The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Fowler. Fowler was teaching in Big Spring, Texas, when she went out for the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1939. She was accepted and was trained to fly. She evetually became an instructor. She also discusses rationing.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. T. Appleton. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of sixteen in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes being transported to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the USS Shasta (AE-6). He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) where he served as a member of a 5-inch gun crew. He talks about the role of the USS Smith in protecting the aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He describes the crashing of a Japanese torpedo plane into the Smith and its aftermath. While serving on the Smith, he went to New Guinea and participated in the bombardment of locations such as Port Moresby, Finschhafen, and Buna in preparation for Marine landings. He recounts an attack by Japanese Betty Bombers and the deployment of a smoke screen for cover. He also discusses the sinking of the USS Hornet (CV-8). He returned to the United States where he was assigned to the USS Hank (DD-702) and sent again to the Pacific Theater. He describes kamikaze attacks while on the USS Hank near Taiwan. He also describes being on patrol in Japan after the atomic bombs were …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert G. Bass. Bass was born in Walnut, Illinois on 18 November 1922. He was drafted into the Army in February 1943. After three months of basic and combat military police training at Fort Riley, Kansas, Bass was accepted in the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of Indiana. The program was disbanded in early 1944 and Bass was sent first to an armored infantry unit and then to the 243rd Combat Engineers, training at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky. On 22 October 1944 the unit sailed to Europe. After a brief stay in England, they crossed the English Channel to La Havre. In December, they were in Belgium in the area where the Battle of the Bulge was being fought. In early 1945 they were on the move to Germany attached to the 1107th Engineering Group, doing road work, clearing mines and building bridges in support of the 87th Infantry. They built a pontoon bridge across the Rhine, crossed, and continued east to Schmolln. They were there when Germany surrendered. Bass and the unit were sent to Erfurt to process German prisoners of war. Erfurt being in the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Israel Berger. While attending medical school, Berger took an officer’s correspondence course with the Navy in May 1942. After interning at the Norfolk Naval Hospital and completing the V-12 program, he boarded the USS Drew (APA-162) as a general medical officer, traveling between Oahu and Saipan. Berger was relieved to be treated kindly despite being one of only two Jewish men on his ship. Despite having grown up in a kosher home, he set his cultural differences aside and ate what everyone else ate. While supporting action at Samar and Okinawa, Berger dealt with very few serious injuries, although he encountered many fatalities. One of his most sobering experiences involved helping a 12-year-old Japanese girl who stepped on a mine. By the end of the war, Berger had made lieutenant. He was inclined to join the Naval Reserve but decided instead to return home and care for his ailing mother.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard D. Buehrle. He volunteered to join the Navy in 1943 after he graduated from high school. Expecting to have a permanent duty assignment in Australia, he was, instead, called to be a destroyer replacement sailor in New Guinea on the USS Smith (DD-378). He served first as a five-inch gun shell retriever, then as a signalman on the bridge. He relates the story of his selection as a signalman. He also describes living conditions aboard the ship, his clothing, as well as the mail service. He talks about his friendship with Donald Kent. He also mentions Captain Stout. He discusses an attempt to land Marines on Arawe. He describes an attack by Japanese aircraft and kamikazes in the Philippines. He shares anecdotes about Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. He explains his reason for not remaining in the Navy after the war.

This study was conducted to find ways to reduce waste and increase recycling and composting in Illinois. The report contains data on the composition of residential and commercial waste from around the state and makes recommendations for future consideration.

News release about an air quality warning system for residents in the DFW area.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph and Vivian Malmstrom. Joseph Malmstrom joined the Navy in 1942. He served on the deck force aboard the USS Smith (DD-378). Malmstrom recalls when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into their ship in October of 1942. In April of 1943 they traveled to Guadalcanal to perform antisubmarine patrols. In mid-1943 he was reassigned to the USS Casablanca (CVE-55). They served as a training ship for escort carrier crews. In late 1943 Malmstrom transferred to the USS Hornet (CV-12), where he served the remainder of the war. He remained in the Navy, and later served in the Korean War. He was discharged in 1952.

Transcript of the second public hearing held by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States held May 22, 2003 at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. This hearing addresses four topics, which include the commission mandate and objectives, intelligence oversight and the joint inquiry, affected constituencies, and the state of civil aviation security on September 11th.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hiroshi Sakahara. Sakahara is second generation Japanese-American. He provides some details of his family history and life growing up in Tacoma, Washington during the Great Depression. In 1941 he joined the Army and volunteered for the 442nd Infantry Combat Team, 5th Army. They fought in Belgium and Italy on the front lines opposite the Germans. He served as an ammunition carrier and later carried the Browning Automatic Rifle. In the Spring of 1944 through May of 1945, Sakahara pulled guard duty until Germany surrendered. He was discharged in June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willie Sander. Sander was born in Brenham, Texas on 18 August 1916. After graduating from high school in 1933, he worked as the manager for the A&P Grocery chain. In 1942, he joined the Navy and received pilot training on PBYs. After being commissioned in June, he was sent to Kaneohe Naval Air Station where he received advanced training. Soon after the invasion of Tarawa, he delivered a new plane there and returned to Hawaii with one that had been badly damaged. He comments on the death and destruction he saw. In March 1944 he flew to Fiji where he joined Patrol Squadron 14 (VP-14), which was attached to a seaplane tender. They flew night patrols and rescue missions. In early 1945 he returned to the United States and picked up new PBM Mariners. Sander took the planes to San Diego where JATO equipment was installed. After receiving training in the use of the equipment they flew to Luzon. He recounts a number of missions, including one for which his crew was credited with sinking five Japanese ships and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. On 15 …

Transcript of a simultaneous oral interview with Archie L. Sherman and Ray Magro. Both served in the Navy. Sherman served for a while on patrol craft in Alaska before transferring to the USS Cummings (DD-365). He was released from the Cummings due to excessive seasickness, but eventually was assigned tothe USS Smith (DD-378). Magro joined the Navy in 1940 and served aboard the USS Mahan (DD-364) and the USS Cummings before being assigned to the USS Smith. Magro describes his actions and impressions when the Smith was attacked in 1942 by Japanese torpedo bombers and when one crashed into Smith's forecastle. Sherman joined the Smith in 1943. The men describe the collision of the Smith with the USS Hutchins (DD-476) in January 1944. After a while, Magro got sick, was sent to the US to recover after which he was assigned to a patorl gunboat, the USS Tenacity (PG-71) bound for England. As a result, he was in England when the war with Germany came to an end. Sherman goes on to describe the landings in the Philippines, and witnessing the destruction in Nagasaki after the atomic bomb was dropped.

An excel spreadsheet detailing the comparative costs of the Texas Daily Newspapers Association's annual meetings. The spreadsheet has collected data from 1995 and on-ward till 2009.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the Employees Retirement System and the Teacher Retirement System must pay a share of the state employee workers' compensation claims costs allocated under Labor Code section 412.0123 (RQ-0001-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether payments made to a departing superintendent described as settlement of actual or contemplated litigation are "severence payments" under section 11.201(c) of the Education Code, and related questions (RQ-0142-JC)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Clarification of Attorney General Opinion JC-0102 (1999) (RQ-0157-JC)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; What constitutes a "newspaper of general circulation" for the purpose of publishing legal notices, and related questions (RQ-0160-JC)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a school district may procure "guaranteed program management" services under the Professional Services Procurement Act, chapter 2254 of the Government code (RQ-0150-JC)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a member of a city council may appoint himself to a cuty board under a particular ordinance (RQ-0152-JC)

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Tietjen. Born in 1920, he joined the Navy in January 1940. He was first assigned to the USS Dixie (AD-14) destroyer tender. He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) in February 1942 where he served as a machine gun loader as well as a gunner. He discusses the aftermath of the explosion on the Smith during the Battle of Santa Cruz. He describes the configuration of the artillery as well as the living conditions on the Smith. He was transferred to the USS Sicily (CVE-118) in 1946. After he was discharged from the Navy in December 1948, he became a mason.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies spend billions of tax dollars each year to buy services--from clerical support to information technology assistance to the management of national laboratories. The federal government spent more than $87 billion in services--a 24 percent increase in real terms from fiscal year 1990. Some service procurements are not being done efficiently, putting taxpayer dollars at risk. In particular, agencies are not clearly defining their requirements, fully considering alternative solutions, performing vigorous price analyses, and adequately overseeing contractor performance. This testimony (1) describes service contracting trends and the changing acquisition environment, (2) discusses the challenges confronting the government in acquiring services, and (3) highlights some efforts underway to address these challenges. GAO found that purchases of services now account for about 43 percent of federal contracting expenses--the largest single spending category. The growth of services has been driven largely by the government's increased purchases of information technology services and professional, administrative, and management support services. Poor contract management has undermined the government's ability to obtain good value for the money and continues to be a major problem for the two biggest service purchasers-the Departments of Defense and Energy. …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To better protect the nation's critical computer-dependent infrastructures from computer-based attacks and disruption, the President issued a directive in 1998 that established the National Infrastructure Protection Center as a national focal point for gathering information on threats and facilitating the federal government's response to computer-based incidents. This testimony discusses the center's progress in (1) developing national capabilities for analyzing cyber threat and vulnerability data and issuing warnings, (2) enhancing its capabilities for responding to cyber attacks, and (3) developing outreach and information-sharing initiatives with government and private-sector entities. GAO found that although the center has taken some steps to develop analysis and warning capabilities, the strategic capabilities described in the presidential directive have not been achieved. By coordinating investigations and providing technical assistance the center has provided important support that has improved the Federal Bureau of Investigations' ability to investigate computer crimes. The center has also developed crisis management procedures and drafted an emergency law enforcement sector plan, which is now being reviewed by sector members. The center's information-sharing relationships are still evolving and will probably have limited effectiveness until reporting procedures and thresholds are defined and trust …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has been unable to meet the obligation to its special education students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). By 1998, DCPS was experiencing serious problems in conducting timely hearings requested by parents under IDEA and in issuing final decisions within the required timelines. This resulted in many complaints and law suits by parents. The amount of attorneys' fees awarded to parties who prevailed in the IDEA cases was costly to the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia Appropriations Acts for fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001 limited the amount of appropriated funds that could be paid to an attorney representing a prevailing party in an action brought against DCPS under IDEA. GAO reviewed DCPS's IDEA awards and payments for fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001 to determine if they exceeded the acts' limitations. GAO found that the limitations had little impact on the total amount awarded by the courts for the attorney's fees. The limitations apply only to the amount that the District of Columbia could pay to a prevailing party under IDEA and not the amount that …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This is the third in a series of GAO reports evaluating the military services' efforts to reduce weapons systems operating and support costs. GAO previously reported on Army and Air Force efforts. This report evaluates the Navy and Marine Corps pilot programs. GAO found that the Navy and Marine Corps have begun several efforts to reduce weapon system operating and support costs. For example, they are using an open architecture design method that reduces the cost of component replacement and changes later in system life. In addition, the Navy has other related objectives and initiatives that could significantly reduce operating and support costs. Through these and other initiatives, the Navy and Marine Corps have reported progress in reducing operating and support cost in its pilot programs."