To save an entertainment medium from vanishing.

Many cities across the country and our own state have changed local laws and ordinances to allow for the raising of a small flock of hens. It is time for Cicero, NY to join this movement. With proper education and a little research it is very easy to raise chickens in an urban setting without fear of noise, smell or disease. At the same time you can provide your family with a very healthy choice in home grown eggs. Factory farming is failing us in many ways. This will relieve the pressure on factory farming, while giving residents the right to provide a much more humane, and safe environment for backyard chickens. Let's join cities like New York, Baltimore, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Potomac, and many more to put food production into the hands of city residents.

Starting in 2016, persons between the ages of 18-49 in the state of Tennessee that are not working, in a specific school, or volunteering are not eligible for food stamps except for three months in a three-year cycle. Legislators did not fully comprehend or take into consideration the following: Tennessee has limited mass transit. Most of the state has no public transportation. Farms and farmers that work for no pay to produce crops are not considered working. In fact, farmers work harder to supply local grocery stores with produce, meat, and products all year round. Farming is not work. Jobs are not readily available as this is a right to work state which means they have a right not to hire you as well. You must have transportation to get anywhere and not all families or individuals have personal transportation or access to transportation. Those with health problems are not exempt. Many people have health issues and this state does not consider that. Family members that are caretakers are not exempt. Many people depend on family members for care from feeding and bathing to medication home dialysis administration. Care taking is a full time job. WIA programs are not always available or accessible. Certain schools at certain times have WIA classes. Not all locations are accessible and many are far from residences at unreasonable distances with no guarantee that the sacrifice and hardship will get you a job. Volunteering requires transportation and a compatible organization. Based on volunteering for religious organizations, not all religious affiliations have open volunteering opportunities. Some are closed. You need transportation to accomplish all these things. Yet Tennessee has no mass transit infrastructure except in major cities such as Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis. All other locations are rural with no access. It is fact that those people in the age bracket, which is a good population of the state, will go hungry and food banks depleted based on current criteria for SNAP benefits. They will be the only place for individuals and young families to eat and get a week's worth of goods per month. We the people of the state of Tennessee demand that this unjust, unfair criteria be repealed immediately and the legislators stop harming the population of our state.

Our Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia circulated a similar petition to celebrate International Human Rights Day on December 10th. I wanted to share this with you.

CPHS volunteers have witnessed animal abuse and neglect at this particular shelter. It was brought to the attention of the Shelter Director, the Board President, Board Secretary and Humane Officer, without resolution. Some of the concerns include an employee who mishandled a dog by removing the dog by lifting her in the air and dragging her and calling her derogatory names. Volunteers have brought to the attention of staff and veterinarians the lack of appropriate follow-up care on animals. Dogs are also forced to hold their bowels and bladder in excess of 15 plus hours a day. There is also a lack of thorough home inspections and background checks for potential pet owners. This has resulted in some animals being adopted by people who previously did not care adequately for their pets. The grounds of this facility are also filthy. The laws must be changed to protect these innocent animals.

There is a rising tide of hateful rhetoric and violence aimed at our Muslim and Arab community members, at refugees fleeing violence, at immigrants and at people of color in our communities. This swell of hate and fear permeating our national dialogue is dangerous. We believe it must be met head-on with clear statements of principle from local business owners because we are leaders in our communities.

Since the illegal takeover of power from the then democratically elected government of Sir Dawda Jawara on July 22, 1992 by President Yahya Jammeh, The Gambia has known anything but peace -- Gambia was regarded as "the smiling coast of Africa" by the international community. Therefore, the recent announcement by Jammeh to turn this once beacon of freedom into an Islamic State is a continuation of the abuse of the constitution that has been his Modus Operandi from the onset. What makes this move more alarming than the pervasive killings, disappearances, and tortures of the citizens for all these years is that it is an attempt to change the very character and history of The Gambia. Sharia could become the law of the land, the already traumatized Christian and other religious minorities could be pushed further into isolation, the country’s pariah State status will be further worsened. All these circumstances will only allow for far worse human rights abuses than we have already witnessed, and the country can erupt into a violence that could threaten the entire sub-region. In light of these potential dire consequences, We the citizens and friends of The Gambia, hereby make the following declarations: -Because this action is unconstitutional, it will not be done in our name -Because this could encourage Boko Haram and ISIS type organizations to use Gambia as a base, we are totally opposed to it -Because Gambia is a Secular State, any religious interference into state matters will compromise the core principle of Separation of Church/Mosque and State that this country was founded on -Because this action will only worsen the human rights abuses that have been pervasive in this country, it cannot be accepted -Because the minority Christians and people of other faiths will see it as an effort to further isolate them, it will only divide our people. That makes it unacceptable -Because President Yahya Jammeh's pronouncement is unconstitutional and does not represent the core values of Gambians who have inter-generational relations between Christians, Muslims and Pagans, this will breed divisiveness within those sects.

My petition is for a pardon of my 27 year old criminal record. I've paid my debt to society in full for what I did as a young man growing up in a tough home situation. Since my release in 1993 I've created three businesses and spent my last 20 years in business being a strong advocate for Returning Citizens. I released a book in 2012 titles "From the Block to the Boardroom" detailing my life story as a blueprint to encourage anyone else going thru a similar situation that change is possible. Last year out of a unprecedented 900 Nominees through out the Country I was selected as one of 16 White House "Champions of Change" for my community work in the Reentry and employment field.

The Fiscal Code bill is one of the bills that must be passed in order for the state's budget to be passed. It details procedural rules about how money can be spent, like who can sign checks, etc., so it's a prime target for pork and other political hijinks. This time around, the Senate has passed a version of the bill that includes several environment killing measures. The bill is moving quickly and may be passed by the House at any time. Unless the few environmental champions in the House prevail at removing those measures, it is the version of the bill Governor Wolf will receive for his signature. Please join us in telling Governor Wolf that he must veto HB 1327 for the sake of the environment.

Jose's response: “District administrators are desperately attacking me because I have been demanding accountability for our elementary schools and students in Escondido. Our district has one of the lowest test scores in the county, and I was elected to change that. Voters should be outraged by the use of a 'legal thicket' that is designed to protect the cozy privileges of administrators. As the only elected Latino on the board, I find it astounding that more is not being done to help our students who are English Learners. The only workplace intimidation has been against me for attempting to vigorously promote the interests of students and parents. Stop the legal maneuverings and stand up for students and parents. Administrators should not have such a thin skin, and they do not need to align themselves with those who want to overturn past elections. Administrators should be encouraging robust discussion at the School Board level, not repressing it. The community and our students deserve more than that.” Please sign this petition and pass it on. Show Jose and our community that we will not be bullied by administrators and board members with a political agenda! Read more here: Restraining Order Offers Glimpse into Escondido School Board Follies http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/12/restraining-order-offers-glimpse-into-escondido-school-board-follies/ and here: Escondido board may have violated open meeting law http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/11/fragozo-escondido-banned-order-ibarra/?fbshare=1918790

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is renewing his push for Congress to debate and vote on an authorization for the use of military force against ISIS, the Washington Post reports. [1] “The British Parliament, the French National Assembly, the German Bundesrat and even the Duma in Russia, for God’s sake, are having a debate and having a vote,” Sen. Kaine told the Post. “The spotlight is getting bigger and bigger on congressional inaction and indifference.” President Obama called for Congress to vote in his Oval Office address. But Congress has refused to vote. “They want to criticize the president, but if they can avoid voting to authorize or stop him … then they feel they can be completely scot-free and they’re not going to be held accountable,” said Sen. Kaine. Urge Congress to debate and vote on an authorization of force against ISIS by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/12/14/the-daily-202-tim-kaine-possible-hillary-running-mate-is-madder-than-ever-congress-hasnt-declared-war-on-isis/

Americans already know we have a big money problem. In a recent WSJ/NBC poll, 69% of respondents said they “feel angry because our political system seems to only be working for the insiders with money and power, like those on Wall Street or in Washington, rather than working to help everyday people get ahead.” This sentiment is backed up by research showing that when the preferences of the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans conflict with that of the rest of the population, the 10 percent trumps the 90 percent. Despite this, big money interests have continued to dominate our elections and in turn, our national agenda. All of the Democratic presidential candidates have acknowledged the problem of big money in politics. But acknowledging the problem is the easy part. That’s why we need to hear what specific actions these candidates will commit to taking to get big money out of politics, and on what timeline.