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Kansas TAG visits troops in Kosovo

The commander of the Kansas National Guard recently visited his state’s
Citizen-Soldiers, who are here conducting an important NATO peace-keeping
mission…

November 30, 2009
Florida sets training record in fall classic

Although the upcoming deployment of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team will be an
historic event, the preparation for the unit’s mobilization has already gone down
as the largest training event ever for the Florida Army National
Guard…

November 30, 2009
Arkansas ADT begins training for Afghanistan

The Arkansas National Guard’s Agricultural Development Team, which is scheduled for
deployment to Afghanistan in early 2010, begins training this week in a cooperative
partnership with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture through the U of
A Cooperative Extension Service…

November 30, 2009
Security forces train for deployment at Fort Dix

Members of the 113th Security Forces Squadron of the District of Columbia Air
National Guard recently attended the Air Force Phoenix Warrior Training Course here
at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center…

November 30, 2009
Mississippians maintain a hawk’s eye view for Q-West

Members of the Mississippi Army National Guard marked their fourth month of
maintaining and operating the base defense 17-meter Aerostat balloon here Nov.
7…

November 30, 2009
Pennsylvania Guardsmen bring experience to Iraq

National Guard soldiers bring a variety of life and work experiences with them on
deployment, and even the smallest unit can include a surprising array of skills and
experience…

November 30, 2009
Massachusetts Guard breaks ground for new intelligence wing

The 102nd Intelligence Wing officially marked the initial operating capability of
the intelligence group’s $1.8 million facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held
here Nov. 6…

November 30, 2009
State Department officials visit Guard training site

While a land dispute might be settled in court over months or years of litigation in
America, it might be talked about over tea in Afghanistan…

November 30, 2009
Foreign Policy 100 Top Global Thinkers

About two months ago, I was notified by the editors at Foreign Policy magazine that they had selected me as one of their “top global thinkers,” to be announced on November 30. I was asked to not say anything about it until then, and, frankly, I wouldn’t have had much to say. A search of the FP archives showed no previous iteration of this list, so I had no idea if it was just a list of people who had interesting articles in an issue over the last year or some such.

So when the new issue of Foreign Policy went live on the web on Sunday Nov 29, I was stunned to discover that it was a list of the 100 “most influential” thought leaders shaping 2009… and that I was #72. Even more surreal was what they said:

72. Jamais Cascio

for being our moral guide to the future.

FUTURIST | INSTITUTE FOR ETHICS AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES | SAN FRANCISCO

Climate change is coming, and geoengineering — the prospect of artificially manipulating the world’s climate — may seem like an easy save. But in fact it’s threatening and ethically complex, putting a literally earth-shaking power in the hands of a few, says Cascio in his new book, Hacking the Earth, the most subtle analysis so far on the subject. This year, Cascio, guru of all things on the horizon and founder of the website Open the Future, agitated to strengthen the global financial system through decentralization; argued passionately that resilience, not sustainability, must be the new goal of environmentalists; and has become a leading thinker on robot ethics.

“Our moral guide to the future.” No pressure.

It’s a very odd list, mixing the usual institutional suspects (e.g., Bernanke, Obama, the Clintons, Cheney(!), Petraeus, Friedman) with a much more interesting (to me) group of more obscure scientists, writers, activists and thinkers. It’s a list of “most influential,” not “best,” so there’s a healthy mix of “yay!” and “no way!”

As part of the process, FP asked the listed folks to answer a set of questions about the world; about half did so (you can do it, too). The more personal items show up with the entries (and you can read mine there), but the more global issues got added up as survey results. But in the spirit of full disclosure, my answers to those questions can be found the extended entry.

But thank you to the editors at Foreign Policy for putting me on your list. I’ll try to live up to those expectations.

In your opinion, is the worst over for the global economy?

b) No

If no, how long will it take for the global recession to end?
a) Less than a year b) 1-2 years c) 2-5 years

Global recession: (a) Less than a year (technically)
Structural weakness, leading to further problems: (c) 2-5 years (or more)

2) What is the most significant underreported story from 2009?

Somali pirates consider themselves a “coast guard,” to defend against illegal fishing by non-African states and illegal dumping of toxic wastes in Somali coastal waters. It’s not just a “piracy” story – or, rather, there are two piracy stories there, but only one is being reported.

3) What will be 2010’s “unknown unknown” – in other words, a global game-changer such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks or Iran acquiring nuclear weapons?

It’s rarely possible to predict these, but a few plausible candidates:
major (and unusual) weather event in densely-populated area crystallizes public demand for action on global warming;
another pandemic flu, this one hitting even harder than H1N1
violent unrest in China

4) Who are the three most influential global leaders outside the United States?

1. Hu Jintao
2. Kofi Annan
3. Whoever is running Pakistan ISI’s Taliban desk.

5) On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 signifying the highest rating), how would you rate U.S. President Barack Obama as a leader after one year in office?

7

How would you describe Obama’s contribution to the global marketplace of ideas?

I believe that Obama has been more effective internationally than domestically; he has returned subtlety and strategic thinking to the world of US-led diplomacy. On international issues, he clearly seems to be thinking several moves ahead of most observers (still accustomed to the more blustery Bush admin practices).

6) The future of the world will be better if we listen to what one person’s ideas?

Dr. James Hansen, NASA

7) Did anything happen in 2009 that caused you to fundamentally change how you think about the world? If yes, what was it?

Not in 2009, no.

8) What is the most dangerous country in the world? (Pakistan, Somalia, other)

Neither Pakistan nor Somalia can actually threaten the survival of the Earth’s civilization. However, the United States and China each produce enough anthropogenic greenhouse gases individually to tip the planet into a climate catastrophe. India is heading up there, too.

9) Which country will emerge as the world’s next powerhouse:

b) India (Arguably, China is already a global powerhouse.)

10) What is the world’s most serious military conflict right now:

a) Afghanistan/Pakistan

November 30, 2009

Maybe we do need robust financial regulation.

Despite it's global leadership position, 18 countries are less corrupt than the U.S., according to Transparency International’s recently released 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.

TI: The United States score remains stable at 7.5 despite widespread concerns over a lack of government oversight in relation to the financial sector...Another reason for concern is that in the US the legislature is perceived to be the institution most affected by corruption...

Of course, America does well compared to most of the other 180 countries ranked, including most-corrupt Somalia and other bribe-ridden places like Afghanistan and Myanmar.

"CPI" scores are based on an average of between three and nine surveys that measure the perceived level of public-sector corruption in a country; the lower the number, the more corrupt.

To compare the U.S. to its peers, we've grouped scores from the 30 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the most developed in the world, and found the 10 most corrupt.

As TI notes, relatively wealthy countries aren't immune to corruption: "At a time when massive stimulus packages, fast-track disbursements of public funds and attempts to secure peace are being implemented around the world, it is essential to identify where corruption blocks good governance and accountability, in order to break its corrosive cycle" said Huguette Labelle, Chair of TI.

SEE THE 10 MOST CORRUPT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES>>>

Image: What the FBI found in the freezer of then-Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat. The cash was part of $400 million in bribes Jefferson received for brokering business deals in Africa. He was convicted in August on 11 counts that included bribery, racketeering and money laundering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison, which Jefferson is appealing.

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Budget, Sedan, Europe, Hatchback, Ford, Canada

2011 Ford Fiesta U.S.-spec – Click above for image gallery

Did our friends in the great, frostbitten north just jump the gun by half a week and reveal the 2011 North American Ford Fiesta ahead of its upcoming LA Auto Show debut? Boy we kinda hope not. Well, specifically, we hope the the little five-door fire cracker we’ve come to know and love (largely thanks to the well-executed Fiesta Movement) doesn’t get this new grille. It’s by no means a deal breaker, but it’s just not as uncluttered and sharp looking as the Euro-Fiesta’s simple face. Meanwhile, the Fiesta sedan gets FoMoCo’s three-bar grille up front, and resembles a Yaris sedan everywhere else.

There are also some enormous chrome scoops/intakes fore of the front wheels where the fog lamps on the Euro cars used to reside. Purpose? No idea, but we have to imagine that fog lamps would have served a more purposeful purpose. We have to say that we hope the loss of the fog lamps isn’t an indication that the Fiesta is getting decontented for our market.

One of the reasons (admittedly of many) that we fell so head over heals for the Fiesta is that it provided big car sophistication in a little car package. American car companies have for decades been of the mind set that if you opt to buy a small car, you should suffer (quite literally) the consequences. The Fiesta looked to be a break from that mentality. Hopefully it still is.

There is a weird sliver of history that provides a silver lining. There is a longstanding tradition of releasing slightly different models in Canada than we get here in the U.S. This always struck us as weird since half of Quebec runs across the border to buy cigarettes in Vermont every week. Anyhow, remember the Pontiac Parisienne – a Chevy badged as a Pontiac with fancy seats that helped make Pontiac the number three selling brand in Canada for decades. Here’s hoping we get the full Euro-Fiesta south of the 49th Parallel.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Fiesta U.S.-spec

[Source: Autoblog Espanol via Google Translate]

U.S. Fiesta unveiled early by Ford Canada? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rosenberg: This Isn’t A Recession, It’s A Depression

David Rosenberg — who has been getting into fights with other pundits left and right — digs in and argues that what we’re really looking at is a depression.

MORE ON THE DEPRESSION

Last week, we received some classic guffaws when we responded to whether
or not the recession has ended with this: “We’re not convinced, but even if it is
statistically over, the depression is ongoing”.

We were reprimanded by former Fed Governor Mishkin for breeding “fear”.
The eyes were rolling among the Squawk Box crew and we were told to tell
that to Mr. Market, who has rallied more than 60% from the March lows
(“artificial” lows, we were told off camera). After all, Mr. Market is so adept at
calling the economy – like the peak in late 2007, literally weeks ahead of what
the polite economics crowd dubs “The Great Recession”; or how adept Mr.
Market was in calling the 2001 tech wreck; or the three failed attempts at
predicting recovery over the past two years. Mr. Market’s ability at calling the
economy, is shall we say, a tad spotty.

In fact, even with the massive amount of stimulus in modern history, all the
economy could do was muster up a 2.8% annualized growth rate in Q3. If that
number stands, it will go down as just about the poorest bounce off a
recessionary environment on record. History, by the way, shows that 80% of
the time, the opening quarter of the recovery ends up being a pretty good
predictor over the extent of the economic pickup we see in the year that
follows. So, that near 5% GDP growth backdrop being projected by Mr. Market
right now looks to be more than just a tad dubious.

q3gdp gdp

Now, as for calling this a ‘depression’, it is an attempt at providing a reality
check to Wall Street research forecasts of a robust recovery. Practically
everyone thought the worst was over in 1930 but all we were in at that time
was the classic phase 2 of the triple-waterfall — the “reflex rally” that comes
on the heels of the “initial sharp down” to only then be followed by the long
and drawn out decline to the fundamental low. The Great Depression didn’t
even receive that label until 1934 and by then we were well over a year past

the lows in both real GDP and the stock market.
But it was a treacherous environment for the rest of the decade and despite
seven years of huge stimulus — and resource-misallocation distortions from
the FDR New Deal — the unemployment rate still finished off the 1930s at
15%; the CPI was still deflating at a 2% annual rate; nominal GDP had still yet
to re-attain its 1929 peak; and the next secular bull market in equities did not
commence for another 15 years. Income strategies worked best even after
the S&P 500 hit bottom; and gold doubled in Sterling terms. Equity rallies
came … and they went. Volatility reigned. What goes around comes around.

Currently, we have a situation that is not consistent with a plain-vanilla recession
but with a depression because depressions are associated with credit contraction
and asset deflation. It is more than just about a mathematical contraction in GDP.
In recessions, social change does not occur. In depressions, they do. Hence the
fact that in Halloween, the reason why sales-related items were so tepid was
because 30% of families made their own costumes.

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Google has started to roll out its upgraded search engine index Caffeine which is now live at one data center. Google announced that it would gradually introduce Caffeine to the main search engine after it closed down the sandbox which it set up for the project. There were no announcements at the time as when to expect the move to take place and, in fact, there haven’t been any announcement this time around either, but the company has confirmed that the roll-out is in progress.

The thing started with several people noticing changes in the search results rankings of their sites. The altered search results were coming from a single IP address which lead people to speculate that it could have something to do with Google’s upcoming search infrastructure update and that the company may be finally rolling it out. Turns out they were partially right, the results did indeed come from a data center running Caffeine, but Google is holding off on a wider release for the moment.

“So 209.85.225.103 does hit the Caffeine data center more often than other IP addresses, but it’s always been the plan that Caffeine would roll out at one data center (no more data centers will get Caffeine until at least January),” Google’s Matt Cutts explained.

“But I would avoid generalizing, at l… (read more)

Apple’s New Map Team Job: What It Really Means

Apple has posted details on a new full-time position at its Cupertino headquarters for an iPhone Software Engineer who will join its newly created Maps team. On the job description web page, Apple says it wants to “…take Maps to the next level,” and “…rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things.”

The current Mapping technology in the iPhone relies heavily on Google Maps, but some tech–pundits think that’s a relationship Apple is keen to see come to an end. After all, Apple and Google aren’t exactly on great terms any more. In fact, Apple’s relationship with former best-buddy Google has been demonstrably deteriorating over the last 12 months. So, on the surface at least, it seems Apple is distancing itself further from the search giant both with the creation of its own in-house Mapping team and, back in October, the acquisition of PlaceBase, a rival mapping service to Google Maps.

A little more from the job description highlights how Apple wants to implement creative new functionality in Maps as well as its desire to include its partners in the process.

The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile industry and has changed people’s lives and we want to continue to do so. We want to take Maps to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We’ve only just started.

As an engineer on the Maps team, your responsibilities will range from implementing low-level client/server code to implementing high-level user interfaces. You’ll be responsible for implementing new and innovative features, fixing problems and enhancing the performance of Maps. You will work closely with the other engineers on the Maps team, other iPhone and iPod touch teams as well our partners in other companies.

So how might PlaceBase and a new in-house Maps team change how users use Maps on the iPhone?

PlaceBase offers far richer aggregation and visualization of geo-specific datasets than is currently available on Google Maps. For example, imagine you’re planning on buying a house and have a property already in mind. Like Google Maps, PlaceBase can show you the usual aerial views you’re accustomed to seeing but can also display other valuable data, too, such as local crime reports over the last five years, or the demographic distribution of the neighbourhood, or perhaps the latest performance scores of local schools. What’s more, the datasets can be customized.

Some have interpreted the PlaceBase acquisition — and this job posting — as evidence that Apple is taking definitive steps to distance itself from Google. It sounds plausible; Google’s Android OS for mobile phones definitely treads on Apple’s toes, and that whole Voicegate fiasco isn’t over yet. Google’s forays into web browsers and operating systems doesn’t exactly foster amity between the two companies, either.

I suspect Apple wants to bring PlaceBase data visualisation to its already-exemplary Maps application. Yes, it uses Google Maps, but it works. And as it says in the job posting, Apple thinks it’s “…the best mapping program on any mobile platform.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Let’s return to the example from above; imagine you’ve viewed the property but you’re not impressed. Back in the car your real estate agent tells you he has another place in mind he thinks you’ll like. So you reach for your iPhone and fire-up Maps. You do a quick search on the new address and, using a filter you customized earlier, you see the neighbourhood overlaid with color-coded blobs indicating crime rates in that area. You switch to another filter; now you’re looking at the average home-insurance costs for the area, and they’re all way too orange and red for your liking.

There’s no reason this sort of Map “filtering” can’t be monetized, either. The Maps application itself could ship with some basic “fun” filters but offer specialized plug-ins via the iTunes store. Third-party developers would jump at the chance to exploit rich data visualization by plugging-in to a native API, freeing them from the expense and difficulty of building similar functionality from scratch.

While this job posting is specifically for an iPhone developer, there’s no reason to suspect the lessons learned here in the coming months won’t influence other geo-aware software from Apple; iPhoto and iMovie spring to mind, but OS X itself also exploits some (basic) geo-awareness when selecting the appropriate time zone in the Date & Time preference panel.

As social networking services get more geo-savvy (Twitter, Brightkite and FourSquare are obvious examples, but Facebook can’t be far behind) and as mobile devices and laptops start packing-in GPS chips as-standard, it makes sense for Apple to offer a world-class geo-aware range of products that exploit our desire to not only locate ourselves but also discover meaningful, customizable data about our surroundings. That, to me, is the most likely “next level” of Map usage Apple is talking about.

CBC choral, orchestra to play concert Dec. 1

Published Nov. 27, 2009
Tri-City Herald – Arts in brief

Columbia Basin College’s choral and orchestra concert is at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in the CBC theater. The concert features the CBC Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, both under the direction of Dave Cazier, and the CBC Orchestra, directed by Robert Burroughs.

The college’s jazz night starts at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in the CBC theater and features the CBC jazz ensemble directed by Randy Hubbs and the jazz choral group Freeform directed by Dave Cazier.

Admission is free.

Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall

Filed under: Safety, Toyota

Last week Toyota publicly announced that it was recalling 3.8 million Avalon, Camry and Lexus ES 350 models on account of fears over unintended acceleration. The fix for Toyota’s sudden acceleration issue includes the reshaping and/or replacing of accelerator pedals, with replacement pedals reportedly arriving in April. As you’d probably guess, the massive recall has led to many customers calling dealers for additional info, but unfortunately dealers weren’t exactly prepared to respond.

Wards Automotive is reporting that Toyota didn’t inform its dealer body of the proposed changes, which apparently includes the reconfiguration of the floor of some models, before the announcement was made. The industry trade journal says that a Toyota spokesman told them that the severity of the situation meant there was no time to inform dealers first, though all dealers have been informed by now.

Wards spoke to a couple dealers who sound more than a little frustrated by the situation. Earl Stewart of Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Bay, FL reportedly called the situation “confusing” and “embarrassing,” adding that his dealership has been fixing floor mats the past few months without getting paid by Toyota for their work.

While we agree that Toyota was right in getting this information out to the public as quickly as possible, we’re surprised it didn’t first alert its dealer body. After all, the dealership is the public face of the company, and if customers call and dealers don’t have answers, it looks like the situation is anything but under control. The official recall notices for the Avalon, Camry and ES are expected to come by year end, while five other models, including the Prius, Tacoma, Tundra and Lexus IS 250/IS 350, will receive similar notices sometime in 2010.

[Source: Wards Automotive, sub. req’d]

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blog

Kansas TAG visits troops in Kosovo

Florida sets training record in fall classic

Arkansas ADT begins training for Afghanistan

Security forces train for deployment at Fort Dix

Mississippians maintain a hawk’s eye view for Q-West

Pennsylvania Guardsmen bring experience to Iraq

Massachusetts Guard breaks ground for new intelligence wing

State Department officials visit Guard training site

Foreign Policy 100 Top Global Thinkers

72. Jamais Cascio

The 10 Most Corrupt Countries

SEE THE 10 MOST CORRUPT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES>>>

U.S. Fiesta unveiled early by Ford Canada?

Rosenberg: This Isn’t A Recession, It’s A Depression

The Truth About Warren Buffett: He’s “Almost Like A Kid”

More Video: TBI Calendar Click HERE >

Google's Next-Generation Search Engine Caffeine Is Now Live

John Paulson Hoarding More Gold Than Several Countries Combined

Holiday Party Wines: $10 and Less from Trader Joe’s

Apple’s New Map Team Job: What It Really Means

CBC choral, orchestra to play concert Dec. 1

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall

Sony and Best Buy team up for holiday PS3 bundles