Stealing from the dead

From Fox 5:

A man who sells flowers near cemeteries is accused of making money by robbing the dead at St. Mary's and Flushing Cemeteries in Queens. The disturbing graveyard scheme has some people furious. Arnold Diaz got on the case. He confronted the man and got some interesting answers.

Profile of the tweeder

- Glibness and Superficial Charm

- Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.

- Grandiose Sense of Self
Feels entitled to certain things as "their right."

- Pathological Lying
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.

- Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.

- Shallow Emotions
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.

Doesn't this perfectly describe our elected officials? Unfortunately, the above came from a textbook about sociopathic tendencies...

Tommy Huang: "Klein Farm sold"

Over the holiday weekend, NY1 reported that the day care center operating out of the Klein Farm was told to leave the premises by Audrey Realty because the property had been sold. This report apparently isn't online yet; if and when it is posted, I will link to it. However, I did check the DOB and ACRIS sites and found nothing new for the site located at 194-15 73rd Avenue in Fresh Meadows. There is still an outstanding violation from 2007 that apparently has neither been corrected nor its fine paid.

Here's the Times Ledger's story about the Klein Farm.

2 more swine flu deaths

From the Daily News:

Two more New Yorkers infected with swine flu have died, health officials announced Tuesday.

It is not yet known if the H1N1 virus caused the latest two deaths - a 41-year-old woman from Queens and a 34-year-old man from Brooklyn.

The new cases bring to four the number of New Yorkers who have died after catching swine flu, said city health commissioner Thomas Frieden said.

Weiner's out of mayor's race

From City Hall:

Confirming suspicions that have circulated since he informed supporters in April that he would be suspending his campaign, Rep. Anthony Weiner is ending his mayoral aspirations for 2009, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. He will not seek the Democratic nomination for the fall.

Indications began circulating among his circle of advisors and supporters last week, with final word coming on Memorial Day. He plans to inform his finance committee with a conference call late Tuesday night. A press conference to elaborate is planned for Wednesday morning outside of his parents' Brooklyn home.

Queens Dems pick Johnny as money man

From the Daily News:

The Queens Democratic Party voted overwhelmingly this morning to endorse Councilman John Liu for comptroller, according to a source who was at the organization's meeting.

This is a blow for two other Queens Council members - Melinda Katz and David Weprin - who are also running to replace Comptroller Bill Thompson.

The vote: Liu 49, Weprin 6, Katz 3.

Bloomberg's grandiose parks plan on hold

From the NY Post:

Only two years ago, Mayor Bloomberg was hailed as a city green space champion after announcing a $386 million plan with fancy renderings to redo eight downtrodden parks through his sweeping PlaNYC initiative.

But with the city in fiscal crisis, the mayor's new spending plan cuts funding in half for five of them.

Projects to revive Manhattan's Fort Washington Park, Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn, Soundview Park in the Bronx and Highland and Rockaway parks in Queens have been gutted from a combined $206 million in 2007 to $102.9 million, city documents show.

At Dreier-Offerman near Coney Island, a $40 million plan to reclaim the park from the homeless and junkies by adding new athletic fields and restoring wetlands was cut to $19 million.

Fort Washington Park in Washington Heights saw a similar $40 million project slashed to $21.5 million while a $50 million plan to restore Ridgewood Reservoir and bring new athletic fields to Highland Park fell to $19.8 million.

A Parks official speaking on condition of anonymity said it's more likely some seasonal workers would be laid off, adding anticipated budget gaps could also be resolved by delaying or cutting spending on other park projects.

The official also said the city has a "bad" habit of commissioning renderings for park projects "it knows it'll never be able to fully fund" just to grab a quick headline "and boost the mayor's popularity."

Well, cutting the Ridgewood Reservoir destruction budget is not so bad because the ballfields aren't being used anyway.

Bloomie's an insensitive jerk

From the Daily News:

The widow of the city's first swine flu victim blasted Mayor Bloomberg for saying New Yorkers should "consider yourself lucky" to get the virus.

"I'm not feeling very lucky. I'm sorry I can't agree with that," said Bonnie Wiener, whose husband, Assistant Principal Mitchell Wiener, died last week.

"My children are not feeling very lucky either," the widow added. "It's a very puzzling comment to make."

Bloomberg made the awkward remark a day after the city suffered its second swine flu death.

"In some senses, if you have H1N1 [virus], you should consider yourself lucky because it so far seems to be a milder flu than the garden variety," Bloomberg said Monday.

Hey, remember when he told the family of a deceased detective who had contracted lung disease from Ground Zero that he was not a hero?

City destroying wetlands it wants to protect

From the Queens Chronicle:

New York City used to have over 300,000 acres of wetlands; today, less than one-tenth remain, due to development projects that have taken place over the past 150 years. Various federal and state laws regulate development in wetland areas, but there are gaps in the rules, which means many of the city’s marshy areas fall through the cracks.

To try to close the regulatory loopholes, the City Council recently passed a bill requiring that the city identify and document all remaining wetlands and develop a comprehensive conservation strategy for them. The goal is to prevent further net loss of wetlands in the city.

The bill passed unanimously in the council, and the mayor is expected to sign the legislation on Tuesday.

...according to a report issued by PlaNYC, the oversight of wetlands mitigation is uneven, so the city’s standards do little to close the gaps in state and federal regulations.

The goal of the legislation by the City Council is to reverse that problem by creating a city conservation strategy, to be completed in 2012.

In addition, the City Council passed a bill requiring that public wetlands — those owned by city agencies — be inventoried. An effort is also underway to transfer most city-owned wetlands to the Parks Department for protection. Of the wetlands that have been transferred so far, 90 percent are in Queens.

Wow, that Mike Bloomberg is soooo green! So why does he want to develop the Ridgewood Reservoir and Flushing Airport, which are both wetlands?

Melinda also crapping on Brooklyn

From the NY Times:

At the very beginning, the 19th-century political boss William M. Tweed was given stock in the Brooklyn Bridge company in exchange for his support.

Ms. Katz, who is running for city comptroller, has received major financial support from the real estate industry, whose interests she helps to oversee on the Land Use Committee. So far, people from Two Trees have contributed $29,700. And Mr. Walentas and his father, David, were on the finance committee for a Katz fund-raiser in June.

“There are only so many people you can go to for donations,” Ms. Katz said. “I’ve been in tough negotiations with developers who are doing projects all over the city and have pushed them for more affordable housing” and other community benefits. Like Ms. Quinn, she said that she had not made up her mind about the new project, and that donations did not sway her judgment.

Funny that Katz said that she hadn't made up her mind. When Walentas ran into another Councilmember last week and asked whether he was going to vote for Dock Street, the Councilmember asked whether the Land Use committee was in favor. Walentas replied, "The Land Use Committee is all locked up." Katz is the Chair of Land Use, of course.

Reflecting on 8 years under Bloomberg

From Bloomberg's 2002 inaugural speech:

Rebuilding our city and restoring our infrastructure, continuing the fight against crime and reforming our schools will not be easy in the current economic climate. It will require tough decisions and hard choices by all of us, in government, the nonprofit sector, business and labor. I will be asking all parts of my city government to do more with less. I will ask for their help, and I will seek their advice. But the facts are clear: We will not be able to afford all that we want. We will not even be able to afford everything we currently have.

And since leadership means setting an example, and in my book the search for efficiency always begins at the top, I pledge to reduce staffing in the office of the mayor by 20 percent, and I hereby challenge the controller, public advocate, borough presidents and the city council to do the same. We cannot ask of others what we are not willing to do ourselves.

I will do my part to balance the budget, as I am sure every city employee will do in turn. Let me say once more, though, we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. We cannot drive people and business out of New York. We cannot raise taxes. We will find another way. And even though we must sacrifice now, let us not forget we are still a city of big dreams, of big ideas, big projects and a big heart. We must plan and develop for the long term. We can never abandon our future. We will bring new life to our waterfront and stimulate new investment in housing, schools, and when we can afford them, the world's best cultural and athletic facilities. These, along with our parks and transportation infrastructure in all five boroughs, cannot be ignored. We will plan now and build as funds become available. We will emerge from short-term pain to long-term gain.

Sex, lies and lots of red tape

From Fox 5:

These days, every dollar counts, so how would you feel if you found out you've been paying thousands of dollars extra in property taxes for your next door neighbor's land?

It's a confusing mess for one family in our area and Fox 5's John Deutzman is on a mission to straighten it out.

Bloomie says no to more Ratner aid

From The Brooklyn Paper:

Mayor Bloomberg dealt Bruce Ratner a blow on Wednesday, saying that the city would not subsidize the Atlantic Yards project with additional public funds.

The city has already pledged $230 million for infrastructure and land-acquisition costs at the embattled arena and skyscraper project — but Bloomberg dashed Ratner’s hopes for more.

“We’ve done everything,” he said in response to a reporter’s question at his daily availability on Wednesday. “We’re going to have a tough time balancing our budget.”

The mayor did add that the city needs the project, but said, “We’re not putting money in. We’re going to invest our money in better schools and in safer streets and in better parks and everything else.”

Great, then the Willets Point development boondoggle should be taken off the table as well. Put in the sewers and leave it be.

Fresh Kills: from dump to park land

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Vibrant and diverse at the slaughterhouse

From the NY Times:

There are about 90 live-poultry markets in the metropolitan area. That number has doubled since the mid-1990s, state officials say, because of the demands of immigrants from countries where eyeballing your meat while it is alive is considered common sense. About a quarter of the markets are also licensed to slaughter larger livestock.

Perhaps inevitably, when it comes to killing animals for food, immigrant Queens clashes with suburban-homeowning Queens: Some of the people who worry about factory-produced meat are unenthusiastic about having mom-and-pop abattoirs next door.

Last year, residents of St. Albans, Queens, blocked a small slaughterhouse from opening on Farmers Boulevard. One resident, Marie Wilkerson, told The New York Times that she feared its stink would ruin backyard barbecues. Their state legislators pushed through a law barring new slaughterhouses within 1,500 feet of a residence for four years, effectively freezing the expansion of slaughterhouses in most of the city.

It's funny how the city government thinks it is acceptable to have these places within steps of people's homes. From a city planning standpoint, this is just bad. The smell that emanates from these places is vomit-inducing and should not be allowed anywhere near residences. And someone needs to educate newcomers that just because an animal "looks" healthy doesn't mean it is. Especially when you read a line like this:

"More-established market owners say that some new businesses skirt the rules or do not understand them."

Wexford Terrace house going, going...gone.

"I've enclosed several photos of 182-39 Wexford Terrace in Jamaica Estates. You featured it once before. It appears that the end is very near for this architecturally fine one-family building.

The threat of demolition had been hanging over its roof for several years. In 2007, the owner claimed he would not demo the building due to a zoning change.

I guess he figures now's the time to go ahead with it.

One of the photos is from February of this year. Another was taken in September 2008, when it looked like there was a chance it might be saved. The others were taken this week."

-Rick D.

Bloomberg's Memorial Day campaign commercial

"Happy Memorial Day" is not an appropriate sentiment, Mr. Mayor. This is supposed to be a solemn, reflective holiday. And who gave the authorization to distribute your campaign posters to people along the parade route? How incredibly tasteless.

CBS 2 noticed as well:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his would-be Democratic rival, Comptroller Bill Thompson, marched together but separated by a few other politicians.

But Bloomberg was the only one to overtly campaign. Aides gave out American flags with Bloomberg decals and the mayor left the parade march to schmooze with voters.

American flag murals replace graffiti

See previously: How graffiti is handled in Queens vs. Staten Island

Our local heroes

From AM-NY:

Spc. Juan Arango, 24, of Elmhurst, served as a gunner in Afghanistan with the New York National Guard last year.

Read about his sacrifices as well as those of Jamaica native Sgt. Annmelissa Harvey.

NJ vets win war against condo

This story is a few months old, but appropriate for today. A win for the good guys.