After using Mirena IUD, I developed Avascular Necrosis (bone deterioration from a lack of blood supply) in both hips and one shoulder. I also developed Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. In 2012, I had four surgeries, including a hip replacement, and had to learn to walk again at 32 years old. My youngest son wasn't even a year old at the time. My shoulder deteriorated so quickly after the insertion of Mirena that I couldn't use my arm, meaning I could lift my children or hug them with both arms. Once I had the Mirena IUD removed, the clotting and AVN stopped spreading. Doctors call my case "idiopathic," meaning no known cause. I am certain that the Mirena IUD triggered my decline in health. I am a mother of three who works full-time and is left handicapped, with a lifelong disease. I am not alone. Potential effects of the Mirena IUD (and Skyla IUD, which is the same device but releases smaller daily doses of LNG) relating to clotting and autoimmunity need more thorough investigations. Women and their doctors need to be warned of the potential effects and those adversely affected need answers.

President Obama has dismissed legitimate concerns about Larry Summers' suitability to be Federal Reserve Chairman, saying that progressives are just making Summers their "whipping boy." But consider: 1. As Treasury Secretary under President Clinton, Larry Summers was one of the men most responsible for the misguided policies that led directly to the financial crash of 2008. 2. As chief economist at the World Bank, Larry Summers argued that "under-populated countries in Africa are vastly under-polluted.” He later claimed that his remark was meant to be ironic. 3. As president of Harvard University, Larry Summers claimed that “issues of intrinsic aptitude” may be why relatively few women have tenured positions in science and engineering. 4. As director of the White House National Economic Council under President Obama, Larry Summers drafted the plans that resulted in the inadequate stimulus and premature deficit reduction that have made the Great Recession worse and longer. You almost have to wonder if Larry Summers has ever had a job he's done well!

Yesterday in front of a Michigan House subcommittee, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn used the phrase "dark ones" to refer to minority college students. Following this, Hillsdale issued a sarcastic non-apology. Arnn should immediately resign.

First Lady Michelle Obama has done something extraordinary: she’s not only brought an organic garden to the White House, she’s also installed a hive of 70,000 bees. Like many backyard gardeners and beekeepers across the country, the First Lady is doing her part to create a habitat for bees, which are essential pollinators for one out of three bites of food. But as you’ve probably heard, bees are dying off around the world in record numbers. A growing body of science is pointing to the world’s most popular class of pesticides called neonicotinoids (or neonics), made by giant chemical companies Bayer and Syngenta, as the key factor in the global bee die-off crisis. Please ask Michelle to set an example for the nation by removing bee-killing pesticides from the White House gardens, urging the EPA to protect bees and calling on Congress to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act, recently introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D, Mich.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D, Ore.).

Anita Alvarez has allowed for the arrest and prosecution of hundreds of thousands of innocent men and women, upon information and belief. She has allowed and even pushed for her staff, defense attorneys, public defenders, paid attorneys and judges to gain wins through forced confessions, forced plea bargains and by any means necessary tactics. She has avoided the prosecution of judges, attorneys and others who are politically connected to the justice system, who have been proven to have acted unethically and/or committed actual crimes. Anita Alvarez wants to win at all costs regardless of a persons innocence and she selectively prosecutes by protecting her friends regardless of their guilt. We ask for the investigation and resignation of Anita Alvarez and for the re-opening and/or overturning of cases in which parties can provide proof that they did not receive fair proceedings. We also ask for a special election to replace Anita Alvarez at once. Respectfully submitted by the people of Illinois and all concerned citizens.

Although the Iranian regime has been one of the worst human rights offenders in the world and has been unwilling to allow inspections of nuclear power plants, they are on the crest of a new presidential inauguration. To pass more sanctions now sends a bad message and gives the hardliners more ammunition against the US. The timing of the House vote has raised sharp questions about the kind of message it would send to Iran’s president-elect, Hassan Rouhani, before he takes office. MJ Rosenberg: "Since his election he has made clear that his goal is to resolve the US-Iran stalemate over Iranian nuclear development through negotiations... There is not one reason for passing this punitive bill before the new president takes office, unless, of course, AIPAC’s goal is to insult Rouhani and the Iranian nation in order to push him toward becoming another Ahmedinejad." Let's not sabotage any possibility of resolving this or our own reputation around the world by attacking the Iranian people with new sanctions... especially not NOW! Read more: http://mjayrosenberg.com/2013/07/31/house-to-pass-new-aipac-iran-sanctions-bill-to-keep-war-option-hot/ by MJ Rosenberg Update: 16 House members led by Rep. Jim McDermott, WA, say House action on #Iran is wrong. Signed Letter: http://www.mcdermott.house.gov/images/pdf/iranletter.pdf

According to Collene, her devastating story is that of illegal foreclosure and eviction practices that came to light "after" she had already paid for her home: all monthly mortgage payments paid on time, and mortgage 100% paid off! Freddie Mac, Harmon Law Firm, and several others are involved. This case has devastated Collene and her family. They now have no home of their own, but are living with Collene's parents in a 1-1/2 bedroom home. This injustice has caused so much suffering, cost them their retirement and life's savings, and is a violation of one's human dignity.

Don't Like Keystone XL? Take Action to end Enbridge pipeline expansion that would make it bigger than KXL. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission failed us and now we need to call on President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry - both of whom need to sign off on this expansion before it can happen. Map and capacities of Enbridge Line 67 and connected pipelines: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130603/map-another-major-tar-sands-pipeline-seeking-us-permit An Enbridge pipeline was the source of largest inland oil spill in the history of the USA: http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/07/29/kalamazoo-spill-anniversary-raises-concerns-about-line-9-pipeline-integrity Unstoppable Alberta tar sands oil spill: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/30/cnrl-cold-lake-spill-alberta-energy-regulator_n_3677337.html Alberta tar sands oil wells failing to collect oil as expected, spilling instead: http://www.npr.org/2013/07/31/207286517/canadian-regulators-investigate-mysterious-tar-sands-spills Actions in Minnesota to inform the public: http://www.mn350.org/727-enbridge-over-troubled-waters/ Additional ways to contact President Obama and State Dept. directly: * White House comment line is: 202 456-1111 or http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments * State Department switchboard is: 202-647-4000 or http://contact-us.state.gov/app/ask/ * Twitter: @BarackObama @whitehouse @JohnKerry @StateDept Organizational Endorsements: * Friends of Coldwater http://www.friendsofcoldwater.org

Let's get Rush Limbaugh off the air in Belmont! Over 2,600 companies have dropped Rush Limbaugh's show—but there are still thousands of small businesses that buy ad spots and keep him on the air—including Belmont Medical Supply, based in Belmont, MA. The best way to get Belmont Medical Supply to stop sponsoring Rush Limbaugh's show is to make sure they hear from as many people in the community as possible.

The idea of HOME is sacred. We can all appreciate the value of our own place to lay ourselves down and have a little peace as we rest and prepare to greet the day and the world outside. Many among us don’t have this special restorative place, in fact, there are an estimated 1,500 people without a safe place to rest in the City of Santa Cruz, and another 1,500 people in the county. We, the undersigned believe there is a way to provide this to everyone—A Santa Cruz Sanctuary Camp, a designated area where people can rest, keep their things, build community, and find the support they need to rebuild their lives. Well meaning citizens have assumed the local services would provide what these folks need, but over the past years we’ve seen that despite the many day services provided, 95% of homeless folks still fend for themselves out in the cold dark night as they sleep out in the open. Emergency shelter space can be a 2 month wait and many report that they are never admitted at all. Maximum bed space is enough for only 5% of the homeless population. Consequently, most of our homeless population sleep out in the open, in bushes, in doorways, and in the woods in violation of the city ordinance which bans sleeping after 11 pm. This illegal camping exposes homeless people to inclement weather, violence and theft from others in the homeless community, harassment from vigilante groups, and scorn from the rest of the citizenry. Often the desperation one feels when sleeping out in the open exacerbates other existing conditions like mental illness and drug abuse. It is nearly impossible for someone who has become homeless to rebuild their life when forced to sleep in a bush and carry the last vestiges of their life in a backpack on their back. Besides the toll homelessness takes on the individuals who are forced to fend for themselves, local homeless experts have admitted that the amount of money spent on homeless is unquantifiable. The range of “services” provided is very large and includes emergency medical/ambulance, law enforcement/jail/courts, mental health etc, and the amount spent on these annually can easily climb into the tens of millions. That doesn’t include the several million dollars spent on actual homeless services. The amount is staggering when we realize how few people are actually served. Sanctuary Camps provide safe and grounding spaces for individuals to address substance abuse, mental illness, and emotional problems. People could learn about services available to them, and have support around taking medication or staying sober. Besides offering assistance to the county’s homeless population, a Sanctuary Camp would improve the city overall, reducing general vagrancy in residential, business and tourist areas, decreasing crime and police calls for homeless issues, and setting aside natural areas as places for recreation, not homeless encampments. Examples all over the country demonstrate that with Sanctuary Camps communities are safer and cleaner, and homeless people are better able to move up and out of homelessness. Santa Cruz Sanctuary Camp proposes the establishment of a pilot camp of between 25 - 50 residents to demonstrate its effectiveness over the winter. This will require a 1 acre piece of land on city, county, private or church property. Additionally the camp will request a garbage dumpster emptied weekly. The camp will use 1 porta-potty per 20 persons. A list of rules will be enforced 24 hours a day at the gate staffed in rotating shifts by a Responsible Person and a Support Person with the support of an external Steering Committee. The camp will be bound by an Art Wall and and Entrance Portal. The camp will have good relations with local authorities, the media and the community at large. We, the undersigned, encourage our city and county elected officials to allow the creation of a Sanctuary Camp and to form a partnership by allowing use of a small parcel of land and a dumpster service contract. This camp will cost very little, but will do so much.

With a record setting disapproval rate, politicians are still planning to take a summer break. I'm calling for all American's, Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals to ban together and take back our country. Let's work together and put pressure on each and every one of our elected representatives to get them back to work and solve our country's problems. Each party keeps blaming the other and nothing is getting done and they feel entitled to take a break and keep earning money. Which we pay. Our politicians need to skip their vacation and get back to work or resign from office and admit they are incompetent. Our government should represent the people and not the vested interests of corporations and lobbyists. Let's make our government accountable or turn their paychecks in and go home.

The many men and women who protect this country need protection from the sexual predators among them. These are violent crimes of oppression and domination and it should always have been apparent and is today obvious that prosecution of such despicable behavior must be independent of the chain of command.