Security Clearance: Watch your credit report

A study on credit report accuracy recently found that 1 in 5 of the participating consumers had an error on at least one of their three credit reports. Why Do Credit Report Errors Matter? Errors on your credit report can negatively affect your credit score, which is used to evaluate your applications for credit cards, loans, jobs, housing, insurance, and more. What Can You Do? Check Your Credit Report Check your credit report with all three credit reporting agencies at least once a year (you are entitled to one FREE credit report annually from each agency (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax)). Checking your report will help you 1) identify and correct errors that could be affecting your credit score, and 2) protect yourself from identity theft. Dispute Errors If you find an error on any of your credit reports, follow instructions on the report that explain how to dispute errors. If errors have not been corrected after you've disputed them with the credit reporting agency, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Get more information about disputing errors on your credit report.

Grenada opposition wins clean sweep in general election

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21526209

Grenada's failure to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan was one of the election issues

Preliminary results of the general election on the Caribbean island of Grenada suggest a landslide win for the opposition New National Party (NNP).

Election supervisors said the preliminary figures showed the NNP had won all 15 seats.
The governing National Democratic Congress admitted defeat.

If the results are confirmed, Keith Mitchell, who served three terms as prime minister between 1995 and 2008, will return to power.


The main theme during the election was the economic crisis.

Grenada has a 30% unemployment rate and the Caribbean Development Bank recently warned Grenada that it had unsustainable debt levels.

During his campaign, Mr Mitchell promised to make job creation his priority.
After the preliminary results came in, catapulting his party from fours seats to 15, he said he would also strive to unite the country.

"The victor is the one who has to reach out, the one who lost can't be expected to reach out; national unity will be a serious platform," he said.

He asked Grenadians "to have patience" with the new government, and to give it a chance to implement policies he said would revive the stalled economy.

The country has been struggling to recover from major destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Dozens of people were killed and 90% of the island's buildings were damaged or destroyed. Grenada's main export crop, nutmeg, was also devastated.

Maryland Emergency Management Agency: 2013 Exercise & Training Events

Maryland Emergency Management Agency  Exercises and Training Events 2/20/2013 - 2/22/2013 G-393 ~ Mitigation for Emergency Managers ~ February 20 thru 22, 2013 (Free) Management Virginia Department of Emergency 4975 Alliance Drive Fairfax , VA. 22030 2/21/2013 - 2/22/2013 G-556 ~ FEMA Disaster Management February 21 & 22, 2013 (Free)(CG7) Management Virginia Department of Emergency 4975 Alliance Drive Fairfax , VA. 22030 2/23/2013 Formidable Footprint Tabletop Exercise: Tornado Scenario Online 2/26/2013 Southern Region - Web EOC 7.4 Training February 26, 2013 Free (CG 7) Calvert County EOC 175 Main Street Prince Frederick , MD 2/26/2013 Business Continuity Planning Workshop: Afternoon~ February 26, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Hampton Inn 157 Pamlico Drive Charles Town , WV. 25414 2/26/2013 Business Continuity Planning Workshop: Evening ~ February 26, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Hampton Inn 157 Pamlico Drive Charles Town , W. Va. 25414 2/27/2013 Countering Violent Extremism: Partnering with U.S. Muslims ~ February 27, 2013 (Cost $45.00) (CG7) Public Safety & Educational Training Center 6852 4th Street Sykesville , MD. 21784 2/27/2013 Capital Region - WebEOC 7.4 (New Version) February 27, 2013 (Free) [CG7] Montgomery County (OEMHS) Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security 1300 Quince Orchard Blvd. Gaithersburg , MD. 20878 3/05/2013 - 3/07/2013 March Madness - Training Style G364 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools 3/5 thru 7, 2013 (CG 7)(Free)  Location: Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/07/2013 March Madness - Training Style G367 Emergency Planning for Campus Executives 3/7/2013 (Afternoon)(Free)(CG7) Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/08/2013 - 3/10/2013 Firefighter 1, Sissonville Fire & Rescue School, March 8 thru 10, 2013 (NOT Free)  Sissonville Fire School PO Box 13096 Sissonville , WV. 25360 3/12/2013 - 3/14/2013 March Madness Series: G 408: Homeland Security Government for Local Government Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Baltimore , MD. 21215 3/12/2013 - 3/14/2013 PER 222 ~ Public Safety WMD Response - Sampling Techniques and Guidelines March 12 thru 14, 2013(Free) (CG 7)  Level Volunteer Fire department 3633 Level Village Road Havre de Grace , MD 21050 3/12/2013 - 3/14/2013 Incident Command System (ICS) 300 Tuesday 12 March, Wednesday 13 March and Thursday 14 March 2013 free (cg 7) 6501 Coastal Highway Public Safety Building - 2nd floor training room Ocean City , MD, 21843 3/12/2013 - 3/14/2013 March Madness - G408 Homeland Security Planning for Local Governments March 12 thru 14, 2013 (Free)(CG 7)  Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/15/2013 - 3/17/2013 Firefighter II, Sissonville Fire & Rescue School, March 15 thru 17, 2013 (NOT Free) Sissonville Fire & Rescue School PO Box 13096 Sissonville , WV. 25360 3/18/2013 MGT ~ 411 Planning for the Unique Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Needs of People with Medical Dependencies during a Disaster Course March 18, 2013 (Free) CG-7 The Talbot County Department of Social Services 301 Bay Street Easton , MD 21601 3/19/2013 - 3/21/2013 March Madness - Training Style G110 Emergency Management Operations Course (EMOC) for Local Governments March 19 thru 21, 2013 (Free) (CG 7) Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/21/2013 - 3/22/2013 Medical Preparedness and Response to Bombing Incidents March 21 & 22, 2013 (Free) [CG7] Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Headquarters, 4500 Paint Branch Parkway College Park , MD. 20742 3/23/2013 - 3/24/2013 Medical Preparedness and Response to Bombing Incidents (Weekend)March 23 & 24, 2013 (Free) [CG7] Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Headquarters, 4500 Paint Branch Parkway College Park , MD. 20742 3/25/2013 - 3/26/2013 March Madness - Training Style G775 EOC Management and Operations March 25 & 26, 2013 (Free)(CG 7)  Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/26/2013 - 3/27/2013 Law Enforcement Prevention & Deterrence of Terrorist Acts (AWR 122), March 26 & 27, 2013 Public Safety & Educational Training Center 6852 4th Street Sykesville , MD 21784 3/27/2013 March Madness - Training Style G191 ICS/EOC Interface March 27,2013 (Free) (CG )7 Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD 21215 3/28/2013 WMD Awareness Level Training (AWR 160), March 28, 2013 (Free)(CG7) Public Safety & Educational Training Center 6852 4th Street Sykesville , MD. 21784 3/30/2013 Formidable Footprint Tabletop Exercise: Earthquake Scenario Online 4/06/2013 AWR147 ~ Rail Car incident Response, April 6, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Howard County Department of Fire & Rescue Services James N. Robey Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) 2200 Scott Wheeler Drive Marriotsville , MD 21104 4/08/2013 - 4/12/2013 The Basic National Planner's Course (NPC) Free (CG 7) Old Central Communications Facility 7911 Anchor Street Landover , MD 20785 4/09/2013 - 4/10/2013 Incident Command System (ICS) 400 Worcester County Government Building 1 West Market Street - 3rd floor training room Snow Hill , MD 21863 4/09/2013 Public Safety De-Escalation Tactics for Military Veterans in Crisis~ April 9, 2013 ( Free)(CG7) Public Safety & Educational Training Center 6852 4th Street Sykesville , MD. 21784 4/09/2013 - 4/11/2013 G290 Basic Public Information Officer and G291 JIC Planning Washington County EOC 16232 Elliott Parkway Williamsport , MD 21801 4/10/2013 Western Maryland - WebEOC 704 (New Version) April 10, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Allegany County EOC 701 Kelly Road Cumberland , MD. 21502 4/13/2013 MD State Fireman's Association SATURDAY WebEOC 7.4 Training (CG 7) SEOC 5401 Rue St Lo Drive Reisterstown , MD 21136 4/22/2013 - 4/26/2013 ICS 300 400 April 22-26, 2013 Howard County Office of Emergency Management 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive Suite 400 Columbia , MD 21046 4/23/2013 PER300 ~ Social Media for Disaster Response and Recovery April 22, 2013(Free)[CG7] Location: Public Safety Training Facility 3500 W. Northern Parkway, Classroom 200 Baltimore , MD. 21215 4/23/2013 - 4/24/2013 2013 Industry-Lead PREP Full-Scale Exercise Salisbury , MD 4/25/2013 Social Media for Disaster Response and Recovery~February 25, 2013 (CG7) (Free) Harford County Sheriff's Office Southern Precinct 1305 Pulaski Highway Edgewood , MD. 21040 4/27/2013 Formidable Footprint Tabletop Exercise: Influenza Pandemic Scenario Online 4/30/2013 Cyber Security Awareness ~ April 30, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Howard County Public Safety Building 2200 Scott Wheeler Dr. Marriottsville , MD. 21104 4/30/2013 - 5/02/2013 G 290- Basic Public Information Ofiicer & G291 JIC Planning for tribal, state and local PIO Harford County Sheriff's Office Southern Precinct Community Room (ist floor) 1305 Pulaski Highway Edgewood , MD 21040 5/08/2013 NCR Regional Communications Functional Exercise Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) throughout the National Capital Region 5/09/2013 (Closed/Full) Sovereign Nations and other Hate Mongering Anti-Government Groups, May 9, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Center for Excellence 14thand C Streets, SW, Washington , DC 5/13/2013 - 5/16/2013 ICS 300/400 May 13-16, 2013 (Free) (CG-7) (CLOSED) Motor Vehicle Administration 6601 Ritchie Highway - room 4 of the main building Glen Burnie , MD 21062, 6/17/2013 - 6/19/2013 L 550 COOP The Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planner’s Train-the-Trainer Course FREE (CG 7) Hood University 401 Rosemont Ave Frederick , MD 21701 7/17/2013 AWR 132 Understanding and Planning for School Bombing Incidents Free (CG 7) Frederick County Sheriff's Ofice 8349 Reich's Ford Rd Frederick , MD 8/06/2013 - 8/08/2013 MGT346 - EOC Operations and Planning for All Hazards August 6-8, 2013 - 24.00 Hours Free (CG 7) Frederick County Sheriff's Office 8349 Reich's Ford Rd Frederick , MD 8/26/2013 - 8/29/2013 L-449 Incident Command System Curricula Train the Trainer Course Free (CG 7) CLOSED 20633 Boland Farm Road, Germantown , MD 20876 8/27/2013 - 8/28/2013 MGT 404: Sports & Spec. Events Inc. Mgmt., August 27 & 28, 2013 (Free) (CG7) Public Safety Training Facility 2500 W. Northern Parkway Room# 200 Baltimore , MD. 21215 9/11/2013 CALVEX Dress Rehearsal State Emergency Operations Center Reisterstown , MD 10/22/2013 CALVEX Exercise State Emergency Operations Center Reisterstown , MD

EPA fines six Arizona school districts for asbestos violations

BEMA Network Members:  These types of violations should never have occurred with the confines of the U.S. within any state. Federal guidelines for asbestos contamination and removal may be affecting schools, public meeting locations, and other facilities in your communities. Zero tolerance for public safety.  Not only should the school districts be fined, but State public safety and & health agencies must be held accountable to absorb these fines and recovery effort for the community, with no reduction in school services for the education of our children. Charles D. Sharp Chief Executive Black Emergency Managers Association. For Immediate Release: Feb 19, 2013 Contact:  Rusty Harris-Bishop, 415-972-3140, harris-bishop.rusty@epa.gov                                                                                          EPA fines six Arizona school districts for asbestos violations More than 15,000 students to be protected by additional inspections, asbestos plans                                                                                                                     SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined six Arizona school districts a combined total of $94,575 for Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) violations. More than 15,000 children attend the 25 schools not in compliance with the federal AHERA in these districts. During inspections conducted in 2011, EPA inspectors discovered numerous violations, from failing to inspect facilities for asbestos containing materials, failing to re-inspect campuses with known asbestos containing materials, and failing to have an Asbestos Management Plan. All of the school districts have since taken necessary actions to comply with the law, with the cost of compliance reducing the penalties in most cases to zero. “Asbestos in schools has the potential to harm the health of students, teachers, and maintenance workers,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA takes these violations seriously, and we are satisfied the schools have now conducted inspections and put their asbestos plans in place.” Each school district is allowed to subtract properly documented costs of complying with the regulations from the penalty amount. The six school districts are:   Apache Junction Unified School District (Pinal County): fined $21,675, but this was reduced to $7,933 because of the school district’s       Florence Unified School District (Pinal County): fined $31,705, but no cash payment was due because the documented costs of compliance exceeded the penalty.  St. John’s Unified School District (Apache County): fined $14,195, reduced to $824 by the school district’s cost of achieving compliance. Vernon Elementary School District (Apache County): fined $2,700, but no cash payment was due because the documented costs of compliance exceeded the penalty.  McNary Elementary School District (Fort Apache Indian Reservation): fined $14,200, but no cash payment was due because the documented costs of compliance exceeded the penalty. Round Valley Unified School District (Apache County): fined $10,100, but no cash payment was due because the documented costs of compliance exceeded the penalty. Federal law requires schools to conduct an initial inspection using accredited inspectors to determine if asbestos-containing building material is present and develop a management plan to address the asbestos materials found in the school buildings. Schools are also required to appoint a designated person who is trained to oversee asbestos activities and ensure compliance with federal regulations. Finally, schools must conduct periodic surveillance and re-inspections of asbestos-containing building material, properly train the maintenance and custodial staff, and maintain records in the management plan. Local education agencies must keep an updated copy of the management plan in its administrative office and at the school which must be made available for inspection by parents, teachers, and the general public. For more information about federal asbestos regulations visit: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/lawsregs.html

SAMHSA's Blog Update: Reaching Youth with Prevention Messaging

		Reaching Youth with Prevention Messaging 02/14/2013 05:27 PM EST By Frances M. Harding, Director, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention According to a recent report from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k13/NSDUH099b/sr099b-trends-prevention-messages.htm), between the early 2000s and 2011, fewer adolescents were exposed to drug or alcohol use prevention messages in the past year through media and school sources.  In fact, in 2011, 25 percent of adolescents did not receive prevention messages through media or school sources and 40 percent of adolescents did not talk with their parents about the dangers of substance use. Adolescents are subjected to influences ... Parenting is Prevention 02/14/2013 05:23 PM EST By Frances M. Harding, Director, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention A youth’s perception of risks associated with substance use is an important determinant of whether he or she engages in substance use. A recent SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health report (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k13/NSDUH099a/sr099a-risk-perception-trends.pdf) surfaced several important perceptions among adolescents aged 12 to 17. Binge drinking can be categorized as having five or more alcoholic drinks once or twice a week. The good news is that the percentage of adolescents who perceived great risk from binge alcohol use has increased from 38.2 ..

Washington Post. 600 homeless children in D.C., and no one seems to care

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/600-homeless-children-in-dc-and-no-one-seems-to-care/2013/02/08/a728a0ea-722b-11e2-8b8d-e0b59a1b8e2a_story.html

By Petula Dvorak, Published: February 8

I don’t care what we call our football team. I don’t care about Lance Armstrong’s doping or RGIII’s knee, or whether Notre Dame linebackerManti Te’o knew his dead girlfriend never existed in the first place, or any of the other sports dramas we’ve spent gobs of energy on in these past few weeks.

Here’s what we ought to be talking about: 600 kids. The District has set a dubious new record for the number of homeless kids crammed inside a scary, abandoned hospital that serves as the city’s makeshift family homeless shelter.

There are about 600, according to a nightly census done by the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.

Stop and think about that. Six hundred kids with chubby cheeks and Spider-Man sneakers and Dora hats are beginning their journey in life on an army cot in a cafeteria or an old hospital bed in a city shelter. And that’s an improvement from the time they spent sleeping in cars, bus shelters, Metro stations, apartment-house lobbies or on a different couch every night.

This, of course, is happening in the same city now rolling in a $417 million budget surplus and on track for a $240 million surplus in the coming year.

The last time anyone agonized about a capacity crowd at the D.C. General shelter, it was two years ago and there were about 200 kids there. Where have 400 more homeless kids come from, and who are these families?

There’s Alexia Sullivan, 23, who was a full-time student at Howard University until her life fell apart. She had a baby, and her tuition increased but her scholarships didn’t. She lost her apartment trying to keep up and has been in the shelter with her 1-year-old for two weeks.

And there’s Kevin Cruz, 29, who has been at D.C. General with his wife and baby since Thanksgiving. They’ve been homeless since July, when McDonald’s cut Cruz’s hours until he couldn’t afford his apartment and his wife’s part-time work at Wal-Mart didn’t provide benefits when she had their child.

They didn’t get an emergency cot until that magic number — 32 degrees — signaled the start of hypothermia season and a District law kicked in that mandates emergency shelter for anyone in the winter.

Or there’s another family, too embarrassed to let me use their names. They have a kid in college up in Maine and five younger ones at home — which is now a tiny room in the family shelter.

You think getting a spot at the shelter means a walk on Easy Street? A place for the lazy to get three hots and a cot on the government dime?

No way. This is the place of desperation.

The intake process at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center on Rhode Island Avenue can make it feel harder to get a spot in the shelter than a seat on Air Force One.

The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, whose lawyers spend endless days and late nights wrangling beds for the city’s homeless, issued a report this week on the District’s handling of this growing crisis.

“Of course the root of the whole problem is the severe shortage of affordable housing for low-income families,” said legal clinic lawyer Marta Beresin, who wants “an emergency shelter system for families that you don’t need a lawyer to navigate.”

Sullivan said shelter officials wanted a list of everyone she’s lived with in the past three years before they’d let her and her baby in while it was snowing outside. So she gave them that and the intake counselors called those people — be they abusive boyfriends or angry landlords — “no less than 20 times.”

Sullivan was lucky. After all those calls, she was given an army cot in the old hospital cafeteria, partitioned off with temporary walls that don’t reach the ceilings, MASH unit style.

No, this is not a world full of innocents. The D.C. General shelter is a showcase of bad decisions, social ills and generations of defeat.

Outside I met Asia Brown, who at 19 has more children than I do. Her 5-year-old hasn’t been in school since she got to the shelter in January. She’s waiting for paperwork to let him

(Petula Dvorak/The Washington Post) - Elayshia Brown (left), 6 months, shares a stroller for warmth with another baby living in the District's shelter for homeless families on Friday. Elayshia's mother, Asia Brown, lost her apartment in January and wound up in the abandoned hospital, where a record of nearly 600 children are now being housed.

 go to a nearby school on Capitol Hill. She also has a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, who was squeezed into a stroller, sharing warmth with another homeless 2-month-old under a pink-yellow-and-blue baby blanket. Babies having babies.

Brown wants to get her GED and go to college, she told me. I hope she can make it, but the odds are against her.

Who pays if she doesn’t succeed? The poor kids, and the taxpayers who will have to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.

It’s almost like some bizarre “Hunger Games” alternate reality. You go 17 blocks from the Capitol, from the spot where the world went haywire because Beyonce lip-synced the national anthem, and there are cold children playing on trash-strewn concrete, fathers who can’t find work and mothers who can’t find hope.

It’s like Cindy Adams’s vision of the “crapital” come to life, and all we want to do is celebrate all the nice new restaurants and condos downtown. And look! We have cool red bikes!

These children didn’t ask to be homeless. This city needs to take ownership of this problem, come together and figure out how we can help these 600 young souls. They are an asset far more precious than any sports franchise, whatever its name.

Follow me on Twitter at @petulad. To read previous columns, go to washingtopost.com/dvorak.

Deadline for GWUL Scholarship Applications Is February 11

High school seniors in the District of Columbia, Prince George's County or Montgomery County may be eligible to apply for Greater Washington Urban League scholarships.  The GWUL and its partners are offering 20 one-time scholarships of $2,000 each for a student's first year in college. Partners include Safeway, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, General Dynamics, Pepsi Beverages Company, and the GWUL Alumni Group.  Thirteen of the scholarships are reserved for children of wounded or deceased veterans. In addition, the GWUL offers a four-year $8,000 scholarship ($2,000 each year) in partnership with the Charlotte Elizabeth Yancey Eights Trust. For more information and the scholarship packet, go to www.gwul.org. If you have questions, please contact GWUL Education Director Audrey Epperson on 202-265-8200, Ext. 255.

The Greater Washington Urban League Headquarters Building | Executive Office | 2901 14th Street, NW | Washington, DC 20009 (202) 265-8200 | (202) 265-6122 (Fax) | LUWGDBS@aol.com

Internship Opportunity: Summer 2013 NIH

Summer programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offer hundreds of exciting opportunities for high school students to work side-by-side with some of the world's leading scientists in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. 

“If you have a passion for science and an interest in gaining hands-on experience doing biomedical, behavioral, or social science research, the NIH Summer Internship Program may be perfect for you,” explained Dr. Sharon Milgram, director of the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education.  

As one of the premiere research facilities in the world, NIH consists of the 240-bed Hatfield Clinical Research Center and more than 1200 laboratories/research projects located on the main campus in Bethesda, as well as in Frederick and Baltimore, MD; Research Triangle Park, NC; Phoenix, AZ; Hamilton, MT; Framingham, MA; and Detroit, MI.  

Program stipends cover a minimum of eight weeks, with students generally arriving at the NIH in May or June. And stipends are adjusted yearly with the amount depending on prior experience and educational level.

 

Applying to the NIH Summer Internship ProgramApplying to the NIH Summer Internship Program

 

Note that this is a commuter program; NIH does not provide housing to student interns. Every year, however, out-of-area students apply and make their own living arrangements for the summer. Nevertheless, students living in the DC metropolitan area or near one of the other locations have a clear advantage for many of the internships.

 

To support the program, the NIH Institutes and Office of Intramural Training & Education sponsor a wide range of summer activities including lectures featuring distinguished NIH investigators, career/professional development workshops, and Summer Poster Day.

 

These are incomparable opportunities which can provide the basis for independent research and related science competitions such as the JSHS, Intel STS, Siemens, and ISEF.

 

Summer internships are available for students who will be 16 years of age or older at the time they begin the program and who are currently enrolled at least half-time in high school or an accredited US college or university. Students who have already been accepted to college may also apply.

 

Interested students must apply online by no later than March 1, 2013 (11:59 EST), and all letters of recommendation are due by March 15, 2013. The application requires

• a resume
• a list of coursework and grades
• a cover letter describing research interests and career goals, and
• the names and contact information for two references. 

Candidates are welcome to specify the scientific methodologies or disease/organ systems that are of particular interest to them.  

Because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis from November through April by NIH scientists, students are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.

 

Only completed applications are available for review by NIH investigators and administrators. And be aware that in 2012, more than 6600 completed applications were submitted, and about 1100 interns were selected.

 

For more information as well as tips on how to increase your chances of winning an internship, visit the NIH website.

 

Internship Opportunities: Summer Internship Programs

http://www.examiner.com/topic/summer-internship-program/articles


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The Generation Google Scholarship. Deadline March 11, 2013

HS SENIORS INTERESTED IN COMPUTER SCIENCE - GENERATION GOOGLE SCHOLARSHIP - DUE MAR. 11th

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to advancing computing and technology, we are pleased to provide scholarships to encourage students to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders. We hope these programs will also help in dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. 

The Generation Google Scholarship was established for aspiring computer scientists to excel in technology and become active role models and leaders in the field. Selected students will receive 10,000 USD (for those studying in the US) or 5,000 CAD (for those studying in Canada) for the 2013-2014 school year. As part of the scholarship, recipients will be required to attend Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) in the summer of 2013.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be high school seniors and meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time student at a university in the US or Canada for the 2013-2014 school year.
• Intend to be enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in a baccalaureate Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related program.
• Exemplify leadership and demonstrate a commitment to and passion for computer science and technology through involvement in his/her community.
• Exhibit a strong record of academic achievement.
• Be a student from an underrepresented group in computer science (African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Female, or a Person with a Disability).
• Be available to attend Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) in the summer of 2013.
• Demonstrate financial need.

Application process

Please complete the online application.

You will also be asked to submit the following in order to have a complete application:

• Online application (includes contact information, intended university, leadership information)
• Academic transcripts (from your high school)
• Two letters of reference:
  • One letter of reference must be from a high school teacher in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) field familiar with the applicant's academic work.
  • The second letter of reference must be from a person who has known the applicant for two or more years and is not a relative.
• Responses to essay questions

Deadline to apply: Monday, March 11, 2013.

View our additional Terms and Conditions for this scholarship.

Questions? Email generationgoogle@google.com.

 

IAF: Coalition Leadership: An Emerging Model

Forward Perspectives Coalition Leadership: An Emerging Model   By Eric Meade, Senior Futurist & Vice President   Health leaders in the federal government come together under one agency's auspices to identify strategies they can pursue together, finding that the informal links between them often prove more effective for cooperation than the formal policies and structures of government.  Foundations form partnerships with community stakeholders to take on challenges beyond what they could do on their own, finding that their financial resources are only part of what they bring to the table.  In various sectors, leaders are doing things differently – working beyond their hierarchies and siloes and building coalitions and networks to achieve an ever greater mission than a single organization can take on.   IAF has been tracking these developments and has noted the emergence of a new model of leadership, which can be called "coalition leadership."  Coalition leadership deviates from conventional notions of leadership in several important ways, in particular by focusing on:  Trust, not fear – Coalition leaders are willing to trust those around them, and are willing to let go of the fears (e.g., of failure, incompetence, or lack of control) that typically come with positions of leadership.  They can let go of leadership tactics that have historically disempowered people and they can unleash the full creative power of those around them. Nodes, not hubs – Coalition leaders are willing to see themselves as just another "node" in a larger network working toward a common purpose, rather than as a "hub" around which others should organize themselves as "spokes."  Coalition leaders bring what they bring, while valuing the contributions brought by others. Mission, not organization – Coalition leaders are concerned with contribution, not attribution.  Their principal aim is achieving the mission, not preserving the organization itself or building its brand.  This frees them to collaborate more willingly on innovative initiatives with the potential to advance the mission. Influence, not power – Coalition leaders seek influence across a wide network of people and organizations, but in exchange they are willing to forgo the power that leaders have historically wielded.  This is because they play a "long game," and they recognize that true transformation cannot be effected through power alone.  Others must be brought along if the changes are to last. Soul, not role – Coalition leaders see beyond the job titles or other professional "masks" that people wear, appreciating the fullness and individuality of every human being.  For themselves, they focus on what they feel is their own true calling rather than on achieving status through higher and larger roles. This new model of "coalition leadership" strikes at the core of many of our assumptions about what leadership is and should be.  For example, leaders are typically evaluated based on whether or not they have achieved their goals.  It is commonly thought that goals should be "achievable," and the implication is that they should be achievable with the resources at the leader’s disposal.  The fear that these resources may be wasted then prompts a set of evaluation methods that tend to increase the leader's aversion to risk.  This then incentivizes leaders to set goals that are less ambitious than they might otherwise be.  For example, after working with a government agency to set its GPRA goals (goals that are submitted to the Office of Management and Budget), IAF concluded that government agencies consistently underperform because they are guided by goals that are set too low because of the penalties associated with their non-achievement.   By emphasizing the role of an organization simply as a node on a larger network, the concept of coalition leadership implies that if an organization can achieve its goals on its own, and with its own resources, then the goals are not ambitious enough.  This is consistent with the fact that the most important challenges we face today are beyond what any one organization could solve on its own; collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders is essential.  Coalition leadership then offers a framework for how these great challenges can be overcome – through the wise exercise of influence across networks of peer organizations, all committed to a common purpose.   For more information on "coalition leadership" and its implications for your organization, contact Eric Meade at emeade@altfutures.org.   Note: This article is informed by Wei-Skillern, Jane, & Marciano, Sonia, “The Networked Nonprofit”,  Stanford Social Innovation Review , Spring 2008.  All five bullets are informed by Laloux, Frederic, Yellow Organizations: A Handbook for Organizations’ Next Evolutionary Stage (unpublished manuscript).

HHS: Minority Health Resources. February 6, 2013

FYI: Minority Resources...Money & More Provided by the Office of Minority Health Resource Center's Information Services Team February 06, 2013     In This Issue ... Funding   Federal Grants   Non Federal Grants   Scholarships/Fellowships Events Resources African American Health Aging Cultural Competency/LAS Health Care Heart Disease Hispanic/Latino Health Influenza Infant/Child Health Mental Health Substance Abuse Vision Opportunities for Public Comment Funding Federal Grants Minority Population Specific: $500k or less . . .   HHS/Health Resources & Services Administration: Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) Program Grant. View Full Announcement $500k or less . . .   HHS/Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration: FY 2013 Targeted Capacity Expansion-Peer-to-Peer Grant. (Short Title: TCE-PTP) View Full Announcement HHS/National Institutes of Health: School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Obesogenic Behaviors, and Weight Outcomes (R21) Grant. View Full Announcement HHS/National Institutes of Health: Disorders of Human Communication: Effectiveness, Outcomes and Health Services Research (R21) Grant. View Full Announcement HHS/Health Resources & Services Administration: AETC Education for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Grant. View Full Announcement HHS/National Institutes of Health: Prevention and Health Promotion Interventions to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Associated Physical and Psychological Health Problems in U.S. Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families (R34) Grant. Grant View Full Announcement Non Federal Grants Minority Population Specific: $500k or less . . .  AIDS Clinical Trial Group Network (ACTG): Minority HIV investigator mentorship awards for 2013-2014. View Full Announcement Community Transportation Association of America: Tribal Passenger Transportation Technical Assistance Program Grant. View Full Announcement $500k or less . . .  Sunflower Trails: Sunflower Trails Program Grant, a longstanding foundation program designed to help communities and schools promote healthy living for Kansans of all ages. View Full Announcement AMA Foundation: Healthy Communities/Healthy America Grant. View Full Announcement Scholarships/Fellowships National Institute on Drug Abuse : Summer Research Program. 2013 Summer Research with NIDA for Underrepresented Students. View Full Announcement [PDF | 1.8MB] Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools: 2013 HSHPS/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Graduate Fellowship Training Program. View Full Announcement Events EPA/International City/County Management Association: Brownfields 2013 Conference. Sustainable Communities Start Here. May 15 - 17, 2013 in Atlanta, GA. Scholarships available. Learn More Resources AHRQ/ Electronic Data Methods Forum: The official launch of an open access journal focused on using electronic clinical data to advance research and quality improvement is now available. eGEMs (Generating Evidence and Methods to improve patient outcomes). Learn More African American Health Oldways Preservation Trust: A consumer health challenge presented in debut of African Heritage and Health Week (February 1 - 7, 2013). Claim Your Health By Claiming Your History, challenges everyone, everywhere to enjoy at least one dish at home or at a restaurant inspired by the cuisine of African-American ancestors. Learn More White House: Presidential Proclamation announced. National African American History Month, 2013. Learn More Office of Minority Health: February is National Black History Month . Find the latest articles, resources for organizations and health professionals, how to get involved and more. Learn More Aging Flex Monitoring Team: New report released. Emergency Transfers of the Elderly from Nursing Facilities to Critical Access Hospitals: Opportunities for Improving Patient Safety and Quality. Read Full Report [PDF | 4.2MB] Cultural Competency/LAS Events The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP)/AAMC: Workshop. Cross Cultural Medicine Workshop. March 1 - 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. Learn More Health Care The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM): A new factsheet released. Fostering Healthy Families Through Stable Housing - The Role of the Health Care System. Learn More [PDF | 724KB] CDC: New Digital Press Kit released. Safe Medication Lists on the Internet. Learn More CDC: Press Release. Medicare Announces Substantial Savings for Medical Equipment Included in the Next Round of Competitive Bidding Program. Learn More The Center for Medicaid/ CHIP: Director, Cindy Mann sent a letter to State Medicaid Directors providing guidance to states. Affordable Care Act Section 4106 (Preventive Services) Learn More [PDF | 138KB] The Commonwealth Fund: A new report released. Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Action on the 2014 Market Reforms. Read Full Report Heart Disease Office on Women's Health (OWH): A new heart attack awareness campaign has been launched targeting Spanish-speaking women age 50 and over. The Haga La Llamada, ¡No Pierda Tiempo! campaign builds on OWH's successful Make the Call, Don't Miss a Beat campaign. Learn More White House: Presidential Proclamation announced. American Heart Month, 2013. Learn More The Pulmonary Hypertension Association: New patient toolkit available. The Empowered Patient Online Toolkit, is designed by experienced pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients and healthcare professionals to help patients create their own PH-specific medical binder. Learn More Hispanic/Latino Health Pew Research Hispanic Health: New data report released, Two-thirds of Legal Mexican Immigrants are not U.S. Citizens: The Path Not Taken. Read Full Report Influenza CDC: A new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released. Antiviral Agents for the Treatment and Chemoprophylaxis of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Read Full Report Infant/Child Health Events The National Organization of Urban MCH Leaders: Training. Training Course in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology. May 28 - June 1, 2013 in Nashville, TN. Learn More Mental Health U.S. Surgeon General/National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention: New strategy report released. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention 2012: Goals and Objectives for Action. Read Full Report Substance Abuse SAMHSA: New data report released. 2011 Data on Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities. Read Full Report SAMHSA: Consumer brochure now available in Spanish. Deberia usted hablar con alguien sobre un problema relacionado con las drogas, el alcohol o la salud mental?/Should You Talk to Someone About a Drug, Alcohol or Mental Health Problem? Learn More Vision Prevent Blindness America: New data report released, 2012 Vision Problems in the U.S. Prevalence of Adult Vision Impairment and Age-Related Eye Disease in America. Read Full Report National Eye Institute (NEI): A 20-page large-print booklet and a series of videos to help people adapt to life with low vision are now available. Living with Low Vision: What you should know. Learn More Opportunities for Public Comment AHRQ: Effective Health Care Program has a new report open for public comments. Physical Therapy for Knee Pain Secondary to Osteoarthritis: Future Research Needs. Comments are being accepted until February 28, 2013. Learn More AHRQ: Effective Health Care Program has a new report open for public comments. Nonoperative and Operative Treatments for Rotator Cuff Tears: Future Research Needs. Comments are being accepted until February 28, 2013. Learn More The Obama Administration: Proposed rules are available for public comment regarding contraceptive coverage with no cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act. Proposed Rulemaking on Recommended Preventive Services Policy. Comments are being accepted until April 8, 2013. View Full Announcement CMS: Seeking public comments on the new single, streamlined application for health insurance and the SHOP applications in preparation for the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace next fall. The application packages can be found under the following titles and numbers: Data Collection to Support Eligibility Determinations for Insurance Affordability Programs and Enrollment through Affordable Insurance Exchanges, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Agencies (CMS-10440); Data Collection to Support Eligibility Determinations and Enrollment for Small Businesses in the Small Business Health Options Program (CMS-10439); Data Collection to Support Eligibility Determinations and Enrollment for Employees in the Small Business Health Options Program (CMS-10438). Learn More