James J. Coon went to war as a way to better his life, hoping to use his soldier's pay to one day buy a house.
SPC James Coon
Step Mom worked at Nordstrom
Was my tailor
Knows my sons and ex
Stracks, Driscolls and Marshalls
ALL KNOWN TO BENNETT
Once in Iraq, he was recognized for his heroism after he jumped from his Humvee in an effort to save two fellow soldiers seriously injured in a roadside bomb explosion.
Then, his family says, a sniper's bullet took his life.
The 22-year-old Army specialist from the San Francisco Bay Area city of Walnut Creek was killed April 4 while on patrol in Balad, north of Baghdad.
The Department of Defense initially listed his cause of death as a roadside bomb explosion. But a co lonel in Coon's unit called the family last week from Iraq to explain that their son had been shot in the head.
Coon's body was returned to his family Thursday.
The soldier's father, Jim, described his son as an outgoing youth who loved hip-hop music and dancing, and excelled in football and darts. Coon had won a national steel-tip dart championship in 2001 and traveled to England as a 16-year-old to represent the United States. He finished fifth.
At 6 feet 6, with a size 14 1/2 shoe, Coon also was a punter on his high school and college football teams. His real love, his father said, was popping wheelies on his motorcycle.
"He was a good athlete as tall as he was," his father said. "He could ride his motorcycle doing a wheelie from one county to the next, even using one hand.
"He was a happy-go-lucky and free-spirited kid without a care in the world. He made friends very easily. It was uncanny how easily he could do that."
Pat Lickiss, principal of Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, said Coon was a "kid who always had a smile on his face. He was a really nice young man. And you can't say that about all kids these days. But you can about James."
Coon, who grew up in Walnut Creek, was practical about his future, his father said. He worked as a supermarket clerk and in a paint store and lawnmower shop. He figured that the military would be a good way to save enough money to buy his own home some day.
He enlisted in September 2005, right after his 21st birthday, and spent six months in Iraq before he was killed.
Jim Coon said he kept in regular touch with his son through e-mails, which the young soldier used to express his growing frustration with the war effort. In one e-mail, the soldier wrote about fighting what he called an unseen enemy: "Dad, I feel like we're fighting ghosts. There's nobody out here to fight."
His father offered support. "James didn't like what was going on in Iraq," he said. "He didn't want to be there. But he was a dedicated soldier who did what he was told."
Last month, Coon attempted a rescue near Baghdad. He was working as a gunner in the hatch of a Humvee on patrol when his unit was struck by a roadside bomb, his father said.
When several soldiers went to investigate, a second bomb detonated, wounding half a dozen men. "He heard them screaming for help, so James told his driver to hold his gun, and he went out, without cover, to help his fellow buddies," his father said. "One guy was a medic, the other a sergeant. He put tourniquets on them. Both later died."
Coon was nominated for a Bronze Star but couldn't understand the honor, his father said. "He said, 'Dad, they're calling me a hero, but all I did was what I thought was right. A lot of kids would have done the same thing.' "
Coon said he had lost his buddies, and that hurt. "He told me, 'The only good thing I had out of this whole thing was taken from me when both those guys passed away,' " his father said.
In a subsequent e-mail to his family, Coon wrote of a lingering depression. "I wanna come home so bad. I don't wanna play Army anymore," he wrote.
Jim Coon said he saw his son in February during a military leave. He will remember him as a big, strapping boy who had yet to figure out a direction in life.
"In his last e-mail, he said he'd die for his brothers, as he called them," his father said. "My boy didn't go down without a fight."
He said that he recently read an entry on his son's MySpace.com website in which he wrote: "My dad is for sure my hero. He is also my best friend."
Said his father: "When I saw that, it tore me up."
In addition to his father, Coon is survived by his stepmother, Marie Coon; two half sisters, Roxanna Coon and Samantha Lares; and his grandparents, Jack and Janet Stahl of Fairfield, Calif.
john.glionna@latimes.com
War casualties
Total U.S. deaths*:
* In and around Iraq**: 3,292
* In and around Afghanistan***: 313
* Other locations***: 61
Source: Department of Defense* Includes military and Department of Defense-employed civilian personnel killed in action and in nonhostile circumstances
**As of Friday
***As of April 7
Bechtel Creates Jobs
Bechtel Creates Mayhem
Mayhem Creates Projects
We need to elevate trains
= Bechtel Build Train Systems
Salvatierra, 39, was a vice president at online payment company PayPal, where he had worked since 2007. Prior to joining PayPal, Salvatierra had worked at eBay, Skype and Goldman Sachs.
December 2013: When the CEO of Accenture viewed my profile he accidently connected Accenture to the Bin Laden Group.
Accenture Management Consulting Information Session
Thursday, September 5, 2013 • 6:30pm–7:30pm
Location
Room 250, GSPP West (1893 Le Roy Ave)
Description
Accenture Management Consulting – US Consultant, 2013-2014 Recruitment
Accenture will be recruiting for both 2014 summer internships and fulltime opportunities. Fulltime recruitment will be focused on San Francisco & Washington DC. Summer internship program is nationwide, including San Francisco. This event is open to all GSPP Students (1st & 2nd yr MPPs), and Masters of Engineering students.
RSVP Deadline: Tuesday September 3rd 11:59 PM
As a consultant, you will work with some of the most prestigious organizations and governments to analyze and address the complex issues they face. We offer clients a unique spectrum of end-to-end management consulting solutions that help them achieve high-performance. With Accenture Management Consulting, you could be involved in the strategic analysis and development, creation, design and build of new business models, through to helping clients integrate and operate them.
THIS EVENT IS ONLY OPEN TO GRADAUTE STUDENTS FROM THE UC BERKELEY SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC POLICY, AND & ENGINEERING
FAIRFAX, Va., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Sysorex Information Systems
announced today a change of its name to Vanstar Government Systems, Inc., a
subsidiary of Vanstar Corporation.
As Vanstar Government Systems, the company now brings greater breadth of
services to federal government customers. Not only are customers able to
access top quality information technology products, but they now enjoy greater
offerings in services such as network infrastructure integration and IT asset
management. These services result from the company's union with Vanstar, a
$2+ billion provider of technology services and products to Fortune 1000--and
now, government--organizations worldwide.
With over 800 Microsoft certified engineers, Vanstar Government Systems
ensures the best in Wintel services, migration and enhancement of network
infrastructures. Vanstar leverages top-notch integration, quality assurance,
shipping and packing through a state-of-the-art ISO 9000-certified MegaCenter
in Indianapolis.
"These are just some of the many enhanced capabilities that will allow us
to better serve our customers," said Carleton S. Jones, president of Vanstar
Government Systems.
The company continues to feature the top products from leading vendors.
As IBM's largest federal reseller, Vanstar provides the best line of PCs,
workstations, and servers from IBM Personal Systems Group. The company also
aligns with top name vendors such as Compaq, Gateway, Lexmark, 3Com, and more.
Products from these companies may be found among Vanstar Government Systems'
PC-2, Portable-2, VA-PCHS, SASS-II contracts and GSA Schedule.
Following the transition to Vanstar Government Systems, federal government
customers can expect:
-- First and foremost, there will be no interruption in service as
integration and delivery functions are transitioned to the MegaCenter
in Indianapolis.
-- Federal government customers will enjoy greater end-to-end IT services
including the ability to purchase top-notch products AND services from
a number of IDIQ and GWAC contracts, GSA Schedule and BPAs.
-- Vanstar Government Systems' unbeatable 3- to 5-year warranty and
maintenance service remains the same.
-- The company's toll-free number and Web site address will change.
Government customers can still reach Vanstar at 1-888-797-6739
(1-888-SYSOREX) until a new number can be assigned. The Web site
address is now www.vanstargov.com. The former Web site will direct
customers to the new site through the end of May.
Vanstar Government Systems, a subsidiary of Vanstar, provides information
technology products and integration services to customers throughout
government. The company became a Vanstar division in July 1997. Vanstar
Corporation is a $2.2 billion provider of services and products to design,
build, manage and enhance computer network infrastructures of Fortune 1000
companies and other large enterprises. The company provides customized,
integrated solutions through comprehensive Life Cycle Services and extensive
technology consulting through its Professional Services Organization. For
more information on Vanstar and Vanstar Government Systems, please visit the
companies' Web sites at http://www.vanstar.com and http://www.vanstargov.com
SOURCE Vanstar Government Systems, Inc.
Osama bin Laden family members invested $10M in an equity
fund run by former Bechtel unit. May 5, 2003: 2:17 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Bush administration launched a war on terror because
of the alleged acts of Osama bin Laden. Ironically, one of the companies the administration
has picked to rebuild Iraq after the latest phase of that war has ties to bin Laden's
family, according to a published report.
Bechtel Corp., a private construction firm based in San Francisco, recently was
awarded a State Department contract, potentially worth more than $600 million, to
help rebuild Iraq's infrastructure after the recent U.S.-led war there.
The Bush administration pushed for that war, in part, because it said the regime
of Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, had ties to the al Qaeda terror network,
headed by bin Laden, the group allegedly responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks in the United States.
According to an article in the May 5 issue of New Yorker magazine, several
bin Laden family members -- part of a large, Saudi Arabian family that made a fortune
in the construction business -- invested about $10 million in a private equity fund
operated by former subsidiary of Bechtel before Sept. 11.
Fremont Group, a San Francisco-based private investment firm, once was a unit of
Bechtel, and its board still includes Bechtel CEO Riley P. Bechtel and former U.S.
Secretary of State and former Bechtel President George P. Shultz, along with several
current Bechtel directors.
Bechtel could not be reached for comment.
Fremont spokeswoman Pat Harden confirmed bin Laden's family had invested $10 million
in a Fremont fund, but she said the family had no ownership stake in Fremont and
its investment was made "well before the events of Sept. 11."
"Our concern is that it be clear they're investors, like many, in one of our many
private equity funds," Harden said, noting that the Patriot Act of 2001 requires
such investors to be screened for connections to terrorism. "This is all totally
legal and above-board."
Harden didn't know exactly when bin Laden's family invested in the equity fund.
Fremont general counsel Rick Kopf told the New Yorker bin Laden's family
had invested nothing in Fremont since Sept. 11.
None of bin Laden's family members has been charged with any crimes, and the family
denounced Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s. Some family members also have publicly
denounced the Sept. 11 attacks.
Saying they feared for their safety, about two dozen family members living in the
United States left the country as soon as airports re-opened after Sept. 11.
POSTED: 03/17/2009 08:20:04 PM PDT |UPDATED: 7 YEARS AGO
Note: Contra Costa Times reporter Michael Taugher left BANG to Dept. of Fish and Game as PIO, he drowns and this same club lead to State Senator Don Perata daughter in-law drowned months apart and near President Obama there is the death of Ashley Turton but near Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton is Ambassador Stevens death in Benghazi.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, of Alamo, is the Obama administration's pick for a key State Department post for arms control issues.
Tauscher is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable members of Congress on the nation's nuclear arsenal and a moderate who walks a fine line to balance support for nuclear weapons research at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, which is in her district, and the demands of peace activists.
"There is some skepticism among the nuclear control and disarmament community," said Christopher Paine, nuclear program director for the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council.
Paine nonetheless called the pick a good one.
"Certainly, she has the potential to do a terrific job," Paine said.
Tauscher has not been vetted for the job, a process that can take weeks or months. The position also requires Senate confirmation. If Tauscher is appointed, a special election would be held to replace her for the rest of her two-year term ending January 2011.
The choice of Tauscher was first reported by The Associated Press. Congressional sources confirmed the AP's story for MediaNews.
If confirmed as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, Tauscher would serve as a senior adviser on arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament issues to the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Tauscher supported in last year's Democratic presidential primaries.
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Experts said that among the tasks Tauscher would take on would be working with Russia to reduce nuclear stockpiles in the two countries, dealing with countries who might be seeking nuclear power and trying to limit small arms markets around the world.
The highest profile arms control challenges — Iran and North Korea, for example — would more likely be dealt with within the White House between President Barack Obama and the National Security Council, said Steven Weber, director of UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies.
"There's some other issues we don't want to forget about," Weber said.
Developing a coherent approach to nations that are seeking nuclear power — and that therefore could eventually develop nuclear weapons — could be a key task facing the next undersecretary, Weber said.
"It's wrong to say you can wall off military uses for nuclear power," he said. "It's going to be managing the process inside the government and coming up with a coherent position for the government."
Tauscher, 57, was first elected to Congress in 1996 after an upset of two-term Republican incumbent Bill Baker. Tauscher, a wealthy former investment banker, spent $1.7 million of her own money on the election.
The chairman of a coalition of centrist congressional Democrats, Tauscher has remained moderate on political issues, occasionally angering more liberal members of her party.
Tauscher chairs the strategic forces subcommittee, which oversees the nation's nuclear weapons.
"She knows the U.S. nuclear arsenal better than probably any other member of Congress at this point," said Stephen Young, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "She doesn't have as much background on arms control as other candidates, but I expect her to be a quick study."
Some activists remain unsatisfied with Tauscher's stances on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to bankruptcy reform and have called in recent years for someone to challenge her in a Democratic primary election.
She was challenged in last year's general election by Republican Nicholas Gerber of Moraga, who got 31.1 percent of the vote.
The 10th District includes much of eastern and central Contra Costa County as well as Livermore in Alameda County; Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City and Elmira in Solano County; and Isleton and Walnut Grove in Sacramento County. The most recent voter-registration reports show the district is about 47 percent Democrat, 29 percent Republican and 20 percent decline-to-state.
Staff writer Josh Richman contributed to this story.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher
Residence: Alamo
Education: B.A., Seton Hall University, 1973
Background: Wall Street investment banker, 1974-1988; founder and CEO of Child Care Registry, 1992-1996
First Elected: 1996, beating two-term incumbent Bill Baker
Leadership positions: Chairwoman, Strategic Forces Subcommittee of House Armed Services Committee; chairwoman, New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist congressional Democrats.
BRIGHTSOURCE ENERGY OFFERED NEARLY $1.4 BILLION IN LOAN GUARANTEES FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
(OAKLAND, CA) February 22, 2010 – BrightSource Energy, Inc., developer of utility-scale solar thermal power plants, announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally committed to provide $1.37 billion in loan guarantees to support the financing of BrightSource’s Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.
The commitment to provide loan guarantees marks a key milestone in the development of the Ivanpah project, California’s first large-scale commercial solar thermal power plant in nearly two decades. When constructed, Ivanpah will be the world’s largest solar energy project, nearly doubling the amount of solar thermal electricity produced in the US today.
“This clean-energy investment will help create up to 1,000 construction jobs in California,” said California Senator Barbara Boxer. “In these tough times, we need investments like this to create good clean-energy jobs for Californians, increase our energy independence, protect our children from pollution and ensure American leadership in the clean energy economy.”
“As home to some of the world’s best solar fields and the nation’s largest green economy, it is no surprise the world’s largest solar energy project would choose California,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Our ambitious environmental policies are promoting the growth of clean, reliable energy in our communities and growing green jobs up and down the state. And, it is projects like this one that will help us meet our long-term energy and climate change goals while creating jobs and moving us towards a cleaner more sustainable future.”
"I am very happy to see utility-scale solar projects like this one moving forward with strong Administration support, and I am hopeful that this project will serve as a cornerstone of the clean energy economy in the Southwestern U.S.,” said Nevada Senator Harry Reid. “I look forward to BrightSource and other solar companies putting more Nevadans to work by building major projects like this in Nevada very soon."
“The loan guarantee commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy serves as a tremendous validation of our technology, the BrightSource team’s ability to execute, and the Ivanpah project’s role in meeting our nation’s large-scale renewable energy needs,” said John Woolard, CEO of BrightSource Energy. “We’re truly humbled by the opportunity to help build our nation’s green energy economy by creating good jobs for local communities. We look forward to beginning construction on the Ivanpah project, making a real and substantive impact on climate change, and creating a model for environmentally-responsible energy projects.”
The loan guarantee is made possible by the Department of Energy’s Title XVII loan guarantee program, which was started in 2005 under the Energy Policy Act to support commercially proven technology in addition to innovative renewable energy technology. Under Section 1703 of the program, the Department of Energy issues a conditional commitment to guarantee loans to be provided by the U.S. Treasury’s Federal Financing Bank. Execution of the final loan guarantees is subject to the satisfaction of various conditions specified in the conditional commitment.
The Ivanpah Project: Clean Energy, Union Jobs, Environmentally-Responsible Design The Ivanpah project, located in southeastern California, is an approximately 400 megawatt solar power facility consisting of three separate solar thermal power plants. When constructed, the project will produce enough clean energy to power 140,000 homes and nearly double the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the U.S. today.
The power generated from these solar plants will be sold under separate contracts with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE). PG&E will purchase approximately two-thirds of the power generated at Ivanpah and SCE will purchase approximately one-third. In all, BrightSource has contracted with PG&E and SCE to deliver more than 2,600 megawatts of electric power.
"In today’s challenging economy, the conditional loan guarantee commitment from the DOE for the Ivanpah project provides vital support for building California’s first utility-scale solar thermal project in nearly two decades," said Peter A. Darbee, PG&E Corporation Chairman, CEO and President. "We’re thrilled to be a part of this historic project, which will deliver additional clean energy to our customers and help advance California's renewable energy and economic development goals."
“The conditional loan guarantee commitment from the DOE for the Ivanpah project illustrates the important role that utility-scale solar must play in meeting our state’s clean energy and economic goals,” said Pedro Pizarro, executive vice president of Power Operations for Southern California Edison. “Addressing climate change and building our economy requires that we bring innovative technologies to market that can reliably deliver competitively priced clean energy at scale.”
Ivanpah: Creating Union Jobs BrightSource and Bechtel, the engineering and construction contractor for the Ivanpah project, estimate that construction of the Ivanpah project will require approximately four million job hours of work and 1,000 union jobs at the peak of construction. In December 2009, Bechtel signed a project labor agreement with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC) and the Building & Construction Trades Council of San Bernardino and Riverside counties to ensure that California’s local workforce benefits from the project. The project will also provide $400 million in local and state tax revenues, and produce $650 million in wages, over its first 30-year life.
“We are pleased that President Obama’s vision of a clean energy economy creating thousands of good jobs is beginning to become a reality” said Bob Balgenorth, President of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. “By committing to a union workforce, this project will be training and employing the middle class workers that support our state’s economy.”
Ivanpah: An Environmentally-Responsible Project The Ivanpah project will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually, which is the equivalent of taking more than 70,000 cars off the road. The project is also designed in an environmentally responsible manner. Instead of the extensive land grading and concrete pads employed by other competing solar technologies, BrightSource mounts mirrors on individual poles that are placed directly into the ground, allowing the solar field to be built around the natural contours of the land and avoid areas of sensitive plant species.
In order to conserve precious desert water, the Ivanpah project will employ an air-cooling system to convert the steam back into water in a closed-loop cycle. By using dry-cooling, the project will use only 100 acre feet of water per year; less than ten percent of the water used by the adjacent golf course and 25 times less water than competing solar thermal technologies that use wet-cooling.
In addition to employing an environmentally low impact technology, the company recently submitted an alternative design for the Ivanpah project, which would further reduce the project’s footprint and significantly minimize any potential environmental impacts. The alternative mitigation proposal and the DOE loan guarantee represent two key steps towards the construction of the Ivanpah project.
The Ivanpah project is scheduled to begin construction in the second half of 2010 following issuance of permits by the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. The project has also been identified as a “fast-track” priority by the U.S. Department of Interior for obtaining federal stimulus benefits for California under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
In September 2009, BrightSource selected Bechtel as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the Ivanpah project. Bechtel Enterprises, the project development and financing arm of the Bechtel organization, has committed to become an equity investor in all of the Ivanpah solar power plants. In December 2008, BrightSource signed an agreement with Siemens for the largest ever solar-powered steam turbine generator, which will be used for the first of the three Ivanpah plants.
“The DOE Loan Guarantee program serves as a tremendous catalyst for building our clean energy infrastructure,” said Ian Copeland, president of Bechtel Renewables. “The Ivanpah project will usher in a new era of advanced solar power, and help the state and local economies by providing new jobs. We are pleased to not only support BrightSource as the engineering and construction contractor but also as an investor, which reflects our confidence in the project and our commitment to developing clean, renewable power projects.”
Luz Power Tower 550 (LPT 550) Technology The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Facility will utilize BrightSource Energy’s proven Luz Power Tower 550 technology (LPT 550). The system produces electricity the same way as traditional power plants – by creating high temperature steam to turn a turbine. However, instead of using fossil fuels or nuclear power to create the steam, BrightSource uses sunlight, reflected by thousands of small mirrors called heliostats onto a boiler filled with water that sits atop a tower. When the sunlight hits the boiler, the water inside is heated and creates high temperature steam. The steam is then piped to a conventional turbine which generates electricity. This fully integrated system takes advantage of high operating efficiencies and low capital costs to provide reliable and low-cost carbon-free energy.
Today, the company’s LPT 550 solar system is employed at the Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC) in Israel’s Negev Desert. Operating over the past year, the SEDC is producing the world’s highest temperature turbine quality steam from solar energy.
For its technological leadership, BrightSource was selected as a 2009 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. The only solar company to win the prestigious award in 2009, BrightSource Energy was recognized for helping global utility and industrial customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by providing clean, low-cost and reliable solar energy.
###
About BrightSource Energy, Inc. BrightSource Energy, Inc. provides clean, reliable and low cost solar energy for utility and industrial companies worldwide. The BrightSource Energy team combines nearly three decades of experience designing, building and operating the world’s largest solar energy plants with world-class project development capabilities. The company now has contracted to sell more than 2.6 gigawatts of power to be generated using its proprietary solar thermal technology. BrightSource Energy’s solar plants are designed to minimize their impact on the environment and help customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., BrightSource Energy is a privately held company with operations in the United States, Israel, and Australia. To learn more about BrightSource Energy and solar thermal energy, visit www.brightsourceenergy.com.
