Preparing for a Disaster Situation in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County

If you were hiking in the woods or the forest whereas, you were miles from civilization, it would be good to have certain items to render you or others aid, right? Also, if you gave the oath to preserve, protect and defend the United States, its Constitution, as well as, its People, you would perhaps need to act accordingly upon a moments notice, right?

Finally, if you were placed in the position to respond quickly to the likelihood of someone whose life was in danger, it would be very important to have all items needed to assist them, right?

As a Boy Scout in my youth, I was taught to 'Be Prepared'. As a United States Marine , I was taught to 'Be Prepared'. As a 1st Responder, then a Law Enforcement Official, I was taught to 'Be Prepared'.

I know, who cares, right? LOL

I can hear someone say right about now, “OK, ah, where are you going with these statements, C. Henry?”

My Reply: Disaster Relief Planning.

It is not likely in anyone's control to avoid a disaster. But, perhaps it could be in everyone's control to at least plan for a Disaster to some degree.

That being said, I had the unique opportunity to meet a 1st Responder whose job centers around helping the Citizens in the City of Atlanta and the County of Fulton, Georgia during critical times like major disasters.

Her name is Shawna Smith and she works for a unique, yet little known Agency that assist the Atlanta Fire Department, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (“GEMA”) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”).

Back in December of 2012,  Ms. Smith gave a very informative presentation at the Adamsville – Collier Heights Library located in the City of Atlanta, Georgia and following the event I sat down to write her some interview questions which she complied to answer as seen below:

C. Henry Adams:  Could you tell us your name, position, who you work for and what it is that you do?

Shawna Smith:  My Name is Shawna Smith. I am an Emergency Management Specialist for Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (AFCEMA). Emergency Management is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the resiliency of the organization. Our department is small, so we all wear multiple hats. As an AFCEMA Emergency Management Specialist, my co-workers and I are responsible for coordinating activities in the areas of emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response, as well as, recovery for Fulton County, unincorporated Fulton County ; each incorporated city within Fulton County. We must also be available for emergency and disaster response while providing resource coordination when necessary.

C. Henry Adams:  How many years of experience do you have and where have you worked as a 1st Responder?

Shawna Smith:  I started in the Fire Service in 1998. I started as a Volunteer Firefighter and First Responder in California. I have worked for large and small departments ,as well as, did a season with the U.S. Forest Service.

C. Henry Adams:  What could be considered a Disaster in your opinion?

Shawna Smith: A disaster can be anything from a motor vehicle collision to a tornado with widespread damage. It is important to note that what is a disaster to one, might not be a disaster to others. Generally in Emergency Management we deal with large scale emergencies when the local resources are exhausted.

C. Henry Adams: Would you say by preparing for a Disaster, the life you save might be your own, as well as, your family?

Shawna Smith: Certainly! I feel that personal preparedness is one of the most important things you can do as a family. We don’t know what, where and when emergencies or disasters will happen, but if we are able to take care of ourselves and our family it will lessen the impact.

We like to promote 3 important parts of preparedness:

1)  Make a Plan – have a plan for you and your family. Emergency contact information, out of state contacts, where you will meet if separated or have to evacuate.

2)  Have a Kit – have an emergency kit for 3-5 days. Keep food and water and any other special needs you may have.

3)  Stay Informed – being informed is very important. Having a NOAA weather radio can alert you to storms in the area giving you a chance to protect your family.


Shawna Smith took her time to share a plethora of information to those individuals reviewing her presentation, to which we are grateful.

She also provided the following links for Citizens living in Atlanta and Fulton County to review below:

1) CodeRed https://cne.coderedweb.com/

2) AFCEMA http://www.afcema.com

3) AFCEMA on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AFCEMA

4) AFCEMA on Twitter https://twitter.com/AFCEMA

I would like to thank Shawna Smith for the outstanding works she and colleagues do and their commitment to help the Citizens of Atlanta-Fulton County , Georgia.

Note: Shawna Smith answered the interview in writing.


Written By,
C. Henry Adams
President / CEO
Broadcasting Interest Enterprise, Inc.

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Interview with Chairwoman Kathleen M. Moriarty of the MILE Working Group

A unique event occurred in Atlanta, Georgia starting from Sunday, November 4^th 2012 and lasting until Friday, November 9^th 2012.  That especially important happening was called, IETF 85 short for Internet Engineering Task Force 85.

OK, so you might ask what is IETF?  The IETF is one of two working bodies that set the technical standards for the Internet.   Within it, there are many people focus on individual subjects related to creating communications basis of comparisons for the Internet.

Likely, the individual subjects or “Working Groups” would address a specific related topic, whereas the focus is more concentrated.

The MILE Working Group is one of those individual subjects; I by some extraordinary circumstances happen to stumble upon it while taking an in-depth look at the IETF 85 during
my very first visit to this type of event.

Tuesday, November 6^th 2012, I had the opportunity to sit in a meeting presided by Chairwoman Kathleen M. Moriarty of the MILE Working Group (“WG”).

Finding myself fascinated by the MILE WG, I approached Ms. Moriarty to learn more.

As a result of a series of conversations and emails, Chairwoman Kathleen M. Moriarty agreed to an interview.

As a small business owner, I would have been quite comfortable if she only agreed to answer a few questions, but she was glad to answer all ten (10) questions with great detail below,
check them out:

C. Henry’s comment:  In Ms. Moriarty Field of Expertise, she is considered the “Best of the Best” when it comes to Governance, Risk and Compliance.  She is known in the Cyber Security Industry where she has been asked to speak on several occasions regarding the three terms mentioned, so I started the interview addressing what appears to be her Life’s Work.

C. Henry Adams: Governance, risk and compliance programs; are these subjects mentioned- things that a small business needs to be concern with in modern times? If yes, please explain briefly why in your professional opinion.

Kathleen Moriarty:  While I do think Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) are important topics and there has been significant progress in the past few years, there is much work to be done to achieve the levels of automation needed to improve the efficiency of GRC programs. Currently, I am looking towards efforts like the Security Automation and Continuous Monitoring (SACM) mailing list in the IETF to assist in elevating the solutions to a new level. Before we can achieve GRC, the underlying methods to gather data to support GRC must improve. To me, this means security and IT automation with information and metrics generated for administrators first. Once we can generate these metrics in a sustainable way, we will be able to derive more useful business level metrics to demonstrate the impact of a new program or the effectiveness of certain security or IT controls. While we can do much of this today, there is a lot of work to be done to improve GRC with automation.

C. Henry Adams:  The MILE Working Group operates under the schema of XML or extensible markup language, which relates to a certain way to send and receive communications via the Internet. Are the standards your Working Group (MILE) developing involved with the security aspects of the Internet?


Kathleen Moriarty:  The MILE working group approaches its standards first with the data model description of any data format representations needed. The current data models (IODEF, IODEF extensions and RID) are represented using XML schemas. Since the MILE working group is focused on enabling the secure exchange of cyber security incident and indicator information, we address security at both the object level (apply data encryption techniques to the data itself) and at the transport layer. The standards in the MILE working group make use of the appropriate security standards to protect the data exchanged and will enable an early warning by sharing cyber security threat information.

C. Henry’s comment: In an attempt to figuratively throw a “curb ball” question to her, Ms. Moriarty hit a grand slam home run out of the park with the following interview question.

C. Henry Adams:  It is understood that you are a Renown and Upcoming Star in your Field of Expertise. How would you inspire little girls and boys, as well as, Young Adults to follow in your footsteps?

Kathleen Moriarty:  Thank you! Young people need to have the confidence instilled in them to believe that they can make a difference and solve problems in math and science. I am glad you asked this in reference to today’s youth as girls make a decision to enter science and math fields as early as 11 or 12. Some successful programs have been able to attract young women in programs through women role models who have blazed the trail demonstrating that women are successful in the specific areas of science and math. I think it is important to encourage youth while exposing them to science and math opportunities through the positive influence of teachers, role models, and outreach of those role models.

C. Henry’s comment:  When I read her answer to the previous question, I found myself reading it again.  She is so modest that she tried to indirectly say she would be glad to speak with inspired girls in person.

C. Henry Adams: What is the primary object of the MILE Working Group for the IETF? Do you share the responsibility of chairing this group alone or with another person?

Kathleen Moriarty:  C. Henry, the information provided in my response is based on my experience with the IETF, therefore links have been provided to ensure accurate and up-to-date information while being easily accessible to those interested.

Brian Trammell is my Co-Chair for the MILE working group and we make a great team balancing the work we both enjoy. The primary object of the MILE working group is to enable the secure automated exchange of cyber security information through international standards. You can find the charter for the working group at the following link for a more detailed explanation:

http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/mile/charter/

C. Henry Adams:  We understand that RFCXXXX where "XXXX" equals a number- stands for 'Request for Comment’, whereas, it represent a publication of Internet Standards.  Has MILE WG published any RFCs to date?

Kathleen Moriarty:  Yes, the full list of drafts in progress and published RFCs associated with the MILE working group can be found on the charter web page, by following the “documents” link. RFC6545 and RFC6546 were the first of several documents that will be published as RFCs in the IETF through the MILE working group.

http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/mile/

C. Henry’s comment: There is a difference between a RFC and Internet Draft; I learned quickly that one must speak the Technical Language casually spoken at any meeting in the IEFT to fully understand.  I know now why they have a Newcomer’s Orientation. LOL

C. Henry Adams:  While attending IETF 85, I reviewed several Draft Documents of various Working Groups. What is an Internet Draft and does the MILE WG have any written and published?

Kathleen Moriarty:  As you are aware, reviewing Internet drafts is very important when attending IETF meetings as well as following the mailing lists of the working groups that interest you most. An Internet draft is a work-in progress document that is either an individual draft or a working group document. The Internet draft may progress to become an RFC, or an IETF standard. The Newcomers Guide provides additional information that discusses the process for various types of Internet drafts to become RFCs and the types of RFCs.

http://www.ietf.org/newcomers.html

C. Henry’s comment: I guess the IETF encountered many Newcomers like myself who thought they knew a thing or two, why do I make this statement?  Well, it turns out at the beginning of the IETF 85, Newcomers were given the opportunity to meet Chairs of various working groups. Where was I when this gathering was going on?  Probably enjoying the Chocolate Chip Cookies placed out on serving tables to be devoured by the likes of me or someone else.  LOL

C. Henry Adams:  In a conversation with you following a long day of meetings at the IETF 85, you made a unique, inspiring statement. Basically if I recall correctly, you explain that one does not have to be an official with technical background to grasp understanding or participate within a Working Group. What is required to participate in a Working Group within the IETF like MILE? Speaking of MILE WG, where can one find information about it?

Kathleen Moriarty:  Thank you for raising this important point! Just about all of the IETF working groups need to be informed by real users of the solutions that would be a result from that working group. In the case of MILE, we need input from business owners like yourself, security professionals, and incident response handlers in addition to data model and transport protocol experts.

C. Henry Adams:  How many times does the IETF meet in one year and where?

Kathleen Moriarty:  The IETF meets three times a year, typically in March, July, and November. The schedule is posted years in advance to allow for planning and to prevent conflicts with other related meetings. The locations of the meetings vary with an effort to distribute the travel burden evenly among participants. As such, there may be one meeting in Asia, then Europe, followed by one in North America. The last four meeting locations included Taipei, Paris, Vancouver, and Atlanta, Georgia.
 

C. Henry’s comment: If you thought for one instance that the IETF is just another conference spending money in extravagant places most people can’t afford while playing on the Internet, think again.  Their work is NO PLAY GAME, however, it is very serious, as well as, time consuming. The ease of communicating on the Internet that you and I experience daily or even down to milliseconds are the positive results of the many professionals involved with the IETF, IAB, ISOC and other Global related organizations which encompass the Internet.

C. Henry Adams:  What steps should a small business owner or entrepreneur take to join any IETF Working Group?

Kathleen Moriarty:  I would recommend reviewing the list of active working groups to see which of the working groups has the most relevance to your business. The IETF web site is the official place to find information and I recommend following the links provided to learn more about the IETF and to find the most current information. The list of IETF working groups and information about working groups can be found at the following link:

http://www.ietf.org/wg/

  

C. Henry Adams: Final question, what recommendations would you give to Newcomers regarding the IETF?

Kathleen Moriarty:  The IETF put together the following page to assist newcomers:

http://www.ietf.org/newcomers.html

Additionally, the IETF holds a Newcomer session the first day of the meeting cycle followed by a social. I highly recommend that Newcomers review the provided information and attend the sessions specific to Newcomers. The IETF web site is the best place to get information on the IETF to ensure the information is up-to-date.

C. Henry Adams:  This concludes the interview questions and I most certainly thank you again for any considerations. Oh yeah, please excuse my grammar.

Kathleen Moriarty:  Thank you very much for the great set of questions! It is important that IETF efforts continue to grow and include opinions and perspectives from folks such as yourself.

C. Henry’s comment: Listen, I was “blown away” (Figuratively Speaking) by the professional manner this intelligent and graceful Lady took the time to address my questions, as well as, concerns.  I’m encouraged by the fact that Globally we all appear to have great communications developing through the ‘likes’ of the Internet.

 

Written by,

C. Henry Adams
President / CEO
Broadcasting Interest Enterprise, Inc.

and answered in writing by,

Kathleen M. Moriarty
EMC2



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A Threat to Human Life or just another Wire Theft?

By C. Henry Adams


[ DRAFT ]

Digital Photo Album:  A Threat to Human Life or just another Wire Theft?


Monday Morning, October 22nd 2012, neighbors in the Collier Heights Community of the Kevin Heights Neighborhood woke up to No Phone, No Internet and No way to call 911 yet again!

"Jeezh Man-net-ty!, "What the H- E double L", "Oh Snap", "Really Man, No Freaking Service again!?

These are just some of the nicer ways to paraphrase neighbors who are now completely fed up with the theft of thousands of tiny copper wires that give them access to the World.

Because, I am a small business man looking forward to making it through the rest of the day; I will re-frame from saying what the small business owners or entrepreneurs would likely say.

But here's facts to check and confirm:

1)  Neighbors are said to have lost service around 3:00 am 10/22/2012.

2) Telephone Trunk Link was cut again near the property of 50 Linkwood Road.

3) The Atlanta Police was suppose to be vigilant of the area on Day Watch (7am thru 7pm, which consist of 3 shifts.)

4)  Can  this incident now be considered an act of Domestic Terrorism?

http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/terrorism-2002-2005

There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85).

Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States or Puerto Rico without foreign direction committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives.

The FBI Divides Terrorist-Related Activities into Two Categories:

• A terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States, or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

5) The GBI or even perhaps the FBI should look into this investigation.

6) A person in the underlying area who has the Analog Phone service affected by this outage can not dial 911.  Therefore, this is a serious event that has occurred more than once.


I'm going to stop here and pray for a blessing to get out of this epedemic of wire theft.  It's going to stop, but just like the economy... it will take the Amercian People-  specifically those in Atlanta , as well as, Small Business to make that a reality.  Just my thoughts.  What are yours?


Leave a comment, tweet me "@chenryadams" or find me on Facebook ( C. Henry Adams ).

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Tweet Bird (Twitter) Announced Last Month (Sept.) That It Would End @Anywhere!

by C. Henry Adams


[DRAFT]


I tell you what, it is very important to pay attention to the evolution of advance technology.

It appears that Twitter shut down "@Anywhere" Twitter Interface Platform (September ) leaving many users with blank sections on their web site, because we didn't read the Developer's Blog on Twitter's Website.

Sunsetting @Anywhere

This is embarrassing for BIE Media Group because we are just now discovering the name of the platform and why the doggone thing disappeared.

Many apologies to the clients we introduced the Twitter Interface called, "@Anywhere".

Shake My Head = (SMH)

For no additional charge, we will be glad to remove that script and replace it with an embedded script for Twitter.

Embedded Timelines

Call or text the office at (404) 348-8319.



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Friday Night under the Amber Lights with AT&T on Linkwood Road

by C. Henry Adams


[ DRAFT ]

BIE MG Blogs (URL):  http://chenryadams.blogspot.com/

Digital Photo AlbumsBelow are links (URL) to digital photo albums:

Telecommunication Crisis on Linkwood Road

Update: Saturday Oct. 6th 2012 Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Rd

Day 4 : Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 5: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 6: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 7: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Night 8 of Day 8: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road


Since I did not have a date with a Lady tonight, I decided to set at home and watch the TV Show “Fringe” on the Fox Network.

But, before I could find my seat in front of the television, the phone ranged.

On the other side of this wireless connection was a Neighbor and Community Leader.

He said, “C., AT and T is out here on Linkwood Road again tonight with a number of trucks and technicians.”

I immediately replied back without putting another thought to the matter saying, “Alright, I'll grab my digital camera and be there shortly.”

In my mind I'm thinking, “...and the saga continues.” But, I wasn't aware of what to expect when I arrived on the scene. Therefore, I said a little prayer of protection before venturing out into the night.

It was Night 8 of Day 8 and I had not the opportunity to check my email today due to business obligations that took a seat behind this outage.

Nevertheless, I've heard from the Atlanta Journal & Constitution Newspaper this morning and proceeded with other business while from time to time confirming with Elderly Neighbors or their kids (Grown Children I grew-up with..) that their phone service had been restored.

Anyway, back on the tangent; when I arrived on Linkwood Road, it was confirmed that AT and T Technicians were on the site alone with Armed Guards ( Licensed Peace Officers).

As I walked up to one of at least three repair locations with multiple Technicians on duty, I was asked by a Law Enforcement Officer to identify myself.

So, without any mental reservation or hesitation whatsoever, I respectfully gave my name and mention that I came from a nearby neighborhood.

After the meet and greet, the conversation lead to the discovery of an AT and T Executive Officer (Person unknown at this time.) recent visit to the site.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that the Executive Officer asked the Technicians if did they needed anything to get the job done.

It was discovered that in past days when AT and T Technicians left at 3:00 pm EST - it was because they weren't authorized to work overtime.

Well, the unknown AT and T Executive Officer obviously gave the clearance to work into the night.

Recently, someone asked, "What are you doing to help resolve this issue in the community?"

Here's my answer:

A) Working with Community Leaders and Neighbors to help get needed assistance in the restoration of telephone services.

B) Contacting Media Sources to get the word out.

C) Suggesting alternative plans for communications like giving Elderly Parents older cellular phones (No Older than 2003) to dial 911 in case of an emergency until phone service is restored.

D) Keeping Colleagues, Friends and Neighbors updated on turn of events through text messages, emails, phone calls, social media and digital photos just to name a few. (Unified Communications)

E) Being more vigilant in the community alone with other neighbors.

F) Staying in contact with the City Councilman and informing him or his staff of turn of events.

G) As a new member of the National Preparedness Coalition under FEMA or the Federal Emergency Management Agency which connects to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as well as, first responders – I'm hoping to seek training for my community, colleagues, as well as, myself.

H) Preparing to recommend the development of a Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan that has emphasis on crime prevention in the community.

That being said, respectfully – we would like to make some suggestions to help AT and T resolve the issue of wire theft below:

1) Perhaps Neighbors, Citizens and Individuals need to be given a common sense written criteria of what to lookout for when suspecting wire theft.

2) If AT and T Technicians typically work during the hours of 7:00 am to 3:00 pm., perhaps any unusual activity observed outside normal business hours (I.e. 4:00 am in the morning) should be reported by customers.

3) Perhaps AT and T needs to setup a direct human to human 24 hour hotline just for these types of theft.

4) Perhaps AT and T needs to accept text messages alerting them of possible theft.

5) Perhaps AT and T needs to accept tweets alerting them to possible theft.

6) If AT and T is concern with prank or false calls, perhaps some sort of notice should be given to advise the caller of the seriousness of this matter. If false calls are considered a violation of laws, this disclosure should be made known.

7) If the area is a common place for wire theft, perhaps AT and T needs to study patterns, implement countermeasures and apply sting tactics with law enforcement.

8) Perhaps satellite surveillance if applicable should be considered for digital photograph analysis regarding movements of thieves.

9) Perhaps AT and T should ask their customers and anybody serious about stopping the wire thefts to take picture of suspected wire thieves with their smartphones, then upload the image immediately to a specific site for review. This information should be shared with the Law Enforcement in the area and surrounding areas.

10) Perhaps AT and T should take full advantage of Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Blog sites, Radio Ads, TV Ads, as well as, Online Video sites to get the word out.

11) Perhaps to stop or deter this particular crime, a collective effort must ensue by AT and T , Small Businesses, Towns, Communities, Non-Profits Organizations, Governments (Federal, State, County and City), Groups and Individual Customers.

12) Perhaps a market campaign, a crime prevention campaign and private interest effort will help AT and T protect its infrastructure.

13) There is technology that can detect brakes in fiber, perhaps there is technology that could help AT and T quickly identify multiple telephone lines going offline at once that needs to be installed.

14) Perhaps AT and T should now increase the $3,000 USD bounty to at least $100,000 USD  to draw interest.  By doing so, give Private Industry and Non-profit Organizations an incentive in helping to capture criminals who commit this crime.

Recently, I contacted Major Quiller of Zone 1 for the Atlanta Police Department (“APD”).

During the conversation with Major Quiller, we discovered the following things that Atlanta Police Department (Zone 1) is actively doing to rectify the situation in the Linkwood Road Area:

a) Morning Watch ( Shifts starting from 7am thru 7pm) is on alert for Wire Theft.

b) Crime Suppression Unit activated.

c) Constant Surveillance of the Area (Linkwood Road Area).

d) Collaboration with AT&T Security Services, as well as, other Law  Enforcement Organizations.

e) In contact with Recycle Centers.

d) Canvasing neighborhoods to investigate and gather leads to this crime.


Update:  Saturday, October 13th 2012 -

An unknown number of Neighbors now have phone service, BUT in essence if you call Mrs. B's number, Mrs. C may receive the call.

Hopefully, AT and T will resolve that connectivity issue soon.

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Update: Day 7 Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

By C. Henry Adams

[ DRAFT ]

Preview Link (URL):  http://tinyurl.com/9efujyt

Digital Photo Albums
Below are links (URL) to digital photo albums:

Telecommunication Crisis on Linkwood Road

Update: Saturday Oct. 6th 2012 Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Rd

Day 4 : Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 5: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 6: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road

Day 7: Telecom Crisis on Linkwood Road


Its Day 7 of the Telecommunications Crisis on Linkwood Road in Atlanta, Georgia and the status has not officially changed, "NO PHONE SERVICE".  

The number of restored customers is unknown at this time. 
But, it is obvious that a number of neighbors without service in the communities surrounding this incident are not happy.

Here is what we know today:

1)  Friday Morning roughly around 4:00 am EST and 9:00 am EST, thieves cut down and removed at least two sections of telephone trunk line which consist of many customers phone connections.

2) Late Friday, Atlanta City Councilman C. T. Martin jumps into action to contact AT&T Officials.

3) Armed Security Guards protected AT&T Technicians.

4) AT&T dispatched at least two AT&T Technicians to replace and hang the missing telephone trunk line Friday, October 5th 2012, but this line was not cross connected to re-establish service.

5) AT&T Technicians on the scene Friday estimated that 2000 customers possibly lost service.

6) Saturday, October 6th and Sunday, October 7th 2012 no AT&T Technicians were observed working on the incident site.

7) Monday, October 8th 2012 (Columbus Day), AT&T dispatched Technicians to work on the incident. It appears that this outage is a typical work day for AT&T employees.

8) On Monday, Deidra Dukes (Anchor/ Reporter) of Fox 5 News (Channel 5) contacted us and came out to interview customers without telephone service.

9) Ms. Dukes mentioned that AT&T estimated the outage to be upwards of 3000 customers without service or more.

10)  Customers without service possibly lost the following:

a) Analog Phone Service
b) Alarm System & Monitoring Service
c) Personal Emergency Alert Service
d) Dial-up Internet Modem Service
e) DSL Internet Service
f) The ability to send and receive fax messages
g) Hearing Impaired Phone Service
h) Video Service
i) Ability to contact 911
j) Tele-medicine Service

11) Monday October 8th 2012, sporadic service was restored to some AT&T Customers while others reported signs of cross telephone line signals.  The number of restored customers is unknown.

12) Tuesday, October 9th 2012, AT&T Technicians resume working on outage after stopping the previous day.

13)  Tuesday, the Atlanta Police Department receive a theft report.

14)  Tuesday night, a theft of telephone trunk line wires occurred once again, according to AT&T.

15) Wednesday evening October 10th, 2012,  Channel 2 (WSBTV - Cox Communications) sent Eric Phillips (Reporter) to get the story.  Also, Channel 11 (WXIA - Gannett) sent their Crime Investigative Reporter to get the story as well.

16)  Customers reviewed AT&T Spokesperson on local broadcast, but did not hear from from said Executive Officers of AT&T living in Atlanta area regarding this matter.

17) Residents would like all customers affected by the outage to receive an apology, full credit for services interrupted.

18) Poor communications by AT&T to inform customers of an outage utilizing other broadcast sources was observed.

Did I forget anything?

19) The outage affected Elderly Homeowners, who may or may not own cellular phones to communicate.

20) The outage affected the Handicap.

21) The outage affected Home-based Businesses.

22) The outage affected students who utilized the Internet to study and research.  The range is from Elementary School to Graduate School.

23) The outage affected those individuals who are bedridden and require medical assistant on a daily basis while living in their homes.

24) A Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan should be created by the communities to better defend against future occurrences where incidents of large magnitudes occur.

25) The community also needs to increase vigilance and receive training in disaster relief to help the authorities make their neighborhoods a safer place to live.

Alright, I will stop here.  Oh!  My sincerest apology to the local media.  We are grateful and thankful for the show of support regarding this story.

Please feel free to comment, thanks.








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Telecommunications Crisis on Linkwood Road

Photo Album: Telecommunication Crisis on Linkwood Road

by C. Henry Adams

[ DRAFT ]   Link: http://tinyurl.com/8tqzocg



Do you remember when you were a kid growing up in the Neighborhood? Not really, huh? I can hear someone saying right about now, “Wait a minute, yes I do recall being a kid growing up in the neighborhood.”

Well, whether your past experiences were good or bad in that particular community, at least a number of us can call it our childhood home.

Speaking of childhood homes, not too far from the home where I grew up from a little boy to a grown ole man, an incident occurred recently that could endanger many people lives.

This crisis was just a series of events witness in that particular community in just one years time.

Yes, I'm going to get to the point and tell this story, but before I do, I would like to define some things for clarification and hopefully historical significance one day.

Number 1, growing up in Atlanta, Georgia where this community is located, it was ALWAYS known to be apart of the NORTHWEST region of the City. Why do I say this? Correct me Scholars if I'm wrong, but when we describe our street location, “NW” is on the tail end of street sign or our US Snail Mailing address.

Number 2, my childhood neighborhood was and is apart of the Historical Collier Heights Community only separated by the development of Interstate 20 first in the late 1950's and early 1960's; then enclosed by Interstate 285 in the 1970's & 80's.

But, who cares huh? Well, many descendants of that area and myself care.

Now straight to the point; Linkwood Road connects Collier Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It is a heavily walked pedestrian street with no sidewalk which is badly needed and a heavily daytime driven route from Collier Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The neighborhoods surrounding this area consist mostly of African American People who were Upper Middle-Class, Middle-Class and Lower Income living people.

Since the 1960's thru the 2000's the demographics, average income of the people, racial background and even the crime rate has changed. Nevertheless, a number of Citizens remain in the area who help preserve a unique way of life to which the pursuit of the American Dream has not faded away.

On Friday Morning around 4:00 am EST, according to neighbors; individuals were seen near the corner of Linkwood Road and Burton Road on the telephone poles removing wire.

This telephone wire or in more technical terms - “Trunk Line”, according to AT&T Technicians working later on those lines; contain about 2000 customers from residents to businesses – phone service. So, when neighbors in the area of Linkwood, Hedgewood, Tribble Lane, Hermer Circle and Kevin Court tried to call out or were looking to receive calls inward, they heard nothing. Not even the crackling hum of a disconnected phone, because of the failure to pay a bill.

When they called “AT&T”, they were told that a Service Technician will come out that afternoon. When the Service Technician did not show up, they were told by AT&T that it would either be Monday or Tuesday before their phone service would be restored.

Wait-A-Minute Now! Monday or Tuesday of NEXT WEEK and its FRIDAY. Are you kidding US!? No, AT&T wasn't kidding and later return my call, whereas, stating there was a major outage.

Furthermore, the Representative of AT&T that I spoke with could not give us a location of the outage when asked.

Nevertheless, after responding to the fact that no phone service was available to my family in case of an emergency, I tried to spring to action.

In the community of my childhood memories, I established a communications plan or small communication systems with other kids of my youth who now were adults living out of the city and in some cases out of the State of Georgia.

Furthermore, Twitter and Facebook has played a major roll in effectively getting the word out to not only them (Former Kids of my Youth), but Family, Colleagues, Classmates, Government Officials, as well as, companies who “Really” appreciate our business; not to mention Small Business Owners in the area like myself.

But, you know- its kinda sad when you call television station's newsrooms all excited to ask if they could confirm the outage with AT&T and get no response on the scene.

Possibly Two Thousand People without phone, possibly a number of elderly people in their homes who don't own a cell phone or have one of those personal emergency devices to alert authorities that now does not work, WOW!

I might catch some flack from the previous statement I made, but after all if the news
crews do show up, I can update this blog with no problem.



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My Take On The First Presidential Debate Wednesday October 3rd 2012

by C. Henry Adams


[ DRAFT ]

Warning: This link may or may not work once article is posted: http://tinyurl.com/8jxoadr


After reviewing the debate half asleep or half awake, I'm still not sure what to think.

It is true President Obama and his Administration inherited a major country (USA) in great debt flying like a single engine airplane caught in a spiraling tail spin just about to crash and burn.

It is also true that his (Obama's ) Administration likely could not turn the downward US Economy around in just 4 years.

Furthermore, it is also true that at less one year of his term in office there (Washington D.C. ) would be a transitioning phase from a Republican lead party Administration to a Democratic lead party Administration.

Furthermore, it is true – a lot of the decisions Good or Bad made by President Obama and his Administration likely were influenced by Conservatives, Liberals and Moderates whether any of them were Democrats, Republicans or Independents.

Moreover, regarding Governor Romney and President Barack Obama, it is true that both of them come from families that were well off or wealthy, rich, etc. In fact, President Obama referring to his late Grandmother mentioned that she worked her way up to being the Vice-President of a Bank. Note: This is the American Way or an American Dream that can and will become a reality if you make the effort and don't give up, give in or give out.

Also, it is not a coincident that both the Incumbent President Barack Obama and Governor Romney – Former Governor of Massachusetts are Graduates of Harvard Law School.

Should I continue? Yes. OK, in slang terminology and with great respect, both of these “Kats” have or will possess more money, as well as, financial resources than likely at least 200 Million Americans of the 300 Million plus Citizens in this great country; this includes their families, friends and colleagues to a certain degree as well.

So, the question likely we all should be asking ourselves is... “ have we really identified the real REASONS why we went into a Depression, sorry, I mean recession?”

If so, considering that Lower Income and Middle-Class Americans create wealth for the Elite (Super Rich), Major Corporations (250+M to 1000+M) and Countries (USA, UK, China and WTO's); why have we not at least started to see a “significant “ turn-around in the Job Market, Housing Industry or Small Business Industry period?

What is the guarantee or indicator that if Governor Romney becomes President things will change for the better?

What is the guarantee or indicator that if President Barack Obama is re-elected to the Office of the President of these United States that things will improve?

The only real guarantee or indicator we all can seem to agree on is generating jobs which employ people or creating contracts for Small Business to employ people to generate some sort of income.

However, in reality - neither Candidate for the 2013-2017 US Presidential Period in Office CAN NOT guarantee prosperity.

So who can guarantee prosperity?

My Answer: In my professional opinion, the American People.

Definitions:
______________________________

250+M = 250 Million Dollar a Year Business. ( Not a Small Business.)

1000+M = 1000 Million Dollar a Year Business. ( Not a Small Business.)

WTO's = World Trade Organization Members.

"Kat" =  Respectful Name given by a Male to describe another Male with character.

Elite(Super Rich) = Individuals or Families worth at least 1000 Million Dollars.

1000 Million Dollars = 1 Billion Dollars.



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My Apology To Our Readers For Grammatically Incorrect Drafts

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of Broadcasting Interest Enterprise, Inc. (“BIE”) , I would like to extend an apology and a work-around solution as a result of a recent DRAFT Blog written by me.

If you recently notice an email regarding a discussion on Cloud Computing, please DO NOT ignore it. But, please note that it was the “Original Draft Article” written by yours truly.

It is not my intent to send you drafts of my writings, but often times this has happen.

Nevertheless, because we don't have full control of how the Blogger System publish blogs to emails, all articles will now proceed with the words “DRAFT” and a URL to the updated version of the article.

Furthermore, currently I'm enrolled in Graduate School ( University of Fairfax ) and taking a class called, “Legal and Ethical Practices in Information Security”.

To improve my writing skills, I will likely write more commentaries. I encourage you to visit BIE MG Blogs to make comments about discussions.

Please note that all comments are moderated, thus we must review and release the comment to be seen on the blog site.

Sincerely,
C. Henry Adams
President / CEO
Broadcasting Interest Enterprise, Inc.


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How do you think Cloud Computing will impact Physical Security?

By C. Henry Adams

(NOTE: I'm currently editing, please REFRESH.)

Recently, I reveal in a blog that I was in Graduate School.

Well, one of my classmates (Sorry, can't mention the person's name.) asked me the following question related to a discussion in our course:

THE QUESTION:

Something else to think about - how do you think Cloud computing will impact physical security?

I started to say one thing, but came up with a futuristic scenario that could very well become a reality. I based my "theory" described in a skit below off the fact that some kids and adults have never seen a typewriter!

C. Henry Adams' Theory: Cloud Computing if properly implemented will make physical security tools utilized today to secure a facility obsolete.

MY REPLY:

Currently, Cloud Computing has been utilized for over 20 years with the use of email companies like Yahoo or AOL. One would 1st need to study how many times these companies have been compromised. Oh, don't forget Amazon which offer Cloud Services outside its online store as well.

Second, if you depend on Cloud Computing to access your house, car and other physical things, it could become a very serious concern regarding physical security.

Future Scenario: A female college student lost her tablet on the flight home (USA) from school(Europe). So, when she finally arrived home, paid her taxi fare via her smartphone; she started to freak out when she discovered that her parents were not at home.

In a panic, she press a button on the smartphone and called her mother. The phone projected a hologram image of her Mother who answered the phone saying, "What's wrong Sweetie?"

Female College Student: Mom, quick - what do I do!? I'm locked out of the house and I can't get in! It looks like its going to rain!

Mother: Calm down Baby, you will be OK.

Female College Student: Mommm! I don't want to get my hair wet!

Mother: Sweetie, do you remember those little metal things called "keys" we gave you years ago when you were little?

Female College Student: Yes, but how is that going to help me now!?

Mother: See that flower pot over to the left side of the door? Lift up the fake flower, get the key and put it in the lock and turn it to the right clockwise like your father taught you. You will hear the door unlock and just push the door open.

Female College Student: Oh! Right, that's cool.

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