Next Secretary of Defense ; Cher - If I Could Turn Back Time (Official Music Video)

Your MesaZona blogger would like to nominate Cher to be the next Secretary of Defense ... morale onboard our ships would most definitely rise
Views: 5,962,678

Flashing Neon > A Sign + A Story with A Happy Ending About Hospitality

Remarkable, as noted here in the New Urban Downtown Mesa with saving The Diving Lady and neon-inspired mural art just off Main Street, sometimes it takes a different point-of-view from someone like Paul Lucas who wrote this article that appeared on Bloomberg .
It starts off like Rod Sterling introducing a new episode of The Twilight Zone, but quickly veers into a historical context.
The classic “(No) Vacancy” sign may soon become another victim of shifting travel habits and market forces.

"You’ve been driving for a good chunk of the day, you’re pulling into an unfamiliar town, and you need a place to stay for the night. Happily, there’s a comforting sight just ahead—a motel with an illuminated “Vacancy” sign, the “No” thankfully darkened.

The “(No) Vacancy” sign, a beacon of hospitality and/or disappointment, has greeted road-weary American travelers for generations. But just as paper maps and toll booth clerks increasingly seem quaint relics of the analog age, the classic “(No) Vacancy” sign may soon become another victim of shifting travel habits and market forces.

First, some quick historical context. . .

The digital revolution isn’t the only threat to vacancy indicators. Another factor is the dwindling number of independent mom-and-pop motels and the corresponding growth of chains such as Days Inn and Super 8....“They want you to walk in not knowing whether a room is available. So if they’re full, they can send you to another one of their properties in the vicinity and keep the business in-house. It’s a strategic decision.”

In addition, Rogers said, omitting vacancy indicators allows for overbooking (“If it’s late and you’re fully booked, but someone with a reservation hasn’t shown up, you can sell the same room twice”) and gives managers wiggle room when sizing up questionable customers. "If people come in asking for a room, and you think they look like trouble—rowdy college students, say—if you have ‘Vacancy’ out there, you’re kind of obligated to give them a room,” he said. “Without the sign, you can just say, ‘Sorry, we’re full,’ even if you’re not. That’s why you’re seeing fewer and fewer of these signs. They’re figuring out that they’re better off without them.”

HAPPY ENDING: It’s worth noting, however, that not everyone in the lodging industry is all that concerned about the current state of vacancy indicators or the prospect of their demise. Several motel owners contacted for this article seemed disinterested in the topic. One responded by asking, “What the hell kind of story to write is that?” and then hanging up. Which just goes to show that hospitality is where you find it, no matter which sign, if any, is illuminated out front.
[images are those published with original article]

Sounds a lot like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Gateway Aviation Center Expands Federal Inspection Services for Passengers + Air Cargo

Phoenix-Mesa airport opens new US customs facility

Nov 10, 2016

Arizona’s Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) has opened a new US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility adjacent to one of the airport’s three 10,000 ft. runways.
AZA said the larger, upgraded space, located within the Gateway Aviation Center, will enable CPB to more efficiently and securely provide federal inspection services for international passengers and cargo.
The CBP facility is staffed during business hours on weekdays and is available 24-hours a day by appointment, according to an AZA statement.
“Our ability to prove US Customs services at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport creates additional air transportation opportunities and economic benefit for the entire region,” Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority CEO J. Brian O’Neill said.  “With three 10,000 ft. runways and a Foreign Trade Zone designation, businesses from all sectors are realizing the many advantages of locating at or near the airport.” 
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is the 43rd busiest airport in the US based on operations. 

Linda Blachly linda.blachly@penton.com

Source:

http://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/pt/2016/11/10/phoenix-mesa-airport-opens-new-us-customs-facility.html

AZA: J. Brian O’Neill Named Executive Director/CEO 
Source: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority (PMGAA)
September 21, 2016
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority (PMGAA) Board of Directors unanimously voted today to remove the “Interim” tag and appoint J. Brian O’Neill, A.A.E. as full-time PMGAA Executive Director/CEO.  O’Neill had served as interim executive director/CEO since June 2, and as the airport authority’s deputy director/COO. O’Neill has more than 20 years of airport management experience; previously serving as deputy airport director at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport for eight years before joining PMGAA.
“It is an honor to work for a board that is committed and supportive; a privilege to work with a team of employees so dedicated and talented; and a pleasure to work with elected officials and their staffs in neighboring communities that truly understand the economic importance of this airport,” stated O’Neill in accepting his new position. “Gateway Airport is a dynamic place to work and I look forward to the many challenges ahead.”
     

Who's To Blame for Electing President Trump: How & Why...

Listen when my man Pie talks ... one of the best ever!

Published on Nov 10, 2016

Views: 210,788

Pie thinks he knows who is to blame for the rise of Trump...and you're not going to like it!

Edward Snowden > Take the Time to Listen

Not a 5-minute talk
Views: 421,680
Running time: 1:00:35
Streamed 14 hours ago

PredPol: Predictive Policing Software Purchased by City of Mesa

Over the next three years, Mesa will spend nearly $200,000 to implement a state-of-the-art crime-predicting software. WochitData-Driven Policing Still Problematic
Now Being Used By Government Agencies For Revenue Generation
Source >> TechDirt
Data, even lots of it, can be useful. But it also leads to erroneous conclusions and questionable correlations.
Ever been baffled by the content of a "targeted" ad? Just imagine the fun you'll have when "lol 'targeted' ad" is replaced with nearly-incessant "interactions" with law enforcement
Back on August 21st your MesaZona blogger uploaded three posts about this software purchase that was approved by the Mesa City Council ... those ignored issues are here now.

When even the companies gathering the data are concerned about the implications, there's a problem. (One issue being: why don't they stop?) Anything that can be obtained (preferably in bulk) without a warrant will be. And it gets funneled into predictive policing software that attempts to mold disparate info into a usable whole. Lost in the shuffle are the individuals now represented by data points and algorithms. A data point located in the "wrong" neighborhood could result in surveillance backed by nothing resembling reasonable, articulable suspicion.
It's not all bad, though. There are uses for aggregate data that don't create privacy concerns or fears of ever more biased policing . . .
On the other hand, the desire to obtain any data available without a warrant is resulting in some very twisted uses of third-party records. . .
Maria Polletta posted this article in the Arizona Republic on October 21, 2016 - two months after the Mesa City Council approved contracts, addressing lingering issues that few people are aware of . . . Over the next three years, Mesa will spend nearly $200,000 to implement PredPol crime-predicting software with councilmembers little informed about it.

 Can new Mesa police tool prevent crime from happening?
In August, a Mesa staff report asserted PredPol's hot-spot-generation tool would "support the city’s efforts to suppress, deter and reduce crime."
The department still is working to determine when it will begin using the software; how many officers it will train to use it; and what, if any, any tools or strategies it will use to measure PredPol's effectiveness, police spokesman Nik Rasheta said.
...Mesa Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh, a longtime advocate of innovation and experimentation in public safety, called predictive policing "one of the best practices recommended for departments to consider," despite its potential limitations.
    


The city council also approved in later meetings license plate reader software, cautions that were expressed not here in Mesa
Documents Show Chicago PD Secretly Using Forfeiture Funds To Buy Surveillance Equipment
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161008/12004935747/documents-show-chicago-pd-secretly-using-forfeiture-funds-to-buy-surveillance-equipment.shtml
Payments to cellphone forensics companies like CellBrite were uncovered, as were purchases of a license plate reader installed near the CPD's infamous Homan Square detention center black site, and $417,000-worth of cell tower spoofers.

Our Veterans Deserve a Place to Call Home

Published on Nov 9, 2016
Views: 27
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we are sharing the story of Gerald Hurt, a formerly homeless veteran who recently moved into a new supportive housing community in Danville, Illinois. Together with the National Equity Fund and Bring them HOMES, LISC is working to make sure every veteran has the home he or she needs.