As a former foreign-language teacher and a bi-lingual citizen, I have trouble finding a good selection of music and eBooks to keep up my fluency. I think that this lack of access to culturally relevant products prevents U.S. students from becoming truly interested in learning about other languages and cultures. I can browse Amazon's web-site for other countries and see lots of interesting choices, but they won't allow me to buy these products. Think about it- I want to give them money for a digital copy of an existing product, but they won't take it! What kid of business model is that? Meanwhile, corporate America wonders why our students aren't linguistically diverse....

When condo boards abuse their power and ignore their fiduciary legal obligations it is very difficult for a condo homeowner or renter to take the board to court and force compliance with the law. Many condo boards are dysfunctional or inept and need supervision. It's time to correct this state-wide problem. The Davis-Sterling Act places homeowners and renters at a disadvantage when confronting condo boards. A condo owner who has a complaint must try to go to non-binding arbitration, then on to small claims court just to have simple issues resolved. Many condo owners are seniors and don't have the stamina for that kind of a fight. All those legal steps can take months. Single-family residential homeowners don't have to do any of it. They can just call the city for help with nuisance complaints that affect their property values. Why don't condo owners get help from city government? We pay taxes and we're not getting equal protection under the law. It’s time to put some teeth into the Davis-Sterling Act. The Davis-Sterling Act needs to be amended to provide for the following: 1. When major repairs are needed, require sealed bids to be opened only at a public condo board meeting so that property managers and contractors can't conspire to cheat condo associations. That's how the city, state and federal government prevent bid-rigging. Condo associations need it too. 2. Require annual property inspections by the city to force boards to keep up the property like they are supposed to by law. The inspector could fill out a report card on the condo board and require them to shape up, explain their lack of action, or resign. 3. Require special training and licensing for property managers. Your hair stylist needs to be licensed, why not your property manager? (Those who handle property rentals or sales need a real estate license, but condo board property managers need no special license.) 4. Require the condo board to respond in writing when written complaints are made by condo owners so that the history of the complaint can be documented from both sides. Under Davis-Sterling condo boards are not required to reply at all. Some property managers even advise boards not to respond in writing to avoid creating a paper trail that can be presented in court. 5. Each city that approves the building of common interest developments or condo complexes has a social interest in the success or failure of these developments. Local government should play an oversight role to insure that homeowners are treated fairly by amateur condo boards and paid management companies. A local housing agency should be tasked with overseeing condo boards with the power to impose penalties when boards violate local ordinances, state law or their own CC&Rs. 6. Boards usually respond quickly when fines are threatened. For example, the threat of a fine by the fire department results in quick action. Like the fire department, the overseeing agency would have the power to impose reasonable fines. If board members refuse to abide by the law, and their own CC&Rs, the city’s overseeing agency could remove them from office. 7. The overseeing agency shall have the power to inspect the properties, accounts and bookkeeping procedures of any condominium complex or CID within its jurisdiction and impose reasonable penalties against the condo board and any management or financial agent hired by the condo board. Please feel free to WATCH the local news story at the URL below. http://www.kusi.com/story/24005862/follow-the-law-get-gone (Just copy and paste the address into your browser.) You can help by posting this small flyer at your condo complex. http://www.successviamedia.com/pdfs/Bulletin-Board-Sign.pdf Please remember to Email all your friends and neighbors also. FACEBOOK: If you're on FACEBOOK you can link to the petition from my page: https://www.facebook.com/tom.heffernan1 Thank you.

To provide proper checks and balances to a single person with too much power.

My grandchildren have moved away and my son and daughter in law refuse to let me see them.

As an African-American, I am offended by the racial comments made by Leonard Battaglia regarding Asians and African-Americans. As a public official, Battaglia's bigotry and prejudice are an insult to equality and racial justice. He does not deserve to be compensated by diverse ratepayers in the wastewater district.

Demand Clear Channel renew Randi Rhodes contract which expires December 13, 2013. We listeners of Randi Rhodes demand CEO Robert Pittman negotiate a new contract and keep Randi on the air!

The Watrous Farm which has been owned and farmed by the Quakers in Quaker Town (before it was Ledyard) has been sold to a local developer. We are hoping to get the land bought back by someone, the town, a Land Trust, or the state so that the farm land that has been open farm land since the 1600's can be preserved and farmed. Ledyard is an agricultural town with an agri-science program at the high school. There are many many people who want to see this happen and we are willing to do whatever is possible to keep the land preserved and used for farming.

We have 14 elementary and 4 middle schools in the Griffith Park area and no Little League in an era when afterschool activities & sports are being cut. Our children, especially those at risk, between the ages of 8-14, need positive outlets for their growth. Youth sports are proven to be a beneficial influence in a child's life. There is a small group opposing the fields due to the removal of approximately 40 trees, which the City has said will be replaced at least 2:1. We need to show as much support as possible to the City of Los Angeles. Email now by December 1st why you support youth sports and two new baseball fields in Griffith Park to [email protected]. Thousands of children thank you.

As a father of two children, one entering his school years I have a concern about how the youth in our country encounter extreme violence in film and video games. There are many examples where killing is made to look cartoonishly fun. I realize that a more responsible approach in these mediums will not end gun violence, but that doesn't mean we as individuals shouldn't strive to minimize the bad influences on our impressionable youth.

Torfaen Borough Council have done it again.....now in their infinite wisdom they've decided to do away with Lollipop Ladies/Gents as part of their cost cutting measures. I wonder if they'll sleep OK when the first child is knocked down!! Shelia along with all her other colleagues across Torfaen go above and beyond to make sure our children get to school safely. Whatever the weather they stand there day in and day out and their number one concern is getting our children to school safely. What will happen once they are all gone?

For more than six decades the Azores has hosted a U.S. military presence at Lajes Air Force Base, which has bolstered the U.S. and its allies’ control of the Atlantic. Lajes is a valuable military asset that enables for the rapid deployment of warfighters, aircraft, ships and global communications for AFRICOM and CENTCOM’s joint, coalition, and NATO operations. In addition to being a globally strategic military asset, Lajes plays a pivotal role in U.S.–Portugal bilateral relations. Additionally, the base plays an important economic role in the Azorean economy. It is estimated that the proposed reduction of force at Lajes would result in a 40% increase in unemployment on the Island of Terceira and lead to 1.5% reduction in GDP for the Azores as a whole.

This petition is about stopping the cruel animal slaughter practices done. This petition is about enforcing the rules and regulations the USDA already has in place for animal slaughter. This petition is about receiving better quality meat from the animals we slaughter.