News, politics, commentary, and cultural reporting with a New York perspective.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
After MegaUpload Crackdown By Government Authorities, Anonymous Responds To FBI With Internet Attacks
Today the Feds raided the website MegaUpload, which led to the arrests of seven people across the globe, according to some reports. Now the Hacktivist group, Anonymous, has come forth in retaliation to the crackdown and launched an attack on several websites including The Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, and the Recording Industry Association of America. The wave of attacks is just the beginning and Barrett Brown, founder of Project PM, joins us to discuss whats next for the groups.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Rudin Family Economic Injustice
Monday, January 16, 2012
St. Vincent's MLK Vigil Becomes A Medical Crisis
St. Vincent's closed in 2010. On Jan. 23, the New York City Planning Commission, headed by Park Avenue socialite Amanda Burden, is expected to approve the luxury condo conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital, which will make billionaire real estate developer Bill Rudin over $1 billion in gross sales.
Earlier in the Day, activists for a single-payer healthcare system gathered at Union Square.
Activists advocating for a hospital to replace St. Vincent's, for example, joined in solidarity with the Physicians for a National Health Program, who held a speak-out on the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.
Bill Rudin Martin Luther King, Jr., Day - St. Vincent's Hospital Protest
Stop Closing Hospitals !
In 1966, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and most inhuman." In this video, activists protested outside St. Vincent's Hospital to say that it is unacceptable that hospitals are being closed in New York City with no plan to meet emergency, trauma, or critical care healthcare services. The healthcare gap that is being created is leading to a major divide between emergency healthcare between the haves and the have-nots, something that Dr. King would not have wanted.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
NYPD Arrest Jazz Hayden In Blatant Act Of Retaliation
NYPD Revenge - Police Arrest Jazz Hayden in retaliation for his Video Copwatch in Harlem
From AllThingsHarlem.com :
On December 2, 2011 - Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Founder of allthingsharlem.com, was arrested by the NYPD in retaliation by 2 officers he filmed in an earlier Copwatch this summer.
Jazz and All Things Harlem are asking for your support with his case and to fight for the right to film and report on the police activity in our communities - which have turned into police states.
Jazz's next Court Date is January 19, 2012 at 100 Centre Street Criminal Court, Part F, 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Police Brutality: Mother knocked out with baby on the side-walk
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lenox Hill Hospital - Closing Its Maternity Wing for Beyoncé's Celebrity Birth
Updated with photo of Blue Ivy Carter : Beyoncé's Celebrity Birth : Lenox Hill will evict the 99% out of hospital beds, so that it can cater to the 1%.
With more and more hospitals closing in the New York City area, Manhattan's luxury Lenox Hill Hospital closed one of its wings to accommodate Beyoncé Knowles' celebrity birth.
According to The New York Daily News and TMZ.com, Beyoncé and Jay-Z paid $1.3 million to "seal off a private wing of the hospital" so that Beyonce could give birth to Blue Ivy Carter.Critics of Lenox Hill Hospital claim that the hospital dually limited patients' access to healthcare and limited visitors' access to patients during the security "lockdown."
According to The New York Times, compliance staff from the New York State Department of Health were in contact with Lenox Hill Hospital, to determine whether Lenox Hill Hospital was in violation of regulations by the extreme "lockdown" conditions in its celebrity maternity ward.
According to TMZ.com, a breastfeeding mother support group is threatening to sue Lenox Hill Hospital as a result of the hospital giving priority healthcare to celebrities (the 1%) -- at the cost of throwing out average patients (the 99%).
No comment yet from North Shore-LIJ, the parent holding company for Lenox Hill Hospital, whether this is how they will treat average health care patients at the new Lenox Hill urgent care clinic at the O'Toole building.
With St. Vincent's closed, the West Side still has no hospital beds below 57th Street. How can we bring a hospital back to our community ?
How can we get true universal healthcare ? Come Join the Discussion ! RSVP at the Facebook page for the Luxury Condos Can't Do CPR ! St. Vincent's Community Assembly.
Monday, January 9, 2012
NPYD Stop Grand Central NDAA Mic Check
NYPD Silencing Protesters ; Cops Stop Mic Check Regarding NDAA
A protester went to Grand Central Terminal in New York City to inform the public that President Barack Obama and Congress passed the latest Pentagon budget, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (the ''NDAA''), which this year contained a dangerous provision allowing for the indefinite detention of American citizens. The two protesters, who initiated mic checks at Grand Central, have been identified as Lauren Digioia and Zach Kamel. The protesters were arrested by the New York Police Department. It is not yet known if the protesters are being indefinitely detained.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Crony Queens Community Newspapers
True News From Change NYC : "A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians"
Political reporter and blogger Gary Tilzer, the author of the blog True News From Change, published a scathing post about crony journalism in Queens community newspapers that have "not only turn their back on journalism," but have become "partners" with and "house organs" of U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley, who heads the Democratic Party in Queens. Mr. Tilzer refers to Rep. Crowley as "Boss Crowley."
Mr. Tilzer's blog post was in response to an article published by The New York Times that, in turn, drew the conclusion that one of the largest indicators of political machinery in Queens is the Surrogate's Court, the court which decides what to do with the assets of Queens residents, who die intestate. The Surrogate Court also appoints guardians, who profite from the court process to handle the assets of people, who die without wills. Intersecting with the Queens political machine article was a separate NYTimes feature questioning when a blogger becomes a journalist.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Bill Rudin Robber Baron
Bill Rudin is just another modern-day “Robber Baron.”
Updated (24-Dec-2011 - New York) ! Join us for a special Christmas Eve protest outside St. Vincent's Hospital tonight at 7 p.m.The Rudin family head a lobbying group that calls itself the Association for a Bitter New York. They use it as political cover to portray their billion-dollar real estate deals as “civic-minded” projects. There’s nothing “civic” about closing a hospital in order to convert it to luxury condos.
In fact, St. Vincent's Hospital is under investigation by the Manhattan DA's office for allegations that the Rudin Management Company has been planning a real estate harvesting/luxury condo conversion plan of the shuttered hospital. In place of a Level 1 Trauma Center and full-service hospital, the Rudin family and their lobbyists and political enablers are pushing an urgent care center in place of St. Vincent's. Taking away from the 99 per cent. to enrich himself makes Bill Rudin just another modern-day “Robber Baron.”
2011-12-25 Bill Rudin Robber Baron Band-Aid Flyer
Monday, December 19, 2011
NYU Expansion Vote No!!!!!
The plan requires undoing long-standing neighborhood zoning and open space protections and urban renewal deed restrictions, as well as selling off public land used as parks. NYU would shoehorn 2.5 million square feet of space – the equivalent of the Empire State Building! – into an area south of Washington Square Park which simply cannot absorb it. It would drastically tip the balance of this and surrounding neighborhoods. At best, in a mere 20 years, NYU would be back asking for more zoning changes and more public land to expand further.
There are much better alternatives. In the Financial District such development would be contextual and welcome, adding to the diversity of that growing neighborhood. It would be just a few minutes by subway and walking distance from NYU’s main hubs in Washington Square and Downtown Brooklyn. It would allow NYU vastly greater possibilities for future growth, and in a way that would help the city, not strangle and overwhelm some of its most historic and delicately-balanced neighborhoods.