Oscar-Winning Surgeon to speak at ODU about quest to heal acid attack victims around the world

(BMLTV) September 20, 2013 - London-based plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Ali Jawad will screen the Academy Award-winning documentary “Saving Face,” which focuses on his internationally renowned work treating acid attack victims, and speak about his experiences during a lecture at Old Dominion University on Sept. 25.

The free event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Ted Constant Convocation Center’s Big Blue Room and is open to the campus community and the general public. Parking will be available free of charge in the 43rd Street garage, adjacent to the convocation center.

Jawad’s international reputation stems from high-profile plastic surgery cases, including his work to restore a British model who was the victim of a vicious acid attack. The HBO film “Saving Face” – which won the 2012 Academy Award for best short documentary – explores Jawad’s efforts in Pakistan. ”Saving Face” shares the stories of women victimized by brutal acid attacks as Jawad works to reconstruct and heal them.

The documentary has subsequently been nominated for five Emmy Awards, which will be announced Oct. 1 in New York City. The ODU event, which is sponsored by the university’s Center for Global Health in partnership with Physicians for Peace, will focus on Jawad’s work assisting women who are victims of acid attacks – a growing act of violence in countries around the world.

Physicians for Peace recently recruited Jawad as a lead volunteer for a team of specialists providing Colombian medical professionals the skills and knowledge they need to treat the rising number of acid attack victims in that country. "When it comes to acid burns, one is too many,” Jawad said. “Acid attacks are mainly against women as the assailant wants to destroy the face because it is her identity. They become the walking dead.

This horrible issue needs to be brought to the attention of the United States. My philosophy is if you treat these patients with a lot of compassion and restore them to normality, then they can go back be an effective member of society.” Acid flinging, where caustic liquids are intentionally thrown on women or young girls, often is an act of revenge, according to the London-based charity Acid Survivors Trust International.

The long-term consequences of these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body, along with far-reaching social, psychological and economic difficulties. Of the 1,500 acid attacks reported globally each year, 80 percent target women.

Physicians for Peace is an international non-profit organization that harnesses the exponential power of education to create sustainable access to everyday healthcare. Through effective, hands-on training in high impact areas of healthcare, Physicians for Peace empowers communities in the developing world to help themselves, and thereby gain the sense of greater peace that comes with moving from a state of surviving to a state of living.

Headquartered in Norfolk, VA, they have established medical training partnerships in more than 60 countries since 1989. Find us on-line at www.physiciansforpeace.org, on facebook at www.facebook.com/physiciansforpeace and follow them on Twitter, @Physician4Peace.

Old Dominion University is Virginia’s forward-focused research university with rigorous academics, an energetic residential community, entrepreneurial research and collaboration, and initiatives that contribute nearly $2.1 billion to the economy.

ODU’s Center for Global Health prepares leaders so they are equipped to bring together the people and resources needed to build sustainable, inter-professional initiatives that address pressing local, national and international health problems.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel releases statement on the incident at Washington Navy Yard

(BMLTV) WASHINGTON, September 16, 2013 - I have been receiving regular updates on the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, and continue to monitor the situation closely.  This is a tragic day for the Department of Defense, the national capital area, and the nation.  My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this outrageous act of violence, their families, and all those affected by today's events.  I am grateful for the swift response of federal and local law enforcement, and for the professionalism of DoD personnel at the Navy Yard complex.  The Department of Defense will continue to offer its full assistance in the investigation of this terrible and senseless violence.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Norwegian Ministry of Defense State Secretary Eirik Thorshaug meet at the Pentagon.

(BMLTV) September 3, 2013 - Carter and Thorshaug, the two leaders exchanged views about the on-going violence in Syria. Deputy Secretary Carter reiterated the need for the international community to respond to the chemical weapon attacks that claimed innocent lives in Syria. They agreed on the importance of the norms surrounding the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, and on the need for close consultation in the days ahead.

Deputy Secretary Carter and State Secretary Thorshaug also discussed the positive developments in Afghanistan and the future of NATO post-2014. The two leaders underscored the need for enhanced focus on maintaining interoperability and readiness through training and exercises in the both the near and long term.

The two leaders highlighted the close cooperation between the United States and Norway exemplified by current cooperation on the F-16 and the planned Norwegian procurement of the F-35. Deputy Secretary Carter and State Secretary Thorshaug also reaffirmed the continued cooperation in the Arctic as access and activity in the region increases.

Air Combat Command Public Affairs releases F-16C accident report

(BMLTV) LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, August 26,2013 - A pilot's failure to perceive mountainous terrain in his flight path caused an F-16C Falcon to crash April 3, 2013, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released today.

The aircraft crashed into a mountainside 10 nautical miles southeast of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The pilot did not attempt to eject from his aircraft and was killed in the crash. The aircraft and pilot were assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Bagram Airfield.

When the accident occurred, the pilot was the flight lead of two F-16s supporting ground forces assigned in the United States Central Command's area of responsibility during a combat mission.

The mishap did not cause civilian injuries or damage civilian property. However, the aircraft and on-board munitions were destroyed upon impact with a loss valued at approximately $30.9 million.

Secretary Hagel meets with Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon

(BMLTV) August 21, 2013 - Yesterday evening Secretary Hagel hosted Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon for a meeting at the Pentagon in preparation for Indian Prime Minister Singh's visit to Washington this September.

Secretary Hagel emphasized the Department of Defense's commitment to continuing progress on defense cooperation including in the areas of trade and regional security.

Secretary Hagel extends his condolences to the families of the sailors who died in the INS Sindhurakshak submarine accident last week.

RC-East Commander to brief live from Afghanistan

(BMLTV) August 14, 2013 - Army Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, International Security Assistance Force Regional Commander East (RC-East) and commanding general of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), will brief the media live from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, this morning at 10:30 a.m. EDT, in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973) to provide an update on current operations.

Ultrasound may prevent acute kidney injury that often follows major surgeries

(BMLTV) August 13, 2013 - A painless application of sound waves prior to major surgery may prevent potentially deadly kidney damage, new research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

The U.Va. researchers have discovered that ultrasound – already in clinical use for imaging in hospitals around the country – appears to have therapeutic use to prevent the acute kidney injury that can result from heart surgery, abdominal surgery and other major procedures.

While the discovery has been tested in mice so far, researchers are excited about the promise it could hold for humans. If translated to human acute kidney injury, “a patient having cardiac surgery or other procedures where there’s high risk for acute kidney injury could potentially benefit from the application of a simple ultrasound procedure as a protective measure,” said U.Va.’s Dr. Mark D. Okusa, division chief of nephrology.

 “Non-invasive, no drugs, simple and portable – yet capable of protecting the kidneys from injury.” Acute kidney injury may result from a loss of blood flow to the kidneys, causing a loss of kidney function and potentially prompting a cascade of serious, even life-threatening complications.

“Patients who have acute kidney injury often develop lung injury, cardiac and liver dysfunction,” Okusa said. “Additional complications in the immune system and neurological systems occur as well. Those who are fortunate to survive often end up having progressive renal disease, or they end up on chronic dialysis.”

 The U.Va. researchers, supported by the National Institutes of Health, were investigating the possibility of using microbubble-mediated, contrast-enhanced ultrasound to deliver drugs directly to the kidney when they discovered the protective benefit afforded by ultrasound alone. Joseph C. Gigliotti, a postdoctoral fellow in Okusa’s lab, first noticed the effect and pursued extensive studies characterizing and determining the mechanism of this effect in kidney protection.

 Unexpectedly, Gigliotti found that the ultrasound treatment does not appear to act on the kidney, but on the spleen, an organ that helps regulate immune system responses. “During acute kidney injury, the spleen sends out inflammatory signals that lead to further injury to the kidney,” Okusa said. “Exposing the spleen to ultrasound blocks these inflammatory signals and preserves kidney function. If you perform a splenectomy prior to ultrasound treatment, there’s no protection. So it’s the spleen that’s likely the target for this effect.” 

The U.Va. researchers found that an ultrasound could be administered up to two days before an injury and still have a protective effect. After that, they found, the benefits began to wane. In the next stage of the research, Dr. Kambiz Kalantari, an associate professor in the Division of Nephrology, will lead human studies in preventing acute kidney injury through ultrasound treatment. The findings have been published online by the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The article will also appear as a cover story in a forthcoming print edition. The credited authors are Gigliotti, Liping Huang, Hong Ye, Amandeep Bajwa, Kryt Chattrabhuti, Sangju Lee, Alexander L. Klibanov, Kalantari, Diane L. Rosin and Okusa. An accompanying editorial salutes the U.Va. work and the promise it holds. “We believe that splenic ultrasound stimulation has a bright future ahead,” the authors wrote. U.Va. has established itself as a world leader in pioneering important applications for focused ultrasound. In addition to the work under way in Okusa’s lab, other U.Va. researchers are exploring the potential of focused ultrasound for treating conditions such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease.

by: josh barney

Norfolk to join “Ban the Box” Nationwide Initiative

The Business District Of Norfolk at 21st Street, Norfolk. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA, July 30, 2013 – Beginning September 1, 2013, the City of Norfolk will remove the question on the City’s job application related to an individual’s criminal conviction history.  Norfolk’s decision to “Ban the Box” removes the perception that a criminal history automatically disqualifies an applicant.

Under Norfolk’s current hiring practices, criminal history does not prevent an individual from being hired. Criminal history is evaluated on the gravity of the offense, the length of time since conviction, and whether it is applicable to the job.

The criminal history question will remain for certain positions including, but not limited to: public safety and those involving the care of children, the elderly or disabled.

As part of the hiring process, the City conducts national fingerprinting background checks and drug screenings on all new employees.

Missing mans body is identified after washing to shore

(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA, July 29, 2013 - The uncertainty of the whereabouts of Deshawn Ward, of the 300 block of E. Olney Road came to a end when Wards body was discovered washed ashore Sunday evening at approximately 7:30 p.m. Ward body was retrieved close to the 400 block of West Ocean View, according to the Norfolk P.D.

Ward's body  was transported to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy to determine the origin of death.

The 35 year old Ward had been reported missing after he went out crabbing Friday, but failed to return home. Detectives are investigating his death as undetermined until the results of the autopsy are completed.

by abhi  ahmadadeen

SRSG Zerrougui condemns spike in attacks on schools in north-eastern Nigeria

(BMLTV) New York, 10 July 2013 - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, strongly condemns the violent attack on a school and the targeted killing of students and their teachers over the weekend in Yobe State, in north-eastern Nigeria.

“I am deeply worried by the recent spike in incidents affecting schools and children in the region,” declared Ms Zerrougui. “During the last three weeks, four attacks on schools have taken place, leaving dozens of students and a number of teachers dead.”
Ms. Zerrougui offers her condolences and expresses her deepest sympathy and solidarity to the families of the victims.

Ms. Zerrougui calls on those responsible to refrain from any attacks directed at or in the vicinity of schools, and warned that the killing and maiming of children, as well as attacks on schools, teachers and school children are serious violations of international law. The Special Representative requests that the Nigerian Government investigate these heinous crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Turkish protester shot in the head by riot police

Norfolk Celebrates 3rd Annual Bike Month

Sean Milcetich at City Hall, does  deliveries on bike for Carry Norfolk.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©


(BMLTV) May 13, 2013, Norfolk, VA - The City of Norfolk is hosting the 3rd Annual Bike Month celebration throughout the month of May to include free family bicycling events; the launch of the We Roll Together share the road campaign; and the start of an official city employee bike share program.

The Department of Recreation, Parks & Open Space will host four free biking events throughout the month to include three community bicycle rides and a bike safety rodeo. First 500 registrants receive a free Norfolk Bike Month t-shirt. Event details are listed below and can also be found at www.NorfolkBikeMonth.com.

• Saturday, May 4th: Adult Bike Ride began at 9:00 a.m., departed from the Norfolk Fitness & Wellness Center, 7300 Newport Avenue, Norfolk, VA.

• Saturday, May 11th: Family Bike Ride  began at 9:00 a.m.  and departed from the Norview Community Center, 6380 Sewells Point Road, Norfolk, VA

• Saturday, May 18th: Bike Safety Rodeo will be 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Tarrallton Community Park, 2100 Tarrallton Drive, Norfolk, VA.

 Event includes: music, free bike helmets, bicycle tune-ups, children's bike safety course led by the Norfolk Police Department, local bicycle vendors, BMX demonstrations, guest appearances, raffles, bike giveaways, and more.

 • Thursday, May 30th: Family Bike Ride  begins at 6:00 p.m., departs from Poplar Hall Park, 101 N. Military Highway.
Also in May, Norfolk will launch the We Roll Together share the road campaign. The campaign is about making Norfolk a bike-friendly city. Through education and planning, the campaign aims to change the way all users of the road relate to one another.

Various outreach and advertising vehicles such as billboards, HRT bus ads, public service announcements, and a new webpage will remind motorists and bicyclists to Slow Your Roll, Know Your Role, and Roll Together to make Norfolk a safer city. Additional campaign details can be found at www.Norfolk.gov/RollTogether.

 Norfolk employees will also receive an easier way to get around with the launch of the Norfolk Employee Bike Share program. The program will make bicycles available for city employees to borrow on a short-term basis. The program is intended to encourage fun, physical activity and alternate modes of transportation among employees. In celebration of National Bike to Work Week, the program will kick-off with a lunchtime bike ride on May 16th at 1:30 p.m. Established in 2011, Norfolk Bike Month is a local celebration of National Bike Month.

It is a community celebration of biking as an economical and environmentally friendly form of recreation that enhances productivity and overall health. In 2012, more than 700 bicyclists of all ages rolled through Norfolk during Bike Month events. The Norfolk Bike month events, We Roll Together campaign, and Employee Bike Share Program all support the Healthy Norfolk Initiative, that aims to create a citywide culture of health and wellness. 


Sean Milcetich's bike sits outside City Hall while he is making a lunch delivery.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV© 


Sean Milcetich leaves City Hall and on to his next pick up.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

Local says his Mobile Detailing is a struggle but he manages to raise 5 kids on the income

Business Owner M.D. Francis seen detailing truck in Chesapeake.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©


(BMLTV) CHESAPEAKE VA, April 12, 2013 – Norfolk resident M.D. Francis says says that he started this Mobil Detailing business “Buds Suds” 2 years ago with the intentions of generating enough income to raise 5 kids as a single parent. M.D. spoke about how he was looking to expand the business after first year, “but that hasn’t happened quite that way he explains”. 

While it is a struggle I am making money and there should be no reason for me to complain. “I’ve got the freedom to take this business anywhere. The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) compiles occupational projections data on many occupations. The agency does not maintain a dedicated category for auto detailers though, instead lumping these workers in with "cleaners of vehicles and equipment."

This broad and somewhat nebulous category, cleaners of vehicles and equipment, accounted for nearly 350,000 US jobs in 2008. The occupational outlook anticipates a modest one percent growth over the decade from 2008 - 2018. BLS reports that median annual wages in this occupation are "very low" at $19,450. 6.5 percent of vehicle and equipment cleaners are self-employed. 

 by abhi ahmadadeen

The 2nd Annual Attucks Theatre Honors Saturday, April 13

Young performer looking up to the balcony of the Attucks Theatre. 
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV© 


Director Gail Easley backstage during dress rehearsal at the Attacks Theatre.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV© 

(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA, April 11, 2013 - This year, the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center (CACC) celebrates its 23rd anniversary by recognizing ten extraordinary individuals for their
philanthropy, leadership, and outstanding contribution to the arts in
Hampton Roads.

In a celebration on the Attucks Theatre stage, produced by the CACC, the
2013 Honorees will be saluted by performances and will accept the thanks
of their peers and fans through heartfelt video tributes. Recipients to
be honored at the 2nd annual celebration are Andrew Fine, Lorraine Graves,
Charlie Henderson, Dr. Adolphus Hailstork, Bishop B. Courtney McBath, Hon.
Daun S. Hester, and The Livas Group Architects, P.C.

For more info: please call (757) 622-4763

The Crispus Attucks Cultural Center  is located at, 1010 Church St  Norfolk, VA 23510.

Niger seeks to end cycle of hunger

Agricultural transformation is part of Niger’s bid to end chronic food scarcity.

Otto Bakano/IRIN©

(IRIN) NIAMEY, April 5, 2013  - Niger is seeking to end its chronic food shortages through an ambitious agricultural transformation plan - but the plan will have to meet the demands of a fast-growing population living in a mostly desert country that also faces threats to its security.

When he came to power in 2011, President Issoufou Mahamadou said: “As evidenced in the last election, our people have gained political freedom; now it remains to attain freedom from hunger.” Some 6.4 million Nigeriens faced hunger during the 2011-2012 Sahel food crisis.

A year later, Mahamdou’s government launched the so-called 3N Initiative - Les Nigériens Nourissent les Nigériens [Nigeriens Feeding Nigeriens] - a broad strategy touching on food, the environment, energy and industrial transformation, estimated to cost $2 billion in the initial 2012-2015 phase of the project.

Humanitarian groups active in Niger point out the proactive approach taken by the new administration aims to combat both food insecurity and malnutrition, heralding it as an example to other crisis-prone Sahel countries.

Mahamadou’s predecessor, Mamadou Tandja, who was ousted in a February 2010 coup, had come under intense criticism over his handling of food crises in the 2000s. Some critics said he refused to accept that there were serious food shortages due to pride and a deep mistrust of NGOs.

“Niger faces drought once in every two years. Even in a good year, there is a part of the population that still remains vulnerable. Drought is the main threat to agriculture in our country. It’s responsible for 80 percent of losses in terms of agricultural output,” said Amadou Allahoury Diallo, the high commissioner of the 3N Initiative.

A tall order

Only 12 percent of Niger’s territory can sustain farming. But with a growth rate of 3.3 percent, it has one of the world’s fastest growing populations. The population doubled between 1988 and 2010, rising from around seven million to some 15 million, according to official statistics. Just 1 percent of the territory - in the extreme west - receives more than 600mm of rain per year.

“The output from the 3-4 months of the rainy season is what feeds the population for the 12 months of the year. This should change,” Diallo told IRIN. “Eighty percent of the population depends on agriculture. We have no choice but to develop agriculture.”

Some observers say it will be impossible for Niger to attain food security given the harsh climate, poverty and population pressure. The 3N Initiative’s to-do list ranges from introducing modern technology and equipping farmers with better seeds and implements to improving agricultural financing and market management.

The latest scheme is hardly unprecedented; previous Nigerien governments initiated self-sustenance strategies. However, Diallo argued that strong political will by Mahamadou’s administration and better government coordination set the 3N initiative apart from its precursors.

“In the past, food security was spearheaded by development partners rather than the ruling party, and each ministry worked with different partners. There was no centralized leadership,” he noted.

Niger fell from growing enough food, and even being an exporter of cereals, in the 1960s, to a state of chronic shortages due to recurrent droughts that became more frequent in the last decade.

Locust invasions, unstable food prices and political instability have also gnawed away at the country’s food security. In Niger - and across much of the Sahel - staple cereal prices are above the five-year average. Prices of millet, the staple for Nigerien households, is at 30 percent above the five-year average, said the Famine Early Warning System Network, attributing the rise to strong demand by institutions and other private buyers.

“Good harvests do not necessarily mean food security. There is the question of accessibility. Poor families spend much of their income on buying food, and when the prices go up they suffer a huge impact,” said Wim Fransen, the Niger head of office for the European Commission’s humanitarian aid arm (ECHO).

“There should be a diversification and improvement of food production, management of natural resources, especially water, and an improvement the market system for better food distribution,” said Vincenzo Galastro, the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s programme manager for West and Central Africa.

“The Niger government has made food security a priority. We think it’s a very positive step,” he added.

Durability

But Niger has also had to respond to the crisis in neighbouring Mali, sending troops there as part of a West African stabilization force and stepping up internal security - moves with budgetary repercussions on its food security strategy.

“The government had pledged to use most of the resources from uranium and oil [receipts] to finance the agricultural sector. Unfortunately, Niger also faces insecurity problems owing to the Mali crisis, which diverted some of the resources to security,” said Diallo. “Insecurity and food security are the government’s main priorities.”

As with Niger’s previous strategies, the 3N Initiative could last only as long as the regime that created it, but Diallo said the government was working on legislation to ensure the self-sustenance aims are spared the vagaries of politics.

“We are going to develop an agriculture policy to be adopted as a law that would be enforceable even after this government,” he said.

The Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Niger, Aboubakar Doualé Waïss, argued that food security is an unavoidable issue for any government in the Sahel, meaning Mahamdaou’s involvement in the 3N Initiative would not have to limit the programme to the duration of his administration.

“There must be a strong engagement at the highest level of government. Moreover, it’s one of the policies for which the president was elected. It’s natural that he be at the heart of his strategy,” Waïss told IRIN.

“We are convinced that this programme will continue under whatever name it will be given. In any Sahel country, food security is vital. Whoever comes to power, food and nutritional security will remain part of their problem.”

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Crispus Attucks Cultural Center is awarded $25,000 grant from The Dominion Foundation to expand acclaimed After School Programming

Crispus Attucks Cultural Center, Norfolk. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV© 


(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA, March 21, 2013 - Crispus Attucks Cultural Center recently received a $25,000 grant from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Virginia Power. 

The grant will help in continuing the mission and development of Crispus Attucks Cultural Center by expanding its award-winning RISE! program to provide comprehensive tutoring to help disadvantaged students master Virginia's standardized tests in reading/language arts and mathematics. 

The grant enables RISE is to reinstitute an academic enrichment program that had been suspended for lack of funds. This is one of seven Virginia organizations that received grants from The Dominion Foundation in February, totaling $400,000, to support historical programs and expand programs that better prepare minority students for success.

 “Dominion is pleased to support these programs because they are of tremendous benefit to their local communities,” said Paul D. Koonce, chief executive officer of Dominion Virginia Power. “Black History Month is a particularly noteworthy time to honor and support the contributions these organizations make to the cultural and educational life of Virginia.” Starting March 7, the first phase of the RISE tutoring program will serve sixty students at P.B. Young Sr. Elementary School in Norfolk. 

Upon successful completion of twenty tutoring hours in the program, each student will receive a NOOK Simple Touch e-reader. The tutoring program aims to encourage reading by using the new technology. 

 Each week, students will be able to download a free e-book. “It is a valuable tool to motivate students to read and reduce the achievement gap between our students and their counterparts in the 21st century.” says Tonya Evans, P.B. Young Sr. guidance counselor. The RISE! program was created to engage and expose young people to creative learning as a way to develop skills they need to be successful at work, home, and school; better preparing them to make positive contributions to the world. Since its founding in 2005, the program has engaged more than 2,200 young people in dance, music, creative writing, media and visual arts, theatre and technology. 

According to Gail Easley, CACC Executive Director, “Improving educational outcomes for all students is an important issue for parents, educators and policymakers. Expanding our education initiatives with tutoring and technology increases the academic and social competence of students which are essential investments not just in the lives of our young people, but in our greater community. 

“The powerful impact of the program is illustrated by the fact that ninety percent of its high school participants graduate on time, compared to seventy-six percent of their peers. Chosen from a pool of more than 350 nominations and 50 finalists, RISE! was one of 12 after-school and out-of-school programs across the country to receive the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which is the highest honor such programs can receive in the United States. 

The awards are administered by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). 

The award honors community-based arts and humanities programs that make a marked difference in the lives of their participants by improving academic scores and graduation rates, enhancing life skills, developing positive relationships with peers and adults, and expressing themselves creatively. Great thanks go to Dominion Virginia Power and The Dominion Foundation for this generous grant. 

Charitable giving and volunteerism are an integral part of Dominion Virginia Power’s commitment to the communities it serves. Principally through The Dominion Foundation, Dominion contributes more than $20 million annually to non-profit organizations and schools in the states where it operates. . Foundation grants are funded by shareholder dollars and are not borne by customers. 

For more info: regarding the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center, visit:

www.attuckstheatre.org

 

Immigrant Youth activist family faces deportation

Maria Arreola and Dream Activist Erika Andiola

(BMLTV) Phoenix, AZ, January 11, 2013 - According to Dream Activist Erika Andiola, during the evening of January 10, immigration (ICE) knocked on her door and her mother and brother, Maria and Heriberto Andiola Arreola were immediately apprehended because according to immigration (ICE), the mother and brother were illegally in the United Stated and they both needed to go. Ms. Andiola claims her older brother was outside with a neighbor when the raid occurred.

Last year President Obama and ICE announced they would not deport individuals without a criminal record, but Ms. Andiola says that families are torn apart every day and this type of raiding needs to stop.

Ms. Andiola is expected to be at the immigration office along with a group of supporters to try to delay or stop the deportation of her mother.

Ms. Andiola says that she will be holding a press conference at ICE and ask Obama and the administration to help get her family back without further delay.

by abhi ahmadadeen

PHILIPPINES: Typhoon Bopha survivors face bleak holiday season

Family seen living under tarp at the side of the road. photo: ana santos/IRIN

(IRIN) BAGANGA, December 21, 2012  -  Survivors of Typhoon Bopha  which struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on 4 December face a bleak Christmas more than two weeks on.   

“My parents and my one-year-old baby died when our house collapsed on them and they were buried under the debris,” Richee Antulan said outside the remains of her home in Banganga, a municipality now viewed by many as “ground zero”.

She is among 6.2 million people affected by the typhoon, the most powerful to hit the country in 2012. On 7 December President Benigno Aquino declared a state of national calamity.
 
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement Council (NDRRMC), 1,050 people were killed, over 2,000 were injured, and more than 800 are missing.

Of the 168,227 homes damaged, over 65,500 were totally destroyed. The estimated value of property damage is over US$839 million.

Close to 12,000 people are still in 43 evacuation centres.

“The devastation was total,” NDRRMC head Benito Ramos told IRIN.

Many public buildings which were designated areas for evacuation centres were severely damaged, mostly with roofs blown away.


Richee Antulan (blue shirt) just buried her family. photo: ana santos/IRIN

“We urgently need tents and tarpaulins. We have gone as far as gathering tarpaulins from old advertising billboards in Manila to bring down to the affected areas. We want the survivors to have some kind of shelter before Christmas,” said Ramos.

In Baganga, where the storm first made landfall, not a single public building is usable.
“We have no evacuation centres. In Baganga, all 31 schools were damaged, all the churches, too. We estimate that 95 percent of the 18 villages [in this municipality] have been totally destroyed,” said Rowena Abayon, a second lieutenant in the Philippine Army who was manning the incident command post in Baganga.

“The most immediate need now is shelter. The people need tarpaulins to at least give them shade or protect them from the rain,” said Wilson Mondal, a field delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“[Without temporary shelter], the food distributions they receive will get wet. Tarps will also keep their kids from getting wet and getting sick,” Mondal said.

ICRC has started distributing two tarpaulins (measuring 4 x 6 feet) as well as food and non-food items to each family in the three most affected municipalities of Baganga, Cateel and Boston. An estimated 90 percent of affected people in the area are in need of additional assistance, he said.

“The people here are resilient, but will require support for quite some time to get back on their feet,” David Carden, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said from the affected area.

On 10 December, the government and the UN Humanitarian Country Team launched the six-month Bopha Action Plan for Response and Recovery, requesting $65 million to assist nearly 500,000 of the most affected people.

“Emergency shelter support is a priority, as is water and hygiene kits, along with debris removal,” Carden said.

Meanwhile, the local Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) says it has begun the first phase of establishing temporary shelters for 3-6 months for those in the worst affected area. 

Sixty bunkhouses are now slated to be built in the three worst affected municipalities (20 in each). Another 21 bunkhouses will be constructed in the other affected areas of eastern Mindanao, in Compostella Valley.

“Each bunkhouse structure, which measures about 178 square metres, will have 10 rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a washroom. One room, can fit one family,” said DSWD coordinator Varnell Dagansan.

The target date for completion of the bunkhouses is 30 December, though Dagansan doubts this deadline will be met: The nearest source of construction materials is the city of Davao, which is a 5-8 hour drive away.

Nearly half of the 225m-long Manorigao Bridge, one of area's main bridges, was damaged, hampering road transport in the Baganga-Cateel-Boston area.

“The hardest part is getting construction materials to the construction sites. It takes 2-3 days for them to get here,” said Dagansan.

The government reports at least nine bridges and one road remain impassable in the region as of 21 December, with many areas still experiencing power outages.
 

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There is a pending Inspector General investigation involving Undersecretary Vickers

(BMLTV) WASHINGTON, December 19, 2012 - Pentagon Press Secretary George Little released a statement yesterday stating that there is a pending Inspector General investigation involving Undersecretary Vickers, and the IG will and should reach her own conclusions. 

But because yesterday's press reports on Mr. Vickers are unwarranted, unfounded, and unfair, we are obliged to correct the record. He deserves better. "In July 2011, Mr. Vickers was asked by the Department's Office of Public Affairs to provide background information to filmmakers working on a movie about the successful raid that killed Osama bin Laden. 

 The Office of Public Affairs arranges these types of meetings on a routine basis. The interview was a coordinated response to questions, just as we handle questions daily from journalists, writers, and media producers. The Office of Public Affairs was present for the unclassified interview and transcribed it. "The Department's Office of Security Review reviewed the transcript and concluded that it is unclassified in its entirety. 

It was then released publicly by the Department of Defense in May 2012. Senior special operations officers approved in advance the offer Mr. Vickers made to arrange a potential discussion with a special operations planner -- someone who was not part of the Bin Laden raid team -- but such a meeting never occurred. 

Where there are redactions in the transcript, it is for privacy reasons only, not because the redacted material is classified. "The secretary has full confidence in Mr. Vickers and believes he is doing an outstanding job. Mr. Vickers is a national security professional with a long career spanning multiple administrations, including distinguished service in Special Forces, the CIA, and at the Pentagon."

Army Officials are investigating Fort Myer Child Development Center for abuse

(BMLTV) WASHINGTON, December 18, 2012 - Officials from the U.S. Army announced today they have begun an investigation of personnel procedures at the Army's Child Development Centers after a review of personnel records at the Fort Myer CDC found "derogatory information" contained in the background of a number of its employees.

 "The safety of the children under our care is our most important responsibility," said Col. Fern Sumpter, garrison commander at Fort Myer. "The quality of their care and safety has been and will continue to be our most important priority.

" In October, the Army's Installation Management Command replaced the CDC's management team following concerns received about facility leadership. A subsequent review found background issues with a number of employees. Not all the workers were directly responsible for child care. "Out of an abundance of caution, we removed those employees and temporarily closed the facility, moving students to the Cody CDC (also located on Fort Myer),

" Sumpter said. "An investigation was ordered to determine whether background checks were properly done at the time these employees were hired, and whether required procedures were followed. That investigation has just begun.

" Fort Myer officials also empanelled a Program Review Board to review the background files of about two dozen employees to determine whether they should be terminated. The Center's Child Youth Coordinator and deputy were both reassigned while those investigations and reviews are underway. Following the initial findings at Fort Myer, Secretary of the Army John McHugh directed an Army-wide review of management and procedures at child care centers, and review of compliance with those policies and procedures.

 "It's a fundamental responsibility to ensure the highest quality of care for the children of our men and women in uniform, many of whom rely on us to care for their children while deployed," he said. "These initial findings are not only troubling, they are unacceptable, and we will make certain that adequate policies and procedures are in place, and that they are strictly followed and fully enforced."