Sunday, August 10, 2008

Queenscape: balconies or hanging junkyards?

This is what Elmhurst looks like these days. And the City says Willets Point is blighted...

22 comments:

Frank Lloyd Crap said...

Oh c'mon Crappy, I know you took this pic in Mexico city or some other filthy third world city. Stop trying to pass it off as Elmhurst.

Anonymous said...

Mexico City was once considered the Paris of this part of World until population went from 7 Million to 24 plus Million people.

If Bloomberg and developer friends have their way it will very soon happen here.

By the way, they are doing a better job recycling there than NYers are doing. They also have better and cleaner parks everywhere in Mexico.

Are you still looking down your nose?

NYers have always been slobs.

Signed a born and raised NYer.

Anonymous said...

Like downtown Flushing (lovingly reviewed by Marrone the Moron a few months ago) this is prime tweeder territory.

This is America tomorrow the clubhouse tells us.

What, dear boy, is the problem?!?!

Anonymous said...

yes, just look at all the contamination and illeagal business happening there. we shouldnt redevelop foul-smelling shady dead end neighborhoods we should make snotty archie bunker insinuations about people who've done nothing to deserve it. way to go.

georgetheatheist said...

Do you think the City Council could pass a law outlawing this aesthetic blight? They did pass the Lawn Litter Law. (Which is certainly being observed on my property.)

Anonymous said...

balconies = outdoor closet

Anonymous said...

There should be a law. This is horrible and happening to what use to be good neighborhoods.

Ridgewoodian said...

Let's see - the one on the top left seems to be mostly flowers and plants. Of course, as we all know flowers and plants are basically toxic waste.

The lower left and upper right could be a bit less cluttered. I suspect that the clothes hanging on the upper right aren't a permanent fixture.

The bottom left does look nasty, what with that garbage. Depending on what's in those bags it might even be some kind of health risk. Someone should probably knock on that person's door.

In general I think Anonymous #3 is right on.

Anonymous said...

Elmhurst is disgusting, plus overcrowded.
As the foreignors have moved in at record speed, reproducing at record speeds, its hard to know if i am in America anymore.
Almost no one in Queens speaks English..now it is primarily spanish or chinese...
These neighborhoods have deteriorated as the foreignors have invaded, many from third world countries , bringing neighborhoods down instead of improving them. with littering,
not taking care of things, and images such as those balconies in elmhurst.
Flushing is rapidly following the tracks of Elhmurst ..when at one time, it used to be a beautiful area of large properties, beautiful old homes...now replaced by ugly , multi family dwellings , overcrowding neighborhoods, diffult parking, and unsightly
, unesthetic views such as the one in the elmhurst photos.
I miss the days of beautiful old flushing and new york.

Anonymous said...

Wow Ridgewoodian finally admits to being pro-eminent domain abuse after defending the worst Supreme Court decision since the 3/5 decision in the 1800s in another comment.

He also never seems to comment under anything except those posts that mention immigrant populations or bikes. Doesn't care about overdevelopment, sewers, Tommy Huang, etc.

And the picture at the top left shows pet cages amongst the flowers. He doesn't think this looks that bad, eh? I wonder what kind of environment this boy was raised in, besides tweeded.

Anonymous said...

Ridgewoodian surely pops a "woodie" every time someone slams one of his south of the border buddies!

Clean up that trash.

"Manana, (tomorrow) manana, (tomorrow) manana's soon enough for me"!

Who wrote that old ditty anyway?

Anonymous said...

The goal is to find someone you can be yourself around, who makes you laugh, who challenges you in a good way, and where you just spark off each other,

-----------

Very very good point. So how about it Ridgewoodian?

Anonymous said...

This post is a good advertisement for self storage places everywhere... either that or garbage dumpster companies. Where are those KFIR dumpers when we need them?

Anonymous said...

yes, just look at all the contamination and illeagal business happening there. we shouldnt redevelop foul-smelling shady dead end neighborhoods we should make snotty archie bunker insinuations about people who've done nothing to deserve it. way to go.

ILLEAGAL BUSINESS IF THERE ARE ANY THE CITY SHOULD GO AND CLOSE THEM DOWN BUT THE CITY LAEVES THEM THERE WHAT A SHITY CITY THAY KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND DO NOTHING ABOUT IT I CANT WAIT TO GET OUT OF THIS SHIT HOLE STATE ALL THE PEOPLE RUNNIG IT ARE JUST OUT FOR THEM SELFS MONEY MONEY MONEY THATS WHAT WILLETS POINT IS ABOUT WHO COULD MAKE THE MOST $$$$$$$$$

Anonymous said...

Coming to an off, off, Broadway theater near you!!!

Elmhurst!!!! The Musical!!!!

Vibrant!! Diverse!!!!

Starring: Pepé Le Pew, as the saintly undocumented guest worker from south of the border, the man who can't possibly do anything wrong!!!

And special guest star!!!!

Ridgewoodian!!!!

Playing himself!!!! (Which is what he does best!!!) The white liberal trust funder who tirelessly crusades on the behalf of "undocumented guest workers", and can find no fault in any of their actions!!!!

Also starring:

Salvatore!!!!

The man with not one, but TWO masters degrees!!!! Oppression Studies and Womyn's Studies!!!! He's Ridgewoodian's doppleganger!!! He also thinks undocumented guest worker poop doesn't stink!!!!

Written and directed by: Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon!!!

Produced by: Michael Moore!!!!
Casting by: SEAN PENN!!!!

Anonymous said...

Capt wade rickles, can you tell all the drunking white astoria kids from years ago and present to stop smashing glass all over the astoria park water front.Can you also bring back the Pepsi plant from Mexico.
Your movie stars a oxycontin limbaugh getting whores in Peurto Rico and bush snorting coke off whores in Mexico skipping guard duty.Rated x.Tickets go for 4.75 a gallon and 7 billion dollars a month in non refundable private investment in Halliburton "energy".

Anonymous said...

They should be fined, and fined heavily.

Ridgewoodian said...

ANONYMOUS: The goal is to find someone you can be yourself around, who makes you laugh, who challenges you in a good way, and where you just spark off each other,

-----------

Very very good point. So how about it Ridgewoodian?

Are you trying to date me?

ANONYMOUS: Wow Ridgewoodian finally admits to being pro-eminent domain abuse after defending the worst Supreme Court decision since the 3/5 decision in the 1800s in another comment.

I assume you’re talking about the Kelo decision, since that’s the only Supreme Court decision I’ve written about lately. If you read what I’ve written you’ll see that I’m actually fairly conflicted about it. Although, having since read the majority and dissenting opinions I must say, to this non-lawyer at least, the majority opinion seems more persuasively argued. And, ironically, since it was the so-called moderates and liberals on the court who decided the case, it was a “conservative” opinion, based on longstanding precedent and the principle of deferral to the people’s democratically elected representatives. Justice Thomas, on the other hand…I’m not sure what exactly is conservative about his dissent, which calls for the reversal of more than a century’s worth of jurisprudence. Which, perhaps could be a good thing to do, or could be bad, but in either case would be radical.

Crappie helpfully informed me that, “for the millionth time, the Supreme Court is wrong…” Why? Because, “the taking of private property by the government to give to someone else was not what the founding fathers had in mind…” Of course he or she doesn’t explain how exactly they were able to read the minds of men two centuries in their grave. And even if they could which Founder’s interpretation they would privilege (remember, they were a fractious lot and Washington wasn’t Madison, who wasn’t Mason who wasn’t Hamilton, who wasn’t Franklin, who wasn’t Gerry, who wasn’t Adams, who certainly wasn’t Jefferson). And even if we could know, say, Madison’s thoughts perfectly on the meaning of every jot and tittle of the text, Crappie doesn’t explain why that interpretation should be final and binding for all time. Was Madison an angel, incapable of error? Were the Founders in general infallible? If they were, fine. If not – and I don’t think that you can say that they were – then their opinions, as far as they can be ascertained, matter, sure, but so does later opinion – which has the advantage of having lived with the Founders’ work.

The Constitution was written in broad phrases, many of them requiring interpretation. This particular case came down to what the words “public use,” mean. Building on previous interpretations – for example, various cases in which private land was seized and given to the private railroads for the benefit of some if not all of the public – the court decided that New London’s actions, while somewhat novel, were legitimate. That doesn’t mean that the power has to be exercised. Crappie mentioned that 42 states have passed laws limiting the use or eminent domain. Fine. I have no problem with that. That’s democracy. And since it only takes 38 states to agree to amend the Constitution, perhaps it wouldn’t be terribly difficult to write Justice Thomas’ opinion into our basic law – that property should not be taken unless it then becomes the property of the government or is accessible by the whole public. But that could lead to its own problems. Until then I’m more or less willing to give the five justices who made that decision the benefit of the doubt that they know the law and that they didn’t just pull a decision out of thin air. I’m certainly going to privilege their opinion over yours or Crappie’s, until either or both of you show me that you’re a reborn John Marshall or a new Earl Warren.

As for the “3/5 decision” that you mention, I’m not sure what you mean. Perhaps you mean the Dred Scott decision which was truly dreadful but which had nothing whatever to do with 3/5 apportionment clause in Article I of the Constitution.

As for Kelo being the worst decision since the 19th Century, you’ve got to be kidding. How about, just off the top of the head: Schenck v. United States, Korematsu v. United States, Bowers v. Hardwick, Bush v. Gore. Some would include Roe v. Wade.

As for the issues I post about, well, a lot of immigration issues are brought up on this blog and there’s a lot of ugliness about it. Biking gets my attention when the automobilers get into an indignant huff over it. I don’t know when YOU post because you don’t have the goddamn common courtesy to adopt a consistent handle.

As to where I was brought up: about 20 minutes north of New London, CT, site of the Kelo case.

Ridgewoodian said...

Ah, Wade, you are an amusing person. Wish I had a trust fund, though.

Anonymous said...

wade and ridgewoodian:

you two need to get a room already

Anonymous said...

Didn't you know? Balconies are for storage. Closets are for extra bedrooms.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately I live close to this mess. I blame the landlord scum who rent to these people. They still charge 16, 17, 1800+ for an apartment and let 10 or 15 people live there. I am lucky that my building is co-op and the people care about the building.