For an update on the disgusting story of the NYPD officer that body-checked a cyclist that I wrote about last week, head on over to Gothamist, where they discuss how city council members are urging a much needed investigation into the recent harassment of cyclists by the police.

Here’s an excerpt from the letter that the council members wrote:

There has been a history of police harassment of cyclists, especially during the monthly Manhattan Critical Mass group bicycle ride. Most often, these attacks are unprovoked and aggressive, and the behavior of police towards cyclists is anything but the courtesy, professionalism, and respect on which NYPD prides itself. The recent incident involving Mr. Long is a particularly disturbing example of the NYPD’s attitude towards cyclists, one that happened to be caught on video tape.

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There’s an awful, yet important video, making it’s way around the internet right now that features a NYPD officer body-slamming a cyclist off of their bike during the last Critical Mass. The cop is claiming that that the rider, 29 year old Christopher Long, rode into him - the video would seem to suggest otherwise:

What do you think? In a surprising turn of events, action is actually being taken against the cop and he was stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation. Although it is quite disturbing that Long was bruised, arrested for attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and spent 26 hours in jail.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Sudan Leader Charged with Genocide: What Are the Reactions? by Wendy Cohen

Inconvenient Truth of the Day: Al Gore Speaks on Climate Change by Joshua Tremblay

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Nicole Hughes:

“Farms in the Sky” a Solution to Global Food Crisis?

Wal-Mart Launches Eco-Bling Project

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Andy Kondrat:

NYC To Bring in 300 Hybrid Taxis Per Month

Coolio To Educate Students On Climate Change

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Jon Popham:

Pickens’ Plan for Energy Independence

On “Rent” Closing, the East Village, and Gentrification

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Gina Telaroli:

Batman Morals: Top 5 Lessons from the Capped Crusader’s Films

Emmy Nominations Kick “The Wire” to the Curb

“Rent” the Broadway musical portraying the bohemian life in NYC’s East Village in the early 1990’s is closing this September. This passing in the cultural life of the city and an article in today’s New York Times examining the changes that have occurred in New York City since the times the show was set in have me reflecting on my own tenure in the Big Apple.

I should start by saying I never saw “Rent“. I’m not much for musicals and in fact have never seen a single one since I moved to New York in 1994 for college. But what I’ve shared with Jonathan Larson’s bohemian epic is a neighborhood: the East Village. A neighborhood that has constantly changed since my arrival in New York City at a speed I never dreamed possible for a piece of land. The East Village intimately introduced me to gentrification, a force that has been a constant throughout my adult life, and a fitting associate, seeing how I fast realized after moving into the area that I was a gentrifier.

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The New York Times building was scaled by another climber late yesterday afternoon. Following the lead of French stuntman Alain Robert, who climbed the Old Gray Lady’s digs yesterday morning, Renaldo (Rey) Clarke of Brooklyn, USA started his 40-minute ascent up the skyscraper starting at about 6:00PM yesterday afternoon. Clarke had reportedly been planning the climb for more than a year and had left work yesterday angry that Robert had stolen his thunder, heading straight to the site of the building to begin his own stunt.

The green design of The New York Times building, by world famous architect Renzo Piano, utilizes ceramic tubes running horizontally (seen in photo) up the entire building to regulate the amount of light and heat absorbed into the workspace. These tubes were used as a makeshift ladder by both Robert and Clarke in their barehanded climbs up the side of the structure both without a rope or net.

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French Daredevil Alain Robert scaled the 52 story north face of The New York Times building today bearing a message on Global Warming. The 46-year-old stuntman, who has previously climbed the Eiffel Tower, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and the Sydney Opera House, ascended the entire height of the New York City skyscraper with his bare hands while carrying a green banner with the message “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.” printed on it.

Robert stopped traffic on West 41st Street as onlookers gathered and police cordoned off the sidewalk below his ascent. Once he reached the roof of the building the crowd let out a cheer and a huge round of applause. Shortly thereafter Robert was arrested by the NYPD.

When asked why he chose the NY Times building, Robert replied, “This is a green building, which is a fantastic step.” Asked about the difficulty of the climb, he said, “No, the building was easy. It was just a statement. Plus, I’m a professional climber.”

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Director Werner Herzog and Actor Nicolas Cage are currently in preproduction on a project based on the Abel Ferrara film, “Bad Lieutenant”. According to an interview with Herzog by Defamer, the new movie will not be a remake, per se, of the unforgettable 1992 original which starred Harvey Keitel as a crooked, corrupt, drug addicted, degenerate gambler New York City Police Department Lieutenant who chooses to bet against the Mets at the wrong time. Rather, Herzog explained, he and Cage will do a continuation of the character.   At least that’s what I think he said:

“Yes, but its not a remake. It’s like, for example, you wouldn’t call a new James Bond movie a remake of the previous one - although the name of the bad lieutenant is a different one, and the story is completely different.”

In another departure from Ferrara’s version, the new film will be set and shot in New Orleans, a decision Herzog says producer Edward R. Pressman - who also produced the original - made because of tax incentives, but that intrigues the director nonetheless. “…I thought to myself: “We have seen a lot of New York in movies; we have not seen New Orleans in feature films.” Or very few feature films. After Katrina it’s a particularly interesting set-up. The neglect and politics after the hurricane struck are something quite amazing. It has to do with public morality.” he explained.

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Tatum O’Neal was arrested on drug charges in her Manhattan apartment Sunday night. New York City Police said they had found bags of cocaine and crack cocaine in the 44 year old actress’s possession at the time of the arrest. Police Reports indicate O’Neal initiallly told NYPD Officers that she was doing research for an upcoming film part. Also arrested was 33 year old Allen Garcia who is believed possibly to be O’Neal’s dealer.

Tatum O’Neal was the youngest actress in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Oscar, having taken home the prize for Best Supporting Actress for “Paper Moon” in which she co-starred with her father Ryan O’Neal when she was 10 years old. Since then she has appeared in such films as “The Bad News Bears”, “International Velvet” and “Basquiat” along with numerous television appearances including “Sex and the City”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Rescue Me”.

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Gossip Girl Spoilers, Miley Cyrus, Mindy McCready, Roger Clemens, Dancing with the Stars, The Miley Cyrus Photo Shoot, Miley Cyrus’ Green Bra, are ten of the stories our country is obsessing over.

These 10 terms are among the 100 hottest trends on google trends, but for me they are the top 10 unimportant stories people shouldn’t waste their time and energy on. So here is a list of the top ten most important and inspiring stories that should be getting attention but aren’t. If we spent as much time thinking about these, the world would be a better place. So let’s try!

1. Is the Pentagon preparing for Iran?
2. Twenty-seven United Nations agencies are gathering today in the Swiss capital Bern to develop a battle plan to deal with the global food crisis.
3. Saudi Arabia’s most popular blogger has been freed after serving four months in prison without charge. Fouad Al-Farhan was detained in December after posting critical comments about Saudi government policies. Farhan is known as the godfather of blogging in Saudi Arabia. He defines his online mission as the search for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, public participation and other lost Islamic values.

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