Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

People crowd on a street in downtown New York City early on Nov. 15, after the police cleared Zuccotti Park and protesters were pushed into the side streets.

Msnbc.com's John Makely and Jonathan Woods have been photographing the scenes around Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan since the early hours of Tuesday morning. They gave a few impressions of what they have seen.

Jonathan Woods writes:

I got here around 3 a.m. ET and I really didn’t know what to expect. The first thing I saw when I walked onto Worth Street was a pile of dozens of bags of trash that the protesters had thrown into the street.

As I walked closer to Zuccotti Park the police presence became overwhelming. The streets surrounding the park were heavily barricaded.

Scuffles between police and protesters were few and far between -- most of those that I did see involved people refusing to get back on the sidewalk.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police and protesters near Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

As I write it's 7.30 a.m. and most people are standing around waiting for somethign to happen. Protesters and press are thinly lining the sidewalks. It's turned into a waiting game.

Looking at Zuccotti Park, with the exception of the police and cleaning crews, if you hadn’t been aware of what transpired here since September 17, you would have no idea there had been a camp there until a few hours ago. It's alarmingly clean, it's spotless.

As New Yorkers made their morning commutes, some were surprised to see the park clear of the protesters. One woman passing by was rejoicing at how clean it was. She kept exclaiming, "It’s beautiful, the park is beautiful!" as she went.

John Makely / msnbc.com

A heavy police presence in lower Manhattan on Nov. 15.

On the opposite side of Zuccotti park, the scene was quite different.

John Makely writes:

Broadway and Pine Street were flooded with protesters who had either fled Zuccotti Park when the police began clearing it or arrived afterwards and could get no closer.  Protesters were standing on NYPD vehicles and sitting in the middle of the intersection.

While the scene wasn't tense there was an expectation that something would happen. Reinforcements beefed up the NYPD ranks and they warned those within earshot to clear out. Violent pushing, shoving and some punching later and the protesters were back on the sidewalk. Then a projectile was thrown from the crowd toward the police and about 30 seconds later there was a surge into the sidewalk by about 20 officers to attempt to catch whoever had thrown the object.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police clear protesters from the area around Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Tense expressions on the NYPD and vocal rants from the protesters, some taunting, "The more you attack us the stronger we get", some trying to find common ground. One officer yelled back "Shut your mouth!"

Police opened up a sidewalk leading to Zuccotti Park, which now stands freshly washed, with new barricades and a lot more officers.

John Makely / msnbc.com

NYPD officers surround Zuccotti park after cleaning crews finished removing tents and power-washing the plaza.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Members of the press, including John Makely of msnbc.com, center, work alongside tired protesters near Zuccotti Park early on Nov. 15.

Read our latest news story on the clearance of Zuccotti Park and see more coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement on PhotoBlog.

Sometimes the greatest insights we get into a president come years after they have served. For our fortieth president, a multitude of quotes and short stories have been released in a new book, "The Notes."

Reagan had recorded the information on note cards, which he kept with him. The cards can be seen sitting next to the phone in this photo shot by White House photographer Pete Souza.

Pete Souza / The White House

President Reagan sits at his desk in the Oval Office. His leather-bound collection of notebooks and 3x5 joke cards sit beside the phone.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library

Edited by Douglas Brinkley and released May 10, 2011, the cover of The Notes: Ronald Reagan's Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom.

During a renovation at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Texas, the staff discovered a box that had "RR's Desk" scrawled on it. Inside: what amounted to the contents of Reagan's White House desk. Everything from pencils, pens, paper clips to rubber bands. Also inside, they found 46 double-sided note cards, with various quotes on them. They also found 45 joke cards on which Reagan wrote one-liners that were his favorites to insert into speeches spanning his career.

Biographer Douglas Brinkley, who edited the book, writes in the introduction:

"All of the notes were handwritten. When Reagan was recopying various quotations, he was especially neat. His scrawl is impeccable—seldom does he employ a cross-out or correct a mis-start. Clearly, legibility was a high priority to him."

"Sometimes he uses an asterisk or makes a hearty underline for emphasis. Shorthand is often the order of the day. The reader gets the impression that Reagan is a redwood tree and these are the decorations of his own philosophy, the ammunition he will need to survive the hustings ahead."

The material in the book is largely transcribed from the cards. Scans of two of the original cards can be seen below:

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library

A scan of one of the note cards found in Ronald Reagan's belongings.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library

A scan of one of the note cards found in Ronald Reagan's belongings.

Related Content:
Slideshow: Ronald Reagan's Legacy

Jonathan Woods writes: Of the top 30 newspapers across the U.S., here are the front page layouts that caught our eye.

New York Daily News

The (Cleveland, OH) Plain Dealer

The Denver Post

Detroit Free Press

(Minnesota) Star-Tribune

The New York Times

You can see most all of Today's front pages from around the world here.

Related stories:
How the US tracked bin Laden
Photos: Osama bin Laden's hideout revealed
Osama Bin Laden: The most wanted face of terrorism
Slideshow: World reacts to death of Osama bin Laden
Photos: We think that bin Laden 'death photo' is a fake

Jonathan Woods writes: Many images from the compound reported to be the hideout of Osama bin Laden have surfaced. In addition to images of the compound, photos of portions of a helicopter have also been made available to us.

Update, 12:33 p.m. ET: The CIA has released two satellite images and an artist's rendering of the compound. The latitude and longitude of the compound are reportedly 34.169271, 73.242618. The planners of the raid against bin Laden used satellite systems not only to determine how his hideout was laid out, but also to follow the military action in real time. Read: How satellites helped get Osama.  

CIA via AP

The Abbottabad, Pakistan compound where American forces in Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden.

CIA via AP

An image released by the CIA shows the compound where Osama bin Laden was living, before its construction in 2004, left, and after its construction, in 2011.

CIA via AP

The CIA has supplied this artist's rendering of the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan where American forces in Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden.

Bill Dedman, investigative reporter for msnbc.com, reports that the operation Sunday went smoothly except for a mechanical problem with a U.S. helicopter, which was destroyed to protect intelligence information, senior officials said. Read: How the US tracked bin Laden. 

Anjum Naveed / AP

A Pakistani soldier stands near a compound where it is believed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lived in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Monday, May 2.

AFP - Getty Images

A crashed military helicopter is seen near the hideout of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after a ground operation by US Special Forces in Abbottabad on May 2.

Farooq Naeem / AFP - Getty Images

Pakistani army soldiers move pieces of a crashed helicopter near the hideout of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after a ground operation by US Special Forces in Abbottabad on May 2.

Anjum Naveed / AP

The area surrounding a compound where it is believed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lived seen in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Monday, May 2.

Anjum Naveed / AP

Pakistan army soldiers rest near the house where it is believed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden lived in Abbottabad, Pakistan on Monday, May 2.

Related stories:
How the US tracked bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden: The most wanted face of terrorism
Slideshow: World reacts to death of Osama bin Laden
Photos: We think that bin Laden 'death photo' is a fake

Associated Press reports: Tornadoes and floods, which have killed seven people in Arkansas, threatened at least two more days of destruction, forecasters said on Tuesday.

Danny Johnston / AP

People stand near a destroyed house in Vilonia, Ark., on Tuesday, April 26 after a tornado struck the area late Monday. The storm system killed at least seven people, including three who drowned in floods in northwest Arkansas.

Danny Johnston / AP

People walk on a road in Vilonia, Ark., on April 26, after a tornado hit the area late Monday.

Danny Johnston / AP

The remains of a building rest adjacent to its foundation in Vilonia, Ark., on Tuesday.

 Read more on this story and see more images here.

AP reports: At least 24 Filipinos were nailed to wooden crosses to re-enact Jesus Christ's suffering in a local Good Friday rite rejected by Catholic church leaders but witnessed by throngs of believers and thousands of tourists.

Romeo Ranoco / Reuters

Portraying Jesus Christ, Menandro Penafiel, 34, falls to the ground after being whipped and kicked by Roman soldiers to reenact Christ's persecution and death during Good Friday in Boac town, Marinduque island, central Philippines, on Friday.

Ruben Enaje, a 50-year-old sign painter, screamed in pain as villagers dressed as Roman centurions hammered four-inch, stainless steel nails through his palm and set him aloft on a cross under a brutal sun for a few minutes in San Pedro Cutud village in Pampanga province as thousands watched.

Twenty-three other Filipino men were crucified in the rice-growing province, officials said.

It was Enaje's 25th crucifixion. He says surviving nearly unscathed when he fell from a three-story building in 1985 prompted him to undergo the annual ordeal. Aside from thanking God, Enaje now prays for more painting jobs.

"Not a bone in my body was broken when I fell from that building," Enaje said. "It was a miracle."

"Now, I'm praying for good health and more clients," Enaje told The Associated Press.

Erik de Castro / Reuters

Spectators watch as a penitent is nailed to a cross during the Good Friday lenten crucifixion rites in Cutud at San Fernando city of Pampanga province in northern Philippines on Friday, April 22. Nearly two dozen Filipinos were nailed to crosses to re-enact the passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, in what they see as an extreme display of devotion which the Roman Catholic church criticizes as a distortion of the Easter message.

Ahead of the crucifixions, throngs of penitents walked several miles (kilometers) through village streets and beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood, sometimes splashing spectators with blood. Some participants opened cuts in the penitents' backs using broken glass to ensure the ritual was sufficiently bloody.

The gory spectacle reflects the Philippines' unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for sins, pray for the sick or a better life and give thanks for what they believe were God-given miracles.

Erik de Castro / Reuters

Penitent Ruben Enaje grimaces in pain as he is nailed to a cross on Friday.

The most number of crucifixions were staged beside a ricefield in Pampanga's San Pedro Cutud village, where 15 men were nailed to crosses three at a time on a dusty mound as more than 30,000 people, including three European ambassadors, watched and snapped pictures. An ambulance stood by and more than 20 tourists fainted or got dizzy in the heat, officials said.

Amid the festive air — villagers peddled bottled water, food and religious items everywhere — police and marshalls kept order. Some displayed banners with a reminder: "Silence please and take care of your belongings."

Foreigners have been banned from taking part after an Australian comic got crucified under a false name a few years ago near Pampanga. Authorities also suspected that a Japanese man sought to be crucified as part of a porn film in 1996, tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said.

"They made a mockery out of a local tradition," she said.

Erik de Castro / Reuters

Three-inch nails pierce the feet of a penitent crucified during the Good Friday lenten rites in San Juan on Friday.

 Church leaders in the Philippines, Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation, have frowned on the Easter week rituals, saying Filipinos can show their deep faith without hurting themselves.

Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, based in Iloilo Province, said the crucifixions and self-flagellations are an "imperfect imitation with doubtful theological and social significance," adding that only Jesus Christ's death saved mankind.

Pampanga Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said the bloody rites reflected the church's failure to fully educate many Filipinos on Christian tenets.

Enaje and the other penitents said the church should respect their belief.

"When I'm up there on the cross, I feel very close to God," Enaje said. "We grew up with this tradition and nothing can stop us."

Erik de Castro / Reuters

Penitents hang on crosses as they are crucified during Good Friday Lenten rites in Cutud, San Fernando Pampanga in northern Philippines on Friday.

Red Cross officials' concern centered on possible health problems like infection, heat stroke, blood loss and even death from the intense beating. They urged devotees to consider other forms of penance, including donating blood.

San Pedro Cutud village leader Remigio dela Cruz said no major health problem has befallen any penitent since the crucifixions began there in the 1950s. The nails are soaked in alcohol for as long as a year then sprinkled with holy water before use, he said.

Dondi Tawatao / Getty Images

Devout members of the religious sect "25 Mysteries Catholic Lay Missionaries" take part in a panata (or vow) called "Alay Luhod" to mark Holy Week in San Miguel town in Bulacan, Philippines, on Friday.

Jonathan Woods writes: Each year around Easter, a handful of Hungarians take part in a tradition dating back to 2nd century AD. Donning traditional garb, boys and girls take to the streets for what they call the "watering of the girls."

It's a fertility ritual from a pre-Christian time in Hungarian tribes, where boys throw buckets of water of young girls running past them.

Attila Kisbenedek / AFP - Getty Images

School girls in traditional clothes of the 'Matyo' minority prepare for traditional Easter celebrations on April 21.

Attila Kisbenedek / AFP - Getty Images

Local school girls, wearing the traditional clothes of the 'Matyo' minority, react as boys throw water on them east of Budapest on Thursday, April 21. Locals from northeast Hungary celebrate Easter with the traditional "watering of the girls," a fertility ritual rooted in Hungary's tribal pre-Christian past, going as far back as the second century AD.

Bela Szandelszky / AP

A bucket of water is poured onto a Matyo minority girl dressed in traditional clothing in Mezokovesd, central Hungary on April 21.

Attila Kisbenedek / AFP - Getty Images

Boys throw water on girls in Mezokovesd, east of Budapest, Hungary, on April 21.

In response to a comment below from Cassandra we took time to dig up some additional information on the Matyo people.

The most in-depth information we found was via a Hungarian folk art site.

Although the "watering of the girls" celebrations don't appear to be confined to one geographic region, The Matyo are said to be located in Northern Hungary in the settlements of Mezökövesd, and two smaller villages, Szentistván and Tard.

Folk Art Hungary says "The Matyo area is united and distinguished from the other settlements of the region by the colourful costumes and famous folklore art... Their lives are tightly interwoven with tradition... Mezökövesd earned its nationwide reputation based on its unique costumes and free-hand embroidery style." 

Bela Szandelszky / AP

Matyo minority boys dressed in traditional clothing prepare for a Hungarian Easter tradition, when boys pour buckets of water on girls in Mezokovesd, central Hungary.

Jonathan Woods writes: Sleep deprivation leads people to do crazy things. For Norwegian photographer Terje Sorgjerd, a week atop Spain's highest mountain with very little shuteye produced results that even he was surprised by.

Sorgjerd talked with us about the experience of capturing the images.

Terje Sorgjerd

The Milky Way is seen above, through a Saharan sandstorm.

Terje: As I set up to shoot a five-hour sequence of the milky way [above], I got hit by a large Saharan sandstorm. I took cover behind some rocks and eventually made it over to the camera only to find that it had captured some amazing pictures of the Milky Way through the sandstorm clouds.

Jonathan: What I find remarkable about these images is the way Terje is able to capture light without significant manipulations. The human eye has much greater latitude to see details cameras cannot. High Dynamic Range is a form of manipulation that enhances images. In the captions below, Terje is asserting that by not using HDR technology, he has not substantially manipulated these images.

It is also worth mentioning that a photographer who is skilled at his or her craft can make substantial improvements to images when, as Terje references below, making adjustments to the raw image.

Terje Sorgjerd

The sun rises off Mount Teide with views of Grand Canarya. Image shot using a Canon 5D Mark II with 16-35mm/2.8LII and 3-stop graduated neutral density filter to bring out the colors. No HDR or Photoshop. Only raw adjustment.

Terje: After a magnificent view of the Milky Way, it was time to move on to shooting sunrise and what a magical sunrise we got. In the distant background you can see the neighboring island of Grand Canarya.

Terje Sorgjerd

A valley on Mount Teide. No HDR or Photoshop. Only raw adjustment. The video frame is over twice the resolution.

Terje Sorgjerd

The sun sets on Mount Teide. Photographed with a Canon 5D MarkII with 16-35mm/2.8LII and 2-stop graduated ND filter. No HDR or Photoshop. Only raw adjustment.

Terje: As you hike around this island, you will notice how regular and precise the weather patterns really are. I noticed this spot with the clouds moving in a very nice pattern and decided to mark it off as a sunset spot the next day. An absolute marvelous sunset it was.

Terje Sorgjerd

The milky way glows above photographer Terje Sorgjerd in a self portrait. The photo was a 30 second exposure shot through a 24mm/1.4 lens at ISO 2000. No HDR.

Terje: After seven days of hiking and shooting without sleep I was making my way down to the airport when I realized I did not have a single shot of myself and the Milky Way. This was the very last shot and the only one with myself in it. I am lit up by a macbookair screen hid about 10 meters away reflecting off a rock.

Related content:
Watch the original video on Vimeo
The northern lights, like never seen before
From San Francisco to Paris in 2 minutes (time lapse)
Month in Space
Stunning views of the sun ... and Discovery?!
Terje's website