RECOVERING LOST DOCUMENTS AFTER A DISASTER

Photo:  Hurricane Isaac Aftermath.  Credit:  FEMA.

FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

How to Replace Documents Lost in a Disaster
Release date:
December 4, 2012

NEW YORK – One of the dire consequences of any disaster for many people is the loss of important documents. Often, such documents are needed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state emergency services in order to process assistance applications for those who suffered losses or damage to their homes and belongings.

If papers are gone – like birth certificates, Social Security cards, drivers’ licenses, tax records, etc. – New York state and FEMA are advising residents on how to recover them:
Birth certificates: If you were born within the confines of the five boroughs of New York City, visit or write to the Office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, Room 133, New York, N.Y. 10013. (A photo ID is required both by mail and in person.) The office advises the fastest way to get records is online at www.nyc.gov/vitalrecords. The phone number is (212) 788-4520.
To download and print an application, log onto http://home2.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/vr/birth1.pdf ; to apply online, log onto www.nyc.gov/vitalrecords.
If you were born in New York state outside of New York City, log onto www.vitalchek.com or phone 877-854-4481. This will connect you to a company called VitalChek, which is contracted with the state to handle credit-card orders. There are modest fees involved.
Drivers’ licenses: Visit any New York Department of Motor Vehicles office. To find an office nearby, log onto www.dmv.ny.gov/index.htm and click on "Replace License or ID."

Social Security cards: Call the U.S. Social Security office at 800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. For TTY users the number is 800-325-0778, or log onto www.ssa.gov/ssnumber for more information.
Federal tax records: Call the Internal Revenue Service at 800-829-1040, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, or log onto www.irs.gov.
New York state tax records: For copies of returns, log onto www.tax.ny.gov/help/contact/how_to_reach.htm. Click on "Get a copy of my return" and fill in the application. You can also apply for a tax-filing and payment extension for those directly affected by Hurricane Sandy at this site.
For copies of your utility bills, bank records, insurance policies, mortgage payments and the like, call the appropriate firm and speak to a customer-service representative.
To prevent further loss of vital documents, place the originals or copies in a sealable plastic bag or other watertight container and secure that container where it is best protected and can easily be located. It is also a good idea to make copies of vital and important documents and mail them to a friend or relative you can trust to keep them safe and retrievable.

TINY TETHYS OF SATURN

FROM: NASATethys may not be tiny by normal standards, but when it is captured alongside Saturn, it can't help but seem pretty small.

Even Saturn's rings appear to dwarf Tethys (660 miles, or 1,062 kilometers across), which is in the upper left of the image, although scientists believe the moon to be many times more massive than the entire ring system combined. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 18 degrees below the ringplane. The image was taken in green light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 19, 2012.

The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1.5 million miles (2.4 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 63 degrees. Image scale is 86 miles (138 kilometers) per pixel.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

Image credit-NASA-JPL-Caltech-Space Science Institute

THE CARIBBEAN BASIN SECURITY INITIATIVE

Secretary Clinton and CARICOM Ministers Celebrate the Launch of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), A Shared Regional Security Partnership 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative: A Shared Regional Security Partnership (Antigua and Barbuda)
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
December 3, 2012

Working together through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the United States and the nations of the Caribbean are combating the drug trade and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security. This partnership fulfills the commitment to deepen regional security cooperation that President Barack Obama made at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009. CBSI is one piece in an integrated effort that includes the other citizen security initiatives in the Hemisphere. The United States, CARICOM member nations, and the Dominican Republic are improving citizen safety throughout the Caribbean by working together to:

Substantially reduce illicit trafficking
Increase public safety and security, and
Promote social justice.
Regional Cooperation

CBSI partner nations have collectively identified several priority areas for cooperation. These include building a regional information sharing network, improving maritime interdiction coordination, and developing regional training capacity. Effective solutions to these challenges will require a sustained commitment from all CBSI partners, as well as the assistance of other international donors.

United States Support Under CBSI

The United States is making a significant contribution to CBSI, committing $203 million in funding for the first three years of the initiative. This contribution includes assistance in the following areas, all developed through the CBSI cooperative dialogue process:

Maritime and Aerial Security Cooperation. Support regional maritime and aerial coordination by improving radar coverage in strategic locations and sharing radar information. Provide equipment and training that will enable Caribbean governments to carry out maritime and aerial operations.
Law Enforcement Capacity Building. Enhance law enforcement effectiveness through police professionalization, anti-corruption training, community-based policing, and sharing regional ballistics and fingerprint information. Equipment and training augment the region’s polygraph capacity and support vetted units in conducting complex investigations, implementing anti-gang initiatives, and combating money laundering and other financial crimes.
Border/Port Security and Firearms Interdiction. Provide technical support, technology upgrades, and training on techniques for intercepting smuggled narcotics, weapons, bulk cash, and other contraband at commercial airports and seaports. Funding will also support the interdiction of firearms and secure management of weapons and ammunition stockpiles.
Justice Sector Reform. Reform and strengthen juvenile justice systems through alternative sentencing and rehabilitation services. Regional justice advisors are providing technical assistance to judges and prosecutors, advising on legal reform, and developing a task force to address critical crime issues. Funding will assist host governments in improving prison conditions.
Crime Prevention and At-risk Youth. Increase educational opportunities and provide workforce development and entrepreneurship training for at-risk youth as an alternative to crime and other harmful behavior. Funding also will support drug demand reduction through the training of treatment and rehabilitation professionals.
Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda will benefit directly from several of the programs described above, to include:

Interceptor boats, equipment, and training to increase counternarcotics efforts and maritime interdiction capability;
Materials and funding to increase law enforcement capacity, such as: establishment of a cyber forensics lab; investigative software for the Financial Intelligence Unit; strengthening of the juvenile justice system; training and equipment for homicide/serious felony investigations and prisons/corrections management; training for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Royal Antigua Police Department;
Mentoring and technical assistance to implement a modern criminal code, national prosecution service, code of conduct for prosecutors, and witness charter;
Workforce development and educational support for at-risk youth.

HONORING THE FATHERS OF THE NUNN-LUGAR THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAM

Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant - Construction Photos, October 2009
　

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Officials Praise Nunn-Lugar Threat Reduction Program
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2012 - Defense Department officials yesterday honored two men who in 1991 established a program that has become a critical part of the U.S. approach to reducing the worldwide proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta made a surprise appearance at the DOD-hosted Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium, held at National Defense University here.

He joined Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, Madelyn R. Creedon, assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs, and Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, all speakers at the symposium.

"I wanted to take the opportunity to come here specifically to honor and pay tribute to [former Georgia Sen.] Sam Nunn and [Indiana Sen.] Dick Lugar, two very dear friends and two of finest public servants in the history of this country," Panetta told the packed room.

"The program that bears their name has had a dramatic and enduring impact on global security," the secretary added, later awarding each man the Distinguished Public Service Award, the department's highest civilian honor.

Also during the symposium, Andrew C. Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs, announced on behalf of the department the establishment of a Nunn-Lugar fellowship in partnership with the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

The first Nunn-Lugar Fellow, he said, is Anya Erokhina, a graduate in nonproliferation and terrorism from Monterey. Erokhina now works in the Office of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs.

In introductory remarks to the symposium, Creedon and Kehler spoke of the impact the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has made during its 20 years of operations.

"While there have been many successes of the CTR program, one of the most remarkable is the support it provided to three of the states of the former Soviet Union, to enable them to be nonnuclear states and parties to the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]," Creedon said.

The program helped the countries remove or destroy all the nuclear weapons and delivery systems they had inherited from the former Soviet Union, she added, noting several other achievements:

-- Facilitating the blend-down of Russia's weapons-grade enriched uranium so that it could be used in commercial nuclear-power reactors to produce electricity rather than weapons;

-- Identifying alternative employment opportunities for nuclear weapons scientists and former chemical and biological weapons scientists, engineers and technicians; and

-- Ensuring the security of nuclear weapons at facilities and during transport, destroying hundreds of nuclear delivery systems and thousands of chemical munitions.

The world and its security challenges continue to change, Creedon said.

"Four years ago, Senator Lugar recognized this change and worked to expand the CTR program's authority beyond the states of the former Soviet Union," she noted. The cooperative threat reduction partnerships have since expanded from 13 to more than 80 countries, she added, and the nature of the program's work has evolved.

"In addition to securing [weapons of mass destruction], the program today works to build partnership capacity in support of treaty and other international obligations and promotes global nonproliferation norms in support of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540, the Global Partnership and the Proliferation Security Initiative," the assistant secretary said.

"DOD is also taking a more global and integrated approach to reducing WMD threats," Creedon added.

Working closely with the departments of State and Energy and its new regional partners, the Defense Department is putting great emphasis on sustainability and stewardship and refocusing the program to take on a wider range of biological threats, she noted, adding that international support also is growing.

"Recognizing the need to reduce the threat of WMD proliferation around the world, 24 countries from the Global Partnership have pledged $10 million over the next 10 years to support CTR's efforts," Creedon said.

Because many countries keep dangerous pathogens for peaceful, legitimate research purposes, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program works with its new partners to ensure that safety and security steps are implemented, she said.

"CTR is drawing from the lessons learned in the states of the former Soviet Union to address biological risks around the world, particularly Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia," Creedon told the audience.

Speaking on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. Strategic Command, Kehler said Nunn, Lugar and their program have made Stratcom's job easier and Americans safer.

"The era of one-size-fits-all deterrence passed with the end of the Cold War," he said. "Today, we are applying a wider range of tools, not just nuclear forces, to our deterrence challenges."

Kehler said Stratcom's most difficult challenge may be its responsibility to synchronize planning for DOD's efforts to combat weapons of mass destruction.

"This challenge is every bit as daunting as our strategic deterrence challenge, and it is here we need significant help," he said. "Fortunately, CTR is effective in helping us with both our deterrence and our combating WMD problems."

Stratcom, Kehler added, reaps the benefits of a remarkable program that secures and then eliminates the world's most dangerous weapons.

"The need to find, identify and track potential threats is a never-ending task for Strategic Command, therefore the elimination of 7,000-plus warheads, 902 ICBMs ... more than 150 bombers, close to 700 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, 33 submarines -- along with some 2,700 metric tons of chemical weapons -- greatly eased our intelligence demands," the general said.

In September alone, he added, the CTR supported the disposal of four more ballistic-missile submarines and another 161-plus metric tons of chemical nerve agents.

"I can therefore devote a portion of our intelligence resources to some of the many other threats that confront us today," Kehler said, adding that the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has been and will continue to be a powerful tool in the national effort to reduce the threat from weapons of mass destruction.

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S REMARKS TO MISSION STAFF IN BRUSSELS

Map:  Belgium.  Credit:  U.S. State Department. 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Meeting With the Staff and Families of the U.S. Missions to the EU and NATO, and U.S. Embassy Brussels

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Embassy Brussels, Chief of Mission Residence
Brussels, Belgium
December 4, 2012

AMBASSSADOR GUTMAN: Good morning. Michelle and I, and actually now that our own son visiting – Collin is visiting, Collin, we’d like to welcome you all to our home, which, as all of the Embassy employees know, is your home as well and is indeed America’s home here in Brussels. And today, I don’t need to tell you, is truly a special day, a day of thrills. First, it’s always a thrill when we get together, when we, the members of the tri-missions all get to be together. It’s a greater thrill to see the families, those who give so much so that their loved ones can serve our country. And if you ever want to see the future of a more peaceful and a more secure planet, you just need to look upon the faces of the kids that were on the stairs there just taking the pics with the Secretary. You cannot look at that stair without being encouraged about our future.

And of course, it’s a thrill whenever I get together with Ambassadors Kennard and Daalder. I have been very fortunate in the past three years to get to learn so much from them. As I’ve mentioned previously, administrations are regarded as successful if 50 percent of their political selections are top notch. With Bill Kennard and Ivo Daalder, the Administration is batting 66 percent here in Brussels. (Laughter.)

And though Ambassador Daalder will introduce the Secretary in just a couple of moments, it’s an honor and a thrill to welcome Secretary Clinton to the tri-missions, for it is a true thrill for each of us to have the opportunity to say thank you, because for you career government and career State Department employees and for us, those who have been blessed to serve with you for a few years, and for all of us who work abroad, we know firsthand what a joy and what an honor it is to represent the United States of America under President Obama and Secretary Clinton, what a true source of pride it is for each of us as people come up to us daily and say once again that they love our country. For together, President Obama and Secretary Clinton have given America a new face, a face that shines brightly around the globe, a face that others now line up to greet and look upon with admiration, with respect, and with true affection. And it’s not hyperbole, it is the literal truth, to say there is no country in which that face has made a bigger difference in the world than here in Belgium, for as many of you know, of all the countries in the world, Belgium finished first in the world this year, as of May 2012, with the highest increase in its favorability rating for the U.S. and for U.S. leadership.

So the Secretary and all of you have made a powerful team indeed. Through the transparency and honesty of President Obama and Secretary Clinton and through your efforts in transmitting that, Belgians have responded like none other. So we are delighted as surrogates for every tourist who can now proudly wear their Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees t-shirt in the Grand Place, for everyone who now carries their guide books face up and not face down, for every ex-pat who now brags that they have a home back in the States, for every business who sells more today by explaining they’re American, we as surrogates thank the Secretary for changing the face of America, for letting us be ever the more proud once again.

And now it’s my pleasure to introduce my dear friend, Ambassador Bill Kennard. (Applause.)

AMBASSADOR KENNARD: Thank you, Howard. The Secretary’s time is very short with us today, so I’m going to be very, very brief. There’s only one thing I want to say, and that is thank you, thank you, Secretary Clinton, for making time to be with us here today. And moreover, thank you for the fact that today, and indeed for the rest of our lives, we will all be proud to be able to say that we served under the leadership of Secretary Hillary Clinton. Thank you. (Applause.)

AMBASSADOR DAALDER: It’s my great pleasure and honor to introduce you, Madam Secretary. This is in some ways a bittersweet moment, a little sad that this is your last visit to Brussels to the NATO ministerial, but very happy because of all of the things that you have accomplished for our country, as Bill and Howard said, but for NATO as well in the last four years.

This is your ninth NATO ministerial. And when I look back to your first ministerial four years ago, I can see what an enormous impact you have had on this alliance. Four years ago, the war in Afghanistan seemed to be going nowhere, Russia and NATO were not speaking, missile defense in Europe seemed an impossible dream, and our European allies seemed to be drifting further and further way from the United States. Today, NATO and the transatlantic partnership has been revitalized and is more active than it has ever been before. We’re on a clear timetable to end the war in Afghanistan, NATO countries are able to ship their supplies to and from Afghanistan through Russia, and NATO and Russia are talking – not always the same language, but we’re talking. (Laughter.) NATO missile defense is a reality, and within NATO our relationship with our European allies and our non-European partners is closer and more cooperative than it has ever been.

All of these accomplishments bear your personal signature and they are a tribute to your perseverance and hard work and your ability to sleep on airplanes. (Laughter.) I believe you’ve spent more time in the air than you have on the ground. You’ve certainly earned more frequent flier miles than all of the air forces of NATO combined. (Laughter.)

And as you said in your recent speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, the United States hasn’t changed direction; it’s simply come back to its core values. You’ve spoken up for people and communities who the United States never spoke up for before. Our foreign policy has become more cooperative, more thoughtful, and more compassionate. You’ve touched the lives of people around the world, and all that you’ve done, you’ve done with a smile, a sense of humor, a kind word, and great, great passion. And no one else will be able to fill your chair at that big round table at NATO as well as you have.

I thank you for all you have accomplished and all you will continue to accomplish after you leave the State Department. Madam Secretary, it’s a great honor to have you here today. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Applause.) Thank you. It is truly both an honor and a great pleasure to be here with all of you in this extraordinary tripartite mission that has done so much and accomplished such a great deal in the last four years. I want to begin, of course, to thank our ambassadors here in Brussels Ivo, Bill, and Howard, or as Howard likes to say, the intelligent one, the dignified one, and the good-looking one. (Laughter.) But I’ll leave it to all of you to decide. (Laughter.)

But I’m sure you will find agreement because the three of these extraordinary ambassadors have worked so well together. And I also want to thank Elisa, Deborah, and Michelle because they have been terrific partners and representatives of our country as well. So I think we should give a round of applause to our ambassadors and (inaudible). (Applause.)

Now I am pleased to be back in Brussels. I am sad that this will be my last official trip, but I am very gratified by the extraordinary working relationship that all of you have had here in Brussels and that we have had across the Atlantic. Let me start by saying a few words about Embassy Brussels because I think Howard was absolutely right in specifically stating that the work of Embassy Brussels has fortified our relationship, has built greater mutual understanding and respect.

In fact, as Howard was referencing, in 2007, only 8 percent of Belgians surveyed had a favorable view of the United States. Belgian leaders tried to close their ports to U.S. ships and their airspace to U.S. planes. So this Embassy really went to work, Americans and Belgians alike. You targeted critical groups, you made more than one hundred appearances on Belgian TV, and you visited all 589 cities and municipalities – (laughter) – telling the American story over and over again. So today, that number is at 46 percent. We still have some ways to go, but that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment.

Now of course, we’re not out to win popularity contests. This shift matters because it produced real results: Belgium agreed to keep its commitment in Afghanistan until 2014, it supported our having a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, it was a leader in the mission in Libya. We needed Belgium as a partner, and that is what’s been accomplished by the work that all of you have been doing.

Now meanwhile, our NATO team has been just as busy forging agreement on a new strategic concept for the future of the alliance, creating consensus among allies on some especially divisive issues, leading on the conversation about intervention in Libya. And in the last four years, the number of defense ministerials, foreign ministerials, and summits have really been breathtaking. (Laughter.) And through it all, the NATO mission has just been shining.

I want to take a second to recognize Karen Pennington, a real star of the Foreign Service. As Ivo says, she is the true leader of the mission. So Karen, thank you for your hard work. (Applause.) And of course, the U.S.-EU group, what a tremendous four years you’ve had. On top of successfully negotiating agreements that strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, building coalitions that confront Iran, promoting peace in the Middle East, expanding trade to our largest economic partner, you have also one of the largest visitor loads in the Foreign Service. Apparently, I’m told you host state officials weekly and top officials from all U.S. agencies nonstop, helping European countries navigate the fiscal crisis. You’ve really made clear, as President Obama has said, that the United States is here as a partner, as a friend, to listen as much as to talk.

So I’m very proud of this extraordinary group of professionals, Americans and Belgians alike. And I want to recognize the families of those serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, along with all of you who have served in unaccompanied posts. I know it’s difficult, particularly around the holiday season, but the work you are doing is essential to America’s security.

And finally, let me thank our incredibly committed and talented locally employed staff. Will all the Belgians raise your hands? All of our Belgian partners, colleagues. (Applause.) Well, as you know very well, ambassadors come and go, secretaries come and go, but you remain the backbone of this operation, carrying the institutional knowledge that we need to keep up the good work that has been done. So I thank you. I thank you for your teamwork, your accomplishments, the passion and commitment that you bring to each mission here, trying to build a more just, more prosperous, more free world.

I am really proud of all of you. I so remember my first trip to Brussels, going to the EU, going to the Parliament, the Commission. I forget how many other organizations there are – (laughter) – and then to work with Bill on the follow-up. And certainly, the memorable day that I walked into NATO and there was this incredibly positive outpouring of greeting which was really for our country but which made it clear that people were so happy that under President Obama, once again, we would be a partner. And of course, here at the mission, you’ve helped in so many ways to make it possible for all of us to do our work.

So with that, let me just shake as many hands as I can before I go off again to NATO, but I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season. You are entitled to a great wheels-up party tomorrow. (Laughter.) This looks like a pretty good row to have it in. (Laughter.) But know that you have my gratitude and my great pride in having served with you. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

TURKEY WILL GET PATRIOT MISSILES

Photo:  Patriot Missile Launch System.  Credit:  U.S. Army.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

NATO Approves Turkey's Request for Patriot Missiles
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2012 - NATO foreign ministers have agreed to Turkey's request for Patriot anti-missile batteries to defend the country against possible airstrikes from neighboring Syria.

The decision came during the first of two days of meetings at alliance headquarters in Brussels, with ministers saying the goal is to "defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the alliance's border."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the situation along Turkey's southeast border with Syria as one of "grave concern," adding that NATO stands in full solidarity with Turkey.

The Patriot missiles are expected to be supplied by the United States, Germany and the Netherlands and would remain under the operational command of the alliance's supreme allied commander for Europe.

The decision comes as the civil war in Syria intensifies and amid new concerns in Washington over the status of the Syrian government's stocks of chemical and biological weapons. In recent weeks, Syrian rockets and shells have landed on the Turkish side of the border, killing several people, a development that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has said raises concerns that the Syrian conflict could spill over into other countries in the region.

The Turkish government has supported Syria's opposition, and as an alliance member had requested that NATO provide the U.S.-built Patriot air defense system to deter further threats to its territory. NATO officials stress that use of the missiles will be purely defensive. Rasmussen emphasized that the system will in no way be used to support a no-fly zone over Syria, as some have proposed.

NATO's decision to approve Turkey's request comes a day after the United States said it was growing increasingly concerned that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime might be considering using its stocks of chemical weapons against its own people. Yesterday, President Barack Obama issued a direct warning to the Syrian leader that any use of chemical or biological weapons would be unacceptable.

"There will be consequences, and you will be held accountable," Obama said.

"I'm Not an Economist, but..." | The White House

"I'm Not an Economist, but..." | The White House

Press Briefing | The White House

Press Briefing | The White House

ISS NEWS FOR DECEMBER 4, 2012

FROM:  NASA

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING-DECEMBER 4, 2012

Daily Press Briefing - December 4, 2012

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
121130-N-YO707-845 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Nov. 30, 2012) Marines assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) conduct fast-rope drills from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21). New York is part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) and is currently deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Cyrus Roson/Released)

121201-N-VA840-185 PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Dec. 1, 2012) Sailors stand watch at a .50-caliber machine gun mount on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Leonard Adams Jr./Released)

Detecting Breast Cancer

Detecting Breast Cancer

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR DECEMBER 4, 2012

Photo:  Afghanistan Landscape.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader during a security operation in the Maiwand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The arrested Taliban leader controlled a group of insurgents operating in the district and facilitated the acquisition and distribution of ammunition and weapons to insurgents, officials said. He also oversaw improvised explosive device and suicide attacks.

The security force also detained three suspected insurgents.

In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- In the Musa Khel district of Khost province, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network leader, detained two other suspects and seized weapons and ammunition. The detained Haqqani leader had attacked Afghan and coalition forces and supplied insurgents with weapons and ammunition.

-- In the Chak-e Wardak district of Wardak province, a combined force killed two insurgents, detained two suspects, and seized weapons, ammunition and several grenades during a search for a Taliban leader who oversees a local group of insurgents and has conducted numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province. The detained insurgent leader was responsible for the emplacement of IEDs and numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

In an operation yesterday in the Chahar Burjak district of Nimroz province, a combined force found and destroyed 5,049 pounds of dry opium, 551 pounds of wet opium and 110 pounds of heroin.

In Dec. 2 operations-- In the Kajaki district of Helmand province, a combined force killed several insurgents and found and destroyed 551 pounds of opium and a large quantity of drug-making equipment.

-- In the Shahid-e-Hasa district of Uruzgan province, a combined force killed several insurgents, including Qayum, a local Taliban leader responsible for planning attacks against Afghan and coalition troops. The security force also detained multiple suspects.

-- A combined force killed Maulawi Tayeb, a local Taliban leader, in the Tarin Kowt district of Uruzgan province. Tayeb had planned and conducted attacks against Afghan government officials and was directly involved in numerous IED attacks.

BURKINA FASO PARLIAMENTARY AND LOCAL ELECTIONS

Map:  Burkina Faso.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Burkina Faso Parliamentary and Local Elections
Press Statement
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 4, 2012


We congratulate the Burkinabe people on their peaceful participation in Sunday’s parliamentary and local elections. Millions of voters across the country successfully cast their votes for more than 6,000 candidates for 127 seats in parliament and thousands of local races. We welcome initial reports that voting was generally peaceful and well-run. We encourage election officials to thoroughly investigate all reports of irregularities and we look forward to the announcement of official results on December 7.


　

Burkina Faso Locator Map.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.

HOW WINTER HAS CHANGED

Phto Credit:  NSF/Wikimedia Commons.

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Where Have Our Winters Gone?

December 3, 2012
If you're planning to skate on a frozen lake or river this winter, ski on a snowy slope, or, when spring arrives, depend on snowmelt to refill your water supply, you may need to think twice.

Winter as a "species" may have evolved to be less like the winters we remember. The change has consequences for summer, too, including plants' flowering times.

Scientists will present results on how winter is changing and why it matters at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference, taking place in San Francisco from Dec. 3 to 7, 2012.

When Winter Changes: Hydrological, Ecological, and Biogeochemical Responses (Session B21I) takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012.

Session conveners include Heidi Steltzer of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.; Michael Weintraub of the University of Toledo; Molly Brown of NASA; and Mark Williams of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded much of the research results being presented at the session.

Subjects to be addressed include: hydrological and ecological implications of radiative forcing by dust in snow; phenological and ecological consequences of changes in winter snowpack in the Colorado Rocky Mountains; and when snow melts early: unusual alpine plant life histories during the summer of 2012.

Other presentations will look at insects, fires and climate change: implications for snow cover, water resources and ecosystem recovery in western North America; climate effects on groundwater storage, hydrochemistry and residence time in geologically variable, snowmelt-dominated mountain catchments in Colorado's Front Range; and the response of aboveground plant productivity to earlier snowmelt and summer warming in an arctic ecosystem.

"Wherever winter occurs, it is likely changing now or projected to change in the future," says Steltzer. "That will affect us all."

Among the session's highlights are talks on snowmelt-dependent water supplies, and mountain ecosystems out of sync.

Windborne dust on high peaks dampens Colorado River runoff

[Presentation B21I-01: Thomas Painter, JPL/UCLA]

"More than 80 percent of sunlight falling on fresh snow is reflected back to space," says atmospheric scientist Tom Painter of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the University of California at Los Angeles. "But sprinkle some dark particles on the snow and that number drops dramatically."

The darker dust absorbs sunlight, reducing the amount of reflected light and in turn warming the now "dirty" snow surface.

The result? Dust-on-snow events. That's exactly what's happening in the Colorado River Basin.

When the winds are right and the desert is dry, dust blows eastward from the semi-arid regions of the U.S. Southwest. In a dust-up, Western style, small dark particles fall on the mountains' white snowfields, ultimately affecting the entire Colorado River watershed.

While dust has always blown into these mountains, the expansion of grazing and other disturbances in the western U.S. in the mid- to late-1800s led to a five- to seven-fold increase in dust loading. The snow cover became darker and lasted for shorter and shorter periods.

Lee's Ferry, Ariz., is the dividing line between the upper and lower Colorado River Basins.

There, according to Painter, peak spring runoff from the Colorado River occurs an average of three weeks earlier due to the more recent five-fold increase in such dust.

With this effect, total annual runoff at Lee's Ferry--and the Colorado River Basin as a whole--has been reduced by about five percent per year.

"Earlier melt-out allows for an extra three weeks of snow-free conditions," says Painter. "Increased transfer of water from snow to the atmosphere from the warmer snowpack, and transpired water from the uncovered vegetation during those three weeks of no-snow in the basin's mountains, causes the five-percent loss of water from the system."

"This research lays the foundation for future sound water-resource management of a river that serves 27 million people," says Anjuli Bamzai, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funded the research.

Runoff from the Colorado River Basin has decreased by more than 35 billion cubic feet due to airborne dust, according to Painter.

"Lake sediments in the mountains indicate that the increased dust load came after the vast increases in grazing and agriculture in the deserts of the southwest U.S. in the late 1800s."

The snow cover, Painter says, is therefore much darker in spring than it was at that time, and melts away several weeks earlier.

"Runoff comes from the mountains in a more compressed period, which makes water management more difficult than if the water came more slowly out of the mountains."

More focus on reducing dust could be effective, says Painter, "and in turn sustain the mountain reservoir system of snow cover, potentially increase runoff, and counter the regional effects of climate change."

If changes are made in the way desert soils are managed and dust emission is reduced, he says, it could ease tensions over water in the entire Colorado River Basin.

Glacier lilies and broad-tailed hummingbirds out of sync

[Presentation B21I-05: David Inouye, University of Maryland]

The glacier lily, a tall, willowy plant that graces mountain meadows throughout western North America, flowers early in spring, when the first bumblebees and hummingbirds appear.

Or did.

The lily, a plant that grows best on subalpine slopes, is fast becoming a hothouse flower. In Earth's warming temperatures, its first blooms appear some 17 days earlier than they did in the 1970s, ecologist David Inouye of the University of Maryland has found.

The problem is that the glacier lily is no longer synchronized with the arrival of broad-tailed hummingbirds, which depend on the lilies' flowers for nectar.

By the time hummingbirds fly in, says Inouye, many of the flowers have withered away, taking their nectar-laden blooms with them.

"Long-term records of snowmelt and plant-flowering provide a stark interpretation of current events," says Saran Twombly, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.

"Climate change is disrupting the careful match between organisms and their environments," she says. "The ecological communities of today are dramatically different than those of the past."

Broad-tailed hummingbirds migrate north from Central America every spring to high-mountain breeding sites in the western United States. The birds have only a short mountain summer to raise their young. Male hummingbirds scout for territories before the first flowers bloom.

But the time between the first hummingbird and the first bloom has collapsed by 13 days over the past four decades. In some years, the lilies have already bloomed by the time the first hummingbird lands.

Biologists calculate that if current trends continue, in two decades the hummingbirds will miss the first flowers entirely.

Broad-tailed hummingbirds that breed farther south have fewer challenges.

"In Arizona, for example," says Inouye, "there's no obvious narrowing of the timing between the first arriving males and the first blooms of, in that case, the nectar-containing Indian paintbrush."

Higher latitudes may be more likely to become out of sync ecologically because global warming is happening fastest there.

As snows continue to melt earlier in spring, bringing earlier flowering, the mountains may come alive with glacier lilies long before hummingbirds can complete their journey north.

Holiday Mailing Options and Deadlines

Holiday Mailing Options and Deadlines

FORMER FAIR FINANCE COMPANY CEO SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CONDUCTING $200 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on November 30, 2012, Timothy S. Durham, former CEO of Ohio-based Fair Finance Company ("Fair Finance"), was sentenced to 50 years in prison for orchestrating a $200 million scheme that defrauded more than 5,000 investors over almost five years. Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana also sentenced James F. Cochran, Fair Finance’s board chairman, to 25 years in prison, and Rick D. Snow, the firm’s chief financial officer, to a 10-year prison term. According to U.S. Attorney Joseph Hogsett in Indianapolis, Durham’s sentence is the longest white-collar fraud sentence in Indiana history.

On June 20, 2012, a federal jury in Indiana convicted Durham, age 50, of securities fraud, conspiracy and 10 counts of wire fraud. Cochran, age 57, and Snow, age 49, were also found guilty on conspiracy and securities fraud charges for their roles in the Fair Finance scheme.

On March 16, 2011, the Commission filed a civil action against Durham, Cochran and Snow based on the same conduct alleged in the criminal case. The Commission’s action has been stayed pending the outcome of the criminal case.

The Commission’s complaint alleged that Fair Finance had for decades legitimately raised funds by selling interest-bearing certificates to investors and using the proceeds to purchase and service discounted consumer finance contracts. However, after purchasing Fair Finance in 2002, Durham, Cochran and Snow began to deceive investors. Under the guise of loans, Durham and Cochran schemed to divert investor proceeds to themselves and others, including to entities that they controlled.

The Commission alleged that Durham and Cochran knew that neither they nor their related companies had the earnings, collateral or other resources to ensure repayment on the purported loans. As CFO, Snow knew or was reckless in not knowing that neither Durham and Cochran nor their entities could repay the funds they took from Fair Finance.

The complaint further alleged that, by November 2009, Durham, Cochran and their related businesses owed Fair Finance more than $200 million, which accounted for approximately 90 percent of Fair Finance’s total loan portfolio. Durham and Cochran also gave large amounts of money to family members and friends, and misused investor funds to afford mortgages for multiple homes, a $3 million private jet, a $6 million yacht, and classic and exotic cars worth more than $7 million. They also diverted investor money to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling and travel expenses, credit card bills, and country club dues, and to pay for elaborate parties and other forms of entertainment.

NASA VIDEO: CARBON DIOXIDE'S SEASONS GREETINGS

FROM: NASA

　
Watching Earth Breathe
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas in our atmosphere. View the seasonal cycle of carbon dioxide and the increase of carbon dioxide every year due to human activity.

U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR SOLIS MAKES STATEMENT ON 2012 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

U.S. Secretary Of Labor Hilda L. Solis

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on 2012 International Day of Persons with Disabilities

WASHINGTON —December 3, 2012
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement to mark the 2012 International Day of Persons with Disabilities:

"Today is an important opportunity to celebrate the diversity and innovation that people with disabilities bring to businesses of all sizes in all industries every day. Through their talents and skills, they are contributing to global economic growth and making the United States a stronger nation.

"More countries are coming to recognize the importance of giving all qualified job seekers equal opportunity to compete. However, in both good economic times and in bad, people with disabilities continue to have fewer opportunities in our educational institutions and workplaces than those without disabilities. This must change. We know that there’s a strong business case for why companies should hire people with disabilities. These Americans want to work, and they’re highly capable of success if proper accommodations are made. In fact, there’s a growing body of evidence proving that workers with disabilities often meet or exceed the job performance of those without them.

"Here at home, we’ve made tremendous advances since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in combating discrimination against those who may have a disability. With this progress domestically comes a greater responsibility on the world stage to work with other nations so that they embrace policies to help the world’s 1 billion persons with disabilities access good jobs, educational opportunities and critical medical care.

"Today, I join President Obama in calling on foreign nations to recognize the dignity and extraordinary talents of persons with disabilities everywhere. The Department of Labor is committed to providing our partners at home and abroad with information about the most effective strategies for employing persons with disabilities."

 

JUDGE REMOVED FROM HASAN CASE BECAUSE OF APPEARANCE OF "IMPARTIALITY"

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Military Judge Removed From Hasan Court-martial

From a Fort Hood News Release
FORT HOOD, Texas, Dec. 4, 2012 - Citing the appearance of bias, the highest military appellate court yesterday ordered the removal of Army Col. Gregory Gross as trial judge in the court-martial of an Army psychiatrist accused in a November 2009 shooting spree at a deployment center here.

Maj. Nidal M. Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which sits in Washington, D.C., said in its 10-page opinion that because of a variety of factors, a reasonable person "would harbor doubts about the military judge's impartiality." The court did not say that the trial judge was actually biased, officials noted, but instead ordered the removal for the appearance of bias. The court also set aside the six previous contempt convictions against Hasan, who has refused orders from Gross to shave his beard and conform with Army grooming standards in the courtroom, though it did not issue a ruling on whether Hasan has a right to wear his beard under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

A new trial judge will be detailed to the court-martial and will decide on the matter when the case goes back on the record in open court.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA'S REMARKS AT COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION SYMPOSIUM

FROM: U.S. DELPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
20TH Anniversary Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Washington, D.C., Monday, December 03, 2012

Thank you. Good afternoon. Senators Nunn and Lugar, distinguished guests, ambassadors and officials from the partner countries, thank you all for being here today.

I am honored to be able to participate in this important symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program.

Let me thank National Defense University, and Major General Gregg Martin and Dr. John Reichart for their great work in organizing today's conference.

It's been a day to reflect on the successes that have been achieved in nonproliferation over the past two decades through the CTR program.

It's a particular honor to be able to be in the company of Senator Sam Nunn and Senator Richard Lugar, whose leadership made this program possible.

We can say that the course of history changed for the better because these two men helped the nation confront the threat of nuclear proliferation at the end of the Cold War. The world would have been, without question, a far more dangerous and threatening place were it not for these two patriots.

Earlier this afternoon, I was honored to be able to present Senator Nunn and Senator Lugar with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Department of Defense's highest civilian honor. Sam and Dick, and you have made the world safer and more secure, and you have the profound gratitude of this nation and the global community.

I also want to recognize and thank my Deputy, Ash Carter, who played a critical role in thinking up and working with these two senators on their legislation, also established the Department's CTR program in the early 1990s as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and continues that effort now in the Pentagon.

Indeed, today, it's also important that we use this opportunity to generate new thinking and new ideas for how best to carry this vital vision into the future.

It's important to have this discussion now because the CTR program is at a critical inflection point. It's evolved from a focus on nuclear infrastructure in the former Soviet Union to encompass a broader range of counter-WMD efforts across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

And despite the successes achieved in the Former Soviet Union, this program remains as critical as ever, and maintains the strong support of the Department of Defense's leadership.

It also has the strong support of our special guest today, who I am honored to serve in his cabinet and am honored to introduce.

President Obama has been a leader in reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction since he joined the United States Senate and partnered closely with Dick Lugar. As President, he set a visionary agenda to achieve a world without nuclear weapons and has taken practical steps to move the world in that direction. In doing so, he has helped renew America's global leadership and he has helped advance the cause of peace and security in the 21st century. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to introduce our Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama.

SEC CHARGES ACCOUNTING FIRMS WITH FAILURE TO PRODUCE AUDIT WORK PAPERS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today began administrative proceedings against the China affiliates of each of the Big Four accounting firms and another large U.S. accounting firm for refusing to produce audit work papers and other documents related to China-based companies under investigation by the SEC for potential accounting fraud against U.S. investors.

The SEC charged the following firms with violating the Securities Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires foreign public accounting firms to provide the SEC upon request with audit work papers involving any company trading on U.S. markets:
BDO China Dahua Co. Ltd
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants Ltd
Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP
KPMG Huazhen (Special General Partnership)
PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian CPAs Limited
According to the SEC’s order instituting the proceedings, SEC investigators have been making efforts for the past several months to obtain documents from these firms. The audit materials are being sought as part of SEC investigations into potential wrongdoing by nine China-based companies whose securities are publicly traded in the U.S. The audit firms have refused to cooperate in the investigations.

"Only with access to work papers of foreign public accounting firms can the SEC test the quality of the underlying audits and protect investors from the dangers of accounting fraud," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. "Firms that conduct audits knowing they cannot comply with laws requiring access to these work papers face serious sanctions."

An administrative law judge will schedule a hearing and determine the appropriate remedial sanction against the firms. The order requires the administrative law judge to issue an initial decision no later than 300 days from the date of service of the order.

The SEC has launched an initiative to address concerns arising from reverse mergers and foreign issuers. Through the work of a Cross Border Working Group, the agency has deregistered the securities of nearly 50 companies and filed fraud cases against more than 40 foreign issuers and executives. The SEC’s Enforcement Division has taken a series of actions against China-based audit firms. Earlier this year, the SEC announced an enforcement action against Shanghai-based Deloitte Touche Tomatsu for refusing to produce documents for an SEC investigation into one of its China-based clients. That proceeding is ongoing. The SEC previously filed a subpoena enforcement action in federal court against the firm for failing to produce documents in response to a subpoena pertaining to its longtime client Longtop Financial Technologies Limited. In the separate administrative proceeding against Longtop, an administrative law judge found that Longtop was delinquent in its reporting obligations and ordered Longtop’s securities registration to be revoked.

"U.S. investors should be able to rely on the quality of audited financial statements," said Kara Brockmeyer, co-head of the SEC’s Cross Border Working Group. "Our Working Group’s actions demonstrate how the SEC is proactively identifying emerging risks to protect U.S. investors from accounting fraud."

This enforcement action was coordinated by the Cross Border Working Group and involved investigative teams in SEC offices in Washington D.C., Boston, New York, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles.

NEWS FROM ISS FOR DECEMBER 3, 2012

FROM:  NASA

 

U.S. ANNOUNCES $3.43 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE TO COMBAT ILLICIT FIREARMS IN CARIBBEAN REGION

Map:  Trinadad And Tobago.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

 FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

United States Launches Initiative to Combat Illicit Firearms Trafficking in Caribbean Region

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 3, 2012　

The United States will announce a $3.43 million assistance program to combat illicit trafficking in firearms as part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). This announcement at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) headquarters will occur on the margin of the Third Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on December 4-5, 2012. IMPACS is an institution of CARICOM created to support member states' national security initiatives through regional cooperation and coordination within the context of a Regional Crime and Security Strategy. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, will combat illicit firearms trafficking in the region through capacity building measures in collaboration with all members of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. Department of State has partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to spearhead this initiative comprised of the following agenda which will: 1.) provide two Regional Firearms Advisors in the Caribbean to render on-site assistance; 2.) establish a forensic training program; 3.) provide expert legal, regulatory and parliamentary assistance; and 4.) develop an exchange program that permits Caribbean law enforcement officials to work alongside ATF counterparts in the United States.

The U.S. Department of State has also provided $1 million to the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) to assist fourteen Caribbean States in the development of National Action Plans on Stockpile Management and Firearms Destruction, specialized training for law enforcement officials, and recommendations on legal reforms, and updates to national firearms acts.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Liliana Ayalde will participate in the ceremony on December 4. Other notable participants include CARICOM Council of Ministers for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) Chairman and Bahamian Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage, Interim Executive Director for CARICOM IMPACS Francis Forbes, and ATF Deputy Assistant Director John Torres.

FEMA PHOTOS: HURRICANE SANDY CLEANUP CONTINUES IN MARYLAND

FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Crisfield, Md., Dec. 1, 2012 -- Alex Johnston uses a mini excavator to cleanup downed trees in Crisfield, Md. as cleanup continues after Hurricane Sandy came through the area. FEMA and county officials were assessing the effects from Hurricane Sandy in Crisfield, Md., and in the surrounding Somerset County. Frank Niemeir/FEMA

Crisfield, Md., Dec. 1, 2012 -- Neil Stevens clean debris from an apartment complex that had been flooded in Crisfield, Md., as cleanup continues after Hurricane Sandy came through the area. FEMA and county officials were assessing the effects from Hurricane Sandy in Crisfield, Md. and in the surrounding Somerset County. Frank Niemeir/FEMA

U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA WARNS SYSRIA NOT TO USE WMDS

President Barack Obama thanks Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, center right, and former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, center, for their work to help in denuclearizing countries after the fall of the Soviet Union at the National Defense University in Washington D.C., Dec. 3, 2012. Prior to the president's speech, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, presented Nunn and Lugar with the Defense Civilian Service Award, the highest award the Defense Department can give a civilian. DOD photo by Erin Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Obama Warns Syria Against Using Chemical, Biological Weapons
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 - President Barack Obama today warned Syria's Bashar Assad regime that the use of chemical biological weapons would be "unacceptable."

Speaking to at the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Symposium at the National Defense University here, Obama addressed concerns of the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in Syria.

"Today, I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command [that] the world is watching," he said. "The use of chemical weapons is, and would be, totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there where be consequences, and you will be held accountable."

The president said it has been critical to continue investing in threat reduction programs over the past four years of his administration.

"We simply cannot allow the 21st century to be darkened by the worst weapons of the 20th century," Obama said. "And even as we make some very tough fiscal choices, we're going to keep investing in these programs, because our national security depends on it."

The president noted even after the destruction of thousands of missiles, elimination of bombers and submarines and deactivation of warheads, much work remains to be done.

"There's still much too much material -- nuclear, chemical, biological -- being stored without enough protection," he said. "There are still terrorists and criminal gangs doing everything they can to get their hands on it."

If these criminals get these weapons, they will use them, potentially killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people and perhaps triggering a global crisis, the president said.

"[This is] why I continue to believe that nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security," he added. "[And] why working to prevent nuclear terrorism is going to remain one of my top national security priorities as long as I have the privilege of being president of the United States."

The president emphasized that the United States must sustain efforts across the government to strengthen threat reduction programs such as the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which he called "one of our most important national security programs."

"[This is] why we haven't just sustained programs like Nunn-Lugar over the past four years," Obama said. "We've worked with all of you to strengthen it, expanding it to some 80 nations, far beyond the old Soviet Union - moving ahead with the destruction of chemical weapons - partnering with others, countries from Africa to Asia and global health organizations to prevent the spread of deadly diseases and bioterrorism."

The work ahead will not be easy, Obama said. "It took decades and extraordinary sums of money to build those arsenals," he explained. "It's going to take decades and continued investments to dismantle them."

Obama also said while this painstaking work rarely makes headlines, it is "absolutely vital to our national security and to our global interests."

"Missile by missile, warhead by warhead, shell by shell, we're putting a bygone era behind us," he said. "Inspired by Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar, we're moving closer to the future we seek -- a future where these weapons never threaten our children again, [and] a future where we know the security and peace of a world without nuclear weapons."

The president also told the audience that the United States will continue to support the "legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people" by engaging with the opposition and providing them with humanitarian aid and by working for a transition to a Syria that's free of the Assad regime.

NASA VIDEO: MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION 2013

FROM: NASA

Moon Phase & Libration 2013: Additional Graphics
This visualization shows the phase and libration of the Moon throughout the year 2013, at hourly intervals. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this version of the visualization shows additional relevant information, including the Moon's orbit position, subsolar and subearth points, distance from the Earth, and more.


 

Be Tobacco Free

Be Tobacco Free

AFRICOM COMMANDER WORRIES ABOUT COLLABORATGING EXTREMIST

Army General Carter F. Ham

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Collaborating Extremist Groups Worry Africom Commander

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 – Extremist groups collaborating in Africa pose a threat beyond the region that extends to Europe and the United States, U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer said here today.

Countering violent extremists is a growing challenge for Africom, Army Gen. Carter F. Ham told an audience at George Washington University.

The al-Qaida affiliated terror group al-Shabab is active in Somalia, though it is being dealt with, Ham said, and lawlessness in Libya is attracting another terror group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb. That group continues to operate in northern Mali, which Ham calls a "haven" for terrorists.

In Nigeria, the militant group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks in recent months. Ham emphasized that these groups and others signal the importance of Africa Command in countering extremists on the continent.

But although those individual organizations are "dangerous and important," Ham said, his biggest worry is a growing linkage and network of collaboration and synchronization among them. That, he added, "poses the greatest threat to regional stability more broadly across Africa, into Europe and the United States as well."

Africom stood up Oct. 1, 2008, and is the newest geographic command. Ham said the command’s mission is to advance the national security interests of the United States in Africa. "We think we do that best by strengthening the defense capabilities of African nations so they are increasingly capable of providing not only for their own security, but contributing to regional security and stability as well," he said.

Africa Command has taken direct action on the continent, as demonstrated last year by the U.S. effort in the skies over Libya to protect civilians there from forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. "But we think we are at our best when we are supporting and enabling African nations and African regional organizations to achieve their ends," the general added.

That African officials are best able to confront and surmount African challenges is a mantra for Africom, Ham said, noting that his command is best known on the continent for training African forces and providing enabling technologies.

The defense strategic guidance announced earlier this year gave pause to many on the continent, Ham acknowledged, because of its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. "There was, by my count, one mention of the word Africa" in the document, he said. But he noted the guidance includes more than the Asia-Pacific focus.

"The focus on the Pacific makes sense, but rather than focus on the geographic priorities, take a look at the mission sets that are outlined in the strategic defense guidance," he said. At the top of the list is countering extremist organizations. Next is maintaining global access, followed by building partner capacity. U.S. forces must be ready to contribute to humanitarian and disaster relief missions and to prevent and respond to mass atrocities, the general said.

"All these, sadly, are necessary in Africa," he added.