by Donna L. Quesinberry
Government Business Examiner

A list of upcoming events in the Washington DC Metropolitan area for September 2010. Each month the Government Business Examiner (GBE) will post upcoming events  a week prior to the onset of the month they are in. Normally this is enough time to register; however, some events fill early – the GBE may post an annual calendar starting 2011 to cover those events that fill early in the season.

We hope to see you there!

• 1 September 2010 – Newsmaker Luncheon: Heading for Homeplate. Our speaker is Mike Scott of NortonScott, the developer that is bringing in a huge two hundred acre of mixed use development at the intersection of Routes 7 and 28. The development, called Kincora, will include a new state of the art baseball stadium complete with a AAA baseball team. Baseball is coming to the Dulles Region! Developer Mike Scott discusses the just-approved Kincora project, that crowns 200 acres of mixed use development with a baseball stadium and a AAA team. When: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Location: The National Conference Center 18980 Upper Belmont Place Lansdowne, VA. Cost: $45 Members; $60 Non-Members. Attend Event

• 1 September 2010 – The Power Conference: Women Doing Business! is designed to promote business development for women in business through networking, education, and marketing opportunities. Workshops will cover three areas: Business Development & Contracting, Technology & Marketing; and Personal Development for Business Growth. Sam Horn, bestselling author of POP Stand Out in a Crowd, will deliver a Keynote Workshop. A keynote luncheon panel moderated by ABC News Anchor Maureen Bunyan will discuss the power of and resources for women-owned businesses. Great speakers, amazing networking, wonderful content. When: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Bethesda Marriott Conference Center 5701 Marinelli Road Bethesda, MD 20852 Parking: hourly and daily rates. Nearest Metro: White Flint. Cost: Registration before Aug 15: $109; Registration after Aug 15: $149; Lunch + Expo ONLY: $65. Attend Event.

• 2 September 2010 – Empowering Your Agency Adobe Creative Suite 5 FREE Demo. Time: 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM Cost: Free. Location: Marriott Metro Center, Washington, DC. Register now!

• 7 September 2010 – Maryland Hispanic Business Conference 2010. The 2010 Maryland Hispanic Business Conference (MDHBC) is the premier Hispanic Business event in the entire Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, serving more than 20,000 Hispanic businesses in Maryland. The event is a joint collaboration of the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of Maryland, Baltimore and Montgomery County, in close cooperation with government agencies that support business and economic development. The Conference hosts different workshops, business and networking sessions focused on creating opportunities for participants from all industries and promoting business relationships. When: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Location: Hyatt Regency Bethesda One Bethesda Metro Center 7400 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814. Cost: $35 to $125. Attend Event.

• 7 – 8 September 2010 – Enterprise Architecture Conference & Exhibition. EA for External Collaboration. The Internal Sell – Demonstrating the Value of EA. Establishing EA and IT Governance. EA’s Role in Preventing Cyber Attacks. EA and Transparency. A Middle-Out EA Approach to System Modernization. Launching SOA Governance. How to Mature Your Organization’s EA Program. EA and Cloud Computing # Data Center Architecture. Using EA to Centralize and Streamline Services. Agile FSAM. Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC. Register Now!

• 9 September 2010 – Sterling Women Luncheon. September Speaker – Karen Schaufeld – 100 Women Strong. STERLING WOMEN was originally founded to provide a networking opportunity for business women in the Sterling, Virginia area. The quality of our speakers and the interest from our sponsors has boosted the overwhelming popularity of our new organization. Word has spread across Loudoun and beyond! While we plan to honor the program’s initial intent and continue to bring Sterling professionals together, we want to also encourage the monthly gathering of business women from across Loudoun, as well as outside its borders. When: 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Location: National Conference Center, 18980 Upper Belmont Place, Leesburg, VA 20176. Cost: $45, $100 display table, other sponsorships avail. Attend Event.

• 12 September 2010 – The MBA Tour: Get ready to meet with TOP Business Schools! Admission representatives from top business schools worldwide are coming to the US to meet with potential MBA students as part of a national American tour through Fall 2010. The MBA Tour offers unique event formats and features: – MBA Panel Presentations: Cover all your basic MBA application questions before speaking one on one with reps – Individual School Presentations: Admissions directors give 30 to 40 minute presentations. Learn a lot in little time! – Open Fair: Meet one on one with admission directors and alumni. When: 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington VA 22202. Cost: $5 if you pre-register online/$10 cash if you register at the door. Attend Event.

• 14 September 2010 – DoD Network Solutions Forum: Delivering Secure Support to the Warfighters. No organization controls more resources—personnel, computing power, weaponry, and communications networks—than the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Deployed worldwide in force, the department’s demands for 24×7, redundant, and secure networks is parallel to none. Given these requirements, the DoD needs superior technology, strategies, and support to meet its dynamic missions and to maintain operational readiness. Join Defense Systems and Federal Computer Week, in partnership with McAfee, as we bring together a premier group of DoD decision-makers and industry experts responsible for developing and implementing DoD network requirements and programs that impact daily operations and outcomes. Time: 7:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Where: Crystal City Marriott, Arlington, VA. Cost: FREE. Register now!

• 14 September 2010 - Effective R&D SOPs, Process Maps, & the Quality System. This one day interactive briefing goes well beyond an introduction to the basics of SOP writing. It covers: (i)the latest methodologies, approaches, tools and technology for the development and implementation of R&D SOPs (ii) latest thinking on best practice and (iii) what industry leaders are already doing, and what everyone should be doing to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and Quality Assurance. A briefing essential for SOPs writers, R&D pharma and biotech staff, QA auditors and managers, and training managers and staff involved in SOPs, SOP training and the quality system. When: 8 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. Location: Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center 3800 Reservoir Rd NW Washington, DC 20007. Cost: Standard rate: $899; Non-profit, Govt & Educational Institutions rate: $649. Attend Event.

• 14 September 2010 – Women’s Entrepreneurship: Why NOW Is Your Time. According to a recent report released by Ernst & Young, “the evidence is compelling that women can be powerful drivers of economic development”. But how do we do that? This lively and interactive session will take a look at the facts around women’s entrepreneurship and offer suggestions for moving the needle of progress forward for women business owners. Featured presenter Julie Lenzer Kirk, CEO Path Forward Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is author of “The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business” and Chair of WPO’s DC Chapter. When: 4:30pm – 7pm. Location: Shulman Rogers Law Firm 12505 Park Potomac Avenue 6th Floor Potomac, MD 20854. Cost: Members: Pre-8/31 $35; After 8/31 $45; Non-Members: Pre-8/31 $55; After 8/31 $65; Walk In: Members $ Attend Event.

• 21 September 2010 – Renewable Energy 101: Tapping into New Sources of Energy and Money for Housing and Community Development Projects. When: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Location: Hotel Monaco Alexandria 480 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314. Cost: $545-$695. Attend Event.

• 21 September 2010 – Competitor False Advertising Litigation: A Mock Temporary Restraining Order Hearing. Leading attorneys and professionals in false advertising disputes and a sitting Federal District Court Judge will present a seminar containing: A mock temporary restraining order(TRO) hearing on a TRO judge’s viewpoint on successful Lanham Act advocacy claim; Strategies for both the affirmative case and defenses in the TRO context; Planning for the follow-on preliminary injunction hearing (e.g., witnesses, documents, experts, costs); How to approach expedited discovery; Implementing a survey in a short time frame; and The NAD perspective. When: 7:30-8:00 a.m. EDT Registration and continental breakfast; 8:00-10:00 a.m. EDT Program with Q&A. Location: Arnold & Porter LLP, 1600 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, VA 22102. Cost: No Charge. Attend Event.

• 21 – 22 September 2010 – Delivering Command Information to the Tactical Edge. Time: 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Where: Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, Arlington, VA. Cost: FREE. Register now!

• 22 September 2010 – The Sandwich Generation. “A Skill Set for Coping with Adolescents and Aging Parents” Join us for a FREE CEU program, awarding category I for 3 contact hours (social workers). Adult children often find themselves dealing with conflicts in their roles as both parent and adult child. This workshop helps empower attendees to develop a skill set for coping with their challenging teens and difficult older parents. The presentation will review the best strategies mid-generation adults can use to cope effectively with troubling teens and difficult parents. Discussion, role plays and case studies will be used. When: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Location: 8300 Burdette Road, Bethesda, MD 20817. Cost: free.

• 22 September 2010 – Bluestar Webinar – Discover How to Reduce Your Patient Transportation Times up to 44% and Increase Customer Care. When: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone. Webinar. Register Today!

• 22 September 2010 – MD-AEP’S Environmental Leadership Series Special Event: Honoring Dr. Rita Colwell, The 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Winner. Please join us as we honor Dr. Rita Colwell, this year’s winner of the Stockholm Water Prize and distinguished professor of the University of Maryland and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, at a special event the National Press Club. Dr. Colwell is one of America’s great science ambassadors and a global leader regarding the discoveries of waterborne diseases and the intersections of climate change, water and public health. “As a result of her work, scientists are now able to link changes in the natural environment to the spread of disease. When: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Location: National Press Club 529 14th Street First Amendment Room Washington, DC 20045. Cost: $50 early-bird tickets before September 3. Attend Event.

• 23 September 2010 – Entrepreneur Ted Leonsis Shares His Life List. Enjoy an evening with internet pioneer, entrepreneur, and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Tonight, he shares what he considers the most valuable life habits he has achieved from creating and completing items from his life list. When: 6:45 p.m. – 9 p.m. Location: Natural History Museum, 10th and Constitution. Cost: $15 members, $25 nonmembers. Attend Event.

• 23 September 2010 – Citizen Services and State & Local Governments: The Case for Storage Virtualization. You’ll hear from senior government leaders and industry executives on the role of storage virtualization in meeting the evolving data management needs of state and local governments, including migration, management, security and access. When: 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Where: The Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Cost: FREE. Register now!

• 23 September 2010 – Hispanic Business Reception: Let’s Tango Into Success. 7th annual Hispanic Business Reception. Guest speaker is Jorge Haddock, new Dean of GMU’s School of Management. Entertainment includes Tango by Ponti and Andean music by Tinkuy, food compliments of area restaurants. When: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Location: Cox Communications 3080 Centreville Road Herndon, VA 20171. Attend Event.

• 23 September 2010 – Forte Forum: The MBA Value Proposition. Thinking about an MBA? Don’t miss the premier MBA event for women! The Forte Foundation invites you to attend a Forte Forum event to learn, network, and discover what an MBA can do for your career. Meet with admissions representatives from over 35 top business schools across the country and talk to GMAT test-preparation companies. Learn from the experiences of MBA alumnae and current employees at prestigious companies. When: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Location: Marriott Crystal Gateway 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, VA 22202. Cost: Registration is $10. Attend Event.

• 24 September 2010 – Green Business Awards Breakfast 2010. The Green Business Awards breakfast brings together companies from all over Greater Washington that are working to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into their businesses and community work. When: 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Location: Willard Intercontinental Washington D.C. 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. Cost: $95.00 – $2500.00. Attend Event.

• 26 September 2010 – Kits Miracle Mile. Rejoicing in the Triumphs of Survivors with Brain Injuries-Proceeds Benefit Brain Injury Services, Proud Partner, VA Wounded Warrior Program – Northern Region Sunday, September 26th 2010 George Mason University, Fairfax VA 7:30am Registration 9:00am Run/Walk-10k & 2 Mile Start 9:15 Kids fun run. Cost: $25.00. Attend Event.

• 30 September 2010 – Leadership Boot Camp for Women. Leadership Boot Camp is an inspiring one-day workshop for women designed to accelerate your career success. Whether you are an individual contributor looking to emerge as the go-to person in your workplace or a manager who desires to hone your leadership skills and more effectively empower your team, Boot Camp provides a giant step towards fulfilling those goals. Spend the day with leadership experts and best-selling authors Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch and learn practical methods you can use immediately to influence outcomes and inspire others! When: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Lunch is provided). Location: The Mason Inn Conference Center & Hotel* 4352 Mason Pond Drive Fairfax, Virginia 22030 *Discounted rates are available on overnight accommodations.
  Cost: $475 if register on or before 8/31/10, $595 if register after 8/31/10. Attend Event.

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Quote: “As our economy faces up to potential labor shortages due to our aging population and as it moves to a new level of sophistication to compete with the rest of the world, we’re going to need every Australian on board pulling their weight, rejoining the workforce, gaining new skills. Writing off individuals and communities suffering from poverty just creates a dead weight for our economy to drag along.” Julia Gillard.

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by Donna L. Quesinberry
National Writing Examiner

The author and her husband got pregnant easily and after that everything was hard. In elegant, spare prose, Ariel Balter unflinchingly and courageously chronicles the couple’s five-year-long quest to have a child on the front-lines of the fertility industry. And though the journey ends successfully, this is not a simplistic or feel-good story. Instead, The Maternity Labyrinth raises difficult questions not only about the costs-emotional, financial, moral- of assisted reproduction but also the very human desire to become a parent. Balter has written a moving, graceful and deeply honest book.

Alexandra Enders, Author of Bride Island

The Maternity Labyrinth offers a window into the very personal experience of one woman as she navigates the often bewildering, frustrating, dehumanizing and heart-wrenching experience of family building for the infertile. Ariel Balter gives voice to this experience and to the feelings that accompany it – a voice that will be welcome to many who feel alone in their struggle through the labyrinth.

Shana (Susan) G. Millstein, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics,
University of California, San Francisco

The Maternity Labyrinth is a must read for anyone who has gone through fertility treatments, assisted reproductive technology procedures or experienced the terrible tensions between hope and fear integral to the process. Professionals working in the fields of Infertility, Assisted Reproductive Technology, Maternity and Maternal Mental Health need this book as do family members and anyone who wants to understand the emotional nooks and crannies of playing against the odds to have a baby of one’s own. The Maternity Labyrinth is a treasured gift to all of us-making sense of the twenty-first century new world of Fertility through the words of a mother who has lived it from the inside.

Diane Ehrensaft, Author of Mommies, Daddies, Donors, Surrogates:
Answering Tough Questions and Building Strong Families

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About the Author: Ariel Balter earned a BA in psychology from Bryn Mawr College and an MA and PhD in English from Tufts University. Over the past fifteen years she has taught English and writing at various universities, colleges, and high schools, presented papers at academic conferences, and published several academic essays, including an article on Edith Wharton and one on James Weldon Johnson.

The Maternity Labyrinth is her first work of creative nonfiction. She is currently working on a novel.

Ariel Balter lives in California with her husband and daughter.

by Donna L. Quesinberry
Government Business Examiner

You Can Help DoD Be More Efficient

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is asking all DoD military and civilian employees to submit their ideas to save money, avoid cost, reduce cycle time and increase the agility of the Department.

This contest, called the INVEST Awards, will reward with cash prizes those who submit the best ideas for improving efficiency.

Ideas will be accepted via this website from Monday, Aug. 9th through Friday, Sept. 24. Twenty-five final winners will be announced in October.

If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQs or email INVEST@osd.mil

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Quote: “Here is my first principle of foreign policy: good government at home.“ William E. Gladstone

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by Donna L. Quesinberry
National Writing Examiner

The vampire and wolfbane young adult romance legacy continues with Linger, Maggie Stiefvater’s latest novel release. Linger is available for purchase 20 July 2010 and has been available in pre-release on Amazon for awhile now.

You can enjoy Maggie Stiefvater’s stop animation trailer of Linger that follows this new release information!

From Maggie Stiefvater’s website:

LINGER The Wolves of Mercy Falls Available July 20, 2010 The sequel to Shiver follows the story of Grace and the wolves of Mercy Falls. Maggie says: “It’s about after. What happens after you discover there are werewolves in the wood, after you’ve fallen in love for the first time, after you’ve lost what you think you can’t live without, after you’ve become someone you can’t live with.” …grace… This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one. Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn’t cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend. But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it’s only me who’s not firmly in my own skin. An excerpt: PRE-ORDER THE BOOK from an independent bookstore via IndieBound or order through Amazon or Amazon UK An excerpt:

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Quote:

I am an animator. I feel like I’m the manager of a animation cinema factory. I am not an executive. I’m rather like a foreman, like the boss of a team of craftsmen. That is the spirit of how I work. Hayao Miyazaki

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by Donna L. Quesinberry
Government Business Examiner

Finding a $100B federal spending cut is not an easy undertaking, but Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates has accomplished just that. In today’s announcement of the Secretary’s Plan of Action with Milestones (POA&M), which covers over eight key points – Secretary Gates is hard-lining budgetary restraint while enacting proactive reform. His intention is to reshape the priorities of elitest Department of Defense (DoD) entities and the Secretary states:

In tough budgetary and economic times, we can focus defense resources where they belong:  in America’s fighting forces, investment in future capabilities and, most important, on our men and women in uniform.

Preliminary reductions will eliminate over 5,000 jobs in a six-month window – including closure of the nefarious Business Transformation Agency (BTA).

The Business Transformation Agency was formally established in 2006 to foster the reform and modernization of this department’s business practices.  Since its creation, BTA, an agency that now employs approximately 360 people and spends $340 million a year, has shifted more of its focus to day-to-day oversight of individual acquisition programs, a function that can be performed by a number of other organizations.   Furthermore, the mission assigned to BTA has largely been legislatively assigned to other elements of the department. Therefore, I have directed the elimination of the Business Transformation Agency and shifted its responsibilities largely to the deputy chief management officer. Secretary Gates

Never a popular undertaking, change management is exactly what the doctor ordered for the DoD in order to remedy reverse polarities many Americans feel on edge about during a recession. It is a tough job and the Secretary of Defense seems to be a tough leader.

United States citizens are acutely aware of Wounded Warriors returning from two war zones with multiple orchestrations who actually had to fight for adequate health care ( Walter Reed refurbishing). They are also well-versed in the realities that military families often require food stamps or other state aide to manage familial needs. Recognition of “brass creep” seems to be a breath of fresh air.

We need to create a system of fewer, flatter and more agile and responsive structures, where reductions in rank at the top create a virtuous cascading downward and outward.  In addition to the number of senior positions, there is also the question of their allocation, and whether our distribution of rank by geography or function reflects the mission — missions and realities our military faces today.

Apparently, the Secretary of Defense is a trend-setter, he intends to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse while effecting a winning defense for our great nation. The Government Business Examiner extends to Secretary Gates – kudos for his stalwart and lofty ideals.

Related stories:

• Clean Contracting Act and continued middle-firm abuse
• Department of Defense (DoD) Business Transformation Agency (BTA) EP&I Title 5 violations (Part 1)
• Department of Defense (DoD) Business Transformation Agency (BTA) EP&I Title 5 violations (Part 2)
• Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General Hotline
• Employment grievance or disgruntled employee?

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By Donna L. Quesinberry
National Writing Examiner (NWE)

What is Academic Writing?

Academic is a particular style of expression that includes precise choice of word, focus on facts or issues without an opine, formal tone, and use of third-person. Slang, abbreviations, jargon and other informal writing dynamics are not part of an academic writ.

Many amateur writers have difficulty with Academia writing or formal voice. In today’s environ, writers often introduce colloquialisms, “I” statements, poor word choices, jargon, slang, etc. that represents informal writing.

The Academic may also write informal material – as any writer can have a diverse writing skill set that includes both Academic and informal material. Writers typically don’t frown on diversity of skills for the career writer – they do frown on misrepresenting a “style” or “type” of writing. If you develop an Academic writ, you have to stick to the regime.

What Qualities Do Academic Writers Need to Have?

Academic writers typically maintain the following:

• Excellent Grammar
• Strong Writing
• Use of Style

1. Excellent Grammar:

Grammar and sentence structure excellence are key tools of an Academic writer. Adherence grammatical rules is an essential element of paper quality and in order to become a strong Academic writer, practice is required. Through study, writing, review, critical analysis, and rewrites the Academic writer hones their craft. In order to ensure excellent grammar – writer references are required, such as the Association of Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Language Association (MLA), and The Elements of Style:

2. Strong Writing:

In order to ensure strong writing – the Academic writer creates a detailed outline and a writing strategy. Spending time planning and creating source information is important to Academic writing.

3. Use of Style:

The use of style sheets ensures a consistency and pattern of guidance to citations, numbers, references, and etc. The most prominent style guides include the American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Language Association [MLA]; however, an organization or recipient may have additional stylus or guidelines that need to be followed in order to remit qualitative Academic papers. Be certain to acquire the guidelines for your submissions.

In addition to these key requirements the addition of good research skills and quality edits further ensures Academic writing success. Even so, it isn’t unusual post-submission to find a glitch or two in even Academic presentations. It is the nature of writing to have another layer of redress always presenting itself.

Most of all – hone your craft and write for your audience.