Operation Moshtarak As the Americans have apparently just started the offensive this is a timely post. My hopes are that we come through this battle with the minimum of casualties on all sides and hopefully very few civilian casualties, which has been a major part of the start of this batttle. The Institute for the Study of War has published a backgrounder for the coming battle of Marjah and Operation Moshtarak. It's worth noting how much information we, the public, have about this battle before it happens, something unlikely to have happened before in Afghanistan. The reason we have this information is because of the “Hearts and Minds” method the allies are now using in Afghanistan with the aim being to inform Afghan civilians of what is about to happen and attempt to allow them to move to safety.The significance of this operation, led by US Marines in coordination with coalition and Afghan partners, cannot be underestimated as it is the largest joint operation in Afghanistan since 2001 and the first major test of the additional US forces President Obama ordered last December. – diack.co.uk Greece's problems I spent a little time noodling around the webs, looking for English-language versions of Greek newspapers, wondering what they're saying about their impending debt default and the rescue plan being generated by the rest of Europe. The Athens News shows Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou blaming everyone else: In his televised address to the nation, a sombre Papandreou did not hesitate to blame “the unprecedented crisis we are experiencing” on the fact that Greece finds itself targeted in a wider speculative attack on the common European currency. “Our national duty is to ward off these efforts to push the country over the cliff,” Papandreou said. It's those darn profiteers and speculators! His response, gleaned from the rest of the article, will be to increase gasoline taxes and cut civil servant pay. They're also looking at means-testing their version of Social Security. There was no evidence there that they questioned their underlying devotion to socialism. Greek News, a Greek-American newspaper, is a bit more direct: The sense of urgency may finally be hitting home. “Greeks have realized, in the last 40 days, that this is no joke,” says Eftichios Vassilakis, vice chairman of Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest air carrier. “We are at a critical moment. Some like to say that Greeks respond best when we're at the edge of the cliff. Well, we're definitely at the edge of the cliff.”Most Greeks agree that the tax system and the bloated public sector, nicknamed “the country's sickest patient,” are at the root of Greece's current problems. In a country of 11 million people, almost 850,000 workers are employed by the state, which means they receive 14 monthly paychecks instead of 12. Many enjoy a work day that runs from 7:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. If Greece is anything like California, it's not the civil servants that are the problem, but the cash handouts to the population. – ktcatspost.blogspot.com Video speed Google has released a new tool to help figure out just how good your Internet connection is in relation to streaming YouTube video. It's called the YouTube video speed dashboard and uses a range of local information coupled with video viewing history to rate your speed. So why is Google releasing such a tool? According to the FAQ: “Video speed is an important part of your viewing experience since it determines the amount of time you need to wait before you can start watching a video. It is also an important factor in determining the quality of the video you can watch. By making the video speed history data available, we hope to better inform you of speed issues as they relate to your viewing experience, and give you the ability to compare your speed numbers with other users in your region.” You can see the results for your connection just by visiting the YouTube Video Speed History page. The two charts at the top of that page show your average connection speed in relation to your ISP, your area, your country, and globally. Underneath that are results for other ISPs near you so you can get an idea of whether your ISP is better or worse than others available in your area. The results may be surprising and spur you on to either change ISP or relax in the knowledge you currently use the best connection available where you live. If the results show a good connection speed, but you struggle with streaming video, then it may be your machine that has the problem. – geek.com Wi-Fi school bus In Arizona, an otherwise lengthy bus commute has been transformed by a $200 mobile router strapped to the rooftop. Dubbed the Internet Bus, Wi-Fi access has taken a 70-minute trip and turned it into extra study time – with plenty of GarageBand and Facebook breaks. The New York Times reports this is the same district that in 2005 issued laptops instead of textbooks. At Empire High School, it allocated more than 100 wireless access points so that every single classroom, not to mention the football field, was wired. And while the verdict is still out on whether Wi-Fi access on a school bus will lead to increased academic productivity, the hope is to extend learning beyond the confines of the six-hour school day. Combined with the finding a few weeks ago that kids are spending nearly eight hours a day in front of a screen, are wireless school buses the way to go or is this merely what was already time being wasted and is now being put to better use?
