Nancy LaMott performs "I Love A Piano" Live at Don't Tell Mama, New York 1988

Power and Magic of Imagination : Pilobolus Dance Theatre "Shadowland"

Nydia Velázquez Calls For Vote on Paid Sick Days

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez demanded a vote on the paid sick days bill, which was introduced almost three years ago and has a veto-proof majority of sponsors in the City Council (37 out of 51). But New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn blocks a vote, because Speaker Quinn receives support from pro-business lobbyists Emily Giske and Kathryn Wylde.

Central Park 5 Rally At Foley Square

Late this afternoon, a rally took place to honour and support the "Central Park Five," a group of young, innocent men, who were wrongly convicted of a crime that they did not commit.

"Media coverage at the time portrayed the teens as guilty, and used racially coded terms like wolf pack to refer to the group of boys accused in the attack. Donald Trump took out full-page ads in four city newspapers calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty so they could be executed. However, the convictions of the five were vacated in 2002 when the real rapist came forward and confessed to the crime, after the five defendants had already served sentences of almost seven to 13 years. New York City is refusing to settle a decade-long civil lawsuit brought by the men," reported Democracy Now!

Today's rally took place in Foley Square, near the federal courthouse. Amongst the supporters for this rally were members of Occu Evolve.

Five innocent Black and Latino teenagers were wrongly arrested, tried, and convicted in a sensational case known as the "Central Park Jogger."

Among the issues compounding the injustice that befell the Central Park 5 are that the Bloomberg administration refuses to settle the civil lawsuits brought by the innocent men whilst at the same time demands documentary footage that would violate the First Amendment rights of the documentary filmmakers behind the film, "The Central Park Five."

Susman and Quinn Violate Campaign Finance Disclosure (No Surprise)

. @defeatquinn @prideagenda @emilyslist Remember how @chriscquinn flouted #campaignfinance rules with #MauraKeaney in the past ? @colvinj

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) January 17, 2013

Is Pfizer executive Sally Susman, who has reached her cap of in-kind campaign contributions to Christine Quinn's undeclared mayoral campaign, deliberately trying to exceed campaign finance restrictions ? What kind of shady campaign finance chair is running Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign ?

Speaker Quinn has had a history of campaign finance ethics. Remember how Maura Keaney has had several questions raise about her campaign work on behalf of Speaker Quinn, including getting busted one time, which resulted in fines imposed on Ms. Keaney ?

Will Christine Quinn Fight for ATU 1181 ?

Can the bus drivers and matrons, who are strike, count on New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to stand up for ATU 1181 union members ? Or will Speaker Quinn, as usual, kiss up to Mayor Bloomberg, as he tries to bust yet another union ? Let's see what The New York Daily News is reporting : "Fellow mayoral wanna-be City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is straddling the fence."

Protest Against Christine Quinn At The New School

Last Tuesday, over one dozen protesters gathered outside the New School on West 11th Street in a demonstration against New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Josh Isay, one of Speaker Quinn's campaign consultants, tried to walk into the New School without drawing attention to himself, but many of the protesters knew who he was. Above, Mr. Isay was photographed hustling inside to the education form whilst clutching his cup of coffee ; in the background is the community organiser, Donny Moss.

Speaker Quinn is running an unannounced campaign for mayor this year, and activists across New York City are protesting her horrible record on term limits, the use of slush funds, her blockage of the paid sick leave bill, the closing of so many hospitals in New York City including St. Vincent's, and her support to fully-fund the NYPD's practice of using stop-and-frisk.

Christine Quinn Was Booed at MLK Forum Up In Harlem

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an undeclared candidate for mayor, was booed at the Rev. Al Sharpton's Martin Luther King Jr. forum, after she had suggested that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly should stay on as mayor, reported the news Web site DNAinfo.

For a long time now, activists are pressuring Speaker Quinn to de-fund the resources from NYPD that allow the police department to carry out its unconstitutional program called stop-and-frisk.

More and more, people are standing up and speaking out against Christine Quinn. We each have our own reasons. But the more that we find the courage to stand up, the more that other people will join us, until our individual voices become a rising chorus. We demand reforms, and we won't accept anything less.

Read more : Christine Quinn Booed at Martin Luther King Jr. Day Forum in Harlem

New Petition Asking For Clawback of Nobel Peace Prize From Obama

New petition on Change.org : Norwegian Nobel Committee: Rescind the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama in 2009

In consideration of the many reasons listed on the petition, and other uses of the American military, we petition that the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Nobel Prize organization rescind the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Obama in 2009.

Please feel free to also contact the Norwegian Nobel Committee directly :

E-mail : postmaster@nobel.no or by Telephone : (+47) 22 12 93 00

War on Hunger

A tragic photograph illustration is going viral on Facebook. It depicts a huddled child, who appears diminished from hunger, and above the child appears bombs that are being dropped. On the illustration appears the message that global hunger could be eradicated with $30 billion, or about as much money that is spent on global war and military operations in just 8 days.

Anonymous - Message to America

Hello all of America. Hello Mister president. We are Anonymous. Dear Mister president, We would like to ask you, are you happy with what you have allowed the United States to become? The entire country a war machine, people rising in protest against you, and the city governments allowing the brutal beatings and arresting of citizens across America. By allowing this to happen you are a disgrace to the office of presidency. You mister president, you need ought rightfully to set your political career aside and focus on the city streets of your own country. So far you have done nothing about the thousands of people arrested in the streets for exorcising their first amendment rights. Stop and listen to the people you took an oath to uphold, stop treating the people of America like terrorists with the building of FEMA camps to imprison all who stand up against political control. You Mister President are a failure to America.

Citizens of the United States. The corporations that profit from permanent war need us to be afraid. Fear stops us from objecting to government spending on a bloated military. Fear means we will not ask unpleasant questions of those in power. Fear permits the government to operate in secret. Fear means we are willing to give up our rights and liberties for promises of security. The imposition of fear ensures that the corporations that wrecked the country cannot be challenged. Fear keeps us penned in like livestock.

And yet, Who will govern the governors? There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves. We alone, if well informed, are capable of preventing the corruption of power, and of restoring the nation to its rightful course if it should go astray. We alone are the safest depository of the ultimate powers of government.

It is for this reason that our constitution was written. America, and the world at large is becoming informed and in turn preparing. Soon, We the people will no longer stand by in silent consent. This is a call to every citizen, this is a message to all of government.

Knowledge is free. We are anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.

Is Gun Control Distracting Us From Obama Social Security Cuts ?

VIDEO : NYPD Beating Queens Teen - YMCA

(Revised : Wednesday 20 Feb 2013 6:50 a.m.) This appears to be the true story behind the YouTube video, which keeps disappearing : Queens teen accuses NYPD of police brutality

We need a federal commission to investigate the NYPD use of brutality and other misconduct.

A few police officers hold a Queens teenager down on a sidewalk for unknown reasons. In this undated video, the few police officers receive backup assistance from other officers, who then begin to use excessive force against one sole young man. Police can be observed twisting the young man's limbs, and it appears that some police officers kick the young man's body.

(When this video was first uploaded to YouTube, the young man was described as a student from a Flushing high school. But in the time since, he is described as 19 year old Robert Jackson, who was enrolled in classes at the Flushing YMCA.)

No word, yet, from New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn about the NYPD's use of excessive force against young men in New York City.

NYPD Record NYC Hotel Public Areas #OpBigBrother

RT “@colvinj: Did you know? The #NYPD records videos of the interior areas of major #nyc hotels - dnainfo.com/new-york/20130…” #OpBigBrother

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) January 11, 2013

Gov. Cuomo's Desperate Primal Scream For Political Attention (And For Political Cover)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo went on a verbal tirade during his State of the State speech last week, stopping short of foaming at the mouth, calling for gun control as a distraction from the fact that Gov. Cuomo is trying to close more New York City hospitals during the healthcare crisis created by Hurricane Sandy and the flu epidemic.

#NewYorkMRT #BergerCommission

Epidemic #flu deaths. Are there enough hospitals post #Sandy, post @newyorkmrt, post #BergerCommission ? @nygovcuomonytimes.com/2013/01/12/hea…

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) January 11, 2013