Part 3 Ferguson Stories Tweets Videos from the Locals

DISCLOSURE: I am white. If you are white and this story makes you uncomfortable, I urge you to fight the urge to close this window and to read the whole story.. 

It's not racist to feel challenged and awkward in thinking about these issues. 

It is depressing, though, if you can't muster the strength to get a different perspective than your own. 

I would urge you to really listen, hear the whole thing, get a fresh perspective, and consider ALL the facts. (copied from: Upworthy Things That Matter Pass it On)

The people of Ferguson have a reasonable request:

Video of USA Armed Forces Veteran during a Peaceful Protest in Clayton, MO

RT @ArrestWilson: Is this #Ferguson resident & Vietnam veteran just another rioting thug to you pathetic trolls? http://t.co/mkcKjLfBF7
— ILoveMyWife0007 (@NavyDad0007) November 20, 2014

Missouri has a public records law – the "Sunshine Law" -- so you can find out what public officials are doing – and how your tax dollars are being spent.

5 On Your Side is trying to examine what local officials were saying to each other in emails after the shooting in Ferguson.

The documents we've uncovered raise new questions about what has – and has not been released. copied from:http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/ferguson/2014/11/19/ferguson-police-deleted-e-mails-and-search-questioned/19304949/

#Ferguson police email deletion and search questioned➡️ http://t.co/LYFRib53Q7 #p2 #tcot pic.twitter.com/QyVZM2VuFY
— R.Saddler (@Politics_PR) November 20, 2014

"I do believe there is a smoking gun out there someplace and it's likely in someone's trashbin," Leopold said. "I'm outraged, and I think the public should be as well."

BREAKING #Ferguson PD are arresting citizen journalists like @bassem_masri to keep them off the street ahead grand jury announcement
— Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) November 20, 2014

Here's an active livestream of the current protests: http://t.co/TJuuNL0cvx #Ferguson
— deray mckesson (@deray) November 20, 2014

See more of the Ferguson Stories and Videos from the Locals Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6   


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TELL YOUR U.S. SENATORS THEIR VOTE FOR THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE WAS WRONG!

On Tuesday evening, 59 senators voted to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Thankfully, this bill failed to reach the 60 votes it needed for approval. If built, the Keystone XL pipeline will transport hundreds of thousands of barrels of tar sands oil — the dirtiest, most dangerous oil on the planet — straight through America’s heartland.

We cannot sit by while our members of Congress try to push this horrible pipeline through our country. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable when they vote against our climate and our planet. Use this form to submit this message below, and tell your senators that their vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline was unacceptable!

To see how each senator voted, go here.

Note: Many Congressional offices require phone numbers in order to submit online petitions -- we hope this will not deter action on this important issue.

Your vote for the Keystone XL pipeline was wrong

Dear Senator,

As your constituent, I am deeply troubled by your vote in the U.S. Senate last night supporting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline is all risk and no reward, and must be stopped. 

I am very disappointed in your vote supporting the dangerous Keystone XL pipeline. 

Scotty ads: Its obvious that you do not care about the health and well being of Missourians by voting for Tar Sands Pollution.  Because you don't seem to care about the environment, I will do everything in my power in encouraging voters to not re-elect Blunt and McCaskill for office in Missouri ever again.

I expected #BigBusiness #DirtyOil Roy Blunt to side with #BigOil but I was totally shocked that #SenMcCaskill sided "against" her party and voted in Favor of the #KeystoneXL.  That was the straw that broke my voting for you ever again, Ms McCaskill.  I'd also like to point out that the State of Missouri is hip to the Democratic Leaders of our State-and your vote against the people will be used against you in any Missouri Governor ambitions in the Future.

Sincerely,
Scotty

ps: Leaders like you are not needed.



McCaskill shows how out of touch she is in the Morning Joe Interview on #Ferguson















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Design Build Loft CAD Designs Master Bath

 Design Build StLouis Green Home Rehab CAD Designs by Scotty
Master Bath-Marble Tile Decor, Sunken Jetted Tub, Dual Vanity, Closet Space, His and Hers, Grab Bars, Shower Seating Area, Age In Place Design for future handicap needs.

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Design Build Loft CAD designs with Build Notes

Design Build Energy Efficient Loft Home Design CAD drawings and Build Notes for Brick Home LEED Rated Project:

• Exposed Brick Interior Walls- Soulard Red Mortar
• 2nd Floor Loft Railings will reflect the design chosen for the finishes- Modern, Rustic, Traditional, etc.
• Fireplace, Mantle, Smoke Stack- Final Design chosen to match existing finishings and the exposed brick walls.
• 3 Bedroom
• Master Bed w/Bath ea floor
• 2 Full Bath,
• 2-1/2 bath,
• Open Floor Plan-Kitchen,
• Utility Room,
• Dining,
• Great Room,
• 1st Floor Sun Room/Study,
• 2nd Floor Office/Spare Bedroom,
• 2nd Floor Deck,

• 

  Design Build Energy Efficient Loft Home Design CAD drawing

  
  

I propose:

• Make Fireplace focal point of front room and second floor Loft Area
• Loft removing 1/2 of the front room ceiling and floor system.
• This opens the entire floor plan up and gives options for incorporating fireplace, mantle, and smoke stack up the wall for Vertical Appeal.
• 2 Draw Backs to this design: 
• a: it is not as energy efficient to have ceilings that tall, windows that large and numerous. 
• b: the size of the opening is about the size of a bedroom.  So you lose a bedroom.

• On the Adjacent Wall- copy the existing design of where the Glass Block in the 1st Floor to Ceiling.  Directly above- copy and build this set up into the 2nd Floor as well.  This will tie the vertical space together. 
• Glass Block or:
• Stained Glass- would or could also be used for accent options.
• Since the existing flooring is damaged in the center of the room on the first floor; I also suggest to incorporate a design into the floor as an accent in front of the fireplace.  Matching the existing floor could prove to be a challenge- here's an example
• If you choose to use the fireplace for more than looks and for actual heating purposes, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to channel that hot air back into the rooms.

Energy Efficiency:

• Exposed Brick walls have little to no insulation value.
• If insulation is desired you have to insulate the outside or build walls on the inside.
• I have additional energy saving design tricks for brick walls up my sleeve that I will share at a later date.
• I say sacrifice the R Value for Koolness factor,
• To combat the energy loss from the walls means that whatever makes the heat needs to run cheap and use no fossil fuels.
• Geothermal is my first choice,
• Solar w/ Instantaneous is 2nd choice
• Full Insulation in Attic/Ceiling as well as
• Basement Walls and Ceiling (full ins)
• Geothermal Infloor heating or radiant floor heating with electric are heating options to minimize the HVAC heating.
• Fireplace- Emergency use or heating choice (high efficiency insert into a fireplace for increased energy efficiency- could be ducted into existing hvac ducts and used to heat home.)

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Veterans Day 2014 Solar Deal

Scotts Contracting is a Show-Me Heroes Employer!

USA Flag Veterans Day 2014

Thank You-Military Brothers and Sisters Veterans Day 2014.  

I'm sharing the prices of these SunPower E Series  Solar Panel Pricing to show you an example of how you can become energy independent at an affordable price.  This price is so low that the $2 per watt incentive from Ameren UE is not needed.

World's Highest Efficiency Ever Attained! 20.4% Efficiency All Modules Are E-Series Grade-*B Item Warranty Price SUNPOWER 435W Modules 25 Years $.64/W SUNPOWER 435W Laminates 20 Years $.29/W SUNPOWER 327W Laminates 20 Years $.29/W Grade-**C Item Warranty Price SUNPOWER 435W Laminates 20 Years $.18/W SUNPOWER 327W Laminates 20 Years $.18/W

* Grade-B Modules are brand new. They come with frames, junction boxes, and MC2 connectors. They have been tested and each panel is full power. Estimated lifetime is 30-40 years.

These modules may have small cosmetic blemishes that are practically invisible to the eye, and may include a few discolored cells, and scratches on the frames, glass, and tedlar.

**Grade-C Modules are the same as Grade-B but they have more cosmetic blemishes.

435w Laminates $.29 per watt

435w Laminates $.18 per watt

 For those of you who have been following the Ameren UE Solar Rebate Legal Battle over the $2 per watt incentive from Ameren

The prices of these panels make going solar cheap and inexpensive enough that the Solar Rebate from Ameren is just an afterthought (in case they sway and lobby the Missouri Legislators from eliminating the Solar Rebate in Missouri).


Example for 4,000 K system using simple math and a 435 w solar panel

Solar Panels

4,000w divided by 435=9.19 round to 10

• 435w x $.29=126.15  x 10 = $1,261.50 Grade B
• 435w x $.18=78.30    x 10 = $783.00 Grade C

Solar Racking

• 4,000w x $.35= $1,400 Mid
• 4,000w x $.25= $1,000 Low 

Solar Inverter

• Large Format Micro Inverters 10 x $152= $1,520
• Central Inverter                      1 x $1,000= $1,000

Solar Installation

• 4,000w x $1.00= $4,000
• 4,000w x $.75= $3,000

Using the above example you can have become energy independent for between $8,181.5-$5783.00.  

Solar System Break Even Point using .09/watt cost of electricity (not including the electric price increases of 5% per year)

• low 64,256 Months or 5 1/3 years
• high 90,945 Months or 7 1/2 years

Between the 5th or 7th year your Solar System has paid for itself!

• Per Manufacturer's Warranty you will have 18 and 25 more years of guaranteed electricity for free from your solar system.

As an Independent Solar Provider in StLouis I can't bring you a better deal on Solar than this.

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My Halloween Celebration

Halloween is a special time of year for me as I notch another year of sobriety in my most treasured life accomplishments.

@StLHandyMan #congratulations ! So blessed to be here & #enjoy another day booze-free ! My path is similar. We are SOOO BLESSEC!
— organics count (@LizzySm25755296) November 1, 2014

There was a couple of reasons for giving up booze and the destruction it was causing in my life.  Some people say that a Drunk will only stop drinking when they hit rock bottom.

I don't honestly know if I reached rock bottom.  I do know that I didn't make positive life choices while under the influence of booze.

One of my rock bottoms came when a very dear lifetime friend stopped talking to me because my bad drinking decision stopped him from participating in his favorite past times of attending a Kansas City Chiefs football game.

This was a straw that broke the camels back in re to my drinking. 

I treasure my friends.  Loosing a trusted lifetime friend gave me the realization that a change was needed.

 I stopped drinking, by making the conscious decision- booze was wrecking my life and all that I treasure.

Its now been 12 years since I gave up booze.  Sobriety has worked for me and if you are contemplating leading a life free of bad influences.  I suggest to anyone to give it a shot.

Here's how I did it: I tricked my mind by performing a life experiment.  I know my mind has the instilled philosophy of never giving up.  So I worked this into an experiment in sober living.

I learned through talking with drunks, addicts, people who went sober, and attending a few AA meetings (that I honestly thought was a crock of shit): many people gave up drinking and then went back to drinking after a short time period.

To trick my mind I created an experiment: I would go without booze for 1 year, at the end of the year I would look back for positive changes and examine if my life was better. (edited after posting: My original booze free experiment was to go 3 years first- to really give my mind a chance, and is similar to how I read the Metallica Band Member went 'booze free' years ago.)

I learned during that years sobriety experiment that it was possible to live without the booze.  I didn't jeopardize any friendships or lose friends and even gained new Friend's that supported my endeavor.

Proof Positive, sobriety worked.  I then said to my mind-let's experiment for another year.  And  I  have continued this successful experiment every year and have continued to live a sober lifestyle.

I don't know why my experiment in tricking my mind has worked.  I do know that:

           I don't or allow my mind to dwell on thoughts of drinking everyday, because of my experiment, where every Halloween I look back to make the next years decision on whether to drink the coming year or not.

Its now been so long that thoughts of whether I'll drink this year are pretty much nonexistent.

Nevertheless, I reaffirm my next years 2015 experiment and weigh my prior years 2014 successful experiment.

Find what works for you when battling your inner demons and issues.  And take it from me, that no matter how big of an issue your mind may make of something- you can change.

My best to everyone.  Happy Halloween.  I'll give a sobriety update in 2015.

Tele Convo Details Solar Rebate RENEW MO

I just had an informative telephone conversation with RENEW MO Director Mr M Walter (Corrected and Updated Information 11/12/2014 Scotty).  We discussed a few things about the State of Affairs specifically AmerenUE suspending the Solar Rebate option for customers in the St.Louis Region.

Thumbs Up Clean Energy Solar in St.Louis

I'm going to share some of our conversation that was not included in his email (see corrected post below):

• Corrected and updated information via Mark-Renew Missouri 11/12/14 (strikethrough comments were/are partially incorrect)
  • Even though Ameren UE has suspended (illegally) the Solar Rebate that is paid to customers who install a clean energy system.  He suggests: "still apply for the Solar Rebate".  
  • His reasoning is: "We the Voters voted this program into existence" which was then challenged by the Lobbying Efforts by the Electric Companies statewide.
  • Just because this program is in limbo is by no reason for not applying since the Legislation is being challenged.  If RENEW MO is successful in their ongoing Court Battle:
  Anyone who has applied and installed a Clean Energy System could benefit retroactively from the Net Metering Request
  
  
  Thanks for the blog post the other day.  Has it gotten much attention?  In the future, Renew Missouri and I personally would love to be involved in your blog in whatever capacity we can.  If you wouldn't mind, we would appreciate it if you'd run any of our conversations by us before you post them on your blog.  There are a couple of things that aren't accurate on the blog post that I'd like to try and get straight.
  
  
  First, there are a few lawsuits going on in Missouri, and Renew Missouri is only involved in one of them.  
  1. In September, we wrapped up a case against Empire Electric in the Supreme Court.  We're still waiting to hear back on the verdict, but if we win then people in Empire Territory only will likely have their rebates reinstated.  We're encouraging solar installers to prepare rebate forms for their customers in Empire Territory only so that should we hear a positive verdict, we can create a rush of solar rebates for customers.
  
  
  The other big case in Missouri right now is Solar LLC (representing several solar companies in the state) and Missouri Coalition for the Environment vs. the Missouri PSC attempting to reinstate rebates for all of the Investor Owned Utilities.  Should they win the case, it is likely that rebates will get reinstated for all customers in IOU territory.  It is possible that if people were wrongfully denied solar rebates (i.e. they applied for solar rebates during the time that the IOUs decided they weren't paying) that they can then get retroactive payment through a separate lawsuit, but since Renew Missouri is not a party to this law suit in any way, we aren't advising our supporters to do anything like that.  I'm sorry if I wasn't very clear in our conversation and I accept total responsibility for any murkiness there.

Mark Walter
Renew Missouri
Deputy Director
(573) 590-2255

End- Corrected Information

• Which is a great thing!  Especially since Ameren is a Co-Owner in any clean energy system that is hooked to the grid.  Thats right: if your system is hooked to their power supply via your electric meter-
  They partly own your system because they can then count this net metering towards the Renewable Energy Target set by the Voters of Missouri.  (The energy created by your clean energy system that you do not have to pay for or buy from the electric company gets credited to Ameren.)  You reap the savings and Ameren gets the credit and then skirts their duty on paying for the Solar Rebate established by Missouri Voters.

I personally have no desire to help a company that poisons the world with Dirty Coal Pollution.  

So I've been working behind the scenes on a way to bring the Residents of St.Louis a clean energy solar system that is affordable and will enable you to completely eliminate Ameren from the mix.

My Goal: 

1. Provide St.Louis Residents with an option to have a clean energy system that is affordable without the Solar Rebate from Ameren. 
2. I've set up an accounts with a Solar Finance company's who is helping everyday Americans become self sufficient by generating their own clean energy electricity without having to burn Dirty Coal. 

Drop me a line, Send an Email, or fill in the contact form and I will help you become energy independent and free you from the Electric Companies grip on your finances and health.

Scotty,

"It was great chatting with you this afternoon.  I think it's pretty clear that we're both in the same place on the issues facing the solar industry today.  I'm glad you have found a good product to offer your customers to help them get over the big front end investment.  I'm sure that will make a big difference as you work harder on sales.

Like I was saying, we've been putting together a campaign with solar installers around the state to reach out to their previous customers and hopefully get some referral business for them while educating the homeowners on their solar rights.  As the legislative session gears up again, we'll be trying to build our grassroots supporters so they can call their legislators and let them know what they'd like to see done, and this will be an important step in that direction.

Let me know what you think or if you have any input on anything else.  It will be great to chat with you as we move forward this year.  And as always, if there's anything we can do to help you out, let us know.

All the best,

Mark Walter
Renew Missouri
Deputy Director
(573) 590-2255"

Background on Renewable Energy Standards via RENEW MO

• In 2007 and 2008, Renew Missouri spearheaded the Missouri Clean Energy initiative via the statewide ballot process. The initiative, which was called Proposition C, passed with 66% of the vote makes Missouri the 27th state to have a renewable electricity standard (RES), and only the 3rd to pass it by ballot initiative. 
  
  • Prop C requires investor-owned utilities to get 15% of their electricity from clean energy sources by 2021, 2% of which must come from solar.
  • Through 2030, Prop C is expected a carbon reduction equivalent to permanently removing 2 million cars from the road by 2021.
  • Prop C includes a solar rebate program that will make it cheaper for most Missourians to install a solar system on their home or business.
  • Over the next 20 years, Prop C is predicted to save Missourians $331 million on their electric bills and is expected to stimulate in-state generation of renewable energy sources resulting in thousands of new “green-collar” jobs.

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