In the past week, there have been another two news stories regarding guns that have received international attention: the brilliantly thwarted potential massacre in another elementary school, in Atlanta, Georgia, and the random fatal shooting of an Australian exchange student in Oklahoma. When I heard in a foreign news report, about Mexico City's Gun Swap Program, I had to wonder: Why isn't this being tried in the U.S.? - It sounds like just what we need.

Among the basic foundations of American democracy are: No taxation without representation; a still-unrealized ideal which expands voting rights and opportunities rather than limiting or eliminating them; and Constitutional amendments which guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, opinion, and representation (one person, one vote) at both the state and federal levels. Gerrymandering is a blatant attempt to negate any or all of these American rights and privileges, and should be declared a violation of federal law.

The Federal "964" regulations state that resident associations should be given priority in potential partnerships with the housing authority. Yet, for decades, community centers and senior centers have been "awarded" to private nonprofits that often know nothing and care less about the public housing community. Resident associations are now ready to assume control over their own destiny and demand that NYCHA recognize their responsibility to effectively partners with resident associations by turning control of the community and senior centers to resident associations as soon as possible.

Most Americans are unaware of the severity of the climate change crisis because the major news sources have ignored the subject and rarely connect the dots between extreme weather events and our changing climate. We are dangerously close to the climate tipping point, when there will be nothing possible to stop the worst of climate change. Citizens must contact their elected officials and demand action, but they need honest, scientifically-accurate information in order to do that. There are solutions (i.e. carbon tax, energy conservation, renewable energy) to reduce harmful emissions. We need the media to help educate the public and our policy makers.

Victor deserves to be with his family. Accidents happen - second chances should be given. UPDATE: Victor has been released to his family. The petition is now about getting the charges dropped.

MY NIECE, MEGHAN POWELL, WAS ONLY 16 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE WAS PRESSURED INTO A "PLEA BARGAIN" FROM VERY INEFFECTIVE COUNSEL WHO TOLD HER THAT SIGNING THE "BARGAIN" WAS THE BEST THING SHE COULD DO. SHE WAS LOCKED UP WITH NO ACCESS TO A PHONE AND MEDICATED. ITS JUST NOT RIGHT WHAT OUR SYSTEM DOES TO CHILDREN! ITS BEEN TEN YEARS. THE FEMALE PRISONS ARE OVERCROWDED AND RELEASING INMATES. MEGHAN WOULD NOT BE ANY TROUBLE TO OUR SOCIETY. IN FACT, SHE PLANS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A POSITIVE WAY TO THE JUVENILE COMMUNITY.

This petition is about halting the tide of discrimination. 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington, we are beginning to face the same issues that we has a nation had fought against.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Game is planning to treat Badger Lake with rotenone to kill all fish in the lake and pollute the water with a dangerous chemical. This chemical has been shown to be linked to causing Parkinson's disease. New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users. The study was a collaborative effort conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, Calif. "Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the structure responsible for making energy in the cell," said Freya Kamel, Ph.D. Sign the petition to save Badger Lake and the people who depend on it's water.

Divesting from fossil fuels means a cleaner, safer, and more resilient future. As Vanguard customers we don't want to profit from the damage of the planet. Investments in fossil fuel energy and production are becoming increasingly risky as written in Forbes . Other financial institutions provide fossil free portfolio options and we want it too!

I am starting this petition on behalf of and as a resident(s) of the Good Homes Road/Old Winter Garden corridor and other affected parents/neighborhoods. As of this date (8/24/2013) there is still not an effective mode of transportation for a large amount of Elementary School students. I have made every attempt to find suitable transportation with no success. The School District members does not think that having Elementary students cross a busy 6+ lane, multi-direction expressway intersection/bridge, in which an accident happens about every other week or so is a hazard. In addition to there not being a school bus, there are no other bus/transportation services that will travel across the same bridge that Elementary school students are required to walk across. I find this to be a bit disturbing and frustrating. We as parents are being forced to send our children off to school in fear for their travel safety, or forced to go to work late, not work at all, leave our children in the hands of strangers, work odd hours or just not send our children to school during bad weather. This has the potential to effect our children attendance and grades. There is a High and Middle School bus stop right outside the gates of the Wellesley Apartments busing older students not to much further than Frangus Elem. I am not sure why Elementary students would be zoned to a school that has no safe route or transportation for children ages 5 to 11 during the most busiest times of the day. Frangus Elem. is an awesome school with an awesome staff conveniently located in a subdivision, the only thing that is missing is adequate transportation routes for all students. All parents should be equally entitled to have their child transported safely to school. Given the circumstances of the Good Homes Road and other areas Public School situations, I am resurfacing this issue to see how the parents of affected areas can work along side the District, County, Lynx services and other Public Transportation services to help provide better transportation for the children who are greatly impacted by their demographics. Also to be noted, there are no Crossing Guards to ensure our youth cross the entrance and exit ramps of the toll road 408 safely until the student reach Good Homes Rd and Old Winter Garden, which at that point could be too late. On Sunday the Church on Good Homes Road has a Sheriffs car out controlling traffic, which is a great idea, however it is not a resource that is currently being used during the heavy "before and after school" traffic hours. I am shedding light on this situation and pleading for help before something happens to a student on this dangerous route. I pray to God that this is resolved before a student's life is loss or become serious/permanently injured. I am sure there are several parents with similar concerns in other neighborhoods/areas and if we all work together we can make a difference!

The Pathway from the lungs to all parts of the body was discovered and the chemicals are focused to any part that the harassers wants to disable. It is very important that this behavior is stopped. My friends and I are harassed by people who have access to these chemicals that gets into the Respiratory System to the Nervous System causing excruciating pain and disability plus difficulty breathing and raising of high blood pressure. These chemicals have the symptoms of the Nervous Systems plus these toxic fumes get into the Vital Organs to disable causing death to those who are vulnerable. By reading Dr. Raymond Singer's. article on RECOGNIZING NEUROTOXICITY, I realized that These chemicals are dangerous to all life including animals and it was getting in the Nervous System to cause excruciating pain plus people were dying and the chemicals were focusing on the disabled Vital Organs of their bodies. Thus, the research shows that the chemicals are affecting all life plus the authorities have discovered that these chemicals are sprayed everywhere and it needs to be Investigated and stopped immediately.

Rhinebeck is America's most beautiful village, lovingly nurtured for over 300 years. With 2,800 residents it is a jewel of the Hudson Valley and the nation. Northern Dutchess Hospital has proposed a $38 million expansion which is overly large and designed to accommodate eight "for-profit" doctors offices. The addition of these "for profit" facilities will require the leveling of most of the mature trees on the hospital's front lawn and paving over the green space. It will make an eyesore of the northern gateway of the village. There are many other possible alternatives to this plan. The most respectful is to rescale the project and remove the "for profit" doctor offices. These can be located anywhere in the village. For example the north end of Springbrook (Route 9) was designated for medical facilities and now four buildings stand empty and for sale. If the hospital expansion happens as planned the northern gateway of the village will be permanently defaced. We petition the Rhinebeck Zoning Board of Appeals to reject the request for a 9 foot height variance and request a thoughtful discussion of the plans for the northern gateway of the village. Please consider attending the September 19 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at 7:00 pm at the Village Hall to speak in opposition to the expansion. Thank you. Learn more here: http://www.save-rhinebeck-green-space.com/