Thomas Jefferson in Paris – Pic of the Week

August 22, 2014 by Andrew Weber

I was recently in Paris for my friends' wedding and thought it might be a great opportunity to find something to photograph for a pic of the week.  I recalled that we previously posted a pic of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, so that option was out.  Then, during a walk around the city, I noticed a statue of Thomas Jefferson and knew that was it!

From the front of the base: Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826

From Jefferson's hand:
Drawing by Th. Jefferson
First draft Monticello

The statue, installed on July 4, 2006, is right along the Seine River and across from the Musée d'Orsay.  It is also across street from the Hotel de Salm.

I noticed a drawing of Monticello in Jefferson's hand (see photo on the right).  It was only later that I learned that the Hotel de Salm served asinspiration for an update to Jefferson's home.  I found a blog post that compares the two, using the picture of Monticello on the back of the nickel and a photo of the Hotel de Salm.

I have spent years working on the federal legislative information website THOMAS, named after Thomas Jefferson (by the way, after typing THOMAS all these years it is rather difficult for me to type the name in lowercase), and of course theLibrary of Congress has a lot of wonderful material related to him, including:

• Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence;
• The Thomas Jefferson Papers;
• Thomas Jefferson's Library;
• Thomas Jefferson: A Resource Guide;
• Thomas Jefferson: An American Man for All Seasons – A Selected List of References; and
• A building named after him, the Thomas Jefferson Building.

From the side of the base:
Tribute to Thomas Jefferson
President of the United States of America 1801-1809
Ambassador to Paris 1785-1789

When researching this post I noticed many resources that relate to Jefferson's time in Paris, including a few websites and some books I may need to add to my "to read" list.

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USDA Reopens Chinese Market Access for California Citrus

Washington, D.C. – Aug. 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that California citrus farmers will be able to resume exports to China this season. California citrus exports are valued at $30 million annually. "Resuming trade before the start of the 2014 citrus shipping season is the result of a lot of effort by a number of USDA employees, who worked very closely with their foreign counterparts to resolve China's concerns," said Vilsack. "Their extra effort means California citrus growers can once again ship to this important market." A series of scientific exchanges between the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) resulted in an agreement for California citrus to again be exported to China. APHIS and USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service worked closely with the U.S. citrus industry to ensure the successful outcome. In April 2013, California-origin citrus was suspended from entering the Chinese market due to interceptions of brown rot (Phytophthora syringae), a soil fungus that affects stored fruit. Over the next year, USDA worked with China to address China's plant health concerns and reopen the market for California citrus exports. Noting the importance of the Chinese market for U.S. citrus producers, Secretary Vilsack raised the issue with Chinese officials during the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in December 2013. In April 2014, APHIS and AQSIQ officials met to discuss a proposed work plan that included protocols to effectively reduce the pest risk on citrus product shipped to China. As a result of these discussions, U.S. and China officials finalized an agreement to resume exports on Aug. 3, 2014. The Obama Administration, with Secretary Vilsack's leadership, has significantly expanded export opportunities and reduced barriers to trade, helping to push agricultural exports to record levels. U.S. agriculture is experiencing its best period in history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers and agribusinesses. Today, net farm income is at record levels while debt has been halved since the 1980s. Overall, American agriculture supports one in 12 jobs in the United States and provides American consumers with 83 percent of the food we consume, while maintaining affordability and choice. Strong agricultural exports contribute to a positive U.S. trade balance, create jobs, boost economic growth and support President Obama's National Export Initiative goal of doubling all U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

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Listening to Teachers on Testing

In a room packed with teachers from District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Arne Duncan took on a tough subject this week: testing. Describing anxieties he has heard from teachers who fear new tests being used too soon in teacher evaluations, Duncan announced that any state that would like more time may have another year before tying scores on brand new tests to educator evaluations. "We think many states will want to take that [time] pressure off of teachers," he said. Later he reminded them, "How you use this year is critical." 

During a panel discussion that followed, humanities teacher Rochelle Collins expressed relief that DCPS has decided to take a year before using scores from new PARCC assessments on teacher evaluations. She said educators in the district "are really fortunate to have a year to have that flexibility" to work on the "learning curve" that inevitably comes with new standards and assessments. 

Echoing what he has heard from teachers over the last six months, Duncan also spoke about frustration with how tests have been layered on top of one another by states and districts, leading to over-testing. Speaking about the students at Jefferson Academy, Duncan said, "I don't want them to spend all of their time taking tests," and he insisted that no teacher, no student, no district, and no school "should be defined by a test score." 

Teaching coach Meghan Dunne agreed and said she is concerned that educators seem to be building testing systems "on the fly," with out thinking them through. DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, who also spoke at the event, agreed that decisions around testing need to be made "based on thought and reason, not on rhetoric and heat."

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California's Auto Industry — Still Accelerating, or Headed for a Slowdown?

Despite Toyota's decision to move its U.S. headquarters from Southern California to Texas, automobile-related jobs and economic activity in California remains healthy. Tesla employs more than 6,000 in the state, several global car companies maintain design studios here, a network of small and large companies  produce everything from high-performance engine parts to customized vehicles, and with 1,300 new-car dealershipswe have more than any other state.

 

But given the cost of doing business in California, and its reputation as less-than-business-friendly state, is thefuture of the auto industry here going the way of Toyota or of Tesla? Come hear the answers from a panel of industry experts at the September 3^rd breakfast meeting of ACG 101, at the Westlake Village Inn.

 

Our moderator will be J.D. Jamey Power IV, Former Senior Vice President and Strategic Advisor at J.D. Power and Associates, and currently Managing Director of Power Family Enterprises.

 

Our panelists will include:

 

Jim Middlebrook, CEO of Vortech Engineering, Inc., in Oxnard.

Mark Sommer, President, Del West USA, Valencia.

J. Michael Issa, Principal, Glass Ratner Advisory & Capital Group LLC, Irvine.

Ron Weaver, Founder and CEO of Automotive Designs & Fabrication, San Fernando.

 

Mr. Power is the former Executive Vice President of International Operations at J.D. Power and Associates. He is the son of founder Dave Power, and is the co-author of "Satisfaction:  How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer." A graduate of the University of San Diego, he began his career in the advertising business and joined J.D. Power in 1990. He oversaw the company's international expansion, and facilitated its transition from a private business to becoming part of The McGraw Hill Companies.

   

Mr. Middlebrook is Founder and CEO of Vortech Engineering, built his first go-cart at age nine, went on to build race car engines for Honda, and launched Vortech in 1990. It began as a distributor of other firms' products, but soon began producing its own line of superchargers and performance-enhancing engine accessories.

 

Mr. Sommer is President of Del West USA and vice president of Del West Engineering, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-end precision products. Formed in 1973 as a small machine shop to make titanium aerospace parts, Del West soon expanded into high-performance parts for auto racing engines. The company's components are now used in race and street cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes and ATVs. Mark has been with the company since 1997, and was named president in 2010. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has a Master's in mechanical engineering from CSU Northridge

 

Mr. Issa, Principal of Irvine-based Glass Ratner Advisory & Capital Group, is a nationally recognized turnaround expert who has led consulting and professional teams involved in over 100 corporate rehabilitations, including automobile and RV dealerships, auto parts distributors and other auto industry companies. He has personally supervised the acquisition and/or disposition of over 50 businesses, and has personally managed several billion dollars of debt restructuring and financing. A certified public accountant and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Trustee, Mr. Issa has taught at the business schools of two universities.

 

Mr. Weaver is Founder and CEO of Automotive Designs & Fabrication. Its San Fernando shop turns utilitarian Mercedes Sprinter delivery vans into luxurious limousines or mobile offices that can feature leather seats, high-end audio and video systems and much more. The company also produces modular kits that enable new-car dealers to perform some van conversions themselves at prices ranging from $10,000 to $60,000. 

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Army, Air Guard Enlisted Members Meet With Senior Leaders

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Eichaker

National Guard Bureau

PHOENIX, Aug. 22, 2014 - Roughly 1,000 members of the National Guard gathered here Aug. 9-14 to attend the 43rd Annual National Conference and Expo of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.

Army Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, meets with service members at the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States' 43rd annual conference at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix, Ariz., Aug. 11, 2014. The conference enabled Grass and other senior leaders to speak directly to Guard members and answer questions the enlisted force. Air National Guard photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Eichaker  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The primary mission of EANGUS is to provide a voice for issues facing the enlisted force of the National Guard.

At the conference, senior leaders of the National Guard spoke to attendees about the Guard and discussed topics that affect the rank and file.

"I want to thank you all for what you do every day; you're 73 percent of our population," said Army Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau. Grass also noted that since 9/11, the National Guard has mobilized some 760,000 soldiers and airmen.

The conference is an opportunity for Guard members to get a chance to see how senior Guard leaders work at the strategic level, said Chief Master Sgt. Mitch Brush, senior enlisted advisor to the National Guard Bureau's chief.

The Army and Air Guard usually have their own separate issues, which gives the leadership of each component an opportunity to discuss them with the force.

"One of the biggest issues we look at on the field advisory council is [the basic allowance for housing] rate changes when [airmen are] in formal schools," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Hotaling, command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard.

According to law, when an airman is at a technical school for more than 180 days, that airman loses the housing allowance for his or her home of record and receives the rate at the training location. The BAH rate change could have an adverse effect if the TDY rate is lower than the service member's permanent home of record.

The Army National Guard is not without its own concerns.

Soldiers have to wait 12 months after joining the Army Guard to receive tuition assistance, said Command Sgt. Major Brunk Conley, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, but the active component does not.

"Our [soldiers] want to go to school right away and we want them to go to school," said Conley, adding that the year-long waiting period can have a negative impact on soldiers.

"Schooling to us is very important ... we want to make sure our young soldiers have access to every benefit we can provide to them," he said.

The conference also provided attendees the opportunity to come together in one location and network with other Guard members.

"You don't make relationships over a [video teleconference]," Conley said. Relationships, he added, are built by face-to-face conversations while sharing stories and ideas.

The national conference provided a platform for senior National Guard leaders to directly answer questions from the enlisted ranks.

One attendee from the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, questioned the promotion process between officer and enlisted ranks. The airman voiced rumors about staffing, positions and funding that can stall enlisted promotions.

"There is a difference in the enlisted and officer development program," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke III, director, Air National Guard. Clarke said the Guard is trying to create a better force development program that will help address that concern.

Soldiers hearing information directly from senior leaders of the National Guard has more meaning, said Army Staff Sgt. Cody Espinoza, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group.

Guard members can make a difference for one another when they have the opportunity to discuss concerns with National Guard senior leaders, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Libby Muller, 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard.

Attendees can get senior leaders' positions on issues that would otherwise get lost in translation, she said.

 

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Galileo satellites are go

This week the first two Full Operating Capability (FOC) Galileo satellites will be launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.

Artist's impression of Galileo FOC satellites. Credit: ESA.

These will be the 5th and 6th satellites to join the EU's growing GNSS constellation.

The satellites are expected to go live this autumn and will be joined by the next two later in the year paving the way for the start of initial services. The UK has played a vital role in both the policy and the technical development of Europe's global navigation satellite system. Galileo is owned by the European Commission (EC) with the European Space Agency (ESA) acting in partnership as the technical design and procurement authority. Galileo's key differentiator from other similar systems is that it is a civil system under civil control.

The satellites, destined for a MEO Orbit at approximately 23,500km above the earth. Following the launch, a week of system checks will follow the launch, including testing of the critical navigation payloads manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd of Guildford, UK.

Designed to be inter-operable with GPS, the US global satellite navigation system, receivers that are equipped with the right chipsets will be able to utilise signals from both systems to provide a more accurate and reliable global positioning service.

Initially the Galileo Programme envisages three aspects of the constellation capability to be demonstrated under 'Early Services'. It is expected that these services should be demonstrated from October 2014, then as the constellation is built-up beyond that, new services will be tested and made available to reach Full Operational Capability (FOC). These services include:

• Open Service. Free of charge and dedicated to consumer applications and general-interest navigation.
• Commercial Service. Accessible only via payment of a fee to the Galileo operator. Used by professional consumers prepared to pay for superior performance.
• Search and Rescue Service. Relays the location of distress signal to the nearest rescue centre, and informs the source that that signal has been received and that help is on its way. Compatible with existing international satellite-based search and rescue systems.
• Public Regulated Service. Highly restricted service for government applications such as law enforcement. More robust signal to protect it from jamming and deliberate interference.
• Safety of Life Service. Information on the reliability of the signal is given so that it can be used in safety-critical applications (e.g. aircraft).

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In Iraq, the United States and Iran Align Against the Islamic State

Analysis

AUGUST 20, 2014 | 0419   Text Size 

U.S. President Barack Obama (L), newly elected Iraqi prime minister-designate Haider al-Abadi (C) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (WIN MCNAMEE/Getty Images, STR/AFP/Getty Images, ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Since June, a great deal of international focus has been on Iraq, where the transnational jihadist movement Islamic State took over large swaths of the country's Sunni-majority areas and declared the re-establishment of the caliphate. Despite the global attention on the country, especially given U.S. military operations against the Islamic State, U.S.-Iranian cooperation against the jihadist group -- a significant dynamic -- has gone largely unnoticed. A convergence of interests, particularly concerning the Iraqi central and Kurdish regional governments, has made it necessary for Washington and Tehran to at least coordinate their actions. However, mistrust and domestic opposition will continue hampering this cooperation.

Analysis

Their 35-year-old mutual enmity notwithstanding, the United States and Iran have cooperated against a common jihadist enemy in the past, such as when they worked together to topple the Taliban regime following the 9/11 attacks. Relations quickly soured again when U.S. President George W. Bush's administration declared the Islamic republic a part of the "axis of evil" and when controversy over Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons program broke out in 2002. However, these tensions did not prevent the two sides from cooperating again in the U.S. move to effect regime change in Iraq in 2003.
For Iran, Washington's decision to topple Iraq's Baathist government was a godsend; it turned Tehran's biggest national security threat into a major geopolitical opportunity. The Iranians did everything they could to facilitate the ouster of the government led by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In these efforts, the United States' Iraqi partners -- for instance, the Shia and Kurds -- had long been proxies of Iran. These two communities, which had been disenfranchised for decades under a Sunni-dominated order, received support from Washington and Tehran, first to topple the old order and then to form a Shia-dominated state in which the Kurds had considerable autonomy.
Throughout the nearly nine-year U.S. military presence in Iraq, Iran and the United States engaged in a long, complex game of cooperation and competition. At one point, back-channel talks were insufficient, and Tehran and Washington engaged in direct public talks about the future of Iraq's post-Baathist republic. Now, as the state jointly fashioned by the Americans and Iranians faces its greatest challenge since the end of the Sunni insurgency in 2007, it is only natural that the two powers join forces once again to meet the common threat. Tehran and Washington's concerns about the Islamic State transcend Iraq's borders and include common interests elsewhere in the region. The ongoing process of rapprochement facilitates such joint action. Thus, the geopolitical context for U.S.-Iranian cooperation is quite favorable.
The principal negotiators who engaged in back-channel diplomacy in Oman after the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of the Islamic State were Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, and Jake Sullivan, adviser to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. The United States and Iran worked behind the scenes to replace outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom Washington and Tehran hold responsible for the political crisis in Iraq. Tehran and Washington have also been working together to ease tensions between the Shia and Sunnis, as well as between Baghdad and Arbil. That said, Washington and Tehran know that managing political feuds among Iraq's three principal ethno-sectarian groups, while necessary, will not be sufficient. The Islamic State poses a military threat to Iraq, and neither the Iraqi military nor the Kurdish peshmerga forces are in a position to fight back. Effective operations against the Islamic State will require Washington and Tehran to support their common allies in Iraq and engage in direct military action.

Click to Enlarge

Although they are working together, Washington and Tehran cannot be seen as openly cooperating. The administrations of U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani already face considerable domestic opposition to their difficult negotiations over the nuclear issue, but the problem goes beyond that opposition. There is genuine mistrust between the two countries that limits the extent to which they can cooperate against the Islamic State -- especially in the areas of military and intelligence. Neither side wants to reveal its assets or processes to the other.
This mistrust makes it very difficult, for example, for the Quds Force -- the overseas arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security to work comfortably with the U.S. military's Central Command and the CIA. This is why the two sides are likely to be coordinating their respective moves instead of working closely together. In fact, Stratfor has learned that Washington and Tehran agreed on the limited force the Quds Force has deployed in Iraq's Diyala province to fight alongside Kurdish peshmerga forces against the Islamic State.
While the United States deployed several hundred military advisers to Iraq after Mosul fell to the Islamic State, the Quds Force has long maintained a presence in Iraq -- one that it has been reinforcing since the rise of the Islamic State. Because U.S. and Iranian military personnel are working with the same set of Iraqi actors, the two sides occasionally step on each other's toes. Enhancing the Iraqis' capacity to face the threat requires that U.S. and Iranian personnel accommodate each other to avoid such a situation.
Though the Iranians have been running a limited number of air sorties in Iraq, the bulk of Tehran's efforts will be ground-based, whether they involve actual troops engaged in combat and supporting Iraqi forces or the mobilization of militias. The United States will largely be engaged in air operations, given the domestic aversion to sending in ground troops. This works well for both sides; the Iranians do not have the air assets that the Americans do, and having the Iranians focus on ground operations serves the United States' interests.
This does not mean that either side will get comfortable with this working relationship. However, the situation in Iraq is driving the United States and Iran toward cooperation. There are many reasons why this is likely to remain a tactical arrangement, especially when it comes time to confront the Islamic State in Syria, where the two countries' interests do not align.

"In Iraq, the United States and Iran Align Against the Islamic State is republished with permission of Stratfor."

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Ebola Test Results on Sacramento Patient Negative

Low-risk patient tested out of an abundance of caution

 

SACRAMENTO - The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tested the sample from the patient under investigation who is hospitalized in Sacramento and reports the test results are negative for Ebola. CDPH has been working in cooperation with the Sacramento County Public Health and the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center to ensure appropriate CDC protocols were followed in the investigation, testing, diagnosis and treatment of the patient.

 

There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in California. There have been no patients admitted to California hospitals who are considered to be at high risk of Ebola according to CDC criteria.

 

"We are pleased with the negative outcome of the Ebola test and wish the patient a speedy recovery," said Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH Director and state health officer. "The case in Sacramento County demonstrates that the system is working. This patient was quickly identified, appropriate infection control procedures were implemented, and public health authorities were notified." 

 

If a person has travelled to an affected country and develops a fever within three weeks of their return, they should contact their health care provider and let the provider know of their travel history.

 

The risk of the spread of Ebola in California is low. Any patient suspected of having Ebola can be safely managed in a California hospital following recommended isolation and infection control procedures. Suspect cases of Ebola will be investigated by local health departments in consultation with CDPH.

State and local public health officials in California are monitoring the situation closely and taking steps to keep Californians safe. Our advanced health care system has appropriate protocols in place to prevent the spread of this often deadly disease. 

Ebola is an infectious disease caused by the Ebola virus. Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure and include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and abnormal bleeding. It is classified as a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) because of the fever and abnormal bleeding. Among the VHFs, Ebola is feared because of its high mortality. There are no specific treatments but supportive therapy can be provided to address bleeding and other complications.

  

For more information about Ebola, please visit CDPH's website.

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Library of Congress Launches Blog on Scholarships

New Blog on Scholarship at the Library to Launch This Fall—Dispatch August 21, 2014

Each year the Library of Congress welcomes more than 100 scholars in residence to The John W. Kluge Center to conduct research in the Library's collections. A new blog launching this fall will tell the story of scholarship at the Kluge Center and how the Library of Congress remains an international destination for scholarly research with tangible political, social and cultural impact. 

The new blog, titled "Insights: Scholarly Work at The John W. Kluge Center" will feature a variety of content that highlights the continual scholarly research conducted at the Library. Posts will range from interviews with current and past scholars-in-residence to reflections by Kluge Center staff on new research emerging from the use of the Library's collections. The blog will also reflect on how the work of top scholars in the humanities and social sciences advances and deepens our understanding of the world around us. 

The blogging team will be led by Jason Steinhauer, Program Specialist at the Kluge Center. Mary Lou Reker, Special Assistant to the Director, Dan Turello, Program Specialist, and Travis Hensley, Program Assistant will be regular blog contributors. Guest posts will include contributions from Kluge scholars, Library curators and specialists, and members of the Library of Congress Scholars Council. 

"Insights" will launch in mid-September 2014 at http://blogs.loc.gov and on the Kluge Center website. Updates on the launch date will be posted on the Kluge Center website, The Library of Congress blog pages, the Library's social media accounts and the Kluge Center RSS feed. For more information, email scholarly@loc.gov. 

The John W. Kluge Center was established at the Library of Congress in 2000 to foster a mutually enriching relationship between the world of ideas and the world of action, between scholars and political leaders. The Center attracts outstanding scholarly figures to Washington, D.C., facilitates their access to the Library's remarkable collections, and helps them engage in conversation with policymakers and the public.

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FIRE SUPPRESSION

08/21/2014 08:15 PM CDT

Marine Cpl. Kyle James, left, and Marine Sgt. Ruben Ochoa battle an aircraft fire during aircraft rescue and firefighting training on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Aug. 14, 2014. James and Ochoa are firefighting specialists assigned to Headquarters Squadron.

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