Dear Friends of the German American Heritage Center:

sometime between July 28 and August 7.  We need people to man the exhibit and help answer questions from visitors.  Each tour of duty will last three hours and following are the times where we need you help:

Thursday, July 28   10 - 1,   1 - 4,  and a special event at 6:30 p.m. for members only.

Friday, July 29    4 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 30    4 to 7 pm

Monday, August 1    10 to 1,  1 to 4, and 4 to 7

Wednesday, August 3    4 to 7

Friday August 5     10 to 1.  1 to 4,  and 4 to 7

Saturday, August 6      10 to 1,  1 to 4,   and 4 to 7

Sunday August 7    12 to 4

There will be a drop-in orientation for volunteers on Wed July 27  4 - 6 pm

Please contact us at 563-322-8844 if you can help us to make this a meaningful experience for visitors to the GAHC.

Educational Mission to Focus on Strengthening Relations, 
Innovation, Education and Environmental Issues

CHICAGO - July 15, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn will visit the State of Israel from July 19 through July 25, 2011 to further develop ties between Illinois and Israel. The week-long educational mission will include meetings with Israeli officials, visits to innovative businesses, the signing of a 'Sister Lakes' agreement, and witnessing the signing of a cooperation agreement between Israeli and Illinois universities.

"Israel, like Illinois, is making key advancements in innovative technologies and the business sectors that are creating the jobs of today and tomorrow," said Governor Quinn. "Education, green technologies, and our environment are some of the most critical issues facing our world. This visit is about sharing what we know, and learning from our friends."

The Governor will visit Better Place, which helps further development of battery-operated vehicles by developing battery charging and swapping locations. He will also stop at the Israeli headquarters of Motorola Solutions, which has its global headquarters based in Schaumburg.

Governor Quinn will also attend the signing of a formal agreement between Ben-Gurion University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, which was encouraged by the Governor's Office and the Jewish United Fund. The agreement will help promote faculty exchange, student exchange, joint research efforts, and other partnerships to advance higher education in both institutions.

Israel and the State of Illinois will also enter into a 'Sister Lakes' agreement, which will be signed by the Governor during his visit. The Sister Lakes' agreement will benefit Israel's Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and Lake Michigan by helping Illinois and Israel develop and share solutions regarding water purification, invasive fish species, and other environmental concerns. The Governor will also tour Lake Kinneret with lead scientists conducting research at the site.

The Governor's educational visit to Israel was organized and paid for by the Jewish United Fund (JUF) of Metropolitan Chicago. Joining him are Illinois State Senators Jeffrey Schoenberg and Ira Silverstein, along with Skip Schrayer, Chairman of the Jewish United Fund and Michael Kotzin, Executive Vice President of the Jewish United Fund and other Illinois leaders.

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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILL. - First Army will uncase its organizational colors Thursday, July 21 at 9 a.m. at First Army headquarters (Bldg. 68) signifying the official arrival of the unit here.

First Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Mick Bednarek and Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse L. Andrews Jr., will uncase the unit's colors in a time-honored ceremony attended by invited VIPs and guests from the Arsenal and the Quad-Cities community.

First Army's long-line of "firsts" includes the first Americans into Paris, the first to cross the Siegfried Line and first to reach the Rhine River in Germany during World War II.

Another "first" will take place on Friday, July 22, at 6:30 a.m., when Lt. Gen. Bednarek and Command Sgt. Maj. Andrews lead First Army Soldiers and Civilian employees on a 2.5 mile organizational run through the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center. No other unit at the Arsenal has ever conducted a run of this type.

The run will start and end at Memorial Field, near the southeast corner of Rodman Ave. and East Street.

Media wishing to attend should contact First Army Public Affairs Media Relations, Rob Saxon at 309.782.9647 or robert.d.saxon2.civ@mail.mil ; or FA Director, Public Affairs, Lt. Col. Mike Kenfield 309.782.9200 or Michael.w.kenfield.mil@mail.mil.

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Q.  What is the debt ceiling and when will the federal government reach it? 

A.  The debt ceiling is the amount of debt the federal government can legally borrow from the public and government trust funds.  The ceiling is set by law and is currently $14.294 trillion.  On May 16, 2011, the Treasury Secretary said that the government will reach the current debt ceiling by August 2, 2011.

Q.  Will Social Security recipients receive their checks if the debt ceiling is not increased by August 2?

A.  After August 2, Social Security benefits are next scheduled to be paid on August 3.  The U.S. Treasury has the authority and assets to pay Social Security benefits if the debt ceiling is not increased before August 2.  The government continued to pay Social Security benefits when the debt limit was reached in 1985 and again in 1996.

Q. How will benefits be paid if the government can't borrow more money?

A.  The U.S. Treasury has two ways to make Social Security payments if the debt ceiling is not raised by August 2.  The first is with general tax revenues.  Regardless of U.S. borrowing authority, tax revenues continue to flow into the U.S. Treasury.  In August, the Treasury is likely to receive revenues around $172 billion and have bills due around $306 billion.  The President has the discretion to determine how the money is spent.  Whether or not Social Security would be one of his top priorities, there are special safeguards for Social Security payments.  The federal government is required to invest the payroll taxes going into the Social Security Trust Fund in special obligation bonds. These special obligation bonds are debts held by the government instead of the public.  By law, these bonds can be exchanged for public debt in order to secure infusions of cash, if needed, to continue paying Social Security benefits.  As a result, Social Security Trust Fund assets of $2.6 trillion ensure that Social Security benefits can be paid until the debt limit is increased or the federal debt is otherwise reduced. 

July 15, 2011