“This budget, you will see, is for a new era that we’re entering into where we will focus on fiscal caution, that we will make sure that savings is even more a part of what we do going forward,” Mayor de Blasio said.

By Michael V. Cusenza
Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the $916 million in savings achieved in the Fiscal Year 2020 Executive Budget, even though the City spending plan increased by more than $3 billion over FY 2019.
“It’s a big number, but I think it’s worth it,” Hizzoner said Thursday of the $92.5 billion agenda. “We’re New Yorkers. We are people who demand a lot. This is literally the culture of this place and who we are, right? We’re a place that is intense and active all of the time and people want a lot—they want the best police force on earth, they want the best fire department, they want the best public health department. It’s a 24/7 city. There’s so much that we spend on that people here demand. And we’re a union town and we believe in the labor movement and we believe in giving people fair wages and benefits, and all of that adds up. I think it works, I really do. I mean, we look at the formula of New York City, it may have taken a while for us to, you know, pull it all together and get out of some of the lean years, but, right now, what’s going on in New York City is working. And it’s a heavy investment model, but it yields a lot of great results for every-day people.”
According to the mayor, the FY2020 budget: achieves $916 million in savings over FY19 and FY20, exceeding the City’s original target of $750 million in order to meet over $150 million in additional critical needs identified since February. Of the $916 million in savings, $629 million were achieved through the administration’s first ever Program to Eliminate the Gap, a mandatory savings program that includes agency budget cuts, programmatic cuts, and a hiring freeze.
“This budget, you will see, is for a new era that we’re entering into where we will focus on fiscal caution, that we will make sure that savings is even more a part of what we do going forward,” de Blasio said. “And there will be some investments, but they will be limited.”
The plan maintains funding for more than $300 million in cuts and unfunded mandates from the State’s Executive Budget related to vital services and recently enacted State legislation, de Blasio noted, while it covers additional critical needs to keep the City “in a strong fiscal standing” and makes strategic investments in programs that “build upon continued efforts to make New York City the fairest big city in America.”
The strategic investments include:
• Retrofitting City buildings to make them more energy efficient ($60 million).
• Ramping up for the 2020 Census to ensure a fair count of New York City residents, which will secure fair representation in Congress and the city’s fair share of federal funding ($22 million).
• Improving EMS response times by expanding the “Fly Car” program in the Bronx ($15 million).
• Baselining funding for Bridging the Gap to provide support for students in shelters ($12 million).
• Emergency repairs at NYCHA community centers to refurbish pipes, air conditioning and heating infrastructure ($6 million).
The City Council was not thrilled with the mayor’s executive spending plan.
“NYC spends too much and saves too little. @NYCMayorsOffice unveiled a $92.5B budget today.
@BilldeBlasio spends taxpayer money like a drunken sailor. @NYCCouncil really needs to be the adult in the room and offer some fiscal sanity before it’s too late!” Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) tweeted.
In a joint statement, the council indicated that it “is disappointed that Mayor de Blasio has failed to fund many significant citywide council priorities in the Fiscal 2020 Executive Budget, including many social service programs as well as $250 million in reserves. The reserves are necessary to protect the City in the event of an economic downturn and should not have been excluded in the Executive Budget. This is the fiscally responsible path for our city, and the council is once again demanding we prioritize reserves. And by not funding vital services, the de Blasio administration is engaging in the same ‘budget dance’ that it had once pledged to end. This is completely unfair to the nonprofits who run these programs and who are now unable to plan their future. This is unacceptable, and they deserve to be treated better than this.”

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz recently hosted a celebration of the 70^th Independence Day of the Republic of India. In her remarks at the Borough Hall bash, Katz said those of Indian heritage that live in Queens contribute to the diversity of the World’s Borough and have made it a more prosperous and welcoming place.

Posing with the borough president are Riva Ganguly Das, India’s Consul General in New York (Katz’s l.), Assemblyman David Weprin (rear r.), City Councilman Barry Grodenchik (rear, third from r.) and members of the City Correction Department’s Desi Society, which represents correction officers of South Asian heritage.

By Forum Staff

The Queens Library on Monday unveiled a plaque honoring a beloved member of the Forest Hills community and devoted patron of the North Forest Park branch.

Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott joined branch staff to pay tribute to Frank D. Esposito, who passed away in 2013, leaving a $50,000 bequest to the North Forest Park Library.

According to the Library, Esposito, who had lived in Forest Hills since 1969, served his country with distinction in Vietnam. When he returned from the war in 1971, he went to work for the City Board of Education as an electrician.

While he worked days, he went to the City College of New York at nights, and earned his college degree four years later. This enabled him to become a supervisor of mechanics, and at the end of his nearly 37-year career with the Board of Education, he was in charge of 300 people and served 1,100 schools all over the five boroughs.

“Mr. Esposito loved his library, and he loved the dedicated people at North Forest Park,” Walcott said. “This plaque represents the permanency of his engagement, and his contribution to the longevity of the library.”

“Frank really cared about people, more than himself,” said his wife, Lisa Wong-Esposito. “He felt like the staff at North Forest Park were part of his family, and he believed that education and knowledge are the greatest foundations in anyone’s life. What better place to give to than the library? I hope this gift encourages more people all over the city to give back to their local libraries.”

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz (back row, c.) helped mark National Caribbean-American Heritage Month by hosting a weekly costume design workshop in Borough Hall, where kids crafted their own costumes to wear during the Junior Carnival in September. The final session of the workshop, which was co-sponsored by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, Inc., was held July 9.

By Forum Staff

A Woodhaven poetry group on Monday honored the winners of its poetry contest at a celebration at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy.

All St. Thomas students in grades 2 through 8 were assigned to write a poem, according to Iron Horse Poetry, formerly Woodhaven Poetry Society, the competition’s sponsor. Their teachers then chose the best five from each class to be entered into Iron Horse’s contest. Four Iron Horse member poets then selected the winners.

“This joining together of student-poets and our poets contributes to a vibrant poetry community in Woodhaven. It teaches children that poetry is an important and worthwhile form of artistic expression,” said Christine Barbour, Woodhaven resident and founder of the Society. “We are grateful to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy for this opportunity, and to all the students who took the time to compose thoughtful poems.”

Barbour thanked Principal Joseph Carter and said she hopes to have Iron Horse sponsor the St. Thomas contest annually.

Here are the winners:

Honorable Mention

David Lizano (6th grade) for “Haiku”

Azaria Adams (7th grade) for (untitled poem)

Gilliane Raz (8th grade) for “A Kiss for Every Moment”

3rd Place

Gabriella Agosto (2nd grade) for “Sweet”

Giovanni Ramirez (5th grade) for “Evil Spring”

Brianna Martinez (6th grade) for “My Life”

2nd Place

Andrew Jadan (3rd grade) for “The Parrot”

Troy Watson (4th grade) for “Yellow”

Justin Lowtan (7th grade) for “My Family”

1st Place

Karen Paniagua (3rd grade) for “Flower”

Hannah Daisamont (5th grade) for “Spring Fever”

Yureidy Rodriguez (8th grade) for “Rose”

Iron Horse Poetry offers a two-hour free workshop every third Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. at the Avenue Diner at 91-06 Jamaica Ave. Barbour said the workshop provides respectful critiquing with peer reviews, encourages creative poetry writing, and offers monthly lesson plans that are used as prompts for the following month’s workshop. The organization is also in the process of collecting poems from the poets in the workshop which will be used in the publication of an Iron Horse Poetry Anthology to highlight its work over the past six years.

Barbour said she founded the group to provide a workshop and community for poets from the neighborhood and beyond. The recent renaming—a nod to the trains and public transportation network that connects the boroughs—reflects its aspiration to reach a wider audience and to raise its profile, Barbour added.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz last Friday met with students from St. Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Academy in Ozone Park before they took the stage for their school musical, “The Music Man.”  Katz told all the young actors to “break a leg,” and they did so with what the Beep called “a fabulous performance.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced plans for the portrait of anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman to be featured on the front of the new $20.

Tubman is set to replace U.S. President Andrew Jackson, whose image has been on the note since 1928.

In an open letter to the country, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that the reaction to his announcement that a newly redesigned $10 note would feature a woman “has been powerful.” The Forest Hills native added that the decision to put Tubman on the front of the new $20 was driven by the thousands of responses Treasury received following the June announcement.

“I have been particularly struck by the many comments and reactions from children for whom Harriet Tubman is not just a historical figure, but a role model for leadership and participation in our democracy,” Lew said. “You shared your thoughts about her life and her works and how they changed our nation and represented our most cherished values. Looking back on her life, Tubman once said, ‘I would fight for liberty so long as my strength lasted.’ And she did fight, for the freedom of slaves and for the right of women to vote. Her incredible story of courage and commitment to equality embodies the ideals of democracy that our nation celebrates, and we will continue to value her legacy by honoring her on our currency.”

The reverse of the new $20, which should be introduced into circulation by 2030, will continue to feature the White House as well as an image of Jackson, Lew noted.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Forum Staff

The Queens Symphony Orchestra on Sunday presented “A Tribute to David Katz,” a free concert at Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Concert Hall in Flushing to honor the memory of David Katz, the founder of Queens Symphony Orchestra and father of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

The event, which was produced in association with the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College, was planned by long time Queens Symphony board member Elsie Levy and directed by guest Maestro Elli Jaffe, the music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the honorary foreign conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

The show featured the world premiere of “… and it was evening and it was morning…” Opus 132, composed by two-time Pulitzer-nominated composer Avrohom Leichtling.

Additionally, the program included the electric Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola performed by Alexander Mishnaevski and Mark Peskanov; and Avi Albrecht, a former local celebrity baritone, who sang arias by Mozart, Rossini and Verdi, including selections from the opera “Rigoletto.” In addition to doing solo concerts all over the world, Albrecht has appeared with major symphony orchestras such as the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Borough President Katz sang “On My Own” from “Les Misérables” and “If I Were a Bell” from the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls.” She spoke about how she strives to carry on the positive legacies of both her father and her mother, Queens Council on the Arts founder Jeanne Dale Katz.

“My parents were such unwavering believers in the potential of this great borough we get to call home. Perhaps it’s because they both lived and breathed the international language: music and the arts,” Katz said. “They were both able to see that even with all of our borough’s trademark diversity, we still have that much more in common than we do different. Even back then, they too saw the evolving landscape of Queens and the foresight to see any challenges as opportunities. My father firmly believed that one should not have to cross a bridge or a tunnel to access a world class orchestra, the finest concerts and classical education. Thank you to the Queens Symphony Orchestra and Board member Elsie Levy for spearheading the effort to honor my father’s dream and legacy.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators last Friday introduced a bill to help facilitate the return of artwork stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust to their rightful owners or heirs.

The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, according to U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would ensure that American law encourages the resolution of claims on Nazi-confiscated art on the merits, in a fair and just manner.

Doing so is consistent with long-standing U.S. foreign policy, the elected officials noted, as demonstrated in the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the 2009 Terezin Declaration.

According to the text of the bill, the United States 18 years ago convened a conference with 44 nations in Washington, D.C., known as the Washington Conference, which produced Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. One of the principles is that “steps should be taken expeditiously to achieve a just and fair solution” to claims involving such art that has not been restituted if the owners or their heirs can be identified.

“Seventy-one years after the end of the Holocaust and Hitler’s terrifying regime, victims are still identifying possessions that have been missing all these years,” Schumer said. “When a family discovers a piece of art that was stolen by the Nazis, they deserve their day in court. This legislation helps provide these families their day in court, ensuring that the heirs of Holocaust victims are given the opportunity to bring their art back home.”

Cruz, who is campaigning for president, said that the bill also “reminds us that the need to protect our cultural history in our own time is as urgent as ever. Terrorist groups from the Taliban to ISIS, seeking nothing less than the destruction of Western civilization, long to walk in the footsteps of their genocidal, thieving forebears. The HEAR Act will make it clear that the United States takes a strong stand against the looting and trafficking of antiquities and other artifacts.”

The text of the HEAR Act states that it is estimated that the Nazis confiscated or otherwise misappropriated as many as 650,000 works of art throughout Europe as part of their genocidal campaign against the Jewish people and other persecuted groups. This has been described as the “greatest displacement of art in human history.”

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

On April 24, 1916, frustrated members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Citizen Army, proud natives seeking an end to British rule, launched an armed insurrection in Dublin, seizing critical locations like the General Post Office and proclaiming an independent Irish Republic.

It lasted for six days, until the stronger, better-equipped British Army forced an unconditional surrender on April 29, ending the grassroots siege and capping casualties at nearly 500.

This has become known as the Easter Rising, or Easter Rebellion, and its 100^th anniversary is being celebrated this year across the Emerald Isle and its adopted counties in the Empire State.

The Irish Studies Program at Queens College has organized a series of free events on Wednesday, April 20, to help mark the seminal occasion.

At 5:30 p.m., the exhibit “A Nation Rising: The 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Irish Rebellion,” opens and will be on view through June 20 in the Barham Rotunda Gallery (3rd floor) of the Benjamin Rosenthal Library on the school’s Flushing campus. Books, newspaper articles, maps, flags, letters, historical documents, poetry excerpts, song lyrics and other items related to the Rising will be on display.

Among the photos to be displayed are those that depict some of the women involved in the Rebellion, including Countess Constance Markievicz, Elizabeth O’Farrell and Dr. Kathleen Lynn.

The exhibition is curated by Eileen Colleran Sprague and Patricia McCloskey, with the assistance of Mary Glynn of the college’s Art Library, and Professor Matthew Greco and Linda Jackson of the Art Department.

And from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Room 230 (Library Auditorium), award-winning singer Kevin Westley will present a multimedia production on the Easter Rising and its aftermath. Westley, who broadcasts an Irish music program on Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m. from Hofstra University, will cover many historical aspects of the Rebellion, including the role of women who joined the fight. The audience will hear recordings of related songs, and Westley will also sing verses of the early Irish political ballad “The Foggy Dew,” which celebrates the heroism of the leaders of the Easter Rising, who were each executed for their roles. Westley is also scheduled to perform a dramatic reading of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

“The library exhibit represents the efforts of the Queens College Irish Studies Program to pay tribute to a pivotal time in the history of Ireland,” said Colleran Sprague.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Alan Krawitz

Ever since 1997, when tattoos were once again made legal in the city following a 36-year ban stemming from an outbreak of Hepatitis B, skin-art culture has been gaining momentum, acceptance and fans throughout the five boroughs and across the country.

That was evident this past weekend as Resorts World Casino New York City in South Ozone Park played host to the United Ink No Limits Tattoo Expo, which brought together top-rated artists, vendors and entertainers, and drew more than 8,000 attendees from Friday through Sunday.

“It’s such a great feeling to have so many talented artists from around the world in one location here in NY where I live,” said United Ink founder “Tattoo” Lou Rubino. “I travel the world to scout artists so that we can bring NY the best tattoo art from around the globe.”

And while the expo did in fact draw international artists, such as the highly touted Oleg Shepelenko, who hails from Russia, there were scores of local artists making their mark at the show.

Natalia Borgia, artist and owner of all-female Beaver Tattoo on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, said that the increasing popularity of tattoos with women is due, in part, to shows like United Ink.

“Also, because women can express themselves and there’s no longer any stigma that tattoos are only for bikers or gangsters,” said Borgia, who came to the United States from Poland nearly two decades ago. “You can now get a nice piece of art work, it’s no longer just skulls. Tats are just another thing that makes women pretty—makeup, hair, tattoos.”

Sarah Miller, a fan-favorite who runs Wyld Chyld Tattoo in Pittsburgh and is probably best known for her appearances on the “Ink Master” tattoo competition reality show on Spike TV, agreed that tattoos on women are becoming more the norm now than ever before.

“Tattoos in general are becoming more accepted and that’s evident by how many more women are getting them,” she said, adding that tattoos have become “very personal and very unique.”

Alex Heffron, a U.S. Navy veteran who traveled to Queens from Wilmington, Del., to get his tattoo last weekend, said he came to the show specifically to have St. MarQ, also known as the “Tattoo God” on “Ink Master,” work on him.

“I’m getting a tattoo of my meritorious service medal after 26 years in the Navy,” Heffron said. “Instead of putting this medal on the wall, I’m putting it on my leg.”

Heffron said he has about 18 total tattoos, including three by St. MarQ.

Emily Elegado, also known for her appearances on the “Ink Master,” said that she’s noticed that tattoos are becoming status symbols.

“It’s a luxury thing. If you’re doing really well, you might get a really nice tattoo instead of that nice car. It’s more an art form now,” said Elegado, who works as an artist at Foolish Pride 2 Tattoo in Clearwater, Fla. “Back in the day, tattoos were cheap, haggard, and only the scum of the earth got them; but now, their image has really changed, with lots more soccer moms, doctors and professionals getting inked.”

Jasmine Rodriguez, host of Spike TV’s “Tattoo Nightmares,” has made a career of fixing ink-related mistakes at her legendary spot, Champion Tattoo, in the Bronx.

“People come to us upset – some tattoos are poorly done, yet others are just connected to bad memories,” she said.

Rodriguez also noted that she’s personally witnessed the turnaround for tattoos.

“Tattooing used to be very underground, but now they’re very mainstream and lucrative,” she said. “Large-scale shows like United Ink have really helped to propel the industry.”

By Alan Krawitz

With this year’s Oscars in the rear-view mirror, the borough is once again preparing to spotlight its own cinematic talent as the annual Queens World Film Festival returns to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria and three other locations from March 15-20.

This year’s festival features 143 films including U.S. and world premieres, features, and shorts from 23 countries including Haiti, Nepal, Germany, England and Finland.

“The quality is exceptional this year; the ideas, the execution, everything works,” said Katha Cato, executive director of the festival, which is celebrating its sixth year.

Among the highly anticipated films is the world premiere of the documentary “Saving Jamaica Bay,” which chronicles the battle to save one of the city’s most iconic natural waterways.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress and environmentalist Susan Sarandon, the film was written and produced by borough native Dan Hendrick, also a champion of environmental causes who previously authored a book on the bay before piloting the project from concept to completion.

Hendrick recalled how the inspiration for the movie was spawned at a civic meeting during which an ill-conceived idea was discussed to pave over parts of Jamaica Bay to expand John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“I knew right then and there that I wanted to give a voice to this community,” he said. “And the best way forward was to tell local residents’ story, and honor their experience, on film.”

Asked about his participation in the festival, Hendrick said it is a privilege.

“There are so many talented and diverse filmmakers out there – some working on local issues like me, and others who are filming all over the world,” Hendrick said. “I’m honored to be among them.”

Similarly, Queens-based filmmaker Patrick Chen, who had success with his short film “Love Express” in 2014, said he was honored to have his most recent project, “Underneath the Grey,” selected at this year’s event.

“My experience with the festival has been wonderful,” Chen said. “Queens World Film Festival is one of the most diverse and respectable film festivals for all ages, nationalities, and beliefs.”

2016 QWFF highlights include a special outstanding filmmaker award for independent director Melvin Van Peebles, best known for his movie “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song‎,” which ushered in a new era of African-American cinema.

On the international front, Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, the writer/producer of the Australian LGBT entry “Life’s a Drag,” about being true to oneself and the bonds of friendship and family in a challenging world, called the festival “truly inspiring.”

“As filmmakers, we dream of an avenue for our films to find an audience that share our passion – and screening at Queens in the wonderful city of New York is a huge boon for us Aussies!” exclaimed McIntyre.

For Nisha Shrestha, a filmmaker and producer from Nepal, her film “Kamaro (A Slave)” details her struggle of being a single mom with two children and how life is full of uncertainties. The short narrative also touches on her country’s cultural stigma of slavery that persists to this day in some rural areas.

“My attendance at the festival might set an example for thousands of women living in our society to fight back for their rights,” Shrestha said.

Reflecting on the future of the Queens festival, Cato said, “The borough has a sophisticated, appreciative, film-loving audience and that’s key to helping the festival compete against other larger festivals, such as in TriBeCa and the Hamptons on Long Island.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit queensworldfilmfestival.com.

President Ivan Mrakovcic (l.) and the Richmond Hill Historical Society last Friday hosted Michael Perlman (r.) at the Leonard Center. The Forest Hills native, activist, and author signed copies of his latest tome, “Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park,” and regaled the audience with stories of Richmond Hill legends, including social reformer Jacob Riis, RHHS past President Nancy Cataldi, the Marx brothers, actor Jack Lord, Msgr. Thomas Hartman of the God Squad, and others.

The students from Christ the King’s Advanced Dance program volunteered to brighten the lives of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation, a facility located in Port Washington. The students performed a fifteen minute routine, following a salsa piece they taught the patients, who thoroughly enjoyed the show.

By Michael V. Cusenza

If you caught the Bernie Madoff telefilm last week on ABC, you might have noticed that two of the tainted tentacles of one of the most nefarious frauds in the history of recorded civilization called Queens home.

Frank DiPascali, 58, characterized as Madoff’s “right hand man” and the chief financial officer of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, grew up in Howard Beach next door to the Ponzi schemer’s trusted secretary, Annette Bongiorno.

DiPascali, who also attended borough academic institutions Archbishop Molloy High School and St. John’s University, reportedly was recruited by Bongiorno, 67, to work for Madoff. He started in 1975, and remained a loyal confidante of the Wall Street charlatan until the music stopped in 2009.

DiPascali entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney in August 2009, copping to 10 charges, including conspiracy, securities fraud, investment advisor fraud, falsifying books, mail fraud, wire fraud, perjury, international money laundering and income tax evasion.

He succumbed to lung cancer last year while awaiting sentencing.

Bongiorno was convicted in March 2014 of securities fraud, falsifying books and records, and conspiracy. In addition to a six-year prison term, Bongiorno was also ordered to forfeit more than $155 billion, including specific bank accounts and real estate, representing property traceable to Madoff’s massive contrivance.

According to the allegations in the superseding indictment, other court documents, and the evidence presented at trial, Bongiorno, an employee in the investment advisory business for 40 years, managed hundreds of investment advisory accounts purportedly having a cumulative balance of approximately $8.5 billion as of Nov. 30, 2008. Bongiorno also supervised employees who worked for the investment advisory business, and was for many years the head of the fraudulent investment business.

In 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Eugénie Bisulco

Joe. Java. Brain Juice. Whatever you call coffee, whether you like it sweet and creamy or black and strong, whether to sip and chat over, or down quickly in an effort to wake up, few among us don’t at least occasionally enjoy a nice brimming cup every now and again. Or two. Or three.

Starbucks first opened in Seattle in 1971, and by the mid-1990s it had become a household name, with a shop on every block. For a while the megabucks company had all but usurped the rising market on American cafés. But now, with our healthier attitude as a nation and our increased awareness of the importance of exercise and nutrition, the growing popularity of this healthily beneficial nectar has caused competition from all corners – from smaller, more unique coffee-vending establishments to bigger-name commercial enterprises such as Dunkin’ Donuts and even McDonald’s. Because of all the competing efforts, the coffee just keeps getting better and better. With obsession can come perfection.

McDonald’s, whose coffee used to taste like a cross between ashes and mud, now has a top-of-the line list of offerings, from lattés to iced and even frozen coffee. And at McDonald’s, every size (regular) coffee you can buy is the same price. Who would choose a “small?” we wonder.

Indeed, large and multiple coffees are becoming ubiquitous in our daily drinking habits as a society, and with good reason: a whole host of health benefits can be reaped from drinking the aromatic brown liquid in moderate to large doses: including lowered risk of cancer, reducing depression, links to lessened heart strain, and even protecting the liver from too much drinking of a distinctly different kind of liquid – alcohol.

The two most common coffee bean species are the Arabica and the Robusta. Originally from Central and South America, Arabica is grown across the globe and makes up over seventy percent of all the coffee produced in the world. (This percentage would likely be higher, were the trees not so susceptible to disease). Depending on where the beans are grown, you might taste great differences among Arabica coffees. Ethiopian Arabica, for example, is notoriously smooth, while Arabica grown in neighboring Kenya are known for a more bitter taste. Robusta beans, on the other hand, grown primarily in Asia, are more inherently bitter due to their lesser oil content. They contain 50 percent more caffeine than Arabica beans do and are more likely to be included in blended cheaper coffees as well as expensive espressos.

With the shift in American culture, we’ve begun competing with the entire rest of the world for coffee (bean) production and brewing techniques, whereas at one point, Italy, Cuba, and even places like Turkey and India could boast of far better coffee. Coffee trees like water, constant humidity, and warm climates, so they are most often successfully grown in South America, Africa, and Asia – though as any coffee lover will tell you, Hawaiian-grown beans would give any foreigners a run for their money.

Kona, Sumatra, or Colombian – whatever variety one prefers, taste will inevitably develop with experience. Fortunately for us all, the quality and diversity of available coffee is so great these days that that experience will surely be a heady one.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Adele, the wildly popular singer/songwriter whose latest release, “25,” is annihilating industry records, is set to play six September dates at Madison Square Garden as part of her North American tour.

Unsurprisingly, the roughly 120,000 tickets to the MSG gigs were gone mere minutes after the tour went live.

Ever wonder how that’s even possible?

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman did. And after a series of citizen complaints, he tasked his office with a wide-ranging investigation into the concert and sports ticket industry. The results were released last Friday.

“Obstructed View: What’s Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets,” details the middle-men and troubling industry practices that work to keep affordable tickets out of the hands of ordinary Empire State residents, Schneiderman said.

“Ticketing is a fixed game,” Schneiderman declared at press conference in Buffalo. “My office will continue to crack down on those who break our laws, prey on ordinary consumers, and deny New Yorkers affordable access to the concerts and sporting events they love. This investigation is just the beginning of our efforts to create a level playing field in the ticket industry.”

For the most popular concerts, “Obstructed View” found that many tickets are never made available to the general public in the first place. Rather, a majority of tickets for major entertainment events are either put “on hold” and reserved for a variety of industry insiders including the venues, artists or promoters, or reserved for “pre-sale” events and made available to non-public groups, such as those who carry particular credit cards.

On average, more than half of all tickets — 54 percent – are reserved for insiders. Those reserved tickets are split between insider holds (16 percent) and pre-sales (38 percent).

The probe also found that venues and sellers like Ticketmaster regularly tacked on fees that added more than 21 percent to the face-value of tickets, and in some extreme cases, added more than the face-value of the ticket.

Additionally, “Obstructed View” discovered that third-party brokers resell tickets on websites like StubHub and TicketsNow at average margins of 49 percent above face-value—sometimes more than 1,000 percent.

Some of the brokers are using illegal specialty software – called “ticket bots” — to quickly purchase as many desirable tickets as possible and resell them at a significant markup. For example, on Dec. 8, 2014, a single broker used a bot to purchase 1,012 tickets to a June 2015 U2 show at Madison Square Garden within the first 60 seconds of the sale.

“Obstructed View” confirms that hundreds of thousands of tickets are being acquired using illegal software.

“The revelation that the concert and sport ticket industry is unfair is nothing new,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), chairman of the Committee on Consumer Affairs & Protection, “however discovering how deep it goes is certainly unsettling.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio this week appointed Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin to serve in the same role in the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

Menin, who succeeds Cynthia Lopez, will head up an agency that supports a filmed entertainment industry that now contributes nearly $9 billion annually to the local economy, according to an independent study that details the growth and economic impact of the Big Apple’s media and entertainment industries.

The latest figure reflects an increase of $1.6 billion since 2011. The study credited the spike to film and TV production spending on items such as crew salaries, catering, location rentals, set construction, set decoration, costumes, and other needed supplies. This continued increase in spending creates a ripple effect through the city’s economy, creating more economic activity and jobs, indirectly supporting an additional 20,000 full-time equivalent jobs, according to the report.

Many popular television and Web series are filmed in Queens, which is home to Silvercup Studios in Long Island City and Kaufman Astoria Studios.

“Julie has shown time and again that she is a highly effective leader who has the skills and passion to get the job done for New Yorkers,” de Blasio said. “As DCA Commissioner, Julie saved everyday New Yorkers thousands of dollars, reduced fines on small businesses and spearheaded campaigns to uplift NYC’s residents in all five boroughs. I have the utmost confidence she will bring that same spark and commitment to MOME as it grows its reach in the media and entertainment community.”

De Blasio hailed Menin as “instrumental” in launching and leading many of his signature projects, including the Paid Sick Leave Law, the Small Business Relief Package to reduce fines on establishments, and the implementation of the Living Wage Executive Order.

With Menin’s appointment, de Blasio added, MOME will amplify its efforts to support and strengthen the City’s media and entertainment economy. In addition to film and television, Menin is set to lead the administration’s outreach to digital content and distribution companies, the advertising industry, and will broaden the office’s engagement with the Broadway and off-Broadway theater communities.

“Julie Menin is an outstanding choice to lead the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment,” said Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. “She appreciates our industry’s needs and communities’ priorities and will be a strong partner with the entire industry to produce more projects and create more jobs in New York.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Only in Queens.

That was the theme—the distinct, singular identity of the World’s Borough as a resource for the City—of Borough President Melinda Katz’s second State of Queens address delivered last Thursday at Queens College.

“For us, 2015 was a year filled with progress and movement: boosts in tourism as the number 1 destination in the United States; reforms and capital improvements at our treasured public libraries; ridding our schools of classroom trailers that are clearly past their lifespan; launching visionary initiatives in Jamaica; breaking ground in Hunters Point; post-[Superstorm] Sandy re-openings in the Rockaways; and, of course, bringing the World Series back to the World’s Borough,” Katz said inside Colden Auditorium.

And 2015 was the year of Queens as a destination: dubbed “NYC’s Coolest Borough” by Condé Nast Traveler; ranked number 1 on Lonely Planet’s “Best in the U.S.”; MSNMoney’s Top 15 “Hottest American Cities.”

“Over 12 million people visit Queens every year, and indeed, visitors from around the globe flocked to Queens in 2015, affirming the borough’s status as a top international destination, both of choice and, just as significantly, in its own right,” Katz noted before rattling off myriad “Only in Queens” items, including:

Only in Queens “will you find the most diverse place on this planet.”

Only in Queens “will you find the vibrant celebrations of heritage and culture that you won’t necessarily find along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, from the birthday procession for Lord Ganesha, to the Colombian Independence Day Parade, to the Ecuadorian Parade, to the Bolivian Parade, and the Festival de las Flores.”

Only in Queens “will you find the Queens International Night Market, modeled after the popular open-air night markets of Asia, which debuted here last year.”

The three-word phrase, Only in Queens, heralds the distinct character of the borough—a local identity with a global vision.

“…and we are the place to be,” Katz said. “Folks increasingly want to visit here, build here, spend their money here.”

That singular identity will have a palpable impact on the Big Apple and beyond.

“Because what is Only in Queens today, I believe, is the norm for the future of our country,” Katz said. “And we are creating an unbelievable template.”

Katz went on to cite John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports as the city’s “aviation gateways” that can be found Only in Queens.

“Thanks to the work of Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo’s Airport Advisory Panel, on which I have had the privilege of serving, there will be a comprehensive vision for redeveloping both airports for the 21st century,” she said. “We can’t plan for pre-dated technology. We must plan for infrastructure and technology of the future. It will require innovative thinking, but must also be a vision that takes into account the communities. Having a seat at the table for this historic undertaking has given me the ability to voice the hardships faced by the neighborhoods around both airports, and that includes noise, lack of parking, increased traffic and pollution. That is why the Panel included – in its recommendations for the LaGuardia re-design – an accessible cell phone lot, adequate parking capacity on airport grounds, and consolidation of rental car companies in and around the neighborhood into a single facility on the airport.”

Queens’ identity as a hub of growth depends on reliable mass transit, Katz noted, before trumpeting transportation projects such as the full reconstruction of the Jamaica Bus Depot; the signal modernization for the E, F, M and R lines along Queens Boulevard; the complete overhaul of 16 borough subway stations; and the renovation of the Long Island Rail Road stations at Hunters Point in Queens West and Murray Hill in Flushing.

“We also look forward to the Five-Borough Ferry Plan which will begin implementation in 2017. This will be done citywide in two phases. The ferry will stop in Hunters Point South, Long Island City, Astoria and yes…the Rockaways,” Katz beamed. “Just so you know, ALL of the ferry stops in Queens will be up and running in the first phase by 2017. This will be a great step forward in making transportation in the City of New York a first-rate system.”

Katz also recognized that meeting all of the challenges of the future won’t be easy. But, as she noted last Thursday, they never are.

“Just like getting rid of decades-old classroom trailers wasn’t easy. And getting 1,600 gallons of paint onto a towering steel structure under the scorching hot sun, wasn’t easy. And passing citywide policy to cut massive red-tape so survivors could rebuild wasn’t easy. And revitalizing whole neighborhoods into New York’s hottest markets wasn’t easy.”

Only in Queens.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio last Thursday presented the City’s Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2017, lauding the $82.1 billion plan as one that “recognizes a strong local economy,” maintains reserves “at unprecedented highs,” and makes “targeted investments.”

“This budget builds on the strong economic foundation we’ve created, reaffirming our commitment to responsible government that meets challenges head on,” de Blasio said. “We’re addressing the needs of New Yorkers through targeted investments in public safety, quality of life, vital social services, education, and more, while protecting the city against the many risks ahead.”

De Blasio touted the City’s local economy that added over 200,000 new jobs since January 2014, for a total of 4.2 million jobs; that development has been felt in Brooklyn (5.8 percent growth), Queens (3.9 percent), the Bronx (3.4 percent), and on Staten Island (2.9 percent growth).

“The economy is more diverse than ever; for example, 2014 saw a 10 percent growth in NYC’s tech sector. NYC’s population increased by over half a million people between 2000 and 2014, and the city saw an all-time high of 58.3 million visitors in 2015,” de Blasio said before noting that, even as the economy grows, many residents are still struggling, and major risks loom ahead.

De Blasio cited said risks as reasons boosting the City’s reserves to “unprecedented highs,” that are maintained in the Preliminary Budget, including: $1 billion each year in the General Reserve; $3.4 billion in the Retiree Health Benefit Trust; $500 million in the newly-created Capital Stabilization Reserve.

De Blasio also said that his two prior budgets have invested in priorities such as affordable housing units; full-day Pre-K; and moving nearly 2,000 additional NYPD officers onto the street.

The FY2017 Preliminary Budget builds on that foundation, de Blasio noted, through targeted investments, including:

$15 minimum wage for all City employees and contracted social service workers – impacting 50,000 New Yorkers – through $115 million when fully implemented.

An unprecedented effort to bring mental healthcare to the forefront through $62 million in FY17 for ThriveNYC, which includes the NYC Mental Health Corps and Mental Health First Aid training.

Continued investment in the Department of Correction’s 14-Point Anti-Violence Plan for Rikers Island ($41.3 million in FY17) and training, technology, and enhanced staffing ($58.3 million in FY17).

Expanded FDNY ambulance tours in Manhattan and Queens, and EMS pilot initiatives in the Bronx, to build on prior investments and improve response times, with $5.4 million in FY17.

A 30 percent increase in security in City parks, through 67 new Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers and 50 seasonal staff, with $5.3 million in FY17.

A continued expansion of Vision Zero and improved traffic flow and safety, through $128 million in capital (including $115 million for major improvements on school routes and key thoroughfares), $12.1 million in expense in FY17 for 327 new Traffic Enforcement Agents, $4.4 million in expense to maintain speed cameras and develop new street reconstruction projects, and $13 million for 100 new Select Bus Service cameras.

School overcrowding addressed with $868 million in the School Construction Authority’s Five Year Capital Plan. This will add 11,800 new seats (bringing the total for this plan to over 44,000 new seats).

Ending the AIDS Epidemic starting with $23 million a year in total funds in FY17 for prevention and health care to ultimately enable 200,000 people per year to receive services, as well as $44 million a year at full ramp up (starting with $26 million in FY17) for the City’s share of a commitment to HASA for All.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com