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Petition Tag - community
Hammersmith & Fulham Council have announced within the past few months that they wish to sell several community buildings to raise cash to pay off debt. In early July 2010, the Council wrote to the Village Hall (in Bulwer Street, just off Wood Lane in Shepherd's Bush) saying that the Village Hall might be seen as "surplus to requirements" and that it could be sold with a few months. The letter stated that the Council had this stance: "Our priority has to be people not buildings."
Community Groups have used the Village Hall (ground floor) for decades, and the Shepherd's Bush Families Project uses the first floor to support families at risk. The Project has also suffered a cut in its grant from the Council.
A consultation document states: "Alternative accommodation will be identified for the Children’s Centre and users of the ground floor community hall will be provided with information on alternative sites for hire in the borough. However, with extensive space to be available over the Edward Woods and NDC Hub sites, there is not a strong business case to also retain 58 Bulwer Street for 3rd sector premises use."
Alternative spaces could be beyond reach for many residents who use the Village Hall. Dates and times are set and groups would have to find a slot in the timetable for much busier centres (called "hubs").
Londoners - help us save Tideway Village houseboat community.
We all love London for its special locations, squares of historic houses, green parks, second hand markets, unexpected gems such as Neal’s Yard, Little Venice and Portobello Road to name but a few. Just some of the attractions that give London its individual character and helps draw so many tourists.
Yet recent developments are threatening to transform the city for good into a highrise, sterile, impersonal landscape of concrete and glass with a chain store at every corner, a soulless world where inhabitants never greet their neighbour. Canary Wharf and St George's Wharf may be the best examples of what the centre of London will look like; alien space stations hovering in the middle of the city.
3. Stop Police Brutality / Change our Community 
Many low income families end up being pushed by their circumstances into living in bad neighbourhoods, neighbourhoods where there are few jobs and resources, where the schools are crowded and there are few engaging and rewarding activities for children, and where the forces of law treat people like animals.
The inevitable outcome of this is reliance on welfare, underage pregnancy due to the poor education of our youth, drug use, addiction and trafficking, and gang violence.
4. Save 2RRR - Community Radio
2RRR, one of Australia's oldest community radio stations and breeding ground for dozens of professional radio announcers and home of creative and innovative radio content for decades is in serious trouble.
In March the board was notified that the land our transmitter and tower is housed on is to be sold by the leaseholder, Sydney Water. This means the station will have to cease broadcasting if an alternative cannot be found quickly. It took until late April for the board to communicate this to the members and that was only after the information was leaked onto the 2RRR members yahoogroup, a site that since has been routinely ignored by the board despite there being over 50 members on the list including a wealth of former and current board members.
Since that time the board through either inaction or otherwise have engaged in a PR war with the leaseholder in the local papers and have trumped receiving a letter from Sydney Water that appreciates our situation but offers no solution as a triumph in the battle.
We cannot allow our station to vanish from the spectrum without a real fight. We stand for better governance and a board that is competent when negotiating 2RRRs future.
We believe in open communication and support debate and discussion. We are committed to saving the station we love and not letting it go down on basis of the ego or myopia of one or more board members.
5. Stop Sodexo's Bad Practices at the University of Lethbridge
During the month of March a survey was conducted at the University of Lethbridge.
What Does the University of Lethbridge Community Think of Sodexo Food?
The objective of this survey was to receive an empirical answer to the question of what the University of Lethbridge (UofL) community think of Sodexo food services on campus. This survey was commissioned by the Service Employee’s International Union (S.E.I.U) after consultation with the University of Lethbridge Students Union (ULSU) and the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG). If the answer was found to be a negative one then a second action-research projected would attempt to get better food service on campus.
Initially the goal was to collect 400 responses but with the survey approaching 250 a very clear trend had emerged and we decided we had enough data. With 244 surveys returned there was a very high (95.1%) completion rate.
The University of Lethbridge has a population of over 10000 including 8200 undergraduates and the survey has a 95% confidence rating that the results are accurate within 6points.
The clearest message from both the quantitative and qualitative data is that the price of food is too high for the quality received. 70% picked the worst category on the price of food in the quantitative section and in the qualitative section over 150 wrote that the food was too expensive.
Another significant statistical response was overall satisfaction with 48.5% rating it as “poor”. The comments section revealed a significant number are unhappy with the exclusivity contract, the mandatory residence meal plan, greasy food, the lack of healthy food and vegetarian options and choices for those on restricted diets.
Perhaps most significant though was that eight students reported getting food poisoning after eating at Sodexo establishments at the UofL. The results of this survey provide a very clear mandate for changes to food services at the University of Lethbridge.
6. United Against the Cuts - West Dunbartonshire Trade Unions and The Community
We are aware that West Dunbartonshire Council are making significant cuts to services over the next three years.
These cuts come from the Scottish Parliament and will directly affect the most vulnerable in society.
Arch Bar in Hulme was a great community resource but sadly there were occasional problems on the door. It has been closed for two years. We have lost the legendary Russell Club (aka the Factory, aka the PSV) and far too many pubs to mention... There's nowhere left for the community to meet! (Very few places, anyway.)
BREAKING NEWS: 8/1/10
The Cavendish pub has now closed, having been sold by the owners last week. It is rumoured that it will become a fast food outlet. THIS IS ALL THE MORE REASON TO SAVE THE ARCH.
We are nearing "tipping point" in Hulme, past which the local community will be swamped by transient young people who have no roots and who are generally encouraged to keep themselves apart from the local populace (e.g., local pubs).
We know that MMU plans to build up to 900 student spaces, according to their own "Impact Assessment Report", and yet we've just had the announcement of a private 672-space block that's going to be built on Coupland Street, near Birley Fields.
We're not anti-student - so many people in Hulme are ex-students that it would be daft to be so - but we are concerned about keeping a viable community going in Hulme. There are few enough venues for going out, or having meetings or running workshops. The Arch Bar could be a great resource for the community - don't let the Council cave in to the first money-making scheme that comes along.
The people of Hulme deserve better!
The planning application report can be viewed here:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/egov_downloads/Report_on_the_Arch_Bar__List_No_1_to_the_Planning_and_Highways_Committee_on_17_dec_09.pdf
Or else try http://snipurl.com/u1cf4 [www_manchester_gov_uk]
14th January 2010: LATEST NEWS
The Planning Dept. made a "site visit" in the morning, when they actually GOT OFF THE COACH (a very rare occasion) and later in the day the deferred the decision. The next planning meeting is mid-February. Please join the "Our Hulme" email group if you want to be involved in the campaign to save the Arch and to resist the saturation of student blocks. (Post a message to me on here if you want to be added to the group.)
Thanks for all your support so far. The first thing that happened at the start of the meeting was that the Chair defensively declared that "there's no such thing as a done deal here", quoting from a local activist's Twitter update of that day. They are now aware that there are genuine concerns from the local community about the proposals.
Our mission is to stop the payment of royalties to record labels and artists for radio air play. Did you know that radio stations pay over $24,000 a year just in Royalties? Small radio stations can't afford to spend that kind of money.
This kind of unnecessary payment is killing radio in small town america. Sign this petition and help us stop this now before it claims another station!
9. No Tribal Water Industry on Fox Island
Currently, the Nisqually Tribe of Indians is seeking acquisition of the former site of the U.S. Navy research facility on Fox Island through a fed to federal agency transfer process. The Tribe has proposed to relocate its $2.9 Million per year commercial water industry business, Nisqually Aquatic Technologies (NAT), to Fox Island.
The Tribe intends to return the Navy's barge to the site, and conduct industrial operations from the waters surrounding Fox Island. NAT conducts commercial and industrial operations including geoduck harvesting training, commercial scuba diving, salvage, pipeline repair, and other water industrial operations.
Pierce County land use ordinances strictly prohibit water industry in a "Shoreline Conservancy" and “Rural 10” zoning. If allowed to be transferred, the Tribe has the option to have the Bureau of Indian Affairs place the property into trust status. This would allow the use of the property to be unaffected by state and local land use ordinances designed to protect our environment, community goals, lifestyle, and property values.
In 2005, Congressman Norm Dicks acquired $17 Million in federal funding to remove the Navy's operation from Fox Island. He did this because of the incompatible and inappropriate nature of an industrial operation in a residential neighborhood and because of the negative environmental effects the offshore structures had on our shoreline. The U.S. Government must not allow the return of another incompatible, inappropriate, and environmentally damaging industrial activity to Fox Island's residentially zoned community.
10. Halo Custom Edition 1.09 - The Worst Patch
Halo Custom Edition. The statement of custom mapping for many, including Machinima, Role Players, Explorers, Killers, Zombies, Flag Capturers, Experimentalists and the like. This game is loved by all for its versatility, uniqueness and plain old fun, but no more...
With the recent patch of 1.09 to HaloCE, what claimed to "patch for server crashing buffer overrun attacks. in addition to correcting the security issues this patch also corrects some 64bit issues with IE updates". But with the "great" update, we lost the function of Developer Mode. Dev is loved by all; Noobs, professionals and those who just like messing around. Some players cant even run the game without receiving errors such as "No Memory" or "Cannot find file strings.dll" when the file is in the right place.
For those who want to get a message to Bungie Developers and hopefully re-patch to allow the use of DevMode, or allow us to downpatch and just fix the issues altogether. Put your name here. Show there are still those in the community that care, that want this to be repaired. The fate of the Halo community depends on it.
Your faithful Halo player,
Aselia
11. Call For Solidarity for Real Chicano/Latino Studies at MSU
Within the past decade, great strides have been made in Chicano/Latino Studies at MSU. Some of the successes include:
A specialization in Chicano/Latino Studies was created for the first time, open to all students of the university to gain exposure and expertise in Chicano/Latino scholarship;
A unique mentoring program was developed, led by students for students, as a way to strengthen community and promote Chicano culture on-campus. Over 200 students have participated in the Chicano/Latino Fellows program since its inception;
A space for Chicano/Latino Studies was created, expanding from a one-room to a visible six-room office on-campus to support student social and academic activities;
A stand alone Ph.D. program in Chicano/Latino Studies was created, the first in the Midwest and only the second in existence nationwide;
An intellectual community of undergraduate students, graduate students, and core faculty committed to Chicano/Latino Studies has emerged, engaged in word and action to social justice and collective empowerment.
These accomplishments of the past decade, preceded by at least twenty years of struggle by Chicano students at Michigan State, are significant for at least two reasons:
First, there is now a greater institutional presence of Chicano/Latino Studies within the university;
Second and most importantly, these accomplishments reflect an intentional process by the former Director of Chicano/Latino Studies, Dr. Theresa Meléndez, to engage in principles of collective decision-making and mutual respect, whereby students and core faculty alike had a voice in the direction of the program.
For all of these reasons and more, it is unfortunate to have to come to you now and express that Chicano/Latino Studies is facing a crisis.
The demise of the program began after the appointment of Dr. Sheila Contreras as the new Director of Chicano/Latino Studies in the Fall of 2008. With the support and encouragement of MSU's administration, Dr. Contreras has single-handedly undermined the last 10 years of hard work and collective effort, primarily by refusing to listen to the voices of the undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Contreras has even been unresponsive to concerns raised by core faculty members since her appointment, her own colleagues in Chicano/Latino Studies.
After being unsuccessful in attempting to share our concerns directly with Dr. Contreras, the Real Chicano/Latino Studies (RCLS) was formed in the spring of 2009 as a symbolic expression of opposition to the direction and current leadership of the program. Subsequent attempts to share our concerns were taken to the Dean of the College of Social Science, where the program is housed, and after no resolution, to the Provost of the University. Despite the concerns repeatedly raised by the majority of all involved directly in the program, the administration of the University has ignored them and continued to support the Director.
We are, thus, writing you today, asking for your help!
CONTACT PRESIDENT LOU ANA SIMON and demand that Michigan State honors the students’ request for new principled leadership in Chicano/Latino Studies. President Simon can be contacted by EMAIL at presmail@msu.edu and laksimon@msu.edu, or by PHONE at 517.355.6560. If you email, you can copy the State News at opinion@statenews.edu.
12. Stop Community Learning and Development Cuts in Edinburgh
Drastic cuts to The City of Edinburgh's Community Learning & Development service will mean.....
More Community Centres CLOSED
More Voluntary Organisations CLOSED
More cuts to Youth & Children's Groups
More cuts to Adult Education.
Following a decision on June 25th 2009, Renfrewshire Council plans to close Elderslie and Johnstone Centre swimming pools as part of a radical new approach to leisure services that seeks an alternative geographical spread of provision and the co-location of leisure facilities with education and social work facilities. Under the proposals, new swimming pools will be built, at Linwood and Johnstone High School replacing the facilities set to close.
Renfrewshire Council took this decision against the wishes of the people of Johnstone and Elderslie, claiming to be acting in the interests of Renfrewshire as a whole, yet with no mandate from the people of Renfrewshire. They undertook a fraudulent consultation to justify their decision and some cases went against Administration Councillor’s written election promises. The council refuses to address the concerns of residents, some of which are listed below:
Access to Johnstone High school will be restricted during school hours, public transport links between users and the proposed sites are poor and Johnstone High is outside walking distance of Johnstone Centre. Together these restrictions will massively affect public access to the proposed facilities.
The amount of available pool time is also set to be cut, which will affect swimming clubs, swimming lessons and further restrict public access.
The practical problems associated with proposed sites compliment problems associated with moving the facilities from their current sites. Both Elderslie and Johnstone pools are central, forming a vital part of the economy in both communities and as such many businesses are angry that plans to close the pools will have a negative impact on trade.
Moving these facilities will also break up the strong social bonds that have built up around the pools, creating a sense of community and belonging, which if destroyed will have incalculable ripple effects.
You can recieve updates on campaign actvities by emailing:
jess-campaign@lists.noflag.org.uk
14. Support the Fair Treatment of Gene Alexander, his farm, his cows, and his property rights
This is in support of the fair treatment of Gene Alexander, his farm, his cows, and his property rights. Mr. Alexander is one of the last farmers of his kind remaining in the U.S. At the age of 92, Mr. Alexander has farmed his land for close to 70 years. He has been an active part of the farming community of Iredell County for decades.
Mr. Alexander’s property is not within the Mooresville City limits. However, the town of Mooresville (in Iredell County, North Carolina) is condemning the farmland to construct an obtrusive sewer line through the most prime area of Mr. Alexander’s farm. The construction of the sewer will come through with 20 raised manholes as high as 3-4 feet tall, which the town has refused to provide flush and vented to the creek bank (aka ground level manholes). Nor will they compensate for the interruption of farming during construction. The line will very much obstruct both the cows’ feeding and water supply.
The town promised 4 taps (to the sewer line) in negotiation, but then went straight into condemnation without any consideration of previous negotiation agreements. Further, the sewer line was already engineered before Mr. Alexander was even notified, thus ignoring the actual property owner’s requests. Requests were made that the sewer line be moved from the middle of the field. The town said this was possible all at Mr. Alexander’s sole expense which would be in excess of $73,000.
The costs to Mr. Alexander, his property, his cows and business prove astronomical and will permanently harm the aesthetics and beauty of his property and the environment of this land. Any requests for help in keeping this business intact during the two years of construction have been refused. This unfair treatment of Mr. Alexander and taking of his farmland provides no benefit for Mr. Alexander, but is only detrimental to his business, land and beloved animals.
We should not allow this unfair treatment and lack of consideration to be shown by our elected officials.
15. Immigration Law Society at Wash U
The purpose of this petition is to gather enough signatures of currently enrolled law students at Washington University in St. Louis to formally create an Immigration Law Society at Wash U.
The Law School has never had an Immigration Law Society, yet St. Louis is the home of a surprisingly large population of new immigrants and refugees. Immigration is a topic commonly intertwined with employment and labor law, criminal law, health care, international law and foreign policy, among many other areas. The Immigration Law Society at Wash U would allow students to explore immigration law through direct community outreach, local and national speakers, fair-minded debates, contacts with employers and professional organizations, and advocacy and awareness events. Furthermore, the community outreach and volunteer aspect of the organization would provide students another avenue to obtain real-world legal experiences while in school, giving Wash U law students a competitive edge in the job market, even in areas other than immigration.
If you support the creation of this new organization, please help us by signing this petition. Under the Bylaws of the Student Bar Association, a new organization needs at least 10 registered members and twenty student signatures supporting the group’s formation, among other things. Please note in the space provided whether you would like to sign as a "Member" or "Supporter."
Thank you!
16. Keep Burhill a Community School
This petition relates to the publication of statutory notice on 1st June 2009, to change Burhill's school category from Community Primary School to a "Trust School". All objections need to be received by 1st July 2009.
The reasons the governing body should reject these proposals;
1. The proposed benefits can be achieved without the need for Trust status;
2. Proposals actively DIVIDE the Hersham community, and all schools now have an obligation to PROMOTE community cohesion under the Education Acts. There are valid concerns relating to school admissions, educational transitions, traffic/parking, funding, parental choice, staff workload, corporate involvement in education and the impact on other local schools; proposals do not indicate sufficient solutions to any of them;
3. Proposals remove responsibility from the LEA, and provide scope for biased decision making by the Trust;
4. Teaching unions oppose the idea of trust schools; see
http://www.atl.org.uk/Images/Trust%20schools%20PS%202008.pdf
http://www.unison.org.uk/file/A4926.pdf
5. A change in government may leave Trust schools redundant;
6. The school has already confirmed legal costs of between £1,000 and £4,000, money effectively diverted from the state education system;
BURHILL SCHOOL IS AT THE HEART OF THE HERSHAM COMMUNITY AND SHOULD REMAIN SO.
17. North Kelvin Meadow Campaign
The North Kelvin Meadow Campaign (www.northkelvinmeadow.com) is a voluntary community organisation in Glasgow. At the end of 2008, volunteers began to transform a derelict playing field into an inspiring green space, including a meadow, woodland, a community orchard and allotments.
Glasgow council wants to sell the land for flats, but local people feel strongly that it should remain a community space and do not want these flats on the land. Local authorities are required by law to provide allotment sites and Cosla, the umbrella body for Scotland's councils, has compiled a report which urges local authorities to acquire, manage and develop more land for allotments.
Currently the waiting list for allotments in the area is eight years. Please support us by signing the petition and writing to your MP, MSP and Glasgow Council about it! Thanks.
18. Save the Muhammed Ali Centre
A recent decision by Birmingham City Council to bulldoze the iconic Muhammad Ali Centre in Icknield Street (only yards from the Hockley Flyover) has sparked outrage among the black community who have been trying for years to have the centre re-opened.
Once a cultural focal point and visited by Ali himself three times, it is now a burnt out shell, and haven for drug misuse. A local group (ICDF) lead by activist Gerald Nembhard has been given only 8 weeks (until June 5th) to present a viable business model to save the building, and raise enough capital to prevent its demolition.
Please contact Gerald Nembhard at the Infinity group for more info. InfinityCDF@hotmail.co.uk
19. SouthEast Vancouver Seniors want EQUAL SERVICES
Support SouthEast Vancouver Seniors in their right to equal services. We have suffered 12 years of promises to build a dedicated Senior Centre for the 25,000 or 1/3 of Vancouver seniors 65+; not including 55+ stats. The 3 levels of government agree a seniors centre is needed in SouthEast Vancouver.
There are 9 Seniors Centres on Vancouver's Westside. Vancouver Park Board has tentatively agreed to provided the land. NOW is the time to build the SouthEast Vancouver Seniors Centre, enough with the continual motions to approve it.
20. Preserve the Far West Village/Rezone the C6-1 District
The Far West Village is one of New York's most historic neighborhoods, which community groups and preservationists have fought for years to preserve and protect from over development.
However, there is a six block section of the Far West Village which still contains an anomalous and outdated zoning designation that encourages out-of-scale development, and strongly encourages hotel, dormitory, or office development in a predominantly residential but mixed-use neighborhood.
While this area is now part of the Greenwich Village Historic District, only a change to the zoning can ensure that any new development here truly respects the scale and character of the neighborhood.
21. In support of a cooperative agreement with Autrey Mill Nature Preserve Assoc.
The Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center, is a unique facility in the bustling City of Johns Creek GA. It features 46 acres of forest, woodland trails, winding creek, heritage gardens, historic buildings, and animal exhibits.
The beautiful Autrey Mill of today was built over a 20-year period under the leadership of the non-profit Autrey Mill Nature Preserve Association (AMNP) Board and its talented staff, with the vital help of generous public and private supporters, and by harnessing the indispensable work of volunteers.
With the stability provided by a 30-year lease agreement (originally with Fulton County and now with the City of Johns Creek) AMNP has been able to conduct long-range planning; receive major grants; undertake larger, multi-year projects; and accept donations of heirlooms and important historic items. Operating under this lease, the AMNP Board has provided responsible stewardship of the land and continually made improvements.
On March 11, 2009, the City of Johns Creek took the extraordinary step of suing the AMNP non-profit corporation operated by community volunteers. In its lawsuit the City seeks to invalidate the 30-year lease and seeks control over the historic items that have been donated to AMNP over the years.
22. Raven’s Ait Petition For Community Use
Due to the need for urgent environmental action. We have occupied an island in The Thames.
In these times of rising tides and melting ice shelves, we thought we should get a bit closer to studying the watery world and its rise.
Ravens Ait Island is a unique wedding and conference centre with halls, many rooms, workshop spaces, kitchens and gardens. On an enchanting island in The Thames near Kingston, (opposite Hampton Court). Which we are transforming into an Eco Conference Centre.
Come visit, help, book in to run a skill sharing workshop and put it on the timetable. Network it. There will be an ongoing discussion here “how do we find SOLUTIONS to the environmentally critical situation we face?”
23. Keep Swimming in Forest Hill
Lewisham Council is proposing to move the swimming pools from Dartmouth Road to Willow Way in Sydenham.
We believe that the new swimming pools for Forest Hill should be a high quality design, retaining the frontage block, on the Dartmouth Road site and built in the near future.
The Council is proposing two options to replace Forest Hill Pools. The first is an attractive modern design which places new pools behind the existing frontage block on Dartmouth Road. This design is favoured by local people, but the Mayor claims that it is not affordable and cannot be built before 2015 and maybe not at all. The other option is to move the pools to the industrial estate in Willow Way in Sydenham SE26. This is unpopular with local people, but it is claimed by the Mayor that it could be built soon and more affordably.
What is so good about Dartmouth Road? This site is at the civic heart of Forest Hill and has been the home of swimming for 120 years. It has good transport links and new pools here would give the town centre a lift and help the businesses along Dartmouth Road to thrive again. This plan will reuse the pools frontage block, a familiar local landmark. We believe that this plan can be made affordable if the Council will look at alternative approaches which we can present.
What is wrong with Willow Way? The site is unsuitable and is situated in a narrow side street. Moving the pools away to this site would threaten businesses on Dartmouth Road and tear the heart out of the town centre. The old pools building would be left derelict for the foreseeable future.
This petition, supported by the undersigned, is directed to the Mayor, City Council and Park Officials of Erie, Pennsylvania. Its goal is to support the construction of an enclosed, off-leash dog park in a centralized, convenient location within the city limits. A full proposal is currently being developed that will be presented to the city along with this petition.
This park would be a designated area where well-behaved canine citizens can exercise and have fun in a clean, safe environment. We want to create a beautiful, well-maintained space open to all dog lovers and friends who will be willing to uphold the park’s rules and restrictions. This park will be designed to satisfy the needs of dog-owners and non-dog owners alike. We aim for this park to be a community project, supported in part by volunteer dog-owners and maintained in partnership with the City of Erie.
In many cities, dog parks are very common. You can view the list of dog parks in each city and state by visiting this website: www.dogparkusa.com. However, there are no public dog parks anywhere near Erie! The large number and success of dog parks all over the country demonstrate that when a group of concerned and responsible dog owners work together for a leash-free dog park, not only can this concept work but it can thrive and enrich the community.
Therefore, we are asking the City of Erie to allow the construction of a dog park for the following reasons:
- There isn’t a single public dog park in our entire county to accommodate safe, off-leash dog activities.
- Such a park would allow families with dogs to spend more quality time with their pets.
- Such a park would reduce angst between dog owners, non-owners, police and park authorities regarding dog access to other city parks.
- This park would increase opportunities for residents to interact with their neighbors and help create a sense of community.
- Many dogs need exercise above and beyond human limitations; furthermore, many dog owners do not have a yard where their dogs can spend time outside, and leashes greatly limit the dog’s space and pace.
- Socializing dogs is very beneficial to the community, since it makes them less skittish and can mitigate aggressive behavior when meeting other dogs and people.
- Regular exercise is great for any dog's longevity and weight control, and the overall effect of regular exercise makes most dogs calmer and better behaved.
Please help us create a dedicated space that allows our dogs to have a place to run and enjoy their beautiful city!
If you would like to be involved in our efforts, you can email hc_k{at}yahoo.com. We can update you on our next steps and see how you may be able to help out.
25. Save the Early Childhood Centre Services
The Sydney Southwest Area Health Service is planning to cut crucial services from their Early Childhood Centre Program.
One of the main changes includes the ceasing of the Tuesday morning drop-in service in the Balmain Early Childhood Centre (and no doubt other centres as well). This change will come into effect in mid-December and this decision was implemented without any consultation with the community at large.
The drop-in service has provided regular and accessible help to many parents in an informal setting and has also provided an important supportive forum for many parents to meet other parents.
It is essential for many parents to help care for their young children because babies needs are often immediate and cannot wait until planned appointments which are only available weeks in advance.
Many parents in Balmain are from interstate, overseas or country areas and are separated from their support networks. They rely heavily on formal services for support.
More changes - such as ceasing information forums like 'Introducing Solids' - are planned and something needs to be done to show the SSWAHS that these services are vital for the health and well being of our babies and parents and to ensure that no more services are taken away.
Please help us protect the mental and physical health of our babies and parents in Balmain and other suburbs within the Sydney South West Area and sign this petition to have our Early Childhood Services re-instated and to ensure that future changes to the Early Childhood Program be thoroughly debated by the community.
Kamal Begi, a Brampton Manor student, and his uncle have lost all their appeals and are under a threat of deportation despite having lived in the UK for over 6 years. They were initially granted a leave to remain for one year and then refused indefinite leave to remain.
We were shocked that a boy who has suffered so much trauma in Afghanistan, where his father was murdered and members of his family tortured, where he himself was held at a gun point as a child, a boy whose life would be in danger if he returned, is not being allowed to set up a new home here and is left worried for his well-being and future, pending the decision of the Home Office.
Kamal Begi and his uncle arrived in the UK and claimed asylum in January 2002. He joined Brampton Manor School in East Ham, London in September 2003 and has quickly become a valuable member of our school community. He is now leaving Year 11 having taken his GCSEs and is expected to achieve on or often above target in all his subjects. He is very ambitious and clear on what he wants to achieve in life. He has now been accepted to New Vic College where he plans to take his ‘A’ levels before going to University to study Business. Kamal has become a strong member of our school community and has settled in very well.
We have so far collected over a thousand signatures on paper in school that were handed over to Lyn Brown MP on 24th June 2008 in the House of Commons. We need more people to show their support for Kamal.
27. Say No to Images of Naked Children in Art
Art Monthly magazine published an image of a six-year-old girl on its July cover to protest against the recent furore over similar pictures by artist Bill Henson.
Art Monthly editor Maurice O'Riordan said he hoped the edition would "validate nudity and childhood as subjects for art'' and restore some "dignity to the debate".
Dr Jolley, co-author of an article about Bill Henson in this month's Art Australia magazine, said the cover was deliberately provocative.
"It could be a provocation or it could be simply saying no we aren't going to preemptively buckle, we aren't going to let this small pressure group dictate what we can and can't show,'' he said. "We aren't going to let the tabloid media ... dictate what we can and can't show and we are not going to let politicians, who are always wanting to jump on populist bandwagons dictate what we can and can't show.''
This petition is to show to the government and the art world that it is the COMMUNITY who is saying NO to the use of naked images of children.
This petition is to stop the closure of the venue at The Tumbledown Dick, Farnborough.
Over the past few decades the venue at The Tumbledown has been a host to hundreds of local and not so local music acts.
The likes of The Jam, Hundred Reasons, Reuben & The Selecter have all passed through the doors at early stages in their careers and The Tumbledown was proud to still be consistently supportive of new and upcoming bands.
However the current owners, Spirit Group Ltd., have decided to convert the entire building into a pub-restaurant the likes of which proliferate about the Farnborough area.
We find this viewpoint extremely short-sighted.
Due to a lack of company expenditure the venue has become tired and ill-fitting but with Spirit's publicised spend of circa £1m it would be easy to push this venue toward a much more community orientated venture.
In a town devoid of cultural stimulation or an outlet of creativity would it not be foolish to lose a venue so ideally positioned and capable of sustaining such growth?
By signing this petition you hereby state you support and want The Tumbledown venue to stay and be improved upon and not to simply be converted into another generic pub-restaurant.
Spirit Group need local support to run a successful pub.
Without the locals, there will be no trade.
Our voices will be heard.
The selfish and reckless determination of innumerable owners to keep domestic dogs under circumstances which are entirely unnatural to a creature congenitally programmed to free-range has been allowed by default to become an uncontrolled plague causing almost universal distress to man and dog to such a disruptive extent that while consequent human suffering is increasing exponentially, millions of these cruelly victimised creatures are now being euthanised annually.
30. No to Charging Disabled and Older People for Essental Services in Hammersmith & Fulham
This petition has been actioned by Hammersmith & Fulham Coalition against Community Cuts (HAFCAC)
Hammersmith and Fulham Council are seeking to charge disabled and older people for essential services which enable them to live as equal citizens in the community.
The proposed charges of up to £12.40 per hour would negatively impact on the well being of disabled and older people who use essential community care services.
In March 2006, the Labour administration said it would stop charging for home care services. In April 2006, a spokesperson for the Conservative group said, “A Conservative Council will not reintroduce Home Care Charging. The Conservative group has included this as a manifesto pledge.”
Many local disabled and older people feel cheated that the present Conservative Council is proposing a U turn on its election pledge.
Local residents wish to strongly object to the Council's plans.
Contact HAFCAC on 07899 752 877 or email hafcac@hotmail.co.uk
