Researchers, Policymakers Call on U.S. Government to Take Immediate Action to Address National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Violence Against Children

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Leading policymakers, researchers, scholars, jurists, and child advocates from across the country have issued a public statement calling for the development of robust plans of action at federal, state and local levels to address all violence against children. The joint statement cites epidemic levels of violence against children in the U.S., which has the worst record of fatalities due to child abuse among industrialized nations.

According to a recent BBC report, "over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members. That is nearly four times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The child maltreatment death rate in the U.S. is triple Canada's and 11 times that of Italy. Millions of children are reported as abused and neglected every year." The dire reality of child abuse was made visible last week when a disturbing video was released showing a 16-year-old girl's violent beating at the hands of her father, a Texas family court judge.

The joint statement is the outcome of a national consultation convened last Friday by the Children's Studies Center for Research, Policy and Public Service at Brooklyn College. Participants included representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Nations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the State Legislature, among others, as well as neuroscientists, psychologists, and sociologists. The statement received overwhelming support from the presenters, members of the audience and representatives of key local and national organizations.

The statement calls for the creation of a national commission on children--the first since 1987--to address the challenges facing our nation's children; the development of federal, state and local policies, legislation and regulations to prohibit all forms of violence against children in all settings; and the consolidation of national data systems and research on violence against children in order to inform advocacy, policy making and resource mobilization to safeguard children's right to freedom from violence. The list of signatories will be released later this month.

[Updated] Happy Birthday to Cristian Hidalgo and David Marquis [and Alex Armstrong]

If this reminds you of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory as done by Tim Burton...

it should...

ish...

Deadline for Connecticut Private Non-Profit Organizations to Apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans is December 5

The U.S. Small Business Administration reminds Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) in Connecticut that Dec. 5, 2011 is the deadline to submit Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications. The loans are available from the SBA because of the snowstorm that occurred on Jan. 11-12, 2011.

Eligible non-critical PNPs located in Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, New London and Tolland counties and the Tribal Lands of the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan Tribal Nations located entirely within New London County in Connecticut are eligible to apply to SBA. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers and colleges.

The SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs such as ongoing operating expenses for eligible non-critical PNP organizations. This assistance is available regardless of whether the organization suffered any physical property damage. Loan amounts can be up to $2 million, and the interest rate is 3 percent with terms up to 30 years. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant's financial condition.

To obtain disaster loan information and application forms, call the SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Forth Worth, TX 76155.

PNPs affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from SBA's website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The filing deadline to return economic injury applications is December 5, 2011.

Milford Mirror Endorses Ben Blake for Mayor

Choosing a mayor

Written by Editorial Staff
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 13:43

Milford’s mayoral candidates are to be commended for their courage and tenacity in running for a very demanding job with the goal of bettering the city they love and taking the time to push ideas they believe are in Milford’s best interest.

The candidates have willingly endured public scrutiny in order for voters to find out who they are and what they profess to do to improve the quality of life for Milford residents now and in the future.

That said, we do believe one candidate stands out as the most deserving of the mayoral vote this year.

Democrat Ben Blake has spent eight years as a member of the Board of Aldermen readying himself for the job, learning which ideas work and which ones do not work.
[...]
During a meeting earlier this year when city officials debated waiving certain Planning and Zoning regulations for people severely affected by Tropical Storm Irene, Blake stood out because he spoke with the head of the city’s land use department about the impact of those changes.

A city leader cannot always be an authority on every issue: A key sign of leadership ability is knowing who to talk with and how to gather needed information before making a decision.

It is refreshing to see a leader seek out the parties who actually do the work for feedback on what needs doing.

This is the kind of growth we’ve seen in Blake over the years.

He loves the community, and certainly will do the best he can for Milford, relying on his education, intelligence, experience and the lessons he’s learned while making decisions as an alderman — decisions similar to those a mayor will be asked to make on a daily basis.

We give our endorsement to Blake.

Horserace to the Elections

[UPDATED 11/14/11] Boil Water Advisory list - Post October Storm

Please note: The following is a copy and paste...Excuse any errors

The following public drinking water systems are under a boil water advisory:

Only the customers of the specific public water systems listed are being advised to boil their water. The advisory does NOT apply to the entire town, just the systems listed below:

• Sharon Heights Water Association, Bloomfield
• Chippanydale Association, Bristol
• Markowski Farms, East Windsor
• Interlaken Water Company, New Fairfield
• Woodland Summit Community Water Assn, Tolland

The updated list of public water systems under a boil water advisory is also available online at www.ct.gov/dph/ (click on “October Snow Storm: Important Health Information.”)

Celebrating Dia de los Muertos

People who Died - Jim Carroll