In 1619, the first slave ship landed in Jamestown Virginia. This was the beginning of sorrows for many generations to come. Our forefathers were forced at gunpoint to work from dusk to dawn, building the infrastructure of what would become the greatest power on the face of the earth. It Is no wonder why we are asked to simply forget about the atrocities of our mothers and fathers, because there is no amount of money that will replace the sacrifices made by these brave souls. Therefore, we the people of the people who built this land demand that this government recognize this oppressed nation within a nation, and be given equal respect as the Native American tribes of America, the Jewish people of modern Israel who suffered under the German government, the Japanese and other nations who have been officially recognized by the US government as an oppressed people who deserves to be made whole by their oppressor.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has applied for the state of Palestine to join the International Criminal Court. The application is expected to be approved. If Palestine is admitted to the ICC, it would mean that Palestinians could bring cases to the ICC—specifically, against the Israeli government for their confiscation of Palestinian land in the West Bank, which has been used to expand Israeli settlements. It would also mean that Palestinian violations of international law, such as Hamas firing rockets into civilian areas in Israel, would potentially be subject to ICC jurisdiction. Some in Congress are sure to demand that U.S. sanctions be imposed on the Palestinians for applying to join the ICC. Regardless of whether one supports the Palestinians’ decision or disagrees with it, Palestinians should not be punished when their leaders use diplomacy and appeal to the rule of law to try to secure basic human rights for their people. Urge President Obama and your representatives in Congress to defend the right of Palestinians to join the International Criminal Court by signing our petition.

This past October the Steamship Authority Board voted a rate increase for January 1st 2015. This rate increase was voted to cover anticipated shortfalls in the current fiscal year budget. Included was a budget increase in the Fuel oil budget line item of 2.5%. The Authority budgeted nearly $10 million dollars for the current fiscal year for fuel. The fuel and oil markets have declined by roughly 50% since summer. This is now creating a multi million dollar surplus and thus should be reason enough to suspend and or repeal the current rate increase. By signing this petition you are sending a message to the Martha's Vineyard Steamship Authority Representative and other Island elected officials that you support a repeal and or suspension of these rate increases.

Dear Sirs, Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) is used to produce Conjugated Equine Estrogen (CEE) which is used for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for women experiencing menopause. Pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer Inc., is the largest producer of HRT drugs, and the largest contributor to the PMU industry. Premarin®, Prempro® and Duavee® (formerly known as Aprela®) are just some of the products manufactured by Pfizer for HRT. The PMU industry as a whole is inherently cruel, and PMU Farms are notorious for the brutal treatment of pregnant mares and their foals. For 5 to 6 months out of the mares 11 month pregnancy, they are confined to stalls so small that they cannot turn around or take more than a step in any direction. Mares are impregnated and forced to wear rubber urine collection bags at all times or catheters which are held in place with movement restricting body straps which causes chafing and lesions. Their water intake is monitored and regulated to ensure they produce maximum estrogen-rich urine. They are deprived from normal equine behavior, such as grooming themselves and lying down comfortably. Once the foals are born and weaned, foals are torn away from the mothers and they are immediately impregnated again and forced to live the same cycle for approximately 12 years. Some of the female foals are raised to become PMU mares and forced to endure the same torture as their mothers, or they are sent to slaughter along with the males as they are considered nothing more than a byproduct of the PMU industry. At the height of CEE production in North America in 2003, there were over 400 PMU Farms in Canada and the US, which housed 35,000 to 40,000 PMU mares. Pfizer (Wyeth before the acquisition in 2009) started moving operations to China in 2004, and then moved almost all remaining operations in 2010 because of the public outrage over PMU Farms in North America. China has no animal welfare laws to protect these animals. They have been doomed to a life of incarceration and torture, unless we can work together to ban them. Today, there are only 20 to 30 Farms left in Canada, and none remain in the US. Pfizer decided to move to a culture that is more accepting of animal suffering, and out of the spotlight of public scrutiny here in North America. It is difficult to estimate how many PMU Farms are operational in China, as the information is not readily available. However, since Pfizer has indicated their plans for future growth in the Premarin® family of drugs, one can only logically deduce that there are even more now than ever before. The 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) – a major landmark study – concluded that the use of PMU drugs increases the risks of breast cancer, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and dementia. Many doctors in the United States and Canada stopped prescribing PMU drugs once the dangers were fully known. However, Pfizer (and Wyeth before it) already knew of these dangers and began moving production abroad where local regulations are more lax and there are significantly less FDA inspectors available to monitor production. Reportedly, this not only results in significantly more horrific conditions for the mares but also less oversight in the manufacturing of an already dangerous drug. The use of CEE in HRT drugs is controversial, as Big Pharma spends millions to hide the atrocities committed upon horses and the vast number sent to slaughter. But another critical fact is the health risk to women. Pfizer continues to market these drugs despite the fact that CEE-derived medications such as Premarin® and Prempro® are listed as "known human carcinogens” by the National Toxicology Program as well as the World Health Organization. Drugs containing CEEs are not well tolerated by the human body and pose serious cancer and cardiovascular risks among others. Pfizer continues to push their newest HRT drug Duavee® (previously Aprela®) without sufficient studies to validate the efficacy from a safety aspect, which contains the same health risks. These drugs contain bazedoxifene, which has yet to receive FDA approval due to increased risks of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and retinal vein thrombosis. Duavee® is yet another dangerous drug that has been rushed to market to turn profits at the expense of patients just like its predecessors. Given the great achievements of the pharmaceutical industry over the last few decades, we wonder why an industry giant such as Pfizer, self-described as "the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company", is not using the most innovative and state-of-the-art methodology in developing safer and more effective drugs, but instead persists with decades-old technology that relies on the increasingly unpopular and detrimental use of animals. It is common knowledge that genetic engineering currently enables scientists to synthesize natural hormones found in the human body. Through recombinant DNA techniques, bacteria have been created that are capable of manufacturing human insulin, human interferon, human growth hormone, and human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) for example – why not estrogens? E. Coli may lack the basic machinery required for steroid synthesis but the literature indicates that there are other host micro-organisms that function to bring about hydroxylation, a critical step in the synthesis of steroids with effective biological activity. Overall drugs containing CEEs are not well tolerated by the human body and pose serious cancer and cardiovascular risks among others. The manufacture of exact replicas of human estrogens using this technology would not only serve to reduce some of the uncertainties associated with the risks of HRT but also resolve issues related to negative press releases, class-action lawsuits and animal rights advocates concerned with drug safety and animal abuse. Consumers are more cynical than ever before, seeking safe and ethically produced goods....

On Dec 30 2014 all of them had been arrested by the Cuban police and Secret Service and nobody knows where are they. The artist was intended to do a performance about the freedom of speech in Plaza de la Revolution in Havana "Yo tambien exijo!" (I also demand). But she among some other civil rights cuban's activists were arrested before the action started. Nobody knows where they're now.

We have been historically targetted by the police. And because we are living in fear we want to rid police forces all over the country of cops who demonstrate a tolerance for profiling, targetting and destroying the lives of low income peoples, as well as African American families. We call for officers who turned their backs on Mayor De Blasio to be disciplined up to suspension without pay and/or re-evaluated as to their competency to work as officers of the law.

Nous habitons à côté de cette charmante église du 19 ème siècle dans le sud-ouest de la France et nous ne souhaitons pas la voir disparaître à jamais du patrimoine culturel et spirituel du Tarn du sud. Aujourd'hui cette église est sécularisée et pourrait devenir une salle d'exposition ou bien une salle municipale. La municipalité de Lautrec a maintenant l'intention de s'en défaire en vue d'une habitation privée.

To whom it may concern: We the people and as Advocates for wolves demand the FWS of Utah punish the man responsible for the death of "Echo" to be punished according to the Endangered Species Act. The hunter that shot and killed "Echo" the wolf in which indeed is the same wolf that was spotted in the Grand Canyon who was given the name Echo by a 10 year old boy who won a contest for picking the best name for the Endangered animal. The man who did this act and claims to have mistaken Echo for a " Coyote", should be punished and harshly prosecuted to the full extent of the law according to the Endangered Species Act in which I will name from least to worse. Misdemeanor, Anyone who kills an Endangered Species even by verified accident can be Fined $1000.00,civil offense- punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a $25,000.00 fine or both. Felony: Anyone who knowingly kills an Endangered Species with intent to do so punishable to one year in prison, $50,000.00 fine or both, plus the loss of the vehicle used to transport or to drive to commit such an act, plus the loss of all firearms, plus the loss of hunting privileges anywhere in the United States for One year.

The oil and gas industry in California produces 130 billion gallons of wastewater every year from fracking and other forms of oil extraction. This massive waste stream is highly toxic, laced with chemicals, salts and often radioactive materials. Unlined pits allow toxic chemicals to percolate into the ground and evaporate into the air. It's time for Big Oil to stop poisoning potential sources of drinking and irrigation water, and polluting our air. There are over 400 active pits in the Central Valley, where pollution and the drought have already severely reduced ground and surface water resources. Most of these pits are operating without adequate monitoring or oversight. The Central Valley Water Board has detected toxic plumes of wastewater that have migrated from some of the largest waste pits, yet has continued to allow dumping! Air samples near some pits detected 24 different volatile organic compounds (VOC's), yet air regulators have done nothing to limit the pollution. For more information visit: www.cleanwater.org/ca

Barbara needs this job its the only thing she has done for 10 years and all the customers love her like she was part of their family for years. She has made lots of friends lover the years and is still making new ones. If it wouldn't have been for Barbara there wouldn't be any money going into that store at all.

YES. YET THE PROMOTION IS ONGOING DAMAGING YOUTH AFFILIATED WITH ESPN. BUT ALSO UNDERAGE YOUTHS WHO WERE SUCKED IN TO PARTICIPATE WITH THE ONLINE VIEWING OF THE OBSCENE PHOTO OF MIKE GOLIC. THEN IF WON AFTER THE VIEWING- IN A CORPORATE PREDATORY WAY. THE WINNER GETS AN EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO - THE ESPNS' COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS, 1/1/2015. IS PREDATORY!

The ideology that members of the LGBT+ community can be "cured" has been discredited by every major professional psychological, psychiatric, and counseling association. Do not let Leelah Alcorn's death go in vain. We cannot allow the torture of any more people. We cannot spare any more lives. Leelah was sent to conversion therapy before she committed suicide. Although her suicide note was removed from her Tumblr, you can find segments of it here: http://www.refinery29.com/2014/12/80149/leelah-alcorn-trans-teenager-suicide-letter