Liberia is Making Progress Against Ebola but Cases Continue

By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2014 - New U.S.-funded Ebola treatment units and diagnostic laboratories are stoking progress on the ground in Liberia, but new cases of Ebola arise daily, U.S. officials reported today during a teleconference from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

Simple red lines on the floor are what mark the boundary between the low-risk zone and the high-risk zone in the Monrovia Medical Unit, a facility designed for health care workers who become infected with the virus. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Hoskins, Joint Forces Command, United Assistance Public Affairs  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, Operation United Assistance Joint Force Commander, Deborah Malac, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, and Bill Berger, U.S. Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team Leader, spoke with the Pentagon press corps on the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak.

There are positive indications on the ground West Africa, Volesky said, "but there are new cases of Ebola every single day here in Liberia, so we are supporting ... USAID in building Ebola treatment units, training health care workers," and sustaining treatment units.

Malac agreed, "Numbers of cases continue to increase. We are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination."

The rate of increase is much lower than it has been over the last couple of months, she added, but it's important to continue following the government of Liberia's plan, adapting as the epidemic itself adapts and changes.

For the moment, she added, more treatment units and more medical personnel are needed to help treat patients.

Just under 2,200 U.S. troops are in West Africa today, Volesky said. "We will top out in the middle of December just short of 3,000 and that's the most we'll bring into the country."

The number is about 1,000 troops less than the initial estimate, but the general said there's more capacity in Liberia than planners thought because of work by lead agency USAID, whose personnel had been in Liberia for months before American troops arrived, and because of efforts by the government of Liberia and many non-governmental organizations.

Thanks to pre-deployment and continuous training and monitoring, he added, no military personnel have showed symptoms of Ebola.

"We continue to sustain their training and talk about how to make sure they don't put themselves at risk. And our chain of command and leadership are very involved in making sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are adhering to those standards," Volesky said.

"You won't see soldiers roaming all over Liberia," he added. "We've got it very controlled. They go places where there's a mission and we make sure we're following all those protocols."

On the ground in Monrovia, the first two treatment units have opened.

The Monrovia medical unit for health care workers opened its doors a week ago. Volesky called it a strategic treatment unit "because it is hopefully giving the international community confidence that if they have people come to Liberia [who] get infected, there's a place for them."

Another unit, the Tubmanburg ETU, opened a few days ago -- a joint venture with members of the Liberian armed forces, who Volesky said did much of the work, with U.S. oversight for electricity and plumbing.

Eventually there will be 17 treatment units, with three or four more completed before the end of November and, depending on weather and other considerations, the rest should be completed before the end of December, the general said.

In addition to treatment units, an increase in mobile diagnostic labs in and around Monrovia has been a game-changer, he added.

It used to take days to determine from a blood sample whether an individual had Ebola, Volesky said. "Now that's determined in a few hours," he added, reducing the chances that people waiting for diagnoses might infect each other with Ebola or another disease.

Of the nine labs in or near Monrovia, Volesky said, seven are DoD labs, one is a Centers for Disease Control-National Institutes of Health mobile lab, and the other is a European Union-donated mobile lab.

Liberia also has a permanent national reference laboratory that DoD and NIH have supported to help build the facility's testing capacity. A reference lab is one that performs quality, high-volume or specialty testing of biological samples for physicians, hospitals and other laboratories.

DoD's military response to the Ebola outbreak in hardest-hit Liberia is part of a whole-of-government response led by USAID.

In August and September, the early days of the U.S. response to the outbreak, some of the first people on the ground included a 28-member USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART team.

Team members -- from USAID, DoD, CDC, the U.S. Public Health Service and the U.S. Forest Service -- deployed to West Africa to coordinate and prioritize the government's outbreak response.

Berger, the DART team lead in Liberia, said the team's composition and size change according to needs on the ground.

"The size of our team varies ... depending on which technical specialists we need, but we're at around 30 people. We have two CDC folks on the team but CDC itself has over 60 people in country working out in all the communities," Berger said.

"We can draw on almost any agency within the U.S. government as needed to augment the capacity of the USAID mission and the embassy here to fight this battle with Ebola," he added.

When the DART team first arrived they hit the ground running, Berger explained.

"At that time the [infection] curve was going up and nobody was sure if we were going to be able to break that, he added.

"We helped set up an [emergency operations center] so the government could do the kind of coordination it needed for itself and with the international community. We helped get safe burial teams out on the ground. We started working on supporting the [Liberia Institute of Biomedical Research] Lab and getting that back into shape," Berger said.

When the Ebola treatment units were coming online, if they needed a generator the DART team went to Power Africa and got one. If they needed gravel, the DART team got that.

"We were working flat out," he said. "Now we're working more with our partners, working on the community-care strategy, with partnerships that are building ETUs, getting public messaging out to change behaviors, and finding more NGOs and international partners to help with the clinical and management care of the ETUs."

Berger said the U.S. response is everything it was meant to be truly a whole-of-government response.

"We've brought every asset of the U.S. government to bear to fight this disease," he said, "and there's been tremendous cooperation among all of the agencies. The coordination has been outstanding."

On the ground, officials agree that much more work is needed.

"We are still very much at the beginning of this effort, although we've been all working very hard for many weeks, some of us for many months, on this issue," Malac said. "It's nice to know that we've been able to have some impact on the curve, but until we have everything down to zero and we haven't had a case for a couple of months, none of us will be able to rest easily at night."

For the members of Operation United Assistance, Volesky said the mission is going well.

"I can tell you without a doubt, they are all very proud to be here. They feel like they're making a difference. Everywhere I go soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are telling me they're happy to be here," the general said.

"They can see confidence in the people's eyes here," Volesky said, "so this is a great mission for all of our servicemen and women."

HEAVY METAL PERFORMANCE

11/12/2014 06:49 AM CST

Metallica lead singer James Hetfield thanks service members after bringing them on stage for the band's set during The Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C., Nov. 11, 2014.

Salt is Good for You

Salt is Good for You, Calcium Supplements are Bad, 

and the Lab Test Everyone Should Get

4 Tips for Getting Seriously Healthy from One of the 

‘Best Doctors in America’*

There’s a reason – well, several – why so many diseases are increasing in frequency in the United States, making some that were almost unheard of 100 years ago commonplace today, says Robert Thompson, M.D., an OB/GYN and integrative medicine specialist deemed by his peers to be in the top 5 percent of U.S. physicians.

“The United States is now 46th in men’s mortality and the absolute worst country in the industrialized world for first-day infant mortality,” says Thompson, author of “The Calcium Lie II: What Your Doctor Still Doesn’t Know,” (calciumliebook.com), a new book that details the roles minerals play in overall health and how to identify and correct deficiencies and imbalances.

“Based on the current rate of autism diagnoses, there will be no ‘normal’ male babies born in the U.S. by 2030,” he says. “The current rate of diabetes suggests 95 percent of our adult population will be diabetic by 2030. The number of children with life-threatening allergies has increased more than 1,000 percent since 1995.”

A perfect storm of corporate power, profits and public misinformation has succeeded in overwhelming the basic biochemical and physiological tenets of good health, says Thompson, who published his first book, “The Calcium Lie: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know Could Kill You,” in 2008.

“Mineral deficiencies are responsible for a host of health problems, which are incorrectly treated by drugs,” Thompson says. “We’re told by the government and the medical community that we should be ingesting certain amounts of vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent disease, like osteoporosis, when in reality, the recommendations lead to other very serious health problems.”

Thompson offers these suggestions for Americans to take charge of their health:

•  Get a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) to determine your mineral status.
This may be the most important health test that exists, Thompson says. Only when you and your doctor know for sure your mineral status and important ratios can you adapt your diet, minerals and supplements to work toward proper balance.

Thompson recommends using Trace Elements, Inc. clinical lab in Addison, Texas, because it adheres to the highest standards. The lab accepts only samples submitted by health-care providers, including physicians, nutritionists, and others, so you need to find one who does HTMA and uses that lab. (Individuals who can’t find a provider can call the lab for help in locating one; HTMA is prohibited in New York state.)

•  Do not take calcium supplements unless tests indicate a deficiency. We’ve all been told that we must ingest lots of calcium to ensure strong bones. In fact, calcium is just one of at least 12 minerals in our bones, all of which must be present in the right balance for good bone health. Calcium has been added to so much of our food, it’s unlikely most of us are deficient. And yet, people are told to take calcium supplements. Excess calcium can cause kidney and gallstones, arterial plaque, bone spurs, calcium deposits in tissues other than bone, and brain cell dysfunction, brain shrinkage and dementia. Instead of calcium, Thompson instructs all his patients and readers to take a minimum of 3 grams of trace minerals derived from sea salt every day.

•  Salt – sodium – is necessary for digestion, nutrient absorption, cell function and metabolism.
Limiting salt intake is not only the wrong advice for 90 percent of the people at risk for high blood pressure, it also contributes to the lack of minerals in our bodies. Many of us are actually deficient in sodium.

Salt is a mineral, and unrefined sea salt and rock salt is the best source of sodium and ionic minerals. If you are sodium deficient, add harvested pure sea salt liberally to your foods. It is important to use pure sea salt, and not the common table salt, as processing has stripped common table salt of its mineral value.

•  Use only vitamin supplements made from 100 percent organic whole foods that have been vine-ripened. 
Almost all of us need supplements because contemporary food supplies lack adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, thanks to soil depletion. Most store-bought vitamins include just one component of the many complex molecular elements contained in the naturally occurring vitamin source. You need all of the nutrient components to get the full benefits.

The best natural sources of readily available vitamins include raw seeds, stabilized rice bran powder, vine-ripened fresh fruit and berries (vitamin C).

 *Robert Thompson, M.D., was added to the peer-reviewed directory, “Best Doctors in America,” in 1996.

About Robert Thompson, M.D.

Dr. Robert Thompson is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, and a nutrition specialist who helps patients get long-term relief from chronic disease, including obesity, diabetes, hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. His newest book, “The Calcium Lie II,” is available for free atcalciumliebook.com. Dr. Thompson received his medical training at the University of Kentucky and has been a leader in medical advances for more than 30 years.

Face of Defense: CARAT Exercises Continue in Brunei

Navy News Service

MAURA, Brunei, Nov. 12, 2014 - The Brunei portion of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2014 exercises commenced Nov. 10 at Maura Naval Base here.

U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Betty Chang from Portland, Oregon, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin, works with sailors aboard the Royal Cambodian Navy Stenka-class patrol fast-attack craft 1131 during a bilateral gunnery exercise during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Cambodia 2014 in the Gulf of Thailand, Oct., 30, 2014. In its 20th year, CARAT is an annual, bilateral exercise series with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations including Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Declan Barnes  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Royal Brunei Armed Forces have participated in the CARAT exercise since it began in 1995. CARAT Brunei marks the final phase of this year's series of exercises, which began in May with partner nations in South and Southeast Asia.

In its 20th year, CARAT is an annual, bilateral exercise series including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste. The exercises provide a venue for regional navies to share best practices, foster relationships and enhance maritime security cooperation.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Charlie Williams, commander of Task Force 73 and the 7th Fleet's executive agent for theater security cooperation in South and Southeast Asia, delivered remarks to exercise participants including U.S. sailors and Marines and members of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Unique Training Opportunities

"The sea has connected our nations, our people, and our naval forces since the USS Constitution visited Brunei for the first time in 1845," Williams said. "As our premier naval exercise rooted in longstanding cooperation at sea, CARAT Brunei provides unique opportunities to sharpen skills and work together in ways that will serve our nations and the region for many years to come."

Continuing through Nov. 14, this year's exercise in Brunei features several new events including maritime security, search-and-rescue operations and aviation maintenance symposia ashore, as well as shipboard helicopter operations and a simulated medical evacuation at sea.

Additional symposia ashore will bring together professionals from both navies to discuss best practices in military law and military medicine. Japan Regional Maintenance Center divers will train with their Brunei military counterparts in hull inspection and surface-supplied breathing techniques.

Community service events and joint performances by the U.S. 7th Fleet and RBAF bands will occur throughout the local community.

A platoon of U.S. Marines from 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force will conduct military operations on urban terrain training with their Royal Brunei Land Forces counterparts at the Fibua Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain complex.

At sea, USS Rodney M. Davis, embarked with Destroyer Squadron 7 commodore and staff and an MH-60R helicopter, will train with the Royal Brunei Navy ship, KDB Darulaman, and a Royal Brunei Air Force S-70A helicopter. In addition to maneuvering and surface gunnery drills, highlights include maritime boarding scenarios, RBAF cross-deck landing qualifications aboard Rodney M. Davis, and a maritime domain awareness exercise involving both helicopters and P-3C aircraft.

Naval Partnerships

U.S. Navy Capt. Fred Kacher, Destroyer Squadron 7 commodore and exercise commander, discussed the upcoming sea phase.

"We deeply value our naval partnership with the RBN, as evidenced by their participation in both the Rim of the Pacific exercise earlier this summer and the Southeast Asia Cooperation at Sea exercise in August," Kacher said. ""This week's CARAT is another great opportunity for our navies to get out to sea together and strengthen our ability to operate safely and professionally with one another."

U.S. Security Challenges Not Insurmountable, Work Says

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2014 - The present-day security environment is challenging, but it is not insurmountable, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work told the Center for Strategic and International Studies here today.

Work -- who opened the center's Global Defense Forum -- disagreed with assumptions that security challenges facing the United States are unprecedented.

He cited the challenges facing President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he took office in 1953 as proof.

Eisenhower Faced Unsettled Security Environment

"That was also an unsettled period," Work said. "When President Eisenhower took office in 1953, the U.S. was engaged in a costly, protracted, and unpopular war in Korea. Even after he managed to end the war, U.S.-China relations remained hostile and tense, punctuated by the Taiwan Strait crisis in 1954."

The Soviet Union had the nuclear bomb and developed hydrogen bombs in 1954, stoking fears of nuclear annihilation. The Iron Curtain had descended across Eastern Europe, and Cold War proxies were fighting in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

While all this was going on, Eisenhower worked to build NATO into a strong and effective military alliance.

"I use this example not to downplay the challenges facing us today, but simply to show we have faced enormous challenges in the past," the deputy defense secretary said. "I could have picked 1979 and 1983."

The United States got through that and will get through these days, Work said.

Employing Strategic Patience

Americans today should look to Eisenhower's approach as he took the vast experience he had gained as a wartime leader and set out to develop a patient strategy for peace, the deputy defense secretary suggested.

"He played the long game," Work said of Eisenhower. "The thing I admire the most about him was his strategic patience. He knew the U.S. was in for a long, persistent struggle against the Soviet Union and he was determined to best position all elements of our national power to give us the greatest possibility of winning. He rejected both undisciplined defense spending and unwise defense cuts."

Like Eisenhower, President Barack Obama entered the White House during a time of war "and he was similarly determined to responsibly end ongoing combat operations as quickly as he could," Work said.

Drawing Down the Military

Obama looked to draw down the military in a responsible way, also, Work said.

"Now post-war defense drawdowns are nothing new," he said. "This is the fifth major sustained drawdown since World War II. However, I would argue this particular drawdown has been as unpredictable as the current strategic environment, and perhaps even more chaotic."

It didn't start out that way, the deputy defense secretary said.

Then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates saw this coming as he moved to draw down the U.S. military responsibly. He eliminated 33 underperforming programs. He told DoD planners to expect slower growth, with fiscal 2015 having no growth. He directed an efficiency initiative to shift dollars from "tail" -- overhead -- to -- "tooth" -- warfighting capability.

Sequestration Presents Big Challenges

And that worked right up until it ran into the 2011 Budget Control Act and sequestration. The planned-for cuts and the added cuts of sequestration meant $1 trillion was taken out of the defense budget over 10 years.

"How can one really plan a program if they do not know for sure if they must prepare to absorb an additional $500 billion over 10 years?" Work asked.

Sequestration triggered on Jan. 1, 2013, although cuts did not start until March 1.

"This represented a one-year, 8-percent cut -- ka-boom -- in base defense spending, and a 12-percent drop in overall spending -- the largest single-year decline in defense spending since 1955 and the Korean War demobilization," he said. "It is no exaggeration to say we are still recovering from the incomprehensible destructive way sequestration was implemented."

Changes did come in the shape of the Balanced Budget Act that provided some budget stability for fiscal 2014 and 2015. Sequestration remains on the books and can trigger on Jan. 1, 2016.

Lack of Budgetary Stability Impacts Strategic Planning

"Unless we return to some sort of regular budget order soon, and Congress provides us some budgetary stability and room to make the hard choices we must, we run the risk of building a program that will become increasingly misaligned with strategic environment that we all see is so chaotic," the deputy defense secretary said.

All this "makes a mockery out of strategic planning," Work said.

Readiness has been severely impacted, Work said. The readiness crisis came to a head last year, he said, when sequester hit despite the Joint Chiefs going up on the Hill to warn of just that outcome.

The deputy defense secretary said people expected readiness to nosedive or be like a car having a blowout. But it was more a slow leak than an explosion.

"The reality is sequester impacted every node of the man, train, and equipping pipeline and yielded dangerous operational effects," he said.

Readiness across the force remains fragile and vulnerable to budget uncertainty, Work said.

"What we do know is that we're in a real readiness trough and it will take time, money, and fiscal predictability to recover," he said.

Inherent Resolve Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL

From a U.S. Central Command News Release

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 12, 2014 - U.S. and partner-nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria Nov. 10 to 12 using bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 16 airstrikes, U.S. Central Command officials reported today.

Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted seven airstrikes in Iraq Nov. 10-12 using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists, officials said.

In Syria, 10 airstrikes conducted near Kobani struck eight small ISIL units, damaged three ISIL fighting positions and destroyed an ISIL logistics facility. There were two airstrikes south of Al-Haskah damaging a crude oil collection point operated by ISIL. Three airstrikes northeast of Dayr Az Zawr damaged an ISIL crude oil collection facility. Near Dayr Az Zawr, one airstrike struck a small ISIL unit and damaged an ISIL vehicle.

In Iraq, two airstrikes near Kirkuk struck a small ISIL unit and a large ISIL unit. Five airstrikes near Bayji struck three small ISIL units, one large ISIL unit and destroyed two ISIL buildings, an ISIL sniper position, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL mortar tube and an ISIL artillery piece. All aircraft departed the strike areas safely. Airstrike assessments are based on initial reports.

The strikes were conducted as part of Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community.

The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project power and conduct operations. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

DODGERS RETURNING TO SAN ANTONIO

Alamo City was home to LA’s Double-A affiliate for 23 years

 

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Officials from Ryan Sanders Baseball and the Texas Rangers announced today that the 2014 National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will be returning to the Alamo City after a 15-year hiatus.  The Dodgers, who were the Major League affiliate of the Double-A San Antonio Missions for 23 years, will be the Rangers opponent in the 2015 edition of H-E-B Big League Weekend. 

 

This is the third year for Big League Weekend, a two-game Major League Baseball exhibition hosted at the iconic Alamodome in Downtown San Antonio.  The games will be played on Friday, March 20 (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday, March 21 (1:00 p.m.). Tickets go on saleFriday, November 14.

 

“We’re excited about this match up,” said Nolan Ryan.  “The Dodgers are one of the most successful franchises in baseball with some good, young players.  For fans in San Antonio and all over the state it’s a great opportunity to see play them since there is not a National League team in Texas anymore.”

 

The Dodgers were the Major League affiliate for the Missions from 1977-2000.  The minor league club was actually known as the San Antonio Dodgers for the first 11 years before changing their nickname back to "Missions" for the 1988 season.

 

“The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking forward to visiting San Antonio for Big League Weekend this spring with the Texas Rangers,” said Dodgers' President & CEO Stan Kasten.  “Playing in the Alamodome should be quite an experience for our team and our fans.”

 

The Dodgers, under skipper Don Mattingly, put together another fine season as they battled back from a nine and a half game deficit after the first week of June, to capture another Western Division title in besting the San Francisco Giants by six games with a record of 94-68.  It was the second consecutive and 13th National League West title for the Dodgers, thus qualifying for the postseason for the 19th time since moving to Los Angeles and the 28th time in franchise history.

 

While the Dodgers fell short of the ultimate goal of a World Championship after losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Division Series, three games to one, there were many individual highlights in the season topped off by the success of the best pitcher in baseball, lefthander Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw became the first-ever pitcher to win four consecutive MLB ERA titles, posting a career-best 1.77 ERA and leading the Majors with a career high-tying 21 wins.  The Dodgers had four starters with 13 or more wins as Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dan Haren joined Kershaw.  Closer Kenley Jansen tied for third in the league with a career-high 44 saves.

 

The Dodger offense was led by first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who led the Majors with 116 RBI, while collecting 41 doubles and 27 home runs, and the return of outfielder Matt Kemp, who was among the NL leaders in doubles (38), home runs (25), RBI (89) and slugging percentage (.506).  Dee Gordon became a fixture at second base as he led the Majors in steals (64) and triples (12).

 

The Dodgers have won six World Series titles and 21 National League pennants. Eight Cy Young Award winners have pitched for the Dodgers, winning a total of eleven Cy Young Awards (both MLB records). The team has also produced 12 Rookie of the Year Award winners, including four consecutive from 1979–1982 and five consecutive from 1992–1996, the longest consecutive streaks in Major League Baseball.

 

After winning 90+ games in each of the previous four seasons, injuries derailed the Texas Rangers in 2014 at 67-95. Texas players lost a total of 2,281 days on the disabled list, over 800 more days than any other major league team. A number of key contributors, including Shin-Soo Choo, Yu Darvish, Prince Fielder, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, Mitch Moreland, Alexi Ogando, Martin Perez, Jurickson Profar, and Tanner Scheppers missed all or a significant portion of the season. As a result, the Rangers established major league records for most total players (64) and pitchers (40) used in a season.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre, who played in San Antonio as a Dodgers minor leaguer in 1998, paced the Rangers offense in 2014, finishing third in the American League in on-base percentage (.388) and fourth in batting (.324). Beltre won his fourth Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award while leading the club in nine offensive categories. Darvish posted a 3.06 ERA and recorded 182 strikeouts in just 144.1 innings before missing the final seven weeks of the year with right elbow inflammation. Colby Lewis, who returned to the majors for the first time since July 2012 after major hip surgery, topped the Rangers in innings (170.1) and starts (29) while tying Darvish for the team lead in wins (10). After a pair of injury plagued seasons, Neftali Feliz regained the closer’s role over the final two months, recording 13 saves in 14 tries and posting a 1.99 ERA.

 

Texas will enter 2015 with a new manager at the helm as Jeff Banister joins the organization after four seasons as Clint Hurdle’s bench coach in Pittsburgh. His major league staff will include bench coach Steve Buechele, a former Rangers stalwart at third base who managed at Triple-A Round Rock last season. Despite the 2014 record, the Rangers have the sixth best winning percentage in the majors over the last five years (2010-14) at .539 (437-374) with three postseason appearances, including consecutive American League championships in 2010 and 2011.       

 

“The Rangers are very happy to be returning to San Antonio and Big League Weekend in 2015,” said Rangers President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels. “Ryan Sanders Baseball puts on a first class event and has done an amazing job in converting the Alamodome into a Major League Baseball facility. The reception we received playing before the tremendous fans of the San Antonio area has been outstanding and we look forward to another great weekend with the Dodgers.”

 

Over 75,000 fans packed the Alamodome when the Rangers hosted the San Diego Padres in the inaugural Big League Weekend in 2013.  It was the first baseball event in the building’s 20-year-history.  Last year, big crowds watched again as the Rangers hosted their in-state rivals, the Houston Astros.

 

For more information on H-E-B Big League Weekend go to www.bigleagueweekend.com. 

 

 

DODGERS HISTORY IN SAN ANTONIO - The Missions were the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers until 2000, making the relationship the longest-standing Major League affiliation held by the San Antonio franchise.  In the 23 years with Los Angeles, some 211 players went on to see time in the Majors. That includes players like Ron Washington (1977), Bob Welch (1977), Ron Roenicke (1978–1979), Mike Scioscia (1978), Dave Stewart (1978), Orel Hershiser (1980–1981, 1991), Fernando Valenzuela (1980), Steve Sax (1981), Sid Bream (1982), Sid Fernandez (1983), Franklin Stubbs (1983), Ramón Martínez (1988, 1996), John Wetteland (1988), Eric Karros (1990), Pedro Martínez (1991), Raúl Mondesí (1991–1992), Eric Young (1991), Mike Piazza (1992), Henry Blanco (1993–1996), Todd Hollandsworth (1993), Chan Ho Park (1994), Miguel Cairo (1995), Paul Lo Duca (1995, 1997), Paul Konerko (1996), Alex Cora (1997), Dennys Reyes (1997), Adrián Beltré (1998) and Eric Gagne (1999).

 

ABOUT THE ALAMODOME - The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas.  The facility is owned and operated by the City of San Antonio and is a column-free, 5-level stadium which can seat up to 65,000 spectators for a football game and is expandable to a maximum capacity of 72,000. With 160,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space and 30,000 square feet of conference space, the Alamodome is ideal for conventions, general assemblies, trade shows, sports and special events. Throughout the years, the facility has hosted a wide range of events including the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, Valero Alamo Bowl, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp, New Orleans Saints Regular Season Games and such major productions as George Strait, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney On Ice and Monster Jam. The Alamodome is known for its unprecedented guest service as well as unparalleled attention to clients and promoters needs.

 

ABOUT RYAN SANDERS BASEBALL-Combine a 27-year, Hall of Fame baseball career with more than 50 years of savvy business approaches and the roots of Ryan Sanders Baseball begin to take hold. Today, the group is comprised of more than 60 minority shareholders, many of them former professional baseball players.  Established by Nolan Ryan, Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout king, his son, Reid and Houston businessman Don Sanders, who first ventured into securities in 1959, Ryan Sanders Baseball laid down its foundation in Round Rock when it purchased the Jackson Generals and moved the team to Texas for the 2000 season.  Over the past 15 years Ryan Sanders has owned and operated two of the most successful franchises in minor league baseball.  The group, led by CEO Reese Ryan, currently owns and operates the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers AAA) as well as Ryan Sanders Sports Services (RS3).  RS3, started in 2013, folds in programming and operational models for banquet and conferencing, retail and merchandising, award-wining groundskeeping and turf management, and a complete food and beverage service package to address every event-day need in any size venue. RS3 injects a resounding new perspective to the traditional industry of sports venue services – an operator’s sensitivity to guest service and a difference-making attitude about quality and unexpected guest satisfaction.

'Cyber Flag' Exercise Tests Mission Skills

From a U.S. Cyber Command News Release

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md., Nov. 12, 2014 - Joint and coalition cyberspace forces completed Cyber Flag 15-1, a cyberspace force-on-force training exercise fusing attack and defense across the full spectrum of military operations in a closed network environment, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Nov. 7, U.S. Cyber Command officials reported today.

As Cybercom's premier exercise, Cyber Flag 15-1 evaluated growing cyberspace capabilities within the Cyber Mission Force and joint headquarters elements, advancing Cybercom commander and National Security Agency and Central Security Service director, Navy Adm. Michael Rogers' vision of operationalizing and fully integrating cyberspace operations into other military planning and operations.

Rogers has often emphasized that the Department of Defense must build operational capacity in cyberspace to generate military options for senior military leaders and decision makers. He has stressed that the U.S. cannot wait until a cyberspace crisis affects the nation or DoD's ability to conduct military operations to develop partnerships, generate cyber capacity and capability, and ensure coordination processes are in place for national or military response.

Cyber Defense is Team Effort

"Cyber is a team effort, and given the resource constraints and capacity shortfalls, we need to partner in a way that optimizes operational outcomes. This exercise is an incredible opportunity to strengthen our relationships with critical partners," said Rogers, noting that relationships are the key to success in the cyberspace domain.

The four main exercise objectives were to:

-- execute joint and coalition cyberspace operations that were fully integrated with other combatant command air, land and sea operations;

-- identify, prioritize and defend key cyber terrain against imminent or observed threats;

-- operate in a denied, manipulated or contested cyber environment; and,

-- rehearse how a coalition will conduct command and control of cyberspace forces at the tactical and operational levels in response to a regional crisis.

The exercise has evolved each year since its inception in 2011 by incorporating more participants from across DoD, other federal agencies, and allies in more sophisticated, realistic scenarios against opposing forces. This year's scenario, devised by exercise planners, involved a simulated Combined Joint Task Force response to a notional regional crisis involving fictional state and non-state actors conducting significant activity in cyberspace.

Exercise Features Multiple Players

Teams from the Cyber Mission Force participated in the exercise, including the Cyber National Mission Force, which is responsible for, when ordered, the defense of U.S. critical infrastructure against sophisticated cyberattacks of significance to national security; the Cyber Combat Mission Force, which supports combatant commander requirements around the world; and the Cyber Protection Force, which is responsible for the defense of DoD information networks. Teams from allied nations brought comparable forces and capabilities, and integrated with U.S. joint forces into the coalition environment.

The exercise took place on a specially-constructed closed network designed to simulate the DoD and allied information networks and adversary networks. The event also featured an expert opposing force, which takes on the role of the adversary, using a range of tactics and weapons to provide a realistic training environment.

The opposing force simulated a range of cyberspace threat actors, testing the readiness and dynamic response capability of the CMF teams. Throughout the exercise, senior leadership stressed the importance of being able to continue military operations in denied or contested environments, fighting through degraded networks to achieve military objectives.

"The U.S. and allied participants dedicated a remarkable level of effort to participate in Cyber Flag 15-1," said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, Cybercom's director of exercises and training. "The coalition exercise environment was vital to generating insights into how to achieve military objectives by conducting operations in and through cyberspace. We will use the lessons identified here to improve joint training, tactics and readiness of the Cyber Mission Force as we continue to build capability and capacity."

In addition to testing command and control and meeting the other objectives, the exercise provided the opportunity for CMF teams, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber for military services and Cyber National Mission Force Headquarters to demonstrate proficiency in mission tasks established in joint standards by U.S. Cyber Command.

Exercise Provides Tremendous Value

"Cyber Flag provided tremendous value for both the cyber mission teams and their headquarters staff," said Army Brig. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of the Cyber National Mission Force. "It allowed the teams to practice, build upon, and validate their individual and collective skill sets. Likewise, it exercised headquarters staff elements to integrate and synchronize their command-and-control and planning responsibilities."

Nakasone continued, "Cyber Flag also reaffirmed our need for a persistent training environment -- a world-class facility for on-location or distributed training that includes a 'hot' [live] network, an active and dedicated opposing forceadversary, and skilled assessors."

Through large training events and exercises like Cyber Flag, or smaller events that could be made possible through a persistent training environment, officials said DoD is learning how to better integrate operations in cyberspace with other domains, how to better defend DoD networks from attack, and how reliance on networks and technology creates both opportunity and vulnerability for the U.S. and allies.

"The purpose of a military exercise is to learn," Rogers told participants. "Push the envelope, experiment, and take advantage of this opportunity by embracing controlled failure for the learning potential it has."

5 Tactics to Defy the Impossible in Business

Research Shows Women CEOs Falter at the $1 Million Threshold

In terms of growth in business ownership, women have been soaring past men, averaging increases 1.5 times the national average, according to the 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report by American Express Open.

There are nearly 9.1 million women-owned businesses providing jobs for nearly 7.9 million people and generating more than $1.4 trillion, according to the report.

Leading the skyrocketing growth are women of color, who now own one of every three female-owned businesses – up from one in six in 1997. Black women alone generate $49.5 billion a year in revenue.

“What’s interesting is that these businesses match or exceed their peers in terms of numbers, employment and revenue – until they hit the $1 million mark,” 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.

“At $1 million, they start lagging behind. Despite their bigger-than-average numbers, women’s businesses are still smaller than average.”

Reese says female CEOs black and white tend to unconsciously start sabotaging their success just as they’re growing into greatness. Why?

“From the time we’re babies, society – often our own families, too -- measure our worth based on how we measure up to their expectations. So we end up measuring our value on those same expectations, not the values that come from our true, authentic self. That sets up some real conflicts as we build successful businesses,” Reese says.

How to overcome that? To “defy impossible”?

Reese, who went from living on the streets as a teen in Baltimore to earning her Ph.D. from Stanford, shares these tips:

•  Know your worth in dollars and cents.
Most women tend to accept the unspoken expectation that people will notice and reward us. That’s a mistake. If you over-give or over-work, you actually train your environment to expect you to give without compensation. Start calculating the time, money and resources you bring (or save) your clients or company. Write it down. When you are ready to up your rates or ask for a raise, you will not be depending on good will. You will have hard data to back up your hard work.

•  Trust that you are more than enough.
Too often we look outside of ourselves for validation. Sometimes we think a degree or a title will give us the “right” to be paid top dollar. You are brilliant. Start noticing that when you show up, things get better, they get done, and people soar. When you trust that you are enough, you stop backing down and you start standing for yourself — no credential needed.

•  Heal your heart.
Money is a heart condition. Think of money as energy. Energy needs a conduit. Most women lead with our hearts. Whenever you are harboring resentment, regret, anger, resignation or fear, you are blocking yourself from your seven-figure future. When our hearts are congested with negative energy, we block our wealth.

•  Invest in yourself.
As her business grew, there came a point when Reese realized she – and it – had outgrown many of the support staff that had been perfectly suitable when she was just starting out. To get the people she needed, she doubled and, in some cases, quadrupled salaries.

“I believe in putting money in me instead of on me,” she says. “When I hire proven professionals, I am investing in my peace of mind and quality time with my loved ones. When you ‘hire up,’ you say to yourself and the Universe, ‘I trust you and I trust me to produce a return on this investment tenfold.’

“Now that I have a top-tier team, I have the mental space, creativity, and peace of mind to focus on high-level joint ventures.”

•  Learn how to monetize. 
Until you can reliably bring in new money, you will be a slave. The best investment Reese says she ever made in herself was learning how to package, position, and price her expertise.

“When you learn how to monetize, you get freedom. You don’t have to depend on a man, or a job, or the government for security. And when you learn how to close sales with confidence, your money skyrockets!”

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.

83rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade to Honor Iconic Soap Opera Days of our Lives as They Kick Off Their 50th Year on NBC

Beloved cast members will participate in a special presentation during the largest Christmas parade in the country on November 30^th

Los Angeles (November 12, 2014) – Days of our Lives, NBC’s longest running daytime drama, will be honored at this year’s 83^rdannual Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Cast members Deidre Hall, Kristian Alfonso, Suzanne Rogers, Galen Gering, Lauren Koslow, Peggy McCay, Joseph Mascolo, Greg Vaughan, Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, John Aniston, Shawn Christian, Arianne Zucker, Eric Martsolf, Kate Mansi, Guy Wilson, True O’Brien, Drake Hogestyn, Jen Lilley, Mary Beth Evans, Bryan Dattilo, Casey Moss, Billy Flynn, Molly Burnett, Meredith Scott Lynn, Aloma Wright, and Christopher Sean will participate in the special presentation on behalf of the daytime soap opera and its longstanding, renowned run on NBC.

 

The cast will make their way down the parade in an eye-catching presentation featuring the show’s new 50^th anniversary logo as they kick off 50 years on air. The cast will then be greeted by the parade hosts- Laura McKenzie and Erik Estrada - and presented a special honor to commemorate the many successes of the Emmy Award winning show.

 

“What better way to start the countdown to Days of our Lives’ 50^th anniversary on NBC than to be part of the iconic Hollywood Christmas Parade? We look forward to celebrating this holiday season with viewers across the country,” said Days of our Lives Co-Executive Producer Greg Meng.

 

Days of our Lives first aired on NBC on November 8, 1965 and is currently one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world. Now in its 50^thseason, Days of our Lives has captured the attention of viewers and stolen the hearts of fans around the world with their extraordinary cast and contemporary storylines.

 

Jim Romanovich, President of Worldwide Media for Associated Television International, stated, “Days of our Lives is an incredible success story and has been such an influential show to audiences over the years.  It is, and continues to be, the cornerstone of NBC daytime programming.  As fans of the show, we are thrilled to give them the tribute they deserve in this prestigious event.”

 

About Days of our Lives: Days of our Lives is produced by Corday Productions Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Ken Corday is the executive producer with co-executive producers Greg Meng and Lisa De Cazotte. Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell are the head writers. Days of our Lives airs nationally on NBC in the United States and in over 25 countries internationally. The show has garnered 36 Emmy Awards, including most recently 2013’s Outstanding Daytime Drama, and numerous nominations, as well as multiple People's Choice Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Prism Awards.

Work Announces DoD Research, Development Initiative

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2014 - Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work announced a defensewide innovation initiative to help set the parameters for the department's research and development program.

Work, speaking at the Global Security Summit here, said the initiative mirrors the one held in 1975 that produced 40 years of American military dominance.

The 1975 initiative plowed research and development money into stealth technology, guided munitions and information technology. It called for scientists to blend these technologies together to create an advantage that enabled the United States "to rule the battlefield for the foreseeable future," Work said.

The United States employed "that technological offset strategy for about 40 years," he said, "but it's no longer viable in the face of adversary advances."

U.S. Defense R&D Investments Decreased

In recent years, however, U.S. investment in military technology has decreased, while that of China and Russia is increasing, the deputy defense secretary said.

"China's defense budget has seen double-digit growth nearly every year over the past decade," Work said. Some officials believe China will match the U.S. defense-spending level in the mid-2020s or early 2030s.

"Today, potential challengers are investing heavily in weapons to defeat our traditional ways of operating and our most advanced systems," Work said. "Our technological dominance is no longer assured."

Compared to the closest competitors, DoD is under-investing in new weapon systems.

"What's more, research and development funding is not a variable cost," the deputy defense secretary said. "No matter how many weapons or systems of a particular type we intend to have in our inventory, one or one thousand, we still have to do the R&D."

R&D Time Factor

Another aspect of this, Work said, is time.

"Time is not recoverable -- the time needed to develop, test, and produce a new system is set more by how long it takes to do those processes than by available funding," Work said. "Adding money at some point in the future simply doesn't buy back time."

He noted that it takes 10 to15 years between coming up with an idea to actually fielding a product.

Sequestration Impacts R&D Budget

This gets worse under sequestration -- where officials must take another $23 billion out of R&D over five years.

"The Pentagon's top acquisition official, Frank Kendall, estimates that this would remove around four or five major programs from our future inventory," Work said.

The innovation initiative he announced today will help planners spend money where it will do the most good, Work said. The department, he added, also is trying to re-establish order in the planning, programming, and budgeting execution process, which over the last four years has been overwhelmed by continuing resolutions and budget uncertainty.

Officials also are working to reform the business side of the department to be better stewards of the taxpayers' dollars, the deputy defense secretary said.

STENNIS SCRUBBERS

11/11/2014 07:33 PM CST

Sailors scrub after testing the aqueous foam system on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in Bremerton, Wash., Nov. 8, 2014. The carrier is completing maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

SUPER LAUNCH

11/11/2014 07:37 PM CST

An F/A-18F Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington south of Japan, Nov. 10, 2014. The carrier and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The Hornet is assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 102.

LAKERS STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OFWAYNE ELLINGTON’S FATHER

 

 

EL SEGUNDO - The following statement was released today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak regarding the death of guard Wayne Ellington’s father, who was shot and killed Sunday night in Philadelphia:

 

“Our players are upset for their friend and teammate.  Additionally, ownership and all Lakers employees are also saddened by this tragedy.  Those of us who work with and have gotten to know Wayne have come to know what a wonderful and caring person he is. Our hearts go out to Wayne and his family, as do our thoughts and prayers.”

 

Ellington has been granted an indefinite leave of absence and it is unknown at this time when he will rejoin the team.

 

 

STATEMENT  FROM WAYNE ELLINGTON

 

“My family and I are devastated by the news of my father’s murder on Sunday night in Philadelphia,” said Ellington. “We appreciate everyone’s support and ask that you respect the privacy of our family during this very difficult time.”

GREETING A VETERAN

11/11/2014 03:13 PM CST

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel shakes hands with a Vietnam War veteran after a Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Nov. 11, 2014.

Hagel Says Vietnam Wall Teaches Sacrifice, Need for Questioning Policies

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2014 - The Vietnam War Memorial teaches Americans to honor those who sacrificed, but also to be honest and to question the policies that send Americans to war, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today.

Hagel served as an Army sergeant in the 9th Infantry Division during the war and spoke at the Wall today about the meaning of the memorial.

The secretary spoke about his first Veterans Day as a veteran in Omaha, Nebraska. "I've always remembered that Veterans Day in 1969, because it reminded me of the one constant throughout the Vietnam War the uncommon valor of common Americans from every corner of our country," he said. "They were the quiet heroes of our time. Some of these veterans are here today, and the names of many more are memorialized on the Wall behind us."

The Wall lists the names of the more than 58,000 Americans killed during the war. Those looking at the names also see the reflections of themselves.

"As it records the names of the past, and reflects our hopes for the future, it also offers a reminder a message that carries across generations: The Wall reminds us to honor those who defend our country from making sure they're treated with the dignity, respect, and appreciation they deserve, to caring for those who return home with visible and invisible wounds of war," Hagel said.

No matter when, where or what war, the United States has "a sacred responsibility" to care for and honor those who sacrificed, the secretary said.

The Wall also reminds Americans to be honest. "There is nothing to be gained by glossing over the darker portions of a war that bitterly divided America," Hagel said. "We must openly acknowledge past mistakes, and learn from them, because that is how we avoid repeating them."

The Wall reminds Americans to not take security for granted, and that "we must always question our policies that send our citizens to war, because our nation's policies must always be worthy of the sacrifices we ask of the men and women who defend our country," he said.

As secretary, Hagel has a private lunch each month with junior enlisted personnel. "What they tell me and what every American should know is that today's service members don't want to be glorified or given special treatment," he said. "The entire 9/11 generation volunteered to serve at a time of war, and they have a strong desire to continue making a difference in the world."

These men and women want to continue to serve even after leaving the military, he said. "They don't need a hand-out or a hand-up they just want the opportunity to continue proving themselves," Hagel said. "It falls on us to make sure they get that opportunity the opportunity that too many veterans were denied in the past."

Hagel called on all Americans to honor veterans by "creating new opportunities for them to contribute after their service in uniform, so they can continue to help make a better world. America is forever grateful for their service to our country."

ULTIMATE LIFT TICKET BARGAIN

$25 LIFT TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

48-hour ONLY Sale Offers $25 Lift Tickets Bundled with 25% Off Room Rates

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif./ November 11, 2014 – Big Bear is offering its guests an opportunity to purchase lift tickets at Big Bear Mountain Resorts for just $25, which is approximately 60 percent off the regular rack rate. It’s the lowest lift ticket price offered at Snow Summit or Bear Mountain in decades. Skiers and snowboarders may never see this slashed price again. This extraordinary one-time offer is only available for purchase during a 48-hour sale from Wednesday, November 12 at 10 a.m. to Friday, November 14, 2014 at 10 a.m.

The 48-hour sale offers $25 midweek lift tickets bundled together with 25 percent off lodging accommodations good for the 2014-2015 winter ski season. During this window guests can purchase one or two $25 midweek lift tickets. To qualify for the $25 midweek lift tickets to Snow Summit and Bear Mountain guests must book at least one night lodging accommodations for arrivals during the 2014-2015 winter season. The package deal, called the $25 Lift Ticket & Discount Lodging Offer, is good for midweek overnight stays Sunday through Thursday, non-holiday and skiing or riding Monday through Friday, non holiday. In addition to the discounted ski lift tickets, Big Bear Visitors Bureau offers 25 percent discount on all lodging reservations. Some select weekends in December and March qualify for the $25 Lift Ticket Special Offer, however it is bundled with 15 percent off lodging instead. There is a limit of two ski lift tickets per itinerary. However, more tickets may be purchased at 25 percent off the regular rack rate for all age groups. The exclusive 48-hour sale differs from Groupon and Living Social because it offers a wide range of lodging inventory to choose from including private home vacation rentals, resort lodges and rustic cabins.

“$25 Lift Tickets are one heck of a way to kick off the winter season,” said Big Bear Visitors Bureau Director of Operations Rebecca Hrabia. “It’s our way of saying thank you to our loyal guests!”  

On November 1 Big Bear experienced a slight dusting of snow, which is a promising sign for a prosperous winter season. Big Bear Mountain Resorts (Snow Summit and Bear Mountain) expect to begin snowmaking in the next two weeks, and hope to be open by Thanksgiving Weekend!

$25 Lift Ticket & Discount Lodging Offer is a one-time 48-hour sale that is available online at www.bigbear.com Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 10 a.m. to Friday, November 14, 2014 at 10 a.m. or by phone at 800-424-4232from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 12 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  November 13. The $25 Lift Ticket & Discount Lodging Offer must be mentioned at the time of booking. There is limited availability, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply, and it cannot be used with any other specials or promotions.

WINNEFELD SPEECH

11/10/2014 03:05 PM CST

Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, makes remarks during a Veterans Day ceremony at Transportation Security Administration headquarters in Arlington, Va., Nov. 10, 2014. The event highlighted TSA's new initiatives which include efforts to hire more veterans and to make traveleasier for service members and veterans.

DOD CONTRACTS

ARMY

 

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., Oak Brook, Illinois, was awarded a $57,609,736 firm-fixed-price contract, with options, for initial construction and beach nourishment at Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Townsends Inlet, Ocean City and Sea Isle City, Cape May County, New Jersey. Work will be performed in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 18, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with two received. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $57,609,736 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-15-C-0003).
 

Walsh Group Ventures, Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $50,930,542 firm-fixed-price contract, with options, to construct a new high school on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with four received. Fiscal 2015 military construction funds in the amount of $50,930,542 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-15-C-0001).

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

 

Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a sole- source, unpriced change order (P00076) with a not to exceed amount of $31,657,952 to previously awarded contract HQ0276-10-C-0005. This modification is to align the test program with the hardware delivery schedule for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA program, which is currently executed under CLIN 0003 (Block IIA All Up Round Development and Integration). Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of May 2016. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,056,430 is being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
 

PRECISION FIRE

11/10/2014 04:39 PM CST

U.S. Marine machine gunners participate in a live-fire and maneuver exercise as part of sustainment training at the Combat Training Center at Arta Beach, Djibouti, Nov. 3, 2014. The Marines are assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.