Q: During the extensive TV coverage following the killing of Osama bin Laden, one of the networks consistently spelled his first name Usama rather than Osama. Why the different spelling?
-- Charles Sanders, Marietta
A: The discrepancy in the name stems from the fact that there is a variety of systems to make the 28-letter Arabic alphabet fit into the 26-letter Latin alphabet, according to a Slate.com article. The International Journal of Middle East Studies uses one system and says the "transliteration" of his name would be Usama ibn Ladin, but another version is Osama bin Laden, which is how his name was spelled in The Associated Press Stylebook, used by much of the media. Fox News uses Usama bin Laden, but the FBI and CIA use Usama Bin Laden, capitalizing the B. The State Department has used both Usama and Osama.
Q: A recent PolitiFact column reported that only “certain” disabilities provided people under 65 with access to Medicare. What types of disabilities are not included under the health care program?
-- Mike Smith, Decatur
A: The diseases that it covers are end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and ALS (also called Lou Gehrig's disease), which are the two conditions that could warrant immediate entitlement, Lee Millman, a spokeswoman in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Atlanta Regional Office, told Q&A on the News. An individual with any disabling condition who has been receiving Social Security disability for 24 months also could be eligible for Medicare.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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