Marine back in news over Facebook comments

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Marine back in news over Facebook comments

Thursday, March 22, 2012, 04:26 AM - News Stories Marine sergeant being dismissed for criticizing Obama.
The Marine Corps is moving to boot out a Marine for having made "political statements" about the commander-in-chief on a Facebook page. Sgt. Gary Stein, 26, a nine-year veteran, put comments on a Facebook page called the Armed Forces Tea Party page that said he would not follow unlawful orders from President Obama such as ordering the killing of Americans or taking guns away from Americans. He also criticized comments made by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about Syria. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits uniformed personnel from making comments critical of their chain of command, including the commander-in-chief, or engaging in political activity in a context that suggests that are acting as military members...
(Los Angeles Times)

Combat journalist shares harrowing journey. Most people who have career epiphanies go back to school or start their own businesses. Sebastian Junger went to war. After a workplace accident during his tenure as a ?climber? for a tree-services company, the man who would later become a best-selling author, journalist and documentary filmmaker said he had a revelation. ?I had just turned 30, and I thought, ?I have got to jumpstart my career, Maybe I?ll go to a war,?? Junger told an audience of almost 200 at MTSU?s Tucker Theatre Tuesday. ?I got a backpack and a sleeping bag, some notebooks and a box of pens. I saved up about five grand and I bought a ticket and I wound up in Bosnia with a bunch of other freelancers...
(The Daily News Journal)

Army launches app store prototype. Soldiers can now access 12 mobile applications on personal smart phones and tablets as part of the Army?s latest efforts in establishing an online storefront for mobile software. The Army Software Marketplace is a prototype for a future one-stop shop where soldiers can access and download applications to any device that?s been approved to run on the Army?s under-construction common operating environment. ?The Apps Marketplace is at the center of Army efforts to radically reduce the time to deliver applications across the force,? Army CIO/G-6 Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence said in a March 20 blog post...
(FCW)

The Long Road Home Project. The Long Road Home Project was founded to help our troops overcome some of their obstacles as they return home. Starting in Seattle in July 2012 and ending in our nation?s capital about four months later, four US veterans will go on a life changing, cross-country bicycle ride. During their inspirational journey, a small film crew will document the healing power long-distance cycling has on the human spirit. Along the way, we will meet, stay, and speak with hundreds of other veterans, shedding light on the question...
(

Home page
)

Using Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Other Internet Tools, Pakistani Terrorist Group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Incites Violence against Shi'ite Muslims and Engenders Antisemitism. This paper examines the role of Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) ? the military arm of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) ? and how the LeJ/SSP duo is using U.S.-based social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other Internet tools, along with its own dedicated websites and print magazines, to incite violence against Shi'ite Muslims, and also how it is engendering Antisemitism in order to promote its ideological agenda. ?

The LeJ has figured in several recent attacks in Pakistan...
(MEMRI)

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Milblog Conference Early Bird Registration

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 11:32 PM - 2012 Milblog Conference Early bird pricing for the 2012 Milblog Conference is available to attendees who register by April 20, 2012.? The cost is only $89 and includes the Friday night Dinner Reception & Milbloggie Awards, Saturday Breakfast, Lunch (sponsored by Wal-Mart) and the 7th annual Conference.

To register for this year?s conference or to learn more go to:

Registration

Agenda

Conference Panels

Sponsorship Opportunities

To keep updated on this year?s event , visit the Milblog Conference website.

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Social media sites become second battlefield

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 04:48 AM - News Stories

As Israel?s Military Pursues Enemies on Twitter, Some Citizens Reach Out on Facebook. Last week, as rockets were fired into and out of Gaza, the Israeli military also moved to take the high ground on what an official described as the ?second battlefield? of social networking sites, by beginning a campaign to discredit Palestinian bloggers who had misidentified images on Twitter. In this virtual campaign, bloggers for the Israel Defense Forces made some gains ? successfully drawing attention to the fact that two activists had mistakenly identified an image of an injured girl who was hurt in an accident in 2006 as a victim of a recent Israeli attack, while another erroneously claimed that a Reuters photograph of an Israeli air strike taken in 2009 was new ? but they also suffered some setbacks...
(The New York Times)

Minn. cop's Facebook post about upside-down flag scrutinized.? A 15-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department is under investigation after he allegedly posted on his Facebook page that while on duty, he saw an upside-down American flag near a "Somali hangout spot" and demanded the owner hang the flag right-side up. "If I find it upside down the next time I work, the (expletive) will hit the fan and there will be trouble," the officer, Steve Loeding, warned Sunday night on his page. "Let me know and I will go with you Steve!!" one of his friends replied. The message was posted sometime after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, March 18, but it appears Loeding, 40, had removed it by Monday morning. During that time, some people who saw it forwarded screen images of it to police and city officials, including the office of Mayor R.T. Rybak...
(PoliceOne)

For posterity?s sake, leave a written record. John R. McNeill made a good point about collecting soldiers? memories in his March 18 op-ed, ?Save the war stories before it?s too late.? But his lesson should be broadened. Every grandparent should heed the late Harold L. Ickes?s advice, ?I have often wished that my father, and his father .?.?. had left some written record, however brief, of their lives and times. To most of us .?.?. our ancestors are only names .?.?. . (E)xcept for an occasional isolated and unconnected fact or legend they are to us total strangers.? Even if you didn?t fight a war, take the time now to prepare a ?written record, however brief.? It?s fun to do. And someday your grandchildren, or their children, will be glad you did...
(The Washington Post)

Great mil-blogging by Wired mag. I was reading this pretty good story today by David Axe, a blogger and writer with Wired Magazine's Danger Room blog. His latest story is on on his thoughts after an embed with the 10th Special Forces Group based in Germany. First off, how cool do you have to be in order to get an embed (he was asked) with the SF guys. I can't even get love from the local Reserve units sometimes so I can't imagine the juice this guy carries. He has his own blog, btw, called War is Boring...
(Peoria Journal Star)

ALL NEW EPISODES OF G4'S BOMB PATROL: AFGHANISTAN - START TUESDAY 10PM ET. The boys are back with more episodes of "Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan" starting this Tuesday at 10 PM ET on G4...
(YouTube)

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Sponsor the 2012 Milblog Conference

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 06:54 PM - 2012 Milblog Conference Are you or your organization interested in?sponsoring the 2012 Milblog Conference?

The 7th Annual MilBlog Conference is the premiere event of the year for the military blogging community. The 2012 MilBlog Conference will offer the perfect environment to reach the most influential writers inside the milblog community, and their readership. Military bloggers are comprised of active-duty service members, veterans, military spouses, military parents and military supporters. Support this group of citizen journalists and become a sponsor today!

Here are just a few of the benefits to your organization for sponsoring this event.

Platinum Sponsorship $6,000

- Your company?s promotional items distributed in attendee gift bags
- Company logo and link featured on the official conference website
- Company logo featured in the official conference program
- Breakfast Sponsor. Your company logo featured on signage at the breakfast*
- Booth at Friday reception and Saturday conference
- Full page 4-color advertisement in official conference program

Gold Sponsorship $4,000

- Your company?s promotional items distributed in attendee gift bags
- Company logo and link featured on the official conference website
- Company logo featured in the official conference program
- Breakfast Sponsor. Your company logo featured on signage at the breakfast*
- Booth in the reception area the day of the conference**
- Half page 4-color ad in official conference p
rogram

Table Only $500

- Booth in the reception area the day of the conference (Saturday)

Full Page Advertisement $500

- Full page 4-color advertisement in the official conference program.
- Companies may add a Full-Page ad to the Table Only Sponsorship or pu
rchase an ad separately

Half Page Advertisement $350

- Half page 4-color advertisement in the official conference program.
- Companies may add a Half page ad to the Table Only Sponsorship or purchase an ad separatelyPlease complete this form and Sarah Blansett will contact you to follow up on the details.

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WashPo: Save the war stories before it's too late

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 04:33 AM - News Stories Save the war stories ? before it?s too late.
My 94-year-old father and two of my uncles were among the 16.5 million men and women who served in the American armed forces during World War II. Both uncles, and another who served with the Canadian military in the war, are now dead. I have only snippets of information about their lives in uniform. At my urging, my father recently wrote the story of his life on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1940 to 1946. My reasons for pushing him to do it were personal...
(The Washington Post)

Soldier 'bans' Prime Minister from IDF's Facebook page.
When then IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu told the Herzliya Conference that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered his unit to train soldiers to be "new media warriors," he probably never imagined that a year later one of those keyboard warriors would brazenly block the prime minister on Facebook. Netanyahu has a number of Facebook pages: three official pages representing "The Prime Minister of Israel," in Hebrew, English and Arabic, which are run by editors inside the Prime Minister's Office, as well a political page run by Likud party spokespeople...
(Haaretz Daily Newspaper)

Israeli Ambassador Demands U.N. Employee Be Fired Over Tweet. Khulood Badawi is a United Nations employee working in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and she has come under fire in the last few days for tweeting a photo of a dead Palestinian girl and attributing it to a casualty of Israeli military forces. The tweet has now resulted in the Israeli ambassador the United Nations demanding that OCHA fire her...
(Mediaite)

Journalists will bring stories, photos from front lines of war. Even before a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier allegedly murdered 16 Afghanistan civilians, a deployment there came with risks for any U.S. personnel. Since the unexplained killings, it has grown considerably more dangerous. That is the tense war zone environment into which our military reporter Adam Ashton and photographer Peter Haley will spend the next six weeks. The two veteran war correspondents are embedding with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Zabul Province, and also with I Corps in Kabul...
(The Olympian)

Syria's Assad rewrites rules of war reporting. THE crisis in Syria poses a strange dilemma for the media: how to cover one of the biggest stories of the year when journalists have been locked out. If the role of journalists is to write the first draft of history, then Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is distorting that traditional role...
(The Australian)

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NTSB issues prelim report on blogger's crash

Monday, March 19, 2012, 11:23 PM - Fallen Military Bloggers, News Stories
A preliminary report has been issued on the jet crash that killed military blogger Captain Carroll ?Lex? Lefon, USN (ret).

Via the Lahontan Valley News:

According to the NTSB, LeFon's flight had left NAS Fallon at 7:52 a.m., and after an adverse training mission, LeFon attempted to return to the field. The NTSB reports LeFon tried to make two Ground Control Approach radar approaches to NAS Fallon, but because of the weather, LeFon attempted to divert to the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Reno-Tahoe reported minimal weather conditions, and as a result, LeFon returned to NAS Fallon and told air traffic controllers he was in a ?critical fuel state.?

The report further stated LeFon descended and maneuvered first toward runway 31 and then runway 13 before the F-21 the accident.

?The airplane struck the ground in an open field in the northwest corner of the airport property and impacted a concrete building on the field,? stated the NTSB report.

LeFon was killed, and the jet sustained significant damage upon impact. Federal firefighters from NAS Fallon responded to the crash scene, while Fallon Churchill firefighters waited on stand-by.

At the time of the accident the reported weather at NAS Fallon indicated a temperate of 31 degrees (F), with winds blowing from the northwest at 20.6 miles per hour and gusting to 30.4.

The NTSB said the visibility at NAS Fallon at the time of the crash was between one-half and one-and-a-half miles with fog and snow reported. However, the NTSB is reporting northerly winds were reported at 23 (34.73 mph) knots gusting to 34 (51.3 mph) knots.
Full story here.

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Medal of Honor recipient launches military blog

Sunday, March 18, 2012, 11:25 AM

Marine Corps Sgt Dakota Meyer

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer has launched his very own blog called Actions Not Words.

He announced the news through his Twitter account (@Dakota_Meyer) yesterday tweeting, "Check out my new blog dakotalmeyer.blogspot.com".

In his first post titled ?Welcome?, he writes about being new to blogging and his plans for the website.

?I hope to use this blog to share my life experiences with others.? I'm new to blogging, so for all you veteran bloggers out there, please have patience as I learn the ropes.

I'm preparing for a trip to West Liberty, KY to help with the recovery efforts from the deadly tornadoes that recently swept through the community.? As you can see in the picture above, many people lost everything and the entire town is devastated.? Myself, along with three close friends, decided we couldn't sit around and do nothing when so many people need our help.? We have packed up our equipment, rented some heavy lifting machinery and we're headed east.

I'll use this blog to keep everyone engaged with the efforts in West Liberty so continue to check in for updates, but please don't stop there.? I encourage everyone to do their part to help their neighbors; donate food, clothes, money; volunteer to help with the clean-up; at the least, send your prayers to the victims of the tornadoes.?

We'll be doing our part... I hope you'll join us.

See you in West Liberty!
Dakota?

Thanks to War on Terror News for the tip.

Image credit: Department of Defense

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Wife of SSG Robert Bales blogged about military

Sunday, March 18, 2012, 08:56 AM - News Stories

SSG Robert Bales at NTC

You have no doubt by now heard the terrible news of the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians.? The American soldier accused of the killings has been named as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales.?

While Robert Bales? wife, Karilyn, and two young children have been moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord for safety reasons, what?s getting more coverage in the media as news sites try to dig deeper into his life is the fact that Karilyn was a blogger.

Karilyn wrote about military life on at least two blogs called ?The Bales Family Adventures" and ?BabyBales?.

I've been able to find?both blogs online, despite news reports not providing the web address.

But since the time SSG Bales was publicly named as the suspect, the blogs have?switched to "invite only".

Using Google?s cache, news organizations have been able to retrieve information and?learn about the family life as written by Karilyn.

BabyBales has posts up through 2009.

Here?s an excerpt from a highly cited story that appeared in The New York Times:

She detailed her pregnancy, with her husband a world away. She described the knot she got in her stomach from missing him. She wrote of her disappointment after he was passed over for a promotion.

But mostly, Karilyn Bales ? the wife of Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers last week ? relayed the simple anguish of life as a military spouse, tending to a home with two young children, with a husband summoned for repeated deployments.

?Bob left for Iraq this morning,? she wrote in her family blog on Aug. 9, 2009. ?Quincy slept in our bed last night.?

Though much of the family?s online presence appears to have been removed in recent days, the fragments that remain capture the daily travails typical of any family with a loved one stationed abroad.

A little less than a year ago, in March 2011, Ms. Bales wrote on her blog that her husband had not received a promotion to E-7, sergeant first class. The family was disappointed, she said, ?after all of the work Bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country, family and friends.?
You can read more here.

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Social media helps deal with military moves

Saturday, March 17, 2012, 11:28 PM - News Stories Social Media Eases Military Redeployments.
With multiple missions underway around the world, the U.S. military is constantly shuffling personnel (and their families) between locations all over the planet. And while moving thousands of people long distances poses any number of logistical challenges, it?s no surprise that the human element -- feelings of dislocation, loneliness, homesickness, or just not knowing your way around a new place -- has often been neglected as a touchy-feely ?non-mission critical? issue. That?s changing, however, thanks to the military?s adoption of social media: over the last couple years, loosening restrictions and new guidelines have made it easier for personnel to engage in private social media activity and leadership to implement broad-ranging social media initiatives...
(MediaPost)

Wartime diary reveals mum's heartache over lost soldier son. A DIARY kept by a worried mother as she waited for news of her son missing in action in World War One is among items of memorabilia being gathered across Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of war in 1914. Mary Martin of Monkstown, Co Dublin, was a widowed mother of 12 when she learned in December 1915 that her 20-year-old son Charlie, a member of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was wounded and missing in Gallipoli. "Dear Charlie," she began, "Since I heard you are missing as well as wounded it has occurred to me to write this diary in the form of a letter...
(Independent.ie)

Last words hang frozen for all time. Look, they may not be the most famous and beloved words ever uttered in the English language but it's just that I can't think of any words that outdo them right now. And as today is the centenary of when they were uttered, it is worth looking at them again. But already, we're ahead of ourselves ?For, you see, in the middle of March 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his three companions were fighting for their lives on their return from the South Pole...
(The Sydney Morning Herald)

Postings on Twitter are stirring Mideast tension.

?
Photographs posted on opposite sides of the Twitter divide are reigniting online tension between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian activists, even as the recent spate of violence has calmed. The shaky truce established by Israel and the Hamas authority that controls Gaza gave hope to many that the latest round of violence between the groups might have ended for the time being. But online, activists on either side are raging as accusations fly over allegations of propaganda used to curry favor and sympathy with audiences on the Web...
(stltoday.com)

Post reporter leads way on Afghan bomb coverage. A Yorkshire Post reporter embedded with British troops in Afghanistan led the way in covering the aftermath of the car bomb which claimed the lives of six soldiers. Five of the six men killed in last week?s explosion were from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. Post reporter Joe Shute, pictured left, has spent the past few weeks embedded with the regiment and other Yorkshire soldiers in military bases across Helmand Province. One of the men who died, Pte Anthony Frampton, had done his pre-deployment training alongside Joe Shute in December and had given him an interview in which he discussed his worries about going to Helmand and his pride at being a soldier...
(HoldtheFrontPage)

USACE Galveston District Public Affairs Office earns Army?s top community relations award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District captured the Department of the Army?s top public affairs honor, winning first place in the community relations program category of the 2011 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Public Affairs and Communications Competition. The first-place award recognizes the district?s aggressive water safety community outreach and public information campaign, launched in 2011, following a number of water-related fatalities at USACE recreational facilities nationwide...
(DVIDS)

Army: Soldier Who Leaked Documents Aided al-Qaida.?

Military prosecutors say a U.S. Army private aided al-Qaida by leaking hundreds of thousands of military and other government documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Pfc. Bradley Manning had been charged with aiding the enemy among a total of 22 counts, but on Thursday the military publicly identified the enemy Manning's actions aided. Manning and his attorneys are appearing at a hearing in a military courtroom at Fort Meade, near Baltimore, for two days of hearings in the case...
(My Fox Phoenix)

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Camp Humphreys social media 'Best in Army'

Friday, March 16, 2012, 04:50 AM - News Stories

Camp Humphreys

Via Army.mil:

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (March 15, 2012) -- The U.S. Army recognized Camp Humphreys today with a first place award in the 2011 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Competition for "Outstanding Initiatives in New Media."

"I couldn't be more proud of the teamwork it took to make this achievement possible," said Col. Joseph P. Moore, USAG-Humphreys commander. "And our team doesn't just include members of the garrison staff -- it's also about our community, because without their involvement the success of our social media program wouldn't be possible."

According to Debra D. Zedalis, IMCOM-Pacific region director, the USAG-Humphreys social media network is made up of some of the most active and heavily visited social media sites in the Army.

"The success of Humphreys' social media program is due in large part to the personal involvement taken by the garrison's commander and staff in communicating directly with community members using tools like Facebook and Twitter," added Zedalis.

Steven Hoover, the garrison's chief of command information and Facebook guru, sees the use of social media as an effective way to rapidly communicate with the Soldiers, families and civilians stationed here.

"I started my Army career as a public affairs Soldier -- in the field, covering stories for the newspaper," said Hoover. "To be honest with you, I wasn't convinced social media could be as effective as traditional media."

"Now that I've been doing this for a few years, I definitely see the value of social media. It's a game changer," added Hoover. "And it's not just about the technology -- while that's important, it's more about the people and helping to facilitate a two-way conversation between our community and those who support it."

The ability to communicate rapidly via social media has proved particularly important for the garrison, as it transforms to become the largest Army installation in Asia.
Full story here.

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NASA Mars rover is tweeting @MarsCuriosity

Thursday, March 15, 2012, 04:31 AM - Twitter, News Stories NASA Mars rover @MarsCuriosity tweets the darndest things.
Welcome to the Twitter, NASA style. In this social media society of Facebook, YouTube and the new Pinterest, Twitter has found an omnipresent niche beyond the stereotypical guilty pleasures of sharing your view of the world 140 characters at a time or simply following your favorite gossip. Because of Twitter and because NASA has not only embraced Twitter but wrapped it in a bear hug, you have a window beyond the world via @MarsCuriosity, which is scheduled to land on Mars in August. But not only in the first-person accounts of an interplanetary rover hurtling across the Milky Way, Twitter has essentially become the social media of choice for NASA as well as the U.S. Army...
(al.com)

Joseph Kony?s Ugandan Victims Find A Voice On Twitter, With The Help Of Al Jazeera. Hundreds of users, most of them Ugandans with Internet access, have already posted tweets with the #ugandaspeaks hashtag. Most of these criticize the worldwide response to the Kony 2012 video, which many of the Ugandans (and worldwide observers) claim grossly simplifies a complicated war. Al Jazeera?s Riyaad Minty told Co.Exist that ?we launched Uganda Speaks to get responses from people across Uganda via text message, email, Twitter, and Facebook. The idea is to have ordinary Ugandans talk about the [Kony 2012] video in their own voice, as this has largely been missing from the conversation.?
(Co.Exist)

Seen by millions, will Uganda Kony video matter?

??
A YouTube video gone viral has propelled Joseph Kony, leader of Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army, back onto the agenda, entrenching his position at the top of the list of the world's most wanted men. But how long the current spike of interest will last is far from clear. Hits on the video appeared to have fallen sharply in recent days, while the charity has also found itself on the receiving end of a savage backlash. Produced by U.S.-based group " Invisible Children", "Kony 2012" has scored more than 77 million hits in less than a week...
(Reuters)

N.S. blogger makes waves in online battle. When Grant Oyston posted a critique last week of a wildly popular online video urging the arrest of Joseph Kony for war crimes in Uganda, it went to just 30 friends. Since then, his website Visible Children has attracted at least 2.3 million views. From his student digs in Wolfville, Oyston has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Kony 2012 movement. "Social media can cut both ways," the 19-year-old Acadia University student said Tuesday in an interview. "Millions of people around the world are now aware of an issue that they weren?t before. The issue is . . . whether they have enough information about it to have the right decisions."
(The Chronicle Herald)

Google Adds (Even More) Links to the Pentagon. On Monday, the Defense Department?s best-known geek announced that she was leaving the Pentagon for a job at Google. It was an unexpected move: Washington and Mountain View don?t trade top executives very often. But it shouldn?t come as a complete surprise. The internet colossus has had a long and deeply complicated relationship with America?s military and intelligence communities. Depending on the topic, the time, and the players involved, the Pentagon and the Plex can be customers, business partners, adversaries, or wary allies. Recruiting the director of Darpa to join Google was just the latest move in this intricate dance between behemoths...
(Wired News)

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ND National Guard wins several media awards

Thursday, March 15, 2012, 04:25 AM - News Stories
Congratulations to the North Dakota National Guardsmen working in the Public Information Office, winners of several media awards.

According to DVIDS:

North Dakota National Guard members working full-time in the Public Information Office and part-time in the field to tell the story of their fellow soldiers and airmen recently received a slew of awards from three media-related contests. Two of the competitions pitted them against their active-duty counterparts around the world.

?The North Dakota National Guard?s Public Information Office has once again been recognized for the outstanding work they do every day to tell the story of the Guard?s successes and accomplishments here at home and abroad,? said Gov. Jack Dalrymple. ?I have seen firsthand the professionalism and expertise of these guardsmen, especially throughout last year?s flood fight. They did a great job informing the public of the Guard?s response and working with local, state and federal agencies to ensure the dissemination of valuable information. I applaud the Public Information team for receiving this deserving and prestigious recognition.?

While a couple of the awards stem from the team?s flood coverage, a variety of other events also came through in the winning entries.
Full story here.

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Services for Capt. Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (ret)

Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 03:40 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers
Captain Carroll ?Lex? Lefon, USN (ret) will be laid to rest in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery March 27.

Via Whisper:

Captain Carroll ?Lex? Lefon, USN (ret) will be interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, CA on March 27th at 1:00pm.

?
The ?Mighty Shrikes? of VFA-94, the squadron that Lex commanded, will conduct a fly-over.

The family has graciously invited Lex?s many friends and fans here at Neptunus Lex to attend.

?
Their only request is that you consider carpooling due to limited parking at Fort Rosencrans.

Lex?s former employer, ATAC, is coordinating a charity that will be accepting donations in lieu of flowers.?

When details about charities and scholarship funds become available, they will be posted on Neptunus Lex.? ATAC?s latest press release can be found here.
Please visit NeptunusLex.com for more information on services.

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Fake photos against IDF posted to Twitter

Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 03:32 AM - News Stories In propaganda battle, PM Spokesperson tweets old photo. "The IDF is recently putting a lot of effort into propaganda campaigns, and especially new media ones. The army has a blog, a Flickr account, a Facebook page and a Youtube channel; officers from IDF spokesperson unit are very active on social networks, where they argue with journalists and activists and at times even endorse certain (rightwing) political positions. A recent entry in the IDF Spokesperson blog encouraged readers to help the army ?spread the truth? about the military escalation in the south. Another entry was dedicated to a tweet from a Palestinian blogger, which showed a photo of a wounded Palestinian child, allegedly wounded in the attack on Gaza. The photo was old, plus it was photoshopped...
(
Democratic Underground
)

News Tribune team heading to Afghanistan for embeds with JBLM troops. The News Tribune is sending photograhper Peter Haley and me to Afghanistan this week to report on Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who are guiding the war from Kabul and executing efforts to hand over more responsibility for security to local forces in southern provinces...
(The News Tribune)

DARPA chief leaves Pentagon for Google job. Google, in a coup, has hired DARPA Director Regina Dugan to fill a senior executive position.?

Google confirmed that it has hired Dugan away from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, but the company declined to say what position she will hold...
(Computerworld)

Obama likes Facebook?s Timeline photo format. It?s Facebook official: President Obama on Thursday became the most recent candidate in the 2012 election to switch to Timeline. The new Facebook layout will play a big role in the president?s social-media efforts. He already is connecting with supporters on sites including Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Spotify...
(

The Washington Times
)

Does this diary prove Hitler had a lovechild? D-Day soldier's notebook backs up claim Fuhrer's baby was born to Frenchwoman in 1918. For decades it had gathered dust in a box on top of a wardrobe among a war hero?s possessions. But an entry within this tatty pocket diary appears to offer corroboration to claims that Adolf Hitler fathered an illegitimate son. Yesterday one of former Royal Engineer Leonard Wilkes?s sons said the diary could offer the earliest written record of the story of Frenchman Jean-Marie Loret, who went to his grave believing Hitler was his father...
(Daily Mail)

War reporter Marie Colvin laid to rest in hero's funeral. AFTER a lifetime spent crossing battlelines and entering besieged cities, journalist Marie Colvin was borne back to her family's church in a seaside town on Long Island yesterday for a hero's funeral. The community of Oyster Bay turned out to mourn her as they would a fallen soldier, mingling with war correspondents and news editors in the pews of St Dominic Church...
(The Australian)

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Bouhammer appears on BBC's World Have Your Say

Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 03:57 AM - Milbloggers in the News
Military blogger and Afghanistan war veteran Troy Steward of the military blog Bouhammer appeared on BBC?s World Have Your Say radio program Monday.

Bouhammer?s most recent blog post titled ?An act by one does not represent all? and the BBC topic?discussed the killing spree by a US Soldier that took place on Sunday at dawn.

Here?s some of what Troy Steward had to say on his blog:

One soldier doing this is not a reflection of our military as a whole, their mental well-being or how soldiers are recruited or trained. All of these were ?stupid? reasons brought up today when I was interviewed on the BBC. This is no different than a cop who loses it and kills innocent people or a firefighter who starts committing arson. An act by a single person does not reflect the attitude, training or professionalism of an entire organization.

This is also no reason to ?feel sorry? for our military or think they are victims. Did people think Timothy McViegh was a victim when he blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City? Why not, he was a war vet. That is how ludicrous such an argument or thought is that military service is the reason for this happening.

None of us can see the future and know how bad will be for us, but I think I can

?
say with certainty that this is going to do a lot of damage to our reputation in the eyes of Afghan people. How can the Afghans trust us to help them? Kind of like how can our soldiers trust their afghan security partners when they keep killing or training to kill our soldiers. It is a two way street now because of this and it is not going to end well.

Read more over at Bouhammer and download the podcast here.

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Army: Geotagging poses security risks

Via The United States Army

FORT BENNING, Ga. (March 7, 2012) -- "Is a badge on Foursquare worth your life?"

The question was posed by Brittany Brown, social media manager of the Online and Social Media Division at the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. It may sound outlandish, but in the age of social geotagging, it can be a reality.

There are a number of location-based social media applications and platforms, including Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR, Shopkick, Loopt and Whrrl, currently on the market. They use GPS features, typically in the user's phone, to publish the person's location and offer rewards in the form of discounts, badges or points to encourage frequent check-ins.

Security risks for the military:

A deployed service member's situational awareness includes the world of social media. If a Soldier uploads a photo taken on his or her smartphone to Facebook, they could broadcast the exact location of their unit, said Steve Warren, deputy G2 for the Maneuver Center of Excellence, or MCoE.

"Today, in pretty much every single smartphone, there is built-in GPS," Warren said. "For every picture you take with that phone, it will automatically embed the latitude and longitude within the photograph."

Someone with the right software and the wrong motivation could download the photo and extract the coordinates from the metadata.

Warren cited a real-world example from 2007. When a new fleet of helicopters arrived with an aviation unit at a base in Iraq, some Soldiers took pictures on the flightline, he said. From the photos that were uploaded to the Internet, the enemy was able to determine the exact location of the helicopters inside the compound and conduct a mortar attack, destroying four of the AH-64 Apaches.
Full story here.

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Medic to blog deployment for Houston Chronicle

Nick Tran, an Army medic on his fourth deployment, is blogging about his experience for the Houston Chronicle (blog).?

The blog?s name is Medic Without Borders.

Nick wrote about blogging on one of his first entries, saying:

I thought it would be a great opportunity to let those that have never been in the military have a true insight on what it was like to leave your family, your friends, your civilian career and everything you knew and loved about home to go halfway around the planet to not only stand up for the freedoms that we hold sacred in our country, but to also stand up for the weaker people of this world who aren?t able stand up for themselves.

I won?t divulge information on specific units, missions, locations or full names of the people going on this upcoming deployment for OPSEC (Operational Security) and PERSEC (Personal Security) issues (unless they are already on the Internet, or authorized me to do so), but I will try my best to give a no nonsense account of the events before, during and after this deployment.

I hope that you will enjoy reading my blog and realize why there are people like me happily go in to harm?s way. It?s not that we?re brain-washed baby-killing robots portrayed in many ridiculous Hollywood movies. We too have families, friends, the same hopes, fears, dreams and desires that you have. We leave all of that to go in to harm?s way knowing full well that we may not return and we go willingly because we truly believe that our cause is just. We go because others cannot ? or will not.

Read more here.

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NATO's Stavridis target of Facebook attack

Sunday, March 11, 2012, 03:30 AM - News Stories Reports: Spies stole info with fake Facebook account for NATO's Stavridis.
Spies opened a bogus Facebook account for U.S. Adm. James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander, and tricked senior British officers and defense officials into "friending" it, allowing access to private email addresses, phone numbers and photos, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported on its website. The Observer newspaper said there had been multiple such attacks aimed at Stavridis, and the Sunday Telegraph said military officers and diplomats were told the evidence pointed to "state-sponsored individuals in China."
(MSNBC)

The government is reading your tweets. There were once seven words you couldn't say on television, as the late comedy icon George Carlin famously lampooned 40 years ago. Now it appears there are more than 500 words you shouldn't say on Twitter or Facebook unless you want to be flagged by the Department of Homeland Security. There is a surveillance program the agency quietly began in February 2011 to monitor social media, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center...
(CNN)

Egypt: Journalists and Bloggers Among 12 People to Appear Before Military Courts.

?
Reporters Without Borders objects to the decision to bring two journalists and two activist bloggers before military courts to face charges of harming the army's image and seeking to overthrow the state. "The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has demonstrated once again its willingness to muzzle media workers, who are the repeated victims of military oppression," the press freedom organization said. "This organization openly condemns the use of military courts to try journalists and bloggers and demands the charges against them be dropped immediately."
(AllAfrica.com)

Celebs Use Twitter To Speak Out Against Ugandan Military Leader. A growing list of celebrities have called on their fans and followers to spread the word about a new documentary calling for the removal of Ugandan military dictator Joseph Kony. The viral video, titled "Kony2012," is currently circulating the web and has been championed by the likes of Diddy, Kim Kardashian, Katie Couric and Lady Antebellum. The video was created by a group called Invisible Children and thus far has racked up over two million views on YouTube. The film portrays Kony as the brutal leader of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the hashtag #stopkony has since trended on Twitter...
(NASDAQ)

In Uganda, Few Can See Kony Video. Uganda?s Public Enemy No. 1, Joseph Kony, became an overnight Internet sensation to the rest of the world this week, but many here knew little or nothing about the explosive online campaign. Internet access was one reason. Only 10 percent of Ugandans use the Internet, and Web traffic is slowed by routine power failures and poor maintenance. Many young residents of the capital are computer savvy, but even for them downloading a 30-minute video like the one that Invisible Children, a San Diego charity, created would be a frustrating exercise...
(The New York Times)

Twenty inspirational women journalists. To mark International Women's Day, we have compiled a list of inspirational women journalists with the help of Twitter followers of @journalismnews. Here is the list ? in no particular order ? which does not include many of the inspiring women nominated. Marie Colvin was an award-winning Sunday Times journalist who died last month while covering the siege of Homs in Syria. She lost the sight in her left eye while reporting in Sri Lanka...
(Journalism.co.uk)

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Over 1,000 comments in tribute to Neptunus Lex

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 05:14 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers

Carroll LeFon aka Neptunus Lex

Since March 7th, when Whisper posted an Open Thread on Neptunus Lex, over 1,000 comments have been posted online.

Clearly, Neptunus Lex had a considerable following and his death earlier this week has been deeply felt.

If you'd like to leave a tribute or condolences or read what others have said about Carroll LeFon, I encourage you to go here.

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DVIDS: Social networks challenge security

Friday, March 9, 2012, 03:47 AM - News Stories Social networks challenge security.
Social networking online isn?t the flu, but Americans have certainly caught the bug for it. Marines and their families are not immune to the outbreak, and the need for information security poses unique challenges as they balance the responsibilities of military service with high-speed social scenes. Luckily, family readiness officers and resources offered on the ever expanding eMARINE website stand poised to help maintain the shield of security as Marines and their families stay connected. Taking some simple precautions online and staying in contact with the FRO are two ways Marines can mitigate security risks in the online world...
(DVIDS)

Syrian deputy oil minister defects on YouTube, joins anti-Assad camp. Syria's deputy oil minister announced his defection in an online video that emerged Thursday, making him the highest ranking civilian official to abandon the regime since the uprising against President Bashar Assad erupted a year ago. Abdo Husameddine's announcement came one day after the top U.S. general said President Barack Obama has asked for a preliminary review of military options in Syria, as the conflict grows increasingly dire...
(thestar.com)

Christian bloggers backtrack on Kony. Christianity Today reported on reactions to Invisible Children?s video on Ugandan leader Joseph Kony, which got nearly 40 million YouTube views this week. Popular Christian bloggers such as Matthew Paul Turner and Rachel Held Evans initially posted the viral video on their sites, but have since gone back to reflect critical reactions across the Internet...
(Chron.com)

The #StopKony Backlash: Complexity and the Challenges of Slacktivism. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, you?ve almost certainly learned by now about Joseph Kony, leader of the

?
brutal Lord?s Resistance Army in Uganda, and a wanted war criminal responsible for the deaths of thousands and the abduction of as many as 30,000 children in the service of conflict and terror...
(Forbes)

AG?s Warning: Grandparent Scam Hits Area For $130K.?

This Consumer Alert involves a scam targeting grandparents and it involves a phone call where the suspect pretends to be the victim?s grandchild in desperate need of money. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called the scam ?despicable? and issued a warning Thursday for all New Yorkers.? His office states that in the last year victims in the Rochester area have been taken for about $130,000 and the scam has intensified in the last six months. The phone calls sometimes arrive late at night when the victim may be asleep and still somewhat disoriented.? Often the caller begins by mumbling or not specifically saying the grandchild?s name...
(13wham)

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Source: http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry120322-042638

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My Dog Stinks | News, Featured Ads, Videos and many more at ...

512901895 f005629d0e z My Dog Stinks

When your pet dog stinks, it is likely that the animal just needs a bath. But, if a pet dog still stinks after it has been bathed, then there may be a health issue. Stinkiness could be caused by bacterial problems. More often than not, the condition will merely cause the stinkiness but it might also induce lesions on the canine?s skin.

Taye Port owns a rescued Great Dane who suffers from skin problems that induce smelly oozing lesions on her canine?s skin. ?It is very difficult for us, and I am certain that it?s not a fun thing for my dog either,? said Port. ?So we can have him checked out, we took him to the local vet. They gave us drugs that aided with the odor.?

In a form designed to discuss weimaraner biting, one owner discussed a problem that dogs have with smell. It appears that, there was one owner who complained that although two of her three pets can go without bathing for up to a week and not stink. The female on the other hand gets smelly quickly ? often just three days after a bath.

It is only natural for a pet dog to get smelly. A number of factors can bring about a family pet to stink. Genetics can also come into play as some breeds is usually a lot stinkier than others. The coat is also a factor that could play into how a pet dog smells. The family pet?s activity level could also cause smelliness in dogs.

Since dogs do not sweat like humans family pet, owners need to look at their pet?s activity levels. For example, has it been spending a lot of time in a soaked place? Weather will also play a part since wet dogs usually stink.

In addition to the above, a canine could also become very smelly when it is bacterial or fungal issues with its skin. Infections can happen for quite a few reasons and they can lead to really smelly skin lesions. Dogs might also become very smelly when they have yeast infections.

To keep dogs from smelling, owners may want to increase the frequency of baths ? every 3 days or as the family pet requires. Owners who take their pets to the groomers must ask to have the animal?s groomers to express the dog?s anal glands because that can cause stinks .

It is very essential that owners find out the reason why their pet dog is smelly. In the weimaraner biting boards, the same thing was suggested. This is because you really need to know what is causing the stinking so that you can find a cure for it.

No related posts.

Source: http://www.123classifieds.us/news/my-dog-stinks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-dog-stinks

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Readers Respond to "Hidden Switches in the Mind" and Other Articles

December 2011 Image:

EPIGENETICS AND ANTIBIOTICS
?Hidden Switches in the Mind,? by Eric J. Nestler, discusses epigenetic changes?alterations to how genes behave that do not affect the information they contain. Is it possible that such changes are at least partially responsible for bacteria becoming resistant to various drugs, given that the changes are passed on to daughter cells? If so, the changes would provide yet another way to overcome resistance to various drugs. Instead of looking for an entirely new antibiotic, it might be simpler to find a way to undo the epigenetic changes and restore the bacterial susceptibility to the drugs we already have.
Ted Grinthal
Berkeley Heights, N.J.

Editors? note: The author, not being a microbiologist, referred this question to Rich?ard Lo?sick, whose laboratory at Har?vard University focuses on bacteria. Losick?s reply follows:

Epigenetics does indeed contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria by giving rise to bacteria known as persisters. Indeed, epigenetic mechanisms were initially discovered in bacteria, although the mechanisms are quite different from the histone-based ones described in the article (bacteria do not have histones). Persisters are bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment without having acquired a resistance mutation. Instead they have reversibly entered a state in which they are less susceptible to killing by the antibiotic than other genetically identical cells in the population. Indeed, if we could devise drugs that blocked entry into the persister state, such drugs could contribute to the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy.

NOT OURS TO SEE?
Whereas David Weinberger?s speculations about predictive abilities of big data?crunching models in ?The Machine That Would Predict the Future? are intriguing, planners and social scientists aren?t about to step aside just yet. As an example of ?big data,? IBM?s Watson has impressive computing power when the question is clear, but important societal questions rarely are. For the near future, we don?t see large computing power suc?cessful?ly responding to the simple questions facing modern societies with complex answers: For instance, how do you motivate Asian governments to take action on climate change? How do you reduce poverty? How do you get people out of their cars and onto public transit?

The challenge to prediction today is successfully integrating philosophy and the social and behavioral sciences with the physical sciences and engineering. Just witness the failure of climate scientists to advance the climate change agenda, resulting, in part, from social, behavioral and political scientists being left out of the conversation. With multidisciplinary cooperation as a starter, ?big data? might be better equipped to predict the future.
David R. Hardy
Toronto

I would suggest that there is an insurmountable hurdle to physicist Dirk Hel?bing?s work, described by Weinberger, in trying to make a ?computing system that would effectively serve as the world?s crystal ball?: the discrete architecture of the natural world. Helbing?s background is apparently the modeling of highway traffic, which has a basic linear architecture. Road traffic acts like a hydraulic problem, where small particles can flow into one another continuously. My background is railroads, which couldn?t behave more differently. On almost every level, their options and costs are effectively discrete. Railway costs are highly correlated, irregular, stepwise functions. They are dynamically unstable as they interact. That is, these costs are complexly unique lookup tables, not continuous equations, which means that highway and other linear models cannot be used rigorously (although people do try to use them).

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=2621b8b3c80043adf5d3c23355c0c436

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PwC reports on the state of the internal audit profession ? their ...

I added the phrase ?their opinion? to the end of the title, because while PwC?always reports what respondents say, it is understandably difficult to do so with bias. PwC has always had a perspective to share, and frankly I always look forward to hearing it ? whether I agree with it or not.

You can download the 2012 (8th) edition of this report here.

I recommend you skip past the highly questionable statement at the beginning, that business are facing more risks than ever before (I suspect they are just more aware of the risks rather than the number of risks has grown in the last year), to the substance.

For example, they make this statement which is not only true but essential to understanding the speed of business and the required speed and relevance (in my opinion) of internal audit:

?With global trade, supply chains, and financial markets all intricately linked, risks become apparent quickly, unexpectedly, and with significant impacts on company operations, ??reputations, and even survival.?

PwC echoes my view that internal audit has to change:

?Stakeholders and CAEs alike have recognized that in order for internal audit to be effective in supporting organizational risk management efforts, the minimum standard of performance has to rise. In today?s ever-shifting risk landscape, internal audit can?t settle for simply reacting to events; instead, it must adopt a strategic mindset that is responsive to risks and helps ready their organizations for new threats and opportunities.?

The report includes this very important observation:

??on average less than half (45%) of those surveyed told us that they are comfortable with how well their most critical risks are being managed? despite the fact that 74% of those surveyed have formal enterprise risk management (ERM) processes in place.?

But, rather than pointing out that internal audit teams need to assess and help improve risk management programs, PwC has focused on telling internal auditors to improve their understanding of the ?organization?s risk landscape?.

Isn?t the point that perhaps the greatest risk to an organization?s success is their failure to understand and address risks ? in other words, that they don?t have effective risk management? A case can be made that internal audit has a great opportunity to add value by being a catalyst for improving risk management frameworks, processes, and understanding!

PwC positions internal audit as ?having an important role to play in monitoring their organizations? top risks?. That seems dangerous to me: I strongly believe that it is a management role to monitor, report, and respond to risk. Internal audit?s role is to provide assurance that those processes, including the controls relied upon to manage risks at acceptable levels, are designed and functioning as needed.

The report has a useful section, with a chart, that lists risk areas that don?t get sufficient attention from internal audit. I would have included these, in addition to risk management:

  • The effectiveness of governance processes, including oversight of risk management
  • The quality and timeliness of information used to run the business ? at speed

One section of the report that I like is where PwC describes (with a nice illustration) a ?new floor for internal audit?. In particular, I agree with this statement:

?But risks have shifted and expectations have risen, and all internal audit functions need to rise to this new floor: providing assurance on a broader range of critical risks and clearly communicating deeper insights, all while staying in complete alignment with stakeholder expectations.?

An area for concern is that the study identified that only 55% of internal audit functions are building their audit plan based on a top-down, risk-based process that focuses on critical risks to the organization. That is not (either in my or PwC?s opinion) the path to success.

There?s a lot of good content in the report and I strongly recommend downloading and spending time on it.

What are your takeaways?

?

By the way, did you respond to the survey on whether COSO or ISO is a better risk management standard/framework? The direct link is here.

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Source: http://normanmarks.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/pwc-reports-on-the-state-of-the-internal-audit-profession-their-opinion/

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Cardinals ace Carpenter has setback in recovery

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter won't start opening day after a setback in his recovery from a bulging disk in his neck.

The right-hander returned to St. Louis on Tuesday for tests. He threw live batting practice Sunday but didn't feel right the next day.

"He looked really good and felt good; the next day he just didn't respond like we had hoped," manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday. "His shoulder is just not responding and they're uncertain of the root of it. That's what they're trying to get to with tests on the neck and shoulder and trying to figure out where it's all coming from."

Kyle Lohse will start April 4 at Miami in his place. Lohse was 14-8 with a 3.39 ERA last season, leading the Cardinals in wins and ERA.

"It's an honor," Lohse said. "But it comes meaning that Carp's not available ? that's the tough part about it. I wish it were under different circumstances, but I'm proud to take the ball on opening day."

Righty Lance Lynn, a setup man, will take Carpenter's spot in the rotation. Lynn is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings this spring. He made his second spring start Monday. The Cardinals now must replace Lynn in the bullpen.

Carpenter, who turns 37 in April, has been limited in workouts since being diagnosed with the bulging disk March 3. The Cardinals had initially planned to limit his spring training work after Carpenter pitched 273 1-3 innings last season ? including playoffs ? the most in baseball.

He had been scheduled to throw more live batting practice Wednesday. Matheny was guardedly optimistic after watching Carpenter throw Sunday, saying his ace looked great but wanting to be sure he woke up the next morning without any issues.

He didn't.

"He was the one trying to keep us all in check and not get too far ahead of himself," Matheny said. "As he finished I mentioned to him, 'I hope you feel as good as you look because you look really good.' That's what all of us saw. You can tell there's a little bit of hesitancy with him just not knowing how he would respond and that's what happened."

Carpenter has had nerve-related issues that ended his 2004 and 2008 seasons prematurely and returned in 2010.

"He's been fighting different things for a long time," Matheny said. "He's just so tough mentally; he's so tough physically. He just keeps fighting. This is another setback he's going to answer the bell too. He always has in the past."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-03-21-BBN-Cardinals-Carpenter/id-594c48124c6a487084dd3c4258270b24

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200 interviewed in Penn State investigation

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Former FBI chief Louis Freeh and his investigators have conducted 200 interviews in their extensive probe of the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State, asking questions that go beyond the charges against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and into the relationship between the football program and the administration.

Since November, when the Penn State Board of Trustees hired his group to examine the Sandusky case, Freeh's team has talked to people ranging from high-level administrators to retired secretaries to current and former staffers in the athletic department. That includes many employees who worked at the football building while the late Joe Paterno was coach.

The trustees themselves also are among those to be questioned, said board chairwoman Karen Peetz, who told The Associated Press 200 people have been interviewed in all.

As Freeh seeks to fulfill his mission ? he is charged with finding out how Penn State failed to stop an alleged predator in its midst, and with recommending changes aimed at preventing abuse ? board members facing criticism are stressing anew that the former federal judge and his team have complete independence. They see the breadth of his investigation as a sign of that.

"They're extremely reputable, impeccable credentials, a mandate to investigate thoroughly," trustee Joel Myers said after a board meeting last week in Hershey. "Let the chips fall where they may so we come out of this a better institution."

Trustees ousted Paterno on Nov. 9, four days after Sandusky was charged with dozens of sexual assault counts. Eight of 10 boys Sandusky is accused of abusing were attacked on campus, including at the football facilities, prosecutors allege.

While the charges shocked the Penn State community, Paterno's forced departure after 61 years with the school outraged many former players and alumni, who assert the trustees acted rashly. Some alumni watchdog groups question whether Freeh's report will be a whitewash.

Freeh, who declined interview requests, has said that he would conduct his investigation "without fear or favor," and that he agreed to take the job only after the trustees pledged that he would be allowed to work with "total independence." He said when he was appointed that his probe would "look carefully at the governance, protocols, decision-making and oversight within the university."

Two people who have been interviewed said they were asked about compliance with NCAA rules and about leadership dynamics ? for instance, how Spanier interacted with the athletic department, and how Paterno interacted with the university administration. The people, who requested anonymity because they have been told not to speak publicly about the investigation, said they were also asked about the football program's influence on the athletic department and across the university.

But the line of questioning has varied depending on who is being interviewed. Investigators also have asked for suggestions on other people to question.

Linda Woodring, a retired personnel specialist in the athletic department, said she spent "a couple hours" at Freeh's State College office. She declined to reveal what she told them, saying "they asked that it remain confidential," but that the questions focused on her job. Woodring worked at Penn State for more than 40 years and processed Sandusky's retirement.

"They expressed to me that they were looking toward the future of Penn State to try to prevent things like this from happening again," she said.

Trustee Keith Eckel, who was interviewed for two hours last week, said investigators were thorough.

"My interview started when I was born and went through to now. I'm serious," Eckel said. "It covered a lot of ground."

The session ranged from general questions about school governance ? how Penn State is run ? to specifics about Sandusky. "What did I know, yes. What did I know and when did I know it? And I'm not a good one to talk to because I didn't know anything," Eckel said.

Penn State President Graham Spanier left his post under pressure the same day Paterno was fired and was replaced by Rodney Erickson, who said he has not been interviewed but expects to be.

Every one of the 32-member board of trustees has or will be interviewed, said Peetz, who declined to discuss specific questions. "We're going to tell the truth and nothing but the truth," she said. "And so we're being treated exactly the same as all the other people being interviewed."

Freeh is not sharing details or giving updates to the board of trustees as a whole, but does communicate regularly with trustees Ron Tomalis and Ken Frazier, who lead the investigative committee to which he must report. Tomalis told the AP that Freeh has been getting good cooperation from university leadership, though he declined to say whether anyone has refused to be interviewed.

Tomalis also suggested that Freeh is in contact with other investigatory bodies. There are ongoing state, federal and NCAA probes into Sandusky and Penn State's handling of the sex abuse allegations, and Freeh's law enforcement background is "one of the reasons why we chose (him) in the first place, because he has that ability to communicate and interact with the other investigatory agencies," said Tomalis, Pennsylvania's education secretary.

Eckel, a rank-and-file member of the investigative committee, said it's appropriate to keep the trustees walled off from the investigation.

"It's very dangerous in any investigation to have intermediary reports, because you can pick up a piece of information today that's contradicted tomorrow," he said.

Though Freeh has not commented on what the investigation has found so far, he's already released some preliminary suggestions aimed at improving university oversight such as enhanced background checks for staffers working with children and immediately retrieving keys, access cards and other property from people no longer associated with the university.

A spokesman for Freeh declined to say how many investigators are in State College, or reveal their names. The team includes retired law enforcement officials and former prosecutors. It's also not clear whether investigators have spoken to any of the central players in the Sandusky case, including Spanier; former athletic director Tim Curley; Gary Schultz, a former vice president who oversaw the campus police force; or Sandusky himself.

Curley and Schultz have pleaded innocent to charges that they failed to alert police about suspected abuse and lied to the grand jury investigating of Sandusky. The former defensive coordinator, who prosecutors say abused boys at his home and on the Penn State campus long after his 1999 retirement, faces trial on 52 counts. He has pleaded innocent.

Trustees have said they removed Paterno and Spanier over a "failure of leadership," asserting they failed to adequately follow up on a 2002 abuse allegation that a graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, had relayed to Paterno. The coach testified to a grand jury that he passed the information to his superiors, including Schultz.

The trustees have also said Paterno had a moral obligation to do more to alert authorities outside the university. Paterno died in January at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Frustrated by what they call the trustees' rush to judgment in the frantic days and weeks following Sandusky's arrest, some critics have questioned whether the board used the scandal as a pretext for Paterno's ouster for other reasons. Paterno won a Division I record 409 games and two national titles over 46 seasons, but questions about when he would retire constantly swirled around the program especially over the last decade.

Paterno had said he rebuffed a request by administrators to step down in 2004, the team's fourth losing season in five years. He asked that he and his veteran staff stay on for a shot to turn things around ? and Penn State won two Big Titles and 51 games over the next five seasons.

"I have no doubt based on my conversations with 22 trustees that the decision to fire Joe was not based on the Sandusky matter," prominent donor Anthony Lubrano, who is running for a seat on the board, wrote in an email. "Rather, for almost eight years the trustees wanted him removed (but) didn't know how to do so without suffering the ire of the alumni."

Many of the same critics want Freeh's investigation to be completely independent of the trustees.

An alumni watchdog group that has endorsed Lubrano's candidacy, Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, has said "it does not believe that the investigation can be truly independent given the involvement of the Board of Trustees on the investigative team."

Peetz, in the interview in Hershey last week, noted the investigative committee's membership includes people who are not trustees, including faculty senate chairman Daniel Hagen; Rodney Hughes, a doctoral student; and Guion Bluford Jr., a Penn State graduate and former NASA astronaut who participated in four space shuttle missions.

The board hopes to release Freeh's findings by the fall. The board has said it will get a chance to review the report before its public release "to assure all important areas have been investigated and that there are no factual gaps," but won't get a chance to edit it.

___

Michael Rubinkam reported from Hershey, Pa.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/200-interviewed-penn-state-investigation-162548752--spt.html

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Save Space With Sliding Wardrobe Doors | Home Improvement

Sliding wardrobe doors offer a contemporary alternative, individual in style they feature convenience and practicality with no clearance required for the opening and closing of doors. ?This can be perfect where space saving is required, in an area with restricted room. People often simply choose them instead of more classical styles.?
The freedom of allowing the disguising of sloping ceilings, awkward shaped rooms and walls, chimney breasts, alcoves and areas which would be impractical to fit free-standing furniture are among the numerous advantages. They are perfect for attic rooms, extensions, or non standard shaped rooms. Also, they are commonly chosen in standard shaped rooms because of their style and modern look.?
The doors may be frosted, mirrored, reflective, high gloss, wood, or mixed panel, providing the flexibility of choice to create just the look you require. A variety of runner systems and frames can then be chosen. Accompanied with your furnishings and decor, you can design your room individual to that of your friends and neighbours. It can be worthwhile considering that brighter colours and reflective panels can provide an impression of spaciousness. Lighting is essential to transform the overall look.?
With all the excellent quality and benefits of fitted furniture, they will utilise all available space, with versatile storage solutions, providing the capability to choose internal fixtures and fittings. Hanging rails, drawers, shelving, tie, belt, shoe and scarf racks can all be incorporated within the interior of the wardrobes for all of your storage requirements. Tailor made to measure they employ all of the available space. From a walk-in dressing room to a built in wardrobe, Sliding wardrobe doors can offer the ultimate in design and practicality and transform your home.?

Source: http://www.lynnandrichardowen.com/save-space-with-sliding-wardrobe-doors.html

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Marston Hefner Pleads No Contest in Attack on Claire Sinclair


Hugh Hefner's son Marston has entered a plea of no contest in the alleged beating of Claire Sinclair, his girlfriend and the Playmate of the Year, earlier this year.

The elder of Hugh's two sons with ex-wife Kimberley Conrad officially pleaded no contest to misdemeanor corporal injury to a cohabitant or spouse.

In exchange for cutting the plea deal, one count of vandalism for damage done to Sinclair's laptop was dropped. So, what is Marston Hefner's punishment?

Marston Hefner, Claire SinclairClaire Sinclair Abuse Photo

The 21-year-old has been sentenced to undergo a 52-week domestic violence program and was ordered to stay away from Sinclair for three years.

Sinclair, Playmate of the Year in 2011, previously told E! News that she was reluctant to file charges against her now ex-boyfriend, but that he needed help.

"I want him to admit that he did hit me more than once," she said.

Sinclair later described what went down, saying that they got into an argument "about something really silly and it kind of escalated and it became violent."

Marston's official sentencing is scheduled for June 12.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/03/marston-hefner-pleads-no-contest-in-attack-on-claire-sinclair/

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5 Stellar Strategies to Land Your First #SocialMedia Job ? Business ...

March 21st, 2012 | Tags: Amp, Ashley, Brazen Careerist, Bryan College Station, Bryan College Station Eagle, Business Insider, Career Advice, College Station Eagle, Fox 5, Fox News, Free Webinar, Google, Hoffman, Informationweek, Job Career, Mather, News Articles, Ogilvy, Passwords, Recruiter, Social Media, Social Networking, Verge | Category: Google Social Media News, Social Media News, emarketer.com

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