Volume 13 Issue No. 16 April 20-26, 2012
Page 18
PRESS Photo by Ira Cohen
Finals Week
As the vote on closures looms, Queens residents are holding out hope that August Martin High School and seven other schools in the borough identified as underperforming can be saved. By PRESS staff ‌ Page 3.
Online at www.QueensPress.com
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News Briefs Funding Win Seniors with special needs are one step closer to saving their community center. Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) announced at Community Board 12 Wednesday evening that the Queens Delegation dug into their discretionary funds to offset the loss of funding by the City Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults announced earlier this month that the Friendship Center, located at 92-33 170th St., will have to close on July 1 due to a lack of funding. J-SPOA received a letter from the DOH on April 2 stating that the agency will eliminate funding for the program on July 1. Executive Director Beverly Collier said this reduction would essentially close the center since the DOH’s funding pays for staff and mental health services. Open since 1979, the Friendship Center exclusively serves seniors with special needs who have become socially isolated and partially dependent upon others for their daily living. People affected include seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, developmental disabilities and mental illness. The Friendship Center is unique to Southeast Queens.
Buyer Eyes Peninsula Recently shuttered Peninsula Hospital Center may be resuscitated by a Jamaica based company. Robert Evans, founder and CEO of Community Wellness Centers of America, announced on Tuesday that the organization is interested in incorporating Peninsula Hospital into the company’s integrated healthcare delivery program in Queens. On Feb. 23, the State Dept. of Health suspended the hospital’s clinical laboratory for 30 days after a failed state inspection. The loss of revenue during this suspension only made the hospital’s debt problems worse. Despite a last minute attempt, Peninsula Hospital Center was officially shut down on April 9 after nine months of turmoil. St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is now the lone hospital on the peninsula. CWCOA said they have expertise, resources and affiliations with medical institutions to systematically integrate the hospital’s services into a community-wide program and provide the State relief from further financial burden and loss of critically needed hospital services.
Atrium Project On Hold www.ridgewoodbank.com id db Member FDIC
A few weeks after parks advocates decried the destruction of a grove of cherry trees behind Borough Hall, the atrium project they pointed to as the reason for what advocates call the “arborcide,” is on hold by request of Borough President Helen Marshall.
About a dozen cherry trees in the park behind Borough Hall along Union Turnpike were cut down earlier this month. Marshall said the trees were diseased and needed to be removed to prevent the disease from spreading to other trees. Advocates, including Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates, said the trees, which were blooming cherry blossoms at the time they were cut down, were removed to make room for construction equipment to build the proposed atrium behind borough hall. The trees had their white blossoms already when they were taken down and pictures show the trees, with their fresh blossoms, in pieces strewn along the ground. DCAS met with Borough Hall officials last week and an arborist visited the site to inspect the trees. DCAS has said that the trees were confirmed to have “fungal and bacterial diseases” in 2009 and again this winter as preparations for work began on the atrium project, which is scheduled for completion in 2014.
New School Planned A closed Ozone Park school is on track to be reborn as a place to educate students. A new public school is under construction at the former site of St. Stanislaus School on 101st Avenue at 90th Street. The new 416-seat school, which will be named PS 316, is expected to open in about two years and would ease overcrowding at nearby PS 64 and PS 69. St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr elementary school closed in 2007 when it was combined with nearby Nativity parish’s school to form the Divine Mercy Catholic Academy. The school building has been closed since and the parish sought to get rid of the school building, which sits three blocks from St. Stanislaus church on 102nd Avenue. The City Council gave final approval for the new school last June and the Schools Construction Authority released their designs for the new school a month later. St. Stanislaus’ former school yard, across 91st Street from the old school building, will be utilized as a recreation space and will include a half-basketball court, asphalt surface and trimmed with trees. Construction has begun on the actual school building itself which will take up the entire block along the north side of 101st Avenue between 90th and 91st Streets. The school is expected to open in September 2014 and would be smaller than the neighborhood’s other two main primary schools, PS 63 which has over 1300 students and PS 64 which educates just under 700 students. The Dept. of Education has been eyeing closed parochial students as sites for new public schools all over the city.
Presstime School Turnaround:
Tensions High As Vote Looms
By PRESS STAFF
Elected officials and community leaders spoke out against the closure of Flushing High School (left) and August Martin High School (right) last week.
PRESS Photo by Jason Pafundi
where a neo-gothic edifice looms over crowded Northern Boulevard, tensions are especially high because teachers and elected officials believe the school is not actually failing. Flushing earned a “D” on its latest report card, though graduation rates have been rising for three years. Its graduation rate is 60 percent, up from 54 percent three years ago. Elected officials and community members have joined together for two rallies to keep Flushing open thus far. A student and teacher-led rally, drawing hundreds, spilled out into the streets last month. Teachers at Flushing say that the school, with its large immigrant and English Language Learner population, faces unique challenges that higher-performing high schools do not. Since students no longer have to attend schools in the zones they live in, a “demographic breakout” is created, as Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott has noted. Non-immigrant students can flock to high schools with higher test scores and graduation rates like Bayside and Benjamin Cardozo, leaving Flushing to
Long Island City High School students came out to support their school during a rally last week.
grapple with the twin challenges of educating students and ensuring they can adapt to an unfamiliar language and culture. “Michael Bloomberg, give us a chance,” said John Choe, founding director of One Flushing, a community economic development center. “School turnaround is not a green light for you to be a dictator. Flushing is 30 percent over capacity.” Attack On Immigrants? In Long Island City and Astoria, two schools that have been around for almost 200 years are on the mayor’s chopping block. Bryant and LIC have insisted that their schools are getting better, not worse, and are hoping the message from students, faculty, staff, parents and the community at large is heard by the DOE and the mayor. State Sen. Mike Gianaris (DAstoria), a graduate of LIC, said that he has yet to hear one specific reason why closing these schools is in the best interest of the students. “The schools are making slow and steady progress and are headed in the right direction,” Gianaris said. “There is no reason to take such a drastic step.” Many community leaders in Astoria and LIC say the closing of these two schools — both located in areas with very large foreign populations — is an attack on the immigrants that make Queens the most diverse county in the nation. Gianaris and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (DAstoria) expressed concern that Bloomberg just recently spared
seven schools and removed them from his closure list, yet none of the schools were in Queens. “You have to look at who attends these comprehensive public high schools, and the majority of them are immigrant students,” said Simotas, herself a graduate of Bryant. “It takes them a little bit longer to graduate. Why should we penalize these kids and tell them that their school is a failing school?” Experience Needed June-like heat and humidity on April 16 did not stop elected officials, clergy and the community from gathering on the steps of August Martin High School in South Jamaica. An hour before the joint public hearing, dozens rallied to make sure their concerns were heard. “It’s so unfortunate that in this community, we have to continue to fight because the mayor does not understand. He doesn’t care,” State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) said. August Martin received a “D” on its most recent report card, despite a rising graduation rate. According to PTA President Jose Ferruzola, the school’s graduation rate has risen to nearly 70 percent in the last three years and has seen improvement on Regents exam scores. The school started its school improvement plan at the beginning of the 201112 year and is already seeing progress. Adding to the animosity between the community and DOE is the firing of Principal Anthony Cromer at the beginning of the
month. According to Ferruzola, Cromer was walked out of the school in front of his students in the middle of the day. Cromer was replaced with a new principal to finish out the remaining months of the school year. “Stop sending these inexperienced principals to the schools in our community,” the Rev. Charles Norris Sr. said. “Give us somebody who knows how to handle our young people and these schools.” Ferruzola said the DOE and Walcott – who attended PS 36 and JHS 192 in St. Albans – were being used as puppets for Bloomberg’s plan. Vote Next Week Many have said the turnaround plan was implemented in retaliation for the disagreement between the DOE and the United Federation of Teachers on teacher evaluations. According to the DOE, even if the two are able to reach an agreement on evaluations, it will likely take at least two more years for poor performing teachers to be removed from the classroom. The agency argues that the stalemate led to the DOE examining other available options to improve the quality of teachers. Each Queens school will learn its fate next week when the DOE votes on the turnaround proposal on April 26 in Brooklyn. If passed, the plan will be implemented immediately. Reporters Ross Barkan, Veronica Lewin and Jason Pafundi contributed to this story. Reach the editorial department at (718) 357-7400 or email news@queenspress.com.
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3
Unique Challenges At Flushing High School,
PRESS Photos by Ira Cohen
“Save our school” has become the three-word mantra of Queens’ education scene in 2012. Rallies, town hall meetings and public hearings have all served as a public rebuke of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s educational policies as his third term wanes. Spanning the borough east to west, eight high schools have been targeted for closure as part of the Dept. of Education and the Mayor’s office’s plan to close 26 Persistently Low Achieving Schools in the City as a way to secure nearly $60 million in federal School Improvement Grant money. In order to be eligible for the funds, Bloomberg and the Dept. of Education had to implement a federally approved improvement plan. From the viewpoint of parents, teachers and elected officials, the closures —known as “turnarounds” by the DOE — of Flushing, William Cullen Bryant, Long Island City, Grover Cleveland, August Martin, Newtown, Richmond Hill and John Adams will breed chaos and uncertainty for everyone involved because up to 50 percent of a school’s staff could be replaced. The DOE has been vague on the particulars of what the turnaround plan will entail, but it is likely the eight high schools will be broken into smaller institutions and given new names. According to the agency, all current students will be guaranteed a seat at the new school.
BY VERONICA LEWIN
Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
In an effort to stabilize the foreclosure rate in Southeast Queens, elected officials and groups all over the borough are finding solutions to help people stay in their homes. U.S. Rep Gregory Meeks (DJamaica) and the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America is bringing the “Save the Dream New York” event to the Jacob Javitz Convention Center. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 26 through April 30. During this event, hundreds of NACA counselors will be on hand to provide free foreclosure advice. “It was a dream for my mother to move from public housing in East Harlem to buy a home. That was her dream,” Meeks said. “It was the American Dream and I want to make sure everyone has that same opportunity.” Meeks said people used to brag about the homeownership levels in Southeast Queens, but now
the area has become the epicenter for foreclosures in New York City. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, one in nine homeowners in the borough are more than 90 days delinquent on mortgage payments or in foreclosure. Foreclosures are highly concentrated in Southeast Queens, where foreclosure rates are as high as 17 percent. According to a recent study, Rochdale has the highest number of 90-day pre-foreclosure notices in the city. According to NACA, their counselors have been able to permanently reduce interest rates to as low as 3 percent. If necessary, the organization helps homeowners reduce the outstanding principal based on affordability. Mavis Green-Burton, who lives in Jamaica, had her mortgage payments reduced to roughly $1,300 from $3,500 thanks to NACA. “We were about to lose our home, so I thank God I was able to attend a NACA program.”
PRESS Photo by Veronica Lewin
Help Available For Laboring Homeowners
Homeowner Mavis Green-Burton (r.) shares her story at U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (l.) office on Tuesday. Next week’s event is open to struggling homeowners who only own the property in which they reside. Visitors must bring their mortgage statement and their most recent 30 days of paystubs. To get to the Javitz Convention Center, take the LIRR or the A or E train to Penn Station. Walk-ins
CLIFTON ANDERSON QUINTET Saturday, April 28, 2012 • 7:00 pm
$20.00 Adults / $10.00 Students & Seniors
YORK COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Tickets available at the Box Office, 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. Call: 718-262-2840 or online at www.york.cuny.edu
Major funding for this series provided by NYC Councilmembers Leroy Comrie (27th-CD) Deputy Majority Leader NY City Council and Chair of Land Use Committee, and Ruben Wills (28th-CD), Chair of Substance Abuse Sub-Committee.
are welcome, but pre-registration is encouraged. To register, call (888) 499-6222 or visit naca.com. In order to prevent homeowners from facing foreclosure, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched its “Know It, Avoid It,
Report It” campaign on Tuesday. According to HUD, Jamaica is at the 5th highest risk for mortgage fraud in the country. To stop this, the agency created a hotline and website for aspiring homeowners to get facts before they make a 30-year commitment. Users can also report suspected scams to HUD. According to Borough President Helen Marshall, storefronts on Hillside Avenue are notorious for swindling people – especially seniors – in foreclosure out of their money. “These desperate homeowners often turn to individuals or agencies that offer a quick fix. Unfortunately, many vulnerable homeowners are victimized by dishonest individuals who are only pretending to want to help them,” Marshall said. For more information, visit hud.gov/preventloanscams or call (888) 995-4673. Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123 or vlewin@queenspress.com.
Neighbors Celebrate Home’s Spring Cleaning After two decades of serving as a garbage can for people not concerned about urban blight, a home in Springfield Gardens received a makeover this week. Councilman James Sanders Jr.
(D-Laurelton) and neighbors on 184th Street celebrated the rejuvenation of a vacant property on Wednesday afternoon. The home, located at 141-44 184th St., became vacant 20 years ago when the owner died. “Anything people didn’t want
PATTI AUSTIN & TRIO PERFORMING “THE ELLA FITZGERALD TRIBUTE”
Councilman James Sanders Jr. and next-door neighbor Mary Moore praise the Tidy Cats cleanup. solution. Tidy Cats hired construction, landscaping and clean up crews to finish the project in just four days. “It was terrible,” said neighbor Tony McFadden, who has lived nearby for 40 years. “We lived through this for quite awhile. Not only was the abandoned
home a quality of life issue, it also caused the values of surrounding homes to decrease. Now that property is no longer an eyesore, Sanders and neighbors hope the home can be put on the market soon. Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123 or vlewin@queenspress.com.
York College Foundation 5th Annual Scholarship Benefit Concert
M O N D AY
A P RI L 30 , 20 12 7 : 3 0 PM
York College Performing Arts Center 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. Jamaica, NY Tickets for seniors/students/groups available at the Box Office 718.262.2840 or online at theatremania.com For more information call 718.262.3810
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 5
TO BENEFIT THE YORK COLLEGE MERIT SCHOLARS
For 20 years, the backyard at 141-44 184th St. was a dumping ground for the community.
in their house, they were dumping it here,” next-door neighbor Mary Moore said. Due to an unclear owner of the property, the home was left unkempt, inviting people to treat it as a landfill. Eventually the property turned into a rodent infested, smelly lot that made it difficult for residents on the block to enjoy their own backyards. Moore said the stench coming from the yard kept her from sleeping at night. “It was a place where mosquitoes knew they had safety,” Sanders said. “It was a place that mice told their friends that they could hang out. It was a good place to dump some things. It was a great place for every type of crime you could imagine. But it was a horrible place to be if you were a neighbor on this block.” Wednesday also marked the launch of Tidy Cats’ national “No More PU” campaign. The company first learned about the property after watching it on the news and reached out to Sanders for a
PRESS Photo by Veronica Lewin
BY VERONICA LEWIN
OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS 150-50 14th Road Whitestone, NY 11357 (voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417 email news@queenspress.com The PRESS of Southeast Queens Managing Editor:
Steven J. Ferrari Contributing Editor:
Marcia Moxam Comrie Production Manager:
Shiek Mohamed Queens Today Editor
Regina Vogel Photo Editor: Ira Cohen
Reporters: Harley Benson Veronica Lewin Domenick Rafter Ross Barkan Jason Pafundi Interns: Brianna Ellis Joanna Gonzalez Art Dept:
Rhonda Leefoon Candice Lolier Barbara Townsend
Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
Advertising Director Shanie Persaud Sr. Account Executive Shelly Cookson Advertising Executives Merlene Carnegie Shari Strongin
A Queens Tribune Publication. © Copyright 2012 Tribco, LLC
Michael Schenkler, President & Publisher Michael Nussbaum, Vice President, Associate Publisher
Editorial A Game Of Chicken When it comes to the plans to close the 26 “persistently lowest achieving schools” in the City, confusion and uncertainty about the future have been the only constant. Many officials have expressed concern over the proposal and are still waiting for word as to why Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s turnaround proposal is the best way to go. Lost in the confusion is the fact that the proposal is largely a political ploy to secure federal education grants. A document circulated by the Dept. of Education during a public hearing on the closure of August Martin High School in South Jamaica noted that the “Restart” model is the result of the DOE’s and the United Federation of Teachers’ inability to come to an agreement on teacher evaluations. Some of these schools have shown marked improvement in graduation rates and other key criteria, but yet they remain on the closure list, a tactic used to rid the school system of potentially underperforming teachers. If the Panel For Educational Policy decides next week to approve the proposal to close the 26 schools, it will be because the DOE and UFT decided to play a game of chicken over teacher evaluations. Is this really the best way to ensure a quality education for the students in the City?
Letters Reactionary Principles To The Editor: Turning the clock back to Jim Crow, taking abortion rights back to the 1950s, returning women’s roles back to the 1950s, putting
blacks back in their place, to put government in your bedroom and your doctor’s office, putting corporations in charge, to diminish union rights, to deny children, the poor and the elderly
Letters healthcare and to destabilize markets for political gain are not conservative principles - they are reactionary. Let’s call it for what it really is and stop pretending otherwise. Jay Stewart, Forest Hills
Honor Volunteers To The Editor: “Here’s to all volunteers, those dedicated people who believe in all work and no pay,” penned by speechwriter Robert Orben. This National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, the American Red Cross Greater New York Region is celebrating our own dedicated volunteers and partners, the people who make the American Red Cross run. Here in Queens, volunteers bring food, shelter, comfort and hope to nearly 2,500 residents each year faced with rebuilding after a fire, flood, building collapse or other local disaster. Volunteers provide services to members of the military, veterans and their families, including communications linking military members to their loved ones
during an emergency. Red Cross volunteers teach first aid, CPR, swimming, babysitting, and other health and safety courses. They staff community fairs to encourage their neighbors to learn these lifesaving skills and they organize celebrations to recognize people who use their Red Cross training to save lives. If you’re looking to serve your community, become a Red Cross volunteer. Right now the Greater New York Region needs people to help provide relief and comfort to their neighbors after local disasters. To learn more about ways to volunteer and how to sign up, visit www.nyredcross.org/volunteers. Dianne Auger, Interim CEO, American Red Cross Greater New York Region
WRITE ON: The PRESS of Southeast Queens, 174-15 Horace Harding Expy. Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 email news@queenspress.com
Indeed, You Can Go To College A Personal Perspective BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE Nearly 20 years ago a couple of women launched a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young minority children into college. Dorita Clarke, a former State Committeewoman, serves as executive director and Shirley Dye, affectionately known as “Sister Shirley,” in deference to her religious faith, is the educational director. The two founded the You Can Go To College Committee and have prepared high school students from all five boroughs of New York City to do well on the SAT exams. The group, which also enjoys a relationship with Hillcrest High School, meets at York College/CUNY on Saturday mornings. It provides college-bound workshops, including financial aid information and help to prepare college application portfolios; help to develop attitudes
that are conducive to success; sponsors cultural trips to museums and theaters and spiritual guidance to stay away from drugs, gangs and teen pregnancies. Finally, it takes them on the road every spring break for a tour of Historical Black Colleges and Universities. Last week I was on the tour – their 16th. My daughter is starting college this fall and has been part of the YCGCC for some time. They helped her prepare for the SAT along with dozens of other students and then guided them in the preparation of the personal statement, biography, special honors and awards, recommendation letters, transcript and SAT results compiled in a binder for each college to which they are applying. The first stop on our journey through HBCU territory was Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, whose famous alumni include Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall. Following that, we
headed for Morgan State University in Maryland and then on to Virginia for stops at Norfolk State, Virginia State and Hampton. Then we journeyed to Bennett College, Shaw University, North Carolina A & T University, and Winston-Salem University. Next stop was Georgia, to visit the mighty Morehouse College, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, the Rev. Calvin Butts and Julian Bond received their undergraduate education as proud “Morehouse Men.” We also visited Spelman College and Clark-Atlanta University. Doubling back to North Carolina, we toured Johnson C. Smith University on the last day of the trip. A number of students were offered impressive scholarships to enroll. Harlem Globetrotters Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal are both graduates of this lovely university. Every high school senior on
our trip received at least one college acceptance, many with scholarship offers or the potential for one after they receive final high school transcripts or a better performance on the next SAT or ACT test. It seems all the applicants were accepted at every college for which he or she interviewed. It was also reassuring that every stop we made already had students enrolled at that campus from a previous YCGCC trip. They all credit the program for making college a reality for them and they invariably praised their college as nurturing and engaging. What a phenomenal organization is YCGCC and the only compensation Ms. Clarke and Sister Shirley expect is to see their efforts pay off in one more brown kid graduating from college, paying it forward to the next group and becoming a contributing member of our community. YCGCC can be contacted at (718) 658-6255.
The Jewish Congressional Seat Is Another False Idol
The Reform Jews have moved en mass to Long Island, leaving few thriving Reform synagogues, where there used to be many, in Queens. The Conservative Jews have moved to Florida – and their children quickly found comfort in the Reform movement – that is a first-hand observation. The Conservative Jewish synagogues which survive in Queens do so largely because mortgages were paid long ago and schools, camps and others provide rental income in terribly underused buildings. Orthodox Jewish synagogues are now abundant while in years
past they were few. Bukharian Jews who came here from central Asia (formerly Russia and currently Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) have begun to make a difference in New York elections. The surprise victory of Bob Turner and an uncertain result in a Brooklyn Senate Special election have demonstrated orthodox Jews can be gotten to vote as a block and make a difference. However, as we look at the Congressional Primar y in CD6, abuzz over which Jewish candidate is the real one, we must point out that a large number of the Orthodox Jews are registered Republican and cannot participate in the June 26 congressional primary. The concern of Jewish organizations that Queens has always had a Jewish member of Congress should not be a factor. It will have a quite capable one. Steve Israel, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – the third ranking Democrat in Congress – has been redrawn into a district that includes a large block of Queens Jews – Bay Terrace and North Shore Towers will both be represented by Israel. Presently, the only Jewish representative is
Gary Ackerman, whose district, like Israel’s, has a significant portion of Long Island. So, should there be a Jewish seat? Of course not. We should send a representative to Congress to advocate for all the people of the District. Does t he Je wish infighting mean anything? Not really; it’s politics as usual. But it has gotten down and dirty, with 40 year-old dirt being dug up on one of the Jewish candidates. Ror y L ancma n, who ar rogantly has declared he is the real Jew in the race, is otherwise a competent legislator with tie s to the Jewish community. Jeff Gottlieb is a lifelong civic activist with long time ties to the Jewish community. Grace Meng is an Asian American woman, a legislator who has been to Israel and has the same positions as Lancman and Gottlieb on Israel. I’m not sure where Liz Crowley, the other candidate in the race, stands, but my guess is that she’s pret ty close to Grace and Rory and Jeff on the defense of the only true democracy in the Middle East.
Israel Is Safe
Photo by Ira Cohen
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER The “Jewish Seat” is something that has a cacophonous ring. I guess the children of Abraham once were a dominant force in Queens.
With so much talk about a Queens Jewish Congressional seat, our borough’s newest Congessmanto-be, Steve Israel, paid us a visit. He looked an awful lot like the Congressman we know from our newspapers in Huntington, Suffolk, L.I. Welcome to Queens, Steve. And now Dr. Bob Mit tman, another Jewish sounding name, I am told has been circulating petitions to join the three-ring circus. He’s an allergist, but I’d bet he agrees with the rest of the field on Israel. And Juan “Ada” Sheng, another Asian woman, has filed with what we hear are petitions unlikely to survive review, compounds the likely accustions of race splitting. Israel is not an issue in this race
and neither is Judaism. And those who are trying to say otherwise are divisive and self serving. The President’s position, this countr y’s posit ion a nd Israel’s safet y w il l remai n uncha nged whether the Irish Catholic, the Asian American or any of the Jews get elected. Where I come from, ballot access is much too difficult in New York and anyone showing the minimal effort should not have to go through extensive legal proceedings to keep their name on the ballot. This writer and this paper oppose the costly litigious process utilized in New York, where those with big dollars and big organizations with lawyers use their financial or legal power to exhaust another candidate – financially or energy-wise — in an undemocratic process of petition challenges. If you participate in such a process, you are anti-democratic. If you see it going on, condemn those who challenge. If you see it going on in the name of a religion, condemn those who challenge and pray for their souls. MSchenkler@Gmail.com
A New York Banana Republic Sliced To Order The year began with the governor publicly committed to redistricting by an impartial body rather than by the legislature itself. The legislative session so far has already seen the abandonment of that principle, which had been rejected, and the great majority of the legislators, including all of the Senate Republicans, renouncing their public pledge to Mayor Koch and a coalition of civic leaders. The public may ask why anyone should believe promises made by politicians, even if they are in writing, signed, sealed and delivered. One could argue that politics involves the exercise of judgment by elected officials and that any prior commitment which impairs or limits the free exercise of that judgment, would impair the legislative process. A few of them used that excuse for not signing the pledge, claiming that it would limit their freedom to use their own judgment. If you believe that rationalization, there is no reason to seek or accept any pledge by a political candidate or to ask anyone to take
a posit ion on any mat ter. One could not violate a standard of truthfulness if there were no such standard. Others believe that, at least on basic issues and the absence of completely changed circumstances, candidates will appeal to the public to support them on the basis of certain issues and that voters who rely on candidates’ promises have a right not to be ignored and for their views to be respected. If the only remedy for lies by politicians is the opportunity to defeat those politicians in the districts they have gerrymandered for their personal convenience then democracy has suffered. Our newspapers look at countries around the world and grandly call them free, partially free or unfree dictatorships. If the electoral process is so corrupted by permanent fraudulent districting, which denies the public the right to elect representatives of their choosing, then we must consider ourselves only partially free, like Myanmar. Just because names of candidates appear on the ballot, does
not necessarily mean that voters have a real choice between candidates of different viewpoints. As long as districting is done arbitrarily, in secret and for the benefit of incumbents at the expense of everyone not part of the insider’s scheme, we cannot say that New
York State government is truly free. Our ship of state carries a great deal of baggage, which slows it up and threatens to drag it down. The voters may have the last word, but by then there may not be much left to say. StarQuest@NYCivic.org
Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7
By HENRY STERN Looking down at Albany as the 2012 legislative session begins its slow march into local history, we see an aura of tranquility, justified pride in a handful of modest achievements and, above all, relief that the institution survived its decennial brush with the State Const itut ion which regrettably now permits the disgraceful gerrymandering which enables a minority party to remain in power despite diminished political strength and popular support. The injustice of malapportionment extends to every fiber of the legislature and permeates whatever action it takes, even if the act is otherwise legitimate. New York has the ultimate opposite of a level playing field: a field that shifts capriciously and arbitrarily at the whim of favored players whose mission it is to make certain that no other faction, tribe or party gets the privileged place in government and the influence over the private sector which the insiders have enjoyed, sometimes justly and often unjustly, for a half-century.
Racial Politics:
Diverse 6th District DistrictCould Could Foster An AnUgly UglyCampaign Campaign
Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
BY ROSS BARKAN “No worry I have kindergartners make pamphlet 4 English ppls to read Chinese signs. It be all ok. Me love you all long time! #NY06” In the context of a lifetime, or even a congressional race, they barely equated to the flicker of an eyelash: four tweets in total, fired across cyberspace to a handful of followers. Just one day later, they would be nonexistent. Yet within those four tweets from the Twitter handle Grace Meng-owitz, a familiar dread crept through Adam Lombardi. The screen name on the micro-blogging site was just one example of a number of accounts created anonymously last week to mock candidates in the New York Sixth District’s Congressional Democratic primary. Queens may be hailed as the most diverse county on Earth, but Lombardi knows, like a foot soldier staggering home from a traumatic tour of duty, that in the world of local politics, racial and ethnic attacks — veiled or blatant — can become commonplace during an election. “I was disgusted, absolutely disgusted,” Lombardi, a member of the Clinton Democratic Club of Northeast Queens and the founder of the political blog Queens Politics, said. “There’s a fine line between satire and disparaging a person. I was not surprised at all when I saw the tweets, especially when stakes are so high for a congressional race.” Lombardi has worked on several Queens campaigns, both Democratic and Republican, and fears that the race for the open congressional seat in the freshlydrawn 6th District will devolve into racial and ethnic warfare. The district cuts across the heart of Queens, running from Middle Village and Maspeth all the way to the Cross Island Parkway, and
encompasses several distinct demographics that all candidates will be desperately vying for. A true Queens district (all other congressional districts in Queens also include portions of the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn or Long Island), the 6th is a microcosm of the borough, lumping together the white working class Catholic demographic of Western Queens with a 17 percent Hispanic population, a 38 percent Asian population, a large Jewish population that ranges anywhere from 20 to 30 percent and a staunch organized labor voting bloc that blurs racial lines. These percentages reflect total population, not voting age population. Such a racially and economically diverse stew will test campaign operatives and the candidates themselves. To win the race, frontrunners Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), Assemblywoman Grace Meng (DFlushing) and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) will have to appeal to specific voting blocs. Lancman, who is Jewish, called Jeffrey Gottlieb’s entrance into the race a Meng campaign-driven ploy to split the Jewish vote. Since Gottlieb’s ballyhooed entry, a Chinese public access television show host, Juan “Ada” Sheng, and a Bayside allergist, Dr. Robert Mittman, have submitted petitions to appear on the ballot. With Anthony Weiner’s scandalous departure and U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman’s (DBayside) retirement, New York City is left with one Jewish congressman who represents a significant portion of New York City, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan). In the 1980’s, New York City could claim at one time as many as seven Jew-
ish congressmen. Queens’ remaining and sizable Jewish population has ensured the issue of Israel’s security is at the forefront of all campaigns, including Councilman Dan Halloran’s (R-Whitestone) and Meng’s. American Realities Most political insiders expect Lancman to carry the vast majority of the Jewish vote, while Meng will carry, according to several sources, as much as 98 percent of the Asian vote. Of the 38 percent of the district that is Asian, many are not yet registered as Democrats, however. The unusually rapid growth of Queens’ Asian population in the 1990s and 2000s, especially in once predominately white Jewish areas like Flushing, has bred underlying ethnic tensions. During the 2000s, Queens’ Asian population grew at 300 times the rate of the rest of the borough.
“All of New York City is changing so fast, demographically,” said James Hong, Civic Participation Coordinator of the MinKwon Center for Community Action, a nonpartisan KoreanAmerican advocacy group based in Flushing. “Any number of candidates can try to unfortunately abuse racial dynamics in Northeast Queens.” Thus far, the Democratic candidates have publicly promised to keep the campaign focused on issues like America’s fragile economic growth and austerity measures being imposed by a Republicandominated Congress. Hong said he still has dark memories from 2009’s 19th District City Council race between Halloran and Kevin Kim. The acrimonious contest, swirling around Halloran’s pagan faith and Kim’s Asian heritage, included a Halloran mailing that superimposed Kim on a photo of downtown Flushing, warning against “your neighborhood” being overdeveloped. “The message ‘Don’t vote for the Asian guy’ will go down in the annals of history as one of the ugliest campaign slogans,” Lancman said in 2009. While Halloran’s campaign attacked Kim’s for an organized effort to tear down campaign sites, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund accused a Republican New York City Election Commissioner, Judith Stupp, of confiscating palm cards from Korean voters entering a polling site in Flushing. The voters, lacking English proficiency, struggled to vote, alleged AALDEF. Going back further, 1997’s City Council Democratic pri-
mary battle between Julia Harrison and current Comptroller John Liu, who would eventually win the seat when Harrison retired four years later, was a disturbing reminder of how American dreams can ram up against American realities: Harrison drew condemnation for characterizing her emerging Asian neighbors as part of an “invasion,” more like “colonizers than immigrants” in a New York Times interview. “Everything Goes” Lost in the discussion of the Asian population surge is the Hispanic demographic that constitutes nearly a fifth of the district. They are more scattered than the Asian community; a significant Hispanic population dwells in downtown Flushing, as well as Briarwood and Elmhurst. Jerry Skurnik, a political consultant and founder of voter file vendor Prime New York, said that he expects the demographic to mostly support Meng, but believes that the turnout of Hispanic voters could be low since a Hispanic candidate is not running. However, other political observers believe the Hispanic demographic can be a swing vote in the election. Labor unions like 32 BJ SEIU, representing property service workers, 1199 SEIU, representing health care workers and the New York Hotel Trades Council all have a significant amount of Hispanic workers. 32 BJ and 1199 SEIU have endorsed Lancman, while the Hotel Trades Council has backed Meng. Lofty rhetoric of a campaign that transcends ethnic and racial divisions could quickly deteriorate into exactly the opposite. Most campaigns will likely cull ethnic-sounding names from voter identification lists and bombard particular households with potentially denigrating campaign literature, according to journalist and political consultant Gary Tilzer. “My general experience is that in the last two or three weeks, everything goes,” Tilzer said. “In these congressional districts, the way they’re drawn, they’re drawn through communities that don’t have experience working with each other. They’re much more polarized.” Reach Reporter Ross Barkan at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127 or rbarkan@queenstribune.com.
Police Blotter Compiled by JASON PAFUNDI
Queens DA Man Sentenced Queens DA Richard Brown announced that 29-year-old Shawn Forde, of 137-50 229th St., has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the October 2010 shooting death of a Queens bodega owner who was trying to protect his brother during a robbery. Forde has been in jail since his arraignment on Halloween 2010. Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter scheduled sentencing for May 1 and indicated he would sentence the defendant to 15 years in state prison. According to the criminal charges, Forde entered the Lucky Deli, located at 220-26 Merrick Blvd., at approximately 9:50 p.m., on Oct. 23, 2010, and displayed a .45-caliber pistol and grabbed the deli’s owner, Felix Torres, who was behind the cash register, and slammed his head into the counter demanding money. Immediately after Torres handed Forde money from the
cash register, his brother, 54-yearold Juan Torres, who was in the back of the store, came to his aid and was fatally shot once in the head. Forde then fled the scene.
to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
107th Precinct
On April 12 at 9 a.m., officers responded to Christie Avenue and 99th Street for a 911 call of a child left alone on a parked bus. When police arrived, they discovered the victim, a two-year-old Hispanic female alone and inside of the unattended parked private school bus. Police were able to gain entry into the bus and remove the child who was then taken to the 110th Precinct where she was reunited with her mother. EMS also responded to the precinct and determined the child was in good physical condition. Bus driver Ana Garcia, 62, was arrested and charged with Failure to Exercise Control of a Minor.
Girl Assaulted The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating the suspect who is wanted in connection with a sexual assault that occurred on April 9. At 1:25 p.m. on that day, the victim, an 11-year-old black female, was walking in the vicinity of 76th Avenue and 160th Street when she was approached by the suspect, who grabbed her buttocks before fleeing. The victim did not request medical attention as a result of this incident. The suspect is described as being an Indian or Guyanese, 2125 years old, 5-foot-9 and 135 lbs with a spiked hairstyle. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked
110th Precinct Bus Driver Busted
111th Precinct Fatal Fire On April 15 at approximately
4:40 a.m., police responded to a 911 call of a residential fire at 45-08 189 St. in Auburndale. Upon extinguishment of the fire by FDNY, officers observed the victim, 63-year-old Joanne Brown, unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
113th Precinct Suspect Arrested On April 11 at approximately 5:10 p.m., in the vicinity of 115th Street and 116th Road, detectives from the Queens Narcotics division attempted to pull over a blue 2009 Dodge Avenger sedan, occupied by three males. The vehicle fled northbound on 149th Street and collided into a parked and unoccupied minivan in front of 116-41 149th St., and then the suspects exited the vehicle and fled the location. One of the suspects was apprehended in the rear of a building on Sutphin Blvd. by respond-
ing officers and taken to Jamaica Hospital for minor injuries. A fully loaded AR 15 rifle and two fully loaded 380 caliber firearms were recovered. James Graham, 27, from Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon - Loaded Firearm (2nd Degree), Reckless Endangerment (1st Degree) and Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle (1st Degree).
114th Precinct Larcener Wanted The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspects wanted for a grand larceny at a storage facility. On March 16 at 4 p.m., two suspects entered the Storage Deluxe storage facility, located at 39-25 21st St., and removed a Yamaha keyboard and a musician’s bench. The suspects are described as white or Hispanic males between 30-40 years old.
Borough Beat
Willets Opponents Fight Eminent Domain BY ROSS BARKAN
lated cases when we are talking about a public highway, a hospital, a school, something that has a real public purpose,” Avella said. “With this, we’re going to take somebody’s private business to give it to a big developer, who’s another private business, who’s going to make millions of dollars. To me, that’s the opposite of the American dream.” Eminent domain refers to the ability of a governmental body to seize private property for public use. Critics of eminent domain use believe it has been abused to enrich a few private developers at the expense of many private property owners. Rikon called attention to the “Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012,” a bill that would prohibit eminent domain use by any state or political subdivision for economic development if that state or political subdivision receives federal funds.
The bill would also prevent the federal government from using eminent domain for economic development. The bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives, waits in the U.S. Senate. Supporters have conceded that it will likely fail to pass the Senate. However, if it did, the Willets Point development plan, approved by the City Council in 2008 and broken up into multiple phases, could be jeopardized. “I am upset at people who believe a Gucci store and luxury apartment buildings serve a greater public interest than repair and body fender shops,” said Benjamin Haber, president of the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association. Most Queens elected officials have endorsed the City’s plan to eventually clear Willets Point of its auto body shops and build hotels, stores and housing in its place. A convention center idea
has been floated as well, though its feasibility is questioned. Workers at Willets Point, predominately Hispanic, have accused the NYPD of regularly harassing them in a concerted attempt to force them out of the Iron Triangle. The NYPD has denied these allegations. The City Law Department contends that proponents of the Private Property Rights Protection Act are not looking at the larger effects of the bill. “If this bill were to become law, important revitalization projects, such as the ones that gave new life to Times Square, Metrotech and Lincoln Center, wouldn’t be possible and it would also jeopardize the long-sought redevelopment of Willets Point,” stated Lisa Boya-Hiat, Deputy Chief, NYC Law Department. Reach Reporter Ross Barkan at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127 or rbarkan@queenstribune.com.
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9
Revolutionary War-era soldiers could not have fathomed a tube pumping gasoline into an automobile or a monstrous highway bearing those very same automobiles across a metropolis. The concept of a neighborhood devoted exclusively to repairing automobiles would have been equally alien. Yet there was Joseph Ardizzone, the only legal resident of Willets Point, walking about a Sunoco gas station clad in a tricorn hat and knickers, a wizened reminder that many had failed to transform Willets Point before Mayor Michael Bloomberg, including the master builder himself, Robert Moses. Ardizzone was one of dozens of protesters, including political rivals Councilman Dan Halloran (RWhitestone) and State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), to pack a
Northern Boulevard gas station to continue their fight against development at Willets Point, more particularly the use of eminent domain to seize private properties. Organized by Michael Rikon, an attorney for Willets Point development opposition group Willets Point United, the rally had a desperate tenor because time may be running out for the property owners and workers of Willets Point: the Federal Highway Administration recently approved the City Economic Development Corporation’s proposal for new ramps on the nearby Van Wyck Expressway, implying that the traffic burden of an eventual Willets Point development would not be great enough to override the project itself. The State Dept. of Transportation must rule on the ramp plan as well. “It’s always been my understanding that eminent domain should only be used in those iso-
Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson
Happy Birthday!
The American Red Cross and the New York Mets held a blood drive at Citi Field last week. Sandra Draves, a sergeant with the NYPD Auxiliary, donates blood during the drive.
Photo by Steven J. Ferrari
Justice Samuel, 18, of St. Albans was awarded the Cross Island YMCA’s Youth Volunteer of the Year Award.
Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
Donation Day
Photo by Ira Cohen
Photo provided by the YMCA.
Volunteer of the Year
The Ozone Park Kiwanis recently invited Kim Wiley-Schwartz of the NYC Department of Transportation of Safety Education as their guest speaker, the main topic of the discussion was on Bicycle Safety. Pictured (from left) are Jonah Cohen, Kim WileySchwartz and Rosemary Ciulla-Frisone.
Photo courtesy of NYPhotoByNick
pix
Safety Talk
PRESS of Southeast Queens photographer Ira Cohen celebrated his birthday this week with a cake at the paper’s office.
OF THE The Press of Southeast Queens and its advertisers are pleased to once again present our “Mother of the Year” contest. Our Mother’s Day issue will feature winning entries plus thoughts from the children of Queens. This is our small way of paying tribute to the moms out there who help make Queens a better place to live. The contest rules are simple. Just submit 250 (typewritten when possible, otherwise legible) words or less as to why your mom is special. You or your mom must be a Queens resident. Entries must be received by Friday, April 27, 2012. Enclose a photo of mom, with her kids if possible (sorry they can't be returned).
Mother's Day Prizes Include:
Mail entries to “Mother of the Year” Queens Tribune, 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357.
Over $1,000 In Prizes Plus
The entries will be judged in three age groups: A) 8 and under; B) 9-12 and C) 13 - adult. Judging will be based on content, creativity and sensitivity. We are open-minded about this contest and even mother-in-law entries will be accepted. Don't Delay: get your entry in today and pay tribute to your special "MOM" (and get Mother's Day gifts too!)
Mets Tickets
OVER $1,000 IN PRIZES CONTEST RULES
Age
Your Name Address Phone Mom's Name Mom's Address Phone
Mail to “Mother of the Year” Queens Tribune, 150-50 14th Road, Whitestone, NY 11357.
1. Submit 250 words as to why your mom is special. You or your mom must be a Queens resident. 2. Entries must be received by Friday, April 27, 2012. 3. Give your age (18+ acceptable), address, phone number, plus mom's name and address. 4. Enclose a 4x6 photo of mom or mom and her kid(s) where possible; put full names on back of photo. Sorry, they can't be returned. 5. Mail entries to “Mother of the Year,” Queens Tribune, 150-50 14th Road, Whitestone, NY 11357. 6. The entries will be judged in three age groups A) 8 and under; B) 9-12 and C) 13 - adult. Judging will be based on content, creativity and sensitivity.
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11
Attach this or a facsimile to your entry
Faith
Rally Planned To End Urban Blight BY VERONICA LEWIN After more than 16 years of urban blight, members of the Hollis community are fighting back against the owner who abandoned their neighborhood. On Saturday, April 21, the Hollis Presbyterian Church 99 Percent Club and members of the community will hold a public forum and rally to demand that six dilapidated apartment buildings on Hollis Avenue be taken from their absentee landlord and put to productive, community use. The forum will begin at 11 a.m. at the Hollis Presbyterian
Church, 100-50 196th St. in Hollis. At 1 p.m., the group will leave the church and march to the abandoned buildings near Hollis Avenue and 204th Street. The event, which is being organized by the 99 Percent Club with the help of Occupy Queens, the Hollis Local Development Corporation and other social justice activists from around the City, is intended to highlight the urban blight these vacant buildings cause, as well as what the church calls the callous indifference of owner Rita Stark in allowing these buildings to remain vacant for so long.
Word “Nature herself has imprinted on the minds of all the idea of God.” - Cicero
“We are going to march to send a clear message to Rita Stark that we are no longer going to tolerate these building remaining abandoned,” said Janet Jackson, a member of the Hollis Local Development Corporation and a longtime Hollis resident. “We want these buildings taken out of Rita Stark’s hands and put to productive, community use, such as affordable senior housing or perhaps a community center.” Frustrated neighbors say the abandoned buildings are eye sores replete with boarded up windows, broken glass and rodents. “Every time I walk or drive past those buildings, I get so upset,” Ernestine Alston said. “There’s no reason for those buildings to have sat empty all this time. As a member of the richest one percent, it’s clear that Rita Stark doesn’t care about Hollis. If she doesn’t want to make use of those buildings, then she needs to get out of the
way and let community members turn them into something beneficial for the entire community.” At the public forum, members of the community will have the opportunity to both learn and speak out about how the housing and foreclosure crisis has impacted the Hollis community. “Hollis is a community of faith comprised of the 99 Percent,” said the Rev. Mark Chapman, pastor of the Hollis Presbyterian Church. “And as such, we want to see just, affordable housing in our neighborhoods, not only because it will help our community remain safe and economically vibrant, but because it’s the right thing to do.” The Hollis Presbyterian 99 Percent Club was formed this past January to address issues such as foreclosures, neglected properties, and cuts in vital social services in the Hollis CommunityChapman hopes enlightening the community about those five vacant buildings will
push Stark to develop them. If not, the 99 Percent Club would like to see the owner sell the property to someone who will do something to improve the community. Ideally, the church group would like to see low- and moderate-income housing put in the empty buildings on Hollis Avenue. If housing is out of the question, a community center for the children who frequently pass by would be a reasonable alternative. Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123 or vlewin@queenspress.com.
Clarification: The April 28 Walk-A-Thon featured last week is being sponsored by the York College Department of Health & Physical Education and the college’s Health Services Center. The Godian Church and Outreach Center is led by Pastor Kendra Manigault.
Notebook National Volunteer Week
Nonprofit Thrives On Volunteer Help Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
BY VERONICA LEWIN
In honor of National Volunteer Week, one long standing organization is taking the time to celebrate the people who make their efforts possible. Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is a non-profit organization serving children, families and developmentally disabled adults throughout the five boroughs and Long Island for more than 80 years. Little Flower specializes in working with foster families, foster Is Your School Doing Something Good? Write The PRESS of Southeast Queens 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357
kids and daycare centers. The organization’s goal is to help as many children in need as possible. According to Director of Development Maureen Fox, Little Flower would not be able to afford to provide the number of services it does without people donating their time. “We couldn’t do what we do without them. Our volunteers are as important, if not more important, in many ways,” she said. One of the most important programs conducted through the help of volunteers is the individual mentoring program. Fox said it gives the children one person outside of their immediate surroundings that they can relate to and seek advice from.
“The mentoring program is essential for our kids’ ability to thrive,” she said. National Volunteer Week was established in 1974. This year it is being celebrated from April 15 to April 21. According to Little Flower, 63 million people volunteered their skills and talents in 2011 to a non-profit organization. In the past 23 years, the number of people who volunteer has increased by 60 percent. More than one-quarter of all Americans donate 52 hours of time a year, which equates to an hour a week. Those interested in volunteering can contact Fox at (718) 875-3500, Ext. 5040. Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123 or vlewin@queenspress.com.
Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York provides mentoring to children all over the City and Long Island.
A&E
Olympic Athletes Tell Their Tales Long Island City played host to two world-class athletes as Citi, one of the U.S. Olympic Team’s major sponsors, marked the 100-day countdown to the London 2012 Summer Games with an event at their campus in Court Square. Bronx-born Cullen Jones, a gold medal-winning swimmer in
Beijing in 2008, and Kari Miller, a 2008 silver medalist in sitting volleyball at the Paralympics, treated Citi employees to stories that had everyone both laughing and crying as they spoke of their Olympic journeys. This was the sixth stop on the Citi Team USA Flag Tour, which has been visiting Citi sites across the country leading up to the London games, giving employees the
Restaurant Review
A Good Spot For Goodfellas Clinton Diner & Bar 56-26 Maspeth Ave., Maspeth (718) 894-3475 CUISINE: Diner DELIVERY: Yes CREDIT CARD: No HOURS: Open 24 hours
Phelps” under his breath, which got laughs from the audience. Swimming was not natural to him, so he had to work hard at it. Fast-forwarding to 2008, Jones said that before the day of the team’s gold-medal winning 4x100 relay, the members of the men’s basketball Kari Miller and Cullen Jones spoke team came up to their rooms about their Olympic journeys in Long Island City Wednesday morning. to wish everybody luck. “We ran downstairs really excited, and I was the last one to up switching to volleyball, a sport get down there. Lebron [James] she admittedly knew nothing sits back and said ‘yeah, yeah…ya’ll about at the beginning, and is now got a brother on the team?’” Jones one of the world’s best players. said. “Needless to say, we were She said that being an inspipretty excited.” ration to so many is rewarding Miller’s journey to the but sometimes difficult. Paralympics was also started by “It is hard because you do not something traumatic. She was hit want to let anyone down,” Miller by a drunk driver while out cel- said. ebrating her impending promoBased on the reactions of Citi tion to an officer in the Army — employees, Miller and Jones did the accident cost her both legs. not disappoint anybody. She tried out for the wheelReach Reporter Jason Pafundi chair basketball team but was not at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, or good or tall enough. She ended jpafundi@queenstribune.com.
‘The Best Man’ Ironically Timely BY ELYSE TREVERS Like an Energizer battery, former Queens resident Angela Lansbury keeps on going. At age 86, when most people have retired and moved to warmer climates, the actress is appearing in the revival of Gore Vidal’s 1960 award-winning political play, “The Best Man.” While the show is dated, it is ironically timely. The action centers on a presidential convention and the two frontrunners vying for their party’s nomination. They’ve gone through the primaries and now must await the decision of the delegates. According to the play, however, there’s much more going on behind the scenes than the delegates know. Vidal’s characters seem strangely familiar, and the ones on stage appear to be composites of both the current Republican candidates as well as President Obama. Bill Russell (John Larroquette) is a philanderer, yet
is highly principled and won’t lie. Publicly, he’s happily married to Alice (Candy Bergen). But their marriage has been a sham for years. He’s wealthy, Harvard-educated, and intelligent so he’s not seen as a man of the people. His rival is a fiercely ambitious, spiritual family man Joe Cantwell, played by Eric McCormack. Some of the references are very 1960s-specific, including Adlai Stevenson, Bertrand Russell and Catholic candidates that may lose some younger viewers. As Mrs. Gamadge, the muchadored Lansbury is the Chairman of the Womens’ Division. What is most fascinating are the deals being made on both sides by the same people. Senator Carlin (Dakin Matthews) promises labor to Russell and at the same time promises the same support to Cantwell. Politics is a game, best explained by former President Hockstader, played by a charm-
ingly avuncular James Earl Jones. The best part of the play is the cast that features several TV celebrities. In addition to Lansbury and Jones, audiences will recognize Candy Bergen as the poised, lovely devoted wife. She can still deliver barbed lines ala Murphy Brown. McCormack grows into his role, getting better as the play progresses. Larroquette plays against type, usually a sarcastic wise guy, and here is intellectual and philosophical. Kerry Butler as Mrs. Cantwell tries too hard and her accent is grating. Hers should have been almost a comic role, but instead is often irritating. Jefferson Mays does a wonderful job in his small role as a former army comrade of Cantwell. Times have changed, but politics still seems to be an ugly business with compromises and back room deals. By the end, with all the maneuvering, one questions whether the country actually gets “The Best Man.”
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 13
We had just taken a trip out to Maspeth to pick up a package. It was getting dark and we were hungry, looking for a place to sit and eat fast so we could head back home. Surrounded by warehouses, we walked a bit towards a bus stop and surveyed the area. There were pizza places, but that didn’t interest us that evening. Off in the distance, the word “Diner” stood out to us and we agreed. A diner is always a good choice for a quick, satisfying meal, so we walked over to the Clinton Diner for a Friday night dinner out. Having just moved to Queens last year, I’m not as familiar with the borough’s landmarks as I probably should be. So it was a pleasant surprise when I found out I was sitting in one of the filming locations for one of my favorite movies, 1990’s mob classic “Goodfellas.” If you’re not paying attention inside the diner, you’ll maybe miss it. A small sign indicates the establishment as “the
Goodfellas diner;” a picture of Bobby DeNiro hangs on the wall by the door. Other than that, though, the décor is unassuming. It’s a diner, after all, and some of the best diners are no-frills places where people come to eat, not study the ambiance. The service that Friday night was right on top of things. Our waitress seemed to know exactly when we were ready, appearing at the table almost instantly after we closed our menus to take our order. A bacon cheeseburger and onion rings for me, fish and chips for my girlfriend. The food wasn’t gourmet. It’s not supposed to be at a diner, but it was certainly satisfying. There’s something about a plate of greasy diner food - a memory of the good ol’ days in college eating at diners with friends at all hours of the night – that just makes me happy. When we were finished, I walked to the ATM in the entranceway and took out some money to pay. The diner doesn’t take credit cards, another part of the place that gives it a throwback feel to another time. The Clinton Diner encapsulated everything a good diner should be: simple, unassuming, satisfying and affordable. I’m looking forward to going back. -Steven J. Ferrari
opportunity to be a part of the Olympic movement and hear of the athletes’ involvement in Citi’s Every Step of the Way program. “As we celebrate our 200th anniversary, I cannot think of a better way to affirm our commitment to supporting the people on their journey from ambition to achievement than to support Team USA,” said Maria Veltre, Long Island City site president. Both Jones and Miller shared their stories about how they became Olympians — both got to where they are today after a traumatic life experience. Jones got his start in swimming after a traumatic childhood experience. He nearly drowned after going down a water slide at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania. He was unconscious when he got to the bottom and had to be resuscitated. When he came to, he said the first thing he said was “what is the next ride we are going on.” He said he was never a child prodigy, then muttered “Michael
PRESS photo by Ira Cohen
BY JASON PAFUNDI
Queens Today SECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL
Send typed announcements for your club or organization’s events at least TWO weeks in advance to “Queens Today” Editor, Queens Tribune, 150-50 14 Road, Whitestone NY 11357. Send faxes to 357-9417, IF YOUR ORGANIZATION MEETS ON A REGULAR BASIS, SEND ALL DATES FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
MEETINGS VFW 4787 Monday, April 23 Whitestone VFW Communit y Post meets. 746-0540. GREATER WOODHAVEN Tuesday, April 24 7:30 at St. Thomas the Apostle, 87-49 8 7 th S t r e e t , f i r s t f l o o r , Woodhaven. FH VAC Wednesday, April 25 7932055. WRITING GROUP Thursday, April 26 Shut Up and Write group at the Broadway library at 6:30. TOASTMASTERS Thursday, April 26 public speaking Briarwood library at 5:45. STAMP CLUB Thursday, April 26 at the Forest Hills library at 5:45.
Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
SENIORS KEW GARDENS Monday, April 23 Ceramics talk 1-2:30. Wednesday, April 25 dance class 11-1 and piano lessons 1:30. Thursday, April 26 Walk Down Memory Lane at 1. Friday, April 27 Backaches and how to cope with aging at 1. 80-02 Kew Gardens Road, suite 202. POMONOK SENIORS Monday, April 23 mental health workshop. 591-377. AARP DRIVING Wednesday, April 25 Windsor Park library. 4688300. AARP DRIVING Friday, April 27 Rosedale library. 479-8914 to register.
FLEA MARKETS RUMMAGE SALE Tuesday, April 24 Spring Rummage Sale 9-4 at the Bellerose Jewish Center, 254-04 Union Turnpike, Floral Park.
TEENS TALENT SHOW Saturday, April 21 at the Central library at 2. ESSAY WRITING Saturday, April 21 at the Far Rockaway library at 2. TEEN GAMING Mondays, April 23, 30 at the Fresh Meadows library at 3:30. JEWELRY MAKING Monday, April 23 at the Bayside library at 4. LAPTOPS Mondays, April 23, 30 laptops for use at the Hollis library at 4. ART LESSONS Mondays, April 23, 30 learn drawing techniques at the L a n g sto n H u g h e s l i b r a r y. Register. FAMILY WII ZUMBA Mondays, April 23, May 7, 14 at the Lefrak Cit y library at 6:30. SIGN LANGUAGE Monday, April 23 at 6 at the Laurelton library. CHESS & CHECKERS Mondays through May 28 at 3 at the South Ozone Park librar y. ADVISORY BOARD Tuesday, April 24 Teen Advisory Board at 5 at the Flushing library. TEEN GAMING Tuesdays through April 24 at the Fresh Meadows library at 4. LAPTOPS Tuesdays through April 24 at the Hollis library at 4. FATHER’S DAY CARD Wednesday, April 25 make a card for soldiers to send home at the Douglaston/ Little Neck Parkway at 3:30. SAND ART Wednesday, April 25 at 4 at the Briarwood library. CHESS & CHECKERS Wednesdays through May 30 at the South Ozone Park library at 3. TEEN GAMING Wednesday, April 25 at the Fresh Meadows library at 4. LAPTOPS Wednesdays through April 25 at the Hollis library at 4. SISTER TALK Wednesdays through May 30 at the Pomonok library at 4:30. SAT PRACTICE TEST Thursday, April 26 at the St. Albans library at 3:30. BOOK TALK Thursday, April 26 reading from “The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4:15. MOTIVATIONAL WORK. Thursday, April 26 at the Laurelton library at 5. MECHANICAL TOYS Thursday, April 26 Physics
o f M e c h a n i c a l Toy s w i t h LEAP at the Jackson Heights librar y. CHESS & CHECKERS Thursdays through May 31 at 3 at the South Ozone Park librar y. ANIME CLUB Thursday, April 26 at the Flushing library at 4. OPEN MIC Thursday, April 26 at the East Elmhurst library at 6. SIGN LANGUAGE Thursday, April 26 at the Steinway library at 6. DOWNLOAD Thursday, April 26 learn to download free e-books and free music at 6:30 at the LIC librar y. LAPTOPS Thursdays through April 26 at the Hollis library at 4. LEARN TO CROCHET Friday, April 27 at the McGoldrick library at 4. CHESS & CHECKERS Fridays through May 25 at 3 at the South Ozone Park librar y. MAH JONGG Friday, April 27 at the Woodside library. Register. BOOK BUDDIES Friday, April 27 at the Fresh Meadows library at 4. MOVIES Friday, April 27 at the Broadway library at 4. LAPTOPS Fridays through April 27 at 4 at the Hollis library. LOCKER ROOM Fridays through May 25 Life’s Locker Room is for young men in idle school and high school at the Pomonok library. ESSAY WRITING Saturday, April 28 at the Far Rockaway library at 2. ECONOMICS & ARTS Saturday, April 28 high school and college students seeking careers as actors, dancers, fashion designers, singers, cartoonists learn how their hobby can lead to economic success. 11-3 at York College, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica. 516767-9341 information. AUDITIONS Sunday, April 29 and Monday, April 30 7-9 for “Into the Woods.” 894-8654.
ENVIRONMENT GARDEN Starting April 21 Queens Botanical Garden invites gardeners to cultivate their own plots. Contact bsaunders@queensbotanical.org. SEEDLING SWAP Saturday, April 21 gardeners at 3 Broadway library.
ENTERTAINMENT GREEN SPACE BLOOMS Through April 22 Dance Entropy presents the 6 th annual Green Space Blooms, a Queens Celebration of new dance and music in LIC 9563037. GREEK PLAY Through May 6 the Greek Cultural Center in Astoria presents “In Laws From Tirana. 726-7329. RUSSIAN FESTIVAL Saturday, April 21 Russian Festival at the Flushing library starting at 12. BELLE’S PLAYERS Saturday, April 21 at the Forest Hills library at 2. GREAT MUSIC Saturday, April 21 Great Music from the 30s to 70s with Eddie Lee Isaacs at 2 at the Peninsula library. JAZZ Saturday, April 21 Octogenarian of Jazz at 7 at Sunnyside Reformed Church. 917-667-5331. Free. STORY TELLING Saturday, April 21 How We Came to Queens: AN Intergenerational Storytelling Workshop at 2:30 at the Ridgewood library. YORK JAM Saturday, April 21 York Jam at York College. 262-2412. JANIS IAN Saturday, April 21 folk legend Janis Ian performs at Queens Theatre in the Park. 760-0064. EARTH DAY Saturday, April 21 Friend of the Environment Reception at 6. $25. John Flynn Concert at 8. $25. Sunday, April 22 Walk 4APEC at 10. Live animal program at 1. $15. Alley Pond Environmental Center. 229-4000. KIDS’ CARNIVAL Saturday and Sunday, April 21, 22 at the Queens Count y Farm Museum 11-6. $10. Carnival rides, midway games, prizes, hayrides, kids entertainment. 347-FARM. SUNDAY CONCERT Sunday, April 22 at the Central library at 3. BRONX WANDERERS Sunday, April 22 at Queens Theatre in the Park. 7600064. HONOR AUTISM Sunday, April 22 Something to Celebrate! In Honor of Autism Awareness Month 2-4 at Queens Museum of Art. 592-9700. EARTH DAY Sunday, April 22 Earth Day Festival for Families at Flushing Town Hall. 463-7700. SACRED MUSIC Sunday, April 22 Sacred
Music Chorale of Richmond Hill performs their annual Spring Concert at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Richmond Hill. $15. Tickets at the door in advance www.richmondhillny.com/ Art sSMC. OUR GOODS Sunday, April 22 OurGoods presents Queens Artist Barter 101, Idea Part y and Potluck 2-4 at the Queens Museum of Art. 592-9700. NAL RAFFLE/EXHIBIT Sunday, April 22 win a painting and enjoy a buffet lunch at the National Art League 2-4. 44-21 Douglaston Parkway. $3 per raffle, 3 raffles for lunch. All invited. FAMILY THEATRE Sunday, April 22 Fred Garbo Theater Company performs juggling, acrobat and mime at Queens College. $12-18. 793-8080. EULE DANCE Sunday, April 22 C. Eule Dance Company performs at the Bay Terrace Jewish Center at 3. $20. 428-6363. REX REED Sunday, April 22 Rex Reed’s “The Man That Got Away: Ira Without George” at Queensborough Communit y College. 631-6311. Ira Gershwin discussed by critic/author/lecturer Rex Reed. LIVE JAZZ & R&B Sundays, April 22, 29 live jazz and r&b 6-10 at Déjà vu, 180-25 Linden Blvd., St. Albans. ITALIANS Monday, April 23 The Italians of NY: The Immigrant Experience at 2 at the Howard Beach library. READINGS Tu e s d a y, A p r i l 2 4 EL Doctorow. 7pm at the Queens College Music Building, Concert Hall. $20. 997-4646. GREEN FILM Monday, April 23 “Burning the Future: Coal in America” at 6 at the Sunnyside library. SOUL LEGENDS Monday, April 23 musical tribute to soul legends Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and more at 6:30 at the Arverne library. NIGHTCLUB SONGS Monday, April 23 Broadway and Nightclub Songs at 7 at the Middle village librar y. Also Tuesday, April 24 at the McGoldrick library at 1:30. KALEIDOSCOPE OF MUSIC Tu e s d a y, A p r i l 2 4 w i d e range of musical st yles at the Bellerose library at 2.
POPULAR DIVAS Tuesday, April 24 at the Briarwood library at 2. SPRING INTO JAZZ Tuesday, April 24 York College Blue Notes at 10 at Queens College. 262-2412. MUSIC & LIT Tuesday, April 24 creative translation featuring music and literature from Eastern Europe at DaMikelle Restaurant 6:30-8:30. $10. BLAST! Tuesday, April 24 YCMC Music Movie Time with “Blast!” at the Academic Core at noon. York College. 262-2412. SINATRA… Wednesday, April 25 tribute to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darin at the Woodside library at 4. GOLDEN DOOR Thursday, April 26 Beyond the Golden Door tribute to Ellis Island at 2 at the Mitchell-Linden librar y. OPEN MIC Thursday, April 26 at the East Elmhurst library at 6. FILM SERIES Thursday, April 26 “The Bloodsport of Politics” 2-5 at Queens Museum of Art. 592-9700. MEET THE MAESTRO Thursday, April 26 at the Hillcrest librar y. Meet the Maestro – Queens Symphony Orchestra Arts and Music Festival at 6. SCRABBLE GAME DAY Thursdays, April 26, May 31 at the Bellerose library at 6:30. FUNK DANCE F r i d a y, A p r i l 2 7 YC M C Dance at York College. 2622412. SPENT April 27 through May 6 “Spent” performed at Queens Theatre in the Park. $25. 760-0064. CARNIVAL OF LOVE Friday, April 27 5 th annual Carnival of Love Fundraiser to benefit children with autism and special needs. $40. 646-529-5852. AUGUST WILSON Saturday, April 28 an evening with August Wilson at the Central library at 2. MURDER MYSTERY Saturday, April 28 at the castle with the Bayside Historical Societ y. 352-1548. #7 TRAIN Saturday, April 28 World of the #7 Train tour. Register jaconet@aol.com FAIR Saturday, April 28 Martin Luther HS Fair in the gym. $50 includes buffet dinner and dessert. 894-4000, ext. 133.
Profile
MAG: Community Must Team Up For Change BY VERONICA LEWIN When Liz BishopGoldsmith’s godson was shot and killed outside of a club on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in 1991, she finally had enough. His murder added to her list of family members, coworkers and friends whose lives were lost to violence. Something needed to be done. “I decided to try to get mothers together to bring awareness to it,” she said. Soon after, Mothers Against Guns’ Jamaica Chapter was formed, with Bishop-Goldsmith serving as the president. Though Bishop-Goldsmith is the president of MAG, she is no stranger to guns. Growing up in rural Maryland, she was taught how to use guns for hunting. MAG did not waste any time and immediately began lobbying and advocating for what she
calls “common sense” gun laws. band moved to Rosedale to raise One of her notable proposals their three sons in a quaint neighwas an ammunition bill in the borhood. Her children grew up City Council and the State legis- in a different community than lature. In 2005, the bill became the one that exists today. “All you have to do is ride a law. Now, anyone seeking to down 243rd Street,” purchase ammunishe said with a sigh. tion must provide “It’s just so sad beidentification and “We have to be must provide the realistic. We want cause instead of make, model and se- change but we things going backwards. You expect rial number of the don’t want to do improvement.” weapon they are pur- any damn thing Though there has chasing for. The legal about it.” been a constant outage for purchasing —Liz Bishopcry about violence in ammunition was also Goldsmith Southeast Queens, raised to 21, up from 18. she said little has “We’re going to continue to been done to fix it. “We have to be realistic. We fight for federal laws,” she said. Despite seeing a bill turn into want change but we don’t want law, Bishop-Goldsmith said she to do any damn thing about it,” has not seen much progress in she said. Bishop-Goldsmith said one the community in the past 21 years. In fact, she believes things of the factors contributing to vioare getting worse. In the 1980s, lence on the streets is the lack Bishop-Goldsmith and her hus- of indifference in the community
– by both youth and adults. She said while she has witnessed teens walking around with attitude, she has also seen adults close their curtains and shut their doors to avoid interacting with them. “It’s like they don’t care either and if our youth see that nobody gives a damn, then why should they?” she asked. On April 10, Bishop-Goldsmith wrote an open letter to George Zimmerman asking him to turn himself in for the shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin. She then expressed concern with the common occurrence of people becoming interested in a high-profile shooting instead of looking inward at the disorder going on in their community. “Why aren’t we outraged when it’s happening right in our sight?” she asked. The Martin shooting also
brought Florida’s “stand your ground” law into the national spotlight. A similar bill was introduced in the State Senate. “I am not against it because I feel that we should all be able to protect ourselves, our homes and our loved ones,” Bishop-Goldsmith said. She emphasized that this does not include people who pursue, shoot and kill others because they are threatened by them. Bishop-Goldsmith and MAG are currently working on establishing an intergenerational after school program to get children and seniors to interact with each other. She hopes that the seniors could serve as mentors to those in need of someone to talk to. “We need people who have been out there and see what is going on and try to stop others from making mistakes,” she said. Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123 or vlewin@queenspress.com.
Queens Today YOUTH
EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS Maspeth library at 6. LEARNING TO LISTEN Monday, April 23 at the Rochdale Village library at 6. Thursday, April 26 at the Baisley Park library at 6. Learn effective listening techniques. JOB READINESS Mondays, April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 28 at the Arverne library at 5:30. LIC CRAFT CLUB Mondays, April 23, 30, May 7, 21 at noon at the LIC library. KNIT & CROCHET Mondays, April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21 at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library at 4. Bring your own needles and yarn. INTRO EMAIL Tuesday, April 24 at the Queens Village library. Register. SEARCH INTERNET Tuesday, April 24 introduction to searching the internet at the Maspeth library at 1. COMPUTER CLASS Tuesday, April 24 at the Sunnyside library. Register. INTRO COMPUTERS
Wednesday, April 25 at the Windsor Park library. Register. MOCK INTERVIEWS Wednesday, April 25 at the Far Rockaway library. Register. SOCIAL MEDIA Wednesday, April 25 Social Media and the Job Search at the LIC library at 1:30. BRAILLE WORKSHOP Wednesday, April 25 at the Broadway library. Register. INTRO POWERPOINT Thursday, April 26 at the Pomonok library. US CITIZENSHIP Thursdays through April 26 at the Forest Hills library at 5:30. EVENING CRAFT Thursday, April 26 at the Fresh Meadows library at 6:30. TOASTMASTERS Thursday, April 26 public speaking at the Briarwood library at 5:45. STAMP CLUB Thursdays, April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 at the Forest Hills library at 5:45.
TALENT SHOW Saturday, April 21 at the Central library at 2. EARTH DAY Saturday, April 21 celebrate Earth Day with Dr. Seuss and more at 11 at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 U n i o n Tu r n p i ke , F re s h Meadows. FAMILY STORY TIME Saturday, April 21 at the Flushing library at 11. CHILDREN’S THEATER Saturday, April 21 LaMicro Children’s Theater at the Sunnyside library. Register. PJ TIME Mondays, April 23, 30 at the Central library at 7. ETIQUETTE Mondays, April 23, 30 Etiquette and Character Education at 4:30 at the Hollis library. PLAY DOH PART Y Monday, April 23 for those K-3 at the Fresh Meadows library at 3:30. REPTILE EDVENTURE Monday, April 23 at 4 at the Broadway library. Tuesday, April 24 at the Maspeth library at 3:30. Wednesday,
April 25 at the Rego Park library at 4. Thursday, May 3 at 4 at the Cambria Heights library. See, touch and learn about reptiles and amphibians. EARTH DAY Monday, April 24 at the Central library at 4. READ TO ANNIE THE DOG Monday, April 23 at the Queens Village library. Register. LEARN TO CROCHET Mondays through May 21 at 5 at the Arverne library. PAPER CRAFTS Mondays through April 30 at the McGoldrick library at 5. FAMILY WII ZUMBA Mondays through May 14 at the Lefrak Cit y library at 6:30. CHESS & CHECKERS Mondays through May 28 at the South Ozone Park library at 3. READ WITH MS. M Tuesday, April 24 at the Middle Village library. Register. BOOST EARTH DAY Tuesday, April 24 at the
Central library at 4:30. SLEEPING BEAUTY Tuesday, April 24 at the Hillcrest library at 4:30. WORD OF THE WEEK Tuesday, April 24 at the McGoldrick library at 5. MATH DRILLS Tuesday, April 24 at the McGoldrick library at 4:30. CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Tuesday, April 24 at the Glen Oaks library at 11. CHESS & CHECKERS Tuesdays through May 29 at 3 at the South Ozone Park librar y. FATHERS DAY CARDS Wednesday, April 25 make cards for soldiers to send home at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library at 3:30. SEASONAL CRAFT Wednesday, April 25 at the Fresh Meadows library at 3:30. SAND ART Wednesday, April 25 at the Briarwood library at 4. MOVING STORY TIME Wednesday, April 25 create a story with images that move at the East Flushing library at 4.
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15
DEFENSIVE DRIVING Saturday, April 21 at American Mart yrs in Bayside. 631-360-9720. LEARN TO SAIL April 21 to June 11 the American Craft Association is offering 7 weeks on the water at Flushing Meadow Park. 347-438-1863. ONLINE LEARNING Saturday, April 21 at the Far Rockaway library at 10:30. CLEAN YOUR COMPUTER Saturday, April 21 at the Central library at 11. PUBLIC SPEAKING Saturday, April 21 learn to communicate effectively at Elmhurst Hospital. 646-4367940. ESSAY WRITING Saturdays, April 21, 28 at the Far Rockaway library at 2. INTER. COMPUTER Saturdays, April 21, 28 LIC library at 2. SIGN LANGUAGE Monday, April 23 at the Laurelton library at 6. INTRO EXCEL Monday, April 23 at the
People Berkeley College has announced the names of local students who have been awarded scholarships to attend the college. They include: Queens Village: Chandrapaul Ramlackan, Pathways College Preparatory School. The New York Lottery announced the names of area Lottery players who claimed a winning ticket from one of the Lottery’s live drawings April 17. The following winners each received a cash prize valued at $10,000 or more. Mayhue Osborne of Arverne won $10,000 on the Quick Draw drawing April 4. Osborne’s winning ticket was purchased at Rupi Grocery in Inwood. Alexa Marchese of Belle harbor won $10,000 on the Mega Millions drawing March 30. Marchese’s winning ticket was purchased at Belle Harbor Chemists, 412 Beach 129th St., Belle Harbor. Satinder Sharma of Rego Park won $10,000 on the Mega
Plumb./Heat
Millions drawing March 30. Sharma’s winning ticket was purchased at the 63-28 99th St. Farm in Rego Park. Robert Webb of Forest Hills won $10,000 on the Mega Millions drawing March 30. Webb’s winning ticket was purchased at the Queensbury Wine & Liquor, 112-24 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills. Kenyona Charles of Hollis won $30,003 on the Quick Draw drawing April 5. Charles’ winning ticket was purchased at Meadow Training, 61-46 188th St., Fresh Meadows. Theo Bell of Fresh Meadows won $10,000 on the Powerball drawing March 17. Bell’s winning ticket was purchased at George Service Station, 246-02 South Conduit, Rosedale. The New York Lottery announced Jose Vinuela of Richmond Hill won $25,000 on the Lottery’s $1,000,000 Payday scratch-off game. Vinuela’s winning ticket was purchased at the Queens Deli & Grocery, 122-09
Violations
Travel
Liberty Ave., South Richmond Hill. Army Pvt. Wykeem E. Murray has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises. He is the son of Willie Murray of Laurelton and Samantha Ross of Princeton, NJ. Army Reserve Pvt. Steven Pan has graduated from One Station Unit Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo., which included basic military training
Travel
and advanced individual training. During basic military training, the trainee received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons qualification, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army doctrine, history, principles and traditions. During AIT, the soldier completed the military police specialist course to acquire skills to provide combat area support, conduct battlefield circulation control, area security, prisoner of war operations, civilian internee operations, and law and order operations. The trainee performed as a team member in support of battlefield operations, installation law and order operations and security of Army resources and installations. Additional training included providing peacetime support to the military community through security of resources, crime prevention programs, and preservation of law and order. Pan is a 2010 graduate of
Urologist
Thomas A. Edison High School in Jamaica. The New York Army National Guard recently announced the promotion of members in recognition of their capabilities for additional responsibility and leadership. They include: Jamaica: Karinda McKethan, serving with the Company A, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, was promoted to the rank of private first class; Audrey Budhu, serving with the Early Entry Element, 369th Sustainment Brigade, was promoted to the rank of master sergeant; Audrey Alexispeacock, serving with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, was promoted to the rank of private first class. Rosedale: Ohchain Salmon, serving with the 145th Maintenance Company, was promoted to the rank of private first class. St. Albans: Eon Myers, serving with the 7th Finance Detachment, was promoted to the rank of private first class.
Urologist
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April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17
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Yuliya Daurove Home: Forest Hills Age: 28 Height: 5’5" Weight: 126 lbs Stats: 33-27-36
Models Of Queens
Fresh Face
Yuliya is a fresh face in the modeling industry, having recently started her new hobby. She has done some magazine ads and promotional events already. Yuliya became interested in modeling while attending school. “I’ve never thought seriously about modeling until I was enrolled into the theater department of Queens College last fall. Then, I realized it’s an opportunity for me,” she said. Yuliya said she wants to pursue a professional modeling and acting career in the future. She said she is confident that the Big Apple will be an open door for her. “I’m still in the process of getting into the business, but it is not that hard in New York. There are many agencies, photographers, events where people invite you. I use special websites,” she said. When the cameras aren’t clicking at her, Yuliya attends Queens College and works as a business development manager at a foreign law firm. She also enjoys literature and theater. In her leisure time, Daurova gets friendly in the Forest Hills. “Austin Street is awesome!” she said.
The Queens Library, where reading tablets includes more than Moses.
Library Of The Future The Queens Library is going where no library has gone before: digital. First, the library began offering music downloads to library cardholders. Now, the library has announced that the Central Library in Jamaica will become the first City library to offer 50 e-readers on loan as part of a pilot program. Each e-reader will be
preloaded with one of five themes: best sellers, romances, mysteries, teen or children’s books, along with 50 works of classic literature. E-readers will be available to library cardholders and a photo ID to check out the devices free for 21 days. Who says libraries don’t know how to attract the younger generation?
Fuzzy Math
The iconic towers of the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park are known to anyone who grew up in Queens. The rustic discshaped structures rise from the park like a marker for the borough. For those who aren’t familiar with Queens, the question of “what are those?” is often asked. Though the towers, vacant for more than four Keith Olberman tweeted this pic of the towers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. decades, made a triumphant return into familiarity after they were cast as spaceships in the 1997 movie “Men in Black,” Confidentially, New they often receive curious stares from anyone driving back on their way to the airports or to Long Island. The towers caught the attention of now unemployedt television host Keith Olbermann last week as he headed for a New York Mets game at CitiField. Olbermann uploaded a photo of the towers on Twitter followed by a tweet; “Still the weirdest piece of scenery in NYC,” the tweet read. The Westchester native included hastags that identified the towers’ place in history #WorldsFair #MIB That’s why we stand out, Keith. Manhattan may have a skyline of boxy skyscrapers and Brooklyn may have its brownstones, but we in Queens love our landmarks that show off our individuality.
Squirrels Gone Wild Get your cameras ready – it’s Spring Break and the squirrels have gone wild. Instead of Mexico, some rodents decided to take a vacation in Glen Oaks Village. Aggressive squirrels have reportedly been roaming the neighborhood, even setting up shop in the hood of someone’s car. One especially rowdy squirrel was caught slipping through a window and eating someone’s cookie. Surprisingly, the Dept. of Health does not have a squirrel removal policy, so the squirrels remain free to party. Hey, everyone should have a chance to let loose on Spring Break.
Photo by Ira Cohen
Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens April 20-26, 2012
A Landmark Tweet
York . . .
Peter Vallone’s Facebook page is always a good place to get a more candid view of the colorful councilman. On April 5, after the Mets’ opening day win, Vallone posted, “some mets observations - santana’s still the man even without run support; jason bay still has warning track power, wherever that track may be moved to; we got a good 6 innings out of our spankin new center fielder; and we’re one game over 500!! woohoo!” The Mets were 1-0 and a comment pointed out that they had a 1.000 winning percentage, in response to Vallone’s one game over .500 remark. Confusion set in. Who was right and who was wrong? New York Observer wrote a blog post called “Peter Vallone’s Fuzzy Math.” And who would come to set the record straight? The great compromiser, Councilman Mark Weprin jumped into Vallone’s comment thread. “You’re both right. We are .1000 but only 1 game over .500,” he wrote. Weprin meant 1.000, not .1000, which would be a historically awful winning percentage. Maybe the whole City Council should retake a sixth grade math class?
What’s Up APRIL 21 Spring Festival Come one, come all, to the Walkers For Wellness Club Looking for a fun way to improve your health? Join the Walkers for Wellness Club at New Hope Lutheran Church of Jamaica. Under the guidance of a Walking Leader, you will walk two to three times each week at a comfortable pace with others along routes throughout Southeast Queens. The club is open to walkers of all ages and abilities. The walking schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Walkers meet at New Hope Lutheran Church, located at 167-24 118th Ave. T-shirts and pedometers will be provided. Contact Thurkessa Brown at (917) 553-1089 for more information.
Brookville Park Beautification There will be painting of park benches and all wooden posts on 147th Avenue and Brookville Blvd. (across the street from our new community Baseball Field). There will also be a major park clean up. The first 10 volunteers that respond via email with a confirmation of attendance for our beautification project will receive our Friends of Brookville Park signature T-shirt. We will also provide letters for service credit and refreshments for volunteers. This free event will be held at Brookville Park, Brookville Boulevard at 143rd Avenue, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
greatest spring festival of them all. Bring the whole family out to enjoy a day of arts and crafts, face painting, scavenger hunting, and inflatable bouncers. Sponsored by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Councilman James Sanders Jr., Friends of Brookville Park and the Storm Rydaz MC. This free event will be held at Brookville Park from noon to 4 p.m.
Fashion Show Jamaica Center is exploding into Spring with an interactive fashion showcase “Come to Fashion. Come to Life.” Don’t miss this red carpet evening of fashion, food, networking and entertainment. The event will feature exclusive creations from Jamaica’s premier, up-and-coming talent. There will also be a sneak peek of the “Jamaica Center Collection” featuring the latest styles to hit local stores. For more information, email info@jamaicacenter.org, call (718) JAMAICA (526-2422), or visit www.jamaicacenter.org. Get your complimentary ticket today at www.jamaicacenter.org. This free event will be held at Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., from 6 to 9 p.m.
APRIL 22 Happy Earth Day! Animal Adventures
District 29 Conference
APRIL 23 Stay Well Learn new ways to take charge of your health and help your friends do the same. Learn how special exercise and relaxation techniques make a differ-
Monthly Meeting Queens Chapter National Action Network is pleased to announce its next General Membership Monthly Meeting. Come on out to meet with the newly elected officers. Yearly dues are due. If you joined the Queens Chapter in April 2011, your dues are due for 2012-2013. For additional information, visit www.natinalactionnetwork.net, or contact Lois Menyweather at (646) 284-1689 or lmenyweather@gmail.com. This free event will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 111-10 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m.
APRIL 24 Walkers For Wellness Club See April 21 listing. At 7 p.m.
Non-Profit Seminar Councilman Leroy Comrie is presenting free community nonprofit resource seminars. The April 24th seminar will include a discussion on the following topics: Marketing and Finance Strategies for Your Nonprofit Business, presented by Dr. Ebony Kirkland of Ebony Marketing Systems and Starting A NonProfit Incorporation, presented by Dr. Maria Hubbard of the Greater Bethel Community. For additional information, call (718) 776-3700. This free event will be held at York College’s Faculty Dining Room, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. from 6 to 9 p.m.
technological transformation much of which was spearheaded in the New York. This lecture by Alfred Ronzoni will explore this legacy of the War of 1812 in the creation of New York as the “Empire State.” This free event will be held at York College Academic Core Building, Room 3D01, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.
Community Jam Session The York College Community Jam Session is a chance for musicians to come together. All instruments are welcome and the event is open to anyone in the greater York College community, including students, faculty, staff, members of the community, and beyond. This is a low stress environment for all levels of musicians with high return! No previous experience required, just the love of making music. Audience members welcome! Think of it as a musical study break. And who knows, you may make a friend or two! See you there. This free event will be held at York College Illinois Jacquet Performance Space at the Chapel of the Three Sisters, 94-15 159th St., at 7 p.m.
APRIL 25 Intro to Email Learn how to manage an email account and review messages; also learn some email etiquette. Participants must possess basic mouse and keyboarding skills. Preregistration is required by phone or in person at the Cyber Center Desk. For details, call (718) 990-0769. This free event will be held at Queens Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 9:30 a.m.
The War of 1812 The War of 1812 has been referred to as America’s “forgotten war.” But it was the pivotal event in establishing the young United States as an independent nation, here to stay. Victories at the battles of Plattsburgh, Lake Erie, Baltimore and New Orleans gave Americans a new sense of confidence, pride and patriotism. This and the absence of another major war for the next 30 years gave rise to a remarkable period of economic, political, social and
Online Learning Interested in upgrading your skills, practicing for a test, or learning more about computer software? Attend this informative session about free online learning opportunities. Registration is not required. Call (718) 9900746 or visit the Job Information Center. This free event will be held at Queens Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 10:30 a.m.
APRIL 26 Walkers For Wellness Club See April 21 listing. At 7 p.m.
Fair Housing Conference This event is being held by the Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica in partnership with Councilman Leroy Comrie and the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. All are invited. Register at www.nhsj.org or call (718) 2917400. This free event will be held at The Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center, 172-17 Linden Blvd., from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Daycare Theatre Series Bring the whole daycare center to the Black Spectrum Theatre’s daycare center theatre series. This month’s offering is “Oni’s Good Hair Day.” Admission is $7 a person or $6 for 50 or more children. This free event will be held at Black Spectrum Theatre - 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard, at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
APRIL 27 N Da Brick of IT The Afrikan Poetry Theatre is pleased to present an art exhibit opening for “N Da Brick of IT” by Fabric Artist, Oathrowback. Come on out! Wine and cheese will be served. This free event will be held at Afrikan Poetry Theatre. 176-03 Jamaica Ave., at 7 p.m.
Performance Showcase The Mount Moriah AME Church Young Adult Ministry is pleased to present a Black Light Performance Showcase. Get ready to snap it up for an evening of inspirational spoken word, poetry, live music, dancing, rapping, comedy and some special surprises you don’t want to miss! Door prizes for the first 20 people. For additional information, visit http:www.moriahcity.org or contact Rosslynn Pieters at (718) 276-1908 ext. 162 or 1930yam@moriahcity.org This free event will be held at Mount Moriah AME Church 115-20 Francis Lewis Blvd., from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
April 20-26, 2012 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 19
Calling all PTA‘s, PA’s, SLT’s, Title 1 representatives, and Parent Coordinators. IS 192 Parent Teachers Association is pleased to host the District 29, School Leadership Team and Title 1 Conference. Come learn about: Title 1; School Leadership Team’s; the role of the PTA/PA Nominating Committee; PTA/ PA/SLT/Title 1 Election Process. All districts are welcome to attend this conference. For more information, or to RSVP, contact William McDonald at whm6363@gmail.com or Greta Nathaniel at GNathaniel @schools.nyc.gov. This free event will be held at IS 192, 109–89 204th St., at 10 a.m.
The Alley Pond Environmental Center will hold a walk along Little Neck Bay to raise funds at 10 a.m. At 1 p.m. for $15, Animal Adventures will host a live animal program with the possible presence of such critters as a wallaby, a lemur and a giant snake. For more information, call (718) 229-4000. This event will be held at Alley Pond Park, 228-06 Northern Blvd., at 10 a.m.
ence in your life. This free event will be held at Queens Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 10 a.m.
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