Washington, DC - Acronyms. The world, and especially the government, is overflowing with them. You’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. People might even look at you funny if you suggested that you had one. I’m lucky enough to have my favorite one on my business card: NICE—the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.

Atlantic Ocean - Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) loaded relief equipment and personnel from aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Oct. 10 as it steamed toward Haiti to join the disaster relief efforts.

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "The State Department is deeply committed to protecting and strengthening the rights of girls worldwide, and on this fifth annual International Day of the Girl, we recognize that addressing the distinct challenges facing girls, particularly adolescent girls, is critical to our ability to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals, including gender equality.

Philippine Sea - The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) began a series of exercises with the Republic of Korea (ROK) navy Oct. 10-15 to strengthen maritime interoperability and tactics, techniques and procedures.

Atlanta, Georgia - The American Cancer Society announces the launch of a collaboration with eBay to provide an online presence for its Discovery Shop program with 100-percent of the proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Washington, DC - An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a 10-year roadmap for advancing research to prevent youth suicide. The panel listed 29 recommendations that address three critical issues: improving data systems, enhancing data collection and analysis methods, and strengthening the research and practice community.