Monday, October 31, 2011

Mark Bray We Will Stay Through the Winter

In this Video Mark Bray stated that the OWS protestors are at Zuccotti Park through the winter.

video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 31-11)

Music at Wall Street Occupy

New York City musicians bring their music and joy to supporter of OWS who are spending day and night at Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan—the heart of the financial industry in the United States.
video (1) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 31-11)
video (2) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 31-11)

Generator Seizure Forces 'Occupy' Creativity

After firefighters seized power generators and gas cans from Occupy Wall Street protestors, the demonstrators were forced to come up with a creative solution to power their laptop computers and mobile phones. (Oct. 31)

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Occupy Wall Street Protesters Travel North to Gracie Mansion

Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor at "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" Costume Institute Gala - Arrivals

Over 50 OWS protestors went to Gracie Mansion where Mayor Bloomberg was hosting an intimate dinner Sunday night for Senators and corporate executives to urge the Supper Congressional Committee to "go big" and cut $4 trillion in federal spending. The supper committee is composed of 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats. They represent the DemoPublican Party. Both party are controlled by the 1%— Not the 99% of the population. The protester quoted the mayor saying: Let them eat cake, meaning the OWS protesters.

video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 30-11)

FAA To Ban Plane Crashes

October 30, 2011 | ISSUE 47•43

WASHINGTON—In what officials are calling "a much-needed policy shift," the Federal Aviation Administration announced this weekend that it would ban all plane crashes. "After a careful review of flight data from the past 25 years, we've determined that customers, pilots, and the airlines themselves would benefit significantly from a strictly enforced no-plane-crash policy," said FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, adding that pilots involved in fiery plane wrecks could face a steep fine or even suspension. "The practice of crashing an airliner into an ocean or mountain will no longer be tolerated. American consumers deserve better." According to industry sources, most commercial airlines are planning to fit in as many crashes as possible between now and Jan. 1, when the ban officially goes into effect.

Occupy Wall Street: Oakland protesters show support for injured Iraq veteran Scott Olsen

Hundreds march through the streets to protest police violence

Sunday, October 30 2011, 2:59 AM

Craig F. Walker/AP

Protester screams as he is arrested during clash with police in Denver.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Anti-Wall Street demonstrators held a festive march through San Francisco Saturday, but tension marked another march in nearby Oakland as protesters rallied against police violence in the name of an Iraq War veteran who was injured during a police clash.

Many of the some 1,000 demonstrators in San Francisco wore costumes as organizers had urged, including suits in an apparent imitation of Wall Street bankers and Robin Hood outfits.

Before the march, left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore told them that excesses on Wall Street had stolen "the futures of so many of our citizens."

San Francisco police escorted the crowd as it snaked through city streets, and police spokesman Albie Esparza said there were no arrests or any disturbances.

The crowd stopped briefly and chanted in support of Scott Olsen, the 24-year-old Iraq War veteran who suffered a fractured skull in an Oakland protest on Tuesday.

Later Saturday night, hundreds marched through the streets of Oakland in protest of police violence, as helicopters hovered overhead and officers in riot gear lined the streets.

The protesters chanted "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "This is what a police state looks like!"

At one point tensions grew as protesters came face-to-face with a line of officers and some began taunting them, according to the Oakland Tribune.

But march organizers began shouting "Peace people up front!" then stood between some of the more unruly demonstrators and police officers. The situation grew calm and the march returned to the Oakland camp where it began.

There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries.

A hospital spokesman said Olsen's condition was fair Saturday, and he had been moved from Highland Hospital in Oakland to another facility, but he could not say where.

Moore and other prominent figures had asked to visit Olsen, but his parents were restricting visitors to just family, Highland spokesman Vintage Foster told the Oakland Tribune.

"The only thing they care about is their son getting better," Foster said.

Fellow veterans say police fired an object that struck him in the head, but authorities say the object has yet to be definitively established, as well as the person responsible for the injury. His plight has become a rallying cry at Occupy protests around the world.

Oakland Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan defended the officers' action in the Tuesday incident, which stemmed from an effort to drive protesters from the encampment. He said in a statement that officers used what they believed to be the least amount of force possible to protect themselves, but that "all allegations of misconduct and excessive uses of force are being thoroughly investigated."

The encampment at the Oakland plaza near city hall has grown to about 50 tents, with organizers saying up to a thousand people were in the area late Friday with very few police in sight.

Protesters there also announced a strike on Nov. 2, when they will be urging banks and corporations to close for the day.

Across the San Francisco Bay, protesters at the San Francisco encampment reported earlier Saturday that city workers temporarily moved some protesters to clean the plaza.

Christine Falvey, a spokeswoman for that city's mayor, Ed Lee, had said earlier that the camp cannot remain for "too many more days" because of health concerns.

Events in other California cities, including Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Los Angeles and its suburbs, were held Saturday.

The LA protest spread north to the San Fernando Valley, but police said that unlike the ones downtown at City Hall, these demonstrators won't be setting up camp. About 20 protesters calling themselves Occupy San Fernando Valley marched at Van Nuys Civic Center.

Los Angeles police released a statement saying anyone who violates the property's rules by setting up tents or trespassing after hours would be removed.

Protesters said they would move to nearby streets when police tell them to leave

Demonstrators also gathered in Lancaster, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles in the mostly rural Antelope Valley.

In San Diego, police broke up a three-week-old encampment early Friday, arresting 51 people.

In California's agricultural heartland, officials prepared to oust a group of about 30 demonstrators from next to a Fresno County courthouse. County officials said the group's permit would expire midnight Monday, and that demonstrators faced jail time and $500 fines if they remained.

The simmering tension in Denver escalated dramatically Saturday with more than a dozen arrests, reports of skirmishes between police and protesters and authorities firing rounds of pellets filled with pepper spray at supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Officers in riot gear moved into a park late in the day where protesters were attempting to establish an encampment, hauling off demonstrators just hours after a standoff at the Capitol steps degenerated into a fight that ended in a cloud of Mace and pepper spray.

Denver police spokesman Matt Murray said 15 people were arrested in the evening confrontation, where authorities were moving to prevent protesters from setting up tents in the park, which are illegal. Officals say the demonstrators had been warned several times that the tents would not be allowed and those who attempted to stop police from dismantling the camp gear were arrested. Protesters have been staying in the park for weeks, but tents have repeatedly been removed.

Murray said that most of the protesters were peaceful but there was "just a die-hard group that didn't want to cooperate."

‘1%’ proving Occupy Wall Street protesters right when it comes to donations

Very wealthy not very generous to demonstrators

Saturday, October 29 2011, 7:30 PM

Demonstrators briefly sat outside a barricade across Wall St. in Manhattan, NY, until the police threatened them with arrest.
Kevin Hagen for News

Demonstrators briefly sat outside a barricade across Wall St. until the police threatened them with arrest.

When it comes to Occupy Wall Street donations, the "one percent" are proving the protesters 100% right.

People with annual earnings of a quarter-million dollars or more donated just 1.39% of the $325,000 given nationally to the grass roots movement, according to figures from online fund-raiser WePay.

The self-proclaimed "99 percent" living in parks and plazas from coast to coast have received most of their financial support from the middle class since the first Occupy-affiliated account opened Aug. 5.

People earning between $35,000 and $100,000 were most likely to redistribute their wealth, providing nearly 60% of the donations, WePay figures show.

"The middle class is really giving the bulk of the money," said WePay CEO Bill Clerico, who left his job as an investment banker to start the company in 2008. "In the last 30 days, donations have really snowballed as more movements have joined Occupy Wall Street."

The OWS campaign calls for an end to corporate greed by the people they brand the "one percent" of the country's wealthiest earners.

To join the exclusive club, Americans needed a minimum income of $516,633 in 2010, according to the Tax Policy Center.

Money from 37 countries has poured into the WePay account for the Occupy movements. Donations have arrived from as far away as Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

The smallest pledges of $5 came from individual donors in Lithuania and the Virgin Islands, while Canadians have sent the most money - 88 people giving a total of $4,015, figures show.

Residents of all 50 states gave donated to the movement, with Connecticut ranked as the state with the highest average donation ($65.15), followed by Hawaii ($60.78) and New Jersey ($59.97).

North Dakota has made the lowest average contribution to the Occupy cause with $16.25, followed by Arkansas at $20.50.

Men, by a nearly 2-1 margin, are more likely to donate to Occupy Wall Street than women.

Pledges to Occupy Wall Street specifically, as opposed to sit-ins in cities outside New York, surged by nearly $30,000 on Oct. 17 - the one-month anniversary of the occupation of Zuccotti Park.

Police clashes with demonstrators also caused spikes in cash, with donations from Massachusetts rising 408% on Oct. 11, the day cops arrested 141 protesters.

WePay operates in a fashion similar to PayPal, and takes a 3.5% cut of the funds.

There are now more than 300 Occupy-related accounts. But donations are centered on a few WePay accounts, with people directed to the site via pages on Occupy Wall Street's website, as well as Twitter and Facebook feeds, Clerico said.

cboyle@nydailynews.com

Power Outages From East Coast Snowstorm Top 2.3M

An unusually powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the mid-Atlantic region, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity for more than 2.3 million as it headed toward New England. (Oct. 29)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Occupy Wall Street protesters stripped of their power, literally, by fire department and NYPD

Originally Published:Friday, October 28th 2011, 9:21 AM
Updated: Friday, October 28th 2011, 12:05 PM

Dozens of firefighters and police officers entered Zuccotti Park Friday morning to confiscate generators and gas canisters.
Twitter
Dozens of firefighters and police officers entered Zuccotti Park Friday morning to confiscate generators and gas canisters.

The city has stripped Occupy Wall Street protesters of their power.

Dozens of firefighters and police officers entered Zuccotti Park Friday morning to confiscate generators and gas canisters.

Fire trucks and police vans pulled up on the corner of Broadway and Liberty St. at about 8:30 a.m. and asked the encamped demonstrators to bring the items to them, saying they were a health and fire hazard.

"They made an announcement on a bullhorn saying: 'We are here to take the generators, could you please bring them up to us on the corner of Broadway and Liberty St.,'" protester James Bennett said.

When no one from Occupy Wall Street surrendered the generators, more than 30 uniformed FDNY and NYPD officials entered the park to seize them, witnesses and officials said.

"We did send 30 or 40 firefighters through the park, the police department had its community affairs department there to make sure everyone was safe," Mayor Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show Friday.

"Our first two concerns are the First Amendment and safety, and this was about safety."

OCCUPY WALL STREET - IN PHOTOS

The protesters say five generators were seized in total, including one which was biodiesel and ran on used vegetable oil.

The city says they removed six generators and about a dozen canisters of gasoline.

Occupy Wall Street say several of the canisters were empty, some were full of vegetable oil and one contained gasoline.

No arrests were made and the incident was peaceful.

Bloomberg said anyone who owns items can have them back, but they will no longer be permitted in the park as they pose a fire and safety hazard.

Brookfield Office Properties, which owns Zuccotti Park, have declined to comment on the tents that have been pitched throughout the plaza in the past week. Protesters have used them to stay warm.

"So far, Brookfield hasn't complained to us and asked us to remove people, so that's not a consideration," Bloomberg said.

"Unless Brookfield wants us to enforce regulation they have a right to impose - no tents - they can stay there."

"What will happen down the road?" he added.

"We'll watch it very carefully. When you have a congregation of people pushed together, there's always a danger of flashpoint.

"We want to make sure we have the resources there to right away step in and protect everyone's life and property."

Upload your pictures from Occupy Wall Street
208 photos submitted. See all photos ›

NYPD officers surround Bronx courthouse in support of indicted cops in ticket-fixing scandal

Originally Published:Friday, October 28th 2011, 10:17 AM
Updated: Friday, October 28th 2011, 12:30 PM

Cops hold signs in support of officer indicted in ticket-fixing scandal.
Richard Harbus for News
Cops hold signs in support of officer indicted in ticket-fixing scandal.

The cop at the center of the massive ticket-fixing scandal was held Friday on $500,000 cash bail after his arraignment in a Bronx courtroom packed with furious police officers.

Officer Jose Ramos of the 40th Precinct was the only one of the 16 accused cops not to make bail after their court appearances in the worst NYPD scandal in two decades.

Ramos' lawyer denounced the proceeding as a "media circus" and blasted the high bail after a hearing with even higher tension.

"This isn't a $500,000 case," said attorney John Sandleitner. "He's charged with nonsense for the most part."


SCANDAL PUTS THOUSANDS OF CRIMINAL CASES IN JEOPARDY

Ramos, suspected of ties to a drug dealer, was caught on wiretaps discussing ticket-fixing after cops received a tip about the 17-year police veteran. He faces charges of attempted grand larceny, attempted robbery and attempted heroin possession.

Ramos was arrested Thursday night while leaving a parent-teacher conference at his stepchild's Inwood school. His wife was nabbed at their home on a charge of filing a false report in a car accident.

Officer Christopher Scott was revealed as the most egregious ticket-fixer, charged with more than 150 separate counts ranging from official misconduct to conspiracy, officials said.

Sgt. Jacob Solorzano, who was charged with two counts of official misconduct, was freed without bail.

"I don't know why he was even indicted," said the sergeant's attorney, John Patten.

Ramos once worked as Solorzano's driver, although Patten said prosecutors conceded his client was unaware of any criminal activity.


One officer delivers a dubious history lesson to Mayor Bloomberg. (Richard Harbus for News)

And former NYPD spokeswoman Lt. Jennara Everleth-Cobb was freed on $20,000 bail - posted by a union rep - for three misdemeanor charges related to leaking information about the probe.

The arraignments came before a blue wall of hostility as hundreds of angry cops filled the courtroom and protested outside the courthouse.

The cops cheered their purportedly crooked co-workers as they exited the courthouse after posting bail, while vilifying Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, Mayor Bloomberg and the head of the NYPD.

"Ray Kelly, hypocrite!" they chanted in unison, led by a heavyset union member.

Dozens of cops lined a hallway outside the courtroom where the suspects appeared at the morning hearing.

While the turnout was meant as support for the indicted cops, the air crackled with anger over the nearly three-year probe that involved hundreds of cops.

"You piece of s---," snarled one cop at a Bronx prosecutor on his way to work.

"Cowards!" shouted another heckler.

The cops began assembling hours before the arraignments. The accused officers, after turning themselves in overnight, were spared the perp walk past the media that usually accompanies high-profile cases.

Instead, they were loaded into a black unmarked van for the trip from central booking to the courthouse.

Outside, one police union delegate waved a massive American flag amidst the chanting crowd of cops.

NYPD Det. Steven McDonald, shot and paralyzed in the line of duty in 1986, arrived in his wheelchair to show his support. The cops erupted in applause as he made his way through the crowd.

The probe focused on the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the largest police union, and its delegates and trustees.

"Right now, this has been laid on the shoulders of police officers," PBA head Patrick Lynch said Friday. "But when the dust settles and we have our day in court, it'll be clear that this is part of the NYPD at all levels."

The Daily News learned that the 980-page indictment includes about 1,500 criminal charges stemming from 300 ticket-fixing cases.

The charges were expected to include perjury, bribery, obstruction of justice, grand larceny and official misconduct.

"This whole thing is a bunch of bulls---," said one cop, who did not give his name. "They're crucifying us over nothing."

Another officer in the crowd said, "I'll tell you this. The relationship between this department and the district attorney's office is never going to be good after this."

Five civilians were also indicted and busted Thursday night - two drug dealers and three associates of the dirty cops, a source told the News.

The News had previously reported that the accused rogue cops turned down plea bargains in hopes of protecting their NYPD pensions.

Mayor Bloomberg, on his weekly radio show, said the scandal was limited in scope.

"We have 35,000 uniformed people in the department," the mayor said. "It's a disgrace if the allegations are true - the guys with the guns, the ticket-fixing. But it's a tiny percentage of the people."

With Jonathan Lemire and Henrick Karoliszyn

kdeutsch@nydailynews.com

Some Central Themes of the Occupy Protesters

The Associated Press takes a close look at the numbers behind some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters' central complaints. (Oct. 27)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Occupy Protesters: Video Shows Police Violence

Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York say a march Wednesday night included New York police officers punching a marcher and taking other actions to cause physical harm. (Oct. 27)

Reader Supported News

27 October 11

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News


FOCUS: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's About-Face
The scene in downtown Oakland, California, on the afternoon of October, 25 2011. (photo: Andrew Kenower/flickr)
Lauren Kelley, AlterNet
Kelley reports: "Oakland Mayor Jean Quan released a statement late last night saying she now supports the Occupy Oakland protesters and will minimize police presence for the time being. The statement comes less than 48 hours after local police used excessive force against protesters, including rubber bullets, stun grenades, sound cannons, and tear gas. One protester, an Iraq war veteran named Scott Olsen, was shot with a projectile at close range, fracturing his skull and landing him in critical condition."
READ MORE

Live Coverage: Occupy Worldwide
Reader Supported News Special Coverage
The seed planted on September 17th in New York City has grown into a national and international movement. Occupy Wall Street has branched out with hundreds of groups organizing Occupy protests in their own communities. Reader Supported News highlights some of the more significant actions from around the country here. Share this page with your friends and associates and check back often for the latest developments.
READ MORE

Occupy Wall Street protesters in NYC proclaim solidarity with demonstrators in Oakland, Atlanta

Thursday, October 27th 2011, 2:11 AM

Occupy Wall Street protesters march in solidarity on streets of Manhattan on Wednesday night.
John Minchillo/AP
Occupy Wall Street protesters march in solidarity on streets of Manhattan on Wednesday night.
Protester is arrested by NYPD on Wednesday night.
Sam Costanza for News
Protester is arrested by NYPD on Wednesday night.

Occupying Wall Street

Do you support the protesters?

Protesters stormed through downtown Manhattan on Wednesday night to proclaim solidarity with fellow demonstrators who were forced out of encampments in Oakland, Calif., and Atlanta, Ga.

The drama unfolded when about 400 Occupy Wall Street protesters marched from Zuccotti Park to City Hall only to be met by a swarm of cops about 9 p.m.

The crowd quickly rerouted and began walking up Broadway towards Union Square only to be met by a police barricade near Reade St.

As organizers tried in vain to call off the march, scores of demonstrators splintered off and broke through a wall of cops - some of them even swiping a roll of orange netting used to kettle the large crowd.

"We wanted to go to City Hall to show solidarity with Oakland," said Katama Rose, 22. "We wanted to come out and talk about how that wasn't okay."

But when protesters were held at bay by cops, "that's when everything broke loose," Rose said.

At least 10 people were arrested as the wild mob took to the streets towards Union Square chanting, "Oakland to NYC, stop police brutality."

The group clogged traffic for several blocks in Soho and Greenwich Village after some urged fellow protesters to disobey police orders to stay on the sidewalks.

"We were blocking traffic, linked arm to arm," said Patrick Bruner, 23.

Andy Davenport, 26, encouraged protesters to ignore police "because it's in direct contradiction to the law," he said. "This is how you fight the police state."

The protesters dispersed once they made it to Union Square about 11 p.m. and many took the subway back to Zuccotti Park, where tensions had died down considerably.

The demonstrators were rallying for support after hundreds of protesters were pushed out of their encampment near the Oakland city hall by an army of cops and tear gas.

Several people were injured during the clash, including Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen, who suffered a cracked skull in the chaos.

The 24-year-old Marine was in critical condition after he was struck by an unknown object. It was not clear who threw the object, but Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said the incident would be probed as vigorously as a fatal police shooting, the Associated Press reported.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Patience Tested at 'Occupy' Protest Sites

Police and neighbors in some cities are starting to lose patience with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who are preparing to settle in for the winter months. (Oct. 26)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

5 NYPD Officers Arrested in Gun-smuggling Sting

Today (10/25) around 12:pm this card was park on the designated area at City Hall for the press. Inside the vehicle was a female police officer. The question is: While an officer is in a card that cost more than his/her yearly salary. This is a luxury car that cost over a $100.000. Later on the conditions of anonimity an officer sid "that she is on the NYPD Community Affairs Unit. Anyone is entitle to own any luxury items. Did she got the car from her rich father? Did she got the car from her husband or sifnificant other? Did she got it from a friend? After today news from the Manhattan Fedral Prosecutor that several NYPD officers active in the force and retired officers engaged in smuggling guns and dealing with drug, What is the first thing to come to mind to an average New Yorker, when he see a P.O. inside a car like this? See AP video bellow.
video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (10-25-110


video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (10-25-11)

A sting operation resulted in the arrests of 12 people, including five New York Police Department officers, on charges they smuggled $1 million worth of firearms, cigarettes and slot machines they thought were stolen, authorities said Tuesday. (Oct. 25)

Why Not Occupy Newsrooms?

The chief executive of Gannett Inc., Craig Dubow, second from left, received a $37.1 million severance package despite presiding over the loss of some 30,000 jobs. (photo: Richard Drew/AP)
The chief executive of Gannett Inc., Craig Dubow, second from left, received a $37.1 million severance package despite presiding over the loss of some 30,000 jobs. (photo: Richard Drew/AP)

By David Carr, The New York Times

24 October 11

Occupy Wall Street: Take the Bull by the Horns RSN Special Coverage: Occupy D.C. RSN Special Coverage: Occupy America

lmost two weeks ago, USA Today put its finger on why the Occupy Wall Street protests continued to gain traction.

"The bonus system has gone beyond a means of rewarding talent and is now Wall Street"s primary business," the newspaper editorial stated, adding: "Institutions take huge gambles because the short-term returns are a rationale for their rich payouts. But even when the consequences of their risky behavior come back to haunt them, they still pay huge bonuses."

Well thought and well put, but for one thing: If you were looking for bonus excess despite miserable operations, the best recent example I can think of is Gannett, which owns USA Today.

The week before the editorial ran, Craig A. Dubow resigned as Gannett"s chief executive. His short six-year tenure was, by most accounts, a disaster. Gannett"s stock price declined to about $10 a share from a high of $75 the day after he took over; the number of employees at Gannett plummeted to 32,000 from about 52,000, resulting in a remarkable diminution in journalistic boots on the ground at the 82 newspapers the company owns.

Never a standout in journalism performance, the company strip-mined its newspapers in search of earnings, leaving many communities with far less original, serious reporting.

Given that legacy, it was about time Mr. Dubow was shown the door, right? Not in the current world we live in. Not only did Mr. Dubow retire under his own power because of health reasons, he got a mash note from Marjorie Magner, a member of Gannett"s board, who said without irony that "Craig championed our consumers and their ever-changing needs for news and information."

But the board gave him far more than undeserved plaudits. Mr. Dubow walked out the door with just under $37.1 million in retirement, health and disability benefits. That comes on top of a combined $16 million in salary and bonuses in the last two years.

And in case you thought they were paying up just to get rid of a certain way of doing business - slicing and dicing their way to quarterly profits - Mr. Dubow was replaced by Gracia C. Martore, the company"s president and chief operating officer. She was Mr. Dubow"s steady accomplice in working the cost side of the business, without finding much in the way of new revenue. She has already pocketed millions in bonuses and will now be in line for even more.

Forget about occupying Wall Street; maybe it"s time to start occupying Main Street, a place Gannett has bled dry by offering less and less news while dumping and furloughing journalists in seemingly every quarter.

It"s tempting to write off Gannett"s enrichment amid the ruins as anomalous.

But Gannett is not the only big media enterprise where the consequences of bad decisions land on everyone except those who made them. The Tribune Company, a chain of newspapers and television stations run into the ground by Sam Zell after he bought it in 2007, is paying out tens of millions of dollars in bonuses as part of a deal in which it would exit bankruptcy.

Over 4,000 people in the company lost their jobs, and the journalistic missions of formerly robust newspapers it operates - including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun - have been curtailed. And even though Randy Michaels and some of his corporate fraternity brothers who operated the company into bankruptcy are gone, more than 600 managers who were there while the company cratered remain.

Not only do they have jobs while so many others were sent packing, but the remaining leadership will be eligible for a bonus pool from $26.4 million to $32.4 million under the current plan.

Through the magic of blunt force cost-cutting - about $800 million over the last three years, much of it in the form of layoffs - a lawyer for the senior creditors told the judge in charge of the bankruptcy case that the bankrupt enterprise would generate an estimated $517 million in cash flow for 2011.

Over the past three years, counting the payment scheduled for 2011, the bonuses could amount to $115 million, according to The Chicago Tribune. The drawn-out legal process hasn"t stopped lawyers and the current managers from picking the carcass clean. The Tribune story includes overleveraged purchases, feckless management and a culture of personal enrichment, all hallmarks of the Wall Street way that have left protesters enraged.

This is a not a finger-waving screed to suggest that some layoffs are more damaging than others just because they landed on people like me who type for a living.

(It"s worth noting that Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher and chairman of The New York Times Company, and Janet Robinson, the president and chief executive, were criticized by various unions for a 2009 compensation package that cost a combined $12 million. It"s also worth noting that Mr. Sulzberger chose to forgo additional compensation in other years.)

The newspaper business is struggling, and those of us who have jobs are lucky to still have them. But how in the world could a board, any board, justify such huge payouts to media executives at a time like this? It"s not that any of them were flight risks, in need of incentive to stick out a bankruptcy. Most had no place to go, and even if they did, many would have trouble shaking off the taint of their previous tenure.

Peter Lewis, a former employee of both The Times and The Des Moines Register, which was bought and diminished by Gannett after he left the paper, ripped the Gannett bonuses on his blog "Words and Ideas" in summarizing an approach in which getting rid of jobs passes for a strategy.

"Can anyone argue that Gannett newspapers and journalism are better today, and that news consumers are better served?" he wrote.

"How did Mr. Dubow and Gannett serve the consumer?" Mr. Lewis continued. "They laid off journalists. They cut the pay of those who remained, while demanding that they work longer hours. They closed news bureaus. They slashed newsroom budgets. As revenue fell, and stock prices tanked, and product quality deteriorated, they rewarded themselves with huge pay raises and bonuses."

Sure, he was talking about Gannett, but he could have been talking about the Tribune Company, or come to think of it, much of the American economy that used to make money by making things. Many newspaper companies are working hard against steep challenges to innovate into a new future, but Mr. Dubow and his team seemed content to just ride the collapse of the business.

No one, least of all me, is suggesting that running a newspaper company is a piece of cake. But the people in the industry who are content to slide people out of the back of the truck until it runs out of gas not only don"t deserve tens of millions in bonuses, they don"t deserve jobs.

The optics of the bonuses are far worse than the practical impact. Newspapers are asking their employees for shared sacrifice and their digital readers to begin paying. So, lucrative packages won"t cut it. As newspapers all over the country struggle to divine the meaning of the Occupy protests, some of the companies that own them might want to listen closely to see if there is a message there meant for them.

Comments

+24 # Kayjay 2011-10-24 15:52
Occupying Gannett newsrooms sounds like a very good idea to me. Looking at the big picture, a legitimate, honest, independent press corps watchdogging our politicians is vital to our well being. No one deserves bonuses for running an industry into the ground.
+11 # readerz 2011-10-24 20:36
Just a rhetorical question... none of the journalists could do investigative reporting about their bosses until now? Sure, Occupy should be about the practice of executives profiting no matter how well a company does. Often, companies "do well" by cutting their payroll (i.e., their employees).

Journalism, more than any other business, should have a commitment to the truth. As some Soviet-era Russians would say: "There is no truth in The News, and no news in The Truth." (Meaning the names of their newspapers "Pravda" and "Isvestia.")

Celebrities Speak Out on 'Occupy Wall Street'

Services at Occupy Wall Street Headquaters at Zuccotti Park

New England Bar Association is present at Occupy Wall Street offering free haicuts to anyone. They are lead by Jorge Dionisio a resident of Springfield, Mass. and a native of Puerto Rico.
video (1) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 24-11)

People being measuring for garments donated by the Internet at Zuccotti Park. The garments are free for male/female at Occupy Wall Street.


video (2) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 15-11)

The OWS occupiers are getting a well deserved meal. Video (3) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 15-11)

Monday, October 24, 2011

From OWS: The Great Depression to The Recession

video by Rafael Martínez Alequín

Videos from Occupy Wall Street: October 24-11

During OWS music it is all over. Today, October 24, the OWS occupier were treat to an extraordinaries tune by these wonderful musicians.

video (1) by Rafael Martínez Alequín

Mark Bray a young spokeperson for OWS, speak to www.yourfreepress.blogspot.com about the 99% of people exploited by the privileged 1%.
video (2) by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 24-11)


video (3) by Rafael Martínez Alequín )Oct.24-11)

Libya Leader Orders Probe Into Gadhafi's Death

Facing international pressure, Libya's interim leader has ordered a probe into the death of Moammar Gadhafi. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil also suggested that the ousted dictator may have been slain by his own supporters. (Oct. 24)

The New York Times

Thomas Kaplan notes: “An unknown number of blank prescription forms have been stolen from New York City hospitals over the past several years in what investigators believe is a scheme by gang members to make money from addicts desperate for prescription painkillers.”

Richard Perez-Pena looks at the competition to build a new science graduate school in the city.

New York Post

In his column, Fred Dicker reports: “Gov. Cuomo suffered a rare political defeat over the weekend as he tried but failed to get Albany’s Democratic mayor to do something Mayor Bloomberg won’t do: shut down the local Occupy Wall Street demonstration.”

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Videos Interview with Participants at Occupy Wall Street

Julio Rolon, a supporter of Independence for Puerto Rico is also a supporter of Occupy Wall Street and he explain how OWS is related to the economy exploitation of Americans corporation to the Puerto Rican workers. This video is bilingual. Español/English.
video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct.22-11)

Eddie an 86 years-old and his wife at Zuccotti Park supporting Occupy Wall Street. They are among other Senior Citizens in accord with the younger generation seeking justice for the 99% citizens exploited by the 1% robber baron.


video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct.22-11)

Producing OWS message bottoms, at Zuccotti Park. The bottons are free, however they welcome contributions.


video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 22-11)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Obama: U.S. Troops Will Exit Iraq by Dec.

President Obama has announced that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq as planned by year's end, giving up any residual force and bringing a definitive end to one of the nation's longest and most divisive wars. (Oct. 21)

Gadhafi Body Stashed in Shopping Center Freezer

Warning: Graphic Video. Moammar Gadhafi's blood-streaked body was stashed in a commercial freezer at a shopping center Friday as Libyans tried to keep it away from angry crowds as they figure out where to bury the longtime dictator. (Oct. 21)

Steve Jobs Biography Reveals He Told Obama, 'You're Headed For A One-Term Presidency'

Steve Jobs

First Posted: 10/20/11 06:07 PM ET Updated: 10/20/11 09:26 PM ET

In one of the most hotly-anticipated biographies of the year, "Steve Jobs," author Walter Isaacson reveals that the Apple CEO offered to design political ads for President Obama's 2012 campaign despite being highly critical of the administration's policies and that Jobs refused potentially life-saving surgery on his pancreatic cancer because he felt it was too invasive. Nine months later, he got the operation but it was too late.

Those are just some of the tidbits about Jobs' life revealed in the upcoming biography, a copy of which was obtained by The Huffington Post. The publication date of the official biography of the notoriously-secretive Apple co-founder was pushed up after his death in October. "I wanted my kids to know me," Isaacson quoted Jobs as saying in their final interview. "I wasn't always there for them and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did."

Among other details unearthed in the book on the notoriously-secretive Apple co-founder:

Jobs' Meeting With Obama

Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama "was really psyched to meet with you," Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.

"You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.

Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform." Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.

Aiding Obama's Reelection Campaign

Jobs suggested that Obama meet six or seven other CEOs who could express the needs of innovative businesses -- but when White House aides added more names to the list, Jobs insisted that it was growing too big and that "he had no intention of coming." In preparation for the dinner, Jobs exhibited his notorious attention to detail, telling venture capitalist John Doerr that the menu of shrimp, cod and lentil salad was "far too fancy" and objecting to a chocolate truffle dessert. But he was overruled by the White House, which cited the president's fondness for cream pie.

Though Jobs was not that impressed by Obama, later telling Isaacson that his focus on the reasons that things can't get done "infuriates" him, they kept in touch and talked by phone a few more times. Jobs even offered to help create Obama's political ads for the 2012 campaign. "He had made the same offer in 2008, but he'd become annoyed when Obama's strategist David Axelrod wasn't totally deferential," writes Isaacson. Jobs later told the author that he wanted to do for Obama what the legendary "morning in America" ads did for Ronald Reagan.

Bill Gates And Steve Jobs

Bill Gates was fascinated by Steve Jobs but found him "fundamentally odd" and "weirdly flawed as a human being," and his tendency to be "either in the mode of saying you were shit or trying to seduce you."

Jobs once declared about Gates, "He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger."

After 30 years, Gates would develop a grudging respect for Jobs. "He really never knew much about technology, but he had an amazing instinct for what works," he said. But Jobs never reciprocated by fully appreciating Gates' real strengths. "Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas."

Meeting His Biological Father

Jobs, who was adopted, was a customer at a Mediterranean restaurant north of San Jose without realizing that it was owned by his biological father -- from whom he was estranged. He eventually met his real Dad -- "It was amazing," he later said of the revelation. "I had been to that restaurant a few times, and I remember meeting the owner. He was Syrian. Balding. We shook hands."

Nevertheless Jobs still had no desire to see him. "I was a wealthy man by then, and I didn't trust him not to try to blackmail me or go to the press about it."

Anticipating An Early Death

Jobs once told John Sculley, who would later become Apple's CEO and fire Jobs, that if he weren't working with computers, he could see himself as a poet in Paris. "Jobs confided in Sculley that he believed he would die young, and therefore he needed to accomplish things quickly so that he would make his mark on Silicon Valley history. "We all have a short period of time on this earth," he told the Sculleys. "We probably only have the opportunity to do a few things really great and do them well. None of us has any idea how long we're gong to be here nor do I, but my feeling is I've got to accomplish a lot of these things while I'm young."

* * * * *

For his first interview about the book, Isaacson talked to "60 Minutes" for the Sunday, Oct. 23 episode, telling host Steve Kroft that he was shocked about Jobs's decision to initially skip surgery for his pancreatic cancer -- that such a genius could make such a wrong decision about his own health.

"I've asked [Jobs why he didn't get an operation then] and he said, 'I didn't want my body to be opened ... I didn't want to be violated in that way,' said Isaacson.

"I think that he kind of felt that if you ignore something, if you don't want something to exist, you can have magical thinking. ... We talked about this a lot," he told Kroft. "He wanted to talk about it, how he regretted it. ... I think he felt he should have been operated on sooner."

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Two Cultures Share OWS Message

Mr. Daniel Chilton speak about the meaning of OWS, today, October 20, while he was at the OWS Library.
video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (October 20, 2011

A Chinese at OWS with a sign in support of the people at Zoccotti Park


video by Rafael Martínez Alequín (Oct. 20, 2011)

Les Misérables: 16- Do You Hear The People Sing?

Nomination for OWS Anthems?

Gaddafi's final moments

Early in the Libyan morning the 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi came to an end as National Transitional Council fighters overran forces loyal to the Libyan ruler.

With questions still looming around the exact circumstances of Gaddafi's demise, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, NTC Vice Chairman in Bengahzi made an official announcement to the world about Gaddafi's death.

Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports.

Raw Video: Gadhafi Allegedly Before He Died

The following content has been identified by the YouTube community as being potentially offensive or inappropriate. Viewer discretion is advised.
Warning, graphic video content. Arab satellite TV stations have broadcast a video purportedly showing former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi captured alive by revolutionary forces. (Oct. 20)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Inside The New York Times

Lisa Foderaro raises some questions about the mayor’s goal to plant one million trees in the city.

Al Baker reports: “A civil liberties group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to force the New York Police Department to release the daily schedules of Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.”

Kate Taylor writes: “Speaking on Tuesday before an audience composed largely of business leaders, Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, said that she was not ‘anti-Wall Street’ but that the anger of the Occupy Wall Street protesters should not be ignored.”

John Eligon follows the closing arguments in the John Haggerty trial.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Bloomberg On SNL: Why Wasn't I On SNL?

Mayor Bloomberg is not insulted that he was ridiculed on Saturday Night Live -- but is a little miffed that he wasn't picked for the part.

Our Erin Einhorn reports:

"[SNL Producer Lorne Michaels] does not need to go and get somebody to impersonate me," Bloomberg said Monday, while noting that he and Michaels took in a Yankees game together two weeks ago.

"I have my SAG card," Hizzoner said. "I've done this a number of times, and I think he'd find that my agent could negotiate a rate with him that he could afford."

The live-from-New-York comedy series opened its show over the weekend with comedian Fred Armisen portraying Bloomberg in a mock City Hall press conference about the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Armisen mocked the mayor's Boston accent, his fixation on health issues like smoking and trans fats and even took a shot at one of the mayor's biggest blunders during the botched blizzard clean up last winter -- when he urged New Yorkers to wait out the storm by taking in a Broadway show.

Armisen's Bloomberg had the same advice for protesters in New York for Occupy Wall Street: "While you're here, why not cap off a day of protests with dinner at one of New York's many world class restaurants?" the Armisen Bloomberg said. "Or take in a Broadway show like 'Mary Poppins,' currently at the New Amsterdam Theater?"

NYPD cop Michael Daragjati taped making racial slurs about black man; accused of false arrest

Originally Published:Monday, October 17th 2011, 1:14 PM
Updated: Monday, October 17th 2011, 1:14 PM

NYPD police officer Michael Daragjati is facing civil rights charges over allegedly falsely arresting a black man and bragging about it in a profane racist rant, authorities said.
Halfdark
NYPD police officer Michael Daragjati is facing civil rights charges over allegedly falsely arresting a black man and bragging about it in a profane racist rant, authorities said.

Cop to an opinion

Do you think the NYPD has a problem with racism among its ranks?

A racial epithet-spewing NYPD cop was ordered held without bail Monday on charges of fabricating criminal charges against a black man on Staten Island.

"I fried another n-----," Officer Michael Daragjati crowed last April, according to a transcript of a phone conversation intercepted by the feds. "Another n----- fried, no big deal."

Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Paul Tuchman called Daragjati, who is white, "a blatant racist."

Besides violating the civil rights of the unnamed man, Daragjati also is charged with orchestrating the violent beatdown and extortion of another victim he suspected of stealing a snowplow from his off-duty contracting business.

The racially motivated false arrest came one one month after the FBI was investigating the snowplow scheme and monitoring the cop's private calls, according to the complaint unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Daragjati, 32, was assigned to a plainclothes anti-crime patrol when he stopped the man on Targee St. and roughly frisked him, the complaint states. The man complained about his treatment and asked for the cop's name and badge number, but was allowed to walk away because he was carrying no contraband. But after he shouted insults back at the officer, Daragjati crossed the street and cuffed him, the feds said.

Daragjati swore out a criminal complaint falsely asserting the man had pushed and kicked him and "flailed" his arms to prevent being arrested.

Several other officers had witnessed the arrest, in which the man offered no resistance. The victim later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on the advice of his lawyer.

There is no explanation why Daragjati stopped the man, who had been walking on the street with his hands in his pockets at 9:30 p.m.

Last year, there were a record 601,055 stops by cops, sparking criticism that black and Hispanic men were being harassed without a legal basis.

The feds intercepted numerous calls in which Daragjati was overheard using the N-word to discuss not only the false arrest but also in bizarre jokes and talking about the weather.

Daragjati has been sued twice before for falsely arresting blacks - the city settled one case for $12,500 and the other is pending.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association lawyer Michael Martinez minimized the extortion scheme and insisted Daragjati was just trying to get back his stolen snowplow.

"At worst we have vigilante justice," Martinez said.

"By a police officer," Magistrate Joan Azrack noted before ordering Daragjati remanded.

In a statement, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly praised U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch and her staff "for bringing this case forward promptly and professionally."

Kelly also gave kudos to NYPD Internal Affairs Chief Charles Campisi and his detectives, "who initiated this investigation and in doing so helped pave the way for prosecuting it."

jmarzulli@nydailynews.com

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Obama: King 'Stirred Our Conscience'

President Barack Obama says Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has returned to the National Mall-- a symbol of the change he galvanized. (Oct. 16)

Thousands of Protesters Fill NYC's Times Square

Thousands of demonstrators protesting corporate greed filled Times Square on Saturday night, creating a chaotic scene in the heart of New York City. Similar demonstrations took place in other U.S. cities and overseas. (Oct. 15)

70-plus Arrested in NYC Protest

Police say more than 70 people have been arrested in New York City during demonstrations against corporate greed, including 45 in Times Square. Two police officers suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. (Oct. 15)

Friday, October 14, 2011

15 October - United for Global Change

FOCUS: Wall Street Occupation Goes Global Saturday

Reader Supported News

NYPD attempts to stop Occupy Wall Street protesters as they walk on the Brooklyn Bridge. (photo: Occupy Wall Street)
Alastair MacDonald, Reuters
Alastair MacDonald reports: "For an October revolution, dress warm. That's the word going out - politely - on the Web to rally street protests on Saturday around the globe from New Zealand to Alaska via London, Frankfurt, Washington and, of course, New York, where the past month's Occupy Wall Street movement has inspired a worldwide yell of anger at banks and financiers. Only time will tell what a growing global social movement can muster, but the energy is discernible and the momentum remains in favor of a new kind of change."
READ MORE

Live Coverage: Occupy Wall Street
Reader Supported News Special Coverage
The aim of #OCCUPYWALLSTREET is to draw protesters to New York's financial district in a non-violent protest to spark a mass movement against corporate dominance. While the corporate media ignores the protest, Reader Supported News will continue to report on the latest developments.
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Live Coverage: Occupy DC
Reader Supported News Special Coverage
The People's Uprisings seen around the world and in the United States have spread to Washington, DC. On Thursday, October 6, hundreds began a prolonged people's occupation of Freedom Plaza. Reader Supported News will provide special coverage of this event.
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Live Coverage: Occupy America
Reader Supported News Special Coverage
The seed planted on September 17th in New York City has grown into a national and international movement. Occupy Wall Street has branched out into hundreds of groups organizing in their own communities. Reader Supported News will highlight some of the more significant actions from around the country here. Share this page with your friends and associates and come back often for the latest developments.
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