http://www.nypress.com/articles.sec-9-1-features-news.html Nearly two days shy of its two-month anniversary, the encampment at Zuccotti Park dubbed Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was cleared out by members of the New York Police Department in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Nov. 15. At a press conference later in the day, Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted that health and safety concerns had spurred the sweep. By the afternoon, however, supporters of the movement had returned to the barricaded area, where dozens of NYPD officers stood in the cordoned-off park. ]]> Last Friday, a group of 20 men and women, many wearing the company’s iconic Hawaiian shirt, gathered outside the Union Square Trader Joe’s to offer free samples. “What is it, what is it?” a bicycle-wielding pedestrian asked. He picked up a cup and looked inside: a penny. “Would you like to sample justice, sir?”]]> Following the historic passage of marriage equality legislation in Albany, New York City is preparing to welcome gay couplesand their checkbooksinto conjugal bliss.]]> Reverend Alison Caiola, an interfaith minister, has performed hundreds of same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies. As a secondgeneration minister, she grew up witnessing both of her parents perform ceremonies for same-sex couples and is thrilled that now she can carry on the traditionlegallyin New York State.]]> When The Institute for Human Identity was founded in 1973, it was the only counseling center and non-profit organization that worked with the LGBTQ community in terms of its psychological issues. Back then, homosexuality was still considered a mental disease that needed to be cured. IHI, however, was breaking boundaries by spreading its mission statement: to provide a relaxed, non-biased ambiance of professional mental health services for the LGBTQ community and anyone who felt stigmatized by lifestyles that conflicted with the social norms. Rather than labeling them “sick” or trying to cure their “illness” with prescription medication, IHI treated people as individuals and not mere numbers. This still stands today.]]> Hundreds of bare asses were visible walking down West 28th Street this past Sunday. Mesh shirts, studded harnesses, riding boots and backs covered in elaborate tattoos were de rigueur. Despite the heat and humidity, one man wore a gas mask. Another walked around on stilts.]]> One documentary filmmaker Lisa Jackson gets an idea in her head, she doesn't back down until it's translated to the screen. Her latest film, Sex Crimes Unit, has been over 15 years in the making. The documentary premieres on HBO June 20, and is the product of countless hours Jackson spent, with and without her camera crew, hanging around the unit of the District Attorney's office responsible for prosecuting Manhattan's sex crimes.]]> George Nashak has been trying to keep the peace with his sympathetic smile. Since the meeting began at 6:30 p.m., Nashak, who is the Deputy Commissioner of Adult Services for New York City's Department of Homeless Services, along with Christopher King, an attorney for the city, have been the most visible of the five city officials facing irate neighbors to discuss the proposal concerning a 12-story, 328-bed homeless facility scheduled to open this month at 127 W. 25th St. in Chelse]]> So where are these poorly scoring restaurants and what are they? The Health Department lets you search restaurants by borough, neighborhood, score and type of cuisine. There are 85 types of cuisine, which generally refer to a food's nationality or ethnicity (Afghan, Mexican, Cajun), the specific dish served (Bagels/Pretzels, Seafood) or both (Tapas).]]> Bikes were locked to just about every available pole or rail alongside West 22nd Street this past Saturday morning as people lined up to enter the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show. Thanks to all of those who attended, supported us and made this such an amazing event, including our main event sponsors: Raleigh, Chrome, Bicycling Magazine,.]]> When Josh Fox received an offer from an energy company to lease his family’s land in Pennsylvania for natural gas drilling, he was more intrigued by the mysteries of the process, hydraulic fracturing, than tempted by the $100,000 on the table. He denied the offer and set out to discover what exactly hydraulic fracturing entails, which turned into the 2010 Academy Award-nominated documentary Gasland. Since the film’s release, Fox has worked to gain public and political support to put a stop to “fracking.” Now at work on Gasland 2, Fox spoke to us about why he believes New Yorkers especially should be concerned about fracking.]]> For three decades we have conducted a massive economic experiment, testing a theory known as supply-side economics. The theory goes like this: Lower tax rates will encourage more investment, which in turn will mean more jobs and greater prosperity—so much so that tax revenues will go up, despite lower rates. The late Milton Friedman, the libertarian economist who wanted to shut down public parks because he considered them socialism, promoted this strategy. Ronald Reagan embraced Friedman's ideas and made them into policy when he was elected president in 1980.]]> Alternative health medicine is used by millions of people and, according to one recent estimate, is a $34 billion industry. Yet it does not receive as much mainstream press attention. That is why we are now launching a monthly, alternative health series to help New Yorkers make sense of the many programs and services offered all across the city.]]> Meditation expert Martin Boroson came up with the idea for his One Moment Meditation technique out of necessity. When Boroson arrived at a corporate law firm in Dublin to teach a meditation session in 2002, he found that instead of a few hours in a quiet, relaxed location as he had expected, the session was going to take place in a boardroom during lunch hour, with sandwiches lining the conference table.]]> With the popularity of television shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars, along with movies like the Step Up trilogy, Mao's Last Dancer and last year's Oscar-winning Black Swan, dance is in high demand in New York—for professionals and beginners alike. While fitness classes in gyms have an increased focus on dance—with pole dancing at Crunch or jazz at Lucille Roberts—studios such as Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Ailey's Extension Program hope to prove that dance is no longer limited to the insanely thin and nimble.]]> With the popularity of smartphones and cheap, easy digital cameras, everyone thinks they can be a photographer these days. There's still quite a bit that the amateur can learn, however, and since it's such a broad field with so many different areas of expertise, there's much that can be taught when it comes to photography. The continuing education courses at the School of Visual Arts is one convenient and trusted place to get started.]]> Every week, the students—ranging from recent college grads to graying retirees—trickle into the upstairs of the 92nd Street Y. It's a nursery center by day, and home of the Unterberg Poetry Center's Writing Program by night. They undergo writing drills, bounce lines off of each other and listen to the likes of Victor LaValle and other famous writers render literary strategies.]]> In this melting pot of a city, different dialects are thrown left and right, and as politics and business get concentrated overseas, Americans are picking up these languages. One way they learn to do it is at one of the dozens of schools specializing in foreign language studies, from the ever-popular Spanish to French to Japanese. Though Arabic too has recently come on strong, nothing appears to tromp the latest language craze: Chinese.]]>