Bloomberg Thanks Quinn For Use Of Discretion Over Slush Funds

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday that the slush fund operated by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was thankfully no longer the subject of public scorn, unlike the slush fund being operated by New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Chicago Teachers Union Closer To Going On Strike

From The Chicago Tribune :

The Chicago Teachers Union filed a 10-day strike notice on Wednesday in an attempt to put additional pressure on Chicago Public Schools negotiators in ongoing contract talks.

At a packed news conference Wednesday, CTU president Karen Lewis accused CPS leaders and the mayor of engaging in a "smear campaign" against teachers, raising the possibility for the city's first teachers' strike in 25 years. ...

Read more : Chicago Teachers Union files 10-day strike notice

Great Aunt Ida Launches Canadian Tour To Support LP ''Nuclearize Me''

Folky Canadian artist Great Aunt Ida (aka Ida Nilsen) launches a Canadian tour next week.

Fake Shelly Silver Tweet About Shirley Huntley Arrest

Gotta hand it to @agschneiderman: Taking down Shirley Huntley right before it's revealed that his office approved the secret Vito pay-out.

— Fake Sheldon Silver (@ShellySilver) August 29, 2012

Occupy Victory Over Obama Evolution On Citizens United

Earlier today, U.S. President Barack Obama announced during a Reddit chat that he was now open to a legislative remedy to put an end to a controversial 2010 Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. That case came to be known by the name of its appellant, Citizens United.

“Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn’t revisit it),” he wrote. “Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.”

President Obama's sudden change of heart over the unlimited influence of corporate money in campaigns comes as his re-election campaign comes to a close, and after his own campaign has benefitted from tens of millions of dollars raised through Super-PAC's, such as "Priorities USA Action, the super PAC that is supporting his candidacy and run by a former White House communications aide," reported The Huffington Post.

Groups that have been fighting the undemocratic influence that the Citizens United decision is having on elections in the United State see President Obama's newly expressed rhetoric as a starting place, but until his administration takes action, there is no telling how committed President Obama really is to election reform.

One of the winners of President Obama's "evolution" on Citizens United is the Occupy Wall Street movement. On January, 3, 2012, the New York City General Assembly of the Occupy Wall Street movement officially called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United decision (See NYCGA Notes).

Gloria Steinem Paid Sick Leave Petition

"The feminist author Gloria Steinem is leading a campaign to pressure Speaker Christine C. Quinn to allow a City Council vote on a bill that would require businesses to give their employees paid sick leave." (NYTimes)

To sign the MoveOn.org petition, please click on the photo below :

Viral Video of Curiosity Descent Down To Mars

From This Is Colossal : New Interpolated HD Video of Curiosity Mars Rover Descent Depicts Real-Time Landing

Using footage provided by NASA, Reddit user Godd2 just spent the last four days on behalf of all humankind creating a stunning interpolated HD version of the descent. In layman’s terms interpolation involves taking a choppy video, in this case NASA’s 4 frames-per-second video, and rendering the “missing” frames in between resulting in an incredibly smooth 25 frames-per-second video. This is, I believe, the closest approximation ever of what it might feel like to land on another planet in real time using actual footage. Amazing.

Prince Harry Funny Facebook Family Nude Picture with Royal Family - Joke Photograph Las Vegas Photoshop

Since last week, a viral Photoshopped picture of a nude Prince Harry appearing in a group picture with the Royal Family has been making the rounds on Facebook pages. It's a funny joke, we hope you can get a few cheap laughs from it. LOL !

Suzannah B. Troy To Be Censored By YouTube and NYPD Intelligence Division

Suzannah B. Troy faces censorship yet again, this time by YouTube and the NYPD's Intelligence Division.

Following are the two videos, which face censorship :

"Mayor Bloomberg Yelled Down CityTime ECTP at Press Conference NYPD Intelligence Lt."

"Mayor Bloomberg Private Army NYPD Intelligence Det. Lynch Refuses to Identify Himself + Abusive!"

Who Shot All The Innocent Bystanders Outside The Empire State Building ?

Confirmed on NYTimes: Bystanders Hurt in Manhattan Were Hit by Police Gunfire

Confirmed on CNN: Police gunfire responsible for wounding all 9 innocent bystanders in Empire State Building shooting in New York

Was NYPD Responsible For All Innocent Bystander Shootings Outside The Empire State Building Today ?

Rumors are flying around that all of the innocent bystanders, who were shot outside of the Empire State Building this morning, were not shot by bullets from the the shooting suspect, Jeffrey T. Johnson -- who was shot dead by police -- but by bullets shot by police. Not yet confirmed, but I heard this from a very reliable source. I wonder how this will change the narrative of today's story of a disgruntled ex-employee shooting indiscriminately at the throngs of crowds outside the Empire State Building ?

From The New York Times, the police description of the firing of the bullets seems to indicate that the only people shooting their weapons outside the Empire State Building were police officers, not the lone gunman, Mr. Johnson :

The Police Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said one witness had told investigators that Mr. Johnson had fired at the two officers, “but we don’t have ballistics to support that.” Mr. Browne said “it’s possible” that the officers had shot him before he could return fire.

One officer fired seven times, the other nine times, Mr. Browne said.

According to the Associated Press, the NYPD has so far admitted that some of the innocent bystanders were struck by bullets or bullet fragments shot by the responding police officers, but the story has not yet been fully told : if the gunman Mr. Johnson did not fire his weapon, that means that the collateral damage that took place today was as a result of "friendly fire."

Dead Father Tortures Gay Son From Grave : Get Married To Woman Or Lose Inheritance

Businessman's will orders gay son to marry woman, or else son will lose $180,000 inheritance. How's that for de factor LGBT discrimination ?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190595/Frank-Mandelbaum-death-Businessmans-orders-gay-son-marry-surrogate-mother-grandchild.html

The late Frank Mandelbaum's dying wish was that his son marry the mother of his grandchild. Only Robert Mandelbaum, 47, a Manhattan Criminal Court Judge, is already married - to a man. Robert Mandelbaum is now fighting to overturn his father's will, arguing that the only 'mother' his two-year-old son knows is his longtime partner Johnathan O'Donnell, 39.

Rosie O'Donnell Has Heart Attack ; SVH Luxury Condo Fears Ambulance Response Times

Earlier today, Rosie O'Donnell blogged about having had a heart attack last week. Earlier this year, Mr. O'Donnell purchased a luxury condo from the Rudin family in the complex that used to be St. Vincent's Hospital, before it closed. Everybody is glad that Rosie is doing better, and we all wish her a speedy recovery. Some community activists hope that Ms. O'Donnell will see her heart attack as a wake-up call to create a full-service, Level I Trauma center in the Lower West Side. With the Rudin family's luxury condo conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital, there is now no trauma-emergency care in the entire Lower West Side of Manhattan.

About the EMS response and transport time that people live in fear in the West Village, the artist and political blogger, Suzannah B. Troy, wrote that Ms. O'Donnell "would not have made it to Beth Israel like Richard Scheirer --- Rudy Giuliani's guy that died because he had a stroke and did not make it from the West Village where there is no St. Vincent's Hospital -- no trauma level 1 hospital."

2011-12-25 Bill Rudin Robber Baron Band-Aid Flyer

(CBS News) Rosie O'Donnell says she is "lucky to be here" after suffering a heart attack last week.

O'Donnell, 50, detailed the experience on her blog Monday, saying that she helped lift an "enormous woman" out of her car on Aug. 14 - and that a few hours later, her chest ached, her arms were sore, she became nauseous and had clammy skin.

She initially thought she had pulled a muscle, she continued, but then added in her free-verse writing style, "Maybe this is a heart attack/i googled womens heart attack symptoms/i had many of them/but really? - i thought - naaaa."

O'Donnell said she took a few aspirin ("Thank god/saved by a tv commercial/literally") and went to a cardiologist the next day.

She said her coronary artery was 99 percent blocked. A stent was inserted.

"They call this type of heart attack/the Widow maker/i am lucky to be here," she wrote. "Know the symptoms ladies/listen to the voice inside/the one we all so easily ignore/CALL 911/save urself."

A rep for O'Donnell told Us Weekly that she is now "home and resting comfortably." Earlier this month, she revealed that her fiancee, Michelle Rounds, was diagnosed with desmoid tumors.

The comedian recently hosted "The Rosie Show" on the Opera Winfrey Network. It was canceled in March.

moneyoutofpolitics mic check grand central station march to pfizer

After government integrity and healthcare activists held a mic check and balloon release inside Grand Central Station, the activists marched to Pfizer headquarters, where they did a speak-out and mocked the Pfizer marketing gimmick called, "Get Old."

Britain And Ecuador In Diplomatic Crisis Over Julian Assange

British authorities threaten to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to get Assange

The wire services of Reuters is reporting that a major diplomatic crisis escalated on Wednesday in London over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after UK authorities indicated that they would storm Ecuador's London embassy if Ecuadorian diplomats did not turn over Mr. Assange, who has been taking refuge there for two months.

In response, the Ecuadorian government quickly raised legal and diplomatic concerns over the British threats. Reuters reported that Ecuadorean government officials said such a raid would be considered a "hostile and intolerable act," and it would violate the sovereignty of Ecuador's government, and, by extension, its Embassy in London.

"We want to be very clear, we're not a British colony. The colonial times are over," Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said in an angry statement after a meeting with President Rafael Correa, Reuters reported.

The Ecuadorian Embassy in London posted the following statement yesterday on it's mission's website :

“We are deeply shocked by British government’s threats against the sovereignty of the Ecuadorian Embassy and their suggestion that they may forcibly enter the embassy.

This is a clear breach of international law and the protocols set out in the Vienna Convention.

Throughout out the last 56 days Mr. Julian Assange has been in the Embassy, the Ecuadorian Government has acted honourably in all our attempts to seek a resolution to the situation. This stands in stark contrast to the escalation of the British Government today with their threats to breakdown the door of the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Instead of threatening violence against the Ecuadorian Embassy the British Government should use its energy to find a peaceful resolution to this situation which we are aiming to achieve.“

The Associated Press wire service has already reported that British police have made arrests of peaceful activists outside the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Cosmo Girl, Helen Gurley Brown, Dead at 90

Hellen Gurley Brown, who edited Cosmopolitan magazine during an era of great social change for women, died today. She was 90.

Ms. Brown tapped into the revolution in both society and in publishing that was already taking place in the late 1950's and early 1960's when she wrote her bestselling book, "Sex and the Single Girl," in 1962.

Ms. Brown updated Cosmo with sexy young contributors, who, as trailblazing writers, had embraced writing about daring and controversial subjects, such as workplace sexual harassment, pre-marital sex, birth control, and abortion. Among the bright and famous contributors, whom Ms. Brown recruited to write for Cosmo, included Rona Jaffe, who some argue helped to launch the sexual revolution in America with the 1958 publication of her shocking novel, "The Best of Everything."

Historians and women's rights archivists debate about which early writer was the first to begin to influence society away from the repressive and conformist 1950's, even at this late date, most people attribute "Sex and the Single Girl" with more influence, even though "The Best of Everything" preceded it by four years. For example, look at how The New York Times puts Ms. Brown into a separate category, as if Ms. Jaffe hadn't already begun to alter social mores with her own writing :

Helen Gurley Brown, who as the author of “Sex and the Single Girl” shocked early-1960s America with the news that unmarried women not only had sex but also thoroughly enjoyed it — and who as the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine spent the next three decades telling those women precisely how to enjoy it even more — died on Monday in Manhattan. She was 90, though parts of her were considerably younger. (NYTimes)

But there is no doubt that Ms. Brown did provide a platform for writers, such as Ms. Jaffe and others, to create an outlet for an alternative view of about what women had the freedom to do, other than to push each other on the rat race down the marriage aisle, like Ms. Jaffe used to say.

Cosmopolitan's Helen Gurley Brown dies aged 90 ; Editor's 32-year stint at helm of women's magazine saw introduction of frank discussions about sex (Guardian)

Suzannah B. Troy Chad Seigel YouTube Video Rewind

VIDEO REWIND AND PARODY UPDATE

One year ago, on August 12, 2011, Suzannah B. Troy posted a YouTube video about Chad Seigel's response to a grievance complaint that Ms. Troy filed against Mr. Seigel's professional ethics.

And only yesterday, Ms. Troy was moved to criticise Mr. Seigel's perceived misogynist attitude by producing and staring in a parody video about the fact that Mr. Seigel once described a woman's vagina as a "Venus fly trap."

Chatroulette "Call Me Maybe" Parody (VIDEO)

Steve Kardynal has made a viral YouTube video (with over 8 million views in less than 3 days) from the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. The hilarious parody was made from videos recorded from Chatroulette.

Steve Kardynal Makes Chatroulette 'Call Me Maybe' Parody, Dances In Bikini (HuffingtonPost) * Bikini-Clad Fur Dude Shocks Chatroulette Users With Flawless Carly Rae Impression (PerezHilton)

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (Chatroulette Version)

Hilarious, viral YouTube video made by Steve Kardynal of the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, set with videos recorded from Chatroulette.

Joseph Hayden Faces 7 Years

From The Amsterdam News :

The judge has set another date in the criminal case against 71-year-old community activist Joseph “Jazz” Hayden. Last week, a large group of supporters packed the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse demanding that District Attorney Cyrus Vance drop the charges against Hayden.

Hayden faces two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, stemming from a December 2011 incident when police found a pocketknife and a miniature replica baseball bat after searching his car.

Hayden alleges that the charges against him are a result of his filming police activities in the Harlem community. “I can unequivocally state that this stop and arrest were in retaliation for my work as a citizen reporter aggressively covering police-community relationships in the Harlem community,” said Hayden.

For the past four years, Hayden has implemented “Copwatch,” a program in which he and his team patrol the Harlem area and videotape police as they stop and frisk people. ...

Read more : Harlem activist could face up to seven years in prison

Watch as how Joseph "Jazz" Hayden has documented the questionable NYPD use of "stop and frisk" :

Fran Lebowitz on Occupy Wall Street

Fran Lebowitz spoke about the intersection of Occupy Wall Street and Michael Bloomberg, and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

"The thing I have enjoyed the most, I have to say, about Occupy Wall Street, because I am a vengeful and superficial person, is to see Bloomberg not have any idea which way to go with this thing. ... We know how he really feels, because, I mean, this mayor is not even in the 1%. He's in the 1% of the 1%. We have a mayor, who is so rich, that he will not live in a place actually called Gracie Mansion. It's not nice enough for him, you know ? He has not in any way attracted the ire of these [activists], which is shocking to me. I mean, when I walk around and sometimes these kids talk to me, I say, 'Go to Bloomberg's house.' You know, the day that they went to rich people's houses, I said, 'Go to Bloomberg's house,' and those kids said to me,'No, no, no. He's O.K., he said we could stay.' I said, 'What are you talking about ? This isn't his city. Anybody can stay. This is not his estate.' ...

"And we've seen the new, doe-eyed Christine Quinn -- all of a sudden, champion of the people, you know, not in fact his henchman or henchwoman that she's been for the last 40 years of his mayoralty, who helped him overturn two elections in order to have this third term.

Two days after the Zucotti Park eviction, Ms. Lebowitz said, Mike Bloomberg "is a central villian in all this." In respect of Speaker Quinn, Ms. Lebowitz said, "She is an architect of this."

Rupert Murdoch Endorses Paul Ryan

Rupert Murdoch endorses Paul Ryan selection for GOP VP candidate.

News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch tweeted yesterday that he supported Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as the vice presidential running mate for the 2012 GOP presidential ticket. Mr. Ryan has a history of trying to destroy Medicare.

Rupert Murdoch ‏@rupertmurdoch : Thank God! Now we might have a real election on the great issues of the day. Paul Ryan almost perfect choice.

NYPD Shoots Knife Carrying Man Dead Near Times Square

NYPD officers open fire, killing man carrying a knife after terrifying chase through Times Square, The New York Daily News reports.

A deranged knife-wielding man was gunned down by police near Times Square Saturday after a bizarre backward chase in broad daylight that sent terrified tourists scrambling for safety. (NYDaily News) * Cops shot a knife-wielding maniac dead on a packed Midtown street yesterday after several officers drew their weapons and chased him at gunpoint through Times Square. (NYPost) * According to the police account, officers pepper sprayed the man six times but he held onto the knife throughout the seven-block pursuit. At West 37th Street, he lunged at police and two officers shot him in the torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. (AP)

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012) Trailer

The film examines this complex intersection of artistic practice and social activism as seen through the life and art of China's preeminent contemporary artist. From 2008 to 2010, Beijing-based journalist and filmmaker Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai Weiwei. Klayman documented Ai's artistic process in preparation for major museum exhibitions, his intimate exchanges with family members and his increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government. Klayman's detailed portrait of the artist provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.

Senior Citizen Arrested For Asking Paul Ryan Question About Medicare Cuts

Mitt Romney's newly announce vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, has announced his support for severe cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, along with other controversial policies.

At a community meeting, Mr. Ryan was speaking about Medicare cuts when a senior citizen rose out of his chair and spoke in protest. Tom Nielsen was then promptly grabbed by police and security, and Mr. Nielsen was dragged to another room, where he was shoved to the ground and handcuffed. Meanwhile, Mr. Ryan was making unbelievable jokes about the poor senior citizen, who paid into Medicare his whole life, and only whats given to him what he paid for and what the government promised him now he has reached 71 and is in his old age years.

In John Waters's Film, Female Trouble, Aunt Ida Plays With Her Breasts (Edith Massey), But Once Suzannah B. Troy Talks Politics, YouTube Drapes e-Burka Over Her Videos : Censorship ?

It is a shame to see how blogs and YouTube videos, which discuss critical news about SAIC and the billion-dollar high-tech deals that give birth to insider dealing and mega corruption, can be labeled with adult warnings, but I've seen clips of John Waters' movies on YouTube with nudity and self-gratification scenes, but that's deemed perfectly funny by our admittedly raunchy online standards.

But as soon as a blogger starts talking about RICO charges and triple damages and civil and criminal trials, then we focus our eyes and attention on boobs, and we find reasons to restrict access to information that no msm outlet is putting out there. I wonder what would happen if I shaved my chest and put on a pair of falsies under a bikini top ? Would you give me a free pass, like topless YouTube clips of Edith Massey ? Would I finally get some attention focused on my Kickstarter project ?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/louisflores/roots-of-betrayal-the-ethics-of-christine-quinn

But then again, I'd probably get labeled as adult content by your same sick and twisted double standards, and I'd only succeed at getting warnings on my online content.

Just because all men stare at Suzannah's boobs don't mean we should drape a digital full-body cloaks (aka ''adult warnings'') on her YouTube videos -- against her will.

Did I miss something, or isn't this exactly what you are doing to her work ? She's too sexy even in clothes, so let's drape her videos in adult warnings like a quasi "e-burka."

1960's French Music & Inspired OOTD

Some of my french music recommendations and inspired OOTD.

Sorry for the excessive finger pointing. I hope you enjoy the tunes!

MISS DIOR CHERIE COMMERCIAL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oWGD5yYS9g

BRIGITTE BARDOT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANJjxQaIcoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMCfnLAKRl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB112Vbl8-A

BRIGITTE BARDOT'S MUSIC IN STELLA ARTOIS AD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKpiYTRNsh8

FRANÇOISE HARDY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V-b8QIYOpM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPD-WPNxpmU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ST0EHvgsc

FRANCE GALL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwsTm7cRAV8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-iysdFu_TQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHR8wwv1qUk

APRIL MARCH COVERING FRANCE GALL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NDsbEiCxXw

CHANTAL GOYA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZfI2A601i8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fSoyXQeD8c

UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dby0CpgBwV4

Golden Girls Attack Ad

Exclusive - Election Center - Jon Stewart produces a hilarious Golden Girls Attack Ad. Since Barack Obama became president, America has lost 75% of its "Golden Girls."

Note that the embedding code has been disabled by The Daily Show, please click through to The Daily Show website for a link to the funny Golden Girls Attack Ad clip.

Yo Soy 132 and #OWS Protest Against Carlos Slim at Saks Fifth Avenue

Correction : Early press releases for this event erroneously declared Mexico's Yo Soy 132 would be involved with the Carlos Slim event in New York. That, in fact, was not the case. Occupy Wall Street and Two Countries, One Voice emhpasized at the event that, while there is solidarity between the movements, Yo Soy 132 was not participating in the event. (The Nation)

Updated : Javier Soriano, a prominent freelance photographer and journalist, was shut out of the Monday's “Two Countries One Voice” press conference.

Cerca de 100 activistas realizaron una protesta frente a la tienda Saks Fifth Avenue en Nueva York. Los activistas denunciaron los beneficios del monopolio de telefonía de Carlos Slim. El gordo es dueño de una gran parte de la empresa Saks Fifth Avenue.

"As the richest man in the world, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú has his hand in many honeypots including the phone company Telmex, the New York Times, and apparently Saks Fifth Avenue. Itself an icon of Manhattan luxury, protesters have picked the department store for a four-day rally beginning this afternoon: What's left of Occupy Wall Street plans to join forces with Yo Soy 132, the similarly amorphous Mexican student group, under the umbrella of what they're calling Two Countries, One Voice, for a demonstration against Slim's "monopolistic practices" at his telecommunications companies. "Carlos Slim is the 1 percent of the 1 percent," said one Occupy organizer. But the would-be villain himself won't be there, and doesn't seem to be sweating it." (NY Magazine)

NYPD arrest Boyfriend of 'The Hills' star Stephanie Pratt

Julien Chabbott, 28, drove his expensive Ferrari over the foot of Police Officer Felix Recio. Mr. Chabbott is Stephanie Pratt's boyfriend, and he was trying to get out of getting a parking ticket for having left his expensive car in the "No Parking" zone alongside Mercer Street in Manhattan's fancy SoHo shopping district.

Stephanie Pratt, from the MTV hit show, "The Hills," is in the viral YouTube video.

Julien Chabbott Line Snob Parking Snob

Julien Chabbott, who is accused of driving his $257,000 red Ferrari 458 over the foot of a police officer, is co-founder of the “Line Snob” smartphone app, which was at one time marketed to help people cut through waiting in long lines.

The Facebook page for Line Snob has less than 300 "Likes," and the Twitter account for the Line Snob app has not been used since June 2010. And the Line Snob app is no longer available on iTunes. Nobody knows how Mr. Chabbott makes money.

Ferrari Driver Running Over Cop's Foot in SoHo

A viral YouTube video allegedly shows Julien Chabbott, 28, of Chelsea, driving the front tire of his Ferrari 458 over Officer Felix Recio's foot in SoHo. The officer had tried to issue Mr. Chabbott a slew of summonses Saturday, police said, when Mr. Chabbott thought he could make a slow getaway.

In the end, Mr. Chabbott, 28, of Chelsea, was yanked out his fancy schmancy car by Officer Recio, and the police officer wrote up Mr. Chabbott for several charges including assault, vehicular assault and obstructing governmental administration, according to DNAinfo. The traffic accident took place alongside the Mercer Hotel, at 147 Mercer Street, near Prince Street, at 6:20 p.m., according to cops. The New York Post has been pushing the story with a celebrity twist : "The boneheaded boyfriend of “The Hills” star Stephanie Pratt is facing a slew of charges after driving a Ferrari over a cop’s foot as the officer writes him a parking ticket."

This is not the first time that the Mercer Hotel has been the site of privileged customers of the Mercer Hotel using Mercer Street for illegal parking.

Activists, including Suzannah B. Troy, have long cited an example of how the Mercer Hotel has questionably used the loading and unloading zone along Mercer Street for what has been alleged to be private or valet parking. The viral Ferrari YouTube video was taken by a witness and posted on YouTube under the handle Damrys7, shows the officer, who is assigned to the 1st Precinct in Lower Manhattan, writing summonses for parking in a no standing zone, and having no registration and inspection stickers.

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and activists gathered outside the Mercer Hotel in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan to protest what they call unfair treatment by the hotel's management. Some veterans earn a living by working as sidewalk vendors, selling arts and crafts from tables along the historic streets of SoHo, much like the way artists do in Montmarte in Paris, and the Mercer Hotel has been waging for years a deliberate campaign to call police to harass the veteran vendors. As seen below, activists finally organized a demonstration to call attention at the injustices they face.

French Researcher Refuses Legion Of Honor

Excerpted from Yahoo! News :

Annie Thebaud-Mony, director of research at France's National Institute for Health and Medical Research, turned down the "Legion d'Honneur" in a letter to Housing Minister Cecile Duflot made public on Saturday.

"My act is intended as a call for citizens, but also for parliament to act, for the respect of basic rights to life, health and dignity," she said in her letter to the ministry, dated July 31.

"We want to be taken seriously when we expose the deterioration of working conditions ... the drama of workplace accidents and occupational diseases...," she added.

She denounced what she said was a misguided debate over the issue of safe levels of certain toxic substances.

Read more at Le Figaro : Une chercheuse refuse la Légion d'honneur

Video of the Dalida Exhibit at l'Hôtel de Ville in Paris

YouTube video captures some of the highlights of Dalida's career, and of the "Dalida : Une Vie" exhibit in 2007.

In 2007, the mayor of Paris, Bernard Delanoë mounted an exhibit dedicated to the life of the world-famous singer, actress, and comedienne Dalida. The exhibit was curated by Jacques Pessis. Here are some pictures of the exhibit.

What a priceless exhibit this would have been, I wish they would mount a world-wide traveling exhibit of this collection. Remount this and, bring it to New York !

Arijit Guha Supports the Idea of a Single-Payer Healthcare System

Tweeting for Student Health Care Coverage

After an Arizona graduate student developed colon cancer, his Aetna Student Health plan was maxed out.

"A doctoral student at Arizona State University, Mr. Guha was insured under an Aetna Student Health plan for which he paid $400 a month. The plan initially covered his care, but in February, Mr. Guha’s treatment costs reached the $300,000 cap on the insurance plan, leaving the student with $118,000 in medical bills," it was reported on The New York Times' Well blog.

After a series of Tweets, beginning on July 22, Mr. Guha engaged with the CEO of Aetna, Mark Bertolini, among others. Eventually, Aetna agreed to pay for Mr. Guha's medical bills. Mr. Guha told The NYTimes Well blog that he felt he could share praise about Mr. Bertolini's response. “In the end, he did the right thing,” Mr. Guha told the Well blog. “Now the fight moves on to ensuring this never needs to happen for anyone ever again.”

To that end, activists connected with the Healthcare for the 99% Working Group of Occupy Wall Street reached out to Mr. Guha, and Mr. Guha posted this message about the importance of a single-payer healthcare system :

Occupy Saks 5th Avenue A7

#OccupySaks

On Tuesday, August 7th, over 100 people in New York City, representing Occupy Wall Street, Dos Paises Una Voz (2 places one voice), Yo Soy 132 (Mexico's student movement) and other Labor Activists will occupy Saks Fifth Avenue, in protest of Carlos Slim, who has been designated "the 1% of the 1%."

RSVP at the Facebook Invite : OccupySaks 5th Avenue

Slim is the world's richest man, the largest stakeholder in Saks Fifth Avenue, and has been accused of overcharging impoverished Mexicans by over $129 billion as owner of Mexico's largest phone company. What better way to protest predatory greed by taking over his Fifth Avenue store?

If you're going to be in the NYC area on Tuesday, August 7, meet at Est 50th St. and Fifth Avenue at 4:30 PM.

Use the hash tag : #OccupySaks

Cuomo's Obsession With Secrecy

Governor Andrew "Control Queen" Cuomo

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is removing government records from the State Archives, and he is even going to so far as to destroying electronic records and denying public access to government information.

"The governor’s aides have also tried to withhold, possibly for decades, public documents created during his previous job as attorney general. Earlier this year, according to recent reports, his staff scrambled to deny public access to some documents in the State Archives after reporters from The Times Union of Albany received a box of papers relating to the so-called Troopergate investigation by Mr. Cuomo in 2007. Josh Vlasto, the governor’s spokesman, said the files were private and were released in error by the state archivist," wrote The New York Times in an editorial.

Read more : Governor Cuomo at the Controls

Four Bomb Blasts in Pune, India

Four low-intensity bombs exploded early Wednesday evening along Junglee Maharaj (MJ) Road in the western Indian city of Pune, Maharashtra, The Times of India is reporting. One person was injured. Initial reports had reported that five bombs detonated, but, in retrospect, press reports later agreed that four bombs exploded, and a fifth bomb was diffused before it could be detonated, reported First Post. The coördinated explosions occurred between 7:27 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. local time, First Post added. The Times of India reported that the sole person to be injured in the blasts was initially being deemed to be a suspect, and that the bombing took place on the evening when the former Power Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was promoted to become the Home Minister, was due to have paid a visit to Pune, but Mr. Shinde's trip was cancelled at the last minute. Mr. Shinde had been criticised for the largest blackout in the world when cascading blackouts left as many as 700 million people in northern India without electricity on Monday and Tuesday.