Politics as Usual (clockwise from top right) A faux toxic avenger made an appearance in Albany to announce the Green Party's environmental agenda, which called for the closing of all coal and nuclear-power plants, with increased investment in renewable energy; Assemblymen Roger Green (D-Brooklyn) was arrested during an AIDS rally in April. The protest turned out 500 people, who demanded more funding for AIDS and HIV programs for communities of color; New York Public Interest Research Group, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters all celebrated the 18th birthday of Budget Boy, representing New York state's 18th straight late budget; Speak Up NY!, a group of volunteers traveling the state in a 40-foot-long bus, rolled into Albany to encourage young adults to register to vote and engage in the civic process; a lone legislative staffer guarded the evidence of the state government's unfinished business: massive stacks of bills waiting to be sent back to various Assembly members' desks; in February, protesters gathered outside of two $1,000-a-head legislative fundraisers in Albany and Troy to demand campaign finance reform.

Leif Zurmuhlen	John Whipple
Martin Benjamin	Will Waldron
Leif Zurmuhlen	Will Waldron