CAN YOU SUE IT! SUCKERS!!!

Well its kinda Brooklyn related.....

From KOTAKU!

Take-Two Interactive is this month's whipping boy. Trundling along on the heels of the Hot Coffee subpoena and the resulting stock flaccidity, a bad-tempered little lawsuit from Roger Hill, who played gang leader "Cyrus" in the movie's "The Warriors," the precursor to Take-Two recent game of the same name. Says Gamasutra:

Roger Hill, who played gang leader Cyrus in the original 1979 movie, has filed a suit demanding $250,000 and a court order barring the use of his likeness, according to a New York Daily News report. The suit maintains that Take-Two and Rockstar have generated at least $37 million in revenue from the game.

A Marine Park Marine Is Killed In Iraq

June 24, 2006
On His 21st Birthday, a Marine Is Mourned
By SARAH GARLAND

Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Whyte did not tell anyone he was signing up for the Marines, his father recalled yesterday. The war in Iraq had just begun, and he knew his family would be upset. They were.

But yesterday, as he stood outside the family's home in Marine Park, Brooklyn, mourning the death of his son on what would have been his 21st birthday, Andre Whyte, a captain with the city's Department of Correction, said, "He never did anything a father couldn't be proud of."

The last time his family spoke with Corporal Whyte was Sunday, when he called Captain Whyte to wish him a happy Father's Day. He promised to be back in time for his father's birthday in September.

Three days later, on Wednesday, marines arrived at the doorstep of the Whyte home to inform the family that Corporal Whyte had been killed that day by an enemy sniper in Ramadi, where he was stationed on his second tour in Iraq. He died from a gunshot wound to the neck that severed his spinal cord....

....Though he had reservations about his son going to war, Captain Whyte said he supported his decision. "He was a soldier," Captain Whyte said. "He did what he was told and he went where he was told."

But when he got back from his first tour of duty, in Falluja, he had changed, his father said. "He was glad it was behind him," he said.

Before Corporal Whyte, who was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., left in January for his second tour, Captain Whyte said, his son expressed his own doubts about going back. "He thought he might get hurt this time," he said. "He said, 'Dad, I'm really nervous about going a second time,' and I said: 'I know. Me, too.' "

Grand Army Plaza: Monuments and Traffic

From NY1:

Coalition Formed To Make Grand Army Plaza More Pedestrian Friendly
June 02, 2006

Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn is one of the city's great venues, but it's not very people friendly. Now, a number of groups are coming together to try to change that. NY1's Milanee Kapadia filed this report.

Grand Army Plaza, the gateway to Prospect Park, is adjacent to the Brooklyn Public Library, and the juncture of the borough's major roadways; Prospect Park West, Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway.

But pedestrians say getting to the Brooklyn landmark is no cakewalk.

"It's definitely a nuisance, and it can be scary if you try to cut any corners and cross the street in a different place,” says Brooklyn resident Tom Brock. “Then it's definitely risky, because there's traffic coming from several different directions."

It took Tom 10 minutes to navigate his way through two crosswalks, traffic lights and a median.

Now, a coalition consisting of community groups, local institutions and elected officials have come together to make Grand Army Plaza less of a roundabout and more an
easily accessible public space.

And may I say HERE! HERE!

Grand Army Plaza is the main gateway to the beautiful Prospect Park. As the article indicates the best way to see it is from a distance or witha telephoto lense. If you want to get closer to the statuary traffic islands, quick feet and nerves of steel are recommended.

Truly a landmark in the borough it is crowned by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, Brooklyn’s own Arc de Triomphe.

NY Aquarium: Seals

NY Aquarium: Otters

Visit The Wildlife Conservation Society to see how you can help animals around the world.

Smiling and Happy in Brooklyn

To Senator Charles Schumer

To Our Friends in New York,

This week the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering two bills that would reward President Bush’s illegal actions by allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) to continue spying on Americans in violation of our laws. These bills are being pushed through even though Congress has failed to learn key facts about the program.

Senator Schumer sits on this committee and can stop both of these bills dead in their tracks.

We need you to call Senator Schumer right now.

In New York City: (212) 486-4430
In Buffalo: (716) 846-4111
In Albany: (518) 431-4070
In Washington, DC: (202) 224-6542

• Tell him to oppose both Senate Bill 2453 and Senate Bill 2455. Congress needs to get the facts about the NSA spying program before making it legal.
  
• Both bills would have the effect of whitewashing the illegal NSA domestic spying program. Conservatives and progressives agree that this program should not be made legal.
  
• Congress has a duty to get the facts, not help the Bush administration cover them up. The Senate Judiciary Committee must uphold its responsibility to the Constitution and the American people by opposing these misguided bills.
  
• Tell Senator Schumer to get the facts about the warrantless NSA domestic spying before making it legal.

Calls are needed to several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please take a moment and forward this email to your friends and family who live in New York, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, Iowa, Vermont, South Carolina, Kansas, Wisconsin, Delaware, Oklahoma and Illinois. They can look up their member’s phone number here.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS FOR YOU:
S. 2453, a bill written by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), would supposedly restore judicial review of wiretaps, but the law already requires judicial review and the president has ignored it. Senator Specter’s bill would allow the courts to approve programs of surveillance, diminishing the Constitution’s requirement there be probable cause that an American is doing something wrong before their communications can be seized.

S. 2455, a bill written by Senator Mike DeWine (R-PA), would also attempt to rewrite probable cause to allow warrantless surveillance of Americans’ calls and emails without evidence that they are conspiring with suspect terrorists. It would make judicial review of wiretaps optional and would reduce the amount of information the president is required to give Congress about the program.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson
Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

Join Us At City Hall!

Let me get one thing straight, I do not hate Wal-Mart. What I do not like are their business pratices and how their workers are treated. I honestly believe that with enough pressure the poster-child for what is wrong with the Big-Box Mart stores can be a responsible national and world citizen. If you work in the are around City Hall or want a good excuse for that extended lunch come down and make a difference.

Local governments must be pressured by us THE PEOPLE so that they have the backbone to make Wal-Mart enter the New York market under our terms. That means affordable health care, fair hours, and a living wage for their employees.

You can make a difference and help cure the Wal-Mart health care crisis.

On Wednesday, April 26, please join thousands of Americans rallying all across the country to fight for affordable health care for all Wal-Mart workers.

In at least 35 cities, grassroots supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com will take part in this national day of action to raise awareness about the Wal-Mart health care crisis and sign the pledge to make Wal-Mart pay its fair share for health care.

Join us at your local “Change Wal-Mart, Change America” rally:

What: Rally to "Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis"
Where: 261 Broadway, NY NY
NYC City Hall
When: 4/26/2006 at 12:00 PM

Click below to learn more and RSVP.

RSVP Here

Despite over billion in profits, Wal-Mart fails to provide company health care to 57%, over 775,000, of its employees and their families, which costs American taxpayers over .4 billion every year.

At the rallies, we will call on Wal-Mart to pay its fair share for health care and provide comprehensive, affordable health care to all of its employees. After the rally, supporters will take to the streets to sign up thousands of Americans to join the fight for health care by signing the “Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis” pledge.

The rallies are the first nationally coordinated actions involving the new Change to Win federation, which represents over six million workers.

Click below to learn more and to RSVP.

RSVP Here

You have the power to Change Wal-Mart and Change America.

Please join the fight for health care on April 26th!

Thanks for all that you do,

Jeremy Bird
WakeUpWalMart.com