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Brooklyn Special Reports Series NYC
September 2024 / Brooklyn Special Report Series / Brooklyn Neighborhoods / Brooklyn BLVD NYC.
This section is dedicated to Special Reports related to Brooklyn and NYC.
Page Guide
How to Make the Most of This Section
These reports series aren't published in any particular order at present, as there are only about a half dozen of them at this time. The Special Report Series include the following: 1) CoVid Pandemic in NYC, 2) the Queens Library Controversy starring Melinda Katz and Scott Stringer with citing of Brooklyn, 3) Sunnyside Yard & Real Estate Development in Queens & Manhattan & the Bronx, 4) the Steinway Mansion & Piano Company in Queens & Manhattan, 5) Flushing Meadows Corona Park History & Real Estate Development in Queens & Brooklyn, 6) Rupert Murdoch of Fox News & the Rise of the 21st Century Propaganda Press in the USA & World, 7) TBD / COMING - the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and 8) TBD / COMING - Is The City of Yes a Zoning Mess?
The Brooklyn BLVD website provides visitors with current news and a history of what has happened in Brooklyn neighborhoods, generally based on events, issues, locales and sometimes personages. Use the BOOKMARK button at the top of your browser window, to facilitate your weekly visit to find out what's happening in Brooklyn.
Thanks for visiting and come back for our weekly & semi-weekly updates.
CLICK here to view our Brooklyn Special Reports Series NYC section.
City of Yes - Massive Zoning Changes in the Works
This is the first report we did on the City of Yes, Zoning Changes, Part II.
I. The City of Yes Voting Tonight in Sunnyside Queens
The Most Sweeping Zoning Law Changes in a Half Century are Underway.
Why is the Media MIA?
February 21, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Real Estate & Business / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
There's a vote tonight on the City of Yes zoning law changes beginning at 6 pm at 43-22 50th Street in Sunnyside Queens.
The City of Yes zoning law changes are the most sweeping changes to zoning laws in NYC in over a half century. I've not yet had a chance to thoroughly study them, but a cursory review indicates that one of the main tenets of the proposal is a significant rollback of local control in favor of real estate development. The Mayor's argument for this rollback is that it will enable developers to create more housing and enable more integration in neighborhoods.
COPY & PASTE this url into your browser to go to the website of Alicia Boyd of Brooklyn, who is a non-profit activist who's analyzed and been monitoring the 1,500 page City of Yes proposal - https://mtopp.org/index.php/2024/02/05/wake-up-do-you-know-whats-about-to-happen-to-your-new-york/
You'd think that such a major overhaul would be covered by the mainstream media. But they act unaware, just don't care, or they don't dare cover the issue because it doesn't generate the ratings that regurgitations of sensationalist accident and crime videos do.
We'll have more on this in the coming week, as a vote in the City Council is estimated by some to come as early as March.
II. Click here to read our second report on the City of Yes Zoning Overhaul. March 6, 2024.
III. Click here to read our third report on the City of Yes Zoning Changes. April 2, 2024.
Special Report Series
Russian Invasion of Ukraine War
https://www.gothambuzz.nyc/article/379/russian-ukrainian-war-report-series-march-onward-2022
Special Report Series
CoVid Pandemic in NYC
https://www.gothambuzz.nyc/section/7/Corona%20Virus%20NYS%20NYS%20SARS-CoV-2%20New%20York%20City%20NY
Flushing Meadows Corona Park History & Development
Exclusive Coverage Of Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Special Section Dedicated To Our Coverage Of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Stories about the history of Flushing Meadows Corona Park and stories of developers trying to develop it and privatize it.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Real Estate Development
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Real Estate Development - Section on Gotham Buzz.
We have more to add to this section on Queens Buzz & Gotham Buzz, most of which you should be able to find in the Real Estate section on either site or using the search function in the upper left corner on each site.
This is an ongoing story as of 4/11/24.
Sunnyside Yards History NYC: History of Trains & Railroad Yards in NYC & Real Estate Development
Real Estate Development: Sunnyside Yards History & NYC Railroad History - Special Report Series
There's Been Talk of Developing the Real Estate of Sunnyside Yards NYC
Updated March 2017 / NYC History & Neighborhoods / Sunnyside Yards & NYC Railroad History / Gotham Buzz NYC.
The following is a series of reports we have run and continue to evolve to provide background and context for the residents and voters of Sunnyside, Long Island City, Astoria, Queens, and perhaps NYC, to use to evaluate the respective pros and cons of public policy with regard to the future development of Sunnyside Yards.
The first report is a brief history of Sunnyside Yards, most of which we picked up in a book presentation by historian / author Dave Morrison at the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
The second report provides a summary overview of the development of Queens in the 19th and 20th centuries. Showing how the development of transportation affected real estate development in Queens.
The third report takes a deeper dive into the 20th century development, exploring the same line of thought with regard to the interwoven importance of transportation and real estate development.
The fourth report is expected in late April, which will show the 20th century history of development - the specifics of which will be arriving shortly.
- CLICK here to view the entire report selection of reports included in our Special Report Series on the Real Estate Development of Sunnyside Yard in Queens NYC.
Rupert Murdoch & the Rise of the Propaganda Press: Fox News Propaganda Machine NY Post Fake News
K. Rupert Murdoch & the Rise of the Propaganda Press
This Section is Dedicated to Preserving One Man One Vote Democracies by Exposing What Appears to be Murdoch's Life's Work in Propaganda
Updated December 26, 2017 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Brooklyn Blvd NYC.
In the Spring of 2016, while watching the Bernie Sanders campaign unfold, I noticed that the 'mainstream media' was showing what seemed to be tangible bias in favor of Hillary Clinton. This prompted my first story about the Bernie Sanders campaign & phenomenon, and made me aware of how the mainstream media appeared to treat him unfairly.
After the New York Primary, I noticed a relentless onslaught of attacks by Rupert Murdoch's NY Post on Mayor de Blasio. The attacks were based on allegations and innuendo, and sometimes included as many as five attack stories per day. Their relentless attacks based on allegations and innuendo outraged my sense of decency and fair play, so I began a study of the NY Post reporting bias which resulted in the second story of this series.
While doing the de Blasio / NY Post story, I couldn't help but notice a wide ranging pattern of what appeared to be a rampant abuse of First Amendment power by Keith Rupert Murdoch and his organization, including breaking laws, invading people's privacy, and bribing public officials. While these activities were uncovered in Britain, it's not a stretch to think that given the same man, Murdoch, is controlling the Newscorp & 21st Century Fox global media empire, that these same sorts of nefarious activities might be going on here as well. In fact, people responsible for management oversight of the tainted operations were subsequently given high ranking positions in this country.
As the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 2016 approached, I decided that the time period surrounding the political party conventions, up through the general election in November, would provide me with a good case study period to evaluate whether and how Murdoch's Fox News, NY Post and other assorted media properties, including the Wall Street Journal and the National Geographic, might be used as propaganda outlets.
In doing the context research, I found America's and Britain's media laws had been rewritten and loosened over time. In numerous cases I noticed that Keith Rupert Murdoch, all too often appeared to be in close proximity to the politicians changing those laws - almost always having supported them with his media properties - and at least in one case - even making personally direct donations to their campaigns.
I dug a bit further and found that there are few 'real' media laws of the books in Australia, where Murdoch is no longer a citizen. In spite of his status as a foreigner he reportedly owns 64% of that nation's daily newspapers and has a controlling interest in the nation's satellite TV system. I did some cursory research and it's not a stretch to think that Murdoch may have gotten his start influencing the re-writing of a nation's media laws there.
I also found what appeared to be a striking pattern of Murdoch manipulations and moves that seemed to come straight out of the political and propaganda playbook written by two of the earliest, most successful, and most evil practitioners of modern mass market propaganda - Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels.
Hitler and Goebbels came to my attention because I found that I really could not even begin to understand modern propagandist techniques without studying Hitler and Goebbels in Germany in the 1930's. Hitler's skillful use of propaganda appears to have hastened his ascent to power, and enabled him to keep his grip on it. These two men are the fathers of modern propaganda, and it appears that Keith Rupert Murdoch has adopted and updated their propagandist techniques to serve his own interests.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. So please read on.
Click here to view our report about the state of media coverage of the 2016 election.
Or click here to continue on with this story about Keith Rupert Murdoch & the rise of the propaganda press / media madness/ corrupt Fox News / NY Post.
Queens Library Corruption Scandal: Starring Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer & Queens President Melinda Katz?
Queens Library: Controversy & Takeover
Queens Boro President Katz's Controversial Queens Library 'Reform Bill' & NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer's Lawsuit Against the Award Winning Queens Library Resulted in Taxpayers Paying Million$? for What?
This section is dedicated to an important and evolving story happening within the borough of Queens regarding a change to the governance of the Queens Public Library system. Government officials with the help of the NY Daily News appeared to wrest away control of the library from the quasi-independent board of trustees set up by Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century. Andrew Carnegie donated the funds to build public libraries in New York City and throughout the U.S. and the independent board structure was meant to keep the libraries independent of government control.
The graphic at right was created by Sunnyside artist and jazz drummer Paul Maringelli.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer in tandem with the NY Daily News relentlessly attacked the award winning Queens Library President Thomas Galante and the Queens Library Board using allegations and innuendo in what appeared to be a publicity hanging. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz then pushed through legislation changing the Queens Library charter, which wrested control away from the independent board, and gave it to her and the Mayor. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law with the near unanimous vote from both NYS legislative bodies.
It appears it was a power grab by Katz with Stringer's help, as the allegations did not result in any court actions and the Queens Library subsequently suffered a multi-million dollar lawsuit loss [we heard but could not confirm that it cost $7 million] regarding the Queens Library President's termination [settled out of court - probably so it wouldn't be scrutinized by the public or the press]. Most of the other local press was guilty of following the NY Daily News narrative which appeared to be guided by the then Publisher, billionaire and real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman. We carved out our own narrative as what the NY Daily News was reporting didn't seem to be supported by what we knew about the Queens Library and its award winning president.
Click here to read our coverage of the Queens Library corruption scandal starring NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz & Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News or click here for Queens Public Library program and other announcements at the Queens Public Library website.
Queens Library 'Scandal' - Where was the Beef?
Galante Seeks to Clear his Name as well as the Reputations of the Queens Library & Former Sacked Trustees
How Did Katz's, Stringer's & NY Daily News' Full Year of Accusations & Innuendo Fall So Far Short in Court?
September 6, 2016 / Queens Neighborhoods / Queens Politics & Media / News Analysis & Opinion / Queens Buzz.
Throughout 2014, we witnessed Billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz publicly attack President Thomas Galante and the Board of Trustees of the Queens Library. They appeared to individually and collectively insinuate that there was unforgivable malfeasance going on at the Queens Library.
In late January of 2014, only a day after Juan Gonzales published an EXCLUSIVE muckraking story about the Queens Library President's renovations to his office, in Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer announced an audit of the Queens Library.
Juan Gonzales included in the story what I believe was leaked CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION of the Queens Library, such as the Queens Library President's salary and other confidential employment agreements. Former trustee(s) told me they believed that this information was leaked by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's ex-Officio Board of Trustees representative on the board, in violation of their fiduciary obligation to the Queens Library [to date this is an unproven allegation].
Katz, Stringer & Zuckerman's NY Daily News Accusations - Appear to Damage Queens Library Reputation - with a Year Long Barrage of, as yet Unproven, Allegations
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News then regaled us for the rest of the year [2014] with all kinds of incredible detail about alleged wrongdoing at 
the Queens Library. Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News published several editorials during the course of the year rousing Queens residents into a frenzy against Galante and the Queens Library trustees, while encouraging these two politicians / government officials to unleash their fury against the Queens Library President and Board of Trustees.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz obliged by initiating legislation to change a state covenant with the library drafted by Andrew Carnegie over a century ago. Andrew Carnegie founded the library as part of his great philanthropic works. And NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer filed a lawsuit seeking complete access to the records of the private non-profit segment of the library, because he must not have found what he was looking for in the public portion representing 85% of the organizational budget. They appear to have done such a good job of damaging the reputation of the Queens Library, that in the following year [2015/ 2016] donations to the non-profit library fell by almost 40% or nearly $2 million.
Did NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer Break the Law & Slander Thomas Galante & the Former Queens Library Trustees?
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer made a number of harsh statements during the course of the audit of the Queens Library alleging lies and theft. In a May 22, 2014 story published by the Queens Tribune, Stringer said,
"For them [Queens Library Board of Trustees] to mislead the public and tell the public that they are, in fact, cooperating, is nothing more than a bold-faced lie.”
In a July 8, 2015 story published in Newsday, Stringer charged Queens Library executives with using public funds as their
"personal piggy bank" ...
And later in the same story NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer says,
"As they were scaling back access to books, the Internet and vital programs and services, they were lining their own pockets."
These statements, if untrue, might constitute slander, particularly given the fact that many of the people NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer attacked are private citizens - not public officials like himself.
The title of his final audit report seems to negate his previously made assertions, as the title of the final NYC Comptroller's report is,
"REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER’S INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE MISCONDUCT REVEALED BY THE AUDIT OF THE QUEENS BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY"
The operative word is possible and this is after likely one of the most intense, year and a half long audits, of any library in the city, ever.
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer referred his findings to the IRS and other legal entities for follow up. This is following an investigation by the FBI, the NYC Department of Investigations, Scott Stringer's own office of the NYC Comptroller, and following the initiation of legislation by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz to change a 118 year old covenant between the Queens Library and the State of New York.
Lots of Smoke, but Still No Fire
As of this writing, nearly three years later, the allegations of wrongdoing by Thomas Galante have been all smoke and no fire.
So far, we've still heard nothing more than allegations and innuendo and possibly libelous and slanderous accusations by public officials and a billionaire NYC real estate developer's paper.
Under Galante the Queens Library was a Top Rated Library in the Nation with an Unblemished Financial Record
Each of the accusers rarely, if ever, mentioned that the Queens Library was considered by its peers to be one of the finest libraries in the nation. That the Queens Library had won national awards which confirmed the library's national standing. And the accusers never mentioned that in all the years that Thomas Galante had been President of the jeweled Queens Library, that it had been run fiscally responsibly with a balanced budget and never a hint of scandal ... until they came along, in their newly elected positions, ALLEGING one.
The accusers accounts did not jibe with what I personally knew about the Queens Library, so I set about drafting an alternative narrative to what appeared to be biased accounts provided by Juan Gonzales and other writers of Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News.
Court Rules Against Accusers Katz & Stringer - but You'd Never Know it by Reading Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News
On August 31, 2016, in the ruling of United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross, Thomas Galante got a first taste of what seemed to be a fair hearing. Judge Ross' ruling requires the Queens Library to pay Thomas 
Galante's legal fees to defend himself against accusations by the Queens Library regarding his stewardship of the non-profit.
The newly reconstituted Queens Library Board of Trustees had filed a suit against Galante after he had filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the library. One might interpret this as an intimidation tactic by the newly reconstituted Queens Library, as legal fees are very expensive and it will cost Galante hundreds of thousands (if not more) to enforce his rights. Galante will have to reimburse the Queens Library if the Queens Library's assertions against him hold up in court.
I wonder if the current members of the Queens Library Board of Trustees have to meet the same standard, in order to have the library pay for their legal fees.
It's worth mentioning that Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News took the lead in most or all of the stories to date about the Queens Library - crafting the storyline narrative about Queens Library 'corruption'. And yet, when I did a search for award-winning journalist Juan Gonzales' & Mortimer Zuckerman's NY Daily News follow on story announcing Thomas Galante's recent court victory against Katz's & Stringer's Queens Library - there was none to be found. This sort of information omission / biased reporting by one of NYC's three daily newspapers is more akin to self-serving propaganda than American journalism.
If Galante Succeeds He Will Clear Not Only His Own Name, but also the Queens Library's & its Former Trustees'
If Galante succeeds in clearing his own name, he will also succeed in restoring the stellar reputation of the Queens Library and the reputations of the former trustees sacked by current Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
Did the Queens Library Reform Act Enable Pols to Morph the Queens Library into a Political Patronage Parking Lot?
It's also worth mentioning that a couple of years ago interested observers expressed concern that the Queens Library would be morphed into a Political Patronage Parking Palace for under-employed or unemployed party apparatchiks. It's been just over two years since Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Katz-inspired legislation, entitled the Queens Library Reform Act, and it appears that this may already be happening.
Earlier this year, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's newly reconstituted Board of Trustees appointed former NYC Schools Chancellor, Dennis Walcott, as the Queens Library President. Based on my research into Dennis Walcott's background, it appears that he has no formal higher education in library science, nor does he have any professional experience in it.
Quelle suprise.
Click here to view our complete coverage of the Queens Library 'corruption & scandals' accusing Thomas Galante of wrongdoing.
Steinway Section: Steinway & Sons Piano Company Factory History NYC
Steinway & Sons Piano Company History & Legacy
Exclusive Coverage Of The Steinways, Factory, Mansion, History & Legacy
Special Section Dedicated To Our Coverage Of The Steinway Mansion In Astoria.
Exclusive Coverage Of The Steinway Mansion Sale
Updated April 2017 / March 8, 2014 / NYC Neighborhoods & History NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Queens Buzz didn't expect to become so engrossed in one issue so soon in its development. But the sale of the Steinway Mansion represents the preservation of perhaps the most important remaining remnant of 19th century Queens, and is attached to the legacy of a family that was influential in shaping the borough of Queens.
The more we dig, the more we find, so stay tuned as this section will likely double in size sometime in 2011. And in following the stories we write, you'll obtain greater insight into Queens history, the Steinway & Sons legacy and the emergence of the borough of Queens to become the largest borough in New York City. These stories are presented chronologically, starting with the most recent posting.
- CLICK here to read the rest of our Special Report Series on the Steinway Mansion and the Steinway & Sons Piano Company.
COMING LATER THIS YEAR -
DONALD TRUMP & THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY -
Stay Tuned.
Brooklyn BLVD Special Reports Series NYC
Brooklyn Special Reports Series NYC
September 2024 / Brooklyn Special Report Series / Brooklyn Neighborhoods / Brooklyn BLVD NYC.
This section is dedicated to Special Reports related to Brooklyn and NYC.
How to Make the Most of This Section
The reports at the top of the page will reflect the most recent - OR MOST RELEVANT - which sometimes are reports we did a while ago, that continue to have particular relevance / resonance for the current period. Below that are archived reports which we will rotate, again based on their relevancy. Please be patient as it may take a while for us to get this working the way we want. But be assured, we'll do our best to eventually get there.
CLICK here to view our Brooklyn Special Reports Series NYC section.
