RECENT BLOG POSTS
Africa: U.S. Response to Future Water Crisis Takes Shape
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 16:14
The United States is developing a response to the strain bearing down on worldwide water resources in the decades ahead. A U.S. intelligence report made public in March outlined the potential for water-related issues to become national security problems in various places around the world. At a Washington policy and research organization May 9, the U.S. State Department revealed a multipronged strategy to prepare for the emergence of water problems "that will risk instability and state
Anti-malaria garment drives bugs away
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 11:36
Malaria kills 655,000 people annually in Africa; insecticide-treated nets are commonly used to drive away mosquitoes from African homes, but now there is another solution: a fashionable hooded bodysuit embedded at the molecular level with insecticides for warding off mosquitoes infected with malaria. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120510-antimalaria-garment-drives-bugs-away
The American West running low on water
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 11:34
The American West has a drinking problem; on farms and in cities, people who live in that region are guzzling water at an alarming rate; scientists say that to live sustainably, they should use no more than 40 percent of the water from the Colorado River Basin; currently, however, they use 76 percent, nearly double the sustainable benchmark. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120510-the-american-west-running-low-on-water
Little of Earth’s water is usable in everyday life
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 16:08
Very little of Earth’s water is usable in everyday life; about 96 percent of water on Earth is saline; of the total freshwater, over 68 percent is locked up in ice and glaciers; another 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground; rivers are the source of most of the fresh surface water people use, but they only constitute about 300 mi3 (1,250 km3), about 1/10,000th of one percent of total water. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120509-little-of-earth-s-
AID Policy: Beyond the MDGs- planning for after 2015
Submitted by nellymobula on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 10:26
As the target date of 2015 for the Millennium Development Goals gets closer, an expert panel at Britain’s Institute of Development Studies ( IDS) discusses what kind of goals should be set for the future. In a paper recently published by the institute they mention that next set of goals would integrate the much broader idea of human security read more: http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95430/AID-POLICY-Beyond-the-MDGs-planning...
Afghanistan's National Solidarity Program: Lessons Learned on NGO-Government Partnerships Supporting Development and Governance
Submitted by nellymobula on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 09:57
Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program:
Lessons Learned on NGO-government partnerships supporting Development and Governance
May 9, 2012 2:30-4:00pm
Co-sponsored by the Institute for State Effectiveness, 3P Human Security and InterAction
Speakers:
Clare Lockhart, Institute for State Effectiveness Director
Karim Merchant, former National Solidarity Program Operational Director
Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program
SECURITY: A quick reaction force moulded by Africa's circumstances
Submitted by nellymobula on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 09:53
African Union’s Standby Force will be composed of standby multidisciplinary contingents with civilian and military components in their country of origin and ready for rapid deployment at appropriate notice. This quick reaction force could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to military intervention read more: http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95426/SECURITY-A-quick-reaction-force-moulded-by-Africa-s-
Ohio University students develop 3-D maps to help first responders
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 16:18
A group of Ohio University students, normally focus on game development, has created a 3-D building mapping program to help first responders in safely responding to emergencies ranging from fires to terrorist attacks. The project took close to three years, and was funded with $950,000 from DHS, which paid for equipment and travel, along with the work of participating students. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/srlet20120508-ohio-university-st...
SecDef Panetta: Environment is becoming a national security concern
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 16:16
Climate and environmental change are emerging as national security threats that weigh heavily in the Pentagon’s new strategy, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told an environmental group. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120508-panetta-environment-i...
Improve tsunami warnings by placing GPS on commercial ships
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 16:15
Researchers find that commercial ships travel across most of the globe and could provide better warnings for potentially deadly tsunamis; this finding came as a surprise because tsunamis have such small amplitudes in the deep water, in contrast to their size when they reach the coastline, that it seemed unlikely that the tsunami would be detected using GPS unless the ship was very close to the source and the tsunami was very big. More at http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120508-
Ultra-Efficient Solar Developments
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 16:14
This past winter, a startup called Semprius set an important record for solar energy: it showed that its solar panels can convert nearly 34 percent of the light that hits them into electricity. Semprius says its technology, once scaled up, is so efficient that in some places, it could soon make electricity cheaply enough to compete with power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.
More at http://www.technologyreview.com/article/40242/
NRL Charges Marine Corps Expeditionary Power Requirements
Submitted by Sam Bendett on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 16:13
Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Electronics Science and Technology Division are working to help the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) reduce expeditionary energy supply needs and risks and increase the effectiveness of forward deployed forces. More at http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2012/nrl-charges-marine-corp...
Nigerian Leaders Discuss Disaster Management at National Defense University
Submitted by nellymobula on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 14:48
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies hosted a meeting with Nigerian colonels designated by their country for future senior leadership positions. The purpose of the meeting was to talk with United States Experts about disaster management and national development lessons Nigeria can learn from past U.S. experience read more: http://africacenter.org/2012/05/nigerian-leaders-discuss-disaster-management-at-national-defense-university/
After the Arab Spring: The winter of Africa's discontent
Submitted by nellymobula on Mon, 05/07/2012 - 14:52
Would the popular uprisings fuelled by social networks on the face of North Africa, spread southwards? Many people and their leaders have been asking this question, since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings read more: http://mg.co.za/article/2012-05-06-after-the-arab-spring-the-winter-of-africas-discontent
Challenges and Prizes News, Open Office Hours This Week
Submitted by nellymobula on Mon, 05/07/2012 - 14:32
Challenges Community of Practice,
Thanks to all of you, it’s been a great month for innovation, challenges, and prizes in the government.
5 things you need to know :
1) Record number of visits to challenge.gov -- 317,000 in April. Challenge.gov was a finalist for a Webby Award in the government category, so this brought new eyes to the site.
2) The number of challenge supporters on challenge.gov more than doubled -- 28,000 to 68,000. We can attribute this to the
