After months of ignoring the concerns of UW students, Chancellor Rebecca Blank has said she will decide within days whether to take real steps to protect garment workers in Bangladesh who produce UW apparel. We know she’s under tremendous pressure from massive apparel conglomerates like VF Corporation and Walmart to let them get away with a weak corporate-dominated initiative known as “the Alliance” that would continue to endanger workers. Join us in asking Blank to take a real stand for workers by requiring UW licensees sign onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh instead. Let Blank know that UW needs to take a stand for garment workers who produce UW products, and we will not settle for empty corporate schemes. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh killing 1,134 workers — the worst factory disaster in history. The Bangladeshi government has admitted that an estimated 90% of Bangladesh’s garment factories are not structurally sound. Just this past Thursday, March 6th, another fire broke out at a factory in Dhaka just 40 minutes after workers had left for the day. Currently, 21 companies that produce UW-Madison licensed products source out of Bangladesh. Since last September, students have been running a campaign to “End Deathtraps,” asking the university to require UW licensees to sign onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Additionally, the university’s Labor Codes Licensing Compliance Committee has advised her to require brands to sign the Accord. The Accord is a binding agreement between unions and brands that allows workers to have a voice in health and safety issues and be directly involved in independent, certified factory inspections. It holds brands accountable for the factories from which they source, and requires them to pay for necessary renovations and repairs. Ten universities across the US have already required their licensees to sign onto the Accord, including Duke, Penn State, and NYU. However, UW Chancellor Blank has turned a blind eye to this urgent issue. Let her know that it would be a huge mistake to do anything other than require that our licensees sign onto the Accord.

The purpose of the petition is to put more pressure on the Boy Scouts to end their policy of discrimination against LGBT people. The advisory commitee has invited input from the public. They want input by April 15.

[Se repite en español abajo] Alejandro Durón came to this country at the age of 15 and has spent half of his life here. Since then, he has taken English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and has excelled at them. He quickly fell in love with his adopted country when opportunities opened up and he was able to obtain a stable job in a restaurant. A natural leader, he quickly was promoted to kitchen manager. His employer would like to sponsor him but Alejandro has a court date on Wednesday, March 19th where he could be deported. Three years ago, Alejandro was pulled over and charged with DWI. A strong believer in God, he has accepted his responsibility and payed all his fines. His faith is reflected through his involvement in his church youth group "Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (EPJ)" where he is a leader. His dream is to become a US citizen and give back by studying Computer Maintenance and Networking. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alejandro Durón vino a este país a la edad de 15 años y ha vivido la mitad de su vida aqui. El ha tomado clases de inglés como segundo idioma, y ha sobresalido en ellas. Alejandro se enamoró de su país de adopción cuando las oportunidades se abrieron y obtuvo un trabajo estable en un restaurante. Un líder de naturaleza, rápidamente fue ascendido a gerente de cocina. Su empleador le gustaría patrocinarlo pero Alejandro tiene una cita en la corte el Miércoles, 19 de Marzo en la cual podría ser deportado. Hace tres años, Alejandro fue detenido y acusado de DWI. Un firme creyente en Dios, él ha aceptado su responsabilidad y pagado todas sus multas. Su fe se refleja por medio de su involucramiento en su grupo juvenil de la iglesia "Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (EPJ)" donde él es un líder. Su sueño es convertirse en un ciudadano de los EE.UU. y contribuir más a este país estudiando una carrera en Informática.

NARA's Anchorage facility holds the most important records in the state. These include Fish and Wildlife Service records, military records, court records, maritime logs, and the records for the federal agencies that impact all Alaskans. These records are essential to our history, our identity, and for the empowerment of Alaska communities. They must be accessible to Alaskans in Alaska, not shipped to Seattle.

The Moon Area School District (MASD) has decided on March 10th, 2014 to have the first day of school be August 18th, 2014. The fact that they didn't confirm this date until March 10th, 2014, is preposterous. A lot of families in corporate America have to have their vacation picks in by January 1st. A lot of families, plan, book and pay for their vacations before March 10th, 2014. This should have been a decision made in 2013 by the School Board. Adequate time was not given for families to make different arrangements.

People everywhere are negatively affected by the time change in terms of health issues, an increase in motor vehicle accidents after a time change, and young children who are confused by the sudden, random shift in daily activities and bedtimes. Our circadian rhythm doesn't suddenly easily shift back and forth every six months to accommodated this unnecessary intrusion on our health. Many states have proven how successful it is to embrace stability by non-participation in Daylight Savings Time. Let's join them and end this unneccesary assault our health.

The Kentucky House and Senate are currently considering an amendment to the state constitution, and as of this writing, HB 399 has passed out of committee in the House and may be headed to the floor. This amendment would allow an incremental (up to 1%) increase in the sales tax if citizens in a locality vote in favor of it by referendum. The primary problem with this amendment is that it asks more from people who can least afford it. When most or all of someone's income goes toward affording basic needs, a tax increase can have a big impact on quality of life. (I know this personally from growing up with limited means.) Another problem is that such a referendum acts regressively by giving effective decision power to those with greater means to impose this tax on those with lesser means. A third concern is that those paying a greater share of their income toward this new sales tax will not have adequate representation in the process for deciding which corresponding capital projects are selected (and likely won't even if the funding method was more equitable). Overall, we believe it is economically and socially unsustainable to build local projects by asking the most from those who can afford it least. We support fair taxation and other equitable avenues for acquiring funds in consideration of new community projects that enrich us all. Alternative, less regressive methods for funding projects include raising rates on existing taxes that are more progressive in design, creating or raising fees for particular licenses/services, selling bonds, or seeking state/federal appropriations/incentives. Localities in Kentucky have the power to utilize these funding methods today without this amendment. -- Check out these further resources: 1) Testimony on Local Option Sales Tax to Interim Joint Committee on Local Government, Jason Bailey, Director, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, September 25, 2013 - http://www.kypolicy.org/content/testimony-local-option-sales-tax - In addition to addressing LOST's effects on those with lesser means, Bailey discusses several other challenges with LOST. 2) KFTC Member Voices: The Local Option Sales Tax - http://www.kftc.org/blog/member-voices-local-option-sales-tax Both of these links suggest many useful ways to make Kentucky's tax system more fair and adequate.

I have started this petition because I'm a lover of animals, and I believe that they deserve advocates to represent them. After seeing photographs and videos of animal brothels all over the world showing helpless animals tied down and sodomized and raped by human beings, laying in pools of their own blood, it made me so sick to my stomach. I know that there's others out there that feel the same way . This is happening in countries like Sweden,Brazil,Belgium,Germany,Russia, and Denmark. As well as in the U.S., places like Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Kansas, North Carolina, and New Mexico too. Some of these states have laws protecting animals of certain abuse but not necessarily sexual abuse. I hope we can get as many signatures as possible to at least deem the petition worthy of recognition by officials who hold places in office.

Governor Christie and the Motor Vehicles Commission passed new rules that prohibit Tesla from selling directly to consumers, beginning on April 1st. They did this without a public hearing or going through the normal legislative process, in violation of their responsibility to the citizens of this state. New Jersey residents should have access to electric cars and the option of buying directly from car manufacturers instead of having to go to a car dealer.

Steve Smith gave his entire professional NFL career to the Carolina Panthers. He gave his heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, and body to the Charlotte, NC area and Panthers fans around the nation. Always giving us a show and keeping us pumped up with every reception. He showed up and gave his all every time he was on that field, not matter how far ahead, or how far behind his team was. I realize eventually Steve will have to retire, but not like this. He has earned a place on that field for 1 more year. This petition is simple. Panthers fans who sign agree they will not purchase any merchandise that supports the Carolina Panthers, and will not purchase any tickets to see the Carolina Panthers, until Steve Smith is allowed to finish out at least 1 more year of his professional football career with the Carolina Panthers. He has made sacrifices for us, it's time we return the favor!!!!!!!

All major pharmaceutical companies in the US and Europe have now banned their drugs from being used in executions. States intent on killing prisoners have been forced to turn to so-called ‘compounding pharmacists’ -- who are not regulated by the FDA -- to create their own deadly cocktails that will, however painfully or slowly, cause the death of the recipient. If the American Pharmacists Association would ban their members from participating in executions—as all other major medical associations have already done-- the Association could help end the death penalty in the US once and for all.

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