A week that lasts forever

I found another newspaper box with an ancient copy of the Ledge in it. If these boxes have been abandoned, shouldn't they be hauled away by DSNY?

Reporting on the past, charging for the future

This photo was snapped this past Monday, January 20th, 2014 along Grand Avenue. There are 2 things that are very, very wrong with this newspaper vending box. Let's see if you can pick them out. (You may have click on it to enlarge it in order to spot the problems.)

Will vandals strike this mural?

From the Queens Ledger:

When Paola Belotti attended a barbecue that was hosted in the alleyway behind Maspeth Discount Liquors some years back, she was distracted by the graffiti covering the surrounding walls, particularly the atrocities on the back wall of 56-05 69th Street.

After befriending the owner, she volunteered to cover the graffiti and paint a simple picture on the wall, selecting a Tuscan landscape because, as she pointed out, Tuscany is the place that comes to mind when people think of wine.

After painting the landscape, Belotti felt there was too much green in the mural, so she added more details characteristic of the region: cypress trees, vineyards, terracotta pottery, a lemon tree, a little villa in the distance.

“I know Tuscany and I know what looks good in a big space like this,” said the native of Lake Como, Italy. “I have an idea in my mind, but during my work it comes together little by little.”

Belotti, a textile designer by profession, studied fine arts in Italy and paints only as a hobby, but her artistic skill is evident in the detail of her landscape mural. Certain aspects of the picture look almost three-dimensional.

“The colors are like Tuscany and it’s really like this, with the rolling hills,” she said. “Everybody has joked they want to be inside the picture.”

The completion of the mural took Belotti at least two weeks. She realizes all her hard work will have gone to waste if her painting gets defaced, but she remains optimistic.

“Who does graffiti? In some way they are artists too,” said Belotti. “I think when they see something nice, they will respect it…I hope.”

How not to publish a newspaper, part 20 (website edition)

When I think about Marge Markey the word "blogger" doesn't come to mind, so I can almost understand why the entry where she shares her thoughts is blank.
But why you would leave this up for an extended period of time is something only the publisher of the Queens Ledge can answer.

How not to publish a newspaper, part 19 (website edition)

The Queens Ledge has been having a lot of trouble keeping their dates straight lately. But this comes as no surpise considering that its publisher has a history of problems with numbers.

Worst. Photoshop. Ever.

So you want to do something cutesy to illustrate an upcoming concert by a rock star at Shea Stadium.

"I know, let's put him in a baseball hat!"
"Wait, someone already did, but it's the wrong team at the wrong venue."

What to do? Well, if you're the Queens Ledge, you take the cover of a VHS that came out in 1990 and badly Photoshop "Shea" over the word "Yankee" and then make a horror show out of the symbol on the hat as well.

Here's the original for comparison.

Yes, Billy Joel will play the last concert at Shea this Friday. Here he is in a real Mets hat looking like he does today, not 18 years ago when he had dark hair on his head and not gray hair on his face and was married to a supermodel.

How not to publish a newspaper, part 17 (website edition)

I believe the Democratic Presidential candidate's surname is "Obama".

Truth about debate no-shows revealed

Anthony Como and Elizabeth Crowley used the excuse that they were attending a newspaper round table discussion at the Queens Ledge on Tuesday night as the reason for cancelling on their commitment to participate in a debate at Our Lady of Hope in Middle Village. The other two candidates, Charles Ober and Tom Ognibene, were also asked to attend the newspaper's event at 7:30, but both stood firm and chose to go to the debate. Ober made an appointment at the newspaper for 9:30 that same evening and Ognibene went at noon yesterday. So the 7:30 time was not a "do-or-die" for either Crowley or Como. It's obvious that they don't have the cojones to face tough questions.

Crowley cannot handle issue-oriented questions, nevermind straightforward questions about her indiscretions past and present. Como is a pretty dim bulb as well, and it is becoming more and more obvious that he will act as the sacrificial lamb for Serf Maltese who made a deal with Joe Crowley to give Dizzy Lizzy the seat. Como is only in the race to split the GOP vote. This is why he didn't show at the debate either.

This entire race is a farce with the people of the district being played for fools - as usual. The voters in Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Glendale better wake up and smell the coffee, and do so fast.

Empty suits leave empty seats

After initially confirming that they would attend, Elizabeth Crowley and Anthony Como wimped out of a debate hosted by the Juniper Park Civic Association last night at the last minute, claiming they had to attend, of all things, an editorial board meeting at the Queens Ledge scheduled hours in advance for the exact same time. The civic's forum was not to be a candidates night, but a true debate, with tough questions and the opportunity for rebuttals. Apparently, Ms. Crowley and Mr. Como were afraid of being exposed as the no-talent hacks that they are, so they conspired with Walter Sanchez, publisher of the Queens Ledge, to come up with an excuse (and a lame one at that).
Charles Ober kept his promise and impressed many in attendance with his knowledge of issues specific to Middle Village and Maspeth.
Mr. Ognibene, the former councilman for this area, brought up the fact that Anthony Como is contributing to overdevelopment by building a hideous McMansion on the same street that Tom lives on. "This thing casts a shadow on my house," Ognibene lamented.

Both candidates also raked Crowley over the coals regarding her campaign finance fraud charges and her disqualification from the matching funds program.

Before ending for the night, the community was told by JPCA President Robert Holden, "Remember who insulted you here tonight by not showing up."

Ognibene & Ober: 1
Como & Crowley: 0

Photos and story from the Juniper Park Civic Association (with edits)

How not to publish a newspaper, part 15 (website edition)

And it's back to the Queens Ledge:




How many pages labelled "Editorials" do we need?



Either they're short on content this week, or the guy who did the website left.

How not to publish a newspaper, part 10 (website edition)

Crappy, I was browsing from the office and decided to check out the Queens Ledger's website. This is the message that popped up on my computer screen! - anonymous


See also:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

How not to publish a newspaper, part 9

Before running ads in your paper, it's best to get authorization from the advertisers...

Addabbo denies that his office bought the ads with any kind of funds. He blames the [Queens Ledger] newspaper, saying they ran last year's ad without being told to do so.

A spokesman for Gallagher said the ad was placed in the newspaper without their knowledge or consent and has not been paid for.

Councilman Says He Didn't Authorize Ad

I can just imagine what the Ledge's accounting books look like...

See also:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 10

Gallagher St. Saviour's money never existed

Well, folks, we all knew it was coming. The $1 million Dennis Gallagher claimed to have secured in the 2008 Parks budget never existed. Here are some excerpts from articles about the proposed church move where Pinky reveals himself:

"Since the money had been allocated to the Parks Department, the councilman said by process it is impossible to switch the funds to purchase the site without a budget modification, followed by a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) hearing.

The entire process could take well over a year, and during that time span Saint Saviour's could be demolished." - Queens Ledge, 2/21/08

"...Gallagher told the Times Newsweekly that while he supports the project "if it can be done with private money," securing public funding for the endeavor out of the city budget would be difficult.

The original $1 million procurement, which he said was allocated to the Parks Department budget, must be transferred to the city's General Services fund, a maneuver 'which normally isn't done until the adoption of the city budget in June'.

In order to acquire the church, Gallagher added, the transaction must go before the city's Uniform Land Use Review Process for approval, which he said could take up to a year to complete." - Times Newsweekly, 2/21/08

Hmmm...wow I don't know where to begin. Let's start with the fact that the $1 million was never in the Parks Department budget. How do I know this? I have an e-mail that was forwarded to me that says so:

"While it would be desirable to have more open space in the area, we have no funding whatsoever to advance the acquisition of this site, let alone future development and maintenance funding." - Assistant Commissioner for Planning Joshua Laird, 11/2/07

Mr. Laird also reportedly said the following to Simeon Bankoff, Christabel Gough, Tony Nunziato, Mary Jablonski and Christina Wilkinson at a meeting at the Arsenal on 9/7/07:

"There is no money for St. Saviour’s in the 2008 Parks budget. If there was a million dollars in our budget for this project, I would know about it."

Now, let's move on to the ULURP smokescreen. This would not be a ULURP project, as the city would not take possession of the land the building would be on. The money would be donated to All Faiths Cemetery, a not-for-profit, as a capital grant. Kind of like the expansion of the Catalpa YMCA (a private entity) that Gallagher constantly brags about:

"Nearly $2 million in additional capital funding has been secured by local elected officials, according to Council Member Dennis Gallagher, noting that his office as well as Queens Borough President Helen Marshall had reserved money for the project in this year’s city’s budget. State Sen. Serphin Maltese and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan have also secured state funding, Gallagher added." - Times Newsweekly, 8/3/06

You'll recall that Gallagher's original plan to buy the piece of property the church sits on and make it Parks Department property would have required a change to the city map that would definitely have had to go through the year-long ULURP process, so his excuse makes no sense.

Here's the budget. Look under "Parks" and see if you find it yourself.

"Dennis Gallagher is a lying, cheating piece of shit." - Mrs. Dennis Gallagher (as per a neighbor) to the NY Post, 7/11/07

Why So Quick To Rezone?

Dear Editor (Queens Ledge):

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has presented to the New York City Planning Commission a proposal that would make some notable changes to the zoning text.

The proposal consists of six parts. It is my understanding that the AIA had originally submitted over thirty changes, however, the Planning Commission would only consider the six parts.

Five of the six parts propose changes in higher density neighborhoods zoned R6 through R10)”. Among the changes being considered are changes that concern increased lot coverage on small corner lots, a change that concerns maximum base height of a building and a change that concerns the construction of multi-family buildings on small lots. In Bayside, there is an R6 type zone along Northern Blvd, from the Clearview Expressway to the Cross Island Parkway. Bell Blvd has a similar zoning designation along much of the business area.

The remaining part of the AIA plan proposed change in lower density neighborhoods. This part of the proposal would waive certain side yard requirements in R3-1, R3-2, R4 and R5 zones. That would mean that houses could be built closer to the property line in many cases.

The AIA claims that these changes will allow them to build better building. However, many civic and community leaders view this effort as an attempt by this organization to pass changes beneficial only to themselves an many other developers.

Many parts of this proposal seem to be a step backward from progress already made in curbing overdevelopment and inappropriate development in our communities. I believe that the public wants to move forward in preserving the character of our communities, not slide backwards because of self-serving interests.

Much progress has been made in recent years in contextually rezoning large areas of our city.Many more neighborhoods are eagerly awaiting rezoning including Auburndale, North Flushing, Waldheim, Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens right here in Northeast Queens. The City Planning Commission is also considering zoning text changes that deal with yards and street trees in an attempt to increase the greening of our neighborhoods. All of these changes are positive ones. We do not want to impede this progress.

This AIA proposal seems to be moving through too fast without proper consideration from community boards, civic associations and the public in general. The proposal was certified by the Planning Commission on October 29, 2007, and the public input part of the process closes January 8, 2008. The proposal has only come to the attention of most community groups during the las few weeks. Why the secrecy? Why the rush?

I agree with those leaders who call on the AIA to withdraw this proposal at this time so that the various parts can be studies and evaluated properly by community groups and other. We should no be rushed into considering passage of this proposal without carefully examining its impact. The AIA has an obvious bias to lobby for changes in its own interest, but we need to make sure that the parts of any proposal for change are in the public interest rather than in special interest. If these changes proposed by the AIA are truly as worthy as they claim, then they will stand up to the test of scrutiny by the public and others.

Sincerely,
Henry Euler
Bayside

Happy Holidays from the Queens Ledge

Teetering on the Ledge

The owner and publisher of the Queens Ledge, Walter Sanchez, was handpicked by Councilman Dennis Gallagher to become vice chair of community board 5. He is also former chair of the land use committee. This photo is evidence that he truly cares about his community. Great choice, Pinky!

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

CB5's double standard

The Queens Ledge is such a godsend. They actually did a rather fair piece on the happen- ings at last week's CB5 meeting up until the last 2 paragraphs:

For his part, Arcuri said he had been reacting to words that could have been construed the wrong way, upsetting people. But he also said he would not condone personal attacks. "Personal attacks shouldn't be made in a public hearing," he said.

CB5 Treasurer Kathy Masi, meanwhile, supported Arcuri's judgment. "I am very proud to work with a chairman who has the ability to recognize the difference between freedom of speech and blatant defamation and hatred," she said.

Gallagher Out Of Sight, Not Out Of Mind

"Vinny should be commended for protecting CB5 from participating in supporting anyone who would use our public forum as a platform for their own personal agenda," Masi added.

No quotes from the people who yelled "freedom of speech", eh?

Earth to Kathy: The public forum is where people come to promote their own personal agenda, not to recite poetry.

The statements made in the paper by Mr. Arcuri and Ms. Masi are interesting considering that that on April 11, 2007, Councilman Dennis Gallagher appeared at CB5 and handed out his own written personal attack on members of the group fighting to save St. Saviour's Church. Distribution of written info is "done only with the permission of the Board, or of the Chairperson, with the consent of the Board" (Article VI, item I, CB5 rules). That night, apparently Mr. Arcuri lost his fantastic "ability to recognize the difference between freedom of speech and blatant defamation and hatred". Ms. Masi also voiced no objection to the content of that letter. In fact, there was no screaming or beating of tables in protest at that meeting. So, it appears there is a double standard at community board 5. Attacks on constituents by politicians are acceptable, but criticism of elected officials by taxpayers is not.

Dennis Gallagher, is a liar

Let's read the above carefully. Last year, Dennis Gallagher took credit for stopping the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel. This year, the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel is a threat, according to Elizabeth Crowley, whose background is in art, not historic preservation. (She's the chick Tom Manton chose to run against and take a dive to Pinky in 2001, who grew up in Elmhurst and lives in Glendale, but is somehow now a Maspeth activist.) According to her, housing must be built at St. Saviour's in order to stop the tunnel. That's quite a stretch considering that hundreds of people already live in the surrounding area. Did Joe put you up to this, Liz?

According to Dennis, he defeated Cross Harbor, yet somehow it is still a probability. Therefore, he must have failed miserably in stopping it. Or Pinky is now pulling it out of his ass as a convenient excuse to destroy St. Saviour's. Do Liz and Dennis really think that people are so stupid as to believe this B.S.? Amazing the lengths that this guy and his cronies will go to in order to line their pockets with developer money. But, you are seeing it before your very eyes.

Read the Queens Ledge story (didn't detect spyware on this one): Cool Mil to Buy St. Saviour's?

How not to publish a newspaper, part 7 (website edition)

Queens Crap will not be linking to stories from the Queens Ledge in the foreseeable future, for the following reason:
See also, "How not to publish a newspaper" (print edition):

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

How not to publish a newspaper, part 6

A note to the publisher:

Take a look in the mirror before you take that glamour shot, then take a look at the glamour shot before going to press...

In addition:

Indians did not found Maspeth in 1621. They had already been living there for many, many moons by that time. In 1621, European arrived and discovered that Indians were living there. (Try looking up the word "indigenous" in the dictionary.)

Article from the Queens Ledge

See also:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10