Pollution: Deadlier Than War, Disaster and Hunger

Here in Arizona yet another alert/ADVISORY for HIGH POLLUTION:  [adding a Blogger's Note] when the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality creates a haze around the issue while the patterns of housing, job locations and commuter-driven car culture create more endless suburbia on top of commercial transportation relying in toxic emissions from fossil fuels . . .  We need to SPEAK UP, folks!      PM10 Air Pollutant The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a dust High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for Friday, October 20, 2017, for coarse particulate matter (PM10) for the Yuma area in Arizona. This HPA is due to particle pollutant levels expected to accumulate enough to exceed the federal health standard for PM10. People with heart or lung diseases, older adults and children are most likely to be affected by particle pollution. PM10 particles are so small they are able to travel into the respiratory tract where they can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. Exposure to these particles can also affect lung function and worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. ADEQ recommends that the general public limit outdoor activity while the HPA is in effect, especially children and adults with respiratory problems. BACKGROUND High Pollution Advisory (HPA): Notifies the public that the level of an air pollutant is expected to exceed the federal health standard. Health Watch: Notifies the public that the level of an air pollutant is expected to approach the federal health standard. Particulate Matter: State and county agencies measure levels of particulate matter (PM) in the air. PM is extremely small solid particles and liquid droplets that circulate in air. PM comes from combustion (cars, industry, wood burning) or dust stirred up into the air. High levels of PM occur when air is especially stagnant or windy. Two types of PM are measured: PM10, commonly called dust, and PM2.5, commonly called soot. PM10 refers to dust particles 10 microns or less and PM2.5 to soot particles 2.5 microns or less. For perspective, one strand of human hair is 70-100 microns in size.    Meanwhile from Maricopa Association of Governments MAG Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee You can subscribe [note the last meeting was cancelled] to Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee for Maricopa Association of Governments. This information has recently been updated, and is now available on the MAG site and at ftp://ftp.azmag.gov/AirQualityTechnicalAdvisoryCommittee/. _________________________________________________________________________________

"Pollution kills at least nine million people and costs trillions of dollars every year, according to the most comprehensive global analysis to date, which warns the crisis 'threatens the continuing survival of human societies,'" The Guardian writes of the study, released by The Lancet medical journal: "Toxic air, water, soils and workplaces are responsible for the diseases that kill one in every six people around the world." "The deaths attributed to pollution are triple those from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined." "The vast majority of the pollution deaths occur in poorer nations and in some, such as India, Chad and Madagascar, pollution causes a quarter of all deaths. The international researchers said this burden is a hugely expensive drag on developing economies." Go deeper.

Starved & Hungry for Moral Clarity?

Confused in the times we're in? Have we lost that guiding Moral Compass? Clue: The poles are shifting
Or are we applying the wrong imagery and references to an appetite for clear thinking when all-too-human prejudices create "magnetic attraction" to our baser tribal instincts?
Those are some of the questions we appear to be dealing with, as #1 in Mike Allen's Axios AM Top Ten this morning 20 October 2017
1 big thing: Moral clarity in amoral times

"Sexual abuse in Hollywood.
Social media abuse in Silicon Valley.
Political abuse in the White House.
Dive into Twitter for a few minutes, and these can feel like the worst of times.
So everyone, and the GOP establishment in particular, seems hungry for moral clarity:

• White House aides, beaten down by criticism from friends and beleaguered by the words and actions of the boss, got a rare moral boost from Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly as he offered a highly emotional and highly personal explanation/defense of Trump's outreach to families who lost young men in Niger.
• Per Jonathan Swan, some White House aides teared up as Kelly described, during a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, what it was like for a fallen soldier to return home. Other aides stood watching him on TV, in stunned silence.
• "Kelly has managed to make himself the moral core of the Trump administration," a top White House official told us. "He just has so much credibility right now ... And he's in the best possible position, because he doesn't have to go out there and face the press every day. If he picks his spots he is now an extraordinarily credible and effective spokesperson on issues that need some moral clarity to them."
• Left unspoken: Trump rarely leaves staff feeling this way.

An implicit rebuke of the Republican president was the focus of blunt remarks this week by Sen. John McCain ("half-baked, spurious nationalism") and George W. Bush ("Bigotry seems emboldened").

• David Brooks writes in today's column: "Books will someday be written on how Trump, this wounded and twisted man, became morally acceptable to tens of millions of Americans."

Be smart: McCain and Bush have nothing to lose, and see themselves in the twilight of their closing careers. But it's stunning how few in power — and who want to stay in power — say anything like this in public.

Wanted: Cyber Warriors > You Are 100% Employable

Skills for the Future: Hacking

cy·ber·war·ri·or

ˈsībərˌwôrēər/

cyber warrior a

 computer expert engaged in the infiltration or sabotage of information systems, or in the defense of information systems against outside attack, typically for strategic or military purposes.

"for the governments facing increasing computer attacks, the biggest challenge is finding the right cyberwarriors to fight back".

War in the 5th Dimension. Free education/training and career placement here in Mesa - Arizona Cyber Warfare Range

Continuing threats to online security and a potential future shift from conventional warfare  to targeted cyber attacks, the risks of a cyber war are serious.
Now a campaign has been launched to find 10,000 Americans to become the next generation of cyber warriors.

Mesa has one of the nation’s most unique cybersecurity assets. After leasing the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for several years, the City purchased the facility in 2014, renamed it, and retained its high security protocols. Today, the facility is certified at the highest level of cybersecurity and is host to the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range, and other companies conducting highly sensitive projects, research, and cybersecurity activities. AZLabs is located adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport making it a strategic location for unmanned and autonomous vehicle research and operations.
https://businessfacilities.com

INTERVIEW WITH BRETT SCOTT

Published on Mar 19, 2017

Brett Scott talks about the importance of filling the talent gap in CyberSecurity and how his Cyber Warfare Range offers free education and career placement as a solution. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/automateallthet... 

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Connected Experience: AZ Cyber Warfare Range

Published on Oct 9, 2017

Brett Scott - This virtual reality experience will provide an insider's look at the unique assets Greater Phoenix has that help to build and validate the region's reputation as The Connected Place.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Related content
Fast forward year for reserve cyber unit
The Army Reserve Cyber Operations Group (ARCOG), 335th Signal Command (Theater), has kept its cyber warriors busy this year with operational training and exercises designed to keep its Soldiers skills laser sharp and focused for the required training, missions and support facing them.
The ARCOG is a newly formed cyber brigade created from the Army Reserve Information Operations Command in October 2016. It is in the process of building its force through readiness and advanced cyber security training to perform cyber missions in support of Army Reserve Cyber Command (ARCYBER).  

The unit is also building readiness and lethality through advanced cyber training as it reaches the initial operating capability (IOC) for the cyber protection teams (CPTs) under the U.S. Cyber Command (USCC), the ARCYBER and the addition of its ten CPTs to the Cyber Mission Force.
One of those new commanders is Lt. Col. Eric Rahman, commander of the ARCOG’s Western Cyber Protection Center (WCPC). He is implementing the ARCOG’s stationing plans through the establishment of Cyber Protection Teams in Los Alamitos, California (in addition to the Headquarters at Camp Parks, California), with mission elements at Moffett Field, California, Hawaii, Japan and Korea. 
In June, Rahman's team led by Major Jonathan Reading, a senior officer for the ARCOG’s Phoenix Detachment, established a working relationship by conducting partnership training with the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range (AZCWR), in order to get the Soldiers assigned to the Detachment additional practice in cyber warfare tactics. The instruction at the AZCWR, allowed the Soldiers to get a better shared understanding of the cyber threat environment.
Read more > https://www.dvidshub.net/news 

========================================================================

Möbius Partners presents Brett Scott, Co-Founder of Arizona Cyber Warfare Range (azcwr.org)

Published on May 23, 2017

Hear the Co-Founder of Arizona Cyber Warfare Range (azcwr.org) talk about security, strategies for watching the wire, skills gap, ransomware, etc.
Find out more about how Möbius Partners can protect your environment: www.mobiuspartners.com/security or contact our Security Practice Manager, Shannon Gillenwater. ShannonG@MobiusPartners.com.
We have several complimentary assessments that we offer to help you.



 

 

Some "rumors" about Steven Wright in The Mesa Newsroom?

Your MesaZona blogger usually makes it a practice not "to go there" when innuendoes and gossip tend to circulate, but this one appears to getting "some legs", for better or for worse. . . and getting it out there in the public discourse, with some precautions.
Usually these things used to get over-looked or not looked at all except when there's a huge avalanche in the news about workplace sexual harassment. It's no wonder then that things  that might have been ignored here in Mesa before are now bubbling up. True or not?
The Mormon Church - and Mormon men - are not immune for some of those "temptations of the flesh", as written about in the article that features the opening image after a series of reports about sexual abuse and sexual harassment. 
Here's a link to comments posted in July of this year > http://religionnews.com about practices of bishops, followed by an older link to what the Honor Code at Brigham Young University was ...and, of course, there's also available on the City of Mesa's website for the official Ethics Handbook.

This is an excerpt from BYU'S Honor Code:
Source: https://bycommonconsent.com/2013/06/17
How would this play out in the workplace?  First of all, corporate dress codes, where they exist, are less restrictive than BYU.  Corporate dress codes are written to encourage employees to project a professional image, without reference to sexual motives.  There are  cultural disincentives to dress in a deliberately sexy manner (e.g. women have reason to fear they may not be taken seriously).
Sexual conduct is handled as a separate policy matter from dress code.  A male colleague approaching a female colleague to inform her that her clothing is too sexy or too tight would therefore be initiating a discussion about his own sexual reaction.  Most men in the corporate world wouldn’t touch that conversation with a ten-foot pole[5].  How this comment will be perceived by the female colleague is subjective.  Most women in the workplace would feel uncomfortable, particularly because it is an unwanted criticism and they have not violated any company policy.  Unless they are close friends with the male who approaches them, they may feel threatened by this interaction; they will probably feel sexually objectified and slightly creeped out.
If a woman complains to the HR department that she was approached by a male colleague who made sexual comments about her appearance, the HR team would investigate the complaint to determine if there is a pattern of unwanted behavior and to assess whether the complaint is justified based on what a “reasonable person” would feel in that situation.  Based on how most women would perceive being approached in this manner, the guy will probably be deemed to be in the wrong.  Because most courts side with complainants, large corporations take complaints of hostile work environment very seriously.  The corporation must be able to demonstrate in court (if the situation arises) that they have a strong track record of taking these types of complaints seriously.  Even if the complaint is resolved, being the subject of this kind of investigation will raise questions about this person’s ability to work with others; these doubts will limit his career potential.
Another concern happens relative to how men and women are discouraged from interacting. If a man refuses to be alone with a female colleague in a professional work context (e.g. on a business trip or in an office for a one-on-one meeting), that man is the one who is bringing sexuality into the workplace and creating an awkward situation, one not recognized by the majority of professionals as a real threat (where there is no history of sexual misconduct). Male employees are expected to treat female colleagues, subordinates and bosses as business professionals, not as potentially seductive threats.  
Solutions
I want to clarify that most of the Mormon men I know are perfectly capable of controlling themselves when they see an attractive woman, regardless of how that woman is dressed or whether they are alone with her; this was true even at BYU.  Most of them can handle seeing an attractive woman in the workplace without stuttering out some sort of unwanted creepy commentary or fleeing as if from Potiphar’s wife.  But those who are already prone to creeperdom are bolstered and given plenty of fodder for self-justification in the Mormon world, to their peril.  And by far, the biggest creepers I’ve met in the workplace have been Mormon men.  In one case, it even caused our company’s senior leaders to ask whether Mormon culture was creating the sexist and unprofessional behavior that had been observed. . . .
 

Finding Your Mission > It's What Others Need Not A Religious Assignment

Published on Oct 19, 2017

Views: 2,127

Above and beyond having a job, what we really need to power our professional future is a sense of mission. A film that discusses what a mission is, and how we might find our own. If you like our films, take a look at our shop (we ship worldwide): https://goo.gl/Rj3YRS
Join our mailing list: http://bit.ly/2e0TQNJ
Or visit us in person at our London HQ https://goo.gl/JVqUMk


FURTHER READING

“Missions are things we tend to associate with astronauts.
If someone at a party asked you what you did, and you said you were involved on a mission of some kind, people would look at you sort of strangely.
But in truth, we’d all benefit from focusing in on the purpose of our lives so that we can refer to them as missions of one kind or another…”

You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://goo.gl/Vme9Mr

MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/EY3Wmw

Watch more films on WORK and CAPITALISM in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLcapitalism

You can submit translations and transcripts on all of our videos here: https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_...
Find out how more here: https://support.google.com/youtube/an...


SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to follow us at the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschoolofl...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolof...


CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Madadam films
http://madadamfilms.co.uk/

Beginning Of A New Era: China's Socialist Pragmatic Win-Win For Global Development

Published on Oct 19, 2017

Views: 153

In a defining milestone in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping opened the biggest event in China’s political calendar: The 19th CPC National Congress. The high-profile gathering comes as China’s endeavor to build what it calls a “moderately prosperous society” has entered a decisive stage. The international community is paying particular attention to see how China, under Xi’s leadership, will chart its future course. What are the top priorities for the CPC in the coming years? And how do we envision the future prospects of the China Road?

Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://goo.gl/lP12gA

Download our APP on Apple Store (iOS): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cctvn...

Download our APP on Google Play (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

Follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalT...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgtn/?hl=zh-cn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CGTNOfficial
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CGTNOfficial/
Tumblr: http://cctvnews.tumblr.com/
Weibo: http://weibo.com/cctvnewsbeijing

$765 Million Navy Contract Awarded to Harris for Tactical Radios

US Department of Navy Awards Harris Corporation $765 Million IDIQ Contract for Tactical Radios

Blogger Note: other news from Harris included in this post after this announcement and a press release from harris.com 11 October 2017

 

 

Harris Corp on Twitter > https://twitter.com/HarrisCorp

 

Oct 16-19 2017

3rd Annual Cyber Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) Conference

Myer Auditorium, Building 6000, Combat Drive, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, United States

The Association of Old Crows (AOC) and APG Susquehanna Chapter of the AOC, under a co-sponsorship agreement with the Army, will hold the 3rd Annual CEMA Conference at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. This year's focus will be on the emerging Joint Army/USMC Multi-Domain Battle (MDB) concept and the implications with respect to CEMA.

 

With over 13,000 members internationally, the Association of Old Crows is an organization for individuals who have common interests in Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Operations, Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), Information Operations (IO), and other information related capabilities. The Association of Old Crows provides a means of connecting members and organizations nationally and internationally across government, defense, industry, and academia to promote the exchange of ideas and information, and provides a platform to recognize advances and contributions in these fields.

 

 

 

Press Release:

Highlights:

• Supports current and emerging Department of Navy tactical radio requirements
• Includes the Harris AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-152A and the new AN/PRC-160 radio
• Replaces fully realized $300 million IDIQ contract that expired in August

The U.S. Department of Navy has awarded Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) a five-year, $765 million ceiling, single-award IDIQ contract to provide tactical radios and ancillary devices to the Navy and Marine Corps.

This new contract, which replaces a $300 million IDIQ contract that expired in August, enables the U.S. Department of Navy to procure radios including the Harris AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-152A and the new AN/PRC-160 wideband HF/VHF radio, as well as peripheral attachments to support handheld, manpack, vehicular and base station mission needs. Additionally, the contract’s flexibility allows Harris to provide next-generation products as required.

"This award stems from our successful long-standing track record of developing and delivering the most advanced family of tactical radios,” said Chris Young, president, Harris Communication Systems. “The award enables Harris to continue to meet the Navy and Marine Corps’ current and emerging needs so that they can successfully accomplish their missions around the globe.”

 

About Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems.

Learn more at harris.com.

_________________________________________________________________________

 

Harris Corporation Awarded $133 Million US Navy and Australian F/A-18 Electronic Warfare Contract

October 16, 2017