It's time for the cruel, outdated carriage industry in NYC to go. Carriage horses pound the pavement while dodging dangerous traffic, constantly breathing in toxic exhaust. The horses live their lives confined to the shafts of their carriage and the shafts of their tiny stable stalls, with no access to green pastures. We love NYC, but seeing such an inhumane industry continue to operate here disappoints us. And every horse will be going to a loving adoption home. Call on the NY City Council to ban this inhumane industry now!

Recently, Ypsilanti Township sent notice to cease sales of anything other than clothing/apparel. Our purpose is to have a reputable thriving business that will benefit the residents of Ypsilanti Township and surrounding communities by purchasing items from auctions and/or estate sales and selling those items at a low, affordable price. Such items would include; dishes, house wares, kitchen wares, home decor etc. With the economy at a low we feel the items we sell are beneficial to our customers. We, the undersigned, request that you allow Beacon Hair Design to continue selling other items in addition to clothing/shoes/purses so they may continue to help the community purchase items at low prices that are in like/new condition.

The residents in the vicinity of the former Koppers Wood Treatment Plant have been adversely affected by the contamination of creosote. The plant shut down in 1991 when a concern became public that the Creosote in the wood treatment caused health and environmental issues. Those living and working in the area have a high incidence of cancer. Their health concerns have not been adequately addressed. This is predominantly a poor African American community that does not have the resources to seek an independent evaluation.

Manor Superintendent Kevin Brackmeyer’s job may be in jeopardy, one year after being appointed to the post. Trustees will meet behind closed doors to discuss appointing an interim superintendent, but any board action must take place in open session. The agenda doesn’t explain why the board is considering replacing the district leader, but previous board meetings hint that trustees have been discussing Brackmeyer for months. Tuesday’s meeting will be the second time this month that trustees have discussed the superintendent in closed session and at least the third time in the past four months. On Jan. 13, the board discussed the status of Brackmeyer’s contract but took no action. In October, the board deliberated in executive session, but took no action, on the “appointment, employment, evaluation, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public officer or employee, including the duties, assignment and responsibility of the superintendent.” Before the October meeting, the last time the superintendent was discussed behind closed doors was in July, when the board conducted the superintendent evaluation, according to board agendas. Brackmeyer’s current contract runs through the end of 2015. He earns a base salary of $168,302 and received a 3 percent raise in July with the other district employees. Brackmeyer and board President Desiree Cornelius-Fisher did not respond to requests for comment. This past January, the board appointed Brackmeyer as superintendent to replace Andrew Kim, who left for the larger, 19,000-student Comal school district in July 2012. Brackmeyer served as interim superintendent for six months before being appointed, and previously was the principal at Manor High School since 2009. During his tenure, the school improved and was rated by the state academically acceptable in 2010, the first time in four years it had not been rated unacceptable. About 86 percent of the Manor district’s 8,600 students are Hispanic and black, and 77 percent of all students come from low-income families. Nearly one-third of all students speak little to no English. The district had academic struggles for years, with multiple under-performing schools, but has seen improvement in test scores and graduation rates in recent years. The success of the district’s second regular high school, Manor New Tech, which boasts a 100 percent graduation rate, has attracted national attention. In 2010, U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan called the school “a model for reaching underserved youth.” More recently, President Barack Obama visited the school in May, recognizing the school for providing largely underprivileged students “the real-world skills they need for college and beyond.

Cutting off groups of students is NOT the solution for saving the "cash-strapped" Lottery Scholarship program! The Lottery Scholarship needs to keep the college dream alive and accessible for our New Mexican students and families, especially for those who are undeserved and come from lower-income communities. Statistics and research clearly demonstrate that vulnerable groups ARE NOT the greatest beneficiaries of the NM Lottery Scholarship Funds. The public needs to keep in mind that increases in GPA and minimum course requirements place a greater strain on students during a crucial transition period from high school to college. A incoming freshmen who earned a B- (2.67 GPA) average their first semester in college would NOT ATTAIN the Lottery Scholarship if the minimum GPA requirement is increased to a 2.75 GPA. Increasing course load requirements will also place a significant strain on students who have to work and go to school. Many of our New Mexican students come from economically struggling households. Many of their families CANNOT support them financially and thus they have no alternative but to work. Is it reasonable then to require all students statewide to now take 5 classes instead of 4? If both GPA and course load requirements are increased, it is expected that we will see up to a 68% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for minority students and up to a 75% FAILURE ATTAINMENT rate for students in the lower third income bracket. Let's support (and not penalize) our New Mexican students and families by sending the message loud and clear to power players that we want to keep higher education accessible. Education is a human right and a necessity if we are striving to improve the economy of our state. We know that there is a direct correlation between education level and overall quality of life. Keeping the Lottery Scholarship accessible makes good economic sense for the state of New Mexico.

I was working at the Capitol for a Georgia Member of Congress, the late Rep. G. Elliott Hagan (GA-1), when he voted for this Act. He also supported (in a voice vote) the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Johnson's "We SHALL overcome!" ringing in his ears and drowning out a Savannah Republican's challenge.

We know how profoundly fracking for oil and gas is impacting our communities. We know that methane leaks into our atmosphere at every step in the production and transportation of natural gas. We know that all of that infrastructure is making it easier for the industry to ship our domestic energy source to the highest bidder overseas. And we know that all these miles and miles of dangerous pipelines are transporting us away from, not toward, a clean energy future. Enough is enough! It's time for FERC to stop approving oil & gas infrastructure projects!

VOTING RIGHTS

There is only one way We the People can fight back, and we must do it now before voter suppression laws take away our fundamental right as citizens of a democracy to elect our government. My name is Laura Rubalcaba and I believe in Democracy. I believe in the People of this Great Country. We will not go down like this. Take this pledge and ask ALL of the reasonably sane people you know to take this PLEDGE TO VOTE in 2014. This is a @@Petition. As such, all signers will receive regular email updates and opportunities to join collective actions that are computer and/or phone based for as long as the petition is active. You can easily find these email updates by looking for the "@@" in the Subject line of you email inbox. We will NOT email you for donations. ps. you may contact me directly via the link (my name in red text) under the title of this petition.

We are concerned members of the Dartmouth family – global citizens, professors, doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers, journalists, entrepreneurs, political officials, activists, executives, non-profit leaders, architects, artists, photographers, athletes, writers, managers, members of the greater community, and more. Most of us are indebted to Dartmouth College for the education but have contributed in many demonstrable ways to its legacy and standing. We have made a life of contribution and careers of purpose in part by the education we have received. However, given the current political climate and a campus culture still rife with systemic oppression - racism, classism, sexism and other institutional systems of control that are not in the collective interest of the Dartmouth community, we share student concerns and are very disappointed that the College on the Hill is not leading by example. The College must not lose sight of the broader message of the student coalition that protested against racism, sexual assault, homophobia, classism and other forms of hate and intolerance on Dartmouth’s campus in the Spring of 2013 and that underpinned the Clery Complaint. The intersectionality and institutionalized silence combine to repress anyone who tries to speak up. These concerns are the realities of Dartmouth student life. It is a 40-year-old culture of marginalization and intolerance toward a legitimate cross-section of students on Dartmouth’s campus. It is hurtful, hateful, and an anachronism in 21st century America. Dartmouth must change. As Jalil Bishop ’14, president of Dartmouth's Afro-American Society, aptly put it in a speech he delivered at the Keynote Address of Dartmouth College’s 2014 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., after inviting audience members to join him on stage: “As you stand here and they ask you why you protest, tell them you have attended their talks, you have served on their committees, you have allowed your face on their brochures and still they did not honor your voice…Tell them we know assimilation, being quiet, just fitting in, does not work unless we annihilate who we are. And for some of us, we learned through the trenches on this campus and bonds in our communities to love who we are. So we cannot erase it, we cannot hide it. We protest because there is no line between where our individual comfort and the oppression of communities around us, separates. Our lives and our freedom are too intertwined.” (The entire speech and video are available at http://blackpraxis.com) We are saddened, but not surprised, that Dartmouth College currently is under investigation for Title IX violations. This investigation could have been avoided had the College taken proactive steps to eliminate the culture of intolerance that has permeated the Dartmouth campus for decades. The federal probe may be uncomfortable, but silence is complicity and complicity with oppression is toxic and poisons the environment on campus. We all want a Dartmouth that exhibits a strong commitment to excellence, civility, and conscience. Tell Dartmouth College it’s time to address student concerns and make campus climate a top priority.

The Oak Forest Metra commuters should be granted the same basic (in station) amenities provided by Municipality Metra stations located on both side of Oak Forest. The amenities requested would consist of coffee & news service located within the station. Please note that the top text of the petition should read: " Allow Hyper Hounds Coffee and News and Brews News Service to be located inside the Oak Forest Metra Train Station for the convenience of the Oak Forest Metra commuters." The word "convince" is replaced with the word "convenience". This change could not be made above as the petition has already been signed.

When you sign the petition, tell your story of why you think casinos and slot machine gambling are a bad decision for New Hampshire. Act now! Legislation comes before the NH House in late February or early March 2014. While signing this petition will help is important, a phone call to the legislators in your district is even better! See http://www.CasinoFreeNH.org for information on contacting your rep. And share this petition with your friends! This petition is put forward by Casino Free New Hampshire and the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, non-partisan, not-profit organizations dedicated to stopping the expansion of gambling in New Hampshire. Supporters include: Cornerstone Policy Research Episcopal Diocese of NH League of Women Voters of New Hampshire New Hampshire Chiefs of Police New Hampshire Council of Churches New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester Private citizens opposed to legalizing commercial gambling in NH Volunteer to help at http://www.casinofreenh.org.