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American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2010 – The first woman appointed to the rank of major general in the Air Force and the Department of Defense died Feb. 15. The Portland, Ore., native attained the rank of two-star general in 1973 after a career that began 31 years earlier in 1942 when she enlisted in the Army. Holm entered Women's Army Air Corps in January 1943, where she received a commission as third officer, the WAAC equivalent of second lieutenant. Holm also became the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in 1952. She was promoted to brigadier general July 16, 1971, the first female airman to be appointed in this grade. She was promoted to the grade of major general effective June 1, 1973, with date of rank July 1, 1970 - the first woman in the armed forces to serve in that grade. In recognition of Holm's pioneering career, Air Force officials renamed the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Ala., the Jeanne M. Holm Officer Accession and Citizen Development Center in June 2008. Its mission is Air Force officer recruitment and training within the Air University. Holm also authored two books about women in the military. "Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution" was published in 1982 and was updated in 1994. Four years later she wrote "In Defense of a Nation: Servicewomen in World War II. "During World War II, Holm was assigned to the Women's Army Corps Training Center at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., where she commanded a basic training company and then a training regiment. At the end of the war, she commanded the 106th WAC Hospital Company at Newton D. Baker General Hospital, W.Va. She then left active military duty in 1946. In October 1948 during the Berlin crisis, Holm was recalled to active duty with the Army and went to Camp Lee, Va., as a company commander. The following year she transferred to the Air Force, when a new law integrated women in the regular armed forces. Holm served in a variety of personnel assignments, including director of Women in the Air Force from 1965 to 1973. She played a significant role in eliminating restrictions on numbers of women serving in all ranks, expanding job and duty station assignments for women, opening ROTC and service academies to women, and changing the policies on the status of women in the armed forces. During her tenure, policies affecting women were updated, WAF strength was more than doubled, job and assignment opportunities expanded, and uniforms modernized. Holm retired in 1975. She served three presidential administrations: special assistant on women for President Gerald Ford, policy consultant for President Jimmy Carter, and first chairperson of the Veterans Administration's Committee on Women Veterans for President Ronald Reagan. (Article courtesy of Air Force News Service.) Demand Dwindles for U.S. Forces in Haiti, Official Says WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2010 – The need for U.S military forces in Haiti is dwindling as Haitian authorities and nongovernmental organizations begin to accept a greater share of relief efforts in the ravaged country, an American military official said. About 13,000 U.S. troops are involved in the earthquake-relief effort -- with 7,000 forces on the ground -- down from a peak overall level of about 20,000 at the start of this month, Army Lt. Gen. P.K. “Ken” Keen, the top U.S. commander in Haiti, told Pentagon reporters today. “As we see this transition occurring, we see our civilian partners increase their capabilities -- both the government here in Haiti as well as the nongovernment organizations -- and we see the need for our military assistance dwindling,” Keen said via video teleconference from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The update on Haiti’s recovery comes about a month after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck the Caribbean nation, creating what an official called one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas. U.S. aid began pouring into affected areas in the immediate aftermath, but a greater share of relief efforts has been transferred to partners as conditions progress. The American commander declined to describe a timeline or expected scope of the U.S. military presence in Haiti, saying conditions in the country would determine the response. “As we look at our military requirements in supporting [the U.S. Agency for International Development] and the government of Haiti,” Keen said, “we're dialing it back where unnecessary as we right-size the force as requirements are needed on the ground, and we're dialing it up where it's necessary, based upon the needs on the ground.” Keen estimated military operations to date have totaled about $250 million. As of yesterday, U.S. military forces had delivered more than 2.6 million bottles of water, 2.2 million food rations, 15.1 million pounds of bulk food and 125,230 pounds of medical supplies into Haiti. In addition to running ongoing humanitarian assistance missions, Keen said U.S. forces also are assisting in procuring shelter for Haitians affected by the earthquake. Troops also are working to provide medical care, removing rubble from damaged sites and assisting in engineering and logistics. Keen said the U.S. military is working under USAID, the lead American component, and alongside partners such as the United Nations. “So we will continue to be involved in those two entities until [operations are] completely transferred to either the government of Haiti or other organizations,” he said.
The most prominent asteroid in the sky is currently yours for the perusing with binoculars -- and perhaps even the naked eye. Tomorrow night, Wednesday, Feb. 17, Vesta, the second most massive object in the asteroid belt, reaches what astronomers like to call "opposition." An asteroid (or planet or comet) is said to be "in opposition" when it is opposite to the sun as seen from Earth. In other words, if you were to stand outside with the sun directly above you at high noon, Vesta would be directly below your feet some 211,980,000 kilometers (131,700,000 miles) away. With Vesta at opposition, the asteroid is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. Wednesday night, the asteroid is expected to shine at magnitude 6.1. That brightness should make it visible to interested parties brandishing telescopes or binoculars, and even those blessed with excellent vision and little or no light pollution or clouds in their vicinity. Vesta will be visible in the eastern sky in the constellation Leo. What makes this space rock so prominent these days? Along with its relative proximity at this point, a full half of the asteroid is being bathed by sunlight when seen from Earth, making it appear brighter. Another attribute working in the observer's favor is that Vesta has a unique surface material that is not as dark as most main belt asteroids - allowing more of the sun's rays to reflect off its surface. If spotting Vesta in the night sky has whetted your appetite for mega-rocks, all we can say is, stay tuned. NASA's Dawn spacecraft, currently motoring its way through the asteroid belt, will begin its exploration of Vesta in the summer of 2011. For more information about Dawn, visit: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/
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Washington (WiredPRNews.com) – The
Internal Revenue Service has reportedly launched Terry Lemons, a spokesman for the
IRS, is quoted by the AP a stating of the decision to launch a YouTube
channel, “ As noted in the report, the videos
are shown in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.
Virtual goods market heating up
The market for virtual goods is seeing significant growth.U.S. (WiredPRNews.com) – The market for virtual goods is seeing significant growth. As reported by PCWorld, social networking and other online activities have sparked growth in goods and services usable only in the online world with gaming, gambling, and other web based activities. The increase in popularity of
applications such as Farmville and Yoville on Facebook has helped widen
the demographic of users of virtual networks. David Laux, global executive
for games and interactive entertainment at IBM, is quoted by PCWorld as
stating of the changes in demographics, “Midwestern housewives are willing
to spend” on Farmville virtual items. “Twelve months ago we weren’t even
thinking of that demographic.” Cary Rosenzweig, president and CEO of
social network and 3D virtual world IMVU, is further quoted in the report
as stating, “The concept of virtual goods is exploding beyond virtual
worlds.”
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