So here goes…my Halloween Nightmare. It all started when @vitaloca and I were talking about what to do for the occasion. Last year I did the “roam if you want to” thing and just hopped around the city in a nerd costume seeking out adventure. And if you have ever been in New York during Halloween you know excitement is everywhere. So this year I thought I would try something different. I wanted to try a more collective experience. So I got turned on to a huge party that was to go down in the failing Tavern on the Green. It was intriguing on multiple levels.
First the Tavern on the Green controversy led me to believe this would be a last of its kind party so I wanted to take advantage. Second it was one of these flat fee parties so it was all you can eat all you can drink for $60. Good deal considering Halloween in NYC is the biggest money suck on Earth. Third, I wanted to get down in one place and see some dope costumes. And lastly my boys Jiggy Biggs and Eric were in town and I wanted to show him how we roll out here. So party sounds great, tickets got bought…we are committed. As with any event you buy tickets to and have a ton of friends you are going with excitement started to build. I was stoked at the sheer potential of the night. The countdown began.
Yesterday, for the first time in a long time the New York Times ran an ad on the front page. This serves as yet another sign of the News industry’s downturn. CBS Corp. was the Times’ debut front-page advertiser. Its rectangular ad is about 2 1/2 inches high and runs across the entire bottom of the front page. There was no word on the price of the spot, but the Huffington Post reports…”A 2-inch color ad in USA Today _ slightly smaller than the CBS ad Monday in the Times _ costs $65,000 most days and $79,600 on Fridays.” In a letter to the Internet…Newspaper’s all across the country say….”Thank you.”
As the internet and its use grows so to does the amount of oppression associated with it. The power of the internet is so global and so immediate that it threatens those who don’t want their secrets out. Amy Goodman reported today that online journalists are jailed more than any other type. Keep up the good fight my fellow bloggers and writers even when those try to silence you.
Here is the brief report from www.democracynow.org:
Online Journalists Top Media Jailings
In media news, a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists says more internet journalists are jailed today than journalists in any other medium. 45 percent of all jailed media workers, around fifty-six people, work in online media. Print journalists were next, with fifty-three currently jailed.
Hey Nation….I thought is appropriate to record my voting experience today. After living in Oregon for 10 years this was my first time voting on a lever machine. Oregon is all mail in ballot. I have to say the experience was quick and visceral. You felt and heard the vote click which was cool. The whole process took about 20 minutes. Shout out to the NYC Board of Elections. Great job in the 93rd voting district.
Hey Nation,
I was shocked and in awe today when I found out that Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow.org was arrested at the RNC yesterday. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Amy is one of my personal heroes on many fronts. Not only is she an inspiring journalist and ridiculously smart…her website is my most visited site hands down. DemocracyNow! offers the best non biased non corporate sponsored news any where. She and her organization are pioneers of online news and grassroots coverage. The news of her arrest is shocking.
Here is the latest update off of democracynow.org
UPDATE
Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC
Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending Against Kouddous and Salazar
ST. PAUL–Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody in St. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on Monday afternoon.
All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms scraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar’s violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was slammed to the ground while yelling, “I’m Press! Press!,” resulted in her nose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman’s arm was violently yanked by police as she was arrested.
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! will broadcast video of these arrests, as well as the broader police action. These will also be available on: www.democracynow.org
Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a felony. While the three have been released, they all still face charges stemming from their unlawful arrest. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of suspicion of felony riot, while Goodman has been officially charged with obstruction of a legal process and interference with a “peace officer.”
Democracy Now! forcefully rejects all of these charges as false and an attempt at intimidation of these journalists. We demand that the charges be immediately and completely dropped.
Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities’ law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, including a photographer for the Associated Press.
Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism’s top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and the subsequent criminal charges and threat of charges are a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists.
Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.
