SDFM The Business of Defense
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December 6th and December 8th, 2010 Join us for a conversation with government technology leaders on the intersection of technology and government mission.
December 06, 2010 -
December 9th, 2010 at 11:00AM The value of accessing, analyzing, and securely sharing health information is clear—the ability to confidently come together as a single community to do so is not. How health information exchange will facilitate individual mission priorities, while advancing a common vision of a unified health system, is a constant demand. Core issues such as privacy, security, and trust must be put in the right context to make informed decisions, make health information exchange possible, and improve the health and wellness of our nation. Realizing the Promise of Health Information Exchange: Have We Turned a Corner?, part of the Booz Allen Hamilton Expert Voices panel series, features top industry and federal health experts who understand the opportunities and challenges of Health Information Exchange.
December 06, 2010 -
Iran says nuclear issues are not even up for discussion when it meets major powers in Geneva on Today. So it\'s not clear how productive the first the first talks in a year will be. But even if Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany do agree to meet again, the process is expected to be long in terms of pomp and circumstance, but may be short on productivity. The United States is urging Iran to enter the talks in good faith and warned of more pressure and isolation if Tehran doesn\'t.
December 03, 2010 -
The incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee doesn\'t find much good in the new telework act.
December 03, 2010 -
The defense budget for the U.S. is going to recede, but it\'s not clear exactly when or by how much. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants the military to find $100 billion in savings in overhead over the next five years to put back into troop costs and weapons programs and he wants to do it while keeping the overall Pentagon budget growing at about 1 percent a year. Marine Corps General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday other parts of the government might have a problem with that.
December 02, 2010 -
President Barack Obama is looking for help from former Secretary of State Colin Powell to jump start the short-circuited nuclear treaty with the Russians. Powell, a retired four-star Army general and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said, \"We\'re not exactly sure what\'s going on in the Russian Federation, and they\'re not exactly sure what\'s going on in the United States.\" The START treaty would reduce how many strategic warheads the United States and Russia could hold and set up a system so each could inspect and verify the other\'s arsenal.
December 02, 2010 -
John Gage AFGE National President Lawrence Mishel President, Economic Policy Institute Roger Hickey Co-Director, Campaign for America\'s Future Joseph Swerdzewski Former General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
December 02, 2010 -
Walt Francis, editor of Checkbook\'s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, joins FEDtalk to discuss the major changes for federal employees to their FEHBP health, vision and dental plans. December 3, 2010
December 02, 2010 -
New sensors that can be worn or ingested by warfighters will be used by pararescuemen and other medical technicians to remotely determine a soldier\'s health status. The Battlefield Automatic Life Status Monitor, or BALSM, is being developed in coordination with the Air Force Research Lab. The devices provide remote physiologic monitoring for triage, rescue or recovery, as well as a health status history over time for each person. A primary sensor measures the amount of oxygen in the blood and estimates heart rate and respiration. The other sensor is a wireless capsule that when ingested, measures core body temperature. The information is sent to medics through a radio receiver and monitoring software to a computer. Medics can even be notified if a soldier is suffering from a condition such as dehydration or hypothermia before they do.
December 01, 2010 -
Small businesses interested in exporting now have a new online tool to help them tap into the global marketplace to grow their business. Developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration, Six Steps to Begin Exporting is the latest tool in the National Export Initiative toolbox to help entrepreneurs begin exporting. The six-step process begins with a self-assessment to help potential exporters gauge their readiness to successfully engage in international trade. This joint effort is part of several activities by federal agencies to support President Obama\'s National Export Initiative, which calls for doubling U.S. exports and supporting 2 million jobs over the next five years. So far this year, U.S. exports have increased nearly 18 percent compared to the same period in 2009.
December 01, 2010 -
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has launched an interactive 360-degree virtual tour. Users now have access to lecture series and audio tour podcasts, downloadable maps of the museum and panoramic views. From their computers, history buffs can walk by JFK\'s Air Force One or the Presidential Gallery at the Museum. Users can navigate a virtual map of a little less than half of the museum and view its exhibits through high-definition, panoramic photos. The completed tour will be rolled out in phases in coming months. The first phase is complete and includes interactive capabilities for the Air Park and Memorial Park. When completed, the entire museum will be accessible through 92 high-definition panoramic \"nodes.\" You\'ll find it at:
December 01, 2010 -
For decades, scientists have been searching for the fundamental biological secrets of how eating less extends a lifespan. It\'s been well documented in species ranging from spiders to monkeys that a diet with consistently fewer calories can dramatically slow the process of aging and improve health in old age. But how such a diet acts at the most basic level to influence metabolism and the decline of tissues and cells has largely remained a mystery. Now, team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin describe a molecular pathway that is a key determinant of the aging process. The study focused on an enzyme known as Sirt-3. The finding not only helps explain the events that contribute to aging, but also provides a rational basis for devising interventions, including drugs that may slow aging.
December 01, 2010 -
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to trap and store atoms of antimatter. Trapping the antimatter proved to be much more difficult than creating it for an international team of scientists called ALPHA. The atoms consist of a single negatively charged antiproton orbited by a single positively charged electron. While the number of trapped anti-atoms would be far too small to fuel a starship\'s reactor, the advance brings us closer to the day when scientists may be able to make tests that reveal how the physics of antimatter differs from that of the ordinary matter. The ALPHA team routinely makes antihydrogen atoms, but most are too \'hot\' - or, too energetic - to be trapped. They succeeded by using a specially designed magnetic bottle that keeps the antimatter away from the walls of the trap, where they would be destroyed.
December 01, 2010 -
The Census Bureau has introduced a new, user-friendly Internet tool that takes all the guesswork out of finding, downloading and using data from economic indicators. For the first time, users can access data from several different economic indicators in one place and all in the same format. Bureau official say it provides an easy way to create data tables in text or time series charts in your favorite spreadsheet format. Users can select an indicator and choose data by item, time period and other dimensions using drop-down menus. Of the Census Bureau\'s 12 economic indicators, four are operational in the new tool now - international trade, manufactures\' shipments, monthly wholesale trade and quarterly services. The remainder are expected to be become available throughout the course of 2011.
December 01, 2010 -
Brazilian police showed off piles of drugs and weapons seized during an aggressive takeover of two of this city\'s most dangerous slums, even as the search continued Tuesday in homes and even sewers for their real target: the drug gang leaders themselves. According to the Associated Press, police conceded that many of the up to 600 drug gang members believed to have been hiding in Vila Cruzeiro and the neighboring Alemao complex of slums may have escaped. The hunt for those that got away extended Tuesday into Rio\'s maze of storm sewers. The tally for a week of gang attacks and police raids included 124 arrested, 148 detained and 51 dead, authorities said in a statement released Tuesday.
December 01, 2010