Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has reported in recent years on a number of human capital issues that have hampered the Department of State's (State) ability to carry out U.S. foreign policy priorities and objectives, particularly at posts central to the war on terror. In 2002, State implemented the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative (DRI) to address shortfalls in the number and skills of State employees. This testimony addresses State's progress in (1) addressing staffing shortfalls since the implementation of DRI and (2) filling gaps in the language proficiency of Foreign Service officers and other staff. To accomplish these objectives, GAO analyzed staffing and language data and met with State officials."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Architect of the Capitol (AOC), through the Capitol Power Plant, operates five walkable utility tunnels containing steam and chilled water pipes associated with serving the heating and cooling requirements of the U.S. Capitol and over 20 surrounding facilities. In our work last fall, we addressed conditions in the tunnels and AOC's plans for addressing them. The Office of Compliance (OOC), which is responsible for advancing safety, health, and workplace rights in the legislative branch, and the tunnel workers had raised concerns about health and safety issues in the tunnels. As a result of these concerns, in January 2006, OOC issued citations for and asked AOC to address a potential asbestos hazard and heat stress conditions in the tunnels. In addition, in February 2006, OOC filed a complaint against AOC concerning hazards in the tunnels, including falling concrete, an inadequate communication system for these confined spaces, and inadequate escape exits (egresses). According to OOC officials, these conditions had been brought to AOC's attention by OOC inspectors as early as 1999, but AOC had not made sufficient progress in addressing them, and conditions in the tunnels had deteriorated further. …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates one of the safest air transportation systems in the world, but this system is under growing strain as the demand for air travel increases. Recognizing the need to transform this system, Congress created the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), housed within FAA, to plan and develop the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The current authorization for FAA, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund), and most of the excise taxes that support the Trust Fund will expire September 30, 2007. Several proposals, including two reauthorization bills--H.R. 2881 and S. 1300--identify various funding sources for FAA activities, including NextGen. Among these are current excise taxes, fees, and flight surcharges. Concerned about the need for stable, sustainable financing for the nation's multibillion-dollar transportation infrastructure investments, including NextGen, GAO has designated transportation financing as high risk. GAO's statement addresses (1) the extent to which the current funding structure can support FAA's activities, including NextGen, (2) issues that could affect the overall cost of NextGen, and (3) the implications of selected proposals to fund aviation activities. The statement is based on recent GAO …

Final report on grant funded through the SciDAC program as part of the APDEC grant at LBNL.

Two residual (No. 6 fuel) oils from Texas and North Dakota with very different chemical compositions and physical properties were burned at similar injection rates ({approx}28 lb/hr) in a pilot-scale (550,000 Btu/hr) combustion test facility unit using conventional dual-fluid and Kimberly-Clark (K-C) acoustic nozzles to compare flame characteristics, gaseous and fly ash emissions, and fly ash morphological and chemical characteristics. The K-C acoustic nozzle supplied a more consistent oil feed rate to the furnace relative to the conventional dual-fluid nozzle. This consistency in oil flow reduced the variability in NO{sub x}, SO{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, and O{sub 2} flue gas concentrations. K-C nozzle injection, however, produced a more carbon-rich residual oil fly ash (ROFA) relative to the conventional nozzle. The K-C acoustic nozzle promoted oil atomization and extended the flame higher in the furnace so that the residence time of the residual oil was greatly reduced. The lack of oil residence time in the furnace contributed to the incomplete combustion performance of the K-C acoustic nozzle. On average, the K-C acoustic nozzle reduced NO{sub x} emissions from burning the Texas and North Dakota oils by 66% and 33%, respectively. Late in the test program, it was discovered that a significant …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses ways to improve the representation of American professionals at United Nations (UN) organizations. The U.S. Congress continues to be concerned about the underrepresentation of American professionals employed by some UN organizations and that insufficient progress has been made to improve U.S. representation. The equitable representation of Americans at UN organizations is a priority to Congress in part because the United States is the largest financial contributor to most of these organizations. Moreover, according to the U.S. Department of State (State), Americans bring desirable skills, values, and experience that can have a significant impact on UN organizations' operational effectiveness. This testimony is based on a report that we issued on September 6, 2006. This testimoney will discuss (1) U.S. representation status and employment trends at five UN organizations, (2) factors affecting these organizations' ability to meet U.S. representation targets, and (3) State's efforts to improve U.S. representation and additional efforts that can be taken."

An email from Daniel Graney to Al, Lisa and Jimmy on August 1, 2007, discussing an attached document regarding term limits for TSDC board members.

Email correspondence between Daniel Graney and officers on August 1, 2007, discussing TSDC revised bylaws. Document detailing the bylaws of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, revised on March 4, 2007 and proposed revisions on August 2007.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Platz. Platz joined the Army in July of 1944. He served with the 77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment. He participated in the liberation of the Philippines in late 1944. In the spring of 1945, Platz was in the assault on the Kerama Islands and the Battle of Okinawa, where he was wounded. He returned to the US and received a medical discharge.