The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force yesterday, one month after the final country of the 20 needed to ratify voted for the landmark treaty to guarantee the rights of some 650 million people worldwide. 

Now a new Maryland law requires large insurance pools to extend coverage to all dependent students up to the age 25.  Staying under their parents’ health insurance is a huge benefit to young people who may want to do volunteer work or take a job that doesn’t offer health coverage.  (Washington Post)

Helping the Earth and helping crime victims at the same time: More than 100 million cell phones are discarded each year and only 1 in 5 are recycled. An innovative program in Las Vegas hopes to keep thousands of phones out of the landfill while increasing public safety. Old phones are programmed with the ability to simply call 911 anytime, and are donated to women faced with the danger of domestic violence.

Precious metal recovered from the old phone will be sold with the money going to victim rights programs. Phones can be donated in any condition — your dog ate it, it fell in the pool — to help crime victims who are otherwise feeling unsafe to have access to the police deputy at all times, and help the earth at the same time. (KVBC News Video) UPDATE, MAY 22: If you can’t bring your old cell phone equipment to one of the 7 substations in Las Vegas, please mail it to:
Victim Services, c/o Peggy Wellman
4750 W. Oakey Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102