Tuesday, June 18, 2013
ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 18, 2013
Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Extremists in Paktia Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 18, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed two extremists during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader in the Zurmat district of Afghanistan's Paktia province yesterday, military officials reported.
The Haqqani leader controls a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and facilitates the movement of suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices and components.
Also yesterday, Afghan special forces soldiers, advised by coalition forces, detained five enemy fighters in Farah province's Bala Boluk district.
In Helmand province June 15, Afghan and coalition security forces worked together in three operations that resulted in confiscation of Afghan police uniforms and caches of weapons and explosive materials. Four enemy fighters were arrested in connection with the discoveries. They also are suspected of kidnapping local Afghans for ransom.
RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS
The Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) launches a BQM-74 targeting drone during a live-fire missile exercise as part of the at-sea phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2013. More than 1,200 Sailors and Marines are participating in CARAT Thailand. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Dille (Released) 130608-N-AX577-071
Gunner's Mate Seaman Yoel Martinez, left, from Miami assigned to the weapons department aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), fires a .50-caliber machine gun from the ship while Fire Controlman 3rd Class Aaron Sousa, from Lincoln, Calif., observes under instruction during a live-fire exercise during the at-sea phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2013. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Dille (Released) 130609-N-AX577-032
DOD COMMUNICATIONS CHALLENGES OUTLINED
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Official outlines challenges in securing DOD communications
by Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service
6/13/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The threat of a cyberattack that would disrupt or deny connectivity is one of many information technology challenges the Defense Department faces, the Pentagon's chief information officer said here June 12.
"There's nothing that we do in DOD from the standpoint of mission security that does not rely on connectivity," Terri Takai told an audience of private-sector leaders and government information technology communities at the FedTalks 2013 conference.
Everyone seems to take connectivity for granted, Takai said, but maintaining it requires security measures, and a cyberattack could circumvent those measures.
"We have to think about how we will operate when that connectivity is disrupted or denied," she said.
It's an enormous challenge. With a budget of $39 billion spread across all four military branches and 40 defense agencies, Takai is charged with providing secure communications for the entire military.
"I support over 3.3 million people," she said. "We're located in 153 countries, and many of those countries are a challenge for being able to get connectivity. And then we're probably in more than 6,000 locations all over the world."
In addition to cyber threats, Takai said, the Defense Department's information technology community also must work through shrinking budgets, challenges posed by nations or groups that DOD partners with, and changing missions.
For example, she said, the Defense Department's shift toward the Asia-Pacific region means fewer U.S assets on the ground and more in the air and at sea. This requires new arrangements for a range of communications, including increased use of satellites, both government and commercial.
"It changes the dynamics of the way we look at how we provide communication capabilities," Takai said, and new partners in the region will have to be included in secure communications networks.
"That's a whole different group of countries to work with," she added, "and for me it's a whole different set of countries to be thinking about, 'How am I going to connect in a very secure way?'"
Official outlines challenges in securing DOD communications
by Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service
6/13/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The threat of a cyberattack that would disrupt or deny connectivity is one of many information technology challenges the Defense Department faces, the Pentagon's chief information officer said here June 12.
"There's nothing that we do in DOD from the standpoint of mission security that does not rely on connectivity," Terri Takai told an audience of private-sector leaders and government information technology communities at the FedTalks 2013 conference.
Everyone seems to take connectivity for granted, Takai said, but maintaining it requires security measures, and a cyberattack could circumvent those measures.
"We have to think about how we will operate when that connectivity is disrupted or denied," she said.
It's an enormous challenge. With a budget of $39 billion spread across all four military branches and 40 defense agencies, Takai is charged with providing secure communications for the entire military.
"I support over 3.3 million people," she said. "We're located in 153 countries, and many of those countries are a challenge for being able to get connectivity. And then we're probably in more than 6,000 locations all over the world."
In addition to cyber threats, Takai said, the Defense Department's information technology community also must work through shrinking budgets, challenges posed by nations or groups that DOD partners with, and changing missions.
For example, she said, the Defense Department's shift toward the Asia-Pacific region means fewer U.S assets on the ground and more in the air and at sea. This requires new arrangements for a range of communications, including increased use of satellites, both government and commercial.
"It changes the dynamics of the way we look at how we provide communication capabilities," Takai said, and new partners in the region will have to be included in secure communications networks.
"That's a whole different group of countries to work with," she added, "and for me it's a whole different set of countries to be thinking about, 'How am I going to connect in a very secure way?'"
LABOR DEPARTMENT MAKES $2 MILLION AVAILABLE TO REDUCE CHILD LABOR IN AFGHANISTAN
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
$2 million in funding available from US Labor Department to reduce child labor in Afghanistan's home-based carpet production
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $2 million competitive solicitation to fund one or more projects to reduce child labor in the home-based production of carpets in Afghanistan.
One or more qualifying organizations will receive funding to support Afghanistan's efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in the production of home-based woven carpets. Each organization selected will partner with at least one company whose source of carpets is from home-based production sites. The project(s) will involve the development and implementation of a sustainable social compliance system for that company's carpet supply chain and establishment of an independent monitoring system to verify its compliance with company standards on child labor.
For children working in home-based weaving workplaces, the project(s) will provide remediation services to support their withdrawal. In addition to social compliance, the project(s) will work to collect reliable data on child labor in the carpet supply chain in Afghanistan and will raise awareness on the dangers of child labor in the carpet industry.
Children working in the carpet sector reportedly start as young as six or seven years old and can work up to 12 hours a day. They suffer from a number of poor working conditions, including exposure to dust from the wool and noxious fumes, resulting in respiratory diseases. Little awareness exists in Afghanistan about the hazards faced by children working in the sector.
$2 million in funding available from US Labor Department to reduce child labor in Afghanistan's home-based carpet production
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $2 million competitive solicitation to fund one or more projects to reduce child labor in the home-based production of carpets in Afghanistan.
One or more qualifying organizations will receive funding to support Afghanistan's efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in the production of home-based woven carpets. Each organization selected will partner with at least one company whose source of carpets is from home-based production sites. The project(s) will involve the development and implementation of a sustainable social compliance system for that company's carpet supply chain and establishment of an independent monitoring system to verify its compliance with company standards on child labor.
For children working in home-based weaving workplaces, the project(s) will provide remediation services to support their withdrawal. In addition to social compliance, the project(s) will work to collect reliable data on child labor in the carpet supply chain in Afghanistan and will raise awareness on the dangers of child labor in the carpet industry.
Children working in the carpet sector reportedly start as young as six or seven years old and can work up to 12 hours a day. They suffer from a number of poor working conditions, including exposure to dust from the wool and noxious fumes, resulting in respiratory diseases. Little awareness exists in Afghanistan about the hazards faced by children working in the sector.
NSF DISCUSSES THE FUTURE OF THE WHITEBARK PINE
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| Whitebark Pine. Credit: U.S. Forest Service/ Wikimedia. |
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Whitebark Pine Trees: Is Their Future at Risk?
There's trouble ahead for the whitebark pine, a mountain tree that's integral to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada.
Over the last decade, some populations of whitebark pines have declined by more than 90 percent. But these declines may be just the beginning.
New research results, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and published today in the Journal of Ecology, suggest that as pine stands are increasingly fragmented by widespread tree death, surviving trees may be hindered in their ability to produce their usually abundant seeds.
"With fewer seeds, you get less regeneration," says ecologist Joshua Rapp, affiliated with NSF's Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site and lead author of the paper.
Whitebark pine populations vary between producing a high number of seed cones some years, and a low number of seed cones other years.
This variation depends on four factors: male pollen cones, female seed cones, wind and proximity.
Each year, pollen from male cones is carried on the air to fertilize female seed cones perched atop nearby trees.
"In low-cone years, less pollen is released, reaching extremely few female cones," says Elizabeth Crone, senior ecologist at the NSF Harvard Forest LTER site and co-author of the paper.
"But as more and more whitebark pines die, every year becomes a low-cone year."
In isolated pockets of trees, the gene pool is also diminished, meaning the seeds produced may be less viable over time.
"For decades, researchers have struggled to understand why many different organisms--trees, fish, corals, insects--from various habitats reproduce synchronously and at certain intervals," says Saran Twombly, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"By combining field data on seed and pollen production for whitebark pines with models that simulate mature cone production, this study helps to answer that question for these pines."
To reach their conclusions, the scientists had to look back in time.
They inspected branches from seven whitebark pine sites in western Montana, counting the scars left by pollen cones and seed cones.
"All the years with a high number of seed cones had one thing in common: a high number of pollen cones," says Rapp. "The success of the seeds seems to depend on the amount of pollen produced."
Whitebark pine seeds are an essential food source for many animals in mountain habitats.
The Clark's Nutcracker, a mountain bird, can store up to 100,000 seeds in underground caches each year. Squirrels also store thousands of seeds underground.
A diminished number of seed cones has an effect on grizzly bears, the scientists say; the bears regularly raid squirrel seed caches to prepare for winter hibernation.
"In the past, low years for whitebark pine cones have led to six times more conflicts between grizzlies and humans, as hungry bears look for food in campgrounds," says Crone.
"Now, concerns about viability of whitebark pine populations are one of the main reasons grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act."
Birds, squirrels and bears are not the only species that depend on whitebark pine.
Vast stands of whitebark pine help to maintain the mountain snowpacks that provide water to more than 30 million people in 16 U.S. states each year.
Whitebark pines are often the only trees at the highest elevations. Their branches retain snow as it blows across gusty mountaintops. Their shade moderates snow-melt in the spring, keeping flows down the mountain in check.
A small percentage of whitebark pine trees have outlived the ongoing destruction by pests and disease. These trees are the next area of focus for Crone's team.
"We want to find out whether the surviving trees are still producing cones," Crone says. "They represent the future of whitebark pines."
-NSF-
Monday, June 17, 2013
ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 17, 2013
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| Afghan children watch as U.S. soldiers and Afghan national security forces enter their school to deliver humanitarian aid school supplies in Jalalabad City in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, May 25, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Afghan, Coalition Forces Arrest Extremists During Search
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested two extremists during a search for a Taliban leader in the Sar-e Pul district of Afghanistan's Sar-e Pul province yesterday, military officials reported.
The Taliban leader oversees a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, facilitates the movement of weapons throughout northern Afghanistan and collects illegal taxes from civilians to fund extremist activities.
In June 15 Afghanistan operations:
-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed five extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Taliban leader who plans, enables and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of improvised explosive device materials, weapons and equipment and supplies extremists with suicide bombs.
-- In Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district, a combined force killed four extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader who commands extremist cells that attack Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of fighters within Paktia and Khost provinces and coordinates directly with senior Taliban leadership.
-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed two extremists during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees ambushes and complex attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He procures IED components, builds IEDs and trains extremists in their use. He also plans suicide IED attacks against Afghan government officials and facilitates the distribution of mines, IEDs, and weapons to extremist cells.
-- Afghan local and uniformed police found and neutralized an IED in Logar province's Baraki Barak district. The national security directorate received a tip about a possible IED and passed the information to the district police chief, who assembled a patrol that found and neutralized the IED after ensuring the safety of nearby civilians.
-- A combined force in Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district killed an extremist and wounded two others during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees an IED network.
In June 14 operations:
-- Afghan local police found and destroyed six IEDs in Kandahar province's Panjw'i district while patrolling around a newly established checkpoint.
-- Afghan special forces soldiers, advised by coalition forces, detained three enemy fighters in Farah province's Bala Boluk district during an operation designed to disrupt Taliban activity.
SEC, FINRA ISSUE JOINT WARNING OVER E-MAIL "PUMP-AND-DUMP STOCK SCHEMES"
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., June 12, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today issued a warning to investors about a sharp increase in e-mail linked to "pump-and-dump" stock schemes.
The investor alert entitled Inbox Alert-Don't Trade on Pump-And-Dump Stock E-mails notes that the latest McAfee Threats Report confirms a steep rise in spam e-mail linked to bogus "pump-and-dump" stock schemes designed to trick unsuspecting investors. These false claims could also be made on social media such as Facebook and Twitter as well as on bulletin boards and chat room pages.
"Investors should always be wary of unsolicited investment offers in the form of an e-mail from a stranger," said Lori Schock, Director of the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. "The best response to investment spam is to hit delete."
"Spam e-mail is the bait used to lure people into making bad investment decisions. No one should ever make an investment based on the advice of an unsolicited email," said Cameron Funkhouser, Executive Vice President of FINRA's Office of Fraud Detection and Market Intelligence.
Pump-and-dump promoters frequently claim to have "inside" information about an impending development. Others may say they use an "infallible" system that uses a combination of economic and stock market data to pick stocks. These scams are the inbox equivalent of a boiler room sales operation, hounding investors with potentially false information about a company.
The fraudsters behind these scams stand to gain by selling their shares after the stock price is "pumped" up by the buying frenzy they create through the mass e-mail push. Once these fraudsters "dump" their shares by selling them and stop hyping the stock, investors lose their money or are left with worthless or near worthless stock.
Washington, D.C., June 12, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today issued a warning to investors about a sharp increase in e-mail linked to "pump-and-dump" stock schemes.
The investor alert entitled Inbox Alert-Don't Trade on Pump-And-Dump Stock E-mails notes that the latest McAfee Threats Report confirms a steep rise in spam e-mail linked to bogus "pump-and-dump" stock schemes designed to trick unsuspecting investors. These false claims could also be made on social media such as Facebook and Twitter as well as on bulletin boards and chat room pages.
"Investors should always be wary of unsolicited investment offers in the form of an e-mail from a stranger," said Lori Schock, Director of the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. "The best response to investment spam is to hit delete."
"Spam e-mail is the bait used to lure people into making bad investment decisions. No one should ever make an investment based on the advice of an unsolicited email," said Cameron Funkhouser, Executive Vice President of FINRA's Office of Fraud Detection and Market Intelligence.
Pump-and-dump promoters frequently claim to have "inside" information about an impending development. Others may say they use an "infallible" system that uses a combination of economic and stock market data to pick stocks. These scams are the inbox equivalent of a boiler room sales operation, hounding investors with potentially false information about a company.
The fraudsters behind these scams stand to gain by selling their shares after the stock price is "pumped" up by the buying frenzy they create through the mass e-mail push. Once these fraudsters "dump" their shares by selling them and stop hyping the stock, investors lose their money or are left with worthless or near worthless stock.
MOON WATER: THE VIDEO
FROM: NASA WATER
Water on the Moon
Since the 1960s, scientists have suspected that frozen water could survive in cold, dark craters at the moon's poles. While previous lunar missions have detected hints of water on the moon, new data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter pinpoints areas near the south pole where water is likely to exist. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sunday, June 16, 2013
DRUG KINGPIN SENTENCED TO DEATH
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Philadelphia Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Death, Co-defendant to Face Life in Prison
Firebombed and Murdered Six in Witness’s Family, Murdered Six Others
A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that voted in favor of death for a North Philadelphia drug kingpin, Kaboni Savage, today voted in favor of life for a co-defendant, Steven Northington. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division made the announcement after the jury’s decisions.
On May 31, 2013, a jury voted in favor of death for Savage, 38, who is the first defendant in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to receive the death penalty in federal court. Savage was convicted on May 13, 2013, of 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of retaliating against a witness by murder, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. Savage ordered the Oct. 9, 2004, firebombing of the home of Eugene Coleman’s family. Coleman was a federal witness at the time. Six people were killed in the arson murder, including four children. Savage was sentenced to death on June 3, 2013.
Today, the same jury voted in favor of life for Northington, 41, who was convicted of the murders of Barry Parker in 2003 and of Tybius Flowers in 2004 in addition to racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. Northington will be formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Surrick on June 19, 2013.
"For more than a decade, Kaboni Savage and members of his organization used murder and violence to intimidate and retaliate against anyone who threatened their drug trade, and along the way mercilessly killed a cooperating witness’s family members, including innocent children," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. "We are hopeful that the jury’s verdict brings some measure of justice to the victims of Savage’s heinous crimes."
"Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask the citizens on a jury to make the most difficult sentencing decision imaginable," said U.S. Attorney Memeger. "In this case, after convicting the defendants of crimes involving murder, the jurors chose death for Kaboni Savage and life for Stephen Northington. The defendants’ horrific conduct struck at the very heart of our criminal justice system, which depends on witnesses testifying without fearing for their lives or the lives of their family members. We appreciate the time and effort that the jury committed to reaching a fair verdict as to each defendant. While the verdicts cannot restore the loss of life taken by members of the Kaboni Savage drug organization, we hope that the jury verdicts bring some sense of closure to the victims’ families and friends. I want to thank the phenomenal investigative and trial team that worked so hard over many years to bring the defendants to justice for their despicable crimes."
"Kaboni Savage and his crew murdered men, women, and children – for money, power, and, ultimately, just for revenge," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Hanko. "They thought no more of taking lives than of taking a phone call. After more than a decade of brutality, Northington’s life sentence and Savage’s death sentences are justly deserved."
Savage’s sister and co-defendant, Kidada Savage, was also found guilty of the RICO conspiracy and the Coleman family murders. Co-defendant Robert Merritt was found guilty of the RICO conspiracy. They each face a mandatory life sentence at sentencing.
Savage’s drug enterprise operated primarily in the North Philadelphia area from at least late 1997 to 2010. After Savage was indicted on drug charges in 2004, he ordered the murders of the family of government witness Eugene Coleman. Lamont Lewis, who has pleaded guilty, firebombed the Coleman family home on Savage’s orders which Kidada Savage relayed to Lewis.
In addition to the six people inside the Coleman home, Savage was convicted of the following murders:
• Kenneth Lassiter, 44, of Lansdale, Pa., on March 19, 1998, near the corner of 8th and Butler Streets in Philadelphia;
• Mansur "Shafiq" Abdullah, 22, of 11th Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 6, 2000. Abdullah was shot and his burned body was later recovered in the 4200 block of North Park Avenue in Philadelphia;
• Carlton "Mohammed" Brown, 27, of Darien Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 13, 2001;
• Barry Parker, 32, of Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, on February 26, 2003, in the 3900 block of North Franklin Street in Philadelphia;
• Tyrone Toliver, 26, of Cherry Hill, N.J., on March 14, 2003, in the 3500 block of North Palmetto Street in Philadelphia; and
• Tybius Flowers, 32, of K Street, Philadelphia, on March 1, 2004, in the 3700 block of N. 8th Street in Philadelphia.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. The United States Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals Service, and the Philadelphia/Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force also assisted in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Steven Mellin of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Troyer and John M. Gallagher.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Philadelphia Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Death, Co-defendant to Face Life in Prison
Firebombed and Murdered Six in Witness’s Family, Murdered Six Others
A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that voted in favor of death for a North Philadelphia drug kingpin, Kaboni Savage, today voted in favor of life for a co-defendant, Steven Northington. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division made the announcement after the jury’s decisions.
On May 31, 2013, a jury voted in favor of death for Savage, 38, who is the first defendant in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to receive the death penalty in federal court. Savage was convicted on May 13, 2013, of 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of retaliating against a witness by murder, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. Savage ordered the Oct. 9, 2004, firebombing of the home of Eugene Coleman’s family. Coleman was a federal witness at the time. Six people were killed in the arson murder, including four children. Savage was sentenced to death on June 3, 2013.
Today, the same jury voted in favor of life for Northington, 41, who was convicted of the murders of Barry Parker in 2003 and of Tybius Flowers in 2004 in addition to racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. Northington will be formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Surrick on June 19, 2013.
"For more than a decade, Kaboni Savage and members of his organization used murder and violence to intimidate and retaliate against anyone who threatened their drug trade, and along the way mercilessly killed a cooperating witness’s family members, including innocent children," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. "We are hopeful that the jury’s verdict brings some measure of justice to the victims of Savage’s heinous crimes."
"Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask the citizens on a jury to make the most difficult sentencing decision imaginable," said U.S. Attorney Memeger. "In this case, after convicting the defendants of crimes involving murder, the jurors chose death for Kaboni Savage and life for Stephen Northington. The defendants’ horrific conduct struck at the very heart of our criminal justice system, which depends on witnesses testifying without fearing for their lives or the lives of their family members. We appreciate the time and effort that the jury committed to reaching a fair verdict as to each defendant. While the verdicts cannot restore the loss of life taken by members of the Kaboni Savage drug organization, we hope that the jury verdicts bring some sense of closure to the victims’ families and friends. I want to thank the phenomenal investigative and trial team that worked so hard over many years to bring the defendants to justice for their despicable crimes."
"Kaboni Savage and his crew murdered men, women, and children – for money, power, and, ultimately, just for revenge," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Hanko. "They thought no more of taking lives than of taking a phone call. After more than a decade of brutality, Northington’s life sentence and Savage’s death sentences are justly deserved."
Savage’s sister and co-defendant, Kidada Savage, was also found guilty of the RICO conspiracy and the Coleman family murders. Co-defendant Robert Merritt was found guilty of the RICO conspiracy. They each face a mandatory life sentence at sentencing.
Savage’s drug enterprise operated primarily in the North Philadelphia area from at least late 1997 to 2010. After Savage was indicted on drug charges in 2004, he ordered the murders of the family of government witness Eugene Coleman. Lamont Lewis, who has pleaded guilty, firebombed the Coleman family home on Savage’s orders which Kidada Savage relayed to Lewis.
In addition to the six people inside the Coleman home, Savage was convicted of the following murders:
• Kenneth Lassiter, 44, of Lansdale, Pa., on March 19, 1998, near the corner of 8th and Butler Streets in Philadelphia;
• Mansur "Shafiq" Abdullah, 22, of 11th Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 6, 2000. Abdullah was shot and his burned body was later recovered in the 4200 block of North Park Avenue in Philadelphia;
• Carlton "Mohammed" Brown, 27, of Darien Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 13, 2001;
• Barry Parker, 32, of Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, on February 26, 2003, in the 3900 block of North Franklin Street in Philadelphia;
• Tyrone Toliver, 26, of Cherry Hill, N.J., on March 14, 2003, in the 3500 block of North Palmetto Street in Philadelphia; and
• Tybius Flowers, 32, of K Street, Philadelphia, on March 1, 2004, in the 3700 block of N. 8th Street in Philadelphia.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. The United States Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals Service, and the Philadelphia/Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force also assisted in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Steven Mellin of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Troyer and John M. Gallagher.
THE GOLDEN COYOTE EXERCISE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Guard Soldier Takes On 'Golden Coyote'
By Army Sgt. Coltin Heller
109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP RAPID, S.D., June 10, 2013 - Any training exercise presents challenges to soldiers participating in them. Among those challenges, communication is a vital requirement for all soldiers, regardless of their specialty.
Army Capt. Frank Brown, communications officer with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group, faced the challenge of setting up and maintaining the various means of communication for 213th RSG soldiers during Golden Coyote, an annual training exercise held in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The exercise provides service members from 11 states and four foreign nations with training opportunities in logistical and tactical environments, in addition to real-world missions such as bridge construction and humanitarian aid.
"We're charged with providing voice and data communication assets to the Regional Support Group," said Brown, who calls Harrisburg, Pa., home. "We're also pulling voice and data from the signal support elements from the 443rd Signal, providing [classified and unclassified] voice and data through those services."
Brown accepted the position of brigade signal officer after being approached by Army Lt. Col. Robby Robinson, the 213th RSG's executive officer.
"I've only been in the position for two to three months, so I'm still assessing my soldiers and their capabilities," Brown said, "and we're trying to find common ground -- who's good at what -- and task them accordingly and share that knowledge amongst the soldiers so that we all learn from each other."
Brown and his soldiers established a working network within their exercise headquarters building before heading out to the field, where they faced several obstacles.
"We have several [forward operating bases] displaced by hundreds of miles, so the communication challenges are going to be unique," Brown said. "The learning curve of some of the communication assets we've had to deploy, due to the displaced locations, is something that some of us haven't touched in several years."
Brown helped his soldiers set up equipment such as a radio antenna, a deployed digital training campus and a mobile satellite dish enabling Internet connectivity for units in the field.
Spending time in the field is nothing new to Brown, who enlisted in the Marine Corps after he graduated from high school in 1993.
"I joined the active duty Marine Corps as a parachute rigger, ... then I joined the Marine security force in Washington state, served out there for a couple years, and I transferred up to Maine to a cold-weather infantry unit up there," he said. During his time in Maine, he added, he went to college, majoring in criminology. After spending some years in Maine, he transferred to Pennsylvania to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which he said had one of the better criminology degree programs.
Brown transferred to the Pennsylvania National Guard, and joined the officer corps with a direct commission.
Despite the challenges he and his soldiers faced, such as weather and technical issues, Brown looked forward to the training during Golden Coyote and had confidence in his soldiers.
"I'm looking forward to the challenges out here," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting to collaborate with my soldiers and build a cohesive team there so we can overcome the challenges that the signal community is going to bring us in the future."
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| Army Capt. Frank Brown, communication officer with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group, attaches the feed horn to the stabilizing arm of a portable satellite system at Forward Operating Base Custer in Custer State Park, S.D., June 6, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Coltin Heller |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Guard Soldier Takes On 'Golden Coyote'
By Army Sgt. Coltin Heller
109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP RAPID, S.D., June 10, 2013 - Any training exercise presents challenges to soldiers participating in them. Among those challenges, communication is a vital requirement for all soldiers, regardless of their specialty.
Army Capt. Frank Brown, communications officer with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group, faced the challenge of setting up and maintaining the various means of communication for 213th RSG soldiers during Golden Coyote, an annual training exercise held in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The exercise provides service members from 11 states and four foreign nations with training opportunities in logistical and tactical environments, in addition to real-world missions such as bridge construction and humanitarian aid.
"We're charged with providing voice and data communication assets to the Regional Support Group," said Brown, who calls Harrisburg, Pa., home. "We're also pulling voice and data from the signal support elements from the 443rd Signal, providing [classified and unclassified] voice and data through those services."
Brown accepted the position of brigade signal officer after being approached by Army Lt. Col. Robby Robinson, the 213th RSG's executive officer.
"I've only been in the position for two to three months, so I'm still assessing my soldiers and their capabilities," Brown said, "and we're trying to find common ground -- who's good at what -- and task them accordingly and share that knowledge amongst the soldiers so that we all learn from each other."
Brown and his soldiers established a working network within their exercise headquarters building before heading out to the field, where they faced several obstacles.
"We have several [forward operating bases] displaced by hundreds of miles, so the communication challenges are going to be unique," Brown said. "The learning curve of some of the communication assets we've had to deploy, due to the displaced locations, is something that some of us haven't touched in several years."
Brown helped his soldiers set up equipment such as a radio antenna, a deployed digital training campus and a mobile satellite dish enabling Internet connectivity for units in the field.
Spending time in the field is nothing new to Brown, who enlisted in the Marine Corps after he graduated from high school in 1993.
"I joined the active duty Marine Corps as a parachute rigger, ... then I joined the Marine security force in Washington state, served out there for a couple years, and I transferred up to Maine to a cold-weather infantry unit up there," he said. During his time in Maine, he added, he went to college, majoring in criminology. After spending some years in Maine, he transferred to Pennsylvania to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which he said had one of the better criminology degree programs.
Brown transferred to the Pennsylvania National Guard, and joined the officer corps with a direct commission.
Despite the challenges he and his soldiers faced, such as weather and technical issues, Brown looked forward to the training during Golden Coyote and had confidence in his soldiers.
"I'm looking forward to the challenges out here," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting to collaborate with my soldiers and build a cohesive team there so we can overcome the challenges that the signal community is going to bring us in the future."
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL TELLS CONGRESS HELPING OTHERS IS CRITICAL
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Tells Congress Friendship Is Worth Funding
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2013 - Spending defense money on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the United States and overseas is a critically important part of U.S. foreign policy that clearly in the national interest, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress today.
Appearing before the Senate Budget Committee with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hagel noted the National Guard, Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, in particular, have resources devoted to aiding in disasters. Around the world, he added, U.S. defense funding for such programs will continue.
"We ... have had over the years a significant capacity to help countries during these disasters," Hagel said. "It's clearly in our interests around the world, and it's humanitarian. Where we can help, we will continue to help."
National security is the Defense Department's foremost mission, the secretary said. "But that unfolds into many areas," he added.
"When you're making friends around the world, when you're developing partners and allies, you're developing the next generation of global citizens who see America helping [them]," the secretary said. "I'd say that cuts right directly to the international interest and security of our country. And we can do that, and we have been doing it. We do it better probably than anybody does, in the military."
Hagel Tells Congress Friendship Is Worth Funding
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2013 - Spending defense money on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the United States and overseas is a critically important part of U.S. foreign policy that clearly in the national interest, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress today.
Appearing before the Senate Budget Committee with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hagel noted the National Guard, Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, in particular, have resources devoted to aiding in disasters. Around the world, he added, U.S. defense funding for such programs will continue.
"We ... have had over the years a significant capacity to help countries during these disasters," Hagel said. "It's clearly in our interests around the world, and it's humanitarian. Where we can help, we will continue to help."
National security is the Defense Department's foremost mission, the secretary said. "But that unfolds into many areas," he added.
"When you're making friends around the world, when you're developing partners and allies, you're developing the next generation of global citizens who see America helping [them]," the secretary said. "I'd say that cuts right directly to the international interest and security of our country. And we can do that, and we have been doing it. We do it better probably than anybody does, in the military."
NASA VIDEO: MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION
FROM: NASA
South-Up Moon Phase and Libration 2013
This visualization shows the moon's phase and libration at hourly intervals throughout 2013, as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this visualization shows the moon’s orbit position, sub-Earth and subsolar points, and distance from Earth at true scale. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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