Since this conflict initiated, over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, over 78,000 wounded, and more than 1.7 million have been displaced from their homes, out of which numbers and for all categories above, 50% are children and 70% are women and children. The number of Palestinian children killed during this conflict since October 7th has been greater than the number of children killed in conflicts around the globe from 2019 to 2022 and it stands alongside the currently ongoing war in Sudan which began in April 2023, as it is also reminiscent of the killing rate since Rwanda in 1994 when comparing the total number of killed and injured civilians per day since the conflict began. The attack on children and women of this conflict is atrocious. It should not be allowed at this time of our human history and must be stopped immediately. According to Haaretz, Israel News, Wednesday, 15.05.2024 ""Israel's defense minister called on PM Netanyahu to publicly declare that Israel won't establish military rule over Gaza, after Netanyahu told CNBC that "talk about the day after [the war], while Hamas is still intact" was pointless. Israeli officials warn that Egypt may withdraw from mediation efforts on a hostage release deal because of Israel's operation in Rafah, and that the crisis could harm security and intelligence cooperation between the countries. The EU said the continued assault in Rafah "would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU's relationship with Israel."" DEMOCRACY NOW: Israeli Human Rights Lawyer Attacked While Documenting Settler Raid on Gaza Aid ConvoySTORYMAY 16, 2024 ""Aid agencies are running out of food in southern Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing offensive in Rafah and the shutdown of the two main border crossings in the south. Some 1.1 million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation, according to the United Nations, while a “full-blown famine” is taking place in the north. Meanwhile, some Israelis have been blocking aid from reaching the Gaza border, including a violent attack on trucks carrying humanitarian relief through the occupied West Bank earlier this week, when settlers threw food packages on the ground and set fire to the vehicles at the Tarqumiyah checkpoint near Hebron."" According to Haaretz, Israel News, Tuesday, 14.05.2024:  ""The International Court of Justice said it will discuss new emergency measures sought by South Africa over Israel's offensive in Rafah on Thursday. The Biden administration reportedly believes Israel has concentrated enough forces outside Rafah for a full assault in the coming days. Talks over a hostage release/cease-fire deal have reached a stalemate due to Israel's operations in Rafah, Qatar's PM said. Cairo is considering downgrading its diplomatic ties with Israel due to the Rafah operation, Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal. Far-right Israeli extremists set ablaze two aid trucks bound for Gaza.""

There's strength in numbers! Let's come together and urge our elected officials to do the right thing. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have a comfortable place to live owe it to those of us who are less fortunate. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the homeless situation in our beautiful county. If we allow their encampments to be torn down, where will they go? Please sign this petition so our county can give them a place to call home.

To have equal rights, better health care amongst people who are put at a disadvantage because of a false diagnosis gives people a greater disadvantage than others to get the proper medical care treatments that they deserve just like anyone else. There needs to be stricter laws put in place before a diagnosis of psychosomatic can be made and be determined. Very strict steps that a health care provider must establish in order to rule everything out with proper testing, evaluation of past and current medical history and traumas. This diagnosis can never be made and labeled due to a MVA or any kinda physical trauma and injury that they have sustained. This hits very near and dear to me because of the medical neglect my children and I have had to face while my children have had to watch me not get the proper medical treatments and attention that I deserved and so they deserved as well. We have an epidemic in opiates and suicide rates at an ultimate high due to the medical neglect and errors that are made by given false diagnosis to patients are severely harmful. When labeling them for a mental health diagnosis instead of there real physical injuries. This is harmful to our medical community and Families.

Ensuring the safety and reliability of public transportation in Chicago is paramount for the well-being of its residents and the city's economic vitality. A functional public transit system not only provides essential mobility for commuters but also reduces traffic congestion, pollution, and dependence on personal vehicles. However, recent disruptions and safety concerns on trains and buses not only undermine passenger confidence but also hinder productivity and increase the financial burden on commuters forced to seek alternative transportation options. Moreover, the unchecked behavior poses a broader societal issue, reflecting the need for improved mental health services and social support systems. By addressing these challenges through enhanced security measures with proper mental health training and regulating ride-sharing prices, Chicago can promote a safer, more accessible, and equitable transit experience for all residents, thereby fostering a thriving urban environment.

This petition will be delivered with the letter below. As of this writing, more than 50 organizations and 70 individuals have signed it. If you would like add your organizations to the letter, please visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehxDE1egWy-bj2OBwGm1urZg363IfUYhj_DeMP4zZuZZzcLA/viewfor The letter opens, Dear Governor Shapiro, Legislators, In written testimony on road spreading of conventional drilling wastewater the DEP submitted to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, the agency said that “if a valid coproduct determination can be made that adequately compares brine to a commercially available product, even if it may not be as effective as other road-spreading products, it’s possible that oil and gas waste brine may continue to be spread as a dust suppressant. [emphasis added]” Given the scientific evidence of the danger road spreading poses, as well as the inability of the agency to manage oil and gas waste, continued road spreading is unacceptable. The undersigned organizations and individuals are calling for an outright ban on road spreading of all oil & gas waste in the Commonwealth. In 2022, the DEP issued a report ordered by Governor Wolf evaluating the agency’s oversight of the conventional drilling industry in Pennsylvania that declared, “A significant change in the culture of non-compliance as an acceptable norm in the conventional oil and gas industry will need to occur before meaningful improvement can happen.” The remark was based, in part, on shocking statistics that indicated that fewer than half of the conventional drillers operating in the state had filed production and waste reports in the previous five years. The yearly percentages told an even worse story. The rate of non-compliance was trending upward from 53.7% in 2017 to 61.8% in 2021. It was no surprise in March when Kurt Klapkowski told the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee that the figure for 2023 had risen to 86%. When a moratorium on road spreading of conventional drilling waste was imposed in 2018, some companies continued the practice by claiming a loophole in a program managed by the Bureau of Waste Management called the Coproduct program. Some of those drillers continued to report road spreading in their annual waste reports, so we know that at least 3.5 million gallons of highly toxic, radioactive drilling waste has been disposed of on our roads in the past six years. Given the degree of non-compliance, the amount that has gone unreported is surely much higher. Read the full letter at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehxDE1egWy-bj2OBwGm1urZg363IfUYhj_DeMP4zZuZZzcLA/viewform Photo credit: PA Environment Digest

Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years and reported concerns that he said could lead to “catastrophic” damage to management, who he says ignored his complaints and moved him to another part of the plant. Dean also raised concerns to management who then pressured Dean and his coworkers to downplay the defects that they found. And last month, Sam Salehpour, another whistleblower, told members of Congress that employees like Dean, Barnett, and himself who sound the alarm on safety concerns are “ignored, marginalized, threatened, sidelined and worse.” Salehpour even shared that he feared “physical violence” after coming forward. In the last three months, a Boeing plane door plug exploded on an Alaska Airlines flight; a Boeing plane suddenly nosedived mid-flight, injuring 50 people on a Latam Airlines flight; and a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a wheel fell off the Boeing plane, damaging and crushing several cars in San Francisco. And in 2018 and 2019 there were two Boeing crashes that resulted in the death of more than 340 people. There are workers working tirelessly to inspect these Boeing planes to ensure they’re safe to fly, but then workers like Dean are ignored, intimidated into not reporting defects, told to falsify records, and retaliated against for speaking out so that planes can get out of the factory faster. One of John Barnett’s friends asked him if he was scared and he said, “No, I ain't scared, but if anything happens to me, it's not suicide.” And Joshua Dean’s family said Joshua was very healthy and it was his first time in the hospital. Dean’s doctor says he’s never seen anything like what happened to Joshua in his life. Boeing’s former CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, was fired and accused of creating a culture that put profits ahead of safety, notably telling Congress, "We don't 'sell' safety; that's not our business model." Over the years, Boeing has continued gaining a monopoly when it comes to the aviation industry. CEO David Calhoun raked in $22.5 million from 2022 profits, and last year the company made $18 BILLION in revenue. Yet journalists, investigators, and Boeing employees have said that Boeing has cut corners and prioritized cost-cutting over safety and employee concerns. The dangerous trend of Boeing aircraft accidents is alarming. The Federal Aviation Administration is already investigating whistleblower claims that Boeing knew of flaws and defects and covered them up to speed up production. And now, the Department of Justice can and must investigate the deaths of whistleblowers John Barnett and Joshua Dean. Will you take action now and add your name to the petition?

Noem thought her disclosure about shooting and killing her family puppy and goat would impress her far-right base—but most people have responded with shock and disgust regarding her cruel and heartless behavior. While the statute of limitations for crimes like animal cruelty has likely expired since the incident, that doesn’t mean Noem’s actions should go without consequences. Noem was first elected as governor in 2018 and has had multiple controversies—from intervening in her daughter’s real estate appraiser license to potential misuse of her state airplane. And the MAGA politician's lack of compassion and poor judgment extends into the policies and laws she backs, with Noem reporting a 100% anti-abortion voting record, including supporting an abortion law that doesn’t allow exceptions for incest or rape and advocating for cruel anti-immigration policies. This most recent stunt confirms what we already know—Noem isn’t fit to be in office. There is no excuse for what Noem did to Cricket. She may not think her tough-on-crime approach should apply to her own misconduct, but, together, we can hold her responsible. Sign the petition to call on her to step down IMMEDIATELY.

Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since the Controlled Substances Act was signed in 1970. This classification was based on stigma, not science. The current recommendation from the Department of Justice would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug—believed highly dangerous, addictive, and without medical use—to a Schedule III drug that can be lawfully prescribed as medication. But the need to legalize cannabis nationwide couldn't be more urgent. Today, police make more than 1.5 million drug arrests each year, and about 550,000 of those are for cannabis offenses alone. Almost 500,000 people are incarcerated for nothing more than a drug law violation, and Black and brown people are disproportionately impacted by drug enforcement and sentencing practices. Add your name now to join a growing number of federal lawmakers, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Senate Majority Chuck Schumer and Oregon’s Sen. Ron Wyden, demanding that Congress pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would finally end the federal prohibition on cannabis while prioritizing safety, research, workers’ rights and restorative justice. Source: https://www.vera.org/news/fifty-years-ago-today-president-nixon-declared-the-war-on-drugs

If California doubles it’s PD rate we will be roughly half as bad as Texas. California business interests can congratulate themselves on successfully lobbying for a workers’ compensation system that provides among the worst PD rates in the country. It is now time to take care of our working class and provide them with the benefits that they deserve. Message your local representative and demand a change for all injured workers in California!

Though accusations had been made against Harvey Weinstein long before, they came to a head in 2017 when The New York Times and New Yorker released in-depth stories with accounts of Weinstein’s abuse. Still, it wasn’t until 2020, three years later, that Weinstein was convicted of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. He was also convicted of rape in California in 2022, a 16-year sentence that still stands. The New York Court of Appeals shamefully overturned his 2020 conviction, claiming that allowing other women to share testimony of their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse to demonstrate a pattern of behavior should not have been permitted. According to Judge Madeline Singas, this is part of a "disturbing trend" of sexual assault cases being overturned. It also comes just a few years after Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the U.S. Only a fraction of perpetrators of sexual assault and violence are held accountable. It is heartbreaking and infuriating that the New York Court of Appeals has twisted the law to let Weinstein, a convicted rapist, walk out of the New York prison. We owe it to the nearly 100 women who risked their livelihoods and careers to come forward— and the countless others who could not come forward—to make sure the charges against Weinstein hold. Ashley Judd, one of the early actresses to bravely share publicly her accusations against Weinstein, said that the Court of Appeals decision was "unfair to survivors," and that "(w)e still live in our truth. And we know what happened." We believe the nearly 100 women who came forward against Weinstein. And together, we can ensure that their efforts to hold Weinstein accountable are upheld by the New York legal system.

This could be deadly to those who ARE photosensitive. It furthers the idea that bullying is okay and our disability (epilepsy) is something to laugh about. We have faced stigma since ancient times, but if the world is so inclusive these days, why is there an entire community that is able to be targeted and attacked?

People with asthma and COPD should not have to suffer through Teva’s price-gouging just to access the inhalers they need to survive. There is absolutely ZERO excuse for Teva to be the only major inhaler manufacturer that hasn’t capped out-of-pocket costs at $35. There is no cure for asthma or COPD, which means that people with these diseases need their inhalers to survive. But because of the corporate greed of inhaler companies like Teva, many have had to ration their doses due to the costliness of inhalers. Families should not have to choose between food, shelter, and electricity or their lifesaving medication while corporate executives line their pockets, but that is the reality that many Americans are facing. And in the midst of the pandemic, the worst public health crisis in the U.S., and while one out of five Americans cannot afford the medicine prescribed by their doctors, Teva has made $1.7 BILLION in revenue on their inhalers in the past five years alone. Teva has used profit from that revenue to provide huge multimillion-dollar compensation packages to the CEO and other top executives at the company while their patients ration their inhaler doses (if they can even afford them to begin with). Teva Pharmaceuticals still hasn’t, but Sen. Sanders says that Teva Pharmaceuticals is considering joining the other three major inhaler manufacturers in capping their inhaler costs at $35. That’s where we come in. We have to keep up the pressure to ensure that they listen and follow through. Together, we can make it happen. Will you sign the petition and send it to three friends to spread the word?