(U//FOUO) U.S. Forces Iraq Base Transition Smart Book 2011

This is the Final Edition of the USF-I Base Transition Smartbook. Updated from the October 2010 edition, it provides a single-source, quick reference guide for the base transition process, and captures/de-conflicts updated and additional base transition guidance through the use of bold and strike-through text. The information in this Smartbook summarizes base transition Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), published US Forces-Iraq (USF-I) orders/ guidance, and lessons learned from past base transitions to facilitate honorable and successful transitions of remaining non-enduring bases and enduring sites. The USF-I Base Transition Smartbook is the guiding document for transitioning USF-I bases in the Iraq Joint Operations Area (IJOA) to the Government of Iraq (GoI). Guidance is intended to be flexible enough to fit a range of situations, and to ensure a base is transferred properly, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The Base Transition Smartbook is located on the USF-I J7 website. Revisions are summarized below and highlighted throughout the text.

McGill University School of Architecture 2011 Cyclical Academic Unit Review

McGill School of Architecture 2011 Cyclical Academic Unit Review (AUR) withheld from students and the public after the dismissal of the Director of the School of Architecture (SoA) Michael Jemtrud. The document outlines the problematic relationship between the SoA and the Faculty of Engineering and attests to the fact that there is a clear division in the faculty over their support of Jemtrud. Students who asked to see the document, hoping to find in it some explanation for the swift and drastic changes made in the school, changes that had a direct impact on their academic careers, were told that the document was always intended to serve only as advisory to the Provost and as such would only been seen by an academic review committee, who would in turn draft a report (of the AUR) and present its findings to the Senate. The first meeting came and went, and the document was not brought up, not even alluded to.

Inspire Magazine Email and Encryption Key Comparison

One of the more interesting aspects of Inspire magazine is its use of a public key encryption system for communication based upon a program called Asrar al-Mujahideen. The fundamentals of using this program are explained in the first issue of Inspire magazine. Throughout the first six issues of the magazine the same four email addresses are listed alongside a public key for use with the Asrar al-Mujahideen program. In the September 2011 issue there is a different public key listed, though the email addresses remain the same. All four email addresses used are associated with free email providers located in the United States. All of the providers log IP information for users of their services and the suggested program used for encryption does not take any steps to hide the sender’s identifying information.

(U//FOUO) Missouri Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan 2012-2014

This TEPW provided participants the opportunity to exchange information about upcoming state-level training and exercises. Primarily, however, the workshop was a venue for state representatives to review, validate, and prioritize the state’s target capabilities that would be the focus of the state’s exercises and training in 2011-14. There were thirty-three participants in attendance at the TEPW, representing thirteen State agencies, three regions within the state, one local agency, the Mid-American Regional Council (MARC), the St. Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS), the Missouri Emergency Response Commission (MERC), the Missouri National Guard (MONG), and FEMA Region VII. The group developed for publication the Missouri Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan (MYTEP) for 2012-2014.

(U//FOUO) Vermont Fusion Center Improvised Chemical Pressure Bomb Warning

An improvised chemical pressure bomb is a device that’s charge comes from a gaseous chemical reaction or phase change (such as when liquid changes to gas) in a confined area; the resulting buildup causes the container to rupture violently. There are several types of improvised chemical pressure bombs that can be constructed from easy to acquire materials.

NTSB PG&E San Bruno Pipeline Explosion Accident Report September 2011

On September 9, 2010, about 6:11 p.m. Pacific daylight time, a 30-inch-diameter segment of an intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline known as Line 132, owned and operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), ruptured in a residential area in San Bruno, California. The rupture occurred at mile point 39.28 of Line 132, at the intersection of Earl Avenue and Glenview Drive. The rupture produced a crater about 72 feet long by 26 feet wide. The section of pipe that ruptured, which was about 28 feet long and weighed about 3,000 pounds, was found 100 feet south of the crater. PG&E estimated that 47.6 million standard cubic feet of natural gas was released. The released natural gas ignited, resulting in a fire that destroyed 38 homes and damaged 70. Eight people were killed, many were injured, and many more were evacuated from the area.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Sentiment Analysis and Social Media Monitoring Proposal

Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”) is extending to suppliers an invitation to participate in an Sentiment Analysis And Social Media Monitoring Solution RFP bid process. The intent is to establish a fair and equitable partnership with a market leader who will who gather data from various social media outlets and news sources and provide applicable reporting to FRBNY. This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) was created in an effort to support FRBNY’s Social Media Listening Platforms initiative.

Mahmoud Abbas Speech to the U.N. General Assembly Transcript September 23, 2011

It is no longer possible to redress the issue of the blockage of the horizon of the peace talks with the same means and methods that have been repeatedly tried and proven unsuccessful over the past years. The crisis is far too deep to be neglected, and what is more dangerous are attempts to simply circumvent it or postpone its explosion. It is neither possible, nor practical, nor acceptable to return to conducting business as usual, as if everything is fine. It is futile to go into negotiations without clear parameters and in the absence of credibility and a specific timetable. Negotiations will be meaningless as long as the occupation army on the ground continues to entrench its occupation, instead of rolling it back, and continues to change the demography of our country in order to create a new basis on which to alter the borders.

Boeing “Project Gemini” South Carolina 787 Factory Anti-Union Presentation

A presentation entered into evidence in a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit by the International Association of Machinists (IAM) against Boeing over the location of a new factory for constructing 787 Dreamliners in South Carolina. The presentation shows that Boeing determined a South Carolina location to be less profitable and more likely to fail, yet the company ultimately decided to locate the facility there to avoid unions and, according to IAM, to punish unions for past disagreements.

Occupy Wall Street Photos September 2011

Dan Nguyen – http://www.flickr.com/photos/zokuga/ Collin David Anderson – http://www.flickr.com/photos/collina/ Paul Weiskel – http://www.flickr.com/photos/31167233@N08/ Andrew Shiue – http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwerdna/ Occupy Wall Street – http://www.flickr.com/photos/occypywallstreet/6173632320/ David Shankbone- http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Speech to UN General Assembly Transcript September 22, 2011

Who used the mysterious September 11 incident as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, killing, injuring, and displacing millions in two countries with the ultimate goal of bringing into its domination the Middle East and its oil resources? Who nullified the Breton Woods system by printing trillions of dollars without the backing of gold reserves or equivalent currency? A move that triggered inflation worldwide and was intended to prey on the economic gains of other nations. Which country’s military spending exceeds annually a thousand billion dollars, more than the military budgets of all countries of the world combined? Which governments are the most indebted ones in the world?

(U//FOUO) U.S. Army Rollout of the iSALUTE Counterintelligence Reporting Portal

Successful counterintelligence (CI) operations depend on accurate and timely reporting of questionable activities to Army counterintelligence. Reports can be initiated through the ISALUTE online reporting portal. Basic information is transmitted to the Army CI coordinating authority (ACICA) for the review and referral to the local CI office or other agencies for the further investigation as needed. In order to provide all Army personnel with the knowledge on how to expeditiously report CI related information the appropriate links to the ISALUTE reporting tool must be disseminated widely. ISALUTE is an online counterintelligence (CI) reporting portal designed to complement other Army threat awareness and reporting initiatives and foster partnerships with the CI, law enforcement organizations, and Army communities. ISALUTE focuses on foreign threats to the DOD and Army from espionage activities, terrorist threats and the insider threat.

U.S. Army Has a Problem With “Toxic Leadership”

The Center for Army Leadership Annual Survey of Army Leadership (CASAL) assesses and tracks trends (since 2005) in Army leader attitudes of leader development, the quality of leadership, and the contribution of leadership to mission accomplishment. CASAL provides research guidance for policy decisions and program development. CASAL is a reliable source because a rigorous scientific approach is used for survey development, data collection, and data analysis including a large random representative sample and high precision. Additionally, findings are calibrated with other Army research. This report will establish a framework, present qualitative and quantitative findings from the 2009 CASAL, quantitative findings from the 2010 CASAL, initial data from the 2011 Profession of Arms campaign (PoA) survey and senior leader survey, and open literature regarding toxic leadership.