Winter 2009-10 newsletter available for download. Click here to download a pdf version.
We're conducting an experiment with video on this site.
Here is a video from the 2008 NYSUT Representative Assembly held in Buffalo. Folksinger Tom Chapin presents a satirical song called, "It's Not on the Test."
Football season's over, and baseball is on the way. The late George Carlin explains the differences between football and baseball. Don't worry, it's clean...Enjoy!
Retired Teachers to Help Flood-Ravaged Areas in February
Once again we are organizing a volunteer group to aid in the restoration of the Gowanda, New York area ravaged by flood damage last year. There remains much work to be done and our efforts could provide much help to their cause.
Our group is scheduled to begin volunteering in February--the week of Feb. 22 to be exact--and it would be wonderful if you could join us. The type of volunteer work will involve interior rehabilitation suited for our age group. Also, this year we will be partnering with the Cattaraugus County Senior Volunteer Program which will provide mileage reimbursement and volunteer insurance within Cattaraugus County.
If you have the time and interest in helping our friends in the Gowanda area, please contact Warner Page. Warner can be contacted by phone at (716) 372-5613 or by email at wcpage@roadrunner.com.
If you're hit by a bus, can your loved ones access your online acounts?
Despite our increasing reliance on cloud computing -- storing all sorts of data online through Web applications -- very few Internet users have begun to think about what happens to all that data should we get hit by a bus. "We haven't truly seen the breadth of this issue play out yet, but I'm telling you, this is a huge problem," said Chicago lawyer Karin C. Prangley, who has spoken on the topic at conferences. "Ten or 15 years ago, someone could go into your house and find the paper trail if you die. Now the paper trail is online."
Click here to download a pdf file of an article from the Washington Post dealing with this topic.
Learn ANYTHING online, for FREE...
"Welcome to “e-learning.” Curious about world history or quantum physics? Want to stretch your mind by learning to speak a new language or to play the accordion? Need to fix a leaky faucet or teach your dog to behave? Now you can learn just about anything you want to learn without setting foot in a classroom.
Years ago the Internet paved the way for learning online from schools that charged tuition for their courses. And they still do, for academic credit. But e-learning is different. Though it doesn’t earn you credits, it does allow you to learn pretty much on your own schedule, without spending a nickel on class fees."
For details, click here to see a great article from the Jan-Feb AARP Bulletin.
Chautauqua County Humane Society Needs Help
The Chautauqua County Humane Society is seeking volunteers to help with a new humane education program. The program is designed to teach care, compassion and respect of animals to students in grades K-4th. The presentations are 30 minutes in length and consist of 6 sessions per class for each school year. CCHS is currently running a pilot program at Love School in Jamestown to fine tune the program, and then would like to offer it to other area schools. The Humane Society is looking for individuals that would be interested in being a presenter. CCHS will provide all materials and coordinate with the schools. Your time commitment is 1 week every other month from September to June. If you are interested in volunteering for this program or if you have any questions, please contact Sue Bobek at (716)665-2209 ext.212 or at sbobek@spcapets.com .
Healthcare Reform is a topic of vital interest to all retirees. Click here to go to our special "Healthcare Reform Information Page." (Healthcost quiz: The current monthly premium for Medicare part B is $96. What was it in 2000? 1990? 1980? See the Healthcare Reform Information Page for answer.)
What's in the House healthcare bill? Click here for a 10-page summary published by the House Education and Labor Committee.
Private sector retirees enjoy tax benefits, too.
Much is made of the exemption of public employee pensions from state income taxes. The implication is often that private sector pensions are fully taxed. As a recent letter to the Buffalo News pointed out, there are tax benefits for private sector retirees as well.
"Here is a brief summary of the facts. State and local government pensions, as well as all federal and military pensions, are exempt from state income tax. In addition, private sector retirees are entitled to exclude up to $20,000 in pension income, 401(k) withdrawals, traditional IRA distributions, etc. from state income tax. For married retirees filing jointly, each spouse is entitled to the above exemption, so they may be able to exclude up to $40,000. Also, the state does not tax social security benefits."
The next time a private sector retiree suggests teachers, or other public sector retirees give up the tax exemption on their pensions, ask if they are willing to give up theirs as well!
Chautauqua division members enjoy the buffet provided by SUNY Fredonia catering services at SUNY Fredonia's Alumni House. The Nov. 17 program also provided tips on photography and camera purchase from retired Dunkirk teacher/author Diane Andrasik. Click here for more details.
RC4 Divisions Hold "Free At Last" Luncheons
Chautauqua Division members gather under a tent in front of the historic Dunkirk Lighthouse.
When schoolbells ring, retired teachers appreciate that they are "free at last." The various divisions of Retiree Council #4 celebrate by holding "free at last" luncheons to welcome new retirees to our ranks. The Chautauqua division held their event on September 15 at the historic Dunkirk Lighthouse. Click here to visit the Chautauqua division page for more photos from the event.
David Eggert, NYSUT regional staff director and Louise Ortman, NYSUT retiree consultant attended and brought word that there are two topics to be watched at the state level. One is the creation of a Tier 5 in the NYS Teachers' Retirement System, and the second is a growing call for a constitutional convention for New York State. Public pensions, once earned, cannot be reduced because of provision in the NY constitution. This provision could, and probably would be changed if a constitutional convention were to take place
The Internet Does Not Have an Editor!
Seniors grew up in a time largely before the internet. Most of our information came from newspapers and magazines. Today, a large number of people get the majority of their information from the internet . While newspapers and magazines employ factcheckers--people whose sole job is to go over stories with a fine tooth comb to be sure that facts are correct as stated--the internet has no editors or fact checkers. Anyone can publish any "fact" they wish, and it is usually up to the reader to determine the validity of those "facts."
Many of us receive emails from relatives or friends containing some "hair-on-fire" warning, e.g. the president is really a space alien or Congress has voted to allow illegal aliens to collect social security. The email usually contains a plea to pass it on to everyone we know. How do we know if these emails contain the truth? Two organizations make it easy to separate fact from fiction on the internet:
1) Snopes.com is a well-known site whose purpose is to separate truth from "urban legend" on the web. The April 2009 edition of Readers' Digest had this article about Snopes.com. You can go to their site at www.snopes.com/snopes.asp to check out the latest "pass it on" email you received. Chance are if you got it, so did lots of other folks, and it will be listed under the "Hot 25" tag. They will explain what is true, partially true and downright untrue.
2) Factcheck.org is maintained by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. It is a "down the middle" arbiter of fact, calling out both the left and the right for their fabrications. You can even submit a question for fact-checking! It can be found at www.factcheck.org
Especially with our current angry debate concerning healthcare, it's important that we get our FACTS straight! (In case you were wondering, the president is NOT a space alien, and Congress has NOT voted to allow illegal aliens to collect social security!)
