A 14-year-old girl is currently battling an age-old problem: photo manipulation. Julia Bluhm has petitioned for Seventeen magazine to "commit to printing one unaltered—real—photo spread per month," noting that "girls want to be accepted, appreciated and liked. And when they don't fit the criteria, some girls like to fix themselves. This can lead to eating disorders, dieting, depression and low self-esteem." And now her battle is coming to the streets New York City. more ›

Apple launched its newest product, the iPad3, today and the Apple store on Fifth Avenue was packed to the brim with Apple consumers hungry to get their hands on the new and improved tablet. Some people braved the cold and rain early this morning only to end up in the back of what was an already packed line. more ›

New York University students gathered en masse this afternoon in front of Weinstein Residence Hall on University Place to protest Chick-fil-A's donations to anti-gay organizations. A petition authored by freshman Hillary Dworkoski has already collected nearly 11,000 signatures in support of the restaurants removal from campus. more ›

The controversy over massive homophobic donations by Chick-Fil-A's charitable arm returns! Though the NYU Student Senators Council doesn't seem too worried about the chicken chain's extra-curricular cash expenditures, at least some students do. And they've gone and made an internet petition. That'll teach 'em! more ›

Drama is stacking up against the children's classic LEGOs this week, with some people plenty pissed over the company's brand-new ladies-only toy set. Why, oh why, would LEGOs ever need boobs? The new LEGO "Friend" set features five busty female characters in settings like hair salons and doggie daycares, going about their girly business. It's part of a new plan from LEGO to appeal to more girls—a worthwhile cause with a poorly executed campaign. more ›

On October 1st, when Occupy Wall Street was still in its infancy, more than 700 protesters were arrested after OWS marched onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Protesters claimed that police lured them onto the roadway of the bridge—leading them there as an excuse to arrest en masse—while the NYPD maintains that they warned protesters they would be arrested for blocking the street. Now, a civil rights group has come to the aid of those arrested, petitioning Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. to drop all the charges. more ›

Yesterday, the disheartening news came down that Cooper Union has decided NOT to grant St. Mark's Bookshop's request for a rent reduction. Friends of the Bookshop, like the Cooper Square Committee, said they would find other ways to support the store should it be forced out of business, and today, the first of those efforts arises: another petition, albeit a slightly preemptive one. more ›

A group of George Carlin fans are taking to the, um, internet to demand that the Morningside Heights street the famously foulmouthed comedian grew up on be named in his honor. more ›

The battle over Midtown lunch real estate continues today, with food carts expressing little sympathy for the larger food trucks that have been driven out of the neighborhood by cops suddenly enforcing an ancient Transportation Department regulation. more ›

Poor Bert and Ernie. The internet will just not leave the two best friend/ roommates/ ambiguous sleepover pals alone—once again, the duo's sexuality is being questioned, as a new petition circulates calling for the two to tie the knot. Were the Avenue Q puppets not enough? more ›

On August 11th Breakfast at Tiffany’s is scheduled to screen at Brooklyn Bridge Park—the classic Audrey Hepburn film screens pretty much every summer, somewhere in the city. Since the film was released in 1961, Mickey Rooney's role as Mr. Yunioshi has drawn attention. In the 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Lee gets upset at Rooney's stereotypical depiction of an Asian man, which has been called everything from "broadly exotic," to "comedic," to "overtly racist" and a "cringe-inducing stereotype" by critics over the years. more ›

Two years ago when sculptor Tom Otterness was installing his latest piece in Brooklyn, his past came back to haunt him. As you might recall, back in his younger days he adopted a shelter dog, chained it to a fence, and shot it... for art. Now that he's been commissioned to sculpt bronze lions at the Battery Park Branch of the New York Public Library (for $750,000!), his dark past is resurfacing again, with PETA protesting and petitions popping up. But the NYPL says they're the wrong target. more ›

Remember earlier this month when a bunch of Rutgers students used actual money to bring Snooki of Jersey Shore to their school? Paying her more than Nobel winning author Toni Morrison? Ha, kids these days right... well now some other students at the school want to undo it all by inviting Bruce Springsteen to the campus. There's even a Facebook campaign, titled “College Ave Freeze Out: Let's Bring the Boss to Rutgers!” Let's move past the fact that this is such a predictable choice—New Jersey people want to book Bruce Springteen!—and see what Facebook campaign head Daniel Oliveto has to say. more ›

You guys know what would be sick? Imagine chillin' in Central Park with thousands upon thousands of strangers when all of a sudden everything goes into slow motion and Green Day comes out on stage and rocks you with this sappy little nostalgia number: more ›

After over 140,000 people signed a petition on Change.org, Apple has removed an app from Exodus International, a religious group offering "ex-gay" treatment, from their online store. An Apple spokesman told the Daily News, "We removed the Exodus International app from the Apple Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people." However, Exodus' President argues that it's a violation of free speech. more ›

Exodus International describes themselves as an organization dedicated to, "Mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality." And now, that includes iPhone apps. Apple, who carries the app on their website, is feeling a lot of heat from LGBT groups, who say that the app promotes homophobia. Or as one reviewer put it, "This is hate-based initiative of the fanatical religious right intending to brainwash and emotionally destroy gay and lesbian people by coercing them to hate themselves based on their natural sexual orientation." more ›

The NYPD has been relentlessly cracking down on cyclists who pedal through red lights in Central Park, handing out numerous $270 tickets to violators. Despite an outcry from cyclists who say it's absurd to stop at a red light when the crosswalk is clear, one police source says they're going to enforce the letter of the law from now until "forever." But there's one thing the NYPD didn't count on: a petition. more ›

A group of angry parents, teachers and concerned citizens plan to file a 15,000-signature petition to state Education Commissioner David Steiner today urging him to deny a waiver that would allow Mayor Bloomberg's appointee for new Schools Chancellor, Cathie Black, to assume the position. Steiner has set up an advisory panel (which has been met with its own share of criticism) to review the waiver, but many say Black is completely unqualified to run the nation's largest school system. One parent told NBC 4, "there's really a phenomenon out there of general outrage at this nomination." But do you know who's not outraged (at the nomination)? Gloria Steinem. more ›

Last we checked, the Ridgewood Theatre in Queens had its facade landmarked, and the former owners were seeking partners to help them get the space operational again. The fate of the 17,000-square-foot space—which first opened in 1916 and is the longest-running movie house in the nation—is still uncertain, however. Everything from a retail outlet to condos have been proposed, but now a group is banding together to make sure the historic building doesn't become a typical Myrtle Avenue storefront. To that end, the Friends of the Ridgewood Theatre have started a petition to get the interior of the building landmarked as well (check out even more photos here)—they fear if this doesn't happen, "the rare Adamesque interior by Thomas Lamb will be gone forever, and Queens and Brooklyn will be robbed of a true theater of great potential." more ›

Though the MTA rejected the Working Families Party's request to post their "Service Nightmare" parody ads in the subways, the group has been working hard to get the posters up anyway. They sent a message to their supporters online, saying they will ask the MTA to reverse the decision on free speech grounds and asking followers to sign a petition to back them up. They're also asking supporters on Facebook to post the ad themselves. WFP spokesman Dan Levitan wrote, "what New Yorkers (and the WFP) really want is for the Mayor to step up to the plate and deliver for the millions of transit riders and students who are facing the biggest service cuts in a generation," and he tells us that over 2,300 people have signed the petition in less than 24 hours. more ›

After getting expelled from the state Senate following his conviction for attempted assault, Hiram Monserrate is preparing to run for his seat again. The former legislator—who was found guilty of dragging his girlfriend down a hallway but acquitted of more serious felony charges—needs to submit a petition with 3,000 signatures by midnight if he wants his name on the ballot in next month's special election. So Monserrate is hitting the seniors centers. more ›

Former Tennessee lawmaker and possible Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. claims his rival is using "underhanded tactics" to keep his name off the ballot. According to the New York newcomer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has been trying to convince county Democratic Party chairs to endorse her before the May nominating convention, making it difficult for Ford to become an official Democratic candidate without initiating "a cumbersome and costly" petition drive. more ›

More proof that NY is just as seen on Seinfeld: Residents of an Upper West Side co-op fought to get a chair for their trusted but tired doorman, and after three months they finally won! The saga began last year when members of the board at 650 West End Avenue got rid of the building’s desk and chair while it was remodeling. It reasoned that the doorman would be quicker and more alert from a standing post, but after months watching him suffer upright, residents protested. "We believe that it is inhumane to require that our doormen must stand during an eight-hour shift without a break," they wrote in a petition. "We do not feel that they would slack off or do their jobs less efficiently." The board acted quickly, saying the doorman didn’t have to stand—however it was too stingy to actually offer him a seat. Funds have yet to be allocated for the purchase of a new stool, reported the NY Post. more ›

While the fate of a proposed Whole Foods in Gowanus Brooklyn remains an open question, a group of Upper East Siders are hankering for their piece of the Whole. NYC the Blog spotted this desperate entreaty on Lexington Ave between 86th and 87th Street. Did you know it's tough out there on the mean streets of the UES? It's true; the sign says so: "I'm sick of eating out! We need to take action! They have taken away many of our amenities, making it hard to live in this area! We should have a say in what stores are welcome in our neighborhood." The community urgently needs a tiny violin shop, for one thing. According to an article in Crain's last year, a Whole Foods on 57th and Second Ave is expected to be completed by 2012, so that's a start. Hang in there Upper East Siders! more ›

Yesterday, it was revealed that City Councilman Bill De Blasio was kicked off the ballot for the Public Advocate primary. Why? The Daily Politics' Elizabeth Benjamin, which calls the city's petition rules "infamously archaic and exacting," explains, "One false move - a misplaced numeral or missing period - and you're dead, which is why campaigns spend so much money on election attorneys. In this case, the problem was that de Blasio's cover sheet claimed there were 131 volumes of petitions, when in reality there were 132. This may seem trivial, but it was sufficient grounds for the rejection of all the Brooklyn Democrat's 125,000+ signatures." De Blasio's campaign believes that the issue can be resolved with the Board of Elections, and all three of his Democratic opponents told PolitickerNY that he should be on the ballot: Norman Siegel said, "Technicalities should not prevent a candidate from being on the ballot," and Mark Green chimed in with, "This super-technical violation shouldn't keep him off the ballot - but should lead to reforming ballot access laws," and Gioia said, "If he met all the requirements he should be put back on the ballot. Regardless, our campaign will continue to move ahead at full speed no matter what the courts decide." more ›

After Mayor Bloomberg announced that the popular $400 property rebate to homeowners would end given the city's economic problems, City Councilman Domenic Recchia started an online petition that urges Mayor Bloomberg to reinstate the rebate. Recchia said, "Every penny counts for New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet. Countless constituents have told me they rely on the rebate check for a variety of activities, from holiday shopping to home heating costs." You can sign the petition here--there are 761 signatures so far. And Councilman Vincent Ignizio and others are investigating whether a lawsuit can be filed to make sure the rebates continue. more ›

Watch your back, Dick Cheney! Actor Ed Asner, former Dallas Cowboy Mark Stepnoski, and formerly famous hip hop group Arrested Development are leading a petition drive to get a referendum on New York City’s November ballot that would establish a new 9/11 investigation. If the group, called 911 Truth, can collect 30,000 signatures before September 4th, the City Council will be required to consider the measure, which calls for an investigative panel with subpoena authority. more ›