Welcome to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - featuring n...

Ice Curtain... Photo by NS

Ice Curtain [Photo by NS]

Wild, Isn't It?

Painting and Photo Of... Just Chillin'

"One Lizard Too Many"

Painting and Photo of Painting by NS

I've done three freehand oil based paintings (on canvas) in my life. 

This is one of them.

What Part of "NO" Does the GOP NOT Understand... Say No To "Redefining Rape"... Petition... MoveOn.org Political Action

Photo (by NS) of a Painting

PETITION:

 
"MoveOn.org Political Action Redefining Rape": 

http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?rc=fb.share.smithbill.1.2.taf.alt.email.passalong.alt6
 
I just had a nightmare related to a rape scenerio. A BAD one. So I'd like to remind folks that the majority of the GOP [voting on some important legislation, covered elsewhere on this blog] recently took some other major swipes at women's (including little girls...) integrity and rights.
 
What part of "NO" don't "THEY" understand?

Link: "Income Inequality... Worse Than... Egypt"... "Say You, Say Me"... Lionel Richie... More

Photo (by NS) of a Childrens Book Cover:  "Jack and the Beanstalk"

Something I read - that has been bothering me...] a few days ago [For more info click on the link...]:

"Protests in Egypt continued for a seventh day today, and pro-democracy demonstrators are organizing a “march of millions” to take place tomorrow. As financial markets dip across the Middle East, financial prognosticators are trying to divine what continued unrest will mean for the economies of the Middle East and the price of oil.

One of the driving factors behind the protests is the decades-long stagnation of the Egyptian economy and a growing sense of inequality. “They’re all protesting about growing inequalities, they’re all protesting against growing nepotism. The top of the pyramid was getting richer and richer,” said Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the Middle East.

As Yasser El-Shimy, former diplomatic attaché at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in Foreign Policy, “income inequality has reached levels not before seen in Egypt’s modern history.” But Egypt still bests quite a few countries when it comes to income inequality, including the United States:

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the U.S. is ranked as the 42nd most unequal country in the world, with a Gini Coefficient of 45.

In contrast:

– Tunisia is ranked the 62nd most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of 40.

– Yemen is ranked 76th most unequal, with a Gini Coefficient of 37.7.

-- And Egypt is ranked as the 90th most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of around 34.4.

The Gini coefficient is used to measure inequality: the lower a country’s score, the more equal it is. Obviously, there are many things about the U.S. economy that make it far preferable to that in Egypt, including lower poverty rates, higher incomes, significantly better infrastructure, and a much higher standard of living overall. But income inequality in the U.S. is the worst it has been since the 1920′s, which is a real problem.

Currently, the top one percent of households make nearly 25 percent of the total income in the country, after they made less than 10 percent in the 1970′s. Between 1980 and 2005, “more than 80 percent of total increase in Americans’ income went to the top 1 percent.”

According to the latest data, “the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest fifths of the country more than tripled between 1979 and 2007.” And there’s even a stark divide within that one percent. “The share of the nation’s income flowing to the top one-tenth of 1 percent of households increased from 7.3 percent of the total income in the nation in 2002 to 12.3 percent in 2007,” the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted...."

Part of an article by Pat Garofalo; "Sourced from "ThinkProgress"; Copied and Pasted (with minor editing for placement here) from "AlterNet" [1/31/2011 Posting]:

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/455106/income_inequality_in_the_u.s._is_worse_than_in_egypt/#paragraph3;

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I'm pretty burnt out today...

But what - "Say You..."

["Lionel Richie - Say You Say Me [ High Definition ]"; as submitted to You Tube by XVirusHD; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAHOrccmVA&feature=fvst ]

About "These Dreams" [?????]

Economic Equality?
Fairness and Ethical Behavior in regard to Information Gathering and Distribution?
Child Safety in the US of A?
Women's Rights in the US of A?
True access - for all - to the "American Dream"?
Caste (be they overt or covert...) systems.................................................. ?
The chance that there will ever be "peace on Earth"?

What do you think about the face in the mirror?

What do you think about the child [ren] left behind?

What do you see............................. as solutions ?????

Join Me in the Fight Against Child Abuse...

I am making a point here...

So enlarge this pic and check out the eyes...

For the many folks that wonder what I am all about...

I can tell you this.

A long time ago...

I went away.

Oh yeah, I did...

And although I'm "back" - to some degree - I also slip back into the above state (terrified, traumatized, spaced out, overwhelmed and "off somewhere else...") sometimes.

Help me fight against child abuse?

It is the greatest (my opinion) WMD in this country!

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[BTW, if you see this child (me) in any pics (ahem...) that are floating around out there... 
Please let me (post a note here)  know...]

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Thank You

Stop Child Abuse

Martina McBride - Anyway (LIVE 2006)

Happy Feet Dance... Just Because It is So Cute...

Feeding the Birds

The Logical Song Roger Hodgson w Orchestra

Childrens Rights... Womens Rights... Universal Declaration of Human Rights... Pope... Vatican.... SNAP... Christopher Hitchens... Justice Antonin Scalia... Sojourner Truth... More

Not long ago, I put up some videos, from You Tube, addressing the increasing incidence of human traffiking in Upstate New York.  Shocking.  Frightening.  And, I would think - for most of us - particularly parents:  horrifying.


Thus, I was happy to see the following two articles:

1.  "Roundup nets 127 mob suspects" ["Daily Freeman"; 1/21/2011; p. B1]; and

2.  "Prosecutors seek restitution for victims in child porn cases" [" Daily Freeman"; 1/18/2011; p. B4].

That said, I feel I need to go head to head with the Catholic Pope, who recently, according to another article, "argued that the scandal [within the Catholic Church / Hierarchy; see videos below...] had to be seen in its correct social "context," one in which many people see child pornography, drug use and human trafficking as perfectly acceptable..." ["Pope Benedict:  Church Must Reflect on Sex Abuse Scandals"; 12/20/10; AOL.News; http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/20/pope-benedict-church-must-reflect-on-sex-abuse-scandals/]

"Perfectly acceptable" ?????

One would certainly hope that reflection on this issue does not - for some - lead to such a conclusion - Eh?

From the already cited article,  "Prosecutors seek restitution for victims in child porn cases":

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak:  "I would say in our closed inventory, there are hundreds of cases.  They've been convicted, sentenced and their conviction has been affirmed upon appeal" [Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak is the "deputy chief of the criminal devision... that stretches from the mid-Hudson Valley to the Canadian border and west to Syracuse and Binghampton".]

The good news in said article, besides the convictions, is that "Federal prosecutors intent on stemming child pornography and helping care for its victims are increasingly going after the assets of offenders... meant to deter sharing images of exploited children and to help pay for their later psychiatric or other treatment, authorites said."

The bad new, in relation to what I have to say here is:

1.  Apparently the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is still choosing - in house - to cover up for child sex offenders --- despite all civil laws to the contrary; and

2.  Apparently this is not going to change until enough people make it an issue and demand that justice - for child victims - be upheld.

Now, some of my readers are aware that I am married to a man that formerly served as a Catholic Priest; which might lead one to wonder if he - or his experiences - has influenced my focus on this topic... 

The answer is no.  In fact, he has asked me why I am focusing on this topic; to which I must answer:  My personal history (which had very little to do with the Catholic Church) and research; accounts (as published on this blog, here and below...) that I have stumbled upon recently; and my concern, overall, for the welfare of children.

I have - and those of you who have followed my blogs from the onset are aware of this - spent time addressing sexual abuse in other instances - and in other religous bodies - and cults - as well.  In fact, I started this latest blog, "Flinging Towards the Sun", after being subjected to some harrassment (on "Spreading Our Wings") by some folks that were apparently alligned (?) with a particular organization / situation that I was (then) addressing.

So be it.

In this case, I offer up the following videos (from You Tube) for you to evaluate (should you so choose) on your own time; stating that from my perspective (and yes, I know this is "tender" territory) that there appears to be some major problems with this picture...

["Abused deaf children, the Pope & Boulder Junction, Wisconsin"; as submitted to You Tube by mnsnap; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBPr97Qetk8]

["Vatican Had Halted Trial for Accused Priest"; as submitted to You Tube by the Associated Press; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRegK3V0I1Y]


["Christopher Hitchens Slams Vatican, Pope Over Sex Abuse Scandal"; as submitted to You Tube by Tar7i; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOmzC0nruJA]

In addition to which I would refer you to the following video [very important, me thinks...; but the embedding feature has been disabled...] on You Tube:

"ABC World News with Di... Berlusconi:  Harsh Words from Pope Benedict"; 1/21/11; 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuKSG8ibEfM]

Adding an "I wonder why..." to the fact that Vatican City still hasn't:

1.  Raised the "age of consent" from 12 or 13 (still very much a child in my eyes) years old?

2.  "Allowed" ["Should that word even be a factor in light of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights"?] women into the priesthood...

3.  "Allowed" [Ditto...] priests [whilst preaching "family values"] to marry...

4.  Etc. [I could go on...]

In an aside, we also have the case of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia [a far right Catholic Conservative, to my understanding (?)] --- stating that the "14th Amendment" does not prohibit "discrimination on the basis of sex." 

In Justice Scalia's words:  "Nobody ever thought that that's what it meant. Nobody ever voted for that. If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws. You don't need a constitution to keep things up-to-date. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box. You don't like the death penalty anymore, that's fine. You want a right to abortion? There's nothing in the Constitution about that. But that doesn't mean you cannot prohibit it. Persuade your fellow citizens it's a good idea and pass a law. That's what democracy is all about. It's not about nine superannuated judges who have been there too long, imposing these demands on society" ["The Originalist"; "California Lawyer" (a "Daily Journal" publication);  1/2011; http://www.callawyer.com/story.cfm?eid=913358&evid=1]

Which is beginning (ya' think?) to sound like "Pandora's Box" - 2011 Style - all wrapped up in pretty pink and blue (excuse my sarcasm...) "blows."

Seriously?

I think all of this could use a little scientific and logical and [utilizing the proper legal authorities] in depth investigation...

Don't you?

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In case you did not (ahem) know this:

"Child sexual abuse is nowadays outlawed in almost all countries,[1][2] generally with severe criminal penalties, including in some jurisdictions, life imprisonment or capital punishment...

An adult's sexual intercourse with a minor below the legal age of consent is defined as statutory rape,[3][4] based on the principle that an abusing adult is a criminal deviant who takes advantage of a minor, who is not capable of consent, and that any apparent consent by a minor could not be considered legal consent.The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international treaty that legally obliges states to protect children's rights...  

Articles 34 and 35 of the CRC require states to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. This includes outlawing the coercion of a child to perform sexual activity, the prostitution of children, and the exploitation of children in creating pornography. States are also required to prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.[5]

As of November 2008, 193 countries are bound by the CRC,[6] including every member of the United Nations except the United States and Somalia.[7][8]"
1.  Levesque, Roger J. R. (1999). "Sexual Abuse of Children: A Human Rights Perspective". Indiana University Press. pp. 1,5–6,176–180. "The world community recently has recognized every child's fundamental human right to protection from sexual maltreatment. This right has been expressed in recent declarations, conventions, and programs of action. Indeed, the right to protection from sexual maltreatment is now entrenched so strongly in international human rights law that no country can relinquish its obligation."

2.  "United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1989". http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm  "States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse... States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, States Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent: (a) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity; (b) The exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; (c) The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials."

3. "Statutory Rape Known to Law Enforcement" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention":  http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/208803.pdf.

4. "Black's Law Dictionary 8th Edition. child, "at common law, a person who has not reached the age of 14." See also definition under rape "carnal knowledge of a child is frequently declared to be rape by statute."

5. "United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child."

6.  "United Nations Treaty Collection. Convention on the Rights of the Child."
7.  "Child Rights Information Network (2008). Convention on the Rights of the Child."

8. "Amnesty International USA (2007). Convention on the Rights of the Child: Frequently Asked Questions."

[The Above is from:  "Laws regarding child sexual abuse"; "WIKIPEDEA The Free Encylopedia"; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_regarding_child_sexual_abuse]

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Related sources:"Ages of consent in North America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia":  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_North_America

"AGE OF CONSENT CHART FOR THE U.S.":  http://www.ageofconsent.us/

"Ages of consent in Europe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia":  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe#Italy

"New Zealand Conservative Vatican City and Age of Consent":  http://nzconservative.blogspot.com/2009/10/vatican-city-and-age-of-consent.html

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BTW, Since religous orders and thier respective properties are generally tax exempt, whom do you suppose pays when a religious organization is successfully sued by a child victim? 

The taxpayer?

[All bold and colored print reflects my emphasis]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I end with this...  A favorite video of mine:

["Alice Walker reads Sojourner Truth"; as submitted to You Tube by arnove; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsjdLL3MrKk ] 

Update... Pondering... Serious Business... Stay tuned.

Photo (by NS) of the Emblem on a T-Shirt

(T-Shirt by "anvil")

UPDATE:  It is my understanding that most of the people that were without heat due to the problem addressed in the post below have since had thier gas services and heat restored.

CURRENTLY:  I am struggling with whether or not to construct a post about something that I feel is very important - but may also be (for some) very (emotionally) stressful.

Bear with me and know that anything posted here reflects my interests, research wise... and/or my opinions; and that I believe that I generally have the common welfare of the people (the majority of the populus) in mind. 

I am simply a blogger and as such, insignificant --- but not.

It is cold.  Times are tough for many of us.

I wish I had just happy things to post.

But that is not the case.

Gas Line Repairs - Affected Areas - Red Cross Shelter - Links

Detour on Broadway 1/20/2011

There is a gas line problem in the City of Kingston and repairs are underway.  I am simply passing on some information.  Please call the appropriate people for more details.

"NEWS ALERT American Red Cross Opens Shelter in Response to Gas Emergency in City of Kingston":

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/NEWS-ALERT---American-Red-Cross-Opens-Shelter-in-Response-to-Gas-Emergency-in-City-of-Kingston.html?soid=1102928001613&aid=Aq_tZGUfa2g

"Map of affected areas in Kingston#sourcefacebook":

http://www.scribd.com/doc/47268846/Map-of-affected-areas-in-Kingston#source:facebook

From FB - As Posted by the Neighborhood Watch [See links in sidebar >]:

"For those who are in the affected area, the Red Cross is opening a shelter at the Midtown Neighborhood Center, corner of Broadway and Hoffman...they ask you bring your own bedding, food will be served...Central Hudson has set up a temporary headquarters near the police station on Garraghan Drive."

Pretty but dangerous...

Please seek shelter if you need to!

Unpleasant but Necessary News Coverage... A Call for Change....

["Church Sex Abuse Survivors to March on Vatican; AssociatedPress; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AmpgJQ6NwM ]

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"Vatican Letter to Irish Bishops on Sex Abuse: A 'Smoking Gun' in Conspiracy?"

"The Vatican is scrambling to tamp down yet another crisis in the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal, this time over the revelation of a 1997 letter from a senior Vatican official telling the bishops of Ireland not to implement their new policy of reporting abusive priests to law enforcement authorities...

Advocates for victims and other critics say the letter from the Vatican's envoy to Ireland at the time is a "smoking gun" proving their claims that the Vatican helped direct an effort to conceal abuses for years.

"The letter is of huge international significance, because it shows that the Vatican's intention is to prevent reporting of abuse to criminal authorities. And if that instruction applied here, it applied everywhere," said Colm O'Gorman, director of the Irish chapter of the human rights watchdog Amnesty International..."


David Gibson; Religion Reporter; Politics Daily; http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/19/vatican-letter-to-irish-bishops-on-sex-abuse-a-smoking-gun-in/

Emphasis - Bold/Red - MINE

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"DUBLIN — A 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police – a disclosure that victims' groups described as "the smoking gun" needed to show that the church enforced a worldwide culture of covering up crimes by pedophile priests.

The newly revealed letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, documents the Vatican's rejection of a 1996 Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests following Ireland's first wave of publicly disclosed lawsuits.

The letter undermines persistent Vatican claims, particularly when seeking to defend itself in U.S. lawsuits, that Rome never instructed local bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police. It instead emphasizes the church's right to handle all child-abuse allegations and determine punishments in house rather than give that power to civil authorities..." ["Vatican Warned Irish Bishops Not To Report Abuse"; The Huffington Post; 1/19/2011; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/vatican-irish-bishops_n_810535.html ]

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"Pope Benedict XVI today called on Vatican officials to examine why the Catholic Church allowed the sexual abuse of children by priests to continue unchallenged for so long, and to push through reforms to ensure such scandals never happen again...

"We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred," the pope said in his traditional end-of-year speech to Vatican cardinals and bishops. "We must ask ourselves what was wrong in our proclamation, in our whole way of living the Christian life, to allow such a thing to happen."

Over the past year, the Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of child sex-abuse scandals in Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In many of these cases, it was discovered that high-up members of the clergy had covered up for pedophile priests and that for decades Vatican officials turned a blind eye to the crimes.

Pope Benedict XVI pauses as he delivers his message during the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings with the Curia, in the Regia Hall at the Vatican today. The pope called for the Catholic Church to scrutinize itself and root out the truth about mistakes made so it can prevent the pedophile abuse crisis from ever happening again.

The pope accepted the church's culpability, but he argued that the scandal had to be seen in its correct social "context," one in which many people see child pornography, drug use and human trafficking as perfectly acceptable...."

"Pope Benedict: Church Must Reflect on Sex Abuse Scandals"; AOL.News; Dec 20, 2010; http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/20/pope-benedict-church-must-reflect-on-sex-abuse-scandals/

Emphasis - In bold / red - MINE.  Say WHAT ?????
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Related News:

"Seizure of Vatican Assets Upheld"

"ROME (AP) — A judge has upheld the seizure of $30.2 million in Vatican assets in a money-laundering investigation involving the Vatican’s bank... Italian authorities seized the money in September as part of an investigation into whether Vatican transactions had violated Italian banking transparency laws, a key weapon against organized crime and corruption... News reports quoted the judge, Maria Teresa Covatta, as saying that the intended beneficiaries of the transactions from the Vatican bank account at a Rome bank were still unclear... Prosecutors have said that clergy members might have acted as frontmen for corrupt businessmen and mobsters. The Vatican has blamed the seizure on a “misunderstanding” and has said it can clear up the matter..."

"Pope Says Sex Scandal Has Hit Unimaginable Dimension"; RACHEL DONADIO; The New York Times; December 20, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/world/europe/21pope.html?_r=1&hp

1/17 Senator Gillibrand On The View

Social Security: Keep The Promise

In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day... This is a 2011 (Humanistic) Wake Up Call...

When does rank economic inequality - in terms of those at the top ($$$) - become the systematic neglect and abuse of the children (not having thier basic needs met; not feeling safe; not able to gain a foothold..) at the bottom?

["Crazy Graphs: Rich Vs Middle Class & Poor" [Stats from Bush Jr. era / through 2007];  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnVJAkhGyjQ&feature=related]

What is it that really "trickles down" when impovershed families are stressed to the max; can't find or afford decent childcare; can't get the car (if they have one) to start; can't afford a bus token; can't afford to take a break; lose thier home and/or housing; have no food in the refrigerator; live in crime infested ghetto areas; live in dank rural poverty; can't afford medical and dental care; can't find a way up and out...

["Investing in our Children:  Child Abuse and Neglect (video 1); as submitted to You Tube by extra2010; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sgh5FbsrD8]

Where does the United States of America stand - right now - today - in terms of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights"?

["The Universal Declaration of Human Rights"; as submitted to You Tube by the HumanRightsActionCtr; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTlrSYbCbHE&feature=related]

When does rank economic inequality - in terms of those at the top ($$$) - become the systematic neglect and abuse of the children (not having thier basic needs met; not feeling safe; not able to gain a foothold..) at the bottom?

As has been said before [This has been said, in one form or another, by a number of people...]: 

"Have we no conscience?"

A Message from Senator Franken... You Tube Video... Pertinent Link

http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/splash/fccopenletter

On Child Abuse and PTSD

Part of what happens, when a child is abused, is that they all too often have thier very spirit crushed...  With the fight to get it (thier spirit) back offtimes insurmountable, leading to lives that are often torn apart and compromised by anxiety, depression, PTSD, addictions, revictimization (s) and so much more...

How many times have I heard that I "am full of potential"?  How many times has one of my children (victimized as a youth; now an adult) heard that he is "full of potential?

Indeed he is.  And so am I...

But a feeling of "safety in the world" has to preceed self-esteem, self-confidence and "self-actualization" [a theory that has been fleshed out by a number of top psychologists] --- and those things --- for survivors of chronic childhood trauma --- are hard to come by and/or hold on to --- indeed.

Which leads me, again, to ask why more focus on the prevention of childhood trauma and the protection of our children from familial, "friend" and stranger abuse is not given a much, much higher priority?

Is my writeup below on Human Greed Virus (HGV) somehow applicable here?  Why so much emphasis on petty (my opinion) issues (i.e. a commission to study cats...) - and so little emphasis on the prevention of childhood abuse?

Don't get me wrong, I like cats - and they deserve thier spot (I've said before that I think the cat issue is a animal warden / SPCA / etc. issue)  in the sun...

But here we sit, in the midst of how many unidentified and identified (but now free...) child abusers and child sex offenders - with one of our main concers - cats?????

My research, extensive, tells me that when a "prostitute" is arrested - the police are more than likely arresting someone that has a history of severe child abuse...

My research, extensive, tells me that a lot of the folks in our battered womens shelters, homeless shelters, jails and prisons generally have a history of severe child abuse...

My research, extensive, tells me that the folks that end up in rehabilitation centers and/or psychiatric hospitals generally have a history of severe child abuse...

And my EYES tell me that a whole lot of jobs [from non-profits, to pharmaceutical company employees, to hospital employees, to rehab workers, to folks employed by the penal system...] depend upon this very [Isn't this pretty damn sad?] population...

Prevention, folks.  Lets look at how we can prevent HGV (human greed virus) from spreading and demoralizing our children, our communities, ourselves...

Let's protect our "angels" --- in the manner that a civilized society CAN and SHOULD.

Because in my opinion [I once heard this said at an MHA workshop]:  "child abuse is the
greatest 'weapon of mass destruction' (WMD) out there."

And, as long as we ignore that fact? 

Nothing - in my opinion - is going to get any (over the long term; for the families that need
it most...) better.

I read in yesterday's or today's "Freeman" that there is going to be a child abuse and awareness
workshop or seminar (I forget the exact wording) at a school in Boiceville sometime soon.

This is great. 

But why not in Kingston too?  Why not at every school in Kingston and in an open community
forum?

Why not set up a child abuse prevention committee - bringing in folks from the Crime Victims
Assistance Program, the YWCA, the Neighborhood Watch, etc?

If cats are worthy of our focus...

Don't you think the safety of our children should be on somebody's "focus list" as well?????

[It is a good idea to keep an eye on what crimes are being committed in the city and where released sex offenders are reputedly living.  One can see an up to date map of this [put a check in the sex offender box] at:  http://classic.crimereports.com/widget/widget.html?CRSearch=Kingston,NY .(This link is also available in the sidebar)]

HGV (Human Greed Virus)

Below is a video [part 1; part 2/3 is available on You Tube] of the most overt caste system - that I am aware of - on this planet.  However, one might ask how many less overt caste systems - invisible but potent - exist in other areas of the world - including (perhaps...) the United states of America?

What if there is something (HGV, or human greed virus..) [My own thought-creation...]  that is even worse (more comprehensive and begging for a cure...) than "human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)"?  

What if HGV (human greed virus) was ravaging our streets; crippling (physically and/or mentally; diminishing the potentialities of our fellow human beings; creating scapegoat after scapegoat...) and killing our children one after another after another?

What if the main component of human greed virus (HGV) came down to the physical and sexual abuse of economically disadvantaged children of both sexes - all races - and ethnic and/or religious groups?

What if the "powers that be" - at least some of them - knew that HGV had been set loose many, many, many [a century or more...] ago?

What if the "powers that be" - at least some of them - not only knew about HGV - but chose to (covertly and deceptively, but of course...)  FEED IT?

Sure, a first time abuser (physical / sexual) might not be identified by any signs - has no dot on his (or, much more rarely, her...) head.

But a second time abuser?  A third time abuser?  A fourth time abuser?

Human Greed Virus (HGV) and child physical and sexual abuse???  Where is the connection you ask?

When perps walk and kids can't talk...

When communities turn thier heads and seek only to "feed the beast..."

When history, both personal and political, becomes distorted by lies, cover-ups, collusion...

Listen closely:

You will hear a child scream.

How do known perps (child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, batterers, racists, etc.) get hired by child care centers, youth facilities, not-for-profits, religious organizations, schools, police agencies, political organizations, etc????? 

Why are they not checked out to the max via fingerprint checks, alcohol and drug use checks, complete background checks, lie detector tests, etc. prior to being allowed to work with our children and other vulnerable populations?

Should a former felon ever be hired by one of the agencies noted above?

My opinion is:  NO.  Absolutely NOT.

Because even if thier intentions are good, which might be the case - there is apparently something in thier history that just might come back to life...

In a land where ghosts walk, no one talks and greed is the fuel of collusion and cover-ups.

Human Greed Virus (HGV) existed in the early days of Upstate New York, big time - leading to events such as the Anti-Rent-War (Delaware County, NY) --- spreading its tendrils, like spiderwebs choking out any chance of truth, this way and that --- linking up, but of course, with the strands (oh so sticky...) that were likewise stretching out from other lands....

You may not be able to follow this thread right now...

It is raw.

It is new.

It is not completely thought out...

Just know, for now, that even though "hurt people [all too often] hurt people" --- it might be that the original wounds came from the top --- where folks generally look "squeaky clean" and innocent.

Laws (in my opinion; related to this topic) all too often seem devised to protect the guilty, rather than (as is so often claimed) the innocent.

Just "food for thought..."

I'll return to this topic (HGV) later.

Unreported world india - "the broken people" part 1/3

Some Beautiful Winter Snow Photos and Photoart by BF... Ulster County, New York

Some beautiful Winter snow photos and photoart by BF [utilized with permission].  All of these are local[Ulster County / New York State] - as far as I know.

Put Women in the Constitution

Cold Snowy Day - Video Below - "New York State of Mind" - Billy Joel

When I post a video (as below) direct from You Tube [I'm still practicing...] it doesn't always allow me to comment on that video at the same time...

Thus, this post is to:

1) Inquire as to whether you think there is enough snow out there yet...  [?????]

2) Demonstrate that we can all do "something" - even if we are limited in some way, shape or form.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Do I necessarily agree with the caption on portrait of President Barack Obama that is presented in this video?  On the premise that we can all (in essense) create our own destiny?

No. 

Some of us have handycaps from day one...

Some of us have the ability to overcome those handycaps...

And some of us don't...

Still, somewhere in the middle of that is (I think) another truth...

That being the fact that all of us (almost all of us, anyhow) can contribute something - which is necessary - even if it is only to feed (on a cold snowy day...) our own soul and try to touch (in a positive way) the souls of others...

A lot is wrong in New York State right now; no doubt about it. 

But somehow each and every one of us - as able - should (in my opinion) be fighting (whilst speaking difficult truths...) to hone whatever skills we might have... and to keep "hope" alive.

Other than that, I hope you take notice of the Indian emphasis in the video, as they were, in fact, here before the rest of us...

Along with the [lol... I just had to get these in there...] cats : )

I hope you enjoy the video.

Peace.

Snow Upstate New York Jan 2011 Bill Joel Music New York State of Mind Ka...

In State of State, Andrew Cuomo challenges NY Legislature: Return to Gre...

Cuomo ruffles feathers in State of the State address

"Protesting Belleayre Job Cuts",,, GOP Blocks House "Child Marriage Prevention Act"... An Un-Holy Cow?... More

1) Heating up the Mountain:

["Protesting Belleayre Job Cuts"; as submitted to You Tube by GerryPallor; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj0RrUKTauU&feature=related]

2)  Not Nearly Enough (Say What?????) Press:

["Republicans Kill Anti-Child Marriage Bill: Why?"; as presented on You Tube by "The Young Turks"; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvowC0KcMUg ] 

Related Article:  "House Republicans Block House Child Marriage Prevention Act"; Updated 12/ 17/10;  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/house-republicans-block-child-marriage-prevention-act_n_798382.html

Quote from above article:  "The prevalence of child marriage remains alarmingly high worldwide. As CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and supporting the child marriage prevention bill notes, "More than 60 million girls ages 17 and younger -- many as young as 10 -- are forced into marriage in developing countries. Many of these girls are married to men more than twice their age. Not only does this unacceptable practice thwart a girl's education, it endangers her health and often locks her into a life of poverty."

3.  An Un-Holy Cow?  [This sure surprised me; how about you?]

["QI - Vatican City Has the Lowest Age of Consent and  Highest Crime Rate in Europe"; as submitted by the AthiestMediaBlog; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNIpIud9_F8&feature=related ]

Related Statewide Article by Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN; "My Take Religious Cities are Among the Most Violent" – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs; http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/20/my-take-religious-cities-are-among-the-most-violent/ [Edited; Go directly to source for addtional info.]

4) Sports, Crativity, Music, Affordable, Accessible and Empowering Activites for Youth...  "Stop the Violence..."

["Albany, NY Gang Prevention "Stop the Violence".wmv"; as submitted to You Tube by cooknys; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mrchejSXkk]

Weekly Address: The New Year