Sam is a close friend and for his senior school year and possibly his life to be affected by something as simple as a hug upsets me.

Councilmember Elle Cochran is listening. She has concerns (as I do!) about the deal and was hoping to go the condemnation route. Remember that she is our most ethical and well-informed Councilmember - so just ask her with respect because she is truly trying to represent us to the best of her abilities. Sadly, she may be counting on others having her same high standards towards developers and development which is why this petition was started. We do not share Elle's confidence that others will put politics aside and condemn the land. Nor are we confident that after a protracted lawsuit, that the judge would set the value of the land lower than what the owner is currently offering.

Genetically engineered foods are in almost all processed food products in the United States. A simple reading of the label will reveal one or more of the following ingredients in every one of them: corn or corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil (made from rapeseed oil, a GMO product), soy and/or soybean oil, and/or high fructose corn syrup. The FDA does not test the safety of GMO crops. Instead, all GMO foods are assumed to be safe unless there is already evidence to the contrary. The FDA relies on self-reported data from the companies that manufacture the crops as to their safety. Moreover, due to legal and copyright restrictions surrounding GMO patents, independent scientists must ask for the chemical companies’ permission before publishing research on their products. As a result, almost all of the long-term animal feeding studies that have ever been conducted on GMO feed have been carried out by the biotech companies themselves, with their own rules and using their own standards of reporting. What few independent studies have been conducted have shown a range of adverse health effects from reduced fertility to immune system dysfunction, liver failure, obesity and cancer. Genetically engineered corn and soy are used for most of the animal feed in the United States. And GMO sweet corn is now appearing in stores. There are no current federal labeling laws for GMO products, and two labeling measures in California and Washington have been defeated, in the wake of heavy spending of millions of dollars against the measures by Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Bayer, Coca Cola, Kellogg’s, and many others whose name you will see on products on your breakfast, lunch or dinner table. A member of the board of directors of Mc Donalds and one from Sara Lee sit on the board of directors of Monsanto. Peer reviewed studies are rare in the case of GMOs, as the only ones who have the desire or the budget to perform them are the same chemical companies which fund most of the scientific research. However, the few independent studies that have been done all point to the danger of GMOs.

Last week, the Miami Herald published an article investigating the relationship between a notorious for-profit college (Dade Medical College) and state Rep. Carlos Trujillo. According to the Herald, Trujillo once did legal work for Dade Medical and his sister-in-law appears to have received free tuition to attend the school. For-profit colleges, like Dade Medical College, can be a dangerous pick for students. Their costs are often way too much, and students frequently leave without a credential or with one that leaves them hugely underprepared for the career they intend to pursue. But, Trujillo’s ties to an institution of questionable educational value are not the worst part. Recently, he used his position as a legislator to weaken laws that were put in place to protect students from underperforming schools like Dade Medical. According to the Miami Herald: “The tuition issue is not Trujillo’s only link to Dade Medical. As an attorney, Trujillo performed legal work for the college, and earlier this year, the Miami Republican sponsored legislation that loosened the accrediting requirements for physical therapy assistant programs. Dade Medical offers a $35,050 physical therapy assistant associate degree, and the state law change enabled the college to rapidly expand its program to five different campuses. Under the old accrediting rules, Dade Medical would have had to start with one campus, and then expand little by little. Trujillo’s legislation, could ultimately boost Dade Medical’s revenues by millions of dollars.” This is utterly despicable. Many students have criticized Dade Medical for overcharging them and for failing to provide a useful education. The school’s former president and founder is caught up in a slew of criminal accusations, which led to his recent resignation. In short, this is not the type of school a state representative should be supporting. Trujillo should be using his power to protect the students of Florida, not to increase the revenue of his friends at schools like Dade Medical.

How are women supposed to know ahead of time if they are going to be raped or be a victim of incest? If this law is not opposed, these women will have to pay out of their pockets for ALL medical if they need an abortion, including if there are complications afterward. We need to stop this and bring this to the voters of Michigan to vote on.

The Blockley is the by far the most intimate and enjoyable music venue in Philadelphia. The closing of its doors will personally affect A LOT of live-music supporters in the area. This may be a long shot, but I will do all I can to keep my favorite Philadelphia music scene ALIVE!

This is an issue that we all care about. If Ms. Langenburg were to move to NC, I think we can all agree it would be a better place.

Younger military retirees, including me, are about to get robbed by Congress (story at http://bit.ly/1cETdlU). Like our fellow Americans, we are trying to support our families in a tough economy. It's not fair to change the rules after we've served a full career, have been deployed to combat zones multiple times, uprooted our families every few years, and made other sacrifices for the benefit of our nation. Our representatives in Congress are keeping their retirement benefits; tell them to let our vets keep theirs, too!

Mr. Jones, You have been the CHAIRMAN of the Board of Directors for GMAD for more than three years but your leadership speaks of a lack of positive change and development for the organization. The budget of the agency has substantially decreased during your tenure, departments are without viable resources and sustainable needs, and the organization's mission is no longer being met at the highest standards. Projects such as Pulse Magazine were given vast amounts of funding under your oversight. But not only did they fail to come to overall fruition, they negatively affected the availability of funding for the rest of the agency. Further, to date, there has not been an official bylaws fortified and enacted! Your representation as the agency's leader has also been looked upon by a considerable number of constituents of the Black LGBTQ community as mediocre at best. We, the signed constituents and allies of this agency and community, graciously thank you for your service. But it is now time for a new, more responsible and determined leader for the GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT. SO, HELP US MAKE GMAD A PASSIONATE CROWN OF THE COMMUNITY ONCE AGAIN BY FIRST RESIGNING IMMEDIATELY FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT!

He's rich so he got away with murder. Many families were destroyed from this individuals actions. He killed 4 people, he needs to do the time.

Pahoa High & Intermediate School has not had a School Librarian for the past five years and could benefit from services that most Hawaii public school students enjoy. Students begin post-secondary experiences already at a great disadvantage: they don't know how to use a library. As educators, we are demanding equity for all Pahoa area students that they may have universal access to educational resources Susan Kay Anderson, Classroom Teacher, Pahoa High & Intermediate Virginia Brautigan Aste, Substitute Teacher, Pahoa, Hawaii

Women's votes and reproductive rights were decisive in Virginia's gubernatorial election, securing Terry McAuliffe's victory over anti-choice Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. But shortly after this victory, people started hearing that McAuliffe was thinking about keeping on Dr. Bill Hazel, Gov. McDonnell's Health and Human Resources secretary, in his own administration. [1] Hazel is privately credited with helping put together a less politically damaging version of Virginia's mandatory ultrasound law, which Gov. McDonnell ultimately signed. Is this the kind of administration McAuliffe's supporters were hoping for? Stand with us to ask Governor-Elect McAuliffe to remember the people he's representing as he picks a Health and Human Resources secretary of his own. [1] - "Terry McAuliffe Considers Retaining Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Secretary of Health," by Erin Matson, RH Reality Check, December 12, 2013 http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/12/12/terry-mcauliffe-considers-retaining-gov-bob-mcdonnells-secretary-of-health/