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Things To Do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

American Craft Festival Returns & NY Film Festival Begins at Lincoln Center, the Fall for Dance Fest Continues, the Nigerian Day Parade & African Festival, Pulaski Day Parade Returns all in Manhattan; Oktoberfest and Durga Puja Begin and the Fall for Arts Festival in Queens; Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival, the Zum Schneider Fest and the Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn; Randalls Island Festival, 'Monster' Play at the Bartow Pell Mansion & Stage Garden Rumba in the Bronx; New Comedy Opens and the Lighthouse Festival on Staten Island; Yom Kippur Tuesday Evening, also Farmers Markets, Street Fairs & more ...

September 30, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 50's and the temperature lows will be in the high 40's. It will be humid on Saturday, between 80% - 90%, and then descending to 60% - 75% on Sunday. It will also be windy, with winds blowing at about 15 mph throughout the weekend. There's a 25% chance of a small amount of rain Saturday, and a 75% chance of some rain, most likely between 11 am and 7 pm on Sunday.

The photo at right was taken at a prior Pulaski Day Parade in Manhattan. See below for details about the parade this weekend.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

The Fall for Dance Festival began on Wednesday, September 21 at the NY City Center at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The program runs through Sunday, October 2, 2022. Performances begin at 8 pm each night, except this coming Sunday & Monday, September 25th & 26th. Tickets are $20 and performances last about an hour and a half. For details and tickets - https://www.nycitycenter.org/

The NY Film Festival begins today, Friday, September 30th at Lincoln Center and runs through Sunday, October 16th. See https://www.filmlinc.org for details and tickets.

On Saturday & Sunday, October 1 & 2, 2022 from 10 am - 7 pm and until 5 pm on Sunday - American Craft Festival returns to Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. This is an unusual street fair, featuring the works of over 150 artists and craftspeople. It's a two day street fair on the Upper West Side.

Midtown _ Saturday, October 1, 2022 from 10 am to 1.30 pm - Nigerian Independence Day Parade - Starts along 2nd Avenue at East 54th Street and marches south to 44th Street - Manhattan parades - see related Midtown street fair below.

Midtown _ Saturday, October 1, 2022 from - 1.30 pm - 6 pm - Nigerian Independence Day Carnival - Along East 47th Street between 1st & 2nd Avenues. Celebrating 40 African nations decades of independence - Manhattan street fairs.

On Sunday, October 2, 2022 beginning at 12.30 pm - The Pulaski Day Parade returns to Manhattan. The parade begins at 36th Street and marches up to 53rd Street.

Thursday - Sunday, October 6 - 9, 2022 - Comic Con returns to Manhattan. At the Javits Center at 655 West 34th Street at 11th Avenue in West Midtown. For details and tickets see - https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Rescheduled to October 8, 2022 - On Saturday, October 1, 2022 from 10 am - 5 pm The Fall for Arts Festival was to return to Roosevelt Island. In Southpoint Park at FDR Four Freedoms Park on the Rivercross Lawn on Roosevelt Island. A day full of activities for everyone including murals painting, arts & crafts, musical performances and food vendors. Free.

Rescheduled to October 8, 2022 _ Sunnyside _ Saturday, October 1, 2021 from 12 noon to 5 pm - Sunnyside Gardens Park Oktoberfest - At Sunnyside Gardens Park at 48-21 39th Avenue. Arts, crafts, food, pumpkin patch & games open to public. St festivals in Sunnyside Queens NYC. Free, but registration is suggested at their website - https://sunnysidegardenspark.org/

On Saturday & Sunday, October 1 & 2, 2022 from 12 noon to 12 midnight and 10 pm respectively - Oktoberfest at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria. The Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden are located at 29-19 24th Avenue [at 31st Street]. They're going to have pig roast, live entertainment and food and drink specials. Free admission.

Durga Puja begins this weekend at various locations throughout NYC, but most notably in the Woodside, Jackson Heights, Jamaica and Richmond Hill neighborhoods in Queens. Durga Puja celebrates the goddess Durga, who is a motherhood figure representing the victory of good over evil. The celebrations, which cover a week of activity, are also something of a Hindu harvest festival. See this Facebook page for a listing of Durga Puja events in NYC and on Long Island - https://www.facebook.com/pujaprogramme/

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

Friday & Saturday , September 30 - October 1 2022 from 4 pm - 8 pm and 11 am - 8 pm respectively - Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival. In the Plaza at 300 Ashland Place at the corner of Lafayette and Flatbush. This event will feature live music, dance, talks and theater. There might be some shopping, but that doesn't appear to be the focus. Downtown Brooklyn street fairs / festivals nyc. www.dbartsfestival.org/

From Friday, September 30 - Sunday October 9, 2022 on the weekends [including Thursdays] only from 5 - 10 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, two seatings on Saturday from 12 noon - 4.45 pm and from 5.15 - 10 pm; and on Sunday from 12 noon - 8 pm - Zum Schneider Fest. This is a traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest which heretofore had been held in Manhattan along the East River at 23rd Street. This year the tent is being erected near the 3 Dollar Bill at 260 Meserole Street in Brooklyn. Tickets start at $13 / $53 / $129 and on up for groups. For details see https://nyc.zumschneider.com/

The photo at right was taken at the Zum Schneider Fest in Manhattan in 2018. They've been on hiatus since 2019, but are returning - at a new location in Brooklyn - beginning tonight.

On Sunday, October 2, 2022 from 12 noon - 6 pm - the Atlantic Antic. Along Atlantic Avenue from 4th Avenue [near Flatbush Avenue] to the East River in Boerum Hill. This Brooklyn Street Fair is billed as the largest and oldest street festival in Brooklyn and has ethnic food, live entertainment and shopping. For details see - https://www.atlanticave.org/

On Sunday, October 2, 2022 beginning at 12.30 pm - The Pulaski Day Parade returns to Manhattan. The parade begins at 36th Street and marches up to 53rd Street.

Things To Do This Weekend in the Bronx NYC

Rescheduled to October 8 _ * Randall's Island _ Saturday, October 1, 2022 from 12 noon - 3 pm - Randall's Island Park Alliance Festival - This festival includes pumpkin decorating, glitter tattoos, face painting and scarecrows. Farm exploration & harvest sampling, cider & doughnuts, and a pop-up shop with Boogie Down Books. Also live music by Pete Nater & Associates. In the Urban Farm near Fields 62 - 63 in Randall's Island, just north of Ward's Meadow on the southeast tip of the island. Cider, cookies, doughnuts, dance class, pumpkin decorating, Latin dance class and live music. The Randall's Island Park Alliance is hosting a harvest celebration. Free.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 29 - October 2, 2022 beginning at 7.30 pm except Sunday when it's from 2 - 3 pm - Monster. At the Bartow Pell Mansion at 895 Shore Road in Pelham Bay Park. The play is an adaptation based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The play will take the audience through the Bartow Pell Mansion and include themes of humanism morality, science, death and horror. Tickets are $30 - $35 which you may find at https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/monster/

Piazza di Belmont has ended for the season.

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Clever Little Lies is a comedy that opened at the Victory Theater on Staten Island. The play runs from September 29th thru October 9th on the weekends. For tickets and details see - http://www.littlevictorytheatre.com

Rescheduled from October 2, 2022 - On Sunday, October 16, 2022 from 12 noon - 6 pm - The Lighthouse Festival returns to the National Lighthouse Museum in St. George on Staten Island. Arts, crafts and entertainment. For details and $3 suggested donation tickets see - https://lighthousemuseum.org/

The Staten Island art, craft and gift show returns to the Staten Island Mall from Wednesday, October 5th thru Monday, October 10, 2022 from 11 am - 7 pm on Wednesday & Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 10 am - 8 pm, and Sunday 12 noon - 6 pm. At the Staten Island Mall at 2655 Richmond Avenue in the New Springville neighborhood. It's a gift fair.

Farmers Markets / Street Fairs. And many of the seasonal farmers markets reopened this month, so you use these links to find one in your neighborhood - Bronx Farmers Markets NYC, Brooklyn Farmers Markets NYC, Manhattan Farmers Markets NYC, Queens Farmers Markets NYC, Staten Island Farmers Markets NYC. And the weekend street fairs are updated weekly - Manhattan street fairs, Queens street fairs, Brooklyn street fairs, Bronx street fairs, Staten Island street fairs.

Have a good weekend.

Columbus Day Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island Over The Columbus Day Weekend

September 27, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Also see updated Weather on Friday afternoon by clicking the header above to go to the Front Page for Weekend Update.

This report contains a listing of some of the things to do on Staten Island over the Columbus Day Weekend including art museums, theaters, live music / comedy / dance venues, sporting & social events, and restaurants for Staten Island NYC.

Staten Island Weather. As of September 27, 2022, the Temperature highs will be in the high 60's all four days of the long weekend. The temperature lows will be in the low 50's throughout the weekend. There's a chance of a small amount of rain, but the probability of rain as of this writing, is in the low double digits. Winds will be about 5 - 10 mph Friday and Monday and between 5 - 10 mph on all weekend. The Humidity will be between 55% - 70% throughout the weekend. Click for Staten Island Weather.

This weekend you can go bicycling on Staten Island, play soccer & other games in Staten Island parks, go shopping on Staten Island, attend Staten Island parades, watch theater, visit the Staten Island art museums, and eat out at one of the Staten Island restaurants.

And it's all happening right here in Staten Island. So take your time to sort through the days and locations and start planning your weekend.

Columbus Day Events on Staten Island

Click here to obtain information about things to do Columbus Day Weekend on Staten Island. This events calendar is updated monthly with dozens of different Staten Island fun cultural events.

There's a Columbus Day Parade Weekend Italian Cultural Festival at Mount Loretto that begins Friday and runs through Monday, October 7 - 10, 2022. We'll have more on our Front Page on the Friday of Columbus Day Weekend. The Staten Island Columbus Day parade was cancelled in 2014.

Staten Island Public & Private Parks & Public Indoor Swimming Pools

Staten Island has one of number of public parks of which a few include swimming facilities. Click here for a listing of the Staten Island Parks including maps showing their locations along with a bit of park history. This is coming at a later date.

NYC public indoor swimming pools are now open.

NYC Golfing on Staten Island

Staten Island has four golf courses and all of them are open this weekend. The Silver Lake Golf Course is located at 915 Victory Blvd in the northeastern section of Staten Island near the Silver Lake neighborhood. It's only short bus ride from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George. The La Tourette Golf Course is located at 1001 Richmond Hill Road near Historic Richmond Town and Lighthouse Hill neighborhoods in the center of Staten Island. The South Shore Golf Course is located at 200 Hugenot Road in the southwestern part of Staten Island in the Rossville neighborhood. It is home to the Grand Oaks Country Club. And the NYC Junior Golf Club is located at 66 Pitney Road at the southern end of Staten Island in the Woodrow neighborhood. Click here for details about Staten Island golf courses including maps and links to the operators' websites. The links are coming at a later date.

CLICK here for things to do on Staten Island Columbus Day Weekend.

Things To Do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

First Day of Autumn began Thursday Evening, Global Citizen Concert Returns Saturday, Fall for Dance Celebration Begins, Feast of San Gennaro ends Sunday; Great Irish Fair, Oktoberest at Fort Hamiltion & Local Play in Brooklyn; Hispanic Day Parade, Bell Blvd Stroll & Oktoberfest and Durga Puja Begin next weekend in Queens; Hip Hop Museum Opens, Native American Festival, Bronx Night Market, Stage Garden Rumba in the Bronx; Local Play on Staten Island; Rosh Hashanah Begins Sunday ... also Farmers Markets, Street Fairs & more

September 23, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid 60's on Friday, about 70 on Saturday, rising to the mid 70's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be around 50 on Friday, rising to the mid 50's on Saturday and to about 60 on Sunday. The winds will be about 15 mph on Friday, falling to 5 - 10 mph the rest of the weekend. The humidity will rise from 40% - 50% on Friday, to 40% - 60% on Saturday, and then up to 60% - 80% on Sunday. No rain is in the forecast until after 4 pm on Sunday, when there's a 50% chance of about a tenth of an inch of rain.

The photo at right was taken earlier this week at the United Nations while President Biden was delivering a speech about protecting our democratic institutions and rule of law. This means helping other democracies, in order to preserve and protect our way of life from autocrats and dictators who inevitably steal power and wealth away from everyone else in society.

The first day of Autumn began Thursday evening 9/22/22 around 9 pm.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Sunday evening and ends Tuesday evening.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

The photo at right was taken earlier this week at the United Nations. Those two people traversing the rooftop of the building aren't roof repairmen.

On Saturday, the Global Citizen Concert returns to the Great Lawn in Central Park which lies between 5th Avenue and Central Park West and between 72nd Street and 86th Street. The gates open at 2 pm and the concert begins at 4 pm. You must bring printed tickets as mobile tickets are not being accepted. Admission $250 - $299 via www.ticketmaster.com. For further details on the concert see https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/nyc/2022/

Thursday - Sunday, September 15 - 25, 2022 times vary - The San Gennaro Festival. This is an 11 day Italian festival that runs through Sunday, September 25th. There's a canoli eating contest today 9/16 beginning at 1 pm and tomorrow 9/17 there's a procession through Little Italy that starts at 2 pm. See their website for details of all events - https://sangennaronyc.org/

The Fall for Dance Festival began on Wednesday, September 21 at the NY City Center at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The program runs through next week, ending Sunday, October 2, 2022. Performances begin at 8 pm each night, except this coming Sunday & Monday, September 25th & 26th. Tickets are $20 and performances last about an hour and a half. For details and tickets - https://www.nycitycenter.org/

The NY Film Festival begins next Friday, September 30th at Lincoln Center and runs through Sunday, October 16th.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Sunday, September 25, 2022 from 12 noon - 5 pm - Bell Blvd Stroll - A food and shopping festival with music and entertainment along Bell Blvd from Northern Blvd to 45th Avenue. Street fairs in Bayside Queens NYC.

Sunday, September 25, 2022 beginning at 11 am - Hispanic Day Parade. Begins along 37th Avenue from 69th Street to 86th Street. Parades and street fairs in Jackson Heights Queens NYC. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-organization/Desfile-Hispano-de-Queens-920602374687827/

Athens Square Park continues to have Greek Tuesday night music, dance & theatrical performances thru September. Athens Park is located at 30th Avenue & 30th Street in Astoria.

Oktoberfest begins next weekend at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria.

Durga Puja begins next weekend at various locations throughout NYC, but most notably in the Woodside, Jackson Heights, Jamaica and Richmond Hill neighborhoods in Queens. Durga Puja celebrates the goddess Durga, who is a motherhood figure representing the victory of good over evil. The celebrations, which cover a week of activity, are also something of a Hindu harvest festival.

On September 28, 2022 is the Chocolate Factory first Annual Gala Fundraiser. The event begins at 6 pm at their new theater at 38-33 24th Street in Long Island City. Gala tickets are $250 and after party tickets are $30. For details see - https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/gala-2022/

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 11 am - 9 pm. Annual Great Irish Fair. NEW LOCATION - At the Holy Name of Jesus Parish at 245 Prospect Park West in Prospect Park. Brooklyn fair with an Irish flavor. Tickets are $28 on Eventbrite. This is a Brooklyn street fair with an Irish flavor including music, dance, theater, food and shopping. Organized by the Irish American Building Society.

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 4 to 9 pm - Oktoberfest. An authentic German Oktoberfest with food, a biergarten & live music. There will be contests including a Stein Hoist, a Bratwurst Eating Contest, a Best Dressed Dirndl and Lederhosen and a Keg Toss. It's open to the public on the Fort Hamilton Army base, but walk on access only. The event is sponsored by St. Joseph University, which does not imply any Federal Endorsement. Admission $5. For details, tickets and registration which is required see - https://hamilton.armymwr.com/calendar/event/oktoberfest/5649924/71185

Friday & Saturday , September 30 - October 1 2022 from 4pm - 8 pm and 11 am - 8 pm respectively - Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival. In the Plaza at 300 Ashland Place at the corner of Lafayette and Flatbush. This event will feature live music, dance, talks and theater. There might be some shopping, but that doesn't appear to be the focus. Downtown Brooklyn street fairs / festivals nyc. www.dbartsfestival.org/

Things To Do This Weekend in the Bronx NYC

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 12 noon - 3 pm - Bronx River Alliance Community Paddle - Enter Concrete Park at the Westchester Avenue Park entrance in Longwood. This is a three hour opportunity for adults and kids to try their hand at paddling a small boat on the Bronx River. Free. Not a street fair, but rather community activities - just north of Hunts Point and just west of Soundview.

The Hip Hop Museum is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 noon - 7 pm and on Sunday from 12 - 6.30 pm. Their entrance is located on the ground level at 610 Exterior Street, next door to Hostos Community College Media Center. You may also enter from the Lower Level in the parking garage next to Pizza Studio. Proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test within 24 hours is required for entry. Space is limited.

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 1 to 8 pm - Bronx Night Market in Fordham Plaza just south of the train station. It's a diversified food fest.

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in September of 2022 from 6pm to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1pm to 9pm on Sundays - Piazza di Belmont - Outdoor dining on Arthur Avenue which will be closed to vehicular traffic from East 188th Street to Crescent Avenue during the above mentioned times.

Saturday & Sunday, September 24 & 25, 2022 and Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 29 -- October 2, 2022 beginning at 7.30 pm except Sundays when it's from 2 - 3 pm - Monster. At the Bartow Pell Mansion at 895 Shore Road in Pelham Bay Park. The play is an adaptation based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The play will take the audience through the Bartow Pell Mansion and include themes of humanism morality, science, death and horror. Tickets are $30 - $35 which you may find at https://www.bartowpellmansionmuseum.org/events/monster/

Sunday, September 25, 2022 from 12 noon - 4 pm. Bronx Native American Festival - In Pelham Bay Park in the south picnic area. Master of Ceremonies Bobby Gonzales [Taino], The Silvercloud Singers and Thunderbird American Dancers [both of latter groups are inter-tribal]. Food, music, dance and storytelling. Street fairs & festivals in the Pelham Bay Park neighborhood of the East Bronx. For details see - https://www.pelhambaypark.org/events/bronx-native-american-festival

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 11 am - 5 pm - 72nd Fence Show at Snug Harbor. At the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden at 1000 Richmond Terrace in the Randall Manor neighborhood of Staten Island. This is a long-running tradition featuring 140 artists who sell their creations on the Snug Harbor lawn. This year they've added a biergarten, where you can pay $25 for a couple of brews, a German pretzel and and homebrew club tastings [whatever that means].

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 12 noon - 7 pm - The Rolling Thunder Oktoberfest celebration is being held at William H. Pouch Camp at 1285 Manor Road in the Greenbelt just south of Manor Heights. It was formerly held in Historic Richmond Town. There will be food, beer, rides, games, shopping and live entertainment. Admission is $10. Proceeds go to Veterans in Need and it's organized by Rolling Thunder and the Rotary Clubs of Staten Island. For details see - https://sioktoberfest.com/

Clever Little Lies is a comedy coming to the Victory Theater on Staten Island from September 29th thru October 9th on the weekends. For details see - http://www.littlevictorytheatre.com

Have a nice weekend and Happy Rosh Hashanah.

News Update NYC

Office Workers & Employers Facing a Choice - Come Back to the Office or -

The UN is Back Live in Session, a look at the Argument for Democracies vs Dictatorships, & What's with the Royalist TV News Groupies?

September 19, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low 80's on Tuesday & Wednesday, dropping to the low 70's on Thursday and the mid 60's on Friday., The temperature lows will rise from the mid 60's on Monday & Tuesday to the low 70's on Wednesday, and then fall into the mid to low 50's on Thursday and Friday. The winds will be 10 - 15 mph all week. The humidity will be 55% - 65% all week, except on Friday when it falls to 45% - 55%. There's a small chance of a small amount of rain in Thursday, with the probability gone by mid afternoon.

NYC White Collar Office Workers Continue to Resist a Full Return to the Office

As we noted last week, in our update, people are returning to mass transit. While weekend ridership on the subways has reached about 90%, weekday ridership lags behind at about 65% of prepandemic levels. One of the main drivers of the lower weekday ridership is that folks haven't yet resumed embraced a full return to the office at anywhere near prepandemic levels.

For about the past six months, only about 10% of white collar office workers in Manhattan, go to the office daily. But the number of people in the office each day has risen from about 38% to 49%, according to Parnership for New York City, a non-profit dedicated to primarily promoting the economic interests of NYC. Also, the percentage of workers staying fully remote dropped from 28% to 16% over the same six month period [April - September]. Nearly four out of five employers [77%] indicated that the preferred business model [demanded per employees] is now ready to accommodate folks who only want to travel to the office three of the five days in a work week.

Nobody is yet saying this, but it's my guesstimate, that over time, employees who are in the office more frequently are going to win out over those who are working remotely. And because of that phenomenon, I also guesstimate that over time, more folks will start spending more time in the office. But this may take years to play out.

There's a flip side of the coin above, which is that employers who accommodate remote workers, especially women who want to spend time rearing their children, could, over time, attract and retain some of the best and the brightest, even if they don't pay top dollar. For some, including myself, money matters - but it isn't everything.

As I look at what I've just written I see a potential lawsuit - discriminatory pay based on gender. But could it be discriminatory pay based on remote working? This discussion might have some parallels to the discussion below about dictatorships vs democracy and about valuing loyalty over talent.

Ultimately, time will tell, and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. One thing is clear, many of us - if not all - are not going back to the status quo.

Speaking of Working Remotely, How about the United Nations in General Assembly?

Since 2019, the United Nations has met primarily remotely. They missed 2020 and 2021, but this year, they're back in session live. So for the next nine days those who travel up and down the east side in the 40's and above and below, will be heard complaining of the traffic jams. The jams will be most pronounced this week, particulary starting Tuesday, when all the dignitaries travel from the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, to the UN General Assembly Session in NYC.

On Wednesday, President Biden will address the United Nations, to talk about many things including the Ukrainian War and the ongoing threats to democracy worldwide. It is my opinion, that the threats to democracy include most - if not all autocrats. Dictators by any name [such as the Russian and Chinese 'presidents'] are a destabilizing x factor in the world today. Thus, it's no surprise that the two most powerful dictator presidents [how's that for an oxymoron?] won't be in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly this year. Those are Russian dictator president Putin and Chinese dictator president Xi Jinping. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Ethiopia will also not be in attendance. On the latter two, no reasons have been given.

Dictatorships vs Democracies - Sociopathic Loyalty vs Unfettered Talent

I think it's worth noting here, that the difference between dictatorships and democracies is that democracies operate under rule of law, while dictatorships operate under rule by one man's or a few men's decree. In a democracy if someone has a point of view that resonates with the general public it can be heard, while in a dictatorship only a few people's point of view is given any attention. So what happens in a dictatorship is that the truth is suppressed, oftentime by harsh or violent measures, because it lays bare the idiocy of the dictator. Because of that, loyalty - not talent - is how people are evaluated in dictatorships, oftentimes leading to the promotion of the most brutal people in society instead of the most intelligent, most learned, most experienced and most talented. Sad, but true. In dictatorships the morons and the psychopaths are elevated to positions of power.

If you want to know why, for ten million years, mankind lived pretty much similar lives [meaning hand to mouth], and then suddenly in the 1600's onward, mankind flourished, you need only look at the people wresting power away from monarchs, who were and oftentimes still are [Saudi Royals], brutal dictators who hoard all of their society's resources.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday the past few years I began cataloguing the accomplishments of those in our free societies. Their accomplishments represent most of mankind's progress the past few centuries, and one might even say progress the past few millenia and beyond. Copy and paste this link for the full story -

https://www.gothambuzz.nyc/thanksgiving-day---americas-communal-holiday-nyc-cms-1470

Why did the American TV Networks Behave like a Sycophantic Royalist Clique?

The past week of the network TV news organizations' coverage of Queen Elizabeth's death and funeral made me - as I said last week - feel a need to barf. If they spent that kind of money, that kind of energy and that kind airtime on things that really matter, this world wouldn't be as messed up as it currently is. What the TV newsfolks presented this past week was a lot of fluffy pageantry and obsequious nothingness, for a extremely wealthy old woman and her 'royal' family. A family that has so much wealth, that they took from so many of their fellow country[wo]men [and others via the colonial empire], and with which they have done so little that really matters.

That said, I must applaud former Prince Charles for his support in pursuit of remedies for climate change. But Queen Elizabeth seemed to do nothing at all for mankind, and I saw nothing on TV [no facts] that convinced me otherwise.

I reckon the TV announcers have forgotten that this is the same family that America had to go to war with, to obtain its freedom about 250 years ago. King George III, who was defeated in the American Revolutionary War, was the great, great, great grandfather of Queen Elizabeth. Little mention was made of the British royal family's centuries long exploitation of others, while amassing so much of that nation's and their colonies' wealth. Instead of talking about the reality of royalty and royal families, the TV broadcasters gushed with a lot of read-and-repeat, mindless gossip.

Stay tuned. We have some interesting, real news, stories coming your way this fall.

In the meantime have a nice week.

Things To Do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

The Feast of San Gennaro, Steuben Day Parade, African American Day Parade & Mexican Day Parade in Manhattan; the Feast of St Markella, Queens United International Music Fest & Jamaica Harvest Fest in Queens; the Holy Cross Greek Cultural Fest, Flatbush Frolic & a Couple of Local Plays in Brooklyn; Bronx is Rising at BMHC, Stage Garden Rumba & Boogie on the Blvd in the Bronx; and the 1776 Peace Celebration, the Westerleigh Folk Festival, the Fig / Ficus Fest and a couple of Local Plays on Staten Island ... also Farmers Markets & Street Fairs

September 16, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be around 80 on Friday and Saturday, climbing into the high 80's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the 60's climbing from the low 60's on Friday to the high 60's on Sunday. Winds will range from 4 - 9 mph all weekend. The humidity will climb from 30% - 60% on Friday, to 60% to 70% on Saturday, falling back to 50% to 60% on Sunday. There isn't any rain in the forecast for this weekend.

Things To Do in Manhattan NYC

Little Italy _ Thursday - Sunday, September 15 - 25, 2022 times vary - The San Gennaro Festival. This is an 11 day Italian festival that runs through Sunday, September 25th. There's a canoli eating contest today 9/16 beginning at 1 pm and tomorrow 9/17 there's a procession through Little Italy that starts at 2 pm. See their website for details of all events - https://sangennaronyc.org/

UES _ Saturday, September 17, 2022 - Steuben Day Parade & Oktoberfest. The parade begins at 12 noon from 5th Avenue at 68th Street and marches up to 86th Street. Following the parade there's an Oktoberfest at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park that runs until 7 pm. Enter Central Park at 72nd St & 5th Avenue. Admission $50, but tickets can sell out by early Sept. https://www.facebook.com/steubenparadeny/

Harlem _ Sunday, September 18, 2022 beginning at 1 pm - African American Day Parade [preparade events 11 am - 1 pm] - The parade begins on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd at 111th Street marching north to 137th Street. Street fairs in Harlem NYC. For details see - https://africanamericandayparade.org/.

UES _ Sunday, September 18, 2022 beginning at 12 noon and followed by a festival in Madison Square Park until about 6 pm - Mexican Day Parade & Festival after parade. The parade begins along Madison at 38th, marching south to 26th Street at Madison Square Park where there's an after parade celebration / social. FB - https://www.facebook.com/Mexican-Day-Parade-Comite-Civico-Mexicano-de-NY-115773021139217

Things To Do in Queens NYC

Thursday through Sunday, September 15 - 18, 2022 from 6 - 10 pm Thursday & Friday, 5 - 11 pm on Saturday and 1 - 10 pm on Sunday - Hellenic Orthodox Traditionalist Church of America [St Markella] celebrates patron feast day with traditional Greek food and unique arts and crafts. Along 22-68 26th Street between 22nd & 23rd Avenues in Astoria.

Saturday, September 17, 2022 - Jamaica Harvest Festival - From 10 am to 4 pm - Along Sutphin Blvd from Hillside to 88th Avenue and from Jamaica Avenue to 89th. Jamaica St Fairs.

Saturday, September 17 2022 from 3 - 9.30 pm - Queens United International Music Party - At Sunnyside Gardens Park at 48-21 39th Avenue. Music, beer, wine food trucks, crafts. Open to the public with suggested donation $15. St fairs in Sunnyside Queens NYC.

Sunday, September 18, 2022 from 12 noon to 6 pm - Carnaval De La Cultura Latina (Queens Edition). A street fair celebrating Hispanic culture including food, shoping, music and dancing. Just off the #7 subway line at Junction Blvd and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona. https://www.facebook.com/events/mta-junction-blvd-station-7/carnaval-de-la-cultura-latina-queens-edition-2022/4318630531539873/

FYI - Athens Square Park continues to have Greek Tuesday night music, dance & theatrical performances thru September.
Athens Park is located at 30th Avenue & 30th Street in Astoria. The photo to your right shows Athens Square Park in the fall in Astoria.

Possibly more Queens coming Friday night.

Things To Do in Brooklyn NYC

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 16 - 18, 2022 from 2 - 10 pm, 12 noon - 10 pm & 12 noon - 7 pm respectively. Holy Cross Greek Cultural Festival [please note that these times are from last year and may have changed / no update has been provided prior to this post]. At 8401 Ridge Blvd between 84th and 86th Streets. This is primarily a Greek food and cultural festival. Brooklyn street fairs in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Sunday, September 18, 2022 from 11 am - 6 pm. Flatbush Frolic. Food, music, arts, rides and local shopping. Along Cortelyou Road between Ocean and Coney Island Avenues. Flatbush Ditmas Park. Brooklyn street fairs in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. https://fdconline.org.

LAST WEEKEND SOLD OUT - Sunday, September 11 - 18, 2022 - Rent. Rent is a musical based on La Boheme, an Italian Opera written in the late 1800's and set in Paris about the life of struggling artists. In the play, Rent, Playwright Billy Aronson wanted to replace the aesthetic of 19th century Paris, with the grit and HIV epidemic of the late 1990's. He also morphs a traditional opera into a rock opera. He died of an unusual health condition [not HIV / AIDs] before the play became a resounding success. At the 14th Street Y at 344 east 14th street in Manhattan. After Work Theater Group is a flexible, multi-space, traveling theater group that both produces and performs in a mix of free / not free productions, and they also do classes. www.afterworktheater.org / Tickets are generally about $25.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 16, 17, 18, 2022 beginning at 8 pm on Friday & Saturday, and at 2 pm on Sunday - The Wizard of Oz. An adaptation by the Narrows Community Theater. The performance take place in the Auditorium of Our Lady of Angels Church 7320 4th Avenue in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn. Tickets $25 / $20 / $15 at www.nctheaterny.com / www.narrowscommunitytheater.com

Things To Do in the Bronx NYC

Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 12.30 - 5 pm. Bronx is Rising Discussion of the film Fort Apache the Bronx - Discussion begins at 12.30 pm and from 3.30 - 5 pm there's a meal. At Bronx Music Hall Plaza at 438 East 163rd Street [at Washington], which will be the new home for Bronx Music Heritage Center in Morrisania just north of Melrose. Rsvps not required. Not a Bronx St Fair, but a community event in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx.

Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 2 to 6 pm - Stage Garden Rumba - At Maria Sola Community Greenspace, at East 134th Street and Lincoln Avenue in the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx. They describe the event as: "... Presented in partnership with Pregones / PRTT, Stage Garden Rumba is an open invitation for all New Yorkers to experience the cultural riches, regional community gardens and green spaces, and vibrant Casitas of the South Bronx ... The series will again feature extraordinary Artists - actors, singers, dancers, writers; Activists with the pulse of local, national, and international struggle and social justice; and Community Members ... Hyperlocal and universal, Stage Garden Rumba brings together voices of joy and revolution to fuel our collective imagination and propel us into a self-determined future ... " At the following locations primarily in the South / Central. Free.

Sunday, September 18, 2022 from 2 to 4 pm - Boogie on the Blvd - Along the Grand Concourse from 165th - 166th Streets. Music, arts & crafts and possibly some shopping. It appears to be a scaled back version of prior similar events. Bronx street fairs organized by the Bronx Museum in front of the museum.

Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 12 noon - 4 pm. 1776 Peace Conference Celebration - There's an historical reenactment of the effort made by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to obtain peace with Britain as the war for indepence was breaking out. At the Conference House in Tottenville on Staten Island. Admission $5.

Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 11 am - 7 pm - 15th Annual Westerleigh Folk Music and Art Festival. At Westerleigh Park off Jewett Avenue at the corner of Neal Dow and Maine Avenues in the Westerleigh neighborhood on Staten Island. This Staten Island festival in Westerleigh Park centers around live music on three stages, and includes 40 arts & crafts vendors, an art expo and smart food truck vendors will likely show. Free.

Sunday, September 18, 2022 from 2 pm - 6 pm. Annual Fig / Ficus Festival - At 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point in the St. George neighborhood. The festival includes all things fig / ficus related. It's a quirky food festival centered around the fig, but includes music, arts, crafts and other foods. Staten Island street fairs / festivals in St. George. $5 suggested donation.

Saturday & Sunday, September 17 & 18, 2022 beginning at 2 pm - Staten Island Shakespeare Theater presents Troilus and Cressida. Performances will take place in Battery Weed in Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. The play is about a mix of love and military brinksmanship about in ancient Troy. Tickets free to the public with reservation at https://sishakespeare.org/

Saturday, September 17, 2022 beginning at 2 pm Teacher! Teacher! or P.S. I love you. In Tappen Park at Canal, Bay and Water Streets. They describe the play as follows, " ... a rip-roaring original musical which tells the story of a struggling teacher in an underserved neighborhood who puts her life on the line for her kids ...". Organized by the Parks Dept & Theater for the New City aka TNC at ww.theaterforthenewcity.net. Free summer theater on Staten Island NYC.

Have a nice weekend.

News Update NYC

Entering the Post Pandemic New Normal in NYC

September 13, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 70's and the temperature lows around 60. It will be sunny the rest of the week, with humidity ranging from 40% - 60%, which is fairly dry. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph, falling as the week wears on. No rain is expected between now and Friday evening, nor through the coming weekend.

So, a lot has happened since we last posted a news update. At right is a photo of one of the outer borough subway stations this summer. As you can see, mask wearing compliance has diminished.

MTA: Ridership Hits Post Pandemic High of 3.5 Million Weekday Riders on the First Day of the Reopening of NYC Public Schools & Governor Hochul Drops the MTA Mask Mandate

On Thursday, September 8th, the first day of the NYC public schools reopening, the MTA transported 3.6 million people. That's the highest ridership number since the pandemic began two and a half years ago in March of 2020.

In our August 9th report [see below] we suggested the MTA drop the mask mandate or enforce it. At the time we noticed that less than half of the passengers on the subway seemed to be adhering to the mask mandate. On September 7th, NYS Governor Hochul rescinded the mask mandate on the MTA, making masking optional, but still recommended that we continue masking on the MTA as we enter the colder months, when folks go indoors, where the probability of infection by airborne viruses like CoVid and the flu increases. The guidance is particularly relevant to those who are older or have underlying conditions, but it's also not unwise for everyone else too.

Shootings Down in NYC in August - In August 2022 There were 115 Shootings vs 165 in August 2021

This Follows the Passage of Federal Gun Restrictions by Congress in June, Biden's April Executive Order in Requiring Ghost Gun Sales be Handled in the Same Manner as Gun Sales & Mayor Adams & the NYPD's Effort to Remove Illegal Guns from NYC Streets

On June 25th, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This is legislation that passed both the Senate and Congress earlier in the month. A number of moderate Republicans crossed the aisle in both the House and Senate to vote with the Democrats, on reigning in the gun violence free-for-all that we've been witnessing the past couple of years.

The federal gun legislation was the first of its kind to pass both houses and be signed into law in about 30 years. Among other things it enhances background checks for younger gun owners [under 21], and provides law enforcement with additional authority and responsibility to thwart potential shooters by empowering them to curtail a gun owner's rights if there's reason to believe that person poses a risk to the general welfare of the community. Added funding was also provided to incent law enforcement to pay more attention to problematic gun owners.

The Biden Ghost Gun sale regulations went into effect on August 24, 2022, following a failed court challenge to block the President's April 2022 Executive Order requiring ghost gun sales to be treated the same as other firearm sales.

In addition to the actions taken at the federal level, Mayor Adams has been working with the NYPD to reduce shootings through changes in NYC law enforcement to take illegal guns off the street. Year to date [as of end of August 2022], the NYPD had removed 4,880 illegal guns from the streets of which 405 of them were removed in August.

Other NYC crime statistics rose 31%. And NYS Governor Hochul passed a number gun regulations in response to the Supreme Court ruling overturning a century old NYS gun law.

We'll have a few more items to add, including on NYC public schools, on Wednesday 9.14.22. In the meantime, I hope you're having a nice week.

Things To Do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit & Labor Day Parade in Manhattan, U.S. Open ends this Weekend in Queens, City Island Art Fair & Ferragosto Celebration in the Bronx, Afro Punk Fest & Fort Greene Jazz Fest in Brooklyn & Pig Island Festival on Staten Island, 911 Anniversary Weekend in NYC ... also Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, Street Fairs

September 9, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low to mid 80's and the temperature lows will be in the high 60's. The humidity will be 50% - 70% on Friday, dropping to 50% - 60% on Saturday, and rising again to 60% - 70% on Sunday. Winds will be about 5 mph [gentle breeze] all weekend. Mostly no rain expected, but there's a 75% of about a quarter inch of rain falling late on Sunday. The rain will continue and drop a half inch on Monday.

The photos at right show the World Trade Center / 911 Memorial in downtown Manhattan. It's been 21 years since two hijacked airplanes hit the World Trade Center buildings, toppling both of them, and killing thousands of innocent people. Many more died in the aftermath due to asbestos inhalation. This year is the 21st anniversary of 911. I've heard of one or two small localized events commemorating the date, but I couldn't find the details online. You can always make your own sojourn visit to the WTC memorial in downtown Manhattan which is shown in these two photos.

Opinion: Queen Elizabeth - Had so Much, Gave So Little, Did Nothing

What is wrong with Murdoch's Fox News and the corporate TV networks?

They fuss over a woman who had everything, did nothing, and gave little.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly shirked her daughter-in-law Diana, seemed to nearly disown her grandson Harry when he decided to marry an outsider and forge a new life for himself.

She did nothing to earn her wealth, lived her life amidst fabulous wealth and luxury, and seemed to do little to nothing to better the world. Given all the power and wealth Queen Elizabeth inherited, 'her majesty' is, in my mind, one of the greatest travesties of all.

So why are the corporate TV networks fawning all over that rich, nasty, old woman? Elitest Oligarch Rupert Murdoch - who is constantly calling other elitests - had Fox News and ABC so obsequiously cover the Queen, that it almost made me barf.

Things To Do in Manhattan NYC

Saturday, September 10th, 2022 beginning at 10 am, the Labor Day Parade in Manhattan. It marches along 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 64th Street.

Saturday & Sunday, September 10 & 11, 2022 from 12 noon to 6 pm - the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit. The show runs along University Avenue from 13th Street down to Washington Square in Manhattan.

Things To Do in Queens NYC

The biggest Labor Day event in Queens, is of course, the U.S. Open which began this week and runs through the Labor Day weekend and following week [see photo at right].

Saturday, September 10 2022 from 10 am - 5 pm - Flushing Street Festival. Along 40th Road and Prince Street in Flushing, Queens. Arts, crafts, music, performance, food and shopping with an Asian flavor. Organized by the Flushing BID.

Things To Do in Brooklyn NYC

Saturday, September 10 from 4 - 7 pm there's the Fort Greene Jazz Festival. Free.

Saturday & Sunday, September 10 & 11, 2022 from 12 noon - 12 midnight - Afro Punk Fest. At Commodore Perry Park in Brooklyn - along Navy Street between Flushing and Park Avenues in the Wallabout neighborhood of Brooklyn. Tickets are $110 - $185 at https://afropunk.com/festival/brooklyn/

Things To Do in the Bronx NYC

City Island _ Saturday & Sunday, September 11 & 12, 2021 from 11 am - 7 pm - City Island Arts & Crafts Fair - Along City Island Avenue between Fordham and Carroll Streets. Hawkins Street Park is the epicenter. Street fairs festivals in the City Island neighborhood of the East Bronx.

Belmont / Bronx Little Italy _ Sunday, September 11, 2022 from 12 noon - 6 pm. Ferragosto Festival. Along Arthur Avenue between Crescent and 187th Street, and along East 186th Street between Arthur & Hughes Avenues. It's an Italian harvest celebration & celebrating 100 years of Arthur Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx. Bronx St Fairs in the Belmont neighborhood.x

Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 12 noon - 4 pm - Pig Island Festival - "... this pork-laden festival [includes 20 chefs who] compete for the most delicious porcine dishes. There will also be craft beer, hard cider, spirits and other food offerings – all-included with a general admissions ticket ... " In the South Meadow at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden at 1000 Richmond Terrace in the Randall Manor neighborhood on Staten Island. Staten Island street fair / festival in Randall Manor - Admission $59 & up. See www.snug-harbor.org for details.

Have a nice weekend.

Click here for free public outdoor movies - Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Movies Bronx NYC, Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Movies Brooklyn NYC, Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Movies Manhattan NYC, Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Movies Queens NYC and Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Movies Staten Island NYC.

Swim Pools. The NYC public park outdoor swimming pools reopen next Tuesday, June 28th. Here are links to those pools in all of the five boroughs: Free public swimming pools in the Bronx NYC, free public swimming pools in Brooklyn NYC, free public swimming pools in Manhattan NYC, free public swimming pools in Queens NYC and free public swimming pools on Staten Island NYC.

Click here for fireworks displays throughout all five boroughs this weekend -1) Bronx 4th of July fireworks 2022 & Orchard Beach July 4th fireworks BX NYC, 2) Brooklyn 4th of July fireworks 2022 & Coney Island July 4th fireworks BK NYC, 3) Manhattan 4th of July fireworks 2022, 4) Queens July 4th fireworks 2022 & Astoria Park 4th of July fireworks Queens NYC, and 5) Staten Island 4th of July fireworks 2022.

Click here for free public outdoor concerts - 1) Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Concerts Bronx NYC, 2) Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Concerts Brooklyn NYC, 3) Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Concerts Manhattan NYC, 4) Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Concerts Queens NYC, and 5) Free Things to do NYC / Free Outdoor Summer Concerts Staten Island NYC.

Click here for free public outdoor theater - 1) Free Summer Theater Plays Bronx Bx, 2) Free Summer Theater Plays Brooklyn Bk, 3) Free Summer Theater Plays Manhattan Mhtn, 4) Free Summer Theater Plays Queens Qns and 5) Free Summer Theater Plays Staten Island Si.

NYC Catholic Schools Open September 7th & NYC Public Schools Open on the 8th

Ode to Some of the Great Teachers I've Known, Who've Been Guides on the Trail of Life

In Words & Deeds, We are all Students & We are all Teachers, be it Consciously or Not

September 7, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

On Wednesday, September 7th the Catholic schools in NYC reopen for the new school year.

On Thursday, September 8, 2022 NYC public schools reopen. Many of the CoVid guidelines of the prior public school year have been modified, so copy and paste the following link for an update. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/covid-information/health-and-safety-in-our-schools.

Thinking of Those who Made a Difference

As I contemplated the upcoming school year I thought back to all of the great teachers who made a difference in my life. And so it is to them that I dedicate this column. Generally I'm going to discuss the school teachers as they chronologically entered my life, and discuss the other teachers in my life who taught me things outside of school, in reverse chronological order. Also please note that this is by no means a complete list, but really rather a first attempt at thanking some of the teachers who made a difference in my life, while passing on a few of the golden nuggets I learned from them.

The High School Teachers Who Made a Difference

It started at Abbott Pennings high school in DePere, Wisconsin where I grew up. Father Frigo was our freshman or sophomore history teacher. He was also a coach of the football and basketball teams which won state championships, and as such, was perhaps treated a bit too familiarly, even irreverently, by some of the star athletes in our class. What Father Frigo taught me was that historical narratives change over time, and that, " ... you have to pay attention to whether you're looking at primary sources or secondary sources ... " to truly understand the nature of events.

He taught us that, " ... revisionist history is a secondary source, but also plays an important role in our understanding of the past ...". He noted that pressure to conform to the prevailing cultural norms and narratives of those in power at a given time can distort and obfuscate the truth. But cultural norms and those in power change over time, so that oftentimes, at least in a free speech democracy, the passing of time permits a more honest appraisal of past events. We can see this playing out currently, as the Civil War 'heroes' of the Confederate south are more appropriately treated in historical terms as traitors to the republic, and as champions of a harsh, cruel system of enslavement of a large portion of the American population at the time. Likewise, in dictatorships, narcissitic despots often use and distort history to provide support for their violent aggression. We saw this scenario play out in Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 1940's, and we're witnessing it today in Putin's Russia.

My junior year I came up against a tough nun, Sister Janet, who for some god forsaken reason, took it upon herself to make sure that I understood algebra. I fought her tooth and nail throughout the year, but over time she broke me down and taught me the beauty of the logic inherent in algebraic equations, for which there is no wiggle room between getting it right and getting it wrong.

And lastly, at Abbott Pennings high school, I was taught an even larger lesson by Father Meehan, in religion class. I questioned some of the basic beliefs of Catholicism in class. He patiently answered my questions, and in the end told me something that I will always remember, when he said, "don't stop questioning ... question everything". Little did I know that that was both a blessing and a curse, as I have continued to question everything ever since.

The College Professors who Made a Difference

I first attended college at St. Norbert College, also in DePere, Wisconsin. In what was my first junior year, I ended up in a history class with Doctor Jonathan Webster. At first I found it unfortunate that I was one of only two students in the class, so this meant I actually had to do all of the homework every week, because while Professor Webster lectured us, he also engaged me and the other student in conversations about what we read in each and every assignment. The class was about Tudor Stuart England, and perhaps for the first time, I walked away with a true appreciation for the study of history at a very in-depth level. We had to read about two dozen books during the course of the semester, and during those three person classes, Professor Webster imparted his knowledge of the period, and helped us more fully understand what we were reading.

Here the lesson was that learning things helps you, and oftentimes when you least expect it. My in-depth understanding of history from that class, came up in an interview when I applied to transfer to the University of Chicago, which was then ranked the #3 college in the nation. In a robust, spirited and terribly intellectual conversation with the interviewer, Michael Walker, I was able to handle my own and was subsequently accepted into the University.

The University of Chicago has a well-deserved reputation as a rigorous academic institution. Two professors from there, left indelible impressions upon me. The first was William H. McNeil, also a history teacher, who over the course of three trimesters - a full academic year - took us, his students, through the history of the world. His classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays it was primarily a lecture where he laid out what was happening in various regions of the world during specific periods of time. On Thursdays, he presented slide shows where he showed us photos of art, artifacts, architecture and other cultural and historical items from that time. He would use a light emitting pointer to draw our attention to various details of each artifact that supported his narratives about what was going on during that time. It was through this class that I developed a broader appreciation for the importance of art, culture and architecture; and the important role they play in our understanding of not only our past, but of ourselves.

This was in addition to learning about the history of the world.

But perhaps the most important part of McNeill's teaching happened after class, when I visited him in his office and peppered him with questions, troubled that what he was presenting in class appeared to differ from my understanding of the world, which up until that time, had some religion mixed into my understanding of the world and how it worked. Professor McNeill was a very patient, avuncular man with a good sense of humor, and so while we discussed many things, ultimately he let me make up my own mind about what I wanted to believe, but he also didn't give any ground when it came to the facts. He was an exceptional teacher, and I am sorry that I was never able to properly thank him, nor for that matter, any of the other teachers mentioned herein.

Professor Sam Jaffe, also of the University of Chicago, taught the Humanities. In this class, Jaffe seemed enthralled by James Joyce, an Irish author, whose use of allegory seemed to enthrall Professor Jaffe. Professor Jaffe had us write a short paper every week or two. Somewhere in the early part of the trimester, one of my papers came back covered with red ink. Professor Jaffe told me he wanted me to re-write it, but also told me I didn't have to complete the next writing assignment given to the rest of the class. So, I re-wrote the paper, taking into consideration Professor Jaffe's comments.

My second rendition also came back covered with red markings, so I asked to meet with the professor to better understand what I had done wrong. He made me aware of how I used my words, phrases, (dis)organized my thoughts and paragraphs, and went off on side tangents [like my father] and sometimes repeated myself. He wanted me to eliminate the deviations from the main argument and to stay focused on the primary subject in one continuous flow. I tried to comprehend his guidance as best I could, and made use of his comments in my third try at the same paper which he found to be much improved. But there were still a number of markings on it, so we met and went through it again. On my fourth try, the paper came back fairly clean. And by then I was on my way to understanding how to write a well-organized, well thought out, articulate paper; which if I recall correctly, was about James Joyce's book, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

I never properly thanked any of them, which shows us two things - one is how important a profession teaching is, and two how thankless a profession it is. My sister is also a teacher who consoled me, telling me that teachers derive satisfaction by seeing their students learn. She said that seeing their students grow through learning, is how they know they've made a difference, regardless of whether the students ever actually circle back around to thank them.

Our Lives are Filled with Great Teachers

But teaching isn't just done at the academic level, so while I'm on the subject I want to share a few other lessons I learned along the way, again recognizing that this is a very incomplete account. As mentioned above, here I'm going to tell the rest of the story in reverse chronological order.

I had a longstanding girlfriend, Karen Cortell, who taught me how to grocery shop by focusing on natural fruits, vegetables, meats and breads, while pointing out the importance of reading the nutrition labels on packages, when we did buy processed / packaged food. And then she taught me how to cook. I cannot tell you how invaluable these lessons have been to my enjoyment of nightly meals, my good health, and enduring financial standing.

I used to have lunch periodically with Bill Peick who was the Director of Facilities at OSI Pharmaceuticals on Long Island. He was a bit of a corporate senior statesman and would periodically tell me, "The world has changed today. Did you notice it?" At first I thought this query was whimsical nonsense, because very little changed from day to day. In fact there were some weeks when life seemed a bit like it was portrayed in the movie 'Groundhog Day' ... meaning terribly uninteresting, and more of the same. But over time I came to realize and appreciate what Bill was saying, which is that the world is constantly changing ... bit by bit and day by day ... and while we may not notice it on a daily basis, the seven billion plus people on the planet, including ourselves, are all doing something that will either benefit or harm humanity over time.

David Sharpe the VP of Marketing at Lever Brothers [a multi-national consumer products company] in NYC, told me that, " ... managing the process of business, is as important as getting business results ...". When he told me this, I had just come off a successful packaging launch where I pushed people hard, so I was feeling pretty good because we accomplished what we set out to do. When he told me that process was as important as results, I resisted the notion at first, as I had grown up near Green Bay, Wisconsin where famed Packer coach Vince Lombardi was often quoted as saying "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

But Sharpe was right, and over time I found what he had told me was true, because one victory is only good for that day / week / month or year. Ultimately you have to keep doing it over and over and over again, and if you don't manage the process well each time you go through it, eventually things will break down and / or people will resist helping - let alone give you their all.

One of my best friends in business school, Michael Murdoch, taught me the importance of friendship. I was at Midway Airport in Chicago - this was near the end of business school - and on my way to an interview with CBS in NYC. I was flying to NYC to pitch the only job that I really wanted, and I had forgotten my plane ticket. On a moments notice, Murdoch dropped everything, took a taxi to the airport and enabled me to get on that plane. It was a heroic deed that I will never forget, because he could easily have talked his way out of making that trip. And as fate would have it, I got the job. Here, it is important to remember that, sometimes, the memory of a heroic deed can last a lifetime.

We can Even Learn from Family Members

My brother Pat would also periodically remind me that, "It's a people world." He would say this because I tended to be more book smart than people smart. I found this pithy advice insightful, as knowing and getting the facts right, oftentimes isn't enough to win the day - as people, with all of their emotional and psychological complexities - are the decision makers. And thus knowing the people is at least as important as knowing the facts, as to crack, hack or make a deal, you have to break the people code in order to achieve your objectives.

And lastly, but not least, there were my parents, who imparted countless important lessons to me throughout my life. Many were conveyed, most assuredly, through their actions as I was growing up. Two of the top verbalized lessons by my parents, were the following.

My mother used to say, "Every generalization is wrong, including this one." This means a lot of things, but the one most appropriate for this day, is that just because someone does something tremendously good or bad, doesn't mean their whole family or whole race or whole gender or whole political party or whole religion deserves the credit or the blame.

And my father would tell me, "Democracy isn't perfect. Democracy takes time. And so far, it's the best system of government we have that works." Papa has been right thus far. Let's hope he continues to be.

So as we enter the new school year, I want all the great teachers out there, to know that while you may not have been, or may not be, properly thanked for all that you do, there are those of us out here [I'm sure I'm not alone in this] who are grateful to you, even if we never made the time to circle back around to properly thank you.

Ultimately in life, we are all both students and teachers. We learn by observing and we teach through what we do or not do, and by what we say or not say. Our presences - good or bad - can make a big difference to others, and oftentimes when we're not even aware of it.

Have a good week.

Things To Do This Labor Day Weekend in NYC & Boros

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, Free Nightly Opera at Lincoln Center, West Indian American Day Parade Festivities all Weekend in Brooklyn, U.S. Open all Weekend in Queens, in the Bronx Salsa at Orchard Beach & Yankees Home Game, Concert & the Fabulous Richmond County Fair on Staten Island ... also Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

September 2, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low to mid 80's all weekend. The temperature lows will be around 70 all weekend. The humidity will be between 50% - 70% on Friday, rising to 60% - 70% on Saturday and Sunday, and rising again on Monday to between 70% - 80%. Winds will be a very steady 5 - 7 mph all weekend. There's a 50% chance of a third inch of rain beginning Sunday afternoon and 50% chance of two thirds of an inch of rain throughout the day on Monday.

The photo at right was taken at the West Indian American Day Parade in 2019 where we were rained on pretty hard with pretty warm water. It's possible the same may happen Monday in Brooklyn.

Things To Do in Manhattan NYC

One of the biggest events over the Labor Day Weekend in Manhattan include the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit which runs from 12 noon to 6 pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, as well as the following weekend. The show runs along University Avenue from 13th Street down to Washington Square.

Also, from Friday, August 26th to Monday, September 5th, there are nightly high definition screenings, beginning at 8 pm, of Metropolitan Opera performances shown in the plaza at Lincoln Center at Columbus and 68th Street on the UWS. Copy and paste this link to see what's playing each night - https://www.metopera.org/season/summer-2022/summer-hd-festival/.

And it's worth mentioning that on Friday and Saturday, September 2nd and 3rd, the Metropolitan Museum will host its two final rooftop concerts of the season going from 5.30 - 8.30 pm. Free w/ admission to the Met.

Ironically, the Labor Day Parade in Manhattan is held Saturday, September 10th, after Labor Day in Manhattan. It begins at 10 am on 5th Avenue at 44th Street marching north to 64th Street.

Things To Do in Brooklyn NYC

One of the biggest events of the Labor Day Weekend in Brooklyn is the West Indian American Day Parade and Carnival. While there are events all weekend, the parade begins at 11 am on Monday along the Eastern Parkway departing from Schenectady Avenue and marching down to Grand Army Plaza near the Brooklyn Museum. From 10 am - 6 pm you'll also find food stalls and shopping along the parade route along Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Things To Do in Queens NYC

The biggest Labor Day event in Queens, is of course, the U.S. Open which began this week and runs through the Labor Day weekend and following week [see photo at right].

Another of the biggest Labor Day weekend events in Queens are the Rockaway Bazaar concerts, that begin at 5 pm Friday and at 4 pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Beach and 97th Street in the Rockaways in Queens.

Things To Do in the Bronx NYC

The Sunday afternoon of Labor Day Weekend, from 1 to 6 pm, is the last Summer Salsa event at Orchard Beach, in Section 5 between the clubhouse and the water. It's casual and free.

One of the biggest event over the Labor Day Weekend in the Bronx is that the Yankees host the Twins beginning at 11 am on Monday, September 5th at Yankee Stadium at River Avenue and 161st Street.

Next weekend, September 10th & 11th, 2022 from 11 am to 7 pm, is the City Island Art Fair. It's held along Main Street, with the epic center at Hawkins Park.

Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

The biggest event of the Labor Day weekend on Staten Island is the Richmond County Fair in Historic Richmond Town which runs from 12 noon - 7 pm daily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Sunday, September 4, 2022 from 4 - 6 pm. Music in the Park with the SI Philharmonic - At the Conference House at 7455 Hylan Blvd in Tottenville on Staten Island.

Have a good Labor Day weekend, and the following are links to all sorts of late summer activities in all five boros. Enjoy.

Labor Day Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island Over The Labor Day Weekend

August 29, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz.

FYI - We update our front page on the Friday before the Labor Day weekend, with an up-to-date weather forecast, as well as additional Labor Day Weekend events and updates. So please come back to visit us over the weekend.

Also, please note that some photos shown on this page, don't belong here. We're making some platform changes which, in some limited cases, has the system pointing to the wrong images. We'll fix these as we identify them and as time permits.

Special Events on Labor Day Weekend on Staten Island NYC

The biggest event of the Labor Day weekend on Staten Island is the Richmond County Fair in Historic Richmond Town which runs from 12 noon - 7 pm daily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Labor Day Events on Staten Island

This Labor Day Weekend you can also go bicycling on Staten Island, play soccer & other games in Staten Island parks, go shopping on Staten Island, attend Staten Island parades, watch theater, visit the Staten Island art museums, and eat out at one of the Staten Island restaurants.

And it's all happening right here in our favorite borough - Staten Island. So take your time to sort through the days and locations and start planning your weekend. Click here to obtain information about things to do Labor Day Weekend on Staten Island. This events calendar is updated monthly with dozens of different Staten Island fun cultural events.

Staten Island Public & Private Parks

NYC Golfing on Staten Island

CLICK here for things to do on Staten Island Labor Day Weekend.

Things To Do in NYC This Weekend

1) Charlie Parker Festival, Shakespeare in the Park & new Play in Washington Square in Manhattan;

2) U.S. Open Trials end Today, PS1 Warm Up Party Today, 3D Movie, Modern Play in Travers Park Sunday, U.S. Open Tournament Begins Monday in Queens;

3) Revolutionary War Reenactment, Brighton Jubilee, Feast of Saint Rosalia ends Sunday, Burlesque at the Beach in Coney Island in Brooklyn;

4) Baad Dance Performance, Stage Garden Rumba, Family Arts & Crafts, Bronx Night Market, Dinosaurs at the Zoo, Piazza di Belmont & Subway Series in the Bronx;

5) Shorts Film Fest & African Festival & Carnegie Hall Concert on Staten Island;

6) also Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

August 26, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid 80's and the temperature lows in the low 70's. The humidity will be about 60% Friday, rising to 70% Saturday and peaking at 80% on Sunday, before falling back a bit on Monday. The winds will be about 5 mph all weekend. There's the possibility of a tenth inch of rain Friday.

The photo at right was taken at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village in a prior year. The festival returns to Washington Heights and the East Village this weekend.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

Tuesday - Sundays, August 10 - September 11, 2022 beginning at 8 pm [no show on Saturday, September 10] - As You Like It - By William Shakespeare / Adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery. This adaptation of the Shakespearean classic romantic comedy addresses love and gender. Free Shakespeare in the park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in Manhattan NYC. Free theater but you need to rsvp a ticket online at least one day prior to performance. For details see www.publictheater.org.

Friday, August 26, 2022 from 7 - 9 pm - Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - featuring Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force / Calvin Booker On Tap & Friends in tandem with the JazzMobile. Marcus Garvey Park at 18 Mount Morris Park West in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. No rsvp needed. First come / first serve. Organized by SummerStage - www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Saturday, Aug 27 @ at 2 pm - - Teacher! Teacher! or P.S. I love you. — Washington Square Park. They describe the play as follows, " ... a rip-roaring original musical which tells the story of a struggling teacher in an underserved neighborhood who puts her life on the line for her kids ...". Washington Square Park is located between 4th Street and Waverly and between MacDougal and University Place in the Village. Organized by the Parks Dept & Theater for the New City aka TNC at www.theaterforthenewcity.net. Free.

Sunday, August 28, 2022 from 3 - 7 pm - Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - featuring Archie Shepp and Jason Moran featuring Cecile McLorin Salvant / Melissa Aldana / Bria Skonberg / Pasquale Grasso - perform in Tompkins Square Park located between Avenues A & B and between 7th Street & 10th Street in the East Village. . No rsvp needed. First come / first serve. Organized by SummerStage - www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Friday, August 26, 2022 from 5 - 9 pm - MoMA PS1 Warm Up Party Replacement. They'll have a few DJ's playing tunes in their back courtyard. PS1 MoMa is located at 22-15 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, LIC Queens.

June, July, August & September 2022 - Every Hour from 11 am - 4 pm Daily - Wings Over Water in 3D. This is a 22 minute long 3D movie about the migratory patterns of birds. The film follows a number of different species as they do their annual migrations through mountains, deserts, cities, and forests along hidden waterways left behind by the melted glaciers. The NY Hall of Science is located at the western end of Flushing Meadows Corona Park at 47-01 111th Street at 47th Avenue in Corona / Flushing Queens NYC. Admission $4 / $5 / www.nysci.org

Sunday, August 28, 2022 beginning at 2 pm - Teacher! Teacher! or P.S. I love you. They describe the play as follows, " ... a rip-roaring original musical which tells the story of a struggling teacher in an underserved neighborhood who puts her life on the line for her kids ...". Free summer theater in Travers Park at 34th Avenue Between 77th and 78th Street in Jackson Heights Queens NYC.

The U.S. Open Tennis Tournament begins Monday.

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

Thursday - Sunday, August 18 - August 28, 2022 from about 6 - 10 pm and probably starts earlier on the weekends - The 40th Annual Feast of Santa Rosalia - Along 18th Avenue from 68th to 75th Streets in Bensonhurst. Rides, Italian food and shopping and live entertainment. Processions at 3 pm on both Sundays at 18th Avenue and 72nd Street. Organized by FIAO Brooklyn. Brooklyn street fairs in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of BK.

Saturday & Sunday, August 27 & 28, 2022 from 11 am - 3 pm - The Battle of Brooklyn - Revolutionary War Commemoration - 500 West 25th Street at Greenwood Cemetery. There are three trolley tours scheduled on Saturday beginning at 10 am, 1 pm and 3.30 pm which cost $30 / $25. The Sunday events are free with a suggested donation of $5 for the cemetery. In the past the Sunday program includes an interactive program about life on the battlefield at 11 am, a parade at 12.30 pm, and a commemoration ceremony at 1.15 pm - THIS IS LIKELY THE 2022 EVENTS SCHEDULE BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED. This is an historic festival in the Greenwood Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Space is limited so it's recommended that you get your free tickets now [recommended donation $5] at https://www.green-wood.com/calendar/list/?tribe-bar-date=2022-08-26

Sunday, August 28, 2022 from 10 am - 6 pm. 45th Annual Brighton Jubilee. Along Brighton Beach Avenue from Corbin Place to Coney Island Avenue [has bathrooms] turning down toward the beach. There's live entertainment stages at Brighton 11th Street & at 14th Street, as well as food, shopping and kiddie rides. By the Brighton Neighborhood Assn. Brooklyn street fairs / Brooklyn St Festivals in Brighton Beach & Manhattan Beach. For details see - http://brightonbeach.com/jubilee-festival.html

Friday & Saturday nights, July & August, 2022 beginning at 8 pm on Friday and 9 pm on Saturday - Burlesque at the Beach. A new burlesque related show each Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer. Coney Island Side Show and Coney Island Burlesque. At the Coney Island Museum at 1208 Surf Avenue [at Stillwell Avenue] in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. It's adjacent to Luna Park, which stands between it and the boardwalk. Admission is about $20.

Daily August 2022 - Coney Island Museum. They describe the museum as follows, " ... For over a century, the Coney Island amusement district has represented the changing face of American popular culture. A source of wonders, thrills, and larger-than-life spectacles for many generations, Coney Island has also been the site of a wide range of historical innovations, including the hot dog, the first escalator ride, and the introduction of the infant incubator as a tool for neonatal care. The Coney Island Museum is the only accredited institution singularly dedicated to preserving, protecting, and interpreting the unique history of the People’s Playground. It houses the world’s premier collection of Coney Island photographs, paintings, ephemera, amusement-related objects, architectural elements, and vintage signs on view to the public. In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum also hosts special exhibitions and lectures on Coney Island’s history and impact. The Museum’s archives are available as a critical resource to researching scholars and its public displays support educators from local schools ... ". Admission $3 / $5. Note - They periodically close for special events so you're advised to check their website before planning a visit - www.coneyisland.com

Things To Do This Weekend in the Bronx NYC

Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 1 to 8 pm - Bronx Night Market in Fordham Plaza just south of the train station. A diversified food fest.

Friday, August 26, 2022 beginnning at 8 pm - STAYCEE PEARL DANCE PROJECT ... ALL NIGHT LONG (Working Title). A staged installation celebrating house music and culture. At the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance located at 2474 Westchester Avenue in the Westchester Square neighborhood of the Bronx.

Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 1 - 4 pm - Family Day - This is described not as a street fair, but arts and crafts workshop, " ... a day of art making, music and celebration as well as the debut of Abigail DeVille's oral history space capsule project, where a sculpture taking the form of a space capsule outfitted with sound recording equipment will be used to collect and share personal stories and alternative narratives of the Bronx ... ". At the Bronx Museum 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street in the Bronx NYC.

Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 2 to 6 pm - Stage Garden Rumba - They describe the event as: "... Presented in partnership with Pregones / PRTT, Stage Garden Rumba is an open invitation for all New Yorkers to experience the cultural riches, regional community gardens and green spaces, and vibrant Casitas of the South Bronx ... The series will again feature extraordinary Artists - actors, singers, dancers, writers; Activists with the pulse of local, national, and international struggle and social justice; and Community Members ... Hyperlocal and universal, Stage Garden Rumba brings together voices of joy and revolution to fuel our collective imagination and propel us into a self-determined future ... ". At the Bronx Sunshine Community Garden at 1768 Bryant Avenue at 174th Street near the New Horizon Shopping Mall in the West Farms / Longwood / East Tremont neighborhoods in the Bronx.

Fridays and Saturdays from 6 pm to 10 pm, and Sundays from 3 pm to 9 pm - Piazza di Belmont - Outdoor dining on Arthur Avenue which will be closed to vehicular traffic from East 188th Street to Crescent Avenue during the above mentioned times. Ends Sept 25, 2022.

Daily thru October 30, 2022 - Walk Among Dinosaurs. This isn't a movie per se, but perhaps even better than one. The Bronx Zoo has an exhibit of 52 life-sized dinosaurs, some of which have animatronics in them. The Bronx Zoo is located at 2300 Southern Blvd in the Bronx. You will need to rsvp a timed ticket and check their website for the latest CoVid guidance - https://bronxzoo.com.

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 12 noon - 7 pm there's the African Festival at 450 Front Street, just across from Maker Park in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island. They describe the event as follows, " ... The 2 day event is the celebration of African Culture and showcases African music, fine arts, literature, drama, dance, and fashion ...". While this is primarily a cultural festival, there will also be opportunities to purchase African food, clothing and art. Entrance Free. Organized by www.africanfestnyc.org. & http://www.nigeriancommunity.org/aboutus.html

Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 5 - 6 pm - Jayme Stones Folklife. This group performs an eclectic mix of North American folk music. At the General Store in Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island. Free, but you're encouraged to rsvp at https://www.historicrichmondtown.org. This is a Carnegie Hall Citywide concert - https://www.carnegiehall.org/Events/Citywide.

Saturday & Sunday, August 27 & 28, 2022 from 5 - 10 pm - Staten Island Summer of Shorts Film Festival. At the Old Dutch Church at 54 Port Richmond Avenue in the Port Richmond neighborhood on Staten Island. Opens at 5 pm where you can meet and greet the film folks. Screenings begin at 6 pm. Admission $10 / Tickets on eventbrite / http://www.olddutchchurchnyc.org.

Have a good weekend, and in the meantime here are links to all sorts of summer activities in all five boros, which include further details to many of the events above. Enjoy.

NYC / NYS Politics - Primary Election Tuesday, August 23rd

These are the U.S. Congressional & NYS Senate Primary Races not Held June 28th

nyc poll site locator queens poll site locator manhattan polls locations

August 23, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The second NYS primary election is on Tuesday, August 23rd. On the ballot are the U.S. Congressional races and the NYS Senate races, which were not on the ballot on June 28th.

Reason for the Second Primary this Summer & Races to Watch

The reason there were two NYS primaries this year is that the electoral districts drawn up by the Democrats were so gerrymandered, that an upstate court ordered the NYS Legislature to redraw them more fairly. The decision was upheld on Appeal, but due to the timing - the Appeal decision came down in April - there wasn't enough time to redraw the maps in time for the June primary. Hence a second primary today.

The biggest contests to watch coming out of this election is the one pitting two longtime Congresspeople against each other in District 12 - Jerry Nadler of the Upper West Side and Carolyn Maloney of the Upper East Side. And there's a tight race just north of the city in Westchester where Alessandra Biaggi is challenging Sean Patrick Maloney in District 13. Earlier this summer, former Mayor de Blasio dropped out of the congressional race in the newly redrawn 10th District which encompasses part of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Click on the image above to access the poll finder website, so you can easily find where to vote in your neighborhood. Remember this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and many of our ancestors died for our right to elect our leaders. A similar struggle for freedom from oppression is going on in Ukraine right now. So in as much as you can, do your homework before voting for those you choose to represent you / us. There's still time to do some research on candidates on the web.

The New York State election is Tuesday August 23rd, and polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm. Click on the graphic above, to find your poll site.

Things To Do in NYC This Weekend

1) Indian Parade, Baand Dance Festival, Last Weekend for Summer Streets NYC, Macbeth in Manhattan

2) Summer Theater is in Full Swing, Free Fan Tickets to U.S. Open Trials Next Week in Queens,

3) Feast of Saint Rosalia in Brooklyn;

4) Salsa Fest, Dinosaurs at the Zoo, Piazza di Belmont & Subway Series in the Bronx;

5) Summer Concert on Staten Island;

6) also Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

August 20, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 80's Saturday and the low 80's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be around 70 all weekend. There will be a gentle breeze between 5 - 10 mph all weekend, descending as the time passes. The humidity will rise throughout the weekend, from 50% - 70% on Saturday to 60% to 80% on Sunday. There's a slight chance of rain late Sunday, and about an inch of rain or more starting early Monday.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

On Thursdays thru Sundays, July 28 - August 21, 2022 from 6.30 - 8.30 pm / Macbeth - A Shakespearean classic. On the north patio of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument which can be accessed at West 89th Street and Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side. Take the steps behind the monument down to the large patio. CoVid Guidelines. Proof of vaccination and the wearing of a mask are still required. Also attendees must be seated before the 6.30 pm opening. Free.

Beginning Wednesday, August 17, 2022 and running through the weekend the BAAND Together Dance Festival will be held in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side. It's billed as, "... an unprecedented celebration of dance, [with] Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem sharing the spotlight for the 1st time ...".

Saturdays, August 6, 13 & 20, 2022 from 7 am to 1 pm - NYC Summer Streets - There will be street closures to autos and trucks along Lafayette starting at the Brooklyn Bridge, going north to 4th Avenue in the Village, which merges into Park Avenue at Union Square, ending at 72nd Street. People are welcome to bike, stroll, skateboard and whatnot. Motorists will have access to some major cross streets which you can find listed by cutting & pasting this web address into your browser - http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/about/neighbors.shtml.

On Sunday, August 21, 2022 beginning at 12 noon, the India Day Parade marches south along Madison Avenue from 38th Street to 27th Street. The parade is followed by a food and street fair in Madison Square Park.

Use the Manhattan free summer theater, concerts and movies links below to get further details on many of the above events as well as to obtain information about upcoming theater, dance & concert performances and movies at various locations in Manhattan including free concerts / performances at Lincoln Center on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Salsa dancing / instruction in Washington Square Park on Tuesday evenings, free SummerStage concerts weekly, free Naumberg Bandshell concerts on Tuesdays in Central Park, Thursday or Friday morning concerts at Rockefeller Center, Friday evening concerts in Bryant Park, Wednesday afternoon concerts near Grand Central Terminal, Wednesday films shown in the evening at the Cafe at Pier I in Riverside Park, Monday evening films in Bryant Park, Wednesday evening films in Washington Square Park, Thursday or Saturday evening films at the Westfield World Trade Center, Laughter in the Park performances on Wednesdays at Lincoln Center, and the Harlem Meer Performance Festival on Sundays in Central Park.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Check out the summer theater page link below for a full list of summer outdoor theater performances happening this month in Queens.

Use the links below to see details about the concerts, theater and movie events above, as well as for details on the free summer concerts, theater and movies for the rest of this summer in Queens. For example next Monday free summer movies in Astoria Park, free performances of Shakespeare in Queens parks, a concert and fair in Rufus King Park in Jamaica, a paid movie with workshop at the Queens Botanical Garden on Saturday, free concerts and dance performances in Athens Square Park in Astoria on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, live music and dance in Travers Park in Jackson Heights on Sunday, and a free concert in Gantry State Park in Tuesdays. Also a 3D movie at the NY Hall of Science in Flushing.

From Tuesday through Friday, August 23 - 26, 2022 beginning at 11 am the U.S. Open Qualifing Matches are open to the public for free at the USTA in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Register for a Fan Access Pass at https://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/us_open_fan_week.html

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

Use the links below to see details about the concerts, theater and movie events above, as well as for details on the free summer concerts this Fridays at Brooklyn Bridge Park, on weekdays in Downtown Brooklyn, also at the Industry City Bandshell. And there are free summer weekday movies in the parks including Transmitter Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Fort Greene Park, Prospect Park and on the Coney Island Boardwalk.

Things To Do This Weekend in the Bronx NYC

Thursday, August 11 - Sunday, August 21, 2022 from 6 pm - 10 pm St Helena Summer Fair. Times may vary on the weekend. It's an old fashioned carnival with rides, games, food and beverages. At the Church of St. Helena in the Parking Lot at 1315 Olmsted in Parchester, near Castle Hill in the Bronx. For details see https://www.churchofsthelena.com/.

On Saturday, August 20, 2022 beginning at 4 pm there's a Salsa Fest at the Bronx Music Hall Plaza at 438 East 163rd Street [at Washington]. These events generally last about one to two hours.

On Monday & Tuesday, August 22 & 23, 2022 the second half of the Yankee / Mets subway series begins at CitiField at 7.05 pm. I found tickets going for $99 to $475 for regular seats. Or instead of paying what seems an outrageous amount of money to a billionaire in order to sweat profusely through a three hour local baseball game, you drop in on your favorite air conditioned sports bar and watch it there, with drinks and food and air conditioning, for less than the price of a ticket. But you're advised to check that the bar is showing the game, as the TV / video rights can be a complicated maze, when it comes to figuring out what services will carry the games.

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

On August 11, 2022 beginning at 7 pm - Sounds of Summer Concert. Hughie Lynch / Joan Caddell & The Midnight Choir. Free summer outdoor concerts at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace in the Randall Manor neighborhood in the northern section of Staten Island NYC. Details at www.statenislandusa.com

Have a good weekend, and in the meantime here are links to all sorts of summer activities in all five boros, which include further details to many of the events above. Enjoy.

Things To Do in NYC This Weekend

1) Blues & BBQ Fest, Summer Streets NYC, Dominican Parade, Macbeth, Little Shakespeare Fest & Asian American Film Fest continue in Manhattan

2) India Day Celebration, Festival of Cinema continues & Free Fan Tickets to U.S. Open Trials become Available in Queens,

3) Coney Island Sand Sculpting & a Rum Festival Return & Hip Hop Film Festival Continues in Brooklyn;

4) SummerStage Concerts at Crotona Park Amphitheater, Dinosaurs at the Zoo & Piazza di Belmont in the Bronx;

5) Summer Concert on Staten Island;

6) also Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

August 12, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low 80's and the temperature lows in the mid 60's all weekend. The humidity drops to 40 - 50% all weekend except Sunday when it begins rising again to about 60%. The winds will be 4 - 10 mph all weekend. No rain is in the forecast.

In the photo at right is a hip hop performer who is a part of a troupe that performed outside the entrance at Christies New York [an auction house] last weekend. The performance was part of a citywide dance festival [we only posted a couple of events], and also a tie into Christies' current online auction of early Hip Hop memorabilia which expires on August 18th, 2022.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 1 - 9 pm - Blues BBQ Festival. Free summer concerts at Pier 76 near Chelsea Piers in Midtown Manhattan NYC. Free admission, with food not included. For details see - https://hudsonriverpark.org/visit/events/event/blues-bbq-festival-2022/

On Sunday, August 14, 2022 beginning at 1 pm there's a Dominican Parade that marches up 6th Avenue from 38th Street to 56th Street in Manhattan.

Thursday, August 4 - Sunday, August 14, 2022 - The Little Shakespeare Festival. It's called 'little' because each production contains only four or five actors. 1) August 4 & 6 - As You Will - at 9 pm and 7 pm respectively, 2) August 5, 7, 11, 12 & 14 - Romeo & Juliet - at 7 pm weekdays and 5.30 pm and 4 pm respectively on Sundays, 3) August 6, 10 & 13 - Unspoken Garden - at 2 pm Saturdays & 7 pm weekday, 4) August 9 - Fights of Shakesepeare & As You Will [double feature] - at 7 pm and 5) Brawls & Burlesque, August 13 at 7 pm & 14 at 2 pm. At the Frigid Theater NYC which performs at Under St. Mark's Theater which is located in the basement at 94 St Marks Place [=8th Street] at 1st Avenue in the East Village - www.frigid.nyc / Tickets are $25 / $20.

August 3 - 13, 2022 - Asian American International Film Festival. This year [2022] they're back with live events and in person screenings at the Asia Society & Museum on the Upper East Side. The Asia Society & Museum is located at 725 Park Avenue at East 70th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan NYC. Tickets are $16 / $10 - For details see www.aaiff.org.

On Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 4 - 7 pm, Great Jazz on the Great Hill [enter at 106th Street & Central Park West] in Central Park. Organized in a collaboration by the Jazzmobile and the Central Park Conservancy. Free.

Central Park Film Festival begins Monday, August 15, 2022 on the Landscape between Sheep Meadow and the 72nd Street cross drive. Free.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Sunday, August 14, 2022 from 2 - 6 pm - India Day Mini Parade & Celebration - At 244-44 87th Avenue [between 87th - 88th Avenues] in Bellerose in Gregorian Hall. A mini indoor parade, dignitaries, entertainment including song and dance, and food and shopping stalls. This is organized by the Bellerose Indian Merchants Association. For details see FB - https://www.facebook.com/indiadayparadequeens/photos/a.851141258371065/2276180899200420/

Friday - Sunday, August 5 - 14, 2022 beginning at various times - Festival of Cinema [formerly the Kew Gardens Film Festival]. They're showing a mix of independent films including documentary, drama, shorts and comedy. At the Regal United Artists Midway at 108-22 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. Ticket prices are $10 / $25 / $50. They also offer packages which you can purchase online at www.festivalofcinemanyc.com.

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

August 13, 2022 beginning at 12 noon - the Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest begins on the Beach at West 12th Street in Coney Island in Brooklyn. It's the 30th year. https://seasideparkconeyisland.com/coney-island/events

Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 3 pm - 8 pm. 2nd Annual Brooklyn Rum Festival. At the Brooklyn Monarch at 23 Meadows Stret in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Sample 50 rums from the Caribbean Islands as well as food, entertainment and dancing. Street fairs in BK. Tickets $60 - $80 for 21 + and no tickets sold at door - see eventbrite. For details see - www.irumtheworld.com.

August 11 - 14, 2022 - Hip Hop Film Festival - This Moved to Brooklyn from Harlem - The annual Hip Hop film festival in Harlem. Tickets run from free to $20 and some go up at www.hiphopfilmfestival.org.

Things To Do This Weekend in the Bronx NYC

See Brooklyn above for the Hip Hop Film Festival.

Thursday - Saturday, August 11 - 13, 2022 - Times Vary - Abdul Latif D2D/T Matched: An Extension. A three day dance performance event taking place in various spaces around the BAAD facility. BAAD is the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance is located at 2474 Westchester Avenue in the Westchester Square neighborhood of the Bronx. I believe it may be a paid event - www.baadbronx.org / as of this post it seems their ticket check out isn't working so just in case here's a telephone number - (718) 918-2110.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, August 11 - 14, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - SummerStage Concert Series. Free.

Thursday, August 11, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - Tony Vega I George Lamond / Uptown Vinyl Supreme. Free.
Friday, August 12, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - Urban Bush Women / Cheri L. Stokes. Free.
Saturday, August 13, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - Shatta Wale / Wiyaala. Free.
Sunday, August 14, 2022 beginning at 4 pm - Kid Capri's Block Party Live feat. Vina Love
and The Hoodies. Free.

Saturday, August 13, 2022 beginning at 4 pm - Sabado de Rumba con Gene Golden - Musical performance at the Bronx Music Heritage Center outdoor plaza at 438 East 163rd Street in Morrisania at Washington Avenue. NOTE. Many of the performances are outside at 443 East 162nd which is outside the southern entrance, so you might have to look around. Free. https://www.facebook.com/bxmusic/

Sunday, August 14, 2022 beginning at 4 pm a concert by the Orchestra of St. Lukes at the Bartow Pell Mansion at 895 Shore Road in Pelham Bay Park [across from the golf course].

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 from 5 - 8 pm there's an opening party for the unveiling of the Sweet Gum Community Garden at 995 Summit Avenue in the Bronx. The event is organized by the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Have a good weekend, and in the meantime here are links to all sorts of summer activities in all five boros, which include further details to many of the events above. Enjoy.

NYC News Updates

CoVid Update, Monkey Pox Update, Tourism Return Dampened by Strong Dollar, Pandemic Spending Shifts & Psychological Impacts

August 9, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid to high 90's today, falling into the mid 80's for the rest of the week. The temperature lows will be around 70 all week. The humidity will rise from the mid 50's early Tuesday to the mid 70's by Wednesday, falling back to about 60% on Thursday and a comfortable 50% on Friday. There's a 50% chance of a 1/10th inch of rain between 5 - 10 pm Tuesday, and a 50 - 75% chance of about a half inch or more of rain between 11 pm Wednesday and 9 am Thursday. By Friday it's a very nice day, leading into a very nice weekend.

CoVid Containment in NYC - MTA Should Either Enforce the Mask Mandate or Withdraw it

This past weekend I noticed that half or less of the passengers on the subway appear to be following the mask mandate. To the MTA I suggest either enforce the mandate, or withdraw it. You weaken the government's credibility and ability to enforce compliance, when you mandate something and then do not follow through by properly / evenly enforcing it. Every good parent knows that.

The BA.5 variant of CoVid grew rapidly from under 10% at the beginning of June 2022, to above 80% by the end of July. Cases rose briefly during that period, before falling back again. About 79% of all Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while about 68% have received two or more. In NYS 91% of New Yorkers have received at least one dose, while 78% have received two or more doses. Because the population has finally come around to getting vaccinated, the hospitalization rates for CoVid are fairly low, with only a small percentage of hospital beds being utilized for CoVid patients, most of which are occupied by the non-vaxers.

Bear in mind that it's the summertime, which is the off season for the disease, because folks are outdoors.

Monkey Pox Declared a Public Health Emergency - New Cases in NYC Plummet

On Friday, August 5, 2022 President Biden declared Monkey Pox a public health emergency. According to the CDC, monkey pox cases have risen to about 8,934 as of Monday, August 8, 2022. The first case reported to the CDC in this country was on May 17, 2022.

In New York City, monkey pox cases have risen to 1,965 according to the NYC government, so NYC represents between a fifth and a quarter of the total in the U.S. About 90% of the cases have been found in the gay community, but like HIV / AIDs, while it appears to be predominantly transmitted between gay men, anyone can catch it.

Monkey pox has been spreading primarily through sexual contact, but it can also be spread through bodily fluids like saliva, and via clothing or bedding, and in a few cases it was even spread via prolonged, close, face-to-face contact. It becomes manifest as a rash, and can take as long as four weeks to go away. There are treatments to help get through the disease once you have it, but getting vaccinated, particularly if you're a gay man, is your best bet. To date NYC has received 79,000 vaccination doses, and it is estimated that there are about 150,000 New Yorkers in the highly susceptible monkey pox group.

While monkey pox vaccination doses are being manufactured to ramp up to demand, authorities have been devising strategies to mitigate the spread by prioritizing first [of two] doses and evaluating the possibility of reducing the size of each dose, in order to increase the number of doses available.

The good news, is that because of the rapid spread of health information surrounding the disease, how and where it's spread, and the fairly rapid response in distributing and administering vaccines, the new monkey pox case count in NYC has already plummeted, as you can see from the chart I found on the NYC government website.

There are monkey pox vaccination clinics in all five boroughs which you can find, along with more information about the virus, at

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/monkeypox.page

Tourism Bounces Back in NYC, but Foreign Visits Lagging Domestics, Likely Because of the Strong Dollar & not Crime as Many News Outlets Suggest

Over the course of the past few months, I've noticed a healthy return of the tourism trade based on what I've been seeing and hearing as I walk the streets and take public transit.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, NYC welcomed about 65 million visitors, of which about 13 million were from foreign countries. The foreigners generally stay longer and spend more than domestic tourists. This year, 2022, it is estimated that NYC will welcome about 56 million tourists, of which about 8 million are expected to come from other nations. This means about 95% of the domestic tourism trade will return, while only about 60% of the foreign tourist trade will return this year.

While many news outlets appear to hype violent crime as the culprit in discouraging the foreign tourist trade, I think the fact that the Euro has fallen about 20% versus the dollar is more likely the cause. Because the Euro currency fall, visiting New York is more expensive by about 20%, to Euro currency visitors, who comprise a large share of our foreign tourism.

The tourism trade contributes between 5% [wages] to 8% [employment] of NYC revenue.

Pandemic Caused Economic Disruptions & Spending Shifts

The pandemic changed most of our lives in some fashion, while turning many people's lives completely upside down for a while. Many service businesses, like restaurants and hotels, saw a huge falloff in business. The airline industry and other transit businesses took a huge hit. The live entertainment industry, such as we see on Broadway, faded to black - meaning it nearly completely shut down.

So while the service businesses were getting hammered, the goods businesses were thriving. Consumers shifted their spending from doing things related to the service businesses identified above, to buying more goods, particularly those that would make staying at home more comfortable or pleasureable. This put added pressure on the demand for goods, while manufacturers were having trouble keeping their workforces healthy enough to continue producing and shipping their goods. Bottlenecks cropped up.

Conversely, as the pandemic has unwound, service businesses are bouncing back. We saw this in the huge employment increase in the July jobs report, where the economy added over a half million new jobs. A healthy normal monthly number of new jobs is somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000 to 300,000 new jobs. So, now we're working through a backlog of pent up service demand.

What's my point in all of this? It's that we all need to stay calm and remain patient, as the boat / community collectively rights itself, returning back into some sort on new normalized equilibrium.

Pandemic Caused Psychological Disruptions & Spending Shifts

I believe this is also true, in part, of violent crime - although one can't help but talk about the 50 million plus new guns sold in America during the pandemic, as also contributing to the violent crime problem. During the pandemic violent crime has risen - not just in NYC - but all over America. According to a June 25, 2022 report by NPR, there have been at least 281 mass shootings in America this year to date; and 27 shootings have taken place in schools, so far this year.

The Supreme Court didn't help things any, by striking down a prior, century-old court ruling enabling NYS to screen folks who want to walk the streets armed. Governor Hochul responded fairly quickly, by proposing legislation that will make carrrying a weapon inside government buildings, schools and so forth illegal.

The bit of good news is that on June 25, 2022 President Biden signed a gun safety bill into law. It was the first in 30 years. The bill included: 1) federal incentives for states to pass red flag laws, which would enable petitioners to ask the government to take firearms away from folks deemed dangerous, 2) it expanded background checks of people aged 18 - 21 who wish to purchase weapons, and 3) prevents people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun, whether that abuse was directed at a spouse [in prior law] or a dating partner [new law change / addition]. While many, including the President, didn't feel the new legislation went far enough, it does move the gun violence needle a little bit in the right direction.

Have a good week.

Things To Do in NYC This Weekend

1) Giglio Festival in East Harlem, SHENYC & Mostly Mozart Festivals Ending, Macbeth, Little Shakespeare Fest & Asian American Film Fest continue in Manhattan

2) Ecuadorian Parade, Festival of Cinema and Jamaica JAMS in Queens,

3) Shakespeare in Fort Greene Park, Hindu Lamp Festival at BK Bridge Park, Last Weekend of the BRIC Concerts in Prospect Park in Brooklyn;

4) A Contemporary Play Performance, Old Timers Music Festival in Crotona Park, Kids Theater at Lehman, Dance Party, Dinosaurs & Piazza di Belmont in the Bronx;

5) Mame Continues at the Victory Theater, Dance Festival at Snug Harbor on Staten Island;

6) and Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

August 5, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be around 90 and the temperature lows around 80. The humidity will be around 70% all weekend and winds will be 5 - 10 mph all weekend. There's a 40% - 50% chance of one to two tenths of an inch of rain each day, with the best chances on Friday evening between 7 and 8 pm, on Saturday between 12 noon and 5 pm, and on Sunday between 12 noon and 2 pm.

The photo at right was taken at the Ecuadorian Parade in Queens in a prior year.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan NYC

Saturday July 30 - August 7, 2022 - The Giglio Festival in East Harlem began last week between 448 - 456 East 116th Street between 1st and Pleasant Avenues with a church service and a few festivities, including the dressing of the Giglio on Saturday, July 30, 2022 beginning at 8 am, followed by the Annual East Harlem Giglio BBQ. The celebration then resumes in earnest Thursday evening, August 4th between 114th and 116th Streets along Pleasant Avenue, with food, music and dance, which continues on Friday, August 5th, until about 8 pm. On Saturday, August 6, there's the Children's Giglio at 7 pm at Pleasant Avenue and East 115th Street, which is preceded by food and performance events beginning at 12 noon, including a singing performance by Biagio. On Sunday the fun continues between 12 noon and 7 pm, with the Giglio lifts beginning sometime after 1.30 pm until about 7 - 8 pm.

Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 11 am - 5 pm - Rockefeller Block Party / Christies Auction House / Hip Hop. The focal point is the skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza, but we're informed this event consists of 100 blocks in all five boroughs. It's free, but an rsvp is required - https://www.rockefellercenter.com/events/christie-s-block-party-and-festival-of-new-york-dance-party/

Thru Sunday, August 7, 2022 at various times - SHENYC Festival - at Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street in the East Village of Manhattan NYC. This festival showcases women / gender marginalized writers, composers and directors. Paid summer theater in the East Village in Manhattan NYC. Tickets at www.shenycarts.org / $35 per show or you can obtain a discount of $10 or $30 by buying 2 or 3 shows for $60 or $75.

Thru Saturday, August 6th, 2022 - Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra - This part of the program is pay-what-you-will and indoors. This is NOT the Mostly Mozart Festival as it was in prior years, but rather a group bearing the name with some connections. These are paid summer outdoor concerts at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan NYC.

Sunday, August 7, 2022 - Doors Open 6 pm / Short Film 6.30 pm / Movie 7 pm - Inside Out + You Are Not Alone short film. Free movies / foreign films at the South Street Seaport in the Financial District / FiDi / Downtown neighborhood of Manhattan NYC. Rooftop at Pier 17 at 89 South Street in the Downtown / FiDi neighborhood of Manhattan NYC.

Sundays, August 7, 2022 - beginning at 6 pm. Jazz Underground. Performances by various jazz musicians and genres around the city and beyond. Free. At Lincoln Center.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

On Sunday, August 7, 2022 assembling at 11 am and beginning at 12 noon - The Ecuadorian Parade kicks off at 68th Street and Northern Blvd in Jackson Heights and marches down to 87th Street. The parade / celebration is expected to last until about 4 pm.

Friday & Saturday, August 5 & 6, 2022 - Jamaica JAMS Music Festival runs from 6 - 10 pm Friday, and the Jamaica JAMS music festival and street fair runs from 11 am to 7 pm Saturday - Friday evening from 6 pm - 10 pm in the northwest corner of Rufus King Park for the music festival. On Saturday from 11 am - 7 pm along Jamaica Avenue from Parsons Blvd to 170th Street. Music, food and street shopping. The biggest street fair in Queens. JAMS stands for Jamaica Arts & Music Summer. Jamaica JAMS Rufus King Park is at 153rd Street and Jamaica Avenue in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens NYC. For details see - https://www.jamaicajams.nyc.

Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 6 - 7.15 pm - The Queensboro Dance Festival runs on a Saturday or Sunday or both nearly every weekend in June, July, August and September at a myriad of venues around the borough of Queens. It generally includes / showcases performances by local dancers and choreographers. And it's free. This weekend its at Travers Park, 34th Avenue Between 77th and 78th Street at Travers Park in Jackson Heights Queens. Organized by the Parks Dept & the Queensboro Dance Festival - https://www.queensborodancefestival.com.

Saturday, August 6, 2022 beginning at 7.30 pm / Hip to Hip Theater Free - Pericles - This Shakespearean play has a dramatic mix of tragedy, romance and comedy, all rolled up in one. It opens with Pericles life in danger as he is asked to decipher a riddle, the answer to which will result in his death. So he asks for time to think about it and then flees. In the course of his flight he wins a contest and the prized princess, impregnates her, loses her in childbirth, and goes on to other adventures before reuniting with his daughter and wife [who was found alive swept to shore]. Gantry Plaza State Park is located at 4-09 47th Road along the East River. Free.

Things To Do This Weekend in Brooklyn NYC

Friday, August 5, 2022 beginning at 7.30 pm / Pericles - On the Monument steps near the Myrtle Avenue entrance in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn NYC. This Shakespearean play has a dramatic mix of tragedy, romance and comedy, all rolled up in one. It opens with Pericles life in danger as he is asked to decipher a riddle, the answer to which will result in his death. So he asks for time to think about it and then flees. In the course of his flight he wins a contest and the prized princess, impregnates her, loses her in childbirth, and goes on to other adventures before reuniting with his daughter and wife [who was found alive swept to shore]. Shakespeare's Pericles performed by Hip to Hip Theater. Free summer outdoor theater in Fort Greene Park in the Fort Green neighborhood of Brooklyn NYC. Free. Contact. www.hiptohip.org

Ending Saturday, August 6, 2022 - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival. BRIC stands for Brooklyn Information and Culture and was founded in 1979 to revitalize Brooklyn through arts and culture. The festival runs from June 24 - August 6, 2022. Free. At the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park at 62 West Drive in Brooklyn. For details see www.bricartsmedia.org. This is the last weekend and the following performances are scheduled.

Thursday, August 4, 2022 from 7 - 9 pm - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival: Khruangbin.
Friday, August 5, 2022 from 7 - 9 pm - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival: Erykah Badu.
Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 6.30 - 9.30 pm - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Closing Night: Yemi Alade and Amindi.

Things To Do This Weekend in Bronx NYC

Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 @ 2 pm - Teacher! Teacher! or P.S. I love you - Pontiac Playground at St. Mary’s Park, 350 St. Ann’s Ave. They describe the play as follows, " ... a rip-roaring original musical which tells the story of a struggling teacher in an underserved neighborhood who puts her life on the line for her kids ...". Organized by the Parks Dept & Theater for the New City aka TNC at www.theaterforthenewcity.net. Pontiac Playground St. Mary's Park at 450 St. Ann's Avenue in Mott Haven. Free.

Thursday, Friday & Saturday, August 4, 5, 6, 2022 - SummerWorx 2022 / The Three Little Pigs, The Big Bad Wolf & Kung Fu. They describe this event as follows, "... The Children’s Theatre Company at Lehman presents, the Three Little Pigs in “The Big Bad Wolf and the Kung Fu Caper”. Kids nearly free theater / outdoor summer plays at Lehman College in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx. The Lehman College Performing Arts Center is located 250 Bedford Park Blvd West in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx. The kids theater event is being held in the Lovinger Theater. www.lehmanstages.org / The Three Little Pigs event costs $1 and requires an rsvp.

Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 3 - 4.30 pm - Citywide Dance Party. Dance to the tunes of D.J. Stormin' Norman, as part of the Festival of New York that day. Free, but rsvp at www.wavehill.org / Note - Severe weather cancels. Registration required, online or by calling 718.549.3200 x251. Questions? Please email them at information@wavehill.org or call the extension above. Wave Hill is located along Bingham Road between 249th and 252nd Streets in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. The Riverdale Parking lot is located west / behind Wave Hill, adjacent to the Hudson River if you can't find a spot at the parking lot on site, as generally the onsite parking lot closes late afternoon.

Sunday, August 7, 2022 from 11 am - 5.30 pm - Old Timers Music Festival - This festival has apparently been running for over 50 years. They describe the event as follows, "... For decades the first Sunday of August people gather in Crotona Park in The Bronx to cookout, spend time with family and to catch up with old friends. This annual tradition brings thousands of people out to have a good time listening to music, dancing, eating, playing cards ... this year Forest Playground Neighborhood Association (F.P.N.A.) and CTS Productions is teaming up to bring some of the hottest local entertainers ... at the Crotona Park Amphitheatre located at 559 Claremont Pkwy, Bronx, NY 10457..." Crotona Park is located just south of the Cross Bronx Expressway [east 174th Street], east of Fulton Avenue, north of Crotona Park South and west of Crotona Park East in the Crotona Park neighborood in the center of the Bronx. The concert(s) take place at the Crotona Park Amphitheater / Bandshell which is accessible via 172nd Street from the west and Charlotte Street in the east.

Thursday, August 11, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - SummerStage Concert Series begins with Tony Vega I George Lamond / Uptown Vinyl Supreme and runs into the weekend at the Crotona Park Amphitheatre [see location info above]. Free.

Things To Do This Weekend on Staten Island NYC

The following free Summer Concerts will be performed at Corporal Thompson Park in Port Richmond SI. Off Richmond Terrace at Broadway and Henderson Avenue in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Staten Island.

Thursday, August 4, 2022 beginning at 5 pm - Budos Band / Roge / hosted by Tom Ferrie - Free.
Friday, August 5, 2022 beginning at 6 pm - Maimouna Keita African Dance Company - Free.
Saturday, August 6, 2022 beginning at 5 pm - Ana Tijoux / Meridian Brothers/ Bembona (DJ Set) - Free.
Sunday, August 7, 2022 beginning at 4 pm - Staten Island celebrates Jessie Lee Daniels with Force MDs & Friends DJ Sl and Fred ·Bugsy· Buggs - Free.

Saturday & Sunday, August 6 - 7, 2022 begins at 11 am and runs to 7 pm on Saturday and until 8 pm on Sunday - Snug Harbor Dance Festival. Many different classes ranging from one to two hours by various instructors, many of whom are local. Free / Pay What You Will. The event is being hosted at various buildings at Snug Harbor on located at 1000 Richmond Terrace in the Randall Manor neighobrhood of Staten Island. The buildings includes the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Cottage Row, the Snug Harbor Wetlands, Building G / The Dance Center, Leah Mitchell Studio – G202 on 2nd floor. Free.

The Little Victory Theatre is located at 4089 Victory Blvd in the Travis Chelsea neighborhood in the central western section of Staten Island opens Mame - The Hit Classical Broadway Musical. The show will be performed on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, July 29, 30, 31 & August 5, 6, 7, 2022 beginning at 8 pm on Friday & Saturday and at 2 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $25 / $30 at www.littlevictorytheatre.com.

Enjoy your week, and in the meantime here are links to all sorts of summer activities in all five boros, which include further details to many of the events above. Enjoy.

Things To Do in NYC in July - Weekends

Things To Do in NYC by Weekend in July

July 31, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz. This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of July 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in July - including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island NYC. The report below is the beginning of the first report of things to do for the month of July.

Things To Do This Weekend in NYC

1) Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Greek Festival, Pow Wow & Jamaica Jerk Festival in Queens, 2) Shakespeare at Bronx Music Center, Bronx Night Market, Piazza di Belmont & the Bronx Dominican Parade returns to the Bronx; 3) Gallery Players, Piper Theater Performances, Burlesque at the Beach and BRIC Concert Series continues in Brooklyn; 4) Songwriters Showcase, Ailey Moves & St. Lukes Concert, Mame Opens at the Victory Theater, Much Ado about Nothing, Final Movie / Concert at the Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island; 5) SHENYC continues, Dance Intensive, Twelfth Night & NY Asian Film Fest ending, Movies and MacBeth Begins in Manhattan, and Free Outdoor Concerts, Movies & Theater, Farmers Markets, NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools, Street Fairs, Public Beaches

July 29, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid to high 80's and the temperature lows will be in the low to mid 70's. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph all weekend. The humidity will fall from 50% - 70% on Friday, to 50% on Saturday, rising to 50% - 65% on Sunday. There's a chance of about a quarter inch of rain sometime between 10 pm Friday night and 4 am Saturday morning. All in all not a bad weather weekend.

The photo at right is of the dragon festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The festival returns this weekend.

Things To Do This Weekend in Queens NYC

Thursday - Sunday, July 28 - July 31, 2022 - Thurs / Fri / Sat / Sun - 5 pm to 11 pm - St Irene Chrysovalantou Church - This Astoria street fair is along 23rd Avenue from 36th Street to the Amtrak trestle. Traditional Greek food, music, and folk dances every night, as well as rides for the kids and a marketplace. The feast day celebration starts with a mass on Wednesday at 7.30 pm inside and continues with various religious services through the end of the feast on Sunday.

On Friday, July 29, 2022 beginning at 7.30 pm / Hip to Hip Theater Free - Pericles - There's a performance of Shakespeare at The Voelker Orth Museum is located at 149-19 38th Avenue in Flushing.

On Sunday, July 31, 2022 from 2 - 5 pm - there's a performance by Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York Guelaguetza Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park which is located at 32-01 Vernon Blvd at Broadway in Astoria / LIC.

Friday through Sunday, July 29 - 31, 2022 - There's a Pow Wow at the Queens County Farm at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway in Bellerose Manor / Little Neck neighborhoods of Queens. Performances run from 7 - 10 pm Friday; 12 noon - 5 pm and 7 - 10 pm Saturday; and from 12 noon - 5 pm Sunday. The Grand Entry of tribes is at 7 pm Friday, 1 pm and 7 pm Saturday and 1 pm Sunday. Gates open at 6 pm Friday, and 10 am on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets run $15 / adult and $8 / kids 12 and under [discounted rates for full weekend passes].

Saturday & Sunday, July 30 & 31, 2022 - from 9 am - 5 pm - Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Live boat races, food, shopping and entertainment. Free admission. www.hkdbf-ny.org. Free admission.

Sunday, July 31, 2022 - Jamaica Jerk Festival - From 12 noon to 8 pm - Carribean Food Festival with music at Roy Wilkins Park 177-01 Baisley Blvd at Merrick in Jamaica. Admission $45 advance / likely more at door / Children under 10 Free. Tickets at www.jerkfestivalny.com.

Use the links below to see details about the concerts, theater and movie events above, as well as for details on the free summer concerts, theater and movies for the rest of this summer in Queens. For example next Monday free summer movies in Astoria Park, free performances of Shakespeare in Queens parks, a free movie in Rufus King Park on Friday 7/29 in Jamaica, a paid movie with workshop at the Queens Botanical Garden this Saturday 7/30, free concerts and dance performances in Athens Square Park on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Astoria, live music and dance in Travers Park in Jackson Heights on Sunday 7/31 and a free concert in Gantry State Park in Tuesdays.

CLICK here to read the rest of our Things To Do in NYC, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & on Staten Island NYC in July.

Easing into the Curve - Summer Nears Half Way Mark

NYC is in Full Summer Swing & While Not Back to Full Strength, We're Nearing it ...

July 26, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

We've mostly been trying to stay abreast of all the summer events this past month. Event schedules changed, some schedules have been reduced, and some venues have closed or remain on hiatus. But by and large, most venues are back up and running on some kind of level, while trying to protect the health and safety of their associates as well as the general public vis a vis CoVid.

So as we remained focused on staying abreast of the many summer events easily accessible to most of the denizens of NYC and NYS, we did not take our eye off of the more serious issues swirling around us. The following is a list of events we've been monitoring and researching along the way, which we intend to delve into in the coming weeks, and perhaps months.

Untimely Death: Two Russian Oligarchs Live on Ivana Trump's Block

I have a few unanswered questions regarding Ivana Trump's sudden, unexpected, accidental death.

Ivana Trump lived in a building in Manhattan on the Upper East Side in which Donald Trump reportedly still owns a total of five units. It just so happens that Ivana's residence is also on a block where two Russian Oligarchs own large residences, and for a time, where the divorced wife of a third Oligarch, lived. The wife of the third Oligarch is Dasha Zhukova who was married to Roman Abramovich. Zhukova became fast friends with Ivanka Trump, after being introduced by Wendi Deng, the former wife of Rupert Murdoch [Fox News / WSJ / NY Post] sometime around 2007.

The Russian Oligarchs who own residences on the same block where Ivana Trump lived, are Oleg Deripaska and Len Blavatnik. Deripaska's residence is just across the street from Ivana's residence, which if he were to be a spy, would be an ideal a location. Dasha Zhukova [the former wife of Abramovich] lived in Deripaska's residence in 2018, apparently departing from that residence sometime before September 2019.

Zhukova moved ten blocks north of Ivana's block into a large four townhouse development upon which Zhukova's former husband, Roman Abramovich was working. According to a March 12, 2022 report in the Mercury News, Abramovich transferred the real estate, valued at $92 million, to Zhukova in 2018. In 2022 the Russian Oligarch sanctions hit, and now there's a question of whether transferred wealth to relatives [like former wife Zhukova] should also be sanctioned.

According to a March 17, 2022 report in the New Yorker, "... [Russian Opposition Leader Alexei] Navalny has described Abramovich as “one of the key enablers and beneficiaries of Russian kleptocracy...”. Abramovich is considered one of Putin's most trusted Oligarchs, having survived Putin's Oligarch purge after Russian President Boris Yeltsin's fall.

Abramovich must be an incredibly skillful manipulator - not just of Putin - but Abramovich was also the only Russian Oligarch who Ukrainian President Zelensky asked the U.S. not to sanction. Zelensky claimed it was in order to unencumber Abramovich to broker a Russian / Ukrainian peace deal in Turkey [see link below for further details]. The pact never even came close to happening. Separately, the two nations recently cut a deal to allow free passage of food through the Black Sea and Bosporous Straits, which less than 24 hours later Putin 'honored' by bombing the Ukrainian port of Odessa, from which the Ukrainian food is to be shipped.

The deal providing two of the world's largest food producers [Russia & Ukraine] safe passage of food through the Black Sea and the Bosporous Straits was brokered - not by the Russian kleptocrat Abramovich - but by the UN and Turkey. The Bosporous Straits is a Black Sea bottleneck, which is controlled by NATO ally Turkey, per an international agreement made decades ago.

See the Russian Ukrainian War report series for more about how Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky invited Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich to help broker a peace deal.

Back to Ivana's Trump's residence and her sudden, unexpected and accidental death. So Ivana's daughter, Ivanka Trump, became quite friendly with Abramovich's former wife, Dasha Zhukova. They became such good friends that they began interacting socially at very public events well over a decade ago. The first social event I found documented was in 2014 when Zhukova reportedly invited Ivanka and Jared to a fundraiser organized by her husband, Roman Abramovich, for a Jewish Museum he founded in Moscow. In 2016, as Donald Trump was running for President, Ivanka, Wendi Deng and Zhukova were also photographed at the the U.S. Open in Queens. And in 2017 Dasha Zhukova was reportedly invited to the Trump Inauguration weekend celebrations. Apparently there have been many other interactions, in between those public appearances and since, including some Abramovich investments placed in Jared Kushner's brother's [Josh] company.

My point in all of this, is that the Russians could have had social access to Ivana Trump's residence and / or were in a position to have access to Ivana Trump's residence via more nefarious means. Given Trump owned so many units in the building, and probably owns the building management company, a lot of the independent context surrounding Ivana's death would be hard to obtain by the authorities without strong cause. I heard nothing about any review of any building video footage on the property itself, nor from the surrounding buildings. After the funeral, Ivana's body was subsequently delivered to a Trump golf course in New Jersey, which is private property, owned by Donald Trump.

The details of Ivana Trump's autopsy were scant. The reporting of them had an uncertain quality to them. None of the reports indicated who called in the death. Not by name, not by association and not by any role. I find that odd. The first cited cause of death was "cardiac arrest" and then later the cause of death was said to be from 'blunt' injuries suffered in the fall. Ivana Trump was an athlete, and only 73 years old, so falling down the stairs, and dying from the fall, while believable, is also unbelievable.

It's worth noting here, that accidental deaths are reportedly a Putin specialty. A Russian media baron, Boris Berezovsky, who was on the outs with Putin, reportedly suddenly, unexpectedly and accidentally died in his own bathroom at the age of 67 in 2013. The police determined that the cause of death was "unexplained", but it was surmised that it could have been caused by chemical, biolgical or nuclear material.

The timing of Ivana's death, coincidentally worked in the Donald's favor, as the NYS Attorney General was about to follow through with depositions with the Trump children. Because of Ivana's death, all of the Trump children depositions were postponed by the NYS Attorney General. The Trump family funeral also provided an opportunity for Donald Trump to meet with his children without being asked any questions. I mention this because it's been suggested that Trump may have tried to tamper with a witness for the Congressional Hearings on the Trump Insurrection.

We know from Trump's campaigning in 2016, as well as from the January 6 Congressional Hearings of the Insurrection, that Donald Trump is not above encouraging others to do violence, when it serves his purposes. Ivana Trump reportedly kept contact with the Donald, even after their marriage ended, but the divorce was reportedly fairly hostile, although it also appeared that their relationship settled down, and might possibly have healed, over time.

Ivana and Ivanka Trump were reportedly close, as the only two women in that iteration of the Trump family. So, given the above as backdrop, what I found of particular interest, was the body language between the Donald, and Ivanka and Jared, at Ivana's funeral. They did not look each other in the eye, and Ivanka and Jared seemed to flee the rest of the family immediately after the funeral. Given the many funerals I've attended, that didn't strike me as normal.

These are just some unasked and unanswered questions that came to mind while I watched the Trumps mourn one of their own. I suspect neither Trump nor Putin will let up with their shenanigans, because right now both of them are losing, and by the time the 2024 election rolls around, both of them might become desperate. Stay tuned.

CLICK here to read the rest of our News Update on Ivana Trump's untimely death, the Trump Insurrection Hearings, the Supreme Court overturns women's right to decide whether and when to have a baby, as well as overturning a century old NYS gun law, former Mayor de Blasio drops out of Congressional race and other things like wages, jobs growth and Putin & the Ukraine war.

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Staten Island - Free Summer Movies 2022

Free Things To Do on Staten Island - Free Summer Movies in NYC Parks

August 12, 2022 /Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Movies NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

bronx free summer movies bronx morris park van cortlandt pelham bay coop city parkchester free summer movies things to do melrose mott haven fordham norwood belmont free summer movie bronx nyc Summer is in full swing. A number of community groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of free summer movies in the parks. The free movie events listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.

We'll continue to add to this listing of free movies in the park on Staten Island as we become aware of them.

Free Summer Movies on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Movies on Staten Island NYC.

Article 1495

Staten Island - 4th of July Fireworks SI - 2022

Staten Island July 4th Celebrations & Fireworks - St George, Midland Beach, Historic Richmond Town, Travis Town & Tottenville

June 28, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / July 4th Holiday on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.

July 4th Weekend Weather. As of this post 6/28/22, the temperature highs will be in the high 80's during the day and around 70. There's a 50% - 60% chance of rain on Saturday [over a half inch] and a quarter inch of rain on Sunday. The humidity will be 50% - 80% Saturday, falling to 60% on Sunday and down to 50% on Monday. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph throughout the weekend.

Macy's July 4th Fireworks along the East River Provides Good Viewing from Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens while Distantly Viewable from Northern Staten Island & the Southern tip of the Bronx

The Macy's 4th of July fireworks will be shown along the East River again this year.

They were shown along the East River in 2014, for the first time since 2008, and have remained on the East River ever since. Mayor de Blasio had lobbied for the return, which now spans nine years. The Grucci Brothers will be doing the Macy's 4th of July fireworks in NYC, which they've been doing for decades.

Click here for a report about the 4th of July Fireworks on Staten Island NYC as seen from St. George, Tottenville and Midland Beach SI & surrounding areas, including times and locations for the Macy's 4th of July fireworks in NYC, the Raritan Bay fireworks from Tottenville and Coney Island fireworks as seen from Midland Beach.

Things To Do in NYC in June - Weekends

Things To Do in NYC by Weekend in June

June 30, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz. This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of June 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in June - including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island NYC. The report below is the beginning of the first report of things to do for the month of June.

Things To Do in NYC This June Weekend

Gay Pride Parade & PrideFest in Manhattan, the Jamaica Dance Festival Continues and the Astoria Park Fireworks Returns to Queens, the Gowanus Art Festival, Funday Festival, Midwood Mardis Gras & Tastes of Crown Heights in Brooklyn; Bronx River Sounds Art Fest & Bronx Night Market in the Bronx; Polish Festival & Free Concert for Ukraine on Staten Island; NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools Open Next Week, Early Voting Ends Sunday & NYS Primary Election Tuesday

June 24, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperatures will be about 90 degrees this weekend, and the lows about 70 degrees. The humidity will be between 50% - 60% all weekend. Winds will be about 12 mph Saturday and about 17 mph Sunday. No rain is expected over the weekend, but about a 1/2 inch to an inch is due to arrive on Monday.

The photo at right was taken at the Gay Pride Parade in the West Village in Manhattan prior to the pandemic.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan

Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 10 am - 6 pm - Little West 12th Street Block Party - Along Little West 12th Street between 9th Avenue and Washington Street in the West Village.

The Gay Pride Parade returns to the West Village on Sunday, June 26th beginning at 12 noon at Madison Square Park at 26th Street and 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The parade turns west toward the West Village at 8th Street, continues onto Christopher Street before turning north on 7th Avenue, ending at 15th Street.

Also on Sunday, June 26, 2022 there's also a Gay Pride street fair along 4th Avenue between 8th and 13th streets in the Village. It begins at 11 am and ends around 6 pm. The fair includes entertainment, food and wellness booths.

CLICK here to read the rest of our Things To Do in NYC, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island events in NYC in June.

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NYC / NYS Politics - Primary Election Tuesday, June 28th

NYS Primaries are June 28th - Except for U.S. Congressional & NYS Senate Races

Updated June 27, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The NYS primary election is on Tuesday, June 28th. On the ballot are the following races: U.S. Senate, Governor, Other state executives, State Assembly, Special state legislative, School boards, Municipal government and Ballot measures.

Click on the image above to access the poll finder website, so you can easily find where to vote in your neighborhood. Remember this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and many of our ancestors died for our right to vote. A similar struggle for freedom from oppression is going on in Ukraine right now. So in as much as you can, do your homework before voting for those you choose to represent you / us. There's still time to do some research on candidates on the web.

The New York City election is Tuesday June 28th, and polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm. Click on the graphic above, to find your poll site.

FYI - July 4th Fireworks celebrations coming later tonight.

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Staten Island - Free & a Few Paid Summer Concerts 2022

Free Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

staten island things to do free summer concerts staten island si nyc August 12, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Concerts NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Editor's Note - Note that only ASTERISKED LOCATIONS have been updated. Pay attention to the concert dates / years. We will be updating / adding a few more concerts between now and the end of September. So check back periodically for updates which you can note by the date changing above.

Summer is in full swing. A number of community groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of films and free summer concerts in the parks. The free concerts listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.
Free Summer Movies on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island 2022
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Concerts on Staten Island NYC.

Article 1487

Staten Island - Free Summer Outdoor Theater 2022

Free Things To Do in the Staten Island - Free Summer Theater Park in NYC

August 12, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Buzz NYC.

staten island things to do free summer theater staten island si nyc Summer is in full swing. A number of community groups in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department and frequently some measure of government funding, have put together a summer full of free summer theater in the parks. The free theatre events listed below are designed for young and old alike and they're FREE.

Editor's Note - Note that only ASTERISKED LOCATIONS have been updated. Pay attention to the performance dates / years. We will be updating / adding this summer theater report between now and the end of September. So check back periodically for updates which you can note by the date changing above.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Free Summer Movies on Staten Island 2022

Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island 2022
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Theater on Staten Island NYC.

NYC News Updates June 2022

CoVid Guidelines Issued by State & Federal Govt Sometimes at Cross Purposes, NYC Tourism Coming Back, Why There are Two NYS Primaries in 2022, Former Mayor de Blasio Running for Congress, Inflation & Wages are Up but Expected to Slow, Public Schools End School Year on 6/27/22, Will the Rangers take the Stanley Cup, Will the Celtics Win the Championship & Will the Mets & Yankees hold onto their Leads?

June 7, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This report is a catch up on some of the key local news items over the past couple of months. Our last news update was at the end of February [2/22/22].

CoVid Regulatory Guidelines Differ at Federal & State Levels

staten island things to do memorial day weekend staten island memorial day weekend si nyc On March 17, 2022 the NYS CoVid general restrictions under the H.E.R.O. Act expired. The expiration did not include the masks mandate requirement on NYC & NYS public transit.

On April 18, 2022 the CDC / Federal rescinded their mask mandates on federal transportation, while - as noted above - NYS has kept its mask mandate in effect. As one might expect, this has led to some confusion. So to be clear, when using the MTA, LIRR or Metro North trains, masks are still required.

Be advised that local businesses have the right to decide what rules apply to customers who enter their facilities. For example, Broadway theaters and many other entertainment venues still request proof of vaccination and / or masks indoors. Broadway theaters extended their mask mandate requirement of attendees at performances through June 2022. Conversely, most NYC restaurateurs no longer check vaccination status, let their customers decide whether or not to wear masks, and most restaurateurs provide the option of indoor / outdoor dining, which was established as an economic response to CoVid, in support of local restaurants by the de Blasio Administration.

Vaccination rates for NYC and NYS continue to inch up quite slowly, but that's now a somewhat dated metric, because if one is not boosted, the CoVid immunity and protection fades over time. The CoVid vaccination protection generally recedes significantly while approaching 6 months after the first two shots, so getting boosted is important, particularly if you are immuno-compromised, have an underlying condition, or fall into an elderly age group [over 50 years].

NYC Tourism Bouncing Back

NYC tourism is coming back and the city economy is picking up. The past month or so, we've been inundated with notices of public events and entertainment venues coming back to life. We've not yet gotten back into the full rhythm to accommodate as many as we'd like, but we're getting there. Our monthly things to do calendars will be coming back to life bit by bit, starting this weekend. The calendar is accessible from the top tool bar, by clicking the first button from the left.

Mayor Adams said yesterday [6/6/22] that NYC hotels are booking at 95% of pre-pandemic levels. The NY Post stated in an April 20, 2022 report, that the NYC hotel business would be down 55%. We'll see how this plays out by the end of the year.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on CoVid resurgence, the NYC economy, and how Rupert Murdoch seemed to trade Fox News access / open mic for special favors from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in exchange for use of NYC's television infrastructure and support in threatening to complicate Time Warner's cable franchise renewal.

Things To Do in NYC in May - Weekends

Things To Do in NYC by Weekend in May

May 31, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz. This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of May 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in May - including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island NYC.

Things To Do Memorial Day Weekend in NYC

The Unofficial Start of Summer Comes with Memorial Day Parades in Brooklyn, Queens & Staten Island; Fleet Week is Underway & the Intrepid is Hosting Events, Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, Losaida and LES Festival in Manhattan, BAM Dance Africa Festival in Brooklyn, Sunnyside Gardens Park Fair in Queens, National Puerto Rican Day Parade Festival at 152nd St in Bx & Bronx Arts Ensemble & Night Market, Staten Island Mall Carnival Began, Golf Courses have been Open & it's the Opening Weekend of NYC Beaches, Farmers Markets, Street Fairs & more

staten island things to do memorial day weekend staten island memorial day weekend si nyc May 29, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperature highs will be near 80 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, rising to the mid 80's or higher on Monday. The temperature lows will be in the 60's all weekend. Over a half inch of rain is expected between about 2 pm Friday and about 4 pm Saturday, and the rest of the weekend will be dry. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph on Friday, Saturday and Monday, falling to 3 - 5 mph on Sunday. The humidity will be 80% on Friday, 70% on Saturday, and 60% on Sunday and Monday. All in all a pretty fair weather for the three day weekend.

The photo at right was taken at Coney Island in Brooklyn in 2019 prior to the outbreak of the CoVid pandemic. While CoVid hasn't gone away [and may never], it seems the worst of it is behind us and folks are beginning to return to what used to be their normal lives. Coney Island opened in April this year.

Manhattan Things To Do This Weekend NYC

staten island things to do memorial day weekend staten island memorial day weekend si nyc In the photo at right is just one of thousands of artworks for sale in a prior year at the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit which begins Saturday and runs through Monday.

On Monday, May 30, 2022 the Inwood Memorial Day Parade begins at 11.30 am at Dykman Street and marches up Broadway into Inwood Park where a short flag raising ceremony will be held.

The Lower East Side Festival runs Friday through Sunday from 6 pm to 1 am [and Saturday also from 12 noon - 6 pm] at the Theater for the New City at 155 East 10th Street in the East Village. The festival includes theater, music, dance, film and kids stuff. Free.

The Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit begins Saturday and runs through the weekend. The art fair runs from 12 noon to 6 pm daily along University Avenue from Washington Square Park South to 13th Street in the Village.

The Losaida Festival is on Sunday, May 29, 2022 from 12 noon - 5 pm - Along Avenue C and 8th Street [Losaida Street] in the East Village. The fair celebrates Puerto Rican food, music and culture. Free.

It's Fleet Week in NYC and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is hosting a number of activities, topped off on Monday at 10 am with a Memorial Day Closing Ceremony. See www.intrepidmuseum.org/fleet-week for details.

This is Fleet Week and a number of U.S. Navy ships are docked in Manhattan and Staten Island. A number of events are planned in both locations. For details see http://militarynews.com/app/fleetweeknewyork/events.html

CLICK here to read the rest of our Things To Do in NYC, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island NYC in May.

Memorial Day With Chief Joseph

A Conversation in First Calvary Cemetery in Queens

May 30, 2022 / Woodside & Maspeth Neighborhoods / Queens Culture / Queens Fiction / Queens Buzz.

On Memorial Day, I decided to make a trip to the First Calvary Cemetery to visit the graves of those who gave their lives defending this nation because the founding charters promise all [wo]men the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They fought for a noble cause I thought as I made my way, on a beautiful day, to the Calvary cemetery in Queens.

The First Calvary cemetery opened in the late 1840’s [circa 1847 – 1848] and was located only a short ferry ride away from Manhattan, up Newtown Creek. A couple more cemeteries were opened as the 19th century wore on, as most of Queens was still rural farmlands and woodlands. Many of the burials of the first century of operation were of Catholic Irish, Italian and Polish immigrants - many of which were children who died because of poor living conditions and medical care. Many soldiers had been buried here as well, many of whom were from the Civil War era.

As I was viewing a collection of the tombstones, reflecting on the lives sacrificed in the war over slavery, as well as the more recent wars that pulled nearly the entire planet into battle, a figure in the distance caught my attention. They appeared to be making their way in my direction, in this lonely empty section of the cemetery. I pulled out of my musings, and began to focus on this emerging presence as they made their way up the hill.

As they came closer, I could see that it was an old man, of medium height, with long black and grey hair and a weathered, leathery, tan skin. He was wearing an old brown work shirt and khaki trousers and beaten leather shoes. No, they were mocassins.

I'm not sure why I thought of this, but his countenance resembled that of a legendary American Indian: Chief Joseph. Chief Joseph was a tribal leader of the Nez Perce tribe in the Wallowa Valley in northeast Oregon. Chief Joseph was born in 1840, only years before this cemetery was founded. He had actually visited New York City in 1897, to march alongside Buffalo Bill in a Wild West Parade.

The man slowly raised his right arm, palm open and fingers standing straight up like the Boy Scout salute, and in a deep full voice he said,

“How.”

I stood a bit at attention, as I returned the greeting.

“Hi. How are you today?”

He spoke again, this time in a language I did not understand.

“Mumba goycha tay.”

I looked at him and shook my head back and forth indicating that I did not understand what he’d just said.

Click here to read the rest of our Memorial Day fiction in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

Article 1494

Staten Free Public Outdoor Swimming Pools SI NYC

This Staten Island Public Swimming Pool Report Includes Contact Info NYC

May 25, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Swimming Pools, Parks & Sports / Staten Buzz NYC.

Staten Island offers easy access to a wide range of recreational swimming pools. The following is an attempt to provide you with a view of the range of public swimming pools available in the parks of Staten Island. We encourage you to make use of these facilities because they provide healthy, fun, and frequently free or inexpensive entertainment for both individuals and families with children.

Staten Island outdoor public pools will open beginning Tuesday June 28th, 2022. A few of the indoor pools will be closed this summer to allow for construction and improvements.

Generally pool hours are from 11 am - 7 pm daily, with a one hour break between 3 and 4 pm for cleaning. Bring a padlock for your locker and proper swimming trunks are required [for boys this means not shorts as trunks must have liners]. Don't bring food, glass bottles, newspapers, electronics, floaters and no or as few valuables as you can bring to minimize your risk because the park isn't responsible for your losses. Free sunscreen will be made available while supplies last.

As of this posting 5.25.22, masks are NOT required for indoor activity including in the locker rooms, but stay tuned as it's possible that could change.

Click here to view a listing of Staten Island outdoor swimming pools, free public swimming pools on Staten Island in the neighborhoods of SI. Please note the photos do not reflect the onsite pools as of this post 5.25.22.

Pro Choice Rally in Manhattan NYC Last Weekend

I Heard a Number of Interesting Perspectives of Abortion Rights / Right to Choose Early Pregnancy Cessations or EPC's

staten island things to do memorial day weekend staten island memorial day weekend si nyc May 17, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Last Saturday there were a few Pro Choice rallies in NYC. Most notable among them were the one that started at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to Foley Square. And there was another group that gathered in Union Square which also marched to Foley Square.

I have some video and photos, but possibly the most interesting part of this report are the perspectives I picked up along the way, which provided me with a deeper understanding of the issues, primarily from a women's point of view.

First there's the science ...

Hi. Following up on the conversations I had and overheard led me to a lot of new information that I'm still processing. I hope to return to finish this sometime in the summer.

CLICK here to read the update on the Pro Choice Rally in Manhattan, including a fairly deep dive into the science, social impact, legality and dishonest political distortions of the issue of abortion when we post 'Update' next to the date of May 17, 2022 above.

Article 1493

Memorial Day Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island over the Memorial Day Weekend

UPDATED _ May 29, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Island Buzz NYC.

This is a report containing things to do in the Bronx over the Memorial Day Weekend.

This was first published when Memorial Day Weekend was a few weeks away. But given New Yorkers' interest in resuming some level of normalcy post pandemic, I thought you might want more time to figure out how you're going to spend the weekend.

Click for Staten Island Weather.

The things to do on Staten Island on Memorial Day Weekend include art exhibitions, theater, live music, comedy, dance, shopping, outdoor activities such as soccer, kyaking, baseball, parades, street fairs, museums and dining in the Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach neighborhoods neighborhoods on Staten Island in NYC.

Be sure to check our Memorial Day Weekend things to do post mid afternoon Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.

Brief History of the Memorial Day Holiday on Staten Island

Memorial Day first started out as Decoration Day in Waterloo, New York on May 30, 1866 - a year after the Civil War - to honor those who fought in it. In the 1880's the day came to be known as Memorial Day.

According to a May 25, 2012 report in Time Magazine, ten states - Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee also officially observe some version of a Confederate Memorial Day, sometime between late April and early June [in Texas it's in January]. It's been reported that unofficially most of the former Confederate states still commemorate it, but not without some controversy as to the former Confederate diaspora it's to honor their ancestors, while to the former diaspora of the slaves it seems a remnant of these states racist past.

About ten percent of the nation travels more than 50 miles over the weekend. Memorial Day differs from Veterans Day which is held on November 11th of each year. Veterans Day began by honoring those who fought in World War I which ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Both honor those who served in the U.S. Military. Veterans Day coincides with a similar holiday in Europe for the same reason, which is called Remembrance Day and Armistice Day.

Click here for Staten Island things to do on Memorial Day weekend.

Off the Red Carpet at the Met Gala's Gilded Age

I was on the Street During the Met Gala, with the Regular Folks of NYC

May 3, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Last night I went to see the red carpet arrivals at the Met Gala. The Met Gala is considered to be one of the most fashionable events of the year. It's by invitation only, costs between $30,000 and $35,000 per ticket. The event is generally said to run from about 6 pm to about 9.30 or 10.30 pm.

This year the fashion theme was of the opulence, fame and excess that accompanied the Gilded Age. But you'd never have known there was a theme, because the rich and famous of today - as back then - pretty much do whatever they want. And many of their outfits said just that.

Many observers think that the red carpet arrivals are the height of the show ... but then many observers likely never make it inside the museum to see how the other half parties.

Since this was my first time covering this event, I arrived unfashionably on time, around 6 pm, taking the subway to 86th Street as my limosine driver had the night off, and it really didn't matter, because my limosine has been in the shop for repairs for pretty much my entire lifetime.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the Met Gala - Off the Red Carpet at the Met Gala in Manhattan NYC.

Things To Do in NYC in April - Weekends

Things To Do in NYC by Weekend April

April 30, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz. This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of April 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in April - including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island NYC.

Things To Do in NYC This Weekend

Nice Weather Weekend for the 5 Boro Bike Ride NYC, Yankee Peddler Day at Historic Richmond Town Staten Island, Night Food Market & Orchid Show in the Bronx, May Day Festival & BAM Queer Film Weekend in Brooklyn, International Cultural Festival Queens & Dance Fest at Wolman Rink & Met Gala Monday in Manhattan ... and more ...

April 29, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather NYC. The temperature highs will rise from the low 60's on Friday to the high 60's on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from the low 40's on Friday, to the high 40's on Saturday to about 50 on Sunday. The humidity will be very low on Friday, ranging from 10% to 40%, rising to 30% - 45% on Saturday and then 35% to 55% on Sunday. The wind will finally settle down to 5 - 10 mph throughout the weekend. No rain is expected this weekend.

In the photo at right are cyclists participating in the 5 Boro Bike Ride as they make their way through Queens in a prior year. The cycling event returns Sunday. See details below.

Manhattan Things To Do This Weekend NYC

There's a Coney Island Polar Bear Club event on Saturday & Sunday at Wolman Rink in Central Park from 2 pm - 10 pm. It's a charity event and tickets aren't cheap at $191 / person. See www.wolmanrinknyc.com for details.

The 5 Boro Bike Ride returns to all five boroughs of NYC on Sunday. Details in Manhattan street fairs.

The Met Gala returns to the Metropolitan Museum on Monday.

Click here for Manhattan Farmers Markets.

CLICK here to read the rest of our Things To Do in NYC, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & on Staten Island NYC in April.

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Staten Island Mothers Day Restaurants 2022 SI

Staten Island Mothers Day Restaurants in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

April 27, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Mother's Day will soon be upon us. It's a good time to let your loved ones know you care. Flowers, gifts and brunch or dinner are always welcome, as is any thoughtful gesture that provides some measure showing your appreciation of your mother or the mother of your children. After all, without mothers, we would all cease to be.

It's best to book a restaurant reservation early for Mother's Day brunch, as on Mother's Day on Staten Island, many restaurants are full. So if you're thinking about eating out at a restaurant this Mother's Day in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach neighborhoods; it's best to do your research early, and call ahead to book Mother's Day restaurant reservations.

Remember, restaurants also have additional capacity since the pandemic began, via all of those outdoor shanties built during the pandemic, which greatly increased overall space / seating capacity. And with the weather warming - the temperature is expected to be near 70 degrees on Mothers Day without rain, so outdoor dining is a pleasant, even welcome option.

But as the saying goes, the early bird gets the [worm] better seating, so book early.

Mother's Day History - Restaurants on Staten Island

The origins of Mother's Day in the United States began with the efforts by Anna Jarvis in honor of her own mother. According to Wikipedia, Anna began the campaign in 1905 - the year her mother died - and in 1910 West Virginia was the first state to adopt it as a holiday. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson made the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to honor mothers.

Click this link to view a brief guide of Mother's Day restaurants on Staten Island where you will find links to Staten Island restaurants we've researched, visited in the past or have reviewed. The restaurants we've reviewed include a mix of high, medium and budget priced restaurants that are spread throughout the borough and offer a large variety of ethnic cuisines.

We've identified a number of Staten Island restaurants that are open with indoor / outdoor dining options on Mother's Day on Staten Island NYC. Enjoy.

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Staten Island Farmers Markets 2022

Opening Dates, Hours, Items & How To Shop - Staten Island Farmers Markets SI

May 7, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Food, Wine & Restaurants on Staten Island / Staten Island Shops & Shopping / Staten Buzz NYC.

This report contains the opening dates, times / hours, items / selection, as well as links to online maps of all major Staten Island farmer markets, including address locations on Staten Island.

The Staten Island farmers markets on this page are located in or around the Staten Island neighborhoods of St. George, Snug Harbor, West Brighton, Heartland Village, Fort Wadsworth, Manor Heights, Clifton, Mariners Harbor, Historic Richmond Town, South Beach, Tompkinsville, Westerleigh, Stapleton, Port Richmond and Tottenville.

Enjoy shopping and eating the fresh and natural foods and product of our local farmers and food manufacturers.

Click here to view Queens Farmers Markets NYC, Brooklyn Farmers Markets NYC, Bronx Farmers Markets NYC & Staten Island Farmers Markets NYC and Manhattan Farmers Markets NYC.

Click here to view a report about most of the Staten Island Farmers Markets.

The Yankees May Have Lost Sunday, but Not Because of Their Fans

I Encountered Yankees Fans on the #4 Train on Their Way to the Game

April 13, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / Gotham Buzz NYC.

In the photo at right you see a group of Yankees fans on their way to the game on Sunday, April 10th. While the game was scheduled to begin at 8 pm, these super fans were on their way to the ball park at 4 pm.

They were brimming with enthusiasm, as the Yankees' 2022 season was off to a good start, beating their arch nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, in the season opener on Friday and again on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Red Sox rallied late in the game and won 4 - 3.

The video shows a few scenes of this group's talent and enthusiasm for the Yankees.

Russia Ukraine War Report Series - March - May 2022

Updated April 4, 2022 / International News NYC / Gotham Buzz.

This section contains our Russia Ukraine War Report Series which we began in March of 2022. We hope it will end by the end of May, but who knows how long it will take the Russian people to rise up against the oppressive Putin dictatorship / regime.

CLICK here to read our reports about the Russia Ukraine War including weapons, culture, politics, geography, the Black Sea and Russian Navy, Putin's Palace, Yacht and Corruption, the economic, trade and international relations issues and so forth.

* Ukraine VI: War Sustainability & Possible Outcomes

A Closer Look at the Probable and Possible Outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian War

April 4, 2022 / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz

nyc things to do nyc things to do this weekend nyc In Part VI, we're going to zoom into the current situation, looking at their wars are being financed, recent politics in both Russia and Ukraine, and popular support for the war in each nation.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT IS EXPECTED TO BE FINISHED BY SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.

A Little More History

The Cossacks were legendary fighters. The name trouble w/ authority so headed to the steppes.

Russia Relations - include Catherine II and Potemkin Village -
Two premiers, Nikita Kruschev and Leonid Brezhnev, were Ukrainians. And both of them helped moved the Soviet Union toward a less autocratic repressive regime.

Industry & Natural Resources

Natural gas, wheat, corn, fertilizer and the Black Sea / Azov.
They are a country rich in natural resources including coal, iron and steel, natural gas and oil (?).
They have x number of nuke plants. They became a technology and weapons sector during Soviet times in the 1980's.

There's a natural gas pipeline that flows through the Ukraine that provides a good part of Europe with its energy. It's still flowing as it also provides Russia with a significant amount of its reserves.

Languages and ethnicity is mixed. Borders fluctuated with the Poles in the west and the Russians in the east.

Ukrainian, Russian and Polish. Ironically the eastern section of the nation is where Russian is based and they voted to go west toward Europe. The western, Ukrainian / Polish part leaned toward Russia. There's enough of an ethnic and language mix there to defy easy categorizations, so beware.
Lang map.

The cities are predominantly in the east along the Dnieper River, Black Sea, Sea of Azov and the Russian border. That's also. where the industries and technology are. The western half of the nation is largely agrarian.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the Russian Ukrainian War - Ukrainian Politics, Ukrainian Languages & Ethnicities, Russian War Sustainability Economy, Popular Support, Trade, Media, Technology, Food, Currency, Stock Market, International Standing, Morality.

How Mentally Ill is the Australian Born Oligarch Rupert Murdoch?

Murdoch & his Rubber Stamp 'WSJ Editorial Board' Continue to Push the Bounds of Indecency with this Image

A Former Prime Minister of Rupert Murdoch's Native Australia called Murdoch a 'Cancer on Democracy', Murdoch was Called 'Unfit to Run an International Company' by a Member(s) of British Parliament, Murdoch's Company was Alleged to have Hacked the Phones of the Victims of 911 for Headlines, as well as the Phone of a Mother Whose Daughter was Murdered [also for headlines], he's been Accused of Government Corruption Many Times, and for Inciting the U.S., Britain & Australia to Invade Iraq for [Oil and] Ratings

April 4, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

You don't have to have a journalism degree to see what's wrong with this image.

You don't have to be a member of an Editorial Board of one of the nation's three daily newspapers to see what's wrong with this image.

You don't need to be an editor to see what's wrong with this image.

What you do need is some sense of decency.

Which is what is totally lacking in the character of the man who controls the Wall Street Journal and it's Editorial Board - Australian born Oligarch, Rupert Murdoch.

After researching and watching him since 2015, I have come to the conclusion that he is easily a sociopath [weak moral compass], and more likely a psychopath [unstable and aggressive personality disorder].

See for yourself on these two WSJ pages before they hopefully have the decency or shame to take it down.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-told-the-truth-putin-has-to-go-russia-ukraine-invasion-leader-free-world-regime-change-11648998065?mod=hp_opin_pos_3

https://www.wsj.com/articles/strategic-defeat-putin-russia-blinken-biden-zelensky-bucha-war-crime-kyiv-mass-grave-atrocities-united-nations-un-human-rights-shelling-odessa-ukraine-11649016865?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

It's worth reminding people that this man, Rupert Murdoch, controls or wields incredible influence in about half of our daily national news media [Fox, NY Post, WSJ & ABC News], which is why things have become so messed up since he arrived on our shores. But the TV newspeople who do and don't work for him, fail to inform the nation, by calling him out.

I believe most Americans don't even know who he is [somebody needs to conduct a poll]. And he greatly influences - if not controls - the national conversation.

Part VI of the Ukraine series coming this week.

Weekend Things To Do NYC - March 2022

nyc things to do nyc things to do this weekend nyc

This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of March 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in March of 2022 - including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island.

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Staten Island St Patrick's Day Bars, Restaurants & Historic Irish Pubs SI 2022

Staten Island St Pat's Day Irish Pubs in Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

March 11, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

St Patrick's Day is on a Thursday this year.

While St. Patrick's Day is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like New Years Eve, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.

At a later date we'll add a bit of history of St. Patrick's Day.

Click here to read more about our round up of some of the Staten Island St Patrick's Day bars, restaurants & Irish pubs - Staten Island NYC.

Weekend Things To Do NYC - February 2022

This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of February 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in February of 2022.

NYC News Updates, Chinese New Year & Micaiah Carter @ SN37

MTA Ridership & Crime, NYC Vaccination Rates & Some NYS Mask Mandates End & is Biden Doing the Right Thing in Ukraine?

February 22, 2022 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This report is a catch up on some of the key local news items over the past couple of weeks.

MTA Ridership Slowly Inching Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels / Hochul Announces Fare Capping Program / MTA Crime not as Huge as the Corporate Broadcast Media Sensationalizes it

In the photo at right are a number of Chinese American women, who participated in the Chinese New Year Parade celebrating the year of the Tiger in Chinatown in Manhattan, were out to see and be seen last Sunday.

We've been tracking MTA ridership since the pandemic began. The subway ridership plummeted down 90% when the pandemic broke in the Spring of 2020. By the fall of 2020 MTA ridership had risen to a loss of 80%, rising to a loss of 50% - 66% in the Spring of 2021, and then a loss of 35% - 55% in the Fall of 2021. As of this week, the MTA subway ridership losses were in the range of 28% - 43% versus pre-pandemic.

On February 7, 2022, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new 'Fare Capping Program' whereby passengers would only have to pay for 12 full fare rides in a week [but using the same device / MetroCard] and after which the rides for the rest of the week would be free [Monday - Sunday]. The program begins Monday, February 28th and is expected to run for four months.

The corporate broadcast media seems to sensationalize everything these days in order to ratchet up their ratings, revenue and profit. MTA Ridership during the winter a year ago was about half the pre-pandemic level, and today it's about two thirds the pre-pandemic level meaning it has risen about 50% vs a year ago. According to NYPD Compustat, crime in the subway during the past 28 days is up 33%, so crime isn't rising as fast as ridership.

Nonetheless, crime in the subways is up by about the same percentage versus the pre-pandemic levels, so it's a bigger problem than it was before the pandemic started. It is believed, that the reason for the higher transit crime rate, is that as fewer people rode the rails during the pandemic, the homeless moved in and were able to use the subway as their shelter.

Late last week NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NYS Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the city and the state would collaborate to increase the NYPD presence in the subways to remove and / or assist the homeless from making the MTA their home by offering them an option to leave or an option to get medical, psychiatric and social services help. To that end it was noted that the NYPD upped the deployment of NYPD [about 1,000 officers] into the transit system, focusing - it seems - on the major hubs, and the Governor was working on multi-billion healthcare plans which would include provisions for helping the mentally ill and homeless.

NYC & NYS Vaccination Rates Well Ahead of National Rates

The current NYC vaccination rate is 77%, with another 9% having received at least one dose [86%]. The current NYS vaccination rate is 75%, with another 12% having received at least one dose [87%]. The current U.S. vaccination rate is 65%, with another 12% having received at least one dose [77%].

As a result of the vaccination rates, and with the passing of the Omicron super spreader holiday season, CoVid Omicron new case growth, hospitalizations and deaths have been declining at the NYC, NYS and USA levels.

For New York City the weekly, daily average, test rate of 1.7% for new cases, with only a weekly, daily average new case rate of 707 reported, a weekly, daily average rate of 35 hospitalizations and a weekly, daily average rate of 17 deaths.

For New York State the same weekly, daily average rates are 2% positive new test cases, about 1,750 daily new cases, about 200 daily new hospitalizations and about 35 daily new deaths.

For the United States the same rates are 8% positive new cases [this is a week old number compared to the others herein], about 84,878 new cases, about 8,642 hospitalizations [this is a week old number compared to the others herein] and 1,964 daily deaths.

NYC and NYS are leading the rest of the U.S. in pulling out of the pandemic, as the southern and central states are lagging behind. If you look at a map showing vaccination rates versus a map showing infection rates, you can see that they are inversely related.

Are these maps indicative of the intelligence, or how well informed the people of each state are? Do the smart people live in the states with the higher vaccination rates, or are the people who got infected with CoVid at higher rates [because they didn't get vaccinated], living in states where they have fewer or less reliable information sources, like Fox News? Studies have shown that Fox News enhances people's ignorance of the facts. Look it up.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about MTA Ridership in NYC, Vaccination Rates & Masking in NYC & NYS and Vladimir Putin's Invasion of the Ukraine.

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Presidents Day Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do Presidents Day Weekend on Staten Island / Events

February 15, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Presidents Day Weekend Weather as of this post 2/15/22. The Temperature highs will be in the high 50's on Friday and Monday, dipping into the 40's on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the mid 20's on Friday and Saturday, rising to the mid 30's and 40's on Sunday and Monday. Precipitation - There isn't any rain forecast for the Presidents Day Weekend, but at present there's an inch of rain forecast Thursday night starting around 9 pm. Winds- on Friday winds will pick up from 10 mph to 20 mph. On Saturday winds will peak at 20 mph and then fall back into the 5 - 10 mph range for the rest of the Presidents Day Weekend. The Humidity will range between 40% - 50% on Friday and Saturday, rising to 40% - 60% on Sunday, and 60% - 70% on Monday. Click for Staten Island Weather.

The image at right shows a picture of the American colonial representatives, John Adams and Ben Franklin, meeting with a British general at the Conference House on Staten Island, in September of 1776, in an effort to prevent bloodshed and the American Revolutionary War. This occurred just a few months after the colonists declared their independence. And as history would have it - the British monarchy wouldn't negotiate - and five years later the American colonists had won the war.

Presidents Day is a federal holiday when all local, state and federal government offices are closed, which generally includes public schools - unless the district uses the holiday to make up a snow day.

Presidents Day is a time to reflect on the performance of our current presidents and legislators, and how they stack up against their historical peers. And in that reflection it's worth asking ourselves what we've done to contribute or detract from the national conversation.

Brief History of Presidents Day Holiday Staten Island NYC

A day commemorating Lincoln's birthday was first passed in Buffalo, New York in the early 1870's. Presidents Day originated as Washington's Birthday which was a holiday narrowly prescribed for federal government offices in Washington, D.C. in 1879. The holiday was dedicated to honoring the memory of the first American president, George Washington who was born on February 22, 1732.

In 1885 the holiday was expanded to include all federal government offices around the nation. In 1951 there was a push to create a Presidents Day holiday [vs a George Washington's birthday holiday] to include President Lincoln whose birthday is February 12, 1809 and was also celebrated by localities, but it didn't pass.

In 1971 the holiday was moved off of George Washington's birth date to being the third Monday in February. Thus while it never falls upon Washington's birthday 2/22, the official name of the holiday remains Washington's Birthday. But today, most folks refer to it as Presidents Day and to recognize the presidents who honored the U.S. Constitution and served the interests of the people.

CLICK here for Staten Island things to do Presidents Day weekend - events on Staten Island NYC. We've updated things to reflect current conditions related to the CoVid pandemic.

Honoring the Sacrifice Made by NYPD Officers Mora & Rivera

Mora & Rivera were Policemen, Civilians, Minorities, Immigrant and son of, Husband, Sons, Brothers and Real Heroes

What Can We do to Make Sure they didn't die in Vain?

February 7, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

On Wednesday morning I made my way into Manhattan to observe the funeral of slain NYPD Officer Mora. To be sure, it was a solemn occasion. I got off the subway near 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Once above ground, I made my way to Fifth Avenue and 42nd where I came across the largest gathering of police officers I have ever seen in my life [see photo at right].

As I walked up Fifth Avenue, I could hear the eulogies over the loud speakers, echoing in the street. I took a few photos and some video of the gathering which spanned all the way up to 50th Street by St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Eventually I had to detour off of Fifth Avenue, make my way down to Sixth Avenue, and then cut back in at 50th Street to get close to the cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

A Communal Gathering of Policemen from the TriState Area and Beyond, at Officer Mora's Funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022

As I walked and listened I looked around at all of the policemen gathered in honor of a fellow member of the fraternal order of policemen – not just of New York City but of NYS - and for that matter - the U.S. All of the police men and women were standing, some standing silently listening to the speeches, while others made small talk with each other, between the speeches, about their kids, their families, their jobs, their departments [homicide / detectives / street patrolmen], cars and boats, as well as chatting about which police department or organization they represented.

It reminded me of other funerals I had attended, which it’s been said, are for the living – not the dead. Yes, we come to honor the dead, but they have since gone. And it is left to us who are left behind, to make sense of things. It is our job to figure out how to take the lessons their lives and make them work for us, so that they will not have died in vain.

The expansiveness of the showing of support was somewhere between impressive and overwhelming, as I walked silently through this sea of dark blue, which filled over 8 city blocks on a wide avenue - and which spilled well into the cross streets both east and west of the entire eight blocks. There were thousands of police, mostly men with some women, mostly white but also many minorities, who had come to pay their last respects for a member of their ranks who had made the ultimate sacrifice. A sacrifice that all of them know they must be ready to make each day as they don their dark coats to serve and protect the community. Us.

I noticed the badges sewn to their coats, representing Trenton and Teaneck New Jersey, Suffolk and Nassau Counties, New York State, and of course the NYPD, as well as a smattering of policemen from more distant communities. They projected a sense of sadness and courtesy, as I made my way through the crowd. I sensed that they must also have felt some measure of comfort, standing there, side by side with others like themselves, knowing that they are supported by so many others who share their sense of duty, ready to face down danger.

This seemed a bit like a George Floyd like moment for the police in the city and perhaps the nation. These two young officers, were senselessly murdered, while responding to a domestic violence call within a few blocks of the 32nd precinct Harlem police station where the two police officers worked. Shortly after the policemen entered the apartment, the assailant shot them down with a barrage of bullets from a semi-automatic gun which the assailant had stolen in Maryland.

As I came upon St Patrick’s Cathedral, surrounded by the police, it seemed like a fortress with its big, thick church doors closed, to keep out the noise and cold air while the mass continued inside. A coterie of media people were on a platform across the street from the front of the cathedral, waiting for the doors to open. The Mayor, Police Commissioner Sewell and Wilbur Mora’s brother and sister gave speeches. Karina, Mora's sister, gave her speech in Spanish, as the Moras immigrated here from the Dominican Republic decades ago.

CLICK here for the rest of our report about the Tribute Paid to Slain Officers Mora & Rivera of Harlem Precinct.

Some will Exploit & Distort Crime Stats & Events to Manipulatively Divide Us

They will Seek to Profit from our Divisions, Instead of Helping us to Find Common Ground in an Effort to Fix Things

February 7, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The graphic at right is a Vox headline that asks why the diverging trends in crime vs violent crime.

Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch controls about half of our daily national corporate news media, including Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal and - along with two other Fox News investment funds - controls the largest share of ABC News stock.

For decades now, in English-speaking nations around the world, the propagandists posing as journalists who work for Murdoch, appear to distort the news so that Murdoch's favored politicans will get elected. Once elected, those pols seem to grant Murdoch huge tax breaks, regulatory changes and legislative favors in exchange for his propagandistic support of their candidacies.

The cost to us, the American people [the British and Australians as well] is that many critical issues are never properly addressed by the government officials selected by Murdoch, because his favored pols are generally chosen and supported based on what they will do for the totally self-serving billionaire - not the public. Hence Murdoch pols don't appear to reflect the people's will, but rather are chosen because Murdoch mass media outlets have manipulated the views of enough voters via their distorted daily Murdoch mass media 'news' intake, to enable Murdoch's favored pols to get elected. Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels employed these same kind of tactics, on an unsuspecting public, back in the early 1930's, in Germany.

At right is a graphic showing one of Murdoch's mini-Goebbels, pushing a false narrative that is designed to enrich himself and his billionaire boss by demonizing Democrats. The goal seems to use these issues promote false narratives that favor their pliant pols into powerful positions in government so that they can change policies to pump up the billionaire's propaganda profits. One such example is that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave ABC / Disney a half billion dollar tax break last summer and thereafter he appeared to have an open mic on Fox News with propagandists like the Tucker shown above.

To Rein in Guns & Violent Crime, We Must First Rein in Murdoch's Fox, WSJ, NY Post & Increasingly ABC News Distortions & Disinformation on the Subject

Reining in the guns used in violent crime in NYC, is one of many such issues that seem to be given Murdoch's special brand of propagandistic 'news' treatment. Murdoch's news outlets' reports appear to pander to gun owners and the NRA [5.5 million members], who are outspoken and generally against gun control. According to a November 13, 2020 report by Gallup, about 32% of Americans own a gun and about 44% live in a household where there is a gun owner. Hence, gun owners represent a fairly sizeable block of Murdoch's mass media audience, and his news reports pander to them, just as the pander to other voting blocks that Murdoch media seek to manipulate.

At right is a map showing which states have the highest homicide rates. Note that the states with the highest homicide mortality rates are governed by the Republicans - the ones who claim they stand for law and order. But what many of the Republicans in these states really seem to stand for, are the special interest groups like the gun-promoting NRA. Urban police forces, which are generally found in Democratically governed cities, are finding that the guns used in the murders in their cities, are coming from the Republican states. Republican governed states have the nation's highest murder rates [see graph above] and most lax guns laws. I don't think it is helpful to policize this issue by demonizing the other side, but given Rupert Murdoch's grip on our national discourse through his ownership, control and influence over half of our daily national corporate media, somebody has got to push back with the truth.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about how Australian born Oligarch Rupert Murdoch, uses his mass media to manipulate the views of his audiences in order to make more money for himself at the expense of the community.

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Staten Island Valentine's Day Restaurants 2022

Staten Island Valentine's Day Romantic Restaurants in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

February 2, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

All events have been updated and are asterisked.

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away. It's a good time to let your loved one know you care. Flowers, gifts and dinner are always welcome treats, and / or some thoughtful gesture that shows that the lady [or man] you're with, still means a lot to you.

This report provides an update on who's open and taking reservations, but also highlights quite a number of local restaurant closures.

Like last year, this year it's especially important to make restaurant reservations early and be sure you're prepared to meet the state CoVid guidelines for indoor dining.

Given Valentine's Day is on a Monday, it may be fair game to make your VDay reservation on Valentine's Day or any day of the preceding weekend. Also, restaurants have outside dining capacity - so depending on the weather - NYC restaurants may have additional capacity [versus prepandemic] Valentine's Day weekend. But many restaurants have been casualties during these pandemic times, so if you're thinking about doing something this Valentine's Day for dinner in or around the Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh or South Beach neighborhoods; it's best to do your research early, and call a week or at least a few days ahead to make the reservations.

The photo at right shows the bar in the Staten Island Ferry station in the St. George neighborhood.

Romantic Restaurants on Staten Island - A Brief History of Valentine's Day

The origins of Valentine's Day are not well documented. It's believed to have been named after Saint Valentine who was apparently a Catholic martyr who died over 1500 years ago. Today the holiday is not associated with religion so much as flowers, candies, cards and romantic dinners. And the holiday spokesperson is now Cupid, a Roman god of desire, and quite a mischief maker.

UPDATED FOR COVID. Click here to read more about our round up of Valentine's Day restaurants on Staten Island - Valentine's Day on Staten Island.

Weekend Things To Do NYC - January 2022

nyc things to do this weekend nyc events manhattan bronx queens brooklyn staten island things to do events this weekend nyc

This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the month of January 2022.

CLICK here to read our reports about things to do each weekend in NYC in January of 2022.

Do TV Newspeople Tend to Hype Weather to Keep Viewers Inside Watching TV?

Why Would They do that? Maybe because it Generates Higher Ratings, which Increases Revenue & Profits

January 28, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The TV newspeople appear to hype weather systems, to keep viewers inside all weekend, so they'll watch TV, and boost the corporate TV ratings to generate more revenue.

You can see an example of this in the graphic at right which shows a June 13, 2019 Washington Post report where a weatherman was fired by Sinclair Broadcasting, at a Murdoch ABC News station affiliate, because the weatherman wasn't going to use 'Code Red' to hype inclement weather systems, if he didn't think they merited such labeling.

This weekend the weather system coming in this evening is expected to end by about 3 pm Saturday, so while there may be an unknown number of inches of snow on the ground in NYC in January [what a concept], it shouldn't prevent New Yorkers from enjoying at least part of the weekend. But that said, be advised that while the snow should end by 3 pm, the winds die down more slowly, lasting the remainder of Saturday. And these comments apply to activities within NYC [not Long Island nor New Jersey] as public transit may be used in lieu of an auto, and as of this report, the MTA has no plans of shutting down.

The weatherman mentioned in the graphic above, was fired for not distorting the truth, in a manner not unlike what one would expect at a state-controlled media outlet in Russia or China. Hyping weather systems out of proportion, like distorting the proportions of other stories, appears to be one of the Murdoch mass media trademark ploys to deceive / fear monger the viewers in order to win higher rating$$$, take control the national conversation and tip the scales in favor of the pols he favors and against those he does not.

Rupert Murdoch is an Australian born billionaire press lord who controls about half of America's daily national news media including Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St. Journal and increasingly ABC News where he and two funds control about a quarter of that company's shares.

While Weather Sensationalism is Dishonest Truth Distortion, it's Relatively Harmless vis a vis Most Other News Distortions which can be Dangerous to Democracy

In Australia - where Murdoch has been operating all his life - former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described, "Murdoch's media empire as a cancer on democracy" because of Murdoch media news omissions and distortions.

And in Britain, a Spring 2012 Parliamentary Report stated that, [Murdoch] "was not a fit person" to exercise stewardship of a major international company] because his company broke the law by tapping British citizens' private phones to get racy stories and the details of their personal tragedies in order to generate higher ratings and sell more newspapers. Murdoch denied he knew anything, blamed his underlings and then reportedly Murdoch's [Fox] Newscorp spent $1.6 BILLION in legal fees and payouts - TO DEFEND THEIR INNOCENCE?

In the graphic at right is a July 28, 2011 Guardian report stating that people working for Murdoch's company were believed to have hacked the phone of Sara Payne to publish her anguish over her daughter's murder at the hands of a pedophile. Murdoch reportedly spent $1.6 billion in settlements and legal fees to extricate the company and its officers from the corruption and scandal. But money can't buy Murdoch out of what Newscorp's actions say about his and his companies' moral compass.

CLICK here to read more about how the Pied Piper of Propaganda, Rupert Murdoch, uses his media outlets to hype the weather,distort the news and lead us into a post truth[ is] pre-fascist world.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC

Wintry Weekend with Snow ending at 3 pm Saturday, Boat Show at Javits, Bumper Cars & Irish Theater in Manhattan, Winter Antiques Show POSTPONED, Chinese New Year Celebration & Film in Queens, on Staten Island a Maple Syrup program While the Korean Lunar New Year Celebration at Snug Harbor POSTPONED, Bronx Zoo Closed Saturday, while Bronx Doc Film Opens 'Storming of the Capitol' Photo Exhibit and Art & BAM Films in Brooklyn

January 28, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. They forecast up to 4 - 5 inches of snow Friday afternoon / evening, but it could be on the low side if the temperature doesn't drop. On Saturday, another 3 - 5 inches of snow is expected, ending by 3 pm / mid afternoon. Temperature highs will be in the mid 30's on Friday, descending to the low to mid 20's for Saturday and Sunday. Temperature lows will be in the high teens Friday, descending to the low teens for the rest of the weekend. Humidity will range from 50% to 70% all weekend. Winds start at 7 mph on Friday, but by the end of the day will be a blustery 20 mph. On Saturday the winds will be 20 - 25 mph, before dropping back to 5 to 10 mph on Sunday.

The photo at right was taken underneath the #5 Prospect Avenue subway stop at in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx earlier this week. The subway stop is near Bill Rainey Park and where the explosion and row house fire took place on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. We'll have more on the fire and explosion next week.

Things To Do This Weekend in Manhattan

The NY Boat Show started on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, January 30, 2022 at the Javits Center at 655 West 34th Street [at 11th Avenue]. They're open 12 noon - 8 pm Friday, 10 am - 8 pm Saturday and 12 noon - 6 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $18 / $15 and CoVid protocols remain in effect.

You can rent a Bumper Car in Bryant Park between the hours of 2 - 8 pm weekdays and 11 am - 5 pm Saturdays and Sundays between now and February 2nd. It's recommended that you rsvp on their website at www.bryantpark.org where tickets for a ten minute ride are $20.

In the photo at right you can see the bumper cars at Bryant Park in action.

The First Irish Theater Festival by the Origin Theater Company continues through January 31st. The shows are held at various venues in several boroughs of NYC. See www.origintheater.org for details and tickets.

The Winter Antiques Show held at the Park Avenue Armory has been postponed until the Spring. They haven't set a new date, but that it's postpone, not cancelled, like professional sports games, shows that we're learning to live with CoVid, by adapting to its mutations and the surges. Unfortunately, as long as a sizeable segment continues to aid and abet the virus by not getting vaccinated, we're stuck in this holding pattern indefinitely. Thank God these anti-vax ignoramuses, fueled by Murdoch's Fox News disinformation, weren't around in the 1950's when the nation was fighting polio.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on things to do this weekend in NYC January 28, 2022.

Was the Staten Island Ferry Sale a Joke?

Did You Hear the One about a Staten Island Ferry, Two Comedians, an Architect & a Night Club Owner?

Updated January 26 from 1/24/2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC News / Staten Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperature highs will be within about 5 degrees of 30 throughout the week, except on Tuesday when it will be in the low 40's. The temperature lows will be between 20 and 30 degrees, except on Wednesday, when it will drop to 12 degrees. The winds will be 5 - 10 mph Monday & Tuesday, rising to 10 - 15 mph on Wednesday, before falling back to 5 - 10 mph Thursday & Friday. Humidity will be 50% - 70% on Monday, dropping to 50% - 60% on Tuesday, and then 40% - 50% on Wednesday & Thursday, before rising back to 50% - 70% on Friday. No precipitation is in the forecast until Friday afternoon / evening at which time it looks like we're going to get several or more inches of snow.

As the new year begins to unfold, we encounter a mixed bag of news that has already made it out onto the public stage. Let's start with the purchase of a de-commissioned Staten Island Ferry, the JFK. The photo above right was taken in January 2020, likely near the end of the JFK's life of ferrying passengers to and from Staten Island. You can see the 'JFK' in the upper right corner of the photo below the black circle and with a bit of glare obfuscating part of the 'F'.

They may be Laughing Now, but ...

SNL Comedians Pete Davidson & Colin Jost, Architect Developer & Contractor Ron Castellano and Night Club Owner Paul Italia Buy the JFK Staten Island Ferry Boat

Last week, after several rounds of bidding, a consortium of investors, including SNL Comedians Pete Davidson & Colin Jost; Architect, Developer & Contractor Ron Castellano; and Night Club Owner Paul Italia purchased a 2,100 ton de-commissioned Staten Island ferry boat - the JFK - for $280,100. The purchase prices was only $100 above the next nearest bid, after the price doubled during the bidding process - up from $125,000 - after the starting bid had to be lowered from $250,000 because of a lack of early interest.

At right are Pete Davidson [left] and Colin Jost [right] announcing their new acquisition on SNL's News update. This project is likely to get a fair amount of publicity given the fame of these two owners and Jost's famous wife and Davidson's famous girlfriend.

CLICK here for the rest of our report on the Sale of the Staten Island Ferry to Colin Jost & Pete Davidson - including a brief history of prior Staten Island Ferry Sales.

News Updates - De Blasio Announcement & NYC Crime Stats 2021

De Blasio Decides Not to Run for NYS Governor, Hochul's Fundraising Haul, NYC Violent Crime Up Slightly in 2021, but NYC Homicides Still Below the National Average & To Be or Not To Be - do we want to Politicize the Guns / Violent Crime Problem or Solve it?

January 18, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This morning, January 18, 2022, former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he will not seek the Governor's office on Twitter.

De Blasio mentioned some of his accomplishments during his eight years as Mayor including Universal Pre-K, building hundreds of thousands affordable housing units, implementing some police reforms at the NYPD to make policing fairer, and efforts to transition NYC to cleaner energy. He didn't say what his future plans were, only that he would be announcing them from his neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Governor Kathy Hochul is well positioned for the NYS Governors race this year. Hochul received the very early endorsement of the NYS Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs in October of 2021, and has raised $21.6 million since she announced her candidacy in August of 2021. It's a record for the five month period, and about the same amount of money that former Governor Andrew Cuomo had to ward off challengers in 2018. NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and 3rd District [Nassau County] Congressman Thomas Suozzi have announced their candidacies. In December of 2021, Attorney General Letitia James withdrew her candidacy, in favor of running for reelection in her current post.

On the Republican side of the race there's former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who is running against newcomer Andrew Giuliani, who's primary claim to fame is that he is the son of Rudy, the former NYC Mayor with the same surname and Lee Zeldin, a Congressman from Long Island.

In fundraising as well as in polling, Hochul seems to have all the advantages at this point in the campaign. Her nearest competitor in polling recently done by Siena would have been de Blasio, who had 12% of the vote versus Hochul's 46%. NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was next with 11% and Suozzi with 6%. The Suozzi campaign has about $5 million in campaign funding, $2 million of which was transferred from his congressional campaign. Republican Astorino has about $1.3 million, and none of the other contestants released their funding.

A number of snide comments were made in the wake of Hochul's record haul and competitive fundraising position for the upcoming June primary. She was compared to Cuomo with allusions to the possibility of corruption, but nothing specific was provided to support those insinuations.

De Blasio's announcement came as I was working on an update report on NYC crime. Unfortunately, the NYPD doesn't publish a December monthly report, like they do every other month, so it's more challenging to do a year end tally. Hence, this report won't be as comprehensive as some of the others I've done the past couple of years, and will instead focus mostly on shootings and the murder rate.

NYC Crime Statistics for 2021

Thefts Down Significantly / Murders Up Slightly & Still Below the National Average / Most Other Crimes up in Low to Mid Single Digits with Some Exceptions ...

The outlier in the year end crime stats, which were up slightly from 2020, was that thefts were down almost 19%. This may have something to do with the fact that fewer people are out and about, so thieves have fewer to prey upon and the victims have fewer distractions and events where thefts may occur.

As for other salient changes in the main categories, Grand Larceny was up about 12% while Grand Larceny Auto was up 14%, Other (than rape) Sex Crimes were up 30%, Misdemeanour Assault was up 10%, and Hate Crimes were up 93%. It's worth noting that only murders and hate crimes are counted in the hundreds - not thousands.

The murders in NYC were up slightly in 2021 versus 2020. Note that the graph at right is for the entire nation and in 2020 - not 2021. The purpose is so that you can have context in evaluating where we are and what's going on.

In 2021 the preliminary murder rate in the U.S. was about 6.6 per 100,000 people [21,750 / 330M], while the murder rate in NYC was 5.5 per 100,000 people [485 / 8.8M]. Prior to the pandemic, in 2018, the murder rate in the U.S. was 4.96 per 100,000 people [WorldPopulationReview.com], and the murder rate in NYC was 289 victims [8.4M population] or 3.4 per 100,000 people, which was the lowest on record. In 2012, during former Mayor Bloomberg's last year as NYC Mayor, the murder rate had fallen to 414 [8.2M] or about 5.0 per 100,000 people.

So with our larger population [8.8M vs 8.2M], NYC experienced a bit higher murder rate in former Mayor de Blasio's last year in office, versus former Mayor Bloomberg's last year in office. And for de Blasio this was in the midst of the pandemic amid record gun sales.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on NYC Crime Statistics NYPD for 2021, and how Murdoch mass media distorts the truth to divide the nation by selectively picking crime statistics and overlaying a label-ridden, self-enriching, propaganda narrative.

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Martin Luther King Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island over the MLK Day Weekend

January 11, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Weather. The MLK Weekend forecast as of January 10, 2022. The Temperature highs will range from 20 to 30 degrees through the long weekend. The temperature lows will range from 10 to 25, rising as the weekend progresses. As of this post, no precipitation is expected over the MLK Day Weekend. Winds will be about 10 mph throughout the long weekend, except Friday when they'll be a bit higher [13 mph]. The Humidity will be between 30% - 60%, dipping on Saturday from the highs on Friday and Monday. Click for Staten Island Weather.

Brief History of Martin Luther King Holiday in NYC

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist Minister who became the leading voice for African Americans' non-violent civil rights movement beginning in the mid 1950's through to his assassination in 1968. In 1983, the third Monday of every year was set aside to honor Martin Luther King for his service to the nation. The third Monday was chosen, as it was the nearest Monday to the anniversary of King's birthday, which was January 15, 1929.

Martin Luther King Day has grown to take on an even larger meaning, as it is oftentimes referred to as a day on, versus a day off. Organizations around the city and nation have used the day to call people into action to address the needs of the community through volunteering and service.

Martin Luther King Holiday Special Events in the Staten Island NYC

There's an MLK Day of Service on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at the Greenbelt Nature Center at 700 Rockland Avenue from 9 am - 3 pm on Staten Island. Participants will have an opportunity to work with the NYC Parks Department to improve the quality of public green space by making them cleaner, greener and healthier. This program focuses on trail design and maintenance. Rsvp at www.eventbrite.com. Free.

And at Historic Richmond Town, while these are not MLK specific, there are candle making workshops in the late morning / afternoon [11 am / 12.30 pm / 2 pm] and a concert in the evening [6 - 9 pm].

CLICK here for Staten Island things to do on Martin Luther King Day weekend.

The Great Supply Chain Crisis 2021: Hype vs Reality

TV & Murdoch News Sensationalized the Great Supply Chain Crisis of 2021 - Telling us for Months on End No Pumpkins for Halloween, No Turkeys for Thanksgiving, No Trees for Christmas & No Cream Cheese in NYC

But How Much of that Hyping was a Murdoch Inspired Perspective in Pursuit of Political Profit & Fear Mongering Ratings at the Expense of Reporting What's Really Happening?

January 3, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The closer I pay attention to what's happening in our mass media, the more concerned I get. Nearly half of our daily nationally branded news media is controlled by one man, Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch - who strikes me as either a sociopath or psychopath. Based on the seven years I've been covering Murdoch, it appears as if he doesn't care about anything other than enriching and empowering himself, even at 90 years of age [his mother lived to 103 so he's likely going to be with us for a while].

What Those Who Know Murdoch Say About Him

In Australia - where Murdoch has been operating all his life - former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described,

"Murdoch's media empire as a cancer on democracy".

And in Britain, a Parliamentary Report stated that,

[Murdoch] "was not a fit person" to exercise stewardship of a major international company].

Keith Rupert Murdoch, controls the Wall St. Journal, Fox News, the NY Post, Harper Collins Publishing, MarketWatch, Barrons - and along with two of Fox News largest shareholders - Murdoch appears to have a controlling interest in Disney / ABC by virtue of what seems his proximity to their relatively new CEO. Murdoch's influence appears to be manifesting itself in personnel moves being made since he became one of their largest shareholders in March of 2019. The personnel moves are in their news and related programming areas, and ultimately impact what ABC News presents to the public. I just witnessed one of many subtle changes on Sunday, while watching This Week with George Stephanopolous. I'll say more about this at the end of this report.

Fox News Lyin' Laura Ingraham, earned that moniker, as you can see in the image above. Fox News has repeatedly used misleading photos and images to lend deceptive and misleading support to their news accounts, which appear designed to influence the unaware and low information voters, in order to get them to vote for billionaire Murdoch's favored pols and against the very government officials who are trying to help the manipulated victims.

CLICK here for the rest of the story about mass media's ratings-driven hype, and media manufactured distortions about the global supply chain disruptions.

New Years Resolutions 2022: The Road Ahead

A Few Axioms To Keep In Mind Throughout The New Year

January 1, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Holidays / Gotham Buzz NYC.

For all of us, today starts the beginning of a new year.

If we stay the course with vaccinations, masks, social distancing and hand washing, we should be able to make the transition from pandemic to endemic - at which point things begin to really change to a better normal, but likely not back to a pre-CoVid normal.

A year ago I thought by now we would have mostly normalized, but I had failed to take into consideration the significant resistance to vaccinations by the people who rely upon Rupert Murdoch's overwhelming share of nationally branded daily mass media 'news'.

Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal and he, along with the two largest investment groups owning Fox, control Disney / ABC News. So that's half of U.S. network news and two the largest daily newspapers in the nation. He controls other media outlets as well, like MarketWatch and Barron's and Harper Collins Publishing, but the first four mentioned above are instrumental in shaping Americans' view of things. And the unsuspecting members of Murdoch's audience aren't aware enough, nor paying attention enough, nor educated enough to detect the very sophisticated news manipulations that Murdoch and his minions seem to do every day to sculpt and present the reality they want their viewers to see - which is not reality at all, but a VoldeMurdoch version of it.

Other media outlets and moderate Republicans and pretty much all Democrats need to start calling Murdoch out into the public space so people can see who he is and what he does and what he takes in exchange for it. They need to do it, because regardless of whether they do or not, Murdoch's incessant media attacks will keep coming, so by not addressing him and it, they are only aiding and abetting it, like all those who let Goebbels do the same in Germany in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's.

The rest of this report is about some of the things you can do personally - not politically - to make 2022 a better year for you.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on New Years Resolutions 2022 - The Road Ahead.

Omicron, CoVid, Omicron, CoVid ... STOP

NYC News Update With as little CoVid Omicron Specific Info as Possible

This Report includes the Over Hyped 'Supply Chain Xmas Tree Shortage', Broadway Show Cancellations & Postponements & Economic Impact, MTA Subway Trains & Airline Flights Cancellations due to Staffing Outages, the Tug of War between Office Workers & their Companies, JFK getting New Terminals & Staten Island getting New Ferries

December 27, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. Temperature highs are between 40 and 50 degrees each day, and the lows are about 40 each day. Humidity will be between 60% - 80% all week. And the wind will be fairly steady at 5 - 10 mph daily. There's a chance of showers around 8 pm tonight and a chance of a tenth inch of rain on each day - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Given the low amount of precipitation and that it's spread out over the entire day, each day, I'd say your chances of getting very wet are pretty slim.

CoVid, CoVid, CoVid ... How We Moved Beyond it as a Conversation Centerpiece at an Xmas Party

So I attended a Christmas party a couple of weekends ago, and at one point someone asked is there anything else to talk about besides CoVid? This was near the end of the party, so there were only about a dozen of us there. So, someone asked, how about those Nets? And of course, Kylie Irving soon came up, and his anti-vax stance on CoVid, and that the Nets had to postpone a number of games because of ... CoVid.

Someone else asked, whose traveling for the holidays? As you can imagine, it wasn't long before CoVid came up and how it was going to affect everyones' holiday travel plans. Another asked, whether people were going to see their kids over the holidays. And of course, the discussion about vaccinations, testing and masks ensued. And then someone asked about gifts being given this season, and eventually the impact of CoVid on shipping and supply chain ensued. How about going out to dinner ... and so forth.

Actually, it turned out to be kind of funny, in an ironic sort of way, as the pandemic was still touching most parts of people's lives.

But the good news is that we eventually did move on past CoVid. Onto what? Well that's personal and thus not going to be shared here publicly, but we did eventually make it past the CoVid goal line ... but it wasn't as easy as one would think it should have been.

So the rest of this report is going to be about other things affecting our life, but recognizing that the pandemic and our community health affects just about everything else.

How Real was the TV News Hyped Supply Chain & Xmas Tree Shortage?

Retail Sales Hit a Level Not seen in 17 Years in Spite of "No Supply"?

How is it that network TV news, still a primary source of information in this nation - and the only source by many of the uneducated - can get a story so wrong?

For months they've been hyping the SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGE, SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGE, SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGE. I've seen little on TV news saying anything else to the contrary, and yet somehow, retailers magically had the best holiday sales season in 17 years, with department store sales up 21% [that's huge] and online sales up 8% [also very solid performance].

Did retailers MAGICALLY turn in their best performance in 17 years without any inventory? Come on.

People need to start questioning the information they get on TV, because too often, it's so distorted in order to generate an emotional or fearful response that's good for ratings and profit - but not in the public interest.

A December 26, 2021 report in Politico provided the following update on retail sales,

"... By category, clothing rose 47%, jewelry 32%, electronics 16%. Online sales were up 11% from a year ago and 61% from 2019. Department stores registered a 21% increase over 2020 ..."

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the NYC economy facing ongoing challenges due to CoVid including cancelled Broadway shows, airline flight cancellations, ongoing subdued mass transit ridership, and ongoing delays of workers returning to the office. But for the nation, holiday retail sales were good.

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Staten Island New Years Eve Parties & NYE Restaurants 2021 / 2022

Staten Island New Years Eve Parties in Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island in NYC

December 18, 2021 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

New Years Eve occurs on a Friday this year. While New Years Eve is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like St. Patrick's Day, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.

This year we also have the lingering effects of the pandemic to contend with, and a mandatory mask mandate goes into effect in NYC and NYS from December 13, 2021 until January 15, 2022 - at which time it will be re-evaluated. An early rsvp is highly recommended given the environment and many, if not all, places want proof of CoVid vaccination.

The following are a number of different New Years restaurants on Staten Island in NYC where you might consider booking a reservation.

Click here to read more about our round up of New Years Eve parties on Staten Island - New Years Eve restaurants Staten Island.

Omicron Sweeps NYC & the Rest of the U.S.

NYS Hit its Highest Number of New Cases Friday 12.17.21, Omicron Now Dominant Strain in America [73%], Breakthrough Infections & Need for Boosters, Multiple Measures of Vaccine Effectiveness, NYS Governor Hochul Foreshadows Change to Definition of Fully Vaccinated Likely Coming Soon, NYC Mayor de Blasio Offers $100 to those who Boost Before Year End, False Positives Coming from Some Testing Kits, Hospitalizations Trending Toward Younger Age Groups & Kids Getting Infected at Higher Rates

It's Not the Omicron Virus that is Dividing Us. It's the Manipulative Murdoch Mass Media, that Continually Misinforms its Audiences. The Highly Paid Propagandists do This in Order Enrich Themselves & Empower the 90 Year Old Multi-Billionaire by Undermining the Government Officials who Won't Give Rupert what he wants out of the Public Purse & Domain

December 20, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

So the Omicron variant represents the third wave of Corona Virus sweeping the land. First it was the original CoVid 19, then the Delta variant and now Omicron.

The Omicon variant spreads far more easily and hence far faster than the prior two variants, which spread around the globe in a matter of months. Omicron is beating them hands down in terms of spreading, even in nations that have some good measure of vaccinations - but nowhere near the two thirds plus needed for 'herd immunity'. Reportedly, the Omicron is spreading 2x to 4x faster than the Delta variant which reportedly spread faster [by about 50%] than the original strain of CoVid. As of the last week of testing, Omicron represents 73% of all new cases in the U.S.

In the graphic at right you see a headline from FT, which is the Financial Times of London, noting how something that should be common sense has become a political hot potato. At the end of this update on the Omicron variant, we'll take a look at how science and the truth are being distorted by millionaires and billionaire(s) in what appears an attempt to manipulate voters perceptions. The goal is to change the perceptions of their viewers enough, so their viewers will vote for the candidates chosen by the propaganda billionaire and his friends. The end game is, of course, getting the billionaire / propaganda machine selected pols into office, so they can fill their pockets with the taxpayers' money, and obtain legislative changes that are anti-democratic.

Oftentimes reports like that found in the Financial Times fail miserably to call out media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who controls an overwhelming share of the daily national news media in the U.S., Britain and Australia. For my money, Murdoch [not Trump] is the root cause of so many of our current problems by virtue of the disinformation he spreads, which is inserted into many of the news reports that his organizations deliver to well over a hundred million people each day. Murdoch hides behind his media brands, propagandists and favored pols, while the other media and government officials seem either: 1) ignorant of his incredible influence on our daily news, and thus a huge swath of American people's views, or 2) are unwilling to do the right thing and call Murdoch out into the open so the public can get a closer look at who's dominating the national conversation.

The last point made is an important one for the Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems lawsuits [more on this below]. My advice to their attorneys, is to hire a great public relations firm to publicize the hell out of each case, making damned sure to include Keith Rupert Murdoch in EVERY news release / update as the slithery Murdoch - like Voldemort in Harry Potter - doesn't like the light of day. And then ride the case to the end, because you're in the right, and what you're fighting for is - in part - the heart and soul of America.

NYS Sees its Highest Number of Daily New CoVid Cases Since Pandemic Began

In NYC New Infections Double in 3 Days & in the U.S. Omicron is now 73% of New Cases

A testament to the Omicron variants transmissibility is that on Friday, December 17, 2021 NYS saw its highest number of new CoVid cases [21,027] in a single day since the pandemic began according to an New York Times report. In NYC the infection rate nearly doubled in just three days, rising from 3.9% to 7.8% from Thursday, December 9 to December 12, 2021 according to a December 16, 2021 NBC report.

I checked the NYC website a couple of weeks ago and found the chart at right, which - to my surprise - showed Whites as the second slowest group to vaccinate. Hispanics were a full ten percentage points ahead of them, and African Americans were only three percentage points behind them. I interpret this as the power of Murdoch's media in NYC as he owns / controls Fox News on WNYW [channel 5], WWOR [channel 9], the NY Post, and the Wall Street Journal.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report Omicron Sweeps NYC & the Rest of the U.S..

2ND HALF DECEMBER WEEKEND THINGS TO DO NYC

This section contains our Weekend Things To Do reports for the second half of the month of December 2021. Click into this link to see second half of December 2021 weekend reports.

CLICK here to read the December Things To Do reports for all five NYC boroughs and all December weekends, including reports about weekend things to do in NYC in the last half of December, including NYC holiday events, NYC holiday markets, Christmas tree lightings, Hanukkah menorah lightings, holiday light shows begin, choral performances, the Nutcracker performances in NYC borought, and New Years Eve parties are in a separate report.

CoVid Update – Omicron Variant, Vax Updates, Vax Boosters, Vax Kids & Manipulative NYC Based Disinformation Sources

December 6, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Social Issues Health News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The first Omicron virus case was first detected on November 8, 2021 in South Africa. The first case detected in the U.S. was in San Francisco on November 22, 2021. Four days later, on November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization [WHO] designated Omicron a CoVid variant [B1.1.529]. As of December 5, 2021 there were eight Omicron cases in NYS, most of which were found in NYC.

Early Precautions in the Face of Omicron’s Rapid Spread

On November 26, 2021, President Biden instituted a temporary travel ban on South Africa and neighboring countries including, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He also shortened the CoVid testing time from three to one days, for those traveling internationally. The passenger must test negative for CoVid. And he extended the mask mandate for those using public transit domestically to March 15, 2021.

The reason for taking these early immediate precautions is that the Omicron variant appears to be spreading at twice the rate of the Delta variant, which overwhelmed this nation within about 3 - 4 months [May - August 2021].

The Omicron variant was also detected in Belgium, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and Israel at the time the news broke regarding the rapid spread of the new variant at the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday. As of this writing the Omicron variant has been found in 15 states including, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, according to a Reuters tally on December 5, 2021.

Vaccine Efficacy vis a vis Omicron Variant

The Omicron variant is known to be more transmissible, but it’s health impact is still being studied. Most of those who contracted the Omicron variant had been vaccinated, and hence it is believed that most suffered fairly mild symptoms because they had CoVid antibodies in their systems. By the end of this week [12/10/21] or sometime the following week, early test results on vaccine efficacy vis a vis Omicron are expected.

One health official noted that efficacy isn’t measured as a simple yes or no, but rather in degrees. The strongest efficacy prevents one from catching the virus, the medium measure of efficacy is how troublesome the symptoms - ranging from mild to hospitalization, and the weakest efficacy – meaning no efficacy is death.

CoVid prognosticators believe that the current vaccines will continue to offer some measure of protection / efficacy, but they caution that at some point it may be necessary to create a separate vaccine for new CoVid variants.

CLICK here to read the rest of our story about the Omicron Variant, Vax Updates, Vax Boosters, Vax Kids & Manipulative NYC Based Disinformation Sources.

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Staten Island Holiday Events - Staten Island NYC

Christmas Tree Lightings, Hanukkah Menorah Lightings, & Kwanzaa Candle Lightings on Staten Island and Holiday Events & Things To Do NYC

December 17, 2021 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Island Buzz NYC.

*** Be sure to visit our Staten Island Holiday Markets page, as it contains related holiday events with a shopping element to them.

*** For links to holiday events and markets in all five boroughs of NYC scroll down to the bottom of this report.

EDITOR NOTE. While it seems we've turned the corner on the CoVid pandemic, it's after effects still linger. Hence a number of holiday events we saw in 2019 may not yet return in 2021 for reasons related to CoVid, or possibly finances. So while they may not return this year, they might make a comeback next year.

How The Staten Island Holiday Events Page on this Page are Organized

These holiday events on Staten Island are organized as follows:

1. BY NEIGHBORHOODS OF STATEN ISLAND

2. BY DATE

Watch carefully as some locales have multiple dates, and all dates for a given locale are shown at the time the venue is first listed.

3. ALL OF THESE ARE FREE UNLESS FEES ARE SPECIFIED.

Staten Island Holiday Lights, Christmas Tree Lightings, Hanukkah Menorah Lightings, Kwanzaa Candle Lightings Background

The holidays are a special time of the year. In ancient times there were harvest celebrations to give thanks and enjoy the bounty after a long growing and harvesting season aka a year of work.

And there were also winter solstice celebrations to commemorate the end of the darkening of the skies. Some cultures celebrate with a festival of lights, and in Christian cultures the holidays are marked with holiday lightings including tree lightings and candle lightings - as well as the celebration of giving through the most well known and most generous man in the world - Santa Claus.

Meanwhile, back on Staten Island we celebrate in a number of ways, which carry on some of these ancient traditions. The following provides the dates / times / locales and some details regarding many of the various Staten Island holiday celebrations and Staten Island holiday markets and shopping for folks to enjoy between now and the end of the year.

Click here to read our report about Staten Island Holiday Events / Holiday Things To Do & Staten Island Holiday Markets & Shopping.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving Day

My Top Five Thanks of Things that Happened in NYC & the USA

November 24, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Holidays / Gotham Buzz NYC.

nyc thanksgiving day senitments nyc what thanksgiving day means to me brooklyn manhattan queens bronx staten island nyc thanksgiving day nyc Well, it's been some year thus far. And the good news is that there is much for which to be thankful.

Thanks #1 - We're Still a Democracy

A lame effort to overthrow our democracy failed. This is in spite of seeming to have the support of the best propagandists on Fox News, in tandem with what appears to be the involvement of some of the key players of what seems to be an emerging ideology I'd describe as American Fascism or the 'New Trump Republicans'.

The key players of this new brand of Republican ideology seemed to include the likes of Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani who Murdoch's Fox News labels as America's Mayor, Sydney Powell, as well as Trump wannabee's - Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. This attempted coup, appeared to be incited by none other than former President Donald Trump, who seemed to be aided and abetted by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News propaganda coverage, in what I can only hope will be their final swan songs. But that's a super optimistic wish.

In any event, members of the House and Senate, did not allow themselves to be intimidated and continued to finalize the electoral process, with the final tabulation of the Electoral College vote count, certifying Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.

CoVid Vaccinations, Emergence of the Delta Variant, & as goes CoVid, so goes the Economy

The next crises to be dealt with, included a languid economy, handicapped by a vividly voracious virus. Thus the vaccines, created to address these microscopic monsters, did a fairly good Julius Caesar imitation of "veni, vidi, vici" which means "I came, I saw, I conquered".

But the Corona Virus, ever the able and nimble survivor, said "not so fast", and proceeded to spin out numerous variants - one of which was called the Delta variant. Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet which carries a number of meanings, one of which is about 'change'. And change it did. During the Spring CoVid was on the run as more and more Americans were inoculated. But by early Summer, CoVid was once again on the rise, driven by the Delta variant.

Naturally, as goes CoVid, so goes the economy. And thus the economy, strongly on the mend in the Spring, started to stall by late Summer, as the CoVid Delta rise took hold. I'll come back to this in a minute.

CLICK here to read the rest of our column on five things for which we're thankful this Thanksgiving 2021 NYC including our democracy, the end of the war in Afghanistan, common sense mandates on vaccines and masks, festina lente progress on the supply chain bottlenecks and Republicans and Democrats first bipartisan effort to come together to pass the Infrastructure Bill / legislation.

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Thanksgiving Day Food Shopping, Community Dinners & Restaurants on Staten Island 2021

Thanksgiving Day Grocery Stores Food Shopping, Community Dinners & Restaurants in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

November 21, 2021 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Thanksgiving Day History - Thanksgiving Food Shops, Dinners & Restaurants on Staten Island

The origins of Thanksgiving Day in the United States began with one of America's first settlements, founded by the risk-taking, resource-pooling, hardworking, spiritual community of Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were early English settlers who arrived on American shores in the early 17th century [1600's]. They came here because they wanted a measure of freedom and self-determination that they were forbidden in Europe or what was called the 'old country'. The Pilgrims wanted to practice their faith, unencumbered, in a way that differed from the established Church of England. They pooled their money to obtain a ship, the Mayflower, to cross the Atlantic in mid September of 1620, landing on America's shores at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on November 9, 1620.

The Pilgrims Receive Help from the Native People of a Strange Land

Per Wikipedia, the Piligrims survived a hard winter in 1621 with the help of the Wampanoag, an American Indian tribe. The Pilgrims were the immigrants, and the first Americans, the Indian natives, welcomed them. The Wampanaog taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, and how to grow and harvest corn. Thus the Pilgrims ended 1621 with a good harvest which they celebrated and shared with their new friends, expressing their thanks to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.

Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America. There's some dispute to this account, which we'll address in a future post, near Thanksgiving Day.

COVID protocols remain in effect per NYC guidelines. Rsvp is recommended.

We've identified a number of Staten Island shops, community dinners and restaurants open for dining on Thanksgiving Day on Staten Island. Enjoy.

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Staten Island Holiday Markets and Christmas & Hanukkah Shopping

Staten Island Holiday Markets, Christmas Shopping, Hanukkah Shopping & Holiday Shopping

December 17, 2021 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / NYC Shopping / Staten Island Buzz NYC.

*** Be sure to visit our Staten Island Holiday Events & Things To Do page, as it contains related holiday events with a shopping element to them.

*** For links to holiday events and markets in all five boroughs of NYC scroll down to the bottom of this report.

EDITOR NOTE. While it seems we've turned the corner on the CoVid pandemic, it's after effects still linger. Hence a number of holiday markets we saw in 2019 may not yet return in 2021 for reasons related to CoVid, or possibly finances, or perhaps an assessment that the rewards of a holiday market at this time aren't worth the risks of operating one. Lastly, shopkeepers / market makers still have to operate knowing there remains some uncertainty in being able to obtain the selection goods you want in the time frame you want because of lingering issues associated with the supply chain. So while they may not return this year, they might make a comeback next year.

The holidays are a special time of the year. In ancient times there were harvest celebrations to give thanks and enjoy the bounty after a long growing and harvesting season aka a year of work.

THESE HOLIDAY EVENT & HOLIDAY MARKETS ARE ORGANIZED

1. BY NEIGHBORHOODS OF STATEN ISLAND

2. And BY DATE

Watch carefully as some locales have multiple dates, and all dates for a given locale are shown at the time the venue is first listed.

Click here to read our report about Staten Island Holiday Events / Holiday Things To Do & Staten Island Holiday Markets & Shopping.

Eric Adams Wins in Landslide Defeating Sliwa by More than 2:1

Republican Voter Turnout Was Strong on Long Island, but not in NYC

November 3, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Moderate Democrat Eric Adams sailed to victory Tuesday to become NYC's second African American Mayor. Democrat David Dinkins was the first. With 78% of the precincts reporting Adams won 676,481 votes to Sliwa's 293,127.

Democrat Jumaane Williams was re-elected Public Advocate, garnering 598,810 votes which was nearly 69% of the total, with 93% of the scanners reporting.

Progressive Democrat Brad Lander won the NYC Comptroller position, winning 604,000 of the votes, or 70% of the vote with 93% of the scanners counted.

And Democrat Alvin Bragg won the Manhattan District Attorney office, garnering 183,000 votes or 83% of the total.

Four of the five Borough Presidencies were won by Democrats. In Manhattan Mark Levine handily won the borough presidency with 181,000 votes or 85% of the total, with 93% of scanners counted. In Queens Donovan Richards handily won re-election, winning 160,000 votes or 66% of the total, with 79% of the precincts reporting. In Brooklyn Antonio Reynoso also won handily, winning 217,000 votes or 73% of the total, with 78% of the precincts reporting. In the Bronx Vanessa Gibson took in 80,000 votes which was 80% of the total, with 72% of the precincts reporting.

And on Staten Island, the only Republican to win a Borough Presidency, Vito Fossella, won 60,000 votes or 60% of the total, with 87% of the precincts reporting.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the election results of NYC and surrounding area municipal areas in November 2021, including Eric Adams landslide victory vs Curtis Sliwa.

COLUMBUS DAY

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Columbus Day Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island Over The Columbus Day Weekend

October 5, 2021 / Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

More Columbus Day events coming on the Friday of this weekend.

Also see updated Weather by clicking the header above to go to the Front Page for Weekend Update.

And it's all happening right here in Staten Island. So take your time to sort through the days and locations and start planning your weekend.

Weather. As of October 4, 2021, the Temperature highs will be in the 70's all four days of the long weekend. The temperature lows will be in the low 60's throughout the weekend. There's a 35% chance of a small amount of rain [2/10th's of an inch] between Saturday evening 5 pm and Sunday evening 6 pm. Winds will be about 5 - 10 mph Friday and Monday and between 10 - 15 mph on Saturday and Sunday. The Humidity will be between 65 - 75% on Friday & Saturday, and 70 - 80% on Sunday and Monday. Click for

Columbus Day Events on Staten Island

Click here to obtain information about things to do Columbus Day Weekend on Staten Island. This events calendar is updated monthly with dozens of different Staten Island fun cultural events.

CULTURE FEST WEEKEND. - WORK IN PROGRESS SHOULD BE DONE TUESDAY 10/5/21.

Staten Island Public & Private Parks & Public Indoor Swimming Pools

Effective September 30, 2021 NYC public indoor swimming pools will reopen at 33% capacity and CoVid guidelines will remain in effect.

NYC Golfing on Staten Island

CLICK here for things to do on Staten Island Columbus Day Weekend.

LABOR DAY

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Labor Day Weekend on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island Over The Labor Day Weekend

August 17, 2021 / Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz.

Come back to visit our front page on the Friday before the Labor Day weekend for an up-to-date weather forecast, as well as Labor Day Weekend events updates.

And it's all happening right here in our favorite borough - Staten Island. So take your time to sort through the days and locations and start planning your weekend.

Labor Day Events on Staten Island

Click here to obtain information about things to do Labor Day Weekend on Staten Island. This events calendar is updated monthly with dozens of different Staten Island fun cultural events.

Staten Island Public & Private Parks

NYC Golfing on Staten Island

CLICK here for things to do on Staten Island Labor Day Weekend.

4TH JULY

Article 1495

Staten Island - 4th of July Fireworks SI - 2022

Staten Island July 4th Celebrations & Fireworks - St George, Midland Beach, Historic Richmond Town, Travis Town & Tottenville

June 28, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / July 4th Holiday on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.

Macy's July 4th Fireworks along the East River Provides Good Viewing from Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens while Distantly Viewable from Northern Staten Island & the Southern tip of the Bronx

The Macy's 4th of July fireworks will be shown along the East River again this year.

Click here for a report about the 4th of July Fireworks on Staten Island NYC as seen from St. George, Tottenville and Midland Beach SI & surrounding areas, including times and locations for the Macy's 4th of July fireworks in NYC, the Raritan Bay fireworks from Tottenville and Coney Island fireworks as seen from Midland Beach.

MEM DAY

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Memorial Day Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island over the Memorial Day Weekend

UPDATED _ May 29, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Island Buzz NYC.

This is a report containing things to do in the Bronx over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Click for Staten Island Weather.

Be sure to check our Memorial Day Weekend things to do post mid afternoon Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.

Brief History of the Memorial Day Holiday on Staten Island

Click here for Staten Island things to do on Memorial Day weekend.

PREZ DAY

Article 1479

Presidents Day Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do Presidents Day Weekend on Staten Island / Events

February 15, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Brief History of Presidents Day Holiday Staten Island NYC

CLICK here for Staten Island things to do Presidents Day weekend - events on Staten Island NYC. We've updated things to reflect current conditions related to the CoVid pandemic.

MLK TTD

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Martin Luther King Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

Things To Do on Staten Island over the MLK Day Weekend

January 11, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Brief History of Martin Luther King Holiday in NYC

Martin Luther King Holiday Special Events in the Staten Island NYC

CLICK here for Staten Island things to do on Martin Luther King Day weekend.

Italian Festival at Mount Loretto

The Italian Festival at Mount Loretto included Food, Shopping, Live Entertainment & Games

October 21, 2019 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Buzz NYC.

Just over a week ago, I headed to the southern Staten Island neighborhood of Charleston to attend the Italian Festival at Mount Loretto. The event ran all weekend in a large sprawling field in front of the cathedral. There was a large stage, live entertainment, a number of food vendors, many serving hot food out of food trucks, somewhere between a half doze and dozen different shopping boutiques offering clothing, cutlery, skin products, jewelry and more.

HALLOWEEN PARTIES

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Staten Island Halloween Parties & Events 2021 - SI NYC

Halloween Events & Halloween Parties in the North Shore Neighborhoods, the Great Kills area, Historic Richmond Town and Other Neighborhoods on Staten Island

October 19, 2021 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Staten Island Restaurants & Bars / Staten Buzz NYC.

Halloween occurs on a Sunday this year. The Staten Island Halloween party celebrations begin as early as Saturday, October 23rd running through to Halloween day itself.

Halloween is one big costume party, where the theatrical side of people, is given a small opening. Halloween provides people the opportunity to create and play roles they have wanted to play, that the day-to-day role playing keeps submerged. On Halloween is it the Doctor side or the Jekyll side - or something in between that emerges? Any which way it can sometimes be very scary : )

In the photo at right are NYC Halloween partiers in an earlier year. While professional actors are paid to assume and perform roles, on Halloween it's an unpaid, all-amateur, theatrical free-for-all ... and the chaos of creativity is also what makes Halloween so much fun.

Click here to read more about our round up of Halloween parties on Staten Island 2021 - Halloween restaurants Staten Island.

MOMS DAY

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Staten Island Mothers Day Restaurants 2022 SI

Staten Island Mothers Day Restaurants in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

April 27, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

But as the saying goes, the early bird gets the [worm] better seating, so book early.

Mother's Day History - Restaurants on Staten Island

We've identified a number of Staten Island restaurants that are open with indoor / outdoor dining options on Mother's Day on Staten Island NYC. Enjoy.

ST PATS DAY

Article 1484

Staten Island St Patrick's Day Bars, Restaurants & Historic Irish Pubs SI 2022

Staten Island St Pat's Day Irish Pubs in Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

March 11, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

St Patrick's Day is on a Thursday this year.

At a later date we'll add a bit of history of St. Patrick's Day.

Click here to read more about our round up of some of the Staten Island St Patrick's Day bars, restaurants & Irish pubs - Staten Island NYC.

V DAY

Article 1478

Staten Island Valentine's Day Restaurants 2022

Staten Island Valentine's Day Romantic Restaurants in or near Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island

February 2, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

All events have been updated and are asterisked.

This report provides an update on who's open and taking reservations, but also highlights quite a number of local restaurant closures.

Like last year, this year it's especially important to make restaurant reservations early and be sure you're prepared to meet the state CoVid guidelines for indoor dining.

The photo at right shows the bar in the Staten Island Ferry station in the St. George neighborhood.

Romantic Restaurants on Staten Island - A Brief History of Valentine's Day

UPDATED FOR COVID. Click here to read more about our round up of Valentine's Day restaurants on Staten Island - Valentine's Day on Staten Island.

SHOPS

Staten Island Farmers Markets & Street Fairs

Staten Islanders Enjoy being outside Spring, Summer and Fall

June 10, 2021 / Staten Island Farmers Markets / Staten Island St Fairs / Staten Buzz NYC.

A few Staten Island farmers markets may be open year round, but most of them are seasonal. Some of the seasonal Staten Island farmers markets usually begin opening in May, with the rest of them opening in June or no later than the first couple of weeks in July. Click here to view the schedules of many of the farmers markets in Staten Island.

Staten Island street fairs and festivals, on the other hand, are entirely seasonal. Some of them hit the streets as early as April. The number of Staten Island street fairs rises during the late spring and continues through the dog days of summer [July / August], including into the late part of the Fall. By late October / the end of November the Staten Island street fairs go on hiatus, with a few returning as early as April. Click here to view a full schedule of the Staten Island street fairs.

FARM

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Staten Island Farmers Markets 2022

Opening Dates, Hours, Items & How To Shop - Staten Island Farmers Markets SI

May 7, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Food, Wine & Restaurants on Staten Island / Staten Island Shops & Shopping / Staten Buzz NYC.

This report contains the opening dates, times / hours, items / selection, as well as links to online maps of all major Staten Island farmer markets, including address locations on Staten Island.

Enjoy shopping and eating the fresh and natural foods and product of our local farmers and food manufacturers.

Click here to view Queens Farmers Markets NYC, Brooklyn Farmers Markets NYC, Bronx Farmers Markets NYC & Staten Island Farmers Markets NYC and Manhattan Farmers Markets NYC.

Click here to view a report about most of the Staten Island Farmers Markets.

Click here for Brooklyn tile stores.

Casa Belvedere and the Festa & Motori D'Italia

9th Annual Festa & Motori D'Italia Keeps the Engine Running on All Cylinders

September 23, 2019 / Silver Lake Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.

I attended the Festa & Motori D'Italia at the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere on Staten Island. The following video captures most of what I experienced - save for the delicious aromas floating in the air.

Snug Harbor Fence Show on Staten Island

69th Annual Art Show Organized by the Staten Island Museum

October 1, 2019 / Randall Manor Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.

I attended the 69th Annual Snug Harbor Fence Show on Staten Island on Saturday. The show included about 150 exhibiting artists, primarily from Staten Island, but also neighboring NYC boroughs and New Jersey. There were food and beverage vendors, an accomplished jazz group - the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble - as well as plenty of interesting artworks that ranged from ceramics, to clothing and jewelry, to all sorts of art on canvass and other materials. The crowd the show attracted was also an eclectic group of art lovers, art exhibitors and curious Staten Islanders [it's free admission]. See video to take in a couple of minutes of the ambiance of the show.

Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art on Staten Island

The Jacques Marchais Museum is Home to an Eclectic Art Collection

historic richmond town staten island nyc August 22, 2019 / Lighthouse Hill Neighborhood SI / Art & Culture Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. It's located in the Lighthouse Hill neighborhood on Staten Island, which isn't far from Historic Richmond Town. Historic Richmond Town is a popular destination that puts on a number of public programs, so it's easy to include the Jacques Marchais Musem as a second destination if you're interested in Tibetan culture and art.

Ironically Jacques Marchais never visited Tibet, but she was an avid art dealer / collector, and over time she developed a collection of Tibetan art and culture in her art dealings. So much so, that when I had an opportunity to visit, I was struck by the resemblance to the some of the architecture and feeling of being there, as it reminded me of a month long trek I had done in Nepal many years ago.

We'll have more on this interesting destination on Staten Island over time. Stay tuned. Om.

TBD

HEALTH ECO SPORTS

FDR Boardwalk: One of the Best Beaches in NYC

September 16, 2019 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Staten Island Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Last weekend I had an opportunity to visit South Beach along the FDR Boardwalk on Staten Island. The following video provides a one minute glimpse of the FDR Boardwalk and the views of the water and Verrazzano Bridge.

MOVIES

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Staten Island - Free Summer Movies 2022

Free Things To Do on Staten Island - Free Summer Movies in NYC Parks

August 12, 2022 /Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Movies NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

We'll continue to add to this listing of free movies in the park on Staten Island as we become aware of them.

Free Summer Movies on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Movies on Staten Island NYC.

CONCERTS

Article 1496

Staten Island - Free & a Few Paid Summer Concerts 2022

Free Things To Do on Staten Island NYC

staten island things to do free summer concerts staten island si nyc August 12, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Free Summer Outdoor Concerts NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.
Free Summer Movies on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island 2022
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Concerts on Staten Island NYC.

THEATER

Article 1487

Staten Island - Free Summer Outdoor Theater 2022

Free Things To Do in the Staten Island - Free Summer Theater Park in NYC

August 12, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Buzz NYC.

Free Theater / Plays in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer outdoor theater on Staten Island.

Free Summer Movies on Staten Island 2022

Click here to view our report on free movies in the park - summer outdoor movies on Staten Island.

Music / Concerts in the Park on Staten Island 2022
Click here to view our report on free summer concerts on Staten Island.

Free Things To Do on Staten Island 2022
Current Staten Island Things To Do. Click here to view a listing of current Staten Island things to do.

CLICK HERE to continue to FREE Things to do / Free Summer Theater on Staten Island NYC.

SWIM POOLS

Article 1494

Staten Free Public Outdoor Swimming Pools SI NYC

This Staten Island Public Swimming Pool Report Includes Contact Info NYC

May 25, 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Swimming Pools, Parks & Sports / Staten Buzz NYC.

Staten Island outdoor public pools will open beginning Tuesday June 28th, 2022. A few of the indoor pools will be closed this summer to allow for construction and improvements.

As of this posting 5.25.22, masks are NOT required for indoor activity including in the locker rooms, but stay tuned as it's possible that could change.

LIGHTHOUSE

Article 1492

National Lighthouse Museum Staten Island

Bill Miller Presents Floating Palaces - Tales of the Great Transatlantic Ships & Sea

March 12, 2020 / St George Neighborhood SI / Staten Island Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

National Lighthouse Museum - A Staten Island Treasure

At the end of January I made my way across the NYC harbor to the St. George Ferry Terminal. After just a few blocks walk to the east, along the St. George / Staten Island waterfront, I came upon my destination - the National Lighthouse Museum.

The National Lighthouse Museum is one of the oldest and yet newest cultural treasures of Staten Island. While the National Lighthouse Museum only opened on Staten Island in 2015, it is housed in buildings of the old St. George Coast Guard Station, which was built shortly after the American Civil War in the late 1860's.

The photo at right is one of the slides shown by Bill Miller in his informative lecture about transatlantic travel during the 20th century. Most of the photos that follow were taken at the lecture.

Bill Miller's Ocean Liner History - An NYC Treasure

Tonight we would listen to Bill Miller tell the tales of a century long history of transatlantic luxury ships and cruises. Miller's love of the cruise ships started while he was a youngster, watching the ships docking along the west side of Manhattan from across the Hudson River in New Jersey.

Bill Miller is shown in the photo at right standing in front of the room at the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island.

It wasn't long before Miller was crossing the Hudson himself, looking for adventure along the west side piers. Tonight he shared his lifelong passion with us, complete with details delving into the lives of the rich and famous, the food, the designer interiors and the ship engineering of the transatlantic cruise ships, which he affectionately calls Floating Palaces.

The photo at right shows Linda Dianto, Executive Director of the National Lighthouse Museum [at left] and guest speaker Bill Miller, aka Mr. Ocean Liner [at right] in late January 2020 speaking to the audience in attendance at the Floating Palaces lecture at the Staten Island museum.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, including a short video, about Bill Miller's Floating Palaces lecture at the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island.

CONF HOUSE

Article 1491

Ye Olde Conference House in Tottenville on Staten Island

Benjamin Franklin & John Adams Met the British Here in Effort to Avoid the Revolutionary War

January 20, 2020 / Tottenville Neighborhood SI / Staten Island Things To Do NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

I had the opportunity to visit the Conference House in Tottenville this past September. Unfortunately I arrived about a week after the historic site signature event - the 1776 Peace Conference Commemoration.

The Conference House Peace Commemoration event includes a reenactment of the September 11, 1776 peace conference meeting between Benjamin Franklin and John Adams on the American side and Colonel Christoper Billop representing the British side.

The photo at right shows a painting depicting the Conference House Meeting on September 11, 1776.

Although Billop was born on Staten Island, he was a British colonel and loyalist to the British crown. Billop reportedly initiated the meeting, which as we all now know, was unsuccessful in averting the war. The commemorative event generally happens every second weekend in September.

I found it ironic, that the event took place on 9/11 some 243 years ago. And it's worth mentioning that William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son, was the last British Governor of New Jersey and a British loyalist throughout the conflict. Benjamin Franklin reportedly acknowledged him as his son, but disowned him for not siding with the colonists.

Colonel Billop's father was Captain Billop [also named Christopher aka senior] who came to America in 1674. Billop Sr. built the Conference House, which was a grand home of the time, overlooking the point where the Raritan River flows into the Raritan Bay at Arthur Kill, which is the body of water that separates Staten Island from New Jersey. It was a well built stone house, which has held up well since it was built circa 1680, about 340 years ago. At the time it was considered a pretty fancy home.

Originally the site was a campground of the Lenape Indian tribe. In the late 1600's both the Dutch and the British were adventurous seafaring nations, which sent many ships, sailors and immigrants across the Atlantic in search of a better life. As such, when the ruling royalists were succeeded by heirs, their religion mixed with politics and also war.

CLICK here to view the rest of our report on the Conference House historic site on Staten Island.

In Historic Richmond Town the Past Comes Alive

Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island Preserves a Bit of America's Colonial & 19th Century Past

historic richmond town staten island nyc March 2018 / Historic Richmond Town Neighborhood / Staten Island Culture & History / Staten Buzz NYC.

Earlier this month I visited Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island. I got off the train at Oakwood Heights and along with a visiting South Korean visitor, ubered the half to one mile inland to visit historic Richmond Town.

We were dropped off in a large parking lot adjacent to the main building, which turned out to be the rear of the site, and walked in. It was less than two hours before closing time and on this cold March day, things were pretty quiet.

In the museum gift shop we Lou Maira who manages it. The visiting South Korean took off on his own, while I struck up a conversation with Lou. He told me that we were in the Court House, which was the County Seat for Staten Island in 1837. The Court House also served as the prison. He told me that this late in the day, on the off season, wasn't really the optimal time to see the place, but he accommodated my unscheduled inquisitiveness anyhow.

Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island lies on 100 Acres of Colonial & 19th Century History

historic richmond town staten island historic richmond town nyc colonial history nys Lou told me that there were 15 buildings in Historic Richmond Town. He informed me that tours are given regularly by knowledgeable guides and that they take about an hour and fifteen minutes. The whole town lies on about one hundred acres. At some point in the conversation, one of the tour guides whose name I apparently didn't write down [please send it to me if you read this], joined us, and we continued conversing about Historic Richmond Town. In the photo at right is one of the tour guides of Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island.

Guyon Tavern in Historic Richmond Town

One of the buildings is Guyon Tavern, which may be found about a block and a half away on Richmond Road. The Court House lies at the top of a small hill where Center Street and Court Place meet. Guyon Tavern hosts tavern nights in March and April, where a thirsty 19th century American could and still can get a bottle of ale.

Historic Richmond Town - Things To Do on Staten Island

Historic Richmond Town also hosts other events. In the May / June timeframe there's a program entitled On Court, which I was told is a fairly large festival that includes live entertainment, beer and wine and food. And in September there's a pretty huge festival, it's Historic Richmond Town's signature event, called the County Fair.

The houses in Historic Richmond Town range in dates from the 1600's, 1700's and into the 1800's. The houses built in the 1700's date back to the time of the American Revolutionary War.

I'll add more to this, including more photos, at a later date. But suffice it to say it's worth at least one visit and likely many more. You can find out more about it and their events at https://www.historicrichmondtown.org

The Past Comes Alive: Historic Richmond Town

Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island Preserves a Bit of America's Colonial & 19th Century Past

historic richmond town staten island nyc March 2018 / Historic Richmond Town Neighborhood SI / Staten Island Culture & History / Staten Buzz NYC.

Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island lies on 100 Acres of Colonial & 19th Century History

Guyon Tavern in Historic Richmond Town

Historic Richmond Town - Things To Do on Staten Island

The houses in Historic Richmond Town range in dates from the 1600's, 1700's and into the 1800's. The houses built in the 1700's date back to the time of the American Revolutionary War.

NHDS

Article 1450

Staten Island Neighborhoods

Staten Island Neighborhoods covered include - st george, snug harbor, west brighton, fort wadsworth, manor heights, clifton, mariners harbor, historic richmond town, south beach, tompkinsville, westerleigh, stapleton, port richmond and tottenville neighborhood on staten island nyc

May 2022 / Staten Buzz NYC.

Click here for Staten Island neighborhoods in Staten Island NYC.

The photo at right is of Snug Harbor in the Randall Manor neighborhood of Staten Island.

SI TTDo

Article 1456

Staten Island Things To Do

Staten Island Things To Do not far from - st george, snug harbor, west brighton, fort wadsworth, manor heights, clifton, mariners harbor, historic richmond town, south beach, tompkinsville, westerleigh, stapleton, port richmond and tottenville neighborhood on staten island nyc

August 2022 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Buzz NYC.

Click here to view our Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Island Events or Staten Island street fairs.

Click here for Staten Island farmers markets - green markets on Staten Island NYC.

NYC Landlord Harassments Continue

NYCCM Helen Rosenthal Hosts Housing Clinic to Inform Renters of Their Rights

May 29, 2018 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Manhattan Real Estate / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

On Wednesday, May 25th I went to the Goddard Riverside Community Center on Columbus Avenue at 88th Street to attend a housing clinic designed to inform renters of their rights.

***The following introduction is based on prior research done by me, and was not information provided at the housing clinic. I'll let you know when I segue out of my preamble and into the housing clinic.***

Over the past decade landlords appear to have become increasingly aggressive in trying to wriggle out of NYC and NYS rent stabilization regulations, that govern the rental payments under which about two million New Yorkers live.

It is my understanding that the government contributed land and / or financing to build or repair the buildings governed by NYC / NYS rent stabilization laws in exchange for the pricing rights on rent stabilized units. Many of the new landlords who have acquired rent stablized buildings, may possibly be in violation of approaching their business contract(s) in good faith, as the definition of good faith according to Wikipedia is:

"In contract law, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing is a general presumption that the parties to a contract will deal with each other honestly, fairly, and in good faith, so as to not destroy the right of the other party or parties to receive the benefits of the contract. It is implied in every contract in order to reinforce the express covenants or promises of the contract. A lawsuit (or a cause of action) based upon the breach of the covenant may arise when one party to the contract attempts to claim the benefit of a technical excuse for breaching the contract, or when he or she uses specific contractual terms in isolation in order to refuse to perform his or her contractual obligations, despite the general circumstances and understandings between the parties. When a court or triar or fact interprets a contract, there is always an "implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing" in every written agreement."

What is at stake, throughout the city, is literally hundreds of millions and more likely billions of dollars in - rental benefits or rental income streams - depending on which side of the struggle you're on. The landlords appear to be trying - using the torturtous side effects of construction including noise, health risk dust [inhalation], privacy loss and apartment functional loss - to wrest away the billions of dollars of rental pricing rights benefits from tenants to be pocketed by the landlords themselves. Given the high dollar value of what's at stake - including people's homes - this seems like attempted grand larceny, especially in cases where landlords are breaking the law to achieve their goals.

This will be continued at a later date. Including the segue into the information provided by the Housing Clinic to inform tenants of their rights.

Tenants' Rights March & Rally - June 14th Midtown at 4.30 pm

P.S. There's a March & Rally scheduled for June 14th, beginning at 4.30 pm, at the NY Public Library at 5th Avenue and 40th Street. They plan to march to Governor Cuomo's office at 3rd Avenue and East 41st Street. For details contact info@realrentreform.org or call 212.979.6958. All but one of the No IDC NY senatorial candidates have been invited to participate, and there's a possibility that NYS gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon will be there too - as this seems to coincide with her reasons for challenging Governor Cuomo.

NY Real Estate Expo

NYC Professionals Discuss Manhattan & NYC Metro Real Estate

April 23, 2018 / NYC Neighborhoods / Manhattan Real Estate NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.

I attended the 10th annual NY Real Estate Expo at the New York Hilton last week. The event was well attended by hundreds of real estate, development and financial professionals from the NYC and metro area. Anthony Kazazis, Director of the event, had organized a series of panels to discuss key aspects affecting the real estate market ranging from software platforms, to financing, to NYC real estate market assessments.

Generally the mood was upbeat, but not without some concern about the future, given changes in the tax laws, foreign interest in NYC investment, interest rates forecasts and technological challenges facing the industry. But, I thought, that is why everyone is here. To find out what's going on so they can navigate the market changes - rather than be surprised by them.

While I had intended to stay only a short while, I found the topics and panelists too interesting to leave, so I stayed most of the day. I started with a discussion of a new information technology platform called Blockchain, which is intended to serve as an information clearing house, and it includes some artificial intelligence capability. I then found my way into a discussion about New York City versus Silicon Valley with respect to attracting large technology companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google. And I ended my visit after listening in on a discussion by NYC and metro area realtors discuss the residential real estate market in Manhattan and outer boroughs.

Sound like an interesting NYC real estate conference? It was. In the photo above you can see the audience at the well attended panel discussions at the NY Real Estate Expo this year.

I'll have more on this later in the week.

Update: LaGuardia Airport Development Project

First Phase Moving Along with Second & Third Phases About to Begin

April 24, 2017 / Astoria Neighborhood / Queens Real Estate / Staten Buzz NYC.

I attended a Community Board One meeting at the Astoria World Manor on Wednesday, April 19th. People representing the LaGuardia Airport development project were scheduled to provide the community with an update regarding several of the multi-billion dollar renovation projects associated with LaGuardia Airport, that are either currently in the works or nearing the end of the planning process.

The presentation was split into three parts: 1) LaGuardia Airport development project construction updates, 2) traffic mitigation efforts and 3) community outreach including job opportunities related to the projects.

Click here to read our report on the LaGuardia Airport development project & expansion, related job opportunities, its possible impact on travel times to the airport and the public hearing details on May 3rd, 2017 in Flushing. We have also included a small bit of history about the airport and the fight over the property and development in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The graphic at right was created as part of the LaGuardia Airport development project.

astoria realtors Brooklyn Blvd

NYC & NYS Continue to Have Lower Murder Rates Than the Rest of the Nation

The Past Couple of Months, NYC Murders have been Below 2019 Levels, and NYC Shootings are Down Double Digits versus 2020, While Gun Arrests Have Doubled vs 2020

nyc crime statistics nyc murders nyc manhattan bronx queens brooklyn staten island violent crime in nyc August 31, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Crime & Law Enforcement / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This is news you're not likely to find in Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch's NY Post, Wall St. Journal nor Fox News because it doesn't fit with Murdoch's self-enriching, propagandistic narratives of blaming Democrats for the increase in violent / gun crimes. He appears to use such narratives to get the politicians who will give him tax breaks, and allow him to continue deregulating his industries, so he can make ever more money at the expense of American Democracy.

The NYPD has been working hard to rein in the out-of-control sales and trafficking of guns in the nation, because of the absence of an intelligent debate on national gun control legislation to combat the growing gun violence, and in particular the mass shootings, that started rising again during the Trump Administration and continued rising in the wake of the CoVid pandemic.

Year To Date Murders in NYC are Below the National Average & Have Begun Falling Versus 2020

nyc crime statistics nyc murders nyc manhattan bronx queens brooklyn staten island violent crime in nyc So we're going to take a look at a number of the NYC crime statistics, and then follow up with an analytical look at some of the issues driving gun related violence, before closing with a look at the distorted, deceitful and destructive coverage provided by Murdoch's Fox News & Propaganda.

As you can see by the chart at right, with the exception of GLA or Grand Larceny Auto and YTD / Year To Date Shootings, all NYC crime is either in the single digits or down, versus last year. It's important to note however, that in July shootings dropped by 35% versus prior year [up 17% YTD], while gun arrests were up 134% versus the prior year [up 68% YTD], so the NYPD continues to make good progress in this regard. And murders were down 49% in July versus prior year and down 10% year to date.

The chart at right shows the NYPD Crime statistics for the month of July 2021 and Year To Date 2021. I have also included comparisons to 2019 as 2020 was an unusual year all the way around - including for NYC crime.

The Iron Pipeline - Interstate 95 - is used to Transport Guns from Primarily Red Republican States with Lax Gun Laws

nyc crime statistics nyc murders nyc manhattan bronx queens brooklyn staten island violent crime in nyc The graphic at right shows what is called the 'Iron Pipeline' which is Interestate 95 which runs from New York to Florida. This interestate highway is used to transport guns / weapons across state lines from mostly red Republican controlled states with lax gun control laws to blue states that have passed stronger gun control laws.

Once the guns arrive here, they are illegally sold and are the root of the gun violence and murder problem in New York City and New York State. Thankfully, Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Shea and the NYPD are on top of things, and have been working hard to rein in the problem, even in the absense of national legislative help.

I think President Biden should look into the possibility of using federal powers regulating interstate commerce, to curtail the transport and sale of guns into states that have tighter regulatory frameworks surrounding the sale of murder weapons. And perhaps the district attorneys in our city and state should consider naming the people who sell these guns, as accessories or even accomplices, to the crimes committed with them.

CLICK here to view the rest of our report on crime in NYC and the American gun pandemic that spiraled out of control with CoVid.

Next Gen & CoVid - Still the Talk of the Town

This Report Provides an Update on Why the Downward Trend in CoVid Infections Swung Back Up, the Science Behind the Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, the Lamda & Delta Variants, the Precautionary Wisdom of Continuing to Wear Masks & the Impact of Murdoch Controlled News Outlets Continuous Stream of Mass Media Disinformation

Is it the Patriotic Duty of Every Eligible American to Get Vaccinated?

August 9, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC during the CoVid Pandemic / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

I reckon we all wish it weren't so, but CoVid 19 has been resurging with a vengeance these past couple of months, fueled largely by the Delta variant, which at the beginning of May 2021, accounted for less than 10% of U.S. new cases, while today it accounts for more than 90% of all new U.S. CoVid infections. What's most disturbing about this new trend is that even fully vaccinated people can catch the Delta variant, which was largely NOT the case with the original strain [alpha] of CoVid. The infections that are picked up by fully vaccinated people are called 'breakthrough' infections, because they have broken through the immunity protection provided by the vaccines.

In the graphic at right, note the large light blue at the right of the graphic, which denoted the Delta variant of CoVid which grew from almost nothing in May, to almost every new CoVid case in the U.S. in August.

The Delta Variant has Changed So Significantly, Hence the New CoVid Reign of Terror

I found a chart that I found of great interest in an August 5, 2021 story in the Gothamist, which was acquired by NPR in 2018. The chart shows how the original CoVid is almost non-existent in the U.S. today, while the Delta variant has risen to represent over 90% of all new cases.

The vaccines were developed to address the original CoVid stain, as the Delta variant - as noted above - didn't become a real factor until about May of this year. Thus, the vaccines efficacy in preventing CoVid has been significantly reduced, but thankfully the vaccines are still very effective in preventing the worst possible outcomes which are hospitalizations and death.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the science of the CoVid Delta and Lamda variants, vaccine breakthrough infections, the impact on kids of the new variant, and the importance of masking up and practicing social distancing again.

The Trouble, Fear, Pain & Relief of My First CoVid Vaccination

As More New Yorkers are Vaccinated, the Pressure Grows on Those Who've Not Yet Received a Shot, Also the Role of Limiting Eligibility in Effecting a Smoothe Transition & Effective Tuesday 3/23/21 Folks Aged 50 plus Become Eligible for the CoVid Vaccination

March 22, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Corona Virus / Gotham Buzz NYC.

So I've been putting off getting a CoVid vaccination ever since I became eligible earlier this year. At first I held off was because there were intermittent shortages of the vaccine, then rumors of long lines to get them, and finally I had to wrestle through the various websites offering a shot, at a time and place that 'easily' worked for me.

Finding a Vaccination Center Near You in NYC

But this past week I hit the proverbial CoVid vaccine jackpot, after spending what was probably a couple of hours online trying to navigate my way to an appointment. One of the issues are the numerous websites out there, offering vaccines. There's both NYC and NYS vaccinations centers and I waded through each looking for specific locations, specific vaccinations [J&J, Pfizer & Moderna] and specific times.

Let me make it simple for you, as I oftentimes ended up on this site.

https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about my personal experience receiving the CoVid vaccination in NYC.

Democracy in Action: Blue Lives, Black Lives, All Lives Matter in Queens & NYC

A Blue Lives Matter Parade Met by a Black Lives Matter Protest

August 23, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / Social Issues NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

On Saturday morning around 11 am a Blue Lives Matter parade began on Greenpoint Avenue and 39th Street in Sunnyside Queens. I arrived shortly after it began and followed it up to Joseph Sabba Park where several people were to give speeches to the parade participants and attendees.

As the parade arrived at Joseph Sabba Park they were met by a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who were kneeling on the sidewalk holding placards making Black Lives Matter statements. The Blue Lives Matter parade participants paused as they came in direct contact. As I sat there video recording the ‘confrontation’ I wondered whether things might take a turn for the worse and go badly.

Blue Lives Matter Parade & Speakers Queens NYC

Whoever was leading the Blue Lives Matter parade, wisely led the Blue Lives Matter parade around the Black Lives Matter protesters - rather than risking walking through them - where someone on one side or another might have escalated the tension to a higher level.

The Blue Lives Matter parade participants and attendees settled in the middle of Joseph Sabba Park and the speeches began. The first speaker, whose name I didn’t catch, spoke supportively of the police and the important work they do in the community. He struck a human chord, noting that the men and women who serve in the police force are dedicated to serving the community, among whom are their own families and children. He ended saying we’re all human.

The second speaker struck a more passionate Blue Lives Matter tone, remarking that the ‘Diaphragm’ Law hindered police from doing their jobs. The Diaphragm Law allows police officers to be subject to a misdemeanor if they constrict a person’s diaphragm in the process of making an arrest.

What I recorded of both of these speeches will be shown in the video.

The signs of the Blue Lives Matter parade participants also showed a range of thoughts and emotions, ranging from striking a supportive and yet harmonious chord, while others were defiantly in support of the police – seeming to ignore the validity of the Black Lives Matter social unrest. They included Enough with the hate, respect goes both ways, to Reform is for criminals, drug addicts and sex offenders.

CLICK here for our report on Black Lives Blue Lives All Lives Matter & the role of Pat Lynch union head of the NYPBA police union.

George Floyd Protest Cinematography, Music & Narrative

June 12, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Social Issues & Crime / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The video below is an interpretive depiction of a protest event in McCarren Park early last week. The piece is meant to be savored - like food, music and cinematography.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the George Floyd Pink Floyd protests in Brooklyn, Manhattan & Bronx NYC and George Floyd protest videos.

George Floyd & Pink Floyd

Trying to Make Sense in a Senseless World

May 28, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / CoVid in NYC Special Section / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

I watched the George Floyd protests unfold on the nightly TV newscasts for a couple of days before venturing out myself to see what I might learn. The protests began on Friday, May 29th in NYC, following the death of George Floyd, an African American who was asphyxiated, apparently due to a Minneapolis policeman holding a knee over George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes which was caught on video.

TV News Appears to Sensationalize More than Inform

On Saturday night Fox News ran and reran the same footage multiple times of a car burning, seeming to hype and sensationalize the footage into a full blown ‘riot’. The a lot of the Fox footage was taken from the air, in a helicopter which they lease (reportedly) for millions annually, which again repeatedly showed video of the crowd below, which appeared to be mostly our men in blue. So given little good video, they talked about groups dallying into the police and back again – but really didn’t seem to have any video to support their claims. The next day Mayor de Blasio reported that there were no deaths and no serious injuries to members of the NYPD or the crowd. But there was some looting.

An NBC news account made the situation seem far more chaotic than it was by shaking the camera, providing the appearance of chaos. And so on.

More Photos & Video Coming Wednesday

Covering the George Floyd Protests in NYC from the Ground - Not from a Cushy Corporate Media Chopper

The ‘crisis’ seemed to be more manufactured by the TV news, than by what was actually happening on the streets, which is why I decided I needed to cover this myself. Second hand TV news seems increasingly like garbage news, but before I could make such a claim, I had to see for myself.

Having grown up in a newspaper family, I’ve been watching the news and presentation of it all of my life, beginning with the Kennedy assassination, which my father made all of us watch as he said it was history in the making. Back then the news was owned by dozens, if not hundreds of independent newspapermen and broadcasters, so like social media, there was a variety of news presentations and you could pick from them.

Today large multi-billion dollar corporations control most of the news we see, and it seems their focus is largely centered around profit driven ratings instead of a fair and balanced presentation of the news. This is why they seem to hype, sensationalize and distort Americans’ perceived reality in order to keep them glued to the tube. And the hyping and sensationalizing is not getting better – it’s getting worse.

No longer can you turn on the TV to be informed, but rather to be scared, angered and far too often – to become disinformed.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the George Floyd Pink Floyd protests in NYC.

Closure of Rikers Island Moves Another Step Forward

In Oct 2019 NYC Council Designated Neighborhood Jail Locations in Four Boroughs

Community Board One in Astoria Only Approved the Closure of Rikers Island

January 26, 2020 / Bronx Neighborhoods / Queens Neighborhoods / Queens Politics / Bronx Politics & Government / Queens Buzz NYC & Bronx Buzz NYC.

A week ago, on Tuesday, January 21st I attended the Community Board One meeting at the Astoria World Manor where the board was asked to approve the closing of the Rikers Island Detention Facility effective sometime before the end of the year 2026.

The photo at right was taken from an airplane while landing at LaGuardia in a prior year. Rikers Island Correctional Facility is a stone's throw away from LGA.

Queens Community Board One in Astoria Votes on Rikers Closure

The presentation consisted of two slides. One highlighted the social / moral blight that Rikers Island had become. The second slide simply proposed the request in very limited terms - the closing of Rikers Island and the conversion of it to a ‘public place’. The presentation to the Committee was done by a team lead by Dana Kaplan, Deputy Director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.

So please note that the Community Board had no role in the placement of neighborhood jails, nor did they sign off on anything that may become of Rikers Island going forward. They only approved the closing of the Correctional Facility and the allowance of use for it as a "public place".

I spoke with CB1 District Manager Florence Kolouris after the meeting about what exactly that meant. She told me that there isn’t any definition, per se, given for public place – but a couple of examples of prior public places include Lincoln Center, Fort Totten and Queens Borough Hall.

The Community Board approved the measure with a recommendation that CB1 be kept in the loop throughout the closing process, including any demolition. Plenty of questions followed regarding what would become of the 400 acre island. Nothing concrete was proposed at this time, but the audience was assured that any changes would have to come through the Community Board via the ULURP process [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure].

The Bronx & Queens - Rikers Island Community Jurisdiction & Prison Population

It’s worth noting that technically Rikers Island is a part of the Bronx – not Queens – even though the only road traveling onto the island originates in the Astoria / East Elmhurst neighborhoods of Queens. In addition to Queens Community Board One, Bronx Community Board Two, representing the Hunts Point neighborhood, also has influence over the island. Since the Dinkins Administration in the 1990's, there's been a floating barge facility that's docked in Hunts Point, that is considered a part of the Rikers Island Correctional Facility.

Currently there are an estimated 7,000 plus inmates on Rikers Island. At its height, in 1991, Rikers Island held an estimated overcapacity inmate population of nearly 22,000. By the time the facility is to be closed in 2026, the inmate population is expected to have declined to between 3,000 and 4,000.

The photo at right shows the Rikers Island Correctional Facility which will be closed by the end of 2026.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the Rikers Island closing in Queens & the Bronx approved by Community Board One in Astoria / Queens. The designated Rikers replacement jail sites in four of the five boroughs was approved in an October NYC Council meeting.

NYC Crime Continues To Drop, Breaking Records

Mayor de Blasio & NYPD Discuss City Safety & Ongoing Improvements

February 7, 2017 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Government / Staten Buzz NYC.

public safety nyc crime rates queens crime This just came in on the heels of our coverage of the Public Safety discussion below. Mayor de Blasio and NY Police Commissioner O'Neill spoke in the Bronx regarding ongoing efforts and results in improving safety in the city. The following are some of the crime statistics noted in their meeting taken directly out of a press release sent by them.

Chief of Crime Control Strategies Dermot Shea, NYPD: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, everyone. As you’ve heard, we have begun a strong start to 2017 in terms of overall crime reduction. Strategies that have been put in place to address repeat offenders, illegal gun possession and gangs are having the desired effect. We’re building on the momentum of the last few years.

So, some of the highlights for crime statistics from this January – overall index crime is down 0.2 percent for the month of January. When you carry it over to this morning, we are now down 2.7 percent in overall index crime in New York City.

To note – with the overall index crime, January marks the tenth consecutive month of reduced index crime. That’s the momentum we’ve been talking about. Currently, four out of five boroughs in New York City – all but Queens – are down to start the year.

Homicides – we recorded 20 homicides in January. That’s down two from 22. That 20, as the Mayor alluded to, is the lowest January that we have ever recorded going back a minimum into the 1960s.

Shooting incidents – down 1.7 percent in January. Last January we hit the modern mark with 59 shooting incidents. We came in with 58 this January.

Talking about momentum again – nine of the last 13 months we’ve had a reduction in shooting incidents. Nine of the last 13.

Three months in a row we’ve had a reduction in shooting incidents in New York City. We have now, when you look at New York City as a whole, we now have 24-hour periods where we do not record a shooting incident in New York City. That kind of thinking was impossible in the not too distant past.

This is the new normal. We want to build on it and we feel that we will build on it but there’s still plenty of work to do.

Stabbings and slashings for January – down 7.2 percent.

Robberies – down 7.5 percent. Lowest January robbery number we’ve seen.

Felony assaults in New York City – down 5.4 percent.

Burglaries tied the lowest mark set last year.

Transit crime – down 1.4 percent.

And housing crime – not to be outdone – down 1.9 percent.

Clearly, a wide breath of crime across New York City – property and violent crime, down.

But there is, I alluded to, there is still work to do – three categories we saw increases in January.

Rape was up 8.9 percent.

Grand larceny, specifically, credit card related skimming and forging of checks – those two drove grand larcenies. And grand larceny was up for the month of January 4.7 percent.

And lastly, rounding out the crime totals – stolen vehicles which we have seen drop to unprecedented lows saw an increase of ten cars for January. So, that’s 480 versus 470 – a two percent increase.

Commissioner O’Neill: Okay, thanks, Dermot. We’ll take your questions.

Question: Do you think it’s possible, really to keep driving crime down further at this point? And how could you achieve that?

O'Neill's response was yes, with some added context.

The Nature of Democracy is Compromise

How Else Would a Majority of 330 Million People Get Agreement on Anything?

September 30, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

There are a couple of important legislative bills being debated in the House and Senate. On the one hand you have the Progressive Caucus threatening to hold, or even kill, the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in the Senate. And on the other you have a couple of Democratic Senators withholding their votes on passing the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better bill.

Trump left office leaving a multi-trillion dollar deficit in 2020, and the same is expected to occur this year, regardless of the votes on the pending bills. If both bills pass, these huge deficits could spell significant trouble for American business, the economy and the people employed by them by virtue of impacting the trading rate for our currency vis a vis other currencies around the world. The combination of these bills could significantly devalue the purchasing power of the dollar.

If neither bill passes, Biden along with EVERY OTHER Democrat, would be negatively impacted. By possibly failing to pass at least one of the measures, while holding majorities in both chambers, the Democrats would leave themselves wide open to the opposition labeling them "Do Nothing Democrats". And you can be sure that Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, NY Post, Wall St Journal and ABC News would not let that opportunity slip by unheralded, unhyped and unsensationalized by his plethora of putrid propagandists.

There comes a time when one must step back and see the bigger picture. And at present, the bigger picture is that the Democrats can score a BIG WIN, by passing the INFRASTRUCTURE BILL - as that can be a rallying cry for them in the 2022 midterms and beyond. In passing the INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, Biden and the Democrats would have accomplished something that PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS FAILED TO DO, with even bigger majorities in both chambers.

It would be very sad, to see the Democrats let this opportunity slip away, because they fail to do what American legislators have done beginning with the inception of the republic - which is to compromise in order to get something done. We are at an important inflection point, voters, so pay heed to who votes which way, so that in 2022 and beyond, you'll know who is so uncompromising, that they will never get anything done.

Senator Bernie Sanders' legislative record is a case in point. In March of 2020, I did a story that, in part, focused on Sanders' legislative record, which was abysmal. Click here for our report on Senator Sanders' legislative record where no legislation of any significance was passed.

I like Bernie, and in 2016 found his candidacy to be of great interest. I think he's an important player in politics in our day, and continues to play an important role in the national conversation. But that said, the reason Biden won out for the presidency, is that Sanders he has never achieved anything legislatively. Click here for our report on Senator Sanders' candidacy for president in 2016.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the negotiations among Democrats regarding Biden's U.S. Infrastructure Bill / Legislation.

911 / The War in Afghanistan is Over - but the War on the Truth that put us there - Continues

TV News People Provided Superficial, Dimwitted, Gossipy Accounts of the Withdrawal, & Unfortunately, Far too many of the Print Reports Weren’t Much Better

September 7, 2021 / Fox News Fakes the News / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.

"The War is Over. The Twenty Year War in Afghanistan is Over. "

This was one of two Murdoch Wars - So his Outlets Seemed to Disminish or Ignore the Human & Taxpayer Costs - Over 170,000 Human Lives & Over $2 Trillion and Counting - and so did the Knuckleheads at the Other News Outlets

Where are the parades? Where are the celebrations? Where are the Congressional and Senate committees and hearings to investigate how we got into the Afghanistan war in the first place? And then why we stayed so long? Who incited this war and then profited from the $2 trillion in spending that the U.S. taxpayer took out loans to pay?

About 2,461 American soldiers died in the Afghanistan War. According to an August 17, 2021 report by the Associated Press, another 3846 American contractors lost their lives, as well as 72 journalists. The Afghanis suffered significant fatalities as well, as 66,000 Afghani military and police died, 47,000 Afghani civilians and 51,000 Taliban fighters.

TV News Provided Scant Real Insight, Information or Understanding Surrounding America's Withdrawal from Afghanistand to the Viewer

joe bidens afghanistan withdrawal was a success murdoch's fox news wsj ny post depicted it as a failure murdochs fake news afghanistan withdrawal murdoch's fox fake news about afghanistan was they told us to get into In the reporting over the past month or so I DID NOT SEE EVEN ONE REFERENCE TO THE RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL from Afghanistan in the 1980’s. NOT ONE! Why does that matter?

Because if you’re going to evaluate how effective the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was, you MUST look at prior history, and the Russian withdrawal is the closest, realistic assessment of what the costs of withdrawal from Afghanistan could, would or should be. I watched with something bordering between disgust and horror, as the gutted out nationally branded TV ‘news’ organizations ‘informed’ the American people as to what was happening as the American withdrawal from Afghanistan took place before our eyes in real time.

I. The Pied Piper Framed a Dishonest & Negative Narrative about President Biden's Handling of the Withdrawal via his WSJ, then Echoed it with the Nearly Half of the Nationally Branded U.S. Daily Media he Controls, which the Lazy and / or Incompetent Competition then Parrotted

joe bidens afghanistan withdrawal was a success murdoch's fox news wsj ny post depicted it as a failure murdochs fake news afghanistan withdrawal murdoch's fox fake news about afghanistan was they told us to get into Australian born billionaire, Rupert Murdoch - as is too often the case - led the rest of the mindless mass media, like the Pied Piper. On August 15, 2021, the Wall St. Journal published an OpEd by the ‘Editorial Board’. The ‘Editorial Board’ appears to be the pen name of billionaire Rupert Murdoch who owns and controls the paper. The ‘Editorial Board’ said published the narrative that Biden was incompetent and had messed things up, with scant reference to history or a holistic presentation of the facts.

Ever since that narrative was published, it has been used by many of the rest of the mass media, to contextualize or frame presentations made by the corporate press in discussing the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Not everyone in the mass media was so incompetent or so lazy that they used the mendacious Murdoch’s narrative – thankfully. But eyeballing things, I’d estimate that more than half of them did. I suppose the good news is that there are still a few real, independent-minded journalists operating in our midst.

Murdoch used his Wall St. Journal brand to lead the narrative, because it has a history as a respected publication. Even though respect for the brand seems to have been diminishing ever since Murdoch’s took control of the paper in August of 2007. After the announcement many of the real journalists who could leave, did. Barron’s was included in the acquisition and remains a Murdoch brand today.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on Rupert Murdoch's War on Truth in English-speaking democracies including America.

A Look Back at the NYC Municipal Primary Election Results of 2021

Females Won Big, But Because of Ranked Choice Voting, the Results Trickled in Over the Past Month, & Real Assessments of the Changed Landscape have yet to Follow

August 3, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Government & Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The June 22nd election primary for NYC municipal offices has long passed, but a solid look at the overall results of the election has not yet followed. What I will attempt to do today, is to offer provide a top down summary of the results, along with some interpretation of what this means going forward.

Women Won Big in the New York City Council Democratic Primaries

One of the biggest changes to municipal government likely to occur following the November election is that the NYC Council will move from less than a third women, to over half women for the first time in NYC history. This assumes most or all of the Democrats win their seats in the general election. This usually happens in a heavily blue state like New York, just as Republican primary winners in Alabama become the likely winners of the general election in that heavily red state. Somewhere between 29 and 31 of the Democratic primary winners in the NYC Council races were women out of a 51 member municipal legislative body.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the NYC Municipal Democratic Primary Election results of June 2021.

NYC Municipal Election Primaries are Tuesday June 22nd & a Brief Look at the Root Causes of Violent Crime in NYC

NYC Mayoral Primary Tuesday, June 22nd - also NYC Comptroller, NYC Public Advocate, All NYC Borough Presidencies, Manhattan District Attorney & NYC City Councilmembers

June 21, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Government & Politics / / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Well, municipal election day has arrived.

In NYC politics, most of the electoral decisions are really made in the Democratic primaries, as the city is populated by an overwhelming majority of registered Democrats. Thus, whoever wins the Democratic primary, is generally the odds on favorite to win the general election. Not to say that there aren't exceptions, but they are just that - exceptions.

Which is why - if you care about who allocates the funding of municipal budgets, who determines on the local statutes by which we must live, and who feeds the media and thereby the electorate the topics and perspectives on life as we live it - you'll make an effort to do a bit of research on the candidates and then visit your local poll to cast your ballot. If you scroll down this page, we have provided some coverage of the candidates vying in some of the major races, and some coverage of the major NYC Mayoral candidates, which you may find of interest.

The graphic to your right will take you to the NYC Poll finder, so you can input your address & zip to find your local poll site. Polls are generally open from 6 am - 9 pm.

I'll have a few more tidbits on the local election primaries / candidates and an NYC Crime Stats update later today.

The reason for including a report on NYC crime statistics is that the local TV stations seem to provide an uninformed or unintelligible depiction of what's going on vis a vis crime in our fair city. Too often they sound like a bunch of empty headed nitwits spouting off hearsay rather than facts. And asking the large, corporate-owned TV stations, to hire teleprompter readers who would spend as much time actually thinking about what they're reading from the teleprompter - as they do on their collective hair, wardrobes and make up - would seem to be asking them for far too much.

Here's a link to the data I compiled using the NYPD monthly reports to show the year to date crime stats for the city versus last year - but also versus 2019 - as last year was the pandemic which skewed everything. I'll add the commentary later today [now added - see below] on the NYC Crime Statistics Year to Date May 2021.

How Would a Mayor Eric Adams Govern?

He Seems to Favor Charter Schools & They Seem to Favor Him, He's Pulled in the Most Real Estate Cash & He has Indicated He'll Reverse Course a bit on Police Reform & ...

May 17, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Eric Adams isn't Scott Stringer

Last week I did a report snapshotting what I know about Scott Stringer's political career that leads me to think he's not to be trusted.

Stringer takes big public stands on what I would call generic Democratic issues over which he has little influence - gender equality, race and climate change - while speaking with forked tongue on issues over which he has considerable influence - like real estate developments, local education, public libraries and the pension fund investments - that significantly impact the local communities, neighborhoods and unions.

In that report I also noted how Stringer seems opportunistic in compromising his stances [for example in education and the public library system] in order to capitalize on what he seems to think are self enhancing career opportunities. And Stringer also seems to have used the power and authority of government positions entrusted to him by the people, to aid those who fund his campaigns, possibly trading what's good for the people, in exchange for what's good for Scott Stringer.

Stringer hit my radar nearly a decade ago, while Eric Adams only hit my radar a few years ago. So I'm less familiar with Adams career than Stringer's. But in doing the research, I found that Eric Adams appears to be a slow steady hand, whose positions have evolved over time ... and I would add that generally they appear to have evolved carefully.

1. Eric Adams - Public Schools & Education

Pro Charter Schools & What that Means

FOR PROFIT Charter Schools, don't seem to solve the failing schools problem, but rather split and shift the problem burdens, while privatizing and gutting a significant portion of the public school system. I began reporting on education during the Bloomberg era, wherein Bloomberg's Administration seemed to split public schools into two smaller entities, and then parcel out the achieving students / families via charter recruitment to the privately run for profit charters, while leaving the lower performing students / families in the care of unions and the general public. It seemed to me they didn't really solve anything, and sucked needed capital out of the public school system, putting it in the hands of the venture capitalists who were funding them.

This situation appeared to me not unlike what the insurance industry had done prior to Obamacare - whereby the insurance companies recruited healthy people for health insurance, and avoided signing those who weren't healthy in order to enhance their economic performance. To me this goes against the grain of what America is all about - which is equal opportunity for all. The privatization of the public schools by the predatory for profit charters would turn the public education system into the haves and have nots.

*** It's worth noting that NON-PROFIT CHARTERS evolved for different reasons and provided a healthy challenge to the union run public education system and I view far more favorably than the for profit charters.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Eric Adams political career and policy positions on charter schools, housing and the police / also an analysis of gun public policy failures in the U.S..

Media Monopoly Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, Incites Another Mob & Pushes a VIGILANTE 'Rush to Justice' through his Propaganda Outlets

A Closer Look at Janice Dean's Vitriolic Accusations that Andrew Cuomo Mishandled the Corona Virus Pandemic in Nursing Homes & the Multiple Allegations of Harassment

March 15, 2021 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Part II.

We left off last week with Janice Dean telling us 'Our Family's Losses are Not Political' and she appears to do a soft launch of her campaign for NYS Governor in 2022 with what seems the unbridled media support aka propaganda of Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch.

Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal, Harper Collins Book Publishing and he is the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC. Allowing one person, especially this one, to control this much share of America's media is harmful to this nation because he appears to use his mass media outlets propagandistically to control who gets elected.

Why Murdoch's 21st Century Fox FCC licenses aren't legally challenged for spreading all of the distorted truths to outright lies about gender and race - is incomprehensible to me.

The NY Post graphic at right was used to try to incite and railroad Democrats to oust Cuomo in one of Murdoch's many fascist efforts to bypass rule of law and due process, to enable another of his power grabs in our governmment. I did what the editor of that poorly edited Murdoch media outlet should have done, and turned it back around to feature Murdoch in place of Cuomo.

This is Nazi style management of media and government, as oftentimes the pols Murdoch propagandistically pushes out of office wouldn't bend to his will, and those he ushers in, seem to give him whatever he wants, that they can either hide from the public or con the public into believing is good for them. This is how Goebbels and Hitler usurped the people's power in the budding German democracy in the late 1920's and early 1930's.

Rupert Murdoch & Janice Dean Want You to Believe She's Sunshine, but her Tweets & Vicious Comments Reveal the Opposite

Dean Claims She's Not Politically Motivated, while Seeming to do a 'Soft Launch' of Her Campaign 2022 for NYS Governor on 'Free' Murdoch Media Infommercials

See the report posted on March 12, 2021 for a look into Janice Dean's soft campaign launch for NYS Governor and probe into some of her possible motives for launching such vehement attacks on Andrew Cuomo. Here we pick up on more Janice Dean contradictions where the Fox News host and weather person seem guilty in some measure of doing the same things of which they're accusing Governor Cuomo.

A December 12, 2020 report in the Wrap tells us that Janice Dean tweeted the following,

" ... Nothing wrong with criticizing a politician who likes to profit off the deaths of New Yorkers. (He wrote a book too about ‘leadership’ during a pandemic) You’re right, I don’t like the governor because his policies help kill my husbands parents... "

In the Friday, March 12, 2021 report I probe the guilt that oftentimes afflicts families that place their parents [in this case it's Janice Dean's in-laws] in nursing homes, and explore some possible personal motivations for placing or shifting the blame for their deaths at the feet of Governor Cuomo. There's also a brief timeline of the events in question and less so of the nursing home reporting aftermath.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Rupert Murdoch's Mass Media Assault on NYS Democracy and Governor Cuomo.

Weekend Update & A Different Perspective on Andrew Cuomo's Troubles

The Weather Returns to Seasonal, Daylight Savings Time Springs Ahead Sunday, People Vaccinated Growing Rapidly & Has Raging Rupert Incited Another Rioting Mob?

March 12, 2021 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This past week, we experienced a few enjoyable weather days this week, with temperatures in the 60's and 70's. But alas, all good things must come to an end, so starting tonight the temperature will fall back into the 30's and we'll return to seasonal weather for the next week or so.

Weather. The temperature high will be about 70 on Friday, returning to the 50's on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will fall to the mid 30's tonight and Saturday and then fall to the mid 20's on Sunday night. No rain is in the forecast and the humidity will remain low at about 30% throughout the weekend. The wind will range from 10 - 18 mph on Friday, 5 - 10 mph Saturday and rise back up to 18 mph on Sunday.

Daylight Savings Time, where you 'spring ahead' by setting your clock ahead an hour ahead, begins early Sunday morning at 2 am. At present it gets light about 6 am, so following the change it will become light out around 7 am, and currently it gets dark around 6 pm, and following the change it will then get dark around 7 pm.

The number of New Yorkers and Americans vaccinated continues to grow quickly. As of this post some 65 million Americans or about 20% of the nation has received at least one shot. New York is staying abreast with the rest of the nation, with four million New Yorkers [state] having received at least one shot, which is 20% of the state population of about 20 million. New York City has vaccinted 1.8 million people which is also about 20% of the 8.4 million New York City residents.

And the pace of vaccinations continues to accelerate, because just this past week, in New York State over a million doses were administered. President Biden wants everyone to be eligible to receive the vaccine by early May, so that come Independence Day, we can celebrate together is a post pandemic normalcy. The nation's production of vaccine continues to grow, and the vaccine distribution / administration capability which is handled at the state and municipal level, appear to be in place to handle the growing demand.

Children are not among those eligible to be vaccinated. This is because most children do not appear to become severely ill. There are tests being conducted on vaccinating younger children ages 16 - 18, as well as some kids as young as 12, and plans are being discussed regarding vaccinating children 5 - 11.

Did Raging Rupert Murdoch's Mass Media Riot Machine Incite Another Mob by Distorting & Using #MeToo?

March 12, 2021 / US Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

While watching the story of Governor Cuomo's troubles unfold, they triggered my 'spidey sense', or as it used to be called, my newsman's nose. In either case something smells rotten in NYS and as oftentimes is the case, it seems to be coming from Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century & Newscorp - which includes the NY Post, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, his Harper Collins Publishing Company and possibly with an assist from Disney / ABC News where he has become the largest shareholder and where he seems to be making behind-the-scense personnel moves in the news division.

Even more than Trump, Rupert Murdoch is a trojan horse threat to our democracy. He has already turned both Australia and Britain into banana republics where he appears to change prime ministers at the drop of a hat and unfortunately most of the natives of those lands don't even seem to be aware that they're living in a mediacracy - which is a state controlled by one man's mass media holdings. Both Britain and Australia have been through at least four prime ministers within the past five years, because it seems Murdoch couldn't get exactly what he wanted on the first three tries.

Why do I think the stench is coming from Murdoch's 21st Century & Newscorp and not the Governor's mansion? Because Murdoch's gang of mendacious multi-millionaire minions too often seem not to give a damn about reporting the truth - but rather about distorting and even fictionalizing it to stoke the ratings busting fires of discontent - by attacking government officials who seem not to give Murdoch what he wants from them.

Murdoch's portfolio of wealthy teleprompter actors and actresses, seem to feign anger and outrage, in order to stoke the hyper ventillating audiences of reality contortionists Hannity, Ingraham, Pirro and Tucker into a ratings driven profit frenzy ... which the Australian born billionaire cashes in on, but also uses to brow beat those government officials who won't obey him and use our governmental apparatus to enhance Murdoch's wealth and power.

Earlier this year Murdoch's mass media appeared to help stoke the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol by feeding their audiences misinformation about the integrity of the election results and of the voting apparatus. Murdoch's mendacious minions did such a colossal job of disinforming the American public, that they are now the defendants in a $2.7 multi-BILLION dollar lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, one of the voting machine companies.

Murdoch appeared to fire Fox News host Lou Dobbs in order to pretend Fox News doesn't tolerate that sort of thing [disinforming their audience], just like they fired Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes - BUT only after years of reported sexual harassment transgressions when it became too big to ignore, and activists started boycotting Fox advertisers and the greedy 'little man' billionaire started losing money on them. Then came the "I didn't know" and yet another Murdoch inspired phony act of the most insincere contrition.

Remorseful Rupert Murdoch's quintessential phony act of contrition was performed in Britain in 2012, during the investigation into his company's [or ies'] phone hacking of ordinary British citizens for sadistic pleasure and profit. Murdoch's company reportedly hacked the phones of private citizens in order to sensationalize their personal trauma and tragedy on the front pages of Murdoch's British tabloids and TV outlets. Revealing the personal and private pain of private citizen(s) appeared to be great for Murdoch's newspaper sales, great for Rupert's TV ratings and great for rapacious Rupert Murdoch's insatiable appetite for ever more money. It was all part of his life-long, predatory power grab from the ignorant people who get their 'news' from his outlets, and make their voting decisions based on it.

So let's take a look at how the Cuomo story / stories unfolded, in search of truth - not ratings, and in search of a more behind-the-scenes account of things [also known as asking why] - not by partaking in a superficial, broadcast mass media induced, modern day virtual mob lynching, which is what appears to be happening as we speak. The virtual mob won't hang Cuomo's real life carcass like a Mussolini, but rather they will hang his reputation out to dry, based entirely on - as of yet - unsubstantiated allegations made in some cases by people who haven't even revealed themselves and to date have remained fully anonymous. The broadcast TV mass media induced mob will leave Cuomo for politically dead ... which appears exactly what the perennially angry, mean, old man - Rupert Keith Murdoch - wants. Assuming of course, that the actions and words of so many of Murdoch's apparently dishonest minions, represents his the 'Triump of the Will' or the Goebbels-like Media Fuhrer's wishes.

Step aside Atticus Finch - there's a new mindless mob in town - and it appears to be incited by the Australian born propagandist, Herr Rupert Murdoch, America's 21st century Goebbels.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Rupert Murdoch's mass media blitzkrieg assault on Governor Cuomo using Fox News weather teleprompter reader Janice Dean to lead a media coup d'etat by hyping and sensationalizing allegations and innuendo about NYS CoVid pandemic nursing home deaths.

How the President, a Former NYC Mayor and Murdoch's Fox News Seemed to Incite the Capitol Insurrectionists

Rudy Giuliani, Nicknamed America's Mayor by Murdoch's Fox News, Appears to have Helped Incite the Band of Simpleminded Trumpsters to Insurrection

Updated January 11, 2021 from 1.8.21 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Rising Film Star [Barat2] and Former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, appears to have devolved into something of a national freak show or farce over the past five years. Perhaps longer. But in the past few months, he's become something of a national disgrace.

Fox News seems to use nicknames for their propaganda assets, like referring to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the 'Iron Lady' and President Ronald Reagan as the 'Gipper'. Rudy Giuliani seems to be yet another Fox propaganda asset and, as such, is oftentimes referred to as America's Mayor by Fox pundits.

This is not unlike how Murdoch's Fox News nicknames themselves America's Newsroom. This was a trick used by Hitler and Goebbels, using words and images to create the illusion that they, the Nazi Party [in this cae the Fox Nation with red, white and blue colors] was the same as the state - and thus represented all that was right and just. But remember - just because Murdoch's Fox News says it's so - doesn't make it so [like they used to call themselves 'Fair & Balanced' before they started fearing a lawsuit for false advertising]. But, the Australian born billionaire's overwhelming control and / or ownership of America's television media [see our special section on Murdoch and the 21st Propaganda Press on Gotham Buzz] does give him a leg up in attaching and making both good and bad labels stick to people, places and things.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Rudy Giuliani joined Donald Trump and Donny junior at a Trump rally in Washington, D.C. near the White House. The Donald had promoted this gathering as something 'wild' and related to his seemingly phony stop the steal / election fraud fundraising claims. At the rally Trump told his supporters, numbering about 5,000 [per the park permit] to march down to the Capitol and that he'd be there with them.

I think it's safe to say that the Trump supporters who came to this event came prepared to continue to be misinformed and misled by the con men standing on the stage in front of them. After the speeches the audience mindlessly did as Trump had instructed them, and began marching toward the Capitol - but without their fearful leader [bonespurs acting up again?]. The Trumps and Giuliani were not to be found when the group arrived at the Capitol. What a surprise!

When the Trumpsters reached the barricades in front of the Capitol, the police in charge of protecting it, seemed to give way. What exactly transpired at this juncture we'll find out eventually, but one thing we do know for certain is that Trump didn't deploy as many of the National Guardsmen as he did for his tear gassing photo op with the Bible last summer. So Vice President Mike Pence had to step in to call up more National Guardsmen who eventually secured the Capitol - but not until after it had been ransacked [including one report of defecation].

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on How the President, a Former NYC Mayor and Murdoch's Fox News Seemed to Incite the Capitol Insurrectionists.

Rigged Election: Who's Trying to Steal it?

Trump is Battling the Election Results Like He's Battled CoVid, his Trump-Sized Budget Deficit & Climate Change - Ignore the Facts & Change the Perception

November 6, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

A Sore Loser, Poor Sport & a Rich Old Man's Tantrum?

Donald Trump has never comported himself with any dignity or decency befitting the presidency - so why would anyone expect his presidency to end with it?

Except the low information, no information and disinformation voters who cling to him like he's some sort of savior.

We saw this same sort of phenomena occur in the 1930's and 1940's in Germany. That was a story that didn't end well for that nation - and it would have been far, far worse - were it not for the decency and generosity of the American people.

By all accounts, Biden is the likely victor of the 2020 presidential race. He leads in electoral college votes and it appears he needs to close only one or two more states to finish the race, which in most remaining states and by most accounts, seem to be trending in his favor.

America's Top Fixer, Rudy Schmooliani, Fresh Out of Improv Role in Borat2, Returns to Star Role in the TV Presidency of DJT

The Trump Campaign began pulling out all stops to halt the fair part of the American electoral process, by summoning America's Fixer, Rudy Giuliani, to lead the litigation publicity program.

Schmooliani had just finished filming his cameo role in Borat 2, but wasted no time in zipping up his pants again, before departing for Philadelphia to make an important stage appearance in the Epilogue segment of the TV Presidency of DJT.

In the photo at right, a still shot taken from the film Borat 2, shows Rudy Giuliani making 'an adjustment to his microphone'. I do hope Rudy washed his hands after tampering with his 'microphone', as these days one can never be sure of what kind of bacterial or viral germs one might be exposed to by touching things.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the many ways Donald Trump tried to steal the presidential election of 2020 - Donald Trump poor sport, sore loser and throws a baby man tantrum.

Kentucky Insanity: Voting Repeatedly for Mitch McConnell & Expecting Things to Change

Kentucky Has the 6th Highest Poverty Rate, Ranks 46th in Healthcare, 44th in Education & 45th in Income While

McConnell’s Leadership Enriches Him & his Taiwanese Born Wife, so that Mitch is Now in the Top Ten Wealthiest Senators Club

October 26, 2020 Updated from 10/13 & 10/21/20 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Monday night Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell squared off against challenger former Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath. She, along with another woman, were the first females assigned to the Marine All Weather Attack Squadron.

Televised debates these days, seem to shed little light on the candidates or issues. This may be in part due to the format of them, as well as the failure of the debate moderators to hold the candidates' feet to the fire by pressing them on tough questions, and the current climate of conversational corruption where politicians pretty much say whatever the hell they want to say ... regardless of the truth.

So I did some of my own digging to learn more about Mitch McConnell. What I found surprised me, given how deep the rabbit hole goes and yet how little attention has been given to one of the most powerful men in Washington. So it may surprise you too.

DEFINITION OF INSANITY - Repeatedly Doing the Same Thing Expecting a Different Result

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

The image at right was found in a web magazine, Forward Kentucky earlier this year. Donald Trump fired FIVE inspectors and among them was one investigating McConnell's wife.

What are they afraid of ... the truth?

And that is exactly what Kentuckians appear to have been doing for decades, having reportedly voted for Mitch in various elections approximately THIRTY TIMES in a row.

Let’s take a look.

RICH MITCH - McConnell is the Longest [Self?] Serving Republican Leader in Senate History

In June 2018, Mitch McConnell became the longest ‘serving’ Senate Republican Leader in the history of the Senate.

McConnell has been a Kentucky Senator for nearly 36 years, having first taken office in January 1985.

He’s been the Republican Senate Majority Leader for nearly six years - since January 2015, and the Republican Senate Minority Leader since January 2007 – another eight years and Republican Senate Majority Whip from 2003 - 2007.

And he’s been ‘serving’ Kentucky as a senator since 1985.

POOR KENTUCKY - Kentucky Ranks Near the Bottom in Education, Healthcare and Income

And yet Kentucky has little to show for Mitch's length of service – even though Mitch McConnell keeps telling them how good is for them, as he’s been a member of the elite Republican Leadership for decades.

But McConnell he likes to tell Kentuckians - he's the only top federal political leader who is not from one of the big urban centers on the coasts, even though he’s been living in Washington, D.C. for one helluva lot longer than he ever lived in Kentucky. And he’s married to a Taiwanese born millionairess who has never lived in Kentucky, per se, during the nearly three decades of their blissful married life.

So what difference does it make where Mitch McConnell claims he is from, if he’s not representing the people of Kentucky? But rather … representing the big corporate and foreign interests that appear to fund his campaigns and enrich – not the state of Kentucky – but their chosen one, their ‘representative’ Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell.

NOT A NATIVE KENTUCKIAN - Why Alabama Born McConnell May not Care About Kentucky

I suspect part of the reason that Mitch McConnell doesn’t care that much about Kentucky, is because he wasn’t born there, and he mostly did not grow up there. McConnell was born in ALABAMA in 1942, and then – by way of GEORGIA – arrived in KENTUCKY in 1956 at age 14. I think it's worth mentioning that McConnell's great, great grandparents – on both sides - were Alabama slave owners, which we’ll get to shortly.

In 1968 McConnell left Kentucky for the big city, Washington, D.C., for a couple of years. He returned to Kentucky to run for office in 1971, but failed to meet the Kentucky residency requirement. In 1974 McConnell left Kentucky again for Washington, D.C. to work in the Ford Administration. Gerald Ford lost the election in 1976, so McConnell returned to Kentucky to run for office again. This time Kentuckians cut him a break and elected him the Jefferson County Executive, an office he held until he was elected in 1984 to ‘represent’ them as a senator, at which time he departed Kentucky for Washington, D.C. where he's been ever since.

So all tolled, McConnell only spent about 24 years in Kentucky [1984-1956=28-2-2=24], which is not even a third of his 78 years of life. And McConnell has spent 36 years ‘representing’ Kentuckians in the big city of Washington, D.C. – where he has lived half again as much time, as he has lived in Kentucky. So while Mitch doesn’t appear to represent Kentuckians – one has to ask how could he - given he has spent so little time there and it was what seems a lifetime ago?

McConnell Received Educational Deferment from Military, Followed by Medical Exemption for Optic Neuritis – Not Polio

According to Wikipedia, after McConnell’s educational deferment from the military expired in 1967, McConnell ‘served’ about a month. The same report tells us McConnell was diagnosed with optic neuritis – a temporary inflammation in the eye that can cause temporary blindness. According to a few Google searches, optic neuritis is a common eye problem that self resolves in about four to 12 weeks. There are severe cases of it, but given McConnell is 78 years old and we’ve heard nary a word of it since his getting out of military service, I suspect his case was 'mild’, not unlike Trump's CoVid case. McConnell is also said to have contracted polio, but apparently escaped any significant long term impairment, as we see him walking up and down the halls of the Capitol without a problem.

MONEY BAGS MITCH - McConnell Supported by Chinese, Russian & Australian Immigrants

In 1984 McConnell became a Kentucky Senator. And while most Kentuckians don’t like him and neither do most Americans – Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s soon to be media executive, Roger Ailes, ran McConnell's first campaign. Murdoch seems to have been influential in rolling back media regulations beginning around that time, so it wouldn't be a big leap to assume that McConnell helped Murdoch feather his nest through regulatory rollbacks, while Murdoch helped keep McConnell in place as an enabler in hacking through the regulatory environment which had previously held large media corporations in check. Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal and in 2019 became the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC in an inverted takeover.

We'll zoom in on why the rich Chinese and Russian born immigrants started backing Mitch McConnell a little further in the story.

McConnell Sells Out or Trades in his Old Kentucky Home?

McConnell was married to a Kentucky woman, Sherrill Redmon, from 1968 [around the time of his military deferment] to 1980 [around the time he was re-elected but a few years before he hit the big time as a senator beginning in 1984]. In the early years in Kentucky McConnell was considered a liberal leaning moderate [his ex-wife and one or more of his daughters still seem to lean more toward the middle, having oppposed the Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation].

But McConnell's views seemed to quickly change after he hired Roger Ailes, [who later became Fox News CEO], to run his 1984 Senate campaign. This was followed by McConnell 's social climbing upward mobility when he met and married his new Chinese American wife, who connected his campaign to a multi-million dollar money train. Taiwanese born Elaine Chao's mega millionaire father is well connected to the Chinese Communist Party Leadership, owns a Chinese American Shipping Company, and he and her family have donated millions to McConnell, as well as his and Republican PACs.

The Decade McConnell Went From Kentucky Mitch to Shanghai Mitch

Following the 1984 election Rolling Stone story reports McConnell,

“As I always say,” McConnell wrote in his book, “the three most important words in politics are ‘cash on hand.’ ”

CLICK here to read the rest of our report on Mitch McConnell corruption? McConnell's wife Elaine Chao corruption? Kentucky Senate race between Amy McGrath and Mitch McConnell.

The Mirage of the 'Trump Economy' Part II

Australian born Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch Seems to use the Wall St Journal, NY Post & Fox News to Create the Illusion that Trump has Some Sort of Economic Magic Touch, but the Truth is $6 Trillion in New Debt & $3 Trillion in Federal Reserve Bond Purchases

September 21, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / Things To Do NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Few real journalists - if any - have ever honestly accused Rupert Murdoch and most of the large media brands he controls in our nation, of being bastions of truth. In fact, it would seem, quite the opposite - including by some of the people who work for him.

When Murdoch purchased the Wall Street Journal in 2007 [fact check], there were concerns that he would turn it into another one of his propaganda rags. Shortly after the acquisition, a number of Wall Street Journal reporters fled to Bloomberg News. In fact dozens of them. Those journalists that remained at the Wall Street Journal, had to learn how to operate for an Australian born billionaire who seems to delight in misleading the masses - rather than informing them - in order to profit from the audience's ignorance, to which Murdoch media appear to contribute greatly. Murdoch is kind of like a street hustler whose propagandists do sleight of tongue [hand] tricks, while his political accomplices [puppets like Trump & McConnell] pick the pockets of the audience [Americans].

Not Your Father's Wall Street Journal - A Murdoch Propaganda Rag?

This summer over 280 journalists at the Wall Street Journal, became concerned that Herr Murdoch - like Nazi propagandist Herr Goebbels before him - was corrupting the Wall Street Journal into a propaganda outlet, in advance of the election this November. While Murdoch's distortion of the truth in the Wall Street Journal appears to have been going on for years, the event that immediately precipitated the letter, was a misleading - even deceptive - Op Ed by Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence.

In the letter they had a few simple requests. A July 21, 2020 report in the Wall St Journal states,

"... [The WSJ's] Opinion’s lack of fact-checking and transparency, and its apparent disregard for evidence, undermine our readers’ trust and our ability to gain credibility with sources ...”

" ... The letter cites several examples of concern, including a recent essay by Vice President Mike Pence about coronavirus infections ... "

“.. [and that] WSJ journalists should not be reprimanded for writing about errors published in Opinion ..."

"... suggests removing opinion pieces from the “Most Popular Articles” and “Recommended Videos” lists on the website, and creating a separate “Most Popular in Opinion” list..."

" ... letter highlighted was an opinion article titled “The Myth of Systemic Police Racism,” which the letter’s authors said was one of the paper’s most read articles in June. The article argued that the “charge of systemic police bias was wrong during the Obama years and remains so today.” The letter says the piece “selectively presented facts and drew an erroneous conclusion from the underlying data...”

i have reported on similar truth distortions by Rupert Murdoch's media, including Fox News, the NY Post and many other media outlets controlled by him in our section about Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the 21st Century Propaganda Press, which you can find by clicking this link.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Rupert Murdoch, an apparent stateless hostile foreign power, and his assault on American Democracy using his media outlets as the Trojan Horse - to promote apparent fraudulent narratives like 'the Trump economy'.

Triumph of The [Rupert's] Will: How Murdoch Manipulates Voter's Perceptions & Public Policy

Australian born Billionaire Appears to use his Media Outlets to Shape Voter's Views, Loading them with Misconceptions, So They'll Elect Compromised Fox Nation Pols, Who Upon Assuming Office, Seem to Reward Murdoch's Media Support, by Crafting Public Policy to Conform to Murdoch's Will, Favoring his Business Interests

September 4, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

As mentioned previously, I've been doing a fairly deep dive into learning as much about the Third Reich and Nazi Germany as time permits, in order to more fully understand what's happening in present day events.

Media Manipulation for Fun & Profit

I began noticing similarities between Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch's manipulative use of his large share of Amerian media in 2016, to what Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda for the Nazis, did beginning in the 1920's until his end in 1945. On May 1, 1945 Goebbels poisoned his children, his wife and himself as the Allied forces neared his home. Hitler and his companions had committed suicide the day before, as Allied forces invaded Berlin. None of them had the courage to stand trial for their crimes against humanity ... although like Mussolini, they may not have made it to court.

1. Did Fox 'News' Attempt to Protect the Reputation of a Propaganda Asset via Omission?

So today, we're going to look at just a few of Murdoch's media manipulations made in just the past couple of months - and I'm nearly certain that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, I don't have the resource to fact check what is the largest misleading news content producing organization in the nation, and possibly the free world.

Let's start with the first two photos on this page. This story broke in the Guardian on July 7, 2020.

The first photo shows Fox News 'reporting the news' regarding the sexcapades of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell. In the first photo, Fox News conveniently cropped out Donald Trump. In the second photo [at right] we have the 'full picture' aka the truth.

The man who calls everyone else a 'sleezeball' is seen with Melania 'being best', and two of the people alleged to be among some of the sleeziest on the planet [Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell]. Do birds of a feather flock together?

So we must ask why Rupert Murdoch would crop Donald Trump out of the photo? Is it to avoid portraying the Donald in a negative light in order to keep him - a Murdoch asset - in office?

Trump appears to have been a boon to billionaire Murdoch through massive billionaire tax cuts funded by debt to be paid for by America's children and unborn? Or is because Trump's actions in the Middle East vis a visIsrael seemed to serve to legitimize Murdoch's investment in Genie Energy in the illegally occupied Syrian Golan Heights? Or was it because Trump loosened up the FCC ownership limits for mega media companies like Murdoch's thus allowing the few to control our media, which givens them the power to influence the national democratic conversation - and in Murdoch's case - it seems the power to corrupt it in order to profit from it. Or was it because Trump famously fired all U.S. Attorneys, including Preet Bharara - who was investigating Murdoch's companies for sexual harrassment and phone hacking - less than 24 hours after Sean Hannity on Fox News told him to do just that? Perhaps most importantly, Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr, greenlighted the merger of Disney / ABC, which was an inverted takeover resulting in Rupert Murdoch becoming Disney / ABC's largest shareholder.

CLICK here to read our report on NYPBA police union endorsement of Trump seems out of step with the union rank and file, as well as the NYPD and NYC - but Murdoch's NY Post provides propaganda cover.

No IDC NY Wins Big & Cuomo Buys Back In

No IDC NY Supported Candidates Won Six of Nine Senate Contests & Cuomo's Donors Spent $21 per Vote

2018 democratic primary in nyc nys elections voting booth photos September 14, 2018 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYS Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Staten Buzz NYC.

Andrew Cuomo and his wealthy corporate backers appear to have won him a third term as NYS Governor. The win reportedly cost them over $21 million – thus reducing the the return on their political investment by requiring a significant upfront payment.

But you needn’t worry about Cuomo or his wealthy corporate backers, as campaign contributions are reportedly very good investments, providing returns that range from modest to excessive. Do a search for studies conducted in 2004 by Harvard University, and in 2017 by Kellogg Graduate Business School at Northwestern for greater detail.

The photo at right shows voters on Thursday evening, September 13th, signing in to cast their votes.

Cuomo Defeats Nixon - Voting Interest Nearly Triples vs 2014

governor andrew cuomo nys governor photo With 99% of the precincts reporting, Andrew Cuomo won 975,552 votes to Cynthia Nixon’s 511,585 votes – that’s 65.6% for Cuomo and 34.4% for Nixon. Nixon won many of the counties surrounding Albany, Tompkins County and Lewis County near Syracuse.

Cuomo won the rest of the state, but won by smaller margins in Manhattan and Brooklyn, while winning by wider margins in the other boroughs. Please note that the September 13, 2018 election totals and percentages shown in this story were reported by the New York Times this morning. The contextual and historical figures and percentages were reported by a multitude of other generally reliable sources.

In the photo at right is Andrew Cuomo marching in the June LGBT parade in the West Village of Manhattan in a prior year.

Had Cuomo only won as many votes as he'd secured in the 2014 primary against Zephyr Teachout, Nixon would have trounced him. In 2014 Andrew Cuomo received 327,150 votes to Zephyr Teachout's tally of 180,336 votes, with the percentages reflecting about the same as this year [64% / 36%] - but the ad spending by the Cuomo campaign was up significantly and so were the vote tallies on both sides. Thus in 2018, almost three times as many voters showed up at the polls during the primary election, but as you will see below - that's still only about 10% of the total potential electorate.

Cuomo Outspends Nixon by 8:1 - Pays $21 per Vote

Andrew Cuomo’s campaign reportedly spent over $21 million this year, versus Cynthia Nixon’s $2.5 million. Thus Cuomo outspent Nixon by over eight to one. And Cuomo's campaign spending in the primary of 2014 was reportedly under $10 million, thus translating into a doubling of what corporations and wealthy donors must pay to keep Cuomo in office.

Campaign Contributions by the Rich Few, Beat the Multitude of Small Contributions of the Middle and Working Classes

cynthia nixon campaigning with jumaane williams in nyc nys 2018 Nixon reportedly received donations from 43,000 individual contributors [reportedly a state record], while Cuomo received donations from well under 4,000 contributors. This is why campaign finance reform will never happen with the same people in office [regardless of whether they are Democrats or Republicans] – because while the system may not be working for the people, it is certainly working for the pols and their donors.

The way things work today - pols appear to receive campaign contributions from corporate / wealthy donors who appear to essentially ‘buy’ the office. And then the corporate / wealthy donors appear to be able to pass or block legislation with the help of the pols they supported. As for the government by the people and for the people – well that only happens if the people pay attention to what’s going on, get involved in the political process, and show up to vote.

A quote that was attributed to Jefferson, appears to have originated from Reagan, seems appropriate here: A people that believes they may be ignorant and free, believes in something that never was and never will be.

In the photo at right are Jumaane Williams, candidate for Lieutenant Governor and Cynthia Nixon, candidate for Governor at a June rent rally on the steps of the NYC Public Library on 5th Avenue just south of 42nd Street.

The Real News is How Few Participate in our Democracy

Approximately 1.5 million New Yorkers showed up to vote yesterday – in a state with a population of nearly 20 million. In the 2016 census report, 15.7 million New Yorkers were eligible voting age citizens – so about 10% of the potential electorate decided this electoral primary outcome. Honestly it’s shameful, especially when you take note of the fact that people in Russia and China are literally risking their lives / freedom to enable people participation in the process of choosing those who make the laws, establish and enforce public policy and control the government apparatus.

NYS Lieutenant Governor Race - Hochul Defeats Williams - Upstate Beats NYC

The Lieutenant Governor’s race was closer, as Jumaane Williams put in a solid performance winning 640,530 votes to Kathy Hochul’s 731,459 votes. Hochul won 53.3% of the vote to Jumaane Williams’s 46.7% of the vote. Williams won big in Brooklyn [his home], Manhattan, Columbia and Tompkins Counties, losing the rest of the state.

What I found surprising here, is that the Bronx which is mostly Latin and African American, went for Hochul instead of Williams who is an African American. I surmised that this was likely made possible through the efforts of the establishment Democratic party apparatus, which is controlled by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

NYS Attorney General Race - James Defeats Teachout & Maloney who Split the Upstate White Vote

Letitia James won the Attorney General position, beating out Zephyr Teachout and Sean Patrick Maloney. James received 578,412 votes to Teachout’s 441,567 votes and Maloney’s 356,602 votes. The percentages were James with 41.6%, Teachout with 31% and Maloney with 25% of the vote. James won all of the boroughs of New York City, the two counties on Long Island, as well as Westchester and Rockland counties [the latter two counties are suburban outreaches of NYC].

Teachout won most of the eastern part of the state running from north of Westchester to the Canadian border – including most of the counties around Albany, while Maloney won most of the western part of the state, and a couple of counties just north of Westchester. Teachout and Maloney appear to have split the upstate White vote.

In the photo at right, Letitia James, candidate for NYS Attorney General at a community function in Queens, earlier this year.

No IDC NY Candidates Trounce Most of the Former IDC Members

zephyr teachout candidate for attorney general photo w/ alexandria ocasio-cortez astoria queens bronx nyc teachout photo ocasio photo One of the big issues to be decided during this primary season was the fate of the nine Democrats who had caucused with the Republicans, thereby giving the Republicans majority control of the NYS Senate. Eight of the senators became members of the Independent Democratic Caucus [IDC] which was founded by Bronx NYS Senator Jeffrey Klein, only a year or two into Cuomo’s first term. The creation of the IDC was said to be with the tacit approval of Andrew Cuomo, so that the NYS Governor could prevent the Democratic agenda from becoming too progressive.

Prior to the beginning of the 2018 primary season, an all-volunteer group formed, calling themselves the No IDC NY. The No IDC NY set as its mission, to dislodge those Democrats who had caucused with the Republicans. The No IDC NY effort proved fairly successful, as six of the nine Democrats who had caucused with the Republicans, were defeated. The following is a short tally of those races.

In the photo at right, Zephyr Teachout endorsing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, just as Teachout was making her candidacy for the office of NYS Attorney General known.

Queens NYS Senate Races

In the NYS Senate in Queens. No IDC NY supported candidate John Liu defeated incumbent Tony Avella in Queens with 53% to 47% of the vote. No IDC NY supported candidate Jessica Ramos trounced incumbent Jose Peralta with 55% to 45% of the vote.

Manhattan NYS Senate Races

In the NYS Senate in Manhattan. No IDC NY supported candidate Robert Jackson handily defeated incumbent Marisol Alcantera in the Washington Heights / Inwood area with 56% versus 39% of the vote.

Bronx NYS Senate Races

In the NYS Senate in the Bronx. No IDC NY supported candidate Alessandra Biaggi decisively defeated the IDC Founder incumbent Jeffrey Klein winning 54% of the vote to Klein’s 46%.

Brooklyn & Staten Island NYS Senate Races

In the NYS Senate in Brooklyn & Staten Island. No IDC NY supported candidate Zellnor Myrie defeated incumbent Jesse Hamilton 54% to 46%. But both incumbent Diane Savino of Staten Island and incumbent Simcha Felder of Brooklyn handily defeated their No IDC NY supported challengers. Incumbent Savino won 67% of the vote to No IDC NY supported candidate Jasmine Robinson’s 21% of the vote and incumbent Simcha Felder won 66% of the vote to No IDC NY supported candidate Blake Morris’s 34% of the vote.

Upstate NYS Senate Races

In the NYS Senate in Upstate NY. No IDC NY supported candidate Rachel May won 52% of the vote to incumbent David Valesky’s 48%. But incumbent David Carlucci held onto his seat with 54% of the vote to No IDC NY supported candidate Julie Goldberg’s 46%.

Jeff Klein's IDC: Republicans Running as Dems?

The Independent Democratic Caucus Aligns with Republicans which Enables Republicans to Control the NYS Senate

Updated September 7, 2018 / March 21, 2018 / Bronx Neighborhoods & Bronx News / Bronx Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Bronx Buzz NYC.

There's an NYS State primary election this month. The primaries will be held on Thursday, September 13th; instead of on Tuesday, September 11th, in recognition of 911. And the general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6th.

As in any year, the elections are important, but perhaps made more so this year, by what appears to be the anarchistic destruction and disrespect, for our government institutions and processes, by Republican President Donald Trump.

Trump Republicans: Debt Bomb Deficits Levied on America's Children to Enrich the Richest?

The Donald passed a stimulus tax bill that is expected to increases the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years, and there are some pundits who put the figure higher. He and the Republicans passed this budget busting stimulus tax bill, while the economy was operating at levels considered above a full employment economy [5% unemployment is considered standard / normal] and at a time when wages were rising over 2%.

Inflation above 2% is considered to be detrimental to economic stability by the Federal Reserve, so stimulating the economy while it's at full employment with rising wages is about the opposite of what makes sense, especially when you consider the funding for it is coming from America's children and most of the benefits for it are going to the wealthiest people on the planet. We posted a report analyzing the Trump Tax Reform Bill slightly before it was finalized, which includes a lot of facts and figures to help provide context to better understand what was in the bill they passed.

The Independent Democratic Caucus Aligns with NYS Senate Republicans & Gives Them Control

In 2010 / 2011 NYS Senator Jeffrey Klein broke away from the Democratic Party and formed the Independent Democratic Caucus which aligns with the Republican Party, thereby giving them control of the NYS Senate. The effect of this is that bills passed by the Democratic controlled NYS Assembly are indefinitely tabled, or in lay man's terms pretty much killed, in the Republican-controlled NYS Senate. The Republicans control the NYS Senate, because eight NYS senators who run as Democrats [IDC Independent Democratic Caucus], either vote with or kill bills with the Republicans.

Democratic NYS Assembly Bills Effectively Killed by IDC

According to the Democratic Senate Conference, the Republican controlled NYS Senate - with the help of their Republicans running as Democrats allies - have effectively killed one education bill providing full day kindergarten funding, three wage / leave bills, four voting rights bills including the allowance of early voting, four immigration bills including one related to the DREAM Act, four housing bills including several pertaining to NYC rent laws that help renters, three criminal justice bills including creation of correctional ombudsman and sealing of marijuana possession records [as marijuana is rapidly being legalized in states across the country], one related to LGBTQ issues, and six regarding healthcare, several of which pertain to women's reproductive rights.

The IDC Deception: REPUBLICANS RUNNING AS DEMOCRATS?

The net effect of this is that Democrats are, in a sense, cheated or tricked out of their majority by what appears to be Republicans running as Democrats. The Independent Democratic Caucus or IDC includes Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx, who founded the IDC, David Valesky of Oneida and Madison Counties in upstate New York, David Carlucci of Rockland and Westchester Counties, Diane Savino of Staten Island / Brooklyn, Tony Avella of Queens, Jose Peralta of Queens, Jesse Hamilton of Brooklyn, and Marisol Alcantera of Washington Heights / Manhattan. Simcha Felder of Brooklyn also runs as a Democrat and caucuses with the Republicans.

The following is a list of challengers, eight of which I obtained off the NoIDCNY.org website. For some reason Blake Morris - Simcha Felder's challenger - was not included on their website. I have just contacted them to find out why.

Jessica Ramos is challenging Jose Peralta in District 13 in Queens.
John Liu is challenging Tony Avella* in District 11 in Queens.
Robert Jackson is challenging Marisol Alcantera in District 31 in Washington Heights / Inwood / Manhattan.
Alessandra Biaggi is challenging Jeff Klein in District 34 in the Bronx.
Zellnor Myrie is challenging Jesse Hamilton in District 20 in Brooklyn.
Blake Morris is challenging Simcha Felder in District 17 in Brooklyn.
Jasmine Robinson is challenging Diane Savino in District 23 in Brooklyn / Staten Island.
Julie Goldberg is challenging David Carlucci in District 38 in nearby upstate New York.
Rachel May is challenging David Valesky in District 53 in upstate New York.

* A Word About NYS Senator Tony Avella as He Appears to be a Real Independent

Of all of the IDC candidates listed above, NYS Senator Tony Avella deserves special consideration. NYS Senator Avella CHALLENGED Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Queens Country Democratic Party Chairman Joe Crowley when both of these men, and many in their parties, supported real estate developments in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz took a position that appeared somewhere between supportive of the developments to - at best - indifferent.

NYS Senator Avella advocated on behalf of the community to thwart billionaire and mega millionaire real estate developers from grabbing Queens parkland - AND WON. In doing this, NYS Senator Tony Avella, appears to be more like a Maverick or Independent, resembling legislators like deceased U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican) and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Democrat), both of whom have charted their own path through party-dominated politics.

Avella is an important independent voice in the Queens, NYC and NYS community, which the Democrats in his district will have to decide whether or not to keep.

CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the NYS Senator Jeff Klein IDC Independent Democratic Caucus & NOIDCNY - Republicans running as Democrats.

IDC Challengers' Rallies Sunday

Challenging Republicans Posing as NYS Senate Democrats?

April 28, 2018 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / Staten Buzz NYC.

I just received an email notifying me of simultaneous rallies which will be held by IDC [Independent Democratic Caucus] member CHALLENGERS within the NYC Metro area. The members of the IDC, who these challengers are rallying against, have been caucusing with the Republicans since 2010 / 2011. By caucusing with the Republicans, the IDC Democrats have provided Republicans with a majority in the NYS Senate. Thus the IDC members appear to be Republicans running as Democrats on the Democratic ticket.

The IDC CHALLENGER rallies are intended to inform the electorate as to how their IDC electeds have been (mis?) representing them - as well as how the challengers would like to represent them - should they be given the chance.

"In an unprecedented show of strength and unity following the release of their joint statement about their agenda, the candidates will set forth their visions for their districts and will enlist those present at the rallies in registering voters, canvassing, and the like in preparation for the Thursday, September 13, 2018 primary election."

"The rallies will explain the need to replace the former IDC members with true blue Democrats whom we can trust not to turn their backs on the people who elected them. The IDC may have rejoined the Democrats for now, but they've been willing to ally themselves with the GOP since 2011 - and they've claimed to return to the Democratic fold before. The damage is done and we will not forget. New York deserves REAL Democrats who stand for progressive values, not Trump Democrats."

SUNDAY Rally Details:

Blue Wave Rally for Jessica Ramos, April 29, 2 PM, 31-04 Ditmar Blvd., Intersection at 31st Street Astoria, Queens.
Blue Wave Rally for Alessandra Biaggi, April 29, 2-3 PM, Memorial Grove in Van Cortland Park, Bronx. Memorial Grove is located in Van Cortlandt Park, near West 246 Street between Broadway and the Van Cortlandt Mansion - see map above.
Blue Wave Rally for Robert Jackson, April 29, 1:30-2:30 PM, at Bennett Park, W 183rd St & Fort Washington Avenue, Manhattan.
Blue Wave Rally for Rachel May, April 29, 2-3 PM, State Office Building, 301 East Washington Street, Syracuse.
Blue Wave Rally for Zellnor Myrie, April 29, 2-3 PM, at the Prospect Park subway stop, on Lincoln Avenue between Flatbush and Ocean Avenues, Brooklyn.
Blue Wave Rally for Jasmine Robinson, April 29, 2-3 PM, at Tappen Park, Staten Island (near the Stapleton SIR stop).
Blue Wave Rally to Make NY True Blue in SD38, April 29, 2-3, at 20 South Main Street, New City, NY
Blue Wave Rally to Make NY True Blue in SD21, April 29, 2-3 PM, Bell Boulevard at 73rd Avenue, Oakland Gardens, Queens

Press contacts:

Rise and Resist: Claire Ullman, 917-679-7120
True Blue NY: Lisa DellAquila, co-leader, 917-991-0605
Jackson campaign: Harris Doran, 917-797-6180
Myrie campaign: Andre Richardson (campaign manager), 201-892-5829, andrerichardson@gmail.com
Robinson campaign: Jane Nixon Willis, 914-584-2833; improvised3@gmail.com
Ramos campaign: Monica Klein, 917-565-0715, monica@seneca-strategies.com
Biaggi campaign: Dominique Shuminova, Deputy Campaign Manager, 917-821-7700
Avella protest: Judy Kirschner from Rise and Resist, 917-270-2705
Carlucci protest: John Gromada from Rockland Citizens Action, (845) 323-9896

Scroll down for related story or click here for the full story about the Independent Democratic Caucus & members.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATES

NYC Public Advocate Candidates in Election 2019

Melissa Mark-Viverito, Jumaane Williams, Daniel O'Donnell, Rafael Espinal, Eric Ulrich, Nomiki Konst, Ron Kim, Michael Blake & 9 Others are Running for this Office

February 25, 2019 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 26th, 2019 a few New Yorkers will go to the polls to select the next NYC Public Advocate.

Brief NYC Public Advocate History

The position was created in 1993, by renaming the office of the President of the City Council, which up until 1989, had held a seat on the New York City Board of Estimate until it was abolished that year.

The Public Advocate has a relatively small budget [under $4 million per year], a small department as measured by headcount and no voting power except in the cases where a deciding vote needs to be cast in the City Council. The real power of the Public Advocate is in that person's ability to influence the conversation regarding policy priorities and urgency.

Second in Line to Mayor de Blasio

And with Mayor de Blasio considering a run for the presidency - while quite a long shot at this point - the Public Advocate would be next in line to succeed him. There have been only four Public Advocates since the post was created, starting with Mark Green who made a run for Mayor and lost. Betsy Gotbaum followed Green, and she was followed by Bill de Blasio who managed to use the position as a spring board to win the Mayoralty. Letitia James succeeded de Blasio and she is now the NYS Attorney General. The City Council Speaker has been the interim Public Advocate since James took office in January 2019, and will give up the post following this election.

CLICK for a summary of eight leading candidates running in the NYC Public Advocate Special Election 2019. THE FULL REPORT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED - 2.26.19

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