Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Cyber Forensics and Security in the National Capital Region. May 22-23, 2012


The first "Cyber Forensics and Security in the National Capital Region" conference to be held May 22-23, 2012.  This conference is jointly sponsored by the FBI's Washington Field Office, George Mason University's Volgenau School of Engineering, and the InfraGard Nations Capital Members Alliance.  

Additional conference partners include CareerBuilder and the Government Technology & Services Coalition.  
 
Who:  Cyber Forensic and Security Professionals in the National Capital Region (NCR)
 
What:  Cyber Forensics and Security in the NCR conference
 
The agenda includes speakers from the FBI, GMU, private sector, and other government entities.  Topics to be discussed include cloud forensics, phishing detection, malware analysis, the importance of public-private collaboration to enhance cyber security, attacks targeting sensitive information & intellectual property of private sector companies, and current FBI cyber case studies.  In addition, Dr. Cliff Stoll, author of The Cuckoo's Egg, will speak about his own cyber intrusion investigation.
 
When:  May 22-23, 2012 (Tuesday & Wednesday)
 
Where:  GMU's Fairfax Campus
 
Why:  To encourage and strengthen the public-private partnerships between government, private industry, and academia in the areas of cyber forensics and security; to discuss current trends, emerging technologies, forensic techniques, and strategies to combat adversaries, strengthen our cyber defense, and protect critical infrastructure.
 
How:  Register at http://incrmacybermay2012.eventbrite.com. The cost of the conference is $150 and includes conference attendance, AM/PM coffee break service, buffet lunch, and parking for both days.  Seating will be limited to 120 attendees.
 
Additional information (specific location, directions, etc) will be provided to attendees once registration is confirmed.

Training: FEMA COOP Training-the-Trainer. Washington, D.C.


The D.C. Department of General Services' Risk and COOP Management Unit is sponsoring FEMA COOP Manager's Train-the-Trainer Course on May 10-11, 2012 and COOP Planners Train-the-Trainer Course on June 21-22, 2012.

The trainings will be held in the 5th Floor Conference Room of the Frank D Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs, 2000 14th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.  

FEMA 119-25-01 Training Application Form must be completed

Application forms can be sent directly to Julian Muhammad at julian.muhammad@dc.gov. I can also be contacted via telephone at (202) 731-9809 or (202) 671-2251. 

2012 New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange. October 23-25, 2012


New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange Pre-Event Survey


The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet-Division of Incident Management along with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection-Emergency Response Team, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security-HSEEP, US Department of Transportation, US Environmental Protection Agency and Kentucky Emergency Management Agency are tentatively planning the “2012 New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange” Registration from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT, with opening session beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 23, 2012.  We will have full-day sessions from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on October 24.  On October 25, the sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon EDT.  This inaugural conference will be held at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office Building at 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.

The Peer Exchange will focus on the key elements at play while planning the response to a catastrophic event in the New Madrid Seismic Fault Zone states.  The Peer Exchange tracks will include: a scenario based pre-planning response for Federal/State/Local and Private Transportation Partners (Freight “Air and ground, Evacuation “Air, Ground and Rail”, Navigation and Hazardous Materials”, Rail “Hazardous Materials and Infrastructure’ and Pipeline “Hazardous Liquids and Gas”.

Our goal is that as a participant you will experience a most beneficial and enjoyable knowledge-based return for being a part of our nation’s first Peer Exchange.  Please see and respond to the attached survey; this survey will take less than five minutes to complete.  Your responses will help us better determine what should be included so we can serve your agency or industry in the nation’s first such Peer Exchange for the transportation industry.  Please complete and submit this survey via link provided…


Antimalaria drug: Mefloquine


http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/04/military-new-concerns-antimalaria-doxycycline-mefloquine-041112w/






New concerns rising over antimalaria drug


By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 11, 2012 6:22:47 EDT
Navy Sonar Technician (Surface) Seaman Douglas Corrigan placed a Skype call to his wife March 25, 2011, from Rota, Spain, shortly after taking his first dose of the antimalaria medication mefloquine.
Preparing for a mission to a malaria-endemic region, his unit watched a video on the illness, and corpsmen dispensed two drugs: daily-dose doxycycline, and mefloquine, taken weekly.
Corrigan doesn’t remember getting a choice. He received a blister pack of mefloquine and was told it could cause nightmares.
“He told me he didn’t feel good,” recalled Nicki Corrigan, his wife of three years. “He said, ‘I don’t feel like myself anymore.’ It was a really weird thing for him to say.”
Corrigan’s personality changed radically, she said. The straight-laced husband and father began chewing tobacco, drinking and carousing. He climbed outside a three-story building to see whether he would feel fear.
Months later, at home, he was found tiptoeing around his basement, pursuing imagined intruders. He ranted psychotically and complained of daily headaches.
Medical tests showed no traumatic brain injury, nor did doctors believe he had post-traumatic stress disorder. They began suggesting he had a personality disorder or was a malingerer, faking his problems to get out of the military.
Finally, an ear, nose and throat doctor at National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Md., offered another diagnosis: “multifocal brain stem injury” — brain damage — likely caused by mefloquine.
“He has a lesion. On his brain,” said Nicki, a registered nurse.

BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mefloquine has drawn attention since the Army’s former top psychiatrist, retired Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, wrote a column in Time magazinelisting it among several drugs that may have induced psychoses in Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, charged in the shootings deaths of 17 Afghan civilians March 11.
But Defense Department concerns about mefloquine date back further — and some close to the issue say the most recent bout of scrutiny, which began with a meeting last Aug. 24-25 of DoD’s Joint Prevention Medicine Group to discuss mefloquine policy, stems from the Corrigan case.
“You have a sailor with permanent brain damage,” said an Army doctor familiar with the debate. “It’s very serious.”
The Navy would not confirm a link between Corrigan and the current DoD review, citing privacy laws. But on Jan. 17, two months before Bales’ alleged spree, the Pentagon’s top doctor, Jonathan Woodson, directed the Army, Navy and Air Force and the commander of Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical to give him all data and policies related to mefloquine.
DoD “wants to ensure each service conducts proper screening, patient education and medical documentation,” said Cynthia Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Mefloquine was developed under the Army’s malaria drug discovery program, which ran from 1963 to 1976. The Food and Drug Administration approved it for preventive use in 1989 and it was marketed under the brand name Lariam.
But no safety and efficacy reviews were ever done on a normal civilian population. The Army performed tests on prisoners in Illinois and Maryland in 1975 and 1976.
Shortly after commercial use began, anecdotes surfaced about side effects including hallucinations, delirium and psychoses.
According to the FDA, the most common side effects are nausea and vomiting, seen in less than 3 percent of users. Side effects occurring in less than 1 percent include emotional disturbances, seizures, hair loss, headache, tinnitus, pain and fatigue.
A 2004 Veterans Affairs Department memo urged doctors to refrain from prescribing mefloquine, citing individual cases of hallucinations, paranoia, suicidal thoughts, psychoses and more.
That same year, then-Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder ordered a study to assess the rate of adverse side effects associated with antimalaria medications.
He ordered the study after questions arose over its possible role in several murder-suicides at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2002 and suicides in Iraq among deployed troops.
The Army in 2009 issued a policy listing mefloquine as a third choice behind doxycycline and another antimalarial, chloroquine. DoD followed with a memo later that year stating that doxycylcine and mefloquine may be used in areas where malaria is resistant to chloroquine, but doxycycline is the preferred choice.
The Air Force and the Navy have similar policies, officials said.
The DoD memo says troops given mefloquine must be counseled on its possible effects and must not be suspected of having any mental health concerns.
In 2011, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command issued memos barring mefloquine use except when doxycycline or another preventive drug called Malarone cannot be taken.
Roche, the manufacturer of Lariam, stopped marketing it in the U.S. in 2008, but it is still available in more than 50 countries. The mefloquine now taken by U.S. troops is a generic version.

OTHER DRUGS ALSO HAVE ISSUES

Doxycycline is not without its drawbacks. It can make patients photo-sensitive, causing debilitating sunburn; has a poor compliance rate, since it must be taken daily; and has side effects, including nausea and vomiting.
And Malarone costs much more than the other drugs — about $30 a week, compared with $3 a week for mefloquine and less than 25 cents a week for doxycycline.
Navy Cmdr. Bill Manofsky — who was medically retired in 2004 for PTSD and neurological problems, including loss of balance, that he said were documented in his medical records as mefloquine-related — said if cost concerns are an issue, they shouldn’t be.
He said if DoD wants to protect the troops from malaria as well as mefloquine’s potential side effects, it should ban mefloquine and pay the higher cost of Malarone.
“How much does a .50-caliber round cost? They’re worried about $4 a pill and they’re willing to spend $5 for a round?” he said.
There’s no question malaria poses a risk. In 2011, 124 service members contracted the potentially fatal disease — 91 in Afghanistan, 24 in Africa and nine elsewhere. The year before, 113 troops contracted malaria; one died.
But mefloquine continues to be used in part because it is taken weekly while the alternatives must be taken daily, and some physicians believe that troops are more likely to take a weekly dose.
The services have 90 days to respond to Woodson’s order for details of their mefloquine policies.
Nicki Corrigan and others have contacted lawmakers, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jim Webb, D-Va., to press for congressional hearings.
Douglas Corrigan is currently undergoing a Medical Evaluation Board to determine if he is still fit for military service.

Event: MEA Magazine recognizing 50 Women of Power in Business




April 9, 2012

Data Solutions & Technology Founder Among 50 Women of Power in Business
Awards Luncheon Theme: Celebrating Global Leadership & Excellence
(LANHAM, Md.)—MEA Magazine, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, is hosting the U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Conference 2012 at the Washington Hilton, located at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
During this event there will be a 1 to 3:00 p.m. luncheon recognizing 50 Women of Power in Business.   This event will honor 50 women leaders who are doing business nationally or internationally; women empowering communities around the world; and women shaping our economic future. Data Solutions & Technology Incorporated (DST) President and CEO Deborah Scott Thomas is among the 50 women who will be honored at the luncheon.

Fernando Galaviz, President and CEO, The Centech Group, Inc. (www.centechgroup.com) is keynote speaker during the awards luncheon. Mr. Galaviz is an expert lecturer and advocate for small/minority businesses. He is also the founder and president of the National Federal Contractors Association (www.nafcausa.com).

Other confirmed speakers include John Bryson, U.S. Secretary of Commerce; David Hinson, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce; and Gloria Parker, CEO and Senior Partner of Parker Group Consulting.  Ms. Parker consults for fortune 500 companies on government and business strategies. She served on the Obama-Biden Transition team, served as CTO and CIO of HUD, and Deputy CIO of the U.S. Department of Education. Moderators are Yvonne Davis, COO/ Director of International Affairs, True North Bridged Composites, and Collins Spencer, former CNN anchor.

A partial list of honorees include: Tomi Bannister, CEO, ARMA, Inc.; Jetta Bates-Vasilatos, Twist; Diane Hahn Bellegarde, Soundway Consulting; Angela Bradley, BTI Security; Kenya Brooks, Bonaparte Corporation; Dee Daniels, Noir Woman; Dr. Shirley Davis, Society for Human Resources; Betty Hines, Chair, Women Presidents Organization; Annette Johnson,CMT Services, Inc.; Latonia Jones, Alabama A&M University Research Institute; Valarie King-Bailey, On Shore Technology; Angelle Brigitte Kwemo, Congressman Bobby Rush’s Office; Dr. Madeline Lewis, Deline Institute; Viola Llewellyn, Praxis Asset Management Africa LLC; Sonia Lo, Chalsys Partners Limited; Jacqueline Lopez, Open System Sciences; Marsha Malone, Lockheed Martin; Amicitia Maloon-Gibson, MGAA Professional Development Institute; Rosalind McLymont, The Network Journal; Dr. Tendai D. Ndoro, SLIPPA/EDCT Trainers, LLC; Tammy Owens, City of Virginia Beach Economic Development; Necole Parker, ELOCEN Group; Tanaia Parker, T. White Parker; Dr. Suzanne Penn, MFS WealthCare;  Shalon Simmons, Global ICT; Janet Simmons, GRS, Inc.; Jennifer Streaks, Financial Expert; Peggy Seats, Washington Interdependence Council; Elizabeth A. Vazquez, WEConnect International; Desiree Watson, Wellness Interactive; Rosa Whitaker, The Whitaker Group; Patricia Williams, Omega Security International.

For more information, including ticket details, call 703-730-4091 or email at vpwilliams@comcast.net or meamagazine@yahoo.com.Visit the website at www.meecouncil.com.

Contact
Tammi L. Thomas, Vice President for Strategic Management, tthomas@dstincorporated.com,  240-487-1479, www.dstincorporated.com

Training Opportunity: E101 Foundations of Emergency Management




http://training.fema.gov/EMI/

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Course: National Emergency Management (EM) Academy  E101 Foundations of Emergency Management

This is an update to the announcement dated March 8, 2012. Please note the change in dates for the offering of E101 which had originally been scheduled for May 07-18, 2012. The new dates are April 30-May 11, 2012.

Dates and Location

       April 30 – May 11, 2012   Emmitsburg, MD
       July 23 – August 3, 2012   Emmitsburg, MD
       August 20 – 31, 2012        Emmitsburg, MD

Course Description:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the need to tie training programs to an established set of emergency management competencies and to a career development program through a progressive training and education system that includes the entry-level Academy. Training objectives are based on the newly established EM competencies that the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and local, State, territorial, and tribal emergency management professionals have established in coordination with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).


The following topics in emergency management are covered in this course: legal issues, intergovernmental and interagency context, influencing, organizing, social vulnerability issues, managing stress, public information

Course Goal:

At completion of this course, students will have a basic knowledge of the history of doctrine and authorities of emergency management, the role of the emergency manager, and an overview of all hazards

Course Length:

Each Foundations course is 11 days in length with Sunday off after the sixth day of instruction. Class resumes on Monday through Friday for the final 5 days of instruction the second week. Travel days are Sunday of the first week, and Saturday of the second week.

Prerequisite:

The following courses are mandatory prerequisites to this course:


• IS 100 (any version) – Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
• IS 700 (any version) – National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS 800.b – National Response Framework, An Introduction
• IS 230.b – Fundamentals of Emergency Management

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s):

                  The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) awards 8.8 CEUs for completion of this course.


Target Audience:

This course is intended for newly appointed emergency managers from State, local, territorial, tribal, Federal emergency management agencies, and prospective professionals transferring from another discipline to emergency management. Veteran emergency managers willing to mentor are also welcome to apply.

Locations:

National Emergency Training Center
Emergency Management Institute
Emmitsburg, Maryland

To Apply:

Students attending any course(s) of the Academy are required to submit a FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application to:


Admissions Office, Room I-216 National Emergency Training Center 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-8998


Phone: (301) 447 - 1035 Fax: (301) 447 - 1658 


Email: netc-admissions@dhs.gov


For further information, please refer to the EMI website: http://training.fema.gov/Apply/.


Upon receipt of the FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application, the Admissions Office will confirm acceptance into the course by providing students with an Acceptance Letter and packet. Acceptance into any of the Academy couses will be on a first come, first served basis
.

                              Screen Fillable (Acrobat 2.1 and above) ADOBE PDF plug-in 633 KB PDF


Student Stipends:


State, local, territorial, and tribal students taking classes at EMI will be eligible for stipends to cover costs of transportation. Their lodging at EMI is provided at no cost.

EMI Point of Contact:

For course information for the May 7 - 18, 2012 offering, contact Mark Claveloux at (301) 447-1628, or by email at mark.claveloux@fema.dhs.gov.


For course information for the July 23 – August 3, 2012 offering, contact Paul Benyeda at (301) 447-1326, or by email at paul.benyeda@fema.dhs.gov.


For course information for the August 20 – 31, 2012 offering, contact Tom Gilboy at (301) 447-1535, or by email at tom.gilboy@fema.dhs.gov.

DOJ NIJ OJJDP Reentry Program Projects Solicitation


Evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention FY 2010 Second Chance Act Juvenile Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects

The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently released a solicitation for the Evaluation of the Office of Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) FY 2010 Second Chance Act Juvenile Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects. The solicitation will fund a comprehensive evaluation of up to five juvenile offender demonstration projects selected for funding by OJJDP in FY 2010 under the Second Chance Act. States, local governments, federally-recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and certain qualified individuals are eligible to apply. The deadline for submitting an application is May 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
To download this solicitation, click here.

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