Monthly Archives: January 2017

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help Governor Cuomo protect our children – Sex offenders – Change.org


Petitioning Andrew Cuomo, New York State Senate, New York State House, John Flanagan

43,000 New York kids will be sexually abused in 2017. Help Governor Cuomo protect them.

More than 43,000 children will be harmed by sexual abuse this year in New York State; and that will happen next year too unless we help Governor Cuomo get the Child Victims Act passed. Please add your name now.

Here’s the story of just one sex abuser, how the law protected him and put hundreds of other children at risk.

Louise VanWie, one of New York’s most dangerous sex offenders, is about to be released back into the community whose innocent children he preyed on. In 1997 when VanWie was charged with sexually abusing four children, police said he admitted to abusing hundreds of others. Authorities were inundated with phone calls from other victims. But, New York’s strict, five-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases stopped the police from charging VanWie with additional crimes. If they had charged him with hundreds of additional crimes his release would not be an issue today.

VanWie is only an exception because he was prosecuted. Nine out of ten sex offenders remain free on our streets, and even when they are reported there is nothing, absolutely nothing that the police can do about it.

Here are the facts:

  1. Currently 1 in 5 (22%) children are sexually abused (Source CDC) [1]
  2. It takes survivors an average of 21 years before they can disclose their abuse [2]
  3. Only 1 in 10 (10%) of people who sexually abuse children will see a day behind bars [3]
  4. Because they are protected by NY State laws called statutes of limitations.

What makes this worse, despite the VanWie case and countless other examples, state lawmakers have refused to change the statute of limitations, one of the shortest in the nation. New York bars child victims from proceeding with criminal charges or civil litigation once they turn 23.

Help Governor Cuomo protect our children. Add your name to this petition now.

Click this link for more information including how to protect your children from monsters like VanWie.

Citations:

  1. Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) StudyVincent J Felitti MD, FACPA, , Robert F Anda MD, MSB, Dale Nordenberg MDC, David F Williamson MS, PhDB, Alison M Spitz MS, MPHB, Valerie Edwards BAB, Mary P Koss PhDD, James S Marks MD, MPHB
  2. Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse Among Male Survivors” by Scott D. Easton, December of 2013 Clinical Social Work Journal
  3. Robert Baker of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, Massachusetts Office of Public Safety. 2008.
Black History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell the Senate to say no to a klan run government


Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin meeting for the confirmation hearing of known racist Jeff Sessions. We cannot let Trump’s New Klan with their seemingly acceptable white supremacy slink its way into popular consciousness and wipe out every gain Black people have won. That’s why this week we will deliver over 74,000 petitions to Senator Chuck Schumer- minority leader of the Senate and member of the judiciary committee.

Thanks for standing with us against hate.

– Brandi and the rest of the Color Of Change team

 

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

featured company …Puget Sound Solar


Solar Electric Systems
Photovoltaic (PV) systems provide several benefits conventional grid-powered electricity does not.
  • Free fuel (photons from the sun)
  • Stable energy costs for decades to come
  • 98% reduction in greenhouse emissions
  • Locally produced fuel for electric vehicles
  • Solar panels leave no waste
  • Energy indepedence!
What are PV systems and how do they work?
A solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system generates DC electricity from photovoltaic modules, sends it to an inverter that converts it to AC, and into your house electric panel. Your electric meter spins backward when your home isn’t using the energy generated, giving you retail credit for power produced. Through net-metering the utility company measures the remainder of energy that you consume minus the amount that your PV modules produce. You are charged only for this amount on your electricity bill. If your system produces more electricity than you use you will receive credit that can be carried over month-to-month (but not year-to-year, with April 30th the cutoff date).Solar Energy Contractors Seattle, Wa
In Washington State a separate production meter is also installed that measures the total amount of electricity produced by the PV system. Each year you will be paid a reward for all the solar energy that you have produced, with the amount based on the type of system installed. These generous production incentives, established in part by the lobbying efforts of Puget Sound Solar, have made solar PV systems more cost effective by reducing the payback period.
How much can PV produce?
For each 1000 watts, or kilowatt, of PV you can get up to 1,200 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity produced per year in Seattle. To see what this means, check your electric bill to see how many kWh of electricity you use. The average home in Seattle uses 8,600 kWh per year.
What is the installed cost of PV systems?
We offer different ‘flavors’ of PV systems based on the products used: The lowest initial cost, the highest production per square foot, and the fastest return of investment. The cost can vary depending on your goals, and the difficulty of installation. Expect costs to range as follows:
  • 8.5 kW  $22,000 – $36,000
  • 5.5 kW  $17,000 – $25,000
  • 3.5 kW  $11,000 – $17,000
What about batteries?

grid battery pv

For locations that experience power outages, there are solar electric systems that also provide back-up power, instantly and silently. These use dual-purpose inverters and batteries will produce electricity for as long a period as the battery capacity and solar input will support. These systems are programmable, so that they can also be used for daily ‘self-consumption’ of power to reduce demand dependence on the grid. Plan on spending about $8,000 – $30,000 for the additional design, equipment, and installation labor. Off-grid locations use battery-supported PV systems that also integrate a generator for dark winter months or perhaps a wind generator as well
pugetsoundsolar.com

Image result for pugetsoundsolar

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

greenpeace


Trump rally

Annie Leonard
Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

P.S. To stay completely independent and do the critical work we do, Greenpeace never accepts ANY corporate and government funding. We rely entirely on the support of people like you. Together, we will organize, mobilize, and take action to defeat even the most powerful of opponents. Today, as Greenpeace fights for the future of our planet, our people, and our communities, I hope you will stand strong with us through your donation so it can double in power.

(1) http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/07/trump-to-pick-oklahoma-attorney-general-pruitt-as-head-of-epa-source-confirms-to-cnbc.html  greenpeace

Annie Leonard

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Hole …by randy travis


Randy Travis – The Hole Lyrics

Artist: Randy Travis

Album: Miscellaneous

A friend of mine bought himself a shovel
Said, “I’m gonna tunnel me a mine”
He set out to be a rich man
Happiness is what he thought he’d fine

Got in to deep to see the diamond
Down to dark to see the gold
Now he won’t let go of the shovel
And he can’t dig out of the hole

Deeper and deeper he’s going down
Driving his future right into the ground
He thinks he’s closer the further he goes
But he’s still on the bottom
And he can’t dig out of the hole

I tried to throw the man a life line
I tried to send him down a rope
I don’t think he hears me calling
But everyday I pray and hope

Somehow he finally gets the message
Every spade of dirt he throws
Only gets him closer to the devil
And he can’t dig out of the hole

Deeper and deeper he’s going down

Driving his future right into the ground
He thinks he’s closer the further he goes
But he’s still on the bottom
And he can’t dig out of the hole

Maybe we could learn a little lesson
Maybe this’ll shine a little light
‘Cause there’s no healthy way to mess with
The line between wrong and right

Use the one chance you’ve been given
‘Cause once your in the ground and cold
It’s too late to start livin’?
You see you can’t dig out of the hole

Deeper and deeper he’s going down
Driving his future right into the ground
He thinks he’s closer the further he goes
But he’s still on the bottom
And he can’t dig out of the hole

It’s hell on the bottom
And you can’t dig out of the hole

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