Lt. Choi Cleared of Charges in DADT Protest
07.14.2010
Lt. Dan Choi > View profile
Prosecutors have dropped all charges against an openly gay Iraq War veteran who twice chained himself to a White House fence to protest the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Lt. Dan Choi and James Pietrangelo, a gay army captain honorably discharged for disclosing his sexual orientation, were in court Wednesday on charges of failure to obey police orders during the March and April protests. All charges were dropped against them.
Choi and his attorney had subpoenaed President Barack Obama to appear, but an attorney for the prosecution said the subpoena wasn't served.
Prosecutor Christine Chang declined to comment on why the government dropped the case.
Choi said he believes Obama administration officials didn't want to draw attention to the policy. > View article
Author Ned Vizzini joins Gotham Artists
07.12.2010
Ned Vizzini > View profile
Gotham Artists, a New York-based speaker agency and talent management company, is honored to announce the signing of author Ned Vizzini as an exclusive speaker effective immediately.
Vizzini is the author of several books, including It’s Kind of a Funny Story,Teen Angst? Naaah…, and Be More Chill. The major motion picture based on It’s Kind of a Funny Story, starring Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts and Keir Gilchrist, will be released on September 24, 2010 by Focus Features.
Vizzini will be available for lectures and personal appearances for high schools, colleges, libraries and associations. His most popular lecture programs, based on his books, include How Not to Go Crazy in College, which teaches students how to maintain mental health in high school and college, and From Personal to Published, a how-to discussion for students who wish to get their own work published.
“I have been privileged to speak to students and teachers about writing and mental health for the last ten years,” Vizzini said. “It has put me in touch with so many unforgettable people. I am eager to move forward with my experience at Gotham Artists.”
“We are delighted that Ned has joined our growing roster of fascinating and inspirational artists,” Gotham Artists Partner Alec Melman said. “He’s an absolutely wonderful writer with a great message, and we look forward to bringing that message to as many schools as possible.”
Please contact Gotham Artists to inquire about having Ned Vizzini speak at your next event.
About Ned Vizzini:
Ned Vizzini is the author of three acclaimed young adult books: It's Kind of a Funny Story (movie to be released by Focus Features, 9/24/10), Teen Angst? Naaah..., and Be More Chill. Ned speaks to students and teachers at schools, universities, and libraries about writing and mental health. He also reviews books for the New York Times and the L Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. His work has been translated into seven languages. > View article
Lt. Choi is NYC Pride Grand Marshal
06.25.2010
Lt. Dan Choi > View profile
Lt. Dan Choi had no idea how much his life would change after March 19, 2009, when he appeared on “The Rachel Maddow Show” in order to break the military code of “don’t ask, don’t tell” by admitting that he was a serviceman who is gay.
“When we went on ‘Rachel Maddow,’ we were only talking about West Point, and about [the common] knowledge that there are West Point graduates who are gay,” Choi explains about his controversial appearance. “I was just saying, ‘Hey, they can say whatever bad things they want about us. As long as they say ‘gay’ and ‘West Point’ in the same sentence, it was a culture shock that needed to be put out there for people.’”
Following that appearance, Choi was put on military trial in June of the same year. The military board recommended his discharge for the violation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” — but today, a year later, the case has not been finalized and Choi continues to serve. (Metro) > View article
Lessons from oil spill must be learned
06.16.2010
Donna Brazile > View profile
When I see the pelicans covered in goop and each dying alone, with no living creature to comfort them, I realize that Louisiana chose its state bird wisely. For the pelican is an old symbol of protection. But the protection that ought to be there — for the people, the land and the wildlife — has been clogged with the gunk of greed, negligence and spin.
The images of ruined marshes, tar-balled beaches, oil-soaked fish and birds, strangling and starving, are dramatic and heartrending. Just as dramatic and heartrending, though, are the pictures you don't see: lives ruined and livelihoods suffocated. The despairing anger and desperate defiance — we survived Katrina and we'll survive this — rarely make the national news. (Green Bay Gazette) > View article
New Ray Kurzweil Video!
06.14.2010
Ray Kurzweil > View profile
If you haven’t already downloaded the article into your brain, the Times blew the cover on the trans-humanist movement this weekend, just as a bunch of the devoted were gathering at Harvard for the H+ Summit, to hear from the movement’s de facto leader, inventor Ray Kurzweil.
Last year, Motherboard visited the man who gave the world text-to-speech technology and the musical synthesizer to talk about his vision of the post-Singularity future – a world in which humans will remake their own biology by filling their bodies with nanoscale machines that can repair cells and meld their minds with super-intelligent computers. The eventual goal is to become immortal, and perhaps resurrect the dead. (Motherboard.tv) > View article
Kurzweil’s Next Book: Creating An Artificial Mind
05.28.2010
Ray Kurzweil > View profileRay Kurzweil is working on another book, this one to explore the principles of human level intelligence in machines. Titled How the Mind Works and How to Build One, the new book will explore all the amazing developments in reverse engineering the brain that have come along since his last book, the Singularity is Near was released in 2005. Whether or not you agree with Ray Kurzweil’s predictions, the inventor and author stands out as one of the foremost futurists of our time. What inspiration or controversy will this next book bring? > View article
"Post-American Presidency" to hit shelves this July
05.11.2010
Pamela Geller > View profilePamela Geller's debut book, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, is set to hit stores July 27, 2010. > View article
Vizzini rated in Top 9 for Young Adult Lit
05.09.2010
Ned Vizzini > View profile
Want to try some YA lit?
It's a fairly easy genre to break into, but, admittedly, there are more bad titles than good.
Here are nine good places to start, which range from historical fiction to rip-roaring sci-fi action. The only common thread: All the books have a teen or tween protagonist...
"It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini: Teenager Craig is seriously depressed and off his medication. He decides to kill himself but not before calling a suicide hotline, which convinces him to seek care. He ends up in a psych ward (one for both adults and teens since the teen wing is under renovation) and meets and a cast of predictably quirky characters. The best thing about the book is that it's not depressing at all. It's more a comedy of observation. (JournalStar.com) > View article
Video: Lt. Choi Speaks at Harvard
04.30.2010
Lt. Dan Choi > View profileLt. Dan Choi spoke last night at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in a program called Truth and Consequences: One Man's Quest to Openly Serve His Country. (Towelroad) > View article
Gotham Hires New VP of College Division
04.21.2010
Gotham Artists
Gotham Artists, a New York-based speaker agency and talent management company, is honored to announce the hiring of Michael Gottesman as the new vice president of the College Division, effective immediately.
Gottesman, formerly of CEG Talent, Scott Rudin Productions and the Paradigm Talent Agency, will be responsible for booking comedians, high-profile speakers, bands and other talent for colleges nationwide. He brings more than three years of talent booking experience to Gotham Artists, and at 26 years of age, has a unique understanding of what makes for great programming at colleges and universities.
“I am excited to be joining the team at Gotham Artists,” Gottesman said. “I look forward to working closely with Alec and Daniel as we expand the reach of the company.”
“We are delighted that Mike has joined our team,” Co-founder Alec Melman said. “We really envision this as a family company, and we think Mike is a great addition to the family. His previous experience in this industry makes him a natural fit for us. We are excited to grow together.”
About Gotham Artists:
Gotham Artists is a New York-based speaker agency and talent management company, headquartered in the heart of New York’s Flatiron District.
The company matches the world’s most interesting speakers with corporations, colleges and associations for keynote speeches, distinguished lecture series, commencements, debates, seminars and training sessions.
Alec Melman and Daniel Ymar co-founded Gotham Artists. They met while working for one of the largest speakers' bureaus in the country, and have a combined 10 years of experience handling big name talent and major events. (i-newswire) > View article
Richard Roeper inspires young filmmakers in Missouri
04.19.2010
Richard Roeper > View profile
But for a group of Missouri filmmakers, no such stunts were necessary. Last night at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and film critic Richard Roeper hosted the Silverscreen Film Festival awards. Roeper was generous with his praise of the 13 short films he viewed, saying some were better than the ones he watches for a living.
“You have energy, enthusiasm, talent, a vision and stories to tell,” Roeper told the filmmakers. “So I just want to encourage you to keep doing this.” (Columbia Tribune) > View article
Shawn Achor tells business owners to stay positive
04.16.2010
Shawn Achor > View profile"Entrepreneurs who are successful in a down economy are the ones who maintain a positive frame of mind," said Shawn Achor, a former Harvard psychology researcher who founded consulting firm Aspirant. "When they go through a period of challenge, they have the possibility of emerging with greater resilience, which allows them to endure a longer economic drought." (Chicago Sun Times) > View article
Ten Questions for Lt. Dan Choi
04.02.2010
Lt. Dan Choi > View profileGay rights activist Dan Choi believes the leaders of his movement have been too soft on the President. During his campaign, President Obama promised to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, the 1993 military law that bans gay troops from openly declaring their sexuality while in service. But after delaying action on the issue for a year, the President has instructed the Pentagon to take another year and review the implications of a repeal. In the meantime, the Pentagon has backed off from kicking out soldiers who declare they are gay. Lawmakers too have started conducting hearings about the repeal. While groups like Human Rights Campaign have applauded these steps, they aren't enough for Choi, who chained himself to the White House fence last month demanding an immediate repeal. In an interview with Congress.org, Choi explained why he decided to take a stand now. (Congress.org) > View article
Lt. Dan Choi in Newsweek Exclusive
03.24.2010
Lt. Dan Choi > View profileLt. Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and fluent Arabist being discharged from the Army for being openly gay, was arrested last week along with former Army captain Jim Pietrangelo II, after handcuffing themselves to the White House gate in protest of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. They were handcuffed with the help of Robin McGehee, a former PTA president turned activist who last week cofounded GetEQUAL, an LGBT activism group inspired by civil-rights organizations and gains made through civil disobedience. "We've held marches, lobbied, manned the phone banks," says McGehee. "The last resort is to rumble." (Newsweek) > View article
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