Hi, all. Today's report features recent news from cabinet departments:
• Department of Health and Human Services: The Indian Health Service offers information on flu vaccination and reports that risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be reduced among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
• Department of Energy: As China unveils the world's fastest supercomputer, the director of the Argonne National Laboratory urges investment in high-performance computing for the sake of our economic growth, international competitiveness and national security.
• Department of Labor: The DOL hosted the 2010 Job Corps Oratory Competition in Washington, D.C. Includes video of the winner speaking about how Job Corps has impacted her life.
• Department of Commerce: September marks the fifth month of double-digit growth and ninth straight month of overall growth in U.S. travel and tourism exports. At the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce National Business and Leadership Conference, Secretary Locke talked about the strong partnership between the Obama administration and the NGLCC and discussed President Obama’s National Export Initiative.
• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES •
Help Keep Indian Country Healthy - Vaccinate
Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, Director of the Indian Health Service of HHS, encourages flu vaccinations to help keep Indian Country healthy.
Go to the Indian Health Service (IHS) website, read more about vaccinations, find where you can get vaccinated, and know what to do about the flu.
From the Indian Health Service:
Special Diabetes Program for Indians Demonstration Projects show successful results
A five-year Indian Health Service (IHS) demonstration project indicates that risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be reduced among American Indians and Alaska Natives, who have the nation’s highest rates of diabetes. The IHS implemented the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) Diabetes Prevention and Healthy Heart Demonstration Projects in response to the diabetes epidemic in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The SDPI was established by Congress in 1997 to fund diabetes prevention and treatment services in IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs.
In 2004, Congress established the SDPI Demonstration Projects as an additional initiative to apply research findings in real-world settings to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The SDPI Demonstration Projects consist of two initiatives: The SDPI Diabetes Prevention Program and the SDPI Healthy Heart Project. Overall, 66 grants were funded that served 110 tribal communities.
"The SDPI Demonstration Projects grantees have shown that it is possible to translate the results of prevention research into diverse Indian health settings," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We know from their work that it is possible to reduce risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in American Indian and Alaska Native communities."
The SDPI Diabetes Prevention Program Demonstration Project was funded in 36 IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to implement the 16-session lifestyle curriculum used in the original National Institutes of Health funded Diabetes Prevention Program research study.
Using a method adapted for Native patients, people at risk for diabetes were encouraged to lose weight through increased physical activity, healthy eating habits, and individual and group coaching.
On average, those who completed the follow-up assessment had a significantly reduced eight-year risk of developing diabetes. The diabetes incidence rate of participants (4.3% per year), when compared to the NIH Diabetes Prevention Program study, was similar to the NIH study’s lifestyle intervention group and lower than the placebo group (11% per year) in that study. Enrollees also achieved significant weight loss, increased physical activity, improved consumption of healthy foods, lower blood pressures, lower glucose levels, and improved health-related quality of life at the follow-up and annual assessments compared to baseline.
The SDPI Healthy Heart Demonstration Project was funded in 30 IHS, tribal and urban Indian health programs to implement an intensive, clinic-based case management intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with diabetes. Enrollees who completed the follow-up assessment had a significantly reduced 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease. Enrollees also had significant improvements in meeting goals for control of blood pressure and blood glucose and achieved improved lipid profiles. For example, the percent of enrollees with blood pressures < 130/80 mmHg increased from 42% at baseline to 49% at the first annual assessment. Enrollees also achieved increased physical activity, increased use of aspirin, and more became non-smokers from baseline to annual assessments.
"The SDPI Diabetes Prevention and Healthy Heart Project grantees achieved these outstanding results through a collaborative approach to developing innovative and creative prevention strategies," said Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, IHS Director. "IHS is now planning to disseminate their positive results, best practices, and lessons learned throughout Indian country."
In September 2010, the IHS competitively awarded 69 cooperative agreements to previous and new sites to continue to implement the SDPI Diabetes Prevention and Healthy Heart Initiatives and to help disseminate best practices from the experience of the demonstration projects over the past five years. The selected sites are meeting in Albuquerque, NM, in November to begin this new phase of these initiatives. The sites will continue to evaluate their progress and will receive technical assistance as they implement program activities.
"The new cohort of sites will share successful strategies from the demonstration projects at their first meeting and will develop dissemination strategies to share this information with all other SDPI grant programs in the coming years," said Dr. Kelly Acton, director of the IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention. "We look forward to working with them to continue these successful programs and to share their best practices and lessons learned with other programs."
For more information on the SDPI and the Diabetes Prevention and Healthy Heart Initiatives, please go to http://www.ihs.gov/...
• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY•
Why America Must Win the Supercomputing Race
Posted by Eric D. Isaacs, Director of Argonne National Laboratory
Four decades ago, NASA put a man on the moon using a computer system less powerful than the electronics in many modern-day toasters. With that audacious act of technological faith, the United States took a giant step toward global leadership in science, engineering, and a myriad of other sectors that had not yet been imagined.
This week, when a Chinese machine was ranked number one on the most recent Top 500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers, the United States has lost more than international bragging rights. By creating the Tianhe-1A, with 1.4 times more muscle than America's fastest supercomputer (the Jaguar at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory), the Chinese have sent a forceful message to the world about their ambitious vision of their country's scientific, economic and military future.
The United States cannot afford to take a back seat in computer technology to the Chinese, or to anyone else. The nation that leads the world in high-performance computing will have an enormous competitive advantage in every sector, including national defense, medicine, energy, environment, finance, manufacturing and product development.
But more important, the nation with the best and fastest supercomputers will attract the best scientific and engineering talent from around the world. And if the United States loses a generation of our top technological talent to another nation, we will feel the impact of that loss for decades to come.
There is no reason for the United States to yield its position as the world's leader in supercomputing. As the director of Argonne National Laboratory, home to one of the world's fastest supercomputers, I know that we already have in place a roadmap to create the next generation of supercomputers - systems that will be 1,000 times more powerful than the new Chinese machine.
Unlike today's supercomputers, with speeds that are measured in petaflops - a quadrillion sustained floating-point operations per second - the next generation will be measured in exaflops - a quintillion, or one million trillion floating point operations per second.
These exascale supercomputers, as they are known, will be powerful enough to simulate worldwide climate change - or the extraordinarily complex functions that take place within a single human cell. Hundreds of American scientists and engineers at universities, in private industry and at our national laboratories already are racing to design the elements of an exascale system, re-imagining hardware, programs, and applications for a supercomputer that will come on line in 2020.
But our scientists cannot meet that deadline without a substantial national investment - in the future of leadership computing, and in American science overall.
We need to make sure that American researchers and engineers have access to the supercomputers and other technological tools they need to help solve the great scientific, energy, environment, and security challenges of our time. We also need to make sure that our laboratories are equipped with cutting-edge facilities that will draw talented young scientists from around the world.
We have no time to lose. Ten short years ago, China had no high performance computing ability. Today, after investing billions of dollars in its computer technology, China has 24 computer systems on the list of the world's 500 most powerful supercomputers.
As we watch China take over the lead in supercomputing speed, Americans can take some comfort in the knowledge that the Chinese system is built largely from American-designed components. But the networking technology that brings those components to life was designed in China - and the Chinese already are at work on a 1-petaflop supercomputer made from Chinese parts.
America needs a substantial, longterm national investment to speed our journey down the road to exascale computing - a road that leads to economic growth, international competitiveness and national security. Without that commitment, the American supercomputers of the future may be labeled, "Made in China."
From NTDTV, November 17, 2010:
China's Tianhe-1A Becomes World's Fastest Supercomputer
From NTDTV.com:
With horsepower equivalent to 175,000 laptops, China's Tianhe-1A supercomputer has been named the fastest computer in the world, overtaking rival units in the U.S. and Germany.
Located at China's National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, the Tianhe-1A has topped the ‘Top 500 supercomputers’ list.
Tianhe-1A is nearly 1.5 times faster than its closest rival and reaches peak speeds of 2.57 petaflops, while the US XT5 Jaguar performs at 1.76 petaflops. 1 petaflop is the equivalent of 1,000-trillion calculations per second.
The supercomputer will be used by scientists across several fields and also be made available to other countries. It will also be used to create simulations to aid Chinese weather forecasts and to help locate undersea oil fields.
According to computer chipmaker Nvidia, 7 of the world's most powerful computers are in the United States, then 2 in China and 1 in Germany.
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR•
Student from Flint/Genesee Job Corps in Michigan takes top honors in oratory competition
The U.S. Department of Labor [on Nov. 19] hosted the 2010 Job Corps Oratory Competition in Washington, D.C. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis delivered opening remarks before four finalists from California, Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky took the stage to present their speeches about how Job Corps has impacted their lives.
The four finalists were Milton Calvin from the Joliet Job Corps Center in Illinois, Maela Way from the Los Angeles Job Corps Center in California; Danielle Baldwin from Flint/Genesee Job Corps Center in Michigan and Bradley Esco from the Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps Center in Kentucky. Danielle Baldwin of the Flint/Genesee Job Corps in Michigan finished first in the competition and received a $1,500 award toward education and training.
From FlintGeneseeJobCorps, Sept. 8, 2010:
2010 National Job Corps Oratory Competition Entry from Flint Genesee Job Corps
Ms. Danielle Baldwin from Flint Genesee Job Corps speaks on "How has Job Corps impacted your life?"
Bradley Esco of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps in Simpsonville, Ky., won second place and a $1,000 award. Maela Way from the Los Angeles Job Corps, Calif., and Milton Calvin from the Joliet Job Corps in Illinois each received a $750 award.
"Job Corps is about turning tremendous potential into tremendous success," said Secretary Solis. "These young people are living proof of the high caliber of both character and intellect fostered by Job Corp programs across the nation. I am very proud of the accomplishments of these youngsters and I look forward to their continued success.
The finalists were selected from across the nation after an opening round of video submissions were collected and judged by the department’s Employment and Training Administration’s Job Corps, Job Corps contractors and congressional staff. The speeches were evaluated based on delivery, content, structure and impact. Finalists were then invited to Washington to present their speeches in the finals before a distinguished panel of judges from the Departments of Labor and Agriculture.
Job Corps, a part of the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration, is the nation’s largest career technical training and education program for students ages 16 through 24. It provides training and support services to more than 100,000 young people each year at 124 centers in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information about Job Corps, call 800-733-JOBS (5627) or visit http://www.jobcorps.gov.
• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE •
September Marks the Fifth Consecutive Month of Double-Digit Travel and Tourism Export Growth; International travelers spent nearly $12 billion in the U.S. in September
According to newly released data from the Commerce Department, international visitors traveling to the United States pumped an estimated $11.7 billion into the U.S. economy during the month of September, up $1.7 billion compared to the same period last year. This marks the fifth month of double-digit growth and ninth straight month of overall growth in U.S. travel and tourism exports. Total travel and tourism-related exports have increased, on average, $1.2 billion a month in 2010.
"Travel and tourism continues to be one of the bright spots in our economy," Secretary Locke said. "Continued growth in the tourism sector will help us achieve our goal of doubling exports over the next two years."
• Travel Receipts: Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $9.0 billion during September, an increase of 15 percent when compared to last year. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel.
• Passenger Fare Receipts: Fares received by U.S. carriers (and U.S. vessel operators) from international visitors increased by nearly 27 percent to $2.7 billion for the month, an increase of $575 million when compared to September 2009.
International visitors have spent an estimated $100 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date (January through September), an increase of 11 percent when compared to the same period last year.
Americans have spent nearly $77.4 billion abroad year-to-date (up four percent)—resulting in a $22.6 billion trade surplus for travel and tourism through the first nine months of 2010.
Secretary Locke Delivers Remarks at Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Annual Business and Leadership Conference
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke addressed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) business owners and entrepreneurs (Nov. 19) at the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) 7th Annual National Business and Leadership Conference. Locke emphasized the strong partnership between the Obama administration and the NGLCC to advance issues important to the LGBT community, and highlighted a Memorandum of Understanding that he will sign to deepen the relationship between the Department of Commerce and the Chamber and expand opportunities for all LGBT businesses.
Locke also discussed the administration’s efforts to create jobs and promote economic growth by fostering innovation and boosting exports through President Obama’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports over the next five years in support of several million American jobs.
The three-day conference, "Out for Business!" includes business symposiums, keynote speakers, panel discussions and various special events that work to connect local and national LGBT businesses with NGLCC's corporate partners to expand opportunities for growth. The NGLCC is the business advocate and direct link between LGBT business owners, corporations and government. It represents the interests of more than 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses, partners with 125 corporations, and is the umbrella organization for 61 state, local and international LGBT chambers of commerce and businesses.
Remarks at Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Annual Business and Leadership Conference:
Secretary Locke:
....The partnership between the Chamber and the Obama administration has been strong from the outset. In fact, the chamber was the first LGBT organization invited to the White House – one week to the day after President Obama took office....
But your importance extends well beyond the LGBT community. The chamber represents 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses and partners with 125 corporations. That represents a lot of economic firepower that we’re going to need to help rebuild the American economy.
Of course, it is also the primary mission of the Commerce Department to help spur economic growth that can create good jobs in America. And I’m delighted to see our shared interest formalized in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber and the Department of Commerce I will sign.
Through this partnership, we will:
• Increase the pool of LGBT businesses that can successfully compete for contract and program opportunities;
• Improve the quality and effectiveness of information concerning Department technical and financial assistance programs; and
• Encourage Department prime contractors to enlist diverse suppliers for second-tier contracting opportunities and support procurement....
Today I just wanted to take a few moments to talk about how the Obama administration is trying to build a sustainable economic recovery....
It began with the passage of a Recovery Act that took us back from the brink of a second depression, and would ultimately save or create between 3 and 3.5 million jobs over the next 18 months.
The Recovery Act had three main components, funded in almost equal thirds.
• It had $288 billion in tax cuts for working families, which included a making work pay tax credit, that gave families as much as $800 in annual relief on their tax bill;
• The second third went for emergency aid to cash-strapped states as well as assistance to the most vulnerable Americans in the form of things like extended unemployment insurance and Medicaid funding ;
• And the final batch of funds went for important investments in infrastructure to spur not just immediate job creation but also long-term economic growth.
.... Many of the investments and the grants that we've been awarding have been in the form of seed money that will either encourage or even require matching private-sector investments. We’ve actually heard some people say the Recovery Act has effectively converted the Department of Energy into the world’s largest clean energy venture capital fund.
Our desire to spur innovation is why we reformed the financial sector to reward the expansion of credit to growing businesses instead of pure speculation.
It’s why we have cut taxes for small businesses eight different times, including eliminating capital gains on key investments, accelerated depreciation on new equipment and tax incentives to hire new workers.
We’ve also established a new $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund which will provide capital to small banks with incentives to increase small business lending. This could support several multiples of the original $30 billion in new credit.
.... One of the most important areas where we're trying to smooth the road for [the private sector] is in helping U.S. businesses gain more access to the 95 percent of the world’s consumers who live outside the borders of the United States.
Right now only one percent of U.S. companies export – and of those that export, 58 percent export to only one country, typically to Mexico or Canada.
If we can just help that 58 percent export to one or two additional countries, our exports would grow substantially.
Earlier this year the President announced his National Export Initiative, which seeks to double U.S. exports in five years while supporting two million U.S. jobs....
Consider that today more than one in three manufacturing jobs and almost one in five agricultural jobs are tied directly to exports. And these are good jobs that provide good wages, paying 15% more than the typical wage in America.
The simple fact is this: The more American companies export, the more they produce. The more they produce the more people they hire. And that means more jobs.
The National Export Initiative is going to help spur exports by expanding access to credit for companies who want to export; increasing government trade promotion activities; and putting a sharper focus on knocking down trade barriers and ensuring that U.S. companies are competing on a level playing field in the global economy.
And we’re already making a difference.
Consider the fact that:
• Exports have contributed as much to GDP growth as domestic consumption in each of the last four quarters of recovery;
• Through August of this year, exports were up 18 percent over the same period in 2009; and
• U.S. exports of manufactured goods so far in 2010 have risen by 22 percent over last year.
This is a good start, but with millions of Americans still searching for a job, and with countries around the world competing just as hard as we are, we can't let up for a second. And we won't.
So, these are some of the things we're doing to improve the business environment that all of you are operating in. But before I open things up to your questions, I just want to suggest one way that you can help improve the climate for innovation and job creation.
I think one of the challenges we face in reinvigorating the private sector is the fact that "the business community" and its leaders are not held in the highest esteem....
If business leaders aren’t seen as responsible forces for progress, then increasingly they won’t be at the table where decisions are made. They will be on the menu.
That’s why I believe it’s so important for you to get involved in communicating to politicians and your stakeholders what you do, how you contribute to your community and what policies you need to succeed....
Your companies are doing great things every single day that make people's lives immeasurably better. Get out there and tell your story. Show how you’re making a difference. And help make the connection for people that when you succeed you:
• Provide good jobs so employees can provide for their families;
• You support community infrastructure through paying taxes and fees;
• You purchase goods and services from local suppliers and service providers, thus reinforcing local economic growth; and
• When you compete intensely, but also fairly, with all comers – then that competition sets off a virtuous cycle of innovation.
All of you have a tremendous opportunity to help ensure America continues down the path of growth and innovation and opportunity. I hope you will use it.
From Commerce News, Nov. 2, 2010:
Learn how to export with the help of the Department of Commerce
The Department of Commerce has worked with thousands of companies to increase their exports. Hear from some small business owners about their experience. To learn more about exporting, visit www.export.gov.
• THE PRESIDENT"S REMARKS AFTER THE EU-US SUMMIT •
From EUXTV, Nov. 20, 2010:
From the Office of the Press Secretary:
Statement by the President at end of the EU-U.S. Summit
THE PRESIDENT:
Well, thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. It is a pleasure to be here with President Barroso and President Van Rompuy.
I am proud to be here. I was proud to meet with the leaders of the 27 European member states during our summit in Prague last year. I was pleased to welcome President Barroso and the EU leadership to the White House last fall. I have been pleased to work with both Herman and Jose at the G20 context, and today marks our first summit under the EU’s Lisbon treaty. So -- it was also wonderful to meet Cathy Ashton, who’s doing outstanding work.
This summit was not as exciting as other summits because we basically agree on everything. But nevertheless, I value these meetings for a simple reason: America’s relationship with our European allies and partners is the cornerstone of our engagement with the world, and it’s a catalyst for global cooperation.
Whether it’s creating jobs for our people, sustaining global economic recovery, protecting our citizens, preventing nuclear proliferation, the United States has no closer partner than Europe. And we’re not simply united by shared interests. We're united by shared history, by shared democratic values, a shared set of traditions that have endured for generations.
That's why the United States needs, and wants, a strong and united Europe. That's why our summit today focused on three important areas of mutual interest.
First, we agreed to take a series of steps to increase trade and investment, which already amounts to a $4.4 trillion relationship and supports millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. We directed our Transatlantic Economic Council to focus on streamlining regulations, encouraging innovation, eliminating barriers that hamper trade and investment. And building on the progress of the G20 summit in Seoul, we reaffirmed the need for currencies that are market driven and for countries with large surpluses to boost domestic demand.
Second, we reviewed our close security cooperation. We saw, with the recent security alerts in Europe as well as the plot that was disrupted to detonate explosives in cargo flights, that we have to work every day to keep our citizens safe, and we will continue to do so.
From our common efforts to address Iran’s nuclear program to our work together in Sudan, we’re also partners in promoting stability and averting crises around the world. And now that NATO has agreed that the transition to Afghan responsibility will begin early next year, the EU’s role as a major donor to Afghanistan and a trainer for police forces will only become more important.
Finally, we’re coordinating on a series of global issues. With regard to climate change, we directed our U.S.-EU Energy Council to find ways to bring clean energy technologies to market faster, and we’re standing by our Copenhagen commitments to reduce emissions as we work towards Cancun.
And as the world’s source of most of -- as the source of most of the world’s development assistance, we agreed to better coordinate our assistance and ensure a more effective division of labor to avoid duplication and inefficiency, as I’ve called for in our new development strategy.
So again, I want to thank President Barroso, President Van Rompuy for their strong leadership and their partnership. I am confident that if we continue to deepen the close cooperation between the United States and the EU, we can deliver greater security and greater prosperity for our 800 million citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.
And let me just use this opportunity once again to thank the people of Portugal for the wonderful hospitality. I plan to come back when I have fewer meetings. (Laughter.)
Thank you very much.
(This transcript appeared today on White House.gov, so I am providing it here along with the video that you have already seen in the Nov. 21 Daily Report.)