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June
16, 2009
Today’s Program: FBI Cyber Crime Squad Special Agent Scott T. Earl
Scott T. Earl was designated as a Special Agent of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2005. After completing training, he
was assigned to the Tampa Division where he initially worked White
Collar Crime / Health Care Fraud and later assigned to the Special
Operations Group.
In May 2006 Special Agent Earl was assigned to the Cyber
Crime Squad as the Case Agent and Task Force Coordinator of the Tampa
Innocent Images Task Force. In this capacity Special Agent Earl has
conducted online investigations, coordinated training and duties of the
state and local task force officers, and managed the administrative
matters required for ongoing task force operations.
Special Agent Earl has attended numerous advanced
training courses pertaining to online investigations, sexual offenders /
Predators, crimes against children, forensic interviewing of children
and other computer crime investigations.
Special Agent Earl has conducted numerous training
courses to local, state, and federal law enforcement, and has provided
numerous internet safety presentations to students, parents, and school
staff.
Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Earl obtained a Bachelor's
of Science degree in accounting from the University of Akron, and has 10
years of accounting and management experience within the corporate
industry sector.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Innocent Images The
task force is an intelligence driven, proactive investigative national
initiative that combats the proliferation of child pornography and child
sexual exploitation facilitated by the Internet. The mission of the
Innocent Images Task Force is to reduce the vulnerability of children to
acts of sexual exploitation and abuse facilitated through the use of
computers; identify and rescue witting and unwitting child victims; and
to investigate and prosecute sexual predators who use the internet to
sexually exploit children for personal and financial gain.
The FBI’s Tampa Division Innocent Images Task Force is a
multi-agency task force comprised of the FBI, the Hillsborough County
Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, The Largo
Police Department, The Lakeland Police Department, and the United States
Probation Office.
What’s
Happening
Fischer/Carr Auction Night
After months of planning, the Big Bash arrived on Saturday, June 6, with
much deserved fanfare. With over 140 attendees, the room at St.
Petersburg Country Club was jam packed with Kiwanians and their guests.
With Big Al as the enthusiastic auctioneer, money flowed freely to buy
the donated gifts. A real fun evening for all those that attended and
early returns indicate (despite a marginal economy) as much money raised
as last year which means….. give yourselves a hand here …… over 30,000
dollars. Congratulations to all of those Kiwanians who made this our
“Special Night” and all of our business and individual friends who
expressed their generosity.
Community Service Opportunity
First Annual Sea Oats Planting on St. Pete Beach
st. pete beach, FL:
The
Beach Stewardship Committee of St. Pete Beach is looking for volunteers
to help with the First Annual Sea Oats planting project taking place on
Saturday, June 20th from 9:00am to Noon. This is a
great project for friends, family, neighbors, church groups, community
associations, students needing volunteer hours and other community
organizations.
Efforts will begin at the southern end of St. Pete Beach
and volunteers should meet at the Paradise Grill on Pass-a-Grille Beach.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, hand shovels, sun block,
hats, beach shoes, watering cans and or milk jugs, and knee pads.
Parking passes and refreshments will be provided.
Planting of native vegetation like sea oats helps form
and maintain sand dunes, critical to controlling beach erosion. St Pete
Beach is one of several beach communities that benefit from Pinellas
County Department of Environmental Management’s donation of 10,000
plants for the first year with hopes of growing this event annually.
Come out and help us save our beaches.
Kiwanians, let’s get
together and make a great beach even greater. Have fun while you are
taking care of the environment. Watch for a sign-up sheet. To volunteer,
contact Doug Lame at 727-410-6930.
Doorways Scholarships
Al
Karnavicius read several more letters from the Doorways Scholarship
winners. Always entertaining, these students are well grounded and
rounded at such a relatively young age. With more scholarships planned,
currently 113 students benefit from our hard work.
Happy
Anniversary
Dick Koch and his
wife, Dale, have been married for 55 years. The Renkers, Paul & Lynda,
remain blissful after 38 years of marriage. Last week
Lloyd Banks paid a happy fine for 43 years of marriage and Guy Van
Middlesworth paid for 15 years. Congratulations to all of you.
Happy
Birthday
Audrey Lampe turned 79 years young on June 6 and is proud her son and
husband are members. She is also a big supporter of the Fischer/Carr
Auction Night.
Thank
You
To
Bret Jahn and all the other Kiwanis volunteers who donated their time to
the All Children’s Hospital Telethon aired on Channel 8.
Inter
Club Meeting
Guy
Van Middlesworth spearheaded a breakfast Inter Club on Wednesday, June
3, with Mid Town Kiwanis. Along with Guy, the following attended: Bob
Byelick, David Abbey, Mike Brown, Bill Krautler, Gary Keller, Harry
Eisnaugle, Markus Mittermayr, George Gower, Hal Wells, and Doug Lampe.
Way to go, Kiwanians.
Three
Minute Speech
Jessica Kardas Hooper proudly displayed her Kiwanis apron with the
requisite fifty (plus 2) Kiwanis members’ signatures. Jessica is the
Assistant Director of Development for the USF St. Petersburg College of
Business. Recently married, she moved here a year ago with her husband,
Tim Hooper. A native of Massachusetts, she graduated from University of
Massachusetts Amherst. Jessica was a former aide in the Florida House of
Representatives for J. Dudley Goodlette of District 76 Collier County.
In their spare time, Tim and Jessica are avid downhill skiers, with
Steamboat Springs as their favorite destination. But most importantly of
all, she recently joined the awesome Program Committee…. chaired by the
audacious Bob Piplitz.
New Member
Markus Mittermayr
introduced Melissa Dipple as a new
member, sponsored by Dan Nardozzi. Welcome to the club, Melissa.
Graduation Congratulations
Bret Jahn’s daughter recently graduated from Seminole High School and
enrolled recently in PTEC.
Aye,
Aye Captain
Harvey Ford’s daughter was elected a co-captain to Columbia University’s
soccer team. Now that’s a real kick in the grass!
Last
Week at Kiwanis
Kiwanian of the Day, Dick Koch, introduced the GQ
“Leader of the Year”, General Petraeus, CentCom Commander. Having
learned of his designation by GQ, Petraeus quipped “I’ve
Never
worn an Armani suit in my life.”
Having said that, the General looked snappy in full dress
and delivered a “state of the region address” to a rapt audience
including several members of the local press. Currently, CentCom
oversees military maneuvers and diplomatic relations in twenty-two
countries with eighteen languages and over 530 million people. With over
215,000 troops plus additional civilian support, the General stated the
goals are to build partnerships with those respective countries, the
United States, and our allies. At times, Petraeus said he feels like “a
professional plate spinner” at a carnival.
Moving on, the General explained that our military emphasis
is shifting to respond to hostilities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
Taliban, threatening the security and safety of the population, now
heavily infiltrates Afghanistan, known historically as “The Graveyard of
Empires”. According to Petraeus, our country’s stated goal is to act as
“partner, not conqueror”.
A spill over from the Taliban is now impacting Pakistan as
Petraeus told us of heavy losses by the Pakistani armed forces. Reacting
to the situation, President Obama has pledged an enduring commitment to
Pakistan to reverse the downward trend in Pakistan’s security.
So, the mission is to determine what are the reconcilable
forces, make peace with them, and do battle with the recalcitrants by
splintering their cohesion, thus lessening threats to soldiers and
civilians alike. The General summed up dealing with the locals with this
quote, “Either you are a part of the solution, or you are a part of the
problem.”
Reflecting on Iraq, the General said that the combination of
increased military support and positive provincial election results has
yielded a safer, more secure country with the monthly death toll of
civilians and soldiers the lowest since July of 2003.
The General concluded his speech by taking a few questions
from the floor. Asked to compare and contrast his two bosses, Presidents
Bush and Obama, the General deferred, saying that each man has
represented his country to high acclaim.
Petraeus, asked to comment about his own heroes, and
mentioned General U.S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee from the Civil
War. Their experiences as generals led him through many tough times,
especially his Senate confirmation hearing in June, 2007.
Asked about the funding the Taliban receives,
Petraeus said at least one third comes from the narcotics trade and
other organizations channel money to them because of piracy, kidnapping,
and other crimes against humanity.
Finally, the General noted that the coalition involved in
the war in Iraq has dissolved with only American forces remaining. Some
countries have come to the United States’ aid in the
Afghanistan/Pakistan conflict.
General Petraeus, on behalf of the Kiwanis club of St.
Petersburg, we give you a big salute for your efforts to keep America
and her allies safe and secure. And, thank you, Dick Koch, for arranging
this worthwhile program.
The
meeting featured several special guests to hear General Petraeus speak:
Chuck Harmon, Chief of the St. Petersburg Police Department, Mayor Rick
Baker, our invocator, Pastor David Swenson, and Marissa Koch,
granddaughter of Dick Koch and daughter of Sue Koch. Marissa sang “God
Bless America” as part opening ceremonies.
Our meeting, moved to a Monday for the first time, had
111 guests and 74 members, with many in the balcony. Kiwanians have a
right to be proud of this unprecedented day.
Today’s Quiz
- What do the
thirteen (13) rays of red and gold represent on the Arizona state
flag?
- What is the
largest American Indian tribe in the United States?
- The Pony Express
connected which two cities from beginning to end?
- Who first sang the
popular song “Downtown”?
- Where is the
southernmost golf course in the world?
Last Week’s Quiz
-
Memorial Day (Decoration Day) was officially
proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national
commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order
No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers
were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at
Arlington National Cemetery.
-
The first Army-Navy football game played was in
1890 at the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, New York.
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As of this spring, there are approximately 59,000
troops currently deployed in Afghanistan. More troops may be
deployed this summer.
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United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) was
established January 1, 1983, at MacDill
AFB.
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The countries that border Afghanistan are: China,
Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
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