire in northeastern California continues to burn on the Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management and State responsibility land. This fire began on August 17, 2013 and its cause is still currently under investigation. Over 224 square miles have been affected as of Sunday, August 25. It is still only 7 percent contained. Inaccessible terrain, strong winds, and dry conditions all present at this fire make for very difficult fire fighting. The ability for this fire to create havoc spreads far and wide, beyond even the area it is consuming. According to the San Jose Mercury News, "Although the Rim Fire is more than 100 miles from the Bay Area, it still could threaten San Francisco's electric supply if it damages the power system originating in O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy reservoir."
The latest on the Rim Fire from inciweb.org: "The Rim incident is expected to continue to exhibit very large fire growth due to extremely dry fuels and inaccessible terrain. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior and hampering suppression efforts. Aerial resources are being effective with MAFFs and VLAT DC-10 air tankers prepping locations in advance of the fires spread toward the Highway 108 corridor and along the eastern perimeter of the fire. The forecasted high winds and high potential for long range spotting however remains a significant concern for fire to advance beyond the retardant lines and allow for fire spread into the communities of Tuolumne City, Twain Harte and Long Barn to the west of the fire and east into the Hetch Hetchy watershed."
The fire itself is in control of its own weather. NBC4 in Southern California reports: "Calfornia fire officials say the fire is so large and is burning with such a force, it has created its own weather pattern, making it difficult to predict which direction it will move. 'As the smoke column builds up it breaks down and collapses inside of itself, sending downdrafts and gusts that can go in any direction,'' CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Associated Press. "There's a lot of potential for this one to continue to grow.'"
Dense smoke from the fire has been a serious health threat as well. Health officials in Reno, Nevada report the air quality index in their city is in the "unhealthy" range due to the smoke fallout from the Rim Fire. The smoke has also created visibility problems for air ambulance services in the Reno area as well. The smoke has prevented them from responding to some emergency calls across the region in the last couple of days.
NEW YORK GETS $4.7 MILLION GRANT FOR RECENT STORMS AND FLOODING
FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
US Department of Labor provides $4.7 million grant to assist New York with recovery from severe storms and flooding
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $4,760,671 National Emergency Grant to assist New York with cleanup and recovery efforts after the severe storms and flooding that struck the state from June 26 to July 4, 2013.
"The Mohawk Valley area of New York experienced significant flooding and other storm-related damage. With this federal grant, impacted communities can move forward with cleanup and restoration activities while also providing temporary work opportunities for those in need of employment," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.
On July 12, 2013, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 16 New York counties as eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance Program: Allegany, Broome, Chautauqua, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Otsego and Warren.
US Department of Labor provides $4.7 million grant to assist New York with recovery from severe storms and flooding
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $4,760,671 National Emergency Grant to assist New York with cleanup and recovery efforts after the severe storms and flooding that struck the state from June 26 to July 4, 2013.
"The Mohawk Valley area of New York experienced significant flooding and other storm-related damage. With this federal grant, impacted communities can move forward with cleanup and restoration activities while also providing temporary work opportunities for those in need of employment," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.
On July 12, 2013, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 16 New York counties as eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance Program: Allegany, Broome, Chautauqua, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Otsego and Warren.
OIL COMPANY TO PAY $18 MILLION TO RESOLVE CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS AT A UTAH REFINERY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, August 23, 2013
Big West Oil to Pay Penalty and Spend $18 Million on Emission Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at North Salt Lake Refinery
Company to Reduce Harmful Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide and Particulate Emissions and Improve Chemical Monitoring
Big West Oil LLC has agreed to pay a $175,000 penalty and to spend approximately $18 million to install emission controls at its refinery in North Salt Lake, Utah, announced the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today. Big West Oil will also invest $253,000 to improve the monitoring and management of potential releases of hydrofluoric acid at the facility.
Today’s agreement resolves alleged violations of key provisions of the Clean Air Act at the refinery, including requirements associated with the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and New Source Performance Standards.
When fully implemented, the controls and requirements under the agreement will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by approximately 158 tons per year (tpy), nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 32 tpy, and particulate matter (PM) by approximately 36 tpy. Additional reductions of volatile and hazardous pollutants, such as benzene, are expected as a result of compliance with leak detection and repair requirements.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides contribute to ground-level ozone, acid rain and the degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and can also irritate the lungs and contribute to respiratory illnesses. Fine particle pollution contains microscopic solids and liquid droplets that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause significant lung and heart damage.
“This settlement will result in substantial reductions in harmful air pollution and, building on previous settlements with area refineries, marks another step forward in improving the quality of air Utahns breathe in the Salt Lake City area,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Big West Oil will be required to install advanced technology pollution controls that will benefit the health and environment of its neighbors and future generations.”
“EPA continues to secure significant settlements with refineries that benefit public health and improve air quality in our communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shaun McGrath. “Today’s agreement will help bring Big West Oil’s refinery up to date with industry standards to protect the environment.”
Today’s settlement requires Big West Oil to install a state-of-the-art flue gas filter system to control emissions of PM and to place ultra-low NOx burners on four heaters and boilers. The company will also undertake measures to reduce SO2 emissions from the refinery by, among other things, restricting hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in fuel gas and installing and operating a caustic scrubber system at the sulfur recovery plant.
Additionally, Big West Oil has agreed to make numerous upgrades to its leak detection and repair program, including the installation of low-leaking valves, and to enhance its waste operations to minimize or eliminate fugitive benzene emissions. The cost of the measures to be taken by the refinery is estimated at $18 million.
In addition, the company will spend $253,000 on a supplemental environmental project to install a laser detection system around the perimeter of the Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Unit that will improve the detection and response to releases of potentially hazardous acid. This system will reduce emissions and enhance safety for refinery workers and nearby communities.
The reduction in pollutants will benefit communities near the refinery, which include significant minority and low-income populations. The refinery is also located in an area designated as nonattainment for the federal 24-hour standard for fine particles (PM2.5).
Under the PSD permitting requirements, certain large industrial facilities making modifications that increase air pollutant emissions are required to install state-of-the-art air pollution controls. EPA investigations in various industries, including petroleum refining, reveal that many facilities fail to install pollution controls after modifications, causing them to emit pollutants that can impact air quality and public health. The Clean Air Act’s New Source Performance Standards require additional control measures at refineries. Enforcing these requirements reduces air pollution and ensures that facilities that are complying with the requirements are not at a competitive disadvantage.
Since March 2000, the EPA has entered into 31 settlements with companies that refine greater than 90 percent of the domestic petroleum refining capacity. These settlements cover 107 refineries in 32 states and territories. Once the settlements are fully implemented, the companies will have reduced emissions of NOx, SO2, and other pollutants by more than 360,000 tons per year. The settling refiners have invested or will invest more than $6.5 billion in new pollution control technologies and have paid more than $93 million in penalties. In addition, the settlements reached to date account for more than $80 million in supplemental environmental projects.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Big West Oil to Pay Penalty and Spend $18 Million on Emission Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at North Salt Lake Refinery
Company to Reduce Harmful Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide and Particulate Emissions and Improve Chemical Monitoring
Big West Oil LLC has agreed to pay a $175,000 penalty and to spend approximately $18 million to install emission controls at its refinery in North Salt Lake, Utah, announced the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today. Big West Oil will also invest $253,000 to improve the monitoring and management of potential releases of hydrofluoric acid at the facility.
Today’s agreement resolves alleged violations of key provisions of the Clean Air Act at the refinery, including requirements associated with the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and New Source Performance Standards.
When fully implemented, the controls and requirements under the agreement will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by approximately 158 tons per year (tpy), nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 32 tpy, and particulate matter (PM) by approximately 36 tpy. Additional reductions of volatile and hazardous pollutants, such as benzene, are expected as a result of compliance with leak detection and repair requirements.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides contribute to ground-level ozone, acid rain and the degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and can also irritate the lungs and contribute to respiratory illnesses. Fine particle pollution contains microscopic solids and liquid droplets that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause significant lung and heart damage.
“This settlement will result in substantial reductions in harmful air pollution and, building on previous settlements with area refineries, marks another step forward in improving the quality of air Utahns breathe in the Salt Lake City area,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Big West Oil will be required to install advanced technology pollution controls that will benefit the health and environment of its neighbors and future generations.”
“EPA continues to secure significant settlements with refineries that benefit public health and improve air quality in our communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shaun McGrath. “Today’s agreement will help bring Big West Oil’s refinery up to date with industry standards to protect the environment.”
Today’s settlement requires Big West Oil to install a state-of-the-art flue gas filter system to control emissions of PM and to place ultra-low NOx burners on four heaters and boilers. The company will also undertake measures to reduce SO2 emissions from the refinery by, among other things, restricting hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in fuel gas and installing and operating a caustic scrubber system at the sulfur recovery plant.
Additionally, Big West Oil has agreed to make numerous upgrades to its leak detection and repair program, including the installation of low-leaking valves, and to enhance its waste operations to minimize or eliminate fugitive benzene emissions. The cost of the measures to be taken by the refinery is estimated at $18 million.
In addition, the company will spend $253,000 on a supplemental environmental project to install a laser detection system around the perimeter of the Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Unit that will improve the detection and response to releases of potentially hazardous acid. This system will reduce emissions and enhance safety for refinery workers and nearby communities.
The reduction in pollutants will benefit communities near the refinery, which include significant minority and low-income populations. The refinery is also located in an area designated as nonattainment for the federal 24-hour standard for fine particles (PM2.5).
Under the PSD permitting requirements, certain large industrial facilities making modifications that increase air pollutant emissions are required to install state-of-the-art air pollution controls. EPA investigations in various industries, including petroleum refining, reveal that many facilities fail to install pollution controls after modifications, causing them to emit pollutants that can impact air quality and public health. The Clean Air Act’s New Source Performance Standards require additional control measures at refineries. Enforcing these requirements reduces air pollution and ensures that facilities that are complying with the requirements are not at a competitive disadvantage.
Since March 2000, the EPA has entered into 31 settlements with companies that refine greater than 90 percent of the domestic petroleum refining capacity. These settlements cover 107 refineries in 32 states and territories. Once the settlements are fully implemented, the companies will have reduced emissions of NOx, SO2, and other pollutants by more than 360,000 tons per year. The settling refiners have invested or will invest more than $6.5 billion in new pollution control technologies and have paid more than $93 million in penalties. In addition, the settlements reached to date account for more than $80 million in supplemental environmental projects.
SEC. HAGEL'S CALLS WITH U.K. AND FRENCH COUNTERPARTS REGARDING SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACKS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Calls with U.K. and French Defense Leaders
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
Today, while traveling in Southeast Asia, Secretary Hagel spoke by phone with United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense Phillip Hammond and French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian. In the conversations, Secretary Hagel conveyed that the United States is committed to working with the international community to respond to the outrageous chemical attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians in Syria. He condemned the violence carried out by the Syrian regime and stated that the United States military is prepared for any contingency involving Syria. Finally, Secretary Hagel pledged to continue close coordination with the British and French defense forces.
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Calls with U.K. and French Defense Leaders
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
Today, while traveling in Southeast Asia, Secretary Hagel spoke by phone with United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense Phillip Hammond and French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian. In the conversations, Secretary Hagel conveyed that the United States is committed to working with the international community to respond to the outrageous chemical attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians in Syria. He condemned the violence carried out by the Syrian regime and stated that the United States military is prepared for any contingency involving Syria. Finally, Secretary Hagel pledged to continue close coordination with the British and French defense forces.
REMARKS BY DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL AND INDONESIAN MINISTER OF DEFENSE YUSGIANTORO
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Indonesian Minister of Defense Purnomo Yusgiantoro August 26, 2013
Remarks by Secretary Hagel and Minister of Defense Purnomo to Indonesian troops in Jakarta, Indonesia
MINISTER OF DEFENSE PURNOMO YUSGIANTORO: (Translator)
Well, a very good afternoon to all of you. With us this afternoon is the secretary of defense, United States, Secretary Chuck Hagel. He arrived in Indonesia this morning, and then we paid a courtesy visit to the president, to the President Yudhoyono. With the president, we discussed a lot of things, the global issue, regional issue, and also the bilateral ties between Indonesia and U.S.
All right. After the visit from the palace, then, we came to the ministry of defense. We had the guest of honor, due to Secretary Hagel, and then we have bilateral meetings. Many things that we discuss, how we can enhance the cooperation between U.S. and Indonesia.
The important thing that I raise is the education and training, are things very important for you, the young officials. I think most of them, Secretary Hagel (inaudible) from the military academy, on the military academy, those young persons.
Then since after we finish with this program, we're going to have the signing of (inaudible) letter of agreement. And then we have a press conference. And tomorrow, both of us, you know, fly to Bandar Seri Begawan to meet 10 ASEAN defense ministers' meeting and plus eight countries.
So with this kind of introduction, I would like to ask you, Secretary Hagel, you want to say something before you discuss with this young official here. Please. The floor is yours.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHUCK HAGEL: Minister -- Minister Purnomo, thank you. I very much appreciate an opportunity to see you again. And as you noted, we had a very positive and productive meeting with the president a couple of hours ago.
But I am particularly pleased and honored to have an opportunity to address all of you. You are an elite force. You have tremendously important responsibilities, as you know.
Minister Purnomo just noted that education and training are particularly important. And many times I think in militaries that can occasionally get lost. You know, we all begin our lives and finish our lives as complete people. We are individuals first and soldiers, or whatever your profession is, second. And a professional soldier, a well-trained, well-led, well-equipped soldier, is a pride of any country.
And it is the pride of a country because in democracies you recognize the rule of law. And you recognize your obligations are to your people and to each other and defending laws in the higher -- in the higher law of all of us, as -- as individuals.
So I congratulate you for your professionalism. I know some of you have graduated and attended some of our military institutions in the United States. And we're very proud of you. We're proud of our graduates. We have -- as you know, many of the U.S. military people come here in not only exchanges and exercises, but we take training here. And that exchange of people-to-people, regardless of your profession, but in particular the military-to-military exchange is a very solid bridge-building mechanism for countries.
And I just want you to know how proud we are of our militaries in the United States and what you're doing, as we work together to make a better world, to enhance peace and prosperity and security. That is your life; that is your commitment. And I do not know of a more noble profession than what you are doing on behalf of a better world.
So, thank you. Minister, thank you for allowing me the privilege to share a few words with these magnificent soldiers. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: I just want to make sure, with Secretary Hagel, that, you know, he'll be able to -- he'll be happy to receive the Q&A, the question-and-answer from you. So feel free, you know, if you have any questions, because I believe that you were also a soldier before. You can -- you can share some of your experiences being a soldier before.
SEC. HAGEL: Well, I'm not in the same class or category with these soldiers. I did spend two years of my life in the United States Army. I fought in Vietnam in 1968, so I have some appreciation for war and for battle and what your challenges are and your training.
But I'm not in your class. I was a soldier for two years, but I guess if you're once a soldier, you're always a soldier, but I'm very proud of my service in the United States Army. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: (speaking foreign language) Please.
Q: (Translator) Mr. Secretary, it is a great honor to have you among us today in Jakarta. I am (inaudible). I served in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, 2006 and 2007, and I am currently serving as the chief of operations at the 17th Airborne Infantry Brigade, part of KOSTRAD, the Army's strategic reserve command.
And here I'd like to inform you that I was pleased and was fortunate to be part of the IMET program, whereas I finished the advanced officers' course or the Maneuver Captain's Career Course from Fort Benning, 2011. During the six months' rigorous training, I had the opportunity to enrich my military knowledge and experience through engagement with my fellow American officers who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, I was able to interact with the local Americans and to learn about the local traditions and cultures. And I think it was a very rewarding experience for me, personally and professionally.
And I would like to take this rare opportunity to express my great expectation as a junior TNI officer that we can enhance our cooperation of our two militaries and also to strengthen the bond of our soldiers in the future. A great example was the last -- the last joint airborne exercise, taking place in Indonesia with the 82nd Airborne Division. That event served as an effective medium of exchange, knowledge, skills and experience, but on top of it, it was the spirit of brotherhood that made that kind of exercise even more valuable.
Therefore, I would like to recommend that we can enhance the military cooperations between the two countries by enhancing the IMET program through two sectors, just like what you have said earlier, education and training. As for education, it is so -- it will be very important for us if we can have a greater opportunity to send officers for post-graduate-level education, because it is critical to produce our very own soldier-scholars, because you want to make -- we want to develop our institution into more -- more professional, world-class military, including to produce brilliant strategic thinkers and defense practitioners.
And the second track will be joint exercises. We can -- I'm sorry, the military courses. The military courses is very valuable, because it will help us to -- to have certain number of officers who can develop our doctrines, tactics and procedures so we can be a more developed and -- and a more joint fighting forces.
And second track will be the joint exercises. We can enhance the existing regular joint exercises that we conduct in Indonesia, for example, the (inaudible) Shield and other trainings within our armed forces. And the second will be, if it is possible, Mr. Secretary, we can discuss this possibilities whether we can send our soldiers to train in your training ground in the U.S., so we can experience your advanced training facilities, which we believe that we can learn and acquire important lessons learned, especially in terms of military operations in urban terrain, as well as peace-making operations.
With this, we believe that both of our militaries can enhance cooperations and to pursue our common objective, especially to preserve peace and security in this region. I thank you.
SEC. HAGEL: Thank you. Very articulate summation of the quality of your forces represented by your words, and very wise words. And I thank you for that.
On the specific point of the IMET, I have always believed -- and I think most of the Congress of the United States -- I know President Obama and all of the leadership of the Pentagon and the American armed forces believe strongly that the IMET program is -- is one of the smartest, best investments that the United States can make in relationships around the world, and in particular for the future. And I think you and many of your colleagues are very clear examples of that.
The consequences of training and education hardly can be qualified, they are so important. Each of you are role models. And how you conduct yourselves, what you say, and how you lead ripple out in ways you'll probably never know. But people watch you. Your subordinates watch you. Others watch you carefully. And how you conduct yourselves is really the essence of leadership.
And that comes through a lot of things. It comes through other role models. We each have had role models in our lives. You have them. It comes through education, through training, through the professionalization of your services. IMET does that as well as any one program I think the United States has, so you can be assured that that program is going to continue and we'll continue to enhance it. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: Well, it's time limit. We would like to thank for your presence here and thanks, Secretary Hagel, for sharing of your knowledge. And we're going to move now to the press conference in the other buildings. And, again, thank you very much. Appreciate it. (Applause.)
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Indonesian Minister of Defense Purnomo Yusgiantoro August 26, 2013
Remarks by Secretary Hagel and Minister of Defense Purnomo to Indonesian troops in Jakarta, Indonesia
MINISTER OF DEFENSE PURNOMO YUSGIANTORO: (Translator)
Well, a very good afternoon to all of you. With us this afternoon is the secretary of defense, United States, Secretary Chuck Hagel. He arrived in Indonesia this morning, and then we paid a courtesy visit to the president, to the President Yudhoyono. With the president, we discussed a lot of things, the global issue, regional issue, and also the bilateral ties between Indonesia and U.S.
All right. After the visit from the palace, then, we came to the ministry of defense. We had the guest of honor, due to Secretary Hagel, and then we have bilateral meetings. Many things that we discuss, how we can enhance the cooperation between U.S. and Indonesia.
The important thing that I raise is the education and training, are things very important for you, the young officials. I think most of them, Secretary Hagel (inaudible) from the military academy, on the military academy, those young persons.
Then since after we finish with this program, we're going to have the signing of (inaudible) letter of agreement. And then we have a press conference. And tomorrow, both of us, you know, fly to Bandar Seri Begawan to meet 10 ASEAN defense ministers' meeting and plus eight countries.
So with this kind of introduction, I would like to ask you, Secretary Hagel, you want to say something before you discuss with this young official here. Please. The floor is yours.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHUCK HAGEL: Minister -- Minister Purnomo, thank you. I very much appreciate an opportunity to see you again. And as you noted, we had a very positive and productive meeting with the president a couple of hours ago.
But I am particularly pleased and honored to have an opportunity to address all of you. You are an elite force. You have tremendously important responsibilities, as you know.
Minister Purnomo just noted that education and training are particularly important. And many times I think in militaries that can occasionally get lost. You know, we all begin our lives and finish our lives as complete people. We are individuals first and soldiers, or whatever your profession is, second. And a professional soldier, a well-trained, well-led, well-equipped soldier, is a pride of any country.
And it is the pride of a country because in democracies you recognize the rule of law. And you recognize your obligations are to your people and to each other and defending laws in the higher -- in the higher law of all of us, as -- as individuals.
So I congratulate you for your professionalism. I know some of you have graduated and attended some of our military institutions in the United States. And we're very proud of you. We're proud of our graduates. We have -- as you know, many of the U.S. military people come here in not only exchanges and exercises, but we take training here. And that exchange of people-to-people, regardless of your profession, but in particular the military-to-military exchange is a very solid bridge-building mechanism for countries.
And I just want you to know how proud we are of our militaries in the United States and what you're doing, as we work together to make a better world, to enhance peace and prosperity and security. That is your life; that is your commitment. And I do not know of a more noble profession than what you are doing on behalf of a better world.
So, thank you. Minister, thank you for allowing me the privilege to share a few words with these magnificent soldiers. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: I just want to make sure, with Secretary Hagel, that, you know, he'll be able to -- he'll be happy to receive the Q&A, the question-and-answer from you. So feel free, you know, if you have any questions, because I believe that you were also a soldier before. You can -- you can share some of your experiences being a soldier before.
SEC. HAGEL: Well, I'm not in the same class or category with these soldiers. I did spend two years of my life in the United States Army. I fought in Vietnam in 1968, so I have some appreciation for war and for battle and what your challenges are and your training.
But I'm not in your class. I was a soldier for two years, but I guess if you're once a soldier, you're always a soldier, but I'm very proud of my service in the United States Army. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: (speaking foreign language) Please.
Q: (Translator) Mr. Secretary, it is a great honor to have you among us today in Jakarta. I am (inaudible). I served in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, 2006 and 2007, and I am currently serving as the chief of operations at the 17th Airborne Infantry Brigade, part of KOSTRAD, the Army's strategic reserve command.
And here I'd like to inform you that I was pleased and was fortunate to be part of the IMET program, whereas I finished the advanced officers' course or the Maneuver Captain's Career Course from Fort Benning, 2011. During the six months' rigorous training, I had the opportunity to enrich my military knowledge and experience through engagement with my fellow American officers who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, I was able to interact with the local Americans and to learn about the local traditions and cultures. And I think it was a very rewarding experience for me, personally and professionally.
And I would like to take this rare opportunity to express my great expectation as a junior TNI officer that we can enhance our cooperation of our two militaries and also to strengthen the bond of our soldiers in the future. A great example was the last -- the last joint airborne exercise, taking place in Indonesia with the 82nd Airborne Division. That event served as an effective medium of exchange, knowledge, skills and experience, but on top of it, it was the spirit of brotherhood that made that kind of exercise even more valuable.
Therefore, I would like to recommend that we can enhance the military cooperations between the two countries by enhancing the IMET program through two sectors, just like what you have said earlier, education and training. As for education, it is so -- it will be very important for us if we can have a greater opportunity to send officers for post-graduate-level education, because it is critical to produce our very own soldier-scholars, because you want to make -- we want to develop our institution into more -- more professional, world-class military, including to produce brilliant strategic thinkers and defense practitioners.
And the second track will be joint exercises. We can -- I'm sorry, the military courses. The military courses is very valuable, because it will help us to -- to have certain number of officers who can develop our doctrines, tactics and procedures so we can be a more developed and -- and a more joint fighting forces.
And second track will be the joint exercises. We can enhance the existing regular joint exercises that we conduct in Indonesia, for example, the (inaudible) Shield and other trainings within our armed forces. And the second will be, if it is possible, Mr. Secretary, we can discuss this possibilities whether we can send our soldiers to train in your training ground in the U.S., so we can experience your advanced training facilities, which we believe that we can learn and acquire important lessons learned, especially in terms of military operations in urban terrain, as well as peace-making operations.
With this, we believe that both of our militaries can enhance cooperations and to pursue our common objective, especially to preserve peace and security in this region. I thank you.
SEC. HAGEL: Thank you. Very articulate summation of the quality of your forces represented by your words, and very wise words. And I thank you for that.
On the specific point of the IMET, I have always believed -- and I think most of the Congress of the United States -- I know President Obama and all of the leadership of the Pentagon and the American armed forces believe strongly that the IMET program is -- is one of the smartest, best investments that the United States can make in relationships around the world, and in particular for the future. And I think you and many of your colleagues are very clear examples of that.
The consequences of training and education hardly can be qualified, they are so important. Each of you are role models. And how you conduct yourselves, what you say, and how you lead ripple out in ways you'll probably never know. But people watch you. Your subordinates watch you. Others watch you carefully. And how you conduct yourselves is really the essence of leadership.
And that comes through a lot of things. It comes through other role models. We each have had role models in our lives. You have them. It comes through education, through training, through the professionalization of your services. IMET does that as well as any one program I think the United States has, so you can be assured that that program is going to continue and we'll continue to enhance it. Thank you.
MIN. PURNOMO: Well, it's time limit. We would like to thank for your presence here and thanks, Secretary Hagel, for sharing of your knowledge. And we're going to move now to the press conference in the other buildings. And, again, thank you very much. Appreciate it. (Applause.)
NAVIES OF CHINA AND U.S. PARTICIPATE IN COUNTER PIRACY EXERCISE
 |
| An MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to the "Swamp Foxes" of Maritime Helicopter Combat Squadron 74 departs the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason during a U.S.-China cross-deck landing exercise with the Chinese navy destroyer Harbin in the Gulf of Aden, Aug. 24, 2013. The operation was part of a two-day counter piracy exercise between U.S. 5th Fleet and the Chinese navy. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Aylward |
U.S., Chinese Navies Exercise Counter Piracy in Gulf of Aden
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2013 - After concluding an ambitious counter piracy exercise yesterday with the Chinese navy, members of the U.S. 5th Fleet expressed hope it will lay groundwork for closer future cooperation in ensuring freedom of movement in the Gulf of Aden, other regional waters, and beyond.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason joined the Chinese destroyer Harbin and Chinese auxiliary replenishment oiler Weishanhu for the two-day exercise in the Gulf of Aden, Navy Capt. Joseph Naman, commander of Destroyer Squadron 50 and Task Force 55, said during a phone interview from Bahrain.
The Chinese oiler played the role of a pirated vessel, as crew members from the Mason and Harbin conducted a combined visit, board, search and seizure drill that included a night boarding, reported Navy Cmdr. D. Wilson Marks, Mason's commanding officer.
Simulated medical emergencies and hostage scenarios required the sailors to work together to provide a coordinated response.
In addition, the crews demonstrated synchronized maneuver techniques during a live-fire proficiency exercise, engaging an inflatable target with the 5-inch MK-45 lightweight gun and 3.9-inch ENG deck guns, Marks said.
Another "significant milestone," Naman said, was the landing of a helicopter from each country aboard the deck of each other's ship.
The exercise represented a big step beyond the first counterpiracy exercise between 5th Fleet and the Chinese navy, conducted in September near the Horn of Africa, Naman said. The 2012 exercise, which involved the USS Winston S. Churchill and the Chinese frigate Yi Yang, lasted only about six hours and was limited to a basic visit, board, search and secure exercise, follow-on discussion and crew lunch.
Throughout this week's mission, Marks said, he was struck by how similarly the two navies operate.
"What my crew found out is they are sailors like we are," practicing many of the same techniques as they confronted the same challenges, he said.
Both the United States and China recognize the importance of freedom of access and movement in the maritime environment, uninhibited by piracy or other illicit activity, Naman noted.
"I think both China and the U.S. share the common goal to make that happen," he said.
Both navies, for example, regularly conduct counterpiracy operations in the Gulf region.
The United States is part of a multinational coalition task force that works collaboratively in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. China, in contrast, operates independently. Naman said he would like to see that change, and that he hopes exercises like the one conducted over the weekend will encourage China to consider joining the coalition.
International cooperation and measures taken by the civilian shipping industry to discourage pirates have brought a dramatic drop in piracy compared to just three to four years ago, he reported.
"The sum of the parts is greater than the one, which is what the coalition brings in," Marks said. "You can share best practices, build on each other's strengths [and] capitalize on those strengths. ... We are all working toward that shared goal of freedom of movement in the maritime [domain]. So if we all share the same goal, we ought to be working together, and that is what we are really trying to do."
In the meantime, he said, exercising together helps to increase interoperability between the U.S. and Chinese navies that they can draw on in the future, anywhere in the world.
"As we have learned in the past, military-to-military engagement pays big dividends, because we operate in the same environment and ... share the same common goals for that maritime environment," Naman said.
Marks, who called the exercise "one of those once-in-a-career experiences," said he and his crew hope for more opportunities to work with the Chinese navy.
For one of the participants, Navy Seaman Yi An, the exercise was particularly memorable. A naturalized U.S. citizen, the culinary specialist was born in China's Quingdao province -- which the Harbin's crew calls home.
Yi served as an interpreter during the exercise, generating a lot of excitement among the Chinese sailors as he shared hometown stories, Marks said. He was treated as an honored guest aboard the Harbin during a luncheon yesterday that concluded the exercise.
But exercising with their Chinese counterparts gave the entire Mason crew new insights, Marks said.
"Watching U.S. and Chinese sailors working side by side was amazing," he said. "We may come from different places and speak a different language, but at the end of the day, we all share a common interest in protecting the maritime environment."
(Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Aylward contributed to this article.)
U.S. TO SELL APACHE HELICOPTERS TO INDONESIA
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Announces U.S. Deal to Sell Helicopters to Indonesia
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 26, 2013 - In a first-of-its-kind deal worth about $500 million, the United States has agreed to sell eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and Longbow radars to Indonesia, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.
Hagel announced the deal during a joint news conference with Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro after productive meetings this afternoon with Yusgiantoro and earlier today with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The secretary is visiting Indonesia as part of an eight-day, four-nation trip that has included a stop in Malaysia and will take him this week to Brunei and the Philippines.
"Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to help build Indonesia's military capability," Hagel said.
The U.S. military will train Indonesian pilots and help in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for operating in the Southeast Asian security environment, a senior defense official said, adding that details of the delivery and training timeline are being determined.
The agreement represents a significant advance in military capabilities by a key U.S. partner and is the sort of investment the United States believes is prudent to support security in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.
The new capability "will help Indonesia respond to a range of contingencies, including counterpiracy operations and maritime awareness," he added.
"The United States is committed to working with Southeast Asian nations to grow defense capabilities and deepen military-to-military cooperation with all of our partners," the official said.
During the news conference with Yusgiantoro, Hagel said it has been impressive to watch a democratic Indonesia emerge as one of the most important contributors to peace and prosperity, not only in Asia, but also globally.
"Helping ensure the region's security and prosperity is a goal the United States strongly shares," the secretary said. "The strong and enduring security partnership that has been built between the United States and Indonesia is a relationship the United States greatly values."
Hagel said President Barack Obama looks forward to his October visit to Indonesia and to deepening ties between the two countries.
Progress on security includes increasingly complex exercises between the two militaries, and growing defense, trade and high-level policy engagement, the secretary added.
The two militaries recently launched an initiative to share best practices in defense planning and management to increase Indonesian military capability, Hagel said, and next month the United States and Indonesia will cohost a counterterrorism exercise under the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus.
ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose 10 member states are Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Defense ministers from these nations attend the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, or ADMM. And the ADMM-Plus is made up of ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners: the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia. This year's ADMM-Plus meeting will be start tomorrow in Brunei.
Hagel said the United States welcomes Indonesia's leadership in promoting regional security cooperation through ASEAN and regional forums such as the East Asia Summit.
"The United States is committed to further strengthening the U.S.-ASEAN relationship and I look forward to meeting with my counterparts this week at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting- Plus in Brunei to address the many security challenges we face in this region," he said.
Developing long-term and enduring solutions to challenges like maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and the peaceful management of disputes in the South China Sea calls for greater cooperation and respect for rules and norms among all parties and the institutions that underpin them, the secretary noted.
"I am also pleased to be able to announce that the U.S. and Indonesia have pledged mutual support and cooperation on the search and recovery of U.S. personnel missing from World War II," Hagel said.
Several Indonesian ministries have oversight of such requests, including defense, education and culture, and research and technology. All have agreed to process future requests from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, a joint task force within the Defense Department whose mission is to account for Americans listed as prisoners of war, or missing in action, from all past wars and conflicts.
The United States believes that about 1,800 U.S. personnel are still missing in action from World War II in the waters and lands of Indonesia, a senior defense official said, adding that while not all are recoverable, current research indicates that hundreds ultimately may be found and brought home.
"The United States commitment to this effort is important to our personnel serving today," Hagel said, "to make clear that we stand by our pledge to leave no one behind."
Hagel Announces U.S. Deal to Sell Helicopters to Indonesia
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 26, 2013 - In a first-of-its-kind deal worth about $500 million, the United States has agreed to sell eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and Longbow radars to Indonesia, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.
Hagel announced the deal during a joint news conference with Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro after productive meetings this afternoon with Yusgiantoro and earlier today with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The secretary is visiting Indonesia as part of an eight-day, four-nation trip that has included a stop in Malaysia and will take him this week to Brunei and the Philippines.
"Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to help build Indonesia's military capability," Hagel said.
The U.S. military will train Indonesian pilots and help in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for operating in the Southeast Asian security environment, a senior defense official said, adding that details of the delivery and training timeline are being determined.
The agreement represents a significant advance in military capabilities by a key U.S. partner and is the sort of investment the United States believes is prudent to support security in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.
The new capability "will help Indonesia respond to a range of contingencies, including counterpiracy operations and maritime awareness," he added.
"The United States is committed to working with Southeast Asian nations to grow defense capabilities and deepen military-to-military cooperation with all of our partners," the official said.
During the news conference with Yusgiantoro, Hagel said it has been impressive to watch a democratic Indonesia emerge as one of the most important contributors to peace and prosperity, not only in Asia, but also globally.
"Helping ensure the region's security and prosperity is a goal the United States strongly shares," the secretary said. "The strong and enduring security partnership that has been built between the United States and Indonesia is a relationship the United States greatly values."
Hagel said President Barack Obama looks forward to his October visit to Indonesia and to deepening ties between the two countries.
Progress on security includes increasingly complex exercises between the two militaries, and growing defense, trade and high-level policy engagement, the secretary added.
The two militaries recently launched an initiative to share best practices in defense planning and management to increase Indonesian military capability, Hagel said, and next month the United States and Indonesia will cohost a counterterrorism exercise under the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus.
ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose 10 member states are Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Defense ministers from these nations attend the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, or ADMM. And the ADMM-Plus is made up of ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners: the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia. This year's ADMM-Plus meeting will be start tomorrow in Brunei.
Hagel said the United States welcomes Indonesia's leadership in promoting regional security cooperation through ASEAN and regional forums such as the East Asia Summit.
"The United States is committed to further strengthening the U.S.-ASEAN relationship and I look forward to meeting with my counterparts this week at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting- Plus in Brunei to address the many security challenges we face in this region," he said.
Developing long-term and enduring solutions to challenges like maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and the peaceful management of disputes in the South China Sea calls for greater cooperation and respect for rules and norms among all parties and the institutions that underpin them, the secretary noted.
"I am also pleased to be able to announce that the U.S. and Indonesia have pledged mutual support and cooperation on the search and recovery of U.S. personnel missing from World War II," Hagel said.
Several Indonesian ministries have oversight of such requests, including defense, education and culture, and research and technology. All have agreed to process future requests from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, a joint task force within the Defense Department whose mission is to account for Americans listed as prisoners of war, or missing in action, from all past wars and conflicts.
The United States believes that about 1,800 U.S. personnel are still missing in action from World War II in the waters and lands of Indonesia, a senior defense official said, adding that while not all are recoverable, current research indicates that hundreds ultimately may be found and brought home.
"The United States commitment to this effort is important to our personnel serving today," Hagel said, "to make clear that we stand by our pledge to leave no one behind."
A REAL CRIMESTOPPER
FROM: U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE
1 Man Crime Stopper Team
Albuquerque, NM – On August 6, 2013, Detective Jesse Carter of the Albuquerque Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit, made his 36th arrest this year to date from crime stopper tips. Detective Carter is assigned full time to the United States Marshals Service’s South West Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) task force. Detective Carter’s mission on the task force is to follow up on leads and tips generated by the Albuquerque Metro Crime Stopper unit.
Last night, the task force arrested fugitive Meghan Clark on charges of Robbery and Kidnapping. Clark’s boyfriend Tom Deforest was also arrested; he was booked on charges of Domestic Battery. Clark and Deforest mark arrests 35 and 36 for the year that have been the result of Crime Stopper tips. District of New Mexico, United States Marshal, Conrad Candelaria said “Detective Carter----- known by the United States Marshals Service for the District of New Mexico as Special Deputy United States Marshal Carter, is part of what defines “Force Multiplier”, whereby the task force is comprised of many law enforcement agencies, across many jurisdictions within New Mexico, because dangerous and violent fugitives do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries. The “Force Multiplier” is relied upon in order to achieve the important mission of fugitive apprehension, through collaboration, cooperation that is combined with exceptional investigative skill and it is through these efforts that our many communities in New Mexico are safer.”
1 Man Crime Stopper Team
Albuquerque, NM – On August 6, 2013, Detective Jesse Carter of the Albuquerque Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit, made his 36th arrest this year to date from crime stopper tips. Detective Carter is assigned full time to the United States Marshals Service’s South West Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) task force. Detective Carter’s mission on the task force is to follow up on leads and tips generated by the Albuquerque Metro Crime Stopper unit.
Last night, the task force arrested fugitive Meghan Clark on charges of Robbery and Kidnapping. Clark’s boyfriend Tom Deforest was also arrested; he was booked on charges of Domestic Battery. Clark and Deforest mark arrests 35 and 36 for the year that have been the result of Crime Stopper tips. District of New Mexico, United States Marshal, Conrad Candelaria said “Detective Carter----- known by the United States Marshals Service for the District of New Mexico as Special Deputy United States Marshal Carter, is part of what defines “Force Multiplier”, whereby the task force is comprised of many law enforcement agencies, across many jurisdictions within New Mexico, because dangerous and violent fugitives do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries. The “Force Multiplier” is relied upon in order to achieve the important mission of fugitive apprehension, through collaboration, cooperation that is combined with exceptional investigative skill and it is through these efforts that our many communities in New Mexico are safer.”
IMAGE OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECT 1998 KN3
FROM: NASA
This image shows the potentially hazardous near-Earth object 1998 KN3 as it zips past a cloud of dense gas and dust near the Orion nebula. NEOWISE, the asteroid-hunting portion of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission, snapped infrared pictures of the asteroid, seen as the yellow-green dot at upper left. Because asteroids are warmed by the sun to roughly room temperature, they glow brightly at the infrared wavelengths used by WISE. Astronomers use infrared light from asteroids to measure their sizes, and when combined with visible-light observations, they can also measure the reflectivity of their surfaces. The WISE infrared data reveal that this asteroid is about .7 mile (1.1 kilometers) in diameter and reflects only about 7 percent of the visible light that falls on its surface, which means it is relatively dark. In this image, blue denotes shorter infrared wavelengths, and red, longer. Hotter objects emit shorter-wavelength light, so they appear blue. The blue stars, for example, have temperatures of thousands of degrees. The coolest gas and dust appears red. The asteroid appears yellow in the image because it is about room temperature: cooler than the distant stars, but warmer than the dust. JPL manages the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The principal investigator, Edward Wright, is at UCLA. The mission was competitively selected under NASA's Explorers Program managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The science instrument was built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory, Logan, Utah, and the spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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