Friday, as the News Corp. Board of Directors held their annual shareholders meeting, close to two hundred demonstrators from Good Jobs LA, Brave New Foundation, NABET-CWA, Media and Democracy Coalition, Media Alliance, and Media Action Center joined with Occupy LA, AAVAZ.org, Free Press and Common Cause to protest the media giant’s behavior -including having politicians on their payroll as media commentators and authors, phone hacking and bribery, one-sided reporting, use of faulty statistics, bad governance, and most especially, not acting in the public interest.

Media activist Sue Wilson rallied the crowd when she told them that a local Fox channel in Florida went to court and received a ruling that a news broadcast over our public airwaves does not have to be true.

The 99% includes well, almost everyone. And within the 99% are the majority of LGBTQ, so activist John Wailbling has started a LGBTQ affinity group at Occupy LA to help articulate and expand upon their places in the progressive movement at at Occupy.

Stand-up comedian Jeff Ross, best known for his super insulting celebrity roasts, stopped by Occupy LA for a quick set peppered with obligatory jokes about the smell (even though there isn’t any, it keeps getting mentioned) and the place looking like a Phish concert, interspersed with inspirational words and some cracks at Oprah and the banks. Ross had the help of a local homeless guy whose wisecracks, heckling and goofing off were pure comic genius.

Lisa Derrick recalls the extraordinary women who started the Bohemian Women’s Political Alliance — initially “to write letters and register voters and get active” — and follows their many amazing accomplishments over the years.

Wingnuts have been circulating this photo, claiming it’s from Occupy Wall Street. One woman who claims to work/have worked at the New York Stock Exchange posted it on her Facebook page and where it was shared over 1000 times wrote this as the caption: This is the NO-CLASS Wall Street occupiers. They are rutting in [...]

There is a feeling a jubilation and fellowship at Occupy LA, with people who normally wouldn’t come in contact with each other now hanging out, sharing common ground, talking, sharing food and stories. And within this, solutions are discussed, actions are planned, and plans hashed out. I saw a La Rouche supporter getting schooled by an activist while a decorated infantry specialist, a veteran of the Afghanistan War in full uniform, carried a sign asking why the government and financial institutions won’t do what’s right.

Thursday at Occupy LA many of the tents were off the South Lawn to accommodate the regular farmers’ market and local food vending. People were happy that the city council voted to support Occupy LA.

However, there is also a buzz on because the city wants to resume sprinkling the lawn every night at 10:30. Frankly, the lawn could just be watered twice a week, which would also save the city money; but hey I’m not in charge.

Tuesday October 11 was National Coming Out Day, and on his way to speak at Cal State University Northridge, Lt. Dan Choi stopped by Occupy LA. While he was there he ran into activist friends and when lunch arrived he jumped to help carry pans of food to the tented cafeteria. Lt. Choi was asked to do a livestream broadcast with his friend and fellow activist Arturo, and gave several spontaneous interviews.

On Sunday I went down to Occupy LA with world traveler and gentleman of leisure, author Dr. Paul Koudounaris, whose book Empire of Death will be featured on Firedoglake’s Book Salon October 30, and we found ourselves in the midst of an Occupy LA March. So we traipsed along, picking up bottled water from a volunteer.

Los Angeles knows how to throw a demonstration: Prop 8′s demos were great, Chanology was epic, and May Day 2007 made world news and changed the LAPD riot repsonse. So I was expecting some goodness re: OccupyLA, even though–form their Facebook page, things seemed a little disorganized–like camping at City Hall despite sprinklers going off at 8pm, no porta-potties, fear mongering that we’d all get pepper-sprayed, questions about access for the disabled and worries about what to wear (sunblock goes with everything!).

Well, kudos to the General Assembly to pulling it off.