Thursday, March 16, 2017

V2V Vacancies-to-Vitality Here In The New Urban DTMesa?


It's been going on more than 18 months since Valley Metro Light Rail public transit service arrived here after 3 years of construction on Main Street with Mesa Mayor John Giles saying that it will be the salvation train driving economic development and re-vitalizing downtown where his NextMesa starts. Did it ever to this day get off-the-ground?
Did it ever get going to the next level  ??
Did it go in the direction John Giles wanted?
True he's been elected Mayor in a no-contest  - in a long line of mayors in Mesa - and anointed leader of the political machine here, at the same he's a practicing personal-injury/accident law attorney, commonly referred to as 'ambulance chasers' . . . can he in any way lead from behind?
When so-called 'latter-day saints' of any plausible holier-than-thou persuasion make a big political blunder staging a photo opp with the Devil [like in last year's over-the-top State-of-the-City 2016 speech] to an assembled throng of the faithful, you can bet your bottom-dollar Giles was gaming everybody getting setting the stage for a bogus public relations trick to hoodwink Mesa taxpayers that back-fired blowing-up big time when the devil-in-the-details plan became a major screw-up where an under-handed $500,00 privately-financed campaign was registered @ the same address at his own private law practice on 2nd Street. 
John Giles murky vision to radically transform downtown into an ASU satellite campus was rejected by voters - it just didn't fly, getting shot-down by an informed public.
With everyone [that's almost half-a-million men, women and children] already in-hock to the tune of about $3,150 each/per capita thanks to conservative Republican regimes inside and and outside of City Hall pushing and getting sales tax hikes to guarantee borrowing money on municipal bonds. Conservative Repubs don't favor raising taxes, but 'special-interest groups' do like the mayor and his real estate-rich friends, aka THE FOG.
 
Or is he always running and playing catch-up chasing a thing out-of-his reach?
Will the figments [or faith-based fantasies of that old-time 19th-Century pioneer mentality ] of his imagination ever catch-up with reality on-the-ground?
Who's getting on-board? Thought leaders that's who with John Giles getting left behind when he admits he has short comings and failed to engage the community
Facilitating conversations with thought leaders
OUR FUTURE IS ON THE LINE
Building Community Through Transportation
Transformative organizations like LISC Phoenix look for ways to explain their impact on the community.
JDD Specialities helped facilitate publication of an article about transit-oriented development in Green Living Magazine. This entry was posted in Arizona, Phoenix, Portfolio, Urban revitalization and tagged , , , , on by .
Read the whole article click on or touch this link
Properties for sale or lease are all over the place
See website for downtown Mesa put out by
Downtown Mesa 


New Article 13 March by same writer
Resistance? How about persistence infused with insistence?
Source: JDD Specialties 
Here's the opening:
     "It’s a good day when references to Sisyphus, Machiavelli and John Adams pop up in perfect moments during a short interview. What a departure from the unavoidable social media poison accepted as civic engagement and productive discourse.
Thoughtfulness and community spirit can sprout and grow in the harshest political and social landscapes. Phoenix, in many respects, is such a place. But here’s a riff that warms my heart . . ."
Here's one take-away:
Establishing an American society where human values are self-evident is a work in progress. It always has been. The best work on universal goals always has been at the local level — by city block, neighborhood and zip code and by school, city council and legislative districts. An insistence on doing the right thing changes the world around you.

BIG TIME Bonanza for Boeing: $3.3B Saudi Arabia Deal

Boeing Inks $3.3B FMS Deal to Supply AH-64E Apache Copters
Aircraft major The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) secured a modification contract from the U.S. Army for supplying lot 7-11 of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the government of Saudi Arabia. Work related to this multi-year deal is expected to be over by Jun 30, 2022.
The Arab Middle East is exploding with arms-and-weapons
deals according to other reports as well
Helicopter bonanza!
Posted 7 March 2017
Source: Arabian Aerospace 
It has been an impressive couple of months for Middle East air forces. The US Government approved deals with Qatar for 72 F-15QAs and also Kuwait for 40 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in mid-November, but in early December came a bonanza of possible helicopter sales valued at more than $7 billion. Alan Warnes reports. 
A request by the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence (UAEAF&AD) for 37 AH-64E Apache helicopters was approved on December 7, while the same day saw the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) given the go-ahead to purchase 48 CH-47F Chinook helicopters.
It has been an impressive few weeks and looks like a bid by the current US Government to wrap up foreign military sales before the new Trump administration takes office on January 27.
It would appear that the GCC air forces are taking plans to strengthen their air forces, seriously.
The war in Yemen has highlighted the need to work together and Arabian Aerospace was told at Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) in January that it would happen “soon”. These deals illustrate that the GCC nations are taking care of their own tactical inadequacies, in the light of the operations in Yemen as well as any increased threat from Iran.
A proxy war has been raging in Yemen since 2014 between Shiite Iran and the Saudi Arabian allied force, supported by most of the Sunni-led GCC countries. These intended acquisitions will support all their needs.
The proposed $3.5 billion Apache sale includes the remanufacture of the UAEAF&AD’s 28 existing AH-64Ds into AH-64E configuration, together with production of nine new AH-64Es. It comes after several years of negotiations over the purchase of, arguably, the best gunship in the world. The UAE originally operated 30 AH-64As, which were later upgraded to AH-64D Block II standard.
Other big deals Saudi Arabia and China were also announced



Details of the Deal
Valued at $3.28 billion, this foreign military sales (FMS) contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL. Boeing plans to utilize fiscal 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 other procurement (Army) funds to complete this deal.
Per the terms of the agreement, Boeing will offer full-rate production of remanufactured aircraft and new build aircraft, remanufacture and new build Longbow crew trainers, peculiar ground support equipment, initial spares, integrated logistics support, and engineering technical services.
The company will carry out the work for this contract in Mesa, AZ.
A Brief Note on AH-64E Apache Helicopter
Boeing’s AH-64 Apache is the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter and is used by the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces. The company has delivered more than 2,200 Apache helicopters to customers around the world.
AH-64E is the latest version of the AH-64 gunship and is equipped with new sensors, avionics and improved night operation capabilities. Further, it has infra-red suppressing exhaust system as well as chaff and flare dispensers, which jointly reduce the chance of being hit by enemy air defense missiles.
Our View
Boeing is one of the largest aerospace and defense contractors, with its defense business standing out among peers on virtue of its broadly diversified programs, strong order bookings and backlog.
Notably, the company’s Defense, Space & Security segment witnessed healthy revenues and margins during 2016, apart from making substantial progress on critical program milestones, including the first flight of its T-X trainer aircraft.
In particular, among other defense equipment, the company’s forte has been combat-proven aircraft.
Designed in 1972, to meet the U.S. Army's need for an AAH (Advanced Attack Helicopter), Boeing’s AH-64A has taken supremacy over the world's premier attack helicopter from Textron Inc.’s (TXT - Free Report) Bell AH-1 Cobra.
During 2016, the company delivered 31 new AH-64 helicopters, up 34.8% from the year-ago number.
With its proven expertise in aerospace programs, the company has been gaining a huge number of contracts from the Pentagon.
In terms of international demand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) requested for a purchase of 37 Apaches and a few other of its defense equipment and that of Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT - Free Report) in Dec 2016. The total value of this deal is pegged at $3.5 billion, which on approval will surely boost international revenues of both these defense majors. 
Meanwhile, Trump’s proposal to boost the nation’s defense budget by 10% in 2018 from 2016 is likely to benefit defense biggies like Boeing.
Price Performance
Boeing gained about 36.8% in the last one year, outperforming the Zacks categorized Aerospace/Defense industry’s gain of 27.2%. This might have been triggered by the rising international demand for Boeing’s defense products, in particular for rotorcraft, commercial derivatives, fighters, satellites and services in the Asia Pacific as well as Gulf nations, as they have been strengthening their defense budgets of late. Moreover, the company’s earnings are expected to grow 13% over the next five years, indicating further upside for this stock.

The company also poses strong competition to peers like Lockheed Martin and Airbus Group SE
 
 
 
Additional press releases:

Boeing awarded Saudi AH-64E contract

IHS Jane's 360-3 hours ago
Saudi Arabia is to receive an undisclosed number of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters under a USD3.28 billion contract announced by the US ...


Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Vice Mayor Luna's National League of Cities Spring Update

Kinda vague, huh?
Published on Mar 13, 2017
Views: 17
Vice Mayor David Luna checks in from Washington, D.C. where he is in town for the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference. He serves on the NLC's Board of Directors and is the Chair of the Information Technology and Communications Committee

Justice Delayed Is NOT Justice Denied > New Trial Set For Oct 23, 2017

Highly-edited Mesa PD BodyCam Footage Release of Daniel Shaver Murder - that was 5 months after the officer involved shooting way back in January 2016.

Former Mesa Officer Loses Appeal Over Deadly Shooting

KJZZ-14 hours ago
The Arizona Court of Appeals rejected arguments that Philip Brailsford was denied a fair preliminary hearing. Brailsford has pleaded not guilty to the charge in ...

Published on May 24, 2016
Views: 18,716
Mesa PD officially release the heavily redacted bodycam footage of former officer, Philip Brailsford, charged with murder for the execution of Daniel Shaver and unarmed father in a Mesa area hotel hallway.

LISTEN UP > Lynn Tilton: A Target Fighting To Tell The Truth ?

Lynn Tilton concludes her podcast series, 7 Years A Target discussing her own fight for the truth to be told.
Source: Patriarch Partners March 10, 2017

BIG Military Contracts Go Boing for Lynn Tilton + MD Helos

Admittedly, your MesaZona blogger finds it hard to describe Patriarch Partners Dominatrix WonderWoman  Biz Exec Extraordinaire Lynn Tilton . . . Good news and bad news. After a recent setback in February under her 6-year scrutiny by the SEC, she was all-out last week @ HeliExpo 2017 as The Diva of Distressed Debt in a public relations-blitz, looking for a little love in military contract awards
MD Helicopters Touts Rotorcraft Developments
Curt Epstein March 2017

In what is described as a cost-cutting measure, MD Helicopters has taken strides to bring more production in-house, including the single-engine fuselages, construction of which was formerly split between Monterey, Mexico, and Mesa, Arizona. GOOD NEWS FOR MESA
All fuselage production has now been returned to Mesa.
Tilton claimed that each part manufactured in-house results in savings of 35%, which could be reflected in the helicopters' bottom lines.
The company will also soon be bringing training in house, offering specialized programs for police, rescue, military tactical, weapons, night vision goggles, and specialized mechanic training both on premises in Arizona and deliverable on-site.

The company was able to embrace new technology research and development that comes with certifying military aircraft and reinvest into new programs that enabled it to develop programs such as the 6XX single-engine helicopter.

Tilton said her connections to the automotive industry were helping to streamline the development of some of the new technologies in the aircraft. “You can’t be in the [automotive] industry if you’re not building an autonomous vehicle,” she said. “We’ve been able to bring a lot of that technology to the aerospace industry. The cocoon technology that we’re building right now, which is an incredible safety feature, is all done with automotive technology.”                    In terms of its projected performance, Tilton said the MD 6XX will have a 5,500-pound (2,500-kilogram) maximum gross takeoff weight; a 3,200-pound (1,450-kilogram) useful load; a 500 nautical mile range; a cruise speed of 140 knots with a maximum of 160 knots; and a 20,000-foot ceiling. Tilton said the MD is aiming to have the aircraft available on the market by the end of 2018, but didn’t set a certification timeline for the civilian version.





Zohar CLO Funds Target Lynn Tilton in $1 Billion Lawsuit
Tilton-created funds accuse founder of ‘fraud, theft and mismanagement’
By Peg Brickley  The Wall Street Journal Updated Jan. 17, 2017 9:29 a.m. ET
 

Lynn Tilton is hoping for a little love from the Trump administration.
The private equity executive, known as the Diva of Distressed Debt, believes a Republican-led Securities and Exchange Commission will be more reasonable and end her nearly two-year regulatory nightmare.
Lynn Tilton concludes her podcast series, 7 Years A Target discussing her own fight for the truth to be told.

OPEN CALL FOR PROTOTYPES > To Improve The Flow of Accurate Information

Knight Prototype Fund seeks early-stage ideas to improve the flow of accurate information
March 13, 2017 by John Bracken and Jennifer Preston
Source: Knight Foundation
The deadline to submit your idea is 5 p.m. ET on April 3, 2017.
Winners will be announced in June - up to $1 million in grants with an average size of about $50,000


The internet is a wild place, and the way we receive and process news is complicated.
As our reliance on digital platforms grows, we are swimming in misinformation and kept separate by social media algorithms that push us to talk to people with whom we already agree.
Four out of 5 of us don’t trust the media.
And local news—which tell us what’s going on around us—is in trouble with a lack of solid financial models.
At Knight Foundation, we’re driven by the belief that informed citizens are the key to a healthy democracy.
Today we, along with Democracy Fund and Rita Allen Foundation, are launching an open call for ideas answering the question:
How might we improve the flow of accurate information?
We’re looking for technologists, journalists, designers, teachers, researchers, and others who are eager to develop ideas to help build trust in journalism and address the spread of misinformation. The call is open to U.S.-based individuals, for-profits and nonprofits. We don’t believe a handful of grants can fix the information ecosystem, but we do believe working together can spur some ideas, and we can learn together what’s likely to have the most impact. 
We’re doing this as a call for prototypes.


We’ve designed the Knight Prototype Fund to quickly develop and test early-stage ideas.
We expect to award up to $1 million in grants with an average size of about $50,000. Each grant comes with a two-day training on building and evolving ideas through prototyping.
If you have more questions about the call, please review our FAQ and follow #prototypefund on Twitter.
We’re open for your ideas today through 5 p.m. ET April 3. Apply here.  We will announce winning projects in June, and look forward to reviewing your ideas.
John Bracken is vice president for technology innovation and Jennifer Preston is vice president for journalism at Knight Foundation.