InfraGard Members Alliance Houston

TxWARN is becoming a valuable asset to the State of Texas

National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC), a division of the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)

TxWARN is becoming a valuable asset to the State of Texas. It’s only March, but it has already been a busy year for TxWARN Members.

The Texas based National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) has developed a 4-hr workshop on EPA's Emergency Response Toolbox for local officials. This course was presented during the Texas Homeland Security Conference. This course and other water security courses developed by NERRTC can be presented in your community free of charge. Information on scheduling NERRTC courses and other water sector presentations during the Texas Homeland Security Conference.

http://www.teex.com/nerrtc

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/

https://hseep.dhs.gov/pages/1001_HSEEP7.aspx

Contributed by: E. Charles Sterling

Quarterly meeting announcement (May 2010)

The next quarterly Houston InfraGard meeting will be held at the National Weather Service Office and Galveston County Office of Emergency Management on: Thursday, May 13, 2010 from 1:00 to 4:00pm.

We will have a brief business meeting and hold election of officers at that time. The National Weather Service will be providing a briefing on the 2010 Hurricane season, and there will be a brief presentation and tour of the GCOEM.

Additional information regarding the agenda, slate, and venue will be posted on the website prior the meeting. Please refer to the "events" tab for additional information.

Please save the date for this event.

Militants bomb Moscow metro -- 38 dead

Russia was in shock Monday after militants bombed two subway stations during morning rush hour, killing 38 people and injuring 102.  It was the worst attack in Moscow since the February 2004 suicide bombings that killed at least 39 people on a subway train.  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered security beefed up on subways, train stations and airports across the country, adding that Moscow would "fight terror without hesitation until the end."  The Moscow metro, built in the 1930s, has in the past been a popular terror target: Armenian separatists first attacked it in 1997.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Militants_bomb_Moscow_metro_38_dead_999.html

Contributed by: E. Charles Sterling

Nanotechnology Will Soon Take on Pirates

Is it metal, is it a wireless communication device, is it an inventory system, is it a storm tracking device, is it a clothing store purchasing system, is it a Private Investigator - no it is Nanotechnology!

Nanotechnology, the miracle material, is about to take on a new role—fighting pirates who plunder cargo ships in places such as the coast of Somalia and the Strait of Malacca.  A great example of Nanotechnology is the Piranha unmanned surface vessel (USV). It’s a composite boat that’s currently being developed for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The 5th generation material is stronger and stiffer than conventional carbon fiber. “The materials allow it to be a generation ahead of any other composite, and two generations ahead of an aluminum boat. It has far more range and payload carrying ability, as it has lower structural and propulsion needs.”

http://www.assemblymag.com/Articles/Blog/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000787224

Contributed by: Charles Sterling

100 cars disabled via internet

Great example of things that can go wrong when people continue to have access, or know other users ID's and passwords.  Full article.

Thanks to Alvin Haynes

The Houston Chapter would like to thank Alvin Haynes for volunteering to support the recent primary elections in Harris County on March 2, 2010.  The Houston Chapter has assisted Harris County in recent years providing technical support for voting machines in the precincts.  Thanks Alvin!

DoD issues official policy on New/Social Media

The Department of Defense released its official policy on new/social media today.  The policy (Directive-Type Memorandum 09-026), which is effective immediately, states that the default for the DoD non-classified network (the NIPRNET) is for open access so that all of DoD can use new media. This is DoD’s first official policy on new media.  Prior to today, the Services and other DoD components developed and implemented their own ad hoc policies — some banning it all together.  Under this new policy, there will be open and consistent access across the board, but prohibited content sites (gambling, pornography, hate-crime activities) will still be blocked.  Also, Commanders at all levels and heads of DoD components will continue to keep networks safe from malicious activity and take actions, as required, to safeguard missions. 

 

Full article at: http://socialmedia.defense.gov/index.php/2010/02/26/dod-official-policy-on-newsocial-media/