Bravo, California!!!

Cudos to the dedicated and persistent CPS Advocates and like-minded legislators who finally achieved an important change in the California CPS law.

After five years of effort, a bill was signed today (10/4/11) by Governor Jerry Brown raising the CR requirement from 6 and 60 pounds to 8 years.

It has an exemption for kids who are medically unfit (including over 4'9"). It includes a "correct belt fit" requirement for kids, so older kids may come under the requirement, depending on fit in their vehicle (5-step test).

California, which had been among the first states to pass a “booster law,” had seen two vetoes (by Gov. Schwartzenegger) of earlier attempts. The fight has been long but worthwhile, since we all know that a well publicized change like this can influence many caregivers’ behavior.

This reminds me that we all need to keep in mind that CPS education is only one part of a comprehensive effort to protect children’s lives:

Education

Legislation/Enforcement

Engineering/Standards

True CPS advocacy involves awareness of and support for all these aspects.

Fighting for years for improving legislation is one of the toughest struggles. Our California colleagues and Governor Brown deserve our thanks!

Deborah

The details of the revised law are at:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0901-0950/sb_929_bill_209_bill_20111004_chaptered.pdf


Is there a gray? Let's talk—NB

Well if you live in Seattle that’s a no brainer questions.

And as an artist I can tell you not only is there gray, there is a warm gray, a cool gray (which has nothing to do with popularity or the weather), a deep gray, light gray, blue gray, and on and on. I can tell you how to mix it and when a cool gray should be used verses a warm gray. What I can’t tell you is there is no such thing as no gray, in life and in painting.


Some people don’t believe that, they are sure there is just a black and a white. My Mom, who is 91 and knows a thing or two, once said for every rule there is an exception, or else it’s not a rule it’s an absolute.

Which was a little heavy for a nine year old to digest, but is true if you think about it. Is the sky blue?  Well as a rule, in Arizona, yes. Except when it’s hot pink, or inky black or hmmmm, gray. Is the grass always green, no, (except in the other guys yard, then it’s green-er)

Even absolutes are not always set. Think about that flat earth thing that was an absolute a few of centuries ago.  And less than few centuries ago, I had a science teacher tell our class there was not way man would ever reach the moon.  Where would we be today if everyone just accepted these absolutes?  How far would we have progressed?

Life is made of black and white and when they blend, you get a gray.  And that gets people talking, and talking results in dialogue.  Which is a good thing because dialogue is an exchange of ideas. (no shoe pounding on a podium please).  An exchange of ideas can produce an increase of knowledge, and a change of ideas and thinking, which in turn can result in change of rules and absolutes.

So while I respect the absolutes, the black and whites, I also know that creating a dialogue about them is healthy and good. It always has been as it keeps the community growing towards a better, safer, healthier unit of people who in return, work together with the common goal of improving the community as a whole.

What's Blue and Taller Than Sally—NB

Steve and Sally

Seattle is raining and cold today, the street is full of puddles and the wind nips at your face.  And in all this drizzle and grey, a big old white truck rumbled down our street, filled with big white boxes (and boxes).  And tucked inside each box were the new 2011 LATCH manuals, the color of a Seattle sky on a warm summer day.  A feeling good, happy day, lay-in-the-grass-with-nothing to do blue sky day. You know what I mean?   That blue.  


At 9 AM today, Consolidated Press came with a special delivery of manuals!  Consolidated Press is major cool, guys.  


The majority of the run is still at the bindery, but, just for us, they pulled 669 off the floor so we could have some before Christmas. (I told you they were cool!).  


Their usual truck was in the shop, so they used an old one, without a lift.  The driver (Don), Sally, Steve and I hand unloaded the boxes. Each box weights 25 lbs.  We all got a bit of a work out.    


Ok so Sally is only 4 ft 11.  But still that's a lot of boxes.

LATCH talk among the cabbages

Today, while in the grocery store, I took a call from my contact with the LATCH Working Group, who shared with me that the auto manufacturers are holding several meetings to discuss the Sunshine Kids SuperLATCH. Even the next “Safety Policy Meeting” of the higher-ups with the Alliance of Automotive Manufacturers has it on their agenda. So the good news is that they are definitely paying attention to this innovation and hope to have some definitive response fairly soon. SRN will report all.

And, no, I didn’t let on that I was in the vegetable department! I simply took notes on the back of my list.
DDS