While Netflix reaped tons of positive press for their new maternity/paternity leave policy, the company left many of their own workers behind. Their streaming employees recently received unlimited paid maternity/paternity leave, but their hourly workers on the DVD side didn't. An employee at one of Netflix's DVD hubs, where hourly workers package DVDs for Netflix customers, told Huffingpost anonymously that the hourly hub workers would not be included in the unlimited paid maternity/paternity leave. Instead, hourly workers only received 1-month paid maternity/paternity leave and an option for longer partial pay. Netlfix has declined to comment. Regardless of whether Netflix employees work on the streaming or DVD side, everyone at Netflix deserves their company's generous paid leave benefits. Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/certain-netflix-workers-dont-get-new-unlimited-parental-leave_55c38156e4b0f1cbf1e3edf6?qfzjjor

"A proposed bill in Hawaii has ignited renewed discussion about the impact of the state's largest aquarium fishery, which catches hundreds of thousands of gem-like saltwater fish each year for shipment to collectors around the world. Supporters say the industry is sustainable and regulated. But environmental activists say the practice is destructive and depletes populations of popular fish species." - Mike Taibbi, Public Broadcasting Service, Feb. 14, 2015. I have been snorkeling on the Kona Coast since 1966, spending 8 to 10 weeks a year there. I am shocked by the drop-off in numbers of fish I have seen since 2005. Several years ago 800 dead yellow tangs were found in a dumpster in Honokohau harbor, apparently left there by a collector who had developed a hole in his boat tank. Which begs the question, what was he doing with 800 yellow tang in the first place? It's high time to stop this destruction of the reef. Join me in asking the State of Hawaii to stop it for good.

We ask that you contact your Florida State Senator by letter or email to join with Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard in co-sponsoring Senate Bill 6. This bill would increase Florida's Minimum Wage From $8.05 Per Hour to $15.00 Per Hour. Hourly wage earners within the State Of Florida need this raise to help improve the quality of life for their families. Using the link below, click on the Senators tab to find your State Legislator: http://www.flsenate.gov/

"A Nice Place to Live" is the motto of Darien, Illinois. Allowing these amendments, variances and special uses changes the atmosphere of our community, both literally and figuratively.

Right now, power plants in New Jersey and all over the country are free to emit unlimited levels of carbon pollution, to devastating climate change. This summer, the EPA released a solution that will finally rein these emissions in and move our country toward a clean energy future -- the Clean Power Plan. Big Oil and Dirty Coal are going ballistic. Their allies in Congress are pushing to rip the plan to shreds. They’ve tried to defund the EPA. Groups like ALEC and the coal industry are trying to derail the plan across the country. Mitch McConnell has even told governors to flat-out ignore the EPA and the Clean Power Plan. How this all plays out in New Jersey depends on Governor Christie. And with all of these attacks, it’s imperative that he hears from you. Stand up to protect New Jersey’s shores from sea-level rise and ask Governor Christie to support the Clean Power Plan.

Political leaders in Harrisburg have hijacked the state budget to protect the oil and gas industry. If they get their way, they’ll block the Wolf administration from regulating the gas and oil industry to prevent our drinking water from being contaminated. And Republican leaders’ budget slashes all investments in clean energy – investments that won’t cost the state a dime if the oil and gas industry finally pays its fair share in taxes. House and Senate leaders want business as usual. It’s up to us to remind them that that’s not what Pennsylvanians voted for in November. We can counter Republican leaders’ strategy and force anti-environment lawmakers to back down if they see massive support for the governor’s budget and pro-environmental policies.

The Democratic National Committee just released the presidential debate schedule--and it's sparse at best. The proposed DNC schedule with only four debates before votes are cast--less than a quarter as many as during the 2008 primary--fails to give Democratic voters or the American public a chance to have a vigorous conversation on the issues that matter to the American people. These new rules hurt the Democratic party, the eventual Democratic nominee, and our country. Tell the DNC: Go back to the drawing board and come up with a new, more inclusive schedule, or allow others to plan their own sanctioned debates.

Taxes are increasing at an all-time high on the local level to the point where the elderly on fixed incomes are being pitted against their children and grandchildrens' education. Municipalities are being cut to a dangerous level in order to pay the school budget. Something has to change.

As a physician, I am very concerned about the plans to replace some of the grass in Carmel Valley parks with artificial turf. Artificial turf is toxic to humans and the environment. One of the most commonly used artificial turf uses infill consisting of ground up old tires, which contains toxins including dangerous chemicals and lead that are loosely packed into the turf and can be easily inhaled, absorbed or eaten. These chemicals have been implicated in causing lymphoma in soccer goalies, among other health concerns. As a mother of two boys at Ocean Air Elementary school, I am particularly concerned that one of the parks to be affected is Ocean Air park. On the off chance that a selected turf may not contain these directly toxic compounds – for example some use silica for infill – it still is dangerous in other ways. It does not support our desert ecosystem. It requires regular maintenance, including frequent washing with WATER, often weekly, to keep it clean. This dirty outdoor carpet also is prone to growing bacteria, MRSA (flesh eating bacteria), mold and fungus, and for that reason it requires regular spraying with toxic antibiotic chemicals that wash off into our groundwater. It also gets very hot in direct sunlight and increases ambient temperatures and can cause burns. While I certainly understand the need to conserve water in the drought, I have unsuccessfully requested a safe and environmentally friendly option instead of toxic turf. This concerns me because I have enough patients already with devastating neurological diseases; I want to protect our kids from this. Relevant articles: "As the turf ages and weathers, lead is released in dust that could then be ingested or inhaled, and the risk for harmful exposure increases. If exposures do occur, CDC currently does not know how much lead the body will absorb; however, if enough lead is absorbed, it can cause neurological development symptoms (e.g., deficits in IQ). Additional tests are being performed by NJDHSS to help us better understand the absorption of lead from these products." -- http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/artificialturf.htm "There are now 153 cancer cases reported, and of those, 124 are soccer players with 85 being soccer goalies. Many of them are student athletes." -- http://www.ehhi.org/turf/turf_cancers.shtml "The most conservative approach would be to limit access to an artificial turf field that contains lead. Proper maintenance can reduce exposure risk. Field users should wash properly afterward and ensure that their clothing is washed." -- http://www.state.nj.us/health/news/2008/view_articlea114.html?id=3190\ "The study evidences the high content of toxic chemicals in these recycled materials. The concentration of PAHs in the commercial pavers was extremely high, reaching values up to 1%. In addition, SPME studies of the vapour phase above the samples confirm the volatilisation of many of those organic compounds. Uses of recycled rubber tires, especially those targeting play areas and other facilities for children, should be a matter of regulatory concern." -- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653512009848 "Hazardous chemicals in synthetic turf materials and their bioaccessibility in digestive fluids." -- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728695 "Carbon black, which makes up 20-40% of crumb rubber, has been identified as a cancer-causing chemical by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment" -- www.ceh.org/get-involved/take-action/a-cocktail-of-harmful-chemicals-in-artificial-turf-infill/ “What to Know About Artificial Turf Fields.” Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center. --http://www.mountsinai.org/static_files/MSMC/Files/Patient%20Care/Children/Childrens%20Environmental%20Health%20Center/ArtTurf_Fact%20Sheet_final_2011.pdf Further Resources: http://ehhi.org/reports/turf/turf_report07.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2265067/

Too many times people are in situations in which they are unaware of their basic rights while dealing with law enforcement. This course serves the purpose of self-empowerment while at the same time potentially saving lives.

Anti-choice extremists are on the attack, releasing videos that have been deceptively sliced-and-diced in an effort to drag Planned Parenthood’s name through the mud. Steve Knight and his anti-choice friends in Congress are now using these videos as an excuse to defund Planned Parenthood. Like any bully, Steve Knight and the anti-choice extremists won’t back down until we stand up to them. Add your name. Sign the petition. Tell the anti-choice bullies in Congress to back off!

According to a report Wyoming NORML received, there is a harmful influence being foisted upon Wyoming voters by an organization of people who politically oppose the Legalization of Cannabis in Wyoming. These are people who seem to be unaware of their lack of political standing in this state in holding a political town council meeting in order to lobby against a bill that will be introduced by a legally registered political lobby of Wyoming while they are not a political entity at all. They are supposed to be servants of the public as is our Governor. It's one thing to have an opinion and to express it freely. It is another thing entirely to attempt by color of authority to bamboozle the public with quotes from a HIDTA Report that is over 4 years old and to pretend that this data is current is a bald-faced lie in contradiction to ALL of the current reports about youth, teen use, criminality, and traffic incidents coming directly from Colorado's own data collectors. There are plenty of published reports on our website to contradict what the Police Chiefs would like to have the public believe. What hypocrisy is being used to attempt to sway people into believing a point of view that does nothing but enhance the public perception of abuse of police powers? This is an outrageous attempt to malign and thwart the will and the rights of the people of Wyoming to exercise their powers to be included in the decisions made by the government of this state that is of and for and by the people. We the people demand that the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police immediately retract their untruthful statements or face investigation of being an unregistered political lobby and be barred from conducting their slanderous "Marijuana Education and Awareness" project in opposition to ANY legislation brought by the people of Wyoming. You are simply citizens with one vote apiece and if you're going to be untruthful with the public, we will certainly sway the day. Stop the legal lies and legalize!