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Top Articles and Events
May 2012 Headlines
February 2012 Headlines
• NPPA Board moves forward with great plans
• NSC Event Tuition Grants

Contests
• NPPA Best of Photojournalism -
  Deadline: February 3, 2012
• 2012 NSC Contest - Deadline: February 6, 2012
• Blue Earth Photo Contest -
  Deadline: March 31, 2012

Photographer Joe Marino of the Daily News is struck by a very unhappy family member of a man who allegedly tried to kill a
police officer in Brooklyn on Feb. 1. She allegedly struck other photographers too. Nobody was seriously hurt by her antics that many likened to the "Moury Povich Show."
(Photo: Robert Stolarik)
December 2011 Headlines
November 2011 Headlines
October 2011 Headlines
August 2011 Headlines
July 2011 Headlines
May 2012 Articles
OWS demonstrators might be more a threat than police
As the police have eased their obstructions of our photography of Occupy Wall Street protests, a more dangerous threat to photographers has emerged from some of the very people who we have so graciously and professionally publicized.

While the vast majority of demonstrators are peaceful, law-abiding people, it has been revealed that some of them are now lashing out at members of the media for being “lackys” of the NYPD. Of course, nothing can be further from the truth, but as the saying goes in journalism, “if everyone hates you, you must be doing something right.

We still have the continuing threat from some rogue police officers who object to people taking their photos, but now, the threat has extended to protestors who believe that anarchy is the best way. Some photographers now report protestors cursing, spitting and even assaulting them as they try to make photos of the demonstrators. Minor incidents have been reported. One website is calling for demonstrators to assault photographers and members of the media as being part of the establishment. So, be careful out there! See this site! http://anarchistnews.org/content/nyc-ftp-police-pressApril R2 NPPA News.

NY Press Club talks about NYPD abuse of the media
Interference by the NYPD at Occupy Wall Street and on other stories was the focus of a meeting of the The New York Press Club recently, which may lead to future litigation should the illegal activity continue, officials say

Mickey Osterriecher, NPPA Chief Counsel, was joined by Todd Maisel, NPPA Board of Director and R2 Chairman. Also in attendance was attorney/photographer Robert Roth.

The NY Press Club meeting held at CUNY Graduate Journalism Center, featured a panel of members of the media who spoke about incidents where they were either arrested or harassed by members of the NYPD.
Unfortunately, many of the major members of the media, including those who were arrested were not present at this very important meeting.
Rob Stolarik, a freelancer photographer for the NY Times, spoke about his encounters, including one at the World Financial Center where a police officer intentionally interfered with him during an OWS protest.

Other members of the media that were not present, have been instructed by their publications or media organizations to keep good relations with the NYPD.

Without support from the major media organizations, leaders say it would be very difficult to take legal actions. However, The Press Club has vowed to take action should the NYPD go back on its word to stop interfering with members of the media.

Press vehicle cards – a big secret
Negotiations are said to be underway since January to craft legislation that would be acceptable to both media photographers and to city council members that would allow press photographers to park at or near their
assignments legally.

The problem is that these negotiations are being kept secret, even from members of the NYPPA Government Relations Committee. We urge the current chairman to reveal all pertinent information so that those with expertise
on this committee may contribute to the discussions. Five months of silence by the NYPPA committee is
clearly “unacceptable.”

 Generation Iraq: Journalists Confront America's War
The Columbia Journalism School recently held a panel discussion with photographers and journalists covering foreign wars at its main campus in Upper Manhattan. The program was sponsored by the school and by the DART Center for Journalism and Trauma.

From the first debates over invasion to the pullout of American troops, from prisoners in Abu Ghraib to veterans in Walter Reed, the war in Iraq has dominated news fora decade. Photographers and journalists listened to discussions with four journalists who have been shaped by the war—and whose words and images have defined the war and its ongoing impact for all of us.

Among the speakers were Ashley Gilbertson, photographer, VII agency; Peter van Agtmael, Magnum Photographer; Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!; Sarah Stillman, contributing writer, The New Yorker; Ali Adeeb Al Naemi, former news editor, New York Times Baghdad bureau. The Moderator was Bruce Shapiro, executive director, Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, Columbia Journalism School
http://bit.ly/dartcenter-gen-iraq

 Gombert, press abused by NYPD
On March 7, Occupy Wall Street took their protests to Bank America, where a few arrests occurred. Photographer Andrew Gombert of EPA joined other media where Gombert was pushed and blocked by police. He unfortunately responded with negative words against that officer. Gombert ended up with his butt on the floor. We urge photographers to try to maintain their professionalism despite bad police behavior. We’ve all had those moments,
so we must try to control our tempers. We have heard that officer was punished, but no confirmation. Other OWS: Robert Stolarik shooting for the NY Times was at Zuccotti Park where protestors tried to pitch their tents again. Fighting broke out and arrests occurred – but this time, Stolarik reported that commanders ordered officers to leave credentialed media alone. He gave high marks to police officials for honoring First Amendment freedoms in a high stress situation. Stolarik had a more stressful situation in World Financial Center in January when police obstructed him as shown on video.

Arrest while shooting
Our friend and colleague Jason Nicholas was arrested recently and is facing charges after he was nabbed by Port Authority Police near the Bus Terminal photographing an injured person being loaded into an ambulance on a public street. We implore the Manhattan District Attorney to recognize this incident as a clear violation of press freedoms, and not obstruction of anything. The officers clearly just didn’t want photos taken and that is wrong. We ask all fellow photographers to reach out to the DA to tell him this prosecution is wrong.

Much to learn
A student from Rochester Institute of Technology was nabbed again by police, this time at the Macy’s fire, for “refusing police orders,” after he mistakenly cross yellow tape. He was cleared of wrong doing at an OWS protest in Rochester where he was arrested with demonstrators while taking photos for his student newspaper. The NPPA will try to help him with this latest incident.
Twitter dangers
It was with great sorrow that this editor has given up Twitter as a vehicle for informing people of local breaking news and life in the city.

Unfortunately, the very nature of Twitter becomes an expression of emotion and is an unfiltered look at not only news events, but also the off-the-cuff, split second thoughts of the author. This has been found to be extremely hazardous and proves that nobody should be their own editor. Huge regret can come from a single poorly worded Tweet and can lead to disaster.
EDITORIAL - NSC is the best in many years: By Todd Maisel
Living right under my nose in Brooklyn was Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Melanie Burford from the Dallas Morning News. I went to her home in Brooklyn Heights the day before leaving for Virginia to go to the Northern Short Course and picked up her gear because she was suffering from a back strain. The NSC was the best-attended and best organized in years. The new format, the wide array of seminars and sessions made this year’s event the best I’ve ever seen.

Region 2 accounted for many of the attendees, traveling the more than four hours by car or by train to get to this great event. And next year promises to be another important milestone as so many students and professionals come to realize that we must constantly update our skills, network with our colleagues, and discovery that there is inspiration to be obtained from some of the great professionals who give of their time to teach us to be great too.

I went right home with Andrew Geraci’s time-lapse multi-media work fresh in my mind. I especially remembered his work on “Asylum,” an exploration of a long-closed insane asylum that got me thinking of some of the long closed buildings and institutions throughout New York City. I immediately got busy exploring the 30-year vacant 73rd Precinct stationhouse – exploring its darkest recesses – I don’t recommend this for everyone as this type of visit can be dangerous. It was terrifying walking into a pitch-black basement, but it was also exhilarating. I spent numerous hours shooting video and stills, interviewing residents of the neighborhood and then obtained quality space in the Daily News to present my photos, writing and my 20-hour video edit to three minutes, presented the way it ought to be shown.

How do you find inspiration in a difficult work environment? I realized that I must be myself which I learned from Jim Estrin of the NY Times, Ed Kashi of VII, and watching Victoria Will show her portrait prowess making me pine for my first portrait session where I pulled out multiple strobes to do more than just shoot a snapshot.

I’m not done. Ross Taylor, a staff photographer for The Virginian-Pilot gave me the inspiration to pursue my dreams and to not be afraid to push a lumbering giant to do new things.  Scott Broom and Lance Ing have given me the courage to be that all-in-one visual communicator that some bosses want. Why can’t I do it all well? We can try and we can succeed is the lesson I learned. There was so much more for me as a professional. I reviewed portfolios and learned from those critiques to give a more critical eye towards my own work. There is much to learn from your students and the educator’s workshops were just the ticket.

Finally, the NPPA general counsel Mickey Osterricher led two great sessions on press freedom – affirming what I’ve come to believe is that we too must conduct ourselves to a high standard, no matter how others including law enforcement conduct themselves. While we have the right to take photos in public, we also must be conduct ourselves professionally to be above those who would violate our First Amendment freedoms.

These are some of the lessons I learned. If you have any anecdotes from the NSC, please email them to toddphoto@aol.com and we will put them on our website. Also, if you receive attended the NSC and received the survey, please fill it out so that we on the board of the NSC can work to make next year’s event measure up
to expectations.

Calendar Items
Multi-media immersion last call
There may still be a seat or two at this year’s NPPA Multi-Media Immersion scheduled for May 15-19 at Syracuse University. The MMI currently has a few spots still open, so, this is the right time to hone your skills in video, FinalCut and other cutting edge technologies in our field. Chair Seth Gitner is launching an Instagram mobil phone contest this week http://contest.multimediaimmersion.com/ An impressive array of talented professors and instructors will be part of this year’s immersion that has helped so many talented photographers become multi-media experts.
See the website at: http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/workshops_and_seminars/multimedia_immersion/2012/
Shutter Foundry in Colorado
For only $25 for members, our mid-west colleagues are holding the Shutter Foundry at the Front Range Community College in Longmount Colorado on Saturday, May 12. It features photo editing, social media, video editing video production and project management techniques. The day long event is sponsored by NPPA and promises to deliver big on a small outlay. Contact Shawn Montano of Region 9 for details at shawnmontano@gmail.com
Meeting dates to be announced
A get-together should be announced sometime soon for Region 2. Stay tuned for details.

June panel debate to focus on ban on farm photos
The National Press Photographers Association signed on to a statement opposing proposed "ag gag" legislation introduced in several states, including New York, that would criminalize photography and video recording of farm animals and agricultural facilities without the express written consent of the facilities' owners.  
See, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/broad-spectrum-of-national-interest-groups-sign-on-to-oppose-ag-gag-laws-that-seek-to-ban-farm-investigations-2012-02-23

As a result, the New York City Bar Association is planning an informational program relating to proposed "ag gag" legislation in New York State, S5172 (in relation to unlawful tampering with farm animals) and similar legislation introduced in other states, including Florida (S1246), Iowa (SF 431) and Minnesota (HR 1369/SF 1118).  
Please see http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5172-2011 for more information on the NY bill.

This program will be held at the New York City Bar Association (42 West 44th Street, NYC) from 6:30 to 8:30pm at a date to be confirmed this June.  This event will serve as an educational program addressing legal, business, and other implications arising out of the proposed legislation, including anticipated impact on the public, agricultural industries, animal advocacy groups and other public interest groups.  The program will consist of an introductory presentation of the proposed legislation by two members of the Bar Association followed by brief presentations from each of our panelists to present his or her (personal or organizational) perspective relating to the legislation.  The program will be moderated by two members of the Bar Association and will be free and open to the public.  Although legal issues will be addressed, both lawyer and non-lawyer attendees and participants are encouraged to attend this event. More information on this will be announced.

We are seeking to have a fair and balanced panel of speakers to represent all sides to this topic.  Accordingly, to date we have confirmed the following as panel speakers include NPPA Board of Director Todd Maisel, Senator Adams (NY, co-sponsor of S5172), Senator Avella (NY, voted in opposition to S5172), Eddie Garza, Campaign Coordinator for Mercy for Animals An invitation has been given to the New York Farm Bureau and are awaiting confirmation.

Chance for photographers for grants
In its second year of Call for Submissions, following in the footsteps of our very successful first season which astonishingly garnered nearly 200 entries from some 45 countries worldwide, we are very pleased to once again be able to call for entries for a grant in the field of photo reportage/photojournalism. Last year our Call for Submissions and culminated in our $5000 USD grant being awarded to Mr. Mads Nissen of Denmark. The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for International Photography is once again seeking entries for outstanding work in global and social documentary photo reportage. Covering such pressing issues as health, poverty, oppression, war, famine, religious/political persecution and upheaval, human migration and immigration, the landless and much more, photographers of all nationalities who are 18 years of age or older are encouraged to apply.

Entries must be submitted no later than May 31, 2012, to be eligible. Please visit http://www.mrofoundation.org for entry rules and submission details found under our "Grant 2012" header on our website. The photographer whose proposal is selected to receive the $5000 USD grant will be immediately contacted, followed by a public press announcement to be made sometime in late July. Send your submission to submissions@mrofoundation.org.

Exhibits
Art in Montreal
Art Photography by Menachem Serraf, CPA. Art will be showing from April 4th until June 10th, 2012. Evening Vernissage May 6th with refreshments & inspiration – see the exhibit at the Monkland Art Gallery,
5686 Monkland Ave. Suite 1, Montreal, QC h4a 1e4
February 2012 Articles
NPPA Board moves forward with great plans
It is a great pleasure to serve the NPPA as both Region 2 Chairman and to be on
the National Board of Directors.

Our goals for the coming year:
1. To set up a command post for journalists at the National Conventions. The NPPA will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte North Carolina.  NPPA's mission is to intercede with authorities, trying to protect photographers from over aggressive law enforcement. We will also work with authorities in Tampa, Florida, where the Republicans will hold their convention. NPPA hopes to ease the confusion that has occurred at previous conventions when many journalists were arrested by overzealous police, despite wearing clearly identifiable credentials.  

2. A new and improved web site will serve our members with job banks, blogs, communications, and breaking news. You will see dramatic changes in the way we communicate and also show off the work of our members. This is an essential for the future of the NPPA and photographers.  

3. NPPA hopes to re-brand the organization so that it will have a modern look and be user friendly. We will also concentrate on new membership and existing membership to make the organization more attractive.  

4. Advocacy will become a larger part of our organization, making sure that our members are protected from overzealous authorities. Your work will receive more protection and laws will be sought to protect your work from theft. We have two attorneys now, Mickey Osterreicher who will remain our chief counsel and past president Alicia Calzada-Wagner who is now a practicing attorney herself with specialty in copyright law.  

5. The News Photographer Magazine continues to improve and grow under the leadership of our editor Don Winslow. His many years of experience make the magazine that only you, the member receives, the very best in the industry. We on the board support those efforts and its symbiosis with the website to both give you the news you need, but also to show off the great photography of our members.

6. We are rebuilding our regional officer level by encouraging those officers to use the funds available and to apply for Authors Coalition money.   

7. Improved services on all levels of this organization. Members will be eligible for scholarships for educational programs and for continuing their work in the field.  

8. Educational programs will continue to improve in order to keep up with the changes in our profession.  We all must learn new things to keep us competitive. There will be more webinars that will augment our current educational programs. The on-line educational opportunities continue to grow.   

9. The BOP contest has gone through some real changes and promises to make our organization more prestigious and in the future we hope to bring in new revenue streams that may be some day lead to greater rewards for visual journalists.  

10. Finally, we must emphasize a new leadership on the national level, led by President Sean Elliott, that will carry us into a new era in which photojournalism changes and grows We will strive be the vanguard of quality, ethics and freedom.  

This is the promise we plan to deliver. Be with us.

NSC Event Tuition Grants
Attention professional still photographers! We're offering tuition grants for our 2012 line-up of educational programming. We're also able to offer a limited number of travel grants to help cover additional expenses. This especially impacts those who want to attend the upcoming Northern Short Course in Fairfax Virginia beginning on March 8. Region 2 is offering free rides and will help link those who want to attend with others who might want to share a room for the event. The NPPA is able to provide these scholarships through funds distributed by The Authors Coalition of America (ACA), an association of organizations representing independent authors including illustrators, photographers, songwriters, text writers and visual artists. The main role of the ACA is to distribute money collected for copying non-title-specific works abroad, primarily in Europe. Non-title-specific works are those that cannot be identified individually or by copyright owner. Due to ACA restrictions on the use of the funds, we are only able to offer scholarships to professional still photographers living in the US whose published work is reasonably capable of being reprographically reproduced (i.e. photocopied) abroad. If you're eligible, please fill out the online application form. We currently have scholarships available for each of these upcoming events:

• Northern Short Course, Fairfax, VA, March 8-10
• Advanced Storytelling Workshop, San Marcos, TX, April 15-20
• Multimedia Immersion, Syracuse, NY, May 15-19

These grants are open to all photographers, whether they are NPPA members or not. Deadline for applications: Midnight EST on Monday, Feb. 6th.

All applicants will be notified about their application status on Friday, Feb. 10th.

BREAKING NEWS
NPPA Region 2 leads local advocacy meeting. Food to be served!
Photographers will gather for a discussion of photographer’s rights and for an opportunity to network at a meeting on Thursday, March 1 beginning at 6 p.m., at J&R Music and Computer World’s The Café at 1 Park Row. We are will have dinner and refreshments.

Afterwards, we will gather for a few brews at the Beekman Pub at 15 Beekman Street in Manhattan. There is a large NYP zone next to City Hall for free parking.

J&R will also shows off choice products and offer special discounts to those who attend this special event. We will also discuss the upcoming Northern Short Course that all photographers can attend or decide to attend any time before it begins on March 8.

The meeting follows a letter sent by a coalition of organizations demanding answers and changes in procedures by the NYPD and its office of Public Information, which have been derided for failure to respect press freedoms.

We will have experienced NPPA representatives and photographic leaders who will lead discussions on recent incidents involving police and other authorities who have interfered with or impeded visual journalists from doing their jobs.

We will discuss incidents from the recent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, in addition to other acts of deliberate interference by authorities at news incidents. This is your chance to sound off on the issues before a major address occurs at this year’s Northern Short Course in Virginia in March.

Discussions will allow us to bring together complaints by visual journalists and assemble them for NPPA legal counsel for possible actions in the future. We encourage photographers to bring written information and reports, using complaint forms created by the NYPPA, available at nyppa.org. These forms were put together to help create patterns of press interference.

If you have photos of visual journalists being interfered with, obstructed, assault or arrested, please send low res images to toddphoto@aol.com. We will show these photos at the meeting in a slide show presentation.

Contests
NPPA Best of Photojournalism - Deadline: February 3
There is still time to enter the premier photo contest in the world, the NPPA Best of Photojournalism contest with a deadline of Feb. 3. There is NO CHARGE for this great contest, judged by some of the best in our business. For more information, go to http://bop.nppa.org/2012/.

2012 NSC Contest - Deadline: February 6
The 2012 NSC Still and Multimedia competition will begin accepting submissions.
The competition is open to Professional and Student NPPA members of Regions 1, 2, and 3 ONLY.
All entries must have been taken or published between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

Single Entries - $8.00 each
(THERE IS NO LONGER A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF SINGLE ENTRIES ONE PHOTOGRAPHER CAN ENTER)

Portfolio Entry $75.00 which includes up to 20 single images for free.
For further information or to answer any questions, contact contest chairs, Steve Falk or Caroline Couig at northerncontest@gmail.com.

Entry Deadline for all Entries are Monday, February 6, 2012, at 3 PM EST

Blue Earth Photo Contest - Deadline: March 31
Blue Earth invites amateur and professional photographers to engage the power of photographic storytelling by announcing our Spring 2012 Blue Earth Photo Contest.

Blue Earth is based on the belief that a dramatic image can change our perception and alter our understanding of a subject. This idea defines our mission to raise awareness about endangered cultures, threatened environments, and critical social concerns through photography.

Blue Earth helps photographers educate the public and motivate society to make positive change - we invite contest entries that exemplify our mission and the power of photographic storytelling.

Entries will be judged by a panel of jurors, all professionals in the photographic field, on the criteria of quality, creativity, and visual narrative. The 1st place winner will receive $500, gear donated by Think Tank Photo, free admission to our 2-day, 2012 photo workshop, and inclusion in the Blue Earth
"Honors" gallery.

The entry period closes at midnight Pacific Time on March 31, 2012. The entry fee is $25 for one photo,
$5 per additional photo. Proceeds from this contest benefit Blue Earth's mission and help support sponsored documentary projects. See our contest guidelines and rules for full details.
December 2011 Articles
Editorial – Thank you from your new National Director
It is with great pride and sense of obligation that I take office in January as one of your new board of directors of the NPPA. I can’t thank you enough for giving me the most votes of any candidate in this national election. I will not let you down.

I welcome all members to let me know what they’d like to see this board do for them. My email is toddphoto@aol.com If you have anything to add to this discussion, I’m listening. In the meantime, I will remain as regional chairman and will continue doing what I do best here in our region.

It is with a large agenda that I take office. I am fully supportive of the current board and pledge to support those programs that have been successful. I am also supportive of our President Sean Elliott who I view as a man who is “one of us,” as being a photojournalist who understands the guy on the street. This is of primary importance for anyone that represents this great organization.

Here is my agenda in a nutshell:

• Reform the contest committee and make it timely, cost effective and a continued credit to our profession and membership. It must provide bigger rewards for the winners through sponsorship and cash prizes.
I am seeking for the contest to create new revenue streams instead of being a financial drain. I will introduce resolutions to this effect. Last year’s difficulties must be not or we must be forced to consider joining forces with others who can make it both a success for those who enter, and for those volunteering to make it great.

• Can the magazine be more of a revenue stream? I fully support the magazine efforts to publicize our events, but I believe the targeted circulation that we guarantee should be a much greater draw for sponsors and advertisers. I will examine with the board the role of our advertising company, Townsend Group, and their continuing success or failure to deliver. I would also investigate whether independent circulation of our greatest asset might be financially advantageous without stripping away one of our greatest advantages in retaining membership.

• Improving the communications between the board and its regional representatives is paramount.
The cut-off of the communications after the restructuring of the constitution and board led to disenfranchisement of our chairs – our foot soldiers in the field. I will not tolerate it any more.

• I will also seek ways to get regional chairs interested in using their budget allocations to attract new membership. There is no reason why some regions don’t use their budgets.

• Our advocacy committee has been one of the great highlights of this organization through the leadership of our chief counsel Mickey Osterreicher. He has even gone to court for some members, including a student journalist in Rochester arrested during a Occupy Wall Street incident. I will seek new ways to raise funds for our advocacy and explore the possibility of creating an insurance fund for members that could help get arrested journalists immediate assistance, bail and temporary equipment to fill in for improperly seized cameras. Imagine for freelancers who were previously unprotected, to have immediate access to an attorney to get them out of jail and help them with initial problems and even represent them in civil litigation.

• I want more advantage for our members on every level. “Members only” section in the NPPA website should give sign-ins full stories on the web (a shorter version for non-members), archive stories, access
to blogs, and links to their regional websites and blogs to stay in communications with those in their communities. Members should have advantages in contest too with the ability to enter more than
non-members. And all winning photos need to be in the end of year magazine – even honorable mention. Every top winner should get a valuable prize – keep the plaque. We will also discuss with the advocacy committee a pre-emptive communication and possible meeting with authorities in both North Carolina
and Florida where the Democratic and Republican National Conventions will be held to see what can
be done to make sure journalists are not interfered with at demonstrations and other convention related occurrences. As we recall, numerous journalists were arrested, most released, despite having
credentials for the convention. Authorities in Minnesota were sued by some journalists, costing
St. Paul’s municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties. I will be in Durham, North Carolina in January to address the concerns of this organization and the issues that we continue to face.
I believe we are heading for better economic times and so this organization must ride the wave or be
left out. I know we can do it.

J&R's huge New Year's Sale
Amazing savings in every category- e-readers,  iPad,  Cameras, Audio, Video,Computers and so much more plus bonus $15.00 savings coupon with  $150.00 purchase through January 3rd. Check out the all new state of the art J&R jr. at 1 Park Row featuring the best gear for your family- strollers, feeding products, educational toys, kids instruments & so much more.

Forty years for J&R in magazine
For the past five years, Red Flag Media has been publishing SNAP magazine. Snap is a monthly magazine that is distributed throughout J&R’s retail stores and through all outgoing packages for J&R’s web sales. Snap magazine’s content focuses on the latest in technology, music and all things entertainment. For the month of November 2011 J&R will be releasing a special edition of Snap Magazine celebrating J&R’s 40th Anniversary.

The special edition will highlight the past 40 years of J&R retail, and how that history has intertwined with NYC, both in happy times and in challenging times (no event more than September 11th.) J&R has seen many formats and technologies come and go, from vinyl to cassette tapes to computers with dial up modems to VINYL again! This edition of Snap will be historical and tell the story of the American success story that is J&R.

Please join J&R in this celebration of J&R’s accomplishments of 40 years. And as NPPA members, get the discounts you are entitled to receive from J&R.

NPPA seeks to unite press organizations
The NPPA is working to bring together the various metropolitan press organizations to unite them in a proposed meeting with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and his DCPI office to discuss how we can improve police-press relations in the field.

The proposed meeting comes on the heels of another meeting the day before Thanksgiving in which the NYPD issued the so called, “Finest Order,” which in our opinion represents a first step, but unfortunately also an ambiguous and complicated order to police officers that has not been fully grasped by rank and file officers or their commanders.

As evidence of this, several incidents occurred only the day after the order was issued, including
the blocking and seizure of the press card of News Photographer Joe Marino (who subsequently
had his card returned), threats by an inspector at the Macy’s Parade to David Handschuh, and threats
by police against photographers at a Bronx nursing home that suffered a power outage. Other incidents also mar our relationship including the most recent incident in which police blocked Times photographer Robert Stolarik.

We believe that education is needed on both sides of the issue and we believe that accommodations can bemade on both sides of the issue through honest communication, something that has been lacking. While we differ with police officials on numerous issues, we also share many opinions. An exchange of ideas will lead us all to work better with a department who should be a partner, but instead sometimes acts as though we are in a bad marriage.

UPDATE: The NY Press Club board will meet on Jan. 5 to discuss bringing together the coalition to talk with the NYPD on both educating police officers and members of the media. We believe discussion will lead to better understanding on both sides. There was some pushing and shoving of members of the media at the New Year’s Eve Occupy Wall Street protest, but no arrests of press or serious injury that we know. We are also concerned about difficulties that some photographers had at NewYear’s Eve festivities in Times Square. This is under investigation and a report will be complete soon.

Parking for press? Ask the chair
The NYPPA Governmental Relations Committee continues to work on this issue of parking for press vehicles – with some modifications to the proposed legislation. For questions about the process, inquire with committee chair David Handschuh or NYPPA President David Pokress. We are hoping that the legislation is introduced to City Council soon.

Photographer in action:
NY Post photographer Benny Stumbo lifts police tape for EMS with victim of a fire.
This is the courtesy that most of us do for our emergency services.

Residents of 2223 Cortelyou Road were in a panic as a fire raced
through the fourth and fifth floors of their Flatbush building causing
three injuries. (Photo: Todd Maisel/NY Daily News)

Calendar Items
Northern Short Course – Free ride to VA
Region 2 will again offer free rides to the 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and multi media, which will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon at www.northernshortcourse.com. Region 2 will again offer free rides for those living in our area or those who live on the route that we will take to get to Virginia. Also, those who are seeking to share a room, please let us know and we will put you together with people who would like to share costs. We will help you link up with others who may be seeking to attend this very special event. Those of you who want to increase skills in photography, video, and FinalCut, should seriously consider this year’s event if you are to compete in this tough market. Let us know if you are interested
at toddphoto@aol.com.

Contest
The NPPA BOP - Deadline: January 27, 2012
Region 2 will again offer free rides to the 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and multi media, which will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon at www.northernshortcourse.com.

POYI - Deadline: January 12, 2012
The 69th annual Pictures of the Year International competition is now open for online registration and entry at www.poyi.org for documentary photography, multimedia, and visual editing.

Win $10,000 in total cash awards in nine Premier categories, including the two “Photographer of the Year” recipients each honored with $1,000 cash award. The “Sports Photographer of the Year” portfolio is POYi’s new Premier award with a $1,000 cash awards and a Tiffany crystal trophy. |Online registration and entry process is easy to navigate and an efficient entry preparations and uploading system. The deadline for entries to be received online is Thursday, January 12. For questions or need clarification, we have several helpful downloads to assist you. These may be found on our website at www.poyi.org under the heading “Contest Entry Help.” For assistance, email info@poyi.org.

The NYPPA - Deadline: January 31, 2012
The contest is now open to members: ELIGIBILITY AND DEADLINE Exclusively members of the New York Press Photographers Association, Inc must have taken all entries between January 1 and December 31, 2011. All dues owed, including all past and 2012 dues ($85 or $42.50 for Life Members) must be paid. All entries must be submitted to the FTP OR received in the NYPPA office by January 31, 2012 at 10 AM. All completed entry forms and a check made out to New York Press Photographers Association, Inc. (or Pay Pal payment—there will be a small service fee added) for entry fees and dues owed must have been submitted by that deadline. Entries not hand-delivered or sent via FTP should be shipped with a service that provides proof of delivery to the entrant.

Enter the 2012 World Press Photo Contest: Before you can enter the contest, you will need to register and have your account approved – so please register as early as possible! The registration deadline is Friday, January 6, 2012 at 23:59 (Central European Time). There are two possible ways to register: as an individual photographer, or as an entry coordinator submitting entries on the behalf of multiple photographers from your agency, publication, etc. Once your application has been approved, you will be able to log in to the site using your email address and the password you created to manage your account and upload images. Please note: Once an entry has been submitted it is considered final and may not be changed. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 23:59 (Central European Time).

Northern Short Course contest - Deadline: February, 2012 (TBD)
Don’t forget to watch for the NSC photo contest. Great prizes for top winners. Deadline sometime February. See www.northernshortcourse.com for details.
November 2011 Articles
OUTRAGE over Occupy Wall Street press arrests, abuse. OPINION – Region 2
The arrests of five accredited journalists and 21 others, some of who were student journalists, is unacceptable to members of the press everywhere and a poor reflection on New York City as the media capital of the world.

In response, a letter (.pdf version here) has been sent to the NYPD and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration denouncing the arrests and abuses of members of the media at both the eviction and the subsequent two-month anniversary on Nov. 17. The letter seeks a meeting with DCPI Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne and Commissioner Raymond Kelly that might help reduce tensions. The letter was signed by NPPA counsel Mickey Osterreicher, presidents of the NY Press Club, NY Press Photographers Association, ABC-TV, NBC-TV, the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, Reuters, AP, Dow Jones, and CBS-TV. Individual organizations including the NPPA sent letters to the mayor and police complaining of the poor treatment and all are seeking meetings.

We at Region 2 are asking that this meeting be open to any media that wish to attend so that those directly affected can lend their voice to our legal representatives.

Wide condemnation
The actions by police against the media were widely condemned by news organizations around the world. There were more journalists arrested during this one day, than during the entire week of the 2004 Republican National Convention in Manhattan where proper communications between the NYPD and press resulted in cooperation and only minor incidents with press and the police.  This interaction also limited lawsuits against the city by the media and allowed the press to do their jobs unhindered.

But for some reason, a political decision was made by the Mayor Bloomberg administration, a guy who made his fortune through his media empire, deciding to put the media in its so called “place.” The mayor made a decision that members of the media would be treated the same as demonstrators in some cases, including some journalists who agreed with the mayor that protestors were out of line, over the top and should not be allowed to live in the park.

The mayor knew it was our job to cover the news and that we would put ourselves in harms-way and be there when demonstrators were removed from Zuccotti Park.

This administration decided they knew more about covering the news than we did. The ability to see what was going on was restricted by the confining of journalists to a position across the dark street behind a line of police, a decision of police who in some cases acted like thugs at the direction of the mayor.

Photographers and reporters were pushed around, yelled at, cordoned off from what was happening.
This mayor so believes in the right to demonstrate and the US Constitution, but in this case members of the media were hindered from exercising that very First Amendment right and were prevented from doing
it effectively.

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Arrest of New Zealand's ONE NEWS cameraman Douglas Higginbotham

There were 26 people who called themselves members of the media who were arrested. Five were credentialed and at least one of those is still facing charges – Julie Walker of AP. “Let’s give AP a spanking,” this mayor believes.

But worse yet, some of those arrested were student journalists, trying to learn the craft that we so cherish. What did Mayor Bloomberg teach these students? They learned about the brutality of an overreacting government who blindly arrested them despite having identification showing that some were working for student publications.

There were definitely some with dubious media credentials. Some became too close to the demonstrators and as we have seen in the past when media members get to close, they become unbiased. They become part of the very hoard that they are covering and then no better.

But that was not the way it was with a lot of those journalists who were so willing to take chances and spend so much time to tell an important story of Occupy Wall Street.  And the story was already going against those demonstrators, some of whom were nothing more than homeless individuals or emotionally disturbed people in need of help or even a job.

Region 2 investigates
Region 2 interviewed many journalists who were in the park when police moved in. It was perhaps time for the protestors to go home in the opinion of some of the media. So we ask why move the press? What were they afraid of?

Certainly they weren’t afraid we would harm police. There has NEVER been an instance in which members of the media intentionally harmed officers doing their job. You can go back to the 60’s and not find an instance where a photographer or reporter harmed a police officer doing his job. Our job is not to interfere, but to report and that was what the media was doing.

Students don‘t know all the rules, but they were taught hard lessons. They will have more problems doing battle in court – and some will lose their fights and will be forever banned from some civil service jobs because of a minor misdemeanor.

Foreign journalists were also victims as they were arrested in some cases for doing things they didn’t know were illegal, but constituted only minor infractions. Take one New Zealand cameraman who climbed on top of a phone booth for a better view, only to be pulled down by riot cops and arrested. We have the pictures of this. His explanations and apology fell on deaf ears. He neither resisted, nor acted with disrespect. At Duarte Square, demonstrators cut a fence and entered. The press followed. It is their job to follow and observe. Based on interviews with media present, police gave one warning and when they tried to leave, they were told they were being arrested. Seth Wenig of AP said that when he tried to leave, “they wouldn’t let us go.” When he identified himself as a member of the media, he was told nobody was getting a pass. Again, this is not about violating the law but a political decision to give a spanking to the media. Sorry, we don’t take well to it.

The firestorm of criticism was obvious for the mayor on both the local and international level. The arrests, the injuries to journalists (a NY Post reporter was grabbed from behind by the neck and required hospitalization), the sequestering of media at a distance from the news, had their impact. The mayor knows it.

Thursday – there were many arrests. None were journalists. The NYPD performed in an exemplary manner. Yes, journalists were yelled at and even pushed. But that is par for the course. It is part of what we signed up for in tense situations.

Mayor Bloomberg must realize that Tuesday’s “policy decision” was a bad one. The administration must know that cooperation and communication works. It worked during the Republican Convention.

We publically invite Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Ray Kelly, Dep Commissioner Paul Browne and the DCPI to sit with us and the other interested parties from the news media to discuss how we can better work together to preserve press freedoms, but more importantly, talk about how we can all get a long better. It worked in the past. Why not now?

WANT SOME LINKS? HERE THEY ARE!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/business/media/occupy-wall-street-puts-the-coverage-in-the-spotlight.html?_r=1 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/spj/2011/11/20/studio-spj-covering-the-occupy-protests?mid=531 

http://nyppa.org/news/2011/11/18/occupy-wall-street-file-an-incident-report-if-you-experience.html  

https://www.cpj.org/2011/11/journalists-obstructed-from-covering-ows-protests.php 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoG9PmdGaT8&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OCCUPY_JOURNALISTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=
HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7EJvIQqjWY&feature=player_embedded 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/zuccotti-parks-ows-cleared-out-while-the-media-is-blacked-out/2011/11/15/gIQAZGa2ON_blog.html

Vote NOW for National Election
NPPA members in Region 2 must understand that if they don’t vote in the National Board Elections, they are giving up their voice. It doesn’t matter whom you vote for as long as you vote. The interests of Region 2 are at stake and you should vote for the people who represent your views.
Go to http://www.nppa.org/about_us/governance/elections/2012/ Those running for election for national board include: Joe Cavaretta, Mark Dolan, Cliff Jette, Scott Mc Kiernan, Todd Maisel, James Michalowski, Merry Murray. You have till Nov 30 to let your voice be heard.

RIT journalist arrested at Rochester OWS defended by NPPA
NPPA Chief Counsel Mickey Osterreicher defended Rochester Institute of Technology student and member Jonathan Foster in court after he was arrested at a Rochester Occupy Wall Street demonstration while covering the protest for his school newspaper.

Osterreicher said he was seeking a complete dismissal of the charges against the young journalist who was wearing a shirt that said “reporter” but had no other identification showing he was working for the student newspaper. The NPPA is seeking complete dismissal and not an “ACD” because it would mean he could not get into trouble again in the next six months. This might preclude him from covering any further demonstrations for his newspaper.

Numerous students were arrested during the OWS eviction. It ‘s not immediately known if any of them were NPPA members.

NYCLU Lawsuit Defends Right to Take Photos in subway
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Nov. 16 defending the public’s right to take photographs in the New York City subway system without fear of being arrested or having to show identification to police.

The lawsuit was filed Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of plaintiffs Steve Barry and Michael Burkhart, railroad enthusiasts and photographers who were unlawfully arrested in August 2010 while taking photos of subway trains at the Broad Channel subway stop in Brooklyn . At the time, they were awaiting the arrival of a vintage subway train on display by the New York Transit Museum. They both were charged with unlawful photography, and Barry was handcuffed and charged with failing to produce ID in violation of a Transit Authority rule.

“People cannot be arrested for taking pictures in public places, including the subway, and they cannot be required to carry identification documents,” said NYCLU Associate Legal Director Christopher Dunn, lead counsel on the case.

The lawsuit argues that the arrests violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights. It also maintains that a Transit Authority’s rule requiring people using the city’s transit system to carry ID documents is unconstitutional. The City of New York, the Transit Authority and the NYPD officer who detained the photographers are named as defendants.

Barry, 54, is the editor of Railfan & Railroad Magazine, a monthly publication for railroad enthusiasts. He manages the website www.railroadphotographer.com. Burkhart, 36, works in marketing in the Philadelphia area. They are friends and members of the National Railway Historical Society.

The NPPA has fought numerous battles with the MTA and the NYPD over the right to take photos on the subways. The law clearly states that photography is legal for anyone on the subways, though only the press may use ancillary equipment such as tripods and or stands. The NPPA has been successful in fighting off proposals by the MTA to ban photography.

SPJ at Hofstra discussion with Nassau PD on press rights
The Society for Professional Journalists hosted a panel discussion entitled Police and Journalists Why Can't We Just Get Along? At Hofstra University last week attended by Region 2 Chair Todd Maisel just after the Tuesday eviction of Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park. The panel was comprised Dave Pokress, photographer and president of the NY Press Photographers Association Det. Lt. Kevin Smith, Nassau County PD Bill Bleyer, Newsday Reporter and Long Island Press Club Board Member

The panel discussion addressed student concerns about repeated examples of photographers, cameramen and even common citizens detained and sometimes arrested for photographing events or landmarks in public view. Subjects included, “What are the legal and ethical expectations each side has toward the other while trying to get their respective jobs done?”

The discussion took place in Breslin Hall. Some of things that came out of the discussion included some examples of students being told they could not take photos in public places – including in a Long Island Railroad station where a security guard told a student it was illegal to take pictures even outside the station. The MTA rules and regulations clearly state that photography is legal.

Calendar Items
J&R shopping for the holidays
J&R Music and Computer World has one of the best stocked camera stores and best location for press photographers in the city with the large NYP zone across the street at City Hall. Take advantage of the great holiday prices that are widely advertised during this holiday season and get your NPPA corporate discount that you deserve.

Downtown Alliance, J&R to Promote Lower Manhattan as Shopping Destination and Savvy Shopping Tips for holiday shopping season

Rachelle Friedman, CEO of J&R, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month said, “This is the fourth year of the Downtown Alliance’s Holiday Shopping campaign, encompassing extensive printand outdoor advertising, direct mail, promotions and the release of the new 2012 Lower Manhattan Shopping & Dining Guide showcasing the area’s exciting variety of options in which to buy the ideal holiday gift or gather with friends and family at the perfect restaurant.

• Lower Manhattan will get even brighter this Friday at the South Street Seaport – a 40-foot holiday tree will be lit up at Old Fulton Street, accompanied by carolers, a performance by Ronnie Spector and more. You can get more details at www.southstreetseaport.com.

• Look to the skies to see 220 shooting stars in Lower Manhattan. This coming weekend, the Downtown Alliance is installing holiday lights – for the 16th year – to brighten up the neighborhood for the holidays. The Business Improvement District is stringing up shooting stars and star clusters throughout the district until the first week in January.

• Support “Small Business Saturday” this coming weekend, where American Express cardholders who shop at independently owned small businesses can get $25 off their next credit card statement. For more information, and to register, go to www.smallbusinesssaturday.com.

• Downtown Connection buses offer free shuttle service around Lower Manhattan seven days a week, so shoppers weary from carrying bags can find a handy respite. Routes and schedules can be foundat www.downtownny.com/downtownconnection.

• The Downtown Alliance's holiday Web page, www.downtownny.com/holiday, provides information and links to these and many other retailers, bars and restaurants, as well as a wide variety of holiday-related events, activities and venues throughout Lower Manhattan, including the upcoming annual New York Stock Exchange Tree Lighting ceremony.

With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday approaching, DCA Commissioner Mintz issued a list of savvy shopping tips to New Yorkers and tourists starting the holiday season. 
Additional shopping guides, including Holiday Shopping Tips, Shopping by Phone or Mail and 
Electronics Selling and Buying, are available online at nyc.gov/consumers or by calling 311.

Photo opportunities at J&R
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 12:30 p.m.
ROBIN THICKE will appear for a special performance and autograph signing for his new album "LOVE AFTER WAR"
Singer, songwriter, producer, Robin Thicke, was born in Los Angeles, California.  Robin taught himself to play piano at the age of 12 and by 16 was writing and producing songs for artists like Brandy, Color Me Badd, and Brian McKnight.

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 12:30 p.m.,
ANTHONY HAMILTON will appear for a special autograph signing for his new album
"BACK TO LOVE" 

With his distinctive voice and signature grit, soul and funk, Anthony Hamilton has gained a steady and loyal fan base throughout his career beginning with his 2003 platinum-certified debut album Comin’ From Where I’m From, which spawned the chart-topping song, “Charlene.”   In 2005, the Charlotte, North Carolina native followed up with his gold-certified sophomore album Ain’t Nobody Worryin’ which featured the #1 hit, “Can’t Let Go.”  The singer/songwriter/producer released The Point of it All in 2008 to critical acclaim, including USA Today’s declaration that Hamilton is “one of the genre’s rare singers.”  In 2009, Hamilton won his first Grammy Award for his collaboration on Al Green’s, “You Got the Love I Need.”

NSC coming to Virigina - March 8 - 10, 2012
If you plan on staying in your present profession or want to up the ante to stay in the game, you should really consider attending the 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism. It will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon.

Region 2 will again offer free rides for those living in our area or those who live on the route that we will take to get to Virginia. Also, those who are seeking to share a room, please let us know and we will put you together with people who would like to share costs. We can help!

Those of you who want to increase skills in photography, video, and FinalCut, should seriously consider this year’s event if you are to compete in this tough market.

Let us know what you think at toddphoto@aol.com
October 2011 Articles
Message from R2 Chairman Todd Maisel “Witness to Tragedy and Recovery”
Dear Colleagues, friends and family,
I am pleased by the turnout at the program Witness to Tragedy and Recovery that I and other volunteers worked tirelessly to bring to the public at Pace University. I have so many to thank especially Pace’s Director of Public Affairs Chris Cory and NPPA President Sean Elliott who once again proved that we are here for our members. More than 1,000 people, including nearly 300 NPPA members, visited the exhibit during the two-week engagement. We wish to give a special thanks to all 37 photographers who took part in this great exhibit and symposium.

Personally, I want to thank Bruce Cotler, Mark Dye, PJ Landers, Lloyd Mitchell, and my son Lucian for giving so much of their time to this event. A special thank you to Betsy Becker for her devotion to this project from beginning to end. Most of all, I thank my wife Andrea Della Monica for her incredible patience.

A big thank you to Bolivar Arellano for providing the images from his very successful exhibit in 2002 that provided a large portion of the exhibit.

So many people at Pace that stepped forward to help including James Franco and the Pace President Steve Friedman who gave his support to this project. Others at Pace that provided invaluable support include Tom Torello, head of security Richard Abbinanti, Martin Kagan, Lauren Roth, and Joy Besozzi.

So many to thank at NPPA I want to thank including Executive Director Mindy Hutchinson who gave tremendous support both financially and through web services. Don Winslow showed why he is still the best man to run our great magazine News Photographer. The staff of the NPPA was there for us always.
I also want to thank the NPPA Board of Directors for their tremendous support even when things were a
bit rough.

Mickey Osterriecher, our chief counsel was always there for us and helped formulate the ground breaking agreements that made this possible. Special thanks goes to photojournalist Chip East for bringing us the work of our fallen comrade, Bill Biggart. Biggart’s work was a great benefit to the exhibit and to the public’s understanding of what happened on that fateful day.

Thanks go out to all our panelists for their work for us. Keynote Aaron Brown delivered an important message to our members and the students of Pace. Moderator Michelle Charlesworth of ABC-TV News showed why she is the consummate professional. Special thanks to panelists David Handschuh of the NY Daily News, Jim Estrin of the NY Times, Aris Economopoulos of the NJ Star Ledger, Joe Woolhead of Silverstein Properties, Mat Bolton, Anthony Mancini, Shams Terek, and Richard Woodward.

We could not have done this exhibit and symposium without our generous sponsors including Adorama who not only gave cash, but also helped print some of our exhibit. J&R Music and Computer World provided much financial and logistical support. The Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance was there for us when we needed them and you can see a photo taken there in the exhibit. Both the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association came to our aid with financial support that we cannot say enough about. Metropolitan Graphics provided photo-printing services for us that we really needed. The New York Press Photographers Association provided frames, volunteers and offices services that were invaluable. Firehouse Magazine stepped forward and helped us with an infusion of cash that was so helpful.

I know I must be leaving someone out. I’m sure I will be writing more. But what I want to say is if you couldn’t make it, come down and see the exhibit at Pace University through the 25th.

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See Additional Photos Here:

Inteference by Police at Deer Incident
NYPD Lieutenant Cavesetti apparently thought it ok to place police cars around a stranded deer stuck in a railing at the Bay Ridge Promenade in Brooklyn this past month, despite emergency service officers injecting the injured 90 pound deer with four sedative darts, rendering the animal incapacitated. Unfortunately, the deer had to be put down later by Animal Care and Control. We believe there was no reason for police to obstruct the rescue of the deer. Lt. Cavesetti blamed safety concerns for his intentional blocking of view by members of the media, saying to us at the end, “you had enough pictures anyway.” Funny, we didn’t tell him how to do his job.

Problems at Amtrak again?
Less than a year after photographers ran into trouble with Amtrak Police Officers in Penn Station, we are hearing that police are again telling photographers that it is illegal to take photos in the station. Our understanding was that only on the train platforms was it prohibited for non-ticketed passengers to be present. Those with a ticket can both be there and take pictures. The NPPA will investigate this further, but anyone with more information or reports, let us know.

Candidates for National Board – Vote for the future
The candidates for National Board seats are all people who are interested in making this a better organization. Vote for the person you believe will have the ideas and experience to bring our organization into a successful future.  

Those running for office include: Joe Cavaretta, Mark Dolan, Cliff Jette, Todd Maisel, Scott McKiernan, James Michalowski, and Merry Murray.  

The election will take place online through the month of November. The two people with the most votes win, and their terms start January 1, 2012.   

Elected Directors serve three-year terms. At least one Board meeting is held each year. Directors should plan to attend the first meeting in Durham (tentative date January 21.) In addition, newly elected board members will be asked to serve on committees and take an active role in the operations and governance of the organization.   

To read their bios, go to nppa.org and look for their individual statements and bios to determine the best representative for this thankless job. Make your voice heard or be left out.

Occupy Wall Street – No arrests of photogs, but tough going
With more than a month having past since the beginning of Occupy Wall Street, we have had no reports of any accredited media being arrested by police or intentionally assaulted. Reports from photographers say that during the toughest demonstrations, including one in which protestors attempted to jump barriers at Wall Street after an orderly march on Foley Square, resulted in a few minor scraps and a few others having been hit with pepper spray from being too close to the action.

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At other demonstrations, other photographers including Kevin Hagen, said they were manhandled at times, including once where his flash was broken when he was thrown against a motorcycle, but it never seemed intentionally directed at media – just a reaction to a “tense situation.”

Photographers have at times complained of access problems, including arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Times Square. DCPI’s Detective Winning was reported to have been rather loud with some media, but no arrests nor press cards were confiscated that we know of. If you have different information on this, contact us at toddphoto@aol.com Our attorney is watching the situation as are legal representatives on the ground working with the demonstrators. Most photographers however agree that the police have been very tolerant, unlike those in Minnesota where so many were arrested. Fortunately, police from various jurisdictions are learning hard lessons after several lawsuits resulting from those arrests resulted in large cash settlements against municipalities.

The NYPD also seems to have learned lessons from protests in which photographers were thrown to the ground in the past, including most notably when Susan Watts of the Daily News was intentionally injured by a police officer at a 2003 protest after she was attacked without provocation. That incident resulted in a very large settlement against the NYPD, but no arrest of the attacker. We will continue to monitor the situation both in person and through our contacts. We ask photographers to keep us advised of incidents of intentional blocking, which has occurred at times, and any arrests or assaults against photographers by either police or demonstrators. Do let us know what has been going on by sending to toddphoto@aol.com  
Member News
A new Baby
Jennifer Altman is again the proud mother of a baby girl Isabel Ava Lasner – born Sept. 21 at 6 lbs 11 oz. and 20 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing great as are husband Jonathan and big sister Olivia.

Rest in Peace
Our deepest regret and sympathy goes out to our friend Marc Hermann of the Daily News whose dad died recently after a long illness. May he rest in peace.

Calendar Items
J&R our friend and sponsor welcomes musicians
J&R MUSIC WORLD welcomes STEVEN WILSON for a special acoustic performance and signing for his new album "GRACE FOR DROWNING" on FRIDAY Nov. 11, at 12:30 p.m.

On Black Friday, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m., WILLIE NILE will be performing and signing copies of his new album "The Innocent Ones." You can also get some great deal on consumer electronics onthe same day.

J&R MUSIC WORLD presents HUGH CORNWELL in an exclusive NY showcase on Wednesday October 26 at 12:30 p.m. performance and autograph signing for his new CD "Hooverdam"

On Oct. 27, J&R presents the MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA in an exclusive NY and performance and autograph signing for their new CD "TEN CUIDAO! (Watch Out!)"

Forty years for J&R in magazine
For the past five years, Red Flag Media has been publishing SNAP magazine. Snap is a monthly magazine that is distributed throughout J&R’s retail stores and through all outgoing packages for J&R’s web sales. Snap magazine’s content focuses on the latest in technology, music and all things entertainment.

For the month of November 2011 J&R will be releasing a special edition of Snap Magazine celebrating J&R’s 40th Anniversary. The special edition will highlight the past 40 years of J&R retail, and how that history has intertwined with NYC, both in happy times and in challenging times (no event more than September 11th.) J&R has seen many formats and technologies come and go, from vinyl to cassette tapes to computers with dial up modems to VINYL again! This edition of Snap will be historical and tell the story of the American success story that is J&R.

Please join J&R in this celebration of J&R’s accomplishments of 40 years. And as NPPA members, get the discounts you are entitled to receive from J&R.

Northern Short Course – free ride to VA
Region 2 will again offer free rides to the 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and multi media, which will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon at www.northernshortcourse.com.

Region 2 will again offer free rides for those living in our area or those who live on the route that we will take to get to Virginia. Also, those who are seeking to share a room, please let us know and we will put you together with people who would like to share costs. We will help you link up with others who may be seeking to attend this very special event.

Those of you who want to increase skills in photography, video, and FinalCut, should seriously
consider this year’s event if you are to compete in this tough market. Let us know if you are interested at toddphoto@aol.com.

New scholarships for Photojournalists returning to school
The National Press Photographers Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of new scholarship money for photojournalists who have returned to school.

NPPF President Mike Smith said the funds are being made available through the Foundation, the National Press Photographers Association, and a grant from the Author’s Coalition of America.  

"If you are a photojournalist with three years experience and your work has been published in newspapers, magazines or through agencies, and if you have returned to school in the past year, you are eligible to apply," Smith said.

“These scholarships are particularly important now when so many photographers have been forced to learn new skills just to keep their jobs, much less find a new one. We are fortunate to have some money to support photographers who are trying to keep up with the head-spinning changes in their industry.”  

Six grants of $4,000 each, called the NPPF-NPPA Career Expansion Scholarships, will be awarded
this year.

The application deadline is November 15, 2011. Applicants must include a resume, completed application forms (which can be downloaded at http://nppf.org) and recommendation letters from their instructors.

Send your application materials to: Tom Hardin, NPPF vice president, 1622 Forest Hill Drive, Louisville, KY, 40205. Hardin can be contacted by eMail to answer questions about applying, and his email address is hardin@aye.net.

Northern Short Course – free ride to VA
Region 2 will again offer free rides to the 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and multi media, which will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon at www.northernshortcourse.com.

Region 2 will again offer free rides for those living in our area or those who live on the route that we will take to get to Virginia. Also, those who are seeking to share a room, please let us know and we will put you together with people who would like to share costs. We will help you link up with others who may be seeking to attend this very special event.

Those of you who want to increase skills in photography, video, and FinalCut, should seriously
consider this year’s event if you are to compete in this tough market. Let us know if you are interested
at toddphoto@aol.com.

Exhibits
Exhibit: Our Eyes, Our Lives
On Wednesday, November 2 · 6:00pm - 9:00 p.m. at The Mark Miller Gallery 92 Orchard Street there will be an exhibit “Our Eyes, Our Lives”. This is a one-night exhibit showcasing photographs taken by residents of the Barrier Free Living shelter in the Lower East Side of New York City.

Libations and light fare will be served. All proceeds from the sale of images will benefit Barrier Free Living and their various treatment, outreach and housing programs for New Yorkers with disabilities.

For more information, visit www.OurEyesOurLives.org
August 2011 Articles
YOU MUST REGISTER FOR GUEST LIST TO BE ADMITTED TO
9-11 PROGRAM WITNESS TO TRAGEDY AND RECOVERY”
Anyone who wishes to attend the 9-11 Memorial program “Witness to Tragedy and Recovery” on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 8 at Pace University across the street from City Hall must register for the guest list or you will not get in. SPACE IS LIMITED SO DON"T MISS OUT. Do it at http://www.pace.edu/witness

Even if you are an exhibitor, contributor or volunteer – YOU MUST REGISTER!

More than 35 photographers have provided images from 9-11 and those of the post 9-11 recovery will be on exhibit in the Pace University in the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University in downtown Manhattan. A subsequent exciting panel will feature a lively discussion of the tragedy and recovery with well known panelists moderated by ABC-7 News Anchor Michelle Charlesworth. The keynote speech will be delivered by Aaron Brown, an award-winning CNN newscaster and now professor of journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

Sponsors of this event include: Pace University, the National Press Photographers Association and most recently, the New York Press Photographers Association. Others are now lining up in support including Silverstein Properties, J&R Music and Computer World, The Coney Island Wall of Remembrance, the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, Uniformed Firefighters Association, Adorama, World Wide Media Group and many others.

Currently, the panelists are:
David Handshuh, photographer at the New York Daily News who was seriously injured by the collapse of Tower 1. He is a former fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma at the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Aristide Economopoulos, photographer for the Newark Star Ledger who survived the collapses of both World Trade Center buildings.

Joe Woolhead, official photographer of the rebuilding for Silverstein Properties, owner of the World Trade Center site.

Shams Tarek, editor in chief of the Pace downtown student newspaper during 9/11, now a local spokesman for U.S. Representative Caroline McCarthy.

Anthony Mancini, psychologist at Pace University’s Dyson College whose work has shown that the majority of people are resilient when confronted with traumatic events.

Richard B. Woodward, art and photography critic and filmmaker who is now writing a book for Yale University Press on photography and violence.

Jim Estrin, awarding winning NY Times Photographer and professor of photojournalism at the CUNY Graduate Center and editor of the popular NY Times Lens Blog. We are now setting up a registration page and an associated page for anyone wishing to contribute to this event with cash or volunteer services. Please go to http://nppa2.org/witness2.html for updates on the event. A link will be established soon for registration. Space is limited so register as soon as the link is established. Also, look for our story and ad in News Photographer Magazine.

Photographers whose images will be on display include Bolivar Arellano, (curator) Todd Maisel,
(co-chair), Allan Tannenbaum, Jennifer Altman, Kevin Coughlin, Jennifer Brown, Jim Estrin, Chang Lee, Tony Fiorelli, Aristide Economopolous, Bridgette Stelzer, Bruce Cotler, David Rodriguez, Dennis Van Tine, Don Halasy, Debbie Egan-Chin, Emily Epstein, GN Miller, David Handschuh, Jim Alcorn, Jose Rivera, Juan Gonzalez, Mary Altaffer, Matt McDermott, Michael Schwartz, Robert Mecea, Robert Miller, Shannon Stapleton, Steven Hirsch, Susan Watts, Tamara Beckwith, William Cirone, Willie Lopez, Joe Woolhead and Tom Franklin.

Again, if you think you will get in without signing on the guest list – YOU ARE WRONG!
Please do it at http://www.pace.edu/witness

Fundraising for the 9-11 program:
While we have been successful in getting some financial support, we are still require more money to cover the expense of this event. As New Yorkers, we are the hosts to the thousands of journalists who will be in town for the 10th anniversary of 9-11 World Trade Center attack. Therefore, we appeal to you for financial help, in any way you can, to help this event. All funds are tax deductible and go to Pace University/Witness event. Pace is a 501C3 and all contributions go to the event. Expenses include: electricians, security, refreshments for the VIP reception, framing, printing and other related expenses. If you are able to help us locate more sponsors, or want to donate, go to the Pace University page at http://www.pace.edu/witness.

NYPD again censors press – NPPA attorney leads the attack
Anyone who covered the Leiby Kletsky murder in Borough Park, Brooklyn in July will tell you about the outright violations of the law committed by the NYPD against First Amendment freedoms. There seems to be a pattern of “illegal” behavior by the NYPD of banning photographers and members of the media, while allowing civilians to walk as they please. The NYPD is supposed to safeguard and provide extra access to the media – not remove rights for merely wearing press card. This could subject the NYPD to legal ramifications. The latest incident occurred at East 2nd Street and Avenue C, where alleged child killer Aron Levi lived with his family. The house in which he was arrested was sealed off with tape and gates as police investigated the scene where body parts of the child were found in a freezer in his attic. The violations of the law began three days after the arrest of Levi. On July 18, police began allowing pedestrians, regardless of whether they lived on the block or not, to travel up and down the street across from the Levi horror house. But if you were wearing a press card, or had a camera, police were instructed to not allow you on the block. We took our first action on July 19 by walking up and down the block without cameras or press card unhindered. When press cards were worn, or cameras carried, we were told by police that press were not allowed, despite the crime scene being across the street from the sidewalk where pedestrians were walking. Instead, the press were relegated to pens more than 300 feet away from the house – a difficult angle for anyone to work.

Here is the report transcript that is part of a larger complaint that will be taken to the NYPD:
Incident: On that weekend, three days later, the block was still sealed off as a crime scene, but reports had been received on July 17 that civilians and pedestrians were being allowed to walk through East 2nd Street from both Avenue C and Cortelyou Road. On Monday, July 18, NPPA began its investigation.

Members of the media, including Paul Martinka of the NY Post and Paul Rosenberg of News 12 reported that all people were being allowed to walk on the block until 9 am when Crime Scene detectives arrived back to resume their investigation of the house – sealed with tape and metal gates.

While pedestrians and residents were free to walk down the block unhindered, anyone with a press card or camera was prohibited by police assigned from the 66th St Precinct.

I arrived at the scene about 9:30 a.m. I was told by NY Post photographer Gary Miller, his reporter Hannah, a reporter from the NY Daily News (intern named Rizzo), that press were not allowed. So, I took off my cameras and press card and walked up and down the street from Avenue C to Cortelyou and then back again unquestioned. When a press card was put on with camera, Police Officer Branch and Mendez of the 66th Precinct interceded and said they had orders that “no press was to come onto the block.”

Next I entered block unhindered from Cortelyou Road where there were no police officers on duty.
I then began taking photos with my cell phone camera, and was interdicted by the police officers again who restated that no press were allowed on the block. This occurred despite people walking up and down the street.

Calls to DCPI were unsuccessful with Det. Ceruti claiming that she knew nothing about it. The Daily News desk editor Reggie Lewis called to see if the street was open. It was not. Complaints by other media, including News-4 NY, were ignored. A crime scene captain, not identified, said press were not allowed because it would cause a crowd scene. He also said photos were “not allowed.” Police again interdicted any photographers attempting to enter the street and anyone with a press card was prohibited.

Calls by David Pokress, president the NYPPA to Commissioner Browne and Lt Whyte were not returned. NYPPA member and attorney Robert Roth was present on this day and observed the same situation.

Other news outlets at the scene just accepted the situation – being kept back more than 300 yards from the crime scene while civilians could walk freely. Claims that only residents were entering the block were untrue, as police allowed anyone, including this reporter to enter the block without any ID check.

On Tuesday July 19, the same conditions were reported and we investigated. We again walked down the street without a press card and camera and were not questioned. Only when a cell phone camera was produced and pictures taken, did Police Officer Branch respond and request we leave the block.

Pablo Guzman of CBS News and Todd Maisel of the Daily News spoke with DCPI Det. Debonis, who told us that the street was open. A Sgt. Stringer came from the 66th Pct and told street cops to open the street to us. For a matter of minutes, press had access to the street. Subsequently, detective from Crime Scene unidentified told us Chief Polaski of Major Case ordered press off the block. We spoke again with Debonis and then with Sgt. Cavatollo who said he was not aware that the street was closed. he said that it is prohibited for them to keep us off the block if the public can walk.

Requests to speak with Lt Eugene Whyte and Commissioner Browne were made and the response was neither was present. Same answer day before. No pedestrians were being checked.

The street was open to pedestrian traffic. Cavatollo said he would look into this, but nothing happened. As I was leaving at about 2:30 p.m., the street is still open to anyone but the media. Police have been instructed to not allow media onto the block as of 2:41 p.m. The street was reopened to the media on July 20. Crime scene completed its work, but the crime scene was maintained. All traffic restored to the block.

Because of this incident and at least three other documented cases, the NYPD faces a pattern that cannot be denied. We will update the membership on this soon.

Calendar Items
Northern Short Course 2012 is set
The 2012 Northern Short Course in Photojournalism will be held March 8-10, 2012 at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes Fairfax, VA. Workshop and speaker details will be released soon.

Region 2 will again offer free rides for those living in our area or those who live on the route that we will take to get to Virginia. Also, those who are seeking to share a room, please let us know and we will put you together with people who would like to share costs.

Those of you who want to increase skills in photography, video, and FinalCut, should seriously consider this year’s event if you are to compete in this tough market.

Let us know what you think at toddphoto@aol.com

NPPA Short Grants get you $3000
The NPPA is now providing a new NPPA Short Grants program! The program is designed to encourage photo stories as newsroom budgets shrink and do not allow photographers to do the detailed jobs that they had been able to do in the past.

Entry is now open, and the deadline is September 30th. We're giving out five $3,000 grants, so this is a great opportunity for photographers. The projects are to be designed to take two weeks or less.

Don’t miss this great offer of cash for your work. Go to www.nppa.org/short_grants
July 2011 Articles
9-11 program “WITNESS TO TRAGEDY AND RECOVERY”
The visual journalism community is proud to be part of our upcoming program entitled Witness to Tragedy and Recovery which will occur on Thursday evening, September 8, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Pace University – across the street from City Hall.

More than 30 photographers have provided images from 9-11 and those of the recovery will be on exhibit in the Pace University in the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University in downtown Manhattan. A subsequent panel will feature a lively discussion of the tragedy and recovery with well known panelists moderated by ABC-7 News Anchor Michelle Charlesworth. We will also hear a keynote speech by Aaron Brown, an award-winning CNN newscaster and now professor of journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

The sponsors are led by Pace University, the National Press Photographers Association and most recently, the New York Press Photographers Association. Others are now lining up in support including Silverstein Properties, J&R Music and Computer World, The Coney Island Wall of Remembrance and many others.

We may also be adding surprise panelists to the list that now includes:
David Handshuh, a photographer at the New York Daily News who was seriously injured by the collapse of Tower 1. He is a former fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma at the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Aristide Economopoulos, a photographer for the Newark Star Ledger who survived the collapses of both World Trade Center buildings.

Joe Woolhead, official photographer of the rebuilding for Silverstein Properties, owner of the World Trade Center site.

Shams Tarek, the editor in chief of the Pace downtown student newspaper during 9/11, now a local spokesman for U.S. Representative Caroline McCarthy.

Anthony Mancini, a psychologist at Pace University’s Dyson College whose work has shown that the majority of people are resilient when confronted with traumatic events.

Richard B. Woodward, an art and photography critic and filmmaker who is now writing a book for Yale University Press on photography and violence.

Jim Estrin, awarding winning NY Times Photographer and professor of photojournalism at the CUNY Graduate Center and editor of the popular NY Times Lens Blog. We are now setting up a registration page and an associated page for anyone wishing to contribute to this event with cash or volunteer services. Please go to http://nppa2.org/witness2.html for updates on the event. A link will be established soon for registration. Space is limited so register as soon as the link is established. Also, look for our story and ad in News Photographer Magazine.

Mermaid Parade: Freedom of expression challenges freedom of press
Members of the media were harrassed and blocked from shooting at numerous occasions by volunteers and members of Coney Island USA during the Mermaid Parade this past month. As a result, Region 2 has sent a letter to Dick Zigun, organizer of the event, to protest the treatment of press in public areas and obstructing some photographers from shooting key floats and individuals despite them being on public streets. Photographer Bruce Cotler and others said volunteers and organizers were demanding payment from photographers to shoot the parade on the public street. At least one photographer paid a $5 admission to the mustering site, but was still obstructed during the parade.It was unclear on whose orders volunteers and organizers were operating, but in Cotler’s case, police had to intercede and force volunteers to concede the public streets to members of the media.The parade has always been a press friendly event and the media has always boosted Coney Island far beyond what is normal for any community in New York City. Below is the text of the letter sent to Mr. Zigun and we await his reply:

To: Dick Zigun, Coney Island USA
RE: Mermaid Parade

Dear Mr. Zigun,

I have worked with you and the Coney Island community for as long as Coney Island USA was founded, I believe, 1983. We in the media have had great relations and have worked together on many occassions to bring good attentions to Coney Island to the benefit of all. So it troubles me to have to tell you that the recent Mermaid Parade, the hallmark of the many years of your dedication, was marred by some of your volunteers and members of your parade committee. Members of your group were demanding payments from members of the media, not just to enter the organizing area where you have every right to demand admissions payment if you desire, but to also cover the parade.

It is difficult to understand why anyone would think that any group who utilizes public property - namely the city streets - has a right to demand payment for the right to photograph a public event. While one or two did pay because they wanted access to the organizing area, a few did not and police were forced to intervene on the parade route. One of our members also reports that despite paying for the privilege of wearing a wrist-band, she was blocked and pushed by members of your parade when King Neptune arrived on the avenue. This is unacceptable and we will be speaking with members of the NYPD in the future to prevent this. We understand your need to raise money and to bring in sponsors, but you will not make friends by treating members of the media as you might vultures eating a carcass. We received numerous reports of incidents with your volunteers and other members of your group making it difficult to cover the parade. We urge you to talk with your group to evaluate plans for future parades. Understand that we will defend our First Amendment freedoms in public places, as you have a right to protect your intellectual and creative freedoms in the privacy of your establishments. I invite you to contact me at 646-872-5374 to discuss this. I believe you to be a brilliant and hardworking member of the Coney Island community who I have always admired. I know we can come to mutual agreements on the future that will benefit us all.

DSK coverage is “trying” at best
It has been no easy task covering the trials and tribulations of former IMF President Dominque Strauss-Kahn as he is surrounded by very highly paid security staff, risk taking limo drivers and cooperating
court officers.

Hundreds of photographers and broadcast crews jammed the front of New York State Supreme Court for his appearances and surrounded his temporary home in Tribeca as the case winds its way through the judicial process after he was accused by a maid at the Sofitel Hotel of sexually assautling her. Local photographers have been joined by European shooters who are as aggressive as they can be. Local photographers have been joined by exceedingly aggressive European shooters.

On one particular day before he was released on bail, photographers tried to find out where his family was staying in the city and attempted to follow the limo. Court Officers however, blocked a one way street for the limo to escape, but members of the NY Daily News were not fooled. Photographers in their cars and one papparazi Gardner Anderson on a motor scooter, followed the wife and daughter in their limo to a garage on the west side, where they quickly shut the door and came out the back. Only Anderson was able to follow, but was attacked by private security several blocks into the pursuit and knocked off
his scooter.

Since then, security has been very physical, just ask News photographer John Roca, who was man-handled and pushed by security on national television. He said the limo drivers continue to use garages to lose photographers who are in pursuit. Most photographers have said that should the drivers start running lights and driving erratic, they will drop the pursuit for safety concerns.

Lost, not found:
Attention photographers who were at the Anthony Weiner resignation presser in Brooklyn two weeks ago: We are looking for a black Monfrotto tripod that was accidentally left there. There is a reward for its return. 646-872-5374.

Perp walks to be eliminated? We will educate them
Our friend Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield announced that he may sponsor a bill that might eliminate perp walks for our photographers. We believe he is ill informed and misguided in his thoughts and we will help educate him that despite his good intentions, the First Amendment and the public’s right to know are paramount. We urge our photography community to be patient and calm with our legislators who don’t know much about our work and sometimes do things to our detriment with no intentions of harming us. We believe that by educating them, we will keep long lasting relations with them.

Greenfield is currently sponsoring a bill that will restore some of our parking priviledges. He has also been a friend of photojournalists in the past and we would like him to remain our friend. While we urge calm with our legislators, we urge our members to publicaly excuriate our colleagues on the writing side by discouraging them from asking questions about perp walks of Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Commissioner Ray Kelly. This first came up at a press conference in Brooklyn, where the mayor was asked in regard to the DSK perp walk whether we should consider stopping doing it. The mayor defending perp walks as dating back to Roman times - and he is correct. Commissioner Kelly was asked this by a NY Post reporter the next day who then blamed the media for the problems with perp walks. R2 Chairman Todd Maisel loudly attacked that reporter in front of other members of the media, saying he was opening a pandora’s box and “shouldn’t throw stones in a glass house.” The Post needs perp walks as well as we all do. Failure to have organized perp walks results in chaos, long stake-outs and great difficulties in taking a photo that should not be difficult in the first place.

We do not make a judgement in our photos, but merely reflect a news event and to show that in fact an arrest was made. Eliminating perp walks is also a slippery slope that will result in censorship and elimination of more of our rights to take pictures in public. We also thank the New York Daily News for taking a strong stand against the proposal to ban perp walks and we encourage our colleages to do the same. Funny how we never heard complaints about this practice with inner city criminals or those of lesser means, as opposed to the very rich. See story here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/07/08/2011-07-08_perpposterous.html http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/07/08/2011-07-08_perpectly_ridiculous_idea_pol_sez_nypd_must_end

Calendar Items
J&R is our friend – special events
J&R MUSIC WORLD welcomes Ben Waters for a special in-store performance and autograph signing of his new album "Boogie for Stu" on Tuesday, August 9 at 12:30 P.M. Ben Waters is one of the world's leading boogie woogie rock 'n' roll piano players. Boogie 4 Stu is a tribute CD in memory of Ian stewart - founder of the Rolling Stones. The album features performances by Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Jools Holland, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, PJ Harvey and more.

Ben will be on tour with Charlie Watts’ band this Fall. http://www.jr.com/product/music/pm/_1791030/

On Tuesday, July 5, “LLOYD” will be present for a special performance and autograph signing of his new album "KING OF HEARTS" at 6PM

DIEGO GARCIA will be present on Wednesday July 6 at 12:30 PM for a special live performance and signing of his new album "LAURA" Diego is performing at J&R as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, taking place in New York July 6th-9th.

J&R MUSIC WORLD is proud to welcome for Yankee great and incredible musician BERNIE WILLIAMS On Friday August 5 at 12:30 P.M. Bernie will be signing copies of his new book, "Rhythms of the Game." Williams has been nominated for two Grammy’s and those CD’s will also be on sale. http://www.jr.com/hal-leonard/pe/HAL_333122/

Remember: J&R has a great selection of cameras, video gear, equipment and computers for everyone. Many of our members have taken advantage of the great prices and many ways they can save you money. When you call J&R and ask for Abe Brown and Marty Singer, you must know exactly what you want, including the item number as listed on the website or in the store. J&R is a great supporter of the photographic community and we advise members to take advantage of the huge discounts that our friends will give you on just about any item. Call them before coming down at 212-238-9000.