No, I did not write the Bible.

Filipino boxer/congressman/Roman Catholic Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's idiotic comments about why he opposes gay marriage are based on the same Biblical bullshit that inspires the lunatics at the Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals. The overall theme: "fags" must die.

If you missed it, in response to President Barack Obama's announcement that he now "personally" supports gay marriage, Pacquiao told the National Conservative Examiner that he doesn't agree with the president. He then cited Leviticus 20:13, telling the publication that "if a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads" (see our post about 10 gays who could kick Manny's ass here).

We'd like to think "Pacman's" a slightly better human being than the WBC bozos, but his comments literally parrot the general message of Fred Phelps and his clan of kooks -- the WBC's web address is www.GodHatesFags.com, just to give you a small example.

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The long-standing legal battle between the city's artists and Department of Parks and Recreation has started to heat up.

Yesterday, the city's artist vendors asked Richard J. Sullivan, U.S. District Judge of the Southern District of New York, to consider new evidence in their suit against the city.

That new evidence? They claimed via letter that the Department is unfairly and illegally prohibiting craftsmen and artisans from selling their wares in city parks, since entertainers are allowed to perform for money again.

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Earlier today the Voice brought you news of Colin Beavan. Beavan, who calls himself a "newly self-proclaimed environmentalist," is competing against Charles Barron and Alan Bellone, amongst others, for a Central Brooklyn Congressional seat on the Green Party ticket.

Beavan became known via No Impact Man, a life experiment/blog chronicling his decision to live in New York without making an environmental impact. During Beavan and his family's 12-month trial, they definitely did hearken back to simpler times by avoiding paper products (including TP! OMG!) and electricity.

We wanted to give Beavan the chance to talk to us about his campaign and indulge our predilection for potty humor. Anyway, click here to see what he had to say...

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As we reported in a previous post, Filipino boxer/congressman/Roman Catholic Manny Pacquiao doesn't agree with President Barack Obama (and the majority of Americans) that gay people should have the right to get married. Not only doesn't Pacquiao agree with Obama, he cites a passage in the bible that says gay people "must be put to death."

There's no question that Pacquiao's a tough little guy. But he's still a little guy (5-foot-6 and 144 pounds) -- and killing off gays one-by-one might be a slightly more difficult task than the feisty Filipino might think.

Despite the stereotypes, there are some pretty tough dudes out there who just happen to prefer a penis -- and could probably kick the shit out of that pipsqueak Pacquiao. We've listed 10 of our favorites below.

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www.spike.com

The gayz have a new enemy -- and he's a 5-foot-6 Filipino who could probably kick your ass.

*UPDATE* See our list of gay people who could beat the crap out of Pacquiao.

Lovable Filipino boxer/congressman Manny Pacquiao, it turns out, is a bit of a dick.

In response to President Barack Obama's announcement that he's now pro-gay marriage, Pacquiao says he doesn't agree with the president's position and that according to the Bible, homosexuals should be put to death.

In an interview with the National Conservative Examiner, Pacquiao quoted Leviticus 20:13, telling the publication that "if a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

He went on to say that society needs to "put God's word first."

Pacquiao, apparently, missed church the day they explained the "Golden Rule."

(We reached out to Pacquiao to give him a chance to explain his idiotic comments. He hasn't gotten back to us yet. We'll let you know if he does).

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This just in: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has called into question Barack Obama's history with lemonade stands.

Jindal, a Republican and potential running mate for Mitt Romney, said Tuesday morning on Fox News's America's Newsroom that Obama: "hasn't run anything before he was elected President of the United States...never ran a state, never a business, never ran a lemonade stand." Jindal's criticism echoes that of Ted Nugent, who also argued in June 2011 that Obama couldn't sell the popular, citrusy drink.

Indeed, details about Obama's background with lemonade -- via stand or otherwise -- remain unclear, though evidence suggests that the president's backers have in fact used this summery, semisweet beverage during campaign fundraising.

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Obama's not the first president to party with Ricky Martin.

President Barack Obama attended a fundraiser hosted by former Menudo star Ricky Martin last night -- and New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox joined the growing list of GOPers pissy over the president's partying.

Cox issued a statement basically saying that Obama's hanging out with Martin and George Clooney is somehow the reason people are unemployed -- or, at the very least, offensive because he's hobnobbing with heartthrobs while people are out looking for jobs.

"Tonight, Campaigner-in-Chief Barack Obama will hold a high-dollar fundraiser in New York City with Ricky Martin," Cox writes. "While millions of unemployed Americans are struggling to find work, President Obama will be partying with celebrities."

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Colin Beavan, that guy who did not use toilet paper for a year, has only gotten into local politics a few days ago but is already pretty busy making media rounds.

Beavan, who calls himself a "newly self-proclaimed environmentalist," is running on the Green Party ticket for the Central Brooklyn Congressional seat, against Charles Barron, Alan Bellone and others.

Beavan's claim to fame is No Impact Man, a blog-turned-book-and-doc-deal chronicling his decision to live in Manhattan sans environmental impact. During Beavan and his family's 12-month experiment, they didn't just forgo paper products. They also avoided electricity and did laundry by "stomping on it in the tub."

The New York Times, which today details his congressional bid and current Brooklyn digs, apparently asked the question we all want answered: So what was wiping like during that period?

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If you own an open WiFi connection, you might have worried whether you're liable for any copyright infringement taking place on that network -- even if you didn't do it.

In a ruling that has caught the attention of lawmakers and attorneys worldwide, a Finnish court just ruled that owners of open WiFi networks can't be held responsible for others' activity, such as illegal file sharing.

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Reacting to the last week's Voice's cover story on violence in the city jails, the correction officers union president, Norman Seabrook, criticized the stewardship of jails commissioner Dora Schriro.

In an interview at his downtown Manhattan office, Seabrook says Schriro's leadership is responsible for a rise in the number of his members sent to hospitals with injuries caused by inmates--including 96 officers so far this year--and a decline in morale among officers. He also said she has cut too many staff posts.

"My officers continue to be brutalized by inmates," Seabrook says. "Unfortunately, correction officers are out of sight and out of mind. If I was commissioner tomorrow, I would fire just about every manager in the department."

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Another teen inmate was seriously injured over the weekend in the Robert N. Davoren Center, where teenagers are housed.

Correction officials confirm that Aunray Stanford, 18, was injured in a struggle with correction officers and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He subsequently released and returned to Rikers Island.

The officials did not specify Stanford's injuries, citing policy, but a correction source said he sustained a fractured skull in the incident.

RNDC is the same jail that was the subject of a Village Voice article published last Wednesday about violence at Rikers. In the article, correction sources said violence fueled by a culture of intimidation under the noses of correction officers continues.

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Christopher Macsurak

Journalists who have been covering the Orthodox community's sex-abuse problem for years say the New York Times should credit their work.

Last week the New York Times devoted successive front-page stories to the problem of sex abuse in Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic communities and Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes's deference to the religious authorities that often try to cover the problem up.

It's an important issue (one we touched on in our own cover story last fall), and one that deserves the spotlight that the New York Times can provide.

Victims' advocates and journalists who have been tracking the issue for years were thrilled that the Times was finally turning its attention to a scandal that has long been been festering in its back yard. But many were dismayed that the Times series failed to credit the work of other reporters who have been on the beat for years.

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This afternoon brings us news of Aimee Copeland, a grad student from Georgia who is battling a life-threatening flesh-eating bacteria infection after getting a deep cut in a river. Copeland has already had one leg amputated to stop the disease's spread. These infections are very rare -- there are only about 750 cases per year, the Associated Press reports. Still, they tend to be so severe and sound so scary that you might start to wonder: Should I worry about flesh-eating bacteria?

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www.failblog.org

For anyone who takes their political cues from pop star Ricky Martin, the former Menudo member has thrown his support behind President Barack Obama in this year's election -- he's even throwing the president a pretty pricey fundraiser in New York tonight, which the state's Republican Party seems to think is the reason the economy sucks and you can't find a job.

Obama hasn't always been the recipient of Martin's (ahem) coveted nod -- in 2004, Martin supported Obama's opponent, now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic primary for president.   

This time around, however -- much thanks to the president's recent support for marriage equality, we're sure -- Obama's Martin's horse, and the first fundraiser he'll hold for the "campaigner-in-chief" will be tonight at the Rubin Museum of Art. The ticket price: $5,000 a head.
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Two senior correction officers were convicted today by a Bronx jury for falsifying a fight report and ordering 14 recruits to cover up the incident back in 2006, authorities said.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours in convicting former assistant deputy warden Gail Lewis and current serving captain Sherman Graham of several counts of falsifying documents.

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It's a special time for cyclists: National Bike to Work Week! While a lot of New York's bike enthusiasts are used to the commute, we wanted to put together some tips for novices who might be making the trip for the first time -- and give you enough time to get your gear together. The Voice chatted with Derek DeBoer, Bicycle Habitat's manager/bike expert extraordinaire, about what to look for.

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Dawa Lama dumped her healthy baby in a trash can. Now she's going to prison.

When Dawa Lama, 24, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in the bathroom at a Queens hospital last year, she could have easily turned him over to hospital staff if she felt she couldn't care for him. But she didn't -- she threw him in a trashcan in the bathroom at the hospital. He died seven days later -- and now Lama is heading to prison.

Lama was in Queens Criminal Court today, where Judge Elisa Koenderman sentenced her to 10 years in prison. Lama pleaded guilty in March to one count of first-degree manslaughter in the May, 2011, death of the newborn, who was posthumously named Mingmar Gurung.

"Today's sentence brings to a close a troubling case of a mother senselessly and needlessly killing her newborn infant," Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown says. "This case should serve as a reminder that under New York's Safe Haven law a parent may anonymously surrender an unwanted newborn infant to personnel in a safe place - such as a hospital, a police station or a fire station - without repercussions." 

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Rapper G-Dep doesn't regret turning himself in for a murder he probably would have gotten away with -- despite getting sentenced to 15 years in prison for the 1993 slaying.

As we reported last week, Puffy-approved rapper G-Dep was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a decades-old murder he probably would have gotten away with if he hadn't turned himself in nearly 20 years later. G-Dep has since explained to the media his decision to rat himself out -- and he's now, pretty much, our favorite convicted murderer ever.

G-Dep, a.k.a., Trevell Coleman, granted an interview to the New York Post from his current home on Rikers Island. Despite the fact that he's about to do some pretty lengthy prison time, Coleman doesn't regret his decision to come clean.

From the Post:

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Last week the Voice brought you news that the City had reversed a decision prohibiting virtually all entertainers from performing in New York's parks.

That mandate, which stemmed from "expressive matter vending rule," was used against performers starting in 2010, after the city carried out a controversial crackdown on artist vendors with the same regulation.

As it stands, the city's artisans and craftspeople currently must stick to certain locations in spaces controlled by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Judging from the language of the rule, though, it's unclear why this no longer applies to performers but still applies to artists.

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Craig Dershowitz

This is "Knuckles," the puggle a man has spent more than $60,000 to "rescue" from his ex-girlfriend.

We love dogs. They're awesome -- they're loyal, fun, and make you feel like a rock star every time you walk in the door. That said, we would never spend $60,000 to win custody of a dog after a rough breakup with a former girlfriend. The same cannot be said of Craig Dershowitz, who already has spent $60,000 fighting to win custody of his dog, and is now taking donations to further the fight.

Dershowitz, who lives in New York, says he's already blown through his life savings trying to win custody of his puggle, "Knuckles," which he considers his "son." He's now turned to the Internet to raise an additional $20,000 to continue his legal battle with former girlfriend Sarah Brega, who took the dog to California when the two called it quits.

See a video Dershowitz made pleading for donations below.

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