U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK CLAIMS RECORD BREAKING YEAR WITH $35.7 BILLION IN EXPORT FINANCING

Photo:  Container Ships In Panama Canal.  Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank FY 2012 Annual Report Details Fourth Consecutive Record-Breaking Year
Over $35.7 Billion in Export Financing Supporting 255,000 U.S. Jobs

Washington, D.C. --- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) today released its Fiscal Year 2012 annual report-- a fourth consecutive record-breaking year with almost $35.8 billion in export financing that supported about $50 billion in exports and 255,000 American jobs.

"The ‘Made in the USA’ brand has never been stronger, fueled by the strength of American exporters and the work President Obama has done to grow our economy," said Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im chairman and president. "FY 2012 authorizations, at over $35.7 billion, were up about ten percent from the year before, and more than double the amount from FY 2008. In the past five years, U.S. exporters working with Ex-Im Bank have created or sustained over one-million private sector jobs. And we’ve done it all at no cost to the American taxpayer, as Ex-Im has sent $1.6 billion to the U.S. Treasury over the past five years."

"By these measures and others, the past five years have seen nothing less than a revolution in export-driven economic development," Hochberg said.

Among the highlights from the report:
FY 2012’s over $35.7 billion in authorized export financing was 10 percent greater than FY 2011, and more than double the amount from FY 2008.
During the four years since FY 2008, the Bank has financed transactions that have enabled more than $170 billion worth of American exports, supporting nearly 1,000,000 American jobs.
Since FY 2008, the volume of Ex-Im export financing directly benefitting American small businesses has nearly doubled from $3.2 billion to $6.1 billion in FY 2012, a 92 percent increase in four years.
Support for women- and minority-owned small business exporters was one of the fastest growing market segments, with loans up almost 17 percent this year --- a new record.
A four-year emphasis on "Government at the Speed of Business" has, in FY 2012, resulted in 90 percent of all transactions being processed within 30 days and 98 percent were processed within 100 days.
In FY 2012, Ex-Im provided more than $5.1 billion in infrastructure-related financing, a 433 percent increase over FY 2008 and an enormous opportunity for American exporters.
Geographically, Asia and the Middle East were the Bank’s largest regions in FY 2012, with a $9.5 billion increase over FY 2011. Ex-Im supported exports in sub-Saharan Africa have tripled over the past four years.
"I couldn’t be more proud of the men and women who are committed to the mission of Ex-Im Bank," Hochberg said. "They provide dedicated service, expertise, and professionalism to the U.S. companies with which we work."

Enormes cinturones de cometas podrían indicar la ausencia de grandes planetas

Enormes cinturones de cometas podrían indicar la ausencia de grandes planetas

DEVELOPING "ENTERPRISE-FOCUSED PROFESSIONALS" FOR U.S. DOD'S TRANSCOM

With people as its most important resource, U.S. Transportation Command officials are working to develop a corps of enterprise-focused professionals as a pillar of the command's new five-year strategy. Here, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Marty Klukas, Transcom's senior enlisted leader, talks with airmen about the command's global transportation and distribution mission, July 25, 2012. DOD photo by Bob Fehringer

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Transcom Transforms Command Culture for Future
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Nov. 27, 2012 - Motivational speakers and book clubs focused on innovative thinking, emotional intelligence and other trendy topics. Regular sessions where senior leaders sit down with a random group of staffers to share a meal and talk about cultural virtues. Professional development emphasizing "people skills" as well as job-related ones. And in the planning stages, "speed dating" arrangements in which employees from different offices will come together to introduce themselves and explain how their jobs fit into the broader mission

Sound like something out of Silicon Valley or an Internet startup run by twenty-somethings? Wrong. You'll find it here at U.S. Transportation Command, where Air Force Gen. William M. Fraser III and his senior staff have embarked on an all-out effort to transform the organization.

Transcom's recently released five-year strategy puts a premium on the workforce that drives the Defense Department's global transportation and distribution network. The goal, explained Air Force Brig. Gen. John E. Michel, Transcom's chief change and learning strategist, is to develop "enterprise-focused professionals" who take pride in their individual contributions and recognize their collective role in propelling the command forward.

"One of the No. 1 goals is to decrease a sense of independence that has naturally occurred over time by virtue of people being focused on their great thing, to create a sense of greater interdependence and understanding about how we all fit in so we can move forward together," Michel said.

To do so, leaders are emphasizing four key values: collaboration that breaks down organizational stovepipes and creates a unity of effort; trust across the enterprise that extends to operational partners and customers; empowerment that enables people to engage, make decisions and embrace smart risk-taking; and innovation that challenges ineffective, outdated practices and unleashes creativity.

"The question is, 'How do we bring the headquarters together in a common sense of purpose, surrounded by these cultural values?" said Army Maj. Gen. Gregory E. Couch, Transcom's chief of staff. "Our strategy is to build on these four cultural virtues as we go forward."

Focusing on "soft skills" is common in the business world and academia, Michel recognized, but not necessarily in the military. "We get a little freaked out in the military talking about soft skills because we are warfighters," he said. "But find a business out there that doesn't tell you that this is where it all starts and ends. Even if we are warfighters, I think we also realize that we are inherently relational creatures."


Such a level of introspection is unusual for Transcom, which traditionally has focused on its customers' requirements, said Air Force Col. Shawna O'Brien, director of manpower and personnel.

But by shining the spotlight on itself, she said the command can see where it needs to redirect its energies to improve overall operations. "This will help us identify how we can enhance what we do and provide better support and service for our customers," O'Brien said. "It is what will enable us to adapt to meet the requirements of the future joint force."

Anyone who has worked in a big organization knows that change doesn't come easily, Couch acknowledged. It's particularly difficult in the military, where each service has its own way of doing things and commanders rotate regularly, along with their pet programs and areas of emphasis.

So Fraser has committed to making an indelible mark on the command culture, leading the effort himself and elevating cultural change to a pillar of the most sweeping strategy in Transcom's 25-year history.

"The difference here is that this is tagged on with the strategy that is going to be a living document," Couch said. "And our goal is that when the current leadership leaves, there is no reversing this. It's non-reversible. A new commander may change the buzzwords, but these things will now be inculcated into what we are doing here as an organization."

Fraser, his deputy commander, Army Lt. Gen. Kathleen Gainey, and Couch personally lead many of the activities promoting that goal.

"There is no other place in the [Defense] Department, I bet, where you will find that the senior leadership is as engaged and invested in this from the top down," Michel said. "They are not just writing it in a paper and saying 'Go for it.' They are saying 'Follow me.' They are living the virtues, taking time out of their calendar to lead leader-led lunches, driving the book club and looking for meaningful, active ways to promote the effort."

These engagements are designed to open the command to new ways of thinking and to create opportunities for candid exchanges simply not possible within the traditional chain-of-command structure, said Diana Roach, Transcom's chief of change management.

For example, Couch periodically invites about a dozen people at a time to his on-base quarters, where he prepares and serves lunch and opens the floor to whatever topics group members want to discuss. "No issues are off the table," he said, whether it's about a technicality in the strategic plan or a pay problem.

"That's what it's really all about," Couch said. "It's about opening communication."

This communication -- through personal contact, a "third-deck blog" that enables members of the command to address the leadership directly or other initiatives -- has generated some surprising insights.

Contractors at the command, for example, expressed distaste for the color-coded lanyards bearing their identification tags that differentiated them from the federal and military workforce. "We heard through the blog that people didn't like this. They felt that culturally we had built an institutional barrier," Michel said.

So as Fraser unveiled the new strategy in late October, he distributed new lanyards, all identical and bearing the Transcom motto, 'Together we deliver," to everyone in the command. "This is just one small gesture that shows his willingness to take down barriers and promote a sense of unity across the command," Michel said.

Open communication and unity will be vital to Transcom's long-term success, he said, particularly entering a post-conflict era with diminishing requirements and resources. "We are fundamentally in the relationship business at Transcom," Michel said. "At the end of the day, we are our best when we are successful in our relationships, inside [the command] and out. And if our relationships aren't as strong as they could be, we can't be nearly as effective as we need to be."

By improving its effectiveness, Transcom will provide better services at a lower cost to its customers, Couch said. "So as we go through this process, the big question that underpins it is, 'How do we do things that are efficient and effective for our government?'" he said. "Ultimately, that is what comes out of this."

Every member of Transcom has a role to play in the effort, Couch said, shaping the culture that will define the command 10 or 15 years into the future.

"We all know that we aren't going to change overnight," he said. "But change never happens unless you start working at it. And that is what we are doing here at U.S. Transportation Command."

GRANTS ANNOUNCED TO DEAL WITH GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AS PART OF GLOBAL HIV RESPONSE

Photo Credit:  NASA

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Ambassador Verveer Announces Grants to Address Gender-Based Violence as Part of the Global HIV Response

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012


In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and World AIDS Day, Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer announced today $3 million in small grants awarded to dozens of grassroots organizations working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) around the world, with a link to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

These grants are part of a joint initiative between the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to address the link between HIV infection and GBV, and will support the work of 35 organizations in 28 countries. These countries include: Barbados, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Grants of up to $100,000 per organization will fund innovative programs that link to HIV prevention, treatment and care platforms, including those programs that work to engage community leaders in the fight against GBV and AIDS, strengthen legal and judicial systems to ensure the full enforcement of anti-GBV laws, enhance prevention and response efforts, and work to reduce stigma and harmful practices.

One in three women worldwide will experience GBV in their lifetime, and in some countries, 70 percent of female populations are affected. Gender-based violence increases women and girls’ overall vulnerability to HIV, with country studies indicating an up to three-fold risk of HIV infection among women who experience violence. Addressing gender inequities and norms is essential to reducing the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection. Through this initiative, grassroots organizations will receive support to address the structural drivers of both violence and HIV, contributing to a longer-term effort to create an AIDS-free generation and societies free of violence.

THE X47B UNMANNED COMBAT AIR SYSTEM ARRIVES ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN

121126-N-PL185-082 NORFOLK (Nov. 26, 2012) U.S. Navy Sailors assist with the onload of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The air vehicle arrived by barge from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Truman is the first modern aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. The Navy plans to conduct X-47B carrier deck handling tests aboard the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lorenzo J. Burleson/Released)

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Truman Hosts X-47B Unmanned Aircraft Demonstrator for Carrier-Based Testing
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Taylor DiMartino,
USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy hoisted an X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator on board aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Nov. 26, in preparation for an unmanned aircraft's first, carrier-based testing.

A team from the Navy Unmanned Combat Air System program office (PMA-268) embarked Truman to conduct tests and demonstrations.

The X-47B, which boasts a wingspan of more than 62 feet (wider than that of an F/A-18 Super Hornet), will demonstrate seamless integration into carrier flight deck operations through various tests. During each demonstration, the X-47B will be controlled remotely via a hand-held control display unit (CDU).

Truman will be the first modern aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft.

Capt. Jaime Engdahl, N-UCAS program manager, said the X-47B's delivery aboard Truman was among the most historic moments in the program's history.

"This is a very important moment for the X-47B," said Engdahl. "The moment the aircraft set down on Truman's deck was the moment it officially met the fleet."

Cmdr. Kevin Watkins, N-UCAS's flight test director, agreed with Engdahl's sentiment.

"Bringing the X-47B aboard Truman is a big milestone for the program," said Watkins. "We've been testing the aircraft for the last several years and to finally put it on a ship is so exciting. If these tests are successful, they will prove that the future for unmanned aircraft is wide open."

Lt. Cmdr. Larry Tarver, Truman's aircraft handling officer, who helped coordinate the X-47B's on-load, said his Sailors are eager to participate in the aircraft's testing.

"It means a lot to our crew to be part of naval history," said Tarver. "We have Sailors who received additional training to safely move the X-47B and they are excited to play a part in its testing."

While technical challenges are to be expected when introducing the new system to a carrier's flight deck, Engdahl said he expects the tests to be successful citing strong teamwork between his team and Truman's crew.

"The support from Truman has been phenomenal and it's going to continue to take close cooperation between the carrier's Sailors and the UCAS-D team to make these demonstrations successful," said Engdahl. "To operate large, unmanned aircraft off of a carrier, from anywhere in the world, will be a key capability for the Navy after these tests are successful."

The X-47B test will be conducted over a three week period which will include in-port and underway demonstrations aboard Truman.

A DYING STAR RAGES AGAINST THE NIGHT

FROM: NASA

Helix Nebula - Unraveling at he Seams
A dying star is throwing a cosmic tantrum in this combined image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), which NASA has lent to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In death, the star's dusty outer layers are unraveling into space, glowing from the intense ultraviolet radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core.
　
This object, called the Helix nebula, lies 650 light-years away, in the constellation of Aquarius. Also known by the catalog number NGC 7293, it is a typical example of a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic works of art were erroneously named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets.

Planetary nebulae are actually the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun. These stars spend most of their lives turning hydrogen into helium in massive runaway nuclear fusion reactions in their cores. In fact, this process of fusion provides all the light and heat that we get from our sun. Our sun will blossom into a planetary nebula when it dies in about five billion years.

When the hydrogen fuel for the fusion reaction runs out, the star turns to helium for a fuel source, burning it into an even heavier mix of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Eventually, the helium will also be exhausted, and the star dies, puffing off its outer gaseous layers and leaving behind the tiny, hot, dense core, called a white dwarf. The white dwarf is about the size of Earth, but has a mass very close to that of the original star; in fact, a teaspoon of a white dwarf would weigh as much as a few elephants!
　
The glow from planetary nebulae is particularly intriguing as it appears surprisingly similar across a broad swath of the spectrum, from ultraviolet to infrared. The Helix remains recognizable at any of these wavelengths, but the combination shown here highlights some subtle differences.

The intense ultraviolet radiation from the white dwarf heats up the expelled layers of gas, which shine brightly in the infrared. GALEX has picked out the ultraviolet light pouring out of this system, shown throughout the nebula in blue, while Spitzer has snagged the detailed infrared signature of the dust and gas in yellow A portion of the extended field beyond the nebula, which was not observed by Spitzer, is from NASA's all-sky Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The white dwarf star itself is a tiny white pinprick right at the center of the nebula.

The brighter purple circle in the very center is the combined ultraviolet and infrared glow of a dusty disk circling the white dwarf (the disk itself is too small to be resolved). This dust was most likely kicked up by comets that survived the death of their star.

Before the star died, its comets, and possibly planets, would have orbited the star in an orderly fashion. When the star ran out of hydrogen to burn, and blew off its outer layers, the icy bodies and outer planets would have been tossed about and into each other, kicking up an ongoing cosmic dust storm. Any inner planets in the system would have burned up or been swallowed as their dying star expanded.

Infrared data from Spitzer for the central nebula is rendered in green (wavelengths of 3.6 to 4.5 microns) and red (8 to 24 microns), with WISE data covering the outer areas in green (3.4 to 4.5 microns) and red (12 to 22 microns). Ultraviolet data from GALEX appears as blue (0.15 to 2.3 microns).

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

TPC Interview with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen

TPC Interview with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen joins TPC News via satellite from Brussels to discuss the way forward in Afghanistan and other issues facing the organization.

ISS VIDEO UPDATE FOR NOVEMBER 27, 2012

FROM:  NASA

 

 

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DAILY PRESS BRIEFING - November 27, 2012

Daily Press Briefing - November 27, 2012

DOD News Briefing with George Little from the Pentagon

DOD News Briefing with George Little from the Pentagon

PENTAGON BRIEFING WITH GEORGE LITTLE

Pentagon Briefing: George Little, Pentagon Press Secretary briefs the Pentagon press corps. Also available in high definition

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE USS ENTERPRISE REMEMBERED

FROM:  U.S. NAVY

"PROJECT LONGEVITY" LAUNCHED TO REDUCE VIOLENCE IN CONNECTICUT CITIES



Photo Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Project Longevity Launched to Reduce Gang and Gun Violence in Connecticut’s Cities

Government Officials, Community Members, Service Providers and Law Enforcement Join Forces in Statewide Anti-Violence Initiative

Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney David Fein and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy joined members of law enforcement, public officials, social service providers, community leaders and researchers in New Haven today to launch "Project Longevity," a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Project Longevity uses a strategy that has shown violence can be reduced dramatically when community members and law enforcement join together to directly engage with these groups and clearly communicate a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. To accomplish this, law enforcement, social service providers and community members are recruited, assembled and trained to engage in a sustained relationship with violent groups.

"Project Longevity will send a powerful message to those who would commit violent crimes targeting their fellow citizens that such acts will not be tolerated and that help is available for all those who wish to break the cycle of violence and gang activity," said Attorney General Holder. "Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to working together – across levels of government and jurisdictional boundaries – to protect the American people from the crime that threatens too many neighborhoods and claims far too many innocent lives."

Project Longevity is based on a model that has been successful in reducing gun violence in multiple neighborhoods across the country and represents the first time the strategy is being implemented statewide.

"On the state level, I have directed my administration to focus our criminal justice resources on urban violence," Governor Malloy said. "We agree that no strategy will be effective without the support of the community. This means parents, clergy, neighborhood leaders, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles – everyone working toward one goal. We are working to regain the trust of the African American and Latino communities. We need their help. The lives of these young people are too valuable not to act."

Funded by federal, state and local sources, Project Longevity is being launched initially in three Connecticut cities – New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

"After more than a year of hard work and preparation by so many public and private partners, I am pleased to announce Project Longevity, our statewide anti-violence initiative," said U.S. Attorney Fein. "Many dedicated people and organizations have come together to support this proven strategy to reduce gang and gun violence through focused deterrence."

A critical component of the Project Longevity strategy is the "call-in," a face-to-face meeting where partners engage group members and deliver certain key messages. First, that group members are part of a community, that gun violence is unacceptable and that the community needs it to end. Second, that help is available to all who will accept it in order to transition out of the gang lifestyle, and that social service providers are standing by to assist with educational, employment, housing, medical, mental health and other needs. Third, that any future violence will be met with clear and certain consequences. The next time a homicide is traced to any member of a violent group, all members of that group will receive increased and comprehensive law enforcement attention to any and all crimes any of its members are committing.

Yesterday, the first call-ins of two groups were convened in New Haven. At the call-ins, approximately 25 individuals heard the Project Longevity message from senior leadership of the New Haven Police Department, federal and state prosecutors, outreach workers and other members of the New Haven community. One Project Longevity participant, Adult Education Director for the New Haven Board of Education Alicia Caraballo, spoke about losing her 24-year-old son when he was shot and killed in New Haven in April 2008.

Project Longevity is based on the Group Violence Reduction Strategy developed by the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The research behind the strategy, which was first implemented in Boston as "Operation Ceasefire" in the mid-1990s, has found that violence in troubled neighborhoods is caused predominantly by a small number of people who are members of street gangs, drug crews and other identified groups. These groups, whose members typically constitute less than 0.5 percent of a city’s population, often have little organization, hierarchy or common purpose, and commit violent acts primarily for personal reasons, not to achieve any economic gain or other advantage. The Group Violence Reduction Strategy, which also has been deployed in areas of Chicago, Cincinnati, Providence, R.I., and elsewhere, has resulted in a 40 to 60 percent reduction in group-related homicides in certain neighborhoods. After Project Longevity is established in Hartford and Bridgeport, the program may be deployed in other Connecticut cities if research and data analysis of a city’s homicide rate determine that the model offers an appropriate solution to gun violence .

The Rev. William Mathis has been appointed as Project Longevity’s New Haven Program Manager. The Rev. Mathis is also the Pastor of Springs of Life-Giving Water Church in New Haven, an attorney, a former prosecutor and an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University and the University of New Haven. As program manager, the Rev. Mathis is responsible for developing effective and sustainable working relationships between law enforcement, service providers and community members to insure Project Longevity’s success.

The organizational structure of Project Longevity in New Haven includes a Governing Board, Strategy and Implementation Team, Research Team, Law Enforcement Team, Community Service Provider Team and Community Engagement Team, all of which meet regularly. Project Longevity’s Governing Board includes: U.S. Attorney Fein, Governor Malloy, State Senator Toni Harp, State Representative Toni Walker, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, New Haven Alderperson Jorge Perez, New Haven State’s Attorney Michael Dearington, Court Support Services Executive Director William Carbone, Connecticut Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone, Director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice David Kennedy, and Yale University’s Vice President for New Haven and State Affairs and Campus Development Bruce Alexander.

The Strategy and Implementation Team is co-chaired by New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman and New Haven businessman Howard Hill, and includes members of law enforcement, service providers, researchers and the community. Chief Esserman has previously partnered with the Center for Crime Prevention and Control to implement a similar strategy when he served as police chief in Providence. Several community and business leaders in New Haven, as well as members of the New Haven Clergy Association, are also actively involved in Project Longevity. In order to assist identified individual transition from a destructive gang lifestyle, Project Longevity has engaged nine service providers in the New Haven area, including Children’s Community Program of Connecticut, Community Service Administration for the City of New Haven, Consultation Center (Yale), Gateway Community College, Elm City Communities, New Haven Family Alliance, Project Model Offender Reintegration Experience (M.O.R.E.), Workforce Alliance/CT Works and United Way of Greater New Haven. The University of New Haven, Yale University and the University of Cincinnati are working with law enforcement to collect and analyze crime data and provide research support to identify the groups and individuals that will be contacted through Project Longevity. Many of these individuals are already known to law enforcement and/or are under the supervision of probation or parole officers.

Other participating Justice Department agencies in Project Longevity include: the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S REMARKS TO THEMILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION

Remarks to the Millennium Challenge Corporation

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Photo:  Patrol In Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. DOD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Detains 3 Insurgents in Kunduz Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 27, 2012 - An Afghan-led, coalition-supported security force detained three suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Archi district of Afghanistan's Kunduz province today, military officials reported.

Officials describe the wanted Taliban leader as an improvised explosive device facilitator who coordinates IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

Also today, a combined force operating in Kandahar province's Shah Wali Kot district arrested a Taliban facilitator suspected of being responsible for overseeing IED and mine emplacements. He is also suspected of training other Taliban insurgents to build and test IEDs. The combined force also detained three suspects and seized multiple weapons.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- A local Taliban leader, Amirullah, was killed during an Afghan-coalition security operation in the Watahpur district of Kunar province. Amirullah was involved in the unsuccessful Nov. 12 suicide attack that targeted the anti-terrorism chief in Kunar province's Asadabad district. Amirullah was also involved in coordinating the movement of weapons, ammunition and various military supplies for insurgents in the province.

-- One insurgent was killed during an Afghan-coalition security operation in the Shahid-e-Hasas district of Uruzgan province. The combined force also destroyed two caches that contained materials used in the construction of IEDs.

DVIDS - Video - Pentagon Briefing

DVIDS - Video - Pentagon Briefing

U.S. Department of Defense Contracts for November 27, 2012

Contracts for November 27, 2012

FORMER CHICAGO MASSAGE PARLOR OPERATOR SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Monday, November 26, 2012

Former Chicago Massage Parlor Operator Sentenced to Life in Prison for Human Trafficking of Four Women
Alex Campbell, 45, of Glenview, Ill., a former northwest suburban massage parlor owner was sentenced today to life in federal prison for various crimes including sex-trafficking, forced labor, harboring illegal aliens, confiscating passports to further forced labor and extortion involving four foreign women whom he mentally and physically abused while forcing them to work for him, the Justice Department announced today. The defendant, who operated the Day and Night Spa on Northwest Highway in Mt. Prospect, Ill., used violence and threats of violence to force three women from the Ukraine and one from Belarus to work for him without pay and, at times, little to no subsistence between July 2008 and January 2010.

Campbell, also known as "Dave" and "Daddy" and who called himself "Cowboy," was also ordered to pay approximately $124,000 restitution by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

Campbell was convicted at trial in January of this year of three counts each of forced labor, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and confiscating passports and other immigration documents to force the victims to work and one count each of sex trafficking by force, and extortion. He faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life on the sex-trafficking count alone, and the judge also imposed maximum prison terms ranging from five to 20 years on each of the remaining counts, to run concurrent with the life sentence.

"Alex Campbell abused women by violently coercing them into labor and commercial sex. By working together with law enforcement and community groups, those women were able to testify about that abuse," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "Today’s sentence is a victory not only for the Department and the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force, but also for those women who so bravely came forward and told the truth about their exploitation."

"If you treat human beings as property, to be branded, beaten, raped, and sold, the law will punish you to the greatest extent possible," said Gary S. Shapiro, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "This sentence ensures Alex Campbell’s incapacitation, which will prevent him from victimizing other women."

"The sentence handed down today sends a clear message to those who think they can callously prey upon vulnerable women to turn a profit," said Gary J. Hartwig, Special Agent-in-Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. "HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in human trafficking are held accountable for their actions."

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, whose sheriff’s police initiated the investigation, said, "I am extremely proud of the effort and resolution of all the agencies involved with the successful investigation, conviction and now sentencing of such a violent individual."

All four victims testified as government witnesses at trial, as well as co-defendant, Danielle John, 25, who pleaded guilty before trial to two counts of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain. She was sentenced previously to three years’ probation. In addition to the trial victims, the government presented evidence that investigators learned of approximately 20 women that Campbell victimized.

The trial showed that Campbell recruited and groomed foreign women without legal status in the United States to become part of his "Family," which he claimed was an international organization that would provide them with support. He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration, and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him. After gaining their trust, he forced the victims to get tattooed with his moniker, which he said made them his property and allowed him to stop paying them. At the same time, he acquired the women’s passports and visas. The women were forced to work long hours every day and do as Campbell instructed them, and they were beaten and punished if they disobeyed him.

Trial testimony established that Campbell confiscated passports and identity documents from three of the victims, as well as harbored and transported them to ensure their continued labor. Campbell forced one victim to engage in commercial sex acts with customers at various other massage parlors, but not at the Day and Night Spa, which testimony showed he operated "cleanly" to avoid problems with law enforcement. He extorted another victim to pay him more than $25,000 to leave the "Family" by threatening to send a sexually-explicit video recording to her parents in Belarus.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation, which was coordinated by the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force, together with the Salvation Army Family and Community Services STOP-IT Initiative Against Human Trafficking, operate a toll-free hotline, (877) 606-3158, which victims of trafficking or those with information about human trafficking can call for assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane MacArthur and Steven Grimes and Special Litigation Counsel John Richmond of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

RECENT NAVY PHOTOS (THE X-47B UNMANNED COMBAT SYSTEM)

FROM: U.S. NAVY
121126-N-GH675-001 NORFOLK (Nov. 26, 2012) Contractors hoist the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The air vehicle arrived by barge from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. The Navy plans to conduct X-47B carrier deck handling tests aboard the ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher A. Morrison/Released)

121126-N-GR168-072 NORFOLK (Nov. 26, 2012)  (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lyle H. Wilkie III/Released)


 

BARBADOS NATIONAL DAY

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Barbados National Day Message
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
November 26, 2012
　

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Barbados as you celebrate 46 years of independence this November 30.

The United States and Barbados are united by shared history and strong cultural ties. Our collaboration in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, advances our common aspirations and supports democracy, rule of law, and human rights. Our support for education through student and professional exchanges, programs for at-risk youth like Junior Achievement, and focus on budding entrepreneurs through the Cave Hill School of Business is helping to build a bright future for many.

I am confident that our joint efforts will result in increased security, improved access to health care and greater economic opportunities for all our citizens. As you gather to watch the Independence Day Parade and spend time with family and loved ones, know that the United States stands with you as a partner and friend.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

U.S. NAVY ANNOUNCES WIND FARM AGREEMENT IN SOUTH TEXAS

Photo:  Wind Turbines.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.

FROM: U.S. NAVY

Navy, DoD, Developer Announce Wind Farm Agreement to Preserve Training Mission in South Texas

By Kenneth Hess, Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR STATION (NAS) KINGSVILLE, Texas (NNS) (NNS) -- Officials from the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of the Navy (Navy), E.ON Climate & Renewables North America, LLC (ECRNA), and Petronila Wind Farm, LLC, owned by ECRNA (Petronila Wind), announced a memorandum of agreement (MOA) Nov. 26 to allow the developer to build and operate new wind turbines in Nueces County, Texas, while working to protect the Navy's ability to continue its training mission at NAS Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi.

Representatives from each organization participated in a ceremony and base tour to commemorate the agreement.

Signatories to the agreement include Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, John Conger; Principal Deputy (Acting) Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment, Joseph Ludovici; Deputy Director, Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division, John Quinn; Commander, Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. William French; Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Rear Adm. Jack Scorby; Commanding Officer, NAS Corpus Christi, Capt. David Edgecomb; Commanding Officer, NAS Kingsville, Capt. Mark McLaughlin; Vice President of Petronila Wind, Paul Bowman; and Chief Executive Officer, ECRNA, Steve Trenholm.

Under the MOA, ECRNA will install and operate up to 100 wind turbines at the Petronila Wind Farm site.

"The Navy is at the forefront of alternative energy use and production, and the Navy supports such projects when they are compatible with our mission," said Rear Adm. Scorby. "The agreement will enable this wind turbine project to move forward while putting measures in place that work to preserve vital pilot training capability at NAS Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi."

Under the agreement, ECRNA will provide $750,000 in funding to DoD for researching, testing and implementing solutions to mitigate potential impacts. Mitigation efforts could include upgrades that allow the Navy radars to more accurately detect aircraft; optimizing radars to "ignore" signals received from wind turbines, incorporating new systems that fill in radar gaps, and other technical modifications. To reduce the potential of radar interference, the new turbines will be limited to 500 feet in height and will be confined to one 5 by 7 mile site within the existing Petronila Wind Farm project boundary.

The agreement establishes a specific set of procedures the Navy and ECRNA will use to safely curtail wind turbines when and if needed, and to document and address emerging concerns. In addition, Navy, DoD, and Petronilla Wind will form a joint working group to study the effectiveness of the mitigation measures implemented

"This agreement is a collaborative effort that proves the military and the wind industry can find solutions that protect bases and still allow responsible development," said Steve Trenholm, CEO, ECRNA.

The Navy and the Department of Defense will continue working closely with renewable energy developers and local communities in South Texas to ensure local wind turbine projects can coexist with the Navy mission.

ALBANIA'S NATIONAL DAY



Petrela Castle, Albania.  From CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

On the Occasion of Albania's National Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
November 26, 2012



Map:  Albaina.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Albania as you celebrate your Independence Day this November 28th.

Since the establishment of a democratic republic, Albania has made great strides forward. Today, Albania stands ready to consolidate those gains and integrate into a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace. But this requires passing the remaining reforms now, and conducting free and transparent parliamentary elections this coming spring, further strengthening and modernizing Albania’s democracy so it responds to the needs of the Albanian people.

As you celebrate with family and loved ones, know that the United States is a partner and friend. We look forward to a future of continued friendship and collaboration.

Albania Locator Map.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

CFTC CHARGES FIRM BASED IN IRELAND WITH VIOLATING OFF-EXCHANGE OPTIONS TRADING BAN

Photo Credit:  CFTC

FROM: U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION

CFTC Charges Ireland-based "Prediction Market" Proprietors Intrade and TEN with Violating the CFTC’s Off-Exchange Options Trading Ban and Filing False Forms with the CFTC

CFTC also charges TEN with violating a 2005 CFTC cease and desist order

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today filed a civil complaint in federal district court in Washington, DC, charging Intrade The Prediction Market Limited (Intrade) and Trade Exchange Network Limited (TEN), Irish companies based in Dublin, Ireland, with offering commodity option contracts to U.S. customers for trading, as well as soliciting, accepting, and confirming the execution of orders from U.S. customers, all in violation of the CFTC’s ban on off-exchange options trading. The CFTC’s complaint also charges Intrade and TEN with making false statements concerning their options trading website in documents filed with the CFTC, and charges TEN with violating a 2005 CFTC cease and desist order (see CFTC Press Release 5124-05, October 4, 2005).

Intrade and TEN jointly operate an online "prediction market" trading website, through which customers buy or sell binary options which allow them to predict ("yes" or "no") whether a specific future event will occur, according to the CFTC’s complaint.

Specifically, according to the complaint, from September 2007 to June 25, 2012, Intrade and TEN operated an online "prediction market" trading website, which allowed U.S. customers to trade options products prohibited by the CFTC’s ban on off-exchange options trading. Through the website, Intrade and TEN allegedly unlawfully solicited and permitted U.S. customers to buy and sell options predicting whether specific future events would occur, including whether certain U.S. economic numbers or the prices of gold and currencies would reach a certain level by a certain future date, and whether specific acts of war would occur by a certain future date.

The CFTC’s complaint also charges Intrade and TEN with knowingly filing false "Annual Certification" forms with the CFTC stating that Intrade limited its options offerings to eligible market participants. Contrary to these representations, the complaint alleges that Intrade unlawfully solicited and permitted retail U.S. customers to buy and sell off-exchange options on the website.

In addition, the complaint alleges that TEN violated an order issued by the CFTC in 2005 that found that TEN had previously engaged in similar conduct and ordered TEN to cease and desist from violating the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.

David Meister, the Director of the CFTC’s Division of Enforcement, stated: "It is against the law to solicit U.S. persons to buy and sell commodity options, even if they are called ‘prediction’ contracts, unless they are listed for trading and traded on a CFTC-registered exchange or unless legally exempt. The requirement for on-exchange trading is important for a number of reasons, including that it enables the CFTC to police market activity and protect market integrity. Today’s action should make it clear that we will intervene in the ‘prediction’ markets, wherever they may be based, when their U.S. activities violate the Commodity Exchange Act or the CFTC’s regulations."

In its continuing litigation the CFTC seeks civil monetary penalties, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and permanent injunctions against further violations of federal commodities law, as charged, among other relief.

The CFTC acknowledges the Central Bank of Ireland for its assistance in the CFTC’s investigation of Intrade and TEN.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Kathleen Banar, David Slovick, Jessica Harris, Erica Bodin, Girum Tesfaye, Elizabeth Padgett, Rick Glaser, and Richard Wagner.

HURRICANE AFTERMATH VOLUNTEERS SAID TO BE "VITAL" BY FEMA



Bottled Water Distribution After Hurricane Sandy.  Credit:  FEMA

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Volunteers Are A Vital Resource In The Aftermath Of Sandy
Release date:
November 26, 2012
　

TRENTON, N.J. – When a disaster strikes, volunteers are a vital resource. They represent the compassionate face that brings comfort to disaster survivors and provides for their immediate needs.

"Working together as friends and neighbors is spontaneous after a disaster" said FEMA Volunteer Agency Liaison Manager Ken Skalitzky. "This approach is really what makes a community whole again."

One group of volunteers recently was recognized when Middletown, N.J. Mayor Anthony P. Fiore presented the Key to the City to Dave Karr, whose volunteer staff from the Southern Baptist Convention, Oklahoma Disaster Relief, prepared more than 1.5 million meals for disaster survivors.

"It was a real honor," Karr said. "I was told they rarely do this. I accepted on behalf of the whole Oklahoma team."

Karr’s team and the organization they represent are typical of the volunteers working in New Jersey, both locally and from out of state. More than 100 organizations manage thousands of dedicated volunteers. Here are some of the major organizations and their services:
Adventist Community Services – manages warehouse distribution of supplies for disaster survivors.
Mennonite Disaster Service – doing clean up, repairs, and rebuilding homes.
The Salvation Army – provided Thanksgiving dinner or lunch in several locations throughout the state. The Transitional Sheltering Assistance social services programs connect needs with available resources.
Samaritans Purse – doing muck outs, removing dirt and debris; cleaning up and sanitizing homes to prevent mold.
Southern Baptist Convention/Oklahoma Disaster Relief – 117 volunteers prepared more than 1.5 million meals to date, and is deploying 41 emergency relief vehicles across New Jersey to continue feeding disaster survivors.
The Red Cross – more than 4,000 volunteers assisting with meals, sheltering, essential supplies, and health services.
United Methodist Committee on Relief – volunteers working on "muck outs."
Catholic Charities – 363 volunteers serving at relief sites offered financial and other material assistance to some 3,000 families. The sites are now closed.
Voluntary Agency Liaison staff at FEMA work with the state umbrella organization, New Jersey Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). FEMA provides information on the extent

of damage from the disaster to VOAD. The organization then contacts its local partners who provide direct services to disaster survivors.

Disaster assistance is coordinated over the long term by VOAD to make sure everyone who needs help receives help.

 

MAN SENTENCED TO 54 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING IN IDENTITITES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Monday, November 26, 2012

Mexican National Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Trafficking the Identities of Puerto Rican U.S. Citizens
WASHINGTON – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for trafficking of identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and corresponding identity documents, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodríguez-Vélez for the District of Puerto Rico; Director John Morton of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Postal Inspector Guy J. Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Scott P. Bultrowicz, Director of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chief Richard Weber.

Jose Sergio Garcia-Ramirez, 37, formerly of Rockford, Ill., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí, in the District of Puerto Rico. Judge Gelpí also ordered that Garcia-Ramirez forfeit $35,900 in proceeds and ordered the removal of Garcia-Ramirez from the United States after the completion of his sentence.

On July 17, 2012, Garcia-Ramirez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit identification fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce J. McGiverin in the District of Puerto Rico.

Garcia-Ramirez was charged in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico on Mar. 22, 2012. To date, a total of 53 individuals have been charged for their roles in the identity trafficking scheme, and 18 defendants have pleaded guilty.

Court documents allege that individuals located in the Savarona area of Caguas, Puerto Rico (Savarona suppliers), obtained Puerto Rican identities and corresponding identity documents. Other conspirators located in various cities throughout the United States (identity brokers) allegedly solicited customers and sold Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates for prices ranging from $700 to $2,500 per set. The superseding indictment alleges that identity brokers ordered the identity documents from Savarona suppliers, on behalf of the customers, by making coded telephone calls. The conspirators are charged with using text messages, money transfer services and express, priority or regular U.S. mail to complete their illicit transactions.

Court documents allege that some identity brokers assumed a Puerto Rican identity themselves and used that identity in connection with the trafficking operation. Their customers allegedly generally obtained the identity documents to assume the identity of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and to obtain additional identification documents, such as legitimate state driver’s licenses. Some customers allegedly obtained the documents to commit financial fraud and attempted to obtain a U.S. passport.

According to court documents, various identity brokers were operating in Rockford, Ill.; DeKalb, Ill.; Aurora, Ill.; Seymour, Ind.; Columbus, Ind.; Indianapolis; Hartford, Conn.; Clewiston, Fla.; Lilburn, Ga.; Norcross, Ga.; Salisbury, Md.; Columbus, Ohio; Fairfield, Ohio; Dorchester, Mass.; Lawrence, Mass.; Salem, Mass.; Worcester, Mass.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nebraska City, Neb.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Burlington, N.C.; Hickory, N.C.; Hazelton, Pa.; Philadelphia; Houston; Abingdon, Va.; Albertville, Ala.; and Providence, R.I.

Garcia-Ramirez admitted that he was an identity broker in the conspiracy and operated in Illinois. Garcia-Ramirez is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in this case.

The charges are the result of Operation Island Express, an ongoing, nationally-coordinated investigation led by the ICE-HSI Chicago Office and USPIS, DSS and IRS-CI offices in Chicago, in coordination with the ICE-HSI San Juan Office. The Illinois Secretary of State Police; Elgin, Ill., Police Department; Seymour, Ind., Police Department; and Indiana State Police provided substantial assistance. The ICE-HSI Assistant Attaché office in the Dominican Republic and International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2) as well as various ICE, USPIS, DSS and IRS-CI offices around the country provided invaluable assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys James S. Yoon, Hope S. Olds, Courtney B. Schaefer and Christina Giffin of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, with the assistance of Acting Deputy Chief Jeannette Gunderson of the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, District of Connecticut, District of Massachusetts, District of Nebraska, Middle District of North Carolina, Southern District of Ohio and Western District of Virginia provided substantial assistance.

Potential victims and the public may obtain information about the case at: www.justice.gov/criminal/vns/caseup/beltrerj.html. Anyone who believes their identity may have been compromised in relation to this investigation may contact the ICE toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) and its online tip form at www.ice.gov/tipline. Anyone who may have information about particular crimes in this case should also report it to the ICE tip line or website.

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAGUE CODE OF CONDUCT AGAINST BALLISTIC MISSILE PROLIFERATION

090215-N-3737T-069 KINGS BAY, Ga. (Feb. 15, 2009) The ballistic missile submarine USS Maryland (SSBN 738) (Gold) transits the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as it departs Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga. for a patrol mission. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is the homeport for Ohio class ballistic missile submarines on the east coast. (U.S. Navy Photo/Released)

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Tenth anniversary of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC)

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 26, 2012
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC), the United States recognizes the HCOC as an outstanding example of international cooperation and applauds the Code’s ongoing efforts to promote transparency and confidence building measures in the area of ballistic missiles.

Since it was launched on November 25, 2002, subscription to the HCOC has grown to 134 countries, and the Code has contributed significantly to international ballistic missile nonproliferation through its efforts to delegitimize such proliferation. The United States looks forward to continued close cooperation with all HCOC-Subscribing States to promote ballistic missile nonproliferation – and through it, global security – and encourages all countries that have not yet done so to subscribe to the Code.

ESA Portal - Spain - Ayudando a Curiosity: Mars Express retransmite las imágenes de una roca

ESA Portal - Spain - Ayudando a Curiosity: Mars Express retransmite las imágenes de una roca

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AWARDS $10 MILLION TO WORLD VISON TO COMBAT CHILD LABOR IN CAMBODIA

Face at the Bayon temple at Angko.  From CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

US Department of Labor awards $10 million agreement to World Vision to combat child labor in Cambodia

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million cooperative agreement to World Vision for a project to combat child labor in Cambodia's agriculture, fishing, fisheries, aquaculture and domestic service sectors.

World Vision will partner with local nongovernmental organizations Wathnakpheap, Farmer Livelihood Development, Vulnerable Children Association Organization, and Cambodia Development Resource Institute. The project will provide education, sustainable livelihood and youth employment services to children engaged in or at risk of child labor, and other members of their households. It also will help households and vulnerable children to access social protection programs that are supported by the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Since 1995, the Labor Department has funded 260 projects implemented by more than 65 organizations in 91 countries, which have resulted in the rescue of approximately 1.5 million children from exploitative child labor.

SEC CHAIRMAN SCHAPIRO WILL STEP DOWN DECEMBER 12, 2012

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2012 — After nearly four years in office, SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro today announced that she will step down on Dec. 14, 2012

Chairman Schapiro, who became chairman in the wake of the financial crisis in January 2009, strengthened, reformed, and revitalized the agency. She oversaw a more rigorous enforcement and examination program, and shaped new rules by which Wall Street must play.

"It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to work with so many dedicated SEC staff who strive every day to protect investors and ensure our markets operate with integrity," said Chairman Schapiro. "Over the past four years we have brought a record number of enforcement actions, engaged in one of the busiest rulemaking periods, and gained greater authority from Congress to better fulfill our mission."

Chairman Schapiro is one of the longest-serving SEC chairmen, having served longer than 24 of the previous 28. She was appointed by President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

During her tenure, Chairman Schapiro worked to bolster the SEC’s enforcement and examination programs, among others. As a result of a series of reforms, the agency is more adept at pursing tips and complaints provided by outsiders, better able to identify wrongdoers through vastly upgraded market intelligence capabilities, and more strategic, innovative and risk-focused in the way it inspects financial firms.

In each of the past two years, the agency has brought more enforcement actions than ever before, including 735 enforcement actions in fiscal year 2011 and 734 actions in FY 2012.

In addition, the SEC engaged in one of the busiest rulemaking periods in decades. Due to new rules now in place, investors can get clear information about the advisers they invest with, vote on the executive compensation packages at companies they invest in, benefit from additional safeguards that protect their assets held by investment advisers, and get access to more meaningful information about company boards and municipal securities.

"I’ve been so amazed by how hard the men and women of the agency work each and every day and by the sacrifices they make to get the job done," added Chairman Schapiro. "So often they stay late or come in on weekends to polish a legal brief, review a corporate filing, write new rules, or reconstruct trading events. And despite the complexity and the intense scrutiny, they always excel at what they do."

As a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the agency has implemented a new whistleblower program, strengthened regulation of asset-backed securities, laid the foundation for an entirely new regulatory regime for the previously-unregulated derivatives market, and required advisers to hedge funds and other private funds to register and be subject to SEC rules.

During Chairman Schapiro’s tenure, the agency worked to improve the structure of the market by approving a series of measures that have helped to strengthen equity market structure and reduce the chance of another Flash Crash. Among other things, the Commission for the first time has required the exchanges to create a consolidated audit trail that will enable the agency to reconstruct trading across various trading venues.

Chairman Schapiro previously served as a commissioner at the SEC from 1988 to 1994. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, reappointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, and named Acting Chairman by President Bill Clinton in 1993. She left the SEC when President Clinton appointed her as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, where she served until 1996. She is the only person to have ever served as chairman of both the SEC and CFTC.

As SEC chairman, Schapiro also serves on the Financial Stability Oversight Council, the FHFA Oversight Board, the Financial Stability Oversight Board, and the IFRS Foundation Monitoring Board.

THE CRAB APPLE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE: HOW BACTERIA CAME TO LIVE IN INSECTS

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Microbial "Missing Link" Discovered After Man Impales Hand on Tree Branch
November 15, 2012

It all started with a crab apple tree.

Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead tree. The wound caused an infection that led scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects.

On Oct. 15, 2010, Thomas Fritz, a retired inventor, engineer and volunteer firefighter, cut down a dead, 10-foot-tall crab apple tree outside his home near Evansville, Ind.

As he dragged away the debris, he got tangled in it and fell. A small branch impaled his right hand in the fleshy web between the thumb and index finger.

A former emergency medical technician, Fritz dressed the wound, which became swollen. Then he waited for a scheduled visit with his doctor a few days later. By then, a cyst formed at the wound site. The doctor put Fritz on an antibiotic after sending a sample of the cyst to a lab.

The pain and swelling persisted and the wound became abscessed.

About five weeks after the accident, an orthopedic surgeon removed several pieces of bark from the wound, which finally healed without further incident.

Only later did Fritz find out that his infected wound contained a previously unknown bacterium that scientists say could be used to block disease transmission by insects and prevent crop damage.

Scientists call the new strain human Sodalis or HS; it's related to Sodalis, a genus of bacteria that lives symbiotically inside insects' guts.

The journal PLOS Genetics published a paper detailing the discovery today.

"Symbiotic interactions between microorganisms and insects are common, and biologists suspect that they're an important driver of biological diversification," says Matt Kane, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.

"But how such symbioses came to be is often a mystery," Kane says. "This particular story has a happy ending, but also an interesting one, because researchers used it to gain insight into how insects and microbes can form symbiotic partnerships in the first place."

As in the case of the crab apple tree, "there are bacteria in the environment that form symbiotic relationships with insects," says University of Utah biologist Kelly Oakeson, the study's lead co-author. "This is the first time such a bacterium has been found and studied."

Identifying a New Strain of Bacteria

The lab that first received the sample from Fritz's infected wound couldn't identify the bacterium once it was isolated. So the organism was shipped to ARUP Laboratories, a national pathology reference library operated by the University of Utah.

An automated analysis at ARUP found that the bacterium from Fritz was E. coli, but scientists doubted the results.

"We had close matches for it, but none were validly described species," says Mark Fisher of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology and a co-author of the paper. "It caught my eye because I knew Colin Dale worked on Sodalis."

Dale is the researcher who discovered and named Sodalis in 1999. He is a biologist at the University of Utah and is the study's senior author.

He says that genetic sequencing showed that the HS bacterium is related to bacteria that live symbiotically in 17 insect species, including tsetse flies, weevils, bird lice and stinkbugs, and is most closely related to bacteria in the chestnut weevil and a stinkbug species.

The study compared HS with genomes of the strain Sodalis glossinidius that lives in tsetse flies and another Sodalis-like bacterium that lives in grain weevils.

Compared with HS, the other two bacterial species have lost or deactivated about half their genes.

A Missing Link

According to Dale, the findings provide "a missing link in our understanding of how beneficial insect-bacteria relationships originate.

"They show that these relationships arise independently in each insect. The insect picks up a pathogen that is widespread in the environment and then domesticates it. This happens independently in each insect."

A competing theory is that parasitic wasps and mites spread symbiotic bacteria from one insect to another.

Dale says that theory cannot explain why such similar types of Sodalis bacteria are found in insects that differ widely in location and diet, including insects that feed either on plants or animals.

The new results support the theory that insects are infected by pathogenic bacteria from plants or animals in their environment, and that the bacteria evolve to become less virulent and to provide benefits to the insect.

Then, instead of spreading from one insect to another, the bacteria spread from mother insects to their offspring.

Taming Invading Bacteria

Various bacteria live symbiotically in blood or fat cells or in special structures attached to the guts of as many as 10 percent of all insects.

The bacteria gain shelter and nutrition from their insect hosts, and they produce nutrients--B vitamins and amino acids--to help feed the insects.

Sometimes they also produce toxins to kill invaders, such as fungi or the eggs laid in an insect by a parasitic wasp.

Sodalis is only one of several types of bacteria that live in insects.

Symbiotic bacteria are known for having the smallest genetic blueprints, or genomes, of any cellular organism because as they evolve inside an insect, they lose genes that would be needed for survival outside the insect.

But when biologists sequenced the new bacterium's genome, they found that HS has a relatively large genetic blueprint and is closely related to Sodalis-like bacteria that have smaller genomes and live in many species of insects, implying that Sodalis-like bacteria all descended from a bacterium like HS.

A Way to Block Some Insect-Spread Diseases?

The researchers believe the discovery could have important implications. They say it may be possible to genetically alter the new bacterium to block disease transmission by insects like tsetse flies and prevent crop damage by insect-borne viruses.

"If we can genetically modify a bacterium that could be put back into insects, it could be used as a way to combat diseases transmitted by those insects," says Adam Clayton, a University of Utah biologist and lead author of the paper unveiling the new bacterium and its genome.

Tsetse flies and aphids both carry symbiotic Sodalis bacteria related to strain HS. Sodalis doesn't grow well outside insects, but HS grows well in the lab.

So it may be possible to insert genes in HS, and then place the bacteria in tsetse flies to kill the protozoan parasites that live in the flies and cause sleeping sickness in people and domestic animals in Africa.

Aphids transmit many plant viruses that attack soybeans, alfalfa, beets, beans and peanuts.

Replacing their normal symbiotic bacteria with a genetically engineered strain of HS could interfere with disease transmission.

The researchers speculate that in addition to the HS bacterium, there are likely many other undiscovered bacteria in the environment that could form symbiotic relationships with insects.

"We have identified very few of the bacteria that exist in nature," says Dale, "and new species and strains like HS are often only discovered when they infect humans."

Additional co-authors of the paper are Maria Gutin, Arthur Pontes, Diane Dunn, Andrew von Niederhausern and Robert Weiss, all of the University of Utah.

The National Institutes of Health also funded the research.

WOUNDED WARRIOR DINNER

FROM: U.S. AIR FROCE
Individual mobilization augmentees Tech. Sgt. Lacey Smith (right) and Master Sgt. Mel Reich (left) smile for a photo with Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden during the Wounded Warrior Dinner Nov. 19 in Washington, D.C. Smith received the dinner invitation from Reich due to Lacey's dogged assistance over the last year tackling the member's medical issues. The vice president and his wife, Jill, host this annual event which honors wounded warriors being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and their families who are unable to leave the DC area for Thanksgiving. (Courtesy photo)