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Visitors from the Tennessee town where students built a now famous Holocaust memorial got a taste of Jewish life on the East Coast.
Dalton Slatton, a Christian student from Whitwell, Tenn., wore a Star of David around his neck as he toured the National Museum of American Jewish History on Nov. 3.
"This is my remembrance," Slatton, a 10th-grader at Whitwell High School, said of the necklace. He was one of about 50 people visiting Philadelphia from the small Tennessee town where students helped build a memorial filled with millions of paper clips to represent those Jews who died in the Holocaust.
"This is how I hold the Holocaust project and the Jewish people close to my heart every day," the student said.
Slatton and others from Whitwell have visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and concentration camps in Poland. But this was their first group trip to Philadelphia, a city with strong ties to the world-famous memorial.
Their visit came just days before the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass" on Nov. 9-10, 1938, which marked the first major pogrom against the Jews in Germany and Austria.
Since the project started in 1998 with efforts to collect 6 million paper clips, Whitwell students and educators have not only far surpassed their goal but also have attracted visitors to their town from around the globe. They have been the subject of a documentary, Paper Clips, and, they say, they've helped change the worldview of residents in their rural town.
Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley has also hosted Sandra Roberts, the Whitwell teacher who helped launch the project, and has twice sent congregants and students to visit the Tennessee memorial. And Harold Sampson, a member of Broomall's Congregation Beth El-Ner Tamid who visited Whitwell, was so inspired by the project that he commissioned a paper clip sculpture that will be dedicated at the synagogue on Nov. 10.
This past weekend, families on the Main Line got the chance to play host, giving their visitors a taste of Jewish life on the East Coast with Shabbat services and programs at synagogues, including Beth Am Israel, Har Zion, Adath Israel and Beth David Reform Congregation.
Students from both Whitwell and Philadelphia spoke about how much they had learned from one other and about the friendships they had formed in such a short time. For the Main Line hosts, it was a chance to see that their differences with people from small-town America aren't so vast or as important as what they share in common. For the visitors, the weekend provided an opportunity to see the Jewish culture and religious practices that many of them had only read about or seen in films.
As he neared the end of the museum tour, Slatton said the most memorable parts of the weekend were "just meeting the people, going to Shabbat services, experiencing the culture of the Jewish people, coming to the synagogues.
"And really just coming together as one," he continued. "That's really what this trip is about."
Slatton said participating in his school district's Holocaust project had helped him decide that he wanted to become a politician.
"Just the fact that one person who is in a powerful position could get by with killing 11 million people — I can't imagine that. I can't imagine just standing by and allowing that to happen like so many people did," he said. "And for me, it taught me to never forget, and I want to be in a place where if something like this happens again, I can stand up and do something about it."
David Kestenbaum, a 10th-grader at William Penn Charter School, met Slatton and others during a visit to Whitwell last year. He described their interactions as an "amazing experience," knowing that "years from now, I'm still going to be talking with them."
"While we seem so different, based on our religion and based upon where we live, as they're from a poorer community in Tennessee and we're from a slightly more affluent community in Philadelphia, we're not really that different, and I'm hoping that this can be the first step towards achieving a better world," said Kestenbaum, whose family has helped fund programs between the two communities and hosted Slatton and others over the weekend.
Lily Stein, a 10th grade student at Harriton High School, described the Whitwell girls whom she met two years ago while visiting there and then hosted this weekend as "sisters."
"If they are asking me in synagogue, 'What are they saying?' — I don't know either," Stein said, referring to the prayers in Hebrew. "But if they ask, 'What's the Jew-cap?' I say 'It's a yarmulke' and if they say, 'What's the scarf they put around their neck?' I say 'It's a tallis.' "
Kammy Smith, a Whitwell 10th-grader staying with Stein who serves as a tour guide at her hometown memorial, said the most important part of such an experience is returning home and "sharing your experiences," because "many people don't know about synagogues and Jewish rituals."
Jessica Elsea, an 11th-grader from Whitwell who has also visited Poland, said that before visiting Philadelphia, she was nervous about how she would be received.
"They live in a whole different world than we do," she said of her hosts. "They have these huge mansions and we have little, itty-bitty houses and low income. But it didn't matter where we were from — they still made us feel like family and treated us like we were their own kids."


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Leaked BlackBerry Handset Appears to Emulate iPhone's Design
Photos of RIM's first handset that will run BlackBerry 10 — the company's next operating system, which is scheduled for release in early 2013 — landed on a Vietnamese forum this week. If the 18 photos of the device on tinhte.vn are to be believed, the L-Series, codenamed BlackBerry London, looks quite similar to Apple's iPhone 5.
The BlackBerry-branded device in the photos has a rectangular touchscreen with a black bezel along the top and bottom of it, a la the iPhone 5. Watch the video above to learn more. In the photos, the device is powered off, so we don't get a peek at the OS, but you can see BlackBerry 10 running on a different touchscreen device, in the slideshow below.
RIM is scheduled to launch BlackBerry 10 and two new smartphones Jan. 30.
RIM Shows Off More of BlackBerry 10
Photo via tinhte.vn

subset: commoncrawl


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Sleekly silver finished, this LED desk lamp by Koncept is equipped with one touch dimming and on/off capabilities.
Additional Info:
The Gen 3 Z-Bar Slim LED modern desk lamp produces 40% more light than Gen 2 models and features improved design and adjustability. Three-bar design allows for maximum reach and flexibility. The adjustable LED head can spin, sweep side to side and rotate to point in any direction and is also detachable for easy repair or replacement. Slide your finger along the touchstrip to dim gradually, or touch anywhere on the strip to jump directly to any brightness, including off. The energy efficient LEDs produce a cool light that will last for up to 50,000 hours.


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Wisconsin DNR reminds hunters of CWD holiday hunt
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State wildlife officials are reminding gun hunters they have one last chance to kill deer this season in south central Wisconsin's chronic wasting disease management zone.
The so-called Holiday Hunt will start on Dec. 24 in the zone and run through the end of the late bow season on Jan. 6. Hunters can take deer with any legal firearm, bow or crossbow. Bow hunters must wear blaze orange.
The state Department of Natural Resources says the goal of the hunt is to give hunters more opportunity and control the herd in the zone, a roughly triangular territory that extends approximately from the Illinois border northwest to Vernon and Juneau counties.


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The sad truth about Karachi in 2012 was that whatever your religion, business affiliation, or political party, someone was willing to kill you for it.
The murder rate in Pakistan's largest city and commercial hub hit an all time high last year. Over 2,500 people died in violent crimes in Karachi in 2012, a 50 percent increase over the year before.
Most of the deaths were attributable to sectarian killings and score settling. Shia Muslims took on the brunt of the violence. But Sunni Muslims were killed in reprisal attacks that added to the tally.
Sectarian Violence
"It's a good day in Karachi when only five or so people are killed because on average it would be eight to 10 a day," says Zohra Yusuf, head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan which, among other things, tracks the violence in the city. In 2011, he says, "the violence was mostly ethnic. But now it has gone beyond that and there have been more deaths in recent months than earlier in [2012]."
Yusuf says religious extremist groups – strong anti-Shia organizations – are to blame for the killing of nearly 200 Shia in Karachi last year alone. By way of comparison, in 2011 the Shia death toll was around 50.
Yusuf and police officials blame the spike in killings on the introduction of a new player on the scene. For the first time, local extremist groups are joining forces in a coordinated way with the Tehrik-e-Taliban, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP.
"The TTP used to come to Karachi for R and R or get treated in the hospitals here... or maybe for fundraising," says Yusuf. "But now they've got a foothold and they want to entrench themselves and take over here."
Chaudhry Aslam is a senior counter-terrorism official in the Crime Investigative Department of the Karachi Police. He's been tracking the Taliban's presence in his city and sees it as a problem.
"It's not that there are a huge number of Taliban here," he says. "But they are coming to meet with local people, to plan operations and in some cases – when we haven't arrested them first – they have succeeded in attacking the city."
Chaudhry has first-hand experience. The Pakistani Taliban have been targeting him for years. They have sent suicide bombers to his office and his home. And one nearly succeeded in killing Chaudhry last year.
"We've arrested sectarian killers and they have said they were linked to the Pakistani Taliban. They told us that they had united with the Taliban in jihad and there goal is nothing less than to destabilize the country."
He says the Pakistani Taliban aren't coming into Karachi in droves; in a way, it would be easier if they did. Instead, Chaudhry says they are arriving in small cells, fighters in groups of four or five, which makes them hard to track. What they have left in their wake, however, is a newfound deadly professionalism in local terrorist attacks.
Aktari Beygum, 65, is a mother of eight from Orangi Town in the northwest part of Karachi. She lost her 20-year-old son, Shahzad, when he went to protest against an anti-Shia march in their neighborhood.
Shahzad was wearing the traditional Shia dress: a long black tunic and a colorful piece of thread around his wrist. Beygum said she watched the events unfold from her doorstep.
"The protesters came and started shouting, 'Shias are kaffirs, Shia are infidel," she says. "And Shazad got so angry, he started pelting the protesters with stones."
Then, she said, there was confusion. Shouts were exchanged. There was shoving. Then a van appeared from nowhere and pulled up near Shazhad. A second later, the men inside, Beygum says, opened fire.
"He fell into my arms just before he died," she said. "He was shot because he was Shia. That's the only reason he was killed that day."
No one was arrested for the killing of Shahzad. A judge said it was a riot, so no one person could be held responsible.
'I See My Sons'
In northern Karachi, in a mixed area known as Arafat Town, Gul Mohammed Khan, is sitting cross legged on the floor. He's a big man with a white beard down to his chest and a perfectly pressed shalwar kameez, the pajama-like clothes worn by many Pakistanis. The sectarian wars in Pakistan have largely focused on Shia.
But Sunnis have been hard hit too.
In the past two years, Khan, who is Sunni, has lost three sons to Karachi's sectarian violence. The latest killings happened in October, when two of his sons were working in the family's storefront – one of Karachi's ubiquitous oil change shops.
"In October, four guys came to say, 'We've already killed two of your sons, now we are coming for the others.'"
Khan's eyes filled with tears. Just two days after the warning, he says, men on motorcycles drove by the shop and sprayed it with bullets. His 25-year-old son Abul Wahed was killed on the spot.
His 30-year-old son Ismael was shot seven times but survived. Now, Khan says, he will be raising his grandchildren without three of their fathers.
"Your loved ones are your loved ones," Khan says. "These were simple guys, living their lives in a simple, honest way. What can I say about the loss? When I look at my grandchildren, I see my sons."
He has four sons left and he has sent them all away.
"We've afraid they are not safe here," says Khan. "My sons were killed simply for being Sunni."
Shopkeepers Under Siege
The sectarian part of the violence in Karachi is bad enough. But police officials say extortion and kidnapping have also boomed. So much so, business leaders will tell you extortion has touched nearly every small business owner in Karachi.
Recently, four remote control blasts went off within hours of each other in a shopping district of Karachi. The explosions destroyed storefronts and damaged a hotel. Two people were killed and 10 others hurt. Authorities linked the attacks to extortionists. Apparently some shopkeepers had refused to pay protection money and gangsters were sending a warning.
In response, traders in central Karachi shuttered their shops for two days, calling on the police to do more to battle the shakedowns.
Anjum Nisar, the former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says there were literally thousands of cases of extortion in Karachi last year. The beginning of 2012 was particularly bad, he said.
Complaints about extortion began to come into his office in 2008, "but local authorities ignored the problem," he said. "Now they can't control it."
Part of the problem is that many of the gangsters extorting money from local businessmen are part of the political establishment in Karachi. They represent the armed wings of Pakistan's political parties.
Originally, he said, they were all about keeping order in the neighborhoods and getting out the vote. Then they began to solicit political contributions and eventually they demanded them alongside donations for protection.
Karachi is the engine of Pakistan's economy, so trouble here is being felt all over the country. Nisar says the Chamber of Commerce estimates the lawlessness in Karachi is knocking between two and three percentage points off Pakistani's overall GDP.
The Emotional Toll
What's more, all the violence is creating a psychological change. People in Karachi are genuinely scared.
Baygum, the Shia woman whose son died at the rally, is a good example. She made her elder son quit his job because she said she couldn't bear possibly losing him, too.
A lot of the targeted killings in Karachi are occurring in the mornings, she explained, when Shia are on their way to work. If her son isn't out on the streets when that is happening, he'll be safer, she says. Her one remaining son, Syed Abbas Hussein, says the constant tension wears on everyone.
"Why don't they just kill us all now... all at once," he says. "They should just get it over with, instead of killing us one by one."
Okay. Most of the world's population now lives in cities. Some live in mega cities, metropolitan areas of 10 million or more. And while many of those giant cities are shimmering centers of economic growth, some are also centers of corruption and violence and social unrest, places where many different kinds of people come together and open fire. Karachi, Pakistan just finished a year marked by sectarian killings, kidnappings and extortion.
Police say crime is growing more professional and more lethal and they think that maybe due to a new alliance between local militia groups in the Pakistani Taliban. Here's NPR's Dina Temple-Raston.
DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, BYLINE: The sad truth about Karachi today is that whatever your religion, your ethnicity or your political party, someone wants to kill you for it. And Zohra Yusuf, the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, says last year, killings were almost entirely about religion.
ZOHRA YUSUF: It's a good day for Karachi when there are only, let's say, five or so people killed, because on an average, it would be eight to 10. There are days of (unintelligible) you know, it goes beyond that.
TEMPLE-RASTON: 2,500 people died in violent crimes in Karachi in 2012. That's a 50 percent increase over the year before. And Yusuf says part of the reason is because religious extremist groups, local anti-Shia organizations, have joined forces with the Pakistani Taliban to devastating effect. Targeted killings used to just involved drive-by shootings, which was bad enough. Now there are car bombs and suicide vests.
Yusuf says the Taliban have spent time in Karachi before, but this time it's different. This time, they're staying.
YUSUF: They used to come here for rest and recreation when they were fighting, and they would come here for fundraising.
TEMPLE-RASTON: The new entrenchment is one of the things that worries Chaudhry Aslam, a senior counter-terrorism officer at the Crime Investigation Department of the Karachi Police. He's been a Taliban target. The group had sent suicide bombers to his office, to his home and almost succeeded in assassinating him last year.
CHAUDHRY ASLAM: (Through translator) It's not that there are a huge number of Taliban and they've somehow captured Karachi. But they are coming to meet with the local people and plan operations, and in some cases, when we haven't arrested them, they have succeeded in attacking the city.
TEMPLE-RASTON: He says the Pakistani Taliban slip into the city of 18 million in small hard-to-track cells. It's only been recently, Chaudhry said, that they've been able to confirm that the Pakistani Taliban is playing a role in the targeted killings in the city. Sectarian killers they've arrested have admitted that they were working with the terrorist group.
ASLAM: (Through translator) They told us that they had united with the Taliban in the name of jihad.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Aktari Beygum is a 65-year-old mother of eight. Her 20-year-old son, Shahzad, was a victim of sectarian violence. He and his friends went to protest against an anti-Shia march wearing what they usually wear, the traditional Shia dress, a black shawa(ph) chemise with a colorful piece of thread around their wrists. Beygum says she watched Shahzad's murder from her doorstep.
AKTARI BEYGUM: (Through translator) The protesters came and started shouting, Shias are kaffirs, Shia are infidels. And Shazad got so angry, he started pelting the protesters with stones.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Then, she said, a van appeared from nowhere and the men inside opened fire on her son. And in her words, he joined his imam.
BEYGUM: (Speaking foreign language)
TEMPLE-RASTON: He fell into her arms just before he died. No one was arrested for his killing. The judge said it was a riot, so no one person could be held responsible. On the other side of the city in a mixed neighborhood known as Arafat Town, Gul Mohammed Khan is sitting cross legged on the floor. He's a big man with a white beard down to his chest.
Although he's Sunni, the sectarian violence has touched his family as well. In the past two years, he has lost three sons to targeted killings. Two were gunned down in October and it all began with a threat.
GUL MOHAMMED KHAN: (Through translator) four guys told my brother, we've already killed two of your nephews, and we will kill them all.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Two days later, he says, men on motorcycles drove by the family shop and sprayed it with bullets. His 25-year-old son Abul Wahed was killed on the spot. His 30-year-old son Ismael was shot seven times but survived. Now, Khan says, he's raising his sons' children.
KHAN: (Through translator) Your loved ones are your loved ones. These were simple guys earning their livelihood honestly. It is too difficult to put into words. When I look at my grandchildren, I see my sons.
TEMPLE-RASTON: He has four sons left, but he has sent them all away. Karachi, he says, is too dangerous. Chaudhry, the Karachi police department's top terrorism cop, says they're trying. Police raided an area in Karachi known as mini Waziristan several months ago and found explosives and bunkers. But these operations are rare because police feel outgunned.
We're fighting them with limited resources, he said, and trying to tie the noose around their necks. The Taliban's role in the sectarian violence is only part of the picture. In order to fully understand what kind of year 2012 was for Karachi residents, you have to know about this.
TEMPLE-RASTON: This is a real recording of an extortion call caught on a wire tap by the Karachi police last year.
TEMPLE-RASTON: According to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, phone calls like this one have rattled nearly every small business owner in the city. Last month, in one day, four remote control blasts were detonated within hours of each other in various parts of the city, destroying store fronts and a hotel. Two people were killed and 10 others hurt.
Authorities linked the attacks to extortionists. Anjum Nisar is the former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and I asked him to estimate just how many extortion cases there were in Karachi last year. He didn't hesitate.
ANJUM NISAR: Thousands of cases, thousands.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Thousands of cases in every sector of the economy, from textiles to heavy industry. Nisar said the complaints about extortion began flowing into his office in 2008, but local authorities ignored the problem. Now, he says, they can't control it. Many of the gangsters now shaking down local businessmen are part of the establishment in Karachi. They represent the armed wings of Pakistan's political parties.
Originally, he said, they were all about keeping order in the neighborhoods and getting out the vote. Then they began to solicit political contributions. Eventually, they demanded them. He says the government needs to step in.
NISAR: It's the job of the government to curb or kill this menace, once and for all.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Karachi's Pakistan's commercial hub and the engine of its economy, so the trouble here ripples across the country, which is why the lawlessness worries more than just local officials. Economists say the law and order problem is knocking between two and three percentage points off Pakistani's overall GDP. What's more, the unending violence is creating a more psychic change. People in Karachi are genuinely scared.
Beygum, the Shia woman whose son died at the rally, says that she's always on edge, just waiting for something bad to happen. Her one remaining son, Syed Abbas Hussein, says the constant tension wears on everyone.
SYED ABBAS HUSSEIN: (Speaking foreign language)
TEMPLE-RASTON: If they have to kill us, he says, they should just do it all at once instead of one at a time. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, Islamabad. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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High places: Monticello Road's busy summer
Copies of their debut album This Scripted Show may still be warm from the presses after last year's release, but the boys of Charlottesville-based rock outfit Monticello Road are already back in the studio recording more demo tracks. Like plenty of wide-eyed hopefuls before them, they're about to make a serious bid for mainstream label attention. The catch is that they have no earthly idea what sort of record company they're looking for.
"The whole goal from the beginning was not to have one sound," says manager Jane Murphy. Three years later, that mission is still intact. Melding influences as diverse as Phish and Ryan Adams and then polishing the result with the same pop sensibility as Train and Matchbox Twenty, Monticello Road tries to cover as many stylistic bases as possible.
"We've got so many styles. It all sounds like Monticello Road, but we can play a bluegrass folk song, a singer/songwriter song, a reggae song, a funk song, a melodic song, a pop song..." explains bassist Jason Marshall, trailing off into a litany of genre names.
In fact, the band is recording two entirely separate demo compilations so that they can more effectively target different types of labels. Nashville is just as important to them as the rock and roll scene, and the unreleased track "Hallelujah" even delves into gospel. At times it can be a far cry from their southern rock roots, but they're confident that old fans will be as happy with the change as the new fans have been.
"We could probably play W&L every weekend, three shows," says Marshall of their regional success on the college circuit. They now hope to transfer that grassroots momentum to the promotional opportunities afforded by major label backing. Those goals may begin to materialize when they play a couple of high-profile shows in August, first opening for Dave Matthews in Tennessee and later headlining at Fridays after 5 here at home.
Charlottesville's favorite son is not the only industry giant watching out for them. The band counts among their mentors no less than three members of Everything, the group behind the 1998 modern rock smash "Hooch." Craig Honeycutt and Stephen Van Dam produced This Scripted Show, and Nate Brown has guided and influenced Monticello drummer Josh Manzano.
"I think they write honest songs," says Honeycutt in an enthusiastic endorsement of the band's studio work. And Honeycutt doesn't hesitate to draw attention to the live shows. "I've been in a live band long enough," he says, "to know where the diamond in the rough is."
Monticello Road<br>PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
From left, Vaden Cox (guitarist), Jason Marshall (bass), Kyle Rannigan (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Josh Manzano (drums), Adam Silvers (keys and piano).


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Solon American Legion Riders raffle Oct. 31
SOLON– The Solon American Legion Riders have launched their fall raffle. Funds from the raffle are used in various community projects– including providing an annual scholarship to a Solon graduating senior whose parent or grandparent has served in the military, and sending Christmas-care packages to local service personnel serving around the world during the holiday season.
Prizes for this year's raffle are a Char-Griller Duo combination gas-charcoal grill, which is on display at the Solon AMERICAN Legion; a Kodak EasyShare Z981, 14 megapixel digital camera with movie mode; and a meat package from Hy-Vee. All prizes are valued at $300.
Tickets may be purchased from any American Legion Rider or at the Legion. Ticket prices are $1 each; 6 tickets for $5 or 12 tickets for $10. The raffle drawing is Oct. 31.


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No timeline for ex-President Bush leaving hospital
Former President George H.W. Bush remains in stable condition two weeks after entering a Houston hospital for treatment of a lingering bronchitis-related cough.
Methodist Hospital spokesman George Kovacik (koh-VAH'-chik) said Friday that the 88-year-old Bush continues to improve, but doctors are being cautious with his care.
Kovacik says physicians have provided no timeline for when the 41st president will be discharged.
His doctors have said Bush became more physically active this week.
Bush and his wife, Barbara, divide their time between their residences in Houston and Kennebunkport, Maine.


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Government Pension Offset FAQs
These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) provide general guidance about the Government Pension Offset (GPO). They do not cover the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Separate FAQs for WEP are available. If you have questions specific to your own situation, contact your local Social Security Administration Office. The FAQs assume you are or were a state or local government employee who works or worked in employment not covered by Social Security. They do not address GPO issues particular to federal employees. If you are divorced, certain special rules apply that your local Social Security Administration office can explain to you.
Key Terms in These FAQs
A government pension is a retirement benefit from non-Social Security-covered employment for a state or local government.
Non-SS-covered employment is work you perform for a state or local government that is not covered by Social Security.
SSA means the Social Security Administration.
SS-covered employment is work you perform that is covered by Social Security.
SLG means state or local government.
What is the Government Pension Offset (GPO)?
The GPO reduces your Social Security survivor or dependent benefit.
What is the Social Security dependent benefit?
A dependent benefit is paid to the spouse and minor children of a retired or disabled worker.
What is the Social Security survivor benefit?
A survivor benefit is paid to the spouse and minor children of a Social Security-eligible worker who has died.
Why did Congress enact the survivor benefit and the dependent benefit?
Congress enacted the survivor benefit as part of the Social Security Act. It recognized that a worker's family requires financial support if the worker dies. Even if the surviving spouse has always worked, the loss of the deceased worker's income reduces the family's total income. Congress realized a few years later that the retirement or disability of a worker also affects household income. While a Social Security benefit may be adequate for the retiree or disabilitant to live on, the amount is insufficient, especially when the retired or disabled worker was the family's principal breadwinner. In 1939, therefore, Congress provided a dependent benefit, payable to the spouse and minor children of a retired or disabled worker.
Is an individual eligible for both a survivor/dependent benefit and a Social Security benefit from his/her own work?
No. The Social Security Act does not permit an individual to receive a Social Security benefit from his/her own work and also a survivor/dependent benefit. This "dual entitlement rule" allows an individual to receive only the higher of the two benefits.
How do I know whether the GPO affects me?
There are three general criteria:
First, you work or worked for a SLG in non-SS-covered employment.
Second, you are entitled to a government pension from that employment. SSA deems you to be "entitled to a pension" when you file an application for the pension and a benefit is payable.
Third, you are entitled to a Social Security survivor/dependent benefit.
What is the definition of 'government pension'?
It is any periodic or lump sum benefit that is based upon your own non-SS-covered employment for a SLG. The government pension is payable because you qualify for either 1) a retirement benefit based on age and length of service; or 2) a permanent disability, that is, a condition which is expected to continue throughout your lifetime and preclude your return to work. A government pension does not include such payment as:
- A Social Security retirement or disability benefit;
- A payment from an optional savings plan, e.g., a 403(b) or 457 plan, which is separate from the retirement plan and yields only the amount the employee paid in (plus interest) rather than an amount calculated based upon certain conditions such as age, earnings and length of service;
- An early incentive retirement payment, e.g., a bonus paid as an incentive for you to retire early; or
- A survivor annuity from your spouse's government pension.
Does the GPO reduce any Social Security benefit to which I am entitled from my own work?
No. The GPO affects your dependent/survivor benefit only. The Windfall Elimination Provision reduces the Social Security benefit you earned yourself from SS-covered employment.
Does the GPO affect a Social Security disability benefit?
If you are entitled to a dependent/survivor benefit based on your spouse's disability, the GPO applies.
Why is the GPO so severe?
Under the GPO, the SSA reduces your dependent/survivor benefit by two-thirds of your government pension. In other words, the GPO lowers the dependent/survivor benefit by $2 for every $3 you receive from your government pension.
Example: Terry works in non-SS-covered employment for a SLG. She will receive a government pension from the job of $600 per month. Her husband works in SS-covered employment. She is entitled to a dependent benefit from his work of $500 per month before the SSA applies the GPO. To calculate the GPO, SSA does the following:
- multiplies $600 by two/thirds (600 X 2/3 = $400); and
- subtracts the $400 from the $500 dependent benefit (500 - 400 = $100).
Result: Terry receives a dependent/survivor benefit of $100 per month. This is called a "partial GPO offset."
Is it possible that my dependent/survivor benefit may be reduced to zero?
Yes. It is called a "total GPO offset."
If I am ineligible for a dependent/survivor benefit because of the GPO, am I still eligible for Medicare?
Yes. You are still eligible for Medicare at age 65 based on your spouse's SS-covered employment if you are not eligible for it from your own employment.
Do any exceptions to the GPO exist?
Yes. Here are several of the most likely to apply to SLG workers with non-SS-covered employment.
First, the GPO does not apply if, for the five years before you retire,
You are in a position that was covered under Social Security, and
the position is also covered by the same government pension plan as your non-SS-covered position.
Second, you are exempt if you are receiving a government pension from SLG employment that is not based on your own earnings. For example, if you receive a survivor's annuity from your deceased spouse who worked in non-SS-covered employment for a SLG, it is not subject to the GPO.
Third, if you were eligible for a dependent/survivor benefit before December 1, 1977, you are exempt.
Fourth, if you began receiving or were eligible to receive a government pension from non-SS-covered employment in a SLG before December 1, 1982, and you met the requirements for a dependent/survivor benefit in effect in January 1977, you are exempt.
I heard that if someone has a government pension from non-SS-covered military reserve service, he/she is not subject to the GPO. Is that true?
Yes. Congress exempted that type of service from the GPO.
What happens if I retire from my non-SS-covered employment, draw the government pension from it, and then begin to work in SS-covered employment?
The SSA will still reduce your survivor/dependent benefit by the applicable amount.
What happens if I receive a government pension from my non-SS-covered employment as a lump sum?
The SSA will determine how much the government pension would be if it were paid monthly and then reduce the monthly survivor/dependent benefit accordingly.
Can both the GPO and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduce my Social Security benefit?
Yes. The Social Security retirement that you earn as well as your dependent/survivor benefit may be reduced if
You have some SS-covered work and some non-SS-covered work, and
You are or were married.
Example: During Tony's career, she works both in the private sector in which she was covered by Social Security and for a school district in a non-SS position. Tony's husband spends his entire career in SS-covered employment. Tony reaches the age at which she can draw a Social Security benefit. She goes to the local SSA office to apply for her benefits. Because of the WEP, Tony's own Social Security benefit is reduced unless she had 30 or more years of Social Security coverage. Because of the GPO, Tony's dependent benefit from her husband is either reduced or eliminated. If Tony had not worked in the non-SS-position for the school district, the reductions would not have applied.
Why did Congress enact the GPO?
In 1977, Congress revisited the Social Security Act and looked at many issues, including the dual entitlement rule. The rule forbids an individual from receiving both a Social Security benefit from his/her own work and a Social Security dependent/survivor benefit. Congress decided that someone with both a government pension and a survivor/dependent benefit violates the dual entitlement rule. It reached that conclusion by equating the government pension with a Social Security retirement benefit. Congress could have just as easily determined that the government pension is analogous to a pension from a private sector employment or SS-covered work for a SLG, in which case, no dual entitlement would arise. It choose not to do so, however.
Why is the GPO an unfair policy?
When it enacted the GPO, Congress forgot that the original purpose of the dependent/survivor benefit was to help a husband or wife who depends financially on his/her breadwinner spouse. The benefit provides additional income to help the financially dependent husband or wife once the breadwinner retires or is disabled (in which case the dependent benefit applies) or once the breadwinner dies (in which case the survivor benefit applies).
The GPO turns the policy underlying the dependent/survivor benefit on its head. By reducing the dependent/survivor benefit, the GPO harms the financially dependent spouse. Those most likely affected by the GPO are women who spend most of their lives raising their families and who work outside the home for only a short period of time. The GPO has a harsh effect and undermines the original purpose of the Social Security dependent/survivor benefit.
What is being done to address the unfair impact of the GPO?
Representatives McKeon (R-CA) and Berman (D-CA) have sponsored legislation that would repeal the GPO (H.R. 147).


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Event: Exhibition (permanent) County: Greater Manchester Textiles GalleryDubbed 'Cottonopolis', Manchester was once the international centre of the world's cotton industry. The city imported up to a billion tonnes of raw cotton a year, towns like Bolton and Preston became manufacturing...Science and Industry Museum | Manchester | 1 November 2014 — 1 November 2020


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Configuring sshd with Puppet
During this blog post, I will show you how to edit the sshd_config file and restart sshd if necessary. For the sake of completeness and since this blog post is part of the comparison series "Cfengine 3 vs. Puppet", I want to point you to the Cfengine 3 code snippet which does exactly the same. […]... Read More


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Municipal bonds tied to the tobacco settlement have been smoking lately, returning over 19% so far this year, but that doesn't mean investors should inhale. Indeed, all the smoke may be beginning to suppress investor appetite for the high-yield segment of the muni market, which in the aggregate has notched a 15% year-to-date return.
"This is a yield-driven marketplace. Investors are looking for yield. When you have a supply and demand imbalance, you see demand driving prices," says J.R. Rieger, S&P Dow Jones Indices' vice president of Fixed Income Indices, in an interview with AdvisorOne.
While Rieger does not make investment recommendations, the analysis he offers paints a picture of yield-hungry investors driving the value out of high-yield munis.
"The question investors should ask is: 'Am I getting compensated for the risk?' The yields have compressed to historic lows. That compression tells us that we may be bouncing off the low end of the yield," he says.
"If investors are worried about higher-yield bonds weakening, credit spreads widening and interest rates eventually rising, they should be looking to shorten their duration," Rieger says.
"Tobacco bonds are long-duration, higher-yielding bonds, they're definitely risky," he says, adding the clarification that the sector itself is risky, though individual bond offerings may be worth the risk. "I'd leave that [individual bond selection] to the professionals."
Like tobacco bonds, other high-yield sector munis have also performed well this year. Land-backed and health care muni bonds have returned just short of 11% and 10%, respectively. But all of these, for the same reasons as tobacco bonds, are likely areas of declining opportunity.
"A majority of defaults come from that kind of single-revenue sourced project," Rieger says. "Really to understand how you're going to get paid, the individual investor has to understand the credit. That should be left to institutional investors."
Where yield-hungry investors should be looking is the investment-grade muni sector, particularly at state munis, the S&P analyst says. The majority of state revenue comes from income taxes and corporate taxes, and Rieger says the U.S. Census Bureau has confirmed at the end of September that those revenues are rising.
Take the much-maligned, budget-constrained state of California, for example. California munis have returned nearly 8% year to date. The current weighted-average yield on all quality California municipal securities, including distressed bonds, is currently 3.33%, Rieger says.
While that may the lack the excitement of the high-yield sector, Rieger calculates that the tax-equivalent yield for an investor with a 35% marginal tax rate would be 5.12%. Investors looking for an investment grade bond with that kind of yield and relatively low-risk profile would be looking at U.S. corporate bonds in vain, Riger says.
"You can't find that bond," he says. "Everyone's looking for yield today. Prices have come down."
In general, the S&P bond analyst says states are good credit risks, in part because they are constrained by "handcuffs," as it were, to impose fiscal discipline.
"You've got to be able to run the business of the state. You need to lever taxes and attract businesses."
And despite a spike in credit defaults for California municipalities in 2012, municipal bonds are generally safe, with a minuscule 0.58% default on the par value of bonds in a market worth $1.4 trillion, Rieger says. "Compared to corporate, that is quite low," he adds.
And despite warnings of future municipal bancruptcies from analysts like Meredith Whitney, Rieger says the evidence suggests cities, like states, are being forced to get their acts together.
"We can see how municipalties are managing. They're reducing the numbers of teachers, renegotiating pension obligations. The vast majority are managing their budgets. Services are being reduced and the classrooms are getting larger. It has to happen," he says.
The S&P analyst also points to Census Bureau-confirmed rising levels of tax collection (back up to 2008 levels) and a bottoming out of defaults on first and second mortgages. Also, rising real estate prices will drive future assessment revenue.
While Riesling sees greater value in general obligation bonds, which have the full faith and credit backing of the state versus riskier, single-sourced but higher-yielding revenue bonds like tobacco and health care bonds, he did make a useful distinction.
Some revenue bonds, such as water and sewer and electrical power bonds, are for essential services and thus safer and more stable than specific projects like multifamily housing that might more readily lose rental revenue.
"Very few have incidents of distress because they are for an essential purpose, so they therefore have a lower default-risk profile," he says.


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Friends, as some of you know I have launched another website to post some of mine as well as fellow bloggers' work. Here is the link to one of my creation I posted today
I will appreciate your visit, follow and comment. Thank you
Copyright © Shantanu Baruah
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Shantanu Baruah, ckonfab.com, and afflatuz.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content
40.517958 -74.489630


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Vandals hit 'quiet, senior community'
Linda Garland lives alone in her home in the Sun City community of Menifee, not far away from her mother, whom she visits daily.
So when the 63-year-old returned to her home on Potomac Drive on Monday night to discover her white garage door marked up in red with drug culture references and anti-law enforcement and anti-establishment graffiti, Garland was at a loss as to why she'd been singled out in her "quiet, senior neighborhood."
The next morning, however, Garland learned her home was one of less than a dozen that were vandalized overnight.
"It scared me at first," Garland said. "This is awful to say, but it made me feel better that I wasn't the only one. But it did scare me. Why would somebody target me like that?"
She added: "I didn't do much sleeping that night."
Garland said she returned from visiting her mother shortly after 10 p.m. to discover her white, metal garage door had been marked up in red spray paint. She called authorities Monday night and was again visited by police Tuesday, when she learned several other homes –- including a trailer in a driveway and several brick walls –- on Potomac and Waverly Drive were vandalized with spray painted anti-law enforcement messages.
The total cost of the vandalism has not yet been determined, according to a news release written by Menifee police Sgt. Victor Tejeda. Authorities do not have any leads, he said.
The messages scrawled on Garland's garage were still visible two days after she reported the crime.
"This is a quiet, senior neighborhood," Garland said. "I know we've had a few vandalism things here and there, but nothing like this."


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NFC North
Sponsored By
NFL Week 4 NFC North Picks: The Vikings 'Have To Open That Passing Game Up,' Says CBS Minnesota's Norman SeawrightIn Week 4 in the NFC North, the undefeated Bears and Packers look to keep their winning streaks alive, while the winless Vikings look to turn their season around.
Vikings-Bears Preview: Cousins, Trubisky Face Daunting DefensesThe Vikings and Bears ride strong defenses and run games, but uneven quarterback play, into this Week 4 NFC North matchup.
Keidel: Case Keenum Leading Vikings To Top Seed In NFCIt may come as a surprise to some, but journeyman quarterback Case Keenum has led the Minnesota Vikings to a 10-2 record and the NFC's No. 1 spot through three quarters of the season.
Thursday Night Football Breakdown: NFC North Rivalry Renewed Between Chicago And Green Bay on CBSThe Bears and Packers, both coming off overtime wins, will face off at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football on CBS.
Keidel: Lions-Packers For NFC North Title A Fitting End To NFL SeasonDepending on earlier games, the loser may well toil in winter purgatory, watching the very party they were four quarters from joining.
Green Bay Packers Inury Report: Rodgers, Lacy Probable For NFC Title GameThe Green Bay Packers listed both their starting quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and running back (Eddie Lacy) on the injury report as limited participants in Thursday's practice. The team estimated that the two players would have been limited on Friday as well and gave both a probable chance to play on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field in the NFC championship game. The Packers list four players on their injury report and the Seahawks list seven (two not injury related) on theirs.
Packers Ready For Rematch In SeattleThe Green Bay Packers played the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 as the first game of the season. This week, the Packers will look to avenge their 36-16 loss in the opener. Both teams are different teams than in that first meeting, but Bovada sees the Seahawks as 7.5 point favorites at home.
Injury Report: Rodgers Probable To Play Sunday For The PackersThe Green Bay Packers begin their playoff season against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at Lambeau Field and Aaron Rodgers will be a part of it. The MVP favorite quarterback has been nursing a strained calf to his left leg. The Packers list five players on their injury report and the Cowboys list 12 players on theirs.
Packers Look To Change Recent Playoff TrendThe Green Bay Packers have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons since winning the Super Bowl. However, they have failed to get past the divisional round and have just one win in that time frame. The Packers want to change that fortunate this weekend. The last time the Packers and Dallas Cowboys played a playoff game at Lambeau Field was the famed Ice Bowl.
Team Grades: Lions Season Ends In DallasThe Detroit Lions had a lead in their playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, but couldn't hold on for the win.
Blocked Kicks Are Reason For Concern For The Packers In the PlayoffsThe Green Bay Packers do not have many holes in their game as they enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. However, one is their blocking in the kicking game. They allowed more combined blocked field goals, extra point attempts and punts than they had in the previous five seasons combined.
Bye Week Will Help Rodgers Get Healthy For Packers Playoff RunThe Green Bay Packers do not have to play this Sunday. That is a good thing as quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be able to get some extra rest before the Packers begin their run toward the Super Bowl. They will host one of three teams in the Divisional Round. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys game.
Opponent Profile: Lions Prepare For Cowboys' Potent OffenseThe Detroit Lions have to face the Dallas Cowboys and their excellent offense, perhaps without Ndamukong Suh.
2013 Packers: Surmounting Injuries, Eddie Lacy's Bright FutureThe Green Bay Packers overcame some significant injuries to win the NFC North and make the playoffs, but they still lost in the first round. Here is the story of their season.
Packers Face Injury Questions On DefenseThe Green Bay Packers have had trouble stopping the 49ers in their last two meetings. Now they have to try and beat them in the playoffs while facing injury issues on defense.


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(504) 2408-4540 - (504) 3193-0000
— Main Menu —
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Where your journey begins
Roatan to La Ceiba Ferry Service
Where your journey begins
Roatan to La Ceiba Ferry Service
Welcome to Roatan Ferry
Safe Way Maritime provides ferry service between the island of Roatan and the port city of La Ceiba. The ferry has been so successful that today it is the most important and cost-effective means of transportation between Roatan and the mainland of Honduras,carrying both passengers and cargo.
Getting to Roatan via ferry is cheaper and more reliable than regional flights between Roatan and the mainland. Flights may be cancelled because airplanes are not full enough, but the Roatan Ferry travels on schedules without the need to complete passenger capacity, whatever the state of the weather. The fact that schedules are respected enables you to more easily plan your trip for business or pleasure.
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Video Tour of the Galaxy Wave
The Ferry
Named the Galaxy Wave, the La Ceiba/Roatan Ferry is a 152 foot long catamaran yacht that provides security, comfort and luxury. With capacity for 460 passengers, there are 250 seats for regular ticket holders, available in the lower air-conditioned cabin. Outside, an additional 150 seats are available on the second level for those who enjoy the outdoors, and first class passengers can enjoy excellent views from one of the 60 seats on the Galaxy Wave's second floor.
Getting to Roatan or La Ceiba takes approximately one hour and ten minutes on the ferry, and all passengers must pass a security check before boarding. Our item restrictions are similar to those of an airline, so be sure to check out our FAQ page (HYPERLINK TO FAQ PAGE) with a list of what you can and can't bring on-board. A concession on the ferry offers snacks and drinks, and entertainment is also available at the terminals and on-board.
The Terminals
Our new Roatan ferry terminal is easily accessible, located in the center of the island. More space has allowed us to improve baggage handling, and the new facility also enables us to offer ample free parking, unlike the old terminal that was previously located adjacent to the street in Coxen Hole. Unfortunately we are not able to offer free parking at the La Ceiba ferry terminal, situated in the main Muelle de Cabotaje port, but paid parking is available as an option. The terminal is also just a short taxi ride from the city center and the Hedman Alas bus station.
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6 Items
- Kestrel 5700X Elite Weather Meter With Applied Ballistics and LiNK
The same accuracy and reliability as the industry gold standard 5700 Elite, the 5700X packs more performance power to deliver faster firing solutions in the field for multiple extreme long-range targets.Learn More$849.00
- Kestrel 5700 Elite Weather Meter with Applied Ballistics and LiNK
Get the world's most complete ballistics calculator -- a rugged Kestrel Weather Meter with the "science of accuracy" built in! Get accurate measurement of wind and air density to deliver elevation and windage solutions for unprecedented accuracy on extended long range shots.Learn More$699.00
- Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with LiNK
Know where your bullet will hit before you pull the trigger. The Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter measures wind, altitude and all critical weather and ballistic variables to calculate an accurate aim point for long-range shooting. No more DOPE cards, re-zeroing or guessing at the wind. This all-in-one compact tool combines onsite environmental measurements with a powerful G1/G7 ballistics calculator to deliver precise elevation and windage solutions for any gun, any round, any shot. Get first-shot confidence with the all-in-one, long range shooting solution trusted by long range hunters and shooters. Learn More$399.00
- Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with Hornady 4DOF
The Kestrel 5700 with Hornady 4DOF quickly and accurately determines long range holdovers and windage corrections to get you on target with first round hits. This all-in-one unit combines real-time environmental measurements with the Hornady 4DOF ballistics calculator for a rugged, dependable, compact, and powerful long-range shooting tool. No more DOPE cards, guessing at the wind, or being unsure where your bullet will hit when you change elevation.Learn More$499.00
- Ruger Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter with LiNK
The Ruger Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter comes with a library of pre-measured Ruger rifles and commonly available match-grade ammunition accessible in the app, allowing you to simply select your Ruger rifle and cartridge then start making first-round hits on long-range targets!
The Ruger 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter works with your factory Ruger rifle to give you the confidence to shoot further, in the wind, at any altitude, right out of the box.$399.00
- Kestrel DROP D3 Wireless Temperature, Humidity & Pressure Data LoggerGet More Advanced Environmental Monitoring with the DROP D3 Wireless Data Logger Learn More$129.00
6 Items


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Indicative Rate * AU$229 to AU$429
The ultimate relaxing getaway awaits at Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort with luxury apartment living, outstanding recreational facilities, championship golf course and a stunning, aqua day spa.
Stay and play at one of Australia's best championship golf courses, unwind at the world class day spa, dine at award-winning Relish Restaurant, enjoy a beverage on the clubhouse terrace or keep active at the state-of-the-art fitness centre, swim in the 25 metre heated lap pool or enjoy a game of tennis.
The spa has been designed for all-out indulgence. Features include a large hydromassage pool, a flotation pool with dramatic starlit ceiling and treatment rooms opening to private courtyards with soothing water features. The spa menu offers an extensive range of massages, facials and body treatments and package combinations to help you make the most of the facilities and create your own spa experience.
A world of recreation awaits. Plan your escape to Noosa Springs today.
Luxury two bedroom ensuite apartments contain fully equipped kitchens with modern appliances, private balconies with views and LCD flat screen televisions. Views span the championship golf course, Noosa National Park and picturesque Lake Weyba.
Two bedroom apartment bedding configuration: two king beds or one king bed and two single beds. Note: four single beds can be provided with prior notice. Maximum occupancy four persons.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Perry sorry for saying Lady Gaga is falsely credited on song
NEW YORK (AP) — Record producer Linda Perry says she's sorry for tweeting that Lady Gaga doesn't deserve songwriting credit for the Oscar-nominated song "Til it Happens to You," from the college campus sexual-assault documentary "The Hunting Ground."
Perry said in tweets Monday that Lady Gaga only performed the song credited to Diane Warren and Lady Gaga. Perry said she has Warren's original demo and the final version changes only one line. But Perry now says she "wasn't in the room" when the song was being written and was wrong to comment.
Warren had disputed the songwriting allegation and said "Til it Happens to You" is "a special collaboration" between her and Lady Gaga. A publicist for Lady Gaga hasn't commented.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences regulations state only the principal songwriters of a song can be nominated.


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Shaft: UST Mamiya iHS 65 Graphite Light Flex, Loft: 54°
Temporarily unavailable.
Cobra S3 Irons use E9 Face Technology; an advanced system that creates a larger Sweet Zone™ for increased distance and accuracy. Cobra has also introduced a new shape and design to the cavity back iron - Progressive Cavity Design. The new back-cavity shape and optimized face thickness progress from elliptical on your long-irons to circular on your short-irons. This design element works to optimize distance and feel based on typical golfer impact patterns. The Cobra S3 Irons also incorporate:
A high-strength steel and alloy composition in the long- and mid-irons allows for a thinner, hotter face for increased COR and ball speed.
New hidden internal polymer topline and full cavity TPU (thermoplastic urethane) combine to optimize weight distribution and dampen vibration for superior feel and distance.
A versatile mid-width sole narrows in the toe and heel to provide superior turf interaction to promote more consistent distance and accuracy.


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I am interested in learning the OPC's view on homosexuality, gay rights, and gay marriage.
Let me respond by directing you to two sections of our church's doctrinal standards:
"Marriage is to be between one man and one woman" (Westminster Confession of Faith 24.1).
"The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts" (Westminster Larger Catechism, answer 139).
Some months ago I read with interest in our local newspaper expressions of shock from leaders of mainline denominations over the (at that time) recent approval of the installation of a homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church, and its toleration of gay clergy and same-sex couples. Unfortunately, the hand wringing over their denomination's departure from the clear teachings of scripture and 2000 years of settled moral tradition comes too late, and I wondered whether these leaders were disingenuous or just simply naive.
For decades, many mainline denominations have approved ministers who repudiate the authority of scripture, and the most basic of Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, and the bodily resurrection. What is shocking is not that these unbelieving ministers reject basic Christian ethical teachings, but that they were ever ordained to ministerial office in the first place. The need now is for repentance, and the removal from ministerial office of those who have departed from the historic doctrines of the Christian church.
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church affirms the scriptural truths that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that homosexual behavior is sinful. But just as importantly, we require that our ministers acknowledge the authority of scripture as the infallible word of God, and our doctrinal standards as accurately presenting the system of doctrine found in scripture. It is within the context of a full-orbed Christian world and life view that the biblical doctrine of marriage is most persuasively proclaimed to our culture.
"Questions and Answers" is a weekly feature of the OPC website. The answers come from individual ministers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church expressing their own convictions and do not necessarily represent an "official" position of the Church, especially in areas where the Standards of the Church (the Scriptures and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms) are silent.
The questions come from individuals like yourself. If you have questions about biblical and theological matters, you are invited to send them by e-mail by using the "Pose a Question" link on the OPC home page or by clicking here.
At least one new question is posted each week, so there should always be something new here for you to read. (For those people who would like to look at previous questions and answers, they will continue to be available as well.)
The purpose of the OPC website's "Questions and Answers" is to respond to biblical and theological questions. Matters of church discipline, disputes, or debates go beyond the scope of our work. We recommend that you present your concerns in these areas to the appropriate judicatory. In most cases this will be to a local pastor, elder, or session. We do not want the website to replace personal involvement in, or commitment to, the local, visible church.
While we will respond to every serious questioner, we are not bound to give a substantive answer to every question, should we deem the question to be beyond the scope of our purpose or our own ability to answer.
You will receive an answer by e-mail. Please be patient as many of our respondents are busy pastors. The response to your question may take up to two (2) weeks. Some of the questions submitted will be chosen to be posted here, along with the corresponding answers.
Note that the "Questions and Answers" posted on the site have been editedall personal references are removed, Scripture references or from some source may be added, and sometimes portions are expandedto make the questions and answers more useful to a larger audience.
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Chaplains and Military Personnel


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1 cup blanched almonds
1 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
¾ cups sugar
2 whole eggs (lightly beaten)
2 tablespoons water (or lemon juice)
3 oz. chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract
1 egg white
1. Preheat oven to 375° , toast almonds 5-7 minutes, grind 1/3 of the almonds, and chop the remaining almonds.
2. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Add nuts and stir.
3. Make well in center, add sugar, eggs, and water into well. With fork, stir together. Add vanilla. Stir until it forms a dough, knead 2-3 minutes, and add chocolate.
4. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll in 2 logs, ½ inch thick. Top with egg white. Bake 20 minutes.
5. Reset oven to 275°. Cut into diagonal slices. Return to cookie sheets, bake for 30 minutes. Flip cookies half way through baking.


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Oral Health
Our Mission
The Oral Health Branch is dedicated to preventing dental disease for Alabama's citizens by promoting and developing quality, cost-effective community and school-based preventive, educational and early treatment programs which emphasize elimination of oral health disparities.
Oral Health is an essential and integral component of health throughout life. No one can be truly healthy unless he or she is free from the burden of oral diseases and conditions. Millions of people in the United States experience dental caries and periodontal disease resulting in needless pain and suffering.
Dental caries is largely a preventable disease. Preventive, educational and early treatment programs are the focus of the Oral Health Branch.
The Oral Health Branch has developed the following materials to help educate Alabamians on the benefits of healthy teeth and gums.
Our Programs
The Oral Health Branch accomplishes its mission through several programs. These include oral health education programs and materials, community water fluoridation, and the dental screening program.
Oral health data from various sources are available that characterize the oral health of Alabama's children and adults. These include indicators of oral health.
Finally, information is available on locating a dentist throughout the state. Public health clinics, Medicaid providers, ALLKids providers, and other dental provider lists are also available.
Call (334) 206-2924 or contact us via email to obtain further information.
Virtual Education Conference: Oral Health & Community Water Fluoridation
The Oral Health & Community Water Fluoridation Conference for Alabama public water system operators is scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 9 a.m. See our flyer for details on this year's virtual conference. Online registration is now open.
Page last updated: September 9, 2020


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See: 2001 Formal
Complaint filed with the CPUC;
Go to Mike and Pacific Bell Page; and What about the PUC
Mike and the FBI , putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and asking the Federal Government to help.
"A Phone Number for the President" Main Page
Note: The phone number noted in the above photograph is the smoking gun that can be linked to virtually every recurring phone problem, and every recurring violation to public utility law since 1996 that has continued each and every day since 1996, and the chronological history of illegal behavior noted below. Any reasonable person can see the above phone number has the last five digits of "25093." To avoid paying millions of dollars in fines to the California State General Fund, the phone company told the State of California the phone number has the last five digits of "85093." To understand more about the phone number, see: The Fictional Phone Number and a blatant act of Perjury Because any reasonable person can see the above phone number has the last five digits of 25093, I have asked the FBI to investigate the Judge for corruption.
I believe I have the worst telephone service in the country but clearly the phone company doesn't want to talk about it. Or is it just the phone company attorneys who won't?
Altogether, my business and residential listings have been made unlisted or incorrect 32 times in 411, AT&T 00, and the three local phone books, since May, 1997. This number does not include the fact that my numbers are not correctly listed in the 1998, 1999, 2000 PhoneDisc® Powerfinder, and other types of phone CDs that I use for my business. I have now included in my web site a detailed chronology of these problems.
With this web site, I am documenting the stone wall I have encountered in trying to communicate with AT&T regarding phone services problems, and the substantial consequences to my business that they have caused. Eventually, I felt forced to begin recording telephone conversations with AT&T personnel to protect my interests. But once I started recording, no one would talk to me, and I received even less help with my phone problems.
One of the strangest twists in their tactics was instructing an officer of AT&T Corporate Security to telephone me. A member of the Executive Complaint Committee asked him to do that. We spoke several times. What do my telephone problem complaints and questions have to do with Corporate Security? Not even the security officer himself could explain that to me. I can only surmise it was done in an attempt to intimidate me. Just recently, AT&T did come up with a lame excuse for this.
This is the tariff I believe AT&T is violating by giving me prejudicial treatment in regard to my phone service and the problems with it. I was given this document by the CPUC when I asked them what tariff AT&T could be violating.
If you enjoy the story of Mike and Ma Bell, you'll love the history of how I got into this mess. It all began with PACIFIC BELL, when I moved into the area where I now live and conduct my business.
But what about the PUC? The story would certainly not be complete without them!
may at least get a laugh out of these examples of my attempted communications
with this so-called communications company
Letters and Other Documents, and Excerpts from Various Transcripts
In the beginning , AT&T promised to help me to recover from Pacific Bell the income I had lost as a result of my business numbers being made unlisted, saying I must sign this statement as part of that process June 9, 1997
After signing the above statement, I wanted to know the status of the proceedings. I was still under the impression AT&T would back me up regarding the cable failures and other problems, that they'd give me a fair shake and test the lines properly. I wrote this letter to J.B. Miller to explain the history of my phone line problems and to request testing by someone other than Pacific Bell August 21, 1997
Again, I point out to J.B. Miller the losses suffered
by my business during service outages, as well as the difficulties I had
getting Pacific Bell to diagnose or fix the problems. I again request
testing by an outside party. I still wanted to believe AT&T intended
to help me, but was beginning to suspect the truth...
August 26, 1997
Hello, hello, what's this! A cable failure reported in my area? How can that be! September 17, 1997
Transcript of conversation with J.B. Miller September 19, 1997
See the infamous "clown letter." I felt frustrated by the lack of attention to my service and billing problems, and I got nowhere being polite for 9 months. I tried this ploy to get their attention. It resulted in my service being restricted, and an AT&T manager threatening to report me to Security January 30, 1998
Ms. Gail Burns reaponds to my "clown Letter" with humour, which is what I was after. I just wanted attention given to my service problems. February 2, 1998 But she never fixed my billing problems although she said she would, and my service was restricted soon after. Very funny.
My business fax line is dead due to cable failure. AT&T shut off the long distance service on my other line even though they had acknowledged the billing problems and said they'd fix them. So now I can't call customers long distance on either phone! February 10, 1998
Four telephone transcripts February 11, 1998
Transcript of another phone conversation with J.B.Miller February 12, 1998 Miller agrees that the phone lines in the street are being affected by rain because they are old, but says there is nothing he can do. He also suggests that I would have to move to a commercial zone if I really wanted to have better lines, as commercial areas get upgraded first. If this is true, AT&T has been accepting my money for business service right where I am, as did Pacific Bell before them, even though they cannot and will not deliver it!
Two telephone transcripts February 13, 1998
My business phone line was dead again and I called an operator for help. February 18, 1998 The operator was able to forward the line to another of my numbers within minutes, while I waited, and said that is usual practice! See fourth transcript four under 2-11-98, above, for the six-hour version of the same little fix! (And why was the line dead? According to the operator, it was a cable failure.)
Cable failure on one of my lines February 28, 1998 Confirmed by this AT&T repair person: cable failure in my area. Pacific Bell's cable is at fault, AT&T resells Pac Bell service. Pac Bell needs to fix it, but that would be expensive. Why doesn't AT&T care whether it gets fixed?
Cable failure on another line, and it is Failure Number Nine March 2, 1998 Well, it's number nine according to operators and technicians who ran a loop test at the time, anyway, but not to AT&T Management or Pacific Bell Management. As far as they are concerned, apparently, I never lost service due to cable failure, particularly not today.
Miller and Burns had not corrected anything. I was still experiencing cable failures, denial of service, un-listings, overbilling for more listings than I had... I tried going over their heads by faxing a letter to Mike Bunse, Branch Manager, detailing the troubles. It got me the response below, plus the independent cable test I wanted March 5, 1998
Bunse's response. But not to my March 5 fax (above). Instead, that fax seems to have precipitated a response to a letter I had sent AT&T on February 19, asking compensation for the toll that phone problems had taken on my business. Mr. Bunse gave me his direct phone line and asked me to call March 5, 1998
AT&T Test Record. The technician from AT&T finds the Pac Bell supervisor "unprofessional". With the results of this test, Pacific Bell management was proven by AT&T to have lied! March 7, 1998
I am awarded $20.89 to supposedly compensate for my September service outage due to cable failure. When will someone just FIX the cable! (And, anyway, why did it take seven months for them to credit my account? Could it be that AT&T Management knew I had experienced a cable failure, but didn't know I had the September 17, 1997 letter corroborating it?) April 7, 1998
Repair History covering period from April 29, 1997 through March 12, 1998. It clearly states there were cables failures during that period May 11 , 1998
I sent AT&T a claim letter in February 1998. Five months later, Branch Manager Mike Bunse said the amount was too high for him to handle and I would have to talk to AT&T attorneys. However, AT&T policy, confirmed in this letter, is that I cannot talk to an AT&T attorney unless I hire an attorney myself! July 30, 1998
I wrote this long letter to Nancy Rodriguez, AT&T Complaint Manager. I was upset about phone problems repeatedly disrupting my business, with being charged for services I was not receiving, and with the frequent referral to AT&T attorneys and what they would not allow August 23, 1998
Here's an interesting request: I am asked to communicate by mail, but am not given an address August 26, 1998
Even with clear records of multiple outages on my lines due to cable failure, an AT&T manager still tells me Pacific Bell refuses to replace the cable under the street because Pac Bell "has not determined the cable to be the cause." I wonder if he was able to keep a straight face while writing this letter September 24, 1998
Another service rep promises to help me October 14, 1998 Unfortunately, she did not fix the problems but she did tell me that she would take care of it. She said she would be happy to help, and that I should feel free to call her (I had called directly).
Communications? October 15, 1998 I asked for AT&T manager Rod Aguilar's mailing address and he replied, "I'm not giving that up."
I wrote to my AT&T Local Service Branch Manager, Steve Van Collie, providing him with this chronological history of the 411 directory listing problems, and service problems. He signed an acknowledgement of having received it, and I was never allowed to talk to him again. November 15, 1998
My business phone service had been turned off and I had recorded a conversation with a bill collector in which I was forced to pay a bill including an overcharged amount in order to have it turned on again. One hour later, AT&T faxed this letter to me! Personally, I believe they had recorded the call too November 18, 1998
A revealing little chat with Nancy Rodriquez December 1, 1998 This Complaint Manager threatens to call Security if I don't stop asking for answers to my complaints. Instead of addressing any of the issues, she just complains.
AT&T Corporate Security calls to tell me that a $3.93 adjustment to my account should resolve all my previous problems December 2, 1998 What? And AT&T needs a security officer to call and tell me this? The "Executive Complaint Team" then has the gall to write that this had nothing to do with my billing and service issues! (See March 16, 1999 letter too.)
AT&T awards me a whopping $3.93 credit! Now I wonder how many dollars it cost them in workhours and salaries to come up with that... December 2, 1998
Just chatting with AT&T Corporate Security again December 3, 1998 Why does AT&T official Nancy Rodriquez have Corporate Security call telephone customers? The security officer himself doesn't seem to know the answer. Whom else did Security call for Ms. Rodriguez? Was it you?
More phone tag with AT&T Security January 11 and 13, 1999 Since he seemed before to know so much about my account, I decided to try to meet with the AT&T security officer who had called me, to talk about my phone problems. At this point, I'd try to get help from most anyone... He tells me he only deals with employee issues. Why did he call me? I am not an employee of AT&T, obviously.
When customer service isn't: my business numbers were unlisted four times (see also September 5, 1997 letter) as of the date of this letter. AT&T can't tell me who did this or when it started. Yet the Customer Service department is not concerned January 16, 1999. As of August 13, 1999, my phone numbers have now been made incorrect or unlisted eight times. (See notes.)
Interesting conversation with AT&T operator
They do not want to explain why they had AT&T Corporate Security telephone me (they don't feel that particular "matter" is related to my case). Also, suddenly they no longer have names! Who is this Executive Complaint Team, anyhow? March 16, 1999
Transcript April 29, 1999 Has AT&T opened a new social club for managers? I guess it helps them deal with the stress of "problem" customers like me, if they make their calls outside the burdensome professional atmosphere of their own offices. Maybe this is why Rod Aguilar won't "give up" his address? (see October 15, 1998 transcript) This is not the first time he called me from a pay phone.
An example of correspondence with the latest person assigned to my case, Mary Brown. It regards the sixth time my phone numbers were made unlisted or incorrect. She is willing and helpful, but it is still happening. Since this letter, my business and residential listings have been missing or wrong three more times for a total of nine! Still, no one can tell me why this happens to my listings or when they are affected (I keep having to dial directory assistance to find out if they are all right). I am billed for those calls, too June 21, 1999
Mary Brown calls me regarding the listing problems July 20, 1999 The current problem she is checking happens to be the residential number listing. But it could just as easily have been the business one, since all my listings keep changing. She is trying to help, and doesn't mind that I called her directly.
Two more messages from Ms. Brown, still trying to help me. July 23, 1999 She still has no problem that I called her and asks me not to hesitate to call her back with any questions. When I try to call the 800 numbers, I usually get passed around or put on hold until I get cut off, as long as half an hour. One of the people I would get if I called the 800 number and asked for a superviser is Mary Brown.
Ms. Brown calls mistakenly to say my 411 listing is now correct, and I call 411 and find it is NOT July 29, 1999 What she did not realize is that AT&T personnel cannot reach the actual Pacific Bell 411 operators from inside the AT&T buildings. They get a local operator. They have to check it from a PacBell pay phone. I then called the 411 operators myself and found the listing was not correct. I faxed Ms. Brown a note (July 29, 1999) to let her know about the situation.
I write to Mary Brown to point out what had caused her to think my listing had been corrected (transcript, 7-29-99). This is a situation that has occurred before with others at AT&T July 29, 1999
Ms. Brown confirms that I am right and the number is not correct July 30, 1999 She apologized and follows up on getting the listing corrected.
A letter from the office of Nancy Rodriquez (she did not personally sign it). It's an attempt to put words in my mouth and yet again weasle out of correcting my chronic service, listing, and billing problems August 9, 1999
I had received a letter from Pacific Bell, informing me they had republished my listing at AT&T's request. But they did not notice that the information supplied by AT&T is WRONG. I faxed a copy of this to Rod Aguilar and asked him to fix it September 7, 1999
Mr. Aguilar's response. He says the listing has been corrected. Gosh, it only took 2 days, not 5 weeks (and this wasn't even my business listing). September 10, 1999
Letter from Rod Aguilar. Mr. Aguilar informs me that he alone is my contact at AT&T, but also that I am not allowed to contact him, or anyone else. He tells me that AT&T considers my case closed. Rod Aguilar will not admit to receiving phone calls or e-mail from me when I send them, or to having conversations with me, even though he finally admits to being my AT&T contact. April 18, 2000
Re: Not Listed...Again. I write Mr. Aguilar to inform him that I have discovered one of my phone listings has been changed, yet again April 25, 2000
Transcript of phone pessage from Bill Higgins at AT&T, who seems to be offering to help me. Mr. Higgins of AT&T responds to a voice message I left at AT&T. He tells me he is following up "in an effort to get you a clear and meaningful response and will continue to pursue that". May 19, 2000
A three-page letter from AT&T Corporate Security! This letter is from Mr. Sid Bohinc of AT&T Security, written to "establish ground rules for [my] future contacts with AT&T, and apparently to try again to intimidate me. It accuses me of being intimidating! I wonder if anyone else is accorded this kind of special treatment when they complain about chronic problems with phone lines and listings. It should be noted that my numbers were made unlisted or incorrect repeatedly after I received this letter from Corporate Security. June 9, 2000
Interesting conversation with Sid Bohinc of AT&T Corporate Security. Rodney Aguilar's name comes up Mr. Bohinc says I should fax my complaints to ..."the attorney you've been dealing with," and confirms that Rod Aguilar is the person to whom he is referring (this was not the first time that someone told me that Aguilar is an attorney). June 19, 2000
I write to Bill Higgens. I point out that he did not keep his promises to get back to me after we had spoken several times, nor to obtain a "clear and meaningful response" for me. I also let him know about the overcharges on my current phone bill July 27, 2000
Response from Mr. Higgins. He acknowledges the fact that there are overcharges on my bill. He also attaches a copy of the June 9 letter from Corporate Security and confirms that the result of his effort to get a "clear and meaningful response" is nothing other than the letter from Corporate Security I received after he called me (of which he attached a copy). July 28, 2000
Letter from me to Elouise Devore, Executive Chairman's Manager. In this letter I clearly delineate some of the special treatment I have received from AT&T legal and security departments since I first tried to clear up chronic and ongoing problems with the services for which I pay AT&T. The special treatment includes having my service restriced for no reason after making a complaint, and being intimidated by Corporate Security. As of the date of this letter, my phone listings had been changed, dropped, or made incorrect 32 times August 25, 2000
Business phone line not working properly. Another letter to Elouise Devore, to let her now that my credit card/fax line was having problems and I could not use it to process credit cards. When I reported the fault with the line, a technician was sent who did not have the proper skills or equipment to test the line. I attached a letter I received anonymously from a technician of Southwestern Bell, giving advice on having static on my phone lines tested and fixed, but the tecnician sent to check and repair my line was not able to carry out any of his suggestions, and then told me he was not able to talk to me because my business is not a Pac Bell customer. September 13, 2000
Letter from Steven P. Saurini, Executive Appeals Case
Manager, AT&T. He was unable to reach me by telephone because
he was using the wrong phone number. The number he was using, and gave
in the letter, was wrong! This is the sort of thing that has happened
repeatedly with my listings over the past several years, often when customers
are trying to reach me. Note that the AT&T answer to the FCC below
confirms more directory listing problems between October 2000 and March
2001, resulting in a credit of $40.48 to my bill on March 15. I just want
the listing changes and errors to cease! October
13 , 2000
AT&T Business Services Premises Work Authorization Form & Pacific Bell service contact sheet. My credit card machine was not working on my business line, which a Pac Bell tech had tested as okay. The credit card machine did work on my residential phone line. November 16 , 2000
A email I sent to AT&T Corporate Security personnel Sid Bohinc and Dave Darlington, who had both been in contact with me. I wanted some more information about the allegations that had been made concerning my conduct and AT&T security's involvement in the issues of my ongoing phone service problems. January 19 , 2001
This letter is the reply to my January 19 email, above. It came from AT&T attorney Rosalie Johnson and threatens me with disconnection of my service if I continue to try to get resolution to the chronic problems being experienced with my phone services. It is interesting to note that I experienced phone line problems again less than a week after receiving this threatening letter. On January 29 I reported that my credit card machine would not work on my line, and on January 30 I reported that there was no dial tone. These problems are confirmed in the July 27 AT&T letter to the FCC below, in which they state they adjusted my bill by $10 for them. Although the letter only mentions static on the credit card line (in a CPUC letter of April 27 the January 30 event is characterized as an "outage" too), it does give the dates and is most certainly referring to the January 2930 problems that I had reported. January 24, 2001
My Congresswoman, Ms. Ellen O. Tauscher, wrote this letter to the FCC for me. It resulted in the letter (next entry, below) from AT&T to the FCC, forwarding a response to one of the questions I'd asked. June 29 , 2001
Letter from AT&T to the FCC. AT&T answers one of my questions on which the CPUC did not get a response, and did not investigate further (See CPUC letter April 4, 2001). Also, please note that there is a difference in communicating with the FCC. AT&T had refrained from making the sort of personal attacks on me that they make in communications with the CPUC about my case. It is also interesting that it took my Congresswoman and the FCC to get a straight answer to my simple question. Most importantly, this answer confirms in writing some of the directory listing and telephone line problems I experienced with my service between September 2000 and March 2001, when adjustments were made to my bill because of them. AT&T did not want to tell me why these adjustments were made. I do not ask such questions to be frivolous, but because the answers will often support my assertions that my phone line and directory problems have been chronic literally for years, have never been resolved, and continue to the present time, despite AT&T's frequent assertions to the contrary. July 27, 2001
More phone problems. This is a series of faxed correspondence with AT&T's Darlene Bedell, Coach Over Total Service Resale. I was trying to get problems with my phone service corrected, having tried yet again to get resolution via service operators without success August 78, 2001
last edited 02/22/08
|Have you had similar experiences with AT&T? Did you receive telephone calls from AT&T Corporate Security on behalf of members of the "Executive Complaint Team" or others after inquiring about your phone problems? Do your phone listings keep being dropped or made incorrect? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Please contact me with your story.
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text:
Ari's New Message to Googlers: Let's Hug It Out, Geeks!
Here's an unusual new role for the legendarily pugnacious Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel: Digital peacemaker.
After he challenged Google to do a lot better with stopping content piracy in an onstage interview at the D: All Things Digital conference on Wednesday night, the search giant's top advertising exec called the co-CEO of the William Morris Endeavor "very misinformed."
So, the never-shy-or-retiring Emanuel has now penned an open response to all Googlers inviting the company to come to the table and talk about improving copyright filtering on the giant search engine.
And here it is in its entirety:
I am misinformed about a lot — just ask my wife — but I'm not misinformed about this: One of our last remaining dominant American exports is our creativity, no matter how you define it, either as a story or as an algorithm. There is equal genius behind companies like Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google as there is behind artists who create stories that resonate around the world. We need to protect America's intellectual property and Hollywood can't do it on its own. I understand that the onus is not entirely Google's, but let's stop talking at each other and get in a room with all parties to figure this out. To be clear, I don't want to rehash SOPA as we can all agree that was a reflection of Southern California's arrogance, and let's also not pretend that we're working together on this issue because we have Youtube channels together. This is a larger conversation. It's time for Hollywood, our government and Silicon Valley to step up and collectively resolve this problem. Let me know where and when and I'll be there.
Possible guests for this potentially awkward sitdown: Google and tech giants like Microsoft and Facebook; all the major media companies, including News Corp., and Time Warner; Justice Department head Eric Holder and California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Such making nice is in stark contrast to the allegations and counterclaims between Emanuel and Google at the D10 conference earlier this week, where we managed to engineer a public face-off between the pair on a very hot button issue.
It began Wednesday night when Emanuel repeatedly called on Google to do better filtering of copyrighted material.
"We need Northern California to figure out how to keep our intellectual property from being stolen," he said. "If Google was in China, and their stuff was being stolen, they would leave China, right?"
And: "I promise you that Larry David and Aaron Sorkin spend a lot of time on their stuff, and the guys up north need to figure out their pipes, and help us protect that stuff."
Using the example of filtering for child pornography, he said Google — and the rest of Silicon Valley — are unwilling to come to the table to negotiate a better alternative to the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which failed to pass in Congress earlier this year.
But, in an onstage interview the next day, a top Google top advertising exec took issue with Emanuel's characterization of the company's effort.
"I think he was misinformed, very misinformed," Google's Susan Wojcicki. "We do not want to be building a business based on piracy."
Wojcicki said the problem was a difficult one to solve compared to dealing with child pornography since, "when I see content, I don't know if you own the copyright."
She noted that the company has spent $30 million building its Content ID system, which checks YouTube content for copyright claims, and that Google also takes down more than one million suspect URLs per month.
Wojcicki also said that the sides were already talking about a number of other issues, such as channels on YouTube, but was willing to talk more.
"This is not a technical problem, this is much more of a business issue," concluded Wojcicki.
Thus, Emanuel took up the gauntlet, after Wojcicki said that Google was willing to "come to the table."
A table that would — by the way — make a terrific reality show, Ari.
To get caught up on the fracas, here's a compilation video of Emanuel on the subject and more at D10, and also one of Wojcicki with Google Chrome leader Sundar Pichai:


text:
Obama announces new initiatives to advance STEM education
WASHINGTON - September 16, 2010 -
President Barack Obama announced today that the federal government will be moving boldly to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) achievement by America's students. National Education Association (NEA) President Dennis Van Roekel, who joined the president at the White House for the announcement, applauded the administration's efforts to boost innovation and learning in these fields.
"We applaud this announcement because we too are committed to preparing our students in STEM fields so that they can be competitive in the global marketplace. We understand that our nation's prosperity is tied to innovation spurred on by students' engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," Van Roekel said. "For America to be technologically competitive in the future, our students must become more fluent in complex science and math."
During a nationwide back-to-school tour in late August, Van Roekel saw a prime example of STEM innovation, in the form of the innovative new Math and Science Leadership Academy (MSLA) in Denver. At this school, the local NEA affiliate is collaborating with management to create new ways of doing business. It is a union-designed, teacher-led public school that is making a difference for urban students within the Denver Public School System.
"As I toured MSLA in August, I saw teachers inspiring children in math and science in exciting new ways," Van Roekel said. "I am optimistic that President Obama's announcement will encourage more innovative schools like MSLA in the future."
In addition to NEA's work on school transformation, the NEA Foundation is working closely with the Ohio Appalachian Educators Institute (OAEI) in Columbus, Ohio, the Bogalusa Association of Educators in Bogalusa, La., and the Milwaukee Public School system in Milwaukee, Wis., on projects that inspire educators and students and increase their awareness of STEM-related fields.
For the past two years, students in Bogalusa, La., have enthusiastically participated in a STEM summer camp that emphasizes hands-on learning. This summer, camp enrollment doubled, and students were involved in building a model green home.
Educators in Ohio attended a 2009 summer immersion program through OAEI where they learned about advanced energy and alternative energy curriculum issues. Last summer's program was so successful that it was repeated this year.
In Milwaukee, educators are creating a curriculum on the sustainable food-growing practice of aquaponics, in conjunction with the Urban School Aquaponic Initiative. This curriculum will be used to engage students in hands-on learning in two of Milwaukee's high-needs schools.
"By giving educators access to top-notch professional development on STEM issues, we are giving them the tools and skills they need to further inspire STEM achievement with their students," Van Roekel said. "These projects have the power to engage our students with real-world learning opportunities and inspire them to raise their achievement in STEM areas."
Read NEA's Policy Brief on STEM at www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB16_Math.pdf
Read about the Math & Science Leadership Academy in Denver at www.nea.org/home/37611.htm
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAmedia
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing
3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
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