Sandy Penny

Sandy Penny of Whitestone was our Tribune Model of Queens  on August 16, 2001. Now she's Miss October in the "Women of Soccer" calendar available online at: www.womenofsoccer.com.

'Satchmo'

There may have been more than one reason why quintessential Queensite Louie Armstrong thought to himself, “What A Wonderful World.”

According to an ABC News story, tapes of “Satchmo” archived at Queens College feature the legendary trumpeter talking about one of his favorite daily habits – tooting on marijuana cigarettes.

Armstrong said marijuana, which he called “gage,” was preferable to alcohol, because it promoted “better thoughts” and brought “warmth” from people.

The Armstrong tapes were recorded nightly from the late 1940s until his death in 1971.

“Satchmo” dictated his private thoughts and conversations into a tape recorder.

According to archivists, he recorded more than 650 reels and decorated the tape boxes with his own collages.

A QConf 'KISS'

Gene Simmons of the rock group Kiss has confirmed last week’s QConfidential story about the band performing their final concert in Queens.

While signing copies of his new autobiography Kiss and Makeup at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square Jordan Goldes, KISS fan and press secretary to Congressman Gary Ackerman,asked him about the story.

Simmons said Kiss will perform their final show at Flushing’s Shea Stadium. No date has been set though and they may tour Europe first. He also confirmed that he lived in Flushing and Bayside and graduated from Newtown High School before moving into his Beverly Hills mansion. He said he was born in Israel and emigrated to New York during his early childhood years.

In response to other questions, the rock star plugged his book (above), now on the New York Times bestseller list.

Listen Both Ways Before You Cross

Blind and sight-impaired residents of Queens have traditionally been forced to rely on walking sticks, seeing-eye dogs and the kindness of strangers to be able to cross busy streets. That is not the case any longer.

The NYC Department of Transportation has installed hundreds of Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) throughout Queens.

The audible signals, from little white boxes placed above electronic crossing signs at busy intersections, emit a  beeping noise while the crossing sign flashes “Walk.”

The APS boxes are monitored constantly to make sure they work correctly, and are made louder at busier intersections.

The boxes are placed at intersections near schools for the blind and near nursing homes. In addition, if a blind person calls the Queens DOT Commissioner’s office, he or she can request a  box be placed at a light near their home.

Such a box  was placed at 256th St. and Hillside Ave. at the request of a blind person living in the area.

To inquire about getting a box at an intersection or street corner, call Queens DOT Borough Commissioner at 391-2718.

Shocking

Insiders at the New York State Power Authority told QConf that Queens residents will have no fear of power outages during summer 2002.

There will be plenty of juice to light up the Big Apple, but not as a result of new, controversial generators that were installed in 2001, sources said.

Rather tragically, the surge comes with the fall of the World Trade Center. The Twin Towers consumed as much power as 100,000 private homes – enough electricity to keep residents cool throughout the worst heat wave, they said.

Coming To A School Near You

    Laxatives could soon be a thing of the past, at least for Queens kids, if the feds have their way with prunes and veggies.

    According to the Agriculture Department (USDA), Congress wants our kids to “eat healthy,” and has cooked up a program — now in the testing phase — to creatively blend prunes, sweet potatoes, and vegetables in foods on the school menu.

     Master schoolhouse chefs are whipping up a brew of prune burgers and sweet potato pancakes, soon to be included on school luncheon buffets nationwide, report USDA officials.

     While the broccoli guacamole fell flat on its taco chip, the flame-broiled, grilled flavored prune burger seemed to pass muster amongst fifth- and sixth-grade taste testers, who are under pressure to determine the fate of school lunches.

    Q Conf spoke with a representative of USDA, who reported the plan will soon fire-up ovens in our area.

            If your kids start using the bathroom with more regularity, you might owe it all to Uncle Sam.