Are you one of the lucky feds that got the following message?

"Congratulations! You have been selected to be a Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Keyworker or Team Captain/Coordinator."

Designed by Federal workers and managed by Federal workers on behalf of Federal workers, the CFC is the federal government's way to show how much ($$) they care about those in their local and global community by contributing cash to local, national and international charities.

The stakes are high as each federal agency has a goal to meet, and not meeting that goal can be quite embarrassing to the organization's leadership. While it is stated that CFC is voluntary, it is expected that donation goals are exceeded and 100 percent contact is made with all federal employees to give them an opportunity...

Once again, NASA leads the government with its use of innovative technology, though still lags far behind public sector organizations. For years universities have been transforming learning on campus, off campus, and where there's no campus at all through the use of iTunes U, which puts the power of the iTunes Store to work for colleges and universities, so users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows.

Learning from the contributing universities in collaboration with Apple Inc., NASA is using the iTunes platform to be more transparent, inform the public, and excite a new generation about the exploration of space. The quarterly progress reports offer viewers a rare glimpse at the on-going development work of the next-generation...

The Department of Defense (DoD) has banned the use of removable flash media and storage devices from all government computers, starting this week. In a campaign to reach all DoD military, civilian and contractor staff, DoD has shotgunned notifications regarding the use of media storage on DoD computers. While DoD won't confirm the ban for security reasons, OhMyGov! readers have flooded our site with news regarding the following message:

"Joint Task Force Global Network Operations has banned the use of the following forms of media usage on all military computers. Thumb drives, memory sticks, camera flash memory, compact flash, sd, mini sd, etc. Secondly, they have required deletion of all computers and accounts on the military sites (.mil) that have not been accessed in 90 days. If...

How many of you have seen "Rambo"? Not "Rambo IV," the latest blood-spattered installment that was released earlier this year. No, I mean the Cold War classic, the one released in 1985. For those of you who may not have gotten the 20th anniversary box set of the Rambo movies, let me fill you in. John Rambo is a Vietnam veteran who is charged with the seemingly impossible task of going back to Vietnam, ten years after the war ended, to find missing American soldiers. The buff Rambo heads into the jungle ­ often shirtless, of course ­ and spends much of the movie blowing things up and killing Communist Vietnamese soldiers left and right.

So what does this have to with government? Read on.

As I look back, what strikes me as remarkable about this film is that the villain of...

The financial crisis has once again brought the issue of government regulation to the front pages. After decades of belittling those meddlesome government regulators, Wall Street now comes begging for a bailout. How interesting...

Once the panic subsides, we would do well to reconsider our approach to regulations and the regulators. Mock them though we may, we rely on them tremendously. When they do not fulfill their duties - or when our political leaders make it impossible for them to do their duties - we all lose.

Given our cultural disrespect for public servants, it is perhaps not surprising that we face a looming crisis in public service. Back in the late 1980s, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker warned of "the quiet crisis" in public service. "Government...

You've heard the story before; there aren't enough nurses to go around. But the situation is becoming more and more dire as America's health care backbone begins to retire. As they do, states are fighting to avert a major medical meltdown.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. will be short about 1 million nurses by 2020. A similar report by the Kaiser Family Foundation predicts that 44 states will face a nursing shortage by 2020. The reasons for the shortage vary, but largely stem from the same problem the federal workforce faces: age. The average nurse is 47 and many will be retiring in the coming years. And given the rigorous physical demands of the profession, e.g. lifting patients, maintaining long shifts, and being on their feet, nurses don't...

First time buyers making home purchases after April 8, 2008 and before July 1, 2009 may be eligible for a $7,500 tax credit under the recently enacted Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. So, if you recently bought your first home or are thinking about doing so in the next 10 months, you will want to read on.

The credit reduces the taxpayer's federal tax liability or increases his or her refund, dollar for dollar, even if the taxpayer owes no tax or the credit is more than the tax they owe. It is retroactive to the start date for buyers who meet eligibility requirements.

As with most great deals, it is important for buyers to realize that there is a catch. The so-called "credit" operates somewhat like an interest-free loan because it must be repaid over a 15-year period...

In this season of high-profile partisan-political activities, it is important that you as a Federal employee know that you are subject to the Hatch Act , which puts limits on your partisan political activity. In a nutshell, that law means that

YOU MAY NOT - While at work, or in a Government building, or using Government resources (including your government e-mail), take any action for or against any political party or candidate for partisan political office, or even if off duty and off Government premises, solicit, accept, or receive political contributions. This includes scheduling activities as a partisan political volunteer while on duty or using Government resources.

YOU MAY - While off duty, actively participate in partisan political campaigns and activities, except for the prohibitions...

What good is a brail ATM if you can't tell apart the bills that come out of it? Not much, said US District Judge James Robertson last week while pointing to a May court ruling that stated the current paper currency system discriminates against the blind. The court decision will soon require the Department of Treasury to create new bills that allow the blind to tell each denomination apart.

The lawsuit that incited the currency retooling was brought by the American Council of the Blind (ACB) whose executive director, Melanie Brunson, points to an unacceptably high rate of unemployment among people who are visually impaired. According to Brunson, job opportunities, particularly for young people and other first-time job seekers who are looking for entry level positions in stores and restaurants...

This week, federal agencies stated they are seeking $11.6 billion in funding for 190 construction projects in the Washington area between now and 2014, in response to the Department of Defense's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

BRAC refers to the congressionally authorized process used to reorganize military bases to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business.

The four previous BRAC rounds eliminated approximately 20 percent of DoD's capacity that existed in 1988 and, through 2001, produced net savings of approximately $17.7 billion with recurring savings of $7 billion annually.

While the Pentagon stated it would save $49 billion nationwide over 20 years, it appears northern Virginia will...