The Union Group LLC (Mr. Lin et al.) plans to demolish the Nineteenth Century Club Mansion at 1433 Union Ave. The mansion is an irreplaceable landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If the Union Group LLC demolishes the Nineteenth Century Club Mansion, we pledge to boycott any and all businesses constructed on that site, as well as all other businesses owned and operated by the Union Group LLC stakeholders. Mr. David Wachtel has made a formal offer to purchase and adaptively reuse the Nineteenth Century Club Mansion as an upscale restaurant and event venue. If the Nineteenth Century Club Mansion is sold to Mr. Wachtel and restored, we pledge to support the off-site businesses of the Union Group LLC stakeholders.

Certifying someone as a “highly qualified” teacher when they have little training and have not been certified is like saying someone is a doctor just because they own a stethoscope. That'd be ridiculous and dangerous — so why would Congress do that to our teachers and most importantly to our nation’s children? Congress will soon vote on a budget bill that will likely include a harmful education amendment. The “Highly Qualified Teachers Amendment” would permanently allow teachers-in-training to be labeled as “highly qualified! Calling teachers ‘highly qualified’ is supposed to mean that teachers are trained and certified, which protects kids from a constant stream of unprepared, uncertified teachers. Federal law is supposed to give parents and caregivers information about the preparation and credentials of the teachers in their children’s schools. It is also supposed to address the problem that low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and rural students are being disproportionately taught by less-prepared and less effective teachers, including many uncertified intern teachers. Contact your legislators today and tell them every child deserves to have a fully-prepared teacher on day one in the classroom. Now, special interests are lobbying – they don’t want you to know that some programs are sending teachers with little to no training or experience into the classroom. We have the right to know how prepared people are for the job. Take action now to support a fully-trained teacher for every child! Thank you for standing up today for our students!

2014 Health Benifits, they are awful and they pay nothing. We as state workers are ask every year to pay more on bills insurance, ect, but we as state workers haven't had a raise in over 5 years. This is sad. State workers don't get raises now Insurance going up, what is next??

My family wants to relocate to another state for enhanced opportunities, a healthier lifestyle, and a calling to ministry in Indiana. However the Judges are ruling that in relocation cases, regardless of the negligence of the other parent involved, custody is then split 50/50 thus the children relocate from one state, school, and parent yearly. In some cases the children have been completely removed from the mother and the father received full custody with absolutely no negligence on the mothers part. I realize the judge is trying to make it hard for parents to relocate but each case should be considered different and never disrupting the children on a year to year basis like that. This is illogical and detrimental to their well-being. Our case has not even been tried yet because we fear this happening to us and our family now has no voice. Be a voice for the families that have better opportunities and the children that are affected, force these rulings to be reconsidered!

To raise awareness and combat ignorance in the Virgin Islands community. In addition, to demand that Governor John. P. DeJongh issue a statement condemning the Senator's comments.

More information at http://www.nature.com/news/more-cuts-loom-for-us-science-1.13720

The failure of efforts to secure a Congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria creates an unprecedented opportunity to reform U.S. policy in the Middle East. War proponents hoped to establish a precedent for a U.S. military strike on Iran, but the opposite precedent has been established instead: a war with Iran can be stopped by public opinion and Congressional resistance. The Obama Administration should use this moment to engage the government of Iran in efforts to establish a ceasefire in Syria and negotiations to end Syria's civil war.

It is an ethical issue as peoples pets get rattled when strangers appear possibly causing an aggressive state. An animal should not be shot dead when a safer alternative exists in the form of tranquilizer darts. It is also a public safety issue as a stray bullet can strike an innocent bystander.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox have been held in solitary confinement by the State of Louisiana longer than any inmates on record in the United States. For over 41 years Wallace and Woodfox have been kept in six-foot-by-nine-foot cells a minimum of 23 hours a day (for more information about their case see http://www.angola3.org). These types of conditions are notorious throughout US prisons, where isolation units have become common practice rather than being used under the most extreme of cases. As of today, about 80,000 prisoners throughout the United States are kept in solitary confinement. A movement with international support calls for Louisiana authorities to end the deplorable prison conditions experienced by these men for over 4 decades (see http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-the-angola-3). Recognizing that Wallace and Woodfox are not alone, United States House Representatives Cedric Richmond, Jerrold Nadler, Scott Lead, and John Conyers, drafted a letter to the Department of Justice calling for investigations into the alarming conditions of several Louisiana state prison facilities. In their letter, the Representatives condemn the patterned use of long-term solitary confinement as a violation of the US Constitution's Eighth and Fourteenth Ammendments (protection against cruel and unusual punishment and due process) and also call for an independent investigation of its widespread practice in Louisiana, in particular solitary confinement in Angola Prison. (http://democrats.judiciary.house.gov/press-release/reps-richmond-conyers-nadler-and-scott-lead-letter-calling-investigation-several) Herman and Albert are at the forefront of a campaign that affects hundreds of Louisiana inmates CURRENTLY being held in long-term solitary confinement units with no meaningful opportunity to be returned to general population. Many of these inmates have been held in solitary confinement for years, while still others have been held for decades. Over 70% of those held in solitary confinement will leave prison, and reenter our communities far physically, emotionally and psychologically more damaged than when they were admitted to prison. The practice of solitary confinement has been universally condemned by many organizations including Amnesty International, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Furthermore, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E. Méndez, recently urged the US Government to abolish the use of prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement. Méndez stresses that “even if solitary confinement is applied for short periods of time, it often causes mental and physical suffering or humiliation, amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and if the resulting pain or sufferings are severe, solitary confinement even amounts to torture.” Considering that Louisiana has lagged behind as other states join in the growing movement to end mass incarceration and the use of solitary confinement, the TIME HAS ARRIVED to review how this inhumane prison practice is being used in Louisiana prisons and jails. Please join this call to demand that the Louisiana Legislature's Administration of Criminal Justice Committee host a public hearing on the use of long-term solitary confinement before the beginning of the 2014 legislative session. For more information, resources and dialogue about the use of long-term solitary confinement in US prisons please visit: http://ccrjustice.org/solitary-factsheet http://www.nyclu.org/files/publications/nyclu_boxedin_FINAL.pdf https://afsc.org/resource/solitary-confinement-facts http://www.nrcat.org/torture-in-us-prisons/statement http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/03/what-its-like-to-spend-8-years-in-solitary-confinement/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=solitary-confinement-cruel-ineffective-unusual http://www.motherjones.com/special-reports/2012/10/solitary-confinement-shane-bauer http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/solitary-confinement-cruel-but-not-unusual/2013/08/03/9c9b6992-f0b0-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html http://www.solitarywatch.com

My cousin, a Swedish national, is stranded in Germany! The US of A will not let her back into the country to be with her husband ( A United States Naval Vet) and children after she went to Sweden to get medical treatment! She did not burden the American system, she did not break any laws, she is not a terrorist, yet my country is treating her as if she were an outlaw. If you are married to an American citizen, you should have every right to be be with that person, irregardless of your VISA status. Every American, with the exception of native Indians, was once an immigrant. I understand that there have to be rules, but there also has to be an exception to every rule. Shame on us for depriving a 9 year old of his mother for the next three years. Every country in Europe recognizes marriage and would not separate a mother from her son, a wife from her husband. And to top it off, the American consulate tells her, they are not here to answer questions. If anyone has any idea about what one should do in a situation like this, please post your comment. I love my cousin dearly, she is always welcome to stay with me in Germany, but I would be so much happier if I knew she was at home in the US with her family, where she belongs. Today, I am not proud to be an American

IF WE DON'T WANT THE USE OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WHY ARE WE STILL ALLOWING THEM TO BE MADE AND THEN SOLD?

My beloved mother passed away last year due to the poor standards of the nursing home system.