HAITI'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

Map:  Haiti.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.  

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Haiti's Independence Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 31, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Haiti as you celebrate your 209th anniversary of independence this January 1.

As the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti blazed a trail of independence that has inspired others seeking freedom and dignity. For more than two centuries Haitians have met and overcome challenges, even in the most difficult circumstances.

The United States is proud to be Haiti’s neighbor and partner today and in the years to come supporting Haiti's work to ensure that every Haitian is able to live up to his or her god-given potential. May this year, and many to come, bring peace, prosperity and stability.
　



Locator Map:  Haiti.  From:  CIA World Factbook.

 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations. Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Over 300,000 people were killed and some 1 milllion left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.

NASA VIDEO: WHAT'S UP FOR JANUARY 2013

What's Up for January 2013
Spy Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mars as they make appearances next to the moon this month, making them easy and fun to spot in the sky.  Credit:  NASA.

NASA 2012 VIDEO'S: TRIBUTE TO FIRST MAN ON THE MOON

 

　 Neil Armstrong Tribute

Astronauts and other former colleagues remember Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander and first man to walk on the moon.

U.S. WORK IN AFGHANISTAN CONTINUES IN 2012

 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Engaging Greeting - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Julie Nicholson shakes hands with an Afghan child during a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 8, 2012. Nicolson is a female engagement team leader assigned to Marine Headquarters Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps courtesy photo

　

Moving Higher - U.S. paratroopers serving as an over watch element move their observation post higher on a hill during combat operations in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, May 19, 2012. The paratroopers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

ANTARTIC SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS ON ICE

Antartic Lake.  Credit:  NASA.

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Trio of Complex Antarctic Science Projects Reaches Significant Technological Milestones "on the Ice"

December 20, 2012

Three very large-scale, National Science Foundation-funded Antarctic science projects--investigating scientifically significant subjects as varied as life in extreme ecosystems, the fate of one of the world's largest ice sheets and the nature of abrupt global climate-change events--have recently each reached important technological milestones that will advance cutting-edge research.

In the past week, researchers with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide (WAIS) project, the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project and the Pine Island Glacier (PIG) project each announced they had achieved these various milestones. In each case, the successes were based on innovative drilling technologies and promise to open new scientific vistas for Antarctic research.

All three projects are supported by the NSF-managed U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). Through the USAP, NSF coordinates all U.S. scientific research and related logistical support on the southernmost continent and in the surrounding Southern Ocean.

"Although additional challenges doubtless lie ahead for these projects in the harsh Antarctic environment, these successes are a testament to both scientific and engineering ingenuity and the logistical support needed to mount such ambitious and scientifically promising programs," said Scott Borg, who heads Antarctic Sciences in NSF's Office of Polar Programs.

Pine Island Glacier

On December 17, researchers with the PIG project announced that they had successfully drilled through the remote Pine Island Glacier ice shelf.

The successful drilling will help to reach the project's ultimate objective: to study the physical processes that are causing a rapid melting of the 60-kilometer-long (37 miles) ice shelf that extends into Pine Island Bay. One cause is suspected to be the circulation of relatively warmer ocean waters under the floating ice shelf that are undercutting the shelf.

Results from PIG will be used to improve the physics of numerical models that are used to predict future melt rates of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Increased melting of the ice sheet could contribute significantly to global sea-level rise, with wide-ranging consequences for the Earth's temperate regions.

The stability of the polar ice sheets and their reaction to rising global temperatures remain one of the variables in the models used to predict climate trends. Analysis of satellite imagery and altimetry has shown that this part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has the highest thinning rates in Antarctica.

PIG is also funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and includes collaborating scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). High-resolution imagery analyzed by NASA Emeritus and project lead scientist Bob Bindschadler was used to locate a suitable site for the PIG camp on the ice.

The international PIG project is comprised of scientists and engineers with specialized expertise in analyzing satellite imagery deploying the hot-water drill; seismic and radar surveys of the ice shelf; and sea-bed structure and development and deployment of custom-built ocean instrumentation that will be left in the ocean cavity below the ice shelf to measure circulation and ocean-ice interactions over the coming years.

The PIG team faces the challenges of working not only in one of the most remote areas of the continent but also on a heavily crevassed region of the ice shelf where ice-sheet and weather conditions make it extremely difficult to deploy the personnel needed to conduct science, particularly for a large-scale project such as PIG. The project was initially launched as an initiative of the international Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2009 but has had to overcome numerous natural obstacles to deploy this season.

One of the primary tasks for the team has been to use a hot-water drill run by Martin Truffer, of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, to make two 500-meter-deep (1,600 feet), 20-centimeter-diameter (approximately 8 inches) "skinny holes" through the ice shelf at each measurement site.

Researcher Tim Stanton's group, at the Naval Postgraduate School, developed specialized long-term instrument systems to fit down the 20-centimeter holes. A surface-powered instrument package lowered through the first bore hole to hang two meters (6.5 feet) below the ice measures the boundary layer currents and rate of mixing of ocean water right below the ice, allowing the local ice-melt to be calculated.

Sridhar Anandakrishnan and Leo Peters, geophysicists with Penn State University, meanwhile, are creating tiny "earthquakes" to study the shape of the ocean cavity and the properties of the bedrock under the PIG ice shelf. Leo and Penn State student Kiya Wilson have been doing seismic measurements around the first and second drill camp sites, then, with helicopter support, they will sample about 40 locations across the ice shelf to determine the larger-scale sea-bed shape and ice-shelf structure.

WISSARD

In the same week, meanwhile, researchers with WISSARD successfully tested a new hot-water drill that they will use to access a subglacial lake for clean microbiological sampling and glaciological measurements. This interdisciplinary project is set to explore a portion of a vast hydrological system that exists under the Antarctic ice.

The WISSARD team includes nearly 20 researchers and is divided into three scientific components: microbiology, led by John Priscu, of Montana State University; geology, led by Ross Powell, of Northern Illinois University; and glaciology, led by Slawek Tulaczyk, of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The team announced earlier this week that a test hole was drilled through the Ross Ice Shelf, a geographical feature the size of the state of Texas, into the seawater cavity below, which is over 900 meters (3000 feet) deep.

Once testing of the hot-water drill and the integrated filtration systems is completed on the ice shelf, all of the drilling equipment--including the drill, specialized filters and electrical generating equipment--will be moved, by means of an over-ice traverse, to the actual research drill site overlying Subglacial Lake Whillans.

Over the last several decades, ground-penetrating radar and other remote-sensing have revealed a vast system of rivers and lakes beneath the miles-thick Antarctic ice sheets. Geothermal heat from below, coupled with the pressure of the ice from above and the insulation provided by the ice sheet, cause some areas at the base of the ice sheet to remain above the freezing point, even in the extreme cold of Antarctica.

In order to explore one of these hydrological systems at the edge of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet on the southeastern edge of the Ross Sea, WISSARD proposes to use a variety of tools and techniques to explore this unique subglacial environment.

WISSARD will lower a variety of sampling tools and sensors into the Subglacial Lake Whillans. These tools will cleanly sample subglacial lake water and sediments, provide video of lake bottom, and characterize chemical and physical properties of the lake and its environs.

The custom-built WISSARD hot-water drill, developed at University of Nebraska - Lincoln under the leadership of Frank Rack, is designed to melt a 30-centimeter (11-inch) hole through 800 meters (2,600 feet) of ice at the actual research site, providing clean access to Subglacial Lake Whillans.

A variety of sophisticated tools will be sent down the borehole to collect data and samples, supported by equipment and laboratories on the surface. All are designed not to contaminate this previously unexplored environment and to maintain the pristine nature of this part of Antarctica.

WAIS

Researchers with the WAIS Divide project, meanwhile, have announced that an innovative technique, called Replicate Coring, will allow them to retrieve additional ice cores from specific depths in an existing borehole, a development that researcher Charles Bentley, at the NSF-funded Ice Drilling Design and Operations (IDDO) group at the University of Wisconsin said opens "a new door for the future of ice-core drilling."

The replicate drilling technique is a key advance, because it allows scientists to take samples from specific levels of a main borehole without impeding the hole itself, leaving the main borehole open for future logging of information. Previously, it would have been necessary to physically block off the main borehole to sample along the sides.

NSF supports innovations in ice-core drilling through a cooperative partnership between the Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) led by Dartmouth College, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire and IDDO.

The Replicate Coring technique, which was developed and tested by the IDDO engineers as part of the DISC drill, was put into service at WAIS Divide during the 2007-2008 Antarctic field season. The design of the DISC Drill was started by the Wisconsin group in 2002 in response to the desire of the U.S. researchers for a deep-coring drill that would incorporate the ability to retrieve additional cores from the sides of the main borehole. The DISC drill completed the main WAIS borehole during the 2011-2012 season, reaching a depth of 3,405 meters (more than 11,000 feet). Testing of the replicate coring system at WAIS began at the end of the 2011-2012 season.

Unlike the drilling at PIG and WISSARD, the drilling at WAIS is designed to obtain cores of ice. These cores, or cylinders of ice, contain, frozen within them, samples of gases from the atmosphere as it was, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Previously, ice cores have yielded unexpected scientific discoveries, including, for example, evidence that climate can change abruptly in less than ten years, far less time than previously suspected. Analysis of ice cores also indicates that the level of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere is presently higher than in the past 800,000 years.

At the WAIS Divide site--an extremely cold area of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where the abundant snowfall rarely melts--the ice contains many tens of thousands of years of annual information about past climate. The cores obtained by replicate drilling will allow researchers to obtain samples from specific depths in the ice sheet, including from times of past abrupt climate change, allowing them to better understand how and why abrupt changes occur.

DOUBLE SOLAR ERUPTION IN 2012

FROM: NASA

Double Prominence Eruptions
The Sun erupted with two prominence eruptions, one after the other over a four-hour period on Nov. 16, 2012. The action was captured in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. It seems possible that the disruption to the Sun’s magnetic field might have triggered the second event since they were in relatively close proximity to each other. The expanding particle clouds heading into space do not appear to be Earth-directed.

Image Credit-NASA/-DO-Steele Hill

15 BILLION YEARS TO EARTH

 

 

FROM: NASA


This stellar swarm is M80 (NGC 6093), one of the densest of the 147 known globular star clusters in the Milky Way galaxy. Located about 28,000 light-years from Earth, M80 contains hundreds of thousands of stars, all held together by their mutual gravitational attraction. Globular clusters are particularly useful for studying stellar evolution, since all of the stars in the cluster have the same age (about 15 billion years), but cover a range of stellar masses. Every star visible in this image is either more highly evolved than, or in a few rare cases more massive than, our own Sun. Especially obvious are the bright red giants, which are stars similar to the Sun in mass that are nearing the ends of their lives. Photo Credit: NASA.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR' FROM SPACE

FROM: NASA

New Year's Message From Space Station
Commander Kevin Ford and Flight Engineers Chris Hadfield and Tom Marshburn of the International Space Station's Expedition 34 crew send down their best wishes for a happy new year.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR DECEMBER 31, 2012

Loading Supplies.  U.S. Army Photo By Staff Sgt. Brendan Makie

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases


WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained one other suspected insurgent during an operation in the Nad 'Ali district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The arrested Taliban leader planned and coordinated improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force arrested a Haqqani leader in the Pul-e 'Alam district of Logar province. The arrested Haqqani leader coordinated IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitated the distribution of weapons, IEDs and suicide vests to insurgents.

-- A combined force arrested two suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Andar district of Ghazni province. The sought-after Taliban leader commands a large number of insurgents and directs IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined force killed several armed insurgents in the Ghaziabad district of Kunar province.

-- In the Pul-e 'Alam district of Logar province, a combined force arrested a Haqqani facilitator, detained one other suspect and seized some Afghan National Army uniforms. The arrested Haqqani facilitator supplied weapons and IED-making materials to insurgents. He is also linked to rocket, IED and direct-fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

And in a Dec. 29 operation, a combined force arrested two local Taliban leaders and detained one other suspect in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. The arrested Taliban leaders provided IED-making materials to insurgents and conducted attacks in the district.

BENEFITS OF DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION AT NAVY'S GULFPORT TRAINING CENTER

 

121219-N-UN924-002 BILOXI, Miss. (Dec. 19, 2012) Cmdr. Johnathan Vorrath, center right, commander of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Keesler Air Force Base, right, discusses the successful implementation of the virtual desktop initiative with Rear Adm. Don Quinn, commander of Naval Education Training Command. The virtual desktop initiative allows remote access to a central server eliminating the need for localized memory, saving space and energy while increasing speed and security. (U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Alexander Perrien/Released)

FROM: U.S. NAVY

Navy Training Commander Sees Benefits of Desktop Virtualization at Gulfport Training Center

By Steve Vanderwerff, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) announced Dec. 28 that the commander of NETC visited the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Keesler Air Force Base to see firsthand how the learning site has successfully implemented a Virtual Desktop Initiative (VDI).

Rear Adm. Don Quinn, NETC commander, was briefed by Cmdr. Jonathan Vorrath, CNATTU Keesler's commanding officer, about the learning site implementation of VDI and how they use it to train students.

VDI is a five year plan to deploy the VDI to more than 36,000 daily users and will replace 80 percent of the more than 23,000 desktop computers in more than 2,500 classrooms at 68 learning sites around the world.

Desktop virtualization provides multiple student and instructor workstations from a centralized server environment, which eliminates physical workstations residing in an electronic classroom.

"CNATTU Keesler is the first learning site to implement the virtual desktop initiative (VDI), which will expand throughout the NETC domain," said Quinn. "We have thousands of computers. To keep pace with current technology, security risks and software, each computer currently has to be updated. When you virtualize a classroom, you shift from multiple updates to an update of a single server. In this case, we went from 152 computers to three servers. Now when we update, we only have to do it three times instead of 152. It's a huge time and money saver."

Besides being a money saving venture, Quinn says he is also pleased by how VDI saves electrical power and time, and benefits the students.

"There's also a power issue - instead of running 152 desktops we now have only 152 monitors and three servers. So we save on electricity, manpower, and time," Quinn said. "In terms of mission effectiveness, the most important thing is speed. It's so much better for the students. It's reliable, it's faster, and instructors now spend less time fighting technology and more time teaching. It is clear that once we incorporate this change in more than 2,500 electronic classrooms containing more than 23,000 computers, that this is a huge deal for NETC and the Navy."

Spearheaded by NETC's Information Technology Services Department, the initiative stemmed from a mission imperative requiring cost effective delivery of training content.

During the planning process, the integrated project team determined VDI should be phased in throughout the domain because of diverse training environments and multiple stakeholders with varying requirements. For example, the Center for Surface Combat Systems Detachment West's mission is to provide surface ship combat systems training, which varies significantly from the Center for Service Support Learning Site San Diego, whose mission is to provide training to the Navy's administrative, logistics, and media communities.

Because several training applications are learning site specific, the team needed to consider each site and decided which workstations, programs and applications could be delivered as a service to the student. The virtual system requires no desktop operating system or disk drives, and no virus or spyware monitoring requirement.

It would also need to have full Universal Serial Bus (USB) capability to support thumb drives, and dual monitor capability but no refresh requirements due to software updates or new applications, and no media, graphics or memory restrictions.

Desktop virtualization separates the different computing layers and executes all of them on a secure server, which allows end users to access all of the data and applications without being tied down to a specific hardware device.

According to Cmdr. Sean O'Brien, NETC's deputy chief Information Officer, it reduces desk-side support costs by up to 40 percent through centralized desktop and application deployment and management, and improved desktop reliability.

"Productivity and flexibility is boosted by providing users with anywhere and soon any-device access to their work," O'Brien said. "Security of the user's data is also bolstered, and it simplifies disaster recovery by separating processing and storage from desktop hardware and lowers operational expenses by extending the life of peripheral desktop hardware. The benefits of virtualization are that it's engineered to meet current requirement, it's expandable for future demand and provides a standardized solution for student application loads."

O'Brien said the successful implementation of VDI is the result of outstanding cooperation and teamwork.

"The success of this project is the result of close collaboration of the dedicated VDI integrated project team and CNATT's commitment and willingness to work closely with the team to ensure that all training delivery requirements were incorporated into the solution design," he said. "Traditionally, Information Assurance (IA) is done on the backside when a project is completed and then needs to be made IA compliant, which generally delays deployment and requires rework because of IA requirements that don't work. We brought IA in from the beginning to ensure that compliancy was designed and built into the system."

Using the lessons learned from the initial roll out at the Keesler training unit, NETC can template the process across the domain.

"An important part of the process was ensuring that the documentation was written conversationally so non IT technicians could read the instructions and understand how to set up the system," said Angie Chase, Electronic Classroom program manager. "This is truly the first step toward being a cloud computing environment. When you talk about cloud computing you're talking about accessing information from anywhere at any time, but it's more than that, it's delivering software, the desktop, data and computing power as a service."

The team also considered security.


"VDI creates a much more secure environment. In a VDI environment, when a student logs in and then logs off, any changes to the operating system disappear," said David Thomas, project IA compliance lead. "In a secure VDI environment, if a student generates or downloads a virus or malware from the Internet to the desktop, when they log out it's gone for good. What do viruses and malware do? They effect changes to your operating system. With the VDI environment you get a fresh pristine operating system every time you log in."

Cmdr. Vorrath said students and instructors benefit by desktop virtualization, and it could benefit other commands as well.

"VDI creates ease for students to log in to the programs and the ease for our administrators that maintain those systems. It benefits the students because the technicians we have that to do the trouble shooting will be able to focus more on customer issues instead of having to worry about security updates on each individual desktop or individual system program updates," Vorrath said. "When you think about all of the desktops across the Navy and all of those systems that have to be deployed as a result of NMCI, it would be an incredible cost saving.

"Our first step in VDI is a huge success. I knew that before I visited here, but I wanted to look the people who made it happen in the eye and thank them. It took multiple players from multiple organizations to make this happen and I am proud of them," Vorrath said.

A Look Back at 2012

A Look Back at 2012

FEMA OFFERS STRESS HELP FOR HURRICANE SANDY SURVIVORS

FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Help Available For Sandy Survivors Stressed By Holidays
TRENTON, N.J. -- The holiday season can create its own stress. This stress can be especially trying for those recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Free help is available just a phone call away for New Jersey survivors who feel overwhelmed during the holidays.

The New Jersey Disaster Mental Health Helpline at 877-294-4357 or TTY 877-294-4356 is open from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Hours for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All calls are free and confidential.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also supports a Disaster Mental Health Helpline run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration where counselors are available 24 hours a day including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The number is 800-985-5990.

Rest, exercise and healthy eating help the body deal with stress. But disaster-induced mental distress may include:
Sleeping too much or too little.
Stomach aches or headaches.
Worrying a lot of the time; feeling guilty but not sure why.
Lack of energy or always feeling tired.
Severe disorientation or confusion.
Overwhelming sense of guilt.
Depression, sadness and feelings of hopelessness.
Increased use of substances like drugs or alcohol.
Disaster survivors may doubt that happiness will ever be possible again. Talking about those feelings with friends or counselors can help.

Talking to someone can help survivors keep perspective. Eventually, these out-of-balance times will improve. In the meantime, it is important to connect with others.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

U.S. CONGRESS AND IT REFORM IN 21ST CENTURY

Photo:  U.S. General Services And Cloud Computing.  Credit:  GSA

FROM: U.S. CONGRESS

Information Technology (IT) Reform
Crafting 21st Century IT Reform
By Rep. Darrell Issa


The federal government currently spends $81 billion each year on information technology, yet its use and deployment of IT is full of duplication and failure. At a time when we are facing record deficits and our national debt has exceeded GDP, it has never been more important for government IT acquisition to maximize the American taxpayer’s return on investment, reduce operational risk and provide value to citizens. Yet, because of the antiquated way the government defines its requirements and acquires IT, we are wasting billions of taxpayer dollars each year on failed programs.

Sixteen years after the seminal Clinger-Cohen legislation laid the foundation for the federal government’s acquisition and management of IT and 10 years after the E-Government Act established a federal chief information officer, program failure rates and cost overruns still plague between 72 percent and 80 percent of large federal IT programs, according to industry estimates. Federal managers say that 47 percent of their budget goes to maintain obsolete and deficient IT resources. Estimates suggest that the cost to the taxpayer is as high as $20 billion wasted each year.

We can reverse our dismal record by overhauling cumbersome federal acquisition process and adopting best practices from the private sector. Over the past few months, I have been drafting IT acquisition reform legislation, and today, to solicit input from all stakeholders, I am posting a discussion draft of the legislation online here at http://oversight.house.gov.

The draft legislation would give agency CIOs effective budget authority over IT programs and put the CIO Council in charge of developing shared services and shared platforms. It also would encourage a broader transition to cloud solutions, make it easier for agencies to embrace the use of open source software, open up federal websites and data for the development of complimentary apps, and support faster data center optimization.

The draft legislation would break down the silos that constitute the heart of waste and duplication in federal IT. It establishes a Federal Commodity IT Center to serve as a focal point for coordinated acquisition practices and the management of government-wide IT contracts.

To allow agencies to focus on acquiring technology that best serves their mission, the draft bill would designate certain agencies as the go-to centers for complex IT acquisition for other federal agencies, offering streamlined contracts and technical expertise. If the Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services departments deal with healthcare IT procurement on a regular basis, why should other agencies not benefit from their expertise? These Assisted Acquisition Centers of Excellence would centralize the knowledge of specialists mitigating the critical shortage of skilled federal IT acquisition staff.

Successfully implemented, the legislation would aggregate demand among the federal agencies to get the best price for the taxpayer, develop IT acquisition subject-matter experts to help other agencies buy things cheaper, faster, and smarter, and eliminate unnecessary duplication of IT contracts.

Accomplishing major reform will not be easy, but streamlining our obsolete approach to federal IT is essential to providing a better value for the American taxpayer dollar.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PHOTOGRAPHERS RECALL 2012

 

Defense Department photographer Erin Kirk-Cuomo's widely published photo of Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta receiving a commemorative plate from Gen. Liang Guanglie, Chinese Minister of National Defense, after an official dinner in Beijing, Sept. 18, 2012.

  FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DOD Photographers Recall 2012 Imagery Milestones
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2012 - Three Defense Department photographers spent 2012 recording important events through their images and words.

Whether documenting wounded warriors, the drawdown in Afghanistan or the pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, the DOD photographers have been present as the nation's defense leaders tackled world-shaping challenges.

Glenn Fawcett first became interested in photography in high school. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy for five years as a photographer before heading to college. After completing degrees in journalism and sociology, stints at newspapers in Texas and Virginia led to a photo editor position at the Baltimore Sun.

Several years later, as social media took on a more prominent role in communications and newspaper staffs were reduced, Fawcett became a civilian photographer for the Defense Department.

He recounted the year's trips with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and other principals as "busy and demanding," with little down time. But the rigorous assignments, he said, have given him a broad insight into the military.

"At first, I had only experienced things from a Navy perspective," Fawcett said. "This job has been educational and reacquainted me with the military; I've had an indoctrination that I've never seen while I was [active duty] in the military."

Along the way, Fawcett said, he has captured emotional moments that he won't soon forget.

"You get this great sense of reward when you're photographing [Panetta] visiting wounded warriors," he said. "You can tell he takes that so seriously, seeing how much he cares about them ... to pay respect and thank them for their sacrifices personally is very touching to me."

Fawcett said he hopes to travel more in his efforts to be an even better photographer.

"I want to become a better technician and still be a great visual photojournalist," Fawcett said. "There's no limit to improvement."

With nearly 20 years of military service behind him, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley, a mass communication specialist, shares Fawcett's feelings.

"For the first six years it was just me," McNeeley said, noting the transition from an individual to a team mindset. "Now you have an opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other and take a critical look at your work, which improves the quality of the product we're presenting."

A DOD photographer for seven years, McNeeley was also an avid photographer in high school. He joined the Navy in 1993 and has worked for former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and other senior military leaders.

McNeeley said learning the preferences of new defense leaders and capturing them through imagery remains a challenge.

"Trying to convey the story and get the emotion from these images can be tough," McNeeley said. "You need to learn how [the subjects] operate, knowing you've invaded their personal space for a while and figure out when you've taken enough photos -- or maybe not taken enough."

McNeeley said he got to see a more personal side of Panetta in January 2012 during a visit off the coast of Georgia to the U.S.S. Enterprise before its final deployment.

"Watching Secretary Panetta observe flight operations, and being in the Navy myself ... I was pretty proud of the ship and the sailors," McNeeley said. "It was a new experience for him, so like anybody marveling in the ability of an aircraft carrier underway and the pride the people take in the ship, it was pretty neat."

With retirement on the horizon, McNeeley admits he isn't sure what will happen next, but he'd like to keep some connection to the unique opportunities his career has afforded him. The events of 2012, McNeeley said, will more than prepare him for future endeavors.

"It's about capturing a personality and making a moment," McNeeley said. "We get a chance to witness history every day, so it gives you the opportunity to do bigger and better things."

McNeeley said his ability to assess an environment and recognize the impact of an event will stay with him.

"Whether you're in Pakistan or China, understanding the history, the people and getting a better idea of what's going on around you is important," he said. "The actual snapping of a photo in 250th of a second is maybe two percent of what we do -- we're there to tell a story."

Erin Kirk-Cuomo, a former Marine Corps combat photographer, said her interest in photography developed after her father gave her a camera. She went from darkrooms to photojournalism classes before trying her hand as a freelance photographer around the onset of the Iraq war.

Kirk-Cuomo spent much of her career at 1st Marine Division before deploying to Fallujah and later being assigned to work with former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway.

At DOD, Kirk-Cuomo said, the travel has been the most significant aspect of her job, providing her with opportunities to witness the evolution of certain regions and see how the U.S. military contributes to growth around the world.

"It's been interesting to see how Afghanistan has changed and the progress made since I first started going [there] in the Marine Corps," Kirk-Cuomo said. "It's amazing to see how different Kabul is every time we go."

She described her recent trip to China as "extremely difficult, physical and frustrating" but it was also the location of one of her most widely distributed photographs of the year.

The photo depicts Panetta gleefully accepting a plate featuring his likeness from Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie following an official dinner in Beijing.

"The photograph went worldwide," she said, noting that it appeared in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times and several international news outlets.

Her professional aspirations, at least for the near future, are simple, Kirk-Cuomo said.

"I want to keep pushing our imagery and letting the world know what we do," she said.

Kirk-Cuomo's advice to budding photographers is equally simple.

"You really have to love photography. You have to work hard and love what you're doing," she said.

 

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update: Army Technology Named 2012 Project of the Year

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. FDA APPROVES ELIQUIS TO REDUCE RISK OF STROKE AND BLOOD CLOTS IN CERTAIN PATIENTS

FROM: U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

FDA approves Eliquis to reduce the risk of stroke, blood clots in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug Eliquis (apixaban), an oral tablet used to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous blood clots (systemic embolism) in patients with atrial fibrillation that is not caused by a heart valve problem.

Atrial fibrillation, one of the most common types of abnormal heart rhythm, is an abnormal, irregular, and rapid beating of the heart in which the heart’s two upper chambers (atria) do not contract properly, allowing blood clots to form in them. These clots can break off and travel to the brain or other parts of the body.

"Blood clots in the heart can cause a disabling stroke if the clots travel to the brain," said Norman Stockbridge, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Anti-clotting drugs lower the risk of having a stroke by helping to prevent blood clots from forming."

The safety and efficacy of Eliquis in treating patients with atrial fibrillation not caused by cardiac valve disease were studied in a clinical trial of more than 18,000 patients that compared Eliquis with the anti-clotting drug warfarin. In the trial, patients taking Eliquis had fewer strokes than those who took warfarin.

Patients with prosthetic heart valves should not take Eliquis nor should patients with atrial fibrillation that is caused by a heart valve problem. These patients were not studied in clinical trial. As with other FDA-approved anti-clotting drugs, bleeding, including life-threatening and fatal bleeding, is the most serious risk with Eliquis. There is no agent that can reverse the anti-coagulant effect of Eliquis.

Eliquis will be dispensed with a patient Medication Guide that provides instructions on its use and drug safety information. Health care professionals should counsel patients on signs and symptoms of possible bleeding.

Eliquis is manufactured Bristol-Myers Squibb Company of Princeton, N.J. and marketed by BMS and Pfizer Inc. of New York.

2012 PHOTOS FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec. 16, 2012. DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen. (Released)

U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle Click and his military working dog Windy, an improvised explosive device detection dog, search the perimeter of the Safar School compound in the Garmsir district of Afghanistan's Helmand province on March 18, 2012. Click and Windy are assigned to Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. DoD photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

 

FEDERAL COURT BARS LAS VEGAS TAX SERVICE FROM PREPARING TAXES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Friday, December 28, 2012
Federal Court Bars Alleged Co-Owner of Las Vegas Instant Tax Service Franchise from Preparing Tax Returns
Company and Other Alleged Co-owner Also Subject to Restrictions
A Nevada federal court has permanently barred Benyam Tewolde from preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. Tewolde and his wife, Yordanos Kidanits, are the alleged co-owners of an Instant Tax Service franchise that operates at multiple locations in the Las Vegas area. Instant Tax Service is a nationally franchised tax preparation company based in Dayton, Ohio.

Kidantis and the franchisee, Koraggio LLC, were also permanently enjoined from engaging in certain abusive practices. The civil injunction orders, to which the defendants consented without admitting the allegations against them, were signed on Dec. 27 by Judge Miranda M. Du of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

According to the government complaint, the defendants helped employees at their Instant Tax Service franchise offices to engage in a variety of misconduct, including:
Preparing phony tax-return forms with fabricated businesses and income,
Falsely claiming education credits,
Claiming false filing status,
Claiming false dependents,
Selling deceptive loan products,
Filing tax returns without customer consent or authorization, and
Preparing bogus W-2 forms, based on information from employee paystubs
The complaint further alleged that Tewolde personally prepared fraudulent returns.

The injunction permanently bars Tewolde from preparing or filing federal tax returns for others, training tax preparers and owning or managing a tax preparation business.

Kidane and Koraggio are enjoined from violating the federal tax laws and consumer protection laws. The court order requires them to hire a monitor at their expense who will periodically report to the Justice Department to ensure compliance with the injunction. The order also bars Kidane and Koraggio from marketing abusive loan products, including holiday, or instant cash loan or advance products offered to customers based on information obtained from the customer’s paystub.

The case is one of
five similar lawsuits that the Justice Department brought against Instant Tax Service franchises earlier this year. One of those suits is pending against the nationwide franchisor of Instant Tax Service and its owner, Fesum Ogbazion, in Dayton. The court in that case has entered a preliminary injunction, and trial on the government’s request to shut down the Instant Tax Service franchisor permanently is scheduled for next May.

USS MONITOR LOST DECEMBER 31, 1862

FROM: U.S. NAVY

By Bill Doughty
When the
USS Monitor was lost in a storm Dec. 31, 1862, exactly 150 years ago this week, the future of the nation hung in the balance.
In his insightful new book, "War on the Waters," James M. McPherson shows how Union naval leaders, technology and strategies combined to overcome setbacks and losses to the Confederacy – and eventually win the war.


"To say that the Union navy won the Civil War would state the case much too strongly. But it is accurate to say that the war could not have been won without the contributions of the navy," concludes McPherson.
The Pulitzer Prize winning author writes about the wisdom of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, the courage of Rear Adm. David Glasgow Farragut and the power of working jointly. General Ulysses S. Grant worked hand-in-hand with Rear Adm. David D. Porter, the son and namesake of the War of 1812 hero.


We also meet Cmdr. John Rodgers (another son and namesake of a War of 1812 Captain) and Cmdr. George H. Preble (grandson of one of the Navy’s greatest leaders, Capt. Edward Preble). The ties to the War of 1812 – in people, foreign alliances and brown-water naval tactics – are enlightening.
President Lincoln ordered the Army to provide its fleet of vessels to the Navy but promoted the idea of one-two punches by the Navy and Army from river ports to river forts. McPherson describes the fearless leadership of 19-year-old ship driver Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet.

Quoting letters, diary entries, first-person reports and dispatches, the author presents a broad history of naval warfare on both sides of the Civil War. He describes "asymmetrical war on the waters" in blockades and blockade running, riverbank guerrilla warfare, subterfuge at sea, and night attacks, and he follows the development of ironclad ships, submersible vessels and mines (torpedoes).


The Civil War saw the watershed shift from wooden ships of previous centuries that would lead to the development of battleships by the end of the century. Innovation would continue. Less than 50 years after end of the Civil War the era of naval aviation would begin.


Well-worn strategies of blockading commerce and targeting blockade runners would be expanded into the next century. A naval embargo against Imperial Japan in 1941 led to the beginning of the War in the Pacific.


Against the Confederacy in the 1860s, blockades were important in preventing the exporting of cotton and importing of salt. The role of salt in the southern economy and the targeting of salt production in the south by the Union Navy are fascinating side notes showing the importance of a healthy economy to a strong military.


McPherson describes the overall sociological effect of naval strategies on people in the north and south, too.


"Modern historical scholarship has shown how the Union army became a powerful force in the liberation of slaves, and how the 180,000 liberated black Union soldiers (most of them liberated slaves) in turn helped the Union army win the war. Less well known is the role of the Navy in freeing slaves and the vital contribution of black sailors to the navy’s campaigns. In 1861-1862 the Navy penetrated earlier and more deeply than the army into tidewater regions of the South Atlantic coast and into the valleys of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries…"


"War on the Waters: The Union & Confederate Navies, 1861-1865" starts as a dry treatise but picks up steam. With nearly two dozen photos and illustrations and 19 easy-to-read maps, this book is filled with information, details and insights. It deserves a place on every military historian’s book shelf.


McPherson proves his conclusion: The Navy played a key role in winning the Civil War and saving the United States – a mere 150 years ago.

Photos courtesy of National Archives.

AFPS Launches 'Year in Photos 2012' Review

AFPS Launches 'Year in Photos 2012' Review