FIVE ARYAN BROTHERHOOD OF TEXAS MEMBERS SENTENCED

FROM:  DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, April 13, 2012
Five Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Members Sentenced in Houston for Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering
WASHINGTON – Five members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been sentenced to federal prison for their role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

U.S. District Court Senior Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. today sentenced Zechariah Aaron Johnston, 31, aka “Oz,” to 84 months in prison; Stephen Kyle Knebel, 33, aka “Lil Evil,” to 24 months in prison; Robert Lynn Sheats, 33, aka “Dirty,” to 36 months in prison; and Johnny Ray Nichols, 35, aka “Nick,” to 18 months in prison.  On March 23, 2012, Senior Judge Werlein sentenced Rusty Dwayne Plante, 34, aka “Rusty,” to 36 months in prison.

All five defendants pleaded guilty for their role in the aggravated assault of an ABT prospect member.  Johnston, Knebel and Nichols each pleaded guilty to racketeering aggravated assault.  Plante and Sheats pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering aggravated assault.  All five defendants are from the greater Houston area.

According to court documents, the defendants were members of the ABT, a powerful race-based, state-wide organization that operated inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout the United States.  The ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system.  The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s.  According to court documents, previously, the ABT was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and white supremacy/separatism.  Over time, the ABT has expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit.

According to court documents, the ABT enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise.  Members, and oftentimes associates, are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”

According to court documents, Johnston, Knebel, Plante, Nichols and Sheats, along with seven fellow ABT gang members, participated in the beating of an ABT prospect member at the home of another ABT gang leader, Steven Walter Cooke, 48, aka “Stainless,” in Tomball, on Sept. 22, 2008.  The ABT prospect, who sustained serious bodily injury, was beaten by ABT gang members because he violated ABT rules of conduct.

Eleven of the 12 co-defendants have pleaded guilty for their roles in the assault.  The 12th ABT gang member, David Harlow, 43, aka, “Bam Bam,” was found guilty by Senior Judge Werlein on March 21, 2012, at trial in the Southern District of Texas.

This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Texas Ranger Division – Texas Department of Public Safety; the Walker County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department; the Houston Police Department-Gang Division; the Tomball Police Department; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Inspector General; and the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted by David Karpel of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman of the Southern District of Texas.

REMARKS AT PRESS GAGGLE BY AMBASSADOR RICE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at a Press Gaggle Outside the UN Security Council Stakeout
Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations New York, NYApril 13, 2012
AS DELIVERED
Ambassador Rice: Long day. Many issues. As you know, we intend to come back together tomorrow at 11 o’clock with the aim of trying to vote a text, provided that we have instructions from everybody that enable us to do so. We’re working on North Korea and other issues simultaneously. We’ll keep you updated on that as and when we can. Other than that, I really don’t have much to share.
Reporter: Is there a new text on Syria?
Ambassador Rice: There’s a revised draft of the text that was put first in blue based on the negotiations that is being referred back to capitals for instruction.

Reporter: Amb. Churkin said he wasn’t entirely satisfied with today’s discussions. Are you worried there will be a lack of consensus tomorrow?
Ambassador Rice: I don’t want to predict. We’ve been to this movie so many times, let’s not--it would be wise---
Reporter: But we also know how this movie ends.
Ambassador Rice: It would be wise not to make predictions.
Reporter: Is there a draft of [inaudible] North Korea?
Ambassador Rice: Not yet. Not at 15.
Reporter: But would tomorrow just be to vote or will you also be potentially discussing North Korea more?
Ambassador Rice: These are moving at different paces. They’re on different tracks but they’re on simultaneous tracks. So I don’t want to predict too much.
Reporter: Is the format for North Korea sorted?
Ambassador Rice: Again, I don’t have anything more than I said earlier on that.
Reporter: Press statement?
Ambassador Rice: I will repeat what I said this morning and what I just said here which is that I’m not prepared to predict anything on substance or form.
Reporter: What was the change in the new text?
Ambassador Rice: There are many. We were in there for a long time. We’ll see. It’ll come out in blue.
Reporter: How would you describe the negotiations?
Ambassador Rice: They were serious. And, you know, as they often there, sometimes humor, sometimes contention, but I think everybody was trying to roll up their sleeves and deal with this responsibly.
Reporter: What about South Sudan not leaving Heglig?
Ambassador Rice: That is not good. They need to go.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA FIGHTS AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN MILITARY

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Panetta Vows to Continue Fighting Sexual Assault in Military

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2012 - With the release of an annual report today on sexual assault in the military, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta vowed to continue fighting to stamp out the crime among service members.

DOD officials delivered the Report on Sexual Assault in the Military to the House and Senate armed service committees today. The report noted there were 3,192 reports of sexual assault in fiscal 2011 compared with 3,158 in fiscal 2010, a one percent increase.

"Sexual assault has no place in this department," said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a press release on the report. "It is an affront to the basic American values we defend, and to the good honor of our service members and their families."

Countering sexual assault has been one of the secretary's top priorities since taking office last year. Panetta wants all members of the department "to do everything we can to reduce and prevent sexual assault, to make victims of sexual assault feel secure enough to report this crime without fear of retribution or harm to their career, and to hold the perpetrators appropriately accountable."

The secretary will meet with members of Congress next week to propose new measures to counter sexual assault and give DOD new tools to erase this scourge.

The report details ways the department is working to implement its sexual assault prevention and response plan. The first step is to institutionalize prevention strategies across the services. DOD looks to influence the knowledge, skills and behaviors of service members to prevent sexual assaults from happening. Officials are looking to training, a social media campaign and posters/commercials to increase awareness and encourage good behaviors.

The strategy also looks to increase the confidence those who have been assaulted have in the reporting process. DOD wants to engender a positive and supportive command climate that encourages people to reports cases of sexual assault. The department also wants to reduce stigma and other barriers that deter reporting.

The report also details additional programs, policies and activities that will improve the response to sexual assault. It details the new 24/7 hotline for sexual assault victims and improvements to education for case workers, as well as new exams and health care for victims of sexual assault.

The report also recommends ways to improve service through system accountability. "In fiscal 2011, commanders had sufficient evidence to take disciplinary action against 989 subjects," the report says. "For the 791 subjects who could be disciplined for a sexual assault offense, 62 percent had courts-martial charges preferred for a sexual assault offense, 24 percent received nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice and 14 percent received a discharge or another adverse administrative action."

This is a 10 percent increase in courts-martial over fiscal 2010, the report says. The proportion of military subjects against whom commanders decided to take disciplinary action for sexual assault offenses by preferring court-martial charges has increased steadily since fiscal 2007, when only 30 percent of subjects had charges initiated against them.

Finally the strategy looks to "improve stakeholder knowledge." This means reaching out to service members about the sexual abuse prevention and response program. It also means reaching out to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. It further means taking the message of the mission to non-traditional audiences to enlist their support for the effort.

Panetta appointed Air Force Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog to oversee the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. He also directed several new victim-focused policies that have been implemented since the end of fiscal 2011. Among these are expanded legal assistance, expedited transfers for victims of sexual assault and extended retention of forensic examination and investigative reports.

Other initiatives to enhance prevention and response efforts include establishing a sexual assault advocate credentialing and certification program; expanding sexual assault support services to military spouses and adult military dependents; expanding emergency care and support services to DOD civilians stationed abroad and DOD U.S. citizen contractors in combat areas; and increasing funding for investigators and judge advocates to receive additional specialized training.

The department is also assessing how the department trains commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders on sexual assault prevention and response.

"As this report makes clear, we have more work to do to confront this problem," Panetta said in the release. "There are no easy answers, but that makes it all the more essential for us to devote our energy and our attention to trying to confront this challenging crime."

THE AMERICAS AND WOMEN ENTREPRENURS

FROM:   U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas)
Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 13, 2012
Investing in women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is one of the best ways to simultaneously achieve economic, financial, and social impact. Research shows that women-owned SMEs are significant accelerators of economic growth. Because women are also responsible for nearly two-thirds of worldwide consumer spending, leading corporations are seeking competitive advantage by including more women vendors in their global value chains to better serve and understand their customers. Moreover, women tend to spend more of their earned income than men on the health and education of their families, yielding significant social impact and bolstering future gains in productivity and inclusive growth.

Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas) leverages public-private partnerships to increase women’s economic participation and address three key barriers women confront when starting and growing SMEs: access to training and networks, access to markets, and access to finance. Through these collaborations, the United States and its partners will:

1) Provide training and mentoring to women entrepreneurs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on business growth;
2) Support market access initiatives in countries throughout the region; and
3) Launch and expand initiatives to facilitate women-owned SMEs’ access to credit and other financial services.

WEAmericas connects women to economic growth and business opportunities and brings together the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to achieve mutually beneficial goals: inclusive economic growth, increased financial returns and social impact, formalization of informal sector work, and enhanced competitiveness for firms and economies.

WEAmericas builds on commitments made during the 2011 APEC Leaders Summit and in the San Francisco Declaration—which countries throughout the Americas supported, including Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States—and ongoing work under Pathways to Prosperity. Both initiatives address barriers to women’s economic participation.

In addition to the U.S. government, WEAmericas founding partners include Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, ExxonMobil Foundation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Kauffman FastTrac, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Vital Voices, Walmart Foundation, and WEConnect International.

The partners have developed the following initial collaborations, which focus on concrete actions in three crucial areas:access to training and networks, access to finance, and access to markets.

WEAmericas Partnerships
Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Department of State are partnering to provide training to women entrepreneurs at the SME level throughout the region. Women entrepreneurs will participate in a Department of State-sponsored exchange program, where they will connect with their American counterparts and have the opportunity to create lasting networks and business relationships. As part of the program, Kauffman FastTrac will host workshops on strategic planning and entrepreneurial trends. With Walmart support, Vital Voices will provide follow-on leadership and enterprise development training to build the capacity of women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and succeed as leaders in the business community and in wider society.
Through Secretary Clinton’s International Fund for Women and Girls, the Walmart Foundation will also provide $1.5 million for the WEAmericas Small Grants Initiative to support broader economic empowerment and development for women-owned businesses in the region, particularly for indigenous and rural women.
As part of their 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women and the U.S. Department of State will partner to bring cohorts of women from Latin America to the United States. This partnership provides women from around the world with scholarships for intensive business and management training at Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women will offer women from the U.S. Department of State’s entrepreneurship programs an opportunity to participate in its Mentoring Women in Business initiative. The initiative combines mentoring with technology to provide cross-border support to women entrepreneurs. Using a specially developed algorithm, women entrepreneurs from the region will be matched with mentors through an e-mentoring platform.

2) Access to Finance
The IDB’s Structured and Corporate Finance Department (SCF) and Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) are partnering to launch women entrepreneurshipBanking (weB), an initiative to work with financial intermediaries in the region to help them establish lending models that support growth in women’s businesses. The MIF, through its Line of Activity for Promoting Small Enterprise Financing, will provide up to $5 million in technical assistance grants to transfer knowledge of effective lending models for women-owned SMEs and to train loan officers and credit managers in these products and services. SCF, through its financial markets strategy’s beyondBanking program, will offer up to $50 million in loans, risk-sharing facilities, and partial credit guarantees. By doing so, SCF will share some of the risk of testing these models and generate opportunities for more inclusive finance with these institutions. This unique combination of capital and technical assistance will maximize the success of forward-looking financial institutions’ portfolio development across the entire supply chain to ensure that women-owned SMEs have equal access to finance.

3) Access to Markets
ExxonMobil Foundation and the U.S. Department of State will provide grants to WEConnect International to support the registration and certification of women-owned businesses in Mexico. By identifying and certifying these businesses and connecting them with potential buyers of their goods and services, the program aims to reach at least 900 women business owners in Mexico and procurement executives from at least ten large corporations doing business in Mexico.

IDB, Walmart, and WEConnect International will also partner to enhance the capacity of women-owned businesses in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru to gain access to new markets and increase their economic productivity as employers and community leaders. The project will focus on the outreach, education, and training required to ensure more women-owned businesses have the knowledge and networks needed to compete in global value chains. Large corporations that source internationally, such as Walmart, will be integral in the sharing of best practices and business opportunities.
About the Partners:


· Cherie Blair Foundation for Women provides women with the skills, technology, networks, and access to finance they need to become successful small and growing business owners so they can contribute to their economies and have a stronger voice in their societies.

· ExxonMobil Foundation has helped women in developing countries fulfill their economic potential and drive economic and social change in their communities. Since 2005, their investments of more than $53 million have enabled community-based and global partners to implement programs directly benefiting tens of thousands of women.

· Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is a five-year initiative to provide a business and management education to underserved female entrepreneurs in developing and emerging markets. The program is designed to drive greater shared economic growth, leading to stronger healthcare, education, and greater prosperity in the communities where it operates.

· IDB supports efforts by Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries to reduce poverty and inequality. Established in 1959, it is the largest source of development financing for LAC, with a strong commitment to achieve measurable results, increased integrity, transparency, and accountability.

· Kauffman FastTrac is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills, insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the world devoted to entrepreneurship.

· Thunderbird School of Global Management equips students and leaders with the business skills and global mindset needed to create sustainable prosperity worldwide. The Thunderbird for Good initiative has provided 50,000 Latin American women with entrepreneurship training to help drive economic development, fight poverty, and improve living conditions in their communities.
· Vital Voices is a global NGO that provides training and mentoring to innovative women leaders, enhancing their ability to transform lives and advance peace and prosperity in their communities.

· Walmart unveiled its Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative last fall, which uses the company’s size and scale to empower women across its supply chain. Over five years, the company will source $20 billion from women-owned businesses in the United States and double sourcing from women suppliers internationally. In addition, Walmart will train thousands of women on farms and in factories in employment and life skills to enhance their participation in global value chains.

· WEConnect International is a corporate led non-profit that identifies, educates, and certifies women's business enterprises and introduces them to corporate members representing $700 billion in annual spend.

ONE MARINE STAYS POSITIVE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Face of Defense: Marine Inspires With Positive Attitude
By By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. William Waterstreet
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2012 - If happiness dwells in the soul, as the ancient Greeks believed, then Marine Corps Cpl. Michael "Mikey" Raymundo is a prime example.
"I just like to have fun and not worry about what's going to happen tomorrow," Raymundo, a Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron comptroller here, said in a recent interview. "Just live in the moment. I like to make other people laugh, and I don't care what anybody else has to say. As long as I'm happy with myself, I'm good, and I know I'm always doing the right things."

The El Paso, Texas, native is at the center of every social interaction, and he always is wearing a smile. He brings energy and laughter to a room, his squadron buddies say.

"When he's not there, everyone keeps asking, 'Where's Mikey? Where's Mikey,'" said Cpl. Maxmillion Page, the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron legal chief. "He has a very vibrant and unique personality, and everyone loves to have someone like that around. He's loyal. He's my brother."

"I'm no different from anyone else. I'm just outgoing. I want to be sociable. I want to get out there and help out my friends. Oh, and I'm sexy," Raymundo said with a grin.

While growing up in Texas, Raymundo said he tried to branch out and try new things.

"Growing up, I always tried to take on new challenges," he said. "I always like to try new things, and if I have an opportunity, I'm going to take it. I don't care about money, materials, cars or possessions. None of that matters to me. As long as I'm healthy, my family's good and we have what we need to survive, that's all we really need."

Now 24, Raymundo became active as a teen in wrestling and football, playing as a starting linebacker. He would spend summers with his grandmother across the border in Juarez, Mexico.

He attended El Paso Community College after high school and earned his associate's degree in criminal justice. While going to class as a full-time student, he also worked as a corporate trainer for Famous Dave's, traveling across the Southwest and opening stores.

After earning his degree in 2008, he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps.

"I wanted to join before it was too late," he said. "I wanted to do something different, and ever since I was little, I wanted to join the Marines. It was now or never."

At the end of his active service, Raymundo plans to join the reserve unit in his hometown and continue with the Corps until retirement.

However, he also has goals outside the Corps. He said he plans to become an entrepreneur, and already is working on a couple of inventions. One, a stationary workout machine, already has a patent pending.

"I couldn't do the workout I wanted to do one day because it was raining," he explained. "So I started drawing things up and talking to people."

Regardless of what happens, Raymundo always stays positive.

"I don't know if it's going to be a great invention," he said. "I'm just going with the flow and doing what my instinct tells me. I've got nothing to lose other than money, and money comes and goes."

Raymundo keeps a positive outlook to see his goals through. He also has some advice for others.

"Live life. Smile. Don't be so grumpy. Don't act so cool. Don't act so tough. Be a humble person and love everyone around you. Respect your family and friends. Do good things and good things will happen to you. Go out and get it. Don't be shy, and don't be scared," he said.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL SPEAKS ABOUT UPCOMING TALKS BETWEEN U.S. AND JAPAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at Narita Airport
Remarks Kurt M. Campbell
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Tokyo, Japan
April 15, 2012
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Well let me just say good afternoon everyone, I’m sorry to have people coming out on Sunday afternoon, but it’s very good to be back in Tokyo. I am here along with a team from the Department of Defense and my colleague Peter Lavoy, for consultations with Japanese counterparts. We’re going to be discussing a number of things, upcoming high-level diplomacy, force posture issues in Asia, developments in Okinawa. We’ll also be talking about areas of cooperation [between] the United States and Japan in Afghanistan, the work we are doing in advance of the ASEAN Regional Forum, and a variety of other bilateral engagements. Obviously we’ll be discussing recent developments in North Korea, we will be wanting to listen carefully to Japanese views about next steps.

I’ll also be travelling to South Korea on this trip to have similar consultations with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense officials. I think as you know, discussions are underway at the United Nations. The United States is in the Chair at the Security Council and I think there is a very strong sense among the partners, and you’ve seen it in the statements from the White House, from the G8, from Ambassador Rice, very strong condemnation of the provocative action that North Korea has taken that is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and very clear and determined effort to send a strong message that further provocations would be most unwelcome. I’ll have a couple of other opportunities to give statements during the day tomorrow, but I’m happy to take a couple of very quick questions.

QUESTION: Sir, North Koreans have just revealed what appears to be a new missile in their parade today. Do you have any information on this?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: I’m sorry, I just got off the airplane, so I’ll have to get briefed but I’ll catch up with my colleagues about that.

QUESTION: Any comments on Kim Jong Un, apparently he just spoke for the first time.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Again, I apologize, I just got off a 14 hour flight so I haven’t been briefed on that.

QUESTION: According to news, he announced that North Korea would be a strong military nation. How would you respond to that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Let me just say again, I haven’t had the opportunity to get briefed on what he has said, once I have a chance to learn a little bit more I’ll be happy to provide some commentary.
Thank you all very much.

PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES NEW UNCONVENTIONAL NATURAL GAS AND OIL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

FROM:  EPA
Obama Administration Announces New Partnership on Unconventional Natural Gas and Oil Research
WASHINGTON – Today, three federal agencies announced a formal partnership to coordinate and align all research associated with development of our nation’s abundant unconventional natural gas and oil resources. The partnership exemplifies the cross-government coordination required under President Obama’s executive order released earlier today, which created a new Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources. This new partnership will help coordinate current and future research and scientific studies undertaken by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Interior – better positioning the Obama Administration to ensure that continued expansion of natural gas and oil production happens safely and responsibly as part of an all-of-the-above approach to American energy in which science plays a guiding and critical role.

As the president has made clear, domestic natural gas and oil resources will continue to play a key role in America’s energy future. Already, technological advancements like hydraulic fracturing – innovation supported by public research – have allowed development of previously uneconomic natural gas and oil deposits. In fact, since 2008, U.S. oil and natural gas production has increased each year. In 2011, U.S. crude oil production reached its highest level in 8 years, increasing by an estimated 110,000 barrels per day over 2010 levels to 5.59 million barrels per day. And U.S. natural gas production grew in 2011 as well – the largest year-over-year volumetric increase in history – easily eclipsing the previous all-time production record set in 1973. Overall, oil imports have been falling since 2005, and oil import dependence declined from 57 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in 2011 – the lowest level since 1995.

As the United States continues to expand domestic natural gas and oil production, it is critical that the public has full confidence that the right safety and environmental protections are in place – guided by the best available science. Leveraging each agency’s core competencies and strengths will enhance efforts to explore the significant new resource development opportunities made possible in recent years by hydraulic fracturing and other new technologies, and meet high-priority challenges in a coordinated and common-sense way.

“Science, research and innovation continue to play a vital role in our efforts to further expand oil and gas production in the United States and make sure it’s done safely and responsibly,” said Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes. “Improvements in technologies like hydraulic fracturing are responsible for greatly increasing our capacity to develop America’s abundant unconventional resources in recent years. Through a close collaboration across the government that reduces redundancy and streamlines our research, we are positioning the Obama Administration to best meet the critical need of increasing public understanding and public confidence of these critical technologies so that we can continue safe and responsible exploration and production for many decades to come.”

“The development of American shale gas resources is having a transformative impact on the U.S. energy landscape, helping to improve our energy security while spurring economic development and job creation around the country,” said Acting Under Secretary of Energy Arun Majumdar. “The Energy Department remains committed to the safe and responsible development of this American resource, and continued cooperation between government and private industry partners under President Obama’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy.”

"We are moving into a new era of American energy, one that has the potential to create jobs, strengthen our energy independence and security, and cut pollution. President Obama has created this interagency working group to ensure that these energy innovations happen safely and responsibly, without compromising the environment or the health of the American people," said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "We will continue to rely on the best available science to oversee the responsible development of these energy sources."

A primary goal of this effort will be to identify research topics where collaboration among the three agencies can be most effectively and efficiently conducted to provide results and technologies that support sound policy decisions by the agencies responsible for ensuring the prudent development of energy sources while promoting safe practices and human health. The new research partnership is an example of the Obama Administration’s effort to coordinate activities across the federal government to support development of our abundant domestic natural gas resources in a safe and responsible way. Today the administration announced that a broader set of activities will be coordinated under an executive order issued by President Obama to create a new Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources.

NASA PLANNING GROUP TAKES KEY STEPS FOR FUTURE MARS EXPLORATION

Three generations of Mars Rovers.  Credit: NASA


FROM:  NASA 
NASA's Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG), established 
to assist the agency in developing a new strategy for the exploration 
of the Red Planet, has begun analyzing options for future robotic 
missions and enlisting the assistance of scientists and engineers 
worldwide. 


NASA is reformulating the Mars Exploration Program to be responsive to 
high-priority science goals and the President's challenge of sending 
humans to Mars in the 2030s. 


"We're moving quickly to develop options for future Mars exploration 
missions and pathways," said John Grunsfeld, an astrophysicist, 
five-time space shuttle astronaut and associate administrator for 
NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in 
Washington. "As part of this process, community involvement, 
including international, is essential for charting the new 
agency-wide strategy for our future Mars exploration efforts." 


Grunsfeld leads the agency-wide Mars program reformulation effort 
along with William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the 
Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, Chief Scientist Waleed 
Abdalati and Chief Technologist Mason Peck. 


In February, Grunsfeld named veteran aerospace engineer Orlando 
Figueroa to lead the MPPG. In March, the group established an initial 
draft framework of milestones and activities that will include 
options for missions and sequences bridging the objectives of NASA's 
science, human exploration and operations and technology. 


Starting today, the scientific and technical community across the 
globe can submit ideas and abstracts online as part of NASA's effort 
to seek out the best and the brightest ideas from researchers and 
engineers in planetary science. Selected abstracts will be presented 
during a workshop in June hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute 
in Houston. 


The workshop will provide an open forum for presentation, discussion 
and consideration of concepts, options, capabilities and innovations 
to advance Mars exploration. These ideas will inform a strategy for 
exploration within available resources, beginning as early as 2018 
and stretching into the next decade and beyond. 


"Receiving input from our community is vital to energize the planning 
process," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration 
Program at NASA Headquarters. "We'll integrate inputs to ensure the 
next steps for the Mars Exploration Program will support science, as 
well as longer-term human exploration and technology goals." 


The new strategy also will be designed to maintain America's critical 
technical skills, developed over decades, to achieve the highest 
priority science and exploration objectives. 


NASA has a recognized track record of successful missions on Mars, and 
exploration of the planet is a priority for the agency. The rover 
Opportunity, which landed on Mars in 2004, is still operating well 
beyond its official mission of 90 days. There also are two NASA 
satellites, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, 
orbiting Mars and returning unprecedented science data and images. 


In August, NASA will land the Mars Science Laboratory, "Curiosity," on 
the planet's surface. This roving science laboratory will assess 
whether Mars was in the past or present an environment able to 
support life. In 2013, NASA will launch the Mars Atmosphere and 
Volatile Evolution orbiter, the first mission devoted to 
understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. 

WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARDS HELP FARMERS IN KUMAR PROVINCE AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  WISCONSON DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS
Col. Darrel Feucht, commander of the Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Millard unfurl their unit's guidon during a transfer of authority ceremony Tuesday (April 10) at Camp Wright in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The 82nd ADT has taken over the mission of providing agriculture and agribusiness support to the region from the 1-14th ADT of the Illinois National Guard. 82nd ADT photo by 2nd Lt. Stephen Montgomery
Wisconsin Guard unit begins agribusiness mission in Afghanistan

April 11, 2012
By 2nd Lt. Stephen Montgomery
82nd Agribusiness Development Team
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) has taken over the mission of helping Afghan farmers in Kunar Province after a transfer of authority ceremony Tuesday (April 10) at Camp Wright.

Col. Fred Allen, commander of the Illinois National Guard's 1-14th ADT, encased his unit's guidon in a canvas sleeve, symbolizing the end of his unit's mission in Afghanistan and handing that mission over to Col. Darrel Feucht, commander of the 82nd ADT.

"It's been a long road to assemble this team, train this team and, now, engage this team," Feucht said. "This team has worked hard with great anticipation for this day."
The 82nd ADT is the Wisconsin National Guard's first agribusiness development team, a National Guard initiative that leverages civilian skills crucial to improving agricultural methods.

"We now stand ready to perform our motto - to grow, to guide, to guard," Feucht continued. "To provide guidance to the Afghan farming community and guide each other in this partnership, to grow together as a unified team and grow crops, and to guard each other from those that do not see our goals in common."
The Wisconsin National Guard learned it would gain an agribusiness development team mission in 2010, and the unit trained for 12 months before reporting for active duty in February and completing mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Ind.

DEFAULT JUDGMENT AGAINST DAVID E. HOWARD II, FLATIRON CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC, AND FLATIRON SYSTEMS, LLC

FROM:  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
April 11, 2012
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Spyglass Equity Systems, Inc., et al,.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on April 6, 2012, the United States District Court for the Central District of California entered a Final Judgment against David E. Howard II, Flatiron Capital Partners, LLC (FCP), and Flatiron Systems, LLC (FS). Between December 2007 and March 2009, FCP and FS operated as investment companies that purported to trade securities using an automated trading system. Howard, a resident of New York City, was a co-managing member of FCP and the sole managing member of FS. The Commission’s complaint alleged, among other things, that, between December 2007 and January 2009, approximately 192 investors, located in at least 38 states, purchased LLC membership interests in FCP and FS. Investors were persuaded through false and misleading statements made by Howard and others to invest approximately $2.15 million in FCP and FS, and in addition, paid approximately $1.1 million in purported license fees for access to the trading systems. Thereafter, Howard misused and/or misappropriated almost $500,000 of the investor money and he and other principals lost the majority of the remaining funds through unsuccessful trading. Investors lost over $3 million in the scheme.

Howard, FCP and FS did not respond to the SEC’s allegations and the court therefore ordered default judgment against them. Howard, FCP and FS have each been enjoined from committing future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. In addition, Howard has been enjoined from future violations of Sections 206(1), 206(2), 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and FCP and FS have each been enjoined from future violations of Section 7(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Judgment also found Howard and FCP jointly and severally liable to pay disgorgement of $487,028 plus prejudgment interest of $79,838.69 on that disgorgement for a total of $566,866.69 and Howard and FS jointly and severally liable to pay disgorgement of $1,124,218.95 plus prejudgment interest of $127,192.86 on that disgorgement for a total of $1,251,411.81. Finally, Howard was ordered to pay a penalty of $390,000.

SHUTTLE COLUMBIA STARTS MAIDEN VOYAGE

FROM:  NASA
On April 12, 1981, astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen launched into space on space shuttle Columbia on the STS-1 mission--NASA's first mission aboard a reusable spacecraft. STS-1 was NASA's first manned mission since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. In this image, the two solid rocket boosters are aglow after being jettisoned. Image Credit: NASA

Navy News Service - USS AIRCRAFT CARRIER CARL VINCIN

Navy News Service - Eye on the Fleet Current Collection