History of the Unisphere

From Alan Gross on Facebook:

I'm posting this video to celebrate 6,000,000 visitors to my friend Queens Crap's blogsite page. I've lived in Flushing, Queens all my life and came alive during the 1964/1965 World's Fair. The international exposition also was the reason 2 Goodyear blimps spent their summers in Flushing. Having the fair in my backyard enabled me to visit often. The symbol of the World's Fair was the iconic Unisphere, the huge stainless steel globe. I remember it being built! This short documentary shows the challenges and triumphs of its construction.

The Queens Crap blogsite provides its readers with in depth news stories about the borough of Queens. More importantly, readers' comments provide inside knowledge and truth not found anywhere else. While some may feel the site is controversial, I admit that it's one of my daily addictions. Over the years, I've posted stories and comments and am happy that such a forum was created.

The Unisphere is also part of the Crapper's logo so I thought it fitting that on this auspicious occasion of the 6 millionth visit, I post the story of the Unisphere's birth.

Here's something funny and blog-related...




Heh.


In other words, "Don't tread on me!"

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Brand new library in Glen Oaks

From the Daily News:

The gleaming, airy, $17.1 million Glen Oaks branch officially opened Tuesday, wowing local residents with a design so modern that it even features the word “Search” etched into the front glass — a subtle reference to the internet generation.

“This is not your grandfather’s library,” said David Burney, commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction.

Kids get their own floor in the three-level library, which also offers space for adults and teens. Plush pillows provide seating among rows of books and computers.

And light fills every floor of the building, thanks to large windows and skylights (who needs Google Glass?).

The 18,000-square-foot building replaces an often-overcrowded, traditional branch built more than 50 years ago — when libraries were mainly concerned with printed books.

Queens Library CEO Tom Galante said the configuration of the library, which includes an adult section on the lower level, children’s section on the top level and teens on the main floor, was meticulously planned.

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Avella denounces Vallone mailer

Statement from State Senator Tony Avella:

“I would like to set the record straight on the mailer that states Tony Avella is no longer running for Borough President, so now the choice is clear: Peter Vallone Jr. The mailer emphasizes that I have endorsed Vallone. In fact I have not endorsed Peter Vallone nor Melinda Katz and I will not be endorsing either candidate.”

From DNA Info:

Avella isn't laughing about the latest fliers, and said they mislead voters into thinking Vallone has picked up Avella's endorsement.

“He had no permission to do that, and I would not have OK'd it,” Avella told DNAinfo New York.

“It's disingenuous, and it misleads the public into thinking I've endorsed him, which I haven’t,” he said. “And never will. Ever.”

Vallone and Avella had sparred at forums throughout the campaign, including one where Avella accused the city councilman of using text messages to cheat on questions during a forum in July.

Avella, who dropped out after the filings were due, will still be on the ballot on Primary Day — and hasn't endorsed either Vallone or his opponent, Melinda Katz, a former member of the City Council and state Assembly.

Vallone, though, said he didn’t intend to confuse voters — only inform them.

The fliers are intended to inform voters that Tony Avella is no longer running, Vallone said.

“It was not my intent to make it look like an endorsement,” he said. “It told people he was off the ballot, and highlighted the views we both share.”

The campaign wanted to make sure voters didn’t “waste” their vote on someone who is no longer running, Vallone said.

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Lopez could represent Ridgewood on Council

From the NY Times:

A criminal investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed subordinates did not deter him. Nor did civil suits accusing him of groping and other unwanted intimacies. Nor censure by the State Assembly, nor the clamor of fellow Democrats that forced him to resign as the party’s chairman in Brooklyn and step down from the Legislature.

The former assemblyman, Vito J. Lopez, is running again, this time for City Council, and despite the lingering scandal, he has at least a fair chance of winning. He is campaigning in Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn, and in Ridgewood in Queens, working-class neighborhoods where many people have known him for four decades, since he arrived as an energetic young social worker, and where many are grateful for the thousands of apartments and the centers for the elderly and other social services that blossomed during his 28 years in the Assembly.

Frank Carone, a leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, which is supporting Mr. Lopez’s chief rival, Antonio Reynoso, admits that Mr. Lopez’s chances are “extremely strong” in an off-the-radar election in which he can, the old-fashioned way, turn out beneficiaries of his largess to cast ballots in the primary next Tuesday.

“He’s pulling out every trick in the book to hold onto some semblance of power,” said Lincoln Restler, a founder of the progressive New Kings Democrats, a group that is also focused on defeating Mr. Lopez.

As evidence, Mr. Restler points out that 6 of the district’s 34 polling places are in properties managed by Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, a nonprofit organization which Mr. Lopez founded in 1973 and which sponsored many of his housing projects. One building has a bronze bust of Mr. Lopez and another a permanent sign over the entrance: “Thank You Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez.”

Mr. Restler and Mr. Reynoso said that when campaign workers tried to knock on doors at Lindsay Park, a 2,700-unit co-op complex and beneficiary of Lopez assistance, security guards warned them that only workers for Mr. Lopez could enter.

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State pols make a mint

From the Daily News:

State lawmakers draw a $79,500 salary from taxpayers for their part-time legislator jobs — but for most of them, that’s just chump change.

A new study shows that members of the state Assembly and Senate took home between $178,140 and $237,941 in 2012 on average, thanks to outside income from investments and jobs with law firms and other businesses.

“Being a state legislator is considered a part-time job and, clearly, a lot of them treat it as such,” said Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group, which released the study with Common Cause/NY on Tuesday.

Lawmakers on average earned far more than the state’s median household income, which was $56,951 last year.

And some earned stratospheric salaries with 20 legislators recording total assets worth $1 million or more.

The revelations about lawmakers’ wealth are available thanks to new ethics disclosures that for the first time required all elected officials to report details regarding their outside incomes. The lawmakers disclosed income ranges, not specific details.

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Lots of outside money in council and mayoral races

From the NY Times:

With little more than a week to go before the Democratic primary for New York mayor, outside groups have poured $3 million into supporting and opposing their preferred candidates, according to the most current figures through Sunday.

The effect of those expenditures is being closely watched, because this is the first citywide election in which outside groups, like corporations and unions, have had an opportunity to spend unlimited amounts on campaigns in the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case.

And with the majority of candidates abiding by tight spending caps in exchange for participating in the city’s matching-fund program, any significant outside financing, especially for political ads and mailings, could make a difference.

In the race for mayor, for instance, all the major Democratic contenders are participating in the program, which allows the campaigns to spend $6.7 million in the primary.

So far, William C. Thompson Jr., a former city comptroller, has benefited from $1.55 million in outside money, making him the biggest beneficiary, by far, of such support, according to detailed records cataloged by the city’s Campaign Finance Board. Much of the money has been spent on palm cards, radio commercials and mailers, thanks to a group affiliated with the United Federation of Teachers, which has endorsed Mr. Thompson.

New York City is Not for Sale, a group of animal-rights activists and others who are vehemently opposed to the candidacy of Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, have spent $774,000. They were the first outside groups to spend money on a television commercial criticizing a candidate, and many political analysts say their relentless campaign has hurt Ms. Quinn.

Ms. Quinn, in fact, is the only mayoral candidate who has been the target of outside spending.

Some of that opposition, however, may have been blunted by $657,000 from outside groups that support Ms. Quinn. Of that amount, about $610,000 has been spent on English and Spanish-language materials by a group connected with the Hotel Trades Council, which has endorsed Ms. Quinn.

Locally, we have this:

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $7,755 since 8/5 opposing Chrissy Vosckerichian @electchrissy #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $21,003 since 8/5 opposing Austin Shafran @Austin4Council #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $16,238 since 8/5 opposing Paul Graziano @PaulGraziano19 #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $105,885 since 8/5 supporting Paul Vallone@PaulVallone #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $5,251 on 8/31 opposing John Ciafone #DailyFiling - http://t.co/icfNwiAo21

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 2, 2013

Jobs for New York, Inc.: independent expenditures of $24,999 since 8/5 supporting Costa Constantinides @VoteCosta #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

Planned Parenthood of NYC Political Cmte: ind expenditures of $3,895 since 8/5 supporting Melinda Katz @MelindaKatz #FilingDay

— NYC Campaign Finance (@NYCCFB) September 1, 2013

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At Forest Park, safety continues to be a joke

From Project Woodhaven:

There has been another attack on a female jogger, again in the Forest Hills section of Forest Park. This attack, similar to an attack in the same area in March, took place near the secluded horse trails which joggers frequently use. Is it the same perpetrator? Here are the 2 sketches of the suspect -- the April attack suspect is at left (wearing a stocking cap) and the suspect from last week is at the right:


Unresolved Dangerous Conditions

There are lights out all over the area -- and the amount of time it is taking to resolve is completely unacceptable.

1) Forest Park Drive - From Park Lane South to Myrtle, through Forest Park, across Woodhaven Boulevard. Reported to 311 and DOT inspected and, unbelievably, they closed the 311 after inspecting it.

2) Myrtle Avenue, from Woodhaven Boulevard to Park Lane South - a long dark stretch. We parked along there the other morning -- when we got back from the track, this had happened:


And yet, even though the lights have been out for a while (reported 8/16) they have not yet been repaired. The map below shows where we know there to be lighting issues in and around Forest Park.

These issues have been reported to 311. But in light of the recent attacks, DOT and Con Edison needs to escalate these problems and fix them immediately. As in, today.

There is no excuse for the city to put people who use the park in jeopardy.

And people wonder why the residents of Woodhaven aren't enthusiastic about the QueensWay? Check out how the city currently takes care of park security -- and this isn't a new problem and ask yourself if you want more of that brought directly into your neighborhood.

I'm sure Liz Crowley will get right on this. Just about every article about the rape mentions that she regularly jogs in Forest Park. I guess she's been jogging with a blindfold on.

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