Surgeons cannot see the objects swallowed by pets because they are invisible to even x-rays. Thus the animals must undergo a bowel surgery as the surgeon searches for the object. Our class is sponsoring this. For one dog alone, it costs over $6000 to save its life. It would cost companies nothing.

We, the Freedmen’s Town Preservation Coalition, request your support in our efforts to encourage the City of Houston to use preservative rather than restorative methods when revamping Andrews and Wilson streets in historic Freedmen’s Town Fourth Ward community. We are petitioning the City of Houston as well as all levels of government and elected officials to support us because of the historical impact of this matter and that historic Freedmen’s Town Fourth Ward has federal, state and local historic designation. We realize that it is extremely important to save the remaining history of this wonderful community as it is a substantial contributor to Houston’s history. We encourage the City of Houston to use preservative rather than restorative methods when revamping historic Andrews and Wilson streets in Freedmen’s Town Fourth Ward; Our goal is to preserve the brick streets by using the best available technology (BAT) to place infrastructure under the sidewalks through micro-tunneling instead of through the street. The difference is, when tunneling takes place under the sidewalk, the historical value of the streets will be preserved instead of removing the bricks and returning them, which is restoration. Be it resolved, that our concerns be respected and implemented immediately by the City of Houston and supported by all levels of government and elected officials.

Despite 2011 regulations from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designed to minimize vessel noise and disturbance, the Southern Resident orca are not recovering. The current population of 78 is the lowest since 1985 – the SRKWs are no better off now than three decades ago. To recover, the Southern Resident Orca need more fish to eat and a cleaner Puget Sound habitat, but these will take decades to achieve. They also need more rest and quiet, where they can hunt undisturbed by motorized boats and ships; engine noise disrupts their ability to catch fish and communicate. A Whale Protection Zone can be achieved relatively rapidly. A Whale Protection Zone on the west side of San Juan Island in Puget Sound – one of the Orca’s primary hunting grounds – is a key missing piece of regulatory protection that will give them a necessary refuge from the pursuit by the commercial motorized whale watching fleet and the other private boats the fleet attracts. Please tell NMFS that an Orca Whale Protection Zone is needed – soon. See www.orcarelief.org for more information on the status of the orca, the effects of noise and disturbance, and the Whale Protection Zone.

In 1983 I decided to go back to school and finish my degree and pursue a masters degree in political science and public administration. I borrowed $7500. Due to my mother's sudden death and financial issues, I wasn't able to finish my degree (I lack one theology credit to do so) and I fell behind in my loan payments. Over the years I have paid back over $11000 on this loan, but since I didn't pay it all to the Dept of Ed and/or ONE of the myriad collection agencies that have held this debt over the years, it has once again been sold, and penalties, fees, and interests now total $14486.64. If paid, I would be paying back $25000 on a $7500 loan. Because of this egregious situation, I was able to get no funding from the SBA or anything tied to the federal government, including government and minority owned business status and the ability to bid on government contracts, and now I have no business. I will be 60 years old next month with failing health, and have filed for disability. Any tax refunds that I've been entitled to over the years have been seized for the debt. Now I fear that, should my disability claim be allowed, any funds that I deserve and have worked for will be seized for this unreasonable debt. It has ruined me financially and has inhibited my ability to make a living. After so many years, there MUST be some type of waiver put into place that would eliminate this kind of unfair and immoral financial burden, especially in this difficult economy. At least the laws passed in the 90's making student loan debt ineligible under bankruptcy should be reversed. My husband survived a heart attack, artificial valve replacement surgery and another surgery almost two years ago, and we struggle each month to make the insurance payment and pay for his medications, including the blood thinners that he must take on a daily basis to survive with an artificial heart valve. He is working at a very difficult job in the Texas weather simply because he is the only one now that can find work. I have my own significant health issues as well. We are burdened by debt and have seen everything we've worked for over the last decade disappear. We are truly the disappeared middle class and are financially devastated. We have suffered enough and we have paid enough. The government is making billions off these loans and becoming more and more entrenched with the collection agencies that are doing the same, to the detriment of the people like me who have met our obligations or are trying desperately to do so. Since I originally tried to launch this petition last year, two more agencies have been sold this note; the latest is calling me multiple times a day and refuses to stop unless I make financial arrangements with them, and they are threatening wage garnishment. We face each day with such physical and emotional stress and pain that this is something that we should not have to handle. I know that there are millions of us who are suffering through this unfair and unjust system.

I have a one year old daughter and our house is less then a block away from a park. However, I rarely bring her there because it is so dangerous to get to!! The west side of Colfax street (from Quentin Rd to Rt 14) is nothing but houses, most of them with children. I see at least 50 people everyday walking, running and riding bikes along the side of this busy street where cars are driving at least 40 mph. Please make this neighborhood safer for pedestrians and add a sidewalk!! I'd hate to witness a horrible accident!!

I AM A SURVIVOR A DEADLY ABUSE FROM MY X-FIANCE. MY GOAL IS TO HAVE' A LAW MADE WHERE A MAN WHOS CONVICTED OF ABUSING A WOMAN MUST HAVE A SIGN IN THEIR FRONT YARD STATING THAT THEY ARE CONVINCED OF ABUSING A WOMAN. I HAD ALMOST DIED FOUR TIMES FROM MY X-FIANCE.

I AM A SURVIVOR A DEADLY ABUSE FROM MY X-FIANCE. MY GOAL IS TO HAVE' A LAW MADE WHERE A MAN WHOS CONVICTED OF ABUSING A WOMAN MUST HAVE A SIGN IN THEIR FRONT YARD STATING THAT THEY ARE CONVINCED OF ABUSING A WOMAN. I HAD ALMOST DIED FOUR TIMES FROM MY X-FIANCE.

I AM A VICTUM OF ABUSE FROM MY X-FIANCE. HE WAS CONVICTED.

Opposition to pipeline tariff

Americans are renouncing their citizenship at alarming rates, the IRS has seen its budget cut and is still being tasked with chasing people who do not reside in the country. Is it moral to tax someone who does not live in the country and whose income is not derived from the country? Citizenship based taxation is a relic of the Civil War when the Union attempted to punish the Confederacy for seceding by taxing all, ''citizens'' (persons born on American soil) and was not repealed following the reunification of our country. President Obama chided Americans for being, ''lazy'' in foreign investment, but investing abroad often entails residing abroad and double taxation discourages this. Residency based taxation would make Americans more competitive abroad, reduce the burden on the IRS and is the morally the right thing to do.

Recreational Equipment, Inc., better known as REI, is one of the largest outdoor sports retailers in the country. Started in 1938 by a group of environmentalists, it was structured as a co-op so that members could be involved and invested in the practices and decisions of the company. But in recent years, REI has slowly begun to change. The company brought in a new CEO, apparel industry insider Jerry Stritzke, and started changing long-term policies that were once their biggest draws. Allegations of sexist practices in promotions have surfaced more frequently. And most recently, after once vowing that it would not carry clothing made in sweatshops, REI has rejected calls from students, workers, and its own members to stop selling clothes produced in sweatshops by The North Face, a brand owned by the world’s largest producer of branded apparel, VF Corporation. The North Face/VF has been embroiled in international controversy over its serial record of human rights abuses. In particular, REI members have expressed grave concerns about the safety of workers who produce apparel for The North Face/VF in factories that function as literal deathtraps. In 2010, The North Face/VF was responsible for 29 worker deaths and over 100 injuries when one of their factories in Bangladesh caught fire. Just last month, another VF factory caught fire, injuring and hospitalizing several workers. In-depth investigations have shown that The North Face/VF is operating equally unsafe factories in the country. Any of the 91 factories where they produce could easily become the next Rana Plaza. That’s 190,000 workers putting their lives on the line every day because of The North Face/VF’s greed. In the face of these repeated disasters, one would think that The North Face/VF would embrace a new approach to worker safety. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The North Face/VF has staunchly refused to sign an innovative, legally-binding agreement between apparel brands and garment worker unions – now signed by over 175 brands – called the Bangladesh Safety Accord. Instead of signing the Accord, The North Face/VF has joined forces with its buddies at Wal-Mart to create a company-controlled, non-binding agreement called the “Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety,” which has been heavily criticized for its lack of meaningful inclusion of garment workers and their unions, and its failure to require brands to pay a single cent toward the repair and renovation of unsafe factories. Simply put, The North Face/VF’s refusal to accept legally-binding responsibility for worker safety has placed it among most backwards and regressive companies in the global apparel industry. Moreover, The North Face/VF’s violations in Bangladesh are the most egregious cases in the litany of other sweatshop abuses at its supplier factories, including stolen severance pay in Honduras, poverty wages in Cambodia that have led to massive worker strikes, and violence against union organizers across the globe. Since September, VF Corporation has lost at least 15 university licensing contracts over the company’s failure to comply with these university’s expectations for fair labor practices. These universities have taken a decisive stand for workers rights against the largest branded apparel company in the world. But instead of taking their own members' concerns about The North Face seriously, REI has chosen to defend The North Face, calling their refusal to sign the Accord a “legitimate choice,” while refusing to meet with students and REI members about our concerns. This irresponsible, cavalier response to member concerns demonstrates that REI has lost sight of its values to maximize profit at any cost. As concerned proponents of human rights, we urge REI to sever its business relationship with The North Face/VF unless the company signs the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Workers around the world deserve better – and REI can do better. Learn more here: REIsweatshops.com

I was personally affected by this after trying to gain custody of my grandson. I have not been able to have any visitation or contact since his foster parents adopted him. They won custody over the assumption that it would be detrimental to his well being because of attachment issues towards the foster parents. He wasn't even two years old yet. I think it will be more detrimental for him not to be bonded to his own family.