A U.S. F-18 fighter jet refuels from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft over northern Iraq, Aug. 21, 2014
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Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Governor, Legislature Reach Deal to Keep Cameras Rolling
Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins joined Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and other legislative leaders to announce a historic deal to extend and improve California's Film and Television Tax Credit Program, making it the second largest tax credit program in the nation.
"Not only does extending the Film Tax Credit keep cameras rolling in California, it will keep costumers designing, craft services catering, and carpenters hammering," said Speaker Atkins (D-San Diego). "It's just common sense—when California hosts more production, we get more jobs and more revenue—two things our state can always use. I'd like to thank the co-stars of this effort, Assemblymembers Raul Bocanegra and Mike Gatto, President pro Tem-elect Kevin de Leon—and, of course, Governor Brown for ensuring the final scene is a good one."
"This legislation is the product of years of work to preserve middle class jobs for a key California industry," stated Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles). "I am so pleased that we have been able to come together for working Californians."
The agreement reached today on AB 1839, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act of 2014, will extend the state's film tax program by five additional years and increase its allocation from an annual $100 million to $330 million. The bill will also restore accountability and fairness to the lottery system used to award the credit.
"This is a home run for the film and television industry in California. Reaching this deal has been a long and difficult process, and I'm proud to have worked in tandem with my joint author Assemblymember Mike Gatto as we were able to deliver for our constituents," said Assemblymember Bocanegra (D-Pacoima). "I'd like to thank the Governor, Speaker Atkins and Senate leadership for their help and leadership in reaching this historic agreement. This expanded and improved program will go a long way towards making California more competitive and ultimately will protect and create tens of thousands of jobs for hard working Californians."
California's film and television industry has suffered a decline in film production over the past decade due to increasing competitive subsidies in other and countries. Since its 2009 inception, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act has prevented approximately 51,000 well-paying jobs from leaving the state, and helped generate $4.5 billion in economic activity.
The bill is anticipated to pass both houses of the legislature today and move to the Governor for his signature.
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Hanford Exceeds Annual Goal for Cleaning up Groundwater near Columbia River
An aerial photo of Hanford's 100-D Area along the Columbia River, which is served by one of five pump-and-treat systems along the Columbia River that are helping shrink areas of contaminated groundwater.
RICHLAND, Wash. – At the Hanford site in southeast Washington state, EM and its contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL) are achieving groundwater cleanup goals ahead of schedule.
This year, EM exceeded its annual goal for removing hexavalent chromium from groundwater four months ahead of schedule.
"Our contractor removed more chromium than forecasted this year by pulling more groundwater from the areas of highest contamination," said EM Richland Operations Office's Soil and Groundwater Division Director Briant Charboneau. "Having extraction wells in the right place and adding new treatment systems over the past few years has been critical to our success in removing contamination from groundwater and protecting the Columbia River."
 | Inside one of Hanford's five pump-and-treat systems along the Columbia River that are treating contaminated groundwater. |
Nuclear Chemical Operator Mike Fish monitors operations of a pump-and-treat system at the Hanford site. |  |
Between October 2013 and the end of July, workers removed approximately 680 pounds of the contaminant, surpassing EM's goal to remove approximately 550 pounds by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The chromium contamination resulted from intentional and unintentional releases of chemicals in the soil from the site's plutonium production reactors. Much of the contaminated soil has been removed, and EM is operating treatment facilities along the river to address the remaining chromium contamination in groundwater.
"Through our workers' efforts to maintain safe and optimum operations of our treatment technologies, we have been able to surpass EM's groundwater cleanup goals again this year, and that progress is visible," said Mark Cherry, CH2M HILL acting vice president of the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Project.
EM operates five groundwater treatment systems along the Columbia River, supported by a network of approximately 150 wells. Contaminated groundwater is extracted through the wells and transferred to facilities for treatment. The treated water is injected back into the aquifer to help drive the contaminated groundwater toward the extraction wells.
This graphic shows the area, or plume, of chromium contamination in groundwater near Hanford's D, DR, and H reactors in 2009.
This graphic of the same area near Hanford's D, DR, and H reactors in 2013 shows reduced levels of the contaminant in groundwater after pump-and-treat operations significantly increased the amount of groundwater being treated per year.
"We have been able to surpass our goals thanks to running our new and existing treatment facilities at greater capacities, having wells in the right areas, and using our employees' ideas to find ways to run the systems more efficiently," said Bill Barrett, CH2M HILL director of operations for the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Project.
Since the mid-1990s, workers have removed approximately 3,000 pounds of hexavalent chromium from groundwater along the Columbia River.
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Workers Create Demolition Zone at Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant
RICHLAND, Wash. – In recent weeks, the look of Hanford site's Plutonium Finishing Plant has changed as crews removed or demolished eight buildings surrounding it.
"We're getting ready to demolish all of the facilities at the Plutonium Finishing Plant," said Bryan Foley, deputy federal project director for EM's Richland Operations Office. "Taking down and removing these office buildings and support structures provides a change in the skyline at the plant that brings us closer to completing this important cleanup project."
The buildings once supported operations in the plant that produced nearly two-thirds of the country's plutonium through the late 1980s. Workers removed the buildings to create a large demolition zone surrounding the plant's main buildings. The zone will allow the safe staging and operation of heavy equipment during final facility demolition.
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The former administration building known as building 270-Z is one of eight support buildings of the Plutonium Finishing Plant recently removed or demolished.
"This is one of the most hazardous facilities at Hanford, and the team is safely taking the facility apart from the inside out," Mike Swartz, vice president for the plant closure project at CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL), said of the plant. CH2M HILL is EM's cleanup contractor at the site.
"As we prepare to demolish the facility, we're ensuring that there is enough space around the main buildings to bring in heavy equipment and stage demolition debris prior to disposal, all to allow demolition progress to continue safely and compliantly," Swartz said.
While heavy equipment outside the plant removes buildings no longer used, inside the plant, employees are removing plutonium processing equipment to prepare the plant itself for demolition.
Since 2008, EM and its contractors have demolished or removed 61 buildings that once supported the plant's operations. The eight buildings removed over the past month include building 270-Z, which once housed the plant's administration offices.
"The team has done an outstanding job preparing 270-Z for demolition, and then to complete the process safely and compliantly is a testament to the crew's dedication and experience," said Jeremy Hulquist, the plant's field work supervisor overseeing the recent demolition. "I appreciate everyone's commitment to safety and compliance throughout this process."
The plant was the primary facility for producing plutonium at Hanford from the 1940s to the 1980s. Since 2008, EM and CH2M HILL have been cleaning out and removing hundreds of pieces of contaminated equipment from the plant and preparing some equipment for removal during demolition. About 70 percent of the facility is ready for demolition
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EM Takes Safe, Unique Approach to Underground Demolition at Hanford Site, Saves Money
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The underground demolition occurred at the final reactor cleanup site in Hanford's 300 Area, a former industrial complex along the west bank of the Columbia River.
RICHLAND, Wash. – Some people in the community heard an explosion the morning of Aug. 16 that heralded another significant step in environmental cleanup at EM's Hanford site.
The noise and small plume of dust just 1.5 miles north of the city came from an underground demolition explosion safely completed with a unique approach that protected workers and saved taxpayers $2.5 million. Watch a video of the demolition here.*
In January, the last of six test reactors was removed from the site where the demolition took place. The 1,082-ton Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor was lifted and transported to the site's Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility. Work associated with the massive underground structure that supported and shielded the test reactor was deferred until the best approach could be determined.
Reaching as far as 60 feet below the surface, the structure had walls ranging in thickness from 5 to 13 feet and was covered by a 5-foot-thick main deck. The largest block of reinforced concrete was 18 feet long, 13 feet thick, and 28 feet high.
"Some walls and the deck were made of a heavy aggregate concrete, which is almost twice as dense as regular concrete," said EM Richland Operations Office Federal Project Director Mark French. "This made the demolition especially challenging."
In operation in the 1960s, it was the largest of Hanford's experimental reactors used for developing and testing alternative fuels for the commercial nuclear power industry.
Preparations to remove the underground structure began in January when the reactor was lifted and hauled away. Workers removed piping and drums of contaminated materials. They also grouted hard-to-reach areas while applying fixative to areas with surface contamination.
Controlled Demolition Incorporated — which had previously performed the stack and 337 Building demolition in the 300 Area — was again hired by the site's cleanup contractor Washington Closure Hanford to do the work. Controlled Demolition drilled approximately 300 holes loaded with explosives into the deck, columns, and walls.
The blast effects were mitigated by a dust barrier placed on top of the structure, and mist to suppress dust.
"This is a safer approach than to have the deck dismantled with machinery from above and working down into the structure," said Rob Cantwell, director of closure operations for Washington Closure.
Their approach brought a cost savings of about $2.5 million compared to doing the same work with traditional demolition techniques.
The rubble from the demolition explosion is expected to be removed by January 2015 and the area will be sampled. If it meets cleanup standards, some of the remaining structure will be buried in place. If not, a second demolition explosion will be scheduled.
*Users who experience issues viewing video should consider updating their Internet browsers and/or using an alternate browser.
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Image description: From the Presidential Libraries: It’s the...
08/27/2014 01:00 PM EDT
The boyhood that shaped LBJ
Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in central Texas, not far from Johnson City, which his family had helped settle. Growing up, he felt the sting of rural poverty, working his way through Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now known as Texas State University), and learning compassion for the poverty and discrimination of others when he taught students of Mexican descent in Cotulla, Texas.
In 1937 he campaigned successfully for the House of Representatives on a New Deal platform, effectively aided by his wife, the former Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor, whom he had married after a whirlwind courtship in 1934.
During World War II, Lyndon Johnson served briefly in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, receiving a Silver Star in the South Pacific. After six terms in the House, he was elected to the Senate in 1948. In 1953, he became the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history, and the following year, when the Democrats won control, Majority Leader. With rare legislative skill he obtained passage of a number of measures during the Eisenhower Administration. He became, by many accounts, the most powerful Majority Leader of the twentieth century.
In the 1960 campaign, Johnson, as John F. Kennedy's running mate, was elected Vice President. On November 22, 1963, when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the 36th President. Learn more about the events of that fateful day in our exhibit, Tragedy and Transition.
"Let us continue..."
Shortly after assuming the Presidency, Johnson used his legislative prowess to pass two bills that Kennedy had endorsed but was unable to get through Congress at the time of his death: a tax cut and a civil rights act. The latter, which would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, became the first effective civil rights law since Reconstruction, outlawing segregation and discrimination throughout American society. Next he enacted his own agenda, urging the Nation "to build a great society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor." In 1964, with Hubert Humphrey as his running mate, Johnson won the Presidency against Republican challenger, Barry Goldwater, garnering 61 percent of the vote and had the widest popular margin in American history—more than 15,000,000 votes.
The War Against Poverty, Public Broadcasting, Medicare, and more
President Johnson used his 1964 mandate to bring his vision for a Great Society to fruition in 1965, pushing forward a sweeping legislative agenda that would become one of the most ambitious and far-reaching in the nation's history. Congress, at times augmenting or amending Johnson's legislation, rapidly enacted his recommendations. As a result, his administration passed more than sixty education bills, initiated a wide-scale fight against poverty, saw federal support of the arts and humanities, championed urban renewal, environmental beautification and conservation, enabled development of depressed regions and pushed for control and prevention of crime and delinquency. Millions of elderly people were also given the means for proper medical care through the 1965 Medicare Amendment to the Social Security Act.
Johnson's Great Society also included the continued advancement of civil rights. He realized the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which removed poll taxes and tests that represented an obstacle to the ballot among many Americans of color, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, preventing discrimination in housing sales and rentals. Additionally, he appointed the first African American cabinet member and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall.
Mankind walks on the moon
Under Johnson, the U.S. also made impressive gains in its space program, which he had championed since its start. When three American astronauts successfully orbited the moon on Apollo 8 in December 1968, becoming the first to leave earth's orbit, Johnson congratulated them: "You've taken...all of us, all over the world, into a new era." The mission set the stage for the Apollo 11 mission seven months later, which saw men walk on the moon for the first time.
Nevertheless, two overriding crises had been gaining momentum since 1965. Despite the beginning of new antipoverty and anti-discrimination programs, unrest and rioting in black ghettos troubled the Nation. President Johnson steadily exerted his influence against segregation and on behalf of law and order, but there was no early solution.
The other crisis arose from the U.S. war in Vietnam, which the U.S. had committed to under Eisenhower and Kennedy. Despite Johnson's efforts to end Communist aggression by increasing U.S. troop involvement to leverage a peaceful settlement, fighting continued. Controversy and protests over the war—and Johnson—had become acute by the end of March 1968, when Johnson limited the bombing of North Vietnam in order to initiate peace negotiations. At the same time, he startled the world by withdrawing as a candidate for re-election so that he might devote his full efforts, unimpeded by politics, to the quest to strike an honorable peace.
"I want to be the President who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth."
When Johnson left office, peace talks were underway. He died suddenly of a heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973. The day before his death, he had learned that peace was at hand in Vietnam.
Today Americans continue to feel the impact of Johnson's legislative legacy in nearly every aspect of American life.
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Image description: From the State Department: Going back to school? Ever thought about traveling...
08/27/2014 03:00 PM EDT
Image description:
Going back to school? Ever thought about traveling?
Study abroad connects American high school students with future leaders around the world, enabling them to collaborate on today's global challenges such as human rights, community development, workforce development, climate change, and global health. Scholarship opportunities are open to all American high school students who meet program eligibility criteria.
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Robin Williams: Raising Awareness About Depression
By Kathy Greenlee, Administrator, Administration for Community Living and Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
It’s still hard to believe that Robin Williams – beloved comedian, actor, father, and friend – is no longer with us. To the public and even close friends, he appeared to be happy, upbeat and funny, and he was financially stable — all of those things that seem worth living for. But behind the public persona that we knew and loved, we now know that he had battled addiction to alcohol and drugs, was struggling with depression, and was in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, a known risk factor for depression.
That is the terrible truth about depression. It is a disease that can rob you of your perspective on life, and it often co-exists with substance misuse or addiction. Depression is not just being sad, and it’s not a character weakness or personal failing. It is a disease that can impact all facets of one’s life. It can make you think that life is not worth living. Because of public misperceptions of the disease, people with depression often try to conceal their disease until that too becomes too much to bear.
Robin Williams was only age 63. He was in the prime of his life. Yet we know that men age 45-64 have one of the highest suicide rates of any age group – rates that, according to the latest national data, grew by 40% between 1999 through 2011. And much of the suicide prevention and research efforts to date have been focused on other at-risk groups.
What we do know is that most suicides are preventable. There are treatments that work, and individuals can recover from mental health problems. But that takes awareness, support, and treatment. If you know someone who may be depressed, reach out and talk to them. Ask them if they are feeling down or contemplating suicide and give them the opportunity to open up and share their troubles, so you can work together to find solutions.
We don’t try to cure cancer on our own, nor should we try to battle depression on our own. To quote one of Robin Williams’ movie personas, “You’ll have bad times, but it’ll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren’t paying attention to.” Everyone’s life has value, and mental illness does not diminish this. If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of despair, someone at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(1-800-273-8255) is available to help 24/7. For more information about mental health resources and treatment, please visitwww.mentalhealth.gov. To find behavioral health services and treatment, visithttp://samhsa.gov/
(1-800-273-8255) is available to help 24/7. For more information about mental health resources and treatment, please visitwww.mentalhealth.gov. To find behavioral health services and treatment, visithttp://samhsa.gov/Follow us at @AmericanNewsSer on Twitter
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Human Rights Experts Meet at U.S. Southern Command
MIAMI, Aug. 27, 2014 – Military and civilian human rights experts from 15 Western Hemisphere nations are meeting here at U.S. Southern Command’s headquarters Aug. 26-28 to discuss the Southcom-sponsored Human Rights Initiative and the protection of human rights in the command’s area of responsibility.
The meeting is called the Human Rights Initiative Officers' Workshop and includes the participation of defense, government, academic, and nongovernmental organization representatives from Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, the United States and Uruguay.
Participating agencies and organizations include the U.S. State Department, Office of the Secretary of Defense, International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Center for Human Rights Training, a Costa Rica-based human rights NGO that serves as the HRI Secretariat. Human rights experts from NGOs based in six countries are also participating.
HRI is a program initiated by Southcom in 1997. The programseeks to bring together representatives of military, security forces, civilian government and civil society to develop a model human rights program for military forces focused in four areas: doctrine, education and training, internal control systems, and cooperation with civilian authorities.
Southcom's Human Rights Office supports, or has supported in the past, the efforts of 10 countries -- Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay -- and one regional organization, the Conference of Central American Armed Forces , that have made a formal commitment to implement HRI within their armed forces.
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Study Reveals That Some Bees Work Harder Than Others
(Sound effect: Bees buzzing, hive) Worker or shirker?
I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files--new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.
(Sound effect: more buzzing) 'Busy as a bee'--'a beehive of activity.' While we associate bees with hard work and getting it done, the truth is, some bees are a lot busier than others. A study at the University of Illinois delved deeper into this bee-havior.
The research focused on foraging honey bees the ones that gather the nectar and pollen to feed the hive. To track their progress, hundreds of bees were each individually fitted with radio frequency identification tags and monitored for several weeks. In these high-tech 'job evaluations,' the researchers found that just 20 percent of the group was responsible for bringing in more than half the nectar and pollen.
The team wondered what the effect would be if the elite group of overachievers was removed. If somehow they were born intrinsically different, would sending them on vacation affect the hive? In the study, the formerly less-productive bees stepped up. Within 24 hours there was a five-fold increase in the activity level of the remaining bees. (Sound effect: football crowd cheering) The second-string bees showed they could become star players.
It's not yet clear whether all bees can become high producers if needed, nor do we fully understand why some bees work so much harder at the same job.
Maybe they're shooting for employ-bee of the month.
"The discovery files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research--brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.
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I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files--new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.
(Sound effect: more buzzing) 'Busy as a bee'--'a beehive of activity.' While we associate bees with hard work and getting it done, the truth is, some bees are a lot busier than others. A study at the University of Illinois delved deeper into this bee-havior.
The research focused on foraging honey bees the ones that gather the nectar and pollen to feed the hive. To track their progress, hundreds of bees were each individually fitted with radio frequency identification tags and monitored for several weeks. In these high-tech 'job evaluations,' the researchers found that just 20 percent of the group was responsible for bringing in more than half the nectar and pollen.
The team wondered what the effect would be if the elite group of overachievers was removed. If somehow they were born intrinsically different, would sending them on vacation affect the hive? In the study, the formerly less-productive bees stepped up. Within 24 hours there was a five-fold increase in the activity level of the remaining bees. (Sound effect: football crowd cheering) The second-string bees showed they could become star players.
It's not yet clear whether all bees can become high producers if needed, nor do we fully understand why some bees work so much harder at the same job.
Maybe they're shooting for employ-bee of the month.
"The discovery files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research--brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.
Follow us at @AmericanNewsSer on Twitter
Facebook American-News-Service-dot-Org
www.AmericanNewsService.Org
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