ISSN 1084-5585 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� � 켠� � � 爐� 靈� 靈� 켠� 靈� � � 爐� 靈� 爐� � 靈� � 爐� � � � 픔� 픔 � 픔� � � 픔� 픈� � � � � � � � 픔 � � � � � 懃� 聃� � � � 聃� � � � � 聃� � � � 聃� 聃� 懃� � 突袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� THE CAT CHRONICLE ----------------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * October 20, 1995 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Children's Animated Television (CAT) is a 501-C-3 non-profit organization that produces educational videos for children and teens on contemporary social issues such as AIDS, diversity, violence and GLB teen self esteem. CAT also provides as a public service a BBS, a weekly full color newsletter and a Web site for the family of the future: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/ * Please note a full color version of this newsletter is available on the World Wide Web: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/newslett/newslett.html/ Quote of the Week: "Diversity is humanity's greatest asset and worst problem..." ---Quai Chang Furball --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAT Currents... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This week CAT is proud to announce yet another exciting addition to the CAT Homepage on the Web!!! We have created an interactive Web page which allows a visitor to: - Request information about CAT - Leave a comment - Add their name to the CAT E-mail list - Make a pledge for a donation Also, the visitor can send their request and will know immediately that their information was received by CAT. This special page will let the user be more interactive. If you have an interest, check out the CAT feedback and info page: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/feedback.html/ The disABLEd Corner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Electrical power is cut off from a house in the middle of the night. Obscene phone calls every day. Landlords who rent to "unwanted" persons receive jail threats. Search warrants served by the police to tear open walls, destroy files, seize household items. The next day the police apologize and drop the investigation. They refuse to return any seized items until over a year later, after a federal judge orders everything returned... Police knock at your door and yell to your neighbors that you are an "undesirable" person, that you have to move out of the city or be arrested. City judges destroy transcripts of illegal orders to force "unwanted" persons from the city... Nazi Germany? ex-Soviet Union? China? or Cuba? NO. America? YES! It's happening in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The "unwanted" people are the thousands of disabled residents and their families. How can this happen in today's society ? How can this happen when the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was designed to protect against this type of bigotry? Don't be fooled. Don't be complacent. Be scared, be very scared. This CAN AND DOES happen in many communities throughout the US. Just because there is a federal law to protect against this type of prejudicial conduct, this doesn't mean that it can't happen. I have spent years advocating for compliance with federal laws requiring ramps, wider doors and accessible city facilities and programs. All that I had to show for it was the retaliation described above. Finally, in September of 1994, I sued the city of Lakewood in the US District Court. I sued for multiple violations of the ADA, including retaliation, which is a violation. On September 6th 1995, the Court issued an Order, telling the City to stop the retaliation, become accessible and pay the fines. The City has told the federal court that it refuses to accept the court's authority. The City is dragging the case out, for only one morbid reason. The City knows about my terminal illness and that I have a few short months to live. The City is waiting for me to die. If the retaliation doesn't work, then why not just wait for the Plaintiff (me) to die? You may not be disabled. But think about this: if we allow a municipality to "throw out" its disabled residents, then who will be next? Blacks, Latinos, gay, lesbian or bisexual people? If we let it happen to one person, then we let it happen to all of us. This kind of fight must be won, and will be won, only by the tenacity and courage of each individual who refuses to give up. Rev. Jim E-Mail: IRISH38@aol.com Web site: http://pages.prodigy.com/OH/zrjj15a/revjim.html Parent's Corner... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tip of the Week: Caring for Your Child's Teeth It's up parents to help their children practice good dental care. Good dental hygiene should start when your baby's first tooth breaks through. It's important to maintain the health of these first teeth to help a child chew food easily, permit normal development of the jaw bones and muscles, and to speak clearly and feel good about his or her appearance. Here are a few hints to make sure your child's teeth become and stay healthy: * Clean your baby's teeth after every feeding with a washcloth. When several teeth have appeared, use a small toothbrush * Liquids containing sugar cause tooth decay. If you put your child to sleep with a bottle, fill it with water rather than milk, fruit juice, formula, or other drinks with natural and added sweeteners * Replace toothbrushes every three months so that they can adequately clean all tooth surfaces * Brush or at least rinse after every meal * Move the toothbrush in slow short strokes with enough pressure to feel the bristles on the gums. Applying too much pressure, or using a brush with hard bristles, can cause injury to gums * Use waxed dental floss daily to remove food particles which remain on or in-between teeth * Use fluoride to prevent tooth decay * Watch for gum disease, especially among teens * Schedule regular dental checkups With Halloween right around the corner, and Halloween candy, it's even more important to help keep your child's teeth healthy. Jeff Sam Volunteer Child Safety & Parents Coordinator, Co-Sysop of Dr Furball's BBS and CAT's Co-Webmeister Internet Address: jsam@usa1.com Please visit Jeff's Sam's Child Safety and Parenting Web page: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/jeffsam/jeffsam.html/ GLB Youth Advisor: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT's current video project is on GLB teen self esteem. Our goal is to help put a stop to the unacceptably high rate of GLB teen depression and suicide. We also believe there is a direct correlation between low self esteem and unsafe sex practices. To this aim, as a public service we present to you the GLB Youth Advisor... Birthright ---------- When we are born we begin a journey of self exploration and discovery. This journey does not cease until our lives end. I believe that self exploration is one key element which distinguishes human beings from animals. You might ask yourself: What will our journey be like and how should we prepare ourselves for it? I believe we never really reach a destination on this journey. We continually learn and grow based on our experiences. The emotion and feelings we experience along this journey will vary directly with the nature of the experience. In other words, if our experiences are positive then emotionally we feel upbeat and retain a happy memory of the experience. On the other hand, if we encounter difficulties we dwell on them and keep unhappy thoughts. At this point you might be wondering: "Why bring all this up?" As GLB youth and human beings, we move along this lifelong journey like everyone else. However, encountering homophobia, intolerance, bigotry or racism provides a series of painful and negative experiences. We carry these experiences along on our journey as excess baggage. The real question then becomes: "How does one deal with these excess negative emotions and memories?" The key here is to remember that life goes on and plenty of positive experiences await us. I understand quite well that you might not feel that way right now. Believe me I've been there often. Why should you allow someone else to impact your life when YOU are the driver through life's journey? In other words, if you allow the hate of others to drive you into drinking, drugs or suicidal tendencies, you are losing control over your own life and handing it to them. It's your life! Do not let them win by allowing them to take your life from you without a fight. The best way to win against hatred is by growing intellectually and emotionally. When you rise above the intolerance and become a better human being, you prove to yourself and the world that being gay, lesbian or bisexual makes you strong, decent and moral. Mike Reddin Volunteer GLB Youth Advisor for Children's Animated Television Internet Address: wxman@pcix.com Mike has an area on our Web site dedicated to GLB youth: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/glb.html/ What if??? ~~~~~~~~~~ Our President, Claude DiDomenica writes this weekly column to stimulate the minds of our youth and adults who haven't lost their "youthful imaginations..." What if I had to decide what direction to steer the "ship of humanity???" You probably noticed this week's quote of the week: "Diversity is humanity's greatest asset and worst problem." Perhaps you are also wondering, "Who the heck is Quai Chang Furball???" Anyone familiar with the television series "Kung Fu" knows of the Shaolin priest and wise man Quai Chang Caine. I created a cartoon character named "Furball" the cat for our videos. He graduated from medical school and became "Dr. Furball." Now, he has the new moniker of "Quai Chang Furball", the wisest cat on earth! (In case you need an operation, he still has his medical license :) Any-old-how, I have decided to steer our "ship" towards a celebration of diversity. A great transformation is about to begin... Imagine how much we could accomplish if we jumped off this dangerous treadmill of hate and misunderstanding of each other's differences??? CAT will announce a new project to bring people together. (It's still a secret, but we are calling it "Project One Earth, One People.") Around 4 years ago Bessie and I completed our video for pre-teens called "The Cool Cat's Show - Differences." "The Cool Cats" are a jazz group who are the house band for "The Cool Cat's Coffee Club." They are a mixed group of different animals... The Cool Cats live on a planet which has gotten over its differences... (HINT, HINT!) The guitar player, a cat named "Scat" meets in his dressing room during a break with their bass player, another cat named "Ray." They talk about how cool it was to play music while these 3 cool mice danced. Scat tells Ray about a story his grandpa told him when Scat was a kitten. Cats and mice NEVER used to do things together... "Cats only had cat friends, dogs only had dog friends and mice only had mice friends..." Sounds a lot like planet Earth, doesn't it??? The scene shifts to the past. Scat is a kitten, sitting on a dock fishing with his grandpa. Grandpa starts telling him an important story about when HE was a kitten..." Now we are back in time when the world was at war. Grandpa says, "Cats fought dogs on land.... They fought mice at sea and bears fought gorillas in horrible air battles. Things got so bad that even cats fought amongst themselves!" The animals were fighting only because they were different. Finally, the cats decided to have a peace conference. There was much hate and mistrust at the peace table. Suddenly a cat named "Furball" from "East Catmandu" stood up and said, "I have a solution to end the war, not only between cats but between all animals." He said, "Everyone is afraid of animals that are different and we must admit this is true in all of us. Anyone who tells you that they are not afraid of these difference is lying to you and themselves. These differences in all of us should be appreciated and not feared. In fact, these differences make all of us unique and special." Furball discussed some of these differences: "For example, color. Some of us are black, some of us are white and some of us are tiger striped. When you see a cat who is a different color, do not be afraid of him or her. Also don't think or assume they are different only because of their color. Just because they look different from you, they might in fact be just like you." Anyway, Furball saves the world and they symbolically crown him "Furball the Great!" Furball's plan sounds like a blueprint to me! Both Bessie and I are REAL excited about things to come... We will fill you in next week with all the exciting details. It is time for our planet to end all the "-isms" (racism, sexism, etc.) that plague our spirits and souls. We could all learn a lot from the captain of the H.M.S. Furball! (Ohhhh... Furball is also sometimes Captain Ahab Furball :) Claude DiDomenica didom@usa1.com The CAT Credo... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Children's Animated Television (CAT) believes in a positive future for all children... CAT's philosophy is to help solve today's complex social problems through honest and open dialogue, education, information and compromise... CAT will produce video programs for pre-teens and teens to stimulate their minds, harness their creativity and imaginations to cultivate long-lasting answers to problems in their world... As a public service, CAT will also provide educational information using all available technology including a computer bulletin board, World Wide Web site and other electronic media. CAT will supply this knowledge for children, parents and educators to enable our society to develop ideas and solutions for a better tomorrow... Claude DiDomenica & Bessie Hadley Founders of Children's Animated Television July 15, 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Children's Animated Television. Use any advice or information at your own risk. To subscribe to "The CAT Chronicle" via E-Mail: E-Mail to didom@usa1.com Subject: Subscribe CAT Chronicle CAT is a 501-C-3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Contact Information: Bessie Hadley Executive Director Children's Animated Television, Inc. 1492 Highland Ave, Suite 3 Needham, MA 02192 USA Voice: 617-449-9699 FAX: 617-449-2238 Dr Furball's BBS: 617-455-8415 node 1 617-433-0026 node 2 Internet: hadley@usa1.com Claude DiDomenica President of CAT and Sysop of Dr Furball's BBS Internet: didom@usa1.com CAT's WEB Home Page!!! http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Get CAT's latest info releases from Software Creations BBS * * "Home of the Authors" * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * Internet Access: Telnet BBS.SWCBBS.COM * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * WEB Access: http://www.swcbbs.com * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * 2400/9600/14.4 USR HST/Dual Standard Public Access (508) 368-7036 * * 2400/9600/14.4/28.8 USR V.Everything Public Access (508) 368-6604 * * 2400/9600/14.4 USR HST/Dual Standard Member Access (508) 368-7139 * * 9600/14.4/16.8/28.8 USR V.Everything Member Access (508) 368-3424 * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * At Main Menu, type: J 178 * * for "Dr Furball's Educational & Philanthropical Conference" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995 Children's Animated Television, Inc. 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