From:      Claude DiDomenica <didom@usa1.com>
To:        A16.A16(kidstv)
Date:      9/19/95 12:18am
Subject:   FYI
THE CAT CHRONICLE
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                         * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
                         *  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  *
                         *    September 15, 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 printed version of this newsletter is
  available upon request ($2 per week), as well as on the Web.
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CAT Currents:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last week, we made an URGENT appeal for help to keep our video
project for GLB youth alive... So far, only a few concerned
people have responded... We have decided to re-publish last weeks
CAT
Currents:
Now that Summer is finally over, most people are back to school
or back to work... Here at CAT, it was a VERY slow summer. In the
beginning of June, we announced our current video project to help
gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) teens develop self-esteem and to
prevent suicides. Being new to the issue, we mistakenly assumed
the
GLB community would rally around a common cause: GLB youth. We
have since learned about the fear of many GLB adults (potential
supporters). Many adults feel they've been hurt and unfairly
accused of being child molesters who recruit youngsters into the
"homosexual lifestyle." Obviously these accusations are false. We
will stick by our plan to produce the video, as well as provide
factual, honest and age appropriate information for GLB youth
through this newsletter and our Web site. Since June 5, we have
received only $150 in donations.
Our phone bill for June was $250!!! It is clear we can not
continue to operate with this lack of financial support. This
project is in serious danger of failing...
We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization, including the
administration. Claude DiDomenica, the President of CAT recently
said, "You know you run a progressive non-profit when the only
food in the house is food for the cat..." Many people have
complemented us on our newsletter and the CAT Web site. They
enjoy the original articles and information. Recently, Bessie
Hadley our Executive
Director, spoke with a potential supporter who said, "I saw your
newsletter on America On-line." The word is getting out and the
emotional support, if NOT the financial support, is there.
Another hurdle we face is that we are not a direct service
organization. We don't feed the homeless. It is easy to be
charitable when you can see the face of a starving child. Our
goal for long term prevention and education is a contribution
just as important as providing shelter for the homeless. Any
project to encourage self-esteem in today's youth is a worthwhile
project. Preventing the suicide of a GLB teenager should be just
as important...
If you want us to continue this life saving educational project
for
GLB youth, PLEASE send a check (a tax-deductible donation) to:
Children's Animated Television, Inc.
1492 Highland Ave, Suite 3
Needham, MA 02192
Remember, everyone should want a brighter future for GLB teens...
Parent's Corner...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip of the Week: Eating Out with Kids...
Here's some tips to make your eating out experience with your
children more enjoyable for all:
 * Choose a "child-friendly" location - Some restaurants are
simply
   more suitable for young guests--fast food places, family-style
   restaurants, "coffee shops," or sidewalk cafes, for example.
You
   will feel more relaxed about dining and you'll often get more
help
   keeping your child or children happy.
 * Phone first - If you are going to a restaurant for the first
time,
   call ahead to make sure children are welcome. Ask if they have
   high chairs or booster seats. If not, you can take a clip-on
seat
   that fits most tables or improvise a booster seat by wrapping
a
   couple of old telephone books with contact paper. Find out if
you
   can place your order before you arrive to cut down on waiting
time
   once you get there.
 * Bring your own... - You know your child best. If he/she needs
   special equipment, like a bottle or cup with a spout, bring it
   along. Diversions in the form of snacks or toys can help your
   little one stay occupied until your meal comes.
 * Keep it as familiar as possible - If your child eats little or
is
   not used to a variety of foods, order a small portion of a
food
   he/she does know, split dinners between two or more children,
or
   bring along peanut butter and jelly. It will cost you less,
waste
   less and in all likelihood, your child will be happier (and so
   will you!)
 * Arrive early - Try to get to the restaurant at an off-peak
time.
   This way you can avoid long waits and crowded conditions.
 * Try to sit by a window - The activity outside can provide
novelty
   for your child while you are waiting to be served.
 * The quick fix - If you could not order ahead of time, ask if
there
   are foods that can be prepared quickly. If you must wait for
your
   food, one parent can take a restless child for a short walk to
the
   lobby or parking lot.
 * Bail out - If all your efforts fail and your child starts
falling
   apart in the restaurant, have one parent, an accompanying
adult or
   teenager exit with the child quickly to avoid spoiling the
meal
   for everyone else. You can take home the food the child has
not
   eaten.
Every time you eat out at a restaurant, it is a learning
experience for your baby , young child and for you. What does not
work one time may work the next. Rest assured, as you both get
better at it, there will be better days and restaurant
experiences ahead...
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 Parenting and Child Safety Web page:
http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/jeffsam/jeffsam.html/
CRISIS IN MERRIMACK:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi there! As many of you know, CAT has been helping our freedom
fighting friends in Merrimack N.H. In case you didn't know, the
School Board of Merrimack, New Hampshire voted into policy on
August
14, 1995:
Policy 6540--Prohibition of Alternate (sic) Lifestyle Instruction
"The Merrimack School District shall neither implement nor carry
out any program or activity that has either the purpose or effect
of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive
lifestyle alternative. A program or activity, for purpose of this
item, includes the distribution of instructional materials,
instruction, counseling, or other services on school grounds, or
referral of a pupil to an organization that affirms a homosexual
lifestyle."
The above policy is discriminatory, shows no compassion or love
and allows the Merrimack School Board the unwise power of
censorship.
The policy flies in the face of everything that is decent, just
and fair in our American society... People from all backgrounds
must stand up and fight for the rights of our nation's youth...
CAT is considering producing a short video documentary on the
Merrimack situation. We need your financial support to do this!!!
Please send a tax-deductible donation today to:
Children's Animated Television, Inc.
1492 Highland Ave, Suite 3
Needham, MA 02192
Remember, keep those letter coming!!!
Letters regarding this issue should be addressed to:
The Merrimack District School Board c/o James O'Neil,
Superintendent
36 McElwain Street
Merrimack, NH 03054
Fax: (603) 424-6229
Copies of letters should also be sent to the individual members
of the board at their published home addresses:
Chris Ager, Chair (supports the policy)
9 Newton Road
Merrimack, NH 03054
Ken Coleman, Vice Chair (opposed to the policy)
39 Gail Road
Merrimack, NH 03054
Ginny Twardosky (supports)
82 Baboosic Lake Road
Merrimack, NH 03054
Brenda Grady (opposed)
7 Woodward Road
Merrimack, NH 03054
Shelly Uscinski (supports)
3 Forest Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
Please also send a _blind_ copy to:
Randal L Kottwitz
27 Peaslee Road
Merrimack, NH 03054
Phone: (603) 883-8786
Fax: (603) 880-6153
Media addresses for letters to the editor:
The Nashua Telegraph
60 Main Street
Nashua, NH 03060
Fax: (603) 882-2681
The Manchester Union Leader
P.O. Box 9555
Manchester, NH 03108-9555
Fax: (603) 668-6397
The Bedford/Merrimack Bulletin
P.O. Box 280
Goffstown, NH 03045
Fax: (603) 497-5017
The Village Crier
579 D.W. Highway
Merrimack, NH 03054 no fax
The 1590 Broadcaster
502 West Hollis Street
Nashua, NH 03062 no fax
The Concord Monitor
P.O. Box 1177
Concord, NH 03302-1177
Fax: (603) 224-8120
The Boston Globe
135 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02107
Fax: (603) 929-3192
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CAT sponsors "The Outrage Page" on the World Wide Web, including
a separate page on ways to combat the ignorance, shortsightedness
and prejudice towards gay, lesbian and bisexual children voted
into policy by Merrimack's School Board.
Point your Web browser to:
"The Outrage Page"
http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/outrage.html/
"Here's what you can do to help..."
http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/action.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...
"The Loneliest Boy"
-------------------
Throughout our lives we face alienation from our peers because we
feel different from them. This difference goes far beyond GLB
issues and includes race, gender and where we live. Unfortunately
as GLB youth, we sometimes isolate ourselves before giving anyone
a chance to be our friend. We face enough problems without adding
to them by hiding from the outside world as a GLB youth. I kept
my distance from most people. I lived this way most of my life
and made few friends throughout high school. The combination of
being shy and "different" made me so afraid I would avoid even
speaking to anyone. At the time,
I did not even understand what made me "different" from other
people, at least not until my senior year. Please do not be
confused about the concept of "coming out" (telling someone you
are GLB) and isolation...
Instead, I am talking about the issue of isolating oneself to
avoid someone "discovering" your sexual identity. It comes down
to a personal question you must ask yourself: "Should I try to
make friends and maybe risk someone figuring out I might be GLB?"
Personally, I needed to deal with two problems: being gay and
shy.
While some people are quite outgoing and never lack for friends,
others keep to themselves. Since we need the encouragement and
support of our peers to grow and prosper, does isolating yourself
from the world really make sense?
During the last couple of months I have written about depression,
suicide, drugs, loneliness and homophobia. The common thread
between these elements deals with the lack of support. Some
people blame these problems for "creating" homosexuals. I believe
that being homosexual or bisexual in today's society creates
these problems.
However, finding support is one of the common cures for these
problems. Support does not always refer to finding a "gay youth
group", but also includes just making friends. Because of my
living situation, I have more "straight" friends than gay and I
am "out" to most of them. Even if you never tell your friends you
are gay, the strength you gain from a real friendship can help
carry you through troubled times. You may never find real
friendship if you spend your time sitting in the corner of the
room as I did...
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???
~~~~~~~~~~
A new feature to the popular CAT Chronicle is "What if???"
Our President, Claude DiDomenica will be writing a weekly column
to stimulate the minds of our youth and adults who haven't lost
their
"youthful imaginations..."
What if my cat "The Monster" was king of the world???
This must really sound strange... First of all, my cat is a nice
monster... We only call her that because she is quite the huge
and furry feline.  As you know, my non-profit organization is
trying to help GLB youth. "The Monster" does not care whom we
chose to love.
Her first "decree" would be to consider sexual orientation a
fundamental human right. She would also instruct our schools to
treat homosexuality as any other issue: fairly and honestly. You
see, she is quite the wise cat... When was the last time any of
you saw a cat discriminate against a person???
I have felt for a long time that our pets are superior to people
when it comes to unconditional love. Although our pets are less
developed intellectually, they seem to be smarter than us when it
comes to their lack of prejudice... Hail to "The Monster!!!"
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
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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/
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Copyright 1995 Children's Animated Television, Inc.
            All Rights Reserved
This newsletter may be freely distributed as long as it remains
intact and this notice is not removed. Please do not post on
USENET,
FIDONET, WILDNET etc. without permission of the conference
moderator.
                    #  #  #
--  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * *
*  Claude DiDomenica  didom@usa1.com
http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/ *
*  Children's Animated Television  *a non-profit organization
   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * *