Archives

All posts for the day January 15th, 2011

Did you know: DoD received $12B in Recovery Act Moneys

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: America at War!, Congress, Defense Budgets, DOD News, Economics, Recession, Recovery Act. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 comment
The emblem of Recovery.gov, the official site ...

Image via Wikipedia

Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Related Articles

Travels with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: DOD News. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 comment
Dec. 5-10, 2010

Overview

In the course of his duties, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates travels throughout the world visiting U.S. military forces in deployed locations and meeting with defense counterparts in allied and partner nations. Here’s a look at Secretary Gates’ latest travels.

Statistics from the Secretary’s Travels
Year International
Miles		 Countries
Visited *		 Total
Travel Days		 Hours
Flown
2006 9,200 1(1) 4 25
2007 199,299 33 (49) 78 428
2008 116,210 27 (34) 54 301
2009 105,082 18(20) 41 245
2010 165,891 25 (30) 67 372
TOTALS 595,682 104 (134) 244 1373

* The number in parentheses reflects the total number of locations visited for the year. This number is higher as it reflects multiple visits to countries already previously visited.

 

En Route to Washington

Gates Heads Back to Washington From Overseas

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Dec. 10, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is on his way back to Washington after visiting with deployed servicemembers, getting a ground-view perspective on operations in eastern and southern Afghanistan, and meeting with leaders in Oman, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates. Story

Gates Brings Deployed Soldiers Home

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Dec. 10, 2010 – As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates makes his way back to Washington from an overseas trip, he has some extra passengers aboard this Air Force E-4B: soldiers deployed to Afghanistan who are heading home on rest and recuperation leave to spend time with their families during the holiday season. Story

<!–

–><!–

–>

<!–

 

–>

United Arab Emirates

Gates Meets With Crown Prince in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 9, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Abu Dhabi to meet with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nubayan and to discuss a range of bilateral and regional security issues. Story

<!–

–><!–

–>

Afghanistan

Cooperation Will Endure, Gates Tells U.S. Embassy

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 9, 2010 – Cooperation between the U.S. military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan will endure beyond the end of combat, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told embassy workers in Afghanistan. Story

Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

Gates Praises USS Lincoln’s Crew for War Contributions

MUSCAT, Oman, Dec. 6, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln for its support of the war effort in Afghanistan, as he toured the supercarrier off the coast of Oman. Story

<!–

Secretary Visits With USS Abraham Lincoln’s Crew

MUSCAT, Oman, Dec. 6, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates flew out to the USS Abraham Lincoln cruising off the Omani coast for an overnight visit with the aircraft carrier’s 5,000-member crew. Story

–>

Speeches and Transcripts

Oman

Gates Meets With Leaders in Oman, Plans Carrier Visit

MUSCAT, Oman, Dec. 5, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here to meet with the country’s monarch, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, and the sultan’s minister responsible for defense affairs. Gates’ visit to Oman also provides an opportunity to visit U.S. sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is operating off Oman’s coast in the Arabian Gulf. Story

Related Information

 

<!–

–>

Related Articles

Today in the DoD

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: DOD News. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
Press Resources
Saturday, January 15, 2011 PRESS/MEDIA QUERIES >>

Today In DOD

  
Today in the Department of Defense Saturday, January 15, 2011

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

News Photos
Staff Sgt. Chad Kair, Sgt. 1st Class Travis Leonhardt and Sgt. 1st Class Charles Houston coordinate security during a meeting.
Seaman Whitney A. Polanco paints handrails on the fantail.
Maj. Bobbie Mayes gives an Afghan woman supplies.
Secretary Gates listens to a student's question after giving a speech.
Secretary Gates talks with Korean National Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.
Secretary Gates is escorted by Korean National Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.
Secretary Gates walks with Korean National Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Andras Toth trowels the foundation of a new classroom.
U.S. Navy sailors assigned to a visit, board, search and seizure team and Coast Guardsmen conduct a counter piracy operations briefing.
Airman David Chitwood takes a fuel sample from a sponson.
Capt. Justin Quisenberry walks through a village during a joint patrol.

 
STAFF SGT. CHAD KAIR, SGT. 1ST CLASS TRAVIS LEONHARDT AND SGT. 1ST CLASS CHARLES HOUSTON COORDINATE SECURITY DURING A MEETING. -  U.S. Army soldiers Staff Sgt. Chad Kair, Sgt. 1st Class Travis Leonhardt and Sgt. 1st Class Charles Houston coordinate security during a meeting to discuss improvement projects in the Daymirdad district, Wardak province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 9, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 10th Mountain Division’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. DoD photo by Sgt. Sean P. Casey, U.S. Army. (Released)   Hi-Res | News Photo Archive
Related Articles

Ever wonder who gets Defense Spending? These are the $5M + Awards

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: America at War!, Defense Budgets, DOD News. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
Seal of the Department of Defense   U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
Contracts
 
 
On the Web:
http:/www.defense.gov/contracts/default.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131		  
Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m. Contract announcements issued within the past 30 days are listed below. Older contract announcements are available from the contract archive page. Contract announcements are also available by e-mail subscription. Go to DOD News for more information and for links to other news items.
Contracts for January 14, 2011
Contracts for January 13, 2011
Contracts for January 12, 2011
Contracts for January 11, 2011
Contracts for January 10, 2011
Contracts for January 07, 2011
Contracts for January 06, 2011
Contracts for January 05, 2011
Contracts for January 04, 2011
Contracts for January 03, 2011
Contracts for December 30, 2010
Contracts for December 29, 2010
Contracts for December 28, 2010
Contracts for December 27, 2010
Contracts for December 23, 2010
Contracts for December 22, 2010
Contracts for December 21, 2010
Contracts for December 20, 2010
Contracts for December 17, 2010

 

 

Related Articles

Should Personal Toys be allowed in Public Schools?

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: *Original Posts, Education, Human Interest, Local News. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

In Human Interest, Shepherdstown, Shepherdstown Elementary School on January 15, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Cover of the first shinshōbon for Metal Fight ...

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Shepherdstown Elementary School has allowed students in the 4th Grade (possibly other grades also) to bring BeyBlades to school. At this time almost every child has one and brings them to school every day. The use of these toys has become an overwhelming occupation, to the extent that the school teachers have had to institute restrictions on how often they can use them.

The silly band craze has seemed to wear off substantially. Silly bands were different in that they were worn on kids wrists. They also seemed to be at every grade level. Even a number of teachers wore them and others gave them out as rewards for good behasviour in the class room. There were some issues when children wore so many of them on their wrists that it was bad for circulation. This fad seems to have faded.

Beyblades are now the in-thing. If you are not familar with them I am including a picture of one below.

So, what is Beyblade and where does it come from?

Beyblade (爆転シュート ベイブレード, Bakuten Shūto Beiburēdo?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. Originally serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 2000 to 2002, the individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon volume by Shogakukan. The series focuses on a group of kids who form teams with which they battle one another using highly powerful spinning tops called “Beyblades” which are enchanted with magical spirits.

The manga is licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media. The manga was adapted into a three season anime series. The first season, spanning 51 episodes, aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from January 8, 2001, to December 24, 2001. The second season, Beyblade V-Force, ran for another 51 episodes from January 7, 2002, until December 30, 2002. The third season, Beyblade G Revolution, also spanned 51 episodes (the 51st was a double-length special but was split into two episodes for the Western release) and ran from January 6, 2003, until its conclusion on December 29, 2003. The seasons are licensed by Nelvana for an English-language release in North America.

A new series of Beyblade has been released in 2009 (2010 in U.S.), entitled Beyblade Metal Fusion (known as Metal Fight Beyblade in Japan). It features a new cast of characters and Beyblades. A sequel series has also been released in 2010 (2011 in U.S.), called BeyBlade: Metal Masters.

—————————————–

Unlike Silly bands, Beyblades have movies, TV shows on Ninetndo, Wii, DS and other games that kids can buy. Their lives can be consumed by this fad which perhaps is why so many 4th Graders at Shepherdstown Elementary School are bringing them in to compete.

So, if they can bring Beyblades to school, what else can they bring to Shepherdstown Elementary?

Please chime in to this discussion.

I for one beleive children should not be allowed to bring any personal items to school, except possibly on a day set aside for kids sharing things with their classmates during class time. We called this “Show and Tell” in the old days…

Related Articles

White House Daily Snapshot

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: White House Daily Snapshot. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Image via Wikipedia

  Your Daily Snapshot for
Saturday, Jan. 15,  2011
  Your Weekly Address: “Before We are Democrats or Republicans, We are Americans“As Congress returns to work, the President calls on them — and all of us — to debate our differences vigorously but to live up to the spirit of common cause we felt following the tragedy in Arizona.

Watch the video.

Weekly Wrap Up

Tragedy in Arizona: On Saturday, January 8th, 2011, senseless acts of violence committed in Tucson, Arizona claimed innocent lives. At a memorial event, President Obama asked Americans to channel their emotions toward the pursuit of a more perfect union, saying that “If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate — as it should — let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost.” Watch the video. View the photo gallery. Read an open letter to parents from the First Lady.

MLK Day: Find opportunities in your community to honor Dr. King and mark the 25th anniversary of the holiday by volunteering with a service project near you.

In Numbers: Less than a month after President Obama signs the tax cut compromise, millions of American workers are already seeing the impact show up in their paychecks from the payroll tax cut – here are some numbers to help you understand what that means.

Changes for Cuba and America: The President directs the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security to take a series of steps to continue efforts to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. Read the announcement.

Honoring Holbrooke: The President joins countless others in honoring legend of American diplomacy Richard Holbrooke. Read the remarks.

West Wing Week: Preview of “Dispatches from Sudan“: This week, an historic referendum took place in Sudan and West Wing Week takes you there. Join General Scott Gration, President Obama’s Special Envoy to Sudan, for a unique look at the vote that could result in the world’s newest nation. Watch the video.

VP Visits Afghanistan: Vice President Biden spends the week in Afghanistan to assess progress toward full independence for Afghanistan, meet with our partners, and commend our troops. Read the post. View the gallery.

Haiti: One Year Later: A statement from the President. A look back on the last year and on toward the future from the highest-ranking Haitian-American official in the Obama Administration.

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111 
     

 

  
Related Articles

Fallen But Not Forgotten

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: America at War!, Casualties of War, Fallen But Not Forgotten, War, War on Terror. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

DOD Identifies Army Casualty
Sat, 15 Jan 2011 07:26:00 -0600

 
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 038-11
January 15, 2011
 

 
DOD Identifies Army Casualty              The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.             Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer, 28, of Texarkana, Texas, died Jan. 12, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.  She was assigned to the 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquaters Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Va.

             For more information, the media may contact the Fort Belvoir public affairs office at 703-805-5001.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/
Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your User Profile Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com.

GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense · 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 · St. Paul, MN 55102 · 1-800-439-1420
Related Articles

Help the mentally ill get help

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: Health & Human Services, Health Care, Human Interest, Mental Illness. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 comment
By Gerald Landsberg, Special to CNN
January 14, 2011 11:33 a.m. EST

tzleft.landsberg.gerald.courtesy.jpg

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Gerald Landsberg says Tucson shootings show failing of mental health system facing cuts
  • Research shows link, though tenuous, between untreated mental illness, violent behavior
  • Acknowledging this and providing funds and system-wide attention is crucial, he says
  • Landsberg: It’s cheaper to treat mental illness than to pay for prison

RELATED TOPICS

Editor’s note: Gerald Landsberg is a professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University and director of the Institute Against Violence, which conducts research and provides training and technical assistance in forensic mental health, youth violence prevention and family violence prevention and intervention.

(CNN) — The shooting Saturday in Tucson, Arizona, demonstrates once again that mental health systems in the United States are seriously flawed and, as a result of continuing budget cuts, are becoming even less comprehensive and effective.

Jared Loughner, who is accused in the shooting, displays symptoms of young-onset schizophrenia with delusions that apparently was not treated but in fact may have led to his alleged act.

There is some debate, but recent research suggests that there is a link, although tenuous, between mental illness and violence, especially when an individual has schizophrenia and the disease goes untreated or undetected (and in general, research shows, fewer than 25% of the mentally ill receive needed services).

The concern, voiced by both advocates for expanded mental health services and consumers, is that highlighting the link would increase the stigmatization of emotionally disturbed by the public, the vast majority of whom are not violent people.

Yet, by not acknowledging and addressing the connection, an important opportunity for frank discussion and action is lost. In my research on victims of mentally ill offenders, which was funded by the United States Department of Justice in 2001, I found that the violence that is committed by the mentally ill, while rare, is overwhelmingly directed toward family members, usually elderly parents, and close friends — not strangers.

However, what is occurring is that with the shrinkage of mental health services as states tighten their budgets (in the past few years in Arizona, for example, mental health funding has seen deep cuts), we have witnessed the continued growth of the criminalization of mental illness for both adults and youth.

Among adults abandoned to county jails and state prisons, nearly 25% may be seriously mentally ill, and for youth sent to juvenile detention facilities, the rate is 75%. Keeping the mentally ill in these facilities costs taxpayers substantially more (three or four times, typically) than effective community based housing and services.

Further, with respect to young people, such as the accused in Tucson and in the Virginia Tech shootings, communities’ intervention systems are totally inadequate. To be effective, mental health intervention systems and services need to coordinate their activities across schools, after-school programs and the criminal justice system, but this seldom occurs.

Additionally, the availability of those services is not well communicated to the public, so individuals, family members and organizations do not know where to turn for assistance when confronted with a person who appears depressed, delusional, violent or potentially violent. There are few hot lines or public education campaigns.

Contrast this with the federal government’s investment in and public promotion of a major national initiative, No Child Left Behind. Great public awareness of that program suggests what is possible in public education and publicity campaigns when the government really gets behind it. It shows by comparison the severe lack of federal, state and local action when it comes to the widespread existence of mental illness and what to do about it.

After the attacks of September 11, victims and communities were traumatized by the events, but few mental health providers could effectively help, since most of their staff members did not have the required training in crisis and traumatic interventions. As a result, at the federal and state levels and in some local communities, substantial attention was devoted to developing needed training, and significant amounts of funding were provided to enable mental health staffs to become effective responders to crises.

With concerted effort, we can move expeditiously — without the distracting debates about free speech and gun control — to develop comprehensive strategies that take the first long but difficult steps needed to reduce America’s mental health deficit.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gerald Landsberg.

Related Articles

AIDS is a plague allowed to happen

Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
Posted in: AIDS, CNN, Health & Human Services, Health Care, Human Interest. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

By Larry Kramer, Special to CNN

January 14, 2011 1:20 p.m. EST

tzleft.kramer_larry.jpg

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Larry Kramer says AIDS is a plague, but no authority has the guts to call it one
  • This plague of HIV/AIDS was intentionally allowed to happen, Kramer says
  • The people who are most affected by AIDS are hated by many, Kramer writes
  • Governments and politicians lie about the realities of HIV/AIDS, he says

    • Editor’s note: Watch “Hope Survives: 30 Years of AIDS,” an AC360° special, at 9pm ET Friday. Larry Kramer co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis and founded ACT UP, an activist organization that has campaigned for treatments for HIV/AIDS. His play, “The Normal Heart,” about the early years of AIDS and directed by Joel Grey, will be produced on Broadway by Daryl Roth and will star Joe Mantello; it will also be filmed next summer starring Mark Ruffalo and directed by Ryan Murphy. “The American People,” his novel about the history of homosexuals in America, will be published by Farrar Straus and Giroux. Kramer, whose partner is David Webster, is HIV+ and the recipient of a liver transplant.

    New York City (CNN) – I want this article to break your heart. But it deals with a subject that has had a tough time of it in the break-everyone’s-heart department. I’ll bet that a number of you will be more angry at me than sympathetic by the time you finish reading it. If indeed you finish reading it.

    From its very beginning, most people have not wanted to know the truths about AIDS. This is an indisputable fact that continues until this very minute. I have been on the front lines since Day 1, so I know what I’m talking about.

    Here are 10 realities about AIDS, and I’ve learned them the hard way:

    1. AIDS is a plague — numerically, statistically and by any definition known to modern public health — though no one in authority has the guts to call it one.

    2. Too many people hate the people that AIDS most affects, gay people and people of color. I do not mean dislike, or feel uncomfortable with. I mean hate. Downright hate. Down and dirty hate.

    I have watched almost everyone I once knew die.
    –Larry Kramer


    3. Likewise, both people who don’t have sex the way they do (if they have it at all) and people who take drugs in order to feel better in a world that they find wretched are considered two highly expendable populations by the powerful forces that control this world.

    4. AIDS was allowed to happen. It is a plague that need not have happened. It is a plague that could have been contained from the very beginning.

    5. It is a plague that is not going to go away. It is only going to get worse.

    6. There is no cure and the amount of money expended toward finding one is pathetically small, miniscule, puny, and totally indicative of a system and a government and a country and a world that does not want to end this plague.

    There is no cure and the amount of money expended toward finding one is pathetically small.
    –Larry Kramer
    RELATED TOPICS

    7. There is no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to find a cure since they are making billions selling, at highly inflated prices, the many anti-viral drugs that those infected must consume — drugs that only keep us living but still infected just enough to continue to possibly still infect others.

    8. Educational campaigns, indeed all attempts at prevention, have been too stupid, useless, lily-livered, and nicey-nicey to accomplish much of anything.

    9. There is no one of any use really in charge of this plague, in America or anywhere else in the world — and it is a worldwide plague by now — and this lack of decent, responsible and humane leaders has been so since its beginning in 1981. They lie to us. I consider most of those who have been or are in charge as equal to murderers.

    10. One out of every five men who have sex with men in America is now HIV-positive, and more than 50% of gay men do not know it. Doctors in Chelsea say the statistics for that New York neighborhood have jumped from one out of five to one out of four. At the rate things are going, almost all gay men in America could be HIV-positive, which a lot of people would really like to see happen.

    These are appalling statistics, appalling statements, appalling facts, and yet no one responds to them when I raise them. Why should they? Too many people want too many other people dead, and it is fearful and as we continue to see over and over, often dangerous to confront them.

    30 years of HIV — Three men reflect

    Governments and bureaucrats and presidents and politicians and the people who run this world lie to people. They tell us HIV is under control. They tell us case numbers are decreasing. They tell us that all is being done that can be done. They tell us HIV is too complicated to eradicate. They tell us gay people and people of color have made more progress than ever before. These are all lies.

    We must not believe them. How could we when, in one place or another:

    – They also tell us we can’t get legally married.

    – They also tell us that we cannot legally adopt children.

    – They also tell us religions will not recognize us.

    – They also tell us we can’t serve our country yet.

    – They also tell us our real history cannot be taught in schools.

    – They also tell us that gay students cannot organize in schools.

    – They also tell us that people who murder us are not committing hate crimes.

    – They also tell us we cannot insure our partners.

    – They also tell us our partners are not legal.

    – They also tell us we cannot have equal opportunities.

    – They also tell us we can’t kiss each other or hold each other’s hands in public.

    – They also tell us that our Supreme Court doesn’t want to know about any of this, doesn’t want to make us free and equal, doesn’t want to honor the Bill of Rights.

    If you want to know why AIDS is a plague, I have just told you why.

    I could add a thousand more “they also’s.” I could expound and expand and add so many facts and figures to the above they’d put you to sleep. I helped start the two major AIDS organizations in America. I have watched almost everyone I once knew die.

    For some 30-plus years, I have been trying to tell the world where this plague came from and why, and I will continue to do so until I die, too.

    You see, I simply can’t get the memories and the ghosts of just about every friend I had out of my life. And since there is no doubt in my mind that this plague of HIV/AIDS that took them from me was and continues to be allowed to happen, I am duty bound to tell this hideous history as best and as fully as I can. It’s the least I can do.

    That is correct: This plague of HIV/AIDS was intentionally allowed to happen. It still is. Nothing has changed in the intentionality department. Hate has a way of hanging around forever and too often winning out in the end.

    The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Larry Kramer.

    Related Articles

    Larry Summers: More jobs are coming

    Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
    Posted in: CNN, Economics, Recession, The White House, Unemployment. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

    larry_summers_cnn2.top.jpgSee the full interview with Larry Summers on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing Sunday, January 16 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET. By Annalyn Censky, staff reporterJanuary 14, 2011: 3:20 PM ET

     

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — While the economy is still reeling from 8.5 million jobs lost in the recession, the outlook for job growth in America is looking up, former White House economic advisor Larry Summers said in an exclusive interview airing on CNN Sunday.

    “I think the prospects for starting to see significant employment growth and reductions in unemployment right now are better than they’ve been in the United States in a number of years,” he told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.


    Until two weeks ago, Summers was President Obama’s chief economic advisor. A high-profile figure in business circles, he also served stints as the president of Harvard University and the Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton.

    In the interview with Zakaria, he discusses the job market, friction between President Obama and big business, and his outlook for the recovery.

    Summers is somewhat optimistic about the economy, expecting it to grow at a rate of 3% to 4% over the next few years.

    But most economists say that’s still not enough to make for significant job gains.

    Summers pointed to the construction industry specifically, to highlight how the housing crash will continue to reverberate through the job market for years to come.

    “Now, because we have an overhang of houses that are vacant, malls that are vacant, of office buildings that are vacant, we have this tremendous drop in the demand for construction workers,” he said. “…For a certain class of men who haven’t gone to college, that’s a substantial part of employment.”

    Health care and the IT industry, however, are likely to see job growth ahead, he said.

    “Some of the jobs that were lost aren’t going to come back, but some of the jobs are going to come in new places,” he said.

    Summers hailed the tax compromise signed by Obama last month as a key step toward raising domestic demand. The $800 billion deal includes a payroll tax holiday that will help many Americans, and hopefully spur employment, he said.

    At the same time, Summers also pushed Obama’s goal of doubling exports over the next five years, and argued for cutting the national deficit. He also suggested infrastructure projects as a way to boost construction jobs.

    As for corporate America’s friction with Obama — Summers pointed to corporate profits rising 60% over the last two years as a sign of progress in the private sector.

    Obama’s economic team has seen a wave of departures in recent months, with Summers leaving to return to Harvard. Gene Sperling, formerly a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was named Summers’ successor.

    See the full interview with Larry Summers on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing Sunday, January 16 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET. To top of page

    Related Articles

    Fallen But Not Forgotten

    Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
    Posted in: America at War!, Casualties of War, Fallen But Not Forgotten, War. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
    Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Sniper School logo

    Image via Wikipedia

    Marine dies during California training exercise

    By the CNN Wire Staff
    January 14, 2011 7:49 p.m. EST

    The training involved an amphibious assault vehicle similar to the one pictured.

    The training involved an amphibious assault vehicle similar to the one pictured.

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    • Marine’s amphibious assault vehicle submerged
    • The Incident occurred at Camp Pendleton
    • Marine’s name was not released Friday

    RELATED TOPICS

    (CNN) — A Marine was killed in California on Friday when the amphibious assault vehicle he was riding in submerged during a training exercise, the Camp Pendleton public affairs office said.

    Six Marines were in the vehicle during the incident, the base’s public affairs office said in a statement, and no injuries were reported among the five survivors.

    The Marine who died was submerged in a boat basin, the office said.

    Camp Pendleton is along the Pacific Coast between Los Angeles and San Diego.

    The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday, the base’s statement said, and the Marine was recovered at approximately 2:15 p.m. He was flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.

    The Marine’s name is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, the Camp Pendleton statement said.

    The incident is under investigation, the statement said.

    Related Articles

    Homeland Security chief cancels costly virtual border fence

    Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
    Posted in: Border Protection, Government, Government Procurement, Homeland Security, Immigration. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
    By the CNN Wire Staff
    January 14, 2011 8:15 p.m. EST

    U.S. Border Patrol agents monitor the U.S.-Mexico border on in December 2010 near Nogales, Arizona.

    U.S. Border Patrol agents monitor the U.S.-Mexico border on in December 2010 near Nogales, Arizona.

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    • Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano cites cost overruns and technical problems
    • The virtual fence for the 2,000-mile border was conceived in 2005
    • So far, taxpayers have spent almost $1 billion for only 53 miles of virtual fence in Arizona

    (CNN) – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Friday canceled the controversial virtual fence along the U.S. border with Mexico, citing technical problems, cost overruns and schedule delays since its inception in 2005.

    The Secure Border Initiative-network, a high-tech surveillance system to reduce border smuggling, so far has cost taxpayers almost $1 billion for two regions in Arizona, covering just 53 miles overall on the 2,000-mile border, according to a homeland security report.

    Napolitano announced “a new path forward for security technology” along the border that is tailored to the needs of each region and provides “faster deployment of technology, better coverage, and a more effective balance between cost and capability,” she said in a prepared statement.

    “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to meet our border technology needs,” Napolitano said about her decision to end the problem-plagued virtual fence.

    Her new plan would use mobile surveillance systems, drones, thermal imaging devices, and tower-based remote video surveillance, she said.

    “Where appropriate, this plan will also incorporate already existing elements of the former SBInet program that have proven successful, such as stationary radar, and infrared and optical sensor towers,” Napolitano said.

    Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, lauded the decision.

    “The secretary’s decision to terminate SBInet ends a long-troubled program that spent far too much of the taxpayers’ money for the results it delivered,” Lieberman said in a written statement. “From the start, SBInet’s one-size-fits-all approach was unrealistic. The department’s decision to use technology based on the particular security needs of each segment of the border is a far wiser approach, and I hope it will be more cost effective.”

    Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Mississippi, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the virtual fence “has been a grave and expensive disappointment since its inception.”

    Thompson said he is glad that homeland security officials are “finally listening to what we have been saying for years — that the sheer size and variations of our borders show us a one-stop solution has never been best,” he said in a prepared statement. “I applaud them for taking this critical step toward using a more tailored technologically based approach to securing our nation’s borders.”

    The decision ends the work of federal contractor Boeing to build the virtual fence, and the homeland security agency will conduct open bidding for the new border plan, agency officials said.

    Boeing spokeswoman Jenna K. McMullin said in a statement that the firm remains “committed to providing valuable solutions and supporting” the federal agency.

    “We appreciate that they recognize the value of the integrated fixed towers Boeing has built, tested, and delivered so far,” McMullin said. “We are proud of the accomplishments of our team and of the unprecedented capabilities delivered in the last year that provide Border Patrol agents increased safety, situational awareness, and operational efficiency.”

    Napolitano said “unprecedented” manpower, infrastructure and resources along the border will complement her new border security plan.

    The U.S. Border Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its 86-year history, having nearly doubled the number of agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 20,500 in 2010, according to a homeland security report.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increased the number of federal agents deployed to the Southwest border, with a quarter of its personnel currently in the region.

    President Obama has also deployed 1,200 National Guardsmen to the border.

    In fiscal years 2009 and 2010, federal agents seized more than $282 million in illegal currency, more than 7 million pounds of drugs, and more than 6,800 weapons along the border — increases of more than $73 million, more than 1 million pounds of drugs and more than 1,500 weapons compared with 2007-2008.

    Also, the Border Patrol’s nationwide apprehensions of undocumented immigrants decreased from nearly 724,000 in 2008 to about 463,000 in 2010, a 36 percent reduction, indicating that fewer people are attempting to illegally cross the border, a homeland security report said

    Related Articles

    Gun show organizer found not guilty in boy’s Uzi death

    Posted by StevenLeeDouglasWV on January 15, 2011
    Posted in: Gun Control, Human Interest. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment
    From Bryan Lavietes, In Session
    January 14, 2011 9:36 p.m. EST

    Ex-Police Chief Edward Fleury says the gun show where the boy died was meant to be an "educational event."

    Ex-Police Chief Edward Fleury says the gun show where the boy died was meant to be an “educational event.”

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    • Edward Fleury is acquitted of involuntary manslaughter
    • He had been charged after a boy accidentally shot himself during a gun show
    • Fleury helped organize the event
    • He is also acquitted of three counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor

    Springfield, Massachusetts (CNN) — A former police chief was found not guilty Friday of involuntary manslaughter in the 2008 death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with a micro Uzi machine gun during a gun show.

    Former Pelham, Massachusetts, Police Chief Edward Fleury, 53, was also acquitted of three counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor in connection with the show that he helped organize. It was held at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club in Westfield, Massachusetts.

    During the gun show, 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj was firing the micro Uzi when he accidentally shot himself in the head. He died instantly.

    Upon hearing the verdict, Fleury broke into tears. He later hugged his wife and spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, offering his condolences to the Bizilj family.

    “This was meant to be an educational event for people and unfortunately this terrible accident happened,” Fleury said, his voice heavy with emotion. “And I do want to express my heartfelt sympathy to the Bizilj family and their friends for this terrible accident.”

    Christopher’s father, Charles Bizilj, was present at the time of the shooting and videotaped the entire incident. Parts of that tape were shown to the jury, which also heard emotional testimony from the father. The trial lasted 10 days.

    “I ran over to him. His eyes were open and I saw no reason for him to be on the ground. And I tried to talk to him and he didn’t respond. I put my hand behind his head to try to pick him up and there was a large portion of his cranium missing. And I put my hand against the back of his head,” Charles Bizilj told members of the Hampden County jury.

    Fleury faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter and up to 10 years for each count of furnishing a machine gun to a minor.

    His lawyer, Rosemary Scapicchio, had argued that while Fleury helped organize the show, he wasn’t directly responsible and hadn’t actually given guns to the children there.

    Carl Giuffre and Domenico Spano have also been charged in connection with the incident. The two were in charge of the show’s shooting range and are accused of having provided the Uzi that killed Christopher Bizilj. Prosecutor William Bennett said he will decide next week whether to proceed with the case against them, given Fleury’s acquittal.

    Related Articles