Credit Inphographics IMFdirect

“There’s no doubt that with the growth of China, we’ve seen a re-commoditization of Latin America,” said Colombia’s Mining Minister Mauricio Cárdenas, an economist and former Director of the Latin America program at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC.

In terms of economic development, Latin America did not take any advantage of the rising prices of  commodities -raw-materials-  , which prices nearly tripled from 2000 to 2010.

In that sense, Latin America’s share of global merchandise trade remained the same (5.7 %), and service exports  fell to 3.4 percent from 3.9 percent.

It is difficult to do business in Latin America.  The World Bank´s 2012 competitiveness ranked Brazil -the region’s biggest economy- as No. 126 out of 183 countries.

READ MORE HERE.

In short, the continent’s decade-long boom may be ending. According to the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Latin American growth, which topped 6% last year, will slow to 4.3% this year and 3.7% in 2012. Brazil’s economy, the region’s largest, actually flat-lined in the third quarter; Argentina’s scorching growth of 9% this year will be halved to 4.8% next year, and capital flight is expected to be robust. Mexico’s growth, meanwhile, will drop from 4% to 3.3%.

That’s hardly doomsday news, but it’s one reason the Montevideo summit’s main action was to raise protective import tariffs…READ MORE HERE

The IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook: Western Hemisphere sheds light on Latin America’s reliance on commodities from a historical perspective.  A study conducted by Gustavo Adler y Sebastián Sosa  also looks at the effect of a sharp decline in commodity prices on emerging market economies and on the policies that could shield countries from that shock. READ  MORE HERE

Security: Joe Parry from Cambridge Intelligence and Victor Bjorgan, CEO og Global Security Services LLC and Publisher of TheAmericasPost.com, during the EISIC 2011 Conference.

How should we communicate the results of our analysis to decision-makers? How to visualize key information for decision makers?  The talk of Joe Parry argued that visualisations and infographics play a very important role, not only for analytical processes of data analysts, but also for explaining the analytical results to decision-makers at the highest of levels.

Some care must be taken to avoid various common pitfalls when designing such visuals: the talk will cover bad examples as well as good in order to uncover design guidelines and practical advice for those wishing to pursue a more visual approach.

in that sense, Joe Parry initiated his keynote that these visualization tools are specially important for law enforcement and National Security. In that sense he recalled an old saying ” a good sketch is better than a long speech”.

What is visualitation? asked Parry to the conferencists. Well , a good visualitation does not consist in just good pictures.

About graphs and numbers, Parry said that the use of interactive data and vissualy representation of data is used to amplify cognition. Parry briefly described how a good visualization helps in the Intel analysis. Described some common pitfalls in data visualization. he recommend the reading of the book written by Westell, Duncan and Weeks on visualization in Intel analyIntel analysissis.

Parry also described a model of intelligence analyzing processes. The final product of such analysis is a report.

In the reports, he does not recommend the use of colours to describe the visual variables. He recommend the use of Kinley Visual variables.

To start the visualization of the Analysis in its low phase, Parry mentioned the visualization of pattern of life, but said this is a analytical tool, not a decission tool. He also said that this analysis must be simplified, not use numbers.

During his keynote speech, Joe Parry showed a photograph of former President George Bush looking a wall full of sketches with the networks and interrelations of all individual terrorists participants in the attacks of September 9/11. It was a very confusing material, President Bush was looking at in this photo. Not the best intelligence visualization report.  President Bush was not looking in the photo at a screen with the three followings ingredients that are important in any report: geovisualization, timeline visualization and network visualization.

Parry said, that if only using that photo, it was impossible for former President Bush tot ake any intelligence decission, because there is no report, but only information.

In things not to do, Joe Parry also told participants that it is no good to put pies in the reports, neither 3D presentations. The intelligence reports for decission makers must avoid the use of colour since there is often a color blind among the public. He recommends not to use labels, simplicity instead  of complexity, no use of black backgrounds, no use of pie charts, not use of misleading scales.

Joe Parry showed enthusiasm while talking about the infographics reports of the New York Times NYT. He said the NYT infographics show all needed info to understand what is happening.

Summarizing, Parry described some of what he called as ” design guidelines” for any Intel report, like  first an overview, always  aim for clarity, show context, show how the situation has changed, make comparison easy, all visual elements must be backed by data, and that the report should be so clear and convincing that the decission makers will act backed by the report.

To know more about the subject, Joe Parry from Cambridge Intelligence mentioned some sites that can be of interest like:

flowingdata.com

infosthetics.com (slow uploading, be patient..)

visualcomplexity.com

nytgraphics.com

stamen.com

visualization.org

Finally, Joe Parry ended his keynote speech saying to all participants: “Back Up everything you say!”

Joe Parry´s email address is joe@cambridge-intelligence.com

His twitter is @parry_joe

Phone nr: 07973 787 233

His address is:

idea Space

The Entrepreneurship Centre

3 Charles Babbage Road

Cambridge CB 3 OGT

Biographical Details:
Joe Parry has worked on visualization and graphics systems for intelligence work for the last thirteen years.
During that time he has done software development, design, systems architecture and more experimental
research projects. He has worked with the intelligence communities of the UK, US and other countries. His
recent professional interests include social network analysis and web-based visualisation systems. This year he started his own software company which is producing what he hopes will be part of a new wave of
investigation software.

Dr.Nasrullah Memon, Program Chair of EISIC 2011 in exclusive interview with TheAmericasPost.com

On the occasion of the EISIC (September 12-14,2011) held in Athens, we interviewed the Program Chair of the event Dr. Nasrullah Memon, professor at the University of Southern Denmark and member of the Steering Committee of the European Intelligence & Security Informatics Conference EISIC on Counterterrorism and Criminology. The event was organized jointly with The International Symposium on Open Source Intelligence and Web Mining (OSINT-WM 2011), and having as Academic Sponsors The University of Arizona, University of Southern Denmark,  and The Hellenic American University, as technical co-sponsor the IEEE Computer Society, as local organizer the Hellenic American University and SPRINGER as the Industry Sponsor.

During the interview, Dr. Memon gave details about EISIC (past, present and future plans) , how the Intelligence Community can take advantage of the Intelligence & Security Informatics discipline, the relationship between counterterrorism and computational criminology, the role of Higher Education, as well as differents kinds of Crime involving information and communication technologies. The privacy problem was also analized during the conversation.

Here is an excerpt of a very interesting interview with one of the world´s most brilliant minds in Defense, Counterterrorism and Security Informatics, Dr. Nasrullah Memon.

Dear Dr. Memon, could you please tell us what is EISIC 2011? Please elaborate on its creation, mission, objectives and members.

EISIC is the European chapter of Intelligence and Security Informatics (ISI) series of conferences. The conference is dynamic and allows academicians, researchers and practitioners to keep abreast of new tools and methodologies in the area of Intelligence Security and Informatics. It is also a venue that fosters networking opportunities for people working in this scientific area.

After my graduation (PhD Defense), Professor Hsinchun Chen, Director, Artificial Lab, University of Arizona, the founder of ISI series of conferences encouraged us to organize the European chapter of ISI. In this context, the first event was organized under the name of EUROISI 2008 at Esbjerg, Denmark.  That event was organized more as a workshop than a conference and it was not very well attended.

In September 2010, while Professor Hsinchun Chen visited University of Southern Denmark, we discussed how to re-organize the European chapter of ISI as an annual event in order to create a consortium involving academic researchers in information technologies, computer science, public policy, criminology, and social and behavior studies as well as local, national, and European law enforcement and intelligence experts, and information technology industry consultants and practitioners to support counterterrorism and national/international security missions of anticipation, interdiction, prevention, preparedness and response to terrorist acts. In other words the mission and objectives for the organization of EISIC series of conferences that came out from the discussions with Prof. Chen are to provide opportunities to establish a European network in the area of Intelligence and Security Informatics.

The organization of the conference was a very difficult task and we started working for the success of the event from September 2010 with the collaboration of Hellenic American University, University of Southern Denmark and University of Arizona. We formed a team from the above mentioned academic institutes and Hellenic American University accepted to host EISIC 2011 in Athens, Greece while University of Southern Denmark accepted to host EISIC 2012 in Odense, Denmark.  As per program chairs, Daniel Zeng and me invited around 100 researchers from academia and industry to work as program committee members. We received 111 submissions for EISIC 2011 and we accepted 27% of high quality papers as LONG papers based on the peer-review process.  The research articles were received from 41 countries from all sub-continents.

The founding members of EISIC 2011 are: Prof. Hsinchun Chen, Prof. George J. Hagerty, Professor Uffe Kock Wiil, Professor Triant Flouris, Dr. Panagiotis Karampelas and myself.

What is your assessment of the conference in Athens?

As per feedback from the audience we found it was a very successful event. The keynote speeches as well as the paper presentations were very well attended by the participants and there were a lot of positive comments on the quality of the presentations. There were also a lot of opportunities for networking between the participants and we witnessed several discussions about future collaborations between the participants. I would like to mention at this point that the host organization played a vital role in the success of the conference sponsoring the expenses of keynote speakers and finding alternatives of certain problems we faced because of unforeseen incidents such as strikes, etc.

What activities does EISIC plan to carry out in the near future?

We have a number of long and short term plans in the area of Intelligence and Security Informatics.  We have established the Counterterrorism Research Lab at University of Southern Denmark in October 2009.  Behind the lab there is a small group of researchers (around 10, one Professor, one Associate Professor and several PhD students) working in the area of ISI. We are publishing our research articles in the area in various conferences and journals and we try to establish connections with various law enforcement bodies and intelligence services providing them with our cutting edge technology and experience. Concerning EISIC, we plan to organize EISIC 2012 at our University at Odense on August 22-24, 2012. We also received a number of informal proposals for the organization of collocated events. As soon as we receive formal proposals, we’ll decide accordingly. We have also received informal proposals for the organization of EISIC 2013 and EISIC 2014 in Italy and Sweden respectively. The steering committee will decide as soon as we receive formal proposals for the organization of EISIC and related events in future.

In regard to the Intel discipline, where do you classify the Intelligence Security Informatics ISI? Is it a separate intelligence discipline in and of itself, or part of other intel disciplines like HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, etc.?

ISI is a discipline where INTEL disciplines could be benefited. Let us take an example; we are working on a research project (sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark): Developing an Early Warning System to predict Terrorist Threats. Mostly we use OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), but there is room for counterterrorism experts/INTEL to work. We do not have yet a formal collaboration with INTEL agencies, but I’m sure INTEL people could be benefited as well from ISI research.

What role does higher education play in ISI?

As this is a new inter-disciplinary area, higher education can play a vital role in encouraging students from Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Criminology, Computer Science, and Applied Mathematics to adopt research in the area of ISI in order to educate experts to help us in building a SAFE AND SECURE WORLD. It is also a need of the hour to train INTEL people with this emerging area of research.

What is the relationship between counter-terrorism and computational criminology?

Computational criminology like Countering terrorism is an emerging blend of criminology, anthropology, social computing, computer science and applied mathematics. Modern concerns about public safety and security include a focus on a range of events from less serious everyday crimes like shoplifting to personal violent crimes like homicide and ultimately terrorism. Underlying all of these events is a decision process or a chain of steps in target identification, steps that focus first on rough and vague decisions and move towards the precise plot. The fields of counterterrorism and computational criminology involves the use of computational power to identify: (1) crime patterns and emerging patterns; (2) crime generators and attractors; (3) terrorism, organized crime and gang social and spatial networks as well as co-offending networks; and, (4) cybercrime/cyber terrorism. Algorithms are developed using computational topology, hyper-graphs, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Knowledge Discovery and Data-mining (KDD), agent based simulations, dynamic information systems analysis and more for detecting organized crime and predicting terrorist threats.

The methods and models used for counter terrorism and computational criminology can provide information about pattern theory and identification. In short, we treat terrorism as an organized crime, and therefore, it would be possible to use some of the traditional methods to detect terrorism evidences, but also new models can be developed looking into the new type of terrorism of 21^st century.

What is cybercrime and what current challenges does it pose?

Crime involving information and communication technologies (ICT), for example:

·        ICT as an instrument, where ICT can be used as primary tool to commit the offence (Identity theft, Internet scams and Fraud-misappropriation of funds are some of the examples)

·        ICT as target, where ICT is the target of the offence (Hacking, Misuse of  ICT resources, Denial of service, Stealing information)

·        ICT as Ancillary Resource, where conventional crime can be assisted by ICT; in other words technology can be used to commit conventional crime or technology can be used to store information about crime (Fraud, Money laundering, etc., are known examples)

As the cybercrime has border-less and transnational reach, therefore, there is urgent need to establish competency in predictive cyber analysis and to develop trusted relationships to encourage information sharing among the INTEL agencies.  There are number of challenges in cybercrime, for example

·        Enforcing extraterritorial/ trans-border law enforcement activity

·        Many offences are never detected

·        Many detected offences are never reported

·        Difficult to quantify the offence

·        Difficult to “Police” the cyber space

·        Evidence can be intangible

·        Issuing warrant without knowledge of the precise location of data (evidence) can be problematic

·        Evidence can be destroyed during search

·        Encryption and other concealment technologies are available to offenders

·        Human rights and privacy issue, etc.

How can the right to individual privacy be balanced against the need for protection from cybercrime?

It is a very difficult question; I think security is more important than privacy of individual person in some cases.  But according to the laws of each country, the privacy problem should be dealt in treating with cyber criminals.

Covering the US, Brazil, Russia, India, China and six Latin American nations, SIA’s International Security Market Reports offer the most comprehensive information on emerging global security markets and the forces influencing their growth. They guide companies looking to enter these high growth markets, and offer valuable information to companies already there

The Latin America Security Market Report provides in-depth analysis of the electronic and physical security markets in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. This comprehensive, one-of-a-kind report examines the demand for security products in each of these high-growth markets as well as each nation’s economy, demographics, infrastructure and legal and tax environment. Findings and forecasts are broken down into economic sectors and equipment segments, enabling businesses to target their resources to areas that have the potential for the biggest return on investment. READ MORE HERE.

This is a Executive Summary of the Latin America Security Market Report.

This study examines the Electronic Physical Security (EPS) market in the countries of Argentina, Chile,
Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. The EPS market is comprised of the following segments: Intrusion
Alarm systems, Fire Detection and Alarm systems, Video systems, Access Control systems and Electronic Article
Surveillance (EAS) systems.
The entire Latin American region had a positive economic growth rate in the years prior to the global downturn in
the latter part of 2008. By 2007, the entire Latin American region had completed five years of continuous
economic growth at a rate higher than 4 percent. This growth can be attributed in part to factors such as
improved economic policies and increased trade within Latin America as a result of various trade agreements.
The EPS industry also benefited from the economic performance of the region. This market has been rapidly
expanding within the Latin American countries to meet the growing security needs of their societies.
Key Findings
The total market size of the Latin American EPS market is estimated to be worth USD 704 million for 2008
(considering only the countries under study). Among these countries, Mexico and Argentina are the largest
markets. They account for USD 430 million and USD 84 million respectively, and together represent
approximately 73 percent share of the total EPS market. Colombia (USD 70 million), Venezuela (USD 57 million)
and Chile (USD 45 million) together account for approximately 24.4 percent share of the market. At 2.6 percent,
Panama (USD 18 million) has the smallest share of the Latin American EPS market.
The main driver for the Latin American EPS market has been an increase in crime against property
(burglaries and thefts), which has generated a general feeling of insecurity in the population.
Governmental regulations and public investment are also relevant drivers of this market.
Video systems are by far the largest segment in the EPS market in Latin America with an estimated
market size of USD 263.2 million, representing approximately 37.4 percent share of the EPS market. This
segment has shown the highest growth in recent years and has the maximum growth potential. One of the main
drivers for the demand of video systems has been the migration from analog to digital technology in Latin
America. This trend has led to significant growth rates in the demand of Internet Protocol (IP) cameras in the
market. The main consumers of these devices are the financial and retail sectors. The most common
requirements from these industries for the usage of surveillance systems include, control of internal processes
(such in the case of banks and casinos), prevention of thefts (mostly retail) and public monitoring.
Intrusion alarm systems account for the second largest market share in Latin America. This segment has
a market size of approximately USD 124 million, representing 17.6 percent share of the total EPS market.
Panama and Chile, with 26 and 23 percent respectively, have the highest market share of intrusion alarm
systems. Coincidently, these two countries have the smallest EPS markets in Latin America. Intrusion alarm
systems are the main devices consumed by the residential sector, averaging half of its demand. The demand for
these products has started to decrease in the non- residential segment because they are being replaced by
integrated video systems and access control systems.
The EAS segment is the third largest in the EPS market, with an estimated market size of USD 122.91
million and a 17.4 percent market share; this market is largely driven by demand in Mexico and
Argentina. The demand for EAS systems in Latin America is highly related to the retail industry growth. These
devices have less demand in other industries. There are two major brands supplying the demand for EAS
systems in Latin America.
Fire detection and alarm systems have an estimated market size of USD 111 million, equivalent to a 15.8
percent share of the total EPS market in Latin America. Chile and Venezuela are the countries where these
systems have the highest market share (20 and 18 percent respectively). This market is driven by local

regulations and requirements from insurance companies. Governments approve regulations leading to increased
safety measures in buildings, especially when it comes to workplaces. Insurance companies also require their
clients to implement this kind of risk prevention measure as a requirement to insure their facilities.
The access control system segment has the lowest market share (11.8 percent), with an estimated
market size of USD 82.9 million. In the past few years, these systems have seen great receptivity by
customers. Additionally, the trend toward the integration of security systems has benefited this market since it is
the first security barrier. It is expected that these systems, along with video systems, will experience the highest
growth rates in the coming years. The main consumers of access control systems are the industrial sector as well
as the public sector. These systems are mainly used for security purposes as well as for employees’ control.
In Latin America, approximately 80 percent of the EPS revenues are from the non-residential segment,
which includes the public sector (governments and its institutions) and the private sector (industries such as
retail, tourism, financial services and others). Generally, the public sector requires video systems for public
monitoring. It also generates a demand for access control systems and fire detection and alarm systems for the
security of public facilities. The private sector, on the other hand, uses products from all the EPS categories
under study. The residential sector, which represents the remaining 20 percent, generates demand of mostly
intrusion alarm systems as well as access control systems and video systems in some particular situations. The
products used in this segment generally fall under the low-cost category.
The local production of EPS devices in Latin America is low and is limited to country-specific situations
and focus of manufacturers is on the production of simple and low-cost products. The most relevant case
is Argentina, where the local production of intrusion alarm systems and access control systems represent
approximately 19 percent of the local consumption of EPS products. Venezuela is another example of local
production of fire detection and alarm systems, which represents less than 10 percent of the local consumption
for that country.
Generic Asian products have gained an interesting market share in the Latin American EPS market,
especially in video systems, targeting price-sensitive customers. The lower cost of these devices combined
with the lack of legal quality standards have driven the entrance of these products in the studied market.
Residential and small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are generally price-sensitive and, therefore are the
main consumers of these products.
Although multi-brand integration is still under-developed, the demand for integrated EPS systems has
gradually increased over the last few years in Latin America. Current integration of EPS products is
generally done with products manufactured by the same company. Integration of multi-brand systems is currently
considered a challenge for the EPS industry in Latin America.
At present, Latin American EPS markets lack regulations related to quality standards and also in terms of
minimum requirement of installed devices. The financial sector is regulated widely in Latin America and there
are some regulations for some of the product categories, for e.g., fire detection and alarm systems in Venezuela
and Chile and video systems for casinos in Chile. However, regulations for these categories are generally not
controlled or enforced effectively.
With respect to the global downturn, economies in Latin America are seeing an impact. The international financial
crisis is cooling down the growth engines in this region, and several parties are expecting growth rates of 2.0–3.8
percent for 2009. The EPS market is also expected to suffer as a result of this crisis but not as much as other
sectors. The industry could have a promising outlook thanks to various government policies and plans to invest in
public security infrastructure. READ MORE HERE.

Director of the U.S. Security Industry Association SIA Mr. Scott Schafer and Publisher of The Americas Post, Mr. Victor Bjorgan

Global Security Services LLC and its digital news publication The Americas Post are now associated members of the Security Industry Association SIA of the United States. Our Publisher Mr. Victor Bjorgan met with Directors and members of the Staff of the Security Industry Association, sharing goals and principles. Among the officers of SIA, our Publisher held talks with the member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of Membership Committee Mr. Scott Schafer.

Bjorgan also met the Director of Research and Technology Mark A. Visbal, the Director of Government Relations Mr. Donald R. Erickson , the Director of Education and Training Arminda Valles-Hall and Mr. Marc Benson Sales Manager of SIA. All of these meetings occurred during the ISC Conference in New York, November 3rd and 4th.

SIA`s Director of research and Technology Mr. Mark A. Visbal welcomes our Publisher Victor R. Bjorgan.

Our digital newspaper, specializing in security issues in The Americas, realized the importance of being member of SIA, as a way to follow the active development of the security business. SIA represents the business interests of manufacturers, service providers and integrators of electronic physical security equipment.

Among diverse fields of activity, some of SIA`s goals are:

- to educate U.S. government entities about applied security technologies and influence the development of government policies that will strengthen the electronic physical security industry, like f.e. to influence U.S. legislation in a manner that creates financial opportunities for member companies protecting critical infrastructure and high-value commercial assets in various vertical markets including health care, maritime, public transportation; education, and nuclear

- to develop market share overseas. SIA recognizes the need to

Our publisher Victor R. Bjorgan also held talks with Mr. Donald R. Erickson, Director of U.S. Government Relations of the Security Industry Association SIA.

create and expand international market penetration and provides member support at events around the world. In addition, SIA participates in the Global Security Industry Alliance , an organization that brings together several national security associations

-  to promote research within the industry. SIA has a Research Department with the mission to facilitate the development of information perceived to have practical value to  SIA beneficiaries in the day to day conduct of their business. In fulfillment of its mission statement, SIA’s Research keeps members informed of market trends and industry advances by delivering leading-edge news, information, data and analysis. This competitive market intelligence helps our members build and sustain profitable, growth-oriented businesses. SIA Research has developed a serie of reports , made with the collaboration of partners that have “feet on the ground” expertise, allowing access to the best sources of market intelligence. These reports include a definitive analysis of the economic, legal, political and business environment in the country of study

-  to promote Education and Training on matters of electronic physical security equipment. The goal of SIA is  to advance the professionalism of the industry by equipping SIA`s members and their channel partners with the training, information and tools they need for success. READ MORE HERE.

EADS - European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company

With government budgets across Europe set to shrink significantly in the coming years, the parent company of Airbus predicted that the group’s military business would become increasingly focused on markets in Asia, Latin America and the Persian Gulf and it hinted that the outsourcing of European aerospace jobs to those regions was all but inevitable.

“It is quite clear that European markets will decline, or be stable at best,” Stefan Zoller, chief executive of the military division of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, said Saturday. Mr. Zoller was speaking as aerospace industry executives were converging here in advance of the Farnborough International Airshow, which begins Monday.

“Strategically, we have to go where the money is, and the money is around the globe,” Mr. Zoller said.

EADS said Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were among the countries budgeting more for defense and security and where the company is pursuing lucrative deals to supply its Eurofighter jets, Eurocopter helicopters as well as border security and surveillance systems.

Military spending in Brazil rose 23 percent in 2009, while in India the defense budget was raised by 35 percent this year to $40 billion. Analysts at Frost & Sullivan predict that budgets in the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions will surpass $100 billion by 2014.

“These are developing markets, they are huge markets,” Mr. Zoller said.

But such deals are increasingly coming with strings attached that oblige contractors to invest in developing the industrial bases of customer nations and share critical aerospace technology, he said.

“It’s clear that the old concept of exports won’t prevail,” Mr. Zoller said. “These nations are asking for their own competence and for the ramp-up of their own industries.” READ MORE HERE

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star--LedgerJohn Federici, Distinguished Professor of Physics, poses with a Terahertz Interferometric Imaging Array in his lab at NJIT. The array uses terahertz rays to see through clothing and containers to detect concealed objects in real time. As the technology is improved Federici says it can be used in defense against suicide bombers and other terrorist activities.

Newark, U.S.- On this particular day at NJIT (New Jersey Science and Technology University), the focus of one of the top technological minds in the country is on cork.

It is a single cork, from Portugal, where 320 million pounds of bottle stoppers are produced every year. The billion-dollar cork industry is in trouble from a chemical that ruins the taste of wine. That is why physicist John Federici is bombarding the cork with terahertz rays, which can detect minute traces of the chemical.

But to Federici and other researchers at NJIT, these X-ray-like waves also may offer a first line of defense against suicide bombers and biological terrorists.

Bad corks, terrorism, natural disasters — it is all one to the scientists at NJIT, one of the top homeland security research universities in the country, where $100 million a year in anti-terrorism research translates into products with a vast range of applications.

Since 2004, when the Newark-based university was designated as the site of the New Jersey Homeland Security Technology Systems Center, researchers have applied an “all-hazards” approach to making life in the U.S. a little safer.

“High-tech, low-tech, we can’t afford to overlook any possibility in dealing with mass casualty events,” said center director Donald Sebastian. “You need multiple methods of detection and response. Terrorism comes in many forms; you have to see, smell, taste and analyze everything.”

NJIT has developed a multisystem approach that includes not only advanced detection but communications software that can warn the good guys when the bad guys are up to something.

There are the terahertz, or THz, rays that can leap from detecting bad corks to identifying people who are attempting to smuggle explosives or smallpox into a crowded room. And pattern recognition programs, equally capable of detecting someone lying to immigration officers, buying unusual amounts of suspicious chemicals or casing cars in a mall parking lot.

The research ranges from software for tracing the phone- and internet-usage patterns of home-grown terrorists — which recently helped police track down Faisal Shahzad, charged as the would-be Times Square bomber — to massive blimps designed to hover 12 miles above the Earth, sending back detailed scans of grids covering 500,000 square miles.

“Just because the most recent attacks like the Dec. 25 plane incident or the Times Square car bomber have been primitive and unsuccessful doesn’t mean there aren’t serious, sophisticated enemies probing our weaknesses every day,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.), who last week introduced the bipartisan Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Preparedness Act.

“Intelligence reports predict a significant threat of biological attack on the U.S. by 2013, and we must be prepared,” said Pascrell, a member of the House’s Homeland Security Committee. “The center at NJIT is key to developing a homeland security technology that will help us predict who will attack, what kind of attack, how we prepare, how we respond and how we recover.”

Pascrell helped funnel federal homeland security funding to NJIT. Added to military and National Science Foundation grants over the past five years, the funding placed the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the top 10 engineering universities in the nation, Sebastian said.

About the practical uses of the therahertz,…READ MORE HERE

Nicolás Eyzaguirre is Director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department. He was previously Professor of Economics at the University of Chile. From 2000 to 2006 he was Chile’s Finance Minister. He was an IMF Executive Director between 1998 and 2000, having held several senior positions at the Central Bank of Chile in the period 1990–97.

Latin America and the Caribbean’s faster-than-forecast recovery from the global financial crisis requires “careful” macroeconomic measures to avoid the emergence of a bubble, the IMF International Monetary Fund said.

Nicolas Eyzaguirre  director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere department, said there are “incipient,” though not “clear,” signs of a bubble forming in some countries. Speaking to reporters April 30 in Washington, ahead of today’s release of the IMF’s report on the region’s economic outlook, Eyzaguirre said regional stocks and currencies are “on the strong side.”

“Careful macroeconomic management will be critical to mitigate risks from a potential boom/bust cycle fueled by favorable external conditions,” according to the IMF’s report, titled “Taking Advantage of Tailwinds.” READ MORE HERE.

Public Services and the Cost of Bureaucracy, jpg uploaded to Flickr by Kongharald

ITS economies may have improved recently, but much of Latin America has performed poorly over the past two generations. The gap in income per head between the region and developed countries has widened since 1960, while many east Asian countries that were poorer have leapfrogged ahead. The root cause has been Latin America’s slow—or even negative—growth in productivity, according to a new study by economists at the Inter-American Development Bank*.

Today everything seems to go smooth in Latin America. The achievement of economic and financial stability in the past few years has in turn seen productivity growth rise. The IDB’s study shows that it could rise faster still, boosting incomes, if the politicians take productivity into account when they draw up tax, social and public-investment policies. 

However, in the long run, Latin American economies have performed poorly. Productivity growth—gains in the efficiency with which capital, labour and technology are used in an economy—is the elusive holy grail of economic development. It is true that most Latin American countries have…READ MORE HERE

Nobel Prize in Physics and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Leaders of the Western Hemisphere recognize that energy is fundamental to sustainable development and they are committed to expanding cooperation to address the urgent and intertwined challenges of energy security and climate change. Energy Ministers will meet with civil society and the private sector at the Second Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas on April 15-16, 2010, in Washington, D.C. at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS), hosted by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and with participation by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The first ministerial meeting was held in Peru last year.

This new development started during the last Summit of the Americas in Trinidad Tobago.  U.S. President Barack Obama proposed an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in April 2009.  President Barack Obama  vision is that “we must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy…So today, I’m proposing the creation of a new Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) that can forge progress to a more secure and sustainable future.”  His vision is that ECPA brings countries across the Western Hemisphere together to facilitate the acceleration of clean energy development and deployment, advance energy security, and reduce energy poverty by sharing best practices, encouraging investment, and cooperating on technology research, development and deployment.

ECPA is shaped by the five pillars laid out by President Obama:

The Department of State informed recently that joining ECPA is voluntarily, allowing governments, Inter-American organizations, private industry, and civil society to lead or participate in initiatives that reflect their priorities. Governments may work jointly or on their own to lead initiatives, finance activities, and/or create welcoming policy environments that encourage low carbon development. Countries identify areas where they can contribute or need assistance, collaborate, and share on the OAS ECPA information clearinghouse website.

The ECPA initiatives currently underway include:

• A Low Carbon Communities program launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will assist Costa Rican, Dominican, Peruvian, Colombian and Caribbean governments to develop transformative energy programs and policies;
• An initiative to promote sustainable urban development and planning led by Brazil;
• Strengthening of electrical interconnections in the Andean region, Chile and Panama led by Colombia;
• Clean energy technology centers that include a regional Energy Efficiency Center led by Peru, a regional Wind Research Center supported by Mexico, a regional Renewable Energy Center with Chile, an Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Biomass Center in Brazil, and a Geothermal Center in El Salvador with support from the IDB and DOE; and
• A Clean Energy Exchange Program of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency inviting nearly 50 Latin American and Caribbean energy officials on six reverse trade missions.

Americas’ Energy Leaders Take Action to Realize Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas

After the 5th Summit of The Americas , the ministers of energy of the continent gathered  together with major energy corporations and other experts in Lima, Peru June 15 and 16, 2009 at the Americas Energy and Climate Symposium.  The Symposium, the first major energy event after the Summit of the Americas, resulted in the announcement of concrete joint actions to improve energy efficiency, promote clean and renewable energy, and increase information sharing on best practices and past experiences.        

“As President Obama explained when announcing the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, countries across our hemisphere must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy, so that we can create jobs and promote economic recovery while protecting our planet,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.  “The Symposium is the latest in a series of collaborative efforts to strengthen our clean energy future throughout the Americas, and we look forward to working with our regional partners in the shared goal of combating global climate change.”

Among the joint efforts welcomed at the Symposium, Secretary Chu announced a Low Carbon Communities Program to assist countries in developing transformative energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to reduce the carbon footprint of urban communities throughout the region.  Through this initiative, the Department of Energy will partner with countries in the region to provide technical assistance and limited funding to develop building standards and adopt modern urban planning strategies including transit-oriented development to achieve low carbon communities.

Energy leaders also announced the development of a Regional Energy Efficiency Center in conjunction with the Peruvian government and a Regional Wind Center supported by Mexico. 

The Americas Energy and Climate Symposium, hosted by the Government of Peru, demonstrates the strong support of the nations of the region to expand cooperation on energy and climate change as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA).  The Partnership was first announced at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where President Obama invited all countries of the Western Hemisphere to be a part of a united effort in this critical area. Since the Summit in April, regional response has been overwhelmingly positive across all five ECPA elements: energy efficiency, renewable energy, cleaner fossil fuels, critical infrastructure, and energy poverty alleviation.