WHAT’S GOING ON IN UNION SQUARE?

After letting the Pavilion building fall into disrepair for over a decade, the city government was finally ready to pony up the cash to repair it and return it to public use. Before the city could even complete their own plans, the Union Square Business Improvement District, or BID, (led by corporate chain stores such as Barnes and Noble and Whole Foods) got involved, dangling wads of extra, anonymously donated cash. The plans that emerged took on an appearance decidedly unfriendly towards the artists that sell their work in the park, the farmers who sell their food, and any citizen who might want to just sit down in the park without having to purchase a $5.00 latté. The BID plan will create two more lanes of traffic on 17th street, thereby reducing the space for the Farmer’s Market by half, forcing them to push into space previously occupied by artists (this is the divide and conquer strategy, as old as Machiavelli).

Meanhwhile, the Pavilion, an icon of free speech and free assembly, is slated to be turned into a swanky restaurant, about the last thing this particular neighborhood needs. Public money built this park in the first place. The city shouldn’t hand over OUR park to private businesses to make a profit.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Sign the petition at www.revbilly.com/petition/
2. Contact council person Rosie Mendez tell her NO RESTARAUNT 212 677 1077,rosie.mendez@council.nyc.gov
3. Contact the Union Square Partnership tell them NO RESTARAUNT 212 460 1200,Jfalk@unionsquarenyc.org
4. Ask Whole Food why they are pressuring the Greenmarket, their representative on Union Square Partnership board is angela.rakis@wholefoods.com
5. SPREAD THE WORD
6. Want to get involved? saveunionsquare2008@gmail.com

Add comment Datestamp: May 24th, 2008

Lessig on the Newly Proposed “Fix” to Copyright Protection

Little Orphan Artworks - New York Times
CONGRESS is considering a major reform of copyright law intended to solve the problem of “orphan works” — those works whose owner cannot be found. This “reform” would be an amazingly onerous and inefficient change, which would unfairly and unnecessarily burden copyright holders with little return to the public.

Add comment Datestamp: May 21st, 2008

Obsolete Highschools in US

Hard Roads Ahead - New York Times
The role of the federal government in improving secondary education should be one of the major issues in the presidential campaign, but it’s not. The U.S. has stopped dealing honestly with difficult and complex problems. Politicians and not just John McCain, by any means spin fantasies of a wondrous, cost-free future. No investment and no sacrifice necessary.

Add comment Datestamp: May 17th, 2008

Introducing the New Bush Lite…

The Bush-McCain Challenge

Remember the Pepsi-Coke Challenge? Here’s a new twist: Try the Bush-McCain Challenge—our new online quiz—and see if you can tell the difference between Bush and McCain!

Add comment Datestamp: May 12th, 2008

World Economic Forum - Map of Digital Inclusion

The Map

These interactive maps provide insight into various issues in the social, economic, environmental and political domains. They provide a highly visual starting point for those interested in understanding the issues within a global context and the correlations between them.

Add comment Datestamp: May 12th, 2008

Where your money goes — data vis

All of Inflation’s Little Parts - The New York Times
Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers 84,000 prices in about 200 categories — like gasoline, bananas, dresses and garbage collection — to form the Consumer Price Index, one measure of inflation.

Add comment Datestamp: May 10th, 2008