The Living Forest.

The Living Forest program protects the Tumbesian tropical forest in Ecuador and Peru.
The Tumbesian tropical forest in southern Ecuador and northern Peru is one of the most important biodiversity “hotspots” on our planet. It contains a rare tropical coastal forest that experiences both wet and dry seasons. It is home to over 50 endemic bird species and many large mammals including threatened ocelots, jaguars, and margay cats. Less than 5 percent of this unique forest remains, threatening this unique ecosystem and the people who depend on it.




Dr. Bryan Endress, director of Applied Plant Ecology for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, with the NCI crew in Ecuador.
Nature and Culture International (NCI) has been working with local communities in this region for over eight years. During this time, NCI has established two reserves in southern Ecuador – the La Ceiba Natural Reserve (25,000 acres) and the Laipuna Natural Reserve (4,000 acres) – to protect this important forest ecosystem. In addition, over 30,000 acres have been established as community reserves with sustainable development and conservation management programs. This allows local families to continue to benefit off the land while being integral to its conservation. Protection of the Tumbesian tropical forest will connect protected areas in Peru and Ecuador. The connectivity of these protected areas also allows corridors for migratory species whose habitat extends into Peru.

Your Donation
Through the Living Forest carbon footprint offset program with the San Diego Zoo and Nature and Culture International, additional reserves will continue to be established in the Tumbesian tropical forest in Ecuador on the border of Peru. Your donation will contribute to land purchase and protection of a species. The long-term management will be provided by NCI as part of its core mission and will incorporate local communities in conservation. By protecting land from deforestation, carbon emissions are avoided that offset emissions elsewhere.

How does saving an endangered ecosystem in South America help polar bears in the Arctic?

When forests are burned, greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, which increases global temperatures (not to mention destroying complex ecosystems). By leaving tracts of forest intact, we are not only keeping climate-changing gases out of the air but also ensuring that the trees take in and sequester carbon that is already “out there.” That helps clean the air we breathe and reduce trapped greenhouse gases. The decades-long trend of sea ice loss in the Arctic can be slowed by keeping forests intact (and successfully planting new ones).

What is a carbon footprint?

It is the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, household, event, or product through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, etc. The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities is usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that blankets the atmosphere and contributes to rising temperatures. Other greenhouse gases that might be emitted as a result of our activities are methane and ozone. However, this carbon calculator only accounts for emissions of CO2.

A Moving Message from the Cows: Must-See Video

Environment in Ecuador, Striking It Rich By Keeping Oil In the Ground

For National Geographic, Dan Grossman reports on Ecuador's efforts to protect the country's oil reserves and biodiversity through an offer to put several major Amazon oil deposits off limits to drilling if other countries help cover at least some of the lost revenue. It is a lesson the country learned the hard way after Texaco dumped billions of gallons of waste from its oil operations in the Ecuadoran Amazon in the 1970s and 1980s.

Read more in the Bolivia/Ecuador: Indigenous People Confront Global Warming reporting project.

Afghanistan: Civilians Under Siege

For the Economist, Jason Motlagh reports on how the Taliban insurgency is evolving to match the U.S. Army's counterinsurgency strategies.

For TIME Magazine, he examines the love-hate relationship between American soldiers and their Afghan counterparts, and how such tension has sometimes led Afghan soldiers to turn against their foreign partners. He also reports on efforts by Afghans in Kandahar to start taking control of the city's security.

Read more in the Afghanistan: Civilians Under Siege reporting project.

New Lives for Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic

For the Christian Science Monitor, Stephanie Hanes explores how a group of nuns in Santo Domingo are working to provide sex workers with new career opportunities by training them in skills like cosmetology, baking, sewing and candlemaking.

Read more in the Dominican Republic: Life on the Margins reporting project.

It's Impossible to Leave Iraq

Iraq: 2010 Election Day and Beyond



Dimiter Kenarov reports for Esquire on the war in Iraq and President Obama's plan that, regardless of whether the Iraqi police force is ready, U.S. combat troops will be home for Labor Day.

It is a reality the United States is prepared to face. As Kenarov notes, Obama barely mentions Iraq anymore, and many Americans back home, preoccupied with a recession, could be forgiven for believing the war is already over. It is an afterthought, even as Iraq continues to be shaken by terrorist bombs.
Read more in the Iraq: 2010 Election Day and Beyond reporting project.

Sudan In Transition

Rebecca Hamilton provides in-depth coverage of the cultural, political, economic and legal challenges that loom as Sudan lurches towards likely partition. Most observers predict that January 2011 will bring about the birth of Africa’s newest nation, with the predominantly Christian and animist south of the country expected to vote in favor of breaking from the predominantly Muslim north. The only real question is whether the transition can be managed peacefully.

For the Christian Science Monitor, Hamilton reports on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's recent trip to Chad - his first visit to a member country of the International Criminal Court since he was indicted by the court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in March 2009. The visit comes after a severe crackdown on press freedom in Sudan, which Hamilton also explores in an audio slideshow.

As the January 2011 referendum on secession for South Sudan approaches, Hamilton explores a new survey that gives insight into the thoughts of Darfuri refugees for Foreign Policy. In an interview for PRI's The World, she explains that preparations for the referendum are behind schedule, and a delay could trigger war.

She also reports for The Washington Post on the ICC's recent ruling that al-Bashir orchestrated genocide in Darfur.

In a blog post, Hamilton speaks with opposition leaders in Khartoum to hear their views on Sudan’s future.

Read more in the Sudan In Transition reporting project.

Netanyahu on Fox News Sunday (7.11.10)

Chris Wallace talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Middle East peace talks with the Palestinians, his relationship with the Obama Administration, the threat posed by a nuclear Iran and the situation in Gaza.

http://www.foxnews.com

The Council on Foreign Relations

CFR members, including Brian Williams, Fareed Zakaria, Angelina Jolie, Chuck Hagel, and Erin Burnett, explain why the Council on Foreign Relations is an indispensable resource on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.

The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.

2010 - INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY

BIODIVERSITY - ECOSYSTEM - BIOLOGY
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Maintaining Natural Life Support Processes

by
Shahid Naeem, Chair, F.S. Chapin III, Robert Costanza, Paul R. Ehrlich, Frank B. Golley, David U. Hooper, J.H. Lawton, Robert V. O’Neill, Harold A. Mooney, Osvaldo E. Sala, Amy J. Symstad, and David Tilman

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning:

Maintaining Natural Life Support Processes Critical processes at the ecosystem level influence plant productivity, soil fertility, water quality, atmospheric chemistry, and many other local and global environmental conditions that ultimately affect human welfare. These ecosystem processes are controlled by both the diversity and identity of the plant, animal, and microbial species living within a community. Human modifications to the living community in an ecosystem – as well as to the collective biodiversity of the earth – can therefore alter ecological functions and life support services that are vital to the well-being of human societies.
Substantial changes have already occurred, especially local and global losses of biodiversity. The primary cause has been widespread human transformation of once highly diverse natural ecosystems into relatively species-poor managed ecosystems. Recent studies suggest that such reductions in biodiversity can alter both the magnitude and the stability of ecosystem processes, especially when biodiversity is reduced to the low levels typical of many managed systems.
Our review of the available evidence has identified the following certainties concerning biodiversity and ecosystem functioning:
· Human impacts on global biodiversity have been dramatic, resulting in unprecedented losses in global biodiversity at all levels, from genes and species to entire ecosystems;
· Local declines in biodiversity are even more dramatic than global declines, and the beneficial effects of many organisms on local processes are lost long before the species become globally extinct;
· Many ecosystem processes are sensitive to declines in biodiversity;
· Changes in the identity and abundance of species in an ecosystem can be as important as changes in biodiversity in influencing ecosystem processes.

From current research, we have identified the following impacts on ecosystem functioning that often result from loss of biodiversity:

· Plant production may decline as regional and local diversity declines;
· Ecosystem resistance to environmental perturbations, such as drought, may be lessened as biodiversity is reduced;
· Ecosystem processes such as soil nitrogen levels, water use, plant productivity, and pest and disease cycles may become more variable as diversity declines.
Given its importance to human welfare, the maintenance of ecosystem functioning should be included as an integral part of national and international policies designed to conserve local and global biodiversity.

Thank a Peacekeeper!

Missions Administered by the U.N Department of Peacekeeping Operations

May 29th marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, and the Better World Campaign invites you to join us as we pay tribute to the men and women who serve in UN peacekeeping operations around the world. We are collecting messages of thanks from now until the International Day of Peace on September 21. Working together with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, we will deliver your messages to the UN peacekeepers working tirelessly in pursuit of sustainable peace. Visit: www.unitedinpeacekeeping.org to take action

Let's promote peace and security by stabilizing regional conflicts, training police officers, and protecting civilians during humanitarian crises!

The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) oversees 17 operations and has more than 100,000 troops and personnel deployed, making it the second largest force deployed in the world. These missions promote peace and security by stabilizing regional conflicts, training police officers, and protecting civilians during humanitarian crises. To learn more about UN peacekeeping and each of the 17 operations, please visit www.unitedinpeacekeeping.com

In the last ten years, the number of peacekeeping missions has tripled as the Security Council has increasingly looked to the UN to serve as a stabilizing presence in volatile regions. Last September, President Obama hosted a meeting with the UN’s top troop-contributing countries to underscore the U.S. commitment to UN peacekeeping and to stress the message, that the operations are a “cost-effective means for the United States and all nations to share the burden of promoting peace and security.”

Enhancing American Interests

UN peacekeeping continues to serve key U.S. interests by:

• Sharing the burden. The U.S. cannot, nor should it be asked to, promote international security alone. UN peacekeeping draws upon the financial and human resources of UN member states to effectively share the burden of collective security and reduce the need for unilateral intervention. As a trade-off for providing a significant portion of the funding for UN peacekeeping, the U.S. provides very few troops for these missions.

• Being cost effective. The UN continues to be one of the most cost-effective solutions for preventing conflict, keeping peace, and rebuilding societies emerging from conflict. According to the Government Accountability Office, UN peacekeeping is 8 times less expensive–just 12 cents on the dollar–than fielding a comparative U.S. force.

• Maintaining stability abroad. The Human Security Report, a major international study on peace and war, declared the global security climate improved dramatically since the 1980s, with genocides in particular plummeting by 80 percent. The study attributed that decline to better conflict prevention and peacemaking effort, as well as the increase in the number and complexity of UN peacekeeping missions.

• Preventing failed states. With U.S. assistance, UN peacekeeping continues to help prevent the collapse of weak states by implementing peace agreements, monitoring ceasefires, demobilizing combatants, facilitating humanitarian efforts, training police, and creating conditions for political reconciliation and elections to take place. Preventing a rise in failed states effectively limits safe havens for terrorists which is an important U.S. counterterrorism objective.

• Promoting democratic governance. UN peacekeeping operations provide the security necessary to support free and fair elections and assists nascent democracies emerging from conflict to implement governance reforms. The promotion of democracy and stable government institutions is a key U.S. foreign policy priority.

• Leveraging international legitimacy. By harnessing the agreement of its member states and the strength of its Charter, UN peace operations enjoy a level of international legitimacy that unilateral and coalition efforts do not. As a permanent Security Council member, the U.S. is able to leverage this legitimacy in pursuit of America’s strategic national security interests.

Lower Broadway in May 15, 1902. - New York, N.Y.

LibraryOfCongress | 3 juin 2010 |


SUMMARY
The film shows a view which appears to be looking north on Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street, in front of Trinity Church. The sidewalk along Broadway is crowded with people, and the traffic in both streets is very heavy. A horse-drawn streetcar passes in front of the camera [Frame: 2814], with a sign giving its destination as the "Courtland and Fulton Street Ferry."

OTHER TITLES
Title in Biograph photo catalog, v. 5, no. 2138 [MI]: Street scene on Lower Broadway, NY City

CREATED/PUBLISHED
United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1903.

NOTES
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 13Jun1903; H32629.
Camera, Robert K. Bonine.
Photographed May 15, 1902. Location: New York, N.Y.

SUBJECTS
City traffic--New York (State)--New York.
Streets--New York (State)--New York.
Transportation--New York (State)--New York.
Vehicles--New York (State)--New York.
Local transit--New York (State)--New York.
Street-railroads--New York (State)--New York.
Horse-drawn vehicles--New York (State)--New York.
Pedestrians--New York (State)--New York.
Broadway (New York, N.Y.)
Actuality--Short.

RELATED NAMES
Bonine, R. (Robert K.), camera.
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

DIGITAL ID
lcmp002 m2a23756 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/lcmp002.m2a23756


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS presents

Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street, in front of Trinity Church.

Making it Right : Fred Lemond, head of BP Cleanup Operations

Fred Lemond, head of BP Cleanup Operations, explains the comprehensive cleanup effort involving spotter planes, satellite imaging, and nearly 6,000 vessels. So far, 27 million gallons of oil-water mixture has been skimmed from the sea and more than 8 million feet of boom has been installed to protect the shoreline. BP has created this YouTube channel to engage the public in an informative conversation and dialogue about our efforts associated with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We want our page to be an appropriate forum for everyone. For more information on our Commenting Policy, please see the Latest News section on our main page: http://youtube.com/bp

Blueprint for a Better World Exhibition Launch - Perth

See what people said when they visited the exhibition in Fremantle, Perth! Blueprint for a Better World is an interactive exhibition which is traveling around Australia. The exhibition shows the general public how the eight Millennium Development Goals can help end poverty and injustice in our world.
Thank you to volunteer John Reed for the filming and production of this movie.




Millennium Development Goals

◦Blueprint for Better World Exhibition — you can download resources to learn about the eight Millennium Development Goals and what you can do about them! The goals aim to halve worldwide poverty by 2015. Take action now!
◦Millennium Development Goals — Campaign Poster (1.6Mb PDF)
◦See also Teaching resources for schools
Teaching resources for schools

Project Compassion 2010
Check out this year’s school materials

From 10 July - 18 August 2010 : Blueprint for a Better World - Museum of Australian Democracy

Blueprint for a Better World is an interactive exhibition examining the realities of global poverty and the possibilities for change.

The travelling exhibition will be open to the visitors at the Museum of Australian Democracy from 10 July - 18 August 2010 and is presented by Caritas Australia in partnership with AusAID.

With a focus on Australia’s regional neighbours, the exhibition brings the eight Millennium Development Goals to life through visual art, photography and multimedia. The Millennium Development Goals is a global action plan, signed by 189 world leaders, to eradicate extreme poverty by 2015 by working towards eight measurable targets.



Photographs, stories and contributions such as posters, baskets and school books from Caritas local partners provide insights into communities and development programs in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Sudan and Indigenous Australia.

Be part of one interactive aspect of the exhibition ‘Pledge Towers’, which provides an opportunity for you to write down the contribution you intend to make to ending global poverty. The pledges then become a component of the living exhibition, enhancing the reality of the positive difference one person – and indeed a community of people – can make in the world.

Through the exhibition’s interactive displays, be inspired to join the pledge to overcome global poverty and be part of a community striving to build a better world.

Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we?

Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we?
May 27, 2010

The third and final event of our Uncensored Conversations, ‘Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we?’ was held at 6pm in King’s Hall at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra on 15 June 2010. Three members of Sydney hip hop group, The Herd, shared their thoughts alongside Professor Dr Julianne Schultz.


Event podcast
Download the podcasts of the final event, Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we? held on 15 June, 2010.

Introduction
Julianne Schultz talk
Julianne Schultz - questions and answers
The Herd talk

General questions and answers
The Herd have used music as an outlet to express their opinions on a variety of issues. Their song ‘77%’ – which features the line ‘77% of Aussies are racist’ – refers to survey results that revealed the majority of Australians agreed with the former Australian Federal Government’s response to the Tampa affair. With a history of expressing active opinions through their music, The Herd members will discuss how democracy influences the inspiration of their craft. Tracks of The Herd are included in the Museum of Australian Democracy’s Living Democracy exhibition.

Julianne is a professor at the Centre for Public Culture and Ideas at Griffith University in Queensland. At the 2020 Summit she co-chaired the Creative Australia session, which explored the future of Australian arts, film and design. She has also written extensively about the media and democracy.

You can follow the Museum of Australian Democracy on Twitter @MoAD_Canberra.

Image credit
Photograph by Robin Sellick.

RIMPAC 2010 - The Beginning

Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) is the world's largest multi-national maritime exercise, and is scheduled to take place near Hawaii from June 23 to August 1, 2010.

The in port phase of RIMPAC 2010 set the stage for integrated, at-sea operations




Mission

U.S. Pacific Fleet protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the United States and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. In support of U.S. Pacific Command and with allies and partners, U.S. Pacific Fleet enhances stability, promotes maritime security and freedom of the seas, deters aggression and when necessary, fights to win.

Vision

A combat-ready and surge-capable fleet that is ready to respond rapidly to any contingency, that cooperates with allies and partners to promote maritime security and freedom of the seas, that deters and when necessary defeats threats to national security through decisive naval, joint and combined operations.

Guiding Principles

The six principles below guide everything that we do every day—our plans, policies, operations, activities, engagement — with the aim of promoting peace and preventing conflict, while setting the conditions for a successful response to any contingency.

Warfighting mission will be our focus. We will maintain credible, combat-ready, and forward-deployed forces that can execute missions across the full range of military operations. To do so, we must have:


•Credible leadership, proficient Sailors
•Capable platforms, superior technology
•Innovative operational concepts
•Adaptive plans and Command & Control

We will shape a strong, resilient Fleet posture so that our forces and support structure can sustain readiness for any contingency, now and in the future. To do so, we must:

•Make ourselves efficient and effective
•Balance operations, training and maintenance for sustainable readiness
•Rigorously assess and understand risk

We will strengthen and deepen alliances and partnerships to promote collective security. Trust and cooperation are fundamental to our ability to promote peace and also to respond to crises. We will seek to build true partnerships based on mutual understanding and respect.

We will be prepared to operate in naval, joint, and combined environments.

We will be good stewards of our Nation’s resources - fiscal, material and environmental.

We value our people and their families. Their contribution is central to mission accomplishment. Our policies and culture must consider the well-being of our people in order to ensure a combat-ready force.


ADM Patrick M. Walsh

COMMANDS COMPACFLT
Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet
Commander, U.S. Third Fleet,
Commander, U.S. Naval Air Forces, Pacific FleetCommander,
Commander, U.S. Naval Surface Forces, Pacific Fleet,
Commander, U.S. Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet,
Commander, First Naval Construction Division Pacific
Marine Forces Pacific
Commander, Maritime Defense Zone Pacific
Commander, Naval Forces, Mariana's
Commander, Naval Forces, Japan
Commander, Joint Region, Korea
Commander, Navy Region Southwest
Commander, Navy Region Northwest
Commander, Navy Region Hawaii


Thank you for your interest in and support of the men and women of the U.S. Navy. Further information on the DoD user agreement

U.S. Military : Service Members Of The Year ( Ceremony in Washington, D.C., )

2010 AWARD WINNERS SELECTED!

Nominations for 2011 will begin August 1.


Military Times Service Members of the Year

Each year, Military Times honors five "Everyday Heroes" -- service members who demonstrate pride, dedication and courage beyond what is expected. These service members show concern for their fellow service members, their community and the country they serve. Many of the candidates are often overlooked and have gone unrecognized. Nominations may be submitted by any of our readers – including parents, fellow service members, supervisors and commanding officers -- making this grassroots award unique from any other awards given to members of our Armed Forces.

Winners are recognized online, in the Military Times newspapers and at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., which is attended by officials from the service member's command, members of Congress and senior Pentagon officials.

HISTORY
The award was established in 2001 by Army Times Publishing Company. The initial program highlighted exemplary achievement by a service member beyond the call of duty, but has since been expanded to include the following criteria:

•High level of professionalism
•Concern for fellow service members
•Commitment to community service

CRITERIA FOR SELECTIONNominees must be serving in the military (active duty, Guard or Reserve) through August 2010 with exceptional service or achievements occuring between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.

SELECTION PROCESS
Army Times Publishing Company, through the respective marketing and editorial staffs of each service's publication (Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times), will make the Military Times Service Members of the Year selections from among the nominations received. Finalists will be contacted in June of 2010.

The Overall Winner of each branch receives the following:

•A week’s trip to Washington, DC for activities and a formal awards ceremony
•All-expenses paid attendance for 2 (transportation to and from Washington, D.C.; lodging and meals; local transportation)
•Formal awards reception and ceremony, and a sponsor after-party on Capitol Hill
•Luncheon with Military Times editors and staff reporters
•Tour of the publishing company and newspaper printing plant
•Professional photographs and video of the awards ceremony
•A feature in the Military Times newspapers and on the 2010 Military Times Service Members of the Year Web site

From Springfield, VA
Nominations are being taken for the 2010 Military Times Media Group Service Members of the Year awards.

Study finds toxic metals in dust in Afghanistan - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 12, 2010 7:45:34 EDT

Here’s another thing to worry about when you deploy: toxic dust.

A new Navy study suggests that dust from Afghanistan contains metals that may cause respiratory problems and brain damage.

“Afghanistan sand produces neurotoxicity … with potential adverse health effects to our soldiers,” according to a briefing of the study presented at a medical conference in June in Portland, Ore.

The Navy conducted the study in response to anecdotal concerns that the dust and dust storms common in the Middle East may be harmful. The dust samples were taken from Forward Operating Base Salerno near Khost, which was selected because of its relative isolation with no nearby industry that could skew results.

A close analysis of the Afghan dust found traces of manganese, a toxic chemical known to cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms. Other metals found in the sand include silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum and chromium.

Those metals, if trace elements are inhaled, can travel through the bloodstream to the brain and other organs, according to the study.

The study did not include testing on any people or animals, and Navy officials emphasized that the findings are only preliminary at this point.

“There is no definitive basis to say the sand is neurotoxic to people or animals,” said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a spokesman for Navy medicine. “It is important to note though that in a great many cases, preliminary research outcomes do not bear out the earlier findings when the investigation involves replication of exposure in the living intact mammalian animal and human research subject. That said, research will continue until a complete picture is understood.”

Other jobs involving risk of metal inhalation include welding, mining, plating and in some cases roadway construction, Surette said.


Study finds toxic metals in dust in Afghanistan - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

Papp: Oil spill affects missions, work-force - Navy Times

Papp: Oil spill affects missions, work-force

By Susan Schept - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 12, 2010 7:42:45 EDT

Efforts to pare active-duty Coast Guard members have been halted temporarily and some missions have been cut back as the service reassesses how to handle the fallout of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp.

The service has 3,000 people — mostly reservists — stationed in the Gulf, as well as 19 cutters and two dozen aircraft.

The Coast Guard already has gone through its first wave of 2,000 reservists — 25 percent of its total — and has just called for 1,000 more. Reservists can serve only two 60-day intervals and then cannot be recalled for two years.

The active-duty force is being stretched, too. Four flag officers are deployed to the Gulf along with senior leaders and mid-range officers. A servicewide message sent June 22 requested members of the Coast Guard auxiliary to volunteer for at least 30 days. Another message sent eight days later asked for civilian employees who are willing to go to the Gulf for a month of 12-hour days. Volunteers could be sent any time within the next six months, according to the message.

“The Coast Guard does not have [active-duty] people to deploy in cases like this,” Papp said. “We have to take them from commands. … It’s hitting us hard personnel-wise.”

The need for personnel in the Gulf — and the potential to reverse proposed budget cuts — has affected plans to reduce the work force. Starting July 1, the Coast Guard halted early outs because of the situation in the Gulf. Although the service announced that striking programs also would close July 1, that has been changed to Jan. 1 to accommodate personnel who couldn’t complete requirements because they were deployed to the spill.

Because of high retention, the Coast Guard was projected to have more than 1,500 active-duty members beyond what it is funded for by April 2011. Proposed budget cuts for fiscal 2011 required the elimination of 1,112 active-duty billets.

Since the beginning of the year, 700 officers and enlisted members have agreed to take an early out or not re-enlist, which “has met our desired goals and provided some relief,” said Rear Adm. Ronald Hewitt, assistant commandant for human resources, in a servicewide message. However, many of those who chose to leave are junior personnel, meaning the service is becoming top-heavy with first and second class petty officers and chiefs, Papp said.

Because of this, the service might have to use performance boards to allow for accessions and advancements.

“I’d like to stay away from some artificial time-in-service screening tool,” Papp said.

Adding to the complexity, a House panel reinstated the funding needed to keep the status quo in the Coast Guard, eliminating the need to cut 1,112 billets, five cutters, nine aircraft and five of its 12 marine safety and security teams.

“We’re getting mixed signals right now,” Papp said. “If they restore those cuts, and we’ve already taken personnel actions, we’re getting whipsawed.”

Meanwhile, the surge of personnel responding to the oil spill has affected other missions, Papp said. Half of the service’s seagoing buoy tender fleet has been deployed there because they can be used to skim oil. That means that personnel have had to cut back on maintaining aids to navigation, Papp said.

Some cutters and personnel have been pulled away from other operations in the Caribbean Sea, where drug interdiction duties are shared with the Navy and other countries. Migrant interdiction missions also will have to be reduced.

“We just agree to end up accepting additional risk,” Papp said.

Leaders of the Navy League, a nonprofit organization that supports the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, contend that the Coast Guard should be excluded from the proposed federal budgetary spending freeze, just as the other four armed services are. If anything, funding should be increased for the Coast Guard in light of the oil spill and continued homeland security threats, said Sheila McNeill, chairwoman of the Navy League’s legislative advisory board.

“This is the service that secures our homeland,” she said. “The idea that they could be cut just doesn’t make sense to me.”


Papp: Oil spill affects missions, work-force - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times


Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press Coast Guard commandant Adm. Robert Papp, center, talks with Coast Guard and local officials about the oil spill in Grand Isle, La. Papp said the Coast Guard has had to cut back on other missions and halt some personnel cuts to handle the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

ICT for Growth - Paul E. Jacobs

18.01.2010 Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm, USA on the Scaling Opportunity: Information and Communications technology for Social Inclusion

mHealth Summit 2010 - Opening Remarks

Review on Innovations, ICT, Healthcare, Mobile Communication and implications for health
28.06.2010 - Opening remarks at the Health meeting
WorldEconomicForum |

Opening remarks at the mHealth meeting of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Future of Mobile Communications held in La Jolla, California on 28 June 2010.
Speakers
Kevin Steinberg, Chief Operating Officer, Head of Centre for Global Industries, World Economic Forum USA
Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm, USA

Davos Annual Meeting 2010 - CNBC The Next Global Crisis

WorldEconomicForum | 11 février 2010

27.01.2010 - The G20 is focused on preventing a repeat of the financial crisis, but the next global crisis to threaten the global economy is likely to be off the radar screen of policy-makers, as have previous ones. What warning signals need our urgent attention? In partnership with the World Economic Forum, CNBC hosts this debate focusing on the challenges and choices to be made to prevent the next great global crisis.
Barney Frank, Congressman from Massachusetts (Democrat), 4th District; Chairman, Financial Services Committee, USA
Jacob A. Frenkel, Chairman, JPMorgan Chase International, JPMorgan Chase & Co., USA
Lord Levene, Chairman, Lloyd's, United Kingdom
Anand G. Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, India
Kenneth Rogoff, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Economics, Harvard University,
Zhu Min, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, People's Republic of China; Global Agenda Council on the International Monetary System
Moderated by

Maria Bartiromo, Anchor, CNBC's Closing Bell; Host and Managing Editor, Wall Street Journal Report, CNBC, USA; Young Global Leader; Global Agenda Council on Systemic Financial Risk

View the full Davos conference medias