The election is over - but the votes have yet to be counted. I don't know about anyone else, but I vacillate between wanting to be on social media all day to know who's ahead - and wanting to put my head in the sand and keep it there for the next four years. So far I've been able to maintain a good balance - I check periodically - but I'm not obsessed with it. It will be what it will be, and we'll soldier through whoever - and whatever - lies ahead. Knowing that God is in control - that He will not be surprised by the outcome - that, in fact, He has PLANNED the outcome - is helping me keep my sanity. I will not give in to fear or anxiety over this - and we will continue serving women and saving lives - no matter who is ultimately named the winner.
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Living in Southern California means living with the possibility of wildfires happening in your community. During dangerous weather conditions, SDG&E might proactively turn off power to lower wildfire risk. This is known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Even though SDG&E has been working to ensure power shutoffs are smaller in size and duration, it’s still important for our customers to be ready. Here are some tips to prepare in advance for a potential PSPS:
For more information on what you can do before, during and after a PSPS, visit sdge.com/psps. With the coronavirus pandemic causing financial hardships for many individuals and families, you may benefit from one of SDG&E’s assistance programs. You can apply online for these bill discount programs. Many people who previously couldn’t take advantage of these income-based programs may now qualify due to lost wages – even if they’re receiving unemployment benefits. These programs include:
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program: Save 30% or more every month on your bill. Find out if you qualify at sdge.com/CARE. Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program: If you don’t qualify for CARE and your household has 3 or more people, you may qualify for FERA. You could receive an18% discount on your electric use. Visit sdge.com/FERA to learn more. Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) Program: You may qualify to receive free energy-saving improvements for your home, such as new appliances like refrigerators, furnace repair, lighting, insulation and more. Find details at sdge.com/ESAP. Medical Baseline Allowance Program: If you need to use more energy to operate medical devices due to a qualifying medical condition, you may qualify for a discount on your SDG&E bill. Get more information at sdge.com/medical. Online applications are easy, fast and convenient. To learn more, visit sdge.com/assistance. With the coronavirus pandemic causing financial hardships for many individuals and families, you may benefit from one of SDG&E’s assistance programs. You can apply online for these bill discount programs, which can save 30% or more off your utility bill. Many people who previously couldn’t take advantage of these income-based programs may now qualify due to lost wages – even if they’re receiving unemployment benefits. These programs include:
If you’re having a hard time paying your utility bill, call SDG&E’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-411-7343 to learn about flexible payment arrangements or other options available to you. Visit sdge.com/coronavirus for updates on the coronavirus pandemic and how SDG&E is helping, and learn more about SDG&E’s assistance programs at sdge.com/assistance. Your August1 SDG&E bill will include a statewide electric California Climate Credit. It’s part of California’s effort to fight climate change and work toward a zero-carbon state. The credit comes from a state program that requires power plants, natural gas providers and other large industries that emit greenhouse gasses to buy carbon pollution permits. The credit on your bill is your share of the payments from the state’s program.
In past years, the electric credit was applied in April and October and the gas credit was applied in April. For 2020 and 2021 the California Public Utilities Commission has authorized a temporary shift of the electric portion of the credit to be applied to the months of August and September to provide some bill relief during the hottest months of the year and help reduce bill volatility. To learn more about the Climate Credit and find out the dollar amount, visit cpuc.ca.gov/climatecredit. From LifeNews.com A new Gallup poll shows more pro-life Americans refuse to vote for pro-abortion candidates and pro-life Americans are also more likely than pro-abortion Americans to say a candidate’s position on abortion is crucial to their vote. That enthusiasm gap will be a problem for pro-abortion presidential candidate Joe Biden as he takes on President Donald Trump, who enjoys the support of pro-life groups after building a lengthy pro-life record in the White House. According to Gallup, “24% of U.S. adults who say they will vote only for a candidate who shares their views on the issue is, along with last year, significantly higher than most other years in the trend.” In fact that 25% figure is the second highest figure since Gallup began asking the question in 1996, making it clear abortion has become a non-negotiable issue for one quarter of all American voters. But abortion is more pertinent for pro-life voters and Gallup finds pro-life Americans increasingly refuse to vote for candidates who support killing babies in abortion: The latest findings, from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll conducted May 1-13, show the continuation of a trend seen since 2001 whereby Americans who consider themselves to be pro-life are more likely than those who identify as pro-choice to say abortion is a threshold issue. While these groups have placed varying degrees of importance on the abortion issue in the past, the gap in their views has widened. Currently, 30% of those in the pro-life camp and 19% in the pro-choice camp say they are single-issue voters when it comes to abortion. Those who consider themselves pro-life are significantly more likely than their pro-choice counterparts to say they will vote only for a candidate who shares their views on abortion. Catholic League president Bill Donohue tells LifeNews.com that the poll does not bode well for Joe Biden. “Trump is pro-life and Biden is pro-abortion,” he said. “The key issue, of course, is whether abortion is the taking of an innocent human life or not. Gallup reported last year that 96% of 5,500 biologists surveyed said that life begins at fertilization. This is Trump’s position as well. Biden says it is his too, but he adamantly refuses to endorse it as a matter of public policy.” “I’m prepared to accept at the moment of conception there’s human life and being,” Biden said in 2015, “but I’m not prepared to say that to other God-fearing, non-God-fearing people that have a different view.” Donohue said: “It is preposterous to say that the issue of when life begins can be dissolved to a mere “view.” Science does not take a “view” on this subject: it declares, on the basis of empirical evidence, that life begins at conception. Similarly, science offers proof—it is not a “view”—that the earth is round.” “On the subject of abortion, Biden is on the wrong side of the public (including Independents), the wrong side of science, the wrong side of history, and the wrong side of morality,” he concluded.  Right now, due to COVID-19, many San Diegans are having a difficult time. SDG&E offers programs that can help those in need of assistance. Whether you rent or own, you could be eligible to receive no-cost energy-efficient home improvements that can make your home more comfortable and save you money now and for years to come.
Just reach out to SDG&E’s authorized contractor, Synergy, at 888-272-8394 or Sandiego.office@synergycompanies.org. Synergy can enroll you in the program, contact-free, if you qualify. Once it’s safe, the contractor will come to your home and may provide at no-cost:
With the coronavirus pandemic causing financial hardships for many individuals and families, you may benefit from one of SDG&E’s assistance programs. You can apply online for these bill discount programs, which can save 30% or more off your utility bill. Many people who previously couldn’t take advantage of these income-based programs may now qualify due to lost wages – even if they’re receiving unemployment benefits. These programs include: 1. California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE): Provides a 30% or more discount on your electricity and gas bills. Qualification is based on participation in certain public assistance programs or household income as of today. Apply at sdge.com/CARE. 2. Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA): If a customer doesn’t qualify for CARE, they may qualify for FERA, which provides income-qualified households of three or more with a reduced electric rate (18% discount) on their monthly bill. Learn more at sdge.com/FERA. 3. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A federally-funded program that provides up to $1,000 to help low-income households with their energy bills. Find details on sdge.com/LIHEAP. If you’re struggling to pay your utility bill, call SDG&E’s Customer Contact Center at 1-800-411-7343 to learn about flexible payment arrangements or other options available to you. Visit sdge.com/coronavirus for updates on the coronavirus pandemic and how SDG&E is helping, and learn more about SDG&E’s assistance programs at sdge.com/assistance.  Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Making Coronavirus Vaccines Using Cells From Aborted Babies6/15/2020  By Micaiah Bilger - LifeNews.com
At least two possible coronavirus vaccines that are on a fast track for development use cell lines from aborted babies. Despite a strong outcry from pro-life and Catholic leaders and despite ethical alternatives being available, a number of research teams still are using the cells from aborted babies in their work, Newsweek reports. These include Janssen Research & Development USA, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, and the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, which could be the first to make a coronavirus vaccine available in the United States, according to the report. Both research groups are on a Trump administration short-list for funding to develop a coronavirus vaccine by January 2021, the report states. Other researchers also using cell lines from aborted babies include CanSino Biologics, Inc. and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology and the University of Pittsburgh, Science reports. Some are using a cell line from a baby who was aborted sometime around 1972, while others are using one from a baby who was aborted in 1985, according to the report. As the report explains: Decades-old fetal cell lines are already used to make a number of common vaccines, including against chickenpox, shingles, Hepatitis A and Rubella. A cell line is the term used to describe a culture of animal cells, in this case taken from fetuses, that can be cultivated repeatedly in a lab. The relatively common technique sees viruses grown in the cells, as the bugs aren’t alive and need a host to replicate. According to Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not involved in the protests, this results in vaccines created using this method containing residual or “very, small, small, small quantities of trace DNA” from the original fetuses. University of Pittsburgh researcher Andrea Gambotto said the cell lines from aborted babies are more useful than ethically-derived sources. “Cultured [nonhuman] animal cells can produce the same proteins, but they would be decorated with different sugar molecules, which—in the case of vaccines—runs the risk of failing to evoke a robust and specific immune response,” Gambotto said. But other scientists disagree. Earlier this year, the Charlotte Lozier Institute identified 60 potential treatments for the virus that are being investigated using materials that do not come from aborted babies. Respected researchers Drs. James L. Sherley, MD, PhD and David A. Prentice, PhD recently reviewed the vaccines in development for the coronavirus and published a list identifying which are being made ethically and unethically. They found at least 10 companies that are not using cell lines from aborted babies in their vaccines. Pro-life leaders also have highlighted how ethical alternatives to cell lines from aborted babies are available, including pluripotent stem cells and tissue from placentas, umbilical cords and amniotic fluid. In 2018, the Trump administration created a $20 million grant to invest in these ethical research alternatives. Catholic and pro-life organizations have been advocating against research using aborted baby body parts for years. During the coronavirus crisis, they have renewed calls to scientists to abide by basic ethical standards in their efforts to save lives. According to the Catholic News Agency, a Canadian Catholic archbishop recently took his pro-life advocacy a step further by donating thousands of dollars to an ethical vaccine research project at the University of British Columbia. Earlier this spring, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure vaccines are being produced ethically. “… we think it’s very important at this moment to let the voice not only of the Church but other concerned citizens to voice that we want to—we all want a vaccine, we realize that’s important for our public health, but we also want a vaccine that has no ethical problems in the way it’s developed,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, earlier this spring. SOURCE: LifeNews.com Temperatures are rising. Check out these energy efficient tips for keeping cool at home, as well as information for summer and wildfire safety. Energy tips
If you’re on a Time-of-Use pricing plan, remember that shifting some energy use outside the hours of 4-9 p.m. can also result in savings on your energy bill. Regardless of your payment plan, if you’re worried about spikes in your energy bill during the summer, consider signing up for SDG&E’s Level Pay program. It averages your costs throughout the year, making your energy bill more predictable and easier to budget for. Learn more at sdge.com/lpp. Summer Safety
Following home safety tips for fire prevention is a great first step to keep your home and family safe. Remember to prepare an emergency plan if a fire or other emergency happens in your area. You can find checklists to help make sure you and your loved ones are prepared at sdge.com/checklists. SDG&E is committed to helping you stay safe and informed throughout the year. For more information on summer safety, efficiency tips and available programs to help with your summer energy costs, visit sdge.com/summer.  |
AuthorSharon Pearce has served as the Director of Silent Voices since 1984, and has dedicated her life to speaking up for the unborn - and for the women who have been hurt by abortion. Categories |
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