Air Force Association Air & Space Conference - Keynote Address: Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall give the keynote address at the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference.

U.S. Aircraft Continue Strikes Against ISIL in Iraq

From a U.S. Central Command News Release TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 17, 2014 - U.S. fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq yesterday and today, U.S. Central Command officials reported today. One airstrike destroyed an ISIL armed vehicle northwest of the Haditha Dam, two airstrikes destroyed two ISIL armed vehicles northwest of Irbil, and four airstrikes southwest of Baghdad destroyed several small ISIL ground units and a small boat on the Euphrates River that was resupplying ISIL forces in the area, officials said. All aircraft exited the strike areas safely, they added. Centcom has conducted a total of 174 airstrikes across Iraq, officials said.

Obama Tells Central Command Troops America Will Lead

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2014 - In the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant, America will lead the right way, President Barack Obama told service members at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, today.

President Barack Obama is flanked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command, as he prepares to address troops at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Sept. 17, 2014. DoD photo from video  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel received a briefing from U.S. Central Command commander Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III detailing the fight against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. The president also met with representatives of 40 countries allied in the fight against the militants. The president thanked the service members for their contributions in 13 years of war, and told them he must call on them again to battle the newest menace in the Middle East. Still, the president stressed that American service members will lead the fight against ISIL, but will not shoulder the entire burden.

"We're going to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy," Obama told the troops. "And whether in Iraq or in Syria, these terrorists will learn the same thing that the leaders of al-Qaida already know: We mean what we say. Our reach is long. If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. We will find you eventually."

Destroying ISIL

Destroying ISIL is not America's fight alone, Obama said. The United States military has unique -- and decisive -- capabilities it can bring to the fight, he added, but this does not mean American troops will engage in ground combat. "The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission," the president stated, but rather will advise and assist Iraqi forces. "As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq," he said. "After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries' futures." America will provide air power and air mobility, the president said, and U.S. service members will train and equip partners. "We will lead a broad coalition of countries who have a stake in this fight, because this is not simply America versus ISIL, this is the people of the region fighting against ISIL," he added. "It is the world rejecting the brutality of ISIL in favor of a better future for our children, and our children's children." In addition to providing capabilities, the United States also will provide leadership, "because in an uncertain world full of breathtaking change, the one constant is American leadership," the president said.

Effort will be different But this effort will be different, because America has learned the lessons of the past, Obama said. "We've got to do things differently," he told the troops. "This is why we've spent the past several weeks building a coalition to aid in these efforts. And because we're leading in the right way, more nations are joining us. Overall, more than 40 countries so far have offered assistance to the broad campaign against ISIL." Obama said France and the United Kingdom already are aiding the effort, flying missions over Iraq. Others have promised help, he added. Other nations will support the forces fighting ISIL terrorists on the ground, Obama said. Saudi Arabia has agreed to host efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces, he noted, while Australia and Canada will send military advisors to Iraq. German paratroopers will offer training. Still other nations have helped in resupplying arms and equipment to forces in Iraq, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the president said.

Arab allies "Arab nations have agreed to strengthen their support for Iraq's new government and to do their part in all the aspects of the fight against ISIL," Obama said. "And our partners will help to cut off ISIL funding, and gather intelligence, and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East." Finally, almost 30 nations have helped with humanitarian relief to help innocent civilians ISIL has driven from their homes and villages. "In a world that's more crowded and more connected, it is America that has the unique capability to mobilize against an organization like ISIL," he said. It is also why the world turns to America when another threat -- this time from the pathogen Ebola in Africa -- threatens.

Who do they call? "That's the story across the board," Obama said. "If there is a hurricane, if there is a typhoon, if there is some sort of crisis, if there is an earthquake, if there's a need for a rescue mission, when the world is threatened, when the world needs help, it calls on America. Even the countries that complain about America, when they need help, who do they call? They call us. And then America calls on you." The president said the world asks a lot of American service members. But that is because of the U.S. military is one of the few organizations in the world with the expertise, knowledge, reach, equipment and agility to accomplish these diverse and challenging missions, he explained.

"Even when it seems like our politics is just dividing us, I want you to remember that when it comes to supporting you and your families, the American people stand united. We support you," he said. "We are proud of you. We are in awe of your skill and your service. Only 1 percent of Americans may wear the uniform and shoulder the weight of special responsibilities that you do, but 100 percent of Americans need to support you and your families -- 100 percent."

Hubble Helps Find Smallest Known Galaxy Containing a Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomers using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and ground observation have found an unlikely object in an improbable place -- a monster black hole lurking inside one of the tiniest galaxies ever known.

The black hole is five times the mass of the one at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. It is inside one of the densest galaxies known to date -- the M60-UCD1 dwarf galaxy that crams 140 million stars within a diameter of about 300 light-years, which is only 1/500th of our galaxy’s diameter.

If you lived inside this dwarf galaxy, the night sky would dazzle with at least 1 million stars visible to the naked eye. Our nighttime sky as seen from Earth’s surface shows 4,000 stars.

The finding implies there are many other compact galaxies in the universe that contain supermassive black holes. The observation also suggests dwarf galaxies may actually be the stripped remnants of larger galaxies that were torn apart during collisions with other galaxies rather than small islands of stars born in isolation.

“We don’t know of any other way you could make a black hole so big in an object this small,” said University of Utah astronomer Anil Seth, lead author of an international study of the dwarf galaxy published in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

Seth’s team of astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini North 8-meter optical and infrared telescope on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea to observe M60-UCD1 and measure the black hole’s mass. The sharp Hubble images provide information about the galaxy’s diameter and stellar density. Gemini measures the stellar motions as affected by the black hole’s pull. These data are used to calculate the mass of the black hole.

Black holes are gravitationally collapsed, ultra-compact objects that have a gravitational pull so strong that even light cannot escape. Supermassive black holes -- those with the mass of at least one million stars like our sun -- are thought to be at the centers of many galaxies.

The black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy has the mass of four million suns. As heavy as that is, it is less than 0.01 percent of the Milky Way’s total mass. By comparison, the supermassive black hole at the center of M60-UCD1, which has the mass of 21 million suns, is a stunning 15 percent of the small galaxy’s total mass.

“That is pretty amazing, given that the Milky Way is 500 times larger and more than 1,000 times heavier than the dwarf galaxy M60-UCD1,” Seth said.

One explanation is that M60-UCD1 was once a large galaxy containing 10 billion stars, but then it passed very close to the center of an even larger galaxy, M60, and in that process all the stars and dark matter in the outer part of the galaxy were torn away and became part of M60.

The team believes that M60-UCD1 may eventually be pulled to fully merge with M60, which has its own monster black hole that weighs a whopping 4.5 billion solar masses, or more than 1,000 times bigger than the black hole in our galaxy. When that happens, the black holes in both galaxies also likely will merge. Both galaxies are 50 million light-years away.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington.

Hawaii Man Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Communicating Classified National Defense Information to Unauthorized Person

Hawaii Man Sentenced to 87 Months Improsonment for Communicating Classified National Defense Information to Unauthorized Person

WASHINGTON – Assistant Attorney General  for National Security John P. Carlin and U.S. Attorney Florence T. Nakakuni for the District of Hawaii announced today that Benjamin Pierce Bishop, 60, a former Honolulu, Hawaii, civilian defense contractor and retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to serve 87 months imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for willfully communicating classified national defense information to a person not authorized to receive it and unlawfully retaining classified national defense information at his home. 

Bishop pleaded guilty to the two charges on March 13, 2014.  In a plea agreement filed with the court and during court proceedings, Bishop admitted that, on March 12, 2012, he e-mailed classified information to a 27-year-old Chinese woman with whom he had a romantic relationship and who was present in the United States as a graduate student on a J1 Visa. 

The classified information related to joint training and planning sessions between the United States and the Republic of Korea and was classified at the SECRET level.  Bishop also admitted to unlawfully retaining at his residence multiple classified documents that related to the national defense, including the U.S. Armed Forces Defense Planning Guide for years 2014 through 2018, a document entitled Optimizing U.S. Force Posture in the Asia‑Pacific, the U.S. Department of Defense China Strategy, the 2010 Guidance for Employment of Force (GEF) and a classified photograph of a Chinese naval asset that Bishop retrieved from classified sources based on a request from the Chinese woman.  The documents had been removed from Bishop’s workplace at U.S. Pacific Command. 

  “Willfully communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it is a serious threat to our national security,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “In committing this crime, Bishop violated his oath to protect the classified information with which he was entrusted.  This conduct is unacceptable and we will continue to investigate and seek to hold accountable those who engage in it.”

“We remain steadfast and resolute in our pursuit of those who violate their sworn security agreements and divulge our nation’s secrets to foreign nationals and others,” said U.S. Attorney Nakakuni.  “This is the second major espionage case prosecuted in the District of Hawaii, and is particularly troublesome because it involves the communication of classified information to a citizen of the People’s Republic of China.”

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii and Senior Trial Attorney Robert E. Wallace Jr. of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  

2015 USATF Marathon Championships set for Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles will host the 2015 USATF Marathon Championships this March, USA Track & Field announced Wednesday. A total prize purse of $150,000 will be awarded to Americans vying for national titles in the marathon, in addition to a guaranteed prize purse of $110,000 for the overall field. 

Marathon organizer LA MARATHON LLC will host the 2015 USATF Marathon Championships March 15 as part of the ASICS LA Marathon. The Championships will be held 11 months before LA hosts the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for men and women on Feb. 13, 2016. 

”We are very excited for Los Angeles to host the 2015 USATF Marathon Championships,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said. “Having an opportunity to collaborate on the race will help set the stage for a spectacular Olympic Trials Marathon. We look forward to working with LA MARATHON LLC in March and beyond.” 

“Hosting the 2015 USATF Marathon Championships will be a proud moment in Los Angeles’ rich marathon history,” stated Tracey Russell, Chief Executive of LA MARATHON LLC. “We look forward to showcasing our nation’s top marathoners in 2015 while setting the stage for the 2016 US Olympic Trials Marathon.” 

The ASICS LA Marathon’s “Stadium to the Sea” course, which takes runners past nearly every major Los Angeles landmark, begins at Dodger Stadium and winds through historic neighborhoods in Downtown LA, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica before finishing at the Santa Monica Pier. 

The USATF Marathon Championships were last held in Los Angeles in 1994 for men, when Paul Pilkington ran 2:12:13 to claim the national title. Both men and women will compete in the 2015 edition of the championships 

Registration for the event opens Wednesday, October 1 at 9 a.m. PDT. 

About USA Track & Field 

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org. 

About LA Marathon LLC 

LA MARATHON LLC, a subsidiary of McCourt Global, creates world-class experiences that ignite passion in athletes and connect communities through the transformative power of sports. The ASICS LA Marathon is among the largest marathons in the country with more than 25,000 participants, thousands 

of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. The “Stadium to the Sea” course, starting at Dodger Stadium and finishing near the Santa Monica Pier, is one of the most scenic in the world, taking runners on a tour of Los Angeles past every major landmark. LA MARATHON LLC will host the 2016 Olympic Team Trials for Men’s and Women’s Marathon, awarded by USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic Committee, which will take place in Los Angeles February 13, 2016. For more information, please visit www.lamarathon.com. 

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4 Secrets for Breaking the 7-Figure Ceiling

4 Secrets for Breaking the 7-Figure Ceiling
Million-Dollar Business Coach Shares Tips for Taking It
 to the Next Level on YOUR Terms

Can both recent reports on the economic muscle of black women in the United States be correct?

On the one hand, businesses owned by women of color – 42 percent of them African American – have skyrocketed since 1997, far surpassing even the impressive growth rate of businesses owned by all women. And they’ve grown far faster in terms of revenues and employees than the average for all women.

On the other hand, compared to other U.S. women, black women are less likely to be employed or insured, to hold college degrees or be represented in elected office – all indicators of prosperity.

“It appears to be a paradox, unless you understand black women,” says Dr. Venus Opal Reese, CEO of Defy Impossible, Inc. (www.DefyImpossible.com), a coaching business that helps black women -- and men and women of all ethnicities -- break the seven-figure ceiling.

“The survival strategies our ancestors learned from slavery are passed down to us and become our ‘normal.’ We’re taught that to feel good about ourselves, we have to work hard, sacrifice for others, prove ourselves, overcome; those are survival skills for which we’re socially rewarded. But when we allow society to dictate our inherent value, our self-worth, we will always come up short.”

That’s why so many smart, successful black women stay in jobs they hate – jobs that pay well but will never allow them to achieve their financial potential. That’s why they sacrifice for their children, their church, their community, but not for themselves. It’s why they can accomplish a great deal but still feel emotionally and financially impoverished.
“Our self-worth and our mindset around money are our biggest barriers to breaking the million-dollar mark,” Dr. Venus says.

What do black women millionaires do differently? Dr. Venus shares some of their secrets, which are lessons for men and women of every ethnicity:

•  Make money from what you “know” instead of from what you “do.”
As employees, we rent out our behaviors for a certain number of hours each day. We’re paid to use our skills and accomplish tasks that benefit our employer. We all know how to make survival money from what we do.

Give up the working-class mentality of making money from what you “do” and start making money from what you “know.” Everyone has a skill, but not everyone has your story and your unique perspective on life – what you’ve learned from walking through fire. You have a million-dollar message that can be monetized to launch your entrepreneurial dream or take the dream you’ve launched to impossible new heights. First, you must identify it.

•  DON’T leave your day job until you have replaced your income.
Keep the job that’s paying the bills while you work on the side to market your message and build your revenue stream.

If you’re panicking about keeping the lights on, you’re not going to have the enthusiasm and creativity necessary to give your entrepreneurial dream your full, amazing power. Plus, having the lights on makes it a lot easier to get things done!”

Once you’re making enough money to replace that salary or hourly wage, give up the day job!

•  Don’t position yourself as a low-cost leader.
Imagine being a Kia and then trying to be a Bentley. The market won’t believe you. If you want to go high-end, you have to stop charging low. It takes clarity, trust and confidence to up your rates, but it also forces you to get crystal clear on why people should pay top dollar to work with you. If you start low with the intention of going high, you will attract all the people looking for a deal. These people will never want to pay more. So don’t build your business on low-end items.

•  Trade on value instead of volume.
Another pitfall of charging low ticket is that it is dependent upon a high volume of people buying in order for you to earn a living. When you move into the world of high-end leadership, you don’t make your money from volume. You make your money from the value you bring your clients. The more value you provide, the more you can charge. Value can be tangible, emotional, prestige, exclusivity, or customization. When you build your business around value instead of volume, you naturally charge more -- and get more -- high-end clients.

About Dr. Venus Opal Reese

Dr. Venus Opal Reese, CEO of Defy Impossible, Inc. (www.DefyImpossible.com), is an acclaimed international speaker; CEO Mindset, Messaging and Marketing Mentor; and entrepreneur coach. She holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, and worked as a university professor before investing in herself by testing her entrepreneurial skills. Her business, Defy Impossible, grossed $1.2 million less than three years after launching.

NASA Mars Spacecraft Ready for Sept. 21 Orbit Insertion

This artist concept depicts the process of orbital insertion of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is nearing its scheduled Sept. 21 insertion into Martian orbit after completing a 10-month interplanetary journey of 442 million miles. Flight Controllers at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, Colorado, will be responsible for the health and safety of the spacecraft throughout the process. The spacecraft’s mission timeline will place the spacecraft in orbit at approximately 9:50 p.m. EDT. “So far, so good with the performance of the spacecraft and payloads on the cruise to Mars,” said David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The team, the flight system, and all ground assets are ready for Mars orbit insertion.” The orbit-insertion maneuver will begin with the brief firing of six small thruster engines to steady the spacecraft. The engines will ignite and burn for 33 minutes to slow the craft, allowing it to be pulled into an elliptical orbit with a period of 35 hours. Following orbit insertion, MAVEN will begin a six-week commissioning phase that includes maneuvering the spacecraft into its final orbit and testing its instruments and science-mapping commands. Thereafter, MAVEN will begin its one-Earth-year primary mission to take measurements of the composition, structure and escape of gases in Mars’ upper atmosphere and its interaction with the sun and solar wind. “The MAVEN science mission focuses on answering questions about where did the water that was present on early Mars go, about where did the carbon dioxide go,” said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator from the University of Colorado, Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. “These are important questions for understanding the history of Mars, its climate, and its potential to support at least microbial life.” MAVEN launched Nov. 18, 2013, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying three instrument packages. It is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the upper atmosphere of Mars. The mission’s combination of detailed measurements at specific points in Mars’ atmosphere and global imaging provides a powerful tool for understanding the properties of the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere. “MAVEN is another NASA robotic scientific explorer that is paving the way for our journey to Mars,” said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Together, robotics and humans will pioneer the Red Planet and the solar system to help answer some of humanity’s fundamental questions about life beyond Earth.” The spacecraft’s principal investigator is based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at University of Colorado, Boulder. The university provided two science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the project and also provided two science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley provided four science instruments for MAVEN. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, provides navigation and Deep Space Network support, and Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

The Defense Department celebrates the contributions and culture of citizens of Latin American Descent. Commander of Marine Corps Installations Command, MG Juan Ayala speaks about the diversity in the military and the impact of Hispanic service members.

Exercise Rapid Trident

2014 - Troops from fifteen nations launched the annual Rapid Trident Field Training Exercise this week in Ukraine.

Troop Cutbacks in Europe

2014 - NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, General Philip Breedlove says Pentagon leaders are reviewing decisions to scale down U.S. military forces in Europe.

President Announces Ebola Plan

2014 - President Barack Obama calls Ebola a national security priority and announces the the US will establish a military command center in Liberia.

COMMEMORATING 9/11

09/11/2014 03:41 PM CDT

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, center, speaks as President Barack Obama, left, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stand next to him during a ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial, Sept. 11, 2014, to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

MEDAL OF HONOR EMOTION

09/17/2014 12:03 PM CDT

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel presents Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins with the Medal of Honor flag after inducting him into the Hall of Heroes during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 16, 2014.

Face of Defense: Minnesota Brothers Reunite in Kuwait

By Army 1st Lt. Holly Elkin
34th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP BUERHING, Kuwait, Sept. 17, 2014 - Though one serves in the Army Reserve and the other in the Minnesota National Guard, a pair of brothers from Monticello, Minnesota, are deployed here together.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Laudert of the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Combat Aviation Brigade and his brother, Army Spc. Cameron Laudert of the Army Reserve's 452nd Combat Support Hospital, display the White Earth Nation flag while deployed to Camp Buerhing, Kuwait. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Holly Elkin  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

"I didn't know if our paths would cross," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Lowell Laudert as he sat with his brother, Army Spc. Cameron Laudert.

Cameron, a health care specialist, is assigned to the Army Reserve's 452nd Combat Support Hospital out of Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Lowell, an intelligence analyst, is assigned to the Minnesota Army National Guard's 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

When Cameron deployed to Kuwait last year, he said, he never imagined he would be sharing lunches with his brother at the dining facility here.

"As soon as I got here, I tracked him down," said Lowell as the brothers reflected on their reunion. Cameron, having been deployed for several months before his brother joined him, had grown accustomed to being called by his last name. When he heard a familiar voice calling out "Cameron," he was unsure of how to react. Cameron smiled and recalled he reached out for a hug from his brother.

"When my brother joined the Army, the first time I saw him, I thought, 'Wow, I really want to do this,'" he said. And while Cameron looks up to his brother for his success and accomplishments as a noncommissioned officer, Lowell sees to it that his relationship with Cameron is more about enduring brotherhood than career mentorship.

The Laudert brothers not only have a strong family connection, which they say has helped to influence their success serving in the military, but they also speak with pride of their Native American heritage as enrolled members of the White Earth Nation.

"We're veterans of two nations," Lowell said.

Once they are both back on Minnesota soil next year, the brothers said, they have plans to strengthen their spiritual and cultural traditions together. Cameron hopes to attend medical school and aspires to become a chemical dependency counselor. Lowell will return to his full-time position with the Minnesota National Guard as the readiness noncommissioned officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 34th Combat Aviation Brigade readiness noncommissioned officer.

DODGER OWNERS PURCHASE STAKE IN OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS; DODGERS TO MOVE TRIPLE-A AFFILIATE TO OKC IN 2015

 

LOS ANGELES – The owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that they have reached an agreement with Mandalay Baseball Properties, LLC on the purchase of the Oklahoma City RedHawks.  The purchase would be part of a partnership in which Peter Guber will be the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of the team and partners Paul Schaeffer and Larry Freedman will manage the operations of the company.

 

The Dodgers also announced they will change their triple-A franchise affiliation to Oklahoma City in 2015 and continue to play in the Pacific Coast League, while moving to the American Northern Division.

 

Guber, Schaeffer and Freedman have long held similar roles as principals with Mandalay Baseball Properties, LLC (MBP).  Magic Johnson was a founding partner with MBP in the Dayton Dragons franchise of the Midwest League, which was recently sold for a record sale price after selling out every home game in its 15-year history and holding the record for the most consecutive sellouts in North American sports at over 1,050 consecutive sellouts.

 

“My first experience as an owner in professional sports was in Minor League Baseball and I am looking forward to returning to MiLB with these partners in a dynamic sports market like Oklahoma City,” said Magic Johnson.

 

The purchase agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approvals of the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball and the review of the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

 

Mandalay Baseball Properties LLC purchased the Oklahoma City franchise at the end of the 2010 season.  The team had been affiliated with the Houston Astros.

 

“The Los Angeles Dodgers look forward to making Oklahoma City our long-term home for our triple-A franchise,” said Dodgers’ President & CEO Stan Kasten.  “We are committed to the great sports fans and the great city of Oklahoma City.  We are excited to work with President & General Manager Michael Byrnes and his outstanding staff, who have been a very integral part of the community.

 

“We enjoyed a great relationship with the Albuquerque organization and its fans, but the opportunity of franchise ownership was one we couldn’t pass up.”

 

“I am thrilled to be partnering with the Dodgers in the Oklahoma City franchise and am looking forward to an exciting future for the enterprise,” said Mandalay Baseball Chairman Peter Guber.

 

“This is a prestigious ownership group with a lot of options for their franchise. We're honored that they've decided on the Brick in Oklahoma City, one of the top minor league ballparks in America,” said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

 

Fellow NBA owner and Chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Clay Bennett said “Peter Guber has been a great partner and friend in the NBA as well as part of the current ownership group of the RedHawks.  It is great news for Oklahoma City that he and his partners at the Dodgers will be acquiring the team.”

           

The Dodgers Triple A franchise will be making Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark its home in 2015 following a working agreement with Albuquerque, which spanned a total of 44 years (1963-71 Double-A, 1972-2000 Triple-A and 2009-2014 Triple-A).           

           

Five of the Dodger owners also currently own the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, while Guber and Schaeffer are both owners and Guber is the Co-Executive Chairman of the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.

           

Mandalay Baseball Properties has owned and operated 10 sports franchises over its nearly two decades of existence and its franchises, ballparks and management team have been consistently recognized as among the best in professional sports, including the John H. Johnson President’s Award for the Best Franchise in MiLB, multiple Ballpark Digest Organization of the Year awards and numerous top/best ballpark awards.  Its current portfolio includes the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (current AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, which is jointly owned by the New York Yankees and plays in the newly renovated PNC Field), the Oklahoma City RedHawks (current AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros) and the Erie SeaWolves (current AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers).  The company recently sold the Dayton Dragons (current A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds), which it owned in partnership with NBA legend and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Magic Johnson and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, who were among the first African-American owners in Minor League Baseball, and is the current record holder for the longest sellout streak in all of North American Professional Sports, and the Frisco RoughRiders (current AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the highest drawing AA team in MiLB).  Each of the Dayton Dragons and the Frisco RoughRiders was sold for a record breaking sale price. Among its other previously owned and operated franchises, the company owned the Las Vegas 51s from 2001 to 2008 when the 51s were the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

ABOUT THE OKC REDHAWKS

The Oklahoma City RedHawks have been a member of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League since 1998. The team has won seven division titles in 17 seasons. The RedHawks are just one of just two teams in Triple-A baseball to record increases in attendance each of the previous four seasons. Their home stadium, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, has been recognized as being one of the best facilities in Minor League Baseball by several national publications, including Baseball America and the USA Today Travel Media Group.

 

PARIS GREETING

09/17/2014 11:16 AM CDT

U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets U.S. Marines assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Sept. 17, 2014.

Flag Officer Announcement

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced today that the president has made the following nomination:

 

Navy Rear Adm. James G. Foggo III for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and for assignment as commander, Sixth Fleet; commander, Task Force Six; commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO; deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa; and Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Europe, Naples, Italy. Foggo is currently serving as assistant deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, N3/N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.
  

A Toast to Our 2nd Favorite Adult Beverage Wine Aficionado Shares Tips for a Full-Bodied Experience

Slide over, sweaty mug of brutish beer; wine has stepped up its game!

In the past two decades, zins, cabs and chardonnays have soared in popularity among imbibing Americans. The preference of just one in four in 1992, its now the alcoholic beverage of choice for 35 percent of us, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. At the same time, beer has taken a tumble, from the favorite of nearly half of us to just 36 percent.

“Wine is an adventure in a glass – something other cultures have recognized for centuries,” says Howard Kleinfeld, author (as Howard K.) of “Dial M for Merlot,”www.DialMforMerlot.com, a fun novel about a lovelorn nerd whose world snaps to life with his first wine tasting.

“For a long time in this country, we viewed wine as an elitist beverage. Just to be eligible to uncork a bottle required a scary level of sophistication. I have great respect for connoisseurs and the sommeliers, but if you’ve ever attended a wine tasting, you quickly see wine is actually the great equalizer.”

For those who’ve never visited a vineyard or sipped a Gewurztraminer, Kleinfeld offers these tips to free up your palate -- and your psyche -- for a full-bodied experience.

1.  What’s the best wine?
You’ll find all kinds of lists purporting to distill the top 10 or top 100 best wines of the thousands upon thousands of new releases each year. They are a wonderful resource for information and a great starting point, but there is no substitute for personal exploration. 
“The best wine is always whatever’s in your glass at the moment,” Kleinfeld says, “unless whatever’s in your glass makes you grimace, in which case …”

2.  Don’t drink it if it doesn’t make you happy.
Life really is too short to not make the most of every moment – and every sensual experience. 
“I learned that in 2007 when I was diagnosed with throat cancer at, what I felt was, a very young age,” Kleinfeld says. “I got through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation with the love and support of my family and friends, but I lost my sense of taste for a few years.”
Cancer-free and with all of his senses intact, Kleinfeld says he has resolved to enjoy every sip of life.
“Don’t waste your time on wine you don’t enjoy. Save it for cooking,” he says. “Drink something that puts a smile on your face. And remember – there are all kinds of smiles.”

3.  Go ahead and shell out $50 or $100 on a wine you just have to taste again.
A lot of us think California and Napa Valley when we think domestic wines, and while The Golden State is the No. 1 producer in the country (followed by Washington, Oregon and New York), every state now has wineries. That means that wherever you are, there’s a wine tasting room within driving distance. 
“If you go to a wine tasting and you sample something you absolutely love, something youknow you want to taste again – maybe with a steak, which they don’t usually have at wine-tasting rooms, go ahead and buy it,” Kleinfeld advises. 
“Forget that it costs three or four times what you (might) usually spend for a bottle of wine. Splurge. See tip No. 2.”

4.  Forget the red with meat, white with fish and chicken rule – unless it works for you.
The idea of pairing red wines with red meats has to do with the bolder flavor of both. Fish and chicken tend to have milder flavors, as do many white wines.
“But there are so many exceptions to those ‘rules’ you may as well just toss ‘em,” Kleinfeld says. “They don’t take into account the range of flavors of meat, fish and chicken, especially when you consider all the different ways they can be prepared. And if you’re not a fan of Riesling, for instance, you won’t like it no matter what you pair it with.” 
Be an adventurer, he advises. Open a few different varieties of wine when you sit down to eat and explore different pairings.
“The entrees and wines you best enjoy together are the perfect pairings for you.”

About Howard Kleinfeld (Howard K)

Howard Kleinfeld is a full-time wine enthusiast, part-time foodie, and first-time author. His new novel, “Dial M for Merlot,”www.DialMforMerlot.com, written under the pen name Howard K, follows a 30-year-old math whiz’s intoxicating journey of wine discovery. Kleinfeld is a longtime singer-songwriter whose compositions/productions for advertising, TV shows and indie films have earned him Emmy, Telly and Addy, awards.

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