If you think texting while walking is dangerous, just wait until everyone starts wearing Google's futuristic, Internet-connected glasses.

NEW YORK — If you think texting while walking is dangerous, just wait until everyone starts wearing Google's futuristic, Internet-connected glasses.

While wearing a pair, you can see directions to your destination appear literally before your eyes. You can talk to friends over video chat, take a photo or even buy a few things online as you walk around.
These glasses can do anything you now need a smartphone or tablet computer to do _and then some.
Google gave a glimpse of "Project Glass" in a video and blog post this week. Still in an early prototype stage, the glasses open up endless possibilities — as well as challenges to safety, privacy and fashion sensibility.
The prototypes Google displayed have a sleek wrap-around look and appear nothing like clunky 3-D glasses. But if Google isn't careful, they could be dismissed as a kind of Bluetooth earpiece of the future, a fashion faux-pas where bulky looks outweigh marginal utility.
In development for a couple of years, the project is the brainchild of Google X, the online search-leader's secret facility that spawned the self-driving car and could one day send elevators into space.
If it takes off, it could bring reality another step closer to science fiction, where the line between human and machine blurs.
"My son is 4 years old and this is going to be his generation's reality," said Guy Bailey, who works as a social media supervisor for a university outside Atlanta, Ga. He expects it might even be followed by body implants, so that in 10 years or so you'll be able to get such a "heads-up display" inside your head.
But is that what people want?
"There is a lot of data about the world that would be great if more people had access to as they are walking down the street," said Jason Tester, research director at the nonprofit Institute For the Future in Palo Alto, California.
That said, "once that information is not only at our fingertips but literally in our field of view, it may become too much."
Always-on smartphones with their constant Twitter feeds, real-time weather updates and "Angry Birds" games are already leaving people with a sense of information overload. But at least you can put your smartphone away. Having all that in front of your eyes could become too much.
"Sometimes you want to stop and smell the roses," said Scott Steinberg, CEO of technology consulting company TechSavvy Global. "It doesn't mean you want to call up every single fact about them on the Internet."
Still, it doesn't take much to imagine the possibilities. What if you could instantly see the Facebook profile of the person sitting next to you on the bus? Read the ingredient list and calorie count of a sandwich by looking at it? Snap a photo with a blink? Look through your wall to find out where electrical leads are, so you know where to drill?
"Not paint your house, because the people who looked at your house could see whatever color they wanted it in?" pondered veteran technology analyst Rob Enderle.
Wearing the glasses could turn the Internet into a tool in the same way that our memory is a tool now, mused science fiction writer and computer scientist Vernor Vinge. His 2007 book, "Rainbow's End," set in the not-so-distant future, has people interacting with the world through their contact lenses, as if they had a smart phone embedded in their eyes.
Unlike Google's glasses, at least in their current state, Vinge's lenses know what you are looking at and can augment your reality based on that. That could come next, though.
"Things we used to think were magic, we now take for granted: the ability to get a map instantly, to find information quickly and easily, to choose any video from millions on YouTube rather than just a few TV channels," wrote Google CEO Larry Page in a letter posted on the company's website Thursday.
In Google's video, a guy wearing the spectacles is shown getting subway information, arranging to meet a friend for coffee and navigating the inside of a bookstore, all with the help of the glasses. It ends with him playing the ukulele for a woman and showing her the sunset through a video chat.
Google posted the video and short blog post about Project Glass on Wednesday, asking people to offer feedback through its Google Plus social network.
By Thursday, about 500 people did, voicing a mix of amazement and concern about the new technology. What if people used it in cars and got distracted? What about the effect on your vision of having a screen so close to your eye?
Some asked for prototypes, but Google isn't giving those out just yet. The company didn't say when regular people can expect to get their hands on a piece of Project Glass, but going by how quickly Google tends to come out with new products, it may not be long. Enderle estimates it could be about six months to a year before broader tests are coming, and a year or more for the first version of the product.
With such an immersive device as this, that sort of speed could be dangerous, he cautions.
"It's coming. Whether Google is going to do it or someone else is going to do it, it's going to happen," Enderle said. "The question is whether we'll be ready, and given history we probably won't be. As a race we tend to be somewhat suicidal with regard to how we implement this stuff."

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Seven Cybercrime-Fighting Steps For Small Businesses

 

How To Defend Against Cybercrime

Cybercrime represents a $2 trillion annual business, representing 15 percent of the global production of goods and services, according to the United Nations. Each year, criminals hone their skills and tools to become more adept at penetrating computer systems to steal credit-card numbers and corporate and government secrets.
This year already has seen some high-profile break-ins. The most recent was at credit-card processor Global Payments, which acknowledged the theft of 1.5 million card numbers and other important information that could be used to produce counterfeit Visa and MasterCard credit cards. While such security breaches are sure to continue as the year progresses, there are steps small businesses can take to improve security online and in the office.
Here are seven tips from Karl Volkman, chief technology officer for Chicago-based IT services firm and Microsoft partner SRV Network.

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Chicago selling advertising on iconic bridges as city tries to close $600M budget hole

CHICAGO (AP) — Seven vinyl banners draped this month along one of Chicago's most iconic bridges, advertisements some have dubbed "a visual crime" and "commercial graffiti," are reviving a debate about how governments raise money in tough economic times.

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, a public school district in Colorado is selling ads on report cards and Utah has a new law allowing ads on school buses. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration, straining to fill a $600 million budget hole, is looking to raise $25 million from ads on city property — including bridges, electrical storage boxes and garbage cans.

The effort kicked off this month with Bank of America ads on the 81-year-old Wabash Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Chicago River and has appeared in movies including "About Last Night" and "The Dark Knight."

"I think it's disgusting," Chicago resident Linda Rosenthal said recently, shaking her head as she surveyed the signs. "The architecture in Chicago is stunning. To see this awful advertisement angers me."

The white ads with blue lettering and Bank of America's logo are posted on limestone bridge tender houses, which hold the equipment used to raise the bridge when tall boats pass beneath. Bank of America paid $4,500 to put seven signs on the bridge for about a month, said city spokeswoman Kathleen Strand.

Strand promised the city's new campaign will have "policies to protect the integrity of Chicago's facade" and likened the initiative to the Chicago Transit Authority bringing in about $20 million annually from abundant ads on buses and elevated trains that don't seem to anger anybody.

"The municipal marketing strategy is really about pursuing innovative opportunities to avoid having to cut city services or increase the tax burden on Chicagoans," Strand said.

Still, some ask where the line will be drawn. Could the city's historic Water Tower be next? Or Grant Park's famed Buckingham Fountain?

The city's two major daily newspapers have faced off with opposing views. Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin called the bridge ads "a visual crime" and "a grotesque cheapening of the public realm." A Chicago Sun-Times editorial said the ads, while unappealing, "beat going bust."

Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner said the company said yes when Chicago officials asked if the bank wanted to advertise on the bridge because it's a major employer and philanthropic supporter in the city.

"We agreed to be the first company to display on the bridge because we want to help the city explore new revenue sources and we think this is an innovative way to generate new revenue," Wagner said.

Chicago advertising professionals doubt it was a smart move for either side.

"I have made my living in advertising, but there has to be better ways to raise money," said Tim Terchek, executive creative director of the Drucker Group ad firm. What's more, the bridge ads could backfire if public disgust sticks to the bank, he said.

Leo Burnett Company's chief strategy officer Stephen Hahn-Griffiths overlooks the bridge ads altogether.

"It's like commercial graffiti," Hahn-Griffiths said. "It makes no sense from a marketing perspective and I question the intent of doing this because it does not seem like a smart decision."

Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Congress for the New Urbanism, suggested the city could instead rent out spaces like the City Hall lobby or library and cultural center theaters for weddings and other events.

"Placing advertising on a city's architectural assets takes away from the public realm," Norquist said.

Some officials across the country, and the world, disagree.

In Rome, an Italian shoe company founder has pledged to foot $34 million to restore the Colosseum — the ancient arena blackened by pollution — and its founder has said the gesture could launch more private sponsorship for public benefit in Italy. In Venice, Mayor Giorgio Orsoni defended the use of publicity on restoration of such projects as the famed Doges Palace, saying sponsors' contribution allowed the work to be accelerated.

But Venice also has strict rules on the use of advertisements. Only 10 percent of an exposed facade can be covered, and ads for cigarettes, alcohol and those featuring nudity are banned.

Back in the U.S., a suburban Salt Lake City school district plans to be Utah's first to plaster its buses with advertisements in an effort to generate additional revenue without raising taxes. While the ad revenue is expected to supplement the Jordan School District's budget, officials said it won't be enough to make up for the recent budget cuts.

It's a similar story in Golden, Colo., where Jefferson County Public Schools' report cards now feature ads for the CollegeInvest college savings program. The ads raise $30,000 a year.

"Parents understand where we are at with the funding issues and most of the reaction has been positive," said school district spokeswoman Lorie Gillis.

Retiree Jim Phillips, who leads free tours of Chicago's bridges, challenged the city to channel public curiosity about the structures into money-making ventures, such as charging tourists to see the bridge houses' inner workings.

"If it gets to the point advertisements go on more of these historic structures, I don't think there's any way to stop them on others," Phillips said. "What if you put a NASCAR suit on the Picasso? What if you slapped a Google sign on one of the lions at the Art Institute?"

Cyberattack on Illinois water utility may confirm Stuxnet warnings

A state report claims that a foreign cyberattack disabled a water pump at an Illinois water utility, say experts who have seen the report. After discovery of the Stuxnet cyberweapon a year ago, many experts predicted that cyberattacks on US infrastructure were imminent.

 A foreign cyberattack on the computer control systems of an Illinois water utility system earlier this month burned out a water pump, according to a recent state report. The attack may be the first known attempt to successfully destroy a piece of critical US infrastructure, say industrial control-system experts.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies are investigating the Nov. 8 cyberattack, said Peter Boogaard, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in a written statement. The name of the utility was not released.
The implications of the attack could be far broader than just wrecking a single pump. Hackers may have also stolen passwords and other information needed to gain access to many more water utility control systems across the United States, according to the Nov. 10 report by the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, a federal-state cooperative venture. Some of its details were revealed Thursday on the blog of Joe Weiss, president of Applied Control Solutions and a control-system security expert.

RECOMMENDED: From the man who discovered Stuxnet, dire warnings one year later

The attack occured just more than a year after the discovery of Stuxnet, the first publicly confirmed cyber superweapon – a digital guided missile that could emerge from cyberspace to destroy a physical target in the real world. Its target was Iran's nuclear fuel facilities, and security experts predicted that copycat attacks on real-world industrial equipment could follow within a year or two.
The Nov. 8 attack in Illinois wasn't a Stuxnet-type attack, but it suggests a higher level of interest among hackers in controlling industrial systems – and sabotaging them.
"This is a big deal," Mr. Weiss says. "It's arguably the first case where we've had critical infrastructure targeted by people outside the US and equipment damaged as a result. But the really big issue is that someone hacked a [software vendor who sells control systems to water utilities] just to get at the user-IDs and passwords for the utilities that were its customers."

RECOMMENDED: Confronting cyber warfare

The DHS downplayed the incident.
"DHS and the FBI are gathering facts surrounding the report of a water pump failure in Springfield, Ill.," said Mr. Boogaard. "At this time there is no credible corroborated data that indicates a risk to critical infrastructure entities or a threat to public safety."
An analysis of the Illinois water utility company's computer logs indicates the attack came from the Internet address of a computer in Russia. The Illinois center's report is titled "Public Water District Cyber Intrusion," according to Weiss. He read sections of the report, marked "For Official Use Only," to this reporter. The details were confirmed by a water industry expert, who has seen a similar official document and asked to remain anonymous for fear of being excluded from confidential reports in the future.
"Sometime during the day of Nov. 8, a water district employee noticed problems with the SCADA [Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition] system," said Weiss, quoting the report. "It [the SCADA system] was going on and off, resulting in the burnout of the pump."
A technician who checked the logs of the SCADA system found that "the system had been remotely hacked into from an IP address located in Russia," Weiss said, continuing from the report.
But the hackers had likely been inside the utility's computer systems for at least several months because "workers had begun to notice minor glitches" in the system access function as early as September, Weiss said.
The report also said:  "It is unknown at this time the number of SCADA usernames and passwords acquired from the software company's database, and if any additional SCADA systems have been attacked as a result of the theft."
If true, the theft could have alarming consequences, because it indicates hackers infiltrated the Illinois control system only after gaining access to it apparently from a software supplier to the utility, Weiss said and other experts confirmed.
"The report doesn't say if the company that got hacked is a small system integrator or a big vendor," Weiss says. "I'm hoping it's a small one with a lot fewer clients."
In that way, the attack is quite different from one of the earliest known cyber-infrastructure attacks – by a disgruntled former employee of a Queensland, Australia, water treatment utility. In 2000, he used his insider knowledge to access that system remotely and release hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage.
Recently, the sort of attack employed against the Illinois facility has become a standard approach. High-end hackers find it more efficient to go after software vendors and security-system vendors who have the codes and passwords of their clients, security experts say. If a hacker can get access to the mother lode, it's much less time consuming than hacking each target individually.
"It wasn't necessarily just an attack on that one water-treatment facility," says David Aitel, president of Immunity Inc., a Miami-based cybersecurity company. "A large part of this appears to be about someone attacking the supply chain for industrial control-system devices. If you can attack the supply chain, you can essentially hit many facilities. If these reports are true, you're looking at a very large threat – and someone who really knew what they were doing."
Hackers, possibly operating from China, earlier this year stole access data from RSA Security Solutions, which provides secure remote computer access to defense contractors and government agencies. Some companies that used RSA devices were later hacked using the stolen information.
Weiss says he posted parts of the Illinois report, without indicating the location of the utility that got hit, in order to alert other water utilities that their control systems may have been hacked, too. He also worries that the Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control System Computer Emergency Response Team was not doing a good job informing them.
DHS pushed back against this allegation.
If it "identifies any information about possible impacts to additional entities, it will disseminate timely mitigation information as it becomes available," said Boogaard.

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Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris headed for U.S. shores

Prepare for a garbage deluge. An estimated 5 tons to 20 tons of debris sucked into the ocean during Japan's massive tsunami is due to hit U.S. shores, University of Hawaii scientists say. The wall of water struck in March, so that means the garbage should be here -- sometime in 2014.
Hey, it takes a long time to cross the Pacific Ocean if you’re a couch. Or a fridge. Or a piece of a house. Or a Coke can.
Earlier this year, Nikolai Maximenko, a senior researcher at the International Pacific Research Center in Hawaii, developed a model of how the tsunami debris is likely to move across the ocean. He based his model on the movements of thousands of buoys placed in the ocean over 30 years for purposes of studying the current.
According to Maximenko's calculations, the debris from the tsunami will wash up at Midway Attol (an island midway between Japan and Hawaii) this winter. It will start washing up on Hawaiian shores in the winter or spring of 2013. And in the beginning of 2014, it will hit the West Coast, mostly Oregon and Washington. (California will most likely be spared.)
Earlier this fall, Maximenko and Jan Hofman, a computer researcher who also worked on the model, got hard evidence that the garbage appears to be moving as they expected: A Russian ship, the STS Pallada, found an array of tsunami debris on its homeward voyage from Honolulu to Vladivostok.
Most of the debris likely didn’t start out as garbage, but rather as pieces of people’s lives. Such a fact lends poignancy to the bits of plastic and wood, both large and small, we can expect in this country.
To be clear, the debris is not moving across the ocean en masse.
In an interview with The Times, Hofman said the moving debris field would be patchy, like "confetti soup." Some items will sink as they move across the Pacific, he said, but not as many as you might think.
What is likely to sink has already sunk. And the plastics, he said, are virtually indestructible.

Waikiki has only improved with age ... and planning

The sand and surf of Waikiki seem so distant after dark, when the frantic street-scene beat takes over, the shades come off and a new spectacle awaits discovery on every corner.

A kid on a scooter spontaneously high-fives pedestrians as he wings past. The "love guru" offers to predict your (amorous) future. Tourists pose with macaws on their heads while the birds' owner snaps photos.

A one-man-band strikes up, Peruvians wield flutes and guitars, brides walk by in white, and sharp-eyed time-share hucksters lay in wait. Be wary of wearing a Duck hat -- it's a target, even under a tiki torch's flickering light.

"Hey, we have the Oregon special today," he calls after us. "You guys from Oregon?"

It's hard not to get caught up in Waikiki's thrall, especially after billions of dollars in new construction and renovations to hotels and shopping areas. We sampled one new hotel, the Waikiki Edition (since renamed The Modern Honolulu), and three hotels that have gone through big renovations -- the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian.
All are beautiful in their own way, and in or near the heart of Waikiki, that intense square mile along a crescent beach that contains more than 95 percent of the resorts on the entire island of Oahu.

"It took us a good decade to get the planning done," says Nancy Daniels, director of public relations for Outrigger Enterprises Group, a big player in Oahu's hotel, shopping and dining scene. "But the Waikiki you see today is the best it has been in decades."

While the sun's out, there's always a lot happening on and under the clear blue-green water, from diving to snorkeling to swimming with dolphins to stand-up paddle-boarding. You'll just need to store up some solar power for later.

Eat like royalty 
The modern-day heart of Waikiki started beating in 1901 with construction of the Moana, since placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and renamed the Moana Surfrider. The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is wedged between the Moana and another grand dame of Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian.

All three properties have undergone significant improvements over the past decade, the most extensive being that of the Royal Hawaiian, which closed for seven months in 2008 and 2009 for $85 million in renovations.

The Modern Honolulu holds the advantage of being new, but by being on Waikiki's northern fringe has a more quiet vibe. Which isn't a bad thing. But if you want to be wedged right between the busiest stretch of beach and the vibrant shopping and street scene on Kalakaua Avenue, your best bets are the Moana Surfrider, Outrigger Waikiki or the Royal Hawaiian.

The Moana Surfrider is a stately place with the most beautiful spot on the beach -- under the massive banyan tree at the Beach Bar. Just walking around the place feels like time travel to a colonial mansion.

The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach has modern Polynesian-style rooms, friendly service and unbeatable views of the beach and Diamond Head.

A stay at the Royal Hawaiian is like visiting a 1920s-era Mediterranean palace. The elegant, high-ceilinged rooms have been modernized, the grounds are lush and expansive, and guests get visiting rights to the much-better Sheraton Waikiki pool next door.

You can eat like Hawaiian royalty in Waikiki as well, without leaving your hotel, or just a few steps away.

At the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, the Hula Grill has a picture-perfect open-air beachfront setting. Start with a fresh tomato and Maui onion salad, then move onto tender grilled fish (try opah or monchong if available).
It would be tempting to think of Kai Market at the Sheraton Waikiki (neighboring the Royal Hawaiian) as a buffet, but feast would probably be the better word. The flavors are from Hawaii and beyond: buttery sashimi, steamed snow crab legs, crispy cake noodles draped in baby shrimp and scallops in a sweet sauce, braised beef short ribs. The desserts taste as if Grandma baked them, and that's a good thing.

Morimoto Waikiki inside the Modern Honolulu resort brings the artful cuisine of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to the islands. This is one of those special-occasion places. Expect incredibly attentive service, fresh ingredients and a spicy kick from the crispy rock shrimp tempura; try the tender 8-ounce wagyu filet or a broad selection of sushi.

Underwater adventure

Just a few minutes from our departure point of Kewalo Basin, our vessel of divers and snorkelers has anchored a few hundred yards off Waikiki Beach. I've been a certified scuba diver for 20-odd years, but among us are first-timers such as Brian Wadyka, a pharmacist from Portland whom I meet by chance on the boat.

In three hours we'll take in two dive sites. Other than shore dives, this is about as quick as it gets from hotel pickup to underwater adventure, says Devon Merrifield, owner of Aqua Zone Scuba Diving & Water Sports Center, where we've booked our outing.

A sampling of what passes before our eyes: trumpetfish under a coral ledge, turtles sleeping or skimming under the waves, red parrot fish, moorish idols and a tiger cowrie -- not just the shell, but the huge sea snail moving slowly across the sea floor. An eagle ray swooshes by, an eel slithers from its hiding place and two small, white-tip reef sharks cower under an overhang.

Want to stick closer to shore? Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, just a 25-minute drive from Waikiki, offers an incredible view of golden sand and palm trees in a collapsed volcanic crater. Swimming is calm for kids because the waves break on a reef, and the snorkeling is good. I follow a giant parrotfish around, watching the other colorful reef fish grant him plenty of space.

For a chance to swim with even bigger sea creatures, Wild Side Specialty Tours is among several companies that take adventurers close to pods of spinner dolphins. Alexa, our guide, warns us not to swim in front of the dolphins and to avoid touching them.

"Let them swim to you," she says.

We see three dolphins directly below our catamaran's trampoline, and a few minutes later jump into the water.

A few flash below us, then frolic nearby. "I think they're messing with us," Alexa says.

Sometimes the mammals swim close and other times not, she tells us, and this seems to be one of those days when they prefer to keep their distance. After a search for humpbacks in rough seas we spot a spout then head back for the harbor.

On our last morning, I rent a stand-up paddleboard from a beachside kiosk and paddle out from the sun-worshipers to open water. I spy one turtle, then another, swimming gracefully.

Briefly, a clear patch of open water appears, and this stretch of ocean seems my own. I'm far enough from shore that the only sounds are the waves lapping against my board and my paddle caressing the water.

The dim sound of a jet overhead reminds me that this idyll ends today. An outrigger canoe and its crew announce their presence with the command of "Go, go, go" and excited shouts erupt as the paddlers catch a wave for shore.
That inspires me to tackle a wave of my own, but when my board tips I rip my left foot on coral in shallow water.

Scrambling back on the board, I watch blood drip slowly from my damaged foot. I dig out a few pieces of coral, but others stubbornly remain.

I grin through the pain, knowing beyond all doubt that I am leaving something behind on the sand and surf of Waikiki, yet taking a piece of it home inside me.

-- Travel editor Alex Pulaski

Chicago The lakefront bike and jogging path was closed this morning

The lakefront bike and jogging path was closed this morning in the wake of warnings of high winds, high waves and lakeshore flooding.

A high wind warning is in effect for the Chicago area from 3 p.m. this afternoon to 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.

By 2 p.m., winds of about 41 mph were clocked at the Harrison Water Crib, about 3 miles east of the lakefront near Armitage Avenue, according to the National Weather Service. Gary Airport reported 24 mph winds and gusts of 47 mph.

In addition, a forecast of heavy rain and 14 to 25 foot waves has prompted a lakeshore flood warning from 3 p.m. today to 4 p.m. Thursday. Bikers and joggers were threatened with the same treacherous wave activity  encountered on lakefront paths late last month, National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Deubelbeiss said.

The lakefront path was shut down from Fullerton to Grand avenues.

The National Weather Service said north to northeast winds of 40 to 45 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are

likely. The strongest winds will be in areas adjacent to Lake Michigan.

Downed tree limbs and power lines are expected, and high-rise dwellers were advised to take in their balcony furniture to keep it from blowing away.

The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Periods of heavy rain are possible this evening and tonight, with the heavier rain over northwest Indiana and portions of northeast Illinois east of the I-57 corridor.

In all, up to 2.5 inches of rain is expected.





Large waves crashing onto the shore likely will result in flooding this afternoon and tonight. Waves will build to 14 to 18 feet this afternoon and 20 to 25 feet tonight. Waves will gradually subside to less than 15 feet by late Thursday afternoon.

But the waves probably won't force closure of Lake Shore Drive. "The waves may come up on some of the bike paths with some spray on the roadway," said weather service meteorologist Deubelbeiss. "But waves aren't likely on Lake Shore Drive."

Rain is also likely tomorrow.

Today's high temperature will be around 50, although it will feel much colder because of the wind. The low tonight will be in the mid-40s.

APEC security changes may be extending beyond Waikiki and Ko Olina

More details about APEC security and traffic plans are expected to be announced this week, and some neighborhoods can expect some security attention due to VIPs.
The Secret Service plan will reveal more about how tourists and locals will be affected but officials say expect it to change, as the itineraries of 21 heads of state are still in flux.
Officials and planners have already said there will be changes in traffic and some areas of very high security during the second week of November when APEC hit Honolulu.
"The reality of it is, when we have one head of state in Hawaii there's a little bit of interruption. When we have 21 there's going to be some impact," said CEO of APEC 2011 Hawaii Gregg Yamanaka.

Specifics are not out yet, but that should change this week.
"The first press release is going to be issued this Thursday by the U.S. Secret Service, and that will be the first detailed explanation of their plans," Yamanaka says.
A draft Coast Guard security plan published in the federal register earlier this month proposed blocking swimmer and boater access to zones just offshore of Waikiki, Ko Olina and Ala Wai for between one and seven days.
"The beach basically is open, but I think there will be some security issues because of the nature of the high security heads of state here and their proximity to some of the beaches, but I think the Secret Service is working to minimize that impact so it's not unnecessarily long or broad," Yamanaka says.Still yet to be determined is the impact beyond Waikiki and a day at Ko Olina. Private parties for government leaders and business executives are being scoped out across Oahu and even the neighbor islands.
"I know of several big time parties that are going to be in some of the private homes in Kahala and elsewhere," said Gloria Henderson of HNL Travel. "Representatives form each country have been here and have scouted the areas."
"I'm hearing about wonderful events happening all over the city, events happening all over the state, in fact I think the russians are anticipating doing some things in places other than waikiki," said Peter Ho of the APEC Hawaii Host Committee.
Meanwhile, travel agents say some visitors unrelated to APEC are considering neighbor island travel during the period to avoid the crowd, but some want to be in the heart of it.
"So for them it's just going to be like the red carpet in Hollywood or something where they stand out and ogle and watch the passing parade," Henderson says.
The host committee president says the plan includes parking areas outside Waikiki, with shuttles to mitigate car traffic.

Waikiki Protestors Join Global 'Occupy' Movement

HONOLULU -- Protesters in Waikiki Saturday morning, held signs and shouted out against what they say is an injustice: the betrayal of American citizens by the U.S. government and the wealthy.“The 99 percent are basically everyone in the United States (who isn't) corporations who have taken over the government, who have taken over the banks,” said Nuuanu resident Craig Turner.The mass demonstration began at Ala Moana Beach Park, with many others joining the movement as it turned onto Kalakaua Avenue.

 Watch VIDEO

Organizers of Occupy Honolulu said they chose Waikiki to symbolize corporate greed in the islands.“Corporate control is creating a mass conflict of interest, which is not allowing us as a people to facilitate our human rights and the right that this country was founded on, that is equal opportunity,” said demonstrator Cole Likens.A Honolulu police officer told KITV, the group acted peacefully and orderly. Officers with the Civil Affairs unit wore new uniforms, aloha shirts and brimmed island-style hats. The approachable attire was for the upcoming Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which also drew fire from protesters.“People are ready to stand up and say that, 'We are not OK with this, and we want to change things and make a better country,'” said Megan Brooker, the facilitator of Occupy Honolulu.The march ended by a statue of Ghandi outside the Honolulu Zoo. Demonstrators said they the hope their message goes global, encouraging those who nearly gave up.“I've seen it going on for so many years and it’s just gotten to a point where it can't go on anymore,” said Turner.

Occupy Chicago: Tent City Raid Leads to 175 Arrests

At approximately 1:00 a.m. CST on October 16, 2011, hundreds of Chicago police methodically encircled Congress Plaza in Grant Park before arresting 175 Occupy Chicago protesters who remained past the park's 11:00 p.m. curfew.
Occupy Chicago forces followed the lead of the Occupy Wall Street Protesters who have successfully entrenched themselves in Zuccotti Park. Seeking a more permanent site for their occupation, Chicago demonstrators erected a tent city in Congress Plaza after an earlier march and rally at 7pm on Saturday, October 15th.

The earlier rally began at the intersection of Jackson and LaSalle near the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Trade, the site of the group's 23 day occupation. In solidarity with the "Global Day of Action," over 2000 people gathered at the peaceful but noisy rally. Iraq Veterans Against the Afghanistan War held a banner along Jackson Boulevard while across the street others toted cardboard
signs that exclaimed, "Wake Up!" and "I'm a human being. My life has value!" A pickup truck spray painted with the movement's Twitter hashtag, "#occupychi," circled the block pausing briefly to receive cheers from the crowd.

Following the rally, protesters took to the street. They filled Jackson Boulevard chanting, "The people united will never be defeated," and in Spanish, "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido" along with other calls familiar to the Occupy Movement. Flooding southbound Michigan Avenue, the protesters brought traffic to a halt as they flowed into Congress Plaza.
Two days earlier, at the Thursday, October 13th General Assembly, Occupy Chicago participants voted to relocate from their stronghold at Jackson and LaSalle to an undisclosed location. After Saturday's rally, participants then began erecting an encampment in Congress Plaza, the site of the group's daily meeting. Participants were aware that their actions would draw the ire of city officials and the Chicago Police Department (CPD), but unanimously, the group decided to establish a more permanent location.
For 22 days, Occupy Chicago had had zero arrests. They have complied with local ordinances and worked closely with the CPD to coordinate the logistics for demonstrations. However, tonight's attempt to occupy a new public space brought Occupy Chicago into direct confrontation with the Chicago police.
By 10:30pm, approximately 50 police cruisers and police SUVs lined the roadways surrounding Congress Plaza. Dressed mostly in black except for their protruding blue collars, officers on foot crept up slowly until they had created a perimeter encompassing the four sides of the park. Eight other officers on horseback moved into position along Michigan Avenue. Members of the CPD were professional, courteous, and unresponsive as the protesters bellowed passionately, "The CPD is the 99 percent" and "1. We are the people. 2. We are united. 3. This occupation is not leaving."
After 11:00pm, a Chicago Police Captain informed the occupants of the plaza that they were in violation of a specific municipal ordinance, and that they needed to vacate or faced being arrested. Heedless of these warnings, demonstrators instead locked arms to form a barrier around the encampment.
Across Michigan Avenue, a crowd of nearly 1000 supporters gathered in solidarity outside Roosevelt University. Buoyed by Occupy Chicago's ubiquitous drumming squad and a Sousaphone, the indefatigable crowd clapped, chanted, cheered throughout the ordeal: "The whole world is watching!"
During the next two hours, the police and protesters readied for the impending showdown. Occupy Chicago's social media team streamed live video from the event to over 2000 people. Likewise, participants used a live Twitter feed (#occupychicagoand #occupychi) to deliver updates and photos to their nearly 14,000 followers. Updates were also posted to the group's website (http://www.occupychi.org) and their Facebook page.
As the cries of "We are the 99 percent" echoed from the supporters across Michigan Avenue, the demonstrators in Congress Plaza broke into a number of songs: Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'," and unexpectedly, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (impressive in its near entirety).

By 1:00 a.m., the police began their arrests. Harsh white light blanketed the demonstrators in an angelic glow, and the black cloaked mass of officers oozed through the plaza like an amoeba, slowly ingesting one protester at a time. Unlike the violent clashes seen in New York and Rome, Chicago police politely asked demonstrators: "Would you like to leave? If not, we will arrest you. Which do you prefer?" Most, if not all of the encamped protestors, chose to be arrested. Officers stood the individuals up, turned them around, and handcuffed them using plastic "zip" security ties. A handful of demonstrators refused to stand and were carried away by the officers. Demanding their constitutional right to free assembly, the crowd of about 150 non-violent demonstrators waited patiently for the slow moving police procession to reach them. As each individual was taken into custody, another demonstrator would stand behind them holding an American flag. A voice from above the plaza cried out, "Tell me what democracy looks like." Those below calmly awaiting arrest called back proudly, "This is what democracy looks like."

Meanwhile, a handful of officers indiscriminately dismantled and dragged tents across the plaza. Personal belongings were collected by the police and by members of Occupy Chicago. As the tents began to disappear in a flourish, someone yelled, "Get into the tent!" The door unzipped and twenty individuals cloistered themselves in the last remaining tent.
In a matter of minutes, police had reduced the once bustling and vibrant encampment to this single, gray, nylon structure, dubbed the "Liberty Tent." Demonstrators inside ignored repeated police requests to exit the structure. One hundred bystanders watched as the police cut the fabric and exposed those inside. Police forces then hauled the resistant demonstrators to awaiting police trucks, and later, a CTA bus.
By 3:30 a.m. the plaza was largely cleared, and the singing and dancing supporters across the street had migrated to the police station to await the release of their fellow Occupy Chicago members. Those arrested received a court date and a $150 citation, and many vowed to return after getting much needed food and rest.

VIDEO - Fiery Crash at FINAL IRL RACE at Las Vegas, HALF the Field Eliminated.

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Central Illinois pumpkin crop is good

 

MORTON, Ill.—

Good news for pumpkin pie fans.

The (Peoria) Journal Star (http://bit.ly/r2IIOh ) reports that farmers in central Illinois are growing plenty of the kind of pumpkins that are canned and typically used to make pumpkin pie.
A spokeswoman for Libby's -- the company that dominates the nation's canned pumpkin market -- says the first load of this year's crop was shipped last month. That's weeks earlier than a couple years ago when wet conditions made it tough to get pumpkins out of the fields.

Meanwhile, an official with the University of Illinois Extension says that the ornamental jack-o-lantern pumpkins has just been average, with some farmers reporting good crops and others say their crops this year are terrible.

Illinois is the top pumpkin producer in the United States.

Akoostik - the friendly festival

It's become known as the Mid North Coast’s friendly and laid-back music festival and is set for another entertaining instalment this weekend.
It’s Wingham’s Essential Energy Akoostik Music Festival, to be staged at Central Park on Saturday and Sunday.
The festival draws an eclectic mix of music lovers of all tastes from across the local area and beyond for a fun two days of original music.
Over the years it has also offered high quality artists performing intimate sets and this year will be no exception with another stellar line-up.
Headline act will be legendary Aussie singer-songwriter Richard Clapton.
The 61 year-old has been described as one of the most important Australian songwriters of the 1970s. His 40-year musical career has spawned 12 studio albums and his repertoire includes classic songs such as Girls on the Avenue (1975) and I Am An Island (1982).
He was made a member of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1999.
Clapton will take to the stage from 5.15pm tomorrow (Saturday).
First up on stage from 10am tomorrow are The Gloucester Connection, to be followed by Jazz Plus, Ukelele Orchestra, Sing Boo-larng, Slickville Pickers, Up In Annie’s Room, Dave Wilkins, Peggy Van Zalm, Jeffro’s Blues Band, The Eireheads, The Last Train, Tracey Campbell and the Sara Tindley Band.
Sunday’s line-up - again from 10am - is Singas and Fellas, STRUK, Purple Sheep, Funky Farmer, Inside Outlaw, Jay Davis Trio, Sofiella Watt, Outside Diners, Floyd Vincent, Hydrafonics, James Johnston, Blake Noble and The Workshop.
The Workshop’s set from 5.15pm also features the Biggest Band in the Land Challenge, a world record attempt for the most guitars being played in the one spot at the one time.
This year’s song is Horse With No Name by America and everyone is encouraged to register on the Akoostik festival’s website and get involved.
A new addition this year is the open air cinema, staged by the Forster Film Festival, at The Bank Guest House tonight (Friday).
Gates open at 9.30am for both days of the festival.
Tickets are available through Video Ezy Taree and Bent on Life Wingham, as well as online at Moshtix. Adult price is just $25 per day, students pay $10 per day and kids under 12 are free.
Adult tickets purchased at the gate on the weekend will be $30 per day, so pre-purchase and save.