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HSPI - Preparedness, Response & Resilience Task Force

The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute

HSPI's Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Task Force brings together experts from government, academia, and the private and non-profit sectors to consider contemporary policy issues facing the nation's homeland security, first responder, and emergency management communities. To this end, the Task Force convenes sessions with the nation's policymakers and publishes policy papers and reports with actionable policy recommendations for the future.  The Task Force is predicated on the idea that a more nuanced approach to these policy issues can contribute to a greater level of resiliency for all levels of government, the private sector, and the public writ large.

Recent considerations of the Task Force include the meaning of resiliency; the critical junctures that exist between policy and implementation; the nexus between preparedness, response, and resilience; and the future of resiliency as it relates to a diverse and changing operational environment.

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History Is Made in Australia

by Al Gore - huffingtonpost.com - November 8, 2011

      

Former Vice President Al Gore in his home office in Nashville, TN. (Time magazine)

This is a historic moment. Australia's Parliament has put the nation's first carbon price into law. With this vote, the world has turned a pivotal corner in the collective effort to solve the climate crisis. This success is the result of the tireless work of an unprecedented coalition that came together to support the legislation, the leadership of Prime Minister Gillard, and the courage of legislators to take a vote that helps to safeguard the future of all Australians.

I have spent enough time in Australia to know that their spirit of independence as a people cannot be underestimated. As the world's leading coal exporter, there's no doubt that opposition to this legislation was fierce. But through determination and commitment, the voice of the people of Australia has rung out loud and clear.

Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we do everything we can to ensure that this legislation is successful.

Cross-posted from Al's Journal.

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Summary for About Section

Here is a strawman summary for the About sections in the US Resilience Systems and their Resilience Network subsystems.

Many Americans are feeling a decline in their quality of life and funcitonal life capacity if they do not actively engage in more resilient and sustainable community.  Increasing numbers are committed to making sure that the food they are eating is healthy, and the water they are drinking is pure, sufficient in quanity for their consumption and food production, and will not be contaminated.  They want to live and work within communities in which economic deline and high energy spikes will not compromise their abiiity to travel to work, or heat and cool their homes.  They want to live within a social ecology in which they are not at risk of going without essential health care or of losing their homes.  Resilience Systems and their Resilience Networks provide essential infrastructures to ensuring these basic needs as the U.S. faces more challenging times ahead.

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Tag Line

Let's explore potential Taglines 

 

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Existing About Section

About the US Resilience System

What is the "Resilience System"?

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Protests in Occupy Oakland are Deepening and Broadening, But Perhaps in the Wrong Direction

One of the concerns from within the Occupy Movement, as well as from outside observers is that police violence is redirecting the energy of the protests into clashes between protesters and the police toward an escalating Victim - Villain - Hero cycle in which violence action is percevied as essential action between increasingly large crowds of citizens and law enforcement.  Increasing reports of police violence and charges are police brutality in many cities seem to be fueling larger and larger crowds inflamed by the injustice of the use of violence by the police against non-violent protesters and reporters acting within their legal rights. 

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Social Media in Emergency Response: Transforming the Response Enterprise

 

2011 Social Media in Emergency Management Camp
By harnessing the collective power of citizens and engaging communities in their own response and recovery, social media have the power to revolutionize emergency management. Yet, many challenges
including guidelines for use by response agencies, demonstration of value, and characterization of reliability
must be addressed if the potential of social media is to be fully realized in emergency response and relief efforts in the United States. Please join us for this presentation and panel discussion, which will be chaired by Dr. Clarence Wardell of CNA and will feature findings from the report, 2011 Social Media + Emergency Management Camp: Transforming the Response Enterprise.

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Video - Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?

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Is Fracking Behind Oklahoma’s Earthquakes? - (Includes Link to Study - 31 Pages)

Reuters - November 7, 2011

One of the strongest earthquakes in the history of Oklahoma hit near the town of Sparks on Saturday night. At 5.6 in magnitude, it was the bell-ringer of a series of shakes. What is not clear is where this unusual seismic activity is coming from. The Oklahoman reported:

After the main shock, there were 12 temblors registering at magnitudes of 3.0 or higher and more than 70 quakes with magnitudes of 1.0 to 2.5, Oklahoma Geological Survey research scientist Amie Gibson said Sunday.

“We really hope that the 5.6 was the main shock because I don’t want to see anything like that again, personally. It would be ignorant to assume anything right now, because who would assume that we’d have the two biggest ones in one day?” Gibson said.

Before Saturday night, the strongest earthquake recorded was April 9, 1952, in El Reno, according to the geological survey. Its magnitude was 5.5.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Don Blakeman said the agency doesn’t know why Saturday’s quakes struck so close together.

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