Q&A on the News

Q: Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign her position with the agricultural department and offered the position back. She declined the offer of reinstatement and recently turned down a different position. Is she still on the payroll of the USDA?

-- JA Floyd, Decatur

A: The former U.S. Department of Agriculture administrator is no longer on the USDA payroll, according to Sherrod. In July, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called for Sherrod to resign her position as rural development director for Georgia after a speech to the NAACP, but the remarks posted online turned out to be heavily edited. She was asked in August to return to the USDA in a special deputy director's role within the outreach and advocacy division, but she declined.

Q: I notice many instances of people taking pictures of mishaps/disturbances, etc., on airplanes. Isn't having a cell phone turned on a violation of flight rules? They do ask that they be turned off, along with other electronic devices.

-- Mikiko Nakai, Newnan

A: Federal Communications Commission rules prohibit the use of cellular phones (using the 800 megahertz frequency) on airborne aircraft. The ban is necessary because of potential interference to wireless networks on the ground, according to fcc.gov. The Federal Aviation Administration lets airlines allow cell phone calls once the plane has landed and is taxiing to the gate. The FAA says airlines may let passengers use newer-model cell phones in "airplane mode." Airplane mode on phones such as the iPhone disables the transmission function so people can't make calls, send text messages, check e-mail or surf the Internet, but it allows people to take or view pictures, according to apple.com.