March 13, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Sunrise 7.10 am. Sunset 7.00 pm. We're getting 11 hours & 49 minutes of sunlight, or two hours and 36 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.
NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts.
Dry, but cool ranging in the 30's and 40's - which is seasonal. We'll post the full weather report later tonight.
The photo above or at right was taken at the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade in Manhattan in a prior year. The parade returns to Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, and is a spectacle well worth watching. Erin go Braugh.
Friday, March 13, 2026 at 11.55 pm - Done or mostly done. Still have some work to do on related pages, a few of which we won't get to until Saturday [hoping by] noon, or shortly thereafter. We're getting back into the swing of things, and you should be able to notice the results of some of our efforts in the coming weeks and months. We'll have more on this later.
Wednesday, February 18 - Thursday, March 19, 2026 - Ramadan - NYC Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by fasting, reflecting and praying. The month ends with a celebration, Eid al Fitr, where they break their fast and return to normal living habits.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 begining at 12 noon - Fulton Elliot NYCHA Residents vs Billionaires & Wrecking Ball - a Billionaire Developer takeover of NYC public property protest event. At the Fulton Houses, Building 11, at 401 West 19th Street in Chelsea. For details and to help fund their fight see - NYCHA Residents vs Billionaires Taking NYC Public Land
Saturday, March 14, 2026 beginning at 7 pm - 11th Annual Collective Thread Dance Festival - at Harlem School of the Arts at 645 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan. For $17.50 - $25 tickets and details see - https://www.modartsdance.com/events
Next Week. Tuesday, March 17, 2026 beginning at 11 am and running until about 5 pm - The 265th St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade begins on 5th Avenue at 44th Street marching north to 79th Street. There are generally about 150,000 participants and about two million spectators. For details see - https://www.nycstpatricksparade.org
The folks in the photo above or at right, taken last year, are some of the key members of the Elizabeth Street Community Garden, who fought to stop the Adams Administration from developing it. A month or two before Adams left office, and months after he was defunded out of his re-election bid, Adams did an about-face and designated the garden parkland. The parkland designation makes it more difficult to develop. The developers filed a lawsuit, and things are pending, but the garden remains open and viable. The garden is on Elizabeth Street between Spring and Prince Streets in SoHo. No matter what happens, they'll always be rock stars to me.
Two Weeks. Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 11 am to 5.30 pm - Rental Ripoff Hearings - at a location in East Harlem in Manhattan. You have to register to enter, as there's limited capacity. There's also one on Northern Staten Island on April 7, 2026 from 5.30 - 8.30 pm. For details and to rsvp, see - https://www.nyc.gov/main/rental-ripoff
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Manhattan Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Manhattan Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 from 3 to 9 pm - 40 Shades of Green - at the NY Irish Center at 1040 Jackson Avenue in LIC. Forty performers provide six hours of live Irish cultural entertainment. For details and $45 tickets copy & paste - https://www.newyorkirishcenter.org
The photo above or at right was taken earlier this week in Queens, as the temperatures soared, climbing to 80 degrees on Tuesday. It was the earliest ooint in the year, when temperatures hit 80 degrees in NYC, in recorded history. Since then, the temperatures have fallen back down to normal, where they are expected to remain for the foreseeable ten day forecast.
The Bayside St Pat's Parade is coming at the end of the month on Saturday 3.28.26.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Queens Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Queens Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 11 am to 4 pm - VFW National Day of Service - in Jamaica. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 11.30 am to 2 pm - Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration - at the Prospect Park Boathouse & Audubon Center in Prospect Park. A number of cultural performances, as well as gift bags for the first 100 to enter. Organized by the Chinese American Planning Council. Free, but encouraged to rsvp, at - https://www.prospectpark.org/event/lunar-new-year-celebration/
Saturday & Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2026 from 10 am to 5 pm - Brooklyn Flea market - under the arch of the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo in Brooklyn. It's an outdoor market that stays open weekends until December 20, 2026. For details see - https://www.brooklynflea.com
Sunday, March 15, 2026 beginning at 10.30 am, Speeches at 1 pm & parade kicks off at 1.30 pm - 51st Annual Brooklyn Saint Patrick's Parade. At 10.30 am there's a church service at Holy Name of Jesus Church at 245 Prospect Park West. The St. Patrick's Day parade assembly begins at Bartel-Pritchard Square at 14th Street [assembly stretches to 9th St] at the southwest corner of Prospect Park in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. At 1 pm there's a dedication. At 1.30 pm the parade kicks off at Prospect Park West and 15th St and then marches to 7th Avenue. It turns right onto 7th Avenue & marches to Garfield Place, where it turns right again heading back to Prospect Park West, where it turns right again & circles back to 15th Street where there's a celebration / after party from 2 - 5 pm at Holy Name of Jesus Church at 245 Prospect Park West. For details see their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/p/Brooklyn-St-Patricks-Parade-100067529770947/ because as of this post their website was out of date - https://brooklynstpatricksparade.org/
Sunday, March 15, 2026 [opens at 10 am] from 11 am to 4 pm - Classical Kids Fair - at the Brooklyn Childrens Museum at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. They describe the event as follows, " ... Touch, try, and play string and percussion instruments alongside NYC’s top classical musicians ... Compose your own music, dance with ballet professionals, watch live performances, and join group sing-alongs ...". To rsvp $15 tickets copy & paste - https://www.brooklynkids.org/events/classical-kids-fair/
The Bay Ridge St Pat's Parade is Sunday 3.22 in Bay Ridge. Full details coming next week.
Thursdays - Sundays, March 7 - 22, 2026 from 3 to 5 pm [weekends only] and 7.30 to 9.30 pm - Intimate Apparell - at the Gallery Players at 199 14th Street in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. For details and $27 / $32 tickets see - https://www.galleryplayers.com
In the photo above or at right was taken in an earlier year at the Park Slope Brooklyn annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade returns Sunday and the weather should be dry and in the low 40's.
March thru April 26, 2026 - The Axe Forgets but the Tree Remembers - at the Billie Holiday Theater at 1368 Fulton Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. An African American inspired art exhibit. For details and tickets see - https://thebillieholidaytheatre.org
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Brooklyn BLVD New Member Sign Up. Click this link Brooklyn Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. This month includes x.
Sunday, March 15, 2026 - 28th Annual Throggs Neck St Patricks Day Parade in the Bronx. At 9 am there's a mass at St. Benedicts at 2969 Otis Avenue, followed by a complimentary 10 am breakfast in the Father Albert Hall. At 11 am assembly begins at Lafayette and East Tremont Avenue, from where the parade steps off at 12 noon. The parade marches south on East Tremont Avenue, through the Throgs Neck commercial district, ending about a mile and a half later at Harding Avenue and East Tremont Avenue, where a mobile stage is usually set up for parade speechs and entertainment. The parade lasts about an hour, but the festivities continue after the parade. The parade is organized by the Throggs Neck Benevolent Association [aka TNBA]. For details see https://tnba.my.canva.site or FB - https://www.facebook.com/ThroggsNeckBenevolentAssociation/. St Pat's Day parades & celebrations in the Bronx.
The photo at right was taken at the Throggs Neck St Patricks Day Parade in 2018. The parade returns Sunday. This is a link to a previous report we did on the St Patricks Day Parade in Throgs Neck in the Bronx NYC.
Sunday, March 15, 2026 - 20th Annual Eastchester St. Patrick's Day parade. The parade kicks off at 3 pm at the Immaculate Conception School on Main Street in Eastchester north of the Bronx. It marches north onto Route 22 / White Plains Road and ends at the Lake Isle Country Club. St. Patrick's Day parades in Westchester County. For details and viewing locations suggestions see - https://www.eastchesterirish.org/st-patrick-s-day-parade/. St Pat's Day parades & celebrations near the Bronx in Westchester County.
The Yonkers St. Pat's parade is next Saturday.
Saturdays & Sundays, March 14, 15, 21 & 22, 2026 - Sherlock Holmes play - at the Bartow Pell Mansion. Use the MCAL link below to obtain details and tickets.
Bronx Week is now returning in May 2026. Earlier this month there was an announcement that it was going to be terminated. Following the announcement, community leaders organized to ensure its continuation.
Friday, April 3, 2026 beginning at 1.35 pm - Yankees Home Opener vs the Marlins - at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Bronx Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Bronx MCAL Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Saturdays & Sundays, March 14, 15, 21, 22, 2026 - Sherlock Holmes play - at the Bartow Pell Mansion. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Saturdays, March 28 & April 4, 2026 - Easter Egg Hunt - at the Bartow Pell Mansion. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 3 to 5 pm - Lighthouses are for Lovers & Friends - at the National Lighthouse Museum at 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island. For details and $75 tickets copy & paste - https://lighthousemuseum.org.
The photo above or at right was taken last year on Staten Island, in the space between the Lighthouse Museum and the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The artwork of Lady Liberty conveys this feeling of being suffocated, which is a fitting metaphor reflecting the current state of our democratic republic. It's going to take a heroic effort for all of us to climb out of this broken situation. Remember, "United we stand. Divided we fall.".
Perhaps Donald J. Trump's betrayal of his supporters may ultimately unite us. Trump promised America First - not Israel. He also promised a good economy - America lost jobs last month and Trump's first year in office [2025] was the worst year for job creation outside of a pandemic or recession since 2003. He promised no wars before he started invading Venezuela and Iran. And he promised to fight for the working man - not the billionaires who he gave TRILLIONS in tax breaks that your kids, grandkids and great grandkids are going to have to pay for.
Murdoch's Fox News' dishonest talk show hosts will tell you 'promises made, promises kept', like so many other falsehoods they tell their viewers. But ask yourself, why isn't Fox News talking about the 'Trump Economy' now?
MCAL _ MEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Staten Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Staten Island Events - Member Events to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
March 21, 2026 from 2.30 - 5.30 pm - Beginner Safety Classes on Riding a Motorcycle. Free half hour beginnger class at the College of Staten Island at 2800 Victory Blvd. See - https://ridemss.com for details.
Have a nice mid March weekend.
March 6, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Sunrise 6.22 am. Sunset 5. 52 pm. We're getting 11 hours & 29 minutes of sunlight, or two hours and 16 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.
NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. The temperature highs will be in the low 40's on Friday, the mid 50's on Saturday and the low 60's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be around 40 on Friday and Saturday, rising to about 50 on Sunday. No measurable precipitation is expected, per se. The winds will range from 5 - 15 mph Friday, about 5 mph or less Saturday and 5 - 10 mph Sunday. The humidity will range from 60% to 90% this weekend.
The photo above or at right shows some of the exhibits and exhibitors at the Mayor's Rental Ripoff listening sessions this past Thursday in Queens. This is the second of five sessions the Mamdani Administration is hosting, between February 28 - April 7, 2026. The first was in Brooklyn, and the remaining three are in the Bronx, Manhattan and on Staten Island. For details see - https://www.nyc.gov/main/rental-ripoff. We plan to provide a short report on the Queens hearing next week.
Friday, March 6, 2026 at 9.15 am - DONE, but have to clean up some attendant pages, including our first 2026 updates of both parades and street fairs, with farmers markets coming next week. Also, we're almost done making site upgrades, which is where we've been mostly focusing our time lately. We'll have more about this at a later date.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 beginning at 2 am - Spring Forward - for Daylight Savings Time. Move your clocks ahead an hour before going to bed Saturday night.
The photo above or at right was taken Thursday in Long Island City in Queens. A fairly heavy fog enveloped the city, on Thursday, and clouds will continue to cover the area through Saturday, gradually lifting on Sunday.
Saturday & Sunday, March 7 & 8, 2026 beginning at 7.30 pm Friday & Saturday and at 2 pm Sunday [2 hours no intermission] - 25th Annual Flamenco Festival - at NY City Center at 131 West 55th between 6th & 7th Avenues in Midtown Manhattan NYC. Top flamenco dancers from Spain will dance into your heart. For $45 tickets and details see - https://www.nycitycenter.org
Sunday - Tuesday, March 8, 9 & 10, 2026 - The Restaurant Show - at the Javits Center at 429 11th Avenue at 35th Street in West Midtown Manhattan. Everything you ever wanted to know and see about creating restaurant destination. For $99 tickets and details see - https://www.javitscenter.com
The Manhattan St Pat's Day Parade is still nearly two weeks away. We'll have full details next weekend.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Manhattan Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Manhattan Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Saturday, March 7, 2026 beginning at 1 pm - 51st Annual Queens County St Patricks Day Parade - beginning at Beach 129 th Street and Newport Avenue, with the formation between Beach 132nd - 136th Street in the Rockaways. The parade marches east along Newport Avenue until it reaches 116th Street where it zigs right down a block to Rockaway Beach Blvd, where it continues east. The parade terminates along Rockway Beach Blvd at Beach 100th Street at St Camilus using their parking lot to disperse. In 2025, prior to the parade, there were Church services at Francis de Sales Church [129th and Newport Avenue] which were held beginning at 9 am, followed by a brunch by invitation only [pre-parade services and brunch unconfirmed for 2026]. For details see - https://www.facebook.com/p/Queens-County-St-Patricks-Day-Parade-61565869880495/
The photo above or at right shows marchers in a Queens St Patricks Day Parade in an earlier year. This Saturday the Queens County St Pat's Parade returns to the Rockaways for the 51st year. See the event listing above or use the parades section link below.
The Bayside St Pat's Parade is coming at the end of the month on Saturday 3.28.26.
March 7 & 8, 2026 from 12 noon to midnight - Eid Market & Celebration - at the Al Aqsa Restaurant - at 148-01 Hillside Avenue in Jamaica Queens. There will be a few vendors there selling primarily South Asian clothing like sarees, tunics, scarves, jewelry, shoes, kids and other clothing and gifts. They will also be celebrating Ramadan Eid with plenty of South Asian food available as well. For details see - https://www.facebook.com/alrejamaica
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Queens Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Queens Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 11 am to 4 pm - VFW National Day of Service - in Jamaica. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Thru April 26, 2026 - The Axe Forgets but the Tree Remembers - at the Billie Holiday Theater at 1368 Fulton Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. An African American inspired art exhibit. For details and tickets see - https://thebillieholidaytheatre.org
Sunday, March 8, 2026 from 2.30 to 4.30 pm - Holi Celebration in Prospect Park - at Prospect Park Boathouse at 101 East Drive in the northeast section of Prospect Park near Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens in Brooklyn. There will be music, storytelling, a bonfire, Holi colors and a small parade. For details see - https://www.prospectpark.org
Thursdays - Sundays, March 7 - 22, 2026 from 3 to 5 pm [weekends only] and 7.30 to 9.30 pm - Intimate Apparell - at the Gallery Players at 199 14th Street in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. For details and $27 / $32 tickets see - https://www.galleryplayers.com
The Brooklyn St Pat's Parades are next Sunday 3.15 for Park Slope and the following Sunday 3.22 in Bay Ridge. Full details coming each week.
In the photo at right, sit my fellow passengers in a subway car, speeding underground through NYC. I find riding the subway to be part of the process of assimilation. It's a daily ad hoc communal gathering, not to mention one of the fastest and easiest ways to travel great distances around NYC. Donald J. Trump's effort to stop congestion pricing, failed in the courts this past week, like so many other efforts by him, to grab even more power than he already has, by virtue of his office. We'll have more on this at a later date in the News section, which is still a work in progress.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Brooklyn BLVD New Member Sign Up. Click this link Brooklyn Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. This month includes x.
The photo above or at right shows the Bronx Music Hall in the Morrisania neighborhood in central Bronx. The Bronx Music Hall is hosting a Flamenco Festival this weekend, including a free show. See details in the event listing or using the things to do link below.
Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 10 am to 4 pm, there's the Brady Court Flea market at 768 Brady Avenue at the corner of Antin Place and Holland Avenue, which is one version of a monthly event, wherein multiple vendors sell items like jewelry, collectibles, accessories, body care and other items like candles, thrifting finds, etc. along with hot food and desserts. And they have both inside and outside capability [see ads with link below].
Saturday, March 7, 2026 beginning at 7 pm - 25th Anniversary of Flamenco Festival - at the Bronx Music Hall at 438 East 163rd Street in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx. Flamenco vocalists Mara Rey and Jennifer Jade and the Bobby Sanabria Band perform. For $25 tickets and details see - https://bronxmusichall.org/
Sunday, March 8, 2026 beginning at 4 pm - Cajoneada - at the Bronx Music Hall at 438 East 163rd Street in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx. A flamenco percussion workshop featuring the cajone. If you have one, bring it. Free.
Next Week. Tuesday, March 10, 2026 beginning at 7 pm - Pelham Park Neighborhood Assn - meets at the Bronx House and has booked the new owners of the site that formerly held the Apple Bank. Use MCAL link above for details.
Next Week. Wednesday, March 11, 2026 from 5.30 - 7 pm and from 7 pm - 8.30 pm - Rental Ripoff Hearings - at a location near or at Fordham University in the Bronx. You have to register to enter, as there's limited capacity. For details and to rsvp, see - https://www.nyc.gov/main/rental-ripoff
Next Week. Throgs Neck & Eastchester St Pat's Parades coming next Saturday 3.15.26. Details coming. The Yonkers parade brings up the rear the following weekend.
MCAL _ MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Bronx Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Bronx MCAL Member Events Calendar to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Saturdays & Sundays, March 14, 15, 21, 22, 2026 - Sherlock Holmes play - at the Bartow Pell Mansion. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Saturdays, March 28 & April 4, 2026 - Easter Egg Hunt - at the Bartow Pell Mansion. Use the MCAL link above to obtain details.
Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 4.30 to 7.30 pm - 5th Annual Iftar in the Park - at Snug Harbor at 1000 Richmond Terrace in the Randall Manor neighborhood of Staten Island. For details and to rsvp copy & paste - https://snug-harbor.org
Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 2 to 4 pm and from 7 to 9 pm - Art Exhibit Opening & Reception at Hub 17 - at 73 Wave Street on Staten Island. It's a group show featuring 13 local artists at the Art Vault Gallery at the Hub. For details see - http://www.onwavestreet.com
In the photo at right are a couple on the Staten Island Ferry enjoying a view of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was given to us by the French, who helped the colonists defeat the royals. The billionaires of today, are the equivalent of the royals of that time. The American colonists, our national ancestors, objected to being exploited by them, and so siezed control of their own destiny, by fighting the war of independence. After the American Revolution, the U.S. Constitution was drafted, which made us a land of liberty, governed by rule of law. After the Constitution was approved, one of our most significant Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, was asked what kind of government we had. He famously replied, " ... A [democratic] republic, if you can keep it ...". It's up to each generation to keep it, by paying attention to what's going on in the government and by organizing to stop or prevent malfeasance.
MCAL _ MEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR. Use this link for new member sign up and posting - Staten Buzz New Member Sign Up. Click this link Staten Island Events - Member Events to view free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
March 21, 2026 from 2.30 - 5.30 pm - Beginner Safety Classes on Riding a Motorcycle. Free half hour beginnger class at the College of Staten Island at 2800 Victory Blvd. See - https://ridemss.com for details.
Have a nice end of March weekend.
February 17, 2026 / Government Media & Politics NYC / Billionaire Press & TV News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
The new ownership at CBS appears to be trading in free speech on our public airwaves, for their own selfish corporate interests. Unfortunately, this is not the first time CBS has made such a trade off. Ten years ago in February 2016, CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said, "... [Donald Trump's candidacy] may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS ...".
Last night Stephen Colbert was not allowed by CBS to air an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Talarico opined that he thought that CBS's self censorship was because Donald J. Trump is afraid that the Democrats are on the verge of flipping Texas to blue this year.
So Colbert, in an act of integrity, made the Talarico interview public via Youtube [see graphic at right and link below]. In less than 24 hours, nearly 2 million people had viewed the interview [and a total of 3.5 million about 24 hours later]. Generally Colbert is watched by between 2.3 - 2.7 million viewers, so the CBS / Trump censorship effort doesn't appear to be working. And by the time all is said and done, their self censorship may in fact have the opposite effect. Link to Colbert / Talarico interview is included near the end of this report.
CBS corporate ownership claims they pulled the interview because of the equal time rule. But if the FCC had enforced the equal time rule since Fox News started up in the 1990's, Fox News would be but a shadow of its current self. And CBS appears to have ignored the rule in the past, as have all the national corporate TV networks.
One of the five FCC Commissioners, who Trump cannot fire without just cause, said that the CBS decision was another example of corporate capitulation to the Trump Administration.
The graphic above or at right, shows Anna Gomez who opined - essentially - that CBS failed in its duty to protect the First Amendment. Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the FCC, appears to have been using his position to promulgate the very same cancel culture that Murdoch's Fox News has been railing against for years. True to Murdoch's self serving nature, Fox News seemed to cheer CBS's cancel culture move, because it favored the billionaire class's control of American airwaves [to get their candidates eleced], which is now complete.
February 17, 2026 / Government Media & Politics NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
The new ownership at CBS appears to be trading in free speech on our public airwaves, for their own selfish corporate interests. Unfortunately, this is not the first time CBS has made such a trade off. Ten years ago in February 2016, CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said, "... [Donald Trump's candidacy] may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS ...".
Last night Stephen Colbert was not allowed by CBS to air an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Talarico opined that he thought that CBS's self censorship was because Donald J. Trump is afraid that the Democrats are on the verge of flipping Texas to blue this year.
So Colbert, in an act of integrity, made the Talarico interview public via Youtube [see graphic at right and link below]. In less than 24 hours, nearly 2 million people had viewed the interview [and a total of 3.5 million about 24 hours later]. Generally Colbert is watched by between 2.3 - 2.7 million viewers, so the CBS / Trump censorship effort doesn't appear to be working. And by the time all is said and done, their self censorship may in fact have the opposite effect. Link to Colbert / Talarico interview is included near the end of this report.
CBS corporate ownership claims they pulled the interview because of the equal time rule. But if the FCC had enforced the equal time rule since Fox News started up in the 1990's, Fox News would be but a shadow of its current self. And CBS appears to have ignored the rule in the past, as have all the national corporate TV networks.
One of the five FCC Commissioners, who Trump cannot fire without just cause, said that the CBS decision was another example of corporate capitulation to the Trump Administration.
Like Fox News, the Donald J. Trump Administration is no stranger to NOT playing fairly - and to exploiting the rules - rather than playing by them. We saw both Fox News and Trump's respect for the rules / law in real time during the January 6th, 2020 insurrection, following Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign.
Fox News paid $787 million so far, for its role in knowingly deceiving the American public, by knowingly broadcasting propaganda falsehoods to the American public regarding the 2020 election [paid to Dominion Voting Systems]. Murdoch news outlets [Fox News, WSJ & NY Post et al] have broadcast so many false and misleading stories that I can't keep track of all of them, try as I might. Copy & paste this link to an Associated Press report about the settlement - https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe
As part of the 'Stop the Steal' campaign, Donald J. Trump called Brad Raffensperger, then Secretary of State of Georgia, who was responsible for the administration of Georgia elections, asking him to produce 11,780 votes for Trump. Instead of stopping the steal, this appeared to be an effort by Trump to steal the election in the state of Georgia. The Trump / Raffensperger conversation was recorded and broadcast during the January 6th Insurrection hearings in the Capitol. Copy and paste this url to take a listen to it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbFc9T7KXA0
The photo above or at right shows Tulsi Gabbard, NSA Director, appearing to sneak about during the Fulton County Georgia ballot box raid in January 28, 2026.
Gabbard was described as a Russian sympathizer, susceptible to manipulation by Russian propaganda, during the Senate confirmation hearings. In May of 2025, Gabbard as NSA Director, was accused of holding onto a whistleblower report involving Jared Kusher, Trump's son-in-law.
It has been hypothesized, that Kushner is involved in multiple Trump family foreign deals, that are in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. In May Kushner was involved in advising Trump Administration officials in advance of Trump's trip to the Middle East. Since May 2025, numerous exchanges of secret and advanced military technology and equipment has been transferred to three Middle Eastern nations [Saudi Arabia, Qatar & the United Arab Emirates], while at the same time, numerous real estate deals have been transacted by the Trump Organization with those same three Middle Eastern nations.
How much time did TV News allocate to these stories versus to the P. Diddy Combs trial?
Since coming to office just over a year ago, Trump has used federal funding to essentially extort mass media outlets, colleges and universities, large law firms and companies controlled by billionaires doing business with the federal government. Donald J. Trump has also used the power vested in him by the American people to intimidate them - as we've seen in ICE operations all around the nation. Many, many times ICE agents have beaten or sprayed toxic substances on American citizen protesters - and in too many incidents - have even killed them.
And then there's the under reported 'coincidences' of the Trump family business deals, being done simultaneously with U.S. military technology transfers [aka maga corruption], only a small bit of which is noted above, and which the graphic above or at right should help wake up those who are still sleeping or slow to recognize a con man when they're looking at him.
The so totally uninformative, broken billionaire TV News, isn't the only problem, but it's the biggest. If Americans received accurate and contextual reports about what's going on on this country, it's unlikely they would have elected what is quite possibly the weakest legislative leadership team in American history: Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
TV News and the Republican leadership teams all sit idly by, while America's advantages appear to be traded away, for what appears to be trinkets for the private profiteering of Donald J. Trump, family and associates. And TV News doesn't report much of it, doesn't stay focused on it, doesn't dig into it. They just bury their ostrich heads in their TV News screens, and amuse their audiences and themselves with celebrity court cases like P.Diddy Combs and crime scenes like the abduction of Savannah Guthrie's mom.
In the graphic above or at right is Jesse Watters making light of the Epstein Files on a Fox News show. Billionaire Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has long been known for using its empathetic sexism and racism as a manipulative tool to attract viewers. Fox News pundits been the toastmasters of disrespectful, bad taste since October 7, 1996. They call their behavior a war on political correctness, to disguise what it really is, which is a war on decency. Sadly, after 30 years, they appear to be winning.
About the only good thing I can say about the Republican led federal legislative leadership team, is that at least John Thune has generally held the line in protecting key Senate operating traditions.
Here we are over five years later, and we're now seeing with Trump's DOJ and NSA ramping up efforts on 'election integrity' in Georgia, which appears to be part of the nascent Trump 'Start the Steal' campaign for 2026. Trump ordered his unprofessional FBI and NSA staff to raid the Fulton County Georgia office and confiscate the ballots from the 2020 election, which they did on January 28, 2026.
Wikipedia reports that, "... Robb Pitts, the chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, stated that the 2020 election ballots had been secure in the facility and said "... I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure ..." Here's the Wikipedia account of what happened in that raid, which Billionaire TV News, as seems usual these days, miserably ignored or under reported - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI_raid_of_Fulton_County,_Georgia_election_office
The photo above or at right is of the January 6th Insurrectionist Q'Anon Shaman, Jacob Chansley. Upon release from jail, he remained supportive of Trump. But about six months later, in July 2025 Chansley had changed his mind, calling Trump a "fraud", accusing Trump of telling "bold faced lies to everybody" and criticizing Trump for his ties to Epstein, Israel and failure to help working class Americans.
The Trump-Bondi Epstein coverup began after Trump became president. Donald J. Trump had used Epstein's death to propagate conspiracy theories to the Trump faithful - beginning after Epstein's death in 2019.
It's worth mentioning that Epstein's death or murder took place in a federally run prison in NYC during Trump's first presidency [August 10, 2019]. For conpiracy theorists, Epstein died while in the Trump Administration care, during which time the security video was briefly cut at the time of Epstein's death. Epstein's brother, Mark, believes that his brother was murdered and that his brother's murder was authorized by Donald J. Trump.
Were these factoids reported by TV News?
Billionaire Rupert Murdoch's Fox News propagandists took their cues from Trump, and spread the disinformation about Epstein's death, the leftist 'deep state' and progressive 'political elites' starting in 2019 and continuing up to 2025 - if not beyond.
Some of the misinformation they spread was used to target former president Bill Clinton. Many of the lies and misinformation about Epstein's death that Trump and Fox News spread over the years, now appears to be pretty much the opposite of what truths the Epstein files suggest.
Charlie Kirk. It's worth noting that Charlie Kirk had second thoughts on Trump when the Trump Administration pivoted from propagating conspiracy theories about the Epstein files, to covering them up. This became abundantly clear last summer in the June / July 2025 time frame when Bondi's DOJ [including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino] tried to pass off old Epstein hash as the final word. All three of them had previously suggested Epstein conspiracies prior to their cover up of them. As you can see in the graphic headline, Trump bullied Kirk to back down.
Editor's Note. Please pay attention here, because the mass media misses the boat in understanding Donald Trump. Trump's psychological projection is a huge Trump behavior trait and pattern, as he invariably projects his negative traits and the bad things he does, onto others. It's a defense mechanism where Trump plays innocent, when too often he is guilty. As for Murdoch's Fox News, if you want to live in Murdoch's world, keep watching. But if you want to return to the real world, change channels, or better yet - turn off the TV and hop onto the web.
Of late, a number of staunch Trump supporters have shown some measure of reconsideration such as Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Laura Loomer and Marjorie Taylor Greene. But because they have propagated nonsense in the past, they're likely to do it in the future, so they may just be contemplating the post-Trump future.
I've been watching a candidate for the Texas Senate, James Talarico, for several months now. I agree with him, that Donald J. Trump is afraid of Texas flipping. The Democrats are floating viable candidates like him [and his opponent Jasmine Crockett], who not only make sense, but do so, while talking about religion and Christianity in a real and meaningful - not manipulative - way.
Talarico is the grandson of a preacher from Laredo, a former seminarian, and a current Texas state legislator who talks about his religion personally, while also supporting the ideals embedded in the U.S. Constitution.
Talarico doesn't talk about Christianity and religion in the same exploitative and manipulative manner as so many of the politicians in the Republican Party do. Trump and Johnson, both famously and manipulatively brandish the Bible in front of the American conservative electorate, as if the conservative electorate is comprised of ignorant natives, like those depicted in the Raiders of the Lost Ark, who bow down when archeologist Belloq, assumes the role of the native Shaman, by holding up the sacred golden head, to which the natives bow in fear [see graphic above or at right].
Trump and Johnson don't really seem to revere the Bible and its contents [nor those of the U.S. Constitution], as much as they seem to relish exploiting the symbolism of the Bible in order to use it one of their tools of mass manipulation, to further their own self-interested agendas.
This is not unlike what archeologist Belloq did, in the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie noted above. This is a practice not just used for years by Trump and Johson, but has also been widely used by Rupert Murdoch's staff of propagandists at Fox News.
Take a look and decide for yourself about Talarico. It's less than a 15 minute interview, of a rare, emerging personality on today's political landscape.
James Talarico on Stephen Colbert - not CBS
Donald J. Trump attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on February 7, 2026.
At the breakfast, arguably the world's greatest con man, Trump promised to protect Christians by stopping anti-Christian bias, protect prayer and religious expression within public schools, and protect faith based institutions in American society. So, what will / can Trump legally do that's actually different from the rights guaranteed all Americans in the First Amendment?
Probably not much. But it sure sounded good.
This is reminiscent of when Trump told his supporters he was anointed by God to win the presidency.
Does Trump really believe his followers and religious people are that gullible? Are Trump's followers and religious people really that gullible? You decide.
But, if they are, it's due in part to the billionaire TV News mass media manipulations of them by disinforming, misinforming, un-informing and distracting them. While this ignorance is partly the fault of the misled individuals, it is also partly the fault of us all, for allowing our societal standards and institutions to rot so significantly.
Now, ask yourself, how much air time did billionaire TV News dedicate to Trump's extortion and intimidation of our TV News media in the first half of 2025, or about the Trump voting rig preparations currently underway in Georgia, or about how NSA Director, Tulsi Gabbard, allegedly interfered with a whistleblower report involving Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and its possible link to what appears to be Trump's massive corruption and possible trading of America's top secrets to foreign nations.
And then ask yourself how much air time did TV News dedicate to covering the story about the P. Diddy Combs trial and Savannah Guthrie's missing mom?
Note that Savannah Guthrie's abduction is one of an estimated 350 - 400 people kidnapped in the U.S. annually, and about 100 - 350 who are abducted each year [these last two categories likely overlap]. Does this allocation of air time to a local crime story, Savannah's missing mother or a celebrity court trial involving P. Diddy Combs, represent an intelligent allocation of things upon which to focus America's public's attention? Or is it a scheme to distract the public's attention from the billionaire looting and takeover of the federal government, happening right underneath our very noses, right now?
You decide.
And you decide each and every time you either turn on the TV to get your news. Or each and every time you visit a social media or web news site, to keep yourself abreast of what's really going on in this country.
Keep in mind, that when you watch billionaire TV News, oftentimes you're not watching the real news. You're watching the billionaires' distractions from, and distortions of, the real news. You're watching cleverly manipulated perspectives of the world around you, with slickly crafted images, carefully scripted commentary and plenty of key factoid omissions. It's a customized version of reality, showing what the billionaires who control TV News, want their audiences to believe.
The choice is clear. It's Billionaire TV vs. the People's Web. It's Perception v. Reality. You decide.

February 14, 2025 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS GENERALLY STILL RELEVANT, BUT LAST UPDATED IN 2023.
NYC Weather. The temperature highs Friday, Saturday and Sunday will range from the high 40's to the low 50's, before rising on Monday into the high 50's. The temperature lows will fall to 30 on Friday, rising to 35 on Saturday, to 45 on Sunday, before descending into the high 30's on Monday. No precipitation is forecast. It's going to be a fairly windy weekend, with the winds at 20 mph Friday, falling to 5 - 10 mph on Saturday and Sunday, and then rising again to about 10 mph on Monday. The humidity will be 50% - 60% on Friday, falling to 40% - 50% on Saturday, rising to 50% - 70% on Sunday, before falling back to about 50% 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, which is highly unlikely this year since there hasn't been any measureable snow.
Presidents Day is a time to reflect on the performance of our current presidents and legislators, to see how they stack up versus their historical peers. And in that reflection it's worth asking ourselves what we've done to contribute or detract from the national conversation.
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.
February 10, 2025 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Restaurants / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
WORK IN PROGRESS.
Valentine's Day is less than three weeks away. Valentines Day is 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.
The photo at right shows the bar in the Staten Island Ferry station in the St. George neighborhood.
This report provides a selection of various romantic and casual restaurants in which to celebrate Valentines Day on Staten Island. We also highlight a few local restaurant closures.
All restaurants that have been asterisked have either been updated or added in 2024. Those restaurants without an asterisk are from 2023 or before, so watch the dates / year to be sure you're looking at 2024 specials.
Valentine's Day is on a Wednesday this year, so it may be fair game to make your VDay reservation on Valentine's Day or any day of the preceding weekend. Also, many restaurants have retained their outside dining capacity - so depending on the weather - NYC restaurants may have more capacity for Valentine's Day weekend than they did prior to the prepandemic.
It's worth reminding folks that there were a number of restaurant casualties during and following the pandemic, so it's best to do your research early. If you're thinking about doing something this Valentine's Day for dinner in or around Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh or South Beach neighborhoods; call or go online to make the reservations.
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.
Click here to read more about our round up of Valentine's Day restaurants on Staten Island - Valentine's Day SI NYC.
January 24, 2026 / U.S. National Issues / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
Does Donald Trump really expect us to believe that ICE is protecting us, when they are shooting and killing U.S. citizens?
Editor's Note. Please note that ICE agents do not appear to be as well trained, or as disciplined as other law enforcement personnel in the U.S. Furthermore, since Trump took office, it has been reported that ICE recruiting practices are failing to properly screen and background check their applicants, some or even many of whose backgrounds should raise red flags such as affiliations with white supremacist groups such as the KKK and Nazis. ICE reportedly puts these new recruits on the streets without full training by historical norms. And under Trump, ICE leadership appears to employ legally questionable practices in dealing with the public using questionable home search entry practices as well as spraying chemical agents in peaceful protesters faces. For details see this 6 minute video on CBC.
You're not likely to find this on TV News, whose news teams read the billionaires' teleprompter-fed narratives, while modeling the news distractions, instead of doing the hard work of investigatining, analyzing and presenting the real news.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7059189?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
LINK
All state and municipal governments should protect their citizens from ICE, who frequently resemble thugs in viral videos, by requiring no masks for any law enforcement without a court order, body cameras worn at all times, and must be turned on for any interactions with the public or targets, and published guidelines, on when beating, spraying and shooting to kill American citizens is permitted, as we saw ICE agents do to Alex Pretti in the video - click on graphic below or at right.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/minute-minute-timeline-fatal-shooting-alex-pretti-federal/story?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null&id=129547199
January 17, 2026 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz.
We're working diligently to finish up our year end cleaing and new year planning & preparations. We had hoped to complete this effort by now, but it's taken a bit longer because we want to do it right. And we're incorporating old and new capabilities which we either haven't used in a long while, or haven't used at all. So stay tuned, as we hope to make it worth your while.
So we're going to punt on putting together much for this weekend, other than provide what we'd done previously, as below. We hope to / expect to resume our normal publishing next weekend. Thanks for your understanding and have a nice weekend.
MidtownSouthCC.org sent us the following:
We need to show the judge the overwhelming support for the tenants’ and that public housing needs to be protected! Join us Wednesday, January 14, 2026 — 9AM at 71 Thomas Street. The city, @ebottcher, @essence.development & @relatedcos plan to plan to raze 24 public housing buildings and displace more than 3,000 tenants at Chelsea Addition & Fulton 11. Chelsea Addition is made entirely of senior tenants. This is a greedy land grab designed to benefit wealthy developers. They are lying to residents, trying to force them to accept their eviction from their homes. The city & big developers plan on adding 2450 luxury apartments where Chelsea NYCHA buildings would be demolished. Allowing this to happen would set a dangerous precedent for ALL NYCHA housing in New York City and increase the cost of living for ALL New Yorkers.
Following this meeting there's a Press Conference on the same day, Wednesday, January 14, 2025 — 2PM at Hudson Guild – 441 West 26th Street, Between 9th and 10th.
See a section we started and are still working on - Bloomberg and the Adams Administrations enabled Huge Public Land Grabs at Discount Prices to NYC Real Estate Oligarchs, as well as our Audience commentary in our OpEd section [use link from top tool bar under Politics & Government].
January 17, 2025 / Staten Island Neighborhoods NYC / Things To Do on Staten Island NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
NYC Weather as of 1.17.2025. Sunrise 7.16 am. Sunset 4.56 pm. We're getting 25 more minutes of sunlight than we were the weekend of the Winter solstice in late December.
This weekend we could get 1/10th inch of rain concentrated between 1 and 4 pm Saturday or none at all. And on Sunday there's an 80% - 90% chance we'll get two or more inches of snow between 1 pm and 9 pm. Monday is cloudy, but no precipitation is expected.
The temperature highs will be in the mid 40's Friday, the low 40's Saturday, falling to the mid 30's on Sunday and then to the mid teens on Monday. The temperature lows will be in the low 30's on Friday and Saturday, falling to the high teens on Sunday and dropping to about 10 on Monday. Most of next week will range from the high single digits up to 30 by next Friday, so enjoy the weekend, as it will be followed by a cold week. The winds will be 5 - 12 mph all weekend, at the lower end on Friday and Saturday, and at the higher end on Sunday and Monday. The humidity will rise from between 50% - 60% Friday, up to between 70% to 80% on Sunday, and again dropping to 50% to 60% on Monday.
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.
As Martin Luther King Day is a national holiday, it's worth keeping in mind that many / most federal offices will be closed, along with a number of businesses.
CLOSED UNTIL JANUARY 29, 2025 _ Monday, January 15, 2024 beginning at 12 noon, 1 pm & 2 pm - The Roots of Rhythm - at the Staten Island Children’s Museum in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center at 1000 Richmond Terrace on Staten Island. They describe the event as follows, " ... A guest artist from S’Cool Sounds will teach visitors about a variety of exciting percussion instruments and their geographic origins! Come learn to play different rhythms and interact using key musical elements such as dynamics, tone, call and response, unison, and improvisation ...". Free w/ admission.
CLOSED UNTIL JANUARY 29, 2025 _ The SI Children's Museum also offers a one day fun camp on MLK Day from 9 am - 4 pm. The Fun Day Camp is described as follows, " ... science experiments, art making, outdoor exploring, exhibit play and much more! We offer a light-hearted experience that appreciates and builds on the strengths of each camper. The camps are for ages 5 – 9 ...". Admission $85 / $70. Last day to register is January 11, 2024. https://www.sichildrensmuseum.org/day-camps-for-school-breaks/
√ Monday, January 20, 2025 from 1 to 3 pm - MLK Day of Service / Coastal Clean Up - meet at the north gate to Snug Harbor. They describe the event as follows, "... Volunteer with the Stewardship Team to protect coastal areas at Snug Harbor! Volunteers will help us remove debris from the coastline creating a healthier ecosystem ...". You must pre-register and children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. This is an NYC Parks Department and Snug Harbor Cultural Center collaboration. Free but rsvp required at - https://snug-harbor.org/event/mlk-day-of-service-coastal-cleanup/?instance_id=8039
√ Monday, January 20, 2025 from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm - 2nd Annual Black Leadership Brunch. A gathering of community leaders of African descent, including clergy, to break bread and discuss how to empower African American communities on Staten Island. At the Central Family Life Center at 59 Wright Street on Staten Island. Organized by Staten Island Black Heritage group. For details about the organizer see - https://siblackheritageday.com and for $52 brunch tickets see - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-mlk-day-leadership-brunch-tickets-785487603567?aff=oddtdtcreator
√ This weekend between January 18 - 20, 2025 - Make Your Own Day of Civic Action. . There are multiple opportunities to help with food distribution through non-profit panties throughout many neighborhoods on Staten Island. Here is one notable suggestion - https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/ny-staten_island
January 8, 2026 / National News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
Here's a link to an video by the Minneapolis Star & Tribune [on 1/11/26 added a second video link to the NYT coverage of the shooting which provides even more context] where they provide video of the incident and context. The videos allow you can see and judge for yourself whether the ICE agent's firing of two shots, killing the driver of the car, Renee Macklin Good, who was an American citizen and mother of three, was the use necessary lethal force. Or, whether it was an unjustified, cold blooded murder by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, a member of the Trump Administration, which they now appear to be covering up with the help of Fox and the other billionaire owned TV News outlets.
This was the first link we posted on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G-s0AFakl0o
This link is an update posted on Saturday, January 11, 2026, providing a more complete picture with multiple video angles by the NYT showing quite clearly that 'the president' and 'the vice president' and the ICE lady, Kristi Noem, mischaracterized or even lied about what happened.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html?smid=url-share
CLICK ON FOTO LINK to see shooting video.
It's worth mentioning that ICE agents have killed at least 9 people within the past year, including two American citizens. Additionally about 32 people died in ICE Detention Centers this past year. Since Trump took office Americans support of ICE has fallen from a favorability of +16% to -14% today, with 52% of Americans now disapproving of how the Trump / Noem ICE agency is doing its job. Some detractors are compariing ICE and their detention centers to the Nazis.
The ICE Officer, Jonathan Ross, who reportedly shot the Minneapolis mother, Renee Macklin Good, appears to have a history of not following proper law enforcement procedure when apprehending suspects or detainees, as Ross had an incident in June 2025, where he was significantly injured because he did not follow proper procedures when approaching a suspects vehicle.
Per law enforcement training, an officer is never supposed to reach inside of a vehicle, because it puts them at risk of injury. Furthermore an officer is not supposed to position themselves in front of a vehicle to block it, for the same reason. In June of 2025 Ross broke the window of the car of a suspect, and stuck his arm inside the window. The suspect, Juan Munoz-Guatemala, drove off, dragging Ross about 100 yards, which put Ross in the hospital.
In the Minneapolis incident, just a few days ago, the victim driver, Renee Macklin Good, is video recorded greeting the officer in a friendly manner. She's an American citizen with no police record, so she was not a suspect. She did not have any weapon and that was clear from the videos taken. Macklin Good was part of a neighborhood watch team peaceful protesting ICE agents trying to apprehend their neighbors. Her vehicle was partially - but not fully - obstructing the roadway, which was shown on the video, as one ICE vehicles in the caravan drove around Mackin Good's vehicle, literally a minute before the shooting. So it seems the use of lethal force, on an American citizen and mother of three, by Ross was completely unwarranted. But use the link above to click into the video so you can judge for yourself.
I believe in the axiom innocent until proven guilty. But I also believe that seeing is believing. And thus far nothing has come out to controvert what I've described above, except false narratives of what happened by the Trump Administration which - like Trump's lies about 'Stop the Steal' and January 6th Insurrection - appear to be aided, abetted and amplified by billionaire Rupert Muroch's Fox News' dishonest, deceitful, manipulative reporting.
Macklin Good's relatives may want to lawyer up and send Fox News and Rupert Murdoch cease and desist letters for what could be their defamatory and misleading coverage. Fox News seems to have a penchant for repeating lies, particularly when the falsehoods serve their owner's private agenda.
What has happened in Minneapolis and the Trump Administration and Fox News response to it, is nothing short of disgusting. Do these people - Murdoch, Trump and associates - have no humanity or decency?
According to a January 8, 2026 report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the leading local newspaper in Minneapolis, this is how Trump / Noem ICE described what happened which is contradicted by the video posted via the link above.
"... Federal officials described Ross [the ICE agent who shot Good the victim] as an “experienced” officer. Ross was injured in a dragging incident during a June operation in the Twin Cities ... The woman killed was identified by her mother as Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, 37 ... Minnesota leaders are calling on the federal government to allow state investigators to probe the fatal shooting, after the FBI took sole ownership of the probe ... “The FBI informed the [Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension] that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had reversed course: the investigation would now be led solely by the FBI,” said the state’s top investigative agency ...".
If what the Trump Administration said was true, then why have they forced local law enforcement out of 'the investigation'? Or is the Trump / Noem 'investigation' really a a Trump / Noem / ICE cover up like Trump / Bondi / DOJ did with the Epstein Files?
Trump is easily the most famous liar on planet Earth [look it up]. That's a fact. What he says is pretty close to meaningless and he talks a lot. And Billionaire TV News seems to try to not miss repeating even a word of it. The Washington Post said that Trump told over 30,000 lies, made misleading statements or spoke falsehoods in his first term as president. But in the second Trump Administration, Trump isn't the only liar. In fact I'm hard pressed to think of anyone in the Trump cabinet who is not a liar.
In 2025 alone, Kristi [shot her dog] Noem and ICE have reportedly made numerous false and misleading statements including: 1) lied to Congress [Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune & Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson have utterly failed the American people by not asserting the powers of the coequal branch of government over which they preside], 2) misrepresented arrest data, 3) per a court ruling lied and distorted facts, 4) defied at least one court order, and 5) allegedly smeared detainee(s).
George Orwell was an early 20th century journalist, who covered and wrote extensively about dictators and totalitarian regimes, describing how they grab power from the people who don't pay attention [aka not woke], and who don't assert their power and rights - before they lose them. Regarding situations such as the matter of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis, and the Trump / Murdoch Fox News response to it, he said this.
"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
What did he mean by this statement. He means that when Rupert Murdoch's [a modern day Joseph Goebbels] Fox News team of propagandists, and the Trump Administration team of mythomaniacs, are all lying in concert; and use the power of the federal government and mass media to manipulate the people's perceptions of something the people can witness with their own eyes - the American public has to make a choice.
The choice is whether to a) believe your own eyes and ears and do your own thinking, or b) ignore what you see, hear and think, and accept whatever Rupert Murdoch's Fox News and Donald Trump's Administration tell you. As Orwell says, it will be their final, most essential command, because if you quit relying on your own senses and mental faculties to make your own decisions, you will have completely given up your freedom and own self determination.
The 17th century, French philosopher, Renee Descartes, famously said, "I think, therefore I am." In the 21st century, I wouid like to add an Orwellian corollary to that, which is, "I don't think, therefore I am not.". The essence of this corollary is that if you let the state do your thinking for you, you no longer exist mentally, emotionally or spiritually. The most important part of your existence will have died. Up until she was shot by an ICE agent earlier this week, Renee Macklin Good, was very much alive, according to my Orwellian corollary. You can honor her, by not acceding to the lies and falsehoods spread by the Trump Administration and Murdoch's Fox News, while encouraging others to do the same by showing them the video noted above.
I watched following TV News programs in the wake of the ICE shooting, and here's my grading of each of them. Fox News gets a F- for trying to create their own false interpretation of what happened; NDTV gets an F for being one-sided and asking no insightful questions, NBC & CBS get solid grades like a B or B+ on their first day news shows. I missed watching ABC and the CW. Democracy Now also gets a solid B or B+. And the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper website gets an A to an A+ for great local coverage of the many facets of this important story, as does the NYT for their video coverage to which we provided a link above. Both are free as of this writing.
January 11, 2026 Update. In the half week following the killing, many subsequent broadcasts by the corporate TV networks generally failed to maintain a sense of balance and truth, because of their incessant repetition of the 'official lies' put out by the Trump Administration, without correcting them when they run short clips. Specifically Noem statements, where she claims the ICE agent was protecting himself and the people around him - which is clearly not the case if you watch the NYT video report [see link in first graphic at the beginning of this story]. And the billionaire TV News showed short, edited video clips which failed to show thewhole truth - as the NYT report, to which we linked to above.
Pay attention to this TV News degradation of accuracy and resort to superficiality, and help properly inform your family and friends by refering them to the NYT video report. This will clearly illustrate why Americans MUST shift their news consumption from billionaire controlled TV News to the web, where real journalism still lives.
January 1, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
I'll be the first to admit that the photos shown herein, aren't likely to win any awards. But I never take photographs or write reports to win awards. I take and write them to share with our readers what's going on in our fair city, as seen by one of their own - a fellow member of the plebeian citizenry of NYC. And I also report on things, with an eye toward posterity.
In the photo at right, Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji are shown walking out of City Hall and onto the steps of the political public stage on January 1, 2026. Mamdani was inaugurated privately, earlier in the day, by NYS Attorney General Letitia James. And he would be inaugurated again, cermoniously, by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, about an hour after this photo was taken.
As I was freezing my buns off in the bitter cold outside of City Hall, waiting for Mamdani to appear and give his speech, my thoughts matched the chilly bitterness of the season. The biting 20 mph+ wind gusts & the well below freezing temperatures, didn't thaw out my anger, as some long-winded speakers seemed to ignore the fact that this was Zohran's day - not theirs. And that those of us in attendance, had been waiting outside on the open streets of south Manhattan, with the biting winds coming in from the harbor, for hours.
Eventually my camera succumbed to the cold, as my battery, having been fully charged earlier this morning died. Thankfully, it was after I got a couple of photos of our new Mayor and his wife. I interpreted the battery dying, as god's invisible message, giving me permission to go home, before I froze to death.
In the photo above or at right you can see a number of well known, former and current, NYC and NYS government officials. Starting from the first row in the lower left corner, wearing a green coat is Governor Kathy Hochul, to her right is NYS Attorney General Letitia James, fashionably dressed in a camel-colored coat wearing a beret, to her right is U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in a dark coat and to her right are U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and his wife. Above and just right of Sanders is former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is standing to the right of former Mayor Adams [his head is buried underneath a newsie cap] and his friend, Tracey Collins. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, who did not endorse Mamdani, is on Adams' left.
I shambled to the subway station at City Hall, passing through the garrison of NYPD officers who were also enduring the piercing winds, and numbing and bone chilling cold. They seemed better dressed than I for the weather, as I'd not attended such a frigid, hours-long, outdoor event, since the January 5, 1985 NFL Playoff game between the NY Giants and Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Today, at City Hall in NYC, it was 27 degrees, with 14 - 16 mph wind gusts, and a wind chill temperature that ranged from 8 - 18 degrees. As I had no cap, and nothing to break the wind from coming through my jacket and jersey, my arms and legs started shivering continuously, before I decided to go home.
On the subway my fingers and toes began to thaw. At first there was some pain as the blood started circulating through them, bringing back the warmth they had recently lost. The same thawing began to come over me mentally, as I pondered my own life on the ride home, as I thought about our new Mayor.
One of the things that struck me is that as Zohran is an immigrant, who was born on the other side of the world in Uganda, in Africa; he doesn't just see himself in the context of us 8.5 million New Yorkers who live here, nor does he limit his view of us collectively to the 342 million Americans we are, but rather sees us as a plantery whole of 8.3 billion Earthlings, of which NYC represents 1/10th of 1% of the planet population.
What Mamdani had to say and some context for it follows.
January 1, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Holidays / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
For all of us, today starts the beginning of a new year. It's an opportunity to start anew. And even if we don't fulfill our highest expectations, moving the needle in the right direction, is always a good thing.
The rest of this report is about some of the things you can do personally to make 2026 a better year for you.
December 26. 2025 vs 12.29.24 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Events & Things To Do / Staten Island Restaurants NYC / Staten Buzz NYC.
Weather Forecast. NYE Sunrise in NYC - 7.20 am. NYE Sunset in NYC - 4.38 pm. The temperature highs will be in the mid 50's on Friday, dropping to the mid 40's for the rest of the three day holiday weekend including Monday. The temperature lows will be around 40 through Sunday, dropping into the low 30's on Monday. Humidity will be around 70% on Friday, descending into the 60's for the rest of the three day weekend. The winds will be about 8 to 10 mph on Friday & Saturday, dropping to about 5 to 7 mph on Sunday and Monday. No precipitation is in the forecast, although it will be cloudy all days except NYE Sunday. Have a safe and Happy New Year.
New Years Eve occurs on a Sunday 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.
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 Staten Island New Years Eve parties NYC - NYE parties & events on Staten Island.

December 26, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
NYC Weather. Sunrise 7.18 am. Sunset 4.35 pm. For the first time since June, the days are starting to get longer. We're up 2 minutes of sunlight versus last week.
Generally, the weather will be in the low 30's on Friday and Saturday, and then on Sunday it will start cold - in the 20's - and end at around 40 degrees. There's going to be precipitation Friday early evening starting around 5 / 6 pm and ending Saturday by about 9 am - leaving behind somewhere between 4 and 6 inches of snow. The rest of Saturday is dry, as is most of Sunday. On Sunday, around 6 pm it will start raining, which, along with the temperatures, will melt the snow. The rain will continue into Monday afternoon, dropping about a half inch of rain in total over the 20 hour period.
The photo at right, taken in Sunnyside Queens a couple of years ago, shows an example of the holiday home decorations one can find in the five boroughs of NYC.
This weekend use the links below to find holiday events, holiday markets and look for things to do over the New Years Eve weekend. We'll be updating the NYE pages over the weekend.
December 26, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC. Continued.
MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - See the Manhattan Member Events Calendar for free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. The new member sign up function has been fixed by providing this link - Manhattan Buzz New Member Sign Up.
MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS - See the Queens Member Events Calendar for free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups. The new member sign up function has been fixed by providing this link - Queens Buzz New Member Sign Up.
MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. See the Brooklyn Member Events Calendar for free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
CLICK this link to view this and other current & upcoming Bronx holiday markets & shops BX NYC.
MEMBER CALENDAR EVENTS. See the Bronx Member Events Calendar for free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
SI MEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR. See the Staten Island Events - Member Events for free posts made by arts, cultural and community groups.
Have a nice Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa holiday weekend.
December 23, 2025 / National News / TV News Fail / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
Somebody leaked a copy of the immigration segment planned for a 60 Minutes Show that the Ellisons' CBS censored through Bari Weiss, who is CBS's new Editor in Chief. I say censored, because they said they wouldn't air it until after obtaining a 'Trump Administration response' - or as we say in the business 'aka Trump Administration approval' - which effectively gives Trump the ability to censor it.
The photo above or at right was included in the effectively censored 60 Minutes segment about how Trump and Noem appear to be inhumanely managing ICE and immigrant deportations. According to the documentary, the inmates in the background are likely long term El Salvadoran criminals and inmates, not the immigrants deported from the U.S. by Noem.
This video is not likely to be available very long, so if interested you may want to watch it, before it's taken down.
https://www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-60-minutes-cecot-segment
The Ellisons already control an outsized share of American media, which can be used to manipulate the American public's perspective, which in this case is through the omission of important news. The Ellisons' current properties include Paramount / CBS, Tik Tok and they are in the process of making a hostile takeover attempt to acquire Warner Bros. Donald Trump reportedly has supported, possibly even tipped the scales in their favor, in the Paramount / CBS deal, as well as supporting their acquisition of a major share of Tik Tok, and now with tacit support of their Warner Bros hostile takeover.
The photo above or at right shows Larry Ellison and Rupert Murdoch of Fox News in the Oval Office shortly after Trump was inaugurated as president. Both billionaires supported Trump's bid for the presidency. In this photo, the only thing missing is that it doesn't explicitly show the two billionaires with their hands held out - as both appear to be waiting to be rewarded for their Trump campaign financial and media support - with government tax breaks for billionaires [done √ BBBill], and FCC rules waiver [√ done DeleteDeleteDelete] or changing of the laws in their favor [done √ Tik Tok ban law held in abeyance by multiple Executive Orders].
Use the following link to view a report that encapsulates what's really going on here.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-skydance-comcast-wbd/
And use this link to see what the future of TV News looks like. I think of it as a privately owned propaganda press. It's worth noting that Hitler and Goebbels took control of the media, before exerting complete control over Germany. The difference between then and now is that 1930's Germany didn't have the internet, which is where the non-billionaire news - the peoples' news aka the real news - lives on.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-media-titan-john-malone-big-tech-will-dominate-the-future-of-tv-134723149.html
The graphic above or at right shows how throughout most of the 20th century the American middle and lower classes gained share of wealth from the top 1% [the graph shows the top 1% losing share of wealth until about 1980]. Around 1980, Rupert Murdoch, an immigrant from Australia, was granted and allowed to control American TV outlets through a waiver of FCC Rules by the Reagan Administration. Murdoch continued to acquire more and more media assets, controlling more and more share of voice, and ultimately controlling more and more of the politicians' favor who needed his media manipulations to win elections. And in what appeared to be a quid pro quo, Murdoch received ample rewards including numerous waivers, tax breaks and deregulation, which helped him amass an empire, enabling him to make fools out of a significant number of Americans who trusted his manipulative media outlets, such as Fox News, the NY Post and the Wall St Journal. Murdoch's share of wealth grew significantly, while the share of wealth controlled by the people he fooled diminished significantly. Now, it seems, every billionaire is trying to do the same thing, which means Americans must migrate their news consumption to the web to learn the truth of who is who and what is what, or soon they and their heirs, will be reduced to peasantry, like so many people in China and Russia.
We're seeing this play out in a rerun performance by the Trump Administration which has no problem taking money from future generations of Americans in order to provide the richest people on the planet with tax breaks. That is the second huge wealth transference of TRILLIONS of dollars by Trump from everyone else to the uber wealthy. It's as if he's throwing his voters a bit of parade candy, in exchange for them allowing him to take out a full value mortgage on their homes. Fools.
Jefferson said, "if a nation expects to be ignorant and free ... it expects what never was and never will be."
The question that keeps coming to mind, as I witness events unfolding of actions by the Trump Administration, is how far the American People will go in letting the Administration degrade the rule of law and decency in our nation, before they stand up and assert their power to say - No, this is not decent and this is not right. Each generation of Americans defines who we are, and what this nation stands for, by virtue of what they do, what they let others do and what they do not do.
"A government for, by and of the People" can be transformed from a rallying cry into an empty slogan, but only if, We, The People, let that happen. Founding [grand]Father Ben Franklin, when asked what form of government the colonists had created, responded, "A republic, if you can keep it." A republic is defined as, "... a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives ... a group with a certain equality between its members."
In the photo above or at right you can see the inmates at the CECOR prison in El Salvador, which Human Rights Watch has reported is guilty in severe human rights violations, including systematic physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Human Rights Watchg has stated that the U.S. - and I assume by association, the people guilty of creating and implementing these inhumane deportation policies - are complicit in the torture and enforced disappearance of so many people.
That equality has been significantly eroded over the past few decades, starting with the Reagan Administration changes to media laws which had forbidden control by immigrants [now many large platforms like Fox News and X.com are controlled by immigrants] and had limited amount of media one person could control [Reagan / / Clinton / Bush changes allowed wealthy investors and corporations to acquire vast numbers of traditional broadcast and print outlets giving them outsized control and influence over what Americans see, hear and think].
The graphic above or at right shows a May 5, 1995 report in the NYT about how Rupert Murdoch won and the American people lost again - by ceding media control to fewer and fewer people, so that the broadcast TV media today is less a conversation of varying opinions, than the propagandist assault on the American public of the billionaire perspective on people, places and issues.
This consolidation allowed the billionaires to gain control over the electorate by manipulating what the electorate saw and didn't see, as well as by manipulating the electorates' attention to things by amplifying stories via sensationalism, and diminishing stories by distracting from them. What followed was a packing of the Supreme Court, and subsequent rulings by the court in favor of the billionaires, thus giving them even more power by allowing them to buy elections, as we saw most recently done by Elon Musk's $250 million [in essence] purchase of the votes needed in the key swing states in the 2024 presidential election.
Since Trump took office, after having appeared to fraudulently campaign as a champion of the working class, there's been a rout of the working class by virtue of the transference of trillions of dollars from the working class to the uber wealthy via tax breaks, to be paid for with loans taken out in our collective taxpayers' name. And then, to turn the knife in the wound - Trump-style - the oligarch's choices [Trump and the MAGA Republican Senators and Congressfolk] took away healthcare subsidies, student loan subsidies, attempted to take away SNAP food stamps, reduce or cut education investments, infrastructure investments, clean energy investments and the list goes on.
So, maintaining the republic is the collective responsibility of us all. Up until about 1980, this nation had been governed wisely and the people had chosen their representatives wisely. Since then the American people have been bamboozled by the billionaire press aka TV news, resulting in the incredible loss of wealth and power noted above [the lower classes have reportedly lost $80 TRILLION in wealth to the upper classes since 1980].
Karoline Leavitt is featured in the photo above or at right. Never in my life, have I seen someone at the White House podium, so shamelessly and unapologetically tell so many straight-faced lies or falsehoods to the American people. In this case, she is misrepresenting many of the immigrants the Administration is trying to deport.
So, what can you do? You can start by migrating some or most of your news consumption to the web where you can get a fuller perspective of people, places and events, than you can by watching billionaire TV news accident and crime videos, lengthy ad nauseum weather reports, and distraction laden celebrity news and celebrity court cases - from which you'll learn virtually nothing that's useful.
We're working on a section to help folks migrate their news consumption to the web by providing reliable sources for various types of news as well as a history of what has happened over the past 45 years. Both are in fairly rough shape and need more work, but that said, here it is.
Recommended reliable news sources on the web. And here's a link to our evolving series about how corrupt billionaire TV news has become - both need more work and updates which we'll get to in 2026.
If this report makes sense to you, do your civic duty to your country and share it.
November 18, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion.
Billionaire TV News is waiting at the Capitol to cover the House vote to open the Epstein files.
Like it actually matters.
If you have absolutely nothing else going on in your life, then stay glued to the TV News screen to find out how the House and Senate will vote on the issue.
But it doesn't matter and it won't make a difference, as Donald Trump is doing what he does best. Making fools on the American people and the rule of law, by deceiving them and finding loopholes in the law to exploit. Both skills that Donald J. Trump has been practicing all of his life.
December 15, 2025 / NYC Issues / NYC Business / Queens News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
With the exception of the headline and paragraph update below, the rest of this was posted before the NYS Gaming Commission vote noted above. This report represents an important back story about how TV news and NYC and NYS government officials failed their communities. It's also a report about what appears to be letting a predatory fox into the community chicken coop.
Update 12.15.25 Post Vote. The NYS casino licenses approved include Ballys in the Bronx, an expansion of Resorts World Casino in Queens, and Steve SAC Capital Cohen's Metropolitan Park at Flushing Meadows Corona Park [see story below].
Resumption of original report.
Today at 1 pm, the NYS Gaming Commission is expected to vote on the final approvals of NYS casino licenses in New York City. Bally's in the Bronx and Metropolitan Park licenses will be voted upon. The final vote, according to a Spectrum News report today, is to address the following, " ... The commission is expected to ratify the board's recommendation Monday after one final review of each applicant's ethical and financial qualifications before issuing the licenses ...".
In the photo above or at right you can see community members trying to make their voices heard in the Corona neighborhood in Queens. The protesters oppose the Metropolitan Park Casino planned which will, in essence takeover some of the parkland in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. But you won't hear about this on the corporate billionaire TV News Networks, because they appear to be protecting the interests of one of their own, by not reporting this to the community.
Nowhere in Spectrum New reports did I find any discussion of Steve Cohen's SAC Capital being involved in the largest insider trading scandal in modern history involving a hedge fund. Steve Cohen named the firm he founded, SAC Capital, after himself - Steve A. Cohen. The firm was fined $1.8 BILLION. Cohen himself was not found guilty in the courts, but journalists covering the story believed that he had fostered a 'culture of corruption'. Based on how the NY Mets ball club has conducted itself since Cohen took over - that description may also apply to them.
So, will the NYS Gaming Commission, make a mockery of the importance of ethical considerations, in the disposition of gaming licenses, by awarding Steve Cohen a license? Given how corrupt our municipal [Adams] and state governments [Cuomo √ | Hochul ?] appear to have functioned recently, I'll bet they don't give a damn. But we'll find out later today.
Here are a few related links. The third link will take you to a report by NY Magazine goes to the heart of the possible motivating forces behind the actions of campaign funded government officials, the fourth link is a very short video discussing how Steve Cohen appeared to dodge conviction in the courts, and the fifth link is to an earlier report on the back story we did on Steve SAC Capital Cohen's 'Black Edge'.
December 1, 2025 / NYC Business / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
The short story on Steve Cohen is that in 1992 he founded a company that operated a number of hedge funds. He was so proud of it, that he put his name on it - SAC Capital - which is short for Steve A. Cohen Capital. Fast forward less than 20 years to 2010 and the SEC is investigating SAC Capital associates for insider trading. Fast forward another three years and SAC Capital has paid $1.8 billion and has pleaded guilty to insider-trading charges. It's one of the biggest insider trading scandals in modern history and the largest involving a hedge fund.
For details on the Steven A. Cohen Capital Insider Trading case see -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.A.C._Capital_Advisors
Cohen himself never personally pleaded guilty, in part because it's difficult to prove scienter - which is a legal term for intent or knowledge of wrongdoing. But that said, the Steve A. Cohen Capital firm, was founded by and run by Cohen for 20 years. And one of Cohen's high school chums, Michael Steinberg, became one of SAC's most senior portfolio managers. Steinberg was cited by one of his analysts, Horvath, as essentially telling Horvath to seek out non-public information, that they could trade on, which in essence is insider trading.
And while the Steven A. Cohen Capital firm says they take compliance with regulations seriously, a report by American University Business Law Review notes that SAC refused to give them even one example of its refusal to hire someone because of compliance concerns. On the other hand, the Steven A. Cohen Capital firm did hire people, such as Richard S. Lee, who was known to be a risk, as he had just been fired by a Chicago firm for altering his holdings in their accounting system on his first day on the job. Even SAC Capital Legal had reportedly advised against hiring him. Lee eventually ended up as one of the firm's employees who was convicted.
For further details on Cohen's alleged malfeasance use the following links.
https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=aublr
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hedge-fund-manager-steven-cohen-settles-with-commodities-agency
Nov 14, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / NYC Politics / New York City News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
*** What Follows was posted Mid Week Ending 11.13.25
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / Staten Island Transit / Staten Island News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Staten Buzz NYC.
Beginning December 8, 2025 the NYC Ferry will beging operating a number of new interborough routes in NYC Harbor and along the East River and Hudson River. The new routes to and from Staten Island include one that lands in Sunset Park and another that lands at Battery Park City. For details see 1) the NYEDC announcement and 2) the NYC Ferry website.
New NYC Ferry Service to Staten Island to and from Brooklyn
https://edc.nyc/press-release/nycedc-announces-ferry-route-changes-system-growth-future-vision
NYC Ferry Service Service New Routes December 2025
https://www.ferry.nyc
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / Brooklyn Transit / Brooklyn News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Brooklyn BLVD NYC.
Beginning December 8, 2025 the NYC Ferry will beging operating a number of new interborough routes in NYC Harbor and along the East River and Hudson River. The new routes to and from Staten Island include one that lands in Sunset Park and another that lands at Battery Park City. For details see 1) the NYEDC announcement and 2) the NYC Ferry website.
New NYC Ferry Service to Staten Island to and from Brooklyn
https://edc.nyc/press-release/nycedc-announces-ferry-route-changes-system-growth-future-vision
NYC Ferry Service Service New Routes December 2025
https://www.ferry.nyc
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / Bronx Transit / Bronx News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Bronx Buzz NYC.
This week the NYC Ferry Service announced a few new routes, amongst which is a route from Throgs Neck and Soundview in the Bronx, making multiple stops along the East River in Manhattan, one at Sunset Park in Brooklyn, before terminating in the Rockaways in Queens. The changes go into effect on December 8, 2025.
New NYC Ferry Service Between Bronx and Queens Rockaways
https://gothamist.com/news/new-nyc-ferry-routes-bring-direct-boat-ride-between-brooklyn-and-staten-island
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / Queens Real Estate & Business / Queens News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Queens Buzz NYC.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 the New York City Council approved the One LIC Neighborhood Real Estate Development Plan. The plan will rezone 54 blocks in the neighborhood, to facilitate real estate developers efforts to erect new luxury housing, and 4,350 'affordable housing' units. In the past 'affordable housing' units in this neighborhood, were generally 'affordable' to folks making between $100,000 and $250,000. For details see -
NYC Council Approves One LIC Neighborhood Real Estate Development Plan
https://council.nyc.gov/press/2025/11/12/3008/
November 13, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / Manhattan Politics / Manhattan News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
The grandson of President John F. Kennedy announced his intention to run for the congressional seat of Jerry Nadler, who announced he would be retiring from congress at the end of 2026. Members of the first generation of Kennedys in American politics, were impressive. But since then, far less so.
That said, I generally try to keep an open mind, until such time as I have enough information, to begin to make a fair assessment resulting in the formulation of an opinion and point of view.
Kennedy Schlossberg to Run for Nadler's UWS Congressional Seat
https://people.com/caroline-kennedy-reveals-what-she-really-thinks-about-jack-schlossberg-offensive-social-media-posts-11847987
Jack Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg Makes Run for Nadler's Seat on UWS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Schlossberg
October 15, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC Billionaire TV News / NYC NYS Politics / New York City News / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025 House Speaker, Mike Johson, reconvened the U.S. House of Representatives after one of the longest periods of the House being out of session in modern American history. To many, the Speaker's decision to keep the House out of session was seen as a shirking of duty, and an abdication of the power of the branch of government that is most repesentational of the people, to the Executive branch of government.
In the bill, which reopens the federal government, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, reportedly allowed a provision in the bill to enable senators, who had their electronic communications devices inspected and / or monitored, to sue the federal government for $500,000 - per each device - for the inconvenience. The measure allows for retroactive lawsuits, dating back to the January 6th Insurrection - even if the government was acting with a court order.
One of the problems with the bill is that given it is retroactive, it essentially guarantees million to multi-million dollar payouts to the ten sitting senators probed during the January 6th Insurrection. They are: Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming; Dan Sullivan of Alaska; Tommy Tuberville of Alabama; Ron Johnson of Wisconsin; Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida.
Republican Senators Vote Themselves [Multi] Million Dollar Payouts by U.S. Taxpayers
https://rollcall.com/2025/11/12/senate-payouts-unnerve-some-in-house-gop-ahead-of-shutdown-vote/
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Staten Island News - Weekly Updates Important Information and Reports, You'll Scarcely Find on Billionaire TV News October 26, 2025 / Billionaire Press NYC B...
October 24, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Sunrise 7.17 am. Sunset 6.02 pm. Daylight Savings Time. We're getting 10 hours & 44 minutes of daylight or four hours and 22 minutes less of sunlight than we were getting the weekend of the Summer Solstice, on June 20, 2025. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of this year, providing 15 hours and 6 minutes of sunlight in NYC.
The photo above or at right, was taken Wednesday at the Spectrum News NY1 NYC Mayoral Debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, in Queens. From left to right are Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa. The debate was suprisingly spirited and interesting. We'll provide details over the weekend, or early next week.
NYC Specific Weather - This can be very Different than TV News TriState Weather. No rain all weekend, continuing an extremely dry Fall, and year in NYC & NYS, due to climate change. The temperature highs will be in the 60's all weekend and the temperature lows will be around 50 all weekend. The humidity will range from about 50% to 80% all weekend with the humidity highs peaking each morning around 8 or 9 am and the humidity lows bottoming out mid to late afternoon between 2 and 4 pm. The winds will range from 5 - 10 mph all weekend. Looks like a very nice Fall Weekend. Enjoy.
Saturday Early Morning Edition @ 3 am. Done with the Front Page Weekend Post of events and attendant pages. Weekly News Updates coming later in the weekend, so stay tuned.
New. Note the Changes Below. In late September we started adding a weekly new segment with multiple stories with links to deeper reports. Scroll down the page for some enhanced local news coverage and check out our local news section using the drop down button, on the main tool bar in the upper left corner under the header. This will continue evolving over time. Stay tuned and thanks for clicking in.

December 19, 2025 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Staten Island Holiday Events / Staten Island Things To Do / Staten Island Buzz NYC.
NOTE. We added an Update Log at the beginning of the listings, so it's easier for you to stay abreast of changes / updates / new additions.
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.
These holiday events on Staten Island are organized as follows:
1. BY NEIGHBORHOODS OF STATEN ISLAND
2. BY DATE - (not always as it depends on when the info comes in)
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.
4. Note STATEN ISLAND HOLIDAY MARKETS are published on a separate page - the links to which are posted at the bottom of this page, along with links to other boroughs.
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 SI NYC.
Dec 07, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Oct 31, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood

December 19, 2025 / Staten Island Neighborhoods / NYC Shopping / Staten Island Buzz NYC.
NOTE - NEW - UPDATE CHANGE LOG. We added an Update Log at the beginning of the listings, so it's easier for you to stay abreast of changes / updates / new additions.
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.
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 - (not always as it depends on when the info comes in)
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.
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.
Mar 17, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Mar 14, 2026 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Oct 16, 2024 at 12:15 am by mikewood

9.10.25 _ Queens News / News Analysis & Opinion _ Click here to learn a bit more through an interview by Erroll Louis on Spectrum TV on August 28, 2025, who interviewed an author / community activist and the President of the FEC Tenants Against Demolition about what's going on there - NYC Oligarchy - Stephen Ross, Related Companies, Essence, Eric Adams transferring huge amount of public wealth & NYC billionaire TV doesn't much report it. Also on the front page scroll down to the Landlord Tenant Harassment button to become familiar with the bigger picture. And click into the drop down OpEd section from the front page tool bar to learn more about the FEC Chelsea NYCHA land grab by Stephen Ross and Related Companies. Ross and Related Companies have been the beneficiaries of the transfer of acres upon acres of prime public NYC land all over NYC for what seem like fire sale / corruption prices.
Nov 14, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
September 21, 2025 / NYC Mayors Race / Staten Island Politics / Staten Island News NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Brooklyn BLVD NYC.
This section is dedicated to providing our audience with a weekly update of recent polls surrounding the NYC Mayoral Race, and select other NYC public positions to be decided in this upcoming election.
September 18, 2025 / New York City News / NYC Billionaire Press Billionaire TV News & Free Speech in America / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
All six TV Networks are controlled by billionaires [or folks whose wealth rounds up to billionaires or are members of billionaire families]. Increasingly they appear to be turning the TV networks into privately controlled propaganda machines. Too often they appear to resemble Rupert Murdoch's mistreatment of the truth in the news. This means they seem to omit key facts and even entire stories from view, while amplifying falsehoods and outright lies spoken by politicians and their teleprompter readers alike, which go uncorrected, leaving those who still trust Network TV News, ignorant and in the dark as to what's really going on in this country.
Colbert was cancelled by CBS and numerous seasoned journalists departed for journalistic integrity reasons. CBS appeared to be compromising their integrity, as Colbert is the top rated show in the time period. But Trump doesn't like Colbert, and CBS had a merger deal that needed to be approved by the Trump Justice Department and FCC, so poof, Colbert cancelled. CBS denies this reasoning, saying they have other [unannounced] plans.
Disney / ABC paid off Trump in a lawsuit many attorneys were sure they could have easily won. And this week Disney / ABC took the Jimmy Kimmel Show off the air for making an opinionated comment of which Trump didn't approve, on the Kirk assassination shooter. Kimmel had joked that the shooter was a MAGA Republican which he does not appear to be, although reportedly the rest of his family is.
The alleged shooter was reportedly in a relationship with someone working through gender identity issues, which is just one of the many important issues of our day, that billionaire TV News repeatedly fails to fully inform upon. This link will take you to the Metropolitan Museum website, of a past photo exhibit, wherein in the mid 1800's a French photographer documented a hermaphrodite, which is someone with both male and female genitalia. That's a fact, that I have NEVER seen raised nor discussed by the flunkies on TV News, who don't seem to be knowledgeable about the world around them, and definitely far too often, just simply do not do their basic homework on important issues.
And the sad thing is that this translates to an increasingly ignorant American public, as up until this year TV was the dominant news source. This year news on the web FINALLY passed TV News, and I am hoping that that trend will accelerate as more Americans start paying attention to how badly TV News fails them, daily.
If you decide to click this link you'll encounter what is likely a shocker to most folks [was to me the first time I saw it at the Metropolitan Museum exhibit in the late 1990's]. But the idea isn't to shock, but rather to instruct - Metropolitan Museum photo exhibit by Nadar of hermaphrodite.
7.7.25 Update / Opinion / Work in Progress
We've entered The Disinformation Age. Much of the mass media is controlled by billionaires, especially TV assets. They changed the FCC laws so they are no longer required to behave ethically, accurately and so the billionaire press does what it does best, pursues profits regardless of community collateral damage. They're only sharing information that they want you to know. They omit key facts they don't want you to know or even entirely ignore important stories that may embarass their billionaire friends. They try to manipulate viewers' perceptions in order to get them to vote for candidates representing the billionaires' interests, and provide open mics to the candidates their choice - not fact checked - even when these pols are making numerous false or misleading statements.
6.20.25 _ Currently Recommended News Sources to Help You Wean Yourself from Servile Dependence on Billioniare TV News. We currently favor The City, Politico, Axios, Vox, Wikipedia, the Gotham Gazette, Gothamist, City & State, Mother Jones, Wired, the browser Firefox curates a fair news offering, finance.yahoo.com is good for business news, and moderated social media outlets like BSky.app hace an intelligent audience that does a fair job of identifying key news reports, and use the search engines to look things up. Collectively these news sources should enable you to effectively do your civic duty to inform yourself about people and issues before voting. The NON-Billionaire TV News that we currently find reliable, includes left-leaning Democracy Now [on FNX & CUNY TV], PBS News Hour, and PBS Documentaries are also very informative. The Washington Post and New York Times are still fairly reliable, but not as implicitly so as in the past. Both the NYT and Wapo have undergone ownership / top management changes within the past six years. And the new management teams' values appear to differ from their predecessors, so pay attention to editorial changes / impacts. I no longer find any of the Network TV News outlets to be sufficiently informative. I doubt they ever were, but back in the day they used the newspaper reporting to help keep them informed, which today no longer cuts it. But that said, you can still pick up a few leads from TV News, which you can then use to more fully inform yourself, by doing further research on the internet. Also Vox & Axios. 6.20.25 Murdoch Iran War Monger.
December 6, 2024 / NYC Real Estate & Business / NYC Government & Politics / City of Yes Special Section / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
The City of Yes for Housing Opportunities bill passed yesterday afternoon / evening in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The City of Yes or NYC Municipal Legislative Bill - L.U. 181 & Res 689 - App. N 240290 ZRY (City of Yes Zoning for Housing Opportunity) amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, modifying multiple Sections to expand opportunities for housing within all zoning districts, Citywide. *
The photo snapshot at right shows the NYC Council voting on the City of Yes.
Voting For the City of Yes Members. Carlina Rivera District 2, Eric Bottcher District 3, Keith Powers District 4, Julie Menin District 5, Gale Brewer M District 6, Shaun Abreu District 7, Diana Ayala District 8, Yusef Salaam M District 9, Carmen De La Rosa M District 10, Kevin Riley Bx District 12, Pierina Ana Sanchez District 14, Oswald Feliz District 15, Althea Stevens District 16, Rafael Salamanca Bx District 17, Amanda Farias District 18, Francisco Moya Q District 21, Tiffany Caban Q District 22, Shekar Krishnan Q District 25, Julie Won Q District 26, Nantasha Williams Q District 27, Speaker Adrienne Adams Q District 28, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers Q District 31, Lincoln Restler District 33, Jennifer Gutierrez District 34, Crystal Hudson District 35, Chi Osse District 36, Sandy Nurse District 37, Alexa Aviles District 38, Shahana Hanif District 39, Rita Joseph District 40, Justin Brannan Bk District 47.
Pay attention to the delineation of NYC Council members by the boroughs noted above by letters. Speaker Adrienne Adams delivered enough Queens council member votes (7) in favor of the legislation, which had they voted as their Community Boards did, would have killed the City of Yes bill.
Did Adrienne Adams and these NYC Council members betray the people of Queens they were elected to represent? Well, if so, keep in mind they are up for re-election in June 2025. So please educate yourself, fact check the statements made herein by using the power of the internet, and then after you've done enough research to know what's true, start spreading the news and get behind people who will represent you, the voters, not the big money that funded their campaigns.
Voting in the Negative. Joann Ariola District 32, Chris Banks District 42, Joseph C. Borelli District 51, David Carr District 50, Eric Dinowitz District 11, James Gennaro District 24, Kamillah Hanks District 49, Robert Holden District 30, Linda Lee District 23, Farah N. Louis District 45, Kristy Marmorato District 13, Christopher Marte District 1, Diane Mealy District 41, Mercedes Narcisse District 46, Vickie Paladino District 19, Lynn Schulman District 29, Sandra Ung District 20, Inna Vernikov District 48, Kalmar Yeger District 44, Susan Zhuang District 43.
We will keep this roll call of the vote on our site indefinitely in the City of Yes Special Report Section, because you, the voters, can use it as one benchmark vote, that helps you understand who is representing you, and how they are representing you. This becomes particularly important as there is the Democratic Primary in June 24, 2025 and the general election is November 4, 2025. Almost all of the elections are decided in the June primary because 56% of NYC is Democratic and only 26% is Republican. The remaining 18% are independent.
* Editor's Note. The summary of the bill leaves out the part about the NYC Council members forfeiting their power, and because they represent us, they are forfeiting our power and legal rights to weigh in on new developments in our neighborhoods. The summary also leaves out the part where by rushed passage of the 1,388 bill, the real estate developers and international investors can harvest a huge amount of tax abatements for 'affordable housing' that would be 'affordable' to individuals making up to $141,000 and a family of three making up to $183,00 per year or making rental payments of $4575 per month. And the summary leaves out the part about the negotiated deal, wherein how Eric Adams is going to miraculously fund the $4 billion, that magically appeared just by Eric Adams promising it, after Eric Adams tried to cut $100 million from the budgets of public schools in January 2024 and cut $22 million from the budget for public libraries as recently as November 2023. Adams promise of $4 billion is just that, and only that - a promise - as it is NOT IN THE BUDGET. And we all know the value of a politician's promise, especially when it's made by someone like Eric Adams, who has a documented history of lying, and is managing a tight budget that doesn't have $4 billion of funding lying around. He's going to have to take that funding from other places like public schools, public libraries and the NYPD.
Feb 14, 2026 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Oct 20, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
Reposted September 11, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / Things to do NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
This is a video of one of the rehearsals for the Table of Silence performance this morning at Lincoln Center, commemorating the 19th anniversary of 911. They return to perform the Table of Silence at Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center on Thursday 9/11 at 8.10 am. Free. Or catch the live stream - https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/lincoln-center-presents/table-of-silence-project-911-259
Dec 25, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Feb 10, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Mar 10, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
May 09, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Apr 18, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
Please be advised that this series will be evolving slowly starting sometime in Q4 2025 and continuing thereafter. Thus far we've posted some of our historical coverage, but by far and away, the best is yet to come.
Oct 20, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
Mar 14, 2026 at 12:15 am by peterparker
Dec 19, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Dec 25, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Jan 19, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Feb 14, 2025 at 12:15 am by mikewood
Feb 28, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
Apr 18, 2025 at 12:15 am by peterparker
November 27, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / Thanksgiving Holidays in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.
A couple of years ago, I happened upon a childhood book of fables and fairytales that I had saved since I was a first grader. I was young enough to still like fairytales and old enough to be learning and loving to read.
The book, A Gateway to Storyland, by Platt & Munk Co, was given to me around the holidays, and the book still gives me a warm, loved feeling when I periodically open it to browse through the fairytales and fables containing little nuggets of age old wisdom about how to conduct onesself [see photo at right / the book is still in print]. I read it numerous times immediately upon receiving it, as the illustrations fed my imagination, and lessons embedded in the words resonated with timeless sagacity.
Love comes in many forms, but the purest form is unselfish love. The love of truly giving something with no thought of anything in return. That love is oftentimes given intergenerationally - from grandparents to parents to children.
Perhaps the greatest gifts are those that cost us nothing but our time. Like the gift of teaching someone something that they will be able to put to good use throughout their lives. Parents do this all the time, when they help their children develop skills, and impart some knowledge and learning ... just as my parents did many years ago, by giving me a well illustrated fairytale book to encourage my interest in reading, while sharing the time tested insights of the ages, handed down through storytelling.
At Thanksgiving time we commemorate 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. Think of it. It took about a month and a half to travel a distance we can now traverse in about five hours.
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 gratitude to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.
Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America ... or did it?

December 26, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
NYC Weather. Sunrise 7.18 am. Sunset 4.35 pm. For the first time since June, the days are starting to get longer. We're up 2 minutes of sunlight versus last week.
It looks to be a rainy weekend, on both Saturday [1/3 inch] and Sunday [over 3/4 inch]. There are bound to be plenty of times, during both days, when there's little rain falling; so be brave, and don't let a little water stop you from enjoying your precious time with family and friends.
The temperature highs will rise from about 30 on Thursday, to 34 on Friday, 44 on Saturday, and into the low 50's on Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from the mid teens on Thursday, to the high 20's on Friday, into the low 40's on Saturday and Sunday. The winds will range from 5 - 7 mph on Thursday and Friday, kicking up to 5 - 10 mph Saturday and then again up to 15 mph on Sunday. It's going to be a humid weekend ranging from 70% on Thursday up to 90% on Sunday. These temperature statistics are unusually high for this time of year versus historical norms.
The photo at right, taken in Sunnyside Queens a year ago this week, shows an example of the holiday home decorations one can find in the five boroughs of NYC.
This weekend use the links below to find holiday events, holiday markets and look for things to do over the New Years Eve weekend. We'll be updating the NYE pages over the weekend.
January 1, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Holidays / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
For all of us, today starts the beginning of a new year. It's an opportunity to start anew. And even if we don't fulfill our highest expectations, moving the needle in the right direction, is always a good thing.
The rest of this report is about some of the things you can do personally to make 2025 a better year for you.
Click Manhattan 4th of July fireworks best places to watch in NYC for Manhattan 4th of July fireworks viewing spots or click July 4th fireworks in NYC for NYC independence day fireworks in the 5 boros of NYC. Also see the Brooklyn fireworks at Fort Hamilton NYC and the Astoria Park Fireworks in Queens, both of which occur the week before the July 4th holiday.
October 23, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Real Estate & Business / Gotham Buzz NYC.
'Better hurry' to participate in this 'affordable housing' lottery for apartments in the Jasper at 49-20 5th Street in Long Island City, Queens. Studios are renting for the 'low, low price' of $2,900 per month and two bedroom apartments are a 'steal' at only $4,400 per month.
To qualify you 'only' need to be earning between $99,000 and $250,000 per year. These annual incomes, which are an eligibility requirement, are only 'slightly' higher [+50% to +291%] than the median NYC salary of $64,000 per year.
But don't worrry, if you miss this 'great' opportunity for 'affordable housing', because the real estate developers, real estate investors, billionaires, property owners and Mayor Adams, are pushing hard to get through the City of Yes Zoning Law changes, which will provide huge tax breaks to investors, billioinaires and real estate developers to make even more of this kind of 'affordable housing' available all over NYC.
Isn't that 'exciting'? It looks like more 'affordable housing' is finally on its way ...
See related stories below and in our City of Yes Special Report section on Gotham Buzz.
And you still have time to be heard by the NY City Council regarding your opinion of the City of Yes. Written Testimony is accepted for 72 hours after the hearing that was held Tuesday 10.22.24. Use this email address to send them your opinions - landusetestimony@council.nyc.gov. I believe the comment period expires at the close of business on Friday 10.25.24.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 from 6 am to 9 pm - Election / Voting - please do your civic duty and go vote. For details see - https://www.nycvotes.org.