SHOWDOWN: NYPD Gets Violent with Protesters at 'Occupy Wall Street!

Hours of peaceful Occupy Wall Street protests in which demonstrators were joined by many members of labor unions became violent and chaotic last night as dozens of arrests were made.

A video has emerged showing police wielding batons and contacting solidly with human flesh. It was shot last night at the corner of Broadway and Wall street around 8:45 according to the videographer.

FOX5 says the melee in the video was spawned by protesters pushing into police barriers.

EAT IT: 'Occupy' Protesters to Dress as Zombies!

Halloween is coming early for the Occupy Wall Street protesters. In what can only be described as a brilliant move that will help them be taken seriously, organizers are urging protesters to dress up like corporate zombies and eat Monopoly money, so that Wall Street denizens can “see us reflecting the metaphor of their actions,” a spokesman tells the AP.

The organizers have set up a table covered with makeup and fake money to help protesters take part. “It’s a cheeky and fun way to make the same point we’ve been making,” said one woman wearing the facepaint. She said she had quit her job to join the protesters, and would stay “as long as it seems useful.” The protests, which one participant says were “chaos” two weeks ago, are now increasingly organized, with a daily “general assembly,” and protocols for everything from medical care to legal help for those arrested. Protesters have even created their own newspaper, the "Occupied Wall Street Journal."

NOT SILENT: Wall Street Protesters Refuse to Fade!

The spirits of Wall Street protesters are apparently riding high despite yesterday's 700 arrests, the AP reports. Still camped out in New York's Financial District after more than two weeks, they're running laptops on a portable generator, eating donated food, and using a makeshift hospital. They even have their own newspaper: the Occupied Wall Street Journal. Officials "thought we were going to leave and we haven't left," says one protester. "

We're going to stay as long as we can." New York City police say they have released most of the people detained yesterday. But the mass arrest did spark one disagreement: Some protesters say cops told them to use the pedestrian walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge, then arrested them for it. Today the NYPD supported their argument by releasing a video that shows an official warning the crowd with a bullhorn while they chanted, "Take the bridge." Meanwhile, the protest has sparked demonstrations across the nation, from Boston to Los Angeles.

BOILER: Wall Street Protest Snarls Brooklyn Bridge; 700 Arrested!

(AP) – New York City police say about 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic for several hours. Police say some demonstrators spilled onto the roadway after being told to stay on the pedestrian pathway. The majority of those arrested were given citations for disorderly conduct and were released, police said. The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza in Manhattan's Financial District for nearly two weeks staging marches to protest corporate greed, global warming, and social inequality, among other grievances. 

"We were supposed to go up the pedestrian roadway," Robert Cammiso, a 48-year-old student from Brooklyn told the Daily News. "There was a huge funnel, a bottleneck, and we couldn't fit. People jumped from the walkway onto the roadway. We thought the roadway was open to us." Several videos taken of the event show a confusing, chaotic scene. Some show protesters screaming obscenities at police and taking a hat from one of the officers. Others show police struggling with people who refuse to get up. Nearby, a couple posed for wedding pictures on the bridge.

WET: Sweaty Nike Shirts Weighing Barcelona Down?

Nike is selling a ton of its new specially-designed Barcelona kits (that’s uniforms for the Americans in the audience), but there’s one big problem: The team hates them. Why? Because the eco-friendly shirts, which are supposed to improve performance somehow, actually get so dang sweaty that the players feel weighed down by them, the Guardian reports. Players came back from their preseason US tour complaining the shirts “weighed a ton” and “stuck to the body like a limpet.” The problem hasn’t subsided since the start of the season.

Some frustrated players have even taking to weighing the shirts before, during, and after games. Their findings? By halftime the shirt, which usually clocks in at a little less than half a pound, has more than doubled in weight. Team officials met with Nike on Friday to air their grievances, and Nike says its product team is currently testing solutions.

HATE ALERT: Shoppers Blast Retailers' Online Anti-Gay Ties!

Apple, Microsoft, and an array of other online retailers have found themselves at the center of a gay-rights battle, the New York Times reports. The retailers have been tied to an Internet marketer, the Charity Giveback Group, that receives a commission when it sends the retailers an online customer. 

There's nothing unusual about the arrangement—except that part of that commission goes to a Christian charity selected by the customer, and the list of charities said customer has to choose from includes Christian groups that loudly oppose homosexuality. When a Seattle man found out that Microsoft customers who buy through the CGBG were then able to donate a portion of the commission Microsoft paid the CGBG to anti-gay causes, “I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding, Microsoft,’” he said. His online petition quickly resulted in the software firm cutting its ties to CGBG; more petitions spurred Apple and other firms to do the same. But CGBG says it’s just giving customers a choice, and Christian groups say they’re facing discrimination for Biblical values. Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, calls the petition effort “economic terrorism.”

SCANNED: Is My Son Gay? Yes, There is an APP for that!

I don't want to believe this is serious. An Android app in France promises to determine whether your son is gay by hitting you with 20 questions.

Subjects broached in questions on the app include the child’s dress sense, sporting prowess, musical taste and whether or not he reads newspapers. The questionnaire also asks mothers whether they are separated or divorced and whether there is an absence of a 'father figure' in their son’s life.

If the app says your son isn't gay, it gives you this reassurance: "You have nothing to worry about... You have a very good chance of being a grandmother with all the joys that brings."

The other answer: "Your son is gay, accept it."

STINGED: Police Corral, Mace Women as NYC Financial Protests Escalate!

This weekend, Wall Street protesters embarked on what the NYT calls their "largest and most ambitious" march since protests of the financial system began on September 17, and it appears police are losing their patience with the demonstrators. 

One video in particular is getting a lot of attention right now: “A cop in a white shirt — I think he’s a superior officer — just comes along and does these quick little spritzes of pepper spray in my and these three other girls’ eyes,” she added. The officer’s identity was not provided by the police.

PROTEST: 80 Busted in 'Occupy Wall St.'!

The NYPD was busily busting protesters yesterday, notching at least 80 arrests on the seventh day of protests known as "Occupy Wall Street," reports the Wall Street Journal. "On our march from Union Square the cops proceeded to use nets to round up people," said one 24-year-old protester. "They split the group into two. As far as I understood, they arrested everyone in the nets." The group is railing against the nation's big banks and so-called "top 1%," and appear to be driven largely via Twitter and other social media. 

Cops initially said they wouldn't arrest the protesters, who lack a permit, but that sentiment appears to be on the wane. "There's a lot of speculation that the police are going to throw us out," said one protester. Hundreds gathered last night in Lower Manhattan, asking passers-by to sign a petition to support "the rights of Americans to assemble and practice their rights to free speech and thought."

GRINDED: Shirtless Starbucks Barista Fired Over Musical Rant at Customers!

Christopher Cristwell, a Starbucks barista who posted a shirtless musical rant to YouTube in July disparaging the coffee chain's customers was fired in the middle of his shift on Tuesday, the Boston Herald's Working Stiff reports.

Said Cristwell: “In a way, I did them a favor. I saw this as the only way those of us on the lowest rungs of the ladder can make any changes. They obviously didn’t see me as a threat because they let me work for a week since my first meeting with human resources...This song is not 100 percent autobiographical. The funny part is that I truly consider myself a people person, and I’m really passionate about coffee...In any high stress environment, you need to have healthy ways to break the tension. If you go work at Starbucks, I bet you that after your shift you’ll be complaining about the same things to your friends.”

VULGAR: Moms Boycott Ben & Jerry's Over Schweddy Balls!

It turns out, not everyone wants to eat something called “Schweddy Balls.” OneMillionMoms, a sub-group of the American Family Association, is calling for a boycott on the troublemakers at Ben & Jerry’s over this “vulgar new flavor.” In a newsletter to their supporters, spotted by Perez Hilton, the group says the flavor “has turned something as innocent as ice cream into something repulsive.” The moms understand that the name is a riff on an old Alec Baldwin Saturday Night Live sketch, they just don’t think it’s funny, complaining that it’s “not exactly what you want a child asking for at the supermarket.” They’re also still annoyed over last year’s “Hubby Hubby” flavor celebrating gay marriage. “It seems that offending customers has become an annual tradition for Ben & Jerry’s,” they tut.

(SOAP Q) Frank Valentini Named VP Serial Dramas for Prospect Park, Will Continue as EP of ONE LIFE TO LIVE

ONE LIFE TO LIVE executive producer Frank Valentini has signed a deal with the company to continue with the serial drama when it moves online, according to a new report from Deadline Hollywoood. Additionally, Valentini has also been named VP Serial Dramas for Prospect Park’s new online network. In this role, Valentini will work closely with Prospect Park partners Jeff Kwatinetz and Rich Frank and their executive team on programming strategies, including the upcoming relaunch of ALL MY CHILDREN, According to We Love  Soaps.

“Frank’s successful track record both creatively and produce-orially with ONE LIFE TO LIVE has been stellar and we are honored that he has also agreed to take on more responsibilities at our new network,” Kwatinetz and Frank said.

STEP UP: Gay Facebook Founder and NC Native Chris Hughes Speaks Out, Donates Against Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment!

Late on Friday, Facebook founder Chris Hughes stepped up action against North Carolina GOP efforts to pass an amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state constitution.

September 9, 2011

An Open Letter to the North Carolina General Assembly:

I’m writing today to express my deep concern and fervent opposition to the proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment, SB106/HB777.

As the co-founder of Facebook, I have some experience with the challenges of attracting the kind of driven, dynamic and diverse employees it takes to build a fledgling start-up into a full- fledged economic success story.

Companies like Facebook, Google and Apple are the future of our global economy. But the proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment signals to these and other major employers, as well as their mobile, educated employees, that North Carolina does not welcome the diverse workforce that any state needs to compete in the international marketplace.

BOOTY CALL: Introducing the Straight Version of Grindr!

It's called Blendr. It's designed by the same sexual revolutionary who created Grindr, but there's less emphasis on random sex. It matches people based on location as well as interests. And it's going to become a honey-trap for straight politicians. 

So Gay men are on it too, Notice 'Lance'!

STRAP ON: 'Sensual' Phones Kiss, Cuddle!

Here's a cellphone that's got your number. In pursuit of more "emotional" and "sensory" phones, a designer at the Berlin University of the Arts has come up with three different touchy-feelie models that will blow on your neck, coo, and even kiss, reports the Los Angeles Times.

One prototype has a strap that tightens to simulate a hand squeeze and is triggered by an amorous caller on the other end. The kissing phone involves questionable things like wet sponges and a membrane. "Very intense, huh?" asked the designer when he introduced his models at a German conference. He claims the amorous phones are a natural extension of our desire to reach out and touch someone with our calls. Ring-a-ding-ding.

PO'd: Yahoo's Ex-CEO: They 'F--ked Me Over'!

Carol Bartz is not beating around the bushes when it comes to her dismissal from Yahoo. “These people fucked me over,” she told Fortune Tuesday, in her first interview since the ouster. Bartz says that when she made a scheduled call to Chairman Roy Bostock, he began reading her a lawyer-approved statement. “I said, ‘Roy, I think that’s a script. Why don’t you have the balls to tell me yourself?” But Bostock soldiered on. When he was done, Bartz simply replied, “It got it. I got it. I thought you were classier.” 

Nonetheless, Bartz intends to stay on Yahoo’s board, out of loyalty to its employees, and anyway, "I have way too many purple clothes." Bartz’s bluntness about her firing is rare from top executives, the New York Times notes. Some experts expect such honesty to become a trend, as executives try to protect their personal brand more than their ex-company’s brand. “The younger generation appreciates this honesty,” one professor says. “You’re authentic, and you’re vulnerable.”

OUT: HRC Announces Solmonese's Resignation!

The Human Rights Campaign has confirmed rumors that Joe Solmonese will leave as head of the organization. Contrary to reports that said he'd be leaving in December, Solmonese will be staying on until his contract expires in March 2012. The press release highlights the accomplishments over his 6-year tenure.

At the NLGJA Convention, it was overheard that he may be taking over the LGBT Liaison position  permanently!  STAY TUNED for MK's Exclusive!

RENTBOY: Want to Ask Paul Ryan a Question? Please Pay $15 (or $100)!

Tired of being harassed and embarrassed by angry constituents—and, of course, always in need of cash—congressmen such as Paul Ryan, Ben Quayle, and Chip Cravaack are eschewing open town halls and instead are charging for access over this August recess, reports Politico. 

Questioning Ryan at an upcoming luncheon will cost you $15. Cravaack's upcoming meeting is a cheaper $10. And lunch with Quayle on Aug. 23 costs $35. A rep for Ryan says the lawmaker will host telephone town hall meetings this month, and adds that Ryan played no part of the Whitnall Park Rotary Club’s choice to charge that $15 entry fee. Writing for Politico, Reid Epstein counters that politicians who outsource their meetings to third parties can keep out the bulk of the angry public, sidestep YouTube embarrassments, and ensure smoother, PR-friendly events that raise a little money to boot. And while such paid events are nothing new, admits Epstein, in the past they were accompanied by free, public town hall meetings.

HACKED: NotW Reporter's Letter Blows Lid Off of Top-Level Cover Up!

A 4-year-old letter by News of the World's disgraced royal reporter—who went to jail and was fired for his admitted role in the phone hacking scandal—contends that senior figures at the newspaper and at News International knew phone hacking was widespread and sanctioned, reports the Guardian. The letter by Clive Goodman, just published today, is '"absolutely devastating," said one MP.

"It completely removes News International's defense. This is one of the largest cover-ups I have seen in my lifetime." Goodman wrote a letter on March 2, 2007, protesting his "perverse" dismissal from News of the World, saying "the actions leading to this criminal charge were carried out with the full knowledge and support of" senior journalists at the paper. Further, phone hacking "was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference, until explicit reference to it was banned by the editor." Goodman also claims that he was promised he would not be fired from NotW, even after pleading guilty, if he "did not implicate the paper or any of its staff." Goodman wrote the letter to NotW brass in hopes of getting his job back; you can see the original here.

BREAKING NEWS: Darcelle Arrested!

Darcelle with Mayor Sam Adams at Darcelle's 80th Birthday -11/10

An icon of Portland’s gay community and entertainment business will appear in court TODAY after being arrested.

   

Portland police say Walter Cole, 80, better known as the cross-dressing entertainer "Darcelle XV," faces misdemeanor harassment charges after arguing with OLCC officers outside his club Thursday night in the Old Town neighborhood.